Chapter Eleven
Nick stood in the law office and watched as Morgan sat on Heath's leg and held onto Heath's arms while Heath held onto the child's waist and gave him a "ride". Since Nick had seen Hope leave the law office and head to the schoolhouse, he had expected to see his half brother taking care of the small child. "Think this is the first time I've seen a sheriff behind a desk with a child on his leg." Nick did his best to smile and hide the uneasy feeling he had inside him. Heath belonged in the saddle, on a ranch, full time, not behind a desk with a badge on him, not for any amount of time.
"There's a first for everything." Heath replied as he smiled upon Morgan and told Nick that he had been watching Morgan for about an hour in the office on Wednesdays for the past two months. "Not much to do around here most of the time anyway and the regular teacher's had family troubles to deal with. Anywhere else, they wouldn't have a problem getting a substitute, but Martinsdale is another story…and they're pretty desperate when they asked a married woman to help out for a couple of hours. I don't mind, though." Heath smiled as Morgan let out a laugh and told his "horsie" to 'getty-up".
"Surprised the town even has a school," Nick pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down even as he wanted to ask how long Heath thought it would be until the town died. He might as well have asked as Heath sat his son on the floor and handed him the toy Hope had left for him.
"Town might be dying, Nick, but it ain't dead yet and," Heath said as he rubbed leaned back in his chair knowing what his next words would do to his half brother, "it's still home to us." What else could he say? He was only speaking the truth.
Nick's eyes filled with understanding and sadness, along with a bit of hope. "I understand that Heath; really I do. You've made a good life for yourself here." He paused as he stood up and walked to the window; he had to keep control of himself, especially with Morgan in the room. "I don't think badly of either one of you. All I wanted the two of you to do," Nick turned and looked at Heath, who could see sincere longing in Nick's eyes, "is consider moving back to the ranch. Or near enough to work on it anyway," Okay, so he preferred to see Heath back on the ranch, anywhere on Barkley land, over simply being close to it. He wasn't going to push for that one though. If he did Nick just knew Heath's foot, which were already planted ten feet beneath the surface, would push harder against the dirt and dig down another ten feet. "I mean, would it hurt to at least think about it?" He didn't think he was talking that loud only Morgan, who climbed down from his father's knee and started walking away, whirled around and stared at Nick, with a somewhat frightened look on his face. Nick quickly apologized and told the young child he would try to talk quieter.
Heath backed Nick up which made it so Morgan went back to playing. Nick repeated his question. Heath didn't reply at first only when he turned his head, looked at Nick and spoke quietly; Nick felt as if he'd just received another punch in the gut when Heath said, "Don't know that Hope will want to leave Charity behind." Heath's added 'I'm not sure I can either.'
For a split second Nick could see himself and Heath standing next to the grave in the southeast corner of the Martinsdale graveyard. He could see the tombstone and the words etched on the stone. Charity H Yeary beloved infant daughter of Jack and Hope Yeary…same month, day and year were below the words. Heath had told him how Morgan's twin sister was born after Morgan, but had simply been too weak to survive but a mere four hours. Nick felt as if he had been once again punched in the gut. He knew he and the family would be more than willing to transport the small coffin and its precious cargo to the ranch and rebury Heath's daughter there; still, he knew that was definitely an option was not his to bring up.
Nick wasn't sure what to say and neither did Heath. The two might have sat in silence for hours, only Morgan, who had walked over to Nick and was studying him with quite a comical face, had Heath busting a gut laughing when he asked, "You don't sound right when you talk soft."
Nick stared for two reasons. One, the only two year old he knew that talked like that was Jarrod's son, Derringer; and two, no child had ever told him such a thing. After he came out of shock, he couldn't help but start laughing too. He leaned over, picked up his nephew and put the child on his knee. "You are one very smart child." Nick looked at Heath and sighed. A part of him wanted to push Heath into returning to the ranch, but he couldn't. At least, by doing so, he knew Heath would only pull back…and with good cause. Nick then ran the words of a telegram he had in his pocket through his mind as he bounced Morgan on his knee.
Coming to Martinsdale STOP Jimmy taking horses home STOP See if Heath will consent to see me STOP Jarrod
He'd been trying to get himself to tell Heath about Jarrod ever since the telegram arrived. Only problem, each and every time Nick had decided to bring it up, he found himself freezing up. Now, after Heath's comment about Charity, Nick found himself thinking that the best the family might be able to hope for was to Heath to consent to take his real name back. He then took a deep breath and told Heath he had some more news for him…and asked him to please listen without interrupting. Heath hesitantly agreed.
