A/N Thanks for all the supporters of this story. I appreciate the feedback. It makes me want to write more chapters. IF you didn't read chapter 34 and 35, they were posted ONLY days before this post. I've posted three chapters in one weekend.
Chapter 36: Acting Out of Character
Audra had been found by Adam and Abigail as they had finished their picnic earlier due to little Ben getting tired. They had decided to head towards the house when they spotted Audra sitting on the edge of a creek bank. The girl was sobbing as she threw stones in the creek. They questioned her as they pulled the surrey up to her.
"What's the wrong, Audra?" Adam bent down to help his new sister up.
"H..hhhheeathh...kisssssssssssssed...Amy." Audra whimpered out in stuttering words.
That was all they needed to hear to understand Audra being upset. Abigail would ask her sister what happened when she got to the cabin. She didn't want to question Audra more in her current state of distress. The couple tied the mare to their surrey and had Audra travel back with them.
Heath was unaware of Audra being found. In his hurry to find Audra, he realized he had no idea what direction she had went. He hadn't questioned Ben. There were too many horse and buggy tracks to pick up a trail. It was due to the many who attended the charity rodeo.
Heath felt his ribs aching more as he tried to think of where Audra may have gone. He heard sounds of coyotes howling, which only added to his worry. Heath felt an immense fear sit over him. Audra was so much to him now. He feared she could be hurt. Heath also began to think how the relationship would cause problems for the Barkleys. He asked himself if he was being selfish wanting and loving Audra as he did.
His ears picked up the sound of moaning coming from a thicket near him. Without hesitating, Heath road straight through the thorns fearing Audra may be stuck in the thicket hurting. He didn't find Audra. Instead, he found a young teenage couple in a heated kiss. The couple thought they were caught by parents. Heath dismissed them as they scurried off into the night.
Heath felt the stinging not only in his ribs now but also from the thorns that penetrated his skin. He pulled off his blue shirt to stop the offending thorns' continuation of sticking in his skin. Heath felt his whole world was crashing around him because he couldn't find Audra. The man didn't shed much tears in his young life. Boy howdy, did he feel like crying now.
Heath wiped his arm over his face trying to think. It wasn't time to get emotional. He had to find Audra and bring her to safety. Heath's worry was soon abated when he heard Ben Cartwright's voice calling him. The man road up from the other side of the thicket.
"Audra is with Adam and Abby. They found her. She's headed back to the ranch." Ben saw the shirtless cowboy's relieved face.
He handed Heath a canteen. Heath took a long drink before dousing his head in the cool water. Heath looked up as he spoke in his soft drawl. "Never been so afraid. I reckon'." Heath was airing out his concern for Audra before he added."I didn't kiss Amy. She grabbed and kissed me."
"I thought as much when I heard how angry you were with her." Ben road along side of Heath. "You still seem a little agitated."
"I am." Heath admitted. "Audra has always been a little hot headed. She could've got herself hurt or worse tonight. She is used to ridin' out on the Barkley ranch but she knew better than this."
"Looks like you had better nights." Ben nodded to Heath's shirt full of thorns. He then noticed Heath's bruised side. "Your ribs okay?"
"Yeah. M'fine." Heath clicked Charger on. "But I plan on havin' a talkin' to with your daughter. One she ain't gonna like too well."
Ben chuckled lightly as they made their way towards the corral. Audra was being helped down by Adam when they road up. Heath dismounted Charger as he approached the others.
"I'd like to speak to Audra alone, Adam." Heath noticed Audra's angry look.
Ben nodded for Adam and Abby to follow him into the cabin. He figured things were about to get a little heated between the blondes. He thought it best to let them sort it out on their own.
Heath stood only in his jeans which were belted up with leather belt. Audra recognized the look on his face. However, she didn't care about how Heath Barkley felt at the moment. He hurt her. Audra felt Heath didn't care how deep she was falling in love with him. She demised he had pushed her feelings aside for his own pleasure.
Heath reached over to grasp her arm. He quickly tried to curb his anger before speaking.
"What the #* ! do you think you were doing, Audra!?" Heath released Audra's arm. He didn't do a very good job of defusing his anger after all. He was usually good at keeping his feelings bottled up. However, Audra was getting the best of him in emotions. Heath turned to walk away. He needed to get clear of the girl before he said something he'd regret.
Audra grabbed for him. Her hand clasped Heath's forearm. "Heath, what has become of you? You kissed her! I saw you! What are you trying to do to me?"
Heath jerked his arm from Audra. "ME! You go riding while night is fallin'. You are the one actin' a fool."
Audra stood glaring at Heath. How dare he turn this on her? He kissed Amy! "You lily livered scoundrel. You have possessed my thoughts and then you turn and kiss Amy Gannon. You kissed her!" She knew she wasn't making sense. She was angry and talking irrational. Not to mention throwing insults she had read in some dime store novel about a pirate.
Heath ignored her words. The girl needed to be taught a lesson. He didn't kiss Amy but that wasn't the point right now. There was so much to think about when it came to them. Heath had mulled over a lot as he road in search of the girl he loved. Could he be a part of causing the Barkleys pain? Somehow, Audra had to understand that they couldn't act on their feelings. It would hurt too many people. Heath needed her to think him not a man worthy of her. He felt he wasn't any way. He picked her up and dropped her squirming body in the closest water trough.
"How dare you!" Audra screamed as she sputtered when she came up from the water. She climbed out of the trough tripping slightly. Heath caught her before she fell. "Let go of me!"
Heath smirked as he looked up and down Audra's body. "Your clothing seems to be soaked."
Audra was angry that Heath did not find offense at her words yet was making comments of her soaked attire. She looked down at herself. Her eyes widened at her white blouse and cream colored riding skirt.
Audra realized that Heath could see through her wet attire. How dare him? "I hate you!"
Heath shrugged as he continued to stare at Audra's body. He figured that would make her angry enough to not want anything romantic to do with him. "These words upset me how?"
"Codpiece!" Audra screamed at him as she tried to march past him. Okay, maybe reading pirate novels wasn't such a good way to pass time while the men were out on the range.
Heath grabbed her by the arm stopping her. He turned her around harshly. "That does not sound like words spoken by a lady."
Audra couldn't help but to notice Heath's well defined chest glistening with the moisture from the small peppering of water splashed on him from the trough. She swallowed as she stared at how defined his muscles were and taut his stomach was. His handsome looks and taut body were NOT going to melt her this go round. She noticed the bruising on his side. Part of her wanted to take care of him but the other part still wanted to slap him.
Angrily, she stomped Heath's foot. He laughed as he pulled her to him. Her body thudded against his.
"You're actin' like a child throwin' your tantrum." Heath grinned wickedly as he licked his wet lips. "I think a child needs a lesson taught her."
Heath held her by one arm as he took off his belt with the other. Audra's eyes widened in horror at Heath's gesture.
"You wouldn't dare whip me!" Audra tried to jerk free from Heath's grasp but his hold was too strong.
"No, little girl." Heath leaned in to whisper huskily in her ear. His breath tickled her ear heatedly. "You may like that too much."
Audra tried to smack Heath's face but he was too quick for her. He spun her around hurriedly. He pushed Audra until she sat on the top of a bail of hay by the corral fence. With his leather belt, Heath tied her hands to one of the posts.
"What are you doing?" Audra kicked her feet and flailed her body trying to free herself.
Heath peered down at her. "Watchin' a child throw a tantrum. If you're gonna keep actin' like a child and puttin' yourself in trouble. Maybe I need to hogtie ya up to keep ya in place."
"Let me loose, you putrid excuse for a man! Let me loose!" Audra thrashed her body back and forth. Her wet hair flung water as she screeched at Heath.
Heath stood there with his hands on his hips. His ribs were making it difficult to stand up. But it was Audra he was concerned about. He was regretting his actions. He wasn't sure what he was thinking by tying Audra to the post. She had scared him to death with worry. He couldn't fathom losing her. Audra was everything to him.
Joe Cartwright had been told to tell Audra and Heath that supper was ready. He stepped up to the battling couple. He glanced down at Audra then back to Heath. He arched his eyebrow questioningly.
"She's a little hot headed. I thought perhaps a dunkin' could cool her down." Heath smirked then turned to Joe like Audra wasn't even there. "Did you get the supplies for the fence?"
"Are you seriously going to do ranch business and leave me tied up like this!" Audra screamed at them both. Then she tried to play on Joe's sympathy. "I'm your little sister, Joe."
Joe swallowed nervously. He figured Audra deserved whatever Heath had done to her. He wasn't sure why, but he knew Heath. However, Audra was his sister. Joe thought it best to just let the two work it out. "Supplies are getting low. I'll send Candy in to town for supplies tomorrow. Gettin' too dark to head out tonight." Joe nervously rocked on his feet. "Pa won't like it if his little girl catches a cold, Heath."
Heath shook his head due to his blonde tendrils of hair becoming soaked due to the canteen water and Audra's earlier tirade in the water trough. "Let me know when the supplies come in. I'll get right on fixin' the fence."
"Well, Pa said to tell you supper is done. We're having some grade A steak tonight." Joe frowned slightly.
"That sounds promising." Heath glanced back down to Audra. She was shivering.
"Do you think she's learned her lesson?" Joe laughed nervously as he watched the stubborn female shaking due to the cold water. He didn't want to make Heath angry. He knew Heath when he was Heath Thomson. The man could stir up a fight when he wanted to. Maybe he'd send Hoss to figure this one out. "I'll leave you to see that she has."
Heath stooped down so that he was eye level with Audra. He could see how cold the soaking was making her. Heath loosened Audra from her bondage. She stood as her knees shook and her teeth shattered. Heath didn't want her cold. He wasn't handling himself very well lately. This girl was driving him crazy!
"You could have died out there. Quit trying to get yourself killed." Heath pushed back a strand of wet hair from Audra's face. "You scared me, Audra. Do you understand that this was very ignorant of you?"
"I hate you." Audra said in a shaking voice.
"I think you've already said those words." Heath pulled her to him to try to warm her.
Audra at first tried to hit him to push him away. However when her body was against his, she felt his warmth. Audra pushed herself closer to him. Her teeth rattled as she buried her head into his chest.
"You disgust me." She whispered as her eyes closed feeling his warm skin against her cheek. His body caused her a warmth on the outside but also the familiar warmth flamed in her stomach. Audra hated her own heart betraying her like it was.
Heath enveloped his arms around her pulling her so close to his bare chest that they clung together with moisture. "I see that I do."
"You make me want to heave." Audra sighed out as her fingers danced gingerly on Heath's abdomen.
He was perfect in physique. Audra was not blind to that. His skin tingled beneath the slight touch of her fingers. He tried to tell himself he missed a woman's touch. Heath tried to ignore the rare beauty that this female possessed. Heath tried to tell himself what he had thought of earlier. Taking their relationship further into romance was bound to turn out bad. He tried but he failed. His eyes glanced down at the very moment that Audra glanced up.
"I didn't kiss her. Amy kissed me." Heath whispered an explanation to Audra. He needed her to understand he'd never intentionally hurt her.
There was a seductive burning that seemed to scorch their souls. Their faces were angled looking at one another. As Heath leaned down, Audra went up on her tiptoes. Their lips could feel the breath of the other.
"You hate me." Heath whispered huskily causing his breath to tease her lips.
"I could never hate you." Audra began to trace her fingers up Heath's chest slowly feeling the hard definition of his muscles. She swallowed deeply as her eyes began to flutter shut.
Their breaths mingled together as their lips came closer to seal in a kiss.
"Hmmm." A clearing of someone's throat caused Heath and Audra to stop the kiss.
Boy howdy. What was it with the Cartwrights interrupting a kiss with their dag gone throat clearing? Heath wondered.
"Hoss?" Heath backed away from Audra like he was a kid caught stealing cookies.
Audra's face flushed red. Without saying a word, Audra nodded at her new found brother and Heath before walking demurely away from them.
Hoss placed his large arm around Heath's shoulder. "Joe informed me you had tied our sister to a pole out here." Hoss watched Heath's face pale. "Now, little buddy, I can't have you doin' that to my only sister. Now can I?"
"No." Heath grinned with an innocent lop sided grin. "Boy howdy. She made me mad."
"Yep. I figure." Hoss kept his arm tightly around Heath's shoulder as he steered Heath towards the house.
"She makes me do things I don't usually do." Heath stated in his low drawl.
"Yep. I figure." Hoss continued his tight grip on Heath.
"I'm not actin' like myself because of her. She makes me so dad blame mad." Heath tried to explain.
"Yep. I figure." Hoss pulled Heath along as they walked.
"I won't do it again, Hoss." Heath felt ashamed of how he had treated Audra. Not to mention, the big man's arm was squeezing tighter as they walked.
"Yep. I figure." Hoss rustled Heath's wet hair before letting him go.