Chapter 12
"Of all the stupid…you can't be serious boy." Nick ranted as his horse moved nervously under its rider, feeling the pent up tension through the reins and seat. Nick didn't give the blond a chance to respond as he continued "How the hell do you think you're going to ride that…that stallion, down a hundred foot rocky game trail…Sawyer I thought you had more brains than to go along with a hair brained scheme like that." Nick glared at both men, who for some reason both had smirks on their faces…no that wasn't quite right…Sawyer was smirking at him...but the blond…Heath…had a small lopsided smile lifting one corner of his mouth…a smile he had only seen on one other face before. Nick shook his head, he was seeing things; he couldn't possibly be seeing his father's smile on the blond. He turned to Jarrod who was also studying the two men or rather Thomson. "Well aren't you going to say something councillor?"
"I don't think anything I could say will sway their minds Nick."
"Great, just great; we're supposed to just stand here and watch them, him…" Nick jerked a thumb in the general direction of the blond sitting on the bay, "Ride down a hundred foot game trail with a busted shoulder and bullet wound…"
"Ya better not be watchin me." Heath growled. "It's your job to block the mouth of the canyon so they can't escape and…" Heath closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring steadily at Nick. As much as he wanted it to be him, he knew he and Frank had the best chance of getting down the game trail and coming up behind the men. He could provide covering fire from behind if needed or hopefully get the drop on the two men before they realized what was happening. "…And keep Essie and Leah safe."
Nick stopped his blustering at the quietly spoken words. He sighed deeply, running his hand through his thick hair, nodding at the pleading look he saw in the blue eyes. "We'll do our bit boy; you just make sure you make it down to the floor in one piece because I sure as hell don't want to have to explain to Tommy, Leah or your wife why you aren't coming home."
Blue eyes held hazel, as each man searched the others face. Heath was surprised to see compassion, mixed in with respect and curiosity in the hazel eyes, Heath nodded and turned away. "We'll give you a half hour to get in place and then we'll start down."
"What if they aren't there?" Fred asked.
"Then we keep looking but if you haven't found them after four weeks of searching it's a good bet they're there. Probably holding up and waiting for the heat to die down before they move the cattle." Heath had another thought. "This McMasters, do you think he could be in on the rustling. The canyon is on his boundary too isn't it?"
Nick shook his. "No, Ben lost cattle as well and his boundary only abuts the canyon for about three quarters of its length." Nick cursed. "The last part belongs to Robert Greaves. He's an ornery old cuss; just as soon take a shotgun to you than talk to you. He doesn't take kindly to strangers or visitors, even when he knows them, being on his land. He's run a few of our men off in the past when they've followed some strays across the boundary and the canyon opening is on his land too."
"That going to cause a problem?" Heath asked.
"Councillor?"
"I can't see that it will, Nick," Jarrod replied. "We are a posse, although not duly sworn in and in the company of the Stockton Sheriff and a US Marshall. I can't see Robert been stupid enough to go up against us."
"Unless he's in on the rustling." Heath pointed out.
Nick shook his head, "Nah, I can't see that happening either. He wouldn't be able to move that many cows and he only has a couple of laze about hired hands. He's a miserly old bastard. Gets what he pays for."
"Well if that's settled let's get moving. The sooner we get to the canyon the better." Heath kicked the big bay into motion, the pain of his injuries receding to a dull ache as adrenalin coursed through his body in anticipation of finding his missing wife and child.
Nick rode up beside Sawyer. "You sure about this plan Frank? I'll swap places with him if you say so."
Sawyer studied Nick for a long moment. He had seen the rancher studying Heath from time to time, seen the thoughtful looks that the man couldn't quite hide and he wondered what it was that Nick was seeing. "Thanks Nick but Heath and I will be fine. It's not the first time we've done something like this. In fact Heath's done it a few times. That's actually how he caught that stallion." Frank nodded to the bay. "He had his herd in a box canyon. Heath camped above the canyon and watched that stallion come and go up and down a game trail in a sheer wall." Frank snorted, "If I didn't know better I'd swear that horse was part mountain goat. Anyway once the boy had figured out the horse's routine, he waited until Charger…"
"Charger?" Nick asked.
Frank nodded, "Tommy named him that. Something to do with knights in shining armour. Anyway, once the stallion had left, Heath blocked off the canyon mouth so the herd couldn't escape and then he waited for the horse to return. He had a little Modoc pony at the time. She was as surefooted as that stallion. She followed him down the trail. When the stallion figured what was happening he tried to break back up the trail but that little Modoc wouldn't have none of it, stood her ground and there is the result." Frank pointed to the blond and his horse ahead of them.
Nick studied the back of the blond with narrowed eyes. There was something…he just couldn't quite grasp what it was…something familiar about the way Heath moved. Shrugging his shoulders in defeat he turned back to Frank. "What happened to the Modoc pony, I didn't see it at the camp?"
Frank sighed, "She was old, even when they caught that stallion. Heath didn't think it was fair to drag her all over the countryside when they took to the wagons so he left her with me. She passed on last winter."
Nick dropped back to ride beside Jarrod as Fred moved up to speak with Sawyer. "What do you think Jarrod?" Nick asked quietly.
"About what?" Jarrod queried curiously.
"About Thomson, Heath. I feel as though I should know him. He seems familiar but I know I'd never met him until three days ago." Nick's hazel eyes sought out the deep blue of his brother, seeing the same thoughts mirrored in his brother's orbs. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Jarrod pursed his lips, nodding slowly. "The more I watch him, watch his mannerisms…I feel as though I'm riding beside…"
"Father." Nick whispered.
Jarrod agreed. "Yes Father, but we both know that isn't possible. They do say everybody has doppelganger somewhere in the world. Maybe Heath is father's is all. I'm sure we're reading too much into it." Jarrod smiled reassuringly at his brother even though his gut…and Mother…were telling him differently. Now that he thought about it, the times his Mother had behaved strangely were times when he and Audra and even Howard, he recalled with a small gasp had commented about Heath…and Tommy…sounding, or behaving just like a Barkley. And he remembered telling Mother that he and Nick would look after Heath, like…like he was their…brother. My God, he thought; Mother thinks…or knows; somehow that Heath Thomson actually is…their brother…their Father's son.
Duke who had been riding behind the two brothers and close enough to hear what they were saying without meaning to eavesdrop shook his head. He wasn't surprised that the two couldn't remember their father as a young man, they been only youngsters themselves, but he could and he could see the resemblance between Heath Thomson and Tom Barkley as if one were looking in a mirror at the other. He shook his head. Tom what did you do?
BV
Victoria took a deep breath before unwrapping the calico from the small album in her hands. She closed her eyes, already knowing the futility of the gesture but still hoping that the images she was about to reveal would not confirm what she already knew as the truth. She knew without looking that when she turned over the cover, the first picture she would see was of her and Tom on their wedding day. With a sigh she opened her eyes and starred at the sepia image; an image that could be mistaken as her and…Heath. How ironic, she thought; that of four sons and a daughter, the one to look so much like his father and not only in looks but also in mannerisms was the one that nobody knew about. She flipped through the rest of the album, pictures of Tom and his brother James, of their father and uncle. All with the same blond hair, piercing 'blue' eyes and varying degrees of that lope sided smile that had first attracted her to Tom. Though she knew who the faces were in the pictures all she could see was Heath Thomson staring back at her from the pages. She closed the album, dropped the calico into the chest and then closed the lid. Hearing peals of laughter coming from the yard, Victoria moved to stand in front of the attic window and watched her daughter and…grandson engrossed in a game of tag. With a deep sigh she turned away from the window, the small album of proof gripped tightly in her hand and exited the attic. She could now hear Audra and Tommy in the kitchen and the clink of glasses. Hurrying down the short flight of stairs that led up to the attic, she returned to her room and placed the album on her dresser beside the bible.
What was she to do now she wondered? Oh, she knew what she had to do; she just wasn't sure how to go about it. Did she take the bible and the album to Heath first? She feared she would have to if Fred had told Heath about the picture of Esmeralda, which was a distinct possibility; or did she put the bible and its letters back in the trunk and feign ignorance and wait for Heath to come to her with its details, which she feared he would not. And yet…she suspected he suspected that she knew who he was. His suspicions could be lulled if she showed him the album. Perhaps he would just think she had worked it out from the similarity of the images but…she kept returning to the daguerreotype of Esmeralda that she had given Fred, sure that he would suspect she had read the letters in the bible. What if he went straight to the wagon on his return and discovered the bible and letters missing? How would he react to that betrayal, she wondered? Would he pack up his family and leave the valley and …them forever? She could also take the proof, all of it to Jarrod; he would know how to handle it and Nicholas. Victoria had no doubt that Nick would be furious when he discovered what his father had done all those years ago. Nick idolised his Father; had placed him on a pedestal believing he could do no wrong. What affect would this revelation have on him and his future relationship with Heath…with his brother…and with herself?
There were too many choices, she would have to wait and see what transpired when they all returned home…if they all returned home. "Please Tom whatever you didn't do all those years ago, do it now. Watch over your son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Bring them home safely."
BV
Heath kept his horse moving ahead of the following men. He was in no mood to pass pleasantries with anybody, his thoughts and feelings in turmoil. He took a shallow breath; anything more sent a burning fire through his upper chest and shoulder. As much as he hated to admit it he was going to need another dose of laudanum before he started down the game trail into the canyon. Easing his right shoulder resting snuggly in the sling he tried to concentrate on what he felt was Gyorgy's betrayal. His father-in-law was well aware of his feelings with regards to revealing his identity to the Barkley's, but was it really a betrayal? As Frank said, Gyorgy only told Victoria Barkley where the picture was so that she could find it for the Sheriff who needed it for the search. Nobody, outside his immediate family and Frank as far as he was aware was any the wiser to his relationship with the Barkley's. Perhaps he was over reacting and if he was honest with himself and looked at it from Gyorgy's point of view, Rosetta was already dead and Gyorgy was dying. He had been shot and Essie and Leah were missing. What would have become of Tommy if he hadn't survived and they didn't find Essie and Leah? He couldn't deny that Tommy would have needed a family, but he was sure that a search of their wagon would have unearthed the truth eventually and from what he had seen of Audra…his sister and Victoria Barkley that family would have been given to him with or without proof of his relationship to them.
Heath sighed, he could feel his brother's eyes boring into his back and strangely it felt comforting to know that they were watching over him. In fact, he couldn't deny the feeling that it felt right somehow that he should be searching for his wife and daughter with his…brothers. He had always wondered what it would be like to have brothers by his side, to feel that familial camaraderie…he chuckled softly…him, Nick Barkley and camaraderie just didn't seem to fit somehow. And yet he thought he felt a connection with the man when Nick had promised to keep Essie and Leah safe and even elicited a silent promise from himself to be careful and return to the family. He thought back to that moment when he had looked in Nick's eyes and seen the compassion, respect and curiosity in them. What was Nick seeing in him he wondered, more than a thieving gypsy he wagered. Could they become friends and brothers? The man was hot headed, hard headed, ham fisted, self-opinionated and…'loud' to quote his son. Yet despite all that he had made a good impression on Tommy. 'The bad man wasn't so bad after all.' And he couldn't deny the fact that it was Nick who had been out here searching for his wife and child since the attack on their camp three days ago as if…as if they were already a part of HIS family. Heath shook his head, his brother; Nicholas Barkley was a conundrum that he wouldn't mind getting to know.
Now his lawyer brother Jarrod on the other hand was a whole different kettle of fish. How could two brothers be so alike and yet so different at the same time? Jarrod was someone that he felt he could get to know and have a brotherly relationship with. He hadn't missed the fact that it was Jarrod who had sat beside his bed that first night at the ranch house, cooling down his fevered body and coaxing sips of cool water down his throat. Tending to his needs despite his unconscious and at times semi-conscious state as though he were tending…his own brother. Something that he felt was a regular occurrence in the Barkley household if his first meeting with Nick on the range, four days ago was any indication. Jarrod's reputation preceded him and Heath was proud to call him…brother, if only in his thoughts. He was a man of action but in a different way to Nick. His shooting iron and his fists were replaced with his mind and words, although he had no doubt that Jarrod was just as capable with his gun and fists as was Nick if the need arose. Where Nick's impatience would lead him to fight first and ask questions later, Jarrod preferred to look for alternatives to the looming battle, to use his keen mind to find an amicable solution if at all possible before physical violence was employed. They said the eyes were the window to the soul. Some said his eyes showed the depth of his emotional and moral nature but he had never really grasped their meaning until now when he looked into the deeper blue of Jarrod's eyes and could almost see his most private thoughts and hidden feelings.
But the question still remained. Would his brothers, Jarrod and Nick accept him and his family as their own? And what of their youngest brother Eugene, whom he was yet to meet? How would he feel about a new family member? Then there was Audra, his sister. She had already taken Tommy to her heart, that was very clear but would her feelings change if she knew the truth. In this instance he didn't think so. That just left Victoria Barkley; his father's wife, the mother of his half siblings, the step grandmother of his children. How could he expect her to accept him and his family into her own family after what her husband had done twenty five years ago in Strawberry? Was she even aware that Tom Barkley had had an affair with his mother, Leah Sawyer? And if she was aware, what were her feelings towards his father? Obviously she had to have forgiven him considering that he had two younger half siblings. Would his appearance bring back bitter memories for her and resentment towards him?
Charger pricked his ears and Heath felt the big horse's muscles tense under him, jolting him back to the present, suddenly realizing that they were coming up on the rim of the canyon. "Easy boy," Heath patted the strong neck before holding up his hand to stop the men following him. The stallion danced sideways, muscles quivering in eager anticipation when he heard another muted bawl of a cow in the canyon below them. "They're down there" Heath announced as Fred, Frank and his brothers rode up beside him. He dismounted and stepped carefully to the rim of the canyon. Looking down he couldn't see anything of the floor below as the canyon walls curved away towards the left but he could hear the occasional bawl of a steer and shrill whistle of the rustlers. "Sounds like they're fixing to move out; don't reckon we've got much time to get set up." Heath turned to look at his brothers and the ranch hands ranged behind them. "You best get going. Frank and I'll meet you at the bottom."
Jarrod stepped forward, offering his hand, his deep blue eyes searching Heath's face for…recognition. Heath raised an eyebrow and Jarrod smiled. "Stay safe. We'll see you at the other end." Jarrod turned and mounted his horse.
Nick stood glaring at Heath, hands on hips, feet spread apart. "You be careful boy, you've got a pretty missus and daughter waiting for you at the other end of this canyon. Make damn sure you stay alive to see them again." Nick offered gruffly before returning to his horse where he mounted and gave the order for the men to ride on. He turned back in the saddle; looked squarely at Heath, his hazel eyes catching the blues of the blond and nodded before spurring his horse to catch up with his brother.
Heath watched the men ride away, surprised at the feeling of emptiness in his stomach with the departure of his…brothers. He turned and staggered slightly, grateful for Frank's steadying hand and the canteen of water thrust at him. "I guess I could use a dose of that laudanum Frank," Heath said sheepishly, looking into the worried grey eyes and frowning face of his friend.
Frank guided Heath to sit on a rock and then turned to rummage through the bag of medical supplies that Victoria had given Jarrod that morning retrieving the small bottle of laudanum that he had offered to the boy earlier in the day. "Are you sure about this Heath, I know you're hurting more than you're letting on. Esmeralda will be fit to be tied and I sure don't relish being on the receiving end of her temper if anything else happens to you."
Heath swallowed the laudanum with a grimace, he hated the taste and the effect it had on him but he knew if he wanted to get down that trail he needed the pain killer. "I'll be fine Frank and don't worry about Esmeralda, I won't let her beat you up too badly," he replied with tight lopsided smile.
Frank rubbed tiredly at his eyes, shaking his head in surrender. He returned the laudanum to his saddle bag and then rested beside the blond.
"Jarrod and Nick, they know who I am, don't they?" Heath asked quietly. "The way they look at me, it's like they are searching for something they have lost or are seeing a…ghost."
Frank pursed his lips and looked out across the chasm of the canyon. "I swear to you son, I haven't said anything to either of them about your relationship to them."
Heath nodded, "Maybe not to them but you have spoken with their mother…with Victoria Barkley, haven't you Frank?"
This time Frank sighed heavily before nodding in agreement. "Last night after you fell asleep; I was heading to bed when I saw movement downstairs in the parlour. I went down to investigate and she was in the parlour, dusting the mantle."
Heath scrubbed a hand across his mouth, "She knows doesn't she. She found the bible and the…letters."
Frank nodded in confirmation. "The letters only confirmed what she had suspected all those years ago when Tom was in Strawberry."
Heath turned to look at Frank with a raised eyebrow. "She knew about my parents?"
"Well I wouldn't say she knew, but she did suspect. Tom told her about his time in Strawberry but not who he stayed with and not that he and Leah had become intimate. She chose her family over the possibilities of an affair."
"And a child," Heath added bitterly. "No wonder she agreed to let me come today, she wanted me out of her house…she's hoping I'll die isn't she, then she can keep our secret, live the rest of her life in denial of the truth."
"No you're wrong Heath. That's not what she wants at all."
Heath stood up abruptly. "Of course it is Frank. There is no way she will ever accept the bastard son and family of her husband." Heath strode over to his stallion dragging himself into the saddle with a pained grunt, not bothering to ask the horse to drop to its knees. He reached over and pulled his rifle from its boot tied to the right side of his saddle with his left hand and then urged the horse into motion. They reached the edge of the rim and the start of the game trail. Heath allowed some slack in the reins and leaned back in the saddle, using his weight to balance the downhill movement of his horse as the stallion carefully picked his way down the trail.
Frank sighed, hurrying to catch up the reins of his own horse and follow the blond down the trail. "You had better make this right Victoria," he muttered as he started his own descent to the canyon floor.
