Conspiracies and Unresolved Consequences

Chapter 8

Wednesday 16th August 1876

Heath slowed the big horse down to a jog; he had close to a hundred miles to cover before he arrived in Strawberry, and if he intended to reach the town tomorrow night he would have to pace his horses. He planned on staying in Knight's Ferry overnight before crossing the Stanislaus in the morning and heading up into the foothills of the Sierras once again. As the miles fell behind him, his anger dissipated, only to be replaced by questions. Yesterday morning he thought he had his life planned out: catch and sell enough horses to earn the money to buy a small ranch and raise horses of his own. If Hannah wouldn't agree to move to his new ranch, he would buy somewhere close to Strawberry so he could see her more often. "Who'd have thought," Heath muttered, "yesterday it was just me and Hannah, and this morning I have three brothers and a sister."

Heath slowed the horses to a walk, he wasn't sure but he thought he had left the boundary of the ranch. He would skirt around Stockton, not wanting to run into anyone who might recognise him as a Barkley, and then head towards Farmington, Eugene, and finally Knights Ferry. Topping a rise, he brought the horses to a halt and turned back to look at the range he had just crossed: the Barkley range, his family's range. "Mama, why didn't you ever tell me…or him?" About to turn back to the trail, movement on the range caught his eye and he watched as a horse and rider raced towards him. "What the…," he exclaimed with a heavy sigh, as he realized who the rider was.

BV

Audra knew she would have to hurry if she was going to catch up with Heath before he reached Stockton. Once there, she would have no idea of which route he would have taken to Strawberry. Quickly scribbling a note to her brothers and grabbing a warm jacket, she carefully opened her bedroom door, checking that no one was in sight. Knowing that Silas would be busy taking the breakfast fare to the dining table, she snuck down the back stairs and waited at the corner to the landing, hoping her brothers would follow Silas to the dining room. Of course, she could always just say she was going for an early ride if anyone saw her, after all that was the truth, she just wouldn't tell them how far she intended to ride. As luck would have it, nobody was in the kitchen when she peered around the corner. It was now or never, she thought, as she hurried down the remainder of the stairs, pausing only long enough to snag a warm biscuit off the plate Silas had readied, before slipping quietly out the door and quickening her pace to the barn. Sighing in relief at having not been caught, she made short work of saddling her horse and then, making sure to keep to the shadows, led the horse from the barn and across the yard before mounting and setting a brisk pace across the range in chase of her brother.

BV

"First Nick and now Audra," Heath grumbled as he sat his horse, watching the girl ride closer. Would his…they, not leave him alone? Didn't they realize he needed time to adjust, to understand his thoughts and feelings, to find answers to his questions? Heath watched as his sister drew ever closer, albeit at a slower pace, having obviously seen him waiting for her.

Audra slowed her pace as she rode up the slight incline and her brother, waiting at the top. "Heath," her smile wavering as he glared at her.

"Audra," he replied, watching as red flared in his sister's cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Audra squared her shoulders and stared defiantly at Heath, "I overheard Nick and Jarrod telling Silas in the kitchen that you were going to Strawberry and..."she hesitated.

"And what, Audra?"

"And…and I'm going with you!, Audra blurted out.

"No, you're not, so you might as well just turn that horse around and walk him home. He's run far enough."

Audra huffed, "I'm not going home and you can't make me and besides, I'll just follow you."

Heath shook his head, "Why?"

"That's easy, you're my brother, Heath and you shouldn't be alone and I want to be with you, get to know you." Audra bit her lip, "And if you go to Strawberry, I'm scared you won't come home and I'll never get the chance to know you."

Heath relaxed his shoulders slightly, "Firstly, your ranch isn't my home; secondly, I have been alone most of my life, and thirdly, what makes you think I want to get to know you or your brothers?"

"Because we're family Heath; you're our brother, whether you want to acknowledge it or not and family, this family, sticks together. I know it was a shock to you to find out who your father was but it was just as much of a shock to us to find out we had another brother that we knew nothing about." Audra paused, "Aren't you even the littlest bit curious about us?"

Heath sighed and shrugged as he looked over Audra's head and across the open range of his father. "I guess," he admitted softly, "I always wondered what it would be like to grow up with brothers and sisters."

"Then why won't you stay, talk to us, let us help you work out what this all means?"

"I can't, Audra, don't you see that? I have questions that need answers and the only place I know where to go to get those answers is Strawberry." Heath sighed, "Don't you want to know if your father knew about me or not? Will your views still be the same if you find out he did know and did nothing to help Mama and me?"

"Mother said she believed Father never knew about you Heath or he would have claimed you."

"Would he have, Audra? Your Mother didn't want to know about my mama and she demanded that your father never set foot in Strawberry again. Even if your father wanted me, I doubt very much that your mother did."

Tears welled in Audra's eyes. "Mother made a mistake Heath; you read her letter to us. You know she is sorry for what she did and is trying to make amends for it now, even if…even if it costs her her life."

Heath reached over and took Audra's hand in his. "There is a letter in Strawberry that your father wrote my mama. I need to find it, find out what it says. Find out if your mother spoke the truth." Heath shrugged, "It may even help your mother heal."

"Then all the more reason for me to go with you Heath. We can find the truth together."

Heath huffed, "You sure are stubborn. Is the rest of the family as stubborn as you?"

Audra laughed, "More stubborn," she looked sideways at Heath, "And I think you are just as stubborn as the rest of us. It has been described as a family trait."

Heath shook his head in defeat. "You would really follow me?"

Audra nodded and smiled.

"You do realize it's almost a hundred miles to Strawberry, Audra? That's a long ride and more importantly do your brothers even know where you are and what you planned?"

"I left them a note, besides I can send them a message from Stockton. By the time they receive it, we will be too far away for them to do anything about it."

"I'm not going into Stockton, Audra. After seeing Silas' reaction to me and your mother's, I don't want to run into anybody that may recognise me. We can send a telegram from Farmington."

"So, I can go, oh thank you Heath."

"Against my better judgement but at least if you're with me I know you're not getting into any danger. But what about your Mother Audra, shouldn't you be at home looking after her?"

"There is nothing I can do for Mother, Heath, and I know she would want me to help you come home to us."

BV

Audra with me. Stop.

Headed for Strawberry. Stop.

Will bring her home safe. Stop

Heath. Stop

Nick waved the telegram that had just been delivered to the ranch in front of Jarrod's and Gene's faces as he paced around the entry hall. "Of all the stupid, irresponsible ideas our sister has ever had, this takes the cake. When I get my hands on them…"

"I'll grant you Nick, it is not one of Audra's better ideas but…"

"There is no "but" Counsellor."

"But," Jarrod continued, "she has at least elicited a promise from Heath to bring her home safely. That is more than you got out of him when he left."

"You don't think Heath will hurt her do you Nick?" Gene asked worriedly, not having had the opportunity to judge their new brother's character for himself.

Nick stopped pacing and sighed. "No Gene, if I am sure of anything, it is that Heath would never hurt our sister."

"In that case I think we should let Audra wrap Heath around her little finger just like she has with all of us," Gene replied.

Nick snorted a laugh, "Jarrod, what about you? You in agreement with little brother here and we let Audra weave her magic?"

"I don't see that we really have a choice Nick," Jarrod replied, taking the scrunched telegram from Nick. "Even if we left immediately, this was sent from Farmington; by now they could be anywhere. We have no idea which trail Heath will take, or even if he sticks to a trail. He could choose to go cross-country, camp out overnight somewhere. After all, he is the one who knows the Sierras best."

"He wouldn't make Audra camp out, would he?" Gene asked. "I mean there are few towns he could ride to after Farmington – Copperopolis, Eugene, and Knight's Ferry."

"And we don't know which one he would choose, if any," Jarrod pointed out.

"Well, it would serve Audra right if she has to camp out overnight. Maybe she won't be so impulsive next time."

Gene looked incredulously at Nick. "She's a Barkley, Nick."

"So, which of us is going to tell Mother that Audra has run off with Heath to Strawberry?" Nick planted his hands on hips and looked at his two brothers.

Gene shrugged, "I guess I will. I haven't spent much time with Mother since I got here and besides, she is less likely to blame me for our sister's impulsiveness than you two."

BV

They left Farmington and continued down the trail to Eugene in silence. Audra kept casting sideways glances at Heath but now that they were on the trail and headed to Strawberry together, she wasn't sure what to say. Oh, she knew what she wanted to ask, she had a myriad of questions: "What was your mother like? What did you do growing up? How did you learn to break in horses?" Hannah; the mine; life without a father - but she had been taught that it was impolite to ask personal questions. Audra huffed a long sigh and fidgeted in her saddle. She wanted to know this brother.

Heath was aware of the sideways glances he was getting from his…sister. He shook his head; he was actually riding to Strawberry, to his home, with his sister and in a strange way that he couldn't explain, it felt right. He hadn't missed the resemblance between them, the blue eyes and blond hair being the most noticeable traits. Audra had the high cheekbones of her mother, while he had apparently inherited the quirky half smile of their father. He smiled as he remembered her excitement when they entered a grove of trees and came across a new born fawn and its mother quietly grazing in the shade offered by the oaks. She had a love of nature, just as he did. Hearing the long, drawn out sigh from his sister, Heath hid his smirk, aware she wanted to ask what he guessed would be hundreds of questions, but was too polite to pry. "You're going to wear that poor horse out if you don't stop fidgeting."

Audra stilled her movement, "I can't help it. I always fidget when I want to ask a question but I'm not sure how. I have so many questions I'd like to ask you but…"

Heath nodded, "But it's not polite to ask. In fact sometimes it can be down-right dangerous to ask personal questions. The answer you get might not be what you were expecting or wanting."

"Is it dangerous to ask you questions, Heath?"

Heath shrugged, "Depends on the question I guess. You gotta understand Audra; there are some things I'm not ready to talk about yet. I may never be ready to talk about them."

"I promise Heath, I won't push if you don't want to answer something I ask but you must have questions too, Heath, about us. Why don't we take turns asking a question, a bit like playing truth or dare, without the dare?"

"Never played truth or dare," Heath sighed, "Alright, Audra, ask your first question."

Audra chewed her bottom lip, "Will you tell me a bit about your mother? She must have been a wonderful woman if my…our… father fell in love with her."

Heath sighed; he had expected that would be her first question. He pulled the big bay to a stop and reached around to his saddle bag; rummaging for a moment, he carefully withdrew a flannel wrapped object which he passed to his sister. "If I'm leaving the cabin for any length of time, I always take this with me. It's the only reminder I have of her, something I can look at and see her. Your mama saw it when she was at my cabin."

Audra accepted the parcel and carefully unwrapped it, tucking the piece of cloth under her leg. She turned over what she realized was a frame and stared at the picture of a young woman and little boy with a lop-sided smile staring back at her. "Oh Heath, she is beautiful; she has such kind eyes. She must have loved you very much." Audra re-wrapped the framed picture and handed it back to Heath who placed it back in his saddlebag.

"She did love me and I her; still love her. She was kind and generous and caring, always saw the best in everybody, even when they didn't deserve it and she didn't deserve the life she lived in that mining town. Treated like dirt because of me, because I didn't have a father. Shunned and ridiculed because she chose to keep and raise me."

Audra blinked back tears as Heath spoke. "Oh Heath, I am so sorry."

Heath drew in a deep breath and shrugged, "It's in the past Audra, nothing to be done about it now." Heath avoided looking at his sister. "What was your…our father like?"

Audra thought for a minute, "I guess he was something different to each of us Heath. I'm not too prideful to admit that I was daddy's little girl and he could never say no to me."

Heath chuckled, "Seems you still have that effect on people."

Audra laughed too. "Yes, well it pays to have my brothers wrapped around my little finger." After another pause Audra continued, "He was always gentle, loving and caring and he spoilt me rotten, much to Mother's chagrin and my brothers' annoyance. He never could say no to me. We would spend hours siting under a tree while he told me stories or read my favourite books to me and he never once complained. He would comfort me when one of my brothers, usually Nick, would be mean to me, but he could still be firm and be disappointed in me when I did something wrong. Usually, payback to Nick. 'Is that anyway for a young lady to behave?' he would ask me. He taught me how to ride and look after the animals and would shake his head every time I brought home a new foundling, cats, dogs, deer, squirrels or whatever else needed saving, and he would comment. 'Any one would think we ran a menagerie here instead of a cattle ranch,' but he always helped me tend them and set them free again when they were ready to return to the wild, or help me find homes for the cats and dogs." Audra swallowed, "When he died, it felt like my world had collapsed. I couldn't bear the thought of not having him in my life and I still miss him terribly."

Heath was silent, but he could imagine Audra as a blue-eyed blond sitting on her father's lap as he read to her. He supposed it would be much the same as when he would sit on his own mama's lap when she read to him. "What was he like, with Jarrod and Nick?"

Audra thought for a while and sighed, "That's actually hard to answer. I was not quite fourteen when Father died. I know he and Jarrod had some terrible rows because Jarrod was more interested in books and learning and the law than the ranch. I guess Father always thought that the firstborn would take over the ranch when he died, but Jarrod wanted to be a lawyer. It was Mother who talked Father around to letting Jarrod go to law school, but then we had that horrid war and Jarrod signed up and left for Washington. We didn't see him for almost five years and then, when Jarrod came home with citations from President Grant, although he wasn't the President then, for Jarrod's legal work in Washington, Father realized that Jarrod was doing the job best suited to him. They would sit in Father's study, which is now Jarrod's, and go over all the ranch books and holdings for hours. I overheard Father and Mother talking one day and Father remarking how proud he was of Jarrod and his business and legal mind and what an asset he was to the family, but I don't know if he ever told Jarrod that."

Heath nodded having already pegged Jarrod as been an astute businessman. "What about Nick?"

Audra laughed, "Like two peas in a pod," as Silas would say. "Nick idolised Father, followed him everywhere. It was easy to see who was going to run the ranch when the time came, but they didn't always agree. If we thought the rows between Father and Jarrod were bad, the one Nick and Father had was worse when Father learned that Nick had also signed up for the war, before he was of age." Audra missed Heath's grimace. "Father forbade Nick to go, telling him no under-age son of his was going to war. They came to blows that day. I think it was the first time I ever saw Father and Nick truly fight. Nick was gone the next morning, and like Jarrod, we didn't see him for the entirety of the war. He would send the odd letter home from time to time, but Nick was never big on writing and schooling. If Father had allowed it, Nick would have spent every day at the ranch instead of in school. When Nick came home, he had changed."

Heath nodded. "War does that to a man," Heath replied bitterly.

Audra raised an eyebrow at Heath's response and added another question to her growing list. "Nick was more self-assured; he was promoted to Lieutenant during the war and it was easy to see that he was more than capable of commanding the men, but not by bullying them. He earned their respect by hard work and leadership, that's why when Father died, the men followed Nick. Father wasn't big on praise but he would always acknowledge Nick when Nick did a job well, but he could also reprimand him when Nick got it wrong or in trouble in town."

"And I bet Nick was in trouble a lot," Heath remarked.

"More than you know," Audra laughed. "Father liked to leave Nick in jail overnight if he got into a bar fight and arrested. He always hoped some jail time would set Nick straight."

"And did it?"

Audra gave Heath an incredulous look, "This is Nick we are talking about."

"I guess the answer is no then." And Heath laughed.

Audra sucked in a breath, "You sound just like Father. I never thought I would hear that laugh again."

Heath sobered quickly, "What about Gene?"

Audra sighed, "Gene was young when Father died, eleven, his memories are different to ours. To be honest, we never really talk about Father. Don't get me wrong Heath, Gene loved Father. They would go fishing and riding together; more so than Father did with Nick and Jarrod. I know Father made time for Gene, and Gene tried to please Father and make him proud, especially when Jarrod and Nick went to war, but it was easy to see that Gene wasn't really interested in learning about the ranch either. He was more of a book worm like Jarrod, more interested in healing and looking after the injured animals I found, and after Nick came home, Father spent more time out on the range with Nick or in the study with Jarrod than he did with Gene."

Heath nodded thoughtfully. It sounded as though his younger brother was a bit of an outcast like himself. Maybe he had more in common with this younger brother than his two older brothers. They passed through Eugene without stopping, electing to stop on the trail to share the lunch Silas had packed for Heath. After sating their hunger and resting the horses, they mounted up and continued their journey toward Knight's Ferry, where Heath had decided to bed down for the night. No, Heath thought, with Audra along he wasn't going to bed down under the stars on the outskirts of town; instead he would have to get them a couple of rooms at the hotel.

"Heath?"

Heath closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "Yes, Audra?"

"What…what did you do for fun growing up? You know, what sort of games did you play? Did you have any friends?" Heath rode on in silence, allowing the silence to extend until Audra thought he was not going to answer, and she would have to think of another question to ask this quiet brother.

"I didn't have much time to play games, Audra. We had very little money, to buy just basics like bread and flour; buying meat was out of the question, so I would go and hunt when I wasn't working in the mine or at the livery stable."

"Nick said you told him and Mother that you were a charge boy - how old were you?

"I was six, when I started working. I was small for my age on account we never had enough food, so I could get into tight spaces and set charges."

Were you scared?"

"I woulda been a fool not to be. Between cave-ins and charges going off prematurely, it was no place for a boy, but we needed the money and nobody but my mama and aunts woulda cared enough if I died."

"I would have, Heath, had I known about you."

The remainder of the ride to Knight's Ferry was made in a companionable silence. Heath booked two adjoining rooms at the hotel for them and then settled the horses at the livery. After enjoying a good home cooked meal in the hotel dining room, the two siblings retired to their rooms for the night. "Make sure you lock your door, Audra," Heath cautioned as they stopped outside Audra's door. "Yell if you need me."

"I will Heath, I promise."

Heath nodded as he turned towards his door.

"Heath," Audra called, "thank you for letting me come with you. I'm sorry if I upset you this afternoon with my questions."

Heath sighed and turned back to Audra, offering a half smile. "We'll talk more tomorrow. I want to grab some supplies for Hannah before we leave in the morning."

Audra nodded, "Good night, Heath."

"Night Audra."

BV

Thursday 17th August 1876

Heath bought sacks of flour, sugar, coffee and several bags of penny candies, peppermint sticks and Twizzlers licorice to satisfy Hannah's sweet tooth for the next several months. After loading them onto Gal's pack saddle, Heath and Audra rode through the covered bridge crossing the Stanislaus River and continued their trek to Strawberry.

"I really only had one friend growing up and we mostly had to keep it a secret, otherwise her father would a taken a switch to her and a gun to me. Her name was Sarah and she didn't care what I was. We'd sneak out to the woods and just sit under a big old oak and talk for hours." Heath sighed, "I didn't play games, the other kids wouldn't let the town bastard join in their games and I didn't really have time between work and home schooling."

"What happened to Sarah?"

Heath shrugged, "I don't know. I left home when I was thirteen to look for work; wasn't any work to be found in Strawberry by then. When I went home a few years later, she was gone."

They stopped in Jamestown late morning, had an early lunch at a small eatery and pushed on towards Long Barn.

"What happened to…Father?"

"He was ambushed and killed by the railroad. They wanted to take over some of the farms in the area. They thought they could get the land for a pittance by bullying the farmers off the land. Father organised a meeting to discuss ways to stop the railroad, and he was on his way home when he was killed. He is buried in the grove where he died. Nick found Father the next morning."

"So that's why he's buried there," Heath mused.

"You've seen his grave Heath?"

Heath nodded, "Found it yesterday when I was out riding."

"A thousand people from all around came to pay their respects at his funeral."

The miles fell behind them, as did Long Barn. Heath stopped to hunt, adding a brace of rabbits and a plump pheasant to Gal's pack. He also picked wild greens and mushrooms as they rode, showing Audra what was safe to eat and what was poisonous. They rode into the deserted town of Strawberry as long shadows stretched across the empty streets. "Stay away from the hotel," Heath warned as they passed by the dilapidated building.

"Why?" Audra asked as she stared at the building in curiosity.

"Because I said to, Audra. You've got no reason to go in there."

They passed through the town and came to a stop in front of a small neat cabin, with a welcoming light in the front window and smoke curling lazily from the chimney.

"Audra, Hannah can be a bit forgetful and confused at times, she often repeats the same statements or forgets who she's talking to and what the year is."

"I understand, Heath."

Heath dismounted and opened the white picket gate. He stepped onto the porch and knocked at the door. "Hannah, it's Heath."