Lydia was very surprised when she arrived at the Barkley ranch on Saturday. There was Karen sitting in the living room with the two women of the family and a man who Lydia didn't recognize. He wasn't from around here and so she became quite interested in him.
"Hello."
"Good morning, Mrs. Barkley. My name is Lydia Fontaine and I am here to deliver Karen's lessons for the upcoming week. I was also hoping that I could visit with Karen for a bit."
Everyone present in the living room had noticed Karen stiffen just slightly when she recognized Lydia. Victoria and Audra immediately knew that this was the girl who had been accusing Karen of being less than ladylike with Heath. They didn't need her to tell them what had happened between them. It was obvious.
It was just as obvious to Adam that his little sister wasn't comfortable with the other girl around. He would keep an eye on things.
"Of course you may visit for a little while. But we wouldn't want to keep you from your studies. I know that the school hands out homework for you girls to do on the weekend. And you always have your weekend chores that need to be done."
"Of course, Mrs. Barkley. I will need to leave later on in order to get back to help with supper. But I was hoping that in the meantime, maybe Karen would like to go riding with me."
"Karen?" Victoria's question left no doubt in Karen's mind that should she decide to go riding with this girl, there would be precautions taken. Karen decided she wasn't going to let Lydia cow her into not going riding. After all, Karen was still in charge of exercising the older horses.
"I'll go change. I can look the assignments over after our ride. Besides, the older horses still need their exercise." Karen stood up. Audra stood as well.
"Mother, if it's alright with Karen, I'd like to accompany her."
"I'd like that Audra. Thank you," Karen replied. She had already figured that Audra would come along and she hoped that Adam would as well.
Adam stood up and looked to both young women. "Would you mind an extra riding along? After all, I did come to visit and it would never do to allow the woman I'm courting to ride out alone. And at least this way, you and I would have a chaperone, Miss Audra," Adam said, with a slight smile on his face. Right off, Audra, Victoria and Karen knew what he was doing. Karen realized that he didn't want Lydia knowing that he was related to Karen. She might not try whatever it was she had up her sleeve and he was betting that she had something planned for this little ride.
Lydia was growling on the inside. More people meant more to distract to get Karen off by herself so she could be taken.
But she just smiled and said, "I have no problem with it."
Karen smiled at Adam with gratitude as did Victoria. Adam would be more than capable of protecting Karen while Audra was backing him up. She could even get Karen back home safely as Adam covered them if need be.
Adam didn't want anyone thinking that he was there to see Karen and make sure that she was okay. If this girl who obviously was not his sister's friend had something planned to hurt Karen, he wanted to be there to prevent it. So he pretended to be Audra's beau in order to have an excuse to go along. It was the best he could think of at the moment. He knew that Audra would probably have figured it out already and he was certain Karen would after a bit, if she hadn't already figured it out.
Karen meanwhile had figured it out. She was certain that Adam was playing off that he was actually there visiting Audra as her beau in order to keep a closer eye on whatever it was that Lydia had planned. She knew he'd caught on to the fact that she'd tensed up when Lydia walked into the room and that she wasn't exactly sure about being out with Lydia for a ride.
As soon as Karen and Audra had changed for their ride, the three headed out to the stable to saddle up horses. Karen, as usual, took Flamestar. Audra took Cordin and Adam was taking Talisin. Lydia rode the horse that she had brought from the school and Martin rode the one he had arrived on.
Karen led the way with Lydia next to her. Martin was back just a bit and Adam and Audra rode behind him, acting like the loving couple. Adam was keeping a close eye on his sister the whole time and knew that Audra was doing the same.
Audra also knew that Heath, Nick and Jarrod were out this way working the fence line. They knew that some of the fence had been damaged by the last storm that had tore through the area. She knew that they would have an advantage if something went wrong out here.
The five had been riding for some time when they found a nice place to stop and take a break. Adam and Audra sat down in the grass just a little away from where Karen and Lydia were sitting. Martin looked at everyone and said, "I'll keep an eye on the horses while everyone takes a bit of a break."
"Thank you, Martin," Lydia said before sitting down next to Karen. "You know, Karen, everyone at the school keeps wondering why you haven't come back yet. Mrs. Anderton only told us that you had been sick. You seem quite healthy to me."
"I was sick. It came on quite suddenly and had me coughing a lot. I was also suffering with a terrible sore throat and fever. Ms. Victoria didn't want to risk me infecting the rest of the school so she made the call to keep me here for a while longer to make sure that I was fully over it before allowing me to return to school."
"Well, I'm glad to see you looking so good right now. Would you like to take a walk with me? We won't go far. Just stretching our legs after that ride."
"I think that would be okay. Just let me tell Audra that we're going to walk about a bit."
"Of course."
Karen climbed to her feet and walked over to where Audra sat with Adam. "Audra, Lydia and I are going to walk around for a bit and stretch our legs. We shouldn't be too long and not far away."
"Are you sure that you want to do that?" Adam asked. "I saw the way you reacted to her when she walked into the house. Tell me that you're being careful. Karen, I don't trust her. And I trust that man she brought with her even less. Stay within sight of us."
"I promise, Adam. Just remember, you're not supposed to be paying attention to me. You are here visiting your intended."
Adam laughed. "I know. But I think I'll keep a subtle eye on my intended's little sister anyway. After all, she would be quite upset to loose you."
Karen smiled at her brother. She knew that he would worry about her no matter what she said. She walked back to where Lydia had gotten to her feet and the two started walking.
Next thing Karen knew, she'd been led into a wooded part of the land and she couldn't see Adam and Audra. She got nervous because she'd gotten wrapped up in the conversation she'd been having with Lydia about school and hadn't truly paid attention to where they were going. She wasn't sure she could find her way back.
"What's wrong, Karen?" Lydia asked.
"I'm not sure I can find my way back to everyone else."
"Don't worry. You don't have to. You're not going back. We're going to wait right here until someone comes to collect us. You'll be leaving the country and I'll be here to pick up the pieces of poor Heath's broken heart."
Just then, two men came out of the trees walking toward the two girls. "I see you managed to get her away from the others."
"Of course. Here she is. Take her and go."
"No one's taking her anywhere," came Heath's voice as he rode out of the trees nearby. "Not unless it's me taking her back to the house."
"Heath!" The relief in Karen's voice made Heath feel better about having shadowed the girls. He'd seen them walk off from the others and he didn't trust Lydia any further than Adam did.
"And what if we just grab her and ride away? Would you take the chance on shooting her just to take us out?"
"Knowing what would happen to her if you get her to your boss? Yes. Yes I would. I won't let you ruin her like that." He was confident in his ability to shoot them and not kill Karen. He had worked hard on his marksmanship. Of course, he also knew that Nick and Jarrod were close by watching and if either man made a move toward Karen they would be shot dead before they could even get close enough to touch her.
"You can't shoot us both before one of us gets to her. The boss gave us our orders. She comes with us or she dies." The one speaking pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at Karen. "And I won't shoot her nice and let her die quick. I'll gut shoot her. Let her die real slow and painful. Want to watch that, boy?"
"You won't shoot her. Because I can tell you right now that my brothers are watching you from an angle that allows them to get the best kill shot. And you won't ever find them before they can get you." He moved his horse one step closer to Karen. "Karen, walking backward, come to me. Don't turn your back on them. Come on, honey. I'm right here. Come to me."
"Are Nick and Jarrod really close by?"
"They are. These two wouldn't stand a chance if they move towards you."
"Don't bet on that, little boy. We're close enough to grab her and then your brothers won't be able to take the shot." The first guy lunged toward Karen only to fall dead at her feet. The second guy threw down his guns and put both of his hands on his head.
"I surrender. I surrender." Nick and Jarrod walked out of the trees and took the second guy's guns. Jarrod walked over to the first guy. He checked his pulse and looked at Heath, shaking his head.
Walking back to his brother, he pulled out a length of rope and tied the second guy's hands behind his back before making him walk out of the trees ahead of him. Nick took Lydia's arm and walked her back out of the woods.
Heath was left with Karen. He climbed down off his horse when he realized that she wasn't moving. He walked up to her carefully. "Karen? Karen honey? Are you alright?"
Slowly, she turned around and looked at Heath. He noticed the blood on her clothes. Thankfully, he didn't see any wounds on her.
She looked so shaken that all he wanted was to take her in his arms. He wanted so much to simply hold her right then and make sure that she was alright. Suddenly, she started shaking and tears started rolling down her face. She looked down at her feet. "I can't make them move." Her voice was so quiet that he wasn't even sure that she had actually spoken.
"Did you say something, honey?" He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What did you say, sweetheart?"
"I can't make my feet move. I couldn't make them walk to you." She looked up at Heath and then collapsed into his arms, sobbing helplessly.
Heath sunk to the ground holding her gently. "I'm here, Karen. I've got you now. I'm right here."
Just moments later, Adam and Audra burst through the trees. Both dropped to their knees close by. Adam reached out a hand and touched his sister's shoulder. She turned just enough to see who it was and threw herself into her brother's arms while taking Audra's hand and making sure that Heath held her other hand.
None of them moved until they started noticing the sun going down. Heath let go of Karen's hand and knew, when she didn't move that she was sound asleep in her brother's arms. "I'll get up on my horse and you can hand her up to me, Adam."
"I'll lead Flamestar back," Audra said as she climbed to her feet. Adam stood up with Karen cradled in his arms.
Once he had handed his sister into Heath's arms, Adam and Audra walked carefully back out of the woods to find that the three remaining horses had stayed where they were supposed to be. Adam and Audra mounted up and then Audra grabbed the reins for Flamestar before they started home.
When the four entered the front yard, one of the hands ran up and took Flamestar from Audra. Another stepped to Heath's side and held out his arms to take Karen for Heath to get down. He noticed that hands had also stepped to help with taking care of Adam's and Audra's horses.
Heath handed off Karen only long enough for him to get down off the back of his horse. Once solidly on the ground, he took her back into his arms. The three headed straight for the house and went directly inside.
Victoria had been sitting in the living room when they entered the house. "Oh, poor Karen! Is she alright?"
"I don't think she's hurt, Mother. But she is asleep and I'd like to take her up to her room. Audra can help her clean up and get her changed into her nightgown. Then we'll know for certain if she's injured or not."
"Well, I'll come along and help Audra. Nick and Jarrod took those two men and that awful girl into town to turn them over to the sheriff. Adam, will you go and ask Silas to bring some hot water to Miss Karen's room so that we can wash her up?"
Adam nodded. "I certainly will, Ms. Victoria. I was hoping there was something I could do to help." He left the room as Heath carried Karen up to her room with Audra right in front of him on the stairs and Victoria right behind him.
Walking into Karen's room, Heath gently set her down on her bed. He kissed her forehead and stepped away from the bed. "Mother, I'll just wait in the hallway until you've finished up. Then, if it's alright with you, I'll sit with her until she wakes up."
"I think that will be alright. Just keep a close eye on her. She may have nightmares after today. She'll need comforting."
"I'll be right here, Mother. I promise."
"Thank you, Heath."
Heath stepped out in the hallway and slid down the wall across from Karen's door. As he sat there on the floor waiting to hear that she was changed and ready for him to sit with her for a while, he thought back to the way things had unfolded out there. Had there been anything different he could have done to protect her from all of that? Could he have said something that didn't make it sound like he would have rather seen her dead than taken?
He decided that he could have tried to skirt the issue of knowing exactly what Gregori would have done had he gotten his hands on Karen. She would have been debased in every way imaginable. He knew that. He knew it and hated it. Hated the fact that he had made a choice that could have seen Karen dead rather than end up in Gregori's hands.
He put his head in his hands and sat there as he waited to for the women to get her changed and cleaned up. He had come so close to losing her. So very close. Because he would have shot her had they tried riding off with her. Not by choice but he wasn't about to let Gregori Dastrovsky get his hands on the woman that Heath loved.
"Heath? Heath, are you okay?"
Heath looked up and saw Adam standing in front of him. "Is Silas bringing the water that Mother asked for?"
"He is. I was just going to knock on the door to let her know that he should be up shortly with it. He was already boiling some water to work on the dishes with. He decided he would bring that up and start heating some more."
"Please let her know. Then you can sit with me and I'll tell you what's bothering me."
Adam turned to the door and knocked. Victoria opened it just a crack. "Yes, Adam?"
"I thought I should let you know that Silas will be up shortly with some of the water he'd been heating for dishes. He said that he can always heat more."
"Thank you, Adam." Victoria closed the door and Adam turned back to Heath. He sat down next to the young man who had managed to fall for his little sister.
"Now, why don't you tell me why you look like you're afraid that someone is going to hate you after today?"
"Because I'm afraid your sister is going to hate me for what I said out there."
"Why? What did you say? What could possibly make her hate you?"
"One of the men asked if I would take the chance of shooting Karen to keep them from taking her from us. I said that I would because I knew what their boss would do to her if he got his hands on her. I would rather see her dead than to have suffer through that indignation. That nightmare. I can only hope she doesn't hate me for that."
"Heath, if she hates anyone for that, it would be the men that put both of you in that situation in the first place. She will probably respect you more for being strong enough to take her out of that situation one way or another. She will also probably respect you for being able to say it and not try to hide your thoughts from her." He put a hand on Heath's shoulder. "She respects honesty, Heath. Honesty means everything to her. Give her that and you have her at your side."
Just then the door to Karen's room opened. "Someone needs to go for the doctor. The shot that killed the first man out there grazed Karen's shoulder. I want to make sure that there is no further damage than just grazing the skin."
"I'm leaving now," Adam said getting to his feet. He bolted for the stairs stopping himself when he noticed Silas on his way up with a bowl of hot water. Once Silas had made it to the top of the stairs and past Adam, the man ran down the stairs and out the front door.
Heath looked up at his mother. She stepped out further, allowing Silas to go in, and closed the door behind her. "Karen has been awake, at least partially. She says that you said out there that in order to protect her from what that beast would have done to her you would have shot her rather than see her go through that debasement."
"I did say that, Mother. And I meant it. I would rather see her dead than raped repeatedly by a man who blamed her for what was not her fault."
"She asked me to tell you that she doesn't hate you for that. She's glad you would have spared her such a fate. Because if you hadn't, she would have done it herself." Heath's face paled.
"Please tell me she didn't mean what I think she may have meant."
"I won't lie to you, Heath. I think she meant exactly what you think she did. She would have killed herself rather than face that nightmare."
Heath bowed his head. He didn't know what to think about what his mother had just told him. He didn't know if he could ever face Ben Cartwright had that happened to Karen. If she had killed herself instead of allowing herself to be raped, Heath would have found the world a very cold and lonely place.
Victoria placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Heath, I am very grateful that you and your brothers protected her from that fate. I'm certain I know Ben Cartwright well enough that he will also be grateful. Now, why don't you let me go in and see if she's ready for you to sit with her?"
Heath got up off the floor and stood patiently while his mother went into the room to help Audra finish cleaning up and getting Karen into her nightgown. When the two women stepped out with Silas, Heath went into the room.
The three of them went downstairs, leaving Heath to sit his vigil in Karen's room by her bed.