Chapter 47 - If Wishes Were Horses

Han felt much better when he woke up the next morning. His back was still sore, but he felt so safe and happy that he found it hard to care.

Using the jug and bowl in his room, he washed and dressed quickly. He could hear someone moving around in the kitchen.

It was Elizabeth. For some reason, he felt suddenly shy of her. What if the love he had felt from her the day before had just been because of the circumstances? What if she'd had time to remember how much she disliked having him as her son?

She turned to see him standing in the doorway, watching her. He looked so uncertain, so worried, that she knew he still wasn't sure about his relationship with her. It didn't matter anymore; she was sure, and that could be enough for both of them.

"Han!" She knelt before him and drew him in for a hug. He leaned into the embrace. They stayed like that until the rumble of Han's stomach interrupted them.

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, I suppose I don't need to ask if you're hungry! What would you like for breakfast? You can have anything you want!"

Han grinned, happy to be the focus of her attention. "Flapjacks?" he ventured.

"Flapjacks it is! But that's not nearly enough - what else?"

"Bacon?"

"Flapjacks with a side of bacon, coming right up." She set about making the flapjacks. Han noticed that the table was already set. "Can I help?"

"No, I want you to sit down and rest. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?"

"I feel good. I slept really well." Surprisingly, he had, feeling wonderfully safe and protected. "Where's Pa?"

"He's about the farm. He'll be back in a little while."

Han climbed into his seat and he and Elizabeth shared a smile. It didn't feel awkward at all.

It felt right.

Elizabeth didn't make him stay in bed, as he had feared she might, but she did insist that he rest as much as possible.

Han didn't object. He didn't know why he had reacted the way he had the day before; he had been beaten many times, and far harder than the blows he'd taken the day before. But when Hall had grabbed his arm, he had suddenly been transported back to Valparaiso and the cruelty of those strong hands holding him. He couldn't remember much after that, until soft hands pulled him close and he heard Elizabeth shouting. He remembered feeling so relieved, so grateful to be rescued, and then he'd heard Elizabeth almost screaming those words - my son - before she whisked him away and took care of him.

He couldn't believe that he'd cried; but she had said nothing. She just sat there, holding him tight. When David had come along, he had joined them, and Han had felt so loved. So wanted.

He couldn't understand why he felt so tired and drained, but he was glad Elizabeth had ordered him to rest. He wanted to.

Jed came to see him as soon as the younger boy had finished his breakfast and they sat together happily, avoiding painful subjects and talking about nothing in particular.

When the doctor came to call on them later that morning, Han was lying across the sofa on his stomach, reading a story to Jed, who lay on his back on the floor beside him. They both looked very content.

"Well, I don't think I need to ask if you're feeling better, Master Heyes!" Schriever smiled at the two boys. "Do I smell fresh baked cookies?"

Han sat up to answer him. "Yes! Ma says they're just out of the oven." He remembered his manners, "Would you like one?"

"Or even two!" added Jed. "She made lots!"

The two boys grinned happily in anticipation.

"Thank you, no. Although," he said to Elizabeth as she put the plate down in front of them, "I wouldn't say no to a nice cup of tea."

"Of course! Milk and sugar?"

"Just sugar, thank you." He followed her into the kitchen. "Han looks much better today?" He phrased it as a question.

"Yes, he is. You were right, though, he seems happy to take things a little easier."

"He'll be causing mayhem again before you know it!" David appeared behind them. "Doctor Schriever, it's good of you to call."

"It was no trouble at all." He took a sip of his tea. "It was nice to leave town for a few minutes and get away from all of the gossip."

Elizabeth handed David a cup of tea and brought her own to the table. "Gossip?"

"Yes." Schriever eyed her speculatively. "It seems that before our good sheriff was able to arrest Mr. Hall, a party of local men tracked down our erring schoolmaster and administered their own kind of rough justice. When they'd finished with him, they bundled him onto a stagecoach and sent him out of town, with orders never to return. It seems everyone in town was ready to believe that young Han wasn't the only boy he intended to punish and they didn't like the idea of an outsider beating their children. Mrs. Travis, Mrs. O'Hara, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Jenkins all seem to have it on good authority that their children were going to be next."

David flashed a look at Elizabeth.

She took a sip of her tea, the picture of innocence. "Imagine that. I wonder where they could have got that idea."

Schriever couldn't help but admire her nonchalance. "Do you, Mrs. Heyes? Do you indeed!"

The doctor left, after finishing his tea, and David went back outside. David had spent most of the morning out of the house and Han was a little surprised. He'd imagined that David would fuss around him as he had always done before. He wasn't worried - Han was secure enough about David to not need his constant reassurance - but it was still very odd.

David finally returned a little before lunch. "Hello, boys. Han, how are you feeling?"

"Good, Pa."

"Listening to your mother and not over-doing things?"

"No, Pa. I mean, yes!" He grinned. "I'm listening to Ma and not over-doing things."

Jed giggled.

"Good, because with one thing and another, we never got the chance to celebrate your birthday yesterday. Maggie and her troop are coming over for lunch and we can give you your presents then, if you're not too tired."

Han's eyes lit up. "No, Pa. I won't be too tired."

"And if I ask you to continue to rest, after you've seen your present, will you promise me that you'll do it?"

"Of course, Pa!"

"I have your word on that?"

Han sighed dramatically, "Yes, Pa, you have my word!"

It was a very strange lunch.

All the adults seemed to be acting very oddly. When Jed considered it, he thought they seemed excited about something. They ate their food even faster than he did, as if they just wanted the meal to be over quickly.

As soon as the last person had finished - Joseph couldn't understand why everyone was rushing and deliberately took his time - Elizabeth jumped up and whisked the plates away.

"Time for presents?" she asked, looking at David.

David grinned. "Definitely!"

The grown-ups quickly left their chairs and rushed to the door. David held out a hand to Han. "Come on, Han! What are you waiting for?"

Thoroughly confused, Han took his hand, sharing a bemused expression with Jed, who rushed to his side.

Leah and Joe rolled their eyes and followed everyone else.

David led Han to the stable they'd been fixing up for the spring. Han was curious - what could they have bought him that would need to be kept in a stable? Something too big to hide in the house, obviously, but what?

Maggie and Caleb had huge grins, and Elizabeth was actually giggling. David gestured for Han to open the door.

Standing before him was a horse. Her dark brown coat shone like satin, and she had a white blaze on her nose and two white socks.

Han's breath caught in his throat. It was love at first sight. "For me?"

David put a hand on his shoulder. "She's all yours, Han. Caleb and I are going to teach you to ride."

Han walked forward and ran his hand along her soft mane. She nuzzled into him.

"What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet. You'll have to think of something."

Han saw the love shining in his father's eyes and he thought about the first day they met; the day that had changed his life.

He could remember the first time he'd seen David, when their eyes had met as Han was about to pick a man's pocket. When David walked over, Han thought he was about to say something, to accuse him; but then he started playing that game - Follow the Lady. Somehow, Han had known what David was doing and David had been able to read the answers in Han's face. How odd it was, to think that if he hadn't broken away to watch the grifter as he worked, David and Han might never have met.

From the way his father was smiling, he knew that David was thinking about that day, too.

David and Elizabeth were now Pa and Ma, and he had an aunt and uncle and cousins, and one of those cousins was the best friend he'd ever had. Perhaps the best friend he would ever have.

And all because of a game of Follow the Lady.

"Lady," he said, smiling. "I'll call her Lady."

Once again, the town was without a schoolteacher. Elizabeth - feeling some responsibility - offered to take over the post and do her best until they could find someone more qualified.

At first, she was nervous, but as the day wore on, she began to feel more comfortable. The education she had received was more than sufficient to teach the children and she explained things well. Those who worried that she might show favoritism to Han and Jed clearly didn't know her very well. If anything, she was harder on them than on the other students. Han knew her well enough now to know that she was doing it because she cared about him.

When she returned from her first day at the school, David sat down eagerly to hear about her day.

So much had happened that day and she had so many things to tell him. She tried to marshall her thoughts.

After a few minutes of wondering where to begin, she smiled as she finally told him, "Well, it seems my habit of constantly correcting people is finally in demand!"

Time passed.

Another Christmas and more birthdays, and Han was ten years old and Jed was eight, both of them tall and - as Maggie put it - 'growing like weeds'. The Heyes family were happier than they had ever been, despite the fact that everyone in town was horrified by the way they were raising their child.

Han was quickly becoming known as the most spoilt, indulged child in town. Even old Miss Walters - who had become a close family friend - had cause to admonish Elizabeth about the excess of new clothes the boy always seemed to be wearing. The Heyes didn't care; David and Elizabeth wanted to enjoy spoiling their child, and Han thoroughly enjoyed being spoilt. He'd suffered enough hardships to learn not to let it go to his head; although he loved the clothes, presents and candies, he never took them for granted. He always shared everything with Jed, even Lady.

Jed could ride; Caleb taught all of his children as soon as they were old enough - but the Currys didn't have the money to spend on an animal that couldn't be used around the farm. Han and Jed would ride out on Lady whenever they could, and managed to find an extraordinary amount of trouble wherever they went.

The Heyes had resigned themselves to the fact that Han would never be embraced by the townsfolk and would always be blamed for anything that went wrong; but even they had to admit that he was frequently involved.

The time he'd been rolling a wagon wheel with a stick, lost control of it, and knocked over old Mr. Schmidt was unarguably his fault.

And the time he'd been helping to build the stage for the Christmas play, but got distracted and forgot to secure the backdrop - causing it to crash onto the heads of the choir - was also clearly his fault.

But they didn't think he should have been blamed for the time that he was climbing over Mrs. Potter's gate and it had collapsed, leaving her cows to wander everywhere. After all, Elizabeth explained, people climbed that gate all the time. So what if he'd been balancing on the top beam? It was just bad luck that it had broken when it did.

And they didn't think he should have been blamed for digging all the holes in Mr. O'Hara's field either; the boys had been playing at hunting for gold and didn't know that the field belonged to anyone. And after all, they did fill in the holes again.

Mostly.

Elizabeth started to teach Han how to play the guitar and he picked it up as quickly as he did everything else.

None of them could remember ever being happier.