PART I – Leah
May 1881

Chapter 2
Set Up

Leah had to blink several times before she was fully awake, and before she remembered where she was and why. She sat up straight, and realized that her hair had come undone from its braid sometime during the night. She touched it self-consciously while staring up at the tall, blonde man before her. She tried to stifle the urge to yawn.

"Good morning," she bit her lip.

"Morning," he replied. "We got much of that cheese and bread left?"

"And some jerky," she nodded. "Enough for breakfast." She had noticed that this cowboy was quiet, but she liked that. Sometimes people talked too much. For that matter she had to admit that she liked him, and for more than just the fact that he'd been kind to her.

She had not known why she wanted to go see Vivian, why she'd thought it'd be any different with her than anyone else. They had had good times before Leah's secret was out, but that was the past. This was the present.

Twisting her arms around her back so that she could re-braid her hair she silently studied Heath Barkley. She had long since come to the conclusion that there were three kinds of people in the world. There were the kinds who simply accepted her for who she was, like O'Leary and Mrs. Hart, and treated her the same as they'd treat anyone else. And there were people who thought they were better than her simply because they were born legitimately, like the Platts and most people in town. And then there were people like the Beardsleys.

"It's nice to have someone to eat breakfast with," she said as she took a seat next to the hearth. Heath nodded.

"O'Leary isn't around much I take it?"

Leah shrugged. "He hasn't been for a while." She hesitated. This cowboy didn't pry, she'd noticed. She liked that. She wouldn't feel obligated to tell him her whole life story. "He didn't use to be a drunk," she said sadly. "It was only after Ellen was killed. He was going to marry her."

Heath nodded understandingly. She almost had the feeling that he did understand…something. "We'd only been here for a year," she added. "And that was a year ago. Doesn't seem like we've been in Haven for two years." She sighed. It had been so long since she'd been able to talk to someone. She talked to Mrs. Hart sometimes, but it was O'Leary who she'd shared nearly nine years of her life with. Sometimes she just wanted to reminisce with him. Like they used to.

Finishing the remnants of their breakfast Leah repacked her saddle bags and followed Heath onto the porch. The world was washed in sparkling droplets of water. Sunlight was peeking through the lace of leaves overhead to lighten their way.

Heading out through the underbrush trail, Heath led the way. They took their time, picking their way through the woods until they came to the main trail into town. But they did keep up a regular pace, not very fast, but not too slow. They were both quiet for a long while when Heath finally broke the silence.

"I was born in a mining camp," he said the words so simply that she knew there had to be a point to it. Her brow furrowed, trying to connect it to something that they'd discussed. All they'd talked about was her though. Maybe he just wanted to talk about something else or ease her mind. "I didn't ever know my father and my mother tried her best to raise me. I know it was difficult on her though."

Leah waited. She was confused. What he said didn't make sense. Not with her vague knowledge of the Stockton Barkleys, and it was vague she had to admit, but still. "I…" she hesitated. "Didn't you say you were one of the Stockton Barkleys?" she asked finally.

"Yeah," Heath nodded, his eyes meeting hers. "My father was Tom Barkley, but my mother was a woman named Leah Thompson. They never married."

It hit her like a kick in the stomach. Something inside clicked. He understood. No one else had ever come close to it, but he truly understood. But his revelation only brought to mind more questions that she didn't know if she should bring up. "If you didn't know your father…." She trailed off.

"Before my mother died she told me and I went in search for the Barkleys and to have what was rightfully mine. The Barkley name."

She blinked. He was braver than she was. She would never have gone up to her father's family and demanded her name and a place at his table. Besides she was happy enough with O'Leary's name. They both fell into comfortable silence for a while. It was a lot for her to dwell on now, knowing this about Heath.

They'd gone on for some time before she spoke again. "My ma died when I was eight. We were alone at that time and O'Leary came and helped me nurse her. Ma made him promise to take care of me. Her family and my father's had shunned us." She paused, and shrugged. "O'Leary's always been good to me, even if he doesn't seem to be so now. As far as I'm concerned he's my father."

Heath nodded. She knew he had an understanding of what she felt. The rest of the way into town was ridden in silence. There was nothing else for them to say.

When town came into view the yellow dog came loping towards them and barked once. Neither of them paid any attention as Billy Beardsley came running towards them. He was shouting something to someone over his shoulder that neither of them could make out. "Wonder what he's up to no good," Leah muttered.

"So there you are, you kidnapping thief!" he exclaimed, directing his words toward Heath.

"Thief?" Leah asked indignantly. "Kidnapping?"

"O'Leary told us. You were kidnapped."

"I was no such thing!"

"Well maybe not," Billy hissed, "But he did steal horses from Jonathon Platt."

"What?" Leah exclaimed. "What is this Billy?"

"What proof have you got?" Heath asked quietly, but Leah could hear a hint of anger.

"Platt rode in this morning. Bet you never expected him to get there so quick with the rain last night."

Just then two men galloped towards them. One of them was Jasper, the other, a tall, graying man was the sheriff, Tom Jenkins. "This the fellow?" Jenkins asked.

"Yep," Billy nodded. "Got the drop on him before he could make any trouble."

"Well, Tom Jenkins I hope you're satisfied!" Leah spat. "Don't you got more sense that believing what these Beardsley boys have to say?"

"I'm sorry, Miss O'Leary," the man shook his head. "But O'Leary did say that you were kidnapped and Platt filed a report that this man stole his horses."

"I was there Mr. Jenkins! And he was in my sight all night, so how could he have stolen the horses?"

Jenkins looked at her sharply. "Are you all right, Le…?"

"Of course I'm all right," she snapped back. "Heath Barkley is much more of a gentleman than Jasper Beardsley is!"

"Hey!" the named spoke for the first time.

Tom let out a reluctant sigh. "I'm sorry young fellow, but I have to take you in. Miss O'Leary's underage and her…O'Leary filed that she'd been kidnapped and even at that Platt's said you stole his horses."

Heath let out a sigh that could have matched Tom's. He looked worriedly at Leah but she smiled to let him know she was all right. But she wasn't going to just sit by and let them take him off to jail. She had a sinking feeling about what the Beardsleys were up to. And it wasn't anything good, she was sure of it.

Somehow, though Platt fitted into the picture as well. Maybe his horses really had been stolen, but she knew it wasn't Heath who'd stolen them. She had to find O'Leary. Her first place to start the livery. She had to take her horse back anyway.

She found Eb mucking out a stall in the back and asked him where O'Leary was. "I haven't seen him," Eb shook his head. "Since the Beardsleys started all that ruckus about you being kidnapped. Have you checked the saloon?"

Leah clicked her tongue, but headed off in that direction. She found him there, sitting in a stupor staring off in to the distance, seeing nothing. Or at least he seemed to see nothing. She had to shake him several times and call his name before he finally focused on her. "Come on," she pulled him to his feet and he leaned heavily on her. A couple of times she wondered if she would be able to bear his weight out to the street, and if he fell over there she wondered if she could get him home.

They stopped at the hitching post outside and she tried to prop him up. Carefully she maneuvered him around to a water trough that was kept nearby for this specific purpose more than watering the horses. She often figured that the horses didn't want to drink after all those drunk men were dunked. But she dunked O'Leary anyway, him screeching at the top of his lungs as she dunked his head under and held it under as long as she could.

By the time she'd repeated the experiment five or six times the man reared back angrily and smacked her across the face. She took a step back, looking at him as if she'd never seen him before. "What'er you doing girl? Trying to drown me?" he growled, his speech slurred.

"Maybe if you'd have sense enough not to drink yourself to death I wouldn't have to," she said evenly, her hand on her cheek where it burned fiercely. He staggered a moment, but then began to really see her.

"Leah?" his tone changed. He sounded almost gentle. "Leah, what have I done?" he asked frantically. "Leah, did I…?"

"Never mind pa," she shook her head. "Come on, let me get you home." He swallowed hard as she put both arms around him to support him and lead him towards their meager dwelling.

Once she had him situated and fed at the house she changed out of her riding boots to a pair of shoes and pulled on a cloak. "Where you going girl?" he asked while he sipped on some broth.

"A friend of mine got arrested and I aim to visit him."

O'Leary's eyes narrowed. "Friend of yours?"

"You met him, you remember? Yesterday morning before I went out to the Platts? He was going to buy some of their horses and I wanted to see Vivian."

O'Leary frowned. "You went to see Vivian, honey? Why you want to go and hurt yourself like that?"

She shrugged, staring down at a blanket that she'd been folding up. "I had to know, pa. Other wise it'd just be me suspecting and wondering and hoping."

"This friend of yours…this fellow…?"

"Heath Barkley. They say you said I was kidnapped by him."

The man looked ashamed. "I probably did. But I don't remember."

She only nodded. "But I got to help Heath. He was kind to me, pa. Even after he knew about me. He still treated me respectfully and told me the same thing you always say," she smiled. "That I couldn't help how I was born."

O'Leary smiled. "I think I'm going to rest a spell, girl, do ya mind?"

"I'm going to the jail," she shook her head.

Ducking out into the morning sunshine, she realized that it was getting on towards dinner time. She was afraid something was going to happen, that the Beardsleys were going to stir up the town. She had to talk to Heath before things got nasty. She had to do something to help him out. Maybe if Jenkins would listen to her.

She pushed open the blue-green door of the sheriff's office and found Jenkins's sitting in his chair puffing on his pipe. He sighed when he saw her. "Nothing you can say is going to get him out of there," he shook his head. She grimaced at him.

"Can I at least talk to him?"

"Of course," he stood up and put his pipe in a tray, picking up the keys.

Heath had been reclining on the small cot in his cell when he heard the keys rattle at the door that separated the cells from the sheriff's office. He moved his gaze from the wall opposite him, to the door way and was surprised when he saw Leah beside the sheriff.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said nonchalantly, not getting up from his seat.

"Fifteen minutes, Miss O'Leary," the sheriff told her as he closed the door and locked it back.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"Haven't you done enough?" he replied sullenly.

She stared at him. "Do you think I had something to do with all this?" she demanded.

"What am I supposed to think?" he nodded towards the door. "You come along with me on my trip and just conveniently a few horses get stolen from the seller and it looks like I had something to do with it."

"But I was defending you out there. I know you didn't steal those horses and I didn't have anything to do with their disappearance either. My guess is the Beardsley brothers stole them. Somehow they knew you were going out there, or either they followed us."

Heath sighed. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I just can't help feeling like I was set up."

"I know," she echoed his sigh. "Heath, a lot of strange things have happened since the Beardsleys rode in here. Ellen's death wasn't the first thing, but I've always thought they had something to do with it. It was them that give O'Leary the whiskey that loosed his tongue and made him tell about me. He was angry and hurt…and they egged him on."

Heath nodded slowly. "Leah, how far away from here is Reno?"

"About a day's ride," she replied without hesitation. "Why?

"Do you think you could make it there by late tonight?"

"I could," she nodded.

"Then get some paper and a pencil. I want you to send a telegram to my brothers there."

"All right, Heath," and she got the attention of Sheriff Jenkins for the paper.

(To be continued…)