Warning for mild violence

Chapter 12

"I'm guessing we won't get a lot of help out of Nick for a while," Heath said to Jarrod as they walked the fence line. A few head of cattle had been found on the other side and they were looking for a break.

"I believe you are correct, little brother," Jarrod said, smiling. "Ah, here we are." Quite a large section was damaged, which would explain the runaways. As Heath looked at the large gap, he realized they didn't have enough barbed wire with them for the repair.

"Why don't you go back for more wire, while I herd those escaped cows back inside," Heath said as he mounted Charger. "It's a wonder that more didn't get away."

"I'll be back shortly."

Blocking out what happened months ago had become Jarrod's way of doing things for the time being. It was simply too painful to remember and staying busy at the ranch helped him to continue moving when he took down his shingle.

Seth Henderson was a bit older than Audra and hung out at the Barkley ranch growing up almost as much as he did at home. Victoria used to joke that he was her other son.

The trouble all started when the Warrens moved into the area.

Maisie and Cletus Warren came to Stockton about a year ago. They were young adult siblings trying to make it on their own and moved into a small shack outside of town. Cletus began working for the town handyman, Morris Jones, and Maisie took in people's laundry to make some extra money. Seth was one of those people.

Seeing Seth regularly, Maisie found herself liking his company and tried to kiss him one day. But Seth, not feeling the same way, avoided her advances. He kindly told her that he wasn't interested and hoped there were no hard feelings between them. That is when things took a turn for the worst.

Her brother Cletus immediately started looking for a means of revenge against Seth, since the man had rejected his sister, but he was patient about it and waited for an opportunity to arise.

He got his wish when a contract was drawn up between Morris- Cletus' employer- and Seth, for Morris to do some work around Seth's place. Of course, Morris had no idea how Cletus felt about Seth and sent him to do the job. When Seth inspected the project later, he determined that Cletus' work was shoddy, and he went to confront Morris.

The altercation happened on the main street of Stockton, and while no blows were thrown, there were many witnesses to the disagreement. The next day, Morris was found in his home, stabbed to death, and of course, Seth was the only suspect as Morris Jones had no known enemies.

Later that day, Maisie and Cletus came to the sheriff's office and told him that they had witnessed Seth running away from Morris' house the evening before but were fearful of reporting what they had seen. After their account, the sheriff went to Seth's home and found a bloody knife wrapped in one of Seth's shirts. He was arrested immediately and charged with murder.

Jarrod took his case. Knowing Seth for many years, he knew the young man could never be capable of what he was accused of, but with two witnesses, and the murder weapon found on his property, he was easily convicted and sentenced to death. Jarrod's appeal all the way to the governor was denied and Seth was hanged.

As upsetting as that was, Jarrod was distraught when a couple of days later, Maisie came to him in tears and confessed that Cletus had set Seth up as a means of revenge. He had killed Morris himself and had told her that there was no way Seth would be hanged for the crime since he had grown up in the area. Then he had taken her out of town the week of the trial and subsequent hanging. Cletus had only meant to 'scare' Seth and 'teach him a lesson,' is what he told Maisie. Since she washed Seth's laundry, she had access to the shirt that Cletus had wrapped around the knife he had used to kill Morris. She didn't witness the murder herself.

Cletus was tried and hanged, and Maisie was sent to a women's prison for 5 years, while Mr. Henderson was left to mourn for his son. It was at that point that Jarrod walked away. If he couldn't defend the innocent and get them acquitted, his degree wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.

His heart needed patching as much as that fence behind him did, and ranch work seemed to be somewhat therapeutic. Looks like he would be getting a lot of therapy with Nick's head in the clouds these days.

As much as he enjoyed working on the ranch, he did miss being an attorney. Maybe one day, he would return to the life he loved.

###

Watching as their captor paced and talked to himself, Nick and Nora remained silent. Nick would glance at her now and then, but she refused to make eye contact.

"I tell you what, pretty lady. I'm going to take you up on your offer," Wilson finally said as he headed for the door, tears filling Nora's eyes as she realized she would never see her friend again.

Turning to give them both a malicious smile, Wilson exited and closed the door behind him. After a few minutes, they heard horses riding away, Demarco making a ruckus, and Nora openly sobbed. The sound of her cries tore at Nick's heart as he furiously tried to get his hands untied.

"I'm almost there, Nora," he said, never noticing that they both had been using first names during their captivity. Moments later his hands were free, and he worked at the ropes around his ankles. Standing to his feet, he hurriedly moved over to release Nora from her bonds.

She stood and rubbed her wrists, finally looking up at Nick. "How could you?" she asked, her voice weak but her accusatory glare saying much more than her words ever could. Nick put his hands on her upper arms, wanting nothing more than to explain and comfort her, but there was no time.

Grabbing his pistol, he checked to make sure it was loaded before replacing it in his holster and heading for the door, placing his hat on his head.

"Where are you going?" Nora asked, wiping her eyes.

"I'm going after Wilson," he answered as he slung open the door.

"I'm going with you!" Nora cried, following him outside.

Looking around, Nick was thankful to see Big Duke still standing next to the porch, his reins wrapped around a tree branch. "No. You are staying put." Nick's voice demanded no argument, but Nora ignored it.

"He's my horse, Mr. Barkley, and I am going with you."

While Nick knew they were wasting time, he had to stop and convince her to stay.

"Miss Steele, Big Duke isn't used to riding double and you will only slow us down. You stay here and let me do what I need to do." Nick mounted up and looked at her again. Her hair was a mess, and her arms were crossed in front of her. She was shooting darts at him with her swollen eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, but time was of the essence. Nick quickly turned and rode away, hoping she would forgive him later. He understood her desire to rescue her horse, but she would be safer here at the house, and her safety was his top priority.

Wilson wasn't that far ahead of him, and Nick hoped he could find the man promptly and recover Demarco, without getting himself killed.

###

Nora was furious.

How dare, that man, tell her what to do? Demarco was her horse, and she had every right to try to save him.

Pacing around the yard, Nora took turns making fists with her hands and stomping her feet as she moved around. She never knew what to think of Nick Barkley, sometimes so sweet and kind as he had been after the party. Oh, but sometimes he was maddening, as he was today. He certainly knew how to make her blood boil.

After she stormed around for a bit, she began wondering why he had come to see her today in the first place. He was smiling as he entered her house before things quickly went south. And Wilson had called him her bodyguard- she had almost forgotten about that.

Whatever had he meant? Nick hadn't spent much time at her house, only once that she could recall. It seems the man was daft.

She prayed Nick would bring her horse back safely and not get hurt while doing so. As vexing as he was, she didn't want him injured.

###

Seeing a dust cloud ahead, Nick hurried Duke on, trying to figure out the best way to confront the man. As he got near enough to see him, Nick noticed a crop of trees up to the right. Riding on, he yelled out. "Wilson!"

The man turned in his seat, shooting wildly in Nick's direction, inadvertently releasing Demarco's reins as he did so. The stallion ran away from the noise as Nick drew his gun, firing at Wilson who fell or jumped, from his horse, running into a nearby rock formation.

Nick took this opportunity to ride Duke near the trees, then dismounted and slapped him on the rear, before shooting again. He wasn't as protected as Wilson and was trying to be cautious as he hid behind a large tree and timed out his shots. The other man might have been wounded, Nick wasn't certain, but he was still firing.

Leaning around the tree, Nick heard the sound and felt the burn on his left arm, flinched, and hid behind the tree again. He looked down and saw the bullet graze where blood poured down his upper arm. Removing the bandana from his neck, he quickly wrapped it around the wound and tied it off. Things had quietened while he was occupied, and he wondered if the other man had run out of ammunition.

Just as he had the thought, Wilson ran out and headed for his horse.

"Wilson! It doesn't have to end this way!" Nick yelled, running after him, and regretting that decision when the man turned and shot in his direction, thankfully missing. Stopping to aim, Nick fired one shot and Wilson went down. He hesitantly walked to the spot where the man lay and saw the blood quickly spreading across his still chest. Reaching down to check, Nick confirmed that Wilson wouldn't cause any more problems for anyone. Then he whistled for his horse.

###

Nora had finally gone into the barn to clean out Demarco's stall while she waited. Frustration boiled over every few minutes, so she found herself taking a deep breath and getting to work. Busyness was the best way to pass the time and keep her mind occupied.

Her thoughts were all over the place, the last 24 hours having confused her feelings towards Nick, and now her horse being taken. As she lay down fresh hay, she heard the sound of horses and ran outside.

Coming around the curve in the road was Nick on his own horse, leading Demarco and another horse. Looking closer, she saw a man's body lying across the saddle of the last one. Not able to stop herself, she ran to Demarco and wrapped her arms around his neck, tears flowing again. Nick listened as she whispered words of endearment to her friend, dismounted, and stood next to his own animal. When she had checked Demarco over, she patted the side of his neck and walked over to Nick. Her back was straight, and her words were stiff as she spoke.

"Thank you, Mr. Barkley, for bringing him home to me," she said before turning and walking back to take Demarco's reins. Nick sensed he was being dismissed, and he didn't like the feeling.

"Nora, I was hoping we could talk." The words were softly spoken as Nick stood there waiting to see what her response would be. She stopped walking and turned around, a tight smile crossing her face.

"While I am very grateful for you bringing him home, we have nothing further to discuss. Good day, Mr. Barkley." The words were stilted and formal and Nick's heart sank within him as he watched her continue to the barn. He stood there until she had entered and walked out of his sight in the dark interior, then sighed as he mounted back up, grabbed the other horse's reins, and headed to town.

###

By the time Nick arrived home, his family was sitting down for dinner. He really wasn't ready for all the questions but knew he would have to answer them eventually, so he headed into the dining room.

"Well, there's our Don Juan now," Jarrod teased, before noticing the fall of Nick's chin. Something was obviously very wrong.

"Nick," Victoria started, her face full of worry when she saw the torn sleeve. "Your arm. What happened?"

Dropping into his chair, Nick recounted the story from beginning to end. His family was visibly concerned about the whole situation but especially worried about Nora's treatment of Nick.

"Did you see a doctor when you were in town?" his mother asked.

"I did. The gash was deep, so he stitched it up. I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed."

He hadn't eaten much, but at least he had something in his stomach to help him sleep. The family grew quiet after he left, saddened by everything he had to endure today. After a few moments of silence, Audra spoke up.

"I will go and check on Nora tomorrow. See if I can smooth things over and make sure she is alright."

"I'll go with you, sis," Heath added. "Maybe between the two of us, we can explain why Nick did what he did."

"That's a wonderful idea," Victoria stated as everyone went back to their food, her mind consumed with her son's heartache.

###

Nick lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep had been fitful with his arm aching, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He had always fallen easily, but he knew something was different about this time. Something much deeper.

As he contemplated what he should do, he heard a tap on the door. At his invitation, the door opened, and Jarrod entered.

"How's the arm this morning?" he asked as Nick sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed.

"Sore. I'll be fine."

"You should probably take the day off. Don't want those stitches to come loose."

"Thanks for the concern, but work is exactly what I need today." At Jarrod's look, he added, "I'll be cautious."

"Be sure that you are. Look, Nick, I feel for you, but if it is meant to be, it will happen. Don't give up on Nora because of one misunderstanding."

Jarrod's words made sense and he knew his brother was right, but he didn't want to hear any advice this morning. All he wanted was a cup of coffee and some food before he went to work.

"Let's go have some breakfast...after you get dressed, that is." Jarrod left him alone to change out of his pajama pants.

Breakfast did sound good to his empty stomach.

###

Nora had spent her evening with Demarco in the barn. Keeping herself busy as she worked on the buggy, she kept pushing thoughts of Nick out of her head.

Once she had gone inside at dusk, that became a little more difficult. The sheriff had come by before dark to question her about Wilson, and then she was alone with her wonderings. At least she wasn't afraid anymore. She finally had a light supper and went to bed.

The morning light woke her early and she slowly got up, wincing at the soreness in both of her arms and shoulders. She guessed it would take a day or two for that to clear up after being tied behind her back for several hours the day before.

As she sat and drank some coffee, her thoughts automatically went to Nick and what happened yesterday. Nora wasn't as angry today, but she still felt hurt that he so easily tried to convince Wilson to take Demarco. He did rescue him and bring him back, but it stung a little. Nora had a lot of processing of her feelings to do today. Did she care about Nick? Nodding, she had to admit that she was drawn to him in many ways.

Hearing a wagon, Nora peeked out the window and saw Audra and Heath coming to the door. A visit from the Barkleys was the last thing she wanted or needed today because she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

At the knock, she heard Audra's voice. "Nora, it's Audra and Heath. We want to make sure you are alright."

"I'm fine, Audra. Thanks for coming by. I'm not up for company today."

"Nora, it's Heath. I need to talk to you about Nick. It's important."

Putting her forehead on the door, Nora stuck to her resolve.

"It will have to wait, Heath. I need some time alone, please."

Audra and Heath looked at each other and he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, Nora. Please feel free to come to the house if you need anything," Audra said as they walked back to the wagon.

"I guess that's all we can do for now. She needs time to think things through," Heath said as he helped Audra step up. He jumped up next to her and they drove away, Nora exhaling as they left. She hated to treat them that way as nice as they had both been to her, but there were too many uncertainties going on in her mind today.

She had to figure out what was best for Nora.