Chapter 9 Conclusion

I had moved over to wrap my arms around the newcomer: Hannah.

Hannah stood shaking in my arms; she had already dropped the pistol she had used to save our lives. She looked at me with tears running down her dark face.

"I couldn't let her hurt my Heath anymore." She paused and looked to where the Barkley boys stood, "He will be alright?"

"Yes Hannah, he took a bullet in the shoulder and lost a bit of blood but he should be just fine, thanks to you." I held her by the elbow as we walked toward the boys. Heath gave her one of his crooked smiles despite the pain he was in.

"Come on let's get you back to May's and get you cleaned up," said Nick as he moved Heath to the wagon.

"What about her?" asked Heath as he looked at Martha lying on the ground.

"The law will deal with her," said Jarrod as he moved to stand next to Heath and Nick.

"She is a crazy loon, Jarrod. She tried to kill Heath and did kill two other people and for what?"

"Money, Nick, money," replied Jarrod.

"They knew who my father was before I was born. Why didn't my mother try to contact him?" asked Heath.

Hannah and I came to stand next to the boys and looked at the woman who had been so filled with hate that she had abused and then tried to use Heath against his family.

Hannah reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a letter. She handed it silently to Heath putting the letter firmly in his hands.

"Your mama she didn't want to give you to them. But they made her look bad and the judge signed the papers before she could get a hold of Tom Barkley. She knew that if he did know about you that she would lose you again to him, but she also knew that it would have been better for you to grow up know' in your father and your brothers than to be treated like scum here with her." She pointed to Martha who was now sitting next to the wagon leaning her upper body against the wheel. Her hair falling down in her face and her dress covered with dirt and blood from the shoulder wound inflicted by Hannah's shot.

"The letter is from your mama. I was to give it to you awhile back, but I kept thinkin that you were where you belonged and that the letter didn't matter." Her dark eyes held Heath's blue ones, she smiled, "Please, forgive an old woman's thinkin."

"There's nothin to forgive Hannah." replied Heath softly giving her a gentle one armed hug.

Jarrod with the help of Judge Saddler put Martha Simmons into a place where she would be well taken care of. An asylum.

Judge Saddler also withdrew guardianship from the Simmons. He had met with Heath and they had talked for sometime before the judge made his decision.

After a week's rest the Barkley boys rounded up their horses and headed for home. Heath's injury was a deep cut across the top of his shoulder. Nothing more, but the loss of blood had left him weak.

Before they left Heath sat on the front porch like he did that first day they had come. I sat in my rocking chair mending my old skirt. Just enjoying the company and not saying much. Jarrod and Nick sat in chairs with their feet on the railing smoking Jarrod's cigars.

When Heath began to speak, softly in that southern drawl, it seems that everything stopped. Even Nick remained quiet while he spoke. Heath shared with us what he had endured while living with the Simmons. He told us about all the missed meals, sleeping in the damp cellar with only one thin blanket in the winter time, being sick and not getting to see the doctor. How they made him work in the mines and taking all his earnings, for his so called care. How he had pleaded with his mother to take him back, thinking that she had abandoned him. The beatings he got when he ran away and the fear for his mother when his uncle found out that Leah had hidden him from them. He told us a story of things that no child should ever have to go through, but he said as he was finishing his tale, the best thing to come was the Pony Express. It was his salvation, he escaped from his aunt and uncle while he was here and again when he joined the army. He stayed away from the people he loved because of what the Simmons would do to them if they knew that they knew where he was.

Jarrod bowed his head, "If Father had known you were here he would have come for you Heath. I know he would have."

"It was a hard life Jarrod, but it taught me something." said Heath.

"Yeah what's that?" asked Nick.

"It has taught me to be thankful I have another family." He gave us one of those rare big smiles.

I smiled thinking that Heath had faced some of his memories and in a way those memories were like horses, you have to set them free to be free.