Chapter Three

Previously:

Heath turned around and looked. He had been many places and seen a lot of things; he knew a seasoned mountain man when he saw one. "We had Jarrod advertise for some more help, probably one of the men who responded." Heath said, though he found himself with the same thoughts as Jarrod and Gene when it came to Steve. Oh well, if both Gene and Jarrod were bringing him home, Heath figured he could withhold any form of judgment when it came to the man's abilities. "Take over, will you?" He asked McColl before heading to open the gate for his brothers and their guest, a request McColl did not argue with.

~oOo~

Having been left into the Barkley home by Silas, Steve looked around the Barkley's living room as he waited for Heath, who had told him he needed to talk to their foreman for one quick moment before the two of them met. He could hear Lily and Audra talking and laughing as they disappeared up the stairs and into the attic. The young woman had been more than polite before leaving the living room, inviting Lily to join her while she went through some old trunks and found items to donate to the local orphanage. "With your help, we can get the donations to the orphanage sooner than the good father and mother are expecting…" had been Audra's exact words as she explained the Barkley Matriarch was already at the orphanage.

Steve turned around and walked to the window. He could see the one called Heath talking to an older gentleman who had been introduced to Steve as being the foreman. He could also see Jarrod, Gene talking to a tall dark haired fellow who looked to be the same height as Steve. Whether the last man was another family member or one of the Barkley employees, Steve did not know. Only when Heath turned around and headed for the house did Steve turn away from the window. By the time Heath stepped inside the living room, Steve was standing by the fireplace.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Heath said as he sat down in the chair that set not two feet from the living room entrance and tossed his hat onto the nearby coffee table. "Have a seat, Mr. Brighton." Heath said as kept an eye on the gentleman who his brothers had brought home.

"Name's Steve if you don't mind," Steve answered as he remained standing. "And, again if you don't mind, I'd just as soon stand. Been sitting long enough," He then asked if he should simply call Heath, 'Mister Barkley'.

Heath's crooked smile appeared, and he nodded in understanding. "Had a few of those days myself," He admitted and then said, "With more than one Mr. Barkley, you can call me Heath if one of my brothers is around. If we're working with the other men, then it's Mr. Barkley." Heath answered and then said, "Jarrod says you're looking for temporary work."

"Like I told your brother, my wife and I are talking over a number of options. One of those options is moving to Wyoming. So no, I don't intend on staying around very long, no reason to look for permanent work." Steve nodded as he answered.

Thinking back to the days when he first joined the family and the way some of the men had felt about working with him, Heath studied Steve for a few minutes longer and then bluntly asked, "You going to have trouble taking orders from a bastard?"

While Jarrod and Gene had left that fact out about this particular brother, it didn't make any difference to Steve. As it was, he saw the question as an opening to ask his own, one that had haunted him ever since Adam Brighton had passed away. After all, he didn't know the exact circumstances that led to him wandering around the mountains where his "father" had found him. "You going to have trouble work with a man who can't tell you whether he's in the same boat or not?"

Not knowing Steve's history, Heath threw his poker face on in record time. How could a man not know if he was legitimate or not? However, that was a question Heath figured was not his to ask at the moment. "If you do your work without complaint and don't argue with me, or McColl, I'm fine. Now, what about answering my question?"

"As long as you're in the right, I won't argue. However, if you're not, I will say something. I can give you the names of people that can verify the fact that I have a tendency to plant my feet and state my opinion…and state it loudly when something like that happens. I'm also known to have a short fuse if, for some reason, I and the other person I'm dealing with aren't on the same page as it were. But, as long as you and Mr. McColl make your instructions clear…and another employee doesn't try to play boss, there won't be a problem." Steve figured Heath might as well know what kind of man he was hiring; that is, if he did indeed hire Steve.

Heath found himself admiring the man before him. He'd met many men who, like Mr. Brighton, had such tendencies. However, the main difference was those men had not admitted it and gotten more than upset at 'such things being said about them'. "I'd tell you to take your things and to go get settled in the bunkhouse, but not with that wife of yours. As it is, we do have a small two-bedroom home a few miles down the road. It needs work, but it's livable. If you will live in it, and work on it when you can, we'll pay you a bit extra." He went on to explain that's what kept him from coming into the house sooner…he was talking to his brothers and the others about the house and the Brightons.

Steve wasn't about to argue. He had known he couldn't expect Lily to live in the bunkhouse with him, and traveling back and forth from town would be a huge imposition. "I've helped build more than one house; repairing one is no problem."

"Fine," Heath stood up and nodded towards the door. "I have some time to spare. Follow me; I'll show you the house."

Steve said nothing, though he didn't hesitate as he followed Heath out of the house.