Man of Honor
Chapter Three
"She thought she was going to do what!" Nick's eyes widened in disbelieve as Heath stood next to the corral telling him who Rebecca was and why she was in the study talking with Jarrod. He couldn't believe his ears. "She might have been married and, heaven help her, made a widow too young, but she looks like she's still a child!" Okay, she didn't look that young; still, like Heath, Nick didn't think the young woman could be a day over eighteen. He set his elbow down on the top of the fence and let his hand hang downwards. He then lowered his voice and looked at Heath and asked with genuine concern in his voice, "She was really going to go after that man by herself?" He didn't like that at all.
Heath's head nodded slightly as he repeated the things of their first discussions and those final decisions that had led to her traveling with him to Stockton instead of starting the journey by herself. "I believe her when she says she and her late husband saw the other man and, if you'd seen the look in her eyes as she talked? You'd know she had every intention of trying to find him." He had no idea what the young woman thought she'd have done if she actually came face to face with the man, though he suspected her desire to clear her husband's name had overruled any doubts or fears that might have tried to present themselves to her. Heath guessed that self preservation was not necessarily on the top of her list, if it was even on her list at all.
"Well, she…" Nick quit talking when he saw Audra hurrying towards them. What on earth did she want? Heath, seeing Nick turn his head and a questioning look appear on his face, turned to see what the man was looking at. As Audra drew closer, both men stepped away from the fence.
"Jarrod asked me to come and get the two of you. He wants to see you in his study." Audra told them before either of them had a chance to ask her what she wanted. "Something to do with that woman you brought home with you." Audra might have teased Heath about that, bringing the young lady home with her, only, while no one had told her a thing yet, she still got the impression that whatever was going on was far too serious. She'd just have to wait when it came to her usual teasing any of her brothers.
"All right," Heath and Nick looked at each other and headed for the house.
The minute the two brothers stepped into the house smiles appeared on both their faces. Rebecca sat in the middle of the floor; Joey sat not two feet in front of her. The two were building small towers with the small, brown wooden blocks that Heath had bought him just before leaving for Modesto. Joey was letting out squeals of delights as Rebecca talked to, and played with, him. They might have continued standing where they were and enjoying the site before their eyes, only Joey turned his eyes away from the blocks and the stranger who had been nice enough to play with him and caught sight of his father standing in the entrance.
"DA DA!" Joey started bouncing up and down, clapping his hands as smile spread across his small face while his eyes lit up brighter than any star hanging in the night's sky ever thought of shining. The young child adored his father as only a one year old could. Needless to say, his son's reaction upon seeing him did not exactly hurt Heath's feelings. He quickly moved across the floor and picked his young son up.
"Boy Howdy, child! I swear ya've grown a couple of inches since I left!" He held Joey up in the air and brought him back down causing Joey to giggle and laugh, along with Rebecca who had stood up and was watching the scene.
If he could have, Heath would have just sat down and spent some time with the boy. As it was, he held his son in his arm close to his side, thanked Rebecca for what she'd did, and turned around, heading for the study to see what Jarrod wanted.
Nick didn't think Jarrod wanted their nephew in the study during their discussion, though he knew better than to suggest that Heath leave the boy behind. No, if Joey needed to be taken out of the room while they talked to Jarrod then Jarrod could play "Pappy" and tell Heath to give the child to their mother, sister or even Rebecca seeing how she'd been the one entertaining Joey in the first place.
Jarrod was sitting behind his desk when Nick and Heath walked in through the opened door. The fact that Heath was holding Joey in his one arm and the child had his small hands either on the only man he knew as father's back or chest did not surprise the oldest Barkley brother. "Please, shut the door behind you." Jarrod pointed toward the open door when neither one of his brothers took time to do so. It was a request that was quickly fulfilled as Nick took a few steps backwards and shut the door while Heath grabbed a chair, sat down and held Joey on his knee.
"So, what do you think?" Heath asked Jarrod as he bounced his son up and down upon his knee.
Jarrod sat back in his chair and turned up the palms of his hands. "When it comes to getting the law to stop looking for her husband, the easiest thing to do is have her tell, or show, someone where the man is buried."
"She doesn't want to tell anyone." Heath leaned back in his air and looked at Joey, who sat on his lap. The child grabbed Heath's hands and pulled himself up into a standing position. Heath continued talking to his eldest brother, "Doesn't want him disturbed," he couldn't blame her either, but he figured Jarrod was right.
Jarrod tapped the desk with his fingers a couple of times and looked at both his brothers. "I helped her to see that, in this case, it was the only way to get the law off her case. I promised her we'd help clear her husband's name too."
Heath shook his head. "The law itself will stop sendin' out wanted posters on her husband. Other law men might stop keeping their eye out for him, but Weaver will never stop. He's got it into his head this is all a lie. I wouldn't put it past him to claim her late husband is the other guy, and just usin' the other guy as a cover. The reward money means too much to him." It sounded crazy to Heath, only Weaver was just greedy enough to come up with such a notion.
"For right now, we can't worry about what Weaver will or will not do." Jarrod shrugged his shoulders. "First thing in the morning, I am going to talk to Fred. Rebecca will be with me." Jarrod then looked at Heath, "I know from experience that people under stress like this handle it better when they have either family or someone they consider a friend by their side. That being the case, I'd like you to come with us. She's had time to get to know you; well, more than she knows me anyway. After that; I'll contact one of my Pinkerton contacts and see if anyone fitting her husband's description can be found."
Heath might have been surprised with Jarrod's statement about the young widow, only he'd been in a spot where he'd needed a friend a time or two. Heath made sure he had Joey securely in his arms when he stood up. "I'll be ready." He told Jarrod before excusing himself from the room.