Thicker Than Water
Chapter Nine
There was a comfortable breeze blowing through the air as Heath stood underneath a tree in the front yard watching his children play with Audra. He was listening to the talk going on between Victoria, Jarrod and Nick. He would have just taken his children and gone home, but Leah had begged to be allowed to finish playing the game Audra had began to teach them. He had relented and stayed where he was since it was actually quite humorous watching as the young woman stand behind Leah, or Bryon depending on whose turn it was, holding onto the mallet, or wicket as many people called it, trying to hit the wood ball on the ground with the children moving the mallet the wrong way. Heath was actually allowing himself to enjoy the moment. While he couldn't see himself playing a game of *croquet, it did his heart good to see his children having so much fun. Only when the topic among Victoria and her sons changed to a more serious matter was Heath's attention drawn away from Audra and his young children.
"I know the railroad wasn't happy when you boys and the farmers won that fight at Sample's." Victoria was speaking to her sons, but keeping an eye on the young man she was sure was Tom's illegitimate son. If he'd been on the ranch longer than three weeks, she'd have pulled him aside and explained everything to him. As it was, she continued to keep her mouth shut as she had promised, feeling he needed just a little bit more time. Now, she told herself that, if she was right, he had every right to hear their conversation. It was the main reason she had not pointed out the need for her and her sons to move inside. "I'm just wondering if you think Crown or anyone else will cause any more trouble."
Jarrod and Nick sighed at the same time. It was quite a comical scene and had the topic not been so serious, Victoria, Jarrod, Nick and Heath might have even chuckled. As it was, Jarrod spoke first since he knew Crown the best. "Crown would do more, but he's had other matters, more important ones, come up." Jarrod sat up straight. "He has legal problems that I can't discuss here. However, from I can't shake the feeling that at least one person, if not a few, will try to recoup whatever loss they feel they suffered by causing us trouble."
"Sore losers throwing a childish fit in other words." Nick crossed his arms and scowled.
"I'd say that sums it up pretty well, dear brother." Jarrod answered. "But, there's no use worrying too much about it right now. I mean, you can't plan for something when you don't know what that something is. I mean, other than to keep our eyes and ears wide open." His family all nodded and verbally agreed.
Heath tucked the information away, as he felt he owed the family his loyalty as since they'd been nothing but helpful since the day Nick hired him. In fact, Audra had downright insisted he not look for anyone but she to watch his children and she'd flat out refused to take any money for it. That alone gave him enough reason to stand by the family if anyone caused them trouble.
~oOo~
Heath sat on the side of his son's bed reading his children their favorite bible story, David and Goliath. He always read, or told, them a story before they had to retire for the night. Though, he'd come close to skipping the tradition for one night as tired as he was. However, his children were so wound up from the time spent with the Barkley's that evening that he'd decided against it. He wasn't surprised that by the end of the story Bryon was asleep and Leah was the one who still had her eyes open. Though, he was taken aback when the child proved once more that she was no average four and a half year old. Heath couldn't help but stare as she asked, "Is he the same Goliath in grandma's bible?"
"Ya, it is. Why do you ask?" He stood up and moved over to the side of her bed.
"Because you keep standing in front of the bookshelf looking at it, you never read us the stories from that one. Why? Is he scary, like a big bad giant? Is he scarier in that grandma's bible, Papa?" Leah yawned as she pulled her covers up to her shoulders and snuggled up in a ball, "You never pick it up and open it." Her eyes closed and she was asleep before he had a chance to answer.
For a moment all Heath could do was sit and think on what she'd said. She was right; he had told his children stories by memory, read from children's publications and various bibles, but he had never once opened his mother's bible. While he could understand why he would act that way in the early days after her death, Heath had no answer to the child's question when it came to his life now. Why hadn't he opened it? His mind turned the question over in his mind as he thought on his daughter. The child had an uncanny gift of asking the simplest of questions and getting him to open his eyes. Heath stood up and made his way into the short hallway that sat outside the children's room. After pausing in the door way for a few seconds, to smile upon his sleeping children, Heath shut the children's door quietly and then, made his way to the living room.
Once again he stood in front of the book shelf only this time, when he felt as if someone was pushing him to take the book off the shelf, Heath didn't fight it. Soon he was sitting on the couch with only the light of the lamp which set on a small table that set between the door and the couch to fill the room. Carefully, almost reverently, he held the bible in his hands before opening it up. He began leafing through it. Heath wasn't surprised to see more than a few verses underline and comments written along the edges. Each verse seemed to have a special message and had probably helped give his mother strength during many dark hours. However, he got the shock of his life as he drew close to the end of the book, a letter and a worn out newspaper clipping fell out of the book and onto the floor. Reaching down, Heath bent over and picked the items up.
He felt his heart skip a beat as he unfolded the newspaper clipping and read: TOM BARKLEY SHOT TO DEATH: Whole Valley Mourns. A picture of Tom was included in the article. What was his mother doing with the announcement of Tom Barkley's death? Heath laid the clipping down and opened up the folded letter. He had greater shock waves go through him as he read:
Dear Tom,
You will never receive this letter, but I have to write it anyway…..
~oOo~
* wiki/Croquet