Thicker Than Water
Chapter Twelve
Heath stood for what felt like a good five minutes in front of the front door of the Barkley home. Because of work commitments, he'd simply dropped his children off at the house that morning and left. Only that work was over and until he set things right with Audra, he knew he couldn't think about picking up his children and going home. He just hoped he could do this and not let their biological relationship to each other slip out. When he finally knocked, Heath found Silas opening the door for him.
"Hello, Mister Heath." Silas liked the young man whom the Barkley's had hired and treated him with the same respect as he did his employers.
"Hello, Silas." Heath said as he stepped inside.
"Mr. Bryon and Miss Leah," Silas said as he turned around, "are in the kitchen with Maria." Maria was the Barkley's housekeeper come part time cook. Silas was surprised when Heath stopped him and looked towards the living room where Audra was sitting doing some embroidery work.
"I need to talk to Audra first." Heath told him.
Upon hearing her name, Audra put down what she was doing and stood up, a part of her hoping Heath had gotten past whatever he needed to, and wanted to court her. "Come on in!" She smiled and waved her hand through the air as she spoke.
Heath, who had taken off his hat, held it in his hands and walked into the living room, though he remained standing even when she told him he could sit on a chair or the sofa. "Nick came by the stable this afternoon." He turned his hat around in his hands. Somehow he wasn't surprised by the look that came onto Audra's face, a mixture of gratitude and irritation both. Heath figured it was because she was grateful that Nick cared enough to butt in and irritated that he'd had the nerve to actually do it.
"And just what did my dear brother have to say?" Audra folded her arms as she spoke, though she wondered if she really wanted, or needed, an answer. Nick had a tendency to overdo things at times, even if he meant well. That fact made her a bit leery as she had a thousand things her middle brother could have said to their newest ranch hand.
Heath sighed. "He was concerned about you, thought I led you on." He looked apologetically at Audra and said, "I never meant to do that. If I had known you were thinking along those lines," 'If I had known who you were, what we were' was a thought he added only to himself, "I could have told you I'm not lookin' for a... a serious relationship or a wife. My late wife Elizabeth, well... it's just too soon for me. I'm sorry, Audra." He wasn't lying. He wasn't; someday, maybe, but not right now.
Audra did her best not to let her let her disappointment show. Grudgingly, she admitted she'd talked to Jarrod. "He thought that might be the case." Then, because she got the strongest impression there was something he was leaving unsaid, she asked. "There's nothing else to it?"
Heath shifted his weight a bit as he realized if he said yes she might hold onto the hope of being courted later. What on earth was he supposed to say to get that notion out of her head? "I'm not much for words, Audra." Heath answered after a moment. "Please, just accept the fact we can't be together."
Audra might have argued with him, but she remembered what Jarrod said. She didn't know how long it would take before Heath Thomson to be ready to marry again, but she knew she wasn't about to put her life on hold for him either. "Friends then?" She held out her hand and gave him a genuine smile.
"Friends," Heath gave her a small crooked smile and then excused himself. He had to get his children.
Leah was laughing and rolling cookie dough the best she could when her father walked in. He could see Bryon through the open kitchen door helping Silas gathering some vegetables in the garden outside. "Look papa!" Leah pointed to the cookie sheet full of cookie dough. "More cookies for you and Cowboy Nick!" the child had finally accepted that the dark haired rancher needed more to his name than cowboy. "Gotta keep all these cowboys straight somehow!" Those had been her exact words when she'd asked Nick if she could change his name. He'd busted up laughing and told her she could call him whatever she wanted too.
"I'm sure they'll be good. However, I think it's about time you start cleaning up. It's about time we get home." In spite of the stress he was feeling, Heath did his best to talk patiently with his daughter. After all, she was far too young to understand what dilemma he had been handed, or why it was so hard for him to make up his mind what to do. No, he was determined his children would not feel the stress he was under.
"Why can't we just stay here? It feels like home." The child's innocent remark had Maria smiling, but they only made Heath fighting to keep his emotions in check. This should be their home. He and his children should have the Barkley name, but he didn't know how to get it without putting the children in the middle of what he just knew would be the fight of a lifetime.
"That's because the Barkley's are so nice to us." Heath refrained from adding anything else. How could he do add anything else without breaking the promise he'd made to keep the youngsters out of it. "It's still time to get home." He then stepped to the open door and called for his son who seemed to be enjoying himself as well as Leah had been. Bryon didn't hesitate to do as his father said, after saying goodbye to Silas, who thanked the lad for his help. Soon, Heath had his children in the wagon and heading home unware his life would soon change once more.