Tears of an Angel

Chapter Four

Heath pounded yet another post into the ground and then wiped the perspiration from off his forehead. The fence that Adam had put up a few years back was beginning to fall down. Since the fence was now dividing line was between their land and Maggie's property, Heath was fixing it. The fact that Maggie's house stood not a hundred feet away was an added bonus, though every time he saw her through her window, or she came out of her house to give him something to drink, Heath couldn't help but think of their date and their conversation the week before.

"I'm sorry, Heath. It's been such a wonderful evening with the music and all; I just can't help but wish things were different when it comes to Nick. I love him like a brother and I never would have liked any of my family suffering." Maggie said as she and Heath held hands and walked towards the buggy he'd used to driver her to a play in town. They could both see Nick off in the distance, working on another portion of the fence line. Though, in all honesty, Heath and Maggie knew the famous rancher was keeping an eye on them. It was both comforting and irritating.

"I know." Heath helped her into the buggy and then climbed in himself. "I don't think he's ever forgiven Paul or Tyrell for telling Iris' brother where he and she were and what they were doing. While I appreciate your Grandpa Adam's gesture, a part of me wishes he'd never given us the land. In my eyes, it's just another thing to remind Nick of Iris."

"But you won't ask the family to give it back to the Hamilton's because Nick would fight it, as 'it would be showing ingratitude to an old man'." Maggie couldn't help but shake her head at the irony of it all.

"'bout the size of it," Heath admitted.

As Heath began doing what he had to in order for the barbed wire to stay in place, Maggie came out carrying lunch. "Take a break for a bit!" she called out as she stepped off the porch. It was a request Heath didn't hesitate to fulfill. Soon, he sat on the steps of the porch eating a sandwich and visiting Maggie. He started smiling when Maggie started talking about one of her female cousins, but stopped when she mentioned the girl liked horses and the outdoors. It didn't take a genius to figure out where she was taking the conversation.

"Drop it, Maggie." Heath warned her gently. He was tiring of the subject and wanted her to stop. There was nothing they could do for Nick except to love and support him.

Maggie made a face, even it if was childish of her, and looked off in the distance. She could see a few wild animals running through a nearby field. After a few minutes of silence, she turned to Heath and apologized. "All right, I will do my best not to speak of it again."

Heath understood her reluctance and smiled. Then having finished his food, put his arm around her shoulders. "I appreciate that." he said. Then, on the spur of the moment, he stood up and took a hold of Maggie's hand. "I don't have to get back to work for a little while. Let's go for a walk." It was a request Maggie was more than happy to fulfill. Soon they were not only talking, but laughing and chasing each other around, and through, the trees that dotted the land. Heath even managed to back Maggie up to a tree and kiss her.

~oOo~

Smoke floated upwards and filled the gambling establishment in San Francisco as Paul Hamilton stepped inside and looked around. Tyrell had told him he had a bit of loose change and was going to see if he could increase his money intake. In his brother's book, "a bit of lose change" could mean anything from one dollar clear up to fifty. When Paul spotted his brother, he had to roll his eyeballs as the man had won and let out a rather childish cry of delight. Paul then headed towards Tyrell and thought on the man's habits. If his brother lost more than he won, Paul would have worried about it. As it was, his brother seemed to break even just enough to keep going. Once Paul stood next to the table, and his brother had gathered up his money, Paul stopped him from starting another round. "We need to talk, now."

Tyrell would have argued with his brother, only the way the man said the word 'now' spoke volumes. "Fine," he put the last of the money in his wallet, "but it better be good." He bade the other gamblers goodbye and followed his brother out of the building and started walking down the street. When he tried to get Paul to tell him why he'd pulled him away from his gambling, Tyrell got told to wait until they were alone. That being the case, nothing was said until they arrived at their hotel room.

"So," Tyrell threw his hat down upon his bed and took off his jacket, hanging it on the top of the bed's headboard. "What's so fired important that you had to drag me away from the Gentlemen's Club? I was on a winning streak."

Paul had to bite his tongue from saying anything about the club or his brother's gambling habits. By doing so he knew he'd only start a fight, and he just might have one of those anyway. "I talked to Mr. Gurney. He's having a man do some research on Grandfather Adams before he files any papers. It might be as long as two or three months."

Tyrell, who had always been the less patient of the two, felt his temper rising. He didn't want to wait. "What for! Any man who would leave that much land to someone else when he had plenty of family isn't right in the head! I say we go and fight to get it back!"

Again, Paul forced himself to speak calmly. He wanted the land just as bad as Tyrell, only he had no intentions of getting himself in trouble with the law over it just yet. "And take the chance of getting wounded or worse yet killed when there's a chance we can get it back through the legal system? Are you insane?" He walked past the two beds the room held and over to the window, looking outside as he did. Nothing but buildings as far as he could see, he didn't care for it at all. "We wait and see if the law will give us the land back before we do anything else." His voice was flat and hard; it was the tone he used when there he wasn't going to "waste any more time talking".

If Tyrell didn't know that Paul had a knack for getting what he wanted, he would have fought the man on the matter. As it was, he muttered that Paul could have told him that back at the club and left the room saying he was going back. Paul did not stop him as he continued looking out the window and planning what they'd do if the law failed them.