They dismounted in a clearing, under the moon's pale light, their horses patiently waiting for them as they ventured a little more into the woods. They had spent a couple of hours together in town, having dinner at the Cattleman's Hotel. Audra couldn't decide which had been more delicious, the food or the furtive looks Lloyd kept stealing at her when he thought she was distracted.
The young man was quiet, his handsome face serious, his eyes scanning the darkness in front of them. Audra closed the distance between them and, feeling uncomfortable in the prolonged silence, felt the urge to say something.
"Something bothering you, Lloyd?"
"No, no, nothing," he said, turning to look at her.
"Perhaps I wasn't as good company as you thought," the girl said sorrowfully.
Lloyd looked her in the eyes intensely. "Don't ever think that, Audra. You couldn't be better company.. You're wonderful."
"Thank you," Audra whispered.
His hand lovingly cupping her cheek, he searched for her lips. Their kiss deepened and Lloyd's arm slid around her waist, making Audra's heart pound wildly, her thoughts out of control. And then Lloyd's hand was there again, on the side of her face, his thumb under her chin.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, his warm breath caressing her lips. "Until now I never felt really free of the past," he said, caressing her silky cheek. "Knowing you makes me forget it ever happened."
A myriad of different feelings, a whirlwind of unknown sensations took hold of Audra's heart and body as they kissed again. She felt the need to part before they lost themselves, stepping further into the unexplored land of no return.
"It's getting late, Lloyd," she said faintly, beginning to walk back toward their horses.
"Audra, wait," he said gently grabbing her arm. "Audra, I spent days and nights wondering how this is possible, that what I feel for you is so overwhelming that sometimes I think I'm going to lose my mind. But this is the truth and I know it's early but there's nothing I can do about it. I love you with everything I have, with everything I am. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be my wife."
Audra couldn't reply just yet. Lloyd's words were spoken directly from his heart to her own, warming it, making it tremble with the strongest emotion she had ever experienced.
"All my love to you, beloved son. Your mother, Victoria Barkley." Eugene laid the paper on his desk and rested his head on his fists sighing in longing as he visualized in his mind his mother's features and counted the days until the summer break. He might be a grown man, but he still missed his ma'. Since Tom Barkley's death, when he was a confused teenager and Audra was just a child, she had been their only parent. Jarrod, by his side, had been more than an older brother, so much so that they had started calling him "pappy," a nickname they still used as a term of endearment and that even Nick used to borrow from time to time.
In her letter, Victoria had been telling him about Audra dating some ranch hand named Lloyd. This wasn't the first time his sister had been dating a ranch hand.. Eugene just hoped this Lloyd was better than that Don Jarvis. Audra was known to quickly fall in love and just as quickly fall out of it. She had collected a series of delusions, from their neighbor Frank Craddock to Nick's childhood friend Carl Wheeler, to finish with creepy Evan Miles. Each one of them had proved stupid and greedy, if not dangerous.
The sound of his door opening shook him from his reverie, as Russell Brooks' red head peeped in.
"Hey, Gene, you coming? Professor Hawthorne's lesson will be in two minutes." Eugene's good friend and classmate asked.
"You bet I am, Rusty! I need to know everything about vaccines, because…"
"I know, I know, Barkley, your-family-has-a-cattle-ranch," he declaimed. "Come on, we're late," he urged and disappeared outside, leaving the door ajar.
Eugene rose from his chair, folded the letter his mother had sent, put it in the drawer and closed it, his mind already set on the mysterious invisible world of germs and all the other unknown wonders he was going to listen to.
After an interminably long, dreadful wait without knowing what was happening, thinking the most unthinkable thoughts, Jarrod jumped to his feet as Doctor Morley closed the door with a click. He looked at the old family friend through tortured blue eyes, a loose lock of black hair across his forehead. He had unfastened the first button of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. "How is she, Doctor? Is the baby safe? Is Emilie alright?" Jarrod's barrage of questions came unrelentingly.
The good doctor clasped Jarrod's shoulder firmly. "She's alright, son. She is resting. Jarrod, I won't lie to you, contractions are dangerous this early in the pregnancy. I'm worried. Honestly, if Emily has a premature delivery, I don't think the baby will survive," he admitted earnestly.
I don't think the baby will survive. The doctor's words were like a sharp, cold blade stabbed in his heart. The child who was his and Emilie's, the child of their love, wouldn't survive. Emilie would be crushed. "What can I do, Doctor? Please, tell me. I'll do anything" Jarrod said vehemently.
"Jarrod, I wish I could do more, but I can't. I'm afraid Emilie must spend the rest of her pregnancy in bed.. There's not much more any of us can do," the older man said regretfully.
"I see, Doc," Jarrod murmured disconsolately.
"Make sure she's never alone and send for me if she has other episodes of contractions."
"I'll see to it, Doctor," Jarrod promised.
"And Jarrod? Get some rest, son, you're a mess. I'll come back tomorrow," the old family friend added thoughtfully.
As soon as he was gone, Jarrod rushed upstairs to the bedroom he shared with his spouse. Maria, their housemaid, rose from the chair that had been moved near the bed and left the room..
As usual, Emilie smiled as soon as she saw him. Alone in their bed, she looked so pale and helpless. Unable to utter an articulated sound just yet, he rushed to her, fell on his knees by the bed. "Jarrod, my love," she said faintly as he took her small hand in his and brought it to his cheek. She felt the warmth of his tears as her own tears stung her eyes. Jarrod kissed her on each finger. "Lillie," he finally whispered. "Oh, Lillie I was so scared," he confessed.
Lying in his bunk, Heath was blindly watching the ceiling, struggling with the memory of his last encounter with Sabrina Barkley in the barn.
She grasped his arm. "You don't have to be so shy, Heath. We Barkleys are open-minded people, especially me. We're not against getting acquainted with our employees."
She was becoming more provocative with every passing day. He could constantly feel her eyes on him, and she wouldn't pass up any chance for touching him. She was beautiful, that was undeniable, but he couldn't help a sense of repulsion each time she was around. He didn't want to be there when Nick Barkley found out.
Nick Barkley, his unaware brother. While recognizing they were very different, or maybe for this very reason, he had felt an affinity with his older brother right from the start. He knew Nick was miserable, trapped in a dead end love. He wanted to shake him and make him see the truth about his wife. The problem was Nick Barkley clearly loved that woman and wouldn't listen to humble ranch hand Heath Thomson. He wouldn't listen to his father's bastard son. Besides, he was beginning to ask too many questions and Heath had run out of answers.
The time had come for him to ride away before that woman did as much as to ruin everything. Or before SHE – Victoria Barkley - recognized him. Her enquiring gaze literally pierced him each time he happened to be anywhere near her.
Heath had come to the ranch out of curiosity after his mother died and he had learned the truth. He just wanted to get to know them, his long-lost family.
But now, he had finally made up his mind, he would join Turk and leave.
Unexpectedly, a fierce sense of loss overwhelmed him.
- 1 -
