Twenty Three

Nick, who had walked into the barn intent on getting a few tools, felt an undeniable pull towards the loft. He frowned slightly; still, he headed toward the ladder. It wasn't long before he stood in the loft looking at Timothy who was sitting on wooden crate rolling a small pebble around in his hand. Knowing Timothy was pretty much Heath's shadow Nick couldn't help but wonder what was wrong.

"Mind if I join you?" Nick asked as he kept his eyes on the young child. Timothy simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'd be hard pressed to decide who was the quieter one, you or Heath," Nick thought as he made his way to another crate and sat down. After what seemed like an eternity, Nick was about to try to get Timothy to talk when the boy spoke...and sent shock waves through Nick when he did.

"What's a bastard?" Timmy turned his head and looked at Nick, looking rather upset as he did so.

It was all Nick could do not to explode. He assumed one of the ranch hands had been so cruel as to use that word around Timmy while talking about Heath. He had to find out which one and go have a talk with the man...a talk that would include Nick's fists. "Before I answer that," Nick forced himself to speak without bellowing-even it if was the hardest thing he'd ever done-"would you tell me who said that word and just what the rest of what they were saying?"

Timmy didn't answer for a moment. He wanted to know, but he didn't want to cause any trouble for anyone. However, his curiosity got the best of him. "I went to town with Heath. When he stepped into the back room of the mercantile, a dark haired man who had been looking at him started whispering to his friend. I heard him though; he called Heath a bastard and said that he'd heard about your family taking me and my mother in. They said maybe you had taken in another one."

Nick counted to ten even as he pressed the palm of his hand on the crate to keep his famous temper under control. "Did you catch any name at all?"

Timothy thought for a moment and then nodded. "The dark haired man's friend called him Barrett as they walked out the door."

Barrett! Nick inwardly exploded and swore silently and then, again, forced himself to speak evenly. "Bastard's a very cruel word that many people use instead of the word illegitimate."

"What's illegitimate?" Timothy asked, keeping his eyes on Nick.'

"A word that means someone's father and mother aren't, or weren't, married to each other. However, none of us in this family use that word when we talk about Heath. Yes, he and I have different mothers; our father was human and slipped up by having an affair with his mother. He's still our brother though and, as I just said, we don't use that word when talking about him. And, you're parents were married when you were born so, no, you're not illegitimate."

"Heath's a good man; the tone in their voice made it sound like they thought he wasn't. I..." Timothy hesitated and then said quietly, "I wanted to ask Heath what the word meant, but..." He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing how to explain why it was that he could talk to Heath to everything but that one. He didn't have to worry though, Nick understood.

"No need to explain," Nick put his hand on Timothy's shoulder. "Just remember this; it's Barrett and that friend of his that have the problem, not Heath. That is, they're losing out on knowing one of the best men I've ever met by their judgmental attitudes and actions."

"Okay," Timothy smiled, stood up and headed towards the ladder only to stop and turn around. "Thanks, Mister Nick. You're not bad either, even if you are loud." He then disappeared down the ladder and out of barn.

While Nick chuckled and smiled at both Timothy's compliment and blunt statement, he was seething with anger when it came to Barrett and his friend. As he stood up, Nick wished he could find a two by four strong enough to break through their thick skulls. Of course, he couldn't do that. However, as he climbed back down the ladder, Nick swore the next time he saw Barrett in town he was going to feed him his fist and give him a piece of his mind.

~oOo~

"Thank you, Mrs. Barkley." Ruth, who sat at the table, was enjoying a small snack and a drink with Victoria Barkley. The Barkley matriarch had invited Ruth to join her, though Ruth suspected it was so she, Victoria, could interrogate her...in a friendly and polite way. Of course, Ruth wasn't sure Nick's mother would appreciate it if she knew Ruth had come up with the word 'interrogate' to describe their visit. "I appreciate you and your family taking Timmy and me in."

Victoria took a sip of her drink, trying to think of how to put what she had on her mind into words...without giving Ruth the wrong idea. After all, it wasn't Ruth's fault her Uncle Kyle was such an evil man or that it had become necessary to take refuge on the Barkley ranch. "I notice you and Nick are spending quite a lot of time together while Timmy seems to be under Heath's care quite a bit."

Ruth stiffened, not sure if Victoria was accusing her of neglect or what. "Timmy and Heath have formed quite the friendship I admit, but he has never been, nor is his, under any obligation to have Timmy in his care." Ruth answered; doing her best to keep any hint of resentment towards what she was sure was a very unintentional accusation of neglect on her, Ruth's, part.

Victoria, who instantly realized her mistake, was quick to clarify her thinking. "I am sorry. I never meant to imply any wrong doing. I was just..." she paused and then said, "wondering just how serious you and Nick are and what messages Timothy might be getting."

Ruth shook her head. "Timothy knows how things are between Nick and me. With the exception of withholding the information about Uncle Kyle from him, I have always been honest with him. If he chooses to hang around Heath, and if Heath doesn't mind it, then I have no problem with it." Then it was her turn to pause before she looked directly at Victoria and asked firmly, but kindly, "Should you?"

Victoria felt more than chastised by the young woman's strong, but calm rebuke. "No," Victoria smiled at Ruth, admiring the fact the young woman had not cowered or reacted in a childish manner due to her, Victoria's, questioning.

The two continued visiting, leaving the subject of Nick, Heath and Timmy out of the conversation for the moment.