Chapter 11

"Next station: Stockton!"

At the conductor's loud announcement that they were approaching the next station, Eugene placed the medical journal he had been reading through back into his bag. After a long journey back from medical college, he was almost home. As he stood and made his way down the aisle to the door, his thoughts turned to the reason why he had returned home at such short notice.

Jarrod sick with pneumonia. STOP. Condition critical. STOP. Come home at once. STOP. Nick. STOP.

He had read the telegram he had been sent over and over until the words felt like they were forever burned into his mind. As soon as he had received the news, he'd immediately requested permission to return home to be with his family. His professors had been understanding of the situation and agreed to allow him to return on the provision that he kept his studies up and would be ready to undertake the work needed to catch up once he had returned to college.

The train finally came to a stop in the station with a hiss and once the conductor had opened the door, Eugene stepped out onto the platform. He looked around, searching for his family. He'd sent a telegram the day before to let them know when he would be arriving home but seemingly, no one had arrived to pick him up from the station.

As the train prepared to pull out, Eugene headed into the station to speak to the station master and after arranging for his luggage to be delivered home, he headed into Stockton to rent a horse. Walking down the street, he spotted Doctor Merar about to head out on his rounds and jogged to catch up to him. "Doctor Merar."

Thomas turned, smiling as he saw the young Barkley coming to see him. "Eugene! When did you get in?"

"Just now." The whistle of the train sounded above the noise of the city as it pulled out. "How is Jarrod? Nick sent a telegram to come home. Is he alright?"

He nodded as he clapped Eugene on the shoulder. "His fever broke five days ago, he's weak but he is improving. He's going to be alright."

"Oh thank God. I've been so worried since I got Nick's telegram." Eugene exclaimed with relief. "I was trying to get home as soon as I could but the blizzard delayed the trains. I'd have been home sooner if I could have been able to."

"Well, you're here now and I know your family is going to be thrilled to see you. How are your studies going? How's college treating you?"

"It's going well, it's hard work but I'm enjoying it. I'll have to come by your office and we can discuss some new theories I've been learning. There's so much I've been learning-"

Thomas chuckled at the young man's enthusiasm. "I'd enjoy that. It's good to see you Eugene but I'd better get started on my rounds."

"Of course, of course. I'd better hire a horse to get home too, unless you're heading out my way?"

"Sorry son, I'm headed in the opposite direction. There was a cave-in at one of the mining operations at Sutton last week, quite a few injured there I need to check in on." He replied as he climbed into his buggy, picking up his horse's reins. "Perhaps if you are staying awhile, you could join me on rounds."

"Sure, that would be great. I'm looking forward to it."

"Give my regards to the family."

"Will do."

With a flick of his reins, Doctor Merar started the horse forward down the street and Eugene continued on his way to the livery. A short time later a horse had been hired and he started home, looking around at the landscape as he rode. Most of the snow from the blizzard had melted, turning the ground into a muddy, half frozen soup. Carefully he guided the horse on the best parts of the road and though the going was slow, he soon arrived back at the ranch.

Pulling the horse to a halt at the hitching post outside the front of the house he dismounted and after tying the horse and grabbing his bag from the saddle, bounded up the stairs. "Mother?" He called as he entered, closing the door behind him. "Nick? Audra?" He placed his hat down on the table beside the door. "Heath? I'm home!"

A few moments later, Victoria appeared on the balcony above. "Eugene!" She exclaimed with surprise and delight as she saw her youngest son in the foyer. "You should have told us you were coming."

"I sent a telegram from Reno." He replied as she came down the stairs and gave him a warm embrace, Eugene hugging her back tightly. "I gathered since no one came to meet me at the station that it never arrived."

"No, it didn't. We didn't hear any word back from you so we didn't know if you had received our message or not." Letting him go, she held him at arm's length and looked him up and down. "But you are here now and I declare, you are looking more and more like a young gentleman every time I see you." She paused. "You must be tired and hungry after such a long trip. Go put your things upstairs and I'll have Silas prepare you something to eat."

Eugene nodded appreciatively. "Thank you Mother. Where is everyone else? I thought there'd be a stampede to greet me."

Victoria laughed. "Nick and Heath are out on the range checking the stock and Audra is in at the orphanage helping prepare for Thanksgiving. If we'd known you were coming, they would have stayed in to see you."

"That's alright, I'll see them at supper tonight. Well, I better go put this away and see Jarrod and once I've done that, I'm going to be looking for that meal. I'm positively starving."

His mother chuckled as he headed upstairs and once he had placed his things in his room, he went to go see his big brother. Jarrod was propped up in bed, reading a book as he quietly opened the door and slipped into the room. His big brother was so engrossed in his reading he didn't notice his presence and after a moment, he cleared his throat to catch his attention.

Hearing someone in his room, Jarrod glanced up from his reading. "Eugene!"

"Hey Pappy." He smiled as he walked over, taking a seat on the mattress beside him. "I hear you've had the family worried."

"I'm just fine. They shouldn't," He paused as he began to cough. "they shouldn't have gotten you home from college."

"Well, I for one am glad they did. I was looking for an excuse to come home early for the holidays and it seems that big brother was happy to provide the excuse." Eugene paused for a moment as he looked his brother over. Though Doctor Merar had said that Jarrod was improving, he still looked utterly terrible. His face was gaunt and he had dark circles under his eyes. "How are you feeling?" He questioned with concern.

"Exhausted and weak as a kitten." Jarrod replied truthfully, placing his book aside. "No need for another examination though, little brother, I'll be just fine."

"Of course. Of course you are." Eugene smiled in agreement. "Well, now that I'm here, how does a game of checkers sound? I'll even let you win."

He chuckled then coughed and nodded. "Alright. Sounds like a plan."


Millie sat bundled up in blankets in the large sofa beside the window, staring blankly out through the glass into the beyond. It had been just over a week now since she had brought Jarrod home to his family and had been laid up here to recover on behalf of the Barkley's kindness. For the past couple of days, they had begun letting her get up and move around, Nick and Heath taking turns morning and evening between themselves helping her to walk so she could get her strength back. Slowly, she was making progress and the doctor was pleased with how she was doing but he cautioned her not to over-do it; it was going to take a few more weeks at least before she was fully recovered.

Being laid up with nothing to do except wait and rest, she had plenty of time alone with her thoughts. The Barkley's had been exceptionally kind to her and while she was appreciative of their generosity, she couldn't help but feel that she was being a burden on them. Though they had assured her that it wasn't any trouble for them her staying here, she just couldn't feel differently. Having lived on wits and guts alone for these past years she wasn't used to having to rely on the kindness of others.

The longer she stayed here, the more her trust towards the kind people caring for her grew. Victoria and Audra she had trusted almost instantly and felt completely at ease with them both, though with Nick and Heath she was still wary of them. Slowly though, she was beginning to warm to them both though when Nick started to raise his voice, she couldn't help it but be frightened of him. The other members of his family spoke of Nick's mannerisms and she understood that him being loud and boisterous was just who he was though she did appreciate that with her, he was gentle and calm in a way that people usually didn't associate him with. Slowly, she was beginning to like him and she found herself looking forward to when he'd drop in to see her and tell her a story or two about him growing up on the ranch with his brothers.

On the other hand, while she enjoyed Nick's company, she had found a friend in Heath. When he came to sit with her he was quiet, more withdrawn and didn't say much unless she prompted him into a conversation. Heath's quietness suited her just fine though, it was a welcome change from Nick's endless chatter. With how utterly opposite Nick and Heath were, it was hard to believe that they were related but after Audra had mentioned a few things about Heath's story, she could understand why.

From what she had been told, Heath had had a hard life before he had come to claim his place in the Barkley family.

In some ways, there were quite a few similarities between them.

After pondering her thoughts a little longer she sighed heavily as she stretched and watched a bird flying past the window until it flew out of sight. With Nick and Heath having to take care of things around the ranch and Audra in at the orphanage, she didn't get much company now and was left pretty much to herself. Oh, Victoria would come and see her but the majority of her time was taken up with caring for Jarrod which left Millie with plenty of time to become bored, and bored she was.

Biting her lip, she wondered if she was game to attempt to go downstairs and see what she could find to occupy herself with. The previous night she had been able to walk the length of the hallway but she'd had Heath helping her. Was she game to try it on her own? Beats sitting here bored out of my mind. Millie reasoned as she thought about it. I'll just take it slow and not push myself too much.

Carefully she used the back of her hands to push the blankets aside, winching a little from the pain that shot up her fingers from the movement. Her hands were bandaged again now that the blisters had fully formed and started to burst, the bandages helped to prevent the now open wounds from becoming infected. While she had regained all feeling in her fingers now, she wasn't enjoying the pain that accompanied the slow healing process in the slightest.

At least I still have all my fingers. She thought as she slowly stood, taking a moment to assess how she felt standing. While she was still somewhat weak, she was getting stronger. Biting her lip in concentration, she slowly made her way to the door and after opening it, headed out into the hallway.

The hallway was vacant except for her and now that she was on her own, she had a moment to take in her surroundings. The Barkley house was a mansion, by far the fanciest house she had ever seen in her young life. The hallway alone seemed grand to a little poor girl like herself, she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams that this was how some people lived but yet, here she was.

Her eyes drank in everything she was seeing and cautiously, she headed towards the stairs. Apart from the hallway and the bathroom adjoining the room she was staying in, she hadn't been anywhere else in the house. Stopping at the top of the stairs she looked down into the room below. That must be the front of the house. She thought as she slowly navigated her way down the stairs.

Arriving below, she took a moment to catch her breath. To her right was a large room with more sofas and chairs and a large fireplace where a fire was burning brightly. On her left was another set of large doors and down behind her, beneath the staircase, was another door. The two large doors were slightly opened and after a moment, she decided to go see what was in there.

The door was opened with a slight push and she slipped into the room. Books behind glass doors lined one section of the room with a large mahogany desk placed in front of them. On the other side of the room was a pool table. There was another door but Millie thought it best not to explore the house any further. She was a guest in their house and guests didn't just walk around wherever they felt like without invitation. She would satisfy herself by exploring this room and then head back to the living room and curl up in one of the couches in front of the fireplace to warm up.

Going over to the bookcase she looked at the books for a moment, wishing she could read. Books contained stories, stories which fascinated her but that was a world forever closed to her. She'd never been given the opportunity to read and it didn't seem likely she ever would. Ruth had never been able to read, her father having insisted that book learning wasn't for girls and that a woman's place was in the home and so that was one thing Ruth hadn't been able to teach her. Cade on the other hand, he could read but he had been of the same opinion: a woman's place was in the kitchen. Why should a woman waste her time learning to read when they had other things they needed to do?

Turning away from the books she looked down at the desk. A pencil and a stack of paper were placed to one side and she bit her lip, wondering if it was alright if she took a piece to draw on. While she'd never learnt to read or write, she used to draw from time to time when she had the chance. Biting her lip again she fought over her dilemma internally. She was bored and there was nothing else she could do. Even drawing she probably shouldn't do with the way her hands were but what else was she to do to pass the time? After thinking it over again, she decided that if she drew something for Victoria or Audra, she wouldn't be stealing then and it would give her something to do.

Picking up the pencil and a piece of paper, she headed into the living room.

The fire was still burning brightly as she curled up in the chair nearest the fireplace, settling down with the book she'd picked up from the coffee table to draw on. She bit the end of the pencil for a moment as she looked at the blank paper in front of her. What was she going to draw?

Looking around the room her gaze landed on the vase of flowers across the room. Where the Barkley's got flowers from in the middle of winter was beyond her but for now, they would serve as the subject of her drawing. Careful to not move her fingers too quickly she grasped the pencil and winched. Her hands were still considerably tender and sore but she pushed through it and began drawing.

Starting with the vase first, she was soon so engrossed in her drawing that she didn't notice when someone else joined her in the living room. Eugene had come downstairs to find a book to read since Jarrod had fallen asleep in the middle of their second game of checkers and had been on his way to the library when he had heard something in the living room and went to investigate.

The sound of a floorboard creaking startled Millie and she looked up, her heart skipping a beat with fear as she saw the young man standing in the living room across from her. "I-I'm sorry-" She bit her lip as he walked over to her, looking at the drawing on her lap. She didn't know who he was but she felt like a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar with the way he was looking at her. "I shouldn't have taken the paper but I was bored."

"I was more thinking you shouldn't be drawing yet with those hands still healing." Eugene replied as he looked over her shoulder at the drawing she was working on. Glancing up at the vase on the coffee table he looked back down at the paper. Even with the drawing only half-finished he had to admit she was better at art then he was. "It's not bad either, you've captured the likeness of the flowers well."

Millie smiled a little. "Thank you-" Her voice trailed off a little.

"Eugene. The baby of the Barkley family." He replied as he sat down on the chair next to her. "And you must be Millie. Jarrod was telling me about you over a game of checkers, how you brought him home after he fell ill. We are all lucky you were there to help him."

"I'm just glad he's going to be alright. Your brother seems like a fine man."

"He sure is." Eugene replied as he watched Millie turn her attention back to her drawing, the little flinch she made when she put pencil to paper again not escaping his notice.

"Where did you come from?" She questioned after a moment, working on finishing off one of the flowers in her drawing. "I haven't met you before."

"Nick sent for me to come home, I'm studying to be a doctor at Berkeley. I just arrived back earlier today."

Millie nodded and was about to reply when the front door opened, Nick walking in.

"Eugene!" Nick exclaimed with excitement as he closed the door loudly behind him, his younger brother standing as he came into the living room. "When did you get here?"

'"Arrived early this morning." He said as he was caught up in a giant bear hug from his older brother. "It's good to see you Nick."

"Good to see you too little brother, though I wish the circumstances were better. You been up to see Jarrod yet?"

Eugene nodded. "And managed to get through a round of checkers with him before he fell asleep during the second. I left him to sleep, he sure needs it. He sure doesn't look great, I don't remember ever seeing Pappy so sick before."

Nick sobered. "I know… We came so close to losin' him… I don't know what we would have done if-"

He placed his hand on his brother's arm as Nick left the rest of his thoughts unspoken. "But we didn't. And Jarrod's going to be alright. Besides, I'm here now and can help out looking after him too."

"How long you plannin' on stayin'?"

"I've been given til the New Year off so I'm sure you'll soon be sick of seeing me around."

"No, that could never happen.' He chuckled with a smile. 'I'm glad you're home. Heath will be too, he's just out stablin' the horses at the moment. You should have sent us word you were coming, we could have picked you up from the station."

"I sent a telegram yesterday but it seems it didn't get delivered. I'd have gotten home earlier if I could have but the blizzard delayed the trains. I got the first one out I could."

"Well, you're here now. That's what matters."

Eugene nodded. "I borrowed a horse from the livery to get home, could you see to it that it gets sent back?"

"Of course. I'll have one of the hands return it tomorrow." Nick replied, turning to Millie. "And what are you doing out of bed, young lady?"

Millie looked up at Nick after being addressed by him. "I was bored so I came downstairs…" She replied timidly, worried she was about to get a dressing down. "I know I shouldn't have gotten up but there was nothing to do. I found some paper and I thought I'd draw for a bit."

"She's got a real talent for it too." Eugene interjected. "Don't you think so Nick?"

Taking a look at her drawing, he nodded in agreement. "That's not bad Millie but you know what the doc said-" Nick said as he plucked the pencil out of her hand. 'you're to be takin' it easy and not move those hands. That means no drawin', young lady. Your hands won't heal up if you keep opening those wounds.''

Millie sighed heavily at his reprimanding and bowed her head as he also took away the paper and the book she'd been drawing on. Here came the dressing down she'd been anticipating. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise."

"I could play a game of checkers with you if you'd like." Eugene suggested. "I will warn you though, you're looking at the Barkley checkers champion."

She shook her head. "No thank you. I'll just go to bed."

"I'll give you a hand-"

"No, it's fine. I've got her." Before either of them could react, Nick had picked her up in one easy motion.

"Put me down!" Millie protested, shaking with fear as terror flooded over her. "Put me down Nick!"

"No can do. You shouldn't have come down here by yourself and I'm not lettin' you walk back upstairs. That's what you get for not following doctor's orders. Back to bed with you, young lady." He glanced back at Eugene as he started towards the stairs. "Heath will be in shortly, you two can catch up. I'll see you at supper."

As Nick carried her upstairs, Millie had her eyes scrunched tightly shut as her breathing quickened. You're okay. You're okay. It's just Nick. It's alright. You're alright-

Reaching the guest room, Nick nudged the door open with his foot and carried her in, gently placing her back down on the bed. "There. That wasn't so bad. Now where did Heath leave off last night?" He questioned as he picked up the book from the bedside table and sat down beside her bed to read. Upon receiving no answer, he looked back at Millie and frowned. "Millie?" Millie had her eyes open but she was staring blankly into space, her little body shaking violently. "Millie? Millie, it's alright honey." He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

At his touch, Millie snapped out of her episode and looked at him with frightened eyes as she shrunk away from him. "It's alright. It's alright Millie. I won't hurt you."

"N-Nick?"

He nodded.

Millie closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"You alright lil one?" He questioned with concern.

"I-I'm fine."

"Course you are." He smiled and patted her arm. "As I was sayin', where did Heath leave off last night with the story?"

"Oh um… I think we finished chapter fourteen."

"Alright. Chapter fifteen it is then." Opening the book Nick flicked through it till he found the right page and began to read. "Richard Varley's fears and troubles, in the meantime, were ended. On the day following he awoke refreshed and happy- so happy and light at heart, as he felt the glow of returning heath coursing through his veins that he fancied he must have dreamed it all…"

Halfway through the chapter, Nick glanced over at Millie and found her to be fast asleep. Closing the book he placed it aside and drew the covers up over her, the girl sleeping on. Watching her sleep, Nick let his mind wander. Her reaction earlier to him picking her up confirmed the suspicions that he'd had all along about her; the young woman had been abused and given that she fully trusted the female members of his family but was wary of him and Heath, he felt confident that the conclusion he arrived at was correct - Millie had been abused by a man in the past.

His blood fairly boiled at the thought that someone could be so cruel to anyone, let alone such a sweet girl as Millie. What have you lived through, little one? He wondered as he gently stroked back her hair from her forehead as she slept on. Millie had been so frightened of him at first but slowly he could see that his efforts weren't in vain; the young lass was finally coming out of her shell and beginning to trust him. With what had taken place earlier that afternoon however, he truly hoped that he hadn't backtracked on the progress he had made with her.

Still though, there was one question that remained unanswered.

What were they going to do with her?