Chapter 15
Millie hummed a little tune to herself as she groomed Tomahawk early Wednesday morning, her stallion with his muzzle contentedly in his feed bucket as she took care of currying his coat. With the doctor having given her the go ahead to be able to start light work, Millie had taken it upon herself to start doing what she could around the ranch. Seeing as Tomahawk was her own horse, she had started with taking over his care once more and couldn't be happier that she was finally able to start spending time with him again. It was nice being able to feel like she was being useful for a change, rather than having to rely on everyone else to do things for her.
"You like it here, don't you boy?" She questioned softly as she exchanged the curry comb for one of the brushes Nick was letting her borrow. "It's good here, isn't it?"
Tomahawk's only reply was the munching of his oats in his bucket.
Millie chuckled softly as she began brushing his neck. "Poor Tomahawk. He's just liable to fade away to a shadow if he doesn't get his breakfast, aren't you?" The stallion kept eating and she turned her attention back to her thoughts. It had been a little over a week now since she'd been cleared by the doctor to be able to start light work and slowly, she was testing herself to see what she was capable of. While the Barkley's had been more than kind in allowing her to stay while she had been injured, now that she was healed she felt it more than time to start paying them back.
Christmas was approaching too, and with it, the new year. She'd be sixteen in another ten months and then it was only another two years before she would be an adult. Cade wouldn't have any claim to her as soon as the seventh of October, eighteen-eighty came around. She would be free then, free of him forever. She just had to keep herself hidden from him until then.
What was her long term plan though? She didn't know. The extent of her plans as of the past few months had been purely to stay alive. Now that she didn't have to worry about where her next meal would appear from or where she'd sleep the night, she could try and make plans for her future. Really though, what opportunities were going to be accessible to her? A young woman on her own, with nothing?
As she brushed Tomahawk, she allowed herself time to daydream. If she had the chance, she knew what she wanted to do. What life she wanted to have. A little ranch someplace where she could breed quality horses sounded like heaven. To just breed, train horses and sell them in peace. That's what she wanted. Maybe, maybe down the track, if she was lucky, she'd find someone special and start raising a family. A smile came across her lips as she imagined herself with children. Wouldn't it be something to bring new life into this world? To love, cherish, nurture and watch them grow.
"You're up early this mornin'." Heath stated, joining Millie in the barn. "You keep brushing that spot and ol here is Tomahawk gonna end up with a bald spot."
"Oh." She laughed as she realized thanks to her daydreaming, she'd been brushing the same area on the stallion's neck for a few minutes straight. "Just deep in thought."
"I can see that. Come to any realizations?"
"What do you want out of life?" Millie questioned, turning to him. "I mean, if you could see any future and could choose it, what would you want?"
"That's easy. Find a nice, pretty little gal, settle down and raise a family. You?"
"Got to find somewhere to belong first. I'd like to own my own little ranch one day. Breed horses. Maybe meet someone, have a family of my own. But that's…" She let out a heavy sigh as she turned back to her horse. "It's just wishful thinking. It wouldn't never happen for me."
"If that's what you really want Millie, and you believe you can do it, I just about reckon you could. We all have to dream, gives us something to work towards. Something to help us keep goin' when the goin' gets tough."
"Yeah." She thought about what he'd said for a moment then nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense. Thanks Heath."
Heath smiled. "You got any other plans?"
"Not really. Guess I'm just gonna see where the road takes me till I find where I belong. Right now, the road has led me here and I'm just gonna wait and see where it goes next." Finished with brushing the stallion's near side, she carefully walked around his hindquarters to begin on his other side. "Any plans for today?"
"Nick and I are headin' out to go check on stock after breakfast." He replied as he picked up a brush and began to groom Charger. "You're welcome to come along if you like."
"I might just do that. Thank you."
"Actually-" Heath continued after a moment. "I was hoping I might get your help with somethin', you being a woman and all."
"Oh?"
"Well, it's my first Christmas here and I've got no idea what I'm going to get for presents. I mean, what do you get folks who already have everything? I was wondering if maybe you might have some suggestions."
"Oh." Millie exclaimed, thinking for a moment. "Well, like I told you at Thanksgiving Heath, my folks were never big on the holidays. We sure never celebrated the way the Barkley's do. But yeah, I guess I could try giving you some ideas. Let's start with Mrs. Barkley. Have you got any ideas for her?"
He shook his head. "Nothing so far."
"Alright, let's see… I guess you couldn't go wrong with jewelry. Maybe a nice necklace or some earrings?"
"Maybe."
"Jarrod next. He's easy. I'm sure he'd appreciate a box of his favorite cigars."
"That one I can do." Heath replied, wondering why he hadn't thought of that earlier. "And maybe a nice bottle of scotch or something too."
"Yeah. Now you're getting the idea." Millie smiled at him. "Nick. Well, he likes ranching stuff, maybe see if there's any new books on livestock or something? Could come in handy for him."
"That's not bad. I could work with that."
"Onto Audra. Simple. Nice perfume or a little jewelry box or something. She really likes women's stuff so anything really, I guess would work for her. Eugene…" She thought for a moment. "Well, he's the only one I haven't got any suggestions for. Hope that helped though."
"It did, thank you Millie."
"You might be best off finding out what the others are getting each other too. You don't want to accidentally end up giving them the same things and by doing that, you might get a better idea of what each person likes and could think of a better gift to go with their likes."
"I'll do that Millie."
Millie smiled. "Glad I could help." She sobered, letting out a little soft sigh. "I should probably try coming up with some ideas too. I can't be the only one not giving presents out."
"I wouldn't stress about it Millie, they'll understand if you haven't got anything to give."
"I know, but you all have done so much for me these past weeks, I'd like to give something back to express my appreciation. Sure wouldn't be fancy or nothing though…" She let out another sigh. "I can only imagine what they'll be giving each other, if I was able to give anything it would be nothing compared to what they'll already have."
"I'm sure it'll be special regardless."
She smiled a little at him as she finished brushing her stallion. "Well, I'm all done here." Placing the brushes back where they belonged, she gave Tomahawk one last pat before heading to the door. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"Mrs. Barkley? May I speak with you for a moment please?"
"Of course, my dear." Victoria replied as she finished placing the cooked bacon onto a serving dish. "If you don't mind talking while I finish preparing breakfast. Silas had to leave early to go to town for supplies."
"Not at all." Millie pulled out a chair from beneath the kitchen table and took a seat. "Well, Christmas is just around the corner and I… I know you guys are gonna be exchanging presents and things and I'm gonna feel out of place if I haven't got anything to give. I haven't got any money to be buying anything but I was hoping, wondering if… If maybe I could earn some by helping out with doing some things around the house."
"Well, I can't see why not. Tell you what, after breakfast we'll sit down and figure out what you can do. I'm sure Silas would appreciate an extra pair of hands in the kitchen."
Millie's face fairly beamed. "Thank you, Mrs. Barkley! Thank you."
"I think perhaps you might be allowed to call me Victoria." She replied with a smile. "Why don't you start now by handing me that bowl of eggs there?"
Getting up, Millie carefully carried the bowl of eggs from the other bench over to where Victoria was cooking. "Oh, I'm not going to be around after breakfast, I'm sorry. Heath invited me out to go riding to check the stock with him and Nick. I want to start getting my bearings around here."
"That's alright, we'll talk after you get back. Now, do you know how to set a table?"
"I can do the basics, I can't set a fancy table like Silas does."
"Well, the basics will suffice for this morning and Silas can show you how to set the table properly later on. You'll find the silverware in that drawer-" She pointed to the drawers beneath the china shelves after cracking another egg into the bowl. "and everything else will be on the shelf or in the cupboard."
Going over to where she had indicated, she soon found what she needed and after gathering the silverware, she headed out to the dining room to set the table. Heath having mentioned needing to get presents organized had made her realize that she hadn't given it a second thought but, after all, she was a guest in their home. It was only right that she got them something, even if all she could get was pitiful compared to what they would be gifting each other.
"I see Mother has put you to work." Jarrod remarked as joined her in the dining room, arriving early for breakfast.
Millie chuckled as she laid out the silverware. "I'm trying to earn a little money for Christmas presents."
"Oh? There's no need to be doing that. If you want to buy presents, I'm happy to give you an advance on your wages."
"Thank you but no, I've imposed on your kindness for too long already. From now on, I'm paying my own way."
"Well, just make sure you don't overdo it. The doctor cleared you for light duties only."
"I remember. And I am being careful, promise."
"Good."
"Any plans for today?"
"Ah, I've got an invigorating case to get stuck into so that'll take up most of the morning. After that, well, no, I've got nothing planned. How about another reading lesson at say, around two? Does that work for you?"
Millie nodded as she laid out the last fork. "Sure."
"Reading lesson at two then. Afterwards, I'll teach you how to play billiards. I've had enough chess and checkers to last me a spell."
"Alright." She smiled a little at the prospect of getting to spend some time with Jarrod. "Sounds good to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get the rest of this table set for breakfast."
"Of course."
Millie left and Jarrod took his seat at the table, absentmindedly fidgeting with his spoon as he thought about the young lady. She'd really started to come out of her shell the past couple of weeks as her guards came down. Getting to know her a little better, he'd come to have taken quite a shine to their young house guest. She was polite, well mannered, well spoken, respectful, intelligent and a hard worker too. All good qualities that he admired. She did her best with any task placed in front of her and she was willing to give anything a try.
She was still quiet though, reserved and quite often, he caught her staring off into the distance deep in thought. He'd learnt when she appeared to be deep in thought to announce his presence some way, rather than startle and frighten her. For all her good qualities, she had just as many not so good. She was timid, would withdraw into her shell at the slightest things and shut down. She was wary and cautious, always appearing to be on edge and searching for the tiniest hint of danger. She constantly would apologize for the smallest things, always shying away from eye contact and any kind of physical touch. He could only liken her to an abused puppy, always trying to get a shred of attention, love and praise but at the same time, expecting to be kicked also. He doubted she knew what the word relax meant, she was always observing, always watching. The more he got to know her, the more he wondered what had happened to her to make her this way.
Within his ponderings, his thoughts drifted to another line of thinking. They had to make a decision about what they were going to do with Millie, and soon. The Sheriff had been by the past week when Nick and Millie had been in town to speak to him about the girl. All search efforts to locate any relatives had appeared fruitless and now that Millie had healed, the Sheriff wanted to know what they were doing with her. By rights, the child was now a ward of the state and they had to release her into the care of an orphanage to look after her. Without any family to lay claim to her, the orphanage was the only place for her.
Thinking it over though, Jarrod knew within himself that he couldn't rightly ship her off to an orphanage with a clear conscience. He'd grown to like having her company around and she was such a well behaved young lady that she wasn't a trouble at all. In fact, most of the time, she was so quiet and withdrawn into the background that he forgot she was in the room. No, he couldn't do it to her. He couldn't send her to an orphanage.
That left him with one other option: to appeal to the Judge to be given her wardship. Given the circumstances, he doubted that it would be a problem to obtain custody of her. Judge Banner was a fair man when it came to matters involving children and given their standing in the community, the Judge knew they could financially provide for her care. The more he thought it over, the more this was the route he was inclined to take. Millie was almost an adult, it would only be for a couple years and then she'd be free to do as she saw fit. They just had to satisfy the law until then.
Yes, he decided. A discussion with Mother and the rest of the family was in order.
Tomahawk tossed his head, arching his neck as he pranced in the new snow, Millie chuckling a little as she rode through his antics. The stallion was fresh, as fresh as the snow that had christened the ground last night but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Keeping her hands light on the reins she looked around the snow covered landscape, breathing in deep of the crisp, cold air. It was good to finally be able to ride again, to be out in nature and to see its beauty.
"That stallion looks like a stick of dynamite about ready to explode." Nick remarked, glancing over to see how Millie was coping with riding. "You sure you're gonna be able to control him?"
"I'm sure. Tomahawk isn't mean when he's fresh, he just wants to have a good run." She replied as the stallion sidestepped a little, Millie automatically adjusting her weight to go with him. "Easy boy, we'll run soon." She promised, quieting him with a gentle word and light touch on the reins. "Soon."
"You could have borrowed my old saddle." Heath spoke up, not liking either the way the horse was playing up on her. "I'd feel better if you'd used it."
"If you're both worried about me falling off, you needn't." She replied with a little chuckle. "I was taught to ride bareback, I had to earn the privilege of a saddle. I bet I've got a better seat than both of you, even with you both using those fancy saddles."
"That a fact now?"
Millie nodded in response to Nick's question. "And I reckon Tomahawk and I can beat you in a race too."
"Really now? I think you'll find ol' Coco here is pretty fast."
"Ah, but not nearly as fast as my boy."
"I guess there's only one way to settle this then." Nick replied with amusement. He had to give it to her, she had spunk. "You see that big ol' oak way off in the distance." He pointed to a large tree up ahead on the trail they were taking. "It's 'bout half a mile off. First one there wins."
"Sounds fair to me." She turned to Heath. "Wanna join in?"
"Sure, why not." He agreed, the three of them bringing their horses to a halt. "I'll start. On three. One."
Tomahawk tossed his head, snorting and pawing the ground with impatience. "Easy. Easy boy." Millie soothed. "In a moment…"
"Two."
Nick loosened his reins, ready to give Coco the cue to run as his gelding shook his head also.
"Three."
The three horses leapt forwards at their rider's cues, Tomahawk breaking from a halt to gallop first with Coco and Charger right beside. Together the three horses raced down the road, their riders guiding them around ruts and any other things that might have caused them to stumble all the while encouraging their horses to run as fast as they could. The three horses were evenly matched, all three of them fast runners with the stamina to go with them.
Slowly though, as their designated finish line approached up ahead, Tomahawk began to pull ahead into the lead. Millie urged him on, still holding his last little bit of speed in reserve for the finish. The stallion could run, he was the fastest horse she'd ever ridden but she had been surprised both Nick and Heath's horses could keep up with him.
Her lead grew to a horse length in front of Heath, Nick bringing up the rear as Coco began to fall behind. Nick was no longer in the race, it was now between Charger and Tomahawk. Millie looked back, seeing Heath gaining on her and tapping his sides with her heels again, she asked him for the speed she'd been holding him back on. Tomahawk shot forward, Heath letting Charger fly also and neck and neck, the two raced on towards the tree.
"Come on boy, come on." Millie was lent down low over Tomahawk's neck, glancing over at Heath who was encouraging his stallion on. "Come on." She tapped him again, asking him for everything he had left. For a moment, Tomahawk surged forward then Charger was right beside him again, the black and the chestnut matching stride for stride as they passed the old oak tree to end the race in a tie.
Slowing the horses, Heath and Millie finally brought them both back to a halt as Nick rode up to join them. Tomahawk pranced, resisting being made to stop and was asking to run again. "Yes boy, yes. Soon." Millie's eyes were sparkling with excitement as she held him back, her hair cascading down her back after it had worked itself out of its braid from the wind. "Well-" She started, breathless from the race as she looked over at Heath. "you've got yourself a mighty fine horse there Heath."
Heath smiled, patting Charger's shoulder. "One of the best I've ridden. Your pony ain't so bad either, he kept pace with Charger well. Happy to call it a draw?"
"For now. Rematch one day?"
"Rematch." He agreed, turning to Nick as his brother halted behind them. "Nice of you to join us Nick."
"It just wasn't Coco's day today, it would seem." Nick gave his gelding a pat for trying. "But one day Millie, we'll beat you."
Millie laughed. "Alright Nick, everyone's allowed to have a dream I guess."
"Now look here young whipper-snapper, I was breakin' and trainin' horses before you were outta diapers. You might have won this round, but we'll win the next."
"Yeah yeah." She smiled at Nick's teasing, the three of them continuing on along the trail now that the horses had caught their breath. "We'll see. We'll see."
A short time later, Millie sat cross-legged on Tomahawks rump with her sketchbook open on her lap, facing the landscape in front of her. Down below her, in the valley, Nick and Heath were checking on the stock as she sat on the hill watching. The stallion took another step forward to reach more grass and Millie shifted her weight with him, still absorbed with committing what she saw to her drawing. Deftly her pencil moved across the page, transcribing the moment to paper to be remembered for years to come.
The cattle were grazing in the shadow of snow capped mountains, the mountains that Millie was now filling in on the paper. A glance up at what she was drawing every now and then was the only time she looked up from her drawing. Alternating light and heavier strokes gave the drawing depth and shading and after some time, she'd done enough that she'd be able to finish the drawing later.
She'd started the drawing from a third person view, having started her drawing by choosing the subject of Nick and Heath to be the focal point of the picture. She'd drawn them in the right hand corner of the picture as they sat on their horses overlooking the cattle in the valley below. It had been a scene she'd observed earlier, Nick and Heath looking at the herd discussing while she'd quietly taken note.
Adding a few final touches before she was happy with how the drawing looked for now, she flicked to the next page and began a new drawing. This time the subject was the landscape, Millie trying to impress on the paper the beauty of the mountains in the distance. Tomahawk moved again and she with him, the stallion shifting around in search of better eating. Millie kept drawing, humming a little tune softly to herself as she worked.
Time slipped by as Millie drew, not realizing when Nick and Heath moved on. She was content to draw, the sun warming her a little as it shone brightly over the snow covered landscape. The snow would melt in a day or two of continued sun but for now, the snow added to the feeling of season. Christmas was only a couple weeks away and with any luck, they might just have snow on Christmas too.
When Millie finally was satisfied with her next drawing, she closed her book and looked around. She frowned, looking up at where the sun was in the sky. It was almost lunch time. She'd totally lost track of time. Searching for Nick and Heath, a shiver ran up her spine as she realized they had disappeared. She was out here, on her own… Taking a deep breath to calm her rising fear Millie draped her legs down over Tomahawks tail and slid off, the stallion looking up at her for a moment before returning to his grazing.
Her sketchbook tucked beneath her arm, Millie picked up the reins and crossed them over his withers. "Time to go boy." She tapped him behind his knee, and with a sigh the stallion lowered himself down to one knee. Climbing onto his back she gave him a pat and then his cue to rise, allowing him a moment to settle as she picked up the reins. Tomahawk shook his head and yawned, stepping forward at the tap from her heels.
It didn't take long for Millie to find the trail that Nick and Heath had made, her little mustang cantering alongside their horses tracks as she followed them in the hopes it would lead her to where they were. As she rode along, she drank in the beauty surrounding her. The landscape was stunning in its own right with the snow glistening in the sunlight but the mountain ranges in the distance only added to the beauty and grandeur of the countryside. She could see why the Barkley's had chosen this part of the country for ranching; if she had the choice and the means, she'd have chosen this exact same spot.
Slowing her stallion to cross a little creek, they were soon up the other bank and cantering on once more. She was getting close now and up ahead could see a herd of horses grazing with Nick and Heath watching over them. Slowing Tomahawk once more she soon joined them, Nick and Heath looking around to see who was riding up. "Trying to lose me now, hey?" She teased as she brought her stallion to a halt beside Charger. "Gotta try a little harder than that, you left a trail a four year old could follow."
"You seemed busy enough with your drawin'." Nick replied as he wrote down a tally of the horses in the herd. "Thought we'd leave you to it."
"We were gonna come back and get you, right after checking this mob." Heath added. "Want me to take your sketchbook in my saddlebag again?"
She nodded, handing over her pencil and sketchbook to him. "Thank you."
"Found anything to draw?"
"A couple things. I'll finish them later." Millie took another look up at the sun. "I've got a reading lesson with Jarrod at two, I think I might head back to the house now so I can have lunch and get ready."
"Alright, I'll ride back with you unless you need me for something Nick?"
"No, no. You go on with Millie." Nick replied, recounting the herd to be sure of his numbers. "I'll be along soon anyhow."
Heath turned his horse around. "See you back at the house then."
As they started back to the ranch, Millie looked over at Heath playfully. "Race you?"
He smiled. "You're on."
The clock chimed midnight, Jarrod wearily running his hands over his face as he looked down at the case in front of him. It was turning out to not be as straightforward as he had first thought and he had a feeling that it was going to be taking up the majority of his time over the next couple of days sorting out the legal mess his client found himself in. He'd been going over it all day, apart from a couple hours when he'd done Millie's reading lesson and had played a couple rounds of billiards with her and Eugene but yet he wasn't any closer to having it finished.
"Jarrod, I wasn't expecting you to still be up."
"Oh, I'm still going over the Collin's case." He replied, closing the file up as his mother joined him at the desk. "Not any closer to finishing it either." He sighed heavily, Victoria taking a seat on the edge of his desk. "Between this case and the ones I have piled up at the office, I'm going to have a lot to get caught up on once I return to work."
"That's all going to have to wait, Jarrod, you know what the doctor said."
Jarrod smiled a little as he lent back in his chair. "I do distinctly remember the good doctor saying I was cleared for light work."
"Light being the key word. I don't think he intended you to be burning the midnight oil just yet."
He chuckled. "Yes Mother. Anyway, what are you doing up at this hour?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"Oh? Any reason in particular?"
Victoria nodded. "Sheriff Madden stopped me in town today. Judge Banners wants an answer as to what's happening with Millie. I told him we still don't have an answer yet, but we've got to make a decision about her soon, Jarrod."
"I know."
"What's more, the Judge has given us one week to figure out what we want to do with her and if we haven't come to an acceptable decision by then, he's requesting that she be handed over to the orphanage."
Jarrod was silent for a long moment, fidgeting with a pencil from off his desk. "And what do you think we should do, Mother?"
"I don't know. Millie's a nice enough girl and it's been lovely having her around but… We haven't been able to find out if she has any family and despite the inquiries we've made, we've found nothing. As far as I can see, we've only got two choices; either give her up to the orphanage or…" She paused for a moment, looking at Jarrod. "Or one of us petition the Judge for her custody and becomes her guardian."
"You know, I was thinking along those same lines too. I've been contemplating requesting custody for the last few days but if I were to get her guardianship, I'm not going to be able to care for her on my own. Between going to San Francisco and Sacramento, I'm gone as much as I am here. I can't drag her across the country following cases. It wouldn't be fair to her. Besides," He paused for a moment. "I haven't asked the rest of the family for their thoughts yet about it."
"Well I for one think it's a marvelous idea." Victoria replied with a smile. "If you want to obtain custody then you have my support."
Jarrod took a deep breath, still fidgeting with the pencil. "I'd still have to figure out what to do with her when I'm away from home on a case."
"She'd stay here. I'm willing to look after her when you need to go away and I'm sure your siblings would be willing to look out for her also."
He thought it over for a moment then nodded. "It could work. I'd need to speak with them first and get their approval but we could make it work I think." He placed the pencil back with the others in its holder. "I'll speak with them tomorrow."
