Hello everyone. It's been a while since I posted, so feel free to go back and refresh on the beginning of the story with Heath and Gabby. Hopefully, I will be able to post at least two chapters a month, maybe more. The last chapter ended with the ranch on fire and Silas nowhere to be found.

Chapter 11

The family panicked as they quickly looked around for their longtime friend, as the ranch hands joined the water line. "Silas!" Nick yelled out once more as his frightened eyes landed on Nora's tear-stained face. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. "I love you," he whispered before he took the full bucket he was holding and poured it over himself.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion those seconds before he ran into the flames through the back door. "Silas!" he called out, trying to fight his way towards the man's small room off the kitchen.

"Nick!" Nora screamed her husband's name in fear as she tried to run after him, but Jarrod's strong arms held her back.

"Nora, the baby," he said firmly, trying to control his own emotions. Turning her face to his chest, she cried her husband's name repeatedly as his brother held her close, attempting to soothe her. Victoria and Audra embraced each other as Heath replicated Nick's action by drenching himself and running in after his older brother.

"Heath! No!" Victoria called, and while it seemed forever it was only a moment later that both men came stumbling out with patches of fire on them which the family quickly put out before getting back to their bucket line. The flames were simply too strong, and they couldn't get to Silas. They would grieve later, but right now, the focus was on saving their home.

Wagons began pulling up with neighbors who had seen and smelled the smoke on this moonlit night and came to help. It took some time, but the flames began to recede with the constant pouring of water, the men pushing forward into the house to finish off what remained.

The Barkleys all sat on the ground in exhaustion, close to one another as if they were afraid to take their eyes off any one of the people they loved, Nora nestled into Nick's arms. Zander walked over and crawled into Heath's lap, and he held the boy close as they watched the hands and neighbors put out any hot pockets that persisted. Nora examined her husband, who had several places of concern where his skin was burned.

Looking from one to another in silence, all eyes held tears, some running down their faces, some held in place by their boundaries. Silas had been with them for so long that he was part of the family, and it would be hard to get past his loss.

"Mrs. Barkley, I think it's safe to go inside now," Jamison said. Victoria looked up at the young man covered with ash and was thankful for the loyal people they employed. The brothers stood to their feet, Heath placing a sleepy Zander in his mother's lap. As they began walking to the house, Jamison stopped them. "The kitchen is a total loss," he said quietly. "But the fire never reached the stairs, and the upstairs is intact. We need to check the safety of the load-bearing beams though."

"And Silas's room?" Jarrod asked low enough that his mother couldn't hear.

Jamison looked at the ground. "Jamison." Nick's voice brought the man's eyes back to their faces as he looked from one to the other.

"Silas's room was destroyed."

The brothers looked from one to the other as they quietly nodded, devastated at the news. How would they ever get past this tragedy?

Nick's face turned angry as he looked at Heath. "You need to question him," he said, his voice a low growl, Heath automatically knowing who he meant. "And if you don't, I will."

"I'm telling you, Nick, Zander didn't do this. And I think you should walk away and cool down. He's just a boy."

"A boy that has played with matches, not once but twice. And now has caused the loss..." his voice cracked before he finished the statement.

"Where's Mr. Silas?"

The sweet little voice was heard over their quiet argument, all turning in his direction. No matter how the fire had started, there was no question that Zander cared for Silas. Explaining his death would be difficult, especially after he had already lost so much.

Before anyone could answer, a horse rode up carrying the youngest Barkley son. Eugene dismounted quickly and ran over to his family. "Is everyone alright?" he called as he looked around and saw everyone all gathered in one area.

"Gene," Jarrod said, motioning his brother over to where the men stood. He automatically started examining the burns on Nick's neck and arms.

"That needs some attention, Nick," the doctor in him said, Nick waving him away silently. "Anyone else hurt?"

"Gene, it's Silas..." Jarrod spoke the words gently.

Looking around, Eugene noticed that the older man was not among the people milling about, then turned back to his brothers with a sad expression as realization dawned. He had thought all the family's tears had to do with the fire itself, not the loss of a dear friend.

"We were about to go inside..." Heath said placing his arm around the youngest brother, the four of them turning together and making their way towards the house. They would never be able to completely get over this heartbreak.

Suddenly, Nick stopped- the brothers following suit and looking at him. His eyes were shining with tears that wouldn't fall. "I...I'm not sure I can..." His normally strong voice was now reduced almost to a murmur, his grief for the older man was so great. "He helped raise me..." he choked out, Jarrod embracing him for a moment.

"I understand," the oldest replied. "This won't be an easy task, but we can do it together."

A quiet nod from his normally cantankerous brother was the only response he received as they restarted their course, but their track was interrupted once again by an unexpected sound.

"Mr. Jarrod? Mr. Nick? Is everyone alright?"

The voice came from the side of the house and at first it didn't register. Looking in that direction, everyone saw the man in question staggering toward them, his hand holding the back of his head.

"Silas?" Jarrod verbalized, afraid to believe his eyes.

"Silas!" Nick yelled, a smile brightening his gloomy expression. With the women jumping to their feet, the family surrounded the man who moments ago they thought had perished. Each one enfolded thankful arms around him, all their previous sorrow forgotten in the joy that he was alive. Zander wrapped his arms around the man's leg, earning him a pat on the head.

"Let's go sit down," Eugene said, wanting to check out the man's obvious injury. Once Silas was seated, he began his examination as everyone gathered around.

"What happened, Silas?" Victoria asked, silently thanking God for this miracle.

"I was turned in for the night when I heard something outside. I waited a few minutes thinking it must be the wind, but then I heard another noise and looked out the window. I noticed there was only a light breeze, so, I grabbed me a lantern and decided to investigate.

"I walked out the back door and over to the side of the house where the noise was coming from, towards that little group of trees over there. I didn't see anything, but suddenly someone hit me in the head and that's all I remember."

"Thank God you are alright, Silas. We were so worried." Nora's words were followed by a soft touch on his arm.

"I have to take him to the infirmary; he needs stitches and I want to keep him overnight as a precaution."

"I'm alright, Mr. Gene. No need to make such a fuss."

"Doctor's orders," Jarrod responded firmly, with a smile.

"Alright, I'll go. Sure is a mess around here. I'm sorry about the house, Mrs. Barkley."

"You don't worry about that, Silas. Everyone is safe and the house can be rebuilt. We are all so grateful you were spared." Her words were filled with emotion which they all shared.

Moments later, one of the ranch hands brought a saddled horse and Nick helped Silas to mount as Gene climbed back on his own. "Nick, I'd like to look at those burns. If you won't come with me tonight, first thing tomorrow." After they rode off, Heath asked Jamison to take Zander to the bunkhouse and find him a bed. The boy could barely keep his eyes open. Then the family gathered to talk privately, the neighbors having gone back to their homes.

"I'm thinking the ladies can stay at the old Henderson place for the night until we can inspect things in the daylight tomorrow. I'll go with them, and the men can stay in the bunkhouse." Nick's words were followed with nods of agreement, everyone so relieved that Silas was alive that the burned house was a secondary problem. He was glad there was no argument from his mother, as he wasn't about to let them go alone after what happened.

"It appears we have a problem."

Victoria's words brought every eye to her concerned face, knowing what she was referring to. "It seems we do," Heath replied. "A cut rein, a shooting, and now a fire. Someone is after one of the Barkleys. They had the chance to kill Silas and thankfully didn't, and Gabby isn't here now, so most likely she isn't the target. It must be me since I was the other person there the day she was shot, but I rarely ride in the buggy so that is puzzling."

"Maybe it isn't only one of the Barkleys they are after. Perhaps they are after all of us or any of us." Jarrod didn't want to scare anyone, but he was unnerved about the whole thing.

"I think we all need some sleep after the night we have had. We will revisit this in the morning light. Tell the cook to make extra tomorrow. If we are going to the small house, we should leave now." Victoria's speech kicked them all into gear as Jarrod went to hitch up a wagon. The family would be eating with the ranch hands for the time being since they no longer had a kitchen. Nick stopped and came back to where Heath stood.

"Uh...Heath. I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have blamed the boy."

Grasping Nick's shoulder, Heath smiled. "It was an honest mistake, and you were frustrated. But I'm glad you kept it between us. Zander's a good kid."

"He's lucky to have you on his side. Oh, by the way, what was he doing downstairs while we were sleeping?"

"I plan to ask him just that first thing in the morning."

Although everyone at the small house washed up the next morning, they didn't have changes of clothes, so they loaded up the wagon and went back to the ranch with the dirty clothes on their backs. The women joked about what a mess they were, glad that they had opened up the fence between the two properties and didn't have to get out on the road.

Nick was relieved that they hadn't had any problems in the night, but he slept lightly and kept his gun by his side. As they drove back, his eyes were peeled for any trouble, but thankfully nothing transpired. When they arrived, things were already buzzing around the ranch.

Some of their neighbors had come by earlier and dropped off a few clothes, deducing that they would be needed until things could be sorted out. Victoria, Audra, and Nora quickly changed in the empty bunkhouse, feeling a bit more like themselves with clean clothes on, and thankful for good friends.

Heath made sure that Zander ate as the boy was excited about sleeping in the bunkhouse last night like 'one of the hands.' A neighbor of theirs was a civil engineer and had come out to help determine how safe the unburned parts of the house might be, hoping to get the Barkleys to as normal as they could be for the moment. Hopefully, they could get the upstairs aired out and back into their bedrooms quickly.

Heath and Nick sat down with Zander out of earshot of their mother. "I wanted to ask you why you weren't in your bed last night." Heath tried to keep his voice even, and not accusing.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, Zander," Nick replied gently. "You're not in trouble. Why were you downstairs last night?"

"I was worried about Mr. Silas."

The brothers looked at each other curiously. "Why were you worried about him?" Heath asked.

"Because I had a bad dream that he was hurt. I wanted to go check on him."

"I see. And did you find him?"

"No. But when I was down there, the back door opened, and someone threw a torch inside."

"So that's what caused the fire."

"Uh-huh. I was scared and hid behind the curtain.'

"Did you happen to see who threw the torch in?" This came from Nick.

"No, it was too dark."

"Okay. Thank you for clearing that up. If anything like this ever happens again, something that scares you, you wake me up, okay?" Heath placed his hand on the boy's shoulder as he spoke, realizing that as young as Zander was, he had been too scared to know what to do so he hid.

"Yes sir, Mr. Heath. Can I go play now?"

"You sure can," Heath replied, watching as the boy ran off.

"Well, now we know why he was downstairs. Too bad he didn't see who the perpetrator was."

"I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. But those burns look painful, Nick."

"I'm fine. I'm sure Gene will show up with some foul-smelling ointment to treat them with. Jarrod should be back with Fred soon and I'm sure he will want to talk to Zander, and Silas of course when he returns. They should be almost finished with the inspection, so let's go see what we can learn about the house."

###

Gabby had a wonderful night's sleep after the party and woke up feeling refreshed the next morning. She was glad that she had plans to go riding with Oliver this afternoon as she dreaded another full day with her grandmother. The more she was around the woman, the more she wished to go back on the road and perform.

Or go back to Stockton to see Nora.

Her sister wasn't the only reason she thought fondly of Stockton. Someone else haunted her dreams and her waking hours, and she had to confess she missed Heath and their time together when she was recuperating.

Managing to get through a late brunch with her grandparents without too much stress, Gabby went upstairs to change into her riding clothes, taking her sweet time as she did so. A few minutes before one, she made her way down the stairs, hoping that Oliver would be on time.

She heard the knock as she entered the living room and headed for the front door.

"Gabrielle!" The sound of her grandmother's voice stopped her in her tracks as the butler walked past her to let their visitor in.

"Good afternoon, Jeeves. I'm here to see Miss Steele. Ah, there you are! And hello to you, Mrs. Worthington." Oliver entered and greeted both women with a slight bow. "Are you ready to go? I stopped by your stable and had the groom saddle you a horse. It should be ready by now."

"You young people go and have a good time, but stay in a public place. Be home before dinner, Gabrielle."

"Yes Grandmother," Gabby replied as she took Oliver's elbow and exited the house.

"I have to say, Gabby," Oliver said quietly, using the intimate nickname as they closed the door behind them, "I'm rather surprised that your grandmother would allow you out with me without a chaperone. She is dreadfully old-fashioned."

"I'm a bit taken aback by that myself, but glad that she did. Shall we?"

"Indeed, we shall," he responded as they headed for the stables.

###

"Where's Gabrielle?" Mr. Worthington questioned after rising from an afternoon nap.

"She is out with Oliver this afternoon. Did you forget? We spoke of it last night?"

"Oh yes, I remember. I was surprised that you let her go without a companion. That isn't like you Elvira."

"I have my reasons."

That was the end of the conversation as she turned and left the room, but Elvira's plans weren't well hidden. She planned to marry her granddaughter off to the most eligible bachelor in the area and elevate the Worthington name back to where it was before their daughter Amanda had run off with a no-good.

Yes, Gabrielle would be the one to restore what they had lost.

###

"And you didn't see the person's face, Zander?" Fred had already spoken to Silas and was now questioning the only other potential witness that they had to the fire.

"No sir. It was dark. All I saw was the torch thrown in the door."

Nodding, Fred looked at Heath. "Alright, that's all the questions I have for now. You have been very helpful, Zander. Thank you."

"Go play. I'll see you shortly," Heath said as large blue eyes stared up at him. Zander ran off to the barn, bringing a smile to Heath's face.

"Not much to go on."

"I guess not, Fred. I wish we could be of more help."

"Well, I'm done here for now. Need to get back to sheriffing."

"You ever find those bandits you mentioned before?"

"Yes, it was some kids that didn't have enough to keep them busy. But still looking into that fugitive from San Quentin. A murderer who was convicted in Tamarack a few years back. And I have a trip out of town to meet with another sheriff in a separate investigation. Work is never done."

"I wish you luck."

"Oh, what did the engineer say about the house?" Fred asked before turning away.

"That the upstairs is intact and safe, other than some smoke smell still lingering. Only one supporting beam was affected, which will be replaced quickly. So once it is aired out and cleaned up, at least we have a place to sleep."

"Glad to hear it. I'll let you get back to work then." The lawman mounted his horse and rode off as Heath walked to the barn. Entering, he saw Nick swinging Zander, both laughing.

"I see what kind of work you are getting done today, big brother," Heath teased.

"All work and no play..." Nick responded with a laugh.

Heath understood how he was feeling. After the night they had, everyone needed a diversion, so for a few moments, he joined them in their fun.