The Orphan and the Cowboy

By Kenda  

The sun toasted Heath Barkley's back through his chambray shirt.  He pulled on Charger's reins, bringing the animal to a halt.  He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled one sleeve to his elbow, then repeated that action with the other.  He took his cowboy hat off and wiped his forehead with an arm. The sun beat down on his fair head, causing him to make quick work of repositioning his hat before gently nudging Charger with the heels of his boots. 

Heath could see the inviting blue of the Diamond River in the distance.  The river cut a wide path through the Barkley property and was a great place to fish on the rare occasions when Jarrod, Nick, and Heath could all sneak away from their work for a summer afternoon of brotherly camaraderie.  Jarrod and Nick often spoke of swimming in the river as children, though to Heath's knowledge neither man had engaged in that bit of fun for a good many years now.  The same didn't hold true for Heath and Audra.  The two of them enjoyed nothing better than taking a dip in the crystal clear water on a sweltering July day. 

The man leaned forward in the saddle and patted Charger's neck.  He wicked sweat off the animal with his hand.  "How about a little detour to the river, boy?  You can get a nice long drink while I go for a swim.  Audra's not with me today so I can enjoy the water the way a man was meant to."

Heath guided the horse to the river's edge.  He looped Charger's reins over a low tree branch, making certain the animal would have no problem reaching the water.  Charger immediately proved he could accomplish that feat as he bent his head and took a drink.

Heath looked around before beginning to disrobe.  Just as he expected, there was no one within miles.  He was deep onto Barkley land, far away from any roads or commonly traveled routes.  The man had been inspecting fence lines since seven that morning and was more than happy to take a break during the heat of the day.  It was mid June, but felt like August.  As Heath tossed his clothes over Charger’s saddle he couldn't help but wonder what the rest of the summer would be like if it was already this hot.

The naked man slowly waded into the river.  He enjoyed the feel of the water as it rose to cool his skin.  When the water touched his chest Heath took a deep breath and plunged beneath its surface.  He burst back to the top, shook the excess water from his hair, then dove deep and swam until he was forced to come up for air.  He repeated this action again and again, then rolled over on his back.  With lazy strokes Heath swam for the area where Charger was secured.  He glanced over and saw his horse nibbling on grass.  The animal appeared to be as content with this little break as his master was.

The blond man repositioned his body until the buoyancy of the water kept him in a sitting position.  Using his hands to steady himself he paddled down river, occasionally diving beneath the surface when the sun burned too hot on his head. 

Some time later Heath glanced at the sky.  By the position of the sun he was able to estimate a good forty-five minutes had passed since he'd entered the water.

          I better get out, take a few minutes to let the sun dry me off, then get my clothes on and head home.  I'm sure Nick will have a list of things waitin' at the ranch for me that he'll claim will need doin' before the day ends.

Heath swam back to where Charger was waiting. His strokes were sure and strong as each arm rose from the water in synchronized rhythm.  When the river bank came into focus he was surprised to spot a little boy sitting on a rock with a fishing pole in hand.  Heath squinted, trying to get a look under the brim of the boy's cowboy hat.  From this distance it was hard to see the child's face, but near as Heath could tell he didn't know the young man. 

Mmmm, I wonder who he belongs to.  It's a good ten miles to the nearest ranch from this spot.  He can't be more than,.....five, six years old tops.  Too young to be out here by himself.

Heath didn't want to scare the boy so stood in the chest-high water and waved.  "Hi, son!"

The boy looked up. The presence of a strange man didn't seem to startle him.  He smiled and gave Heath an amiable wave in return.

Heath waded toward shore.  Sand oozed through his toes from the river bottom.  The water was just about to recede to Heath’s hip bones when the boy stood.  The youngster pulled his line in, took off his hat, and gave his head a shake.

Heath plunged faster than a hawk diving for a fish.  The boy wasn't a boy after all, but rather a girl.  A petite little girl with honey brown hair that cascaded to the middle of her back.  The child secured her line to her pole, then picked her way over the rocks until she was standing on the bank next to Charger.

"Hi!"

"Uh,.....hi."

"Goin' for a swim?"

"Uh,...yeah.  Just finishin' up as a matter of fact."

"Is the water nice?"

Heath looked around with discomfort.  The last thing he wanted was to get caught talking to this little girl without a stitch of clothing on.  Granted, the water was covering all but his upper chest, nonetheless this was an uncomfortable situation to be in.

"Uh,...listen, honey, you'd better run along.  I'm sure whoever you came fishing with must be wondering where you are."

"I didn't come with anyone."

"You didn't?"        

          "Nope."

          Before the cowboy could ask any more questions the little girl beat him to it.  "Say, mister, what's your name?"

          "Heath.  Heath Barkley."

          "Heath?  I have a bro,....,"  the child stopped in mid sentence as though she realized she was about to reveal something she'd rather keep to herself.  "Heath.  That's a nice name."

"Thank you.  And how about you?  What's your name?"     

"Amber."

          "Amber?"

"Yep."

"Well now, I don't believe I've ever heard that name before.  It's a pretty handle for a pretty little gal."

Amber blushed and dipped her head.  "Thank you, Heath."

"Listen, Amber, I need to get out of this river and get dress,......take care of a few things so we can have a proper conversation.  Would you mind turning your back for a minute or so."

          "Nope.  I don't mind.  I know you're naked."

          Now it was Heath's turn to blush as he wondered just how long this child had been watching him while he swam.  "You do?"

          "Sure.  After all, everyone swims naked.  Well, except for some of those really rich people who live far away in Boston.  They wear somethin' called bathing suits when they go to the swimmin' hole.  Don't that beat all you ever heard of?  That someone would sew a suit of clothes just for swimmin’?"

"And where'd you hear this?"

"My momm,........I read about it in Anderson’s Ladies Journal."

Heath arched an eyebrow.  "You read about it in Anderson’s Ladies Journal?"

"I surely did, Heath. That's the God's honest truth, cross my heart and hope to die."

"No, don't hope that.  I believe you."  Heath moved his index finger in a circle. "Now turn around and stay that way with your eyes facing that big tree over on the hill until I give the word."

"Okay."

If nothing else the child was obedient.  She did as Heath requested and remained in that position while he dashed from the water.  He grabbed his clothes off Charger's saddle, ducked behind a clump of bushes, and made quick work of pulling his pants on. The man’s movements were considerably less frantic as he put his socks and boots on.   Heath couldn't help but smile as he slipped into his shirt and fastened the buttons.  His little visitor was warbling ‘Oh! Susanna’ while hopping back and forth from one foot to the other in what Heath took to be an improvised jig.

"All right, Miss Amber.  You can turn around now."

The little girl pivoted and skipped to Heath's side.  She eyed Charger and reached up to stroke his nose. "He sure is a beautiful animal.  What's his name?"

"Charger."

"I bet he's what, about sixteen hands high?" 

Heath was startled by the child's knowledge.  "Huh,...yeah.  About that."

"Is he a good cutting horse?"

"One of the best."  Heath's hand joined Amber's in petting Charger.  "As a matter of fact this fella is good at just about everything he does."

"That's the mark of fine horse flesh, Heath.  Mighty fine horse flesh.  Where'd you get him?  At one of the auctions down in San Diego?"

"How do you know about those auctions?"

"Oh,......I just get around."

Heath laughed.  "Yeah, I see that you do.  And speaking of gettin’ around, how'd you make your way to my swimming hole?"

"On Toby."

"Toby?"

The girl turned, pointing to a thick grove of trees.  Heath squinted, finally spotting the Tobiano Paint gelding happily munching on some bushes. 

"And he's your horse, huh?"

"Yep.  He's kinda old, but he's my friend.  I learned to ride on him."

"I see."  Heath reached down and took the little girl by the hand.  "Well, Miss Amber, I'd say we'd better put you on Toby's back and get you home."

"I can't go home."

"What do you mean you can't go home?"

"I don't have one."

"You don't have a home?"

Amber hung her head and scuffed the toe of one cowboy boot against the dirt.  "No.  I don’t have no home. I don’t have no one.  I'm an orphan."

Heath had to hand it to the child, she was doing her best to look pitiful but she'd already dropped too many clues that would indicate to him she was far from an orphan.  Granted, she was dressed in boy’s clothing, but her shirt and trousers were clean and pressed.  Heath’s eyes traveled to Amber’s footwear.  Her cowboy boots were a bit worn, but only in a way that indicated to Heath that they, like the rest of her clothing, had probably belonged to an older brother at one time.        

The cowboy crouched down in front of the child. "You know, Miss Amber, I'm having a hard time believin’ your story.  What with that fine horse you're riding, and these clean clothes you're wearing, and the fact that you look well tended to.  Now maybe you’d like to think a little more about where it is you call home.”"  

Amber stamped her foot, her green eyes flashing defiant anger.  "I am an orphan, Heath!  I am!  And nothing you can say will change that.  It's a hard cold fact and that's all there is to it."

"That’s all there is to it, huh?"

          "Yep.  And besides, didn't your momma ever tell you a gentleman doesn't question a lady?"

          "I reckon she mighta mentioned that a time or two.  Is that what your momma told you?"

          "No, but she told that to my broth,....."  Amber bit her lower lip and dropped her eyes to the ground.  "I just heard it somewhere, that's all."

          Heath was sure his next threat would crack the child.  "Amber, if you won’t say where you live I'll have to take you home with me."

          Amber grinned from ear to ear. "That would be just dandy!  I already like you, Heath."

          "And I already like you, too, honey,”  Heath smiled, “but I sure hate the thought of someone worrying themselves sick over your whereabouts."

"But I just told you there is no one to worry about me.  I'm an orphan."

Heath shook his head.  "No, what you are is stubborn."  The man sighed as he stood.  He placed a hand on Amber’s back  and led her toward Toby.  It was almost like lifting a feather pillow when he hoisted her into the saddle.  

"Up you go."

The cowboy untied Toby's reins and gave them to the girl.  He walked over and picked up her fishing pole and hat.  The pole he secured to her saddle, the hat he plopped on her head.

"Am I going home with you, Heath?"

"Looks that way.  Unless, after thinkin' about it reeeeal hard, you've remembered you do have a family after all."

"Heath, if I've told you once already I've told you a million times. I'm an,..."

"Orphan. I know. And I do apologize for questioning you on that fact.  As you pointed out to me, that's not the mark of a gentleman."

"I'm glad you're finally starting to see things my way."

Heath hid his smile as he untied Charger's reins and swung himself onto the horse's back. He paused when he came abreast of Toby.  "You ready?"

"Sure, Heath. I'm ready."  The girl gave Toby's sides three soft thumps. The old horse fell into step with Charger as Heath led the way to the Barkley ranch.

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Nick was shouting before Charger and Toby had taken four steps into the ranch yard.

“Where have you been!  I expected you back two hours ago!  Do you know how much work we have to get done before the sun goes down!  Do you know how,.........who’s he?”

Amber stared wide-eyed at the irate man.  She swallowed hard and looked at Heath.  The blond ignored his brother as he climbed off Charger and took Toby’s reins.

“Heath!  I asked who is he?”

“He’s not a he, he’s a she. Her name is Amber.”

“Come again.”

“Amber.”

“Amber?  What kinduva name is that?  It sounds like a color Audra would pick for a dress.”

Amber’s lower lip quivered. She didn’t like this dark, loud man.  She didn’t like him one bit. 

“I think it’s a pretty name.  A pretty name for a pretty young lady.  And lower your voice, Nick.  You’re scaring her.”

“Oh,.....oh, yeah,....well,.....sorry, kid.”  Nick followed his brother into the barn.  “So anyway, why are you so late?”

Heath plucked Amber from her saddle.  He settled her on her feet, then led her mount to a vacant stall.  “Toby here doesn’t move so fast.”

Nick eyed the animal with open disdain.  “Boy, I’ll say.  This old nag  looks like he’s two steps away from going to horsy heaven.”

Amber clenched her fists while tears welled up in her eyes.  “Don’t you dare say that about Toby!  He’s the bestest horse there’s ever been!  I learned to ride on him!  He’s a roping horse.  One of the greatest in his day!  He won lots of prizes for my pap,.....he won lots of prizes!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there, little lady,”  Nick soothed.  “Don’t go gettin’ your britches in a bundle.”  The man looked to his brother.  “She sure is a hot tempered little spit fire, isn’t she.”

Heath smiled while removing Toby’s saddle.  “Takes one to know one.”

“What!  What’s that supposed to mean?  And where did she come from anyway?  And what’s she doing here besides?”

“She came from down by the Diamond River.”

“Me and Heath got acquainted while he was swimming,”  Amber said, her tears momentarily forgotten.

“Oh you did, did you?”  A twinkle lit Nick’s eyes.  Knowing exactly what his brother wore, or didn’t wear rather when swimming if there were no ladies present, brought a mental picture to Nick’s mind that was too funny to ignore.  Nick moved to take care of Charger for Heath while questioning their young visitor.  “So what were you doing by the Diamond River?”

“I was fishin’.  Fishin’ and then I saw Heath in the water.  We exchanged howdies, and then he made me turn my back so he could get out of the water and get dressed.”

“You didn’t peek, did you?”

          “Nick!”  Heath glared at his brother.

Nick swallowed his laughter while Amber solemnly shook her head.  “No, sir.  That wouldn’t be ladylike.  And my momm,....at the orphanage I was taught to be ladylike.”

“Orphanage?”

"Yep.  I’m an orphan in case you haven’t figured that out yet.  That’s why Heath had to bring me home with him.  I got no place of my own to go.  I got no momma, or no papa either.  Not four brothers even, or a dog named Gracie.  I don’t have any of that stuff.”

Nick cocked a doubtful eyebrow.  “You don’t, huh?  Well, kid, if you don’t have any of those things then what you do seem to have is a vivid imagination.”

Amber crossed her arms over her chest and smiled with satisfaction. “Yep, that’s the one thing I got.  I got ‘magination.”

Heath laughed at the way the little dynamo had bested his brother.

Nick glowered at the child.  “You know, kid, when I was your age if I had talked that way to an adult my behind woulda’ been good and sore.”

Amber ran for Heath.  She hid behind his legs begging,  “Don’t let him spank me, Heath!  Please don’t let him spank me!”

“Nick’s not gonna spank you, sweetie.”  Heath untangled the arms clutching his knee caps.  He lifted Amber up and settled her on his hip.  “You don’t pay him no mind. You’ll soon discover Nick’s bark is much worse than his bite.”

Nick stomped after his brother as Heath exited the barn carrying Amber. 

“Just what are you gonna do with her?”

“What we do with any guest who visits us. I’m gonna have Silas fix her something to eat, offer her a hot bath, and then see if I can find some clothes for her.  Doesn’t Mother still have a trunk full of Audra’s old stuff in the nursery?”

“Yeah, I think so.  But, Heath, you can’t keep her.  Why this child is no more an orphan than I’m Santa Claus.”

"I know you’re not Santa Claus ‘cause he isn’t mean and he doesn’t go around shouting all the time either.  But as for me, I’m an orphan no matter what you say.”

Nick scowled at the little girl as he spoke to his brother.  “If you had to bring a kid home you could have at least found one who had some manners.”

“You know, Nicholas, the only problem between you and Amber is that you’re too much alike.”

“Alike!  Oh right, we’re about as alike as vinegar and sugar.”

Heath smiled and looked at Amber.  “You being sugar, and Nick being vinegar.”

The child giggled while Nick continued.  “If you haven’t noticed, she’s a girl and we’re men.”

“So?”

“Mother and Audra are in Denver.  Just how do you propose we take care of a little girl with no women in the house?”

“I expect the same way we’d take care of a little boy with no women in the house.”

“Look, Heath, I don’t know anything about little girls.  Big girls, yes.  I know a lot about them, but little girls are a foreign animal.”

“I’m not an animal!” Amber declared from Heath’s hip.

Nick ignored the child’s outburst.  “Besides, if Jarrod were here he’d tell you there’s gonna be trouble if you keep this child.” Nick shot Amber a pointed look. “And I use the word child loosely in this situation.  Nonetheless, you’d better find out who she belongs to and find it out fast before someone comes gunning for you.”

“Well, Jarrod isn’t here now, is he.  He’s in San Francisco trying a case and he will be for another week so I guess I’m gonna have to make this decision on my own.”

“But you can’t keep her!”

“Yes, he can,”  Amber said. “I’m an orphan so that means I don’t belong to anyone.  I’m free to pick who I want to live with and I pick Heath.”

“Well, little miss, you can’t live with Heath.  I don’t care what you say, I know you belong to someone. Now why don’t you just make this easier on all of us and tell us where you live.”

Amber buried her head in Heath’s shoulder and began to cry.  “I am an orphan.  I am.  Why doesn’t he believe me?  Why is he so mean?”

Heath rubbed a hand over the girl’s back.  “Ssssh, sweetie, ssssh.  There’s no need to cry.  I believe you so that’s all that matters.”

“Heath!  For heaven’s sake you can’t,....”

“All in good time, Nick,”  Heath said softly while carrying the sobbing Amber into the kitchen.  “All in good time.”

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An introduction to Silas, a roast beef sandwich, a cold glass of milk, and Nick’s absence chased away Amber’s tears.  She sat at the kitchen table with Heath, her eyes roaming the homey room filled with knotty pine cabinets, beamed ceiling, and copper pots and pans.  She pointed toward the stairs. 

“Where do those go, Heath?”

“Up to the bedrooms.  We can get there through the foyer as well.  I’ll show you when you’re done eating.”

“Wow!  You’ve got two ways to get upstairs?  We don’t have two staircases at my hous.....at the orphanage.”

Heath smiled while peeling an apple with his pocket knife.  He sectioned it into slices that opened like a blooming rose, then set it on a plate in the center of the table.

“There.  When you’ve finished your sandwich we’ll share that apple.”

“It’s pretty, Heath.  Like a flower. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“Oh, like you, Miss Amber, I get around.”

Amber’s green eyes followed Silas’s movements as he bustled around the kitchen beginning supper preparations.

“Silas, are a you a slave?”

The black man turned, his soft voice offering honest explanation.   “No, little one, Silas ain’t a slave no more.  A man by the name of Mr. Abraham Lincoln outlawed slavery, Miss Amber.  But Silas was a slave at one time way back when you was just a twinkle in your daddy’s eye.”

“I don’t have a daddy, Silas.  I’m an orphan.”

“Why, child, everyone has a daddy.”

“Nope, not me.”  Amber said while eating around the crust of her bread. 

Silas caught Heath’s wink.  “Whatever you say, miss.”

“You said you were a slave, Silas.  How did you get away from the bad people that made you work for them?”

“I ran away.  I ran all the way from Virginia clear to California. It took a lotta months of traveling it did.  Over a year.  And when I got here I stumbled onto Mr. Barkley’s land and asked him for work.”

“You mean Heath?”

Silas laughed.  “No, missy, not Mr. Heath.  Mr. Heath’s daddy, Tom Barkley.  I started working  for Mr. Barkley when Mr. Nick wasn’t any older than you are now.  Mr. Jarrod was just a little boy then, too, and Miss Audra and Mr. Eugene weren’t born yet.”

“Were you born yet, Heath?”

“Yeah, I reckon I was, Amber.  But I didn’t live here then.”

Heath’s answer caused Amber’s brow to furrow.  She was about to ask more questions when, from behind Heath’s back, she saw Silas shake his head at her and put a finger to his lips.  She wasn’t sure what was wrong, but understood she wasn’t to probe further regarding this subject.  She shifted her thoughts back to Nick.

“Silas, was Nick as mean when you first came here as he is now?”

“Well, Mr. Nick had a temper if that’s what you’re asking, miss.  He and Mr. Barkley used to go ‘round and ‘round sometimes when Mr. Nick’s anger would get the best of him.”

Heath and Amber shared the crisp, sweet apple. When they’d finished Amber carried her dishes to the sink.  “Thank you, Silas.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Amber.  You come back and visit old Silas any time.”

“Oh, I will. I’ll visit you a lot.  I’m going to live here now you know.”

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“Well, I am ‘cause I’m an orphan and Heath rescued me.”

Heath cocked a surprised eyebrow.  In a matter of a few hours he’d gone from simply being someone Amber had stumbled across at the river to being her rescuer.  He had a feeling that didn’t bode well for his chances of finding out where she belonged any time in the near future.

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Heath gave Amber a tour of the Barkley mansion.  The girl oooed and ahed as she viewed one beautiful room after another. 

“This is one whopper of a house, Heath.  Like the kind a king would live in.  Are you a king?”

Heath chuckled.  “No, Amber, I’m not a king.  I’m just a cowboy.”

“Still, it’s awful pretty.  And even bigger than the orphanage where I used to live.”

Heath took the girl’s hand.  Together they climbed the winding stair case.  Amber danced up the steps as far as Heath’s arm would reach, then danced back down to him.

“A girl could have herself some fun on these stairs all the day long I bet.”

“I bet a girl could.  But right now I know a girl who needs to take a bath.”

“Okay.”  Amber dropped Heath’s hand and started down the stairs.

“Where you goin’?”

“To the kitchen for my bath.  Isn’t that where you keep your washtub?”

“That’s not how baths are taken in this house.  Come on.  Let’s go upstairs.”

Amber eyed the second story of the home.  “Heath, if you want my opinion it will be a lot easier if I take my bath in the kitchen.  This sure will be a long ways to haul water otherwise.”

“We won’t be hauling any water. The water will come to you with nothing more than a turn of your wrist.”

“Like magic?”

“Something like that.”  Heath held out his hand.  “Now come on.”

Amber took Heath’s hand and let him lead her up the remaining steps.  They walked down a hallway that seemed to have no end. Amber counted open doors as they passed. 

“One,......two,.........three,............four,............five,............six,........

Land sakes, Heath, how many bedrooms does your house have?”

“Ten.  Eleven if you include the one that belongs to Silas.”

“Well, I’ll be.  Lots of orphans could live here I expect.”

“I suppose you’re right about that.”

Heath stopped when he came to the last doorway on the left.  “Here we are.”

Amber looked from floor to ceiling with awe as she dropped Heath’s hand and stepped inside the huge room.  The marble floors and walls caused her voice to echo.

“What’s this?”

“The bathroom.”

“You have a whole room in your house just for taking a bath?”

“Yep.”

“Wow!  In all my born days I ain’t never seen a room like this before.”

The girl ran her hand over the deep white bowl of the pedestal sink, then moved to the claw footed porcelain tub she was sure could easily hold six kids her size.  She marveled at the shining faucets.  She peered closer, seeing her face reflected back at  her.  “Are these made of real gold?”

Heath nodded.  “They came right out of one of our mines.”

“Well, Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat is all I’ve got to say.”

“While you’re jumpin’ I’ll have you jump right in this tub.  Let me get your bath water run, then find you some fresh clothes to wear.”

Heath put the plug in the drain, then turned the faucets. He held his hand under the running water until he had it adjusted to a temperature he deemed just right for a six year old.  Amber watched with fascination as water gushed from the gold spout. 

“How’s it do that?”

“Do what?”

“Come out of there.”

“A pump brings it up from the ground.”

“Heath, I’ve just gotta be honest and tell you something.”

“What’s that?”

“I sure do think I’m gonna like living here.”

Heath smiled at the his little guest while wondering if he was doing the right thing.  At this rate she’d continue to vow she was an orphan for weeks to come.

“You stay here and keep an eye on that water.”  The cowboy put his hand a quarter of the way up the tub.  “If it gets any higher than this call me.”

“Okay.  But where ya’ goin’?”

“To get you some clothes.  I’ll be right back.”

Heath made quick work of digging through the trunk in what had been the nursery.  The crib had been taken down and put in the attic when Eugene grew too big for it, but twin beds still resided in here that Audra and Gene had slept in as young children.  As well, this room remained filled with many of toys they had played with.  Those toys were now used by any young visitors who might stay with the Barkley family for a few days.

Heath went back to the bathroom carrying a pink dress, black boots, and little girl’s underclothes.  He laid the items on the granite counter then shut off the water.  He checked the temperature one last time.

“All right, Amber.  The tub’s all yours.  When you get out you can put on these clothes.”

Amber eyed the bathtub that stood almost as tall as she did.  “I’m gonna need your help getting in.”

“Well,......huh,.....”  Heath looked around, then remembered something he’d seen in the nursery.  “I’ll be right back.”

The cowboy returned carrying a child-sized wooden step stool.  He set it by the edge of the tub.

“There you go.  Now you can climb in by yourself.”

“Okay.  But can you undo my suspenders?”

“Sure.”  Heath knelt in front of the girl and unbuttoned the suspenders from the waist of her pants.  “All done.”

“Thanks, Heath.  My momm,.....Miss Kim at the orphanage always undoes my suspenders for me.”

“Well that’s right nice of Miss Kim, isn’t it.”

“Yep, she’s pretty nice.  Most of the time that is.  She can be down right mean, though, when you very accidentally forget to lock the chickens in their coop for the night.”

“She can, huh?”

“Yep.  You can even lose dessert for that.”

Heath opened the linen closet door.  He pulled out a clean towel and washcloth and draped them over the edge of the tub.  “You can use these.  And there’s soap in the dish on the ledge, and shampoo in this bottle right here.  But be careful.  That bottle’s slippery when your hands are wet.”

“Shampoo?”

“To wash your hair with.”

“You have special soap to wash your hair with?”

“Yep.”

“Are you sure you’re not a king or something, Heath?”

Heath smiled.  “I’m sure.  Now get a move on.  Get your bath taken before the water gets cold.”  The cowboy headed for the hallway.  He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door closed as he exited.  “If you need me I’ll be right out here in the hall.”

“All right.”

Amber removed her clothing and left it in a heap on the middle of the bathroom floor.  She hung onto the thick lip of the tub and with the aid of the step stool lowered herself into the warm water.

Heath could hear the little girl laughing with delight.  By the sounds coming from the bathroom he could only imagine how much water he’d find on the floor when she was finished.  But he couldn’t say he faulted her for her fun.  He’d been shocked by the opulence of the Barkley bathroom when he’d first come to live here as well.  And now Victoria was talking about adding a second bathroom elsewhere in the house, something most people had never heard of let alone could imagine.

Amber dove and splashed and played until Heath knocked on the door.

“Is there any washing going on in there?”

“No!  But I’ll start right now!”

“Good girl.  And don’t forget to scrub behind your ears.”

“Heath, now you sound like Miss Kim.”

Heath made no reply, but soon heard what sounded like a fair amount of scrubbing taking place. When it grew quiet he knocked again.

“Amber?”

“Yeah?”

“How are you doin’?”

“Fine.  But I’m gonna need help with the buttons on this dress.”

“All right.  You get it on and do as many as you can.  Then let me know and I’ll come in and do the rest for you.”

“Okay.”

Less than a minute passed before Amber called for Heath’s aid.  He peered in the room first to make certain she was dressed.  White petticoats and socks showed beneath the full pink dress that came to the girl’s shins.  She turned around when Heath entered the room and lifted her wet hair off her back.

“I could only do two buttons.”

“I can see that.  It makes a fella wonder at the sense of putting buttons up the back of a dress.  What do you say about that?”

“It’s always seemed pretty dumb to me.”        

Heath knelt behind Amber.  His big fingers fumbled with each tiny button until he finally got them all fastened.

“Now tie the ribbon, please.”

The cowboy took the ends of the white satin ribbon Amber handed him and turned her around.  When he started to tie it in the front of the dress she giggled.

“Not there, silly.  It goes in back.”

“Oh.”

Amber turned around again so her back was to Heath.  He tied the ribbon in a bow then reached for a hair brush off the counter.  He held onto each section of hair as he carefully brushed the tangles out of the wet mass.  When he was done it laid flat against the middle of Amber’s back.

“There now, don’t you look just like a little girl ought to.”

Amber eyed herself in the big oval mirror that sat in a stand in the corner of the room.  “This is a beautiful dress.  Who’s is it?”

“It belonged to my sister Audra when she was a little girl.”

Amber held the dress’s hem from her body and twirled in circles while Heath cleaned the tub. 

“Do you think I’m pretty, Heath?”

The man turned from where he was depositing the towel and washcloth in the wicker laundry basket.

“Well now, I’d have to say you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Gee willickers, now I know I’m gonna like livin’ here.”

Heath grinned and shook his head.  “You’re something else, little miss.”  The blond man got down on his knees.  Amber clutched his shoulders for support as she lifted first one foot off the floor and then the other so Heath could put the black boots on for her. He laced the boots, tied them, then crooked an elbow Amber’s way. “Can this lowly cowboy escort a lovely lady to dinner?”

Amber giggled and slipped her arm through Heath’s.  They walked down the stairs together, Amber beaming as though she was a princess making a grand entrance beside her prince. 

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Amber had a comment about everything that adorned the Barkley table that night.  Nick finally let his fork drop to his plate.

“Kid, have you ever heard the phrase children should be seen and not heard?”

Amber’s lip started quivering again.  She slid from her chair and sought refuge at Heath’s side.  He scooped her up and sat her in his lap.

“Nick, pick on someone your own size, will ya’?”

The dark headed man gave a snort.  “I can see what kind of father you’re gonna be already.  Your kids will be spoiled senseless.  When that day comes remind Uncle Nick he doesn’t want to babysit.”

“If this is how you treat children on a regular basis I doubt my kids will want Uncle Nick to babysit.”

Dessert brought a well needed change of subject and seemed to sweeten Nick’s mood.  When supper was finished Amber helped Silas clear the table while Heath went to the barn to feed the family dog and cats that Audra normally took care of when she was home.  The blond man was surprised to find Amber and Nick gathered around the parlor checker board when he returned.  He sat down without comment and watched the game progress.

From her perch atop three seed catalogs Amber jumped the last of Nick’s checkers. She threw her arms up in victory.

“I won!  I won!  Heath, did you see?  I won!”

“That’s great, honey.”

Nick started setting the board up again. “Okay, kid, let’s have another go at it.  Best two outta three.”

Heath intervened with a firm, “No, not tonight.”  He stood and plucked Amber from her seat.  “It’s time for our visitor to get ready for bed.”

“Aw, Heath,” Amber pouted from the cowboy’s hip.  “Please.  Just one more game.”

“Yeah, Heath, come on.  Let me and the kid play one more game.”

“No.  It’s after eight o’clock and time for this little cowgirl to be in bed.”

“But I’m on my own now.  I don’t have a bedtime.”

“As long as you’re stayin’ with me you do.”

“Oh drat.  And here I thought there’d never be any rules again in my whole life.”

Heath gave the girl’s nose a light pinch between his thumb and forefinger.  “Well, Miss Amber, you thought wrong. Say good night to Nick.”

“Good night, Nick.”

“Night, kid.  Want me to come up and tell you a good ghost story?”

Amber’s eyes lit with enthusiasm.  Before she could answer Heath jumped in.

“No.”

“Whatta ya’ mean no?  Here I’m offering to help you with your guest and you turn me down.”

“Yeah, Heath, whatta ya’ mean no?  I like ghost stories.  My bro,...Blake,.....another kid at the orphanage, he tells the bestest ghost stories in the whole wide world.”

“Good for Blake.  But he’s not here to stay up half the night with you when bad dreams keep you awake.  And somehow I’ve got the feeling Nick doesn’t intend to share in that duty either.”

Nick didn’t argue that fact which put an end to the suggestion of a scary bedtime tale.

Heath carried Amber to the nursery.  He set her on her feet, lit the lamp that resided on the stand between the two beds, then rummaged in the trunk until he found a nightgown just her size.  He untied the ribbon on her dress and helped her undo the buttons.  He stepped into the hallway then, instructing Amber to call him when she’d changed into the gown.  In less than a minute he was told he could return.  He found the girl jumping up and down on the bed closest to the door.  He let her have a few minutes of fun as he picked the clothes she’d been wearing up off the floor, folded them, and returned them to the trunk.

“This is lottsa fun, Heath!  The beds at the orphanage surely don’t bounce this dandy.”

Heath grabbed the girl in mid-flight.  He playfully tossed her down on the mattress, her small body bouncing three more times before it came to a stop.  Her face was flushed and her hair splayed in four different directions as she giggled.  When she finally calmed down Heath pulled the bedspread and covers back.

“All right now, you climb in there.”

Amber crawled over the top of the bed, then burrowed beneath the covers like Heath ordered.  When she was settled Heath tucked her in and perched on the edge of the mattress.

“There you go, Miss Amber.  You sleep well.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

“But aren’t you going to tell me a story?”

“A story, huh?”

“Yeah.  My pap,......at the orphanage, someone always tells me a story before I go to sleep.”

“I see.  Well now, I guess I can give it a shot, though I’m not gonna promise I’m much of a story teller.”

“I know you’ll do a good job, Heath.  You’re good at everything you do.”

Heath chuckled. “You’re sure about that?”

“Yep.  As sure as the sky is blue.”

“I don’t suppose I can disappoint a lady who’s so free with the compliments.”

“No siree, I should say not.”

Heath thought a long moment before his story began. 

“Once upon a time there was a boy named Heath.”

“Was he you, Heath?”

“Oh,....not necessarily.  That’s just the name of the boy in my story.  I told you I’m not too good at this.”

“It’s fine so far, Heath.  Real fine.  Keep goin’.”

“All righty. Like I said, once upon a time there was a boy named Heath.  And like you, Heath had adventure in his soul and a good bit of wanderlust in his spirit.”

“Yep, that’s what I got all right.”  Amber hiked herself up on an elbow.  “I got adventure in my soul and a hankering to wander.”

Heath smiled and used a hand to gently push the girl’s head back to the pillow.  “Quit interrupting or we won’t get to the end of this story until daybreak.  Now as I was saying, Heath was driven to go wandering.  He’d always been a lonely boy. Never felt like he belonged in the town he grew up in.  He didn’t have any brothers or sisters, nor a father that he knew of,....”

“Was Heath an orphan like me?”

“Not exactly.  Or least wise not just yet.  Heath had a mother who had cherished him and loved him from the day he was born.  As long as he could remember his mother was there for him.  Sometimes he did naughty things and was punished for them,.....”

“Like forgetting to lock the chickens in the coop?”

“Exactly like forgetting to lock the chickens in the coop.  But even when he was being punished for the naughty things he did he never forgot how much his mother loved him.  Then when Heath was about thirteen he started giving his momma trouble.  At first it was little things like playing hooky from school and getting into fights with the other boys.  Then the trouble got bigger like trouble often does and he was breaking store windows, stealing clothes from wash lines, and letting horses loose from the livery stable.”

“Why did Heath do bad things like that?”

“Because he was unhappy.  As much as he loved his momma he wanted more.  He wanted a father and brothers and sisters like his friends had.  He wanted answers from his momma as to why he didn’t have those people in his life, but those were answers that were hard for her to give.  So all that unhappiness just stayed inside Heath and churned round and round until he had to let it out somehow.  That ‘somehow’ was always in the form of misdeeds until finally he was too big for his momma to punish any longer.  When Heath was fourteen he quit goin’ to school altogether even though that decision broke his momma’s heart.  She kept tellin’ him the only way to better himself, the only way he’d get out of the mining town he was growing up in, was to get an education.  But like most teenage boys, Heath thought he knew more than his momma about the ways of the world.  When he was just three days past his sixteenth birthday he got on a horse and rode away from that town for good.”

Amber’s eyes grew round with wonder.  “He left behind his momma?  The only person in his whole wide world?”

“Yep, he left behind his momma.  She was crying as he got on his horse, but even her tears couldn’t stop him.  He thought of himself as a man, and he was bound and determined he was going to find his happiness elsewhere.”

“What happened to him?”

“Oh, he drifted from job to job.  Joined the army and fought in the war for a while, then went back to driftin’.  But funny thing was, no matter where Heath went or how far he traveled that happiness he was looking for was never quite within his grasp.  One day when Heath was a grown man of twenty-four he rode back into that town he’d left so many years before.  He’d learned a lot in the eight years he’d been gone.  A lot about himself, a lot about the world, but most of all he’d learned happiness was not something you found, but rather something you built for yourself in kinda the same way you build a house.  You have to have a strong foundation and work your way up.  You can’t be so foolish as to think the wind, or the rain, or the snow, won’t occasionally seep in.”

“And so Heath went home to his momma and lived happily ever after right?”

Heath gave the girl a small smile.  Even at her young age she could tell his mind wasn’t completely in the room any longer.

“No, Amber, I’m afraid that’s not how this story ends.  When Heath returned home he found his momma very, very sick.  So sick that she only lived a few days after his arrival.  If she was angry at him for being gone so long she never spoke of it.  She simply held him with what little strength she had left, cried into his shoulder, and told him over and over again that she understood when he tried to explain what had made him leave her in the first place.  She told him she loved him very much, and she kept on telling him that until she died three days later.”

Amber looked up at Heath.  She swore she could see unshed tears in his eyes, but before she could be certain he stood and blew out the lamp.

“Good night, Amber.”

“Heath?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about your momma.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.  It’s just a story.  Just make believe.  Sleep well.”

Amber laid awake long after the door closed behind Heath.  For some reason she didn’t think he was telling the truth when he said the tale he’d just woven was make believe.  She thought it sounded too real to be made up and besides, if it was made up why would it cause him to cry?

Amber turned on her side and stared into the darkness.  Heath’s story put a lot of thoughts in her head she didn’t like.  Not scary thoughts, or bad thoughts, but rather thoughts that were just a little sad and little sorry.  When she finally fell asleep she dreamed of a boy who had left home in search of happiness, but arrived back so many years later without having ever found it.

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Amber was exiting her bedroom the next morning just as Heath was coming out of his.  He eyed the child, dressed today in what could only be some of Eugene’s cast off clothes she’d found in the trunk.

“Well, boy howdy, Miss Amber.  What happened to the little lady who was visiting us last night?”

“Heath, I can’t wear a frilly dress when I have to work on the ranch.”

“Oh, I see.  So you’re plannin’ on giving me a helping hand today, is that it?”

“That’s it.”

“Then I guess I’d better get you fixed up here so your pants and suspenders aren’t draggin’ the ground.”

Heath got down on one knee and grasped the suspenders that trailed behind Amber’s back.  He buttoned first one to the waist band of the trousers she was wearing and then the other.  He rolled up both pant legs twice until they were held in place just above the ankles of her cowboy boots. 

“Would you brush my hair for me, Heath?  I got lots of tangles back there.”

“I’d say so.  It looks like Charger’s mane after he’s made a visit to a briar patch.”

Heath led Amber to the bathroom.  It took him five minutes to get the chestnut hair free of tangles. He then searched the linen closet until he found a new toothbrush.  He pulled a can of tooth powder out of the medicine chest and handed both items to the child.

“Here.  I should have given these to you yesterday so you could brush your teeth.”

Amber looked way up until she could meet Heath’s eye.  “Is this another one of those rules I gotta follow for as long as I live with you?”

“Yep, this is another one of those rules.”

“Gee whiz, you have almost as many rules as my momm,....as Miss Kim.”

“Well, I expect both me and Miss Kim like you so much that we’d rather have you angry at us for makin’ you brush your teeth as opposed to    having you suffer from the pain of a toothache.  Whatta ya’ think about that?”

Amber gave a thoughtful nod.  “Yeah, I guess you could be right.”

Heath placed a hand atop Amber’s head.  “I know I’m right.  Now you brush your teeth and wash your face and hands, then come down to the dining room for breakfast.  I can already smell the bacon cooking.”

Nick and Heath were seated at the dining room table when Amber appeared.  With wide eyes she took in the plates of eggs, bacon, pancakes, blueberry muffins, toast, and orange slices.  She slipped into her chair exclaiming, “Boy howdy, would you look at this spread.”

Nick almost spit out his coffee.  When he finished choking he threw his head back and laughed.

“What’s so funny?”  Heath asked.

“Your guest hasn’t even been with us twenty-four hours and already she’s starting to sound like you.”

Heath shrugged his shoulders and dipped a corner of his toast into the broken yoke of his egg.  “There’s nothin’ wrong with that.”

Amber copied Heath’s every movement.  “Nope.  There’s nothin’ wrong with that.”

Nick simply shook his head.  He had a feeling he was going to be in for one very long day.

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Amber sat on the top rail of the corral fence.  She watched as Nick, Heath, and three ranch hands tried to get an unruly stallion under control. 

The animal bucked and fought the ropes that tugged at his neck as he was led to a narrow paddock.  When he was secured within its confines Nick removed the lassos.  He jogged across the corral and hoisted himself up on the fence next to Amber.

“Nick, if you want my advice you should geld that animal.”

Nick stared down at the little girl.

“What’d you say?”

“You know.  Castrate him.”

Nick could feel the heat of a blush traveling up his face.  Castrate was hardly a word he’d expected to hear come from a six year old girl’s mouth.

“I know what gelding is,”  came the cowboy’s gruff reply.  “What I want to know is how do you know what gelding is?”

“My pap,......Mr. Conner at the orphanage told me.”

Nick shot the child a disbelieving smirk.  “Mr. Conner at the orphanage told you?”

“Yep.  We had lots of horses there.”

“Look, kid, this orphanage story is wearing a bit thin.  Now you might be able to get away with telling a tall tale like that to my younger brother over there since he’s got considerably more patience than I do, and he’s too soft hearted for his own good besides.  But just between you and me let’s quit playing this game.  Why don’t you tell Uncle Nick just who it is you belong to.”

“Nick, if you were my uncle I wouldn’t be an orphan.”

Nick took a deep, calming breath.  “And if you were my niece I’d put you over my knee and give you a good spanking until I got the truth out of you.  Now come on before you force me to get tough with you.  Just tell me your last name and we’ll,.....”

Amber knew when a change of subject was in order.  She interrupted Nick’s command with one of her own.

“Look!  Heath’s gonna try to ride that stallion.”

Nick’s eyes followed Amber’s pointing finger to the paddock.  He was well aware Heath was going to be the first person to attempt to break their new stallion and watched as his brother gingerly lowered himself to the saddle.

Amber grimaced and covered her own eyes with her hands.  As one of the ranch hands swung open the paddock gate she spread her fingers just enough so she could watch Heath’s wild ride.

Nick’s shouts of encouragement to his brother blended with those of the hired help.  Amber held her breath, certain Heath would be killed before it was all over.  Dust billowed her way as the stallion bucked around the corral.  Heath’s ride didn’t last more than thirty seconds, but to his six year old admirer it seemed to go on forever.  The stallion gave one final mighty heave that tossed the blond man from its back.  Heath’s hat went in one direction while Heath went in the other.  He was thrown into the corral fence face first.

“Heath!”  Amber cried when the blond man staggered to his feet.  Blood ran freely from a gash on his forehead.

Nick grabbed the girl as she started to jump to the ground.

“Whoa there, missy.  You stay right here with me.”

“But Heath’s hurt.”

“Amber, we have a motto around the Barkley ranch that goes like this, - if Heath’s still walking he’s not hurt.”

Nick sat with one hand firmly wrapped around Amber’s arm until the stallion was back in the paddock.  Ignoring the blood running down his face, Heath walked over and picked up his hat then turned toward his brother.

Nick released Amber.  She scrambled off the fence and ran to Heath’s side. 

“Heath, are you okay?  You’re bleeding!”

The cowboy put a reassuring hand on the little girl’s back.  “I’m fine, honey.”

Nick smiled down at Amber from his perch.  “Heath bleeding is almost an every day occurrence around here.  If we got upset each time he needed a little patching up we’d never get any work done.”

Heath smacked his brother’s knee with his hat.  Nick jumped off the fence to have his turn at breaking the stallion.  As he passed Heath he growled, “Go get that cut washed and bandaged before it gets infected.  All I need is for you to get sick on me at our busiest time of the year.”

The blond cowboy couldn’t help but smile.  According to Nick all three hundred and sixty five days of the year were their busiest time.

Amber shot Nick a piercing scowl as she took Heath by the hand and led him toward the house.  She looked up at her patient.“Why is he so mean sometimes and other times he’s nice, like last night when he played checkers with me ?”

“Nick’s not mean, sweetie.  It’s like I told you yesterday.  His bark is worse than his bite.”

“But he doesn’t even care that you’re bleeding.  He just wants you to put a bandage on so you can keep working.”

“He cares.  He just doesn’t have an easy time of showing it.  Besides, all big brothers pick on their little brothers.  It’s just the way things are.”

“Tell me about it.  Big brothers pick on their little sisters, too.”

“Well now, I reckon that’s true enough since I’m forced to confess I do my fair share of pickin’ on Audra.  But if you’re an orphan,....”

Amber pointed a finger upward.  “Don’t ask.”  She tugged on the hand she was holding.  “Come on.  We gotta put a bandage on your cut before you get blood all over your shirt.”

Heath allowed his little nurse to tend to him that morning.  When she was finished he looked in the bathroom mirror and saw a small white bandage taped on his forehead surprisingly straight considering a six year old’s hands had done the task.

“You do good work, Miss Amber.”

“I’m always patching up Sage.”

“Sage?”

“Another kid at the,....”

“Don’t tell me,”  Heath said.  “Let me guess.  Another kid at the orphanage.”

“You got it.”

Heath put the roll of bandages back in the medicine chest.  Amber hopped up and down on one foot, trying to hurry him along.

“Come on, Heath, let’s go.”

“Where are you so anxious to hightail it to?”

“Back outside. I love your ranch!  There’s so much to do, and lots of neat stuff to see.  It’s not like at home,.....the orphanage,....where I have to do the same old chores day after day.”

Heath didn’t reply to the child’s words.  She ran ahead of him, charging down the stairs and out the door before he even exited the bathroom.  That fact didn’t bother the blond man.  It allowed him time to mull over her words in peace.

It’s not like at home,.....the orphanage,....where I have to do the same old chores day after day.”

Heath smiled as he headed outside.  Maybe it was past time to make Amber feel at home.

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Silas served fried chicken for lunch that day.  Amber happily munched on a drumstick while Nick and Heath discussed the work they planned to do that afternoon. 

Amber half listened to the men’s conversation.  She thought back over her morning.  She’d fed and watered horses, ridden on Charger with Heath  to a pasture where he checked on some new heifers that were under quarantine, played with a litter of kittens Heath introduced her to in the hay mow, and held onto a handful of nails for Heath while he fixed some loose boards on a fence.  The girl could hardly get through lunch fast enough.  She knew the afternoon on this huge ranch would be just as much fun as the morning was.  Heath had said they’d even sneak away from Nick and go swimming.

“We might as well ride to the line shack and replace those rotten shingles,”  Nick said to his brother as he reached for another piece of chicken.  “If we don’t do it today we’ll be cussing ourselves out in two weeks when we bunk down there.  Just our luck it’ll rain all night on us if we don’t give that roof the attention it needs.”

“Good idea,”  Heath agreed.  He took a long swallow of milk, then ate the last bite of food from his plate.  “While we’re there I wanna give it a good airing out, too.  Pete was the last one to use it and you know what an aversion he has to water.”

Nick wrinkled his nose.  “So I’ve noticed.  Oh, and say, remind me when we get out that way I wanna check the creek bed to see if it’s dry.”

Heath wiped his mouth on his napkin and stood.  Within seconds Nick was doing the same.  The two men acted as though they’d forgotten all about their visitor as they headed for the hats and gunbelts they’d left on a table in the foyer.   Amber hopped out of her chair, ready to join Heath on Charger for the afternoon’s adventures.

“Wait for me!”

Heath stopped and turned around.  “No, Amber, you’ll be stayin’ here.”

“But why?”

“ ‘Cause there’s chores you need to do.”

“But I am going to do chores.  I’m going to ride to the line shack with you and Nick.  I’ll hold the nails while you put the shingles on.”

“No,” Heath shook his head.  “Since you intend to stay here,....you know to live here and all, you gotta start pullin’ your weight.”

“Pulling my weight?”

“Yeah, kid.”  Nick buckled his gun belt around his waist.  “When my sister Audra was your age she had to help Silas in the kitchen, help him in the garden, help him straighten up the house,....you know, girl things like that.”

“And clean the chicken coop,”  Heath added.

Amber looked from Nick to Heath.  At first she thought they were teasing her, but the way they went about getting ready to leave the house as though she was no longer there told her they meant business.  She scurried in front of Heath, blocking his path to the door.        

“But I thought you said I could go with you this afternoon.  You said we’d even sneak away from Nick and go for a swim.”

“Sorry, honey, change in plans. Nick and I have a lot of work to do before the sun sets.”  Heath turned.  “Silas!  Silas!”

The black man came from the dining room.

“Yes, Mr. Heath?”

“Silas, please set Amber to doing whatever chores are necessary this afternoon.”

“But I thought Miss Amber was a guest, Mr. Heath.  You know  Mrs. Barkley doesn’t ask our guests to help while they’re visiting.”

“Amber isn’t a guest anymore.”

“She’s not?”

“Nope.  She’s decided she wants to live here so that means she’s got to do her part in keeping the ranch running.”

With a wave of his hand Nick agreed.  “Yeah, Silas, put her to work.  You know, doing whatever it was Audra did at her age to help around here.”

Silas have a dubious nod of his head.  “Okay, Mr. Nick.  I’ll do that.  Come along, Miss Amber.  You and me will clear the dishes from the dining room table first thing, then we’ll get ourselves set up washing them.”

Amber turned tear-filled eyes to the blond Barkley.   “Heath, please.  Please let me go with you.  I don’t wanna stay here by myself.  I’m scared.”

Heath’s answer was short and gruff.  “No reason to be scared.  Silas won’t hurt you and he needs your help besides.”

The girl clutched Heath’s hand.  She clung to him, trying to prevent him from walking out the door.  Heath gently loosened her fingers.  He nodded to Silas who grasped Amber by the shoulders.  The black man held onto the crying child until Coco and Charger were galloping out the front gates.

When the Barkley mansion was nothing more than a distant speck Nick slowed Coco to a trot.  Heath did the same with Charger.

“You had no choice,”  Nick said.  “You had to do it.”

“I know.”  Heath stopped Charger and looked back as though he could still see a little girl standing in the doorway crying.  

Nick brought Coco to a halt and waited until Heath turned back to face him.  He gave his brother a smile and patted him on the arm. 

“Come on.  Let’s head to the line shack and get those shingles on.” 

When Heath did nothing more than nod his head Nick shot him an   exasperated look. 

“Like I said last night at the dinner table, I shudder to think of the day when you become a father.  Your kids will be spoiled senseless.”

“Maybe there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Nick scowled. “You think not, huh?”

“At least my kids will always be assured of one thing.”

“And what one thing would that be?”

“That their father loves them and will always be there for them.”

The subject of paternal attention was often a touchy one between the two brothers.  After all, Nick had grown up under the influence of their father’s guiding hand while Heath had grown up not knowing who his father was.  Though Nick had come to understand the pain this still caused Heath, he wasn’t always sympathetic to it if he perceived Heath was being disrespectful of Tom Barkley’s memory. 

A bird chirped overhead while Nick held his temper and thought over his reply.  When he spoke all he said was, “I don’t suppose there’s anything wrong with loving your kids and being there for them through thick and thin.”

Heath’s reply was so soft his brother could barely hear it.  “No, Nick, there’s not.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

Heath urged Charger back into a gallop.  Nick did the same with Coco.  The brothers didn’t speak again until they started their work on the line shack’s roof.

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