Your patience is appreciated and I promise the brothers are finally to be reunited with Heath. But be warned... the reunion will include the discovery of what
Hadley did to Heath... and it will affect them deeply...
A Sacred Trust
Chapter 20
Nick followed Frank and Jimmy with heightened anticipation as the two boys wove a wayward path through the trees just beyond the river bank. A somber glance from Jarrod beside him confirmed that his older brother was overwhelmed by the same sickening worry that was festering down deep. He tightened his hold on the reins in his hand and gulped a mouthful of stale air when the gnawing fear in his gut rumbled to the surface…
Heath was badly hurt… his brother needed him and the desperate urge to reach him was becoming unbearable…
Nick surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings and tried to determine where the boys were leading them. An unwelcome voice taunted him and he remembered Hadley's heated declaration that he'd intended on hiding Heath in an abandoned homestead near the river. There was only one such place in this area and as far as anyone knew, it was nothing more than an old shack and the family that had once lived there was long gone… or were they?
Bartle…
A flood of uncertainty suddenly washed over him, forcing him to question the authenticity of the rumors he'd heard over the years about the recluse family that had staked a claim somewhere in a forgotten place of seclusion near the river… There had been children, or so the talk about town had suggested… nobody could remember for sure how many there were… Two brothers… and a sister? What of the parents…? And who was this man named 'Rev' who was obviously terrorizing the boys… and Anne… Clearly Frank and Jim were terrified for her well being. If this 'Rev' was as dangerous as he sounded what exactly was he capable of?
Nick's rambled musings were soon interrupted by a soft hoot from the tow haired brother who led them into a small clearing and approached a wall of rock partially hidden by thick overgrowth.
"He's in there," Jimmy declared, waving his hand toward thick branches growing along the side of a sheer rock face.
Nick picketed the horses beside a clump of trees at the edge of the clearing and stepped in closer to examine the wall of stone in front of them. Seeing no obvious point of entry or trail over the cliff, he furrowed his brow and forced himself not to give into his mounting frustration at remaining separated from Heath.
"Where?" he groaned in a voice that betrayed his impatience. "There's nothing here."
Frank's smirk was smug on his face and his younger brother busted open with pride.
"Ya see!" the eight year old snickered happily. "We done hide it right good!"
With impish grins on their faces, the Bartle brothers deftly tore aside the clump of branches they had strategically placed over the cleft in the cliff, thereby revealing the elusive entrance to their hideout. A wave of their hands beckoned the Barkleys to follow and the boys triumphantly disappeared through their secret portal. Nick hitched his breath and shared a prayerful look with Jarrod before slipping into the darkness beyond the opening where he found himself standing in a surprisingly large, dimly lit cave. Jarrod wasn't far behind him and soon they were surrounded by the young boys who began herding them further into the shadows. Moments later, the soft glow of a small lantern splashing light into the corner of the cave revealed a huddled form lying on a tattered blanket at the edge of the room. When he recognizied the blond hair matted with fevered sweat, Nick released a soft whimper of relief and sank to his knees beside the man he feared had been lost to them forever.
"Heath!"
Nick carefully wrapped his injured brother in a desperate embrace and cradled him against his chest.
"Heath, can ya hear me?"
When his initial efforts were unsuccessful, Nick bent his head close to Heath's ear and muttered a frantic plea for him to respond.
"It's Nick an' Jarrod," he urgently whispered while gently patting the side of Heath's flushed face. "C'mon an' give us a sign, Little Brother… "
Heath softly moaned and tossed his head in an effort to escape the muttered sounds attempting to drag him back toward reality. It was too painful… too hot… he couldn't give in… somehow the abyss of his inner sanctum offered escape from the torture of the world beyond and his battered body begged him to ignore the tug of consciousness…
"Please, Heath… you gotta wake up now… "
The mumbled sounds were becoming clearer… worming their way through the cotton plugging his ears… unjumbled and strangely familiar… Somewhere in the darkness a comforting voice reached out for him, compelling him to relent to its urgent summons…
"We're here, Little Brother… Jarrod n' me… you're gonna be alright…"
Suddenly, reality flooded his senses, forcing him to crack open his eyes. With a strangled moan, he squinted past the thunder roaring in his head and blindly focused on the face of worry peering back at him.
The face he knew… and trusted beyond all others…
"…Nn-ick…?"
Jarrod quickly knelt near the blanketed form on the ground in front of him and sighed with gratitude when the clouded blue of Heath's eyes began to clear and recognize the troubled man holding onto him for dear life. The blond's whispered response sounded like a thunderous roar to Nick who nearly choked on the emotion surging through him and fondly cuffed the back of his brother's neck.
"Yeah, Heath… I'm here…"
Nick blinked against the unwelcome wetness welling in his eyes and smiled up at Jarrod whose own tear-filled face mirrored the same feeling of exhausted relief.
"You gave us a scare, Brother Heath," Jarrod declared, moving in closer to Nick was bracing their injured brother against his knee.
Heath's weary gaze roamed the shadows in search of the source of the second voice and a soft whimper passed over his lips when he found his oldest brother.
"Jarr- rod… too…"
"Right here…" Jarrod placed a firm hand on Heath's knee to assure his younger sibling of his presence beside him. "We're both right beside you."
A violent tremor suddenly surged through Heath's fevered frame and a graveled cough forced him to curl into Nick's chest where he struggled to catch the breath being squeezed from his lungs. Nick held on tight, supporting his brother through the painful spasm and wincing with each sharp rasp that threatened to tear him in two. When the horrific battle was finally over and Heath had seemed to settle into a state of semi-consciousness, Nick brushed back the dampened strands of hair from the blond's face and rallied his resolve.
"It's gonna be alright now, Little Brother," he promised, easing Heath back against his knee once more. "We're gonna get ya outta here an' home where you belong."
Home… Safe… he'd been safe there… Nick… Jarrod… they were going to bring him home…
A tremendous longing for his family bubbled up from the depths within him and for a brief moment he allowed his battered body to relax in the comfort Nick's words offered him. His brothers… his family… his home… everything he had ever yearned for was cradled in the warmth of their existence in his life…
… and then he suddenly remembered why he wasn't worthy of such a treasure…
Pain and distant sorrow invaded the serenity of Heath's anguished thoughts and he clenched his eyes tight against their onslaught. Montero had known it… Hadley had ensured it… Heath was nothing more than a mongrel - the bastard son of a dead man who never claimed him - and he had no right to burden the Barkleys with any more trouble and turmoil than he already had.
"Leave… m' be…" he muttered, weakly pushing against Nick's chest with his unhindered arm. "…better off… best ya ne-va … knew me…"
"You get hit on the head, too?" Nick snipped as he ignored his brother's ramblings and attempted to determine the severity of the inflamed wound he'd suddenly noticed in Heath's arm. "We ain't about ta leave ya!"
Heath's agitation wound not be curtailed and rose to an unbridled intensity fueled by the fevered adrenaline now coursing through his body. He angrily shook his head and twisted in Nick's grasp, causing the rancher to send a panicked look toward Jarrod who was as confused as he was by their injured brother's unexplainable actions.
"Easy, Heath…" Nick pleaded.
Heath shuddered and continued to fight the hold both his brother and his delirium had on him. "M'fault… they - they're losin' th' land… s'cause o' me…"
"It's not true, Heath." Jarrod leaned in closer to his distraught brother and tried to assure him his self-guilt was undeserved. "None of what's happened is your fault. This is between Montero and the homesteaders."
Nick felt Heath's trembling intensify and he clutched the blond close as pitiful sobs began to wrack his brother's weakened body.
"Not p-pure…" Heath panted, trying to catch his breath as another spasm rattled through his chest. "…like th' bull… can't… can't claim… th' name…"
"Don't let me hear you say that again, Heath!" Nick's heart raced and he cringed at the grizzly images of the executed bull now flashing before him. "You ARE a Barkley… and the HELL with Montero!"
The fevered fire raging through Heath began to devour him once more and he dipped his head against Nick's arm when the air around him seemed to thicken like molasses in his lungs. For a fleeting moment, his pain-filled blue eyes settled on his brothers and an emptiness stole any trace of hope from them when he felt the burn in his leg mock him with an eternal reminder of who he was… the legacy he could never escape…
"Got th' mark… Nick… d-don't mean… Bar-kley… on me…"
His face was streaked with sorrow and he heaved a raspy breath before slowly welcoming the oblivion that sheltered him from the painful truth he could no longer face.
"Heath?" Nick felt the strength ebb from Heath's body and his heart turned to stone. "Dontcha quit on me!"
He placed a frantic hand on Heath's chest and clenched his eyes tight when he felt a shallow pulse still beating beneath his palm… the frail thrum that assured him his brother was still alive.
"What's he mean, Jarrod?" Dazed and confused, Nick turned to his older brother in frustration and prayed for answers he feared no one could give him. "What mark?"
"It's on his leg." Frank bravely crouched by Heath's feet and revealed the location of the explanation he was certain the men were looking for. "We seen it down under his knee."
Jarrod felt his stomach twist into a knot and it seemed like time stood still while he moved aside the blanket in order to search beneath the tattered remains of Heath's left pants leg.
"We thought he got it from prison," Jimmy added with a woeful glance in Jarrod's direction. "Ain't that where they do that ta ya?"
Jarrod barely heard the young boy's mumbled question and fumbled with the torn bandage that Anne had wrapped around his brother's lower limb until he managed to uncover the gruesome scar of hatred scorched on the inside of Heath's calf. Instantly, his insides revolted and he threw his hand to his mouth to fend off the urge to be physically ill.
"Pappy…?"
Nick watched Jarrod suddenly wrench away from whatever he had discovered and beads of cold, unearthly fear trickled down the back of his neck. He found himself barely able to control the desperation pricking down his spine when his older brother's pallid face slowly lifted and peered back at him with heart-stopping sadness. The shadows seemed to engulf Jarrod and he struggled to find the words that he dared not speak. The soul of his blue eyes was darkened by the horror he'd seen and now brimmed with tears that he had no strength to contain.
Terrified, Nick gently lowered Heath to the blanket and quickly filled the empty space beside Jarrod. With trembling hands, he brushed aside the ripped cloth still crusted with dirty blood and clenched his jaw in an attempt to brace himself for whatever he was about to witness. The angry welt of blistered skin leapt at him like a viper and he instinctively recoiled, jerking his hand away from the hellish discovery as if it had been seared to the bone. With a inhuman moan, he thread his fingers through his hair and struggled to wrap his tormented mind around the fact that an enflamed burn in the shape of a letter 'B' was carved on his brother's flesh. It was almost more than his soul could bear.
"No… no… Mother of God… Heath…" he choked back a sob and reached down with shaky fingers to tenderly caress his brother's wound. A rabid fury exploded through him and he twisted away, balling his hand into a tight fist against his side.
"Damn him!" he cursed through grit teeth. "Hadley's a dead man…"
A low, guttural roar rumbled in his throat and he stumbled to his feet, nearly falling forward when a wave of nausea boiled inside him. The enraged rancher rammed his closed fist against the side of the cave and leaned toward the wall, burying his face into his sleeve in a vain attempt to wall away the ugliness he couldn't comprehend.
"They treated 'im no better than an animal!" he growled in a heated voice that terrified the Bartle brothers. "He'd better run, Jarrod… he better run to the ends of the earth… 'cause I swear to you - when I get my hands on 'im, Bert Hadley will wish he was never born!"
Slowly, numbly, Jarrod moved toward his distraught brother and rested a compassionate hand on his shoulder.
"Nick- please…" He recognized the unbridled rage that was seething within his younger sibling's soul and urged him to set aside his anger.
"Nick, listen… "
Nick threw off the lawyer's hold on him and stormed across the darkened space, his uncontrolled hatred surging off him like the flames of an inferno.
"And while we're at it, why don't we curse HIM, too!" He jabbed his finger skyward and puffed his breath in and out in short pants of anger. "What did Heath call 'im? The ol' 'stud'?"
The rancher snorted like a caged animal - like an infuriated bull raging against Montero… against Hadley… against the Father he'd worshipped… against all the injustice that had contributed to the torment now slashing through his heart.
"Damn 'im!" he hissed. "For leavin' our little brother alone to defend himself against this kind of Hell all his life! For betrayin' the sacred trust between a Father and a Son… a Barkley son!"
With a stern pull on Nick's arms, Jarrod angled his brother toward him until they were face to face and he could feel the heat flaring off the rancher's skin.
"I understand your anger, Nick," he acknowledged, his tone laden with his own grief and guilt. "Believe me when I tell you I'm just as angry as you are. But right now that's not what matters!"
His voice softened slightly and he willed the tempest in Nick to ebb, even if only long enough to focus on the job that needed to be done.
"What's important now is that we've found Heath… he's alive, he's hurt… and it's our responsibility to make sure we get him to a doctor as soon as possible."
Nick shot a frantic glance across the cave where he'd left Heath and felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he watched their younger brother toss his head and buck against another torturous coughing spasm that seemed to erupt from deep within his chest.
"He's sick," he relented with a fearful groan. "And you're right… Heath's what's important… we gotta get 'im outta here, Pappy."
Jarrod sensed a reluctant calm descend over Nick and he gave a supportive squeeze of his brother's shoulder before purposefully leading him back toward their wounded sibling's side.
"We might want to build a travois," he suggested, resting a nervous hand on Heath's face which was now drenched with sweat. "Something we could pull him on."
Nick groaned and shook his head. "Don't think we can risk it, Jarrod. It'll take too much time and right now that's not on our side."
"You're probably right." Jarrod propped his palms on his thighs and released a helpless sigh. "What are you thinking?"
"He can ride with me… Coco's strong enough and I can hold him steady. No matter how we move 'im it's gonna take a toll. I figure the faster pace we can keep up gettin' 'im home, the better."
Jarrod creased his brow and nodded. "Agreed… I don't think we have any other choice."
Watching from the shadows in the corner of the cave, Frank anxiously balled his fists by his side while Nick and Jarrod slowly lift Heath off the ground. The young boy chewed the inside of his cheek as the unconscious man he'd helped rescue from the river bank was straddled between his two brothers who were clearly determined to bring him to safety. He saw Nick carefully drape Heath's uninjured limb over his shoulder while Jarrod wrapped his right arm securely around the would-be Outlaw's waist and his hopes were crushed beneath the cautious steps that now shuffled toward the front of the cave.
Jarrod and Nick were going back on their word…
…the young boy had watched in silence while the two men had grieved over the discovery of the brand on their brother's leg…
…he had cringed in terror as Nick had stormed around the cave and cursed with the kind of temper he had seen control first his Father, then his Uncle…
…and now he glowered in frustration at the sudden realization that the strangers from the river were planning to leave with Heath without fulfilling the promise to help Anne…
And it was more than one desperate child could bear…
