Tumbleweeds rolling in the wind greeted the brothers upon their arrival in the one-horse town of Strawberry. Heath remained stoic while ambling through the main street, tilting his head merely to glance at the cemetery to spot his mother’s tombstone. He flashed a small curl of the lip at the flowers gracing the grave, his heart fluttering at the thought of Hannah honoring her dear friend’s memory.
His parched throat was screaming for a cool beer, but Nick wrestled with his thirst to keep it at bay as the prospect of quenching it at the saloon was definitely not on Heath’s agenda for now. He silently followed his brother’s path to Hannah James’s house; a small decrepit cabin on the outskirts of town that people fled like the plague mostly on account of the occupant’s dementia. Nick witnessed firsthand the degree of psychosis when the black woman sprung out of the blue brandishing a branch in Heath’s direction.
Nick swiftly grabbed the branch before it crashed onto the unaware intended victim’s head. “Ya cain’t get me. I ain’t goin’ with ya,” the hysterical woman shrieked, struggling to wring herself free from Nick’s grip.
“Hannah, it’s me, Heath,” he pacified, grabbing her shoulders to level his eyes with hers. “Look at me, Hannah. It’s Heath.”
The madness subsided as she focused on the familiar grin flashing before her. “Heath? Heath my boy. Is you? You here?” she enthused with a gentle hand against his cheek. “Heath is here. Heath is good.”
“Yes Hannah,” he reassured, taking her hand to sandwich in his own. “And this is my brother, Nick.”
She turned to the darkhaired sibling still holding the branch. He shot her a dubious look, eyeing her from head to toe to size her up. “He bad,” she sputtered with a glare.
“No Hannah. He only wants to protect me. You are the one who came at me with that branch. He stopped you before you hurt me,” he explained calmly to avoid upsetting the delicate balance between sanity and insanity. He nodded to Nick to put the branch down. “This is my brother. He would never hurt you.”
“He take care of my Heath?”
“That’s right, Hannah. Nick is my best friend.”
Upon hearing those comforting words, she fashioned a grateful smile and kissed Nick on the cheek. “Good for my Heath. Come.” She clasped Nick’s hand and pulled him to the cabin. “Come inside. Hannah make you coffee. Come.”
Nick shot Heath a confound look that received an amused grin in return. “She likes you Nick,” Heath chaffed.
“Swell.”
Barely had he stepped inside the small abode that Heath caught sight of a photograph of his mama on a worn-out dresser. While Hannah was tending to Nick, he walked over to the picture and picked it up. A wistful smile graced his lips as he traced the woman’s face with the tip of his middle finger. He started drifting on a sea of blissful memories until a sudden storm came washing them down; smudging the colorful slice of life of a boy’s childhood. With a heavy heart Heath closed his eyes and set the picture down.
“Heath? Want some coffee?” Nick’s query steered the soul all adrift back to reality.
“Yeah.” He turned to join Nick at the kitchen table.
“Ah say, is it safe to drink that stuff?” Nick raised with a strong suspicion that he was about to be poisoned.
Heath chuckled and gave him a reassuring clap on the back. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. To prove it to you I’ll drink first.”
“Say, d’you want me out of the room when you start asking her questions?”
“No. In fact I’d prefer you stay. You might understand things that I might miss.”
“Okay. Anytime you’re ready.”
Heath locked stares with Nick, holding his focus on those hazel orbs to draw the strength needed to pursue his quest. He waited for a signal to engage in his task, which came in a form of an emboldening nod of the head. He rose to his feet and ambled up to Hannah by the kitchen counter. Her constant humming was indication that she had drifted back into her own little realm of fantasy, which was somewhat annoying to Heath who needed her sober to provide truthful answers to his crucial questions.
“Hannah. I need to talk to you about mama. It’s serious. Please, listen to me.”
“Your mama. She dead, child.”
“I know that, Hannah. I wanted to ask you about her husband Charlie Sawyer.”
Hannah cringed at the name. “No. No talk about that man.” She flailed her hands about as though she was chasing flies.
Heath grabbed her by the shoulders. “Hannah, it’s important. I need you to remember,” he beseeched with imploring eyes that shook Hannah’s inner core.
“He bad man. Don’t wanna talk about him.”
“I know you don’t but you must. I need to know if my mama loved him.”
Hannah wriggled herself free from Heath’s grip to run to her bedroom. Heath was hot on her trail, preventing her from bolting the door behind her. “Hannah, please. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“You do. Hannah ain’t gonna talk. Cain’t talk.”
“Why? Because it’s not true? She didn’t marry him out of love?” Heath probed deeper, causing the frightened woman to huddle in a corner of the room. He hated what he was doing to her but he needed to clear the air so he could breathe easier again. “Please Hannah. Please tell me. Was my mama in love with Charlie Sawyer?”
“Charlie bad,” she whimpered. “He came botherin’ your mama. She let him. I’s told her he was bad man. Not worthy of Leah. But…”
“But what?”
“She would go to him.”
“Go to him. How do you mean?”
“No more talk, Heath.” she pleaded but couldn’t deter him from his purpose.
“Go to him?” Heath snapped involuntarily. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m sorry.”
“Why you ask questions about him? Was no good. He no love your mama like a husband do.”
“Then why did she go to him? Was she in love with him?”
“She was. But he don’t want her at first.”
“Why?” When silence came as his reply, Heath insisted. “WHY?”
Heath’s outburst sent Hannah’s sanity spiraling out of control. “He don’t say,” she screamed.
“Is it because he already had a wife?” Heath blurted out to burst the abscess, causing Hannah’s head to rear up in shock. “Was it? Mama broke up his marriage, is that it?” Heath ached at the vile treatment he was putting himself and Hannah through but considered this harsh method his only choice to delve out the truth.
“No! No! No! Told her to leave him be,” Hannah yelled hysterically until she finally broke free from Heath’s grip and ran out of the room in tears, whizzing by Nick as she dashed out the door. Heath shuffled shamefacedly behind her.
“What’s going on here?” Heath’s forlorn expression was self-explanatory. “Heath?”
“It’s true, Nick. It’s all true,” Heath wailed, feeling the woe of the world bearing down on him. Shattered were his memories of a grand lady that stood tall on the high pedestal he had erected for her. He suffocated under the massive sense of betrayal that weighed heavily on him.
“Pshaw!” Nick rebuffed. “I heard what you put that poor woman through. You scared her half to death. I’m sure she didn’t know what she was saying.”
“That was necessary Nick. It was the only way to get the truth out of her.”
“Truth? What exactly did she say?”
Heath slid over to the table and flumped down on a chair. “She said that Sawyer didn’t take a liking to my mama at first but that she somehow convinced him that she was the right woman for him. It proves that she pursued him. Maybe she did know he was married.”
“Are you actually listening to yourself?” Nick seethed. “What happened to the man who belted anyone that bad mouthed his mama? I ought to give you a taste of your own medicine, boy.” Nick sputtered through clenched teeth.
“That means she did the same to Tom Barkley,” Heath said resignedly.
Nick lunged at Heath and grabbed him by the shirt. With one pull he jerked him to his feet and smacked him in the face; the force propelling Heath clear across the room. “DON’T you dare talk about your mother or our father like that, do you hear me?” Nick blasted with an angry finger to emphasize his threat. “I won’t let you smudge the name of two decent people because of a misinterpretation.”
“Nick, Hannah said…”
“I don’t care what she said, or rather what you think she said. She’s not the one to ask. I’m sure there’s someone in this town we can ask about Charlie Sawyer and your mother. Someone who still has all his marbles.” Nick softened up and stepped up to Heath with an olive branch. “Come on, brother.” Heath flinched at the hand offered as he dabbed at the blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. “Let’s go into town and find someone who will settle this once and for all. But first I think you’d better find Hannah and apologize to her.”
Heath wavered whether to accept the peace offering, but one look into Nick’s pleading eyes was enough to convince him to follow his brother’s advice and seek another opinion. That blow to the jaw had knocked his senses back on track.
While the brothers’ quest for the truth went on, in Stockton, a surprised visitor showed up at the ranch.
“Hello Silas,” Gloria greeted sheepishly. “Could I speak with Heath?”
“Mr. Heath is not here right now. Please do come in.” He bade the young woman enter just as Victoria climbed down the stairs.
“Gloria?”
“Mrs. Barkley. I’m sorry for disturbing you. I was hoping to speak with Heath but Silas tells me he’s not here.”
“That’s right. He and his brother Nick went to Strawberry.”
“Strawberry?” Gloria trembled at the town’s name. “I might have known,” she muttered to herself. “Please, can I talk to you? It’s important.”
“Well of course,” Victoria said obligingly, reaching for the girl’s arm to escort her to the parlor. “Silas, would you bring us some lemonade?”
“No it’s okay,” Gloria objected courteously. “I’ll only stay a couple of minutes.”
No sooner had Victoria slid close the majestic oak door that Gloria opened the dam of apologies. “First I would like to say how sorry I am for what happened with Heath. I never knew my mother could be so mean. But I understood how she felt.”
Victoria gave a reassuring smile and walked Gloria over to the settee where they both sat. “I’m sure this is a misunderstanding. Hopefully Heath and Nick will clear it up.”
“That’s why I came here. I know the truth about what happened.”
Victoria’s brow furrowed. “You do? How?”
“I wrote to my aunt. My father’s sister who lives in San Francisco and asked her about how Charlie met my mother and Leah Thomson.” She pulled a telegram from out of her skirt pocket and handed it over to Victoria. “I just picked it up at the telegraph office and came here directly. I didn’t say anything to my mom yet.”
Victoria unfolded the paper and read the message. Gloria waited for a reaction to the content of the letter before adding, “She says she’ll be coming to Stockton by the noon train on Friday to make sure my mother understands exactly what Charlie did to her and Heath’s mother.”
“I see.”
“Is there any way we can get in touch with Heath? I think he should hear this.”
“Yes of course he should. Problem is there are no telegraph offices in operation in Strawberry. I will need to ask one of our hands to ride over there.”
“If you could?”
“Of course I will.” Victoria assured with a comforting hand on Gloria’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m just hoping that Heath and I could be friends again.”
“I’m sure you’ll be more than that once your mother hears about this.”
Gloria breathed out a shuddering sigh, her heart fluttering with delight at Victoria’s blessing. “Thank you Mrs. Barkley. I really do love your son. And I mean YOUR son.”
She leaned in to give Victoria a hug before following the matriarch across the room to the oak doors.
They met with Jarrod in the foyer.
“Jarrod?!” Victoria exclaimed. “You’re home early.”
Briefcase in hand, Jarrod leaned forward to give Victoria a dutiful kiss. “I finished my backlog at the office so I thought I come here and work on the court trial for Thursday.” He threw Gloria a dubious look. “Gloria?”
“Gloria brought some interesting news about Charlie Sawyer.”
“Oh?”
“I came to speak to Heath about it but your mother tells me he’s in Strawberry.”
“Yes, he was fairly upset about your mother’s accusations,” Jarrod spoke icily.
“We know the truth of what happened,” Victoria informed as she handed the telegram to Jarrod. “Gloria’s aunt is traveling to Stockton on Friday to set the record straight.”
“This is good news,” Jarrod exulted after reading the message.
“I agree and Heath needs to hear this, that’s why I’m sending a hand to ride into Strawberry.”
“No need, Mother. I’ll go to Strawberry myself.” He turned to Gloria and waved the telegram in the air. “Can I keep this?”
“Sure.”
“Just some insurance against a likely skeptical brother,” Jarrod jested with a sly smile as he stuffed the telegram in his jacket pocket. “I’ll go pack my things.”