Post by catgirl63 on Dec 8, 2010 10:57:19 GMT -4
Chapter 104
In the slowly dwindling light of the day, Matt walked to the stream smiling as he heard the laughter of his nephew and his daughter. The identical pair were playing on the edge of the creek, splashing each other with water. He stood watching as Heath with his larger hands cupped up water and flung it, missing his little girl mostly except for a few drops. Joy giggled and ran a few feet away before rushing back to the edge of the water dipping the metal cup and gathering up some liquid. The tiny girl’s body shook with laughter spilling most of the cup’s contents before she tossed it at her father. The blond’s face took the brunt of his daughter’s assault and he made a false lunge towards her, sending his girl to scream before leaping away. Raising a hand to wipe his sopping bangs to the side, Heath saw the line in the water jump one then twice.
“Joy, help papa with the fish.” Instructed Heath waving his girl closer as he pulled the pole from where he’d rested in some rocks. “Hurry now.”
“Fish,” exclaimed Joy scampering over to sit on her papa’s lap, clapping her hands in anticipation. “Fish..fish!”
“Put your hands here,” guided Heath to his little girl who eagerly clamped onto the pole. “That’s right….just like that….now we gotta be careful and not spook ‘em. Might help if we call to them…here fishy fishy…you help me call them….here fishy fishy….”
“Here fishy…here fishy…”
“That’s good Joy…real good,” acknowledged the blond with a grin before lowering his head to lean it against his daughter’s. “You’re gonna be a good fisherman…fishergirl when you get bigger, aren’t you.”
“Yep,” asserted the tiny girl with a nod as she watched the pole beneath her hands move backwards.
Pulling the makeshift pole back, Heath reached out and tugged the line to him, a good sized trout flopped around in protest at being tricked from its realm in the stream. Laying the pole on the ground, he held the fish up and glanced sideways at Joy,
“Boy howdy, Joy…that’s a keeper alright.” Bragged the blond chuckling as Joy mimicked him.
“Boy howdy.” Copied Joy clapping her hands before reaching out and touching the scaly body with a tentative finger, recoiling back at the slimy feel. “Yucky.”
“Yeah but its good eating.” Assured the blond as he took the fish from the hook he’d fashioned to place it in the pail at his feet. “A few more then we’ll cook them up and eat ‘em for dinner.”
Shaking her head, Joy replied emphatically, “No…no fish.”
“You’ll like it, Joy…you just gotta try it.” Countered Heath throwing the line back in the water and setting the end of the pole in the rocks. “Aunt Rachel and Aunt Hannah cook good fish.”
“No…no eat….yucky.” protested the small girl, glancing over when they were joined by another and pleading earnestly. “Uncle, no eat.”
“Well, now we’ll see, Joy,” soothed Matt catching the blue eyes of his nephew with a wink. “Your papa’s gotta catch some more if he wants to have trout for dinner…one little bitty fish isn’t gonna do for all of us.”
“Little bitty?” protested Heath gesturing to the pail. “It’s nearly as long as my arm.”
“You must have short arms, boy.” Teased Matt with a smirk on his face to his eye-rolling nephew as he held his hands out. “Com’n Joy let papa do his work while we get you cleaned up.”
“Bye papa,” said Joy without a thought, readily allowing her uncle to scoop her up in his arms.
“See you in a bit,” assured Heath with a grin to the man who carried her back to the campsite. Turning to return to his evening’s chore, he ran his hands over his head forcing his damp hair back into position before placing his hat on his head. What had started out as a day of second-guessing seemed to slowly fall away the more miles they put between themselves and Strawberry like a chick losing its soft baby fuzz. This new start with his uncles and aunts tasted like the first warm breath of spring air. He heard a faint hint of Joy’s laughter from the campsite and a smile spread across his face. Riley had given him a gift finer than any gold or silver.
“You got enough yet?” questioned the lilting voice of Rachel after he heard the swishing of her skirt as she neared, placing a hand on his shoulder as she peered into the bucket. With soft brown eyes sparkling with laughter she said, “Well now they don’t as small as Matt made them out to be.”
Skaking his head, Heath growled, “He’s a funny man that Matt Simmons….probably needs some new spectacles too.”
Sitting on a rock beside her nephew, Rachel sighed with contentment as she enjoyed nature’s bounty around them. Heath looked over and studied the older woman, his eyes crinkling in the corners from his lop-sided grin. “You look...well…more than happy, Aunt Rachel. I believe being out in the open agrees with you.”
“Think so?” replied Rachel leaning her crossed arms on her knees as she studied her nephew’s face. “Must run in the family cause you have the same look, Heath…I swear your eyes have gotten brighter with the increase in sunshine.”
“Yeah, ain’t nothing like being on the trail and camping under the stars,” sighed the blond as he pulled in another fish and carefully pulled it off the hook. “During my stint in Nevada, I probably was the only one there, guards or cons, who didn’t mind working away in that hot sun…reckon the others figured I had lost my mind.”
“I bet it feels like a lifetime ago, huh?” asked Rachel curious for the man beside her didn’t often speak of that dark time in his life and in his mind.
“Hmmm, some days yes and some days not so much.” Offered Heath absently before turning to study his aunt as he reached over and held her hands in his. “Sometimes I like to think I was a different person back then and that I have put miles between that Heath and me…but truth be told, I’m not that different now than I was then. I still have that anger inside that seems to lay just under the surface.”
Shaking her head, Rachel countered, “Heath, you have anger just like all of us but its nowhere the same as back then. That wild reckless boy who came back from Carterson lost inside is not there any more. You have changed, matured with your experiences…all of them. You have grown more than maybe you can see cause you don’t see yourself from the outside like we do.”
“Well, I’m thankful for you all, Aunt Rachel…more than you’ll ever know,” replied Heath leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek before winking. “Course I’ll be more thankful after you and Hannah cook up our supper.”
Laughing as he pulled her up onto her feet, Rachel wound her arm around his waist as they walked back to the campsite. She like the others in camp, except Joy, felt renewed at a fresh start….excited at the prospects and feeling the blood in their veins stirring in preparation to meet the challenges which could lay ahead. Instead of a stagnant life, drenched in the routine of everyday in Strawberry, she felt as if she were one of the pioneers who had crossed the Great Plains in search for something grander.
Matt looked up as Rachel and Heath entered the campsite. The pail in the younger man’s hand was quickly absconded and taken away by Hannah despite his nephew’s protests. Setting Joy with her horsey in hand on the ground next to her blocks, he said, “This is a great campsite, Heath. Close to water and plenty of grass for the horses.”
Looking around, Heath nodded as he took a spot on the deadfall and offered, “Yes, I know, Uncle Matt. This is where I was camping when Audra caught up to me and the ranch hand Barrett.”
Watching his nephew’s face cloud as it stirred with the memory, Matt took a seat beside his nephew squeezing his knee and forcing his thoughts back to the present. Offering a smile before he turned his eyes back to where the two year old was playing, he said, “It’s a good thing your brothers were there to help, Heath….you could have left behind more than just me and your aunts if he’d of killed you.”
Leaning forward, Heath smiled and nodded in agreement before glancing at his uncle, “Ain’t that the gospel truth, Uncle Matt…me and Audra were darn lucky that day when those boys showed up just in time.”
“I wonder if that’s what they mean by Barkley luck,” queried Matt with a wink.
“Reckon we’ll find out, won’t we?” replied Heath with a grin and a nudge into the side of the man with his shoulder. “Thanks for coming with me….”
Settling his arm across his nephew’s muscular shoulders, Matt gave him a one armed hug as he stated, “You wouldn’t have been able to get out of Strawberry without me boy even if you had tried.”
Heath’s agreement came in the form of a chuckle as he sat with his uncle, watching his daughter play and feeling a degree of contentment in the choice he had made. It wouldn’t be easy but then again, not too many things had come easy in his life either via the cloud he’d been born under or the wrong choices he’d made. He’d struggle under the weight of the world to give his girl what he never had and he had come to slowly realize, family would make all the difference.
In the slowly dwindling light of the day, Matt walked to the stream smiling as he heard the laughter of his nephew and his daughter. The identical pair were playing on the edge of the creek, splashing each other with water. He stood watching as Heath with his larger hands cupped up water and flung it, missing his little girl mostly except for a few drops. Joy giggled and ran a few feet away before rushing back to the edge of the water dipping the metal cup and gathering up some liquid. The tiny girl’s body shook with laughter spilling most of the cup’s contents before she tossed it at her father. The blond’s face took the brunt of his daughter’s assault and he made a false lunge towards her, sending his girl to scream before leaping away. Raising a hand to wipe his sopping bangs to the side, Heath saw the line in the water jump one then twice.
“Joy, help papa with the fish.” Instructed Heath waving his girl closer as he pulled the pole from where he’d rested in some rocks. “Hurry now.”
“Fish,” exclaimed Joy scampering over to sit on her papa’s lap, clapping her hands in anticipation. “Fish..fish!”
“Put your hands here,” guided Heath to his little girl who eagerly clamped onto the pole. “That’s right….just like that….now we gotta be careful and not spook ‘em. Might help if we call to them…here fishy fishy…you help me call them….here fishy fishy….”
“Here fishy…here fishy…”
“That’s good Joy…real good,” acknowledged the blond with a grin before lowering his head to lean it against his daughter’s. “You’re gonna be a good fisherman…fishergirl when you get bigger, aren’t you.”
“Yep,” asserted the tiny girl with a nod as she watched the pole beneath her hands move backwards.
Pulling the makeshift pole back, Heath reached out and tugged the line to him, a good sized trout flopped around in protest at being tricked from its realm in the stream. Laying the pole on the ground, he held the fish up and glanced sideways at Joy,
“Boy howdy, Joy…that’s a keeper alright.” Bragged the blond chuckling as Joy mimicked him.
“Boy howdy.” Copied Joy clapping her hands before reaching out and touching the scaly body with a tentative finger, recoiling back at the slimy feel. “Yucky.”
“Yeah but its good eating.” Assured the blond as he took the fish from the hook he’d fashioned to place it in the pail at his feet. “A few more then we’ll cook them up and eat ‘em for dinner.”
Shaking her head, Joy replied emphatically, “No…no fish.”
“You’ll like it, Joy…you just gotta try it.” Countered Heath throwing the line back in the water and setting the end of the pole in the rocks. “Aunt Rachel and Aunt Hannah cook good fish.”
“No…no eat….yucky.” protested the small girl, glancing over when they were joined by another and pleading earnestly. “Uncle, no eat.”
“Well, now we’ll see, Joy,” soothed Matt catching the blue eyes of his nephew with a wink. “Your papa’s gotta catch some more if he wants to have trout for dinner…one little bitty fish isn’t gonna do for all of us.”
“Little bitty?” protested Heath gesturing to the pail. “It’s nearly as long as my arm.”
“You must have short arms, boy.” Teased Matt with a smirk on his face to his eye-rolling nephew as he held his hands out. “Com’n Joy let papa do his work while we get you cleaned up.”
“Bye papa,” said Joy without a thought, readily allowing her uncle to scoop her up in his arms.
“See you in a bit,” assured Heath with a grin to the man who carried her back to the campsite. Turning to return to his evening’s chore, he ran his hands over his head forcing his damp hair back into position before placing his hat on his head. What had started out as a day of second-guessing seemed to slowly fall away the more miles they put between themselves and Strawberry like a chick losing its soft baby fuzz. This new start with his uncles and aunts tasted like the first warm breath of spring air. He heard a faint hint of Joy’s laughter from the campsite and a smile spread across his face. Riley had given him a gift finer than any gold or silver.
“You got enough yet?” questioned the lilting voice of Rachel after he heard the swishing of her skirt as she neared, placing a hand on his shoulder as she peered into the bucket. With soft brown eyes sparkling with laughter she said, “Well now they don’t as small as Matt made them out to be.”
Skaking his head, Heath growled, “He’s a funny man that Matt Simmons….probably needs some new spectacles too.”
Sitting on a rock beside her nephew, Rachel sighed with contentment as she enjoyed nature’s bounty around them. Heath looked over and studied the older woman, his eyes crinkling in the corners from his lop-sided grin. “You look...well…more than happy, Aunt Rachel. I believe being out in the open agrees with you.”
“Think so?” replied Rachel leaning her crossed arms on her knees as she studied her nephew’s face. “Must run in the family cause you have the same look, Heath…I swear your eyes have gotten brighter with the increase in sunshine.”
“Yeah, ain’t nothing like being on the trail and camping under the stars,” sighed the blond as he pulled in another fish and carefully pulled it off the hook. “During my stint in Nevada, I probably was the only one there, guards or cons, who didn’t mind working away in that hot sun…reckon the others figured I had lost my mind.”
“I bet it feels like a lifetime ago, huh?” asked Rachel curious for the man beside her didn’t often speak of that dark time in his life and in his mind.
“Hmmm, some days yes and some days not so much.” Offered Heath absently before turning to study his aunt as he reached over and held her hands in his. “Sometimes I like to think I was a different person back then and that I have put miles between that Heath and me…but truth be told, I’m not that different now than I was then. I still have that anger inside that seems to lay just under the surface.”
Shaking her head, Rachel countered, “Heath, you have anger just like all of us but its nowhere the same as back then. That wild reckless boy who came back from Carterson lost inside is not there any more. You have changed, matured with your experiences…all of them. You have grown more than maybe you can see cause you don’t see yourself from the outside like we do.”
“Well, I’m thankful for you all, Aunt Rachel…more than you’ll ever know,” replied Heath leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek before winking. “Course I’ll be more thankful after you and Hannah cook up our supper.”
Laughing as he pulled her up onto her feet, Rachel wound her arm around his waist as they walked back to the campsite. She like the others in camp, except Joy, felt renewed at a fresh start….excited at the prospects and feeling the blood in their veins stirring in preparation to meet the challenges which could lay ahead. Instead of a stagnant life, drenched in the routine of everyday in Strawberry, she felt as if she were one of the pioneers who had crossed the Great Plains in search for something grander.
Matt looked up as Rachel and Heath entered the campsite. The pail in the younger man’s hand was quickly absconded and taken away by Hannah despite his nephew’s protests. Setting Joy with her horsey in hand on the ground next to her blocks, he said, “This is a great campsite, Heath. Close to water and plenty of grass for the horses.”
Looking around, Heath nodded as he took a spot on the deadfall and offered, “Yes, I know, Uncle Matt. This is where I was camping when Audra caught up to me and the ranch hand Barrett.”
Watching his nephew’s face cloud as it stirred with the memory, Matt took a seat beside his nephew squeezing his knee and forcing his thoughts back to the present. Offering a smile before he turned his eyes back to where the two year old was playing, he said, “It’s a good thing your brothers were there to help, Heath….you could have left behind more than just me and your aunts if he’d of killed you.”
Leaning forward, Heath smiled and nodded in agreement before glancing at his uncle, “Ain’t that the gospel truth, Uncle Matt…me and Audra were darn lucky that day when those boys showed up just in time.”
“I wonder if that’s what they mean by Barkley luck,” queried Matt with a wink.
“Reckon we’ll find out, won’t we?” replied Heath with a grin and a nudge into the side of the man with his shoulder. “Thanks for coming with me….”
Settling his arm across his nephew’s muscular shoulders, Matt gave him a one armed hug as he stated, “You wouldn’t have been able to get out of Strawberry without me boy even if you had tried.”
Heath’s agreement came in the form of a chuckle as he sat with his uncle, watching his daughter play and feeling a degree of contentment in the choice he had made. It wouldn’t be easy but then again, not too many things had come easy in his life either via the cloud he’d been born under or the wrong choices he’d made. He’d struggle under the weight of the world to give his girl what he never had and he had come to slowly realize, family would make all the difference.
