Chapter Twenty-Seven

Brody stopped in Harmony before heading to the farm. He needed a change of clothes, a shave and a trim before he visited his family. If they saw him looking like he did right now they'd be scared to death of him.

He was nervous as hell about going home after being gone for so long but he had no where else to go. He couldn't go back to that ranch alone and live there. If Jacob and his sisters wouldn't come then he would transfer the ranch into LeRoy's name and let that pain in the ass take it over.

Brody went to the tailors shop first. It was still being run by that old grouchy woman, Victoria. As Brody picked out a new pair of pants and a shirt, he was thankful that she didn't seem to recognize him. She let him use the backroom to get dressed and he walked out of the place feeling much cleaner. Not better, no, he'd never feel better again, but at least his clothes weren't stiff and crusty now.

He went down to a building boasting of hot baths, haircuts and shaves and he paid for all of them. The hot water felt good to his aching leg and shoulder. He pulled his clean clothes back on and then walked into the main part of the building, made to resemble a fancy man's sitting room.

"Haircut and shave," he said as he sat down in a chair and a red headed woman, with big hips and dark freckles walked toward him.

"Yes sir," she replied with a grin. "How short am I cutting ya?"

"Just about an inch."

"You sure? This hair will still hang nearly to your shoulders."

"I'm sure," he grunted.

She shrugged and went about cutting his hair and then shave his face. He was standing up and preparing to leave when she gasped and covered her mouth, "Brody Atkinson?" she demanded.

Brody raised his brow and looked down at her, "Do I know you?" She put her hands on her large hips and huffed out a breath, "How little a man's first kiss means to him."

Brody suddenly recognized her and he nodded, "Peggy," he said simply.

"You could at least smile and look happy to see me," she scolded.

"I don't smile much anymore, ma'am." he apologized as he put his hat on. "If you'll excuse...."

"Brody, everybody thinks your dead. That woman that's living with Jacob told us that you were dead."

Brody froze, "What woman?"

Peggy tapped her dimpled chin with her finger and sighed, "I can't remember her name. Sad woman. She doesn't smile much either come to think of it. She says she's your wife. She drives Victoria crazy because she insists on wearing pants and men's shirts...." Peggy stopped talking as Brody ran from the building. She stared at his broad back and wondered what had gotten into him.

Brody ran faster then he'd ever run in his life, ignoring the pain in his leg and the way the cold air made his lungs burn. He jumped on his horse and urged the beast into his fastest gallop, not caring if he winded him.

Could Elizabeth be alive? Had she somehow made it to Virginia and to his family? He was afraid to hope... Afraid to believe.. Was it possible that God had not forsaken Brody, despite all the wrong he'd done the past six months?

He grew impatient as he urged the horse faster. He didn't remember the ride from town to the house being this long. He saw chimney smoke in the distance and urged the horse faster still. The horse was panting and foamy froth covered his withers when Brody finally pulled up sharply on the reigns and stopped in front of the house.

"Jacob!" A young girl screamed with fear as she dropped her sewing and ran into the house. Brody knew she was either Sally or Susie but he had no way of knowing which, and, quite frankly, right now he didn't care. His eyes were only looking for one woman.

He jumped from the saddle, landing firmly on the ground and causing pain to shoot through his leg. He was about to storm up the porch steps and search the house when Jacob came bursting out the door with a hunting rifle pointed at his chest.

Over nine long years it had been but each brother instantly recognized the other. Jacob's jaw dropped and the rifle nearly clattered to the rough floorboards as he grabbed the banister.

"Brody...?"

"Is there a woman here?" Brody demanded. His anticipation causing his voice to sound gruff and angry. He was afraid to say her name out loud. Afraid to truly believe...

"You're supposed to be dead," Jacob accused as he settled the rifle in the crook of his arm.

"Dammit, quit worrying about me! Is there a woman here!" Brody yelled.

He could see Susie and Sally cowering behind Jacob in the cabin, but no on else. He felt eyes on his back and he whirled around to see Thomas standing about twenty feet behind him, "Thomas, is she here?"

"You're supposed to be dead, Brody." Thomas gasped.

Brody had had enough. Why wouldn't anyone answer him?! He stormed across the yard and grabbed a stuttering, wide eyed Thomas by the collar of his thick wool coat.

"Where is my wife?!" he hissed, through clenched teeth.

Thomas pointed down a trail to their right, "The pond," he whimpered fearfully. Brody was a scary man, and he made Thomas's legs want to turn tail and run. Brody released him and stumbled back several steps. Thomas saw a storm of emotions on Brody's face.

"She's alive?" he whispered.

"Yeah, she's fine," Thomas replied and then his eyes widened. "Jesus, Brody, did you think she was dead all this time?"

Brody didn't bother taking the time to reply. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him down the path to the pond, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw her.

She was standing out on the frozen pond as the wind whipped her long wool coat around her legs. She had her back to him, her long blond hair was loose and blowing in the air. He couldn't seem to speak or move. She was alive... All of this time, all of the pain, all of the vengeance and his Elizabeth was alive.

"I miss you so much..." her soft voice carried on the breeze to his ears and he was held captive as it washed over him and warmed him from his head to his toes. "I just want to feel you touch me again. I want to taste your kiss. I want to feel your strong arms. I can't even remember what your fingertips felt like on my face anymore...." She let out a sob and it tore at Brody's heart. Was she talking to his ghost?

"Brody, I love you. I wear this fake smile. I laugh when it's expected of me and I'm forcing myself to carry on but it's not the same. Nothing will ever be the same again. I lost everything. I lost my father, my family, my home and I lost you...."

"Elizabeth," Brody managed to call out around the lump of emotion in his throat.

Elizabeth turned quickly and her green eyes widened as her legs wobbled beneath her, "Brody?" she gasped.

She was dreaming, that was it. She was dreaming that Brody was here with her. The 'dream-Brody' didn't say a word. He started across the ice toward her and when she saw the way he was limping, a flash of the bullet ripping through his leg flashed through her mind and she let out a animalistic sound that was a mixture of a scream, a laugh and a sob. This wasn't a dream Brody. This was her Brody.

She ran across the slippery ice, the best she could and then each of them stopped, leaving the tiniest bit of space between their bodies as they stared into each others faces.

Their white breath mingled and blew away on the breeze. Brody raised a shaking hand. He pressed his fingertips against her cold reddened, tear stained cheek and gently brushed her tears away, "This is what my fingers feel like on your face," he whispered gently, not bothering to fight the tears that were forming in his own eyes from rolling down his face.

"How.... How are you alive?" Elizabeth gasped with disbelief as she leaned into his hand and closed her eyes.

"Keep those eyes open, woman. It's been too long since I've seen them." Elizabeth smiled at his scolding. She had wanted to hear that for so long. "I'm alive because someone found me out on the road. How are you alive?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the pain on his face. She raised her hand to his cheek and traced the scar there. Brody let out a groan and leaned his face against her fingertips.

"LeRoy told me there was blood and your necklace...." he whispered.

Elizabeth looked at the cross hanging from his neck, "You thought I was dead?"

Brody nodded, "I killed them." he said, deciding that she needed to know the kind of man he'd been.

"Who?" Elizabeth asked, her mind racing. This seemed surreal. She wished he would just wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

"All of them. Braxton, Rene, Vincent and Grant. I would have killed the rest but they were already dead."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she stared up at him. He wished he could read her mind to know what she was thinking. Was she thinking about what a monster she was married to? Was she regretting the fact that he was alive and not dead now that she knew.

"Oh Brody, I'm so sorry you went through that!" she gasped and then she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

Brody growled against her mouth as he crushed his lips to hers hungrily. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him, and then he let go of her and jumped away as if he'd been burned.

He stared at her with shock, this time his eyes went below her face to the heavy wool coat she was wearing and the large belly pressing up against it.

Elizabeth caught the breath, that his kiss had temporarily stolen and laid her hand over her belly, "Are you okay?"

"A baby.... My baby?" He regretted asking that instantly when he saw the anger flash in her eyes, her chin jut out stubbornly and her shoulders square.

"Brody Atkinson, how dare you ask me that. Of course it's your baby!"

Brody shook his head and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up against him, "Damn you, woman, I didn't mean it like that. I thought that maybe... That somebody might have....."

Elizabeth's gaze softened as she realized he had thought she'd been raped. She grabbed his hand and laid it over her stomach, "It's yours, Brody."

A smile, bigger than any she'd ever seen him get before, appeared on his face and he crushed his lips back to hers. The kiss was hungry, it was desperate and it was full of a passion that neither had ever thought they'd feel again.

Elizabeth's arms circled his neck and she clung to him as he gripped her waist and pulled her as close as her belly would allow, "I have to have you now, cowgirl," Brody growled as he pulled away.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back up the path toward the cabin. He had wanted to jump back on his horse and take her to the hotel in town but the horse was no longer standing where he'd left it.

"Where the hell is my horse?" he demanded of his brother.

"Resting. You damn near killed the beast. What were you thinking?" Jacob demanded.

"I was thinking that after six months of thinking my wife was dead, there was suddenly a reason to believe that she was alive and I sure as hell wasn't going to take my time to get here."

Jacob shook his head, "Same impulsive, arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed...."

Elizabeth came around Brody and strode toward Jacob, sticking her finger in his chest to emphasize her words, "Say one more bad word about him and I swear I will break your jaw, Jacob Atkinson!" she exclaimed. Jacob grabbed her arm. His only intention had been to move her out of his way so he could talk to his brother but he quickly realized he should not have touched her when Brody stepped forward.

"Take your hands off my wife," Brody ordered in an icy cold voice that made him shiver.

"I wouldn't hurt her, Brody.." Jacob promised.

Elizabeth looked at Brody and saw how angry he was and she threw her hands in the air, "This should be a happy moment!" she exclaimed. "Everyone is alive! Everyone is fine! Everyone is back together! Would it be too much to ask both of you to pull your heads out of your asses long enough to realize what's been given back to you!"

Her bossy, arrogant tone was more than Brody could stand. He grabbed her arm, pulled her too him and kissed her soundly as he buried his hands in her hair, "God, I missed your temper."

Thomas came out of the barn with a newly saddled horse, "Here. I figured you all would like some time alone," he said. handing the reigns to Brody.

Brody nodded in thanks and then swung himself into the saddle, "You coming, cowgirl?" he asked.

"She might need help," Jacob said, stepping forward to help her onto the horse but stopping in his tracks at the angry look she threw him.

"She was raised on horseback. She'll be fine." Brody promised and just to prove that he was right, Elizabeth lifted her heavy frame into the saddle behind him.

"We'll be back. I have a lot I want to talk to everyone about," Brody assured them. Elizabeth wrapped her arms tight around his waist and he turned the horse around and headed back to town.

"That's Brody?" Sally asked after they had ridden away.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah."

"I didn't remember him." Susie admitted.

"You haven't seen him since you were three. But you can thank Brody that you're alive today. He's the one that kept you both from crying out and he's the one that hid your eyes so you never saw what the soldiers did to your family."

The girls nodded and watched their brother ride away.