"My brother is dead. Who the hell are you?" Jack asked while taking a wide legged stance and putting his thumbs through his belt loops. Hawke took Buck's reins and led the horse into the barn to put him in his stall and hang the deer.
"It's me Brian. I'm not dead, Jack." Jack looked at Brian and though he wanted to deny that he was his brother, the family resemblance was too strong.
"Where the hell have you been all these years and why did ma and pa say you died?" Jack asked through his shock. He had spent the last five years believing he had no real family left and right here was his brother who was supposed to have been dead the last eleven years.
"They ran me off when I turned twelve." Brian replied with a shrug. "Guess I got to be too much of a man for that drunk bastard to want around." That wasn't the truth but that was what he was going to tell Jack for now.
"I can't believe you're here." Jack said. "I can't believe I have family."
"Do not say something like that in front of Lily. She considers you to be a part of this family." Hawke's deep, emotion free voice came from inside the barn. Jack was struck with a bit of guilt. He would have to make sure to be more careful about what he said around Lily, Hawke and Allie. He didn't want any of them to think he didn't appreciate all they had done for him. But standing in front of him was his family. His real family and he was happier than hell to find out he had a brother.
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"Well thank you for the dinner, Lily. That was just about the best venison stew I've ever eaten." Brian said as he pushed his bowl away and patted his belly. He pulled out some tobacco and papers and began to roll a cigarette.
"I'm glad you liked it." Lily said with a tight smile. She did not like Brian. All evening he had been telling Jack stories about living the life of freedom. He had been bragging about living with no rules and no bosses. Sleeping under the stars and having no responsibilities and Lily could tell that Jack was taking in every word.
This Brian was trouble and Lily was afraid that Jack was going to fall for his lines and leave them forever. The sound of Sarah crying in her cradle came from the bedroom and Lily quickly left the room, happy for an excuse to get away.
Hawke watched her go and shook his head sadly. He hated to see his wife hurting and when it was the very boy he considered to be a son that was causing her the pain it just made him angrier and more confused. Hawke knew without a doubt that Jack and Brian were brothers because Brian talked just as much as Jack did. Between the two of them there had not been a quiet moment all evening.
Hawke ignored Brian's words and instead focused on Jack's reaction to them. Jack was a sixteen year old boy and he was looking at Brian as if he was some kind of hero when Hawke knew that Brian was nothing more than a good for nothing outlaw. He spoke of freedom and no responsibilities but Hawke got the feeling that Brian was part of something bigger. Hawke would not be surprised to learn that he was part of a gang and he was scared that Jack would get pulled into it as well.
"It is almost dark." Hawke said, his voice was hard and cold as he looked at Brian. "You should be getting back to town." Brian laughed as he struck a match and lit his cigarette.
"I ain't afraid of the dark, injun." he replied matter of factly. Then his eyes narrowed and he jumped from the table.
"You damn mutt!" he yelled angrily as he stormed across the living room and jerked his hat from Janna's mouth. Her teeth had put holes in the brim and he raised his foot to kick her in the head.
"No don't!" Allie screamed. She jumped from the sofa and threw herself in front of Janna and Brian's boot caught her in the leg. She cried out in pain as Jack and Hawke both rose from the table.
"I'm sorry, kiddo." Brian said putting his hat on his head. "I was trying to punish the damn mutt for tearing my hat up. I didn't mean to kick you." Allie held Janna tight against her with one hand and rubbed her throbbing leg with the other.
"It is time for you to leave." Hawke said in a voice so full of ice that it would have frozen the very fires of hell themselves. Brian nodded and blew out a long puff of smoke on Allie's face causing her to cough.
"Sorry about kicking you, kiddo." he said again and only Allie could see the cold smile on his face that told her he really was not at all sorry. She shivered and he replaced the cold smile with a real one when he turned to face Jack and Hawke.
"I'll be going. Jack, you want to ride with me into town?" he asked. Jack looked at Hawke and Allie and then nodded.
"Yeah sure." he said. Brian walked out the door and Jack was about to follow him when Allie quickly walked to him and grabbed his arm.
"Jack, I don't like him." she said. Jack jerked away from her.
"He's my brother, Allie." he said matter of factly. Allie bit her lip and hugged Janna tighter against her.
"He hurt me, Jack." she said quietly. Jack was kind of pissed about that himself but it had been an accident.
"He didn't mean to. That stupid pup of yours chewed up his hat. You should have let him kick her instead of jumping in front of her like that." he said. Allie felt her own anger rise. Not only had he called her puppy stupid but he was talking to her as if she was just some stupid child. He had never talked to her that way before.
"What is wrong with you? You haven't known that man for more than a few hours and already your acting different." Jack rolled his eyes.
"I'm not acting different, Allie, you're just being too darn sensitive." he replied impatiently.
"Have fun with your brother." Allie snapped and then she turned on her heel and stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Jack fought the urge to run after her. He didn't want Allie to be mad at him but she didn't seem to understand just how big of a deal finally having his brother back was to him. He sighed and grabbed his hat off the hook on the wall and was about to walk out the door when Hawke spoke up.
"Jack."
"What?" Jack asked bracing himself for the lecture he was sure to get for making Allie angry.
"Remember who it is that cares about you." Hawke said and Jack was taken aback by the gentleness in his tone. He'd never heard Hawke sound that way before. At least not when he was talking to him.
"Don't lecture me, Hawke." Jack replied pulling his hat onto his head.
"Remember who was there when you needed them. It was not your brother." Hawke replied calmly. Jack snorted with anger.
"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't have a clue about what happened when he was twelve so stop acting like you know everything. You think just because you're an Indian and you know a lot about surviving on your own that you know everything there is to know but you don't know a damn thing."
"Neither do you." Hawke replied sadly. Jack's face turned blood red in his anger and he turned and stormed out the door without another word. Hawke watched Jack and Brian ride away and shook his head sadly. The boy was heading down a dark road and there was nothing anyone could to stop him.
"I told you this was going to happen." Lily said from the bedroom door. Hawke turned to see her standing there with tears on her cheeks as she nursed Sarah. Hawke went to her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Lily saw the sadness in his eyes and she ran her free hand through his shoulder length black hair.
"Why can't he see it, Hawke? Why can't he see that we are the ones who love him and why can't he see that something about Brian is not right?" Hawke sighed and shook his head sadly.
"He is blinded by the fact that Brian is his blood brother. His family. Maybe he will see the truth soon."
"We are his family. He's only been here a year, Hawke, but I can't imagine how empty this cabin will feel if he is suddenly gone for good."
"Do not worry about things that have not yet happened, naakiiwa." Hawke said gently. "Jack has to grow and find his own path. We can hope that his path leads him in the same direction that we are in but we truly have no control over which way he goes."
"I don't like Brian." Lily said with a shiver. Hawke kissed his daughters soft dark hair.
"Neither do I." he admitted. "You go talk to Allie, she needs you. I will clean the kitchen tonight."
"Are you sure?" Hawke nodded and Lily kissed his hard jaw and walked to Allie's door. She knocked and then walked inside, closing the door behind her. Hawke hated to see his family hurting, especially when there was nothing he could do to ease their pain. He liked dealing with physical problems not emotional ones… He could always just kill a physical problem.
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"You're lucky Hawke didn't shove that knife of his through your head when you kicked Allie." Jack said to his brother after they had been riding a while in silence. Brian took another long draw off his cigartette and snorted.
"I didn't mean to kick the foolish girl, I was after that damn mutt. This is my favorite hat." he said fingering the hole that Janna had chewed into the brim. "So what is Allie to you? Is she like your girl or something?"
"Yeah." Brian nodded but said nothing. He would talk to his brother later about how stupid it was to tie yourself down. Especially to a girl with a bad attitude and an ugly scar on her cheek. Silence fell on the brothers again as they rode through the darkening woods.
An owl hooted in the distance and crickets chirped while frogs croaked. Jack wasn't sure what to say to his brother. He was happy that he was around but he felt like there was something Brian hadn't told him and then there was Hawke's warning…. Surely his brother cared about him. Why else would he be here now?
"Well I'm going to the saloon for a while." Brian said as they rode into town. "You coming with me?" Jack shook his head.
"I should be getting back home. I've got to work tomorrow." he replied.
"Work?" Brian asked with a chuckle. "What the hell does a gambler as good as you worry about working for?" Jack eyed him suspiciously.
"How did you know I was a good gambler?" he asked. Brian smiled proudly.
"You're my brother ain't ya? Being a good gambler runs in the family."
"Yeah but I actually like blacksmithing and Hawke says…" Brian waved his hand impatiently and cut Jack off.
"That man is an ass. He doesn't respect you. As a matter of fact he acts like you're some kind of stupid kid or something. You're a grown damn man! What the hell you putting up with that for?" Anger flashed in Jack's eyes and he was about to jump to Hawke's defense when he realized that Brian had simply said out loud the same thing that Jack had been thinking for a long time. Hawke didn't respect him as a man.
"Hawke took me in and gave me a chance." Jack said though his voice sounded uncertain even to him. Brian jumped down from his black mare and hitched her to the saloon post.
"He probably just took you in because you were free labor. You help him hunt, garden, trap. Sounds like he's got him a good little slave."
"I ain't nobodies slave." Jack said angrily as he jumped down and hitched Buck to the same post. Brian smiled proudly.
"That's more like it. Be your own man, not a puppet to some stupid injun."
"Don't call Hawke stupid." Jack replied. "He might be a lot of things but he's definitely not stupid."
"Come on in and have a few beers with me Jack and we can talk. I'm sure we've still got loads to learn about each other." Jack nodded and followed his brother into the crowded saloon.
It was Friday night and the saloon was full of farmers, trappers, gamblers and family men. Some were here to drown their sorrows, some to just kick up their heels and have fun and others were here for the female company of the scantily dressed saloon girls serving drinks and leading men upstairs with giggles and promises of a good time.
Jack and Brian sat down at an empty back table and ordered two beers from a giggling blond in a tight blue corset and black skirt with a slit all the way up to her hip. Jack couldn't help but stare at her large breasts, pushed up high and her long leg that she expertly stuck out the skirt and wiggled at him.
"Hello there, cowboy." she said in a high pitched, breathless voice. "Haven't seen you around before." Jack forced his eyes up to her heart shaped face and those soft painted red lips, big blue eyes and freckled nose. He couldn't seem to form words as she bent down and those large breasts were mere inches from his face.
"Seems my brother is a bit shy." Brian said with a chuckle. "Why don't you come on back after he's had a few beers and loosened up?" The girl smiled and walked away and Jack watched her hips swing back and forth.
"You'll have to have a go with her later. She likes you." Brian said, snapping Jack out his trance. Jack shook his head.
"No… No I don't think Allie would like that very much." he replied and he took a big swig of his beer.
"Who cares? She would never have to know. What a woman don't know won't hurt her none." Brian replied with an evil grin. Jack laughed but inside he was torn.. That damn woman was beautiful and he had never been with a woman before.. She would be a good start.. Of course he wanted to marry Allie but surely Allie didn't expect him to wait almost two years before having a woman. He could practice on this saloon girl and then he'd know what he was doing when he finally got a chance to be with Allie that way.
The two brothers made small talk and laughed for hours. Jack's brain began to get fuzzier and fuzzier as he downed beer after beer. He knew there was something he wanted to ask his brother but for the life of him he couldn't remember what.
"You're shit faced." Brian said matter of factly as Jack tapped his fingers on the table.
"Naw I'm not." Jack replied with a sloppy grin.
"Since you're in such a good mood now, I'll tell you why I really left home back then. I left because our real father came and got me."
"Real father?" Jack said with a laugh.. He wasn't sure why he was laughing but right now everything just seemed funnier.
"That damn drunk that raised us was not our pa. Our ma and him ran pa off because ma was a whore and wanted a new man. You were just a baby when he left. He came back and wanted me to come with him. He wanted you too but you were too young and still needed ma."
"You mean I got a pa too?" Jack asked happily. "This is the best day ever. I got a brother and I got a pa and I got a full glass of beer." he added before taking another swig. Brian was glad he had gotten Jack drunk before telling him about their pa. Of course he still wasn't telling the complete truth. Their pa had abandoned them and their ma and she had married the drunkard Tom in order to support her kids. And their pa hadn't wanted Jack to come with him when he had come for Brian because Jack was a baby and useless in the line of work he was in. But he figured what Jack didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"Pa is actually on his way to Great Valley. I saw you leaving town a few days ago and sent him word and he'll probably be here tomorrow sometime."
"That's great." Jack said laughing again. "What's he like?"
"He'd be proud of you, I can tell you that much. That's where you got your gambling blood and your talent for getting your hands on things that aren't yours. He never pushed me to be nothing more than what I was and he just let me be my own man. Never once gave me a stupid lecture or tried to act like he was better than I was."
Jack thought that sounded perfect. It would be nice to have a pa that wasn't constantly riding his ass about something.
Just then the blond saloon girl in the tight blue corset walked back over and stuck that long leg out through the slit of her skirt again.
"Can I interest you in anything else tonight?" she purred at Jack. Jack gave her a sloppy drunk grin and looked over at Brian who nodded.
"Go for it. I won't tell nobody if you don't." he said taking a swig of his beer. Jack knew he should say no but for the life of him he couldn't seem to remember what that reason was. Jack stood up and it took his drunk legs several moments to steady themselves. The blond looped her arm through his and led him toward the stairs. He was seeing three different sets and so he let her lead him up what he hoped was the right ones.
"Alone at last cowboy." the blond said once they were locked inside a room. Jack nodded. "My names Trista." she purred has she grabbed his gunbelt and unsnapped it. Jack's virgin body responded instantly to having her so close and she laughed.
"Looks like you're ready." she said grabbing him though his pants. Jack nearly jumped with shock and he licked his lips nervously.
"Yeah." he managed to mumble.
"Don't worry, cowboy." Trista said, sensing that this was his first time. "I'll take real good care of you." She pushed him down on the bed and Jack let himself get lost in her expert touches.