Liberty Ranch

by Temperance Johnson

  Sara shrugged and curved her lip. "But mistakes happen."

  Katrina put a hand over her mouth and tried to stop a sob.

  Sara's eyes got wide like they did when someone cried, but this time with fear.

  Francesca and Carlissa walked in just as Katrina literally ran out.

  Andrew ran a hand through his hair. This was not going well.

  "What is wrong with Ma?" Sara asked.

  Francesca shrugged and stated, "I know the signs. She will abandon us and is feeling a little guilty."

  "Francesca, your ma would never abandon you," Andrew told her. "She truly loves you."

  "Then what is wrong?" Sara stared at him. "Pa, did you make a mistake?"

  Andrew put a hand on her shoulder. "No, my darlin', we didn't. We have not and will never regret adopting you girls. But this world ain't perfect, and some things are happening out of our control." He prayed. His heart felt like it was in pieces. "The owner of the Denver asylum is back. We will go to court and will try our best to keep you girls with us."

  Sara didn't react.

  Francesca's eyes nearly popped out of her head, then her eyes went dark like a raging storm.

  Carlissa just looked up at him with her beautiful blues. "It's all right, Pa. We knew this place would not last. But is Francesca coming along?"

  Andrew had never felt pain so great, and once someone had burned half of his body. He would rather feel that pain again than to see the look on his children's faces. His face almost gave way. He picked up Carlissa. "I meant this to be your home and we will try our best to make sure that happens."

  "How could you keep this from us?" Francesca yelled. "That is why everyone has been around so much and Katrina looks like death?"

  "We wanted to have a plan, Francesca," Andrew told her truthfully.

  "Why? Why are Sara and Carlissa being taken when Mrs. Alexander's brats are safe? Why the girls?" Francesca shook her fist at him. "Oh, I get it. You are getting money for them. See, I know you are selling them!"

  Andrew's jaw popped and tried to remember the pain she was going through. "I would never do that, Fran. Now calm down. We are trying our best in this." He looked to Sara, who never said a word. "How are you, Sara?"

  Sara looked at him, her eyes lifeless. "Like I said, everyone makes mistakes. Can I go get some cake?"

  Andrew nodded, having no words to her quiet turmoil. Watching her leave, his heart broke.

  Carlissa rested her head against his shoulder, her red curls touching his chin. He saw her eyes closed. He wished she could always have this kind of peace. His family was being ripped from him one by one. And it was breaking his heart. God had to have an answer for him. Please, God, save my babies.

  Chapter 35

  Maverick dismounted in front of the church, looking like he was on a mission. Andrew knew that look well. He prayed Maverick had answers before court started. He walked down the stairs to greet him.

  "I might know of a lawyer in Denver that will help." Maverick got to the point. "But one of us will have to travel there."

  Andrew nodded. "I will. It will only be a few days' ride."

  "Take Juan Jose with you. He knows the area the best."

  Andrew looked into the church. "I’d hoped your first time here would be for a picnic or church social."

  Maverick put a hand on his shoulder. "We will get time to do that."

  Andrew knew if he lost the girls, he could never look at the church without mourning. Entering the church, he felt like he was walking to his death sentence.

  He walked to the front where Katrina and Izzy sat. Maverick sat down next to Izzy. The peaceful church had been turned into a courtroom. There were two tables up front, and a table for the judge up front. Sitting next to Katrina, Andrew saw Jesse and Sawyer seated in the front pew of the church.

  They all stood as Judge Bower came up to sit behind the table. Bower had a small build. He had gray hair and dark eyes under bushy eyebrows. Glancing down at some papers, he looked up again. "Well, this will be a hearing and not a trial. The parties involved areAndrew and Katrina Starry who have been caring for Sara and Carlissa and the party of Mr. Heyman, the director of the Denver alsyum. Who would like to make your case first?"

  Mr. Heyman stood up. "I would like to call Mabel Alexander to the stand."

  After swearing Mabel in, she looked calm and in control. "Ma'am, you were one of the first ones to meet the girls after Mrs. Starry, is that correct?"

  She nodded. "Yes."

  "So you saw that Mrs. Starry was afraid to be their mother." Before Mabel could argue he added, "How long did it take for them to adopt the girls?"

  "A couple days." She bit her lip. "A week, but most parents take longer to decide."

  "But Mrs. Starry was afraid to be their mother, was she not?"

  "You are not a father. So you can't understand that..." Mabel gave him an amused look. "Many mamas are terrified. But we do it because it is a part of us."

  Mr. Heyman looked bothered by not having shaken her. "Are you the one who fixed Sara's broken arm?"

  Mabel nodded. "Yes."

  "Why didn't your husband? Odd that a woman would do something like that. You are not a doctor, you could have done something wrong."

  Mabel frowned. "I have been caring and helping women and children in this area for decades. Everyone knows that. I would never make a mistake like that. My husband wasn't able to help me."

  "Really? I heard he wasn't busy at the time. Why was she unable to help you?"

  Mabel looked to Charles.

  Andrew made a fist, ready to punch someone. The whole town knew Mabel took care of many different needs for the women in town. This was so wrong. The whole town would know his children's fears. Was it worth it? They didn't have much choice.

  "Answer the question, Mrs. Alexander," Mr. Heyman told her.

  Mabel looked ready to kill someone. "Sara wouldn't let him help her."

  "So you are saying she was putting herself in more danger by not letting a professional work on her. Because of her fear." Mr. Heyman looked too smug. "And how did she break her arm in the first place?"

  "She fell off of a cliff," Mabel said simply.

  It was a simple accident, nothing more. But what did the man have up his sleeve? Andrew thought.

  "So no one was watching her then? She was all alone on that cliff?"

  Mabel looked at him with shock. "She is a teenager. What teenager do you know is watched all the time? Teenagers I know and raise can ride off alone by themselves. It was an accident, she slipped, nothing more."

  "But her parents didn't find her for a while? Her pa didn't get to her right away."

  "She is alive, ain't she? He found her in enough time," Mabel answered sarcastically.

  Andrew prayed all the people they put on the stand could be as good as Mabel, but he was afraid they wouldn't be. Mabel knew how to deal with professionals. Say just enough to answer, but not too much detail.

  "Have you ever seen Mr. Starry or one of his male relatives being improper with the young women?"

  "First, they are not young women. They are children and no, I have seen none of the Starry men be improper with any of his children," Mabel told him firmly.

  "Why then would he take in a Mexican young woman who lacks values?"

  "Maybe because he loves her." Mabel shook her head. "A father's love. One that will do anything for a child, even the difficult things."

  "And how many children have you adopted?"

  "What does that matter? I am not on trial."

  "It will show that an adoptive mother's heart will say anything to see a child have a home. Even a child who is too old and too loose to belong anywhere."

  Mabel put her hand on her thighs, leaning forward. "Francesca Starry is one of the bravest girls I have ever met and she is not on trial right now, Mr. Heyman."

  "I have one last question. Has Katrina's deafness ever affected her parenting of the children?"

  Mabel gasped. She didn't
look at Katrina or Andrew, but kept her eyes straight ahead. Choosing her words carefully, she proved she knew what she was doing. "No, it has never hurt her parenting."

  "That is not what I asked. Can she hear the children every time they call? Are there times she can't hear them?"

  Mabel bit her lip. "Yes, but her children are older, so they work with her lack of hearing. It doesn't bother them."

  "Does it bother Carlissa?"

  Mabel glared at him. "I have a question for you, while you stand there and tear apart the Starrys the rest of the trial, you didn't even give Carlissa a name. She was known as the Terror. Where have you been the last year since the children went missing? Answer me that, Mr. Heyman!"

  The judge looked at her. "Ma'am, Mr. Heyman is not on trial."

  She looked at him respectfully. "Yes, sir, but will you make him answer the question? It is for the well being of the children, sir."

  Andrew could tell it killed her to be respectful to the judge who gave this man too much power, but for his girls she remained respectful and in control.

  Bower looked at Mr. Heyman. "Answer the woman's questions."

  "But sir..." Mr. Heyman stuttered.

  "I happen to know that the Alexanders have several of your former children, so I would answer the question."

  Mr. He yman looked at her, his face full of disgust. "I was out of town when they ran away. I didn't have the resources to find them."

  "Really?" Mabel looked surprised. "The children have run away a couple times since living here, and Andrew had many of his new friends looking for them. They have the resources for what matters."

  Andrew hid his smile. The friends were her relatives and his brothers, but what did it matter. They cared and helped. Mabel had won the battle with him.

  Mr. Heyman glared at her. "No further questions, Mrs. Alexander."

  Maverick stood up in his new suit, looking like he had it under control and knew what he was doing. "Mrs. Alexander, you were there for the Starrys since adopting the girls. Have you seen the girls get healthier with the Starrys?"

  "Yes, both Sara and Carly have gained weight, and their hair and skin are looking much healthier."

  "Have you seen any mistreatment of the girls while living in the Starry home?"

  "No, I haven't."

  "And can you tell me what you have seen the Denver Asylum do? Can you explain how you came to this knowledge?"

  "Well, like Mr. Heyman said, some of my children are adopted. And I support helping others adopt. So I have heard their stories of how they found their children. One ma found her baby left to die on the porch of an asylum. When the babies get sick or are too loud, they leave them in the sun so they will dehydrate faster or they will freeze in a matter of minutes in the winter." Mabel shut down her feelings to share all this. It must tear her heart. "One man found his boy nearly naked, tied up in a big bucket they left outside in January. Another family found their five-year-old twins being beaten and tortured in front of each other. One family found two children under a porch in the middle of winter. Another boy was eating in a pig pen out back. This is hard to hear, but you might wonder where all these children were found. Well, Mr. Maverick Starry, we found them in that man's hell." She pointed to Mr. Heyman. "The Denver asylum." She pushed graying hair from her face. "Those are just the places they found the children. Not the stories of what happened before this. Their little bodies suffered so much trauma. It hurts their development of their body and brain. It makes them think, act, and behave in strange and different ways. All I know is from what I learned, and sometimes that ain't much. These children need love, structure, consistency, care, and support from parents, relatives and yeah, church families. What did God call His people to do? Care for the fatherless and that doesn't always mean raising them. Just supporting and caring for ones who have been called to adopt."

  "Thank you, ma'am. That will be all."

  Andrew didn't know how much more he could handle. This didn't look good. Though Mabel had been right. The judge looked indifferent and he understood the law.

  After a couple of other people spoke, Gabby got on the stand.

  Mr. Heyman gave her his full attention, acting like a gentleman. "Well, Gabby Herman, I hear you know pretty much everything in town."

  She grinned. "That is for sure." Then she looked at Katrina and frowned.

  "So you got to know the Starrys pretty well since moving here. Have you noticed any problems between the couple?"

  Mabel shrugged. "Well, I think all married couples have issues at one time or another. My husband and I sure did. I am a widow now."

  "Did you ever see any bruises on Mrs. Starry?"

  Gabby looked to Andrew, her eyes pleading with him. "Well, Kat said a box fell on her face.” She looked back at Mr. Heyman. “I had a wood box fall on me at the store and give me a big ol’ black eye." She grimaced. "And no one said my Luke did it. You should be more of a gentleman. And there was this one time..."

  Mr. Heyman interrupted her story. "Have you ever wondered why Katrina and Andrew adopted right after moving here? Did Mabel pressure them?"

  "No, she doesn't pressure people to adopt, but they come here to help adoptive families so I wasn't too surprised." Gabby looked lovingly at them.

  "And why did Katrina never have her own child?"

  Gabby gasped. "Now that is something a gentleman would never ask." She glared at him. "I never could have any children, so I know that pain. My Luke would never let me raise a child. When he passed, I was too old, but then Mabel let me be a granny to her youngins. Andrew and Katrina supported each other in adopting these children."

  "If Katrina raised a baby, it might meet her disabilities better. Her hearing affects the girls and how she parents them, doesn't it?"

  Gabby raised an eyebrow. "I thought Mabel put you in your place over that one."

  "Answer the question." He didn't seem threatened by her.

  Gabby looked to Katrina, her eyes pleading to be told what to say. Then she nodded. "Yes, it does, but she has a lot of help from her sisters and Andrew."

  Mr. Heyman ignored her comment. "Have you ever seen odd or strange behaviors from Carlissa or Sara?"

  Gabby looked panicked again. "Well, sometimes little Carly will scream and thrash around, but most of the time she is a very nice little girl."

  "I am sure, but you have to agree she is touched in the head. She does not act right. And should be somewhere where she will be safe, and others will be safe."

  "She is safe."

  "Are others around her safe?"

  Gabby shrugged. "I think so. She has wonderful parents."

  "But is she a danger to others and to herself?"

  Gabby looked at her hands and nodded.

  "I can't hear you?"

  "Yes, she is." Gabby started talking quickly. "But I am sure with the Starrys she will be just fine. She is better now. She doesn't run out of a church no more or hit people with hymn books."

  Andrew tried to meet her eyes, but she kept talking about what the girls didn't do anymore. It wasn't helping, though she thought it was.

  She finished with, "They now ride and work the land with their pa and Izzy. They are good little riders and are now roping."

  Mr. Heyman again looked smug. "That is all, Mrs. Herman. You have been helpful."

  Gabby smiled brightly at Andrew as she stepped down, not knowing what she had just done. Andrew felt bad, so he tried to give her a soft smile. She had pretty much said he adopted the girls to work the land. She forgot to mention how much they loved the foals and newborn calves, how they were learning to cook. How they were children at the ranch. Closing his eyes, he again prayed he wouldn't lose his girls.

  The last one for the day was Maryanne Smith. She was the one who had pressed lies about Mabel. She hated Katrina just as much. Mr. Heyman looked the smuggest with this one. He seemed to know what she would say. "Now you have some thoughts about the Starrys?"

  "Yes, when Katrina Starry first moved her
e, she was a bright, outgoing young woman. I was excited to get to know her. But I saw Mabel Alexander was fast becoming her friend and she always pressures people to adopt. So when she ended up adopting the girls, I wasn’t surprised. I noticed slowly how the changes were on her. She struggled with her new children and her relationship with Andrew could use some work. I saw it with my own eyes. They would glare at each other in town. And the children were just so bad. If it wasn't all of them, it was that oldest one. Who would take in an illiterate young Mexican woman? She is not even the same color and they are about the same size, so she ain't anyone's child. Nor would she ever be again."

  Andrew bit his lip, wanting to grab his gun, but Maverick had made sure none of them brought their guns in, including Izzy. Though with her line of work, she probably had one in her boot. He hated how this woman talked of his children. She was lying. All of it was lies. He took Katrina's hand and saw her go all white. How she wasn't crying was beyond him.

  "Did you notice Mrs. Starry was afraid of her husband, Mr. Starry?"

  She nodded. "I did. He was mad that she let one girl play with her friends. She backed up like he would hit her and you know how big he is. It wouldn't take much. It could be why she lost so much of her hearing. Hitting can do that."

  Before Mr. Heyman could ask another question, Maverick stood up. "Judge, Mrs. Smith has no proof of this."

  Bower looked at Mr. Heyman. "Change the line of questions."

  "Have you noticed Mrs. Starry is very strict with her children?"

  "Yes, it is probably she doesn't want them disobeying because of her deafness. Doesn't want to look like a bad mother. She doesn't let them play unless they eat. She always watches them as they play. She doesn't even let anyone hold the little one, even her hand. She makes them sit in the middle of the seat when they want to sit along the edge of the wagon."

  "And are the children allowed in school?"

  "Well, they do not allow touched children in our school. So they will never fit in this town anyhow."