Full of Surprises

Chapter 1

Early April 1880

"Mother!"

"Oh, Nick, I'm ten feet away from you!" Victoria said, coming from the living room.

"Oh, didn't see you there," Nick said. He was coming home from seeing the family lawyer in Stockton – and he was still in a snit because Jarrod moved to San Francisco and left him having to run into town every time he needed something – but that wasn't important. "Got a wire from Jarrod."

Victoria took it from him and read it. "Oh, wonderful, he and Maggie are coming for a visit the day after tomorrow."

"Yeah, and for some reason, he doesn't want us to pick them up at the train station."

Victoria shrugged. "Maybe they want to spend a little time in town or something. He says they'll be here by six. I guess he'll rent a rig in town."

"Wish he'd given us more notice," Nick said. "I could have saved myself a trip in to see our lawyer. Made him do the job."

"Against the rules, Nick. He said he wanted his practice to be in San Francisco."

"Yeah, well, I never agreed to that."

"What with his – " She stopped. It was still hard for her to say the words, but she said them. " – heart problem, he doesn't need the extra stress doing our work."

"You're right," Nick agreed. "I just keep forgetting."

"That's because you're still peeved that he's left you with the paperwork."

"I am, but I better forget that for now and get back out to the herd." Nick kissed his mother on the cheek. "Don't worry. When he gets here, I won't grouch about all the running to town I have to do."

"Thank you," Victoria said. "I'm getting tired of hearing about it myself."

Nick dashed out the front door. Victoria still looked at the telegram but thought about her second son as he was taking off. Learning to do the paperwork around here was good for him. He needed to learn to do it, and not just because Jarrod was no longer around to do it.

But because one day – dear God, one day Jarrod would never be around to do it again.

Victoria wandered back into the living room and sat on the settee, still reading the telegram. She was very happy her oldest was coming for a visit, but she wished there was some way she could convince him to move back home. He needed his family around him now – or was it more like she needed him beside her? It was probably both. But, he was still living his life, and he liked it in San Francisco, and she had to admit, she'd rather see him happy there than see him unhappy here with her.

But it was hard, harder than she'd let anyone know – especially Jarrod.

Audra came down from upstairs. "What was Nick yelling about now?"

Victoria put the telegram aside. "Oh, you know Nick. He doesn't really need a reason to yell. But he picked up a telegram from Jarrod. He and Maggie will be here for a visit the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, wonderful!" Audra said. "I can't wait to talk to Maggie about my wedding plans."

Victoria laughed. Somehow, to a young bride, everything was always about her. She gave Audra a soft touch to the cheek. "Someday, sweetheart, you will figure out that there are things going on in the world other than your wedding."

"Oh, I know – I'll figure it out after the wedding."

XXXXXXXX

They could hear the rumble of a surrey pulling up outside the front door, and Victoria said, "Wonderful! They're here!"

"Where's the scotch?" Nick asked.

"Right there on the refreshment table where I put it," Heath said.

Victoria and Audra hurried to the door to greet Jarrod and Maggie, while Nick and Heath moved a little more slowly in that direction. Moments later, Jarrod opened the door and ushered Maggie in, and Victoria and Audra were embracing her.

"Well, well," Nick's voice was booming, and then he stopped. "Harry!"

Nobody had expected Harry Walton to walk through the door, too, but he did, smiling. Harry was the local Justice of the Peace, and –

Justice of the Peace.

Victoria's mouth fell open, especially when she realized that Jarrod was carrying flowers, and when he took his coat off, he was in his best formal wear. Under her coat, Maggie was in a beautiful blue silk dress. For a moment, everyone stood there, frozen.

Jarrod broke the ice. "Mother, Audra, wonderful to see you," he said, kissed each of them on the cheek, and then began to move them bodily toward the staircase. "Audra, you here, Mother, you beside her. Maggie, now you."

"Oh, my God!" Victoria gasped and began to shake.

Maggie smiled.

Jarrod gave flowers to Maggie, Victoria and Audra. Then he started moving Nick and Heath around bodily. "Nick, you here. Heath, beside him, that's good. Where's Silas? Silas!"

Silas came hurrying from the kitchen. "Mr. Jarrod! Welcome home!"

Jarrod shook his hand, then, to Silas's befuddlement, grabbed him bodily and put him beside Heath. Then Jarrod stood beside Maggie, and Harry Walton stood in front of them all.

Jarrod grinned from ear to ear and said, "All right, Harry. Take it away."

The ceremony was over before the shock began to wear off. After Jarrod placed his rings on Maggie's finger and Harry pronounced them man and wife, Victoria began to shake harder, Audra began to squeal, and Nick, Heath and Silas began shaking each other's hands. Then there were hugs and congratulations for Maggie and Jarrod, and Silas said, "I'll get the champagne!"

When Victoria got around to hugging Jarrod, she finally said, "You've got some explaining to do!"

Jarrod laughed. "Well, we wanted to surprise you, but we wanted you all to be at the wedding too, so we worked this out with Harry."

Harry Walton smiled. "Best wedding I've officiated in a long time."

"We also didn't want to steal any of your thunder, Audra," Maggie said.

"I think this was a wonderful idea!" Audra said.

Harry said, "I'm afraid I have to be going."

"Won't you stay for some champagne, Harry?" Victoria asked.

"Can't," Harry said. "My wife is expecting company for dinner, and I'm already late. Good night, everyone, and congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Barkley."

"Thank you, Harry," practically everyone said as he went to the door.

And when he opened it, someone was there. Carl Wheeler was about to knock on the door. He looked startled, looked at Harry, then past him at all the Barkleys. "Have I missed something?" he asked.

"Not the champagne," Jarrod said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jarrod kissed Maggie as passionately as he had ever kissed her in this house, and definitely as passionately as ever in his bedroom. But it was their bedroom now, and their bed, and even though it had once belonged to Jarrod and his first wife Beth, now he could believe that Beth was content to see someone else there.

"Well, Mrs. Barkley," Jarrod said after the kiss. "Shall we officially share our bed together?"

Maggie looked at her husband's rings on her finger. "It'll be nice not having to remove these before we make love."

Jarrod chuckled. "It will be nice looking at them after we make love."

They kissed again and then began to undress each other, as if they hadn't been doing it for quite some time. "You know," Maggie said, "you didn't tell your family about the baby."

"One shock at a time, I think," Jarrod said. "We'll save that one for tomorrow."

He put his arms around her and reached for the back of her hair, taking the hairpins out, smoothing her hair down her neck and back. It led to another kiss, long and loving.

"I love you, Mrs. Barkley," Jarrod said. "I always will."

Maggie smiled her dazzling smile and kissed him again.