DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Big Valley, and make no money from this, but taking them out and playing with them is a whole lot of fun!

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"Hey, Jarrod, how about taking your brother for lunch?"

Jarrod looked ruefully at the blot of ink marring the almost completed brief. "Nick, didn't your mother ever teach you to knock?"

"Well, I think I remember hearing something about that." Nick's expression wasn't the least apologetic as he strode up to the desk until he saw the ruined document. "Hey, uh, sorry, Jarrod."

Jarrod just sighed, but inwardly he wasn't that annoyed. The fact of having a brother was such a new and heady thing, he was willing to get used to almost anything to have that relationship, not that he was going to let Nick off the hook easily. "There goes my plan of calling it an early day," he lamented as he placed his pen carefully back on its rest. "This has to be on Judge Parker's desk before tomorrow morning." He watched Nick carefully out of the corner of his eye as he blotted up the extra ink and tried to hide the smile at his brother's chagrined expression.

"You still need to eat," Nick insisted, "come on, I'll buy."

"Well, in that case…" Jarrod grinned at the tall rancher as he stood and grabbed his hat off the stand. "The Cattlemen's sounds good." He followed Nick to the door and paused for a moment with his hand on the knob, unable to stop from taking another look at the space that now housed his law office. The spacious, wood panelled room was a far cry from the humble place he'd leased when he first came to town. He objected when Victoria Barkley first showed him the office on Stockton's main street, but she told him that since the family owned the building, it was only fitting that he set up his practice there. The grand lady was as stubborn or more so than any of her sons and Jarrod ended up acquiescing gracefully.

"Hurry up, boy, if you want to get a table!"

Jarrod shut the door after one last glance and locked it behind him before the two brothers headed out in search of food.

As they waited for a table in the busy restaurant, Jarrod noticed a few pointed stares and a few eyes turned away from them. It hadn't been as bad as he'd feared; the formidable Barkley reputation was enough to keep the talk to a minimum when the news spread about Tom Barkley's illegitimate son joining the family. There were those that snubbed the family when they showed up in public and one or two who crossed the street when they saw him, but that seemed to be the exception rather than the norm. Jarrod was settling into his new life and building a fair reputation for himself as a lawyer as his natural charm and confidence won over most potential clients. It also hadn't hurt that he prevailed in the Barkleys' land dispute with the Craddocks, even though he'd alienated Hal Walker, the former family lawyer and a long-established resident of Stockton, in the process.

They were seated and had just ordered when a loud shout came from across the room.

"Jarrod! What the devil are you doing here?"

Jarrod looked up and a wide smile came across his face. He stood and grabbed the offered arm, shaking the tall man's hand enthusiastically.

"Aaron, you old reprobate! How've you been?" He turned and shook the shorter man's hand just as heartily. "Gil, it's been a long time."

"Too many years, Jarrod," Gil agreed.

Jarrod turned to Nick. "Nick, these are some old comrades of mine, Aaron and Gil Condon. Boys, my brother Nick."

Nick stood as well and shook each man's hand. "Why don't you join us?" he offered and gestured to the empty seats at the table.

"Don't want to impose," Aaron started but Jarrod clapped him on the back and pulled out a chair.

"Not an imposition at all," he assured them and the four men sat down.

The waitress came over with coffee and after she took the newcomers' orders and filled the cups, Aaron turned to Jarrod with a curious look on his face.

"Never knew you had a brother, Jarrod."

Jarrod chuckled. "Neither did I, until a couple months ago. Now I've got two and a little sister as well."

"Hope she doesn't take after your side of the family," Gil joshed.

Grinning, but with a stern paternal look, Jarrod replied, "No and she's out of town. Don't be getting any ideas."

Nick took a sip of his coffee. "So how do you all know each other?"

A shadow passed over the lawyer's face as Aaron answered. "Served together in the war. Jarrod here was one of the best sharpshooters in the unit."

"Is that a fact?" Nick looked at his older brother, impressed. "How come you never told us?"

Jarrod shrugged uncomfortably. "Not much to tell. So, what brings you two out this way?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, this and that." Aaron smirked in his brother's direction. "Had to get out of the last town we were in. Romeo here's just too much of a hand with the ladies, if you know what I mean."

Nick chuckled. "Oh, I know all too well," he concurred.

Gil spoke up. "We heard that some of the logging outfits around here were hiring. Thought we'd try our luck."

"Well, if you're friends of my big brother here," Nick said expansively, "reckon the Barkleys can use you. We pay top dollar."

Aaron eyed Jarrod shrewdly. "Now, Jarrod, you don't look like you're doing any logging." He flicked the neatly fastened tie. "Not in those fancy duds."

"Nope," Jarrod said with a gleam in his blue eyes. "Got myself a little law office, just down the street."

"You don't say. Always knew you'd do good." Gil turned to his grey haired brother and back to Jarrod. "That colonel we met in Carterson, Turner I think his name was. He was a lawyer, right? Really took a shine to you, Jarrod."

Jarrod smiled uneasily and his tone was quiet. "Col. Turner offered for me to read law with him when we got out. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably still be working cattle or loading freight." He tried to ignore Nick's stare.

"Did he just say Carterson?" Nick asked in disbelief. "As in, Carterson Prison?"

"What, you mean you didn't know?" Aaron looked from Nick to Jarrod in surprise.

Nick stared at Jarrod and shook his head. "Nope, he never said a word."

"It's not something I like to talk about, Nick," Jarrod said slowly, "and I really don't want to talk about it here."

Nick wisely let it go for the time being and the conversation moved to topics of logging and ranching, but he noticed Jarrod didn't take quite as active a part as before. The men parted amicably after the Condons got directions to the logging camp and instructions to tell the foreman that Nick Barkley hired them personally. Jarrod was silent on the walk back to his office and when they arrived, Nick tried to draw him out with a brotherly hand on his shoulder.

"Jarrod…"

Jarrod shrugged him off. "Got a lot of work to do, Nick," he said brusquely. "Tell your mother I'll be in time for dinner, okay?"

Nick knew he wasn't going to get anything out of his new brother and resigned himself to not getting answers to his questions any time soon. "Sure, Jarrod."

Jarrod started to walk up the steps and then turned back. "Nick, could you not say anything? It's over and it's done and I've worked hard to put all that behind me. I'd like it to stay that way."

Nick nodded. "See you at supper, big brother."

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Nick challenged Heath to a game of billiards after dinner and Jarrod was relieved he hadn't brought up the revelation from lunch, in front of the family or in private. He picked up the book he was currently reading and settled down in the comfortable chair behind the desk with half an ear on the banter from his two brothers.

Jarrod was surprised how easily he had settled into the routine of his new family. He had never thought of himself as a loner and had always found ease in the company of others, but most of his adult life had been spent with solitary dinners and evenings alone. He usually relished this time with the family and listened to Nick and Heath wrangle over their game of pool while Victoria worked on a quilt she was sewing.

But this evening, he wasn't able to relax in the family atmosphere. Running into the Condons and having Nick find out about his time in the war brought back memories Jarrod never wanted to remember. It wasn't like he could actually forget; the scars that marked his back and arms would forever be reminders of the time he'd spent as a prisoner of war. But like he told Nick, he'd worked hard to put it all behind him and was thankful he'd survived at all. Too many men hadn't; he helped bury enough of them within the prison fence and he saw too many of his comrades just give up, even after they'd been freed. There were just too many scars on some of their souls; Jarrod was grateful he only carried the scars on his body.

Some good had come out of Carterson, though, and that thought was what Jarrod hung on to. That was where he had met Joshua Turner. Col. Turner had overheard some of the talk one day as Jarrod and a few of the other young men tried to raise their spirits by sharing dreams of what they would do if they made it out. The colonel asked Jarrod later if he was serious about becoming a lawyer and suggested that Jarrod read law in his office when they were released. Turner insisted again after the prison's liberation and his offer started Jarrod down the path of his legal career.

Jarrod's musings were interrupted by someone calling his name. "What was that, Mrs. Barkley?" Victoria sighed and Jarrod felt a tinge of regret over causing her even the slightest bit of unhappiness. His father's wife had taken him into her home and her life without any reservation. It was something that amazed the young lawyer to no end, but he couldn't bring himself to call her anything other than Mrs. Barkley, despite her insistence that it made them sound like strangers. He was too well brought up to feel comfortable calling her by her given name and even though she treated him no differently than the others, he thought her own children might resent it if he started calling her Mother, even though that was the role she was slowly growing into in his heart.

"I was just wondering if you heard me say that we will be having guests tomorrow," Victoria explained. "Mr. and Mrs. Toddman. Mr. Toddman is in charge of our lumber operations and he has some new ideas he'd like to present to us."

Nick leaned on his pool cue. "Just wait until you hear what he claims he can do up in that lumber camp, Jarrod. We might even have to start offering him a percentage rather than a salary."

"Well, I'll believe it when I see it," Heath commented as he sunk the last ball. He straightened up and gave Nick a cocky grin. "Reckon it's not your night, Nick." Nick just snorted as Heath turned to Jarrod. "What do you say, big brother? Feel up to losing?"

Jarrod closed his book and set it down on the desk. "No, I think I'll pass tonight and just head up to bed." He waked over and gave Victoria a kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, lovely lady," he said, pleased to see that term of endearment bring a smile to her face. "I'll see you all for breakfast."

Jarrod exited the library and as he headed up the stairs, he wondered uneasily at the cold shiver that suddenly went up his spine.