The Claws of the Cat – Chapter 1
A playful smile danced on Sharon's face, as Heath made his entrance into the parlor and cleared his throat to draw her attention. He was wearing a blue suit, perfectly matching those of his brothers, they all would wear in occasion of Audra's wedding. It brought out his eyes. She knew he was nervous for the part he would have at the ceremony.
"Come closer, love, let me see you." The girl couldn't help a little laugh as he awkwardly made two more steps into the room. She knew how he was feeling, she herself would feel more comfortable in her usual clothes. Heath stiffened and frowned, waiting for a response. Sharon took her time, sizing Heath from head to toe much to his increasing discomfort. Heath was undoubtedly the most handsome man she had ever known. "It suits you nicely," she declared with conviction. She rose from her chair, her bridesmaid dress swishing, and closed the distance between them.
"You sure?" Heath asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. She adjusted his lapel and the white flower that had been pinned on it, thinking she'd rather have him in his shirt, vest and tan slacks.
"Oh, I'm sure," she replied with the shy little smile he cherished. "Your sister will be proud of you," she said with warm confidence.
One side of Heath's mouth curled in his typical smile, melting her heart immediately. "Thank you, my girl," he said softly, cupping the side of her face with his hand, brushing her cheekbone with his thumb.
Sharon sighed and closed her eyes, savoring his touch. Many months had passed since their first kiss at the Lughnasa. It had been a long year for the Barkley family, they had been through so much. But now, everything seemed to have settled. She was happy. She had never been as happy, and she blessed the day her uncle Jim had decided to come to this valley. How well she remembered that day a few years ago. She wasn't yet in her twenties, a poor but proud Irish girl who wouldn't take anything from anyone. To say that her first encounter with the Barkleys hadn't gone too well was a euphemism.
"KILLKENNY FARMS", the sign proudly announced. Uncle Jim was eagerly hammering to nail it to the pole, another nail ready in his mouth, when this blond woman came galloping on her thoroughbred horse, her hair floating in the wind. She was tall in the saddle, her back straight.
"To greet us, maybe", granny guessed, bless her heart. But she was wrong.
She arrived with her high horse very close to Uncle Jim, startling him. "What are you doing, knocking down our fence?" She asked indignantly, managing to put together a question and an accusation at the same time while assailing him.
"Whoa there, Miss Buffalo Bill. There wasn't any gate," Uncle Jim explained reasonably.
"Well, of course, there isn't a gate. You're on the Barkley Ranch and you're trespassing!" The blond fury spat out, her fury growing, her horse hovering over my poor uncle.
We were astonished, watching the scene and not knowing what to do. The Barkley Ranch?
"Don't try to stomp me with that beast of yours!" My uncle took the bridles, trying to avoid a contact with the horse's hooves. "Look, why don't we talk this over like gentlemen?" He offered.
But no, she wasn't inclined to talk. "There is nothing to talk about except get those wagons off our land, and I mean it!" she yelled.
"Your land, is it? Would you like to take a look at a map I've got that says it isn't?" Uncle Jim tried to reason, still holding the bridles, fighting not to be trampled.
"Map? This is the Barkley Ranch!" She yelled yet louder, yet angrier.
"I don't want to argue with you, but from now on, this is the Kilkenny Farms. Now, get out." Uncle Jim insisted.
The girl managed to free her horse from Uncle Jim's grasp, whipping him.
"You're not gonna put that sign up on our fence," she declared with no hesitation.
"Won't I, now? Just watch," Uncle Jim communicated to the cheeky girl, going back to his task of nailing the sign.
"I'm telling you for the last time," the girl threatened. "This is Barkley land and I AM AUDRA BARKLEY." She couldn't have said it more condescendingly, if she had said: "I AM QUEEN VICTORIA".
"Oh, no. I thought you were Miss Buffalo Bill," Uncle Jim said jokingly, feigning delusion. "Look, I'm deaf on one ear, and I don't believe in wasting time talking to little girls," he added turning around to hammer on the second nail.
It was then that the blond fury went wild. She attacked my uncle with her nasty little whip and hit him repeatedly, making him lose his balance and fall on the ground. At that point, even my granny, the most gentle old lady in the world, lost her patience.
"Oh, stop it now! Look what she's doing to Jimmy!" she said to Grandpa, who didn't know what to do.
Taking advantage of the fact my uncle was on the ground, AUDRA BARKLEY sent his horse against our sign, that fell on the ground, breaking into two parts. Stubbornly, Uncle Jim picked up the upper part, where now just the word "Kilkenny" was partially visible and went nailing it back to the pole.
But AUDRA BRARLKEY had still something to demonstrate and, again, attacked my uncle, hitting him hard with her riding whip again and again, from on top her horse who whined and reared.
"Oh, now!" Granny exclaimed.
"I'm a peaceful man, Miss Buffalo Bill," my uncle offered, like he still thought it was possible to negotiate with her. But she was deaf and blinded by her rage. She passed again and tore off what was left of the sign from the pole.
"Now, we bought this land, and we intend to occupy it," my uncle still tried to explain. "This time I'm not fooling with you," he added, as she went again against him, her whip up in the air, ready to strike. Uncle Jim raised his hands in front of his face, trying to defend himself. But she started hitting him again.
Then finally, Uncle Jim lost his patience. "Take your hands off of me!" the girl protested as my uncle, who's a big man, took her by her waist and dragged her down from the saddle.
Sharon chuckled, visualizing the good, well-deserved spanking that had followed.
Later, they would have had a taste of Nick Barkley's way of handling a situation, coming to shoo them away like crows from a field with his men and their guns.
Nick and Audra Barkley. She had never imagined they'd both become so dear to her heart in such a short time.
"Ahem." They turned their heads to see Nick, who was grinning widely. "Sharon, Heath. You two ready?" the tall dark-haired Barkley asked, retrieving from his vest pocket the watch Melanie had given him for his birthday, and studied it. It had become as much a part of him as his spurs.
"Of course we're ready, brother, we were just waiting for you," Heath said taking Sharon's hand and walking with her toward his older sibling. "Just put that watch away, will you? It makes me nervous."
"Now, Heath, someone has to keep track of time."
"Yeah, sure," Heath said rolling his eyes in feigned exasperation.
From the top of the stairs, Victoria watched the three young people walk toward the front door laughing and talking until they were outside, the door was shut and she couldn't hear their cheerful voices anymore.
She was so glad Nick was finally recovering from all the grief that woman had brought into his life. But now, her larger-than-life son was himself again. He was now officially engaged with Melanie De Land, all the issues between them apparently resolved. They both had suffered for what had happened with Melanie's father and the River Monarch nasty business, and a separation had been inevitable. Then, Nick's life had taken an all different path. Thankfully, Nick's brief marriage was in the past, a discolored, ragged and almost forgotten bad dream. Melanie's father was dead, and the couple's love story was thriving. Victoria had a notion that the girl was much more than what she let surface. Underneath those clear eyes and dark red hair, ashes were smoldering intensely.
Time will tell. Now concentrate, Victoria. "This is going to be a great day," she declared, repeating out loud what she had been saying to herself for days, her voice echoing in the empty house, sounding false to her own ears. Audra was marrying today. Jarrod had a son of his own. Soon, each one of her children who still lived there would leave the nest. And she would be alone. Alone, with Tom's portrait as her only company.
Enough, Victoria. This is your only daughter's wedding. This is the day Audra's dream will come true. Trying to focus solely on the imminent ceremony she and her daughter had so eagerly organized and awaited for months, she headed toward the stairs. And yours? Your dreams? What will happen to your dreams? What to you, and to the man you love?
Victoria shook her head. No, this wasn't the time, this wasn't the day. She straightened her back and put a brand new smile on her face as she regally descended the grand staircase of the Barkley mansion.