Christmas 1880

Chapter 1

"It's probably a pretty good thing the little guy isn't on his feet yet," Nick said, chucked J.J. under the chin as his mother held him, and then hung the ornament he was holding on the tree.

Jarrod hung another ornament. "Yeah, next year will be a different story. We'll have to figure out how to block him off from the tree, or he'll be at every shiny thing he sees, just like you were."

"Me?" Nick said.

"Yeah, you," Jarrod said. "It was my job to hold you back, but you squirmed like crazy and hit me and finally kicked me. Father stuck you into your crib, and did you cry."

Nick shrugged. "I've always been a man who knows what he wants." And with that, he leaned in toward Nancy, who was sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace, and he kissed her.

Nancy smiled. Nick had been courting her "properly" for a month and a half now, ever since she moved to Stockton. She hoped that at any time, he was going to ask her to marry him. She was more than ready to say yes.

Watching the Barkleys put up and decorate the Christmas tree together made her even more certain. The teasing, the laughing, the warmth and love that filled this room was exactly what she had always wanted, ever since she was a little girl. She never got those brothers and sisters, but now here they were. If Nick would only hurry up and ask.

But for now, she put those thoughts aside and was content to watch Jarrod, Nick, Heath and Audra trim the tree, while Maggie sat on the settee holding J.J. Carl got the ornaments out of their boxes and handed them out, and Suzanne and Victoria strung popcorn. Nancy's job was to keep the wassail mugs filled, while Silas kept the wassail bowl filled.

"What time are Eugene and his bride due in?" Heath asked.

"His wire said about half an hour ago," Victoria said. "He said he'd rent a buggy and be out here as soon as he could, but I suspect he'll run into a few people in Stockton that will want to grab him and pump him for information about the young lady he has with him, so we'll just expect him when he gets here."

Jarrod suddenly stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. "I've forgotten his wife's name."

"Mary Margaret," several voices said in unison.

"Mary Margaret," Jarrod said, nodding.

Nancy moved to refill a couple wassail mugs, one of them Jarrod's. "Maybe I shouldn't refill this one," she said.

Jarrod gave her one of those looks that would have been over the top of his glasses if he wore glasses. Nancy grinned and refilled his mug and the other, and put them back where she got them.

Nick took a moment to kiss her again.

Nancy said, "Well, I'll definitely keep your mug filled."

"Don't need liquid refreshment to kiss a pretty girl," Nick said.

It was a signal each Barkley sibling took advantage of. Audra went to Carl, who gave her a kiss. Jarrod kissed Maggie, and Heath kissed Suzanne.

Victoria sighed, and all of her children kissed her, almost all at once. She laughed and swatted them away.

Carl said, "We're just about out of ornaments. Who's gonna put the angel on top?"

"That's my job," Nick said, "since I'm the tallest."

"When you were little, you claimed the job because you were the smallest," Victoria said.

Nick only needed to stand on the second to the bottom rung of the ladder to put the angel on the top of the tall tree. Once he did that, he moved the ladder back out of the way, and everyone looked at the tree.

Victoria started pointing out bare spots, and the men started moving ornaments around. Audra retired to her husband's lap and watched.

When Victoria was satisfied, the men accepted the string of popcorn from her and began to wind it around the tree, each one standing so that he could take the string from one brother on the left and hand it off to the other on the right, and it would go around the tree in an orderly fashion.

It wasn't very long before the tree was finished.

"No candles?" Suzanne asked.

"No, we don't do that," Victoria said. "We had a fire once, years ago – Jarrod burned his arm trying to put it out. We were lucky the fire didn't spread."

Jarrod held up his left arm, showing the scar on the back of his forearm. Maggie, Suzanne and Nancy had all noticed it before but never asked about it. "I was lucky this was all I got," Jarrod said. "We haven't put candles on the tree since."

"We save the candles for the safe spots around the room," Victoria said. "And we have a new batch this year. Nick, would you go get them from the kitchen? Silas knows where they are."

Nick nodded and went off to the kitchen.

Victoria took a moment to admire the tree, and to admire her family. All of her children were either married or heading that way now, and it had all happened so fast, since last Christmas, in fact. She had waited soooooo many years for them to take mates that she was beginning to think it was never going to happen, but now it was happening.

"I think I'll play some Christmas carols," Audra said and went to the piano. "Anybody want to sing?"

"Play 'Deck the Halls' to start," Carl said. "It's the only one I know. All those 'fa-la-las' make it easy to remember."

Audra laughed and started playing, and everyone started singing, even Nick as he came back into the room with a box of candles. Victoria got up and directed him where to put them, but they would not be lit until it got dark outside.

They finished the carol – and suddenly everyone noticed what Heath was doing. He was on one knee in front of Suzanne. He had her hand in his, and he was placing a ring on her finger. Suddenly he was smiling and Suzanne was hugging him. He noticed everyone looking at him. "She said yes!" Heath beamed.

Everyone applauded and rushed to the couple, hugs and kisses all around. Nancy stepped back after kissing Suzanne, and Nick put his arm around her. She smiled at him. He smiled and then looked back, smiling, at his brother and his betrothed.

And that was all he did. Nancy's smile faded a bit, but she stayed in his embrace and tried not to let her envy show. This wasn't the time to feel left out. This was the time to rejoice with Heath and Suzanne.

XXXXXXX

The sun had set and all the candles were lit, but Eugene and his wife still had not arrived by 5:45. Beginning to worry a bit, Nick and Heath went out to the stable and looked up the lane to see if they could see a carriage light approaching, but so far, there was none.

"You think we ought to go look for him?" Nick asked.

"Not yet, I don't think," Heath said. "I think Mother was right. He'd get hung up in town longer than he expected." Then Heath gave his brother a hard look. "So, how is it I proposed to Suzanne before you asked Nancy?"

"Direct, aren't you?" Nick said.

"Well, I know it's none of my business, so I just jumped in with both feet."

Nick chuckled a little, but he did not answer the question.

"She's perfect for you," Heath went on.

Nick gave him another look.

Heath shrugged. "In for a penny, in for a pound."

Nick did not laugh this time, but looked back up the lane for any carriage approaching to save him. There was none. "I don't know," Nick said.

"You having second thoughts about Nancy?" Heath asked.

"No," Nick said. "No, I'm not. I don't know why I haven't asked her. I just – haven't."

"Cold feet," Heath said.

"Not exactly that, either," Nick said. Where are you when I need you, Eugene? he thought.

"You're gonna lose her if you're not careful," Heath said.

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked.

"Suzanne says that new young banker in town has been asking about her. Nancy's not gonna wait for you forever, not when there's more fish in the sea."

Nick just made an unhappy noise and looked back up the lane. And now there was a carriage light coming toward them. "Here comes Eugene!" Nick yelled out loud, and thought, saved!