The Empty Cradle

January 1881

Chapter 1

J.J. had a tendency to start crying when the sky first began to lighten, meaning he gave his parents a bit of a break during the early winter days, but for some reason, it was still dark when he began to wail on New Year's Day of 1881. His parents rolled over in bed and moaned.

"I'm glad I'm not in college anymore," Jarrod muttered.

Maggie found the strength to laugh. "Why would you say that now?"

"Because if I were in college, I'd be hung over on New Year's Day. As it is, I think I'm half hung over."

Maggie sat up on the side of the bed and put her robe and slippers on. "Don't worry, Pappy. I'll see what the little man wants – and I suspect I know what he wants. You sleep some more. I'll feed him and quiet him down."

"Hmmm," Jarrod said as his wife lit the small lamp by the bedside and took it with her to the nursery.

Jarrod thought he'd drift right off again, but he didn't. He could hear his wife cooing and speaking softly to J.J. in the nursery next door, and he found he wanted to listen to her voice for as long as he could hear it. It was soft, loving, so comfortable and soothing. He could lie here and listen to it all day long.

He heard her begin to sing a lullaby and thought she might very well send him off to dreamland with their son, but he didn't drift off. Instead, he found himself waking up even more, just to keep hearing her voice.

He lost track of time and wasn't sure how long it was before she came back to bed. "Well, he's happy again now," she said and climbed back in beside her husband.

Jarrod rolled on his side and kissed her, deeply and passionately. "You are going to tell me when I can expect to receive my wifely duties again, aren't you?"

Maggie laughed. "He was a big baby! It won't be long now, I promise, but it's only 4 o'clock in the morning anyway. You promised to let me sleep till six when we got married, remember?"

Jarrod kissed her neck. "I don't recall that being part of the vows."

"Funny, but when YOU want to sleep you remember them quite well."

Jarrod sighed and rested on his back again. "All right, another hour or two, if J.J. permits."

Maggie rolled onto her side and kissed him, deeply and passionately. "You've been very patient with me since J.J. was born. I promise you, it won't be very long before I take advantage of you every chance I get."

"I thought that was part of MY vows."

Maggie laughed and kissed him again.

XXXXXXX

It was nearing ten o'clock in the morning when Victoria and Audra arrived at the orphanage with a wagon load of food and other supplies. Stockton seemed quieter than usual – perhaps because so much celebrating had gone on the night before and into the early morning hours. But the children at the orphanage had needs that did not change just because the calendar rolled over into a new year and much of Stockton had terrible hangovers.

As soon as they pulled up, Nancy came out of the building, calling, "Good morning!"

"Good morning," Victoria and Audra both said as they climbed out of the wagon.

Victoria said, "Nick is right behind us – I think. He celebrated a bit much last night, so he's not moving as quickly as he ought to."

Nancy smiled. "So after he brought me home, he went out on the town?"

"No, he came home, but he and Heath had their own celebration around the pool table and the liquor bottles."

"Jarrod and Carl were there, too, but of course they had Maggie and me to keep them in line, somewhat, and get them home early," Audra said.

"Well, I suppose next year it'll be you and Maggie and Suzanne and me keeping them in line."

Victoria sighed with a smile. "It's hard to believe my children are finally settling down. I thought it might never happen."

Audra began to lift the baskets of food out of the wagon, handing them to Victoria and Nancy. "Let's get the food inside. The children ought to be ready for their mid morning snack and Silas sent lots of cookies and milk."

As they began to head inside, they saw Nick coming into town. Nancy laughed. He was riding a bit slower than usual, and he was a little slumped over.

"Bad headache this morning," Victoria said. "Heath bounced back pretty well and took off to mind the herd, but Nick is having a little more trouble."

They waited for him to arrive, and Nancy gave him a lusty, "Good morning, Nick!"

Nick winced at the volume, but he tried to straighten up and smile as he dismounted. He hitched his horse and brought Nancy a good morning kiss. "It is now," he said.

"Nick, can you bring these other things inside?" Victoria said. "We have the food."

Audra paused for a moment as her mother and Nancy went inside and Nick began to bring in the other things. Audra kept a close eye on how he was doing, carrying in the blankets and clothing and books and games. She was picturing how each of the orphans inside was going to react to the gifts. She had come to know them as individuals over the years, not just a herd of parentless children. She knew that Bobby liked books but did not like a blanket over him when he napped. She knew that Mary Ann liked playing with a ball better than playing with a doll.

Audra adored them, each one of them. Lately, the feeling was more intense, so much so that she often felt tears coming and had to hide them. She didn't want her mother or Nancy seeing her cry. They would want to know why. She wasn't ready to tell them what had happened. Carl had suggested she tell her mother at least, but she couldn't. She didn't know how.

It took Nick several trips to get everything inside, and he only caught bits and snatches of the women talking with the nuns and some of the children. When he finished, he had to go to the kitchen to find his mother, sister and fiancee.

"Can you ladies spare me for a little while?" he asked, watching as they were preparing the children's snacks. "I have a brief errand to run."

"Of course," Audra said.

"We'll see you in a little while," Victoria said.

Nick gave Nancy a peck on the cheek. "Be back in a bit. Keep my mother and sister out of trouble."

"Who's going to keep you out of trouble?" Nancy asked.

"My hangover," Nick said and went out.

Nick unhitched his horse and rode the half mile or so to the train depot. The early train from San Francisco had come in, and the platform was full of freight and mail packages. Chad, the depot clerk, was checking things in.

"Morning, Chad," Nick said.

Chad rubbed his forehead. "Morning, Mr. Barkley."

"Ah, you had a happy new year, too, huh?"

"The morning after isn't too happy."

"Welcome to the club. Do you know if a package came in for me in the morning mail from San Francisco?"

Chad motioned Nick back into the office, where he went behind the desk and fetched a fairly small package. "I grabbed it fast. It's so small, I didn't want to lose it."

Nick took the package, and instantly his hangover disappeared. He opened it right away, and took out a very small box from a jeweler in San Francisco. "It's the ring for my fiancée. Thanks for looking after it for me, Chad."

"My pleasure," Chad said. "You Barkleys are getting married right and left these days."

"Well, by this time next year we ought to have it all wrapped up. And maybe we'll have another little Barkley or two running around."

Chad smiled. He was one of the people who had been on the receiving end of Jarrod's rage when he lost his first wife, Beth. Something in the back of his courage still shivered whenever Jarrod Barkley was around, but it was easing off, and Chad was genuinely happy to see things were beginning to work out for the Barkley clan in the marriage department. "Happy to have all the Barkleys you can provide."

With a grin and a sudden surge of energy, Nick hustled back out to the street and to his horse. He let his horse trot a little faster back to the orphanage. He wanted to propose properly and give this ring to Nancy with all the children and his mother and sister watching. He knew everyone would get a thrill out of it, and he couldn't think of a better way to start 1881.