(Note – Gwendolen and Cecily first appear in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. They also turn up in Travesties by Tom Stoppard and as the Pigeon Sisters in The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. I borrowed them for a return engagement.)
Gwendolen and Cecily
Chapter 1
Jarrod Barkley did not often go on a cattle drive, but this one was a speculation on Nick's part. He had a prospective buyer on the other end of the drive, but no contract.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Jarrod said when Nick announced his intentions. "You're herding two hundred head of cattle all the way to Sacramento and you don't have a contract for them?"
"It's not much worse than herding them to an open market," Nick said with a shrug.
"But there's no market where you're going. You have to reach an agreement with one man – one man – and if you don't, what are you going to do? Turn around and herd all that cattle back here?"
"There's risk, I admit it," Nick said. "But the market in California isn't much this year. This buyer wants to put cattle on freight trains and ship them east to Grand Junction where there is a market. He can get cattle there in two days instead of nigh onto forever, but he needs cattle to ship. I think we can make a deal."
Jarrod looked to Heath for his reaction, but Heath just shrugged a little. "Nick thinks it's worth the gamble," Heath said.
Jarrod rolled his eyes.
Victoria said, "Why don't you go with them, Jarrod?"
"Pappy?" Nick said, rolling his own eyes. "Herding cattle?"
"Nick, I was herding cattle before your feet reached the stirrups, and I've herded cattle for you before," Jarrod said. "But you don't negotiate and write contracts."
"So you'd come with us?" Heath asked.
"It would make your venture less risky," Victoria said. "And you could have your contract negotiated and signed a lot more quickly."
Nick saw some logic in what his mother was saying. "Are you willing to go?" Nick asked Jarrod.
"Sure, I can go," Jarrod said. "If you're leaving in the next day or two."
Nick said. "We plan to be out of here the day after tomorrow. But you better not be dead weight, big brother. If you were herding cattle before my feet reached the stirrups, you better plan on doing some herding now."
"I'll hold my own," Jarrod said. "Who's the buyer?"
"The man's name is Abel Hill," Nick said.
Jarrod looked like lightning had struck him.
Heath noticed first. "What's the matter?"
"You didn't tell me who we were selling to," Jarrod said.
"Abel Hill," Heath said. "You know him?"
"Far too well," Jarrod grumbled.
Jarrod's answer drew Nick's attention. "What's the matter with him?"
"Nothing that I know of when it comes to business, really," Jarrod said.
"Then why do you look so unhappy?" Audra asked.
"That's a little awkward to explain," Jarrod said. He looked around at everyone and knew he wasn't going to get away with an answer like that. Jarrod heaved a sigh. "I represented his wife in their divorce."
"Aw, Jarrod – " Nick moaned. "You took every last cent he had, didn't you?"
"Obviously not, if he's putting together business deals like the one you described. But it did cost him and he did end up having to pay my fee."
"Aw, Jarrod – " Nick repeated.
Jarrod left things at that, but later on in the evening, as they were heading for bed, Jarrod took his brothers aside while his mother and sister were not around. He stopped his brothers in the hall. "Nick, Heath, there's one more thing I need to tell you about my previous experience with Abel Hill. There's this occupational hazard for a lawyer who represents a wife wanting a divorce."
Nick had no trouble imagining. "You didn't."
"No, I didn't," Jarrod said. "There was never anything between us, but Gwendolen thought there was."
"Gwedolen," Nick said.
"The former Mrs. Hill."
Nick just moaned. "This Gwendolen's not still around, is she?"
"I don't know where she is," Jarrod said, "but I don't think Hill knew how she felt. It didn't complicate the divorce, anyway."
Nick and Heath looked at each other. "What do you think, Jarrod?" Heath asked. "Is this gonna affect our business with Hill?"
"If it was going to, it would have by now," Jarrod said. "He knows your names. He knows we're kin."
Heath gave a shrug to Nick. "We're kind of in a bind now. We told him we'd bring him the beef."
"He'll sue if you don't get them there," Jarrod agreed.
"Even if he can turn them down?" Nick said.
"You said you'd get them there, whether he accepts them or not, didn't you?" Jarrod said.
Nick and Heath both nodded. Heath said, "We gave our word."
"I promise you, my previous business with Hill will not affect how I do business with him now," Jarrod finished and headed on down the hall to his room.
Nick made a fist and sneered. "One day I'm gonna take big brother by the shirt front and – "
"Careful, Nick, he hits back," Heath said and went on to his room.
XXXXXXX
The drive north was uneventful, and the Barkley men arrived at Abel Hill's home more quickly than they anticipated. Feeling heartened, they dismounted in front of the man's big house and soon found Hill waiting for them on the porch.
"Welcome, gentlemen, welcome!" Hill said cheerfully. "I'm glad you made it so fast! How are you, Nick? Heath?"
As Nick shook hands with Hill, he said, "Abel, I think you know my brother Jarrod."
"I know Jarrod very well," Hill said. "How are you, Counselor? It's been a while."
"A few years," Jarrod said, and they shook hands.
"I'm surprised to see you," Hill said. "And surprised you'd agree to do business with me."
"I'm a little surprised myself," Jarrod said.
"Well, come on in, have a drink, let's talk," Hill said and led them inside.
Hill's home was spacious and comfortable. He led the Barkley men into a large study off the main foyer, where he invited them to sit down before he headed for the refreshment table. "Is scotch still your drink, Jarrod?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you," Jarrod said and sat down in a leather armchair.
"Whiskey for me," Nick said.
"Heath?" Hill asked.
"I think I'll pass for the time being," Heath said and sat on a sofa.
Hill delivered the drinks and then poured one of his own. "So," he said, "I trust the drive was uneventful."
"No problems at all," Nick said. "We have two hundred prime head ready for you as soon as we settle on the terms. Just when are you planning to ship?"
"As soon as I can," Hill said. "Putting aside all the niceties, I'm willing to pay you ten percent off the price at Grand Junction this morning. That will cover my shipping costs and give me a small profit and we'll all be happy, because this morning, the price at Grand Junction was a good fifteen percent higher than the high price at any of the markets within 100 miles of Stockton."
"You won't mind if we check that out for ourselves," Nick said.
"Not at all, but check it out and make up your mind fast, because tomorrow I'll be offering with reference to tomorrow morning's price at Grand Junction, and you know how prices can move."
"Indeed I do," Nick said, "but I doubt you're expecting them to go down by the time you get these cattle there."
Hill chuckled. "Of course not, but that's my gamble in this deal, isn't it? If we make this deal, I can pay you today. You can be on your way home and I can be moving those cattle to the railhead before sundown."
Nick looked over at Heath, who got up, saying, "I'll go on into Sacramento and be right back," and he left.
"In the meantime," Hill said, "I've already sent my foreman out to look at your herd, so as soon as Heath comes back and my foreman comes back, we can complete our deal. Now, Mr. Counselor, I suppose you want a look at my draft contract."
"I do," Jarrod said.
"You're not gonna charge me for the look-see, are you?"
Hill laughed as he said it, but Jarrod's laugh was less than funny.
Hill said, "I'll just go get it while you tell Nick all about our previous encounter, because he sure doesn't know it all, does he?"
Hill left the room chuckling, and Nick immediately turned on his older brother, glaring. "What the hell is he talking about? Is there more to this than you've said?"
Jarrod scratched his forehead. "Not that I knew of then, but I think he just told me he found out how Gwendolen felt about me."
"Aw, Jarrod – "
Hill came back into the room, carrying the draft contract he went to get, and he held it out to Jarrod, saying, "Did you tell him all about our previous get-together, Jarrod?"
"I told him," Jarrod said, calmly taking the papers from Hill.
Hill laughed. "Helluva thing, isn't it, Nick? How old times can come around to bite you in the hind quarters?"
"Well," Nick said awkwardly, "this is another time and another transaction, Abel. Let's not let my brother's line of work ruin our business."
"Of course not," Hill said. "Why don't I just step out for a spell and let the two of you look over this contract? I think you'll find it's fair. I'm not looking for blood or – revenge."
Jarrod moaned inwardly. Sure he wasn't.