A/N If you (readers) have not read Ghostwriter85's "Golden Girl", you really should. While I'm not going to write a story long enough to cover ten years (that would take far too long and have way too many chapters), this is still an expansion of that one shot. This not will be included in the next chapter...for those who missed this because I had to edit the chapter and include it.
Chapter One
The sun was shining and sending its bright yellow rays down upon the road, as Audra rode next to Victoria in the surrey. Heath, Jarrod, and Nick traveled alongside riding their horses. There was nothing but silence between the various family members as they traveled towards Stockton's train station. As she glanced out of the corner of her eye at her mother, who was sitting as straight as possible with her eyes fixed on the road, Audra couldn't help but inwardly sigh. The memories of the night before came back to her full force.
"You don't have to do this." said Victoria spoke with more fervor and urgency than she ever had.
Jarrod and Heath stood nearby, as did Nick, who had found his way to Audra's room when her heard his mother's voice getting quite loud. All four stood Barkleys watched Audra pack her things. Each and every one of them was desperately doing what they could to stop the young lady from making such a huge mistake.
"There are other ways to help the farmers," pleaded Victoria.
"Listen to mother," Nick leaned against Audra's dresser and begged his sister to listen to reason in his usual loud voice, something he'd been doing, once he stopped ranting and raving about what he thought of Scott, and how he, Nick, wished he'd been home to beat the man senseless. "We can help the farmers find other land, just as good as what they have now, even if it means helping them with the down payment for it! You don't have to do this!"
"Nick's right." Jarrod interjected as he could see the frustration growing in Nick's eyes to the point of exploding more than he already had. "We can all help them. You reputation doesn't have to be ruined."
Audra, who had paused for a split second and looked at her family before going back to packing her things, shook her head. "I was serious when I made the offer, and Scott has accepted it. I'm his as long as he wants me." She wondered if they'd tell her now to never come back if she followed through with the offer. Thinking that way, Audra found herself tensing up and waiting to hear she'd been disowned…but it didn't happen.
After Victoria and her sons looked to each other and sent each other silent messages, turned to her daughter and said, in a voice full of resignation, "Whenever you need a place to go to, don't forget you have a home here with us."
"Forever," Heath and Jarrod voiced in unison.
Audra had to fight back the tears that wanted to come as she took her eyes off her suitcase and looked at Nick, who still looked he wasn't through with his rampage. Legally this was his ranch and his home. Did he feel the same way?
Nick wanted to find something, anything, to hit and break. Jarrod never should have invited Scott to the ranch, and he, Nick, never should have welcomed the man. But Audra was his sister, and he wasn't going to have her thinking she couldn't come home. "You listen to us." Nick sighed and stepped away from the wall. He walked up to Audra and placed his hands on her shoulders, his voice betrayed the range of emotions he was feeling. "This is your home, always will be. The door is always open."
That did it; Audra threw her arms around Nick and held on tight. She was going to miss him, all of them, so much.
The sounds that filled the train station brought Audra out of her thoughts. She had made a choice and continuing to think about it, and what might have been, wasn't going to do her or her family any good. At least they'd begged her to write on a consistent basis, saying they didn't want to lose contact with her. It was a promise Audra readily agreed to. When the train station came into view, she could see Scott Breckenridge standing on the platform waiting for her. Audra had to fight to keep her nerves in check and, from the looks she saw on her family's faces when she glanced at all of them, they were also fighting to keep up an appearance of neutrality. She knew it was for her sake, not Scott's. For that gesture, she loved her family even more.
"Remember, Audra," Nick spoke up as he pushed Coco forward just far enough to be riding right alongside his sister, "No matter what happens, you come home if you need to." Since he'd earlier continued his rampage against Scott for a few minutes after he'd left her room, Nick wanted his baby sister to know he hadn't changed his mind about her.
Home, the one word brought back a thousand memories back. For a small moment she could see herself chasing after her brothers, sometimes as a welcome playmate, at other times? She knew she'd simply been a pesky little sister. Only when her mother stopped the surrey and Scott walked down the steps did Audra come out of her thoughts.
Scott could feel how thick the air between him and the Barkleys were. That part did not surprise him. What did surprised him, though one would never know it by looking at his face, was that Audra's family was with her. First they'd stood by the farmers, now they were obviously standing by Audra. He'd never seen such loyalty before. No, every time he'd met a woman, or young lady, who chose to follow someone like him the family that was left behind had disowned the woman, calling them everything from a loose woman to a dance hall girl. He didn't know what to make of it. He started to walk towards Audra, only to have Nick dismount and beat him to it. The whole time the look in Nick's eyes told Scott that he, Scott, would have more than one broken bone in his body, if it weren't for the presence of Audra.
"She's still my sister." Nick snapped as he removed Audra's baggage from the surrey and helped Audra down..
"So she is," Scott replied as he took the baggage. "The train leaves in ten minutes." He looked at Audra, still trying to comprehend the fact that the Barkelys had all come to see Audra off. Well, all that could. It would be sort of hard for the youngest Barkley to do seeing how he was at Berkley. "We're riding in the first class car." He turned towards the train only to have Victoria stop him.
"Maybe none of us can stop this, only I'll tell you this much. If you ever beat her or hurt her in anyway, you won't know what hit you." There was ice in Victoria's voice and fire in her eyes as she added, "Anymore than you have already". Scott could see the same message in Jarrod, Nick and Heath's eyes. Once again, he was amazed by what he was seeing.
"I don't hit women." Scott replied sharply and then, taking Audra's baggage in his left hand, he took a hold of Audra's left arm and led her to the train, leaving the rest of the Barkleys to start praying and hoping that, somehow, things would work out in the end.
