Unexpected Offer

(Families are Forever)

Fan Fiction

I do not own the copyrights to The Big Valley

Scene 4

Cordelia couldn't help but gasping as soon as she stepped inside; the house was breathtaking. Stairs winding around and around as they ascended upwards. Real marble tiles covered the floors and the dark wood paneling held intricate designs of leaves traced with just a touch of gold. Curtains of the most expensive material she'd ever seen covered the window at the end of the short hallway to her left.

"I had this built when I was a much younger man." Gene twisted a glass in his hand as he walked into the foyer. "There was a period of time, I'm ashamed to admit, that I distanced myself from my family. This was built on land not originally part of my family's ranch. I kept it such a secret they never knew about it." It was a fact he deeply regretted, and had done whatever he could over the ensuing years to make amends.

"You're not on the outs with them now though." Cordelia had seen a white haired woman who had to be Audra being taken back to the old ranch style house by a gentleman definitely closer to this Gene's age than her own; it could have only been Heath.

"No, I even go to visit my sister and brother often. It's not uncommon when I'm around for me to work with the horses." Sitting his glass down the only surviving Barkley male opened a door which exposed well built steps. "We need to talk in private, and I don't trust ears on this floor."

Neither one talked as they descended the staircase lit by tiny electric sconces. The leafy design on the walls were just as well done as the ones on the foyer's walls. It was only when Gene opened the attic door, and ushered Cordelia did she hear the old man speak again as he sat down on a oak chair and scanned the room with his eyes.

A queen-sized feather bed covered with a white lacy quilt made him sigh. The tall oak dresser was standing guard against intruders, and pictures hanging on the wall smiled as they finally had visitors again.

"This whole house seemed bare until ten years ago when my mother grew ill. I brought her to my home to take care of her because seeing the old home was too hard on my heart. It seemed so empty at the time. I had a room on the main floor already, but she insisted the view from this room was far better. I couldn't say no to her; even if my servants griped over the inconvenience."

"Empty? What about your siblings? I thought they lived there?" Cordelia asked kept an eye on her host.

" Not at that time. Audra was away in Europe, Jarrod dead by a train wreck." Gene shrugged his shoulders. "Pappy, a name we called Jarrod, never had remarried after Beth was shot so it's not like he had children who were running around the place."

"What about the ones called Nick , and the one living there now?" Cordelia asked curiously.

"Nick, by that time had already been killed in a stampede. He only had one son, but my nephew is now paralyzed thanks to an unfortunate accident. He's living in Nevada with his daughter. The other three children Nick had were all daughters." Gene sighed. "They married men more interested in the machinery rather than ranching." The youngest Barkley let his shoulders sag. "Heath had three sons, but none lived at the main house. The oldest died of influenza, his second never returned from Europe, and the third? His heart was only on music. It didn't help his own wife had died shortly after the news of their son being killed in action." Rubbing his knees he admitted Heath had done what he could to help. "But, during that period, Heath lost his own wife and was having health issues of his own, still does to some degree. That being the case, it was too much for my poor brother to pitch as much as he would have liked to. Don't get me wrong, he did everything he possibly could. Needless to say, I hold no hard feelings towards him. I mean, he did come here and visit her as much as he could; even if he didn't handle physically taking care of her as some thought he should." He gave a half heart, disgusted chuckle, "Some people need to start thinking with the brains the good Lord gave them." Turning his head he saw Cordelia lift her hands slightly as if to say 'and you're telling me this why?"

"How old are you?" Gene asked throwing Cordelia for a loop. What did all his talk of his family have to do with her age? It was a question she wasn't afraid to ask. "I'd feel better discussing what is on my mind if I knew how old you were."

"Old enough to keep my big mouth shut." Cordelia lifted her head slightly and then grinned with slight twinkle in her eyes. "And no one knows cause my parents died of influenza nine years ago and the building that stored many birth certificates burned and left nothing inside." Gene couldn't help but laugh.

"I take it your legal than?" He smiled and lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm legal and then some." A bee buzzed in her ear and she shot out, "Are you going to tell me you're age?"

"I just turned seventy. Now you have to tell me yours." Cordelia paused a moment, stood up and walked over to her host. It was only when she leaned towards his ear that she whispered her age.

"Are you kidding me?" Gene's muscles literally relaxed and he felt an enormous feeling of relief disappear off his shoulders; she wasn't anywhere near as young as he'd feared, but still the lady hadn't looked the age she'd just told him.

"No, I'm not." Cordelia then informed him if he ever ratted on her she'd deny it with no hesitation on her part. "I intend taking that information with me to my grave. So," she said as she sat back down, "how did you know who I was, and why did you want to talk to me? I mean, surely you didn't bring a stranger here just to tell them about your family or ask their age." Cordelia didn't consider herself overly noisy or even that curious, but Mr. Barkley had her interest peaked for sure.

"My brother and I first saw you quite some time ago. And we, I…" He rubbed his neck while having the decency to have his face turn red. "…have been keeping an eye on you for quite sometime. It's no secret how you treat the elderly and the young, rich and poor alike. Your ability to stand your ground when others try to push you around and your ethics are extremely high. In some cases, we could have sworn you were acting just as our mother would; that is, if she was in the same place." Gene admitted Heath had suggested she be checked out by a private investigator too.

"What in heaven's name for?" Her mind could not wrap itself around any possible reason.

"Because of the proposition I have to make… and we wanted to be cautious on who I made it with." Gene found himself unable to sit still and walked to the window wandering if the woman would insist his sister have him and Heath locked up or worse - go to the law over it.