Chapter 7

October 1866

One thing had changed around the house since he'd been away, Jarrod noted. Now that he was about to have a serious discussion with his parents about beginning his own legal practice, Nick was present too. It made sense to Jarrod – after all, Nick was rapidly taking over portions of running the family businesses on his own. Nick should be there when family business was discussed. Nick should be there when the question of Jarrod's part in the running of the Barkley empire was planned out.

Except Jarrod was about to spring yet another surprise on the family. They had expected he would come home and work exclusively on the family business, but on the day he arrived, after dinner was finished and the little ones were put to bed, Jarrod asked that they all talk together in the library, and he opened by saying, "I've been offered a position with the District Attorney's office here in Stockton – Assistant District Attorney job, one year appointment with the possibility of an extension. I plan to take it."

"What?!" Tom Barkley yelled.

"Father, hear me out," Jarrod said. "Let me explain why. There's no better way for me to get courtroom experience – "

"What do you need courtroom experience for? You'll be working on contracts and real estate, not litigation."

"There will be litigation, Father, you know that," Jarrod said. "Things don't always work out smoothly. Now, it's a full time job, but I can do the family's work as we planned during my off hours and on weekends."

"You'll drive yourself into the ground," Victoria said, and her thoughts went back to the first years of her oldest son's life and the recurring pneumonia he suffered.

Jarrod shook his head. "I'll pace myself, and I'll only plan on it being for one year if it's too much of a strain. It's important to me to do this. It's a good opportunity."

Tom Barkley paced and strutted unhappily. "This isn't why we sent you to law school."

"I know, Father, you didn't want me to go in the first place, as I remember," Jarrod said, his voice getting tighter and tighter.

Nick heard another argument brewing. Jarrod had been home to stay for only one day, and there was already an argument. And Nick understood why it was happening. Nick himself felt a bit betrayed that Jarrod was planning to spend most of his time with the District Attorney, not doing the family's legal business. The more he thought about it and the more he watched his father pace, the more betrayed he felt.

"Father's right, Jarrod," Nick said. "This isn't why they sent you to law school."

Jarrod's eyes flashed at Nick, and Nick hardened his stare right back. They had had squabbles growing up, but this was the first big one since they became men, and this one was going to be a nasty one if they weren't careful.

Victoria saw what was happening, too. "Perhaps we should let Jarrod give it a try."

Now all eyes were on her.

"Jarrod, if it turns out that you can't keep up with the family business as well as the work in the District Attorney's office, can you resign that job?" Victoria asked.

Jarrod nodded. "Yes, at any time."

"Well, then," Victoria said. "What harm is there in letting Jarrod try his plan? If he can keep up with our work and the District Attorney's, there will be no problem."

Nick eyed his father, and to his surprise, his father looked back at him for his input. The feeling that Jarrod was betraying him suddenly disappeared, wiped out by the anger in his father's eyes. Now Nick felt trapped between his adored father and his adored older brother, but only for a moment. He said, "Maybe we should let Jarrod give it a try, Father. Like Mother said, there's not really much to lose."

Tom Barkley huffed and stopped pacing directly in front of his oldest son. "All right. We'll try it your way, but I make the call as to whether or not you're holding up your end of the work around here."

Surprisingly, Jarrod nodded. "That's fine with me, sir."

Victoria reached for her coffee, in front of her on the coffee table. "Well, that's settled."

But Tom Barkley left the room.

Jarrod sighed. "I'm sorry, Mother, Nick. But thanks for sticking up for me."

"Oh, I'm with Father on this," Nick said. "This isn't why they sent you to law school. You went back on the deal."

"Which is why I agreed to let Father make the call on it," Jarrod said, his voice growing tense again.

Nick just shook his head. "Let's hope it works out as well as you think it will," he said, and then he too left the room.

Nick found his father in the living room at the refreshment table. Tom Barkley saw Nick coming toward him, but he didn't look at him for long. "You could have backed me up better," Tom said.

Nick said, "I did back you up. You just left the room before you heard me do it."

Tom took a deep breath. "That brother of yours – he is so headstrong, it makes me want to – " He didn't finish the sentence.

Nick said, "You used to complain about me being headstrong."

"And you are," Tom snapped. Then he let out a huff of a breath. "You're two of a kind that way."

"Where do you think we get it from?" Nick asked.

Tom almost smiled. "You got it coming down both sides of the family."

"Well, then, we were doomed from the start," Nick said. "I do think you were right to be angry with him, Father, but he was right too. Working with the District Attorney is going to give him a lot of courtroom experience, and we are going to need it."

"I know that. I just don't like him making up his mind and dropping these decisions of his on us without our input."

"Father, he's a man now – twenty-three years old. He's already had a bunch of experiences you've never had."

"Nick, will you stop being the voice of reason? You're not telling me anything I don't already know."

"Then let it go, Father. We've reached a settlement between the four of us, and it's a good one. He'll try what he wants to try, and he'll let you make the call if it isn't working. Sounds like a decent plan to me."

Tom leveled a gaze on his middle son. "Didn't I just ask you to stop being the voice of reason?" he asked with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Nick smiled. "Father, working beside you all this time has taught me how to be the voice of reason. But I'll get over it."

Tom Barkley finally laughed.