Chapter Fourteen

Previously:

Jarrod said nothing as he and Steve headed for the animal car. How could he when he was still reeling from what he'd felt when he and Nick shook hands…and in his heart that would always be his brother's name no matter what anyone else might call him.

~oOo~

By the time Jarrod and Steve followed John through the wide wooden gates; the right gate had a huge letter D that sat in the middle of it, it was almost four thirty in the afternoon. The yard was wide open with only a shed and what looked to be the main house nearby. Jarrod was shocked to see that the barn and corrals were a good half mile away from the house. What on earth were the Davies thinking?

"John tried to convince the late Mr. Davies and his other sons to build a new barn and corrals closer to the house." Steve, who saw the shock on Jarrod's face, whispered. "But Mrs. Davies, who is good enough really, is a bit odd. She didn't want her house that close and her husband gave in. That's why you see a smaller house a hundred feet from the barn. When John reached fifteen, he talked to Mr. Davies and the two of them built it. However, John really did most of the work, said there was no way he was going to continue to have an barn or corral that he mainly worked in that far away."

Jarrod agreed, but said nothing. He didn't want to say anything bad about the woman who had taken his brother in and given him a home when he needed it. If Jarrod did that, he feared John would refuse to listen to what Steve and he had to say.

"I told Mama Davies, I'd make sure I brought you to the main house to see her before heading to my house." John, who had stopped the wagon in front of the Davies home, said as he climbed out of the wagon and looked at Steve and Jarrod.

Jarrod looked at the home in front of them. It was built out of stone and was two stories high, though it didn't even come close to matching the Barkley's spacious home. There were a total of four windows in the front, two on the lower level and two on the second. A balcony could be seen wrapping itself around the second floor and a door stood in between both sets of windows. While he couldn't see any other doors, Jarrod felt strongly that all he had to do was walk around the house and he'd have seen others. As there was a door on the west side of the house and one in the back-the one that John usually used to enter the home, Jarrod would have seen he was right if he'd walked around the building. As it was, he dismounted Jingo and looked around for a hitching post. He stopped that when John spoke up.

"We won't be here that long, just tether them to the wagon. I already told Mama Davies I planned to have the two of you stay at my place." John said and then added, "Unless you wish to stay here." He looked at Jarrod; his eyes said he was waiting to see just how far up in the air Jarrod had his nose. It made Jarrod wonder what kind of men his brother had had to deal with through the years.

Jarrod also noticed the way John looked at the three-piece suit Jarrod was wearing and how he glanced at his hands. He might have taken offense, but there was no need to. He'd met plenty of men in his line of business who, for whatever reason, seemed to think they were too good to stay near any barn. "I'm fine staying at your home." Jarrod assured him.

John smiled and then nodded towards the Davies home. "Mama Davies is waiting." He turned around and headed for the house; Jarrod and Steve followed. Once they stood on the porch, John began removing his boots and instructed them to do the same.

Steve and Jarrod did not argue, as Steve started removing his boots while Jarrod did the same with his shoes. They then followed John though the door into a wide open parlor which held a piano, which set on the west side of the room, a couch-which sat against the south wall, under one of the windows and next to the door though which they had entered. There was also a book shelf that set against the east wall. They could see the kitchen through an open door that stood in the corner on the north side of the room.

Mrs. Davies, who was standing in front of the cook stove, turned her head when she hear the front door open. Her face lit up when she saw Steve and, stepping away from the oven, she walked briskly though the kitchen and into the living room. "Hello, again!" She embraced Steve, who returned her greeting, and then looked at Jarrod.

"Who's your friend?" Mrs. Davies asked.

Steve introduced Jarrod. "I hope you don't mind my bringing him with me."

"Of course not!" Mrs. Davies did her best to smile as she looked Jarrod over. There was something about his looks that reached out and grabbed her only, not knowing why, all she could do was smile and assure Steve that Jarrod was just as welcome as he was. "Let me feed the two of you before you leave with John. They are staying with you, aren't they?" She looked at her 'son'.

"Yes, they will be." John answered and then motioned for Steve and Jarrod to follow him and Mrs. Davies into the kitchen.

Jarrod, who had seen the way Mrs. Davies looked at him, couldn't help but wonder if she could see the family resemblance between 'John' and himself. Though, he said nothing. He wanted John to be the first to hear the story Steve and he had to tell, not anyone else.