Shelter from the Storms Chapter Twenty-Eight

.Previously:

For a moment, Victoria didn't move. Nick couldn't be serious. He couldn't have thought everything through, and still want to court Cass's sister. No, this courtship idea had to be cut off before it got any farther along. Though, for the moment, she supposed she was going to have to put that issue aside while she met Elizabeth and the young girl who needed to be taken to Fremont.

Victoria and Nick, who had made their way into the boarding house's living room, found places to sit. The Barkley matriarch chose to sit in a chair near the boarding house's fireplace while Nick took a chair within a foot of a plain brown couch-the only couch in the room and one that Elizabeth was using. Heath, who had sat down in the farthest corner of the room to read a book stood up to leave only to have Nick to ask him to stay. "We're not going to say anything that is meant to be kept private."

"Fine." Heath sat down and started reading again. He didn't need his eyes to listen to the conversation that would take place.

It seemed like an eternity before the silence was broken. Finally, Victoria gave Elizabeth a heart felt thanks for what the young widow had done. "My family and I sincerely thank you."

Elizabeth smiled back and did her best to relax. "You are more than welcome. It was definitely weather that no one needed to be out in." She hesitated and then thanked Victoria for agreeing to go with them to Fremont. "I admit she probably should have been taken there sooner only, since I knew sign language and could teach her…well, you get the picture."

Victoria nodded at the young woman who seemed polite enough. "She's been fortunate to have a stepmother who knew sign language. Where is she?"

"Up in the room," Nick replied as he pointed towards a set of long stairs that led up to the second floor. With the exceptions of three rooms on the first floor, the guest rooms were on that floor. "She was more tired than she wanted to admit, apparently she fell asleep before your coach arrived."

Victoria found herself feeling very much relieved. As much as she wanted to meet the young girl, the fact she was lying down gave the adults some time to talk without worrying about the tender feelings of one so young. The moment Victoria straightened up and smoothed out her dress, Elizabeth knew things were going to turn more serious. How could she not know when she could literally see Nick stiffen-as he was preparing to stand his ground. It made her sigh inside. Though, she didn't know why. Nick had already warned her how much Jarrod and his mother had a way of thinking close to the same thoughts. Nick had told her, 'It probably comes from having Jarrod having to step in and help her with my baby sister and brother when Father was killed.'

"Before we leave tomorrow, I think we need to talk about this idea that you two are going to court each other. I want to say up front you do seem to be a very likeable young woman. Still, we need to talk. "Without truly realizing it, Victoria's voice took on a tone that screamed 'We'll talk until you see things my way.

'That tone' was something Nick knew all too well. It was only the knowledge of the choices he'd made in the past that made it so he controlled himself now. After all, the idea was to prove to his family he was not repeating history. "There is nothing to talk out." Nick forced himself to speak evenly and to keep his own tone neutral. "I know there's a valid concern concerning Cass and Cliff, so does Elizabeth. While we can not see Cass being any sort of threat, if we are wrong his target would be me. I am the one insisting on courting his sister. Same thing goes for Cliff-who we plan on going to see the first chance we get. As long as I go unarmed, we can not see him pulling any sort of weapon on me." He glanced at Elizabeth and then back at his mother. "And there's no reason to be concerned about Elizabeth. She's more than 'likable'. She's already proven how good she is. If you have any doubt, talk to Phillip Jackson and his wife. They know her, and their reputations are as solid as ours is."

Victoria didn't agree when it came to Cass or Cliff. As far as she was concerned, Cass could-and would-contact someone on the outside. That person would not care who he hurt. And, since Jarrod's encounter with Cliff, she knew the man didn't exactly put any of the Barkleys on his 'good list'. No, she was sure that one, or both, of the brothers would cause them problems if Nick continued to see Elizabeth. However, before she could make both Elizabeth and Nick 'see reason', Tabitha appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Go ahead and take care of her." Nick gestured towards the young child while looking at Elizabeth. "My mother and I will continue this conversation."

Elizabeth looked torn. She didn't want to feel like she was abandoning Nick-even if he was telling her to go, only she had a responsibility towards Tabitha as well. The young girl shouldn't have to be in a room that was starting to fill with even more tension than before. However, due to the firm look in Nick's eyes, her struggle lasted only a few moments. "If you need me, I'll be with Tabitha in her room." She spoke to Nick and then began walking towards her stepdaughter. She stopped momentarily next to Victoria. "You've raised a fine son, Mrs. Barkley. For whatever faults he may, or may not have, he's a good one. I wouldn't do wrong by him IF we should marry." She then hurried to get Tabitha, who was looking as if she was going to start asking a bunch of questions, back up the stairs and out of sight.

Only when the two had left the room did Nick look at his mother-who still looked more than agitated. "How many times do I have to tell you and Jarrod I have thought this through?"

While Victoria was astounded to realize just how serious Nick was, she did not agree with him. This being the case, she dug in her heels and tried one more time. Only thing was, in her desperation, she pulled a 'Nick stunt'-as Gene-who was now living in Boston- had often called it when his brother acted impulsively. She spoke without truly thinking of who she was speaking with. "Then I suggest you do some more thinking between now and the time we arrive in Fremont! No matter how good Elizabeth is, she's still a Hyatt with brothers who could be a very real threat to this family… you will not court or marry a Hyatt!"

The change in the feeling that hung in the room changed from high tension to the feeling one gets when a door is slammed in one's face. The look on Nick's face turned to stone as he reached over and picked up his hat-which sat on a small table next to the chair he sat on-and stood up. He started walking briskly towards the stairs.

"Nick…" Victoria started to rise to her feet only to have her hot-tempered son turn on her; his face still cold and his voice seething in anger.

"I will court who I want to! With, or without, your permission or blessing!" Nick slapped his hat on, biting off his next words." Also, I will find someone else to accompany us to Fremont. I am sorry to have wasted your time!" He stormed out of the room and up the stairs just as Jarrod, who had taken an extra long walk around Hayden, walked into the boarding house.

Jarrod looked at his mother standing in the middle of the room with a look of utter disbelief on her face while Heath sat in the far left hand corner of the room. He was looking at Victoria as if he wasn't sure what to do.

"What happened?" The blue eyed barrister shut the door behind him, though he kept his eyes on his mother. "Where's Elizabeth and Tabitha? I thought they were here as well."

"She treated him as if he were still a child." Heath stood up and told his oldest brother everything when Victoria failed to answer. His sharp, no nonsense reply snapped his stepmother out of her shock.

"I was just trying to stop him from making a huge mistake." Victoria replied back without hesitation, though the sound of conviction was not as strong as it had been before. She then admitted to what Nick's response had been.

While Jarrod agreed a mistake was being made, he wasn't surprised by Nick's reaction. "They need a chaperone, there's no reason it can't be Mother. I'll…" he stopped when Heath raised his eyebrow. Jarrod knew Heath was questioning Jarrod's ability to get Nick to listen. After the 'small arguments' he and Nick had had, and with what Jarrod had just learned, the famous attorney had to admit Heath had a point. "Why don't you go talk to him, Heath? I'm sure Mother will promise to keep her mouth shut on 'that' subject." He kept his eyes on Victoria, who batted her hands through the air as if to ask, 'What else can I do?'

Heath said nothing more as he left the room. He would talk to Nick only he hoped that Jarrod and Victoria would indeed stop fighting with the Stockton rancher. After all, the more they fought him, the more Nick would dig in his heels.