Chapter Twenty Eight
Nick and Heath walked to the back of the jail where Jarrod was gingerly washing his face in the basin.
"Give me a minute Nick before you hit me. I am trying to find you a spot that isn't bruising yet. I could hear you already back here. Half of Stockton could hear you..."
Both of Jarrod's eyes were blackening, his lip was cut, his chin needed stitches and his neck looked like it had a thumb mark on it. His shirt and pants with blood stains were thrown in a heap.
Nick was bursting at the seams to talk, "Jarrod, what were you thinking?"
Jarrod ignored him. Nick grew angrier.
Jarrod's eyes were icy and cold; Nick's were full of fury. Heath knew he couldn't stop what was getting ready to happen. They were like wolves starting to circle with their eyes focused in on each other and every instinct was in hackles
He was in no mood to get a lecture from Nick of all people. Nick wasn't willing to give Jarrod a pass on betraying Elizabeth with Ruthie.
Jarrod threw the towel down into the basin. "Just hit me, Nick. Get it over with. You at least will have a wife to go home to.I have to live with what I have done to Elizabeth."
Nick backed down but the tension still was thick. Heath was still waiting for the first blows to fly but a common enemy appeared. Nick immediately changed his stance and moved in the protection of Jarrod.
"Well Jarrod, this isn't looking good for you. Found half-clothed at Big Annie's, drunk and swinging punches at innocent visitors from San Francisco. You, an engaged man, too. From what I have been hearing from the city, things haven't been going too well for the esteemed Barkley attorney." smirked Phil Archer.
Not one Barkley brother responded.
"Since the prosecutor is out of town, I will be helping the judge out this afternoon. Let me know if you just want to plead for jail time. Say 60 days?"
He turned and walked out. An unexpected shiver went down his spine. Do they ever blink?
Jarrod said "You will be sorry, Phil for this charade. I promise."
Lis felt slight relief when Heath's note arrived but she knew in her soul. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. She couldn't shake the premonition that her life with Jarrod was in jeopardy
Victoria was feeling the same despite her calm reactions. She knew she had to be for Elizabeth. Her fear was written all over her face. "I am glad I talked to Howard about what to do with a seizure. Would one come? Jarrod, what have you done?
Audra and Julienne decided to go on to their planned visit to the orphanage. They would take Daisy today. Isabella and Katarina weren't leaving Lis's side. Adrienne motioned to Eugene to go outside with her subtleties.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Eugene replied, "No I don't. I want to head to town but my brothers need me here."
"Are we in danger?" she looked up at him with her big green eyes. He thought she had never looked so beautiful. He leaned in and kissed her gently on impulse. Heck, he hadn't even held her hand yet.
She was surprised, to say the least, but she found herself quite pleased. Her bubbly personality was evident, "Well Mr. Barkley, I feel quite safe after that" and she took his arm. He grinned.
She didn't even realize he never answered her question.
Victoria took the opportunity to talk to Isabella, Katarina, and Elizabeth about her sons. She had wanted to for days. Without a Mother in their lives for years and all the convent and boarding school education, she realized they all were naive in certain areas. She had warned Jarrod and Heath several times about guarding their alone time with the sisters.
She had chastised Jarrod last week about propriety and his time in Elizabeth's room. She felt he was too comfortable with her as an engaged man. His knowledge of her scar and his familiar way with her dressing seemed to cross a line but she wouldn't dare voice that concern as angry as he has been. She didn't think they were lovers but definitely closer than they should be.
Barkley men were very hot-blooded. Her engagement with Tom had been short for a reason. Once he decided he wanted something, he went after it. Tom never pushed himself on her of course, but she learned quickly what the word, temptation really meant. His hands would brush over her, the squeeze of her thigh, his tongue on her lips, the nips and pressure on her earlobe. After all these years, these memories still made her have butterflies in her stomach. God, I miss you so much, Tom.
She didn't necessarily want to talk about marital acts but what it meant to love Barkley men. Our pride, our anger, our stubbornness, our independent streak...all made for the family's strength and its weakness. She hoped she could save the ladies some future heartaches and pain. She learned her lessons the hard way and she had a lot of wisdom in that area, "of what not to do".
Lis was headed for trouble with Jarrod if she didn't see Jarrod as he truly was. He was her 'knight in shining armor but he was a flawed man when he could not control circumstances. She needed to see Jarrod in that light too.
Silas had baked fresh scones that morning with Julienne as they waited for news about Jarrod. She poured some tea and set up a tray to take up to their room. She knocked softly and entered the room.
They ended up chatting enjoyably for over an hour before the conversation took another turn. Katarina had entertained them with stories of her great aunt Tatiana.
It was Isabella that brought it up a serious topic. "Have you thought of who will give you away? I think Papa would have liked Jarrod. It feels so comforting to know how close he and John were to each other."
"Too close," thought Lis and Victoria at the same time. But Isabella and the sisters did not know the 'whole' story of Daisy. No one had thought that was necessary. Heath and Nick knew about Julia Saxon but they had known about the Stockton incident whereas Eugene and Audra had missed that and the chapter with Matt Parker.
Little did any of them know that four men across the country in positions of power knew the sordid story and had their own reasons for protecting Mary Margaret Saxon.
Lis answered back with a lie, "I haven't thought much about the wedding"
"Oh," No one knew how to answer that.
Victoria took that as an opening, "Well you know ladies it's not an easy path to love a Barkley man but take my word for it, it is the greatest thing you'll ever do."
The sisters' curiosity was piqued. They opened their eyes widely at each, bit their bottom lip at the same time, and held their breath. Victoria laughed heartily. "I wish you could see your faces. You could be twins in your expression to this old woman's ponderings."
They laughed nervously and she said, "it's ok. I think it's beautiful to be so connected. You know I have a sister in Denver." And she proceeded to share some anecdotes. Katarina smiled wistfully growing up as an only child. She hoped she and Nick would have a big family.
"Back to what I was saying earlier, Barkley men, my sons are strong men, they will want to protect you and fight for what they love as you all know… they do everything with passion but they are stubborn and have pride, a lot of it. I know, believe me I know. Don't push too hard. I am going to share something with you three that is hard for me to admit. I pushed Tom Barkley away when I lost several babies. Yes, and I closed my bedroom door to him. One of which he went to Strawberry and found Leah... I was unreasonable I know but I couldn't seem to stop myself. ". She got very quiet and was lost for a few minutes in her recollections. The girls were stunned at what she told them.
She continued, "I am not saying for you to let my sons get by with bad behaviors. Call their butts out! It won't be the first time for that to happen. I have plenty of practice doing that." The ladies all laughed loudly.
"I guess what I am trying to say is … trust them with your hearts. They can handle it I promise. Forgive them when they ask or more importantly when they don't because of their Barkley pride. Scripture tells us to not let the sun go down on our anger and I wish I had listened to the good book. We had some fights; that wasn't the problem. The making up was worth it. It was the silence and holding grudges and taking each other for granted that I would go back and change. None of us can read minds. Don't assume they feel a certain way because you do. Just say what is bothering you. I was worrying more about myself than him when he was worried about me enough for both of us. Talk it out."
Lis was taken aback. There was no way Victoria knew what happened privately between them last night. She was asleep. "Well whatever the reason behind her words, I will make last night up to Jarrod. Just please come home.
Nick went over to the saloon and grabbed some sandwiches to take back to the jail. They all needed something on their stomach to get past the arraignment.
Ruthie saw him and met him. "Nick, how's Jarrod?"
Nick looked at her incredulously, "He is in jail and Phil Archer and Judge Peterson are coming after him for the past." He was still furious that Jarrod had cheated on Elizabeth with Ruthie.
"Nick, those men started it. They started talking about Lis and her sisters. He tried to ignore it but he snapped. It was three against one but he won...They tried to hold him back but he was like a raging bull. Our bouncer broke it up. Jarrod always did him a good turn like he did the rest of us at Big Annie's"
Somehow Nick felt a little better but Jarrod was still going to get a piece of his mind.
They ate their sandwiches in the jail cell together. Fred left the door open. Jarrod wasn't volunteering many details on the melee.
"Jarrod, I saw Ruthie over at the saloon. She told me that it was 3 against 1 and they provoked you. I told her to let us know how much the damages were and we would make that part right"
Jarrod nodded and continued to eat.
The three Barkley's walked over the courthouse with Fred. "We will get the bail posted and head on to the house. We got some worried womenfolk at the house."
Heath planned. "I will get over to the bank as soon as that judge and Phil quit grandstanding"
"Jarrod Barkley, how do you plead to the charge of attempted murder?"
"What?!" blurted out Nick.
Jarrod stared back at the Judge and Phil icily. "Not guilty"
"Jarrod Barkley, how do you plead to threaten a court-appointed official?"
"What?" Phil lifted his top lip in a half-smile.
"Not guilty, your honor" with emphasis
"Due to the seriousness of these charges, I remand you to jail until trial. No bail. Next case."
Nick started to argue, Jarrod leaned over. "He would like nothing more than to arrest you too. This is payback for the Peterson trial and of course, Phil. Write the names I give you. I will get a judge to end this farce. Go home and make sure Elizabeth stays well. Tell her it's business and I am delayed. I don't want her to know I am in jail"
"Jarrod, what are we supposed to tell her?" Heath questioned. "And Mother?"
"I will explain when I get home. Have court business". Even Jarrod knew how lame he sounded.
Fred was furious. He left Jarrod's cell open and brought him homemade soup from the Stockton House. When the ladies at Big Annie's heard, they added food and desserts to his smorgasbord. Jarrod and the deputies all ate well.
Heath and Nick rehearsed their speech all of the way home. "They aren't going to buy it".
"I know little brother, I know"
They did their story just as they rehearsed it. "Jarrod was doing business with the court...etc."
Victoria looked straight at them with steely eyes, "and now I would like the truth"