Chapter 3

"You were blind?!" Jaq asked incredulously.

Several days later, she and Jarrod were on their way into town and Jarrod was telling her about the time he'd been blinded by an explosion after agreeing to prosecute a man who had killed one of his oldest friends.

"For three weeks. Longest three weeks of my life until…" Jarrod's voice trailed off. Jaq was quiet as she sat next to him, understanding why his voice trailed off.

"Nick and Heath helped me prepare for the trial," Jarrod continued a moment later. "They stayed with me and helped me to memorize the entire layout of the courtroom. By the time they were done with me, I knew every inch of that room, every crack in the floor. They also reviewed the documents with me until I had those memorized as well."

"And you won the case?" Jaq asked, amazed at the story. She already knew the Barkley's were a special family. This just proved it to her more than ever.

"One could look at it that way," Jarrod said. At Jaq's questioning look Jarrod continued. "Mr. Cunningham and his goons decided they'd get me alone and make it appear as though I had an 'accident'. I managed to subdue Mr. Cunningham and send the other two men away. Then Mr. Cunningham decided he'd take advantage and try to get the upper hand. I found a gun and shot him."

Jaq stared at him wide eyed. "Blind?"

Jarrod looked at her sideways. "Blind."

"You're a very impressive man, Mr. Barkley."

Jarrod laughed. "Why thank you, Mrs. Childers."

"I'm glad you're on my side," Jaq said softly. Jarrod reached over and squeezed Jaq's hand briefly.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Jaq. I promise."

Jarrod and Jaq walked into the bank, and each took a moment to allow their eyes to adjust from being out in the sun. To the left there were several teller booths that had customers in line and to the right was a cordoned off area of desks. Behind those desks was an office with a closed door. A young man came over to greet them and Jarrod let Jaq take the lead. She asked to speak to Talbott, and the young man went to check with his boss.

Talbott came out of his office with a huge smile on his face, until he saw Jarrod. The smile remained but both Jaq and Jarrod noticed it wasn't as sincere.

"Hello," Talbott said, greeting her warmly. He grabbed her hand and held on to it. His hand felt clammy and soft.

Jaq was irritated that Talbott didn't wait for her to offer her hand. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held on and then put his arm around her waist to guide her into his office.

Jarrod bristled but didn't want to cause a scene. He would wait for Jaq to indicate to him that she wanted his help, but he was struggling with controlling his impulse to plant his fist in Talbott's face.

"Mr. Talbott," Jaq said, pulling herself back. Talbott grabbed on just a bit tighter.

Jaq looked back towards Jarrod and he took that as his sign it was time to step in. Jarrod moved closer to the two of them and Jarrod spoke in a hushed but firm voice.

"You seem to have an issue with keeping your hands to yourself. Mrs. Childers has made it clear she wants you to let go. I would wager you would rather take care of that yourself without me having to do it for you?"

Jaq bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She couldn't believe how forward Talbott was being. He had always been too friendly for her tastes, but in the last week, he had really stepped it up a notch.

Talbott dropped his hands and stared at Jarrod with contempt. Jarrod stared back, a smile on his face but it didn't touch his eyes. In fact, his eyes looked quite threatening and Talbott had to look away.

"We're here to speak to you about my land," Jaq said.

Talbott turned his eyes to Jaq. "Jaqueline," Jarrod noticed how Jaq stiffened at Talbott using her first name.

"We've already discussed this. It isn't your land. There's no deed so that means your family has been living there illegally. I've offered you a settlement. Would you like to sign the papers and accept?"

Jaq clenched her jaw. "No, Mr. Talbott. I would not. This land was legally purchased by my father and I know there is a copy of the deed somewhere. We will find it."

Talbott noticed people were beginning to turn around and stare.

"Why don't you and I go into the office and discuss. Your friend can wait out here," Talbott said. He started to put his hand on the small of Jaq's back when Jarrod's hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. Talbott jerked his hand away.

"Mr. Barkley is my attorney and he will be joining me in any conversation I deem necessary," Jaq said firmly.

"Well, then I suppose there is nothing to discuss," Talbott said, dismissively.

"Don't walk away from me, Mr. Talbott," Jaq said. Her voice was not loud, but Jarrod could tell she meant business. If Talbott didn't pick up on that, then he was a bigger fool than Jarrod thought.

"I will repeat again. There is nothing to discuss. No deed. No land. You are expected to vacate by the end of the month. Good day."

With that, Talbott walked into his office and closed the door. Jaq took a deep breath to calm herself down, but it wasn't working.

"Jaq," Jarrod said softly. He'd noticed people were sending furtive glances her way and if this were to go to trial by jury, Jarrod didn't want the jury pool tainted with people thinking Jaq was being anything but calm.

Jaq looked at Jarrod and he smiled slightly. She returned the smile. He held out his arm for her to take and she gladly did so.

Once they'd stepped outside, Jarrod led them to the buggy they'd used and helped her climb up. He settled himself next to her.

"We'll go see the judge," was all Jarrod said and then he used the reigns to get the horses to move.

Talbott watched from his window and was trying to calm himself. He didn't know who this lawyer was that Jaq had hired but there was no way Talbott was going to let him interfere with his plans. Plans that were started at the end of his father's life ten years previous and that he had promised his father he would complete.

Carson City wanted to annex their small town and while most were against the intrusion of the larger city doing so, Talbott and several other businessmen in the area were very much in favor. It was between their small town and another and Talbott had to be sure it was theirs. He had a lot riding on this succeeding. The only person standing in his way was Jaq Childers. He couldn't understand why she was being so difficult. He'd been his most charming with her, but she rebuffed all his advances. He had decided a few days prior to step up his plan and start applying more pressure to get her to agree but it wasn't working.

He'd hired some men to ransack her house and look for the deed. If he had that, he could manipulate things in his favor. Unfortunately, the men couldn't find the deed.

Talbott sat at his desk and tried to decide his next move. He decided he'd have someone visit Jaq again and perhaps persuade her and her lawyer to see things his way. If they didn't…well, accidents happened.

The judge wouldn't be available for a few more hours. Jarrod suggested they get something to eat since it was almost lunchtime. The two made their way to the small café in the heart of the town.

After their orders were taken, Jaq sat back in her chair, feeling defeated.

"I just wish I knew why Talbott wanted my land so badly. Yes, it's great land for ranching but he's not the ranching type," Jaq said.

Jarrod considered Jaq's words.

"Maybe it isn't about what the land is for as much as the location?"

"What do you mean 'location'?"

"Several months ago, I was reading an article about Carson City wanting to expand its borders. Could your ranch be standing in the way of that happening?"

Jaq sat up, feeling as though she finally was getting some answers.

"That could be. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I remember my father talking about one of the reasons he didn't like dealing with Talbott or his dad was because they were always pressuring him to sell. They said it would bring in a new 'era' for the town, but he could never get a straight answer from them as to what they meant."

Jarrod was trying to remember everything the article had said. If he wasn't mistaken, Carson City was trying to decide between two towns. Whoever Carson City chose, would be enveloped into the larger city and many businesses would probably benefit. However, the con to being a part of a larger city meant the possibility of more crime as well as higher taxes. Jarrod had to wonder if Talbott was pushing for the town to be annexed which would be a boon for his small-town bank.

"Well, I think we have the 'why'. We'll have to see what the judge thinks."

Several hours later, Jaq, Jarrod, and Talbott as well as Talbott's lawyer were in the office of Judge Wendell Holland. Jarrod explained the situation to the judge who listened with rapt attention. He was only a decade or so older than Jarrod, one of the youngest judges appointed a seat in Nevada. Holland had been a sitting judge for just over two years and had a reputation of being fair.

Talbott had a continuous smirk on his face and it was all Jaq could do not to kick him in the shin – or a little higher she thought angrily – to wipe that smug look off his face.

Jarrod explained his theory regarding Carson City wanting to expand but Talbott's lawyer acted as though he had no idea what Jarrod was talking about. He insisted that the land was not owned legally by Jaq and would need to be relinquished unless or until a deed was found.

"Until we have the deed, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," the judge said. Jarrod could tell he wasn't particularly happy about the fact, but he was following the law.

Jarrod sent a sideways glance toward Jaq and knew she was fighting for control. He was glad she kept her composure though and didn't have an outburst. She let him do all the talking although he could tell she wanted to rail against Talbott.

"Thank you, Judge Holland," Talbott said.

After Talbott and his lawyer left the office, Holland turned to Jaq and Jarrod.

"It would behoove the two of you to find that deed," was all the judge said and then he wished them both a good day.