Chapter 4

In which the brothers visit the ranch and make a startling discovery

After getting their gear together, the five started out on their way at an easy trot. They were to take the same trail that led into the town until they got to the fork in the road then head left. This trail was much narrower than the one they'd left but there were not as many ups and downs. There was a lot more trees and grass and after an hour, they came to a small stream and stopped to let their horses drink and graze a bit.

"Well, Johnny," Sean said after getting a drink from the stream. "How do you like your share of the stuff?"

"I don't know. Haven't seen it yet."

"I just hope that stallion is lucky," Ian piped up.

"I guess just about anything would be better than books though," Sean replied.

"All matter of opinion, Sean," Van retorted. "I happen to be an avid book-reader and am very pleased to be left with Father's collection." Sean and Ian merely sighed and shook their heads.

"I was wondering who'd get those," Andria sighed.

"You read?" Van asked surprised.

"Oh absolutely. Books are one of the few things that have helped me through life."

"Well, maybe you can have some of them." Johnny sent his brother a warning glance but Van ignored him.

"Really?" Andria was saying excitedly. "Thank you so much."

"Well, let's get a move on, boys," Johnny said before she could gush out her whole heart to Van. They all rose from the ground and mounted their horses. Within minutes they'd left the little stream, and even though they hadn't spotted him, the lone rider on top of the last rise had not let them leave his sight.

When they rode over the last rise before entering the valley the ranch was nestled in, the first thing Johnny noticed was the loneliness and desolateness of the place. There were no herds of cows despite all the beautiful green grass, and no horses or any other form of livestock that he could see, and didn't look like there was a soul on the place.

The five slowly rode down the path and dismounted in front of the huge house, tying their horses to the rotting hitching post. Sean, Van, and Ian at once started up the steps but it was Johnny who stayed to help Andria dismount her horse.

"Thank you," she said, remaining in his arms a little longer than necessary, surprising even herself. She looked past him at his three brothers who seemed to have completely forgotten them.

Johnny turned to see what she was looking at then said, "Yes, you'd think it would be Van or Ian even who'd have better manners."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking that at all," she cried. Johnny smiled slightly then the big, oak door opened a crack.

"Who is it?" a raspy woman's voice demanded.

"My name's Van Jackson and these are my brothers."

"What of it?"

"Olivia, let me in," Andria sighed making her way in front of her boys. "It's me."

"Andria!" the short, slightly plump woman cried opening the door wide and stepping aside. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"They had the reading this afternoon and my cousins were kind enough to escort me home."

"Cousins?" Olivia looked long and hard at the four boys.

"Yes, they're the sons of Buck Jackson."

"Buck?" The four boys nodded. "Well, come in then," Olivia said turning on her heel and flouncing back into the house. Johnny looked back at his brothers before following Andria and her step-mother inside. "All his old stuff is upstairs," Andria said. They'd stopping in what probably used to be the kitchen. It looked more like a bar than anything else, except it didn't have the mirror. Three rather greasy looking men were sitting at the bar and nursing shots of whiskey.

"Uh, excuse me," Van said rather stiffly. "But would you mind telling us just exactly who you are?"

"Well, if you four are Buck's sons, then I'm your Aunt Olivia. That over there's your Uncle Wes," she pointed to the closest man to them. He had long black hair he kept in a ponytail and he wore dirty buckskins. He had a tired look in his eyes and his mouth hung open like a cod fish. He looked like he was in a daze but the boys could tell he was very aware of his surroundings.

"The other two are our boys, Jame and Rusty," Olivia continued. The two boys were just as dirty-looking as their father, only they looked a whole lot meaner. They had dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes which were staring at the Jackson brothers almost hungrily. Both of them had turned up noses like there was something foul in the air, and as soon as they moved farther into the room the brothers realized that there was.

"Howdy," said Ian. "My name's Ian, this is Van, Sean, and Johnny."

"Howdy," Jame replied with a snicker. "Well, now, looks like we got us some new cousins, Rusty."

"Maybe we should take 'em out for a tour of the ranch?" his brother added.

"Shut up," Wes finally spoke in a slow drawl. "What do you boys want here?" He stared at his four nephews.

"Our Father left us a few things," Johnny replied.

"Well, like she said," Rusty jerked his thumb at his mother. "All Buck's old junk is upstairs."

"Just don't go in our rooms," Jame added quickly.

"Well, that's something we need to discuss," Johnny said slowly.

"What are you talkin' about?" Wes drawled.

"They inherited more than just a few things," Andria said gently.

"We actually-" Johnny started to explain but then thought better of it and took the will from his pocket. "How about you just read it for yourself."

Wes took the paper and slowly read it out loud. When he was done you could've heard a pin drop.

"Uh, Dad," Jame was the first to speak. "What does all that mean?"

"It means my brother's dumped us out on our ears for sons who deserted him."

"We didn't leave our father," Sean said quietly but affectively. "Our mother did."

"And," Andria said quickly. "You got something, Olivia. Half of the Black Deck is nothing to sneeze at."

"What about the other half?" Rusty demanded. "Now that Uncle Brett's dead who gets it?"

"Uh, well, it came as quite a shock," Andria replied. "Olivia, do you remember your little brother Barkley?"

"Of course I remember him. He ran off when he was only fifteen. The last I heard he'd gotten himself thrown in jail for robbing a bank."

"Well, Brett left him the other half of the Black Deck."

"What?" Wes gasped. "That no good, thieving, scoundrel?"

"Brett always did have a soft spot for that boy," Olivia ground through her teeth.

"Hey, Mom," Jame cried suddenly. "Didn't you get a letter or something a few years ago about Uncle Barkley dyin' er something?"

Olivia and Wes's faces slowly lightened. "Why I believe I did," she said.

"And I don't recall him having any children," Wes added.

"We may just get the Black Deck after all." Olivia, Wes, and their sons started having a small celebration, breaking out the good whiskey and everything. Only Johnny noticed the smugly triumphant look on Andria's face when she looked at Olivia.

"Uh, well," Ian cried to his aunt over the din. "Dad also left us a few of his belongings."

"The sheriff said to look here," Van added.

"Anything of Buck's is in the attic," Olivia said to them.

"Come on," Andria said, motioning them towards the door. "I'll show you."

When they reached the dirty musty attic the boys split up to search for the items. After ten minutes they met back together in the middle to show what they'd found.

"Well, here are the guns," said Johnny. He took a pearl handled .45 Peacemaker in each hand and did some expert twirl work before slipping them into his gun belt. He stuck his old guns in his regular pants belt.

"And I've got my saddle and bridal," said Sean dropping the gear down with a thud raising a big puff of dust. The saddle was dark brown, almost black and smelled of dirt and old whiskey. "A little musty," Sean said patting the saddle horn. "But still good."

"I've found my books," Van added pulling a large trunk up and sitting on it with a huff. He had one of the books in his hands and flipped it open. "'Romeo, Romeo,'" he read from the Shakespearian play. "'Where for art thou, Romeo?'" He read with such eloquence his two brothers were transfixed to the spot. "What do you think the bard is saying there?" he asked, breaking the mood.

"Where are you, Romeo?" Sean snorted. "And who's the bard?

"No, to your first question" Johnny said with a slight grin. "Juliet is sad that Romeo is a Montague and she is a Capulet, the two families of a certain city that hate each other. And to your second question, Shakespeare was often referred to as a Bard."

"Johnny," Van was staring at his brother dumbfounded. "I never thought you knew Shakespeare."

"Days of riding alone in the west can make you lonely. Books were sometimes the only company I could get, apart from Sean here."

"Oh thank you," Sean said with a grunt. "I'm glad my society almost reaches that of a book."

"Sorry, Sean," Johnny said with a laugh. "But Shakespeare has you beat. Hey, Ian, locate your stuff?"

"Yeah," Ian's voice was soft and a little confused. "But I also found something else." His brothers walked over to the corner he was crouching in and looked over his shoulder at what he was holding in his hands. It was a family photograph of a mother, father, and four children, three boys and one girl. The children were young adults and the Jackson brothers could easily recognize three of them.

"That's Dad," Sean pointed to the tall, handsome man standing in the back.

"That's Uncle Brett," Van pointed to the one next to him.

"And that's definitely Aunt Olivia," said Sean.

"I wonder who that other fella is," Ian added.

"Can't you tell?" Johnny asked surprised. "It's Uncle Black sheep Barkley."

"Woah," breathed Ian.

"That's weird," said Van slowly.

"What?" asked Sean.

"He looks very much like someone we all know," Van replied.

"Who?" cried Ian.

Johnny gazed hard at his brother then at the picture. Suddenly he saw it. He looked up at Sean and Ian and said very seriously, "Varick Braden."