Thank you for going on this adventure with me. I wrote the Jarrod and Sarah series when I first started writing fanfiction almost two decades ago. It has been fun sharing them again with you. I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read, comment, and send pm's.

Chapter 36

William, who was named for Emma's father, settled into the family nicely. Tori was quite taken with him and clapped in delight when she saw him. Jarrod, Sarah, and Victoria all thought of Tori's reaction to Jay when she first saw him. It was a bittersweet memory for them all. Jarrod informed the family that he, Sarah and Tori would be going to the lodge for a week or so. No one said anything out loud but were relieved that the couple was trying to work things out. Victoria said she would keep Tori with her if they wanted time alone, but Jarrod and Sarah both insisted they wanted to go as a family. They had been apart too long.

The trip went well, and Tori was a good traveler. Jarrod pointed out the trees and birds to her and she was fascinated by them. Sarah loved watching Jarrod with Tori, noting again at what a good father he was. She felt a pang of sadness thinking that Jay could have been with them as well but pushed that aside. This was a time for happiness, and she didn't want to mar Jay's memories with feeling sorry for herself.

They arrived at the lodge and opened the cabin. It was dusty, but nothing a good cleaning wouldn't take care of. Jarrod took Tori down to the lake for a walk while Sarah straightened everything up. Heath and Cassie had been the last ones there and they had left things in good shape.

Jarrod returned with a sleepy Tori just as Sarah had finished putting away the supplies they had brought. Sarah noticed how handsome her husband looked with his hat pushed back and the top few buttons of his shirt undone, revealing the hairs on his chest. Her face flushed a bit and she hoped Jarrod didn't notice. She instructed Jarrod to place Tori in a bed in one of the rooms just off the parlor.

As Jarrod walked past the bedroom next to it, he noticed Sarah's things were on the bed. She had given him the larger bedroom, opting to take the one next to Tori for herself. He was disappointed at first, but then realized he was looking forward to the challenge of winning back his wife's affections. Before they returned home, Sarah would know how much he loved her, and they would begin anew. Jarrod had every intention of moving into the new house with Sarah and Tori when they got back to Stockton.

The next day, Jarrod was out chopping wood they would need for their stay. Since it was quite hot, he had removed his shirt and the sweat glistened on his back. Sarah watched from the window, admiring her husband. She often heard Nick teasing Jarrod about his "lily white hands" but she knew that Jarrod was able to keep up with the best of them when it came to physical labor. His strong arms held the axe with surety, and he was making a nice pile of wood for their stay.

She decided to bring out some fresh lemonade. Tori was sleeping but would probably be up soon. Jarrod saw Sarah coming and smiled at her. He took the offered glass and drank it all before giving it back to be filled again. After refilling it, Sarah set the pitcher down and sat on a nearby stump to talk with her husband as he worked. Things were going well for a while then Sarah gasped. Jarrod was by her side in an instant, asking what was wrong.

Sarah held out her hand and said, "Just a splinter. It's nothing."

Jarrod took Sarah's hand and examined it for himself. The splinter wasn't too deep, but it needed to be removed. Jarrod worked on it for a moment, holding her hand in his. Sarah was a little overwhelmed at having him so close. Jarrod took out the offending piece of wood but held onto Sarah's hand. She looked up at him and his face lowered.

Sarah backed away and said, "I wonder if Tori has awakened from her nap?" Sarah turned and ran toward the house. She closed the front door and leaned against it. Her breathing was coming in short gasps. Sarah couldn't explain it, but she was a little afraid. Of what she didn't know. She heard a noise and looked out the window to see Jarrod chopping wood again. She decided to go and lie down for a while.

Jarrod watched Sarah go back into the house. He wasn't upset and picked up the axe again to finish chopping the wood. He then went down to the lake and took a quick dip. The water was cool, and he appreciated the feeling of it on his hot skin.

Much later that night, Tori was in bed and Sarah had turned in as well. Jarrod sat in the living room listening to the night sounds, dozing. He heard thunder in the distance, but it didn't register with him that a storm was coming. He fell asleep in the chair and woke to strong winds, lightening, and thunder. He sat up and noticed Sarah coming into the room. She was just in her nightgown, not having bothered with her robe. Her blond hair was a riot of curls, falling long down her back. Jarrod's breath caught. He had never seen her look so beautiful.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, knowing how much she hated storms.

"The storm woke me. I just checked on Tori and thought I would get some water."

Jarrod went to the kitchen with her and watched as she poured herself a small glass of water from a pitcher. Jarrod noticed her hands shook slightly as she held the glass.

"Don't be afraid, Sarah."

Sarah knew he wasn't talking about the storm. Jarrod took the glass from her and set it down. He tipped her head so that she would look at him and leaned in to kiss her gently, tasting the sweetness of her lips. Sarah put her arms around her husband's waist and Jarrod pulled her to himself. He began kissing her again, starting with her mouth and then going down her neck. She moaned with delight and tightened her hold on him. Jarrod pulled back for a moment to look at his wife.

"I love you, Sarah," Jarrod whispered. The intensity of his eyes caused Sarah to tremble, not with fear, but with anticipation of what was going to happen.

"And I love you, Jarrod," she said softly, hoping he could see she longed for him too.

Jarrod picked up his wife and carried her to his room. He gently placed her on the bed and began kissing her again. What followed was a time of passion and reconciliation that they would remember for all time. This was a new beginning of their lives together.

The darkness had finally lifted.

Epilogue

The storm that night never awakened the sleeping girl in the other room for which her parents were thankful. Just as Tori wouldn't remember the thunderstorm at the lodge, she would never remember the dark time in her parent's marriage. She would be told over and over about her brother Jay, and how special he had been. Tori would even be told stories of how her father and mother became virtual strangers and how it almost destroyed their marriage. But Tori would have a difficult time imagining that had ever happened since her parents were so obviously in love with each other. To their family was added two more children: Wesley Allen and Sophia Joy.

Nick and Emma enjoyed more children as well. Along with William, they had Samuel Thomas, Mary Elaine and Matthew Carl. Matthew's twin sister, Clare Elisabeth was still born. Nick and Jarrod spent hours together after Clare's death. Not much was said during these times, but Nick finally understood some of Jarrod's pain from the years before and appreciated his brother's presence.

Heath's and Cassie's family grew to seven. In addition to Jonathon, they had Leah Marie, Hannah Rachel, Peter Christopher and Marcus Jarrod.

Malcolm and Audra had three strapping boys: Thomas Joseph, Kenneth Malcolm and Wyatt Martin. Thomas grew up to be a lawyer and eventually became partners with his Uncle Jarrod in Stockton.

The Barkleys would know many more hardships through the course of their lives, but the darkness would never again invade as it had the year of Jay's short life. Theirs was a family that was built on love and respect for one another and that would be passed down from generation to generation.

The End