To the guest that mentioned Yellowstone...YES! I love that show! a trip to the train station with Rip just might be in order for sure!
Chapter 16
School was finally out and in three weeks, Meredith would be celebrating her tenth birthday. Jarrod had sent Mabel Morrison money to make the trip out to Stockton for the very special event. Mabel had wired to let them know when she would be arriving. Meredith was excited and couldn't wait to show her Granna where she lived. She would never believe how beautiful her room was. Victoria helped her in deciding what colors would be a good combination and Adeline helped in deciding what materials would be needed to compliment the chosen wallpaper. Meredith was thrilled with how her room looked. Her Aunt Audra had told her it was simple, yet very elegant. Meredith was still trying to figure out how it could be both, but she decided it must be a grown-up thing and left it at that.
Jarrod decided to go up to the lodge for a week with his family. They hadn't been alone since traveling out from Syracuse, and he knew after Meredith's birthday things would get busier. He had a trial in San Francisco that would take up much of his time and a few smaller cases in Stockton as well. Plus, Jarrod was hoping that if Adeline and Meredith spent more time together alone, they might finally heal the rift between them once and for all.
They left after an early breakfast and Meredith talked excitedly non stop for the first hour and a half. Jarrod answered as many questions as he could, from how long he had been going to the lodge to how long they could stay. They traveled for several hours before taking a break. Silas and Victoria had packed them quite a bit of food for the way up and Adeline was sure they wouldn't be able to finish it all. Much to her surprise, there wasn't much left to pack when they were ready to go again. Meredith was soon asleep and slept the rest of the way.
The sun was moving toward the West when they reached the small house that had been built by the Barkley men several years ago. Adeline smiled when she saw it. She loved living in the big house, in fact, had lived in large houses all of her life. But she always felt something less grand was her style.
Jarrod noticed her smile and asked, "What are you smiling at, my sweet lady?"
"I like this place. It's beautiful."
Jarrod looked around. His eyes fairly twinkled as they landed on his wife's face again.
"I guess it's pretty. But beautiful...no, I reserve that word for you, my love."
Adeline blushed and Jarrod leaned in to kiss her. Meredith chose that moment to waken and say, "Are we there yet?"
"Yes, my little lady. We are. What say you and I take some of these supplies in and then we can go down to the lake."
"Yes sir!"
Adeline smiled and the three made their way into the cabin. It was dusty from not having been used and needed a good airing out, but Adeline thought it was perfect. Jarrod refused to allow Adeline to help with unloading the supplies from the wagon. He placed several boxes in the kitchen and then took their things to the small bedroom off of the main room. There was a loft and he thought perhaps Meredith would enjoy sleeping up there.
"Can we go to the lake now, Papa?"
"Yes, let's go!" he said and Meredith ran out of the cabin. Jarrod turned back to Adeline.
"Coming?" he asked, drawing her close to himself.
"No, I'm going to unpack these supplies. I'll join you a little later," she said, putting her hands on his chest. She began to play with the smattering of hair that was peeking out from the top of his shirt. She looked up into his eyes which were dark with desire.
"Your daughter is waiting," she said, smiling at him.
"Hmmm..." he said and leaned in for a kiss. He then whispered in her ear a promise and when he pulled back, Adeline's smile had grown wider.
"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Barkley," she said.
"Papa! Are you coming?" Meredith called from outside.
"Just a minute!" Jarrod called back. He winked at his wife and then said, "Don't overdo it. Meredith and I can help later."
"I won't, I promise."
Jarrod walked out of the cabin and Adeline went to the open door to watch father and daughter walk hand in hand down toward the lake. They made such a beautiful picture. She sighed and turned around to begin unpacking their things.
Later that night, Jarrod climbed up to the loft to check on Meredith. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow. He made sure she was covered then went back down to see his wife. Adeline had just gotten out of the small metal tub and was drying off when Jarrod walked into the bedroom. He took the towel from her and dried her hair, then dried her back, placing tiny kissed on her exposed flesh. Adeline's eyes closed in pleasure. She wasn't even aware of the soft groan that escaped her lips. Jarrod turned her around and began to dry the front off. He noticed her belly was getting larger with the new life that was their child. He bent down again to place kisses on his wife's middle. He then scooped Adeline in his arms and lay her gently on the bed. He took his clothes off and covered her body with his own. Both had been tired, but felt exhilarated now.
They lay together in one another's arms and Adeline turned to Jarrod, a smile tugging at her lips as she watched his relaxed features.
"Will we ever tire of making love to one another?" she asked, her finger tracing his jawline.
He caught the her hand in his and kissed it. "Never," he promised. They fell asleep in each other's arms only to be awakened a few hours later by a loud noise.
Jarrod jumped out of bed and grabbed his pants, not bothering with a shirt. Adeline was right behind him, putting on her robe as she ran out of the bedroom.
"Stay here!" Jarrod ordered. He had grabbed his gun and carefully opened the door before going outside. The full moon allowed him to see the outline of the small barn where the horses were kept. He crept slowly to the building, listening. He saw that the barn door was open. He entered quietly. He stood still for a moment, but didn't hear anything. He reached over and lit the lantern. He cursed under his breath. He closed up the barn and walked back to the house. Adeline and Meredith were sitting on the sofa in the great room, waiting for him to come back. Both stood when he came in.
"The horses are gone," he said grimly.
"How?" Adeline asked.
"Something must have spooked them and both bucked against their stalls. It doesn't make sense for both of them to..."
He stopped when he remembered Meredith was there.
"What will we do?" Adeline asked, trying not to sound frightened.
"I'll go look for them in the morning. It's too dark now. I don't think they'll have gone too far. Come on," she said to Meredith, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you back to bed."
Adeline went back to their room and put on her nightgown then climbed into bed. Jarrod came in a few minutes later and changed into his pajama pants. He climbed in next to his wife and drew her close.
"What will you do if you can't find the horses?" she asked.
"Lodi isn't too far away. I could probably make it in a few hours and get some horses there. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Adeline sighed, trying to relax so that she could fall asleep. Jarrod waited for her breathing to even out. Once he knew she was asleep, he carefully got out of bed. He walked around the small house, looking out each of the windows. He didn't see anything, but something was making him uneasy. He checked on Meredith one more time, then checked the door. Satisfied that things were secure he went to bed.
The next afternoon, Meredith sat out on the porch with her sketch pad. She was almost finished with her father's gift. She couldn't wait for him to see it and hoped that he would be pleased. She also decided to work on something for her mother. She had been thinking about different ideas for a while and thought maybe she would enjoy a picture of the surrounding area.
Jarrod had been gone for a few hours. He had told them that if he wasn't back by lunch, then he probably hadn't been able to find the horses and would just go on into Lodi.
Adeline came out onto the porch and sat down next to Meredith.
"It looks like your father couldn't find the horses," she said.
"I guess not," Meredith said.
Adeline looked around at the beautiful landscape and decided she was going to go for a walk. She looked over at Meredith and smiled.
"Yesterday when we went on that walk, I spotted some berries. What say you and I go and pick some and have a pie ready for him when he gets back?"
Meredith's eyes brightened. That sounded like fun. She loved berries.
"I'll put my sketch pad away," she said running up to the loft.
Two hours later, the ladies were on their way back with a bucketful of blueberries. Meredith's mouth bore the distinct stains of having tasted a few. Adeline smiled at her, loving the tell tale signs. Meredith thought back on her time with her mother, wishing she could just say the word out loud she had been practicing for weeks now. It had seemed such a natural thing to call her father "Papa". She remembered saying it in her mind and then it just came out one day. But something was holding her back from calling her mother anything but "Ma'am". She knew if she called her "Mama", that things would be different forever. And it would be good. But she still couldn't bring herself to do it.
As they approached the cabin, Meredith was the first to spot a horse tied to the hitching post in front. She recognized it as one of the horses they had brought up with them.
"Papa's home!" She yelled and ran to the cabin. Adeline smiled and quickened her pace. Meredith went in first and ran to put the bucket in the kitchen and to wash her sticky face and hands. Adeline was soon coming through the cabin door. Jarrod was sitting in the chair by the fireplace, his back to them.
"Where did you find the horse?" she asked as she walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. It was then she realized something was wrong. This man wasn't Jarrod. He had Jarrod's dark hair, but he was no where built as well as her husband. The man slowly stood and turned around. Meredith had just come from the kitchen and watched her mother as all color drained from her face.
