Chapter 4

Dinner was quiet and civil, but the electricity in the air ensured that there was going to be an explosion after dinner. At the dinner table there was a lot of "please pass this" and "thank you," but not much else in the way of conversation. Even Silas sensed it was time for him to stay in the kitchen or clear away the dining room and avoid the rest of the house after the family finished eating and left the room.

They all followed Victoria to the library, where the rampage the night before had exploded, but this time she was there and everyone was on their good behavior, at least for now. Victoria took a seat on the sofa, Audra beside her. The men all stood, just as they had the night before. Nick spent a lot of time jockeying for position while Heath kept a wary eye on him.

"All right," Victoria said finally. "Nick, this is pretty much about hearing you out, because the rest of us have settled the issue in our minds. So, talk. What do you want to say?"

Nick kept his eyes on Heath. "I want to take this boy's story apart. I don't believe for a minute that you are Tom Barkley's son. I think you're a fortune hunter who could just as well have tried to court our sister but instead you've decided to be the prodigal bastard."

Heath started for him. Jarrod used his good arm to hold him back. "Let's skip that word for the purposes of this discussion," Jarrod said. "We all know that if Heath is our father's son, he is illegitimate. He's never claimed otherwise."

"Well, you tell me this, Mr. Lawyer. If he is our father's illegitimate son, what right does he have to anything WE'VE worked so hard all these years to build up?" Nick asked.

"No legal right whatsoever," Jarrod said. "That's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to decide if he stays as a full member of this family, if he wants to."

"And I say no," Nick said.

"Why?" Victoria asked.

"Because I don't believe his story," Nick said.

"My mother was a kind and honest woman," Heath said quietly. "She had no reason to lie about who my father was. I was making my way in this world on my own just fine. I don't NEED the Barkleys."

"Then why are you here?" Nick asked.

"To get what I'm entitled to. To BE who I'm entitled to be."

"Jarrod," Victoria said, "you've seen the documents Heath brought. Would they win out in a court of law?"

"Perhaps," Jarrod said. "Perhaps not."

"There!" Nick said, triumphant.

"And what do they say to you?" Victoria asked Jarrod. "If you were the judge, what would the documents tell you?"

"The documents alone?" Jarrod said. "Not enough. But that's not all we have before us, is it? Look at that picture over the fireplace, Nick."

"I don't need to," Nick said.

"Then look at this one," Victoria said, withdrew a photo from her pocket and handed it to Nick.

Jarrod and Eugene looked over Nick's shoulder at the photograph his mother had given him. It looked a lot like Heath.

"That photograph was taken before your father grew a beard," Victoria said. "I don't think I need to make much of an argument that he looks like Heath."

Nick gave it back to his mother. She looked at it for a long moment before she put it back in her pocket.

Nick didn't have anything to say.

Jarrod said, "That photograph might very well sway me, Nick, but that's still not all the evidence we have before us."

"I know," Nick said. "He fought beside us this morning. He took care of you and your arm, and he went with you into town to get those restraining orders, and he didn't have to do any of that."

"And he didn't do it to be a Barkley. He did it because he IS a Barkley."

Nick circled his way around his family to stand alone at the desk in the corner. He had run out of words, except, "I still don't believe it."

"Well, I do," Victoria said. "Nick, everything says that Heath is your brother."

"I don't need another brother," Nick said and left the room.

It was Heath who first headed after him. He held both Jarrod and Eugene back with a raised hand. "We have to fight this out, one way or another. Give us about ten minutes. If we ain't back by then, come after us."

Heath went out and saw Nick heading out the front door. He picked up his speed and went after him. When he caught up, he put his hand on Nick's shoulder. Nick turned fast and took a swing at him, but Heath was expecting it and ducked. He swept Nick's legs out from under him, flattened him on his back, and jumped atop him, holding his arms and legs down to the ground.

"I don't want to take anything that's yours," Heath said straight into Nick's face. "I only want what's mine. I will work beside you and fight beside you and do whatever I need to, but it won't be to prove that I'm a Barkley – it'll be because I AM a Barkley."

The hands in the bunkhouse had heard the commotion and were coming out, aiming to see what was going on.

Heath got to his feet, still staring down at Nick. Nick started climbing to his feet – and then he took Heath's legs out from under him and climbed atop him, holding him down just as Heath had been holding him down a moment ago.

"You may think you're a Barkley and you may have everyone in that house believing you're a Barkley, but you don't have me fooled," Nick said.

Heath got some leverage and threw his brother off. Then suddenly some of the hands got into the fray, two of them holding Nick back and two holding Heath.

"Break it up," the foreman, McCall said.

"Get away from me, McCall!" Nick yelled.

"Look, you two had it out last night, it's time to stop and settle whatever it is between you without drawing blood!" McCall yelled.

"I don't want any more fighting," Heath said. "I want to settle this inside."

"Where your support troops are," Nick growled.

"Where your family is," Heath said.

Nick let his arms go limp, and the men who held him let go.

"Let everybody listen to anything else you have to say inside, and I'll abide by whatever your family wants," Heath said.

Nick knew he was outnumbered inside the house, but he was pretty outnumbered out here, too. He stalked right by Heath and back into the house.

McCall glared at Heath, but said nothing. If this was something that involved the family, it did not involve him. That's the way he'd always been with his employers. It wouldn't change now.

"Get back to what you were doing," McCall said to the hands as Heath headed back into the house.