Chapter 3

Heath thought Dakota was taking quite a while in the wc, but when Dakota came out he saw why. The man had shaved. When he saw Heath looking at him sideways, Dakota produced a folding straight razor from his back pocket. "My only possession, except for my clothes and my - ," Dakota realized he was still wearing it – " – my gun," he said with an embarrassed smile. "The Mathews boy Danny gave the razor to me. I could stand to hone it. It's none too easy to shave with like this." He put it back in his pocket.

"You got a horse, too, don't you?" Heath asked.

Dakota smiled. "I charged it to you."

Heath laughed.

Dakota and Heath went back downstairs, where the others were already sharing drinks. Heath had a whiskey but Dakota declined again. He took his gun off, wondering what to do with it. Heath took it and hung it up in the hall with the others.

Dakota sat down beside Victoria and listened to the conversation.

About cattle. About hay. About the expected price of peaches this year and the price of gold on the San Francisco market right now. He understood about cattle and hay, but the price of peaches and gold were a mystery to him. At least he was beginning to understand the extent of the Barkley empire.

He finally asked, "May I ask something? What is it I've been doing?"

Nick chortled. "Everything."

"Everything?" Dakota asked.

"You've been handling the business end of things since your father died," Victoria said, "and of course the legal affairs."

"Legal affairs?"

"You're a lawyer!" Audra said with a smile.

Dakota straightened like he'd been struck by lightning. "A lawyer? Well, that explains the suit in the picture, I guess. But I hope you're not thinking I can dive right back into that."

"No, of course not," Victoria said.

"From the looks of those hands, I'd say some field work with Heath and me is in order," Nick said, "and I kinda like the idea of that."

"I can do my share," Dakota said. "Ranch work is what I've been doing for the past year."

"Anything special? Smithing, anything like that?"

Dakota shook his head. "Just some leather work, cutting cattle and horse breaking."

"Horse breaking?!" Nick broke into a grin. "Now this I'm gonna have to see. The last time you tried to break a horse – well, here, anyway – you broke your leg instead."

"I guess you're not out of practice anymore," Heath said.

"It's what they've called on me for a lot at the Carlisle spread," Dakota said. "That and the leatherwork and cutting cattle. Seems I had a knack for those."

Silas came into the living room, smiling. "Dinner is served, Mrs. Barkley."

"Thank you, Silas," Victoria said, and got up, taking Dakota by the arm and leading the way into the dining room with him – which he thought was a good thing, since he had no idea where it was.

Once in there, Dakota was stunned by the furniture and place settings and all the silverware he had no idea how to use. Not to mention, he had no idea where to sit, but it was Nick who solved that. He pulled the chair out at the end of the table opposite Victoria. "Big Brother," he said, "take your rightful place back."

Dakota sat down with a deep breath – and looked at all the silverware.

Heath noticed as he sat down. "Just work from the outside in," he said quietly. "Desert fork and coffee spoon are at the top."

Dakota smiled his thanks.

As the black man ladled some soup into the soup bowl in front of Dakota, he said, "Welcome home, Mr. Jarrod."

"Thank you, Silas," Dakota said.

And then he enjoyed the heck out of his dinner.

XXXXXXX

It was Nick who led Dakota to his old room when time to go to bed rolled around. Dakota stepped inside the room and stopped – it was so big, as big as the Mathews' entire living room and kitchen combined. The few pieces of furniture were rich, solid wood, like the paneling on the walls. The bed was made and turned down, and there was a nightshirt laid out there for him.

"I thought I didn't have any clothes left here," Dakota said.

"The nightshirt's mine," Nick said, "and there's some fresh underwear in the chifferobe there, brand new. I bought them and haven't used them yet."

Dakota wasn't sure what a chifferobe was, but Nick pointed, and he nodded.

"I suspect Mother and Audra will want to take you shopping for new clothes tomorrow," Nick said. Then he checked to be sure there was water in the pitcher for the basin, both on the dresser. There was plenty. "Well," Nick said then. "You know where the kitchen is now if you get hungry during the night, and you know where the wc is. We usually gather for breakfast at five."

Dakota nodded. "I'm usually up about four. I'll clean up early."

"All right, then," Nick said and stood awkwardly for a moment before he headed for the door. "Good night."

"Nick – " Dakota said.

Nick stopped.

Dakota fumbled for words, and finally said, "I know you didn't find me, but thanks for coming to look. I'm sorry I left you all thinking I was dead."

Nick turned back toward him. "We gave you a fine memorial service. Half the county came."

Dakota chuckled. "Sorry I missed it. Sorrier still you had to have it. I'm sure Mrs. Barkley – " He stopped. "Well, I'm sure she took things pretty hard."

Nick said, "She was more upset because we really didn't know what had happened to you. She always thought you'd come home someday, and son of a gun if you didn't."

"I kinda get the feeling that that lady calls most of the shots around here."

"She usually gets what she wants. I guess even God knows that."

"Well, good night, Nick."

"See you in the morning, Dakota."

Nick closed the door after he went out, leaving Dakota standing in the middle of the room. He looked all around, still wishing that something around here would look familiar, but nothing did. No one did.

He went to the chifforobe and found the underclothes Nick had mentioned, but that was all that was in there. Nothing at all was hanging in the part where you hang suits like the one he wore in the newspaper photo. He saw a desk and went to it, hoping there was something personal that was still in it, something that might jog his memory. He found a framed picture in one of the drawers, a photo of him with these other people who were his family, including a young man he did not know who must have been Eugene. It made him smile, but he did not remember it. There was nothing else in the desk, nothing at all. There was nothing at all in the dresser. In the little table beside the bed, where the lamp was lit, he found a small drawer, but it was empty. There was no other furniture in the room for him to look through.

Apparently, when he disappeared, they got rid of everything about him. Of course they did. Why be reminded of someone who was dead?

He put the lamp out and undressed in the dark.

XXXXXXX

The next day, Victoria and Audra took Dakota into Stockton to get him new clothes. He was skittish enough about that, but when the first thing they did was go to the bank, he began to feel downright nervous.

"Dakota," Victoria said, stopping outside the bank. "I need to explain something. After you disappeared and we believed – " She stumbled on the words. "And we believed you were dead, we got the proper legal authority and sold your property in San Francisco."

He frowned. "I had property in San Francisco?"

"Yes," Victoria said. "We sold it, but we put the funds into a separate bank account just in case – in case you came back. The money that was in your private account, we put into the same account. And here you are. We need to go in here and move the funds into a private account in your name."

He felt uneasy, and he looked it.

"We can do this another time if you'd rather," Victoria said.

"No," Dakota said. "No, I suppose we ought to – well, maybe we ought to wait a bit." He didn't know how to say that he wasn't sure yet if he would be staying, but that was the first thing that came into his mind. "I think I'd rather wait a bit."

Victoria looked as disappointed as she was. She understood exactly why he was hesitating. She smiled and nodded anyway. "All right."

They shopped for some new clothes for him then, but he found his discomfort growing even more. Not because of the banking issue. Not because he was shopping for clothes with unfamiliar women. Because now, as he was in town and walking around with Victoria and Audra, he began to be overwhelmed at the number of people who approached them and gushed that Jarrod was home. Victoria kept having to explain that he was home, but his memory was damaged. She kept introducing him to people who were disappointed that he did not know them. After a day of trying on new pants and shirts and picking out underwear and sleeping garb and smiling at total strangers who seemed to love him, Dakota was beginning to feel like he was choking.

Then the sheriff approached, and he backed right into the surrey he had just put all the packages in. There was no real sensible reason for his reaction. He was just exhausted from all the explanations, and now here came the sheriff.

"My God, it's true!" the sheriff said and broke into a smile that helped ease Dakota's mind. "Jarrod Barkley, it is so good to see you!"

The sheriff reached for Dakota's hand and shook it warmly. Dakota felt a bit more at ease, but before Victoria could start explaining again he said, "I'm sorry, sheriff, but I need to tell you that my memory is faulty. I don't know who you are and I go by Dakota these days, not Jarrod Barkley – not yet, anyway."

Fred Madden looked only a little surprised. "So I've heard from a big portion of the people in town. I'm Fred Madden. I just want to welcome you home, let you know if you need anything while you're in town – well, I know you don't know it, but you and I go back a number of years. I'm around if you need anything."

"Fred, any chance you can come for dinner tomorrow night?" Victoria asked. "Just family, but we'd love having you out at the ranch again. It's been a while."

"I'd be happy to come," Sheriff Madden said. "I can catch Dakota up on a few things that are going on around here. Make you feel a bit less like a stranger."

Dakota nodded. "That would help, sheriff, thank you."

Sheriff Madden tipped his hat to the ladies. "Till tomorrow night, then – about six?"

"About six," Victoria repeated.

As the sheriff walked away, Victoria turned toward Dakota. "It never hurts to make friends with the sheriff, even if you are making friends for a second time."

"He's a very good sheriff," Audra said. "You and he have worked a lot together in the past – even though sometimes you have really raked him over the coals on the witness stand."

"Oh?" Dakota asked with a smile as he helped the ladies into the surrey.

Audra took the back seat, saying, "You were a pretty dogged cross examiner in court."

Victoria took the front seat, and Dakota climbed in beside her, taking the reins. "I hope I didn't look like I was having too much fun."

Victoria laughed. "Sometimes you did, I'm afraid," she said as Dakota slapped the reins and the surrey moved forward.

"Did he ever get me back by arresting me for something?" Dakota asked.

"Not even once," Victoria said with a grin.