Part III – Clarke

June 1882

Chapter 8

The Business Man

It was a rather warm afternoon as Scotty Scott stood on the platform of the train station and tried very hard not to cry. She was not a particularly emotional woman, but when it came to saying good bye to a child she had raised as her own for nearly eight years, she had all the emotional feelings of any good mother. But she knew and realized that now was the time for Joel to go forth into the world and make his mark.

"Now did ya pack everythen ya needed?" she asked, as any mother would.

"Yes, ma," he shook his head. "You asked me that this morning, while we were getting ready to leave and on the way in to town."

"Ya remembered everythen Mr. Barkley told ya you'd need ta know, right?"

"Yes, Ma," he grinned at her widely. "I like that Mr. Jarrod Barkley," a teasing glint came to his eye. "You couldn't do worse, Ma."

Scotty took a step back and glared at him. "Stop yer match makin' Joel. Say good bye ta yer brothers and sister."

His grin faded and he knelt before Luke. "You be good young man and take care of our Ma."

"I will, Joel," there were tears in the small boy's eyes as he threw both of his arms around the taller young man.

Joel moved to Nellie. "You don't have anything to fear, Nellie," he told her as he tugged at one of her little pig tail braids. "Ma'll make sure you're always safe. Ben and Luke too."

"Bye Joel," she said almost shyly and entwined her arms around his neck.

Finally Joel stopped in front of Ben and thrust out his hand. "You be good little brother and make a fine rancher some day, you hear?"

"I hear ya, Joel," he nodded and finally the two boys hugged. He wasn't doing much better than Luke at keeping the tears out of his voice, but he had succeeded in keeping them from falling down his cheeks, a feat the younger boy was unable to control. Joel lastly came back to Scotty.

"You've been the best mother I could have asked for," he told her. "I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you. Certainly not on a train for college. I want to thank you whole heartedly." And he leaned over, enveloped her in a hug before kissing her cheek.

The train whistle blew and Scotty sighed as she watched him dart for the steps, he turned back to wave at them before he disappeared inside. She waved again, as did the children, but she also bit back the tears that threatened. There was plenty of time to cry later. Now was not the time.

As the train chugged away from the station and all they could see down the tracks was the billowing smoke they turned away back to the wagon and found Heath Barkley watching them. "Good mornin' Heath," Scotty called out to him as they climbed down the steps.

"Mornin' Scotty," he replied, tipping his hat forward. "Jarrod said Joel was heading off to college this mornin'."

"Yes he is. Gonna be quiet around the place without him."

"Guess it will," he moved away from the wagon and went back up the steps to the station. Before Scotty and Ben had situated the younger two into the back of the wagon, Heath had returned with a large, and apparently heavy box balanced on his shoulder. Scotty noticed his horse tied up at the post.

"You ain't gonna carry that on the back of your horse are ya?"

He flashed her a half grin. "No'm I plan on hiring a buckboard to take it home."

"No need in that. Since it's in the same direction, why don't ya just put it on the back of the wagon and ride with us?"

"You'd have to drive out to the ranch and then go back to your place," he protested.

"Won't be no trouble. Been wanting to talk to Audra for a while and I'll just kill two birds with one stone," she grinned.

"Well, if ya don't mind," he hefted the box into the back of the wagon.

"Fore ah head out there though, ah need to drop by and give Leah somethen."

He frowned slightly. "Okay."

Scotty noticed his hesitation. She frowned slightly, but said nothing else until they arrived in front of the restaurant. "Might have ta chase her around the dining room if they're busy," she said, handing the reins over to Ben.

Inside only a few patrons sat at a couple of the tables. Scotty glanced around as she peeled off her leather gloves. A tall, slender, blonde girl was waiting on tables and noticed. "Hello…ma'am," she hesitated as she took in Scotty's attire. "Can I help you?"

"Is Leah about?"

"She's on a break, talking with Mr. Hansen."

"Mr. Hansen?" Scotty asked, but shook her head. "Where is she?"

"Out back," the girl pointed with a jerk of her head. Scotty nodded and thanked her, stepping back out into the sunlight.

"Come on," she motioned to the children. "She's around back. Ben and Luke jumped down quickly, but Nellie hesitated. Heath smiled at her and picked her up, setting her on the ground.

"Thank you," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You're welcome," he grinned down at her. She snuck a little peek up at him with her dark, chocolate eyes.

He offered the little girl his hand and she shyly, and slowly took it. He reluctantly followed behind the boys and Scotty and when he caught sight of Leah sitting on the back step chatting and laughing with a tall, handsome looking young man he felt a stab of jealousy.

"Hello Scotty," Leah smiled, jumping up from the step. "Hello Heath," she replied, but it lacked the enthusiasm she had used for Scotty, and her tone held a touch of hurt that made him feel guilty. But it had to be.

"Have you met Clarke?" she asked, turning back to her companion who'd risen from his seat. "Clarke Hansen, this is Heath Barkley. His family has one of the largest ranches in the area, and this is Scotty. She owns a smaller ranch near the Barkleys, but I'm sure she'll be interested in your proposition."

"Surely Scotty isn't your real name is it?" he raised a blonde eyebrow. Heath said nothing, but the man was just a bit to…he couldn't put his finger on what it was about him that he didn't like. Maybe it was just that he was a little to friendly with both Leah and Scotty. Not that he really cared if he liked Scotty, but Leah, well, she was just too young for him and he a bit too smooth.

"Oh no!" Scotty exclaimed, laughing. "Ah don't like my real name. It jes don't fit me is all."

Luke poked his head around her with a big teasing grin on his face. "Her real name is Es…" but what ever he was about to say it was cut off by her hand cupping his mouth. They all chuckled.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," Clarke's laugh was a deep rumble. "But, anyway, what Leah here mentioned was about my business I'm about to bring to Stockton. I'm trying to go to all of the ranchers in the area to get them sold on the idea, but they're a little wary. What I need is the support of bigger outfits like what I understand the Barkley ranch to be."

"What's it about?" Heath spoke up finally.

"Perhaps I could ride out to the ranch sometime this week and discuss it with you and your brothers? I could come by and speak with you as well, Miss Scott," he added.

She shook her head. "Why don't ah drop by the Barkley ranch at the same time ya go there? Ah don't live that far away."

"All right then. When would be a good time?" he turned back to Heath.

"I suppose on the weekend," he replied bluntly, glancing at Leah.

"All right, how about right after lunch?" Clarke glanced at Scotty who nodded.

"Then it's all settled. I'll see you both soon."

It did not take long for them to get back on the road. Scotty had relinquished her reins to Heath who'd taken the offered wagon seat, when both Scotty and Ben had insisted. "Ya don't like that man too much do ya?" she asked.

Heath shrugged. "Ya didn't seem as friendly to him as ya are ta most folks." Heath shrugged again. Scotty pursed her lips together and brushed a stray strand of red hair from her face and peered at him from beneath the brim of her ragged hat. "Leah seems ta like him pretty well."

His blue eyes flashed slightly and Scotty's lips curved in a small smile. "So that's it."

He was quiet for some time before responding. "So what's it?"

"Ya like 'er."

"Of course I like her," he responded uncharacteristically short with her.

"Then ya love 'er." The blue eyes flashed an icy stare at her.

"What do ya mean?" his voice was low, calm, but very serious.

She sighed. "Heath, I've raised six young'uns, two of 'em married and another," she glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice before continuing. "Who's had his eye and heart set on one for years, though he won't admit it to even me. Ah was even married once myself. Ah got eyes in my head."

Heath's eyes shifted. "Well, maybe so," he replied slowly. "But I can't ask her ta marry me. It wouldn't be right."

Scotty let out a very un-delicate, un-lady-like snort before retorting. "Ya know she loves ya too, Heath, and what yer doing to her lately hurts her. Ah kinda take it y'all was friends once."

He paused and stared at her. "We're still friends, but…" he stopped. "I could see she felt more for me than just a friend and so did I. I felt like we needed some distance between us. Besides there's quite a few years between us."

"What's wrong with yer age difference?"

He stared at her. "She's eighteen Scotty and I'm almost thirty. That's twelve years!"

"So?" Scotty stared back at him. "My pa was twenty somethen years older than my ma. They were always happy and that's the best memories of my childhood was when he was still alive. Her second husband was only a year older than her and he was a jerk."

Heath stared at her, but this time not because of what she'd said about him, but of what she'd said about somebody else. Scotty had seemed to him to always be an open and accepting person. He couldn't remember her seriously speaking ill of someone. He blinked, "Well, I can't see her waking up one day married to an old man that she's having to take care of and wishing she was free to find her somebody who's more her age."

Scotty sighed. "Ah told ya ah was married once. It was jes 'fore the war and ah was fifteen. Now, I'd lived my whole life in those mountains and I'd seen some things, but mostly I'd had a kind of soft life ya might say. Ah wasn't quite sure what to do as a married woman, my ma had run our household all them years.

"Leah, on the other hand, she's see a lot more of the world than ah had at her age, though I'd see quite a bit when the war came through. But she's had ta keep a house and take care of herself most of her life. It ain't so much the age that she is, Heath, or the age you'll be when she's still in 'er prime. That ain't what makes a marriage. It's the people who make the vows. And if ah were in yer shoes Heath, I'd ask Leah ta marry me right here and today," she grinned at him. He couldn't help but grin back at her.

A very light breeze twirled the curtains of the parlor as Scotty plopped down on the couch next to Leah. Audra was sitting nearby stitching on the material for her dress. "You've gotten quite aways with that," Scotty commented.

"Do you like it?" she spread the skirt so that the two women could inspect it.

"It's nice," Leah responded, almost absently.

Audra glanced at the clock. "It's almost time for that Mr. Hansen to arrive isn't it?" she breathed. Scotty raised an eyebrow.

"Ah suppose. Where's Nick and Jarrod?"

"Here I am," the tall lawyer said striding into the room.

"How are ya Jarrod?"

"I'm doing quite fine," he replied, taking a seat nearby and picking up a paper. "I understand that the new businessman is supposed to arrive and give us the details on his business venture. Do you have any idea what it's about?"

Before any of them could answer a horse galloped into the yard and somewhere within the house a door slammed and Nick was moving down the stairs rapidly and was just about to step into the parlor when he noticed Scotty. He stopped short and decided to greet his visitor himself.

"I think I'm going to excuse myself and go look at the horses," Leah said getting up. She glided from the room in the direction of the kitchen so to avoid having to excuse herself a second time to Hansen, but she would see him before he left, she told herself.

Audra set aside her sewing. It was not that she was really that interested in hearing what the man had to say, but she had seen him before in town a couple of times and she was intrigued by him.

When the introductions were made and every one had settled in, Clarke began giving his spiel. "I've done research on the ranches in this area and I've discovered that many of you are cattle ranches, but a few of you are diversified into other agricultural areas. What I am proposing is to build a plant here that would eliminate some of the steps involved in sending your cattle, oranges and other produce to markets in San Francisco, Denver and even further away. You would sell your cattle, or other produce to the factory, we would package it and send it to San Francisco, Los Angles, and points east.

"We would contract with each of the ranches for a percentage of your total product with options to buy your remainder or for you to sell it to us. This would give you the freedom to get a better price elsewhere if our price was unfavorable."

He stopped and looked at each person in the room. After several moments, Jarrod spoke. "It's an interesting idea, Hansen, but we'll need some time to think about it and research it ourselves."

"I agree," Nick replied. "I'd like to know a little more about how it would work."

"Ah think I'll stick with the Barkley consensus on this and wait 'til they get some more information on it," Scotty added.

"I don't blame you. It's a big business venture that I wouldn't be stepping into if I hadn't thoroughly investigated it myself. But I will remind you that your support of this opportunity will bring other ranchers and farmers to it and make it feasible. Otherwise I'll have to turn to anther community."

He bit his lower lip and tried not to glance in the direction of the blonde sister who'd been watching him intently. He felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. He tried to remember her name, Autumn, Amanda, Audrey…Audra, that was it. A lovely name for a lovely young woman, but he turned back to the Barkley brothers and the Scotty woman. "I'm not saying this to pressure you into making a choice in investing or cooperating with this industry, but merely to say that, I suppose, that I've found your fair, small city quite charming." A small grin crossed his features.

Leah kicked a tuft of weeds in the barnyard. She glanced in to the dark interior of the barn and decided that it would be cooler in its shade rather than in the beating sun. She stepped inside and could not see. Blinking rapidly she began to adjust to the light and a movement to her left caught her eye. Sitting on a bale of hay sat her blonde, cowboy friend oiling down a saddle. She bit her lip and watched him for a few moments and with a pang in her heart she began walking on down the aisle of the barn.

"Leah," he called after her softly. She turned around slowly and looked at him. He motioned beside him on the bale. Her eyes crinkled confused, but she walked over to him and sat down. He was silent, not looking up for several minutes as he continued to oil the saddle and the worn leather gleamed. She watched him, content with just his company. She didn't always need words, just his companionship. She'd missed him on her visits. She'd missed sitting with him, just as they were right now.

After a while he spoke, still concentrating on the saddle. "Do you have anybody to take you to the 4th of July celebration?"

She glanced at his face and noticed the sweat trickling down his face and his blue eyes still focused on his work. "No," she shook her head, her heart beating faster. She swallowed hard to keep from shouting or throwing her arms around him.

"How early you want me to pick you up?"

"How about nine? I have to work from noon until five."

"Okay, then I'll pick you up again after five."

"Thank you Heath," she said softly. But he said nothing, only turned his lopsided grin in her direction and she returned it.

(To be continued…)