Part V – Four Marriages and Grandchild
October 1882 – July 1883

Chapter 16
The First Wedding

Eugene took his stethoscope from around his neck and listened carefully to the breathing of his current patient. After a moment he removed it and wrote a few notes in his notebook, prescribed a medication to his patient and returned to the outer room where Mai was busily sanitizing his surgical utensils. She had learned a lot about being a nurse in a few short months and he had loved every minute of teaching her.

He had decided to set up his office in the area furthest away from Dr. Merar's. Both doctors had conferred that it would be easier on patients if one of the offices was located at one end of town, and the other at the opposite end. Many patients still preferred the familiar face of the elder doctor, while some chose Eugene because of his being a Barkley. Still others chose Dr. Merar simply because he was not a Barkley.

Eugene washed his hands in the basin and turned to Mai, her golden hair shining in the afternoon light. "Are you about ready to go?"

"Yes. Is time to go, no?"

"Yep," Eugene replied. "I need to help Heath with some of those last minute things out in the yard."

"And I need help put up garland," Mai smiled. Since she'd arrived in Stockton she had been staying out at the ranch with the family. She had melded very well with Audra, Leah and Mrs. Barkley and had been helping in the preparations for the upcoming wedding.

Eugene had been surprised somewhat when he'd discovered that his older brother Heath was about to be married, but he was happy for him. He regretted not having more time to get to know his third brother, but hoped that his return home would give him the opportunity.

It had not taken him long to discover that his sister Audra, too, had a suitor. He was not entirely sure he liked Clarke Hansen, but the rest of the family seemed to accept him so he saw no reason to bring up the subject. They had, after all, known him for a lot longer time and he seemed to have passed some sort of approval test.

The other new addition to the family's friends seemed to be a female rancher of all things, Scotty Scott. He had not yet determined how she fit into things, but he was enjoying watching his family's interactions with each other and the extended friends. He had missed them all terribly. He realized it now even more.

The Barkley house was a bustle of activity for the very next morning, October 7, 1882, Heath Barkley and Leah O'Leary were going to be married. Audra, Leah, Scotty, Mai and Mrs. Barkley had been decorating the house and helping Silas in the kitchen. Heath, Nick, Jarrod and Eugene had been busily adding the finishing touches to the small little house that Heath and Leah would be making their home and moving around the heavy furniture, benches, tables, etc. for the women.

Scotty and Audra, per Leah's request would be her bride's maids, so Scotty had made arrangements for the children and herself to stay at the ranch, leaving Jon in charge of the ranch while she and Ben were gone. They had invited many friends from Stockton and neighboring ranches, and several of them would be attending, totaling somewhere just below 500 people. They had decided to have the wedding outside, weather permitting, to accommodate the crowd.

The gown was ready and waiting for the next day. The food was prepared and all but a few finishing touches were needed for the cake. The men put tarps over the tables set up outside and the chairs were stacked just inside the door, waiting. They all ate a hearty soup and retired for the night, Leah staying at the ranch house as well, sharing Audra's room.

The morning dawned bright and shining and poor Leah shook with excitement and fear, not really of marrying Heath, but of the huge step she was about to take and of being the center of attention for the entire day. Every thing was chaos as people arranged tables, chairs and prepared for the happy occasion.

Leah had asked Mai to arrange her hair and when she had finished it was beautifully braided and arranged on her head, with a few curls hanging around the sides of her face. She stepped into her gown and finished off with an old pair of pearls borrowed from Victoria Barkley. She also wore a sapphire pin on her left shoulder, the pin a gift from Heath her first Christmas with the Barkleys.

Guests had been arriving all morning and had been helping with arranging things. The pastor they had engaged for the ceremony had arrived. Everything was now ready. Both Leah and Heath had agreed for Jarrod to give her away and Nick and Eugene to be the best men. Luke Scott would be the ring bearer and Nellie the flower girl, though they knew some of the guests might object.

The time had arrived. Heath wiped his sweaty palms against his good pants and turned to face the direction Leah would be coming. On rare occasions he had seen her wear her dark brown hair up instead of the long braid she usually wore, but he was not prepared for how she looked just then in the pure white dress, trimmed with lace. The curls that framed her face showed off her pale features and dark brown eyes. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked slowly down the aisle. He didn't even notice Jarrod who held her hand. He didn't even notice when the pastor began to speak.

Leah was inwardly trembling as she stepped up and turned to face Heath. She was very aware of all the eyes watching her and she tried to block her mind from them and only focus on the man she was about to marry. Her Heath. How good, sweet, kind and sensitive he was to her! How her admiration of him and love for him had grown in the several months! Now, as she had dreamed, she would be his.

Scotty sipped punch from a glass as she watched the music had begun to play and folks were milling about eating, and dancing. The first dancers on the floor, or rather the bare ground where the party was taking place, were of course Mr. and Mrs. Heath Barkley. She liked the sound of that. Mrs. Leah Barkley. She hoped that Leah and Heath had many years of happiness ahead of them.

She was very self conscious of the fact that she was wearing a dress. The very dress she had not worn for the Fourth of July. It was finally being put to good use, she decided and was glad that Leah had suggested she wear that for the ceremony. It felt good to be in a dress, but it felt odd too.

She had, as was her custom, been sitting on the sidelines, just watching the others in their enjoyment of dancing or talking or eating. But after a while, Nick walked over to where she was sitting and bowed in a gentlemanly way that almost made her laugh, but she quickly stifled the feeling of humor when she realized that he was serious. "May I have this dance?" he said in a courtly way. Scotty raised an eyebrow.

"Ah suppose it wouldn't hurt," she set down her glass tumbler and stood.

"You look mighty pretty in that dress," he commented. She glanced down at herself.

"You really think so Nick?" she asked hesitantly. "Ah feel kinda strange in a dress."

"You ought to wear them more often."

The afternoon passed and the newly wedded couple departed after opening gifts and given well wishes. Scotty had agreed to stay and help with the cleaning. She ended up helping Nick, Ben, Eugene and Jarrod with tables and chairs. As they were working Nick and Scotty took a break in the barn where the pieces of wood that had been used to construct the outdoor tables were stored.

Scotty took an exhausted seat on a bale of hay and Nick sat down beside her, peeling off his gloves. "They make a nice couple don't they?"

"Heath and Leah? I suppose." Nick sounded absent.

"Something wrong, Nick?" she turned to him suddenly, hearing something in his voice.

"Yeah," he said, hesitating. "You."

"Me?" she looked at him a long moment and then it finally hit her and it all made sense. She felt like an idiot that she'd not seen it before. She had known her own feelings for a long, long time, but had not wanted to admit to them. And now she understood why Nick had been spending so much time at her ranch and with her in particularly. "Oh Nick!" she exclaimed suddenly. Then she laughed. "Ah must be as blind as a bat."

He looked puzzled, hurt and offended all at once. "What's so funny?"

"Me, Nick. Me. Ah knew it was only a matter of time for Heath and Leah. Ah saw it with my own two older youg'uns; ah know Ben's just waiting for Nellie to grow up. But here ah couldn't see my own self. That's what's funny Nick." And with that she bent over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Neither one of them saw Eugene step back from the front of the barn. And both of them forgot the work they were supposed to be doing while they talked, and talked, and talked some more about the things that they'd never spoke of to one another before.

(To be continued…)