Blowing in the Wind

Chapter Seventeen

"Mother!" Audra opened the front door and stepped into the foyer; Lily and Paulette were right behind her. The two young women had been volunteering more time at the orphanage and were just returning. The fact that Paulette was with them was no surprise.

"You don't need to raise your voice, Audra." Victoria appeared at the top the stairs; she'd been reorganizing some of the upstairs hallway decorations. "I'm not going deaf." She started down the stairs and asked what had Audra, who looked like she was ready to climb a wall, so excited.

"It's from Jarrod!" Audra replied just as Heath walked out of the dining room; he'd been grabbing a bite for lunch before going back to work.

"What's from Jarrod?" Heath stopped dead in his tracks, as did Victoria.

"This," Audra held up an envelope. "Lily and I stopped the post office on our way home, and this was there." She wasn't surprised when her mother hurried down the stairs and took the letter, which Audra was holding out to her.

Lily smiled at Paulette and said, "Vas à la cuisine et vois ce que tu peux faire pour aider Silas." The young girl smiled and quickly headed for the kitchen. Lily then looked at Heath. "We were tempted to open it the letter. However, we decided we might be in a bit of trouble if we did."

"A bit?" Heath asked as he saw Victoria's one eyebrow rise, even as a bit of laughter appeared in her eyes.

"So, what does he say?" Audra asked a bit nervously, trying to take a peek at the letter that her mother had opened and unfolded as she walked into the living room. Naturally, having no memory of this particular brother, Audra was eager to be told she was going to have the chance to meet him.

"Mother?" Heath asked concerned as Victoria sat down on the sofa looking as if she was fighting to hold back tears; it worried him.

"Jarrod is pretty sure John Summers and Nicholas Jonathon Barkley are the same person." She finally answered as she let out a deep breath and, momentarily, closed her eyes. An action that made Heath, Audra and Lily if there was something Victoria wasn't saying.

"And?" Audra made her way to the sofa and sat down while Heath made his way to the chair closest to the foyer; Lily too found her way to a chair. "What else does he say?"

Victoria opened her eyes and sighed, did her best to smile and then told her family Jarrod was going to stay awhile longer in Nevada. "Jarrod says he's planning on staying in Nevada a while longer, up to a month. He wants us to stay here. He wants to give Nick time to get to know him before Jarrod tells him everything, before he asks him to meet the rest of us."

"A month! What!" Audra exclaimed. "Is he serious?" She started saying how John, or Nick, needed to come home and let them all get to know him. "He can't do that if he doesn't know who he really is." She complained.

"It's been twenty three years, sis," Heath quickly spoke up when he saw a look of both anger and hurt enter his stepmother's eyes. "You just don't drop a bombshell like that on someone. That is," he chuckled, remembering the day he had met Jarrod on a train and how, thanks to a comment an acquaintance of Heath's had made, Jarrod had approached him. "Unless you're pushed into a corner on a train and answers are demanded of you." He noticed a lightning fast laugh cross Victoria's face. Heath then suggested Audra and Lily go see what they could do to help Silas in the kitchen; the family was supposed to be hosting a party that night, and Heath used that as a reason to get his sister and Lily away from Victoria.

"All right." Audra grudgingly agreed and headed for the kitchen, as did Lily.

"Thanks," Victoria let out a sigh, trying to calm her nerves. "As much as I love your sister, I didn't really feel like listening to that kind of talk right now. Truth is, it's all I can do not to go to Nevada right this minute, but Jarrod's right, as are you. Nick doesn't need any of us rushing out there before he's accepted the truth." She turned her head and looked at Heath. She was surprised, but not really shocked, to see a look of turmoil in his eyes also. It only took a split second to know what this dilemma was. "You're a part of this family, Heath no matter your parentage. Don't even think for a moment you'll lose your place on the ranch!" Her voice rose ever so slightly, though she quickly lowered it as she continued talking, "You've been running the ranch for some time now. There's no reason for you to stop." She bit her lower lip and let out yet another sigh, feeling as if she just might choke on her words. "Nick will have decisions to make once he knows who he really is." Pausing, she took a breath and then said quietly, "I want my son back, here on the ranch, but I won't have it at the cost of having you feel like you have to leave either. Either Nick will come home, work the ranch with you, accepting your decisions as you are in charge of the ranch hands or…" she shrugged her shoulders. "He'll have to live in Carson City, and we'll have to write him letters and visit him when we can." Then, due to a quiet, somewhat unsettling look that appeared in Heath's eyes, Victoria sat as straight as she could and hurried to add, "Heath, promise me that-no matter what-you won't leave this ranch!"

Heath couldn't help but give his stepmother a crooked smile. She did have a way of reading his mind. A part of him wondered if that-his leaving-wouldn't be for the best. However, most of him was extremely grateful for the way Victoria and the rest of the Barkleys had taken him into their home and their hearts. "I never could deny you anything; you know that." He stood up and, walking over to her, bent over and gave her a hug. "I'm here to stay; I'm not leaving." He then excused himself saying McColl was going to wonder where he was if Heath didn't get back outside, leaving Victoria sitting alone on the sofa with her private thoughts.

French sentence= "Go into the kitchen and see what you can do to help, Silas"