Blowing in the Wind

Chapter Twenty Four

Previously:

When his brother turned around and headed for the bedroom door, Jarrod's heart fell. He was sure the action meant that John was turning down the request that Jarrod had just proposed to him. However, he felt his heart start beating with excitement as John said, "I need to pack and talk to Mama Davies before we leave, but the name is John Summers to everyone. At least for now,"

Jarrod let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he stood up and began making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. As much as he wanted to call his brother by his real name, he wouldn't fight him on it...not if it meant his brother was going back to California with him.

~oOo~

Jarrod once again sat next to the window as the train sped down the tracks. However, this time it was John who sat across from him; Steve was sitting on the other side of the aisle. "Three's a crowd' had been Steve's exact words before choosing where to sit.

The seats in the train car had recently been re-upholstered. Personally, Jarrod would have liked to see some other color than black. Though, the colors the railroad chose to use wasn't exactly on his 'to worry about' list. He needed to start telling his long lost brother about the family. "I told you I'd tell you about the family." Jarrod turned his face away from the window and looked at his brother. "Do you mind if I do so now, John?" He couldn't see why he shouldn't, only he wasn't going to force the information on his brother either, though he had to force himself not to say Nick. He might not have, only he feared he'd push his brother away if he called him anything but the name he'd been going by for years.

John threw Jarrod a slight smirk. "Yes, I'd appreciate it if you and your family were the only ones to do that for now. And, yes, please tell me everything you can before we get there." He was going to feel like a fish out of water as it was, allowing Jarrod to tell him everything possible could only help.

Jarrod smiled, though the smile faded a bit as he began talking about Tom Barkley. "He's no longer with us." Jarrod said as he explained all that had happened in the pursuing years. "He wouldn't back down from the railroad, and they wound up killing him because of it; though, in the end, the farmers won their fight."

John shook his head. He would never understand how come some people had to be so blasted greedy. Then, thinking on the senseless death Mr. Davies had suffered…their 'friends' had not kept their mind in as good as shape as they'd claimed…he said, "At least his death was not in vain."

Since his brother and he had already talked about Mr. Davies and his needless death due to the accident in the Davies' friends' mine, and how the man might feel about this newest development in John's life, Jarrod knew why his brother was making such a statement. "No, no it wasn't." Then, hesitatingly, he said, "He did give us a last gift six years after his passing, as my mother put it; the rest of us agree with her."

John's eyebrows turned down in confusion. How could a dead man give a gift to anyone? "What do you mean?" He asked when Jarrod lapsed into momentary silence; the silence made John wonder about the so called 'gift'.

"My father was a good man, but he was still human. Like all mortal men, he was imperfect." Jarrod answered as he began telling how their parents had lost another son, before John had disappeared. "It was due to pneumonia. In their grief our parents fought a lot and eventually father went to Strawberry, hoping the time apart might give them time to come to terms with things. While he was there, he was attacked and robbed. A young widow found him and nursed him back to health." He paused and gave a his brother a look that asked his lost brother if he could put one and one together; John did.

"They had an affair?" John leaned slightly forward while keeping his eyes on Jarrod.

Jarrod nodded and said, "His name is Heath. He's a good, honest man who knows how to work hard. There were some hard days at first, but he's very much a part of the family now and runs the ranch. Though, everyone in the family does their share too." He answered and then gauged John's reaction.

For a moment, John didn't react. Then, slowly, he straightened up and looked at the window. "Your ranch hands didn't make his life a living hell? Your whole family accepted him without question?" After what he'd experienced at Paul's hand, John wasn't sure he'd believe Jarrod if he replied with a 'no'.

Jarrod sighed. "Some of our ranch hands accepted him; some fought him and made his life extremely difficult. And I," Jarrod shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "After coming out of shock, I welcomed him into the family, but no, I didn't fully accept him at first. That took time. But, yes, he's runs the ranch rather well, and the men follow his orders now without a problem."

John pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and asked Jarrod if he minded if he, John, smoked. Jarrod shook his head and told him to feel free to do as he wanted. After he lit the cigarette and drew hard on it, John turned his face away from the window and asked how many, if any, other siblings they had.

Jarrod starting smiling wide again as he talked about Audra and Eugene. "But you won't be able to meet Eugene quite yet. He's at Berkley right now, though I did write him a long letter about you. I mailed it before we left."

John went to say something else only to catch sight of someone running towards one of the empty railroad cars. "I think the train just picked up another passenger." He leaned forward and looked at the window; Jarrod looked too. His heart skipped a beat as he not only saw a man jump into one of the empty railroad cars, but recognized him as well. He looked at John, who simply said, "Kyle Jensen always did have straw for brains." He and Jarrod then got Steve's attention and told him what they'd just seen.

Steve's eyes widened in shock. "We should tell the conductor." He started to stand up only to have Jarrod stop him. "We don't need to make ourselves targets, nor do we want Mr. Jensen to know we're aware of his presence. If we do that, he might escape and he needs to be turned over to the law. We'll tell the conductor the first chance we get. Until then, I say we keep our eyes wide open." He might have said nothing else only, due to some of the stories John and Steve had already told him, Jarrod looked at John. "And, please, don't go getting into your head to go at him by yourself." 'We just got you back; I don't want to lose you again' were words he found himself thinking only to himself.

"Now why would I do that?" John asked, though his eyes were laughing and Steve looked as if he wanted to choke when John asked the question.

Jarrod simply rolled his eyes as he leaned back and allowed his mind to wander to his family-even if he did keep one eye on the door not five feet from them.