Chapter 4

Jarrod stayed with Maggie and the baby until they both had fallen asleep. Jarrod put the baby into the cradle next to the bed – the same cradle he had spent his first days in – and then he came out into the sitting room.

Mrs. Ailey and Dr. Merar were still there. Jarrod put his arms around Mrs. Ailey in a great hug, and shook Dr. Merar's hand. "I can't thank you both enough."

"No thanks necessary," Dr. Merar said. "You'll get our bills."

Jarrod laughed.

"I don't think you'll need either one of us anymore," Mrs. Ailey said. "The work is all done. Now comes the time for this little family to be together."

Jarrod walked them out onto the front porch. Both their buggies were waiting there for them. The doctor had asked the ranch hands to hitch them up and have them ready, and in a few moments, they were both gone.

Jarrod looked out onto a beautiful fall day. The three guards were watching, smiling, but there were three additional ones. It was time to change one set out for another.

"Carbuncle!" Jarrod said with a big sigh and a big grin.

The guards all smiled. Jarrod asked the ones who were leaving to take the word to his mother and brothers that Jarrod Jr. had arrived safely and all was well. Jarrod was certain his family would be arriving within the hour. He was tired and wanted to sleep, but he was eager to share his happiness with his mother and brothers, and his sister when she arrived later on. For now, though, he watched the old guard ride away and the new guard take their places around the house.

"Carbuncle," Jarrod said to them, and they smiled and waved as he went back into the house.

He checked on Maggie and the baby again, to make sure all was well. He kept very quiet and did not wake them. They were sleeping like angels, his angels on earth. He was so happy.

He went back to the sitting room but left the bedroom door slightly ajar so he could hear Maggie if she called. He stood for a moment and wondered what to do. Coffee, the inner man said to him. Make coffee.

He made coffee and savored two cups for a long time, until he heard horses approaching. One of the guards yelled, "Carbuncle!" and Jarrod smiled.

He went out on the porch and greeted his mother and two brothers. His mother was in a buggy and brought yet another basket of food with her. Nick and Heath were on horseback. Everybody came into his arms, one at a time, grinning from ear to ear and saying "Congratulations!" over and over.

Jarrod took them inside, then quietly went into the bedroom and lifted Jarrod Jr. out of the cradle. He brought the baby to the sitting room and placed him into his grandmother's arms.

Victoria wept, and once again Jarrod Jr. got a wet face that his father wiped dry. "Ten pounds," Jarrod said quietly, so as not to wake Maggie. "Ten pounds and 23 inches."

"Wow," Heath said. "That's one big baby boy."

Victoria let Heath hold him then. Jarrod Jr. yawned and stretched.

"Hey, got a big mouth like his father," Nick said. "Guess he'll be a lawyer, too."

"He'll be whatever he wants to be," Jarrod said, "even if it's a rancher."

Heath passed the baby on to Nick, who held him up and grinned at him. "This is one fine boy you have here, Jarrod. Jarrod Jr.?"

"Jarrod Jr.," Jarrod confirmed.

"J.J.," Nick said. "Is that all right, if I call him J. J.?"

Jarrod laughed. "Every kid needs a nickname from his uncle."

"J.J.," Nick said to his first nephew. "Can't wait to get you on the back of a horse, J.J."

"Give him a little time to grow up, Nick," Victoria said.

"Do I hear a house full of Barkleys?" Maggie's weary voice came out from the bedroom.

Jarrod led his family to the bedroom door. "Can you take some visitors for a little bit?"

Maggie smiled. "Sure can."

Victoria led the way in, and Nick laid the baby back into his cradle. "How are you feeling?" Victoria asked.

"Tired, but wonderful," Maggie said. "Thank you for coming by."

"You couldn't keep us away," Heath said. "You've got one fine looking son there, Maggie."

Maggie chuckled. "A son. I never dreamed it would happen."

"Dreams do come true sometimes," Victoria said.

Jarrod Jr. started to cry as soon as Nick put him down. Nick picked him up again, and he stopped. "Huh," Nick said. "Look at that. He already prefers his Uncle Nick."

"Well, Uncle Nick," Jarrod said, "I think he might prefer his mother right now."

Jarrod Jr. squirmed and made sucking noises that conveyed what he wanted. Jarrod took the baby from Nick and gave him to his mother.

"We'll go on home now and let you all be," Victoria said. "Congratulations, Maggie."

They left Maggie alone to nurse the baby then, and went straight outside.

"Congratulations to you too, Pappy," Nick said. "Now you've got the name for real."

Jarrod shook hands with his brothers and kissed his mother. "You all go on, and remember, Mother – you don't go anywhere without a guard. We have a happy day today, but we still have a potential problem out there."

Victoria kissed him. "Don't you worry about us. Just take good care of this family of yours."

"You know I will," Jarrod said.

Jarrod went back inside and into the bedroom. Jarrod Jr. was still nursing, even if his mother was having trouble keeping her eyes open. Before long, Jarrod Jr. drifted off, too.

"Would you put him in the cradle?" Maggie asked, lifting him up toward his father.

Jarrod took him and laid him in the cradle. Jarrod Jr. was sound asleep.

Maggie said, "I'd like to sleep some more, too. Are you all right by yourself?"

Jarrod kissed her on the top of her head. "I could probably take a nap, but I've got some work to do if I can stay awake. I'll leave the door open a little bit and work at my desk. You just yell if you need me."

"Hmmmm," Maggie said, already half asleep.

Jarrod kissed her again and went into the sitting room. There was still some coffee hot on the stove, so he poured himself a cup and sat down at his desk where some contracts for shipping fruit next summer were waiting for his review. It was hard to concentrate, both because he was tired and because he was so excited about what was happening today.

But he forced himself to work. That was when the angina pain hit.

It doubled him up, and he cursed it for ruining such a wonderful day, but he had his pills handy in his shirt pocket and took one quickly. Then he sat back and tried to relax. It seemed to take a long time to work this time. He cursed again and considered taking another pill, but things finally seemed to ease off.

But then it hit him, and he couldn't keep the dreadful thought away – I'm not going to see my son grow up. It turned him cold inside and for a moment, he thought it was going to bring on another angina attack. I don't want this. I want to stay well and watch my son grow. I want to give him brothers and sisters.

He forced the bad thoughts away with that safe word to occupy his mind. Carbuncle – what a crazy word to come up with – had to be Nick's idea. Carbuncle, carbuncle.

He didn't know how long he'd been reciting "Carbuncle" to himself, but suddenly he heard shots outside that tore him out of his thoughts. Realizing he hadn't strapped on his gunbelt, he went quickly to the ledge below the rifle case and fetched it. The shots continued. He unlocked the rifles and took one. Then he looked in on his wife.

She was waking up, looking startled. Jarrod hurried in to her. "Stay away from the windows," he said.

"Leave me a gun," she said.

Jarrod gave her his sidearm and kissed her. "Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

She nodded, unsure. Jarrod hurried out and quickly got another sidearm from the ledge below the rifle case. He checked – it was loaded. He put it in his holster, then quickly went to the front door and opened it a crack.

The shooting had stopped, but Jarrod couldn't see anyone outside. He didn't know whether to go out, and he didn't know whether to use the safe word if he did. He closed the door and went to the side window near his desk. Moving the curtain slightly, he looked outside. He saw a man approaching the house.

He didn't get a good enough look to see who it was, but he didn't think it was one of the hands guarding the house. He made a snap decision, left the rifle against the wall and went out the front door with his sidearm drawn.