Victoria studied her family as they sat and digested what she and Jarrod had just told them. It had been three months now since Heath had shown up and Jarrod had learned of Olivia.

It was growing close to Olivia's birthday, and the girl was practically begging to be brought to the ranch to celebrate. Her doctors had been consulted and over much deliberation, they had decided that if Victoria hired a nurse for the journey, Olivia could go with a few modifications to the Barkley personal railcar. All of those meetings, and the subsequent ruling that Olivia could indeed make the trip, led them to the here and now.

"Mother?"

Victoria wasn't surprised it was Nick that spoke up first. "Yes, Son?"

"I don't understand. I remember there being a baby, but…you went away and came back alone. I thought," he paused and fiddled with the glass he'd poured a whiskey into shortly after he'd come into the library. "I thought the baby had died. You were so sad when you came home, and I heard you crying. I never said anything because I didn't want to upset you and then with the War," he shrugged. "I simply forgot."

"I wasn't sure if you remembered anything or not. Olivia will be happy to know she wasn't quite as much of a secret as we thought."

Audra stared down at her hands, her face contorted in confusion. "Mother, I don't understand."

"Understand what, Darling?"

Looking up at her mother, Audra's tears finally escaped and rolled down her cheeks. "Why? Why would Father want to hide her away? Why did you let him? Why didn't you fight?"

Victoria heard the gasps of her sons, noting that Heath was still sitting quietly in front of the fireplace, his face an unreadable mask. Holding up her hand when she saw Jarrod open his mouth to speak, she shook her head at him then turned her attention back to Audra. "Your father was a proud man, Audra. I never really knew the real reason he wanted to hide Olivia away. He said leaving her there at the sanatorium was for her own good and for the good of Eugene and yourself."

"But Mother!" Eugene finally spoke up.

"Son, you were six and Audra was five. Your father thought that you still needed all of my attention…something I wouldn't have been able to give you with Olivia here. He was right, in a way. Olivia would have taken a lot of my attention, even with a nurse here. He was wrong in not giving us a chance to try."

Eugene huffed. "Yes, he was very wrong. I was old enough I could have helped. And I know Audra. She would have helped as much as she could just because she thought she had a baby doll."

Victoria couldn't help but chuckle at the scowl Audra gave her brother. "I know that you would have done all that you could."

"Mother, why didn't you fight for her?"

"Oh god, Audra." Victoria whispered, her voice breaking as all the old fights came back…fights that always left her in tears. "I fought. Day and night, I fought with your father. Ultimately, though…I was his wife and I did have two other children to think of. I had to make a choice…was forced to make a choice." Hanging her head, she clasped her hands. "God help me and forgive me for the decision I made."

Jarrod rested his hand over his mother's then looked to his sister. "Honey, Mother didn't leave Olivia completely alone with strangers. Aunt Ruth has been there the whole time."

Nick's face showed he'd realized just why his aunt had uprooted her family. "That's why they just up and moved from New York."

Jarrod nodded. "Yes. Mother went to Aunt Ruth with her heart breaking and told her what Father insisted she do. Aunt Ruth didn't really even have to ask Uncle George, he just simply kissed her cheek and went to his office and that was that. They began preparing to move the next day."

"It would seem our father was good at hiding things." Heath finally spoke up, earning him a glare from Nick. "I'm not afraid of you," he told him. "I think it was about showing people his perfect empire. His perfect wife, his perfect sons and daughter. This perfect life he'd built. And then…there was Olivia…perfect in her mother's eyes, imperfect to her father and society. He had her hidden away because she didn't fit into the image he'd created for himself."

"Now see here…" Nick started but Jarrod cut him off.

"He's right, Nick." Jarrod's words earned him a scowl, but Jarrod just stared his younger brother down.

"Pappy." Nick growled.

"Our father was far from the saint he's made out to be. He was a good man, but he could also be an unforgiving man. Remember when I decided to become a lawyer?"

Nick shuddered at the memories and capitulated. "Yes, I do. That was…well I was never so glad to go out on a cattle drive."

Heath raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information. Turning his attention to Victoria, he gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm looking forward to meeting Olivia. We already have more in common with each other than I do with them," he moved his finger in a sweeping motion toward his other siblings.

Jarrod nodded. Heath was right, whether Nick and the others liked it or not. "Mother doesn't know this, but Olivia knows about Heath."

Victoria frowned. "You told her?"

"She asked. I tried not to tell her, but…" he shrugged.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "That soft heart of yours. You're going to spoil her like you did Audra."

Jarrod's eyes sparkled as he grinned at his mother. "They'll all spoil her once they meet her. And I did not spoil Audra."

"Of course not, Dear."

The whole room burst into laughter at that, the tension finally broken. Jarrod smiled as he got up to put his glass back on the cart for later…the laughter and loss of tension was just what he'd wanted.

"Mother? Can I go with you when you go to bring Olivia home?" Audra asked.

"I think it would be best if it were just Jarrod and I. We'll have a nurse returning with us which will make the railcar a bit crowded with the modifications the doctor has ordered to make the trip more comfortable for Olivia." Victoria smiled and held out her hand for Audra to join her on the settee. "You stay here and help Silas make sure everything is ready for Olivia's stay with us. Remember, she's coming for her birthday, so we'll want to have a party for her."

Audra squeezed her mother's hand. "Okay, Mother. Will we invite anyone?"

"A few people. I'll give you a list."

Nick swallowed the last of his whisky. "Alright then. Jarrod, if you need help with whatever it is you're doing to the railcar, let me know."

Silas entered at that moment and announced dinner. "It'll be good to see Miss Olivia again, Mrs. Barkley," he added as she stood and took Jarrod's offered arm.

Victoria smiled at the man. "The only other person to know about Olivia. She'll be so excited to meet you, Silas."

"I'll bake her the biggest cake the valley's ever seen."

Audra laughed as she took Eugene's arm. "Bigger than the one for my eighteenth birthday?"

Silas grinned. "Well, maybe just a bit."

Eugene rolled his eyes. "Brothers…we're in for it."

Heath laughed, "Boy howdy. Ain't it grand?"