Chapter Thirty-Six

Jarrod arrived home too late for dinner, because of work on a case. He had eaten in town but was glad he was home in time for some brandy and maybe a game of pool with his brothers. As he approached the study, he heard raised voices which did not bode well for brandy and pool.

"Heath, we had this conversation the day you took Simon to school! Do you really want to start all the talk up again?" Priscilla, in a cornflower blue dress ornamented with yellow ribbon and lavish amounts of cream-colored lace, had a frustrated look on her face.

It took him aback because his sister-in-law was usually a very easy-going person. Jarrod's private opinion was that her nature had made her a good teacher, and very good at dealing with Nick.

"I was hoping for a game of pool and some brandy." He announced thinking of the comment she had made, about talking to Heath already. "What is the matter?" Jarrod walked over to the drinks cupboard and poured himself a generous portion of a very fine Spanish Madeira. Carlos and Letizia, when they had visited the ranch had gifted them a case of the smooth drink.

"Simon wants to go to Mother Flynn's funeral tomorrow, to be there for Sean and Tara." Heath's voice was slow and modulated, which made Jarrod aware how annoyed his brother was. "I want to go to support Sharon; Jimmy, along with Liam are up from Kilkenny Farms for the service. They are all my friends." His voice raised an octave as he looked directly at Priscilla.

"Maud and Olaf coming to town and spending time with us have put to rest all the stories Heath's ex mother-in-law stirred up." Priscilla paused to look at Victoria, Jarrod was sure for support. He discerned that her concern was only for the young boy.

"Simon is going to be in Stockton until June, and sooner or later we will be seen in public together. The funeral will provide a distraction, and if people do say something – hey we have blue eyes, his grandparents have blue eyes." Heath announced disdainfully, his lips tightening.

"I don't appreciate how you are talking to Priscilla! Her only concern has been for Simon." Nick stepped forward, his voice resonating around the room.

Jarrod was surprised that his brother was only now weighing in on the discussion. He saw that his younger brother was all set to reply to Nick, and Jarrod knew he had to pour oil on troubled waters. There was also the fact of the time he had spent with Simon, on the day of Mother Flynn's death.

"I think it is important for Simon to attend the funeral – he is good friends with Sean and Tara – and was with them when they found out that Mother Flynn had passed." Jarrod said firmly, looking at Heath, hoping he would take a step back if he knew someone had his back.

"Heath is right, the funeral is the correct distraction, and people are going to see two boys with red hair. Olaf and Maud made it very clear that Heath had been good friends with their son and his wife." Jarrod took a sip of the Madeira as he made the statement.

"When Simon arrived in the Valley, I commented that I could produce several boys who looked enough like him and Alden." He reminded them in firm tones. "Yes, there will probably be talk but we can minimize it if we are careful." Jarrod gazed at Heath, Nick, Priscilla, and his mother.

"What are you suggesting?" Victoria asked, glad that Jarrod had shown up when he had. She had been torn between understanding how Priscilla wanted to protect Simon, but also knowing Heath's feelings. It came to her again that if Maud and Olaf had taken the boy back to Sweden, she would not have this matter on her hands.

"I suggest that Nick and Heath ride into town on horseback, while the rest of us take the larger surrey. I am sure that once we get there Simon will want to say hello to the Flynn's as soon as possible." Jarrod raised his hand in the air, palm up. "Once everyone is agog at two boys with red hair, we just make sure that Simon is with anyone but Heath. I have no doubt that once we get to the reception, there might be comments, but we take Heath's line of we all have blue eyes. In reality I do not see Simon spending time with us, as he will be busy with his friends."

"That is the perfect solution, and I think the distraction of the funeral will be good to put the whole matter of Simon's background to rest." Victoria felt a surge of relief has she listened to Jarrod's suggestion. Simon would be in the valley for the next six months, and the matter needed to be dealt with head on.

Heath bowed his head in acquiescence, and then gave Jarrod a grateful look. In truth he knew that Priscilla only had Simon's wellbeing at heart, but it galled him that they had charge of his son. Maud had made it clear – and Olaf had gone along – that due to his circumstances, they wanted Simon with Nick and Priscilla.

The next morning Heath, riding into town with Nick, behind the carriage was surprised when they arrived in town. He was expecting to go to the Catholic Church, on the east side of town. It dated from just after the Gold Rush of 1848 and was an elaborate edifice with a cemetery in the back. It was the Parrish Church and patronized by the Spanish landowners.

Instead, they turned west, and went to the public Cemetery, which overlooked the river. This puzzled Heath because he was expecting Mother Flynn to have a full Mass. When they arrived at the graveyard, and walked over to where the Flynn's were, he was surprised to see Padre Juan there.

The man was the priest at the small mission church outside of town, close to the Indian reservation. Heath then recalled, all those years ago, Sharon telling him how the Irish had been snubbed. They had gone to Mass that first weekend in the valley, and the priest made his dislike very well known; they never went back.

They waited in line, Simon up front with Victoria; the rest of the family bringing up the rear. Heath watched as Simon bowed very formally to Sharon before she gave him a hug. Simon hugged Sean and Tara, who were happy to see their friend. Heath noticed that Jimmy and Liam were there, along with the Padre. He could see Jim Beckett and his men standing back, waiting for their time.

Heath noticed that Sharon was dressed in a simple black dress, overlaid by a black pelisse. He could tell that she had been crying but was now putting on a brave face. She greeted the family warmly though, as they all hugged her. When it was his turn, he made it a point to be very careful and polite. After a couple of words, he walked on, and gave Sean and Tara a hug.

After that he greeted Jimmy and Liam before walking over to join his family. They were standing with Audra and Carl, talking quietly. Heath saw that Simon was talking to a boy who looked to be about his age, but he did not recognize the family.

"Those are Gibson's." Victoria answered Heath's question. "They moved here last fall, from Cleveland. He works for the Masterson shipping line, in their office. His wife is very active in the community; in addition to Luke, who is Simon's age there are two older girls." Heath looked at the family group and did notice the girls who looked to be around ten and twelve.

"They have actually invited Simon over next week." Priscilla joined the conversation. "Simon says that Luke has a bigger toy ship collection than he does." She smiled with happy remembrance, before her countenance became somber. Heath was glad that Simon was making friends and decided he would be careful at the reception.

He noted with interest how many people had come to the graveside service. Reverend Peterson and his wife walked over and talked to her. Heath could tell that what they were saying was comforting Sharon.

He was taken aback when another group came into the graveyard – the Morton's. Rufus was in front, somber in a black suit, with Zack, Phoebe, JR, and Alice bringing up the rear. Heath remembered Priscilla's comment about Rufus approving of Sharon's ideas for the library. His coming to the funeral, along with his family would be noted by everyone; Rufus was an important man.

The service was getting ready to start, so Heath put the thought out of his mind. The sky was overcast, with the threat of rain, making the air feel cold and damp. The Padre was reading from the Gospels', and he looked over at the family group. Sharon seemed very slight, holding her pelisse tight around her. Heath remembered noticing how worn the garment had looked, and he wondered how warm it was.

Tara's face suddenly had tears running down it, and Heath watched as Sharon knelt to her. She hugged her daughter, and Heath could see she was struggling with her emotions. It broke his heart when Sean put one of his hands on his mother's back and the other on his sister. Sharon was alone, Sean was trying to be the man of the family, and Heath felt anger and worry rising in his body.

Her husband had passed, and now Mother Flynn – who Heath was sure Sharon relied on – was gone also. It was not fair that she worked so hard, did so much for everyone else, but did not have anyone to take care of her. He knew that Jimmy was busy with his family and did not live close by while Liam was not family.

It was Liam though who went over and picked Tara up; the little girl put her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder. Heath recalled that Tara was horse mad and had undoubtedly spent a lot of time in the barn when she was at Kilkenny Farms over Christmas. Sharon gave him a grateful look, and then hugged Sean tightly.

Heath did not realize it, but both Priscilla and Nick were looking intently at him, as he watched the interaction between Sharon and her children. The couple exchanged a knowing glance, and Nick imperceptibly nodded his head. They had talked about the matter last night, after the discussion in the study.

The reception was held in the social hall, next to the Episcopal Church that the Barkley's attended. Heath found it interesting that the Ladies Altar Guild was doing the event. Sharon was not a member of the church; at least Heath had not seen her at services. He did see Elspeth overseeing the food table and wondered if she and Priscilla had arranged the event.

Simon spent the reception with Sean, Tara, Luke, and the other children that were there. Heath had been looking forward to spending time with Jimmy and Liam, but Jimmy was standing next to Sharon, while Liam was with Rufus and his sons. It made him wonder what the subject of conversation was.

"Heath Barkley, can I introduce myself? Oliver Gibson." The man extended his hand, and Heath took it carefully. His eyes noted the man's erect carriage, well cut dark grey suit – eastern in style – and a simple tie. He did not wear boots, but rather the dress shoes worn by businessmen. Heath shut down his lawman's scrutiny as he recalled that the man's son was good friends with Simon.

"Hello." Heath replied, interested in getting to know the man. "Simon said that your son has quite the model ship collection." He recalled what Priscilla had told him before the service. It was with relief that he did not see the man staring at him, as if he had seen the resemblance with Simon.

"Yes, he does. The firm I work for has offices on the major ports of the Mississippi, as well as the eastern seaboard. That division does a great deal of work with North Sea shipping out of Bremen and Rotterdam." Oliver explained, before going on "Our inland division handles river trade. After being in St. Louis and Cleveland, I came to Stockton. We are slowly expanding out west because the future of America is the west coast."

"How are you all liking Stockton?" Heath asked, being more impressed than he wanted to be with the man and his business acumen. His conversation clearly indicated that he was an important man in the Masterson Shipping Line.

"We are loving it, especially after the winters in Cleveland." Oliver offered, giving Heath a slight smile. It was a funeral after all, so levity would not be proper. What the man said next took Heath by surprise.

"I am very happy to meet you, after having met your brothers and Olaf. They all spoke highly of you." Oliver offered up with a disarming smile. Heath suddenly felt uncomfortable, that the man knew his brothers and Olaf.

"You know Olaf?" Heath settled for going down that road, trying to keep things impersonal.

"Yes, he spent a great deal of time on the waterfront, while he and his wife were here for the holiday. He mentioned that you had been good friends with his son." Oliver added, as he went on "He is very well known in maritime circles and the fact that he is to be partner in the Hunter's Point shipyard is quite an honor for California. The naval contract is worth a great deal of money. My company already provides support services to the US Naval Base at New Orleans, and Norfolk."

"My understanding is that he was decorated for his work with the Swedish navy." Heath knew what Oliver was saying, that he was hoping that his company could benefit from the naval contract. He decided to change the subject, a little off put by the depth of the man's knowledge.

"You mentioned that you knew my brothers?" Heath had been intrigued at Oliver's reference to both men. He could see Oliver knowing Jarrod but was not sure how Oliver knew Nick.

"I am in fact the legal counsel for the Masterson Shipping Line. I do not do court cases, but Jarrod and I both belong to the Bar Association. There is a local branch here, which meets once a month. It gives us a chance to liaison about matters happening on the river." Oliver raised his hand and gestured toward the river.

"My wife is very active in the Altar Guild and knows your sister-in-law and her grandmother. I met Nick at the party the Guild held for Reverend Peterson's birthday back at the beginning of December." A smile came on the man's face and Heath discerned that Oliver Gibson was a happy and content man. He suddenly felt jealous, wishing he were in the same position.

"Nick was very outgoing. He made it a point to talk to all the men; honestly, most of us do not interact on a daily basis. We were there because of our wives. I was impressed that he could talk to anyone about anything." Oliver smiled happily. "I ended up meeting several men who I would not have met otherwise and could lead to business dealings."

Heath had a private chuckle at how his brother's social life had changed. Yes, he still went to the saloon with the men, and the Cattlemen's Association meetings. However, he and Priscilla had a group of married couple friends, who they socialized with on a regular basis.

"Oliver, hello. I see you have met my brother Heath. It is too bad that you are meeting under these sad circumstances." Nick came over, and regarded both men, as he turned to look at Oliver. "Priscilla was telling me that your family has invited Simon over next week. Thank you for doing that; he is really excited, and I know it has helped make him feel welcome at school."

The men exchanged a few more words, while Heath felt left out of the conversation. He knew that because of his position, as divorced man with no wife, there was a stratum of society that he had no means to interact with. The women oversaw civic, social, and charitable events. A single man was welcome only if he was a potential husband, or old with wealth to donate to a good cause.

Heath knew that if he had been widowed – and left with a child – the women would rally around him. It saddened him, as it confirmed that there was no future for him in Simon's life, as his father.

Oliver excused himself as the man walked away Heath looked over to where Sharon was sitting. She was at a table, with Priscilla, Phoebe, Alice and several other women Heath did not recognize. Sharon had a plate of food in front of her, but she was not eating. He could see the concerned looks on the women's faces, as they kept her company.

"I don't know what all happened seven years ago, between you and Sharon, but I think you are being given a second chance." Nick turned to face him; his voice very low. "I am going to tell you what Jarrod told me, when I was trying to figure out my feelings for Priscilla. Brother you could be a very lucky man if you do not muck it up by talking first and thinking later. In your case it would be thinking first and talking later." His brother said encouragingly, before he turned to talk to someone else.

Heath was stunned at what Nick had just suggested – at a funeral no less. The last thing he wanted was to court someone. Yes, he felt bad for Sharon and her children at being alone. The scene at the graveside came to mind, causing him sadness.

He then remembered, last summer at Kilkenny Farms, talking with her in the moonlight. In his mind he saw her sparkling blue eyes, and the silvery moonlight highlighting her face. Heath sensed a tug at his heart but reminded himself that he did not need any more complications in his life. He felt the sudden need for fresh air and slipped quietly out of the hall.