Chapter 2

The next day was spent riding again, seeing more the ranch, going down to the river, seeing parts of the land where alfalfa grew. It was the day after that when Linda said, "Let's take a break from riding. Would you tell me what kind of law you do, when you're not defending accused murderers, I mean?"

Jarrod had to smile at that. "You know, you're the first woman who ever wanted to talk to me about my job."

"Well, how many other women lawyers do you know?"

"Just Laura Gordon, and that was in passing," Jarrod said. "And I guess I ought to fill you in on what I do so you can decide whether you want to be my partner in San Francisco or not."

"You have to decide that too, you know," Linda said. "We have to have a good understand of what each of us can do, especially outside a courtroom."

Jarrod was beginning to be taken in, not just by her beauty, not just by her sexuality, but also by her intelligence and her education. He thought to himself, this is the first time in my life I ever wanted to kiss a lawyer. But he didn't say it out loud. It wasn't time yet.

They spent the day in the library, Jarrod showing her his collection of legal books and going over the contracts he was reviewing for the family businesses. He spent some time explaining the Barkley empire and what their holdings were. When she started to look a little dazed from all the information, they had lunch and then dove into it again. It was about four when Linda finally put her hands up.

"All right, I surrender, I've taken in enough for one day," she said.

Jarrod chuckled. "All right. Let's take a walk before Nick and Heath come in and we gather for our little before dinner ritual."

He offered his hand, and they went out together through the library doors to the veranda. This was the first time he'd actually offered her his hand like that, as if it were something familiar and comfortable. His hand was very large and very strong. Adam's was strong but not that large. Linda was glad the feeling was different.

They walked back to the chicken coop and said hello to the hens. They walked to the old well that once had been open but was closed up now. Jarrod stopped and stared at it, and said, "Once, when it was open, another one of the characters I was prosecuting threatened to throw me down in there. I got the better of him though."

"He's in prison?" Linda asked.

Still staring at the well, Jarrod shook his head. "No. I ended up killing him."

"Oh," Linda said. "I'm sorry."

Jarrod sighed. "At some point I need to tell you that life out here has been rough at times. Almost as bad as the war was, but in a way worse, because what happens out here is usually more personal than war was." He looked at her. "You develop a thick skin, Linda. I've used a gun more than once. I've killed more than once. Far more than once."

She'd have been wary about him after he said that, except – "Life in Lancaster growing up and life in a town like Los Angeles, and then becoming an attorney – I've seen a lot of the darker side of people, too. And I did see my husband blow his brains out."

"I'm sorry," Jarrod said quickly. "I didn't mean to bring up that image. It's just that this well reminds me of times I've had to be more violent than I liked. But Linda – you need to know, I've never hurt a woman. I've never struck a woman, much less taken a shot at her. I've never killed a man or even shot at one who wasn't trying to kill me – or had hurt someone I loved."

"I didn't think you had," Linda said.

Jarrod almost said more, about what happened after Beth was murdered, but he still couldn't tell Linda about it. Linda had learned to read people, and she could tell he was holding back.

"Let's walk a little more," she said. "Where does that path over there go?"

It was the path that led to Tom Barkley's grave, and also to Elizabeth Randall Barkley's grave. Jarrod hesitated, but said, "To a small graveyard. If it's all right, I'd like to take that path on another day."

Linda read him right. A family graveyard, probably where his wife was buried. She squeezed his hand. "Where would you like to go now?"

Jarrod looked up. His mother's flower garden was not far away. He smiled. "Let's go smell some roses."

XXXXXX

"I need to go into town to the office," Jarrod said during breakfast on the morning of the next day Linda was with them. "Do you want to come?"

Linda hesitated, and when it looked like she didn't know what to say, Victoria said, "I'm going to be working the flower garden today, and Audra is substitute teaching in school. Maybe you'd like to garden with me, Linda, rather than go into town?"

"I'd like that actually," Linda said. "I've always enjoyed gardening. It's very relaxing but productive at the same time, but I suppose I'm going to have to get going on selling my house in Stockton."

"I can get things rolling on that," Jarrod said. "Ike Simms is a local agent I've used before when selling property. I can talk to him, get the contracts together and bring them out here to you. I know you'll want to get your things out of there, but you don't have to do that right away."

"Yes," Linda said with a nod, "maybe a day in the garden would be good for me. Jarrod, there's not a lot in the house that belongs to me except personal items, and your mother and Audra fetched most of those already. The furniture and pots and pans and such belong to the house."

"I'll let Ike know that, and I'll probably know what belongs with the house when I see it. I had a client who lived there before you." The Bowdens, another sore spot Jarrod had no desire to get into further than that.

And Linda didn't pursue it. "There are Adam's things still there. Maybe you can give them to the church, or someone who will see they go to someone who needs them."

Jarrod nodded. "Rev. Johnson at the church has a clothing drive twice a year. I'm sure he'll be happy to have them, but at some point I think you'd better plan on going in, to choose the things you want to keep."

Linda smiled. "I can only think of one thing that was his. A watch – hidden in a drawer where he kept his socks."

"All right," Jarrod said. "I'll look for it when I get by there, and if I see anything else I have doubts about, I'll bring it to you."

"All right," Linda agreed. "Then talk to Mr. Simms and see what we can do about the house. You have authority as my agent in this, and – before settlement, I'll make the time to go in and make sure everything that is mine is out and the house is swept clean."

"Wow, she is a lawyer," Heath said.

Linda chuckled. "You can't stop being a lawyer just because you're taking some time off."

"We know," Nick said and nodded toward Jarrod. "We've been living with one for years."

XXXXXXX

After all her children had gone on their separate ways, Victoria took Linda out to the flower garden, saying, "The roses need deadheading, and I have some bone meal I want to put down too. Have you had a flower garden before?"

"My mother had a small one when we had the farm in Lancaster," Linda said, carefully fingering one of the red roses. "She always wanted to tend it herself, though, even after I was old enough to help. I was usually out helping my father anyway, when I wasn't in school."

"Where did your parents come from?" Victoria asked as they started working.

Linda watched at first, to see what Victoria was doing as Victoria started the deadheading. "Originally the family started out in New York, but both my parents were born in Illinois and came to Lancaster right before I was born."

"Was California a state when you were born?"

Linda hesitated. "No, actually, it was still part of Mexico. I guess that makes me born a Mexican."

"Jarrod was born when this was part of Mexico too," Victoria said. "He took a bit of tormenting from the kids in school who were American born. I guess that's one reason Jarrod has always been eager to help the Mexicans still here in California, and other immigrants too."

"When did you and your husband come to California?"

"Not long before Jarrod was born. We came from the plains too. Have you ever been to Illinois?"

"No, I haven't. I've never been east of the mountains."

Victoria began to show Linda how she wanted the roses deadheaded, and they worked together and chatted together for a while, then putting down bonemeal on the ground around some of the plants and working it in. When they were finished, they stood admiring their work. Victoria was smiling.

"I put this garden in when we moved into the house here," Victoria said. "Jarrod was nine, Nick was five. Before that we had that small house near the stable yard. We reworked that after we moved in here and turned it into a guest house of sorts."

"This is a beautiful place, Mrs. Barkley," Linda said. "Jarrod's shown me so much – I – "

Then she stopped.

Victoria thought she looked upset. "What is it?"

Linda sighed, shrugged, almost looked like she was going to cry but didn't cry. She just said, "I'm going to have to decide where I'm going to go now."

"I thought you had San Francisco in mind, perhaps becoming Jarrod's partner."

Linda hesitated again, and she didn't say what she was really thinking and feeling.

But Victoria was very, very good at reading people. "Are you thinking becoming his law partner might not be a good idea – because you're falling in love with him?"