Chapter 2

"Well, it looks like our plans have to have some adjustments," Jarrod said as soon as he came in the door.

Victoria, Nick and Sarah were all in the parlour, sharing time together before dinner. Sarah fit into the Barkley tradition very easily and even though she still worked as assistant for her brother in town, she was always home here by five o'clock. It was two days after Heath's wedding. Victoria and Jarrod had discussed their plans the evening before with Nick and Sarah, and while Nick was still not thrilled about it and Sarah felt uneasy and a little guilty, they accepted what Victoria and Jarrod wanted to do – at least until they could talk privately about it in light of news they had themselves but hadn't let out yet.

Jarrod planned to do the preliminary search of what property in town was available that Victoria would like, and he had spent a couple hours today doing that, but right now, he was scowling a bit.

"What's wrong?" Victoria asked. "Is there nothing on the market you think I might be interested in?"

"No, that's not it at all, there are two places I found that you might be interested in," Jarrod said, coming into the parlour and pouring himself a much-needed scotch. He took a sip, turned around and faced the faces looking curiously back at him. "I got a letter today from Laura Hayden."

"Laura Hayden?" Nick was the first to turn the name into a blurt. "Now what?"

Nick hadn't been here for Laura's trip home to Stockton, nearly four years ago now, that was a royal fiasco involving her infatuation with a phony Indian prince, but he had been here when she returned two years later.

Laura was Jarrod's ward and had always been a handful of teen-aged hormones that Jarrod found a place for at a finishing school back east called Butterfield. The Indian prince had worked for the Barkleys as part of a plea bargain once his con was uncovered and had himself been in Jarrod's custody for two years, but those two years went by and he took off as soon as he could, before Laura came back. She returned to Stockton as soon as she graduated from Butterfield when she was 19, came home to find her "beau" Jahan gone to parts unknown – and wasn't particularly disturbed about it. She had moved on too, and was far more interested in the trip to Europe Jarrod had promised her once she graduated.

Jarrod threw her the party he'd promised and off she went, nearly two years ago now. Touring western Europe and then spending long months in Paris was a right of passage for privileged young Americans, and Laura took advantage of that. Since France had calmed down following the terrible war with the Germans and the horrible era of the Commune, Jarrod agreed to let her stay as long as she was under the tutelage of an American family there whose daughter had been at Butterfield and who had a good reputation. They agreed they would send Laura home if life in Paris became dangerous again. Jarrod had gotten occasional letters and was reasonably confident things were going well. She had made friends with the family she was staying with. She was enjoying herself and promised to adhere to whatever the family she was staying with wanted if any kind of problem came up.

One never did. But now, Jarrod announced, "Laura is leaving Paris and will be arriving in New York before the end of the month. She's coming with the family she's been staying with, and she'll be in New York for a short time. Then she intends to come out here to California, and get married on the 17th of next month."

"Married?" Victoria said.

"To the son of the family she's been staying with, Michael Patterson," Jarrod said. "She'll be 21 by the time she gets here. Under the terms of her father's will, she'll be out of my guardianship and permitted to marry without losing his estate, so I have no voice in the matter. But she wants me to give her away, at her home. I need to be here in Stockton, and we need to plan another wedding. We can keep working on your move, Mother, but we'd better put mine off until I see what's going on with Laura and we plan this wedding and see if this marriage is actually going to come off. Do you mind if I stay here for another month or so, Nick?"

"Of course not," Sarah said before Nick could. Then she looked at Nick.

Nick knew what he was going to say was like dropping another stick of dynamite into the room, but he said, "I think we'd appreciate you staying around – you too, Mother. You see, Sarah and I have an announcement of our own. Sarah is expecting."

Sarah smiled. Victoria went open-mouthed. "Expecting?!"

Jarrod actually started to laugh. He came over to Nick and shook hands with him. Nick said, "We're expecting either Nick Junior or Victoria Ann to call you 'Uncle Pappy,' so even if you do eventually move as you planned – and we're all right with that, I promise – but you have to promise to be around a lot for the next couple of months at least, and Mother – maybe you'd consider putting off buying that house in town. Sarah's going to leave her job and stay here, and she'll need help."

Sarah reached for Victoria's hand. "Since it's our first, I'm a little anxious."

"Oh, so was I when I was expecting Jarrod," Victoria said. Then she looked at her oldest. "But that worked out just fine. I'll stay until after the baby arrives, if you'd like me to."

"It would help," Sarah said.

"Well," Jarrod said, "I guess we both put off our plans for a bit." He raised his glass of scotch. "Here's to an easy few months ahead of all of us, and to a brand new Barkley coming to join us."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod spent the next weeks getting ready for Laura and her intended to arrive. He spoke to the staff at her home, to her houseman Wong who had been keeping things there going and to the foreman and ranch hands who kept the ranch going. None of them was surprised she was coming home with a fiancé. Their only concerns were keeping their jobs with a new husband in place. Jarrod assured them he would help work things out.

Laura had broadly described what kind of ceremony and reception she wanted. Victoria joined Jarrod in getting everything together for that, but once again she wished it were Jarrod who was getting married again and not putting together another wedding where he would be giving the bride away. But she kept that to herself.

Jarrod and Victoria stayed living at the Barkley mansion. Victoria helped Sarah through her morning sickness and reassured her every time some new sensation came over her, or clothing began to be snug. By the time they learned that Laura would be coming into Stockton on the 12th of the month, they were beyond ready – but becoming more anxious.

"She's only left a few days for us to meet this guy. What if I don't like him?" Jarrod mused as he and his mother stayed up late again the night before Laura was to arrive.

"You've liked him so far, haven't you?" Victoria asked.

"Yes, but I only know him by his family's reputation and how Laura has described him in letters," Jarrod said. "You know, this is the last act of my guardianship – even if technically my guardianship is already over. I'm wondering – well, frankly, I'm wondering if I raised Laura right. I guess I'm about to find out."

"You do the best you can and you let them go when it's time," Victoria said. "And it's time. She'll be responsible for herself now – completely. If you don't like her intended, you can try to talk to her about it, but you no longer have any right to direct what she does."

"No," Jarrod agreed. "I guess I can only hope that she's tamed some of her wild nature by now."

"She is marrying and settling down," Victoria said. "That's some evidence right there that she has."

"But you don't quit worrying completely, do you? You never have stopped worrying about us."

"No, you don't quit completely, but you learn you have to let go. I think you've done very well by Laura. I think she'll be all right."

XXXXXXX

On the 12th of the month, Jarrod was waiting on the platform when Laura's train rolled in. Since Sarah was feeling some sickness this morning, Victoria stayed home with her, leaving Jarrod to feel nervous about Laura's arrival. Michael Patterson would be with her. This would be Jarrod's first time meeting a young man who would be something like a son-in-law to him in only a few days.

The train stopped and a young man climbed off from the first class car. He reached up to help someone off, and Jarrod saw Laura for the first time in two years. The first thing he noted was that her wardrobe was augmented by more jewelry than usual. She was wearing a necklace and earrings that had belonged to her mother – Jarrod was glad she had never gotten around to selling them.

The second thing Jarrod noticed that as Laura stood looking around, the young man reached up and helped another young woman down out of the train. Jarrod hadn't expected anyone else to be coming, but then he remembered Michael had a sister Laura had grown close to.

Before Jarrod got a closer look at Michael and his sister, Laura caught sight of him. "Jarrod!" she burst into a giant smile and came running to him.

Jarrod took her into his arms. "Welcome home, sweetheart," he said and kissed her cheek. He looked up and saw Michael coming toward him – with his arm guiding the prettiest young woman Jarrod thought he'd ever seen. She was slim and dark-haired, about Audra's height, wearing a stylish travel suit and a trim hat. Soft dark curls drifted down to her shoulders. Suddenly Jarrod felt warmth – an interested warmth - rush over him, when the young woman smiled at him.

He noticed that she was very young – maybe Laura's age – and that made him more embarrassed about that rush of warmth. He breathed through it, saying to himself what's wrong with you, Barkley? Get a grip.

"Jarrod, this is Michael," Laura said, "and this is Kate Patterson, Michael's sister."

Jarrod shook hands with Michael, saying, "I'm happy to meet you, Michael," and then took Kate's hand and kissed it. "Welcome to Stockton, Kate," he said.

Jarrod hadn't even noticed yet that Michael was a bit shorter than his sister, but when he did he noted mentally that with Laura being very small, they looked very good together. Michael said, "I've assumed that you'd be taking Laura to her home and I've arranged for rooms for Kate and me at the Yosemite House."

"That's a fine hotel," Jarrod said. "I've got one of Laura's ranch hands waiting outside the station to take her bags home. There are hacks available and we can get one to take your bags and you and Kate to the Yosemite. I've got a surrey for you and me, Laura. While Michael and Kate get settled at the Yosemite, we can relax in the bar there and when they're ready, Michael and Kate can join us. We're all over 21 now, aren't we?"

Laura gave a happy nod.

Jarrod went on, "We can get acquainted and discuss the plans we've made for your wedding in more detail."

"What you wrote to me in New York seemed pretty much what I wanted," Laura said.

"Good," Jarrod said. "Maybe it won't take long to finalize things. And your gown, I take it, is with your luggage?"

Laura beamed. "I had it made and fitted in New York, and Kate's too – she'll be my maid of honor."

"And I've got the formal wear you requested for me," Jarrod said. "So, shall we get the porters to gather your bags?"

Michael offered his arm to Laura and they started for the baggage car. Feeling a little like a kid just out of school instead of a prosperous lawyer, Jarrod offered his arm to Kate. She took it, smiling, speaking for the first time and saying, "Thank you, Mr. Barkley."

Her voice was soft, sweet, very confident for a young woman. "Please, call me Jarrod," he said. "In a way, we're about to be family."

Kate laughed a little. "Yes, I guess we are."