FROM ROCKVILLE TO STOCKTON CHAPTER 3

"Well, if it isn't the slow poke." Nick teased as Heath arrived at the line shack to ready to check the fence line to see how much of it needed to be repaired.

"Yea, Yea Nick I'm here Boy Howdy you must be one of the most impatient men I have ever met or at least one of them.

"No wait a minute Boy, I am not impatient! When there is work to be done on this ranch, I expect it to be done in a timely fashion. And I also expect it to be done correctly. Do I make myself clear?" Nick said growling at Heath

"Yea Nick, you make yourself very clear, Now pick up the wire that is laying on the ground you can't fix the fence without it!" Just as Heath said what he did Nick mashed his finger with his hammer

Heath could have laughed out loud, but he knew all too well how bad it hurt, so he turned his head and went the other way so he could hopefully laugh without Nick hearing him.

"All right now that I have done that hopefully the rest of the day will be a piece of cake." Nick said, still rubbing his finger."

"Heath, um I'm sure it's none of my business, but has Jarrod said anything to you about the year he went to Rockville, and met Libby Matthews and her family?"

Heath looked at Nick in total shock!

"Yea Nick I was just asking him if he remembered her."

"Well Heath does he remember her?"

For some reason Heath wasn't sure if he should answer Nick's question since he just had this conversation with Jarrod. However, Jarrod never said not to say anything to anyone about what they talked about.

"Yea Nick, he remembers her!" Heath said matter-of-factly

"I think after all these years he has just let some things slip from his memory. For instance, the name of her son. And he feels strongly that the new intern named Danny Matthews is her son.

"Interesting," Nick said lost in thought

"Jarrod suffered from amnesia after getting there, and when he first saw us, he didn't recognize us if I remember correctly!"

"Yep, Nick you are correct! For some reason when I dropped my revolver when we were wrestling in Mrs. Matthews kitchen his memory came back."

"One if the things I remember about that time is how strange it was that our own brother didn't know us at first, course that was before we found out what happened to him."

Heath shook his head in agreement with Nick.

"Nick, I have a feeling that things are gonna work out for Jarrod in all of this better than any of us can imagine."

"Sure, hope so he sure has had us all concerned." Nick said

"That is a fact." Heath smiled

Meanwhile, in town in Jarrod's office he couldn't help but keep thinking about the conversation he had just had with Heath. Then his mind began to drift back to that time when he first met Libby Matthews and her family.

He started to remember that very trip. How he had gotten close with Libby's son. And just before he left to come back home to Stockton with Nick and Heath. He was going to tell Libby goodbye. And, that he would try to talk to the farmers to try to arrange it to let her stay. She then told him that she did not want to stay there any longer, even admitting that she wanted to go away with him. Even she knew it was not possible to do so. Then just before he left, they shared a sweet kiss.

When Jarrod stopped thinking about the memory and came back to the present. He found himself touching his lips with his fingers. He knew he was remembering the kiss he shared with a beautiful woman that touched his heart deeply.

Certainly, life had changed for him over the years. He had met and married a lady after a short courtship a few years ago. Then she was murdered by a man that had aimed to kill Jarrod instead for putting him in prison for many years.

He really hoped their lives had turned out wonderful. The thought occurred to him; well young Danny graduated from Harvard Law School that is a wonderful accomplishment. He was also wondering now How Danny's mother and grandmother were doing. A smile crossed his face when he saw Libby Matthew's face in his mind. At least that was the way he remembered her anyway.

How sweet the memory of a beautiful woman he thought. Then he went back to studying his cases.