Jarrod looked up from the paper he was reading. "Your cake?" he asked looking confused.

"Yes, my cake. I made it for Brad Anderson’s birthday party. I made it this morning. Silas said he saw you looking at it this morning in the kitchen," she said expectantly tapping her foot.

"My God," Jarrod said looking astonished, "that was a ca . . . er, oh yes, the cake! Of course, your cake. Well, honey, you’ll need to speak to Nick about that."

"Nick? Why would I need to talk to Nick?" she asked looking confused. She suddenly looked panicked. "He didn’t eat my cake did he? That big lug. He’s always eating everything in sight!" she shouted. "I made that cake especially for Brad Anderson. I’m trying to impress him with my homemaking abilities."

"Maybe you’d best stick to using your feminine charms, Audra," Jarrod muttered.

"I’ll kill Nick if he has so much as touched it! Where is he? Nick! Nick!" she yelled. She stopped yelling for Nick and said, "What was that you said?"

"I believe Nick is out in the south pasture. Why don’t you just take a little ride out there and ask him about it?" Jarrod said smiling uneasily.

"Well, I believe I will do just that," she said stomping out of the house. "If he’s so much as touched that cake – wait a minute, let me get my whip." She stomped back, picked up her riding crop and continued out the door wailing, "My poor cake, it’s been . . . it’s been cakenapped!"

As soon as the door slammed, Jarrod sprang from the chair. He ran to the window and looked out. Audra was just riding out. He ran to the billiard room and over to the desk. He looked under the desk. It was gone! He began looking frantically around the room. He looked over by the doors and behind the furniture. It was nowhere to be found. What could have happened to it?

Just then the door slammed and Nick came walking into the room. "How come you’re not in town today, Big Brother? Business slow, everyone minding the law?" Nick chuckled as he walked over to the gun rack.

"Nick! What happened to the footstool I had here under the desk?" Jarrod asked in a panic.

"Footstool?" Nick asked. "You mean that great big hunk of metal that was by the desk?"

"Metal? No, no. It was a big rock I was using for a footstool. It was about so long and so wide and it was brown," Jarrod said demonstrating the proportions of the footstool with his hands.

"Yeah, that was it. That big hunk of metal. I couldn’t figure out what the heck it was doing in here under the desk. You thought it was a footstool, huh?" Nick asked as he removed a rifle from the gun rack.

"Metal, rock, footstool, whatever! Just what did you do with it?" Jarrod asked excitedly.

"Calm down there Jarrod. It’s just a chunk of metal. I’ll get you a real footstool if it’s so important to you," Nick said looking at Jarrod curiously.

"Nick, that footstool was the cake Audra baked for Brad whats-his-name’s birthday party tonight and she is on the war path looking for it!" Jarrod yelled.

"Hoo boy!" Nick let out a whistle. "That was a cake? That hunk of metal was a cake? I about broke my back hauling that thing out of here."

"Just where did you haul it to, Nick?" Jarrod was losing patience.

"Well, I took it over to the smithy. I thought Yankee could use it to pound hot metal on. You know, sort of like a spare anvil," he chuckled then looked gravely at Jarrod. "Jarrod, that was one heavy hunk of metal. I think Audra is better off without that cake, that is, if she really wants to impress Brad." Nick shook his head then started to laugh as the image of Brad attempting to cut into the cake came to mind.

"What is so darn funny, Nick?" Jarrod asked angrily.

"Have you even pictured Brad trying to eat that cake?" Nick laughed.

Jarrod began to smile then caught himself and frowned. "All right Nick. Laugh all you want but I told Audra that YOU had the cake last."

"Me? Now why did you go and do a thing like that?" Nick asked.

"To get her out of here while I looked for the cake. She thinks you may have eaten it," Jarrod said.

"In her dreams!" Nick scoffed. "Well, where is she now?"

"I told her you were in the south pasture and she left in quite a mood," Jarrod said pointing to the south.

"Did she take her little whip?" Nick asked nervously.

"Do birds fly?" Jarrod responded.

Nick winced. "Well, I’ll go out and get that thing back from Yankee but if you ask me . . ."

"I’m not," Jarrod interrupted Nick. "Just get the cake back and fast."

Nick left the room and headed for the smithy. It was too bad. That cake would have made a nice spare anvil he thought as he came into the smithy. He looked about the smithy and didn’t see the cake. He began to panic. He now knew how Jarrod felt about the footstool. "Yankee!" he yelled. "Yankee, where the devil are you?"

Yankee came in through the back. "What’s the matter Mr. Nick?"

"Where is that big hunk of metal I brought you this morning?" Nick asked.

"Oh, that. Well, I don’t think it was really a hunk of metal. I don’t think it would have made a good anvil. It looked more like stone to me," Yankee said looking guiltily.

"All right, all right. Stone, metal, a big rock, whatever!" Nick yelled. "Just WHERE is it?"

"Well, Mr. Heath was out patching the well that’s out back there by the garden, you know?" Yankee asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. What’s that got to do with it?" Nick had his hands on his hips.

"Well, he needed some rock for the patching and he said this stone you brought in here was exactly the size he needed. He took it out back with him. What’s all the worry over a piece of stone, Mr. Nick," Yankee asked looking puzzled.

"Never you mind, Yankee. I’ve got to get to Heath." Nick left the smithy and ran towards the well near the garden. He met Heath coming back from the garden.

"Heath! The cake, the cake! What did you do with the cake?" Nick looked worried.

"What cake is that you’re talkin’ about Nick? Usually if there’s any cake around, you get at it before anyone else knows about it," Heath chuckled.

"Audra’s cake that you got from Yankee. He said he gave it to you and you were going to use it to patch the stone well," Nick barked.

"You mean that big ‘ol rock you gave Yankee? That was a cake?" Heath looked incredulous.

"I did say Audra’s cake, if you’ll recall Heath," Nick said impatiently.

"Oh yeah, that you did. Well, boy howdy. That cake really takes the cake this time. I don’t understand. It seems like the more she bakes, the worse it gets." Heath shook his head.

"The cake, Heath, the cake! Jarrod told Audra that I have it and now she’s out looking for me in the south pasture." Nick was yelling now.

"Nick, you’re not out in the south pasture," Heath responded scratching his head.

"I know that!" Nick yelled. "I’m looking for the cake before she comes back!"

"Did she take the little whip with her, Nick?" Heath asked.

Nick cocked his head as he looked at Heath and gave him a what-do-you-think look.

"She took the little whip," Heath said.

"Audra baked up this Rock of Gibraltar for Brad Anderson’s birthday party tonight," Nick said.

"Brad Anderson? Nick, she’s gone real sweet on Brad and is tryin’ real hard to impress him," Heath started to explain.

"That’s why I want the cake! Now, where is it!" Nick’s face was turning red.

"Nick, you’re in a heap of trouble. I cemented that thing into the well early this mornin’." Heath pointed to the well. "It ought to be set in there pretty good by now."

"Did I hear correctly that Heath has cemented Audra’s cake into the well?" Jarrod exclaimed walking up behind Nick.

Nick sighed. "This is a nightmare."

"You heard right," Heath said.

Jarrod looked at Nick. "Brother Nick, I believe you are really in trouble this time."

"Me?" Nick yelled. "You’re the one who took the cake out of the kitchen in the first place. I’m going to tell Audra this is all your doing."

"She’ll never believe you, Nick. I told her you took it and she thinks you ate it. You tell her that cockamamie story about how you used her cake for an anvil and she’ll never believe you," Jarrod shot back.

Nick pointed at Heath. "Well, Heath here’s the one that entombed the cake into the well. I’ll just tell her the truth that Heath took it and . . ."

"Patched the well with it? That just beats everythin’ Nick," Heath said disgustedly. "She’s not goin’ to believe that. If you just hadn’t given that cake to Yankee, I’d have never sealed that thing in there."

"Jarrod, this really is your fault. How could you possibly have mistaken her cake for a footstool!" Nick yelled.

"How?" Jarrod roared. He couldn’t believe his ears. "Just look at that cake now. You thought it was an anvil and Heath actually patched the stone well with it."

"By the way, that is some very nice stone masonry work you’ve done there, Heath." Nick stood back and admired the job Heath had done.

"Thanks Nick," Heath said smiling. "I am kinda proud of it. But I can’t take all the praise myself. Thanks to Audra, I think that patch will last for years and years to come."

"Will you two just stop with this mutual admiration society and focus on the problem at hand!" Jarrod shouted. "She’s going to be back any minute and she won’t let up on any of us if she can’t find that baked boulder of hers. And remember, she took the whip!"

"Ouch," Nick and Heath said in unison and sighed.

"Well, now, what do you suggest we do, Jarrod?" Nick asked.

"Maybe we could just find another rock and put it back in the kitchen?" Heath suggested. "How could anyone tell the difference? Although, if we really wanted to help our little sister, we wouldn’t let her take that thing over to the Andersons and make a fool out of herself. We should just tell her the truth about her cake bakin’ abilities and let her know she may have a fine future in stone masonry."

"Jarrod, you tell her. You’re the lawyer. You’re always preaching about the truth," Nick begged.

"Yeah, Jarrod," Heath pleaded, "you have all that courtroom experience. You should do it."

Jarrod looked sick with apprehension. "I don’t know. There are times when I think it is appropriate to tell little white lies."

"What?" Nick said, "I don’t believe my ears. You, Jarrod Barkley, are advocating little white lies?"

"Jarrod, I am so disappointed in you," Heath clucked. "I have always looked up to you. You know this is the right thing to do and I’ve never known you to turn away from doin’ what’s right before."

"All right! All right! I’ll do it," Jarrod said dejectedly. He hated these guilt trips they always laid on him.

"We knew you’d do the right thing, Jarrod!" Nick slapped Jarrod on the back. "And by the looks of it, it’s truth or consequences time," Nick said pointing towards the house as Audra rode up. She jumped down from her horse and ran into the house twirling her whip. "Okay, Jarrod, just go on in there and tell her the truth. We’ll all be better off for it."

"Yeah, it’s time she faced the fact that she just can’t cook or bake," Heath said.

"Umm," Jarrod hedged, "you two are going in there with me, aren’t you?"

Nick and Heath looked at each other and fervently shook their heads. "Oh, no, Jarrod. This is something best handled by you with Audra alone, don’t you think Heath?"

"Yes, Nick, yes. I surely do. This is a sensitive issue." Heath nodded in full agreement.

"And you are the oldest, Jarrod," Nick added, "it should come from you. I know if someone was going to tell me my cake-baking abilities stunk, I would want it to be you." Nick tilted his head and looked at Jarrod somberly.

"Well, Nick," Heath started, "now that you’ve mentioned it . . ."

"Shut up Heath," Nick shot back.

"Look you two, don’t feed me these lines. I’ve dealt with common street riffraff that can come up with better lines than those. I am not going in there alone. You know I’ll need help getting that little whip from her. If you’re not going in with me, I’m just telling her to speak to you two about that cake." Jarrod was standing firm.

"Oh for the love of Mike," Nick complained. "All right, Jarrod, if you’re afraid of our little sister, we’ll go in with you and hold your hand." Nick attempted to shame Jarrod into going in alone.

"That’s right, Nick. I am afraid and so are you," Jarrod said poking Nick in the chest.

"Well, he’s right Nick," Heath said. "It’s best we all three stick together when dealin’ with our little sister. She can be quite formidable."

"All right," Nick reluctantly agreed. "C’mon. Let’s just get it over with."

The three of them walked up to the house and went into the kitchen. Silas was just wrapping up a beautiful cake in a basket. He handed it to a delighted Audra. "Silas! You found my cake! Just in time!" She gave him a big hug then grabbed the basket and ran from the room.

The brothers were looking at Silas with wide eyes and mouths agape. "Silas," Jarrod began, "where did you get that cake? That certainly isn’t the cake Audra baked."

"Oh Lord no, Mr. Jarrod! Every time Miss Audra bakes a cake, I bake one and replace hers with the one I made." Silas smiled at Jarrod.

"Well, what happens to the cakes that Audra bakes?" Nick asked perplexed.

"Mrs. Barkley has me put them out back," Silas answered.

"Out back?" Heath asked.

"Yes, Mr. Heath. Then Hank, the handy man, takes them out back and uses them to pave the garden path he’s making for Mrs. Barkley," Silas explained.

The three brothers exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jarrod, but what happened to the cake Miss Audra made today? I can’t find it anywhere." Silas looked at Jarrod questioningly.

"Silas," Jarrod said as he walked towards the door, "ask Mr. Nick."

Silas looked at Nick. "Silas," Nick said following Jarrod out the door, "ask Mr. Heath." Silas looked over at Heath.

"Well," Heath said.

"Well, Mr. Heath?" Silas asked.