dcat
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
Springtime was early again in this loveliest of
valleys. As far as the eye could see, a
palette of green painted each and every foothill, peak and basin. The renewal of life had come about again.
It was always Victoria Barkley’s most favorite time of the
year.
And just as much as she loved the springtime and the new
celebration that the earth brought forth to life, by joining land, water, sun
and love, the other thing she held to dearly were her sons and how the seasons
played forth in them. On this warm and
peaceful, early spring day that she cherished, the three sons she loved so much
never were so far apart and so alone.
It was before dawn when Heath heard his oldest brother
Jarrod leave the house. He moved slowly
and quietly, careful not to wake the others, but Heath had always been a light
sleeper and by now he could easily tell which member of the family was making
their way down the hall past his bedroom.
Heath got up out of bed and went to his window and saw Jarrod in the
darkness, heading for the barn.
Moment’s later, Jarrod rode out into the misty fog and haze of this
unforgettable spring morning.
The dampness of the fog whetted Jarrod’s face as he rode
out from the familiar house. Though he
wanted to urge the horse into full gallop, his better sense kicked in and
allowed him to let the horse dictate the pace.
He had no idea where he was even headed or what he was going after. He knew he just had to ride and to let the
day take him where it would.
Heath stood at the window and watched the nighttime began
to take form of daylight. His mind was
as cluttered as the fog that rolled through the familiar stables below
him. It had been days since he’d barely
uttered a word, not knowing what to say at any time to any one. As he stood looking out the window, glorious
hues of yellow, pink, orange and red swept across the eastern sky as the fog
began to eerily lift across the landscape.
The fog remained in his mind for now.
He realized that he’d been standing in the same spot for far too long,
watching this sky painting unfold. His
knees and back told him he needed to move.
He took a few steps backwards and set himself down gently on his bed.
Meanwhile, Jarrod Thomas Barkley was halfway between
Stockton and the ranch, torn between the place where he worked and the place he
called home. He loved them equally, and
yet he was lost. At this moment, he
felt alone and neither place would or could provide him with the solace that he
needed.
For Nick Barkley, it was another day, business as usual,
even though so much had seemed to change.
He woke up at exactly his usual time, shaved, bathed and was eating
breakfast just as the sun began to rise in the east. Things hadn’t changed so much, he needed to ride out to Sky
Meadow to check on the new stock that had been shipped out from Oklahoma. It would take him the better part of the day
to accomplish it and there was no sense in wasting any time. The house had been too quiet lately, something
that didn’t suit his disposition at all.
He needed to be out among the hands, side by side, working on the land
he loved so much.
Nick drank down his last sip of coffee as Heath quietly
entered the dining room. “I’m heading
out to Sky Meadow, you wanna come along?
I’ll wait.” Nick offered.
“No, I’ve got some things I wanna do around here, if
that’s ok?” Heath replied taking his seat.
“Sure, fine.”
The silence between them echoed in the large room.
“Do you know where Jarrod is?” Nick was asking.
“I heard him leave before the sun came up,” Heath
answered.
Nick made some sort of guttural sound that Heath didn’t
respond to. As close as the three of
them had become, in just 3 days they were now equally that far apart. Nick stood at the doorway for a second and
then quickly departed without saying another word.
Jarrod continued to ride.
Without direction or reason, it seemed entirely new to him. There was no structure, no plan to make, no
rule or law to follow. He simply
was. And as he rode and realized what
was happening, a smile beamed its way across his face and his blue eyes shown
radiantly. He took comfort and
happiness in just being where he was.
Any meaning in the day was yet to be discovered, if there indeed was
anything to discover. He took a deep
breath of the fresh valley air and felt it clean to his very soul.
Nick blazed across the range, heading for Sky Meadow. The dust trail he kicked up could probably
be seen for miles. It had been a long
time since he’d rode this hard, but it just felt right to him. The cool morning whoosh of air invigorated
his face along with the warm sunshine that bathed him in warmth. In a way that made it seem like this was the
first time he had ridden like this, when in fact he’d done it so many times,
that if he had a nickel for every time, he’d be the richest man in the
world. Come to think of it, riding like
this did make him feel like the richest man in the world. A broad smile overtook him. A wave of contentment and peace filled him
up.
Heath barely ate any breakfast. Engulfed by memories, his mind raced. He thought about following Nick out to Sky Meadow, but something
anchored him here at the house. He went
from room to room remembering it all.
Every memory as clear now as when it had all happened. He heard the voices, saw the faces and
relived it all in his head. The corners
of his mouth turned upward into the shape of a smile. In the stillness of the house, he found the tranquility that had
eluded him for days.
And now, in the early evening, with sun readying itself to
give way to nightfall, the three brothers found themselves converging in both
body and spirit.
Heath led his horse slowly toward the now familiar
place. As he was nearing the wooded
area, Nick spotted him and waved him over.
Heath rode over to him and dismounted.
The silence was still there, but now it didn’t seem quite
so lonely.
“Jarrod’s up there, I saw him riding in, just before I got
here. I thought I’d, I mean we should
give him a few minutes.”
Heath nodded and tied off his horse to a nearby tree. “How’s the herd look?” he asked, knowing how
Nick had spent his day, content by now, just to make small talk.
Nick gave him a puzzled look, even though he’d made it out
to Sky Meadow and spent the day with the men and the new cattle, his focus had
been on something else.
“Nick?” Heath questioned his brother who looked like he
was a billion miles away.
“Herd’s great, wonderful.” Nick watched Jarrod closely, but then turned to Heath and
continued their small talk, “What about you, did you get everything done that
you wanted to?”
Heath was staring at Jarrod as well.
“Heath?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, I did, thanks for understanding.”
Jarrod spotted them both and walked over to them. “Brother Nick, Brother Heath, beautiful day
wasn’t it?” He grabbed each of them by
the arm and led them back to where he had been.
Each one of them now older, grayer, visible wrinkles on
their handsome faces. A slower pace had
replaced their young vigorous gaits.
“I think it was just as well, that we couldn’t do this
publicly yesterday. It’s better that
just the three of us are here now,” Jarrod was saying. Before them were the two headstones, one for
Thomas Barkley and yesterday’s addition, Victoria Barkley. Heath and Nick removed their hats in
respect. “I’ve been here most of the
day,” Jarrod continued. “I don’t think
I’ve ever enjoyed a spring day more in my life. I noticed everything, from the way the grass was coming up, to
the smell of the budding trees, the sound the wind makes as it blows those high
clouds overhead, she let me just enjoy it all, without thinking of
anything.” He turned toward the
headstone and added, “Thank you lovely lady, for everything, for this, for all
of it, for my life. I will always love
you.” He took a step away and Nick
moved forward.
Nick brushed his hat on the side of his leg and cleared
his throat. “I spent all day out on
this ranch of ours, doing what I have always loved to do and in everything I
did I could feel you with me, riding, laughing, shouting and loving it
all. I’ll miss you more than you’ll
ever know Mother and I do love you so.”
He cleared his throat and moved closer to Jarrod, who reached out and
put his arm around him.
Heath glanced at the two of them. After all this time he still managed to feel
like he just maybe didn’t belong. But
Jarrod and Nick gave him a smile and he smiled back at them, knowing that not
only was he their brother, he was her son as well. “Mother, I stayed at home today.
After years of searching and wandering, Lord knows you showed me that I
had a home here. A place where I could
be myself, a place that you accepted me into, without hesitation, a place where
I not only found my name, but my family as well. I’ve been blessed with two mothers, equal in all ways and
endless in the love they had for me.
I’ll miss you and I love you.”
Jarrod and Nick made their way back toward Heath. Tears of sorrow and sadness combined with
tears of happiness and love as they held onto to each other for comfort and
companionship. They were no longer
apart, no longer alone, each had found exactly what each needed and their
brotherly bond was reinforced. She had
made sure of that. The end to this day
was a magnificent sunset, which adorned the western horizon. Clear and vibrant, opposite of this
morning’s hazy awakening. Glaring
shades of gold, ginger, crimson and cherry, marked this days passage into
night.
Spring was indeed early in this most beautiful of
valleys. Now it would forever be their
favorite time of the year as well.