by Lindabrit
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.
This piece consists of three separate short stories, each
of which highlights a stage in the process of bonding between Heath Barkley and
a member or members of his new family.
Nick, Heath and Jarrod
Part 1
Dave McCall rode slowly to the top of the ridge and let his
experienced gaze roam the vista of the Barkley range that he could see from
this vantage point. The men had done a great job rounding up the herd, they had
finished a good week earlier than the boss had planned on. Ordinarily the ranch
foreman would have looked forward to telling Nick Barkley how well the team had
performed and Nick, in a different mood would have authorized some sort of
reward or bonus in gratitude to his men for a job well done. McCall sighed, the
only reaction he expected from Old Nick in his present frame of mind was a
growl and a sharp reminder that he expected nothing less from his men!
Mac turned in the saddle to locate the cause of the trouble and after a moment
he saw him, working like a demon, as he always did, getting the very best out
of the fine new cutting horse his brother had given to him. That gift had
amazed Mac, the horse a handsome roan called Charger was Nick's pride and joy,
he had worked with him for several months before the newcomer showed up at the
ranch and perhaps only the recipient was more surprised than Mac when Nick made
a gift of the horse to his new brother.
Heath Barkley, Mac shook his head, he still had not gotten used to it, not that
he doubted that the quiet blond young man was who he said he was. Mac had been
foreman at the Barkley ranch for a lot of years, he had been devoted to his
boss Tom Barkley and he had known him better than most people. It didn't need
the physical resemblance to Tom that was so plain to see in Heath to convince
Mac that the boy was indeed Tom's illegitimate son. There were other more
subtle similarities, the indomitable courage, the stubborn tenacity, the keen
intelligence, the quiet self-containment, and a dozen other factors too.
Mac had wondered how the new scion of the house would get along with the
established ranch boss Nick, the men had no doubts on the subject, only a
matter of time they said. The two of them would fall out and Nick would beat
the newcomer to pulp and then kick him off the property. At first, Mac had been
inclined to agree, observing Nick's deep mistrust of Heath and the aggressive
competitiveness exhibited by both men, he had concurred in the view that the
two newly thrown together brothers would never learn to trust or even like each
other.
It had been that memorable trail drive, led by Heath that had served as a
catalyst for the better understanding between Nick and Heath but the first
token of friendship had been Charger, from the day that the horse was bestowed,
Mac had felt that the two brothers would eventually bond with one another.
After the drive, the men had been solidly behind Heath too and for almost three
months now the Barkley brothers had been learning one another's traits, getting
better acquainted and becoming friends.
Mac's certainty that all would be well was not shared by Counselor Barkley, the
eldest Barkley brother had been more sceptical. He had taken Mac aside and
quietly told him that if the foreman thought relations between Nick and Heath
were deteriorating he was to wire Jarrod in San Francisco and he would return
home. Several weeks had gone by since that private conversation and Nick and
Heath had been doing fine, Mac had started to relax but now? He needed to think
matters through, how serious were things? Did he need to summon Jarrod Barkley
home or not?
The devil of it was that Mac didn't know for certain what exactly had occurred.
Heath Barkley had been beaten up, that much was obvious, his face looked like
raw meat and he was currently squinting through two black eyes. Some of the
ranch hands had hidden smiles and nodded sagely, so it had happened at last,
Nick Barkley had used his mighty fists on his upstart half-brother! Mac didn't
believe that, his shrewd eyes had noted that Heath's hands were as badly
bruised as his face, conclusion? The blond cowboy had given as good as he got
and since there wasn't a mark on Nick Barkley's face, it wasn't him that Heath
had been fighting with.
Not that relations between the brothers were cordial any longer, for the last
two days since Heath had shown up for work battered and bruised, the brothers
had scarcely spoken a word to each other. Nick's temper was foul and most of
his men gave him a wide berth if they could. Heath's face wore the set, closed
look it had worn when he first arrived. Mac thought it was a pity, things had appeared
to be going well but not any longer...so...did he send for Counselor Barkley or
not?
If Mrs Barkley had been at home, Mac might have spoken to her about the
uncomfortable atmosphere, the foreman grinned, or more likely she would have
detected it herself and tackled both boys about it. Mrs B might be a diminutive
and elegant lady but Mac knew her pretty well, she was more than capable of
resolving most situations, even situations that would make the toughest of men
hesitate to step in. As it happened, Mrs Barkley had taken Audra on a three
week trip to visit friends and so her powerful personality could not be brought
to bear on the problem.
The youngest Barkley, college boy Eugene was away at school and with lawyer
Jarrod away in San Francisco, that left precisely no-one else to get to the
bottom of the ice-cold hostility between Nick and Heath. Mac sighed, he sure
didn't want to call Mr Jarrod from his legal work in San Francisco, but he was
uneasy about the state of affairs here and felt the lawyer would blame him if
he didn't sound the alert pretty soon.
His decision made, Mac turned and waved to Ace Rogers and at once, the trusted
hand rode up the ridge to join him.
"Something I can do for you Boss?"
"Yeah Ace, tell Heath that things are pretty well wrapped up here, I have
NO idea where Old Nick is, but if you see him, tell him too! Then get the men
home, I'm going into Stockton to...er...to collect the mail."
Ace frowned, "since when did the ranch foreman give himself a messenger
boy's job?"
Mac grimaced, "since the foreman fancied a quiet afternoon away from the
Crazy Brothers!"
Ace nodded grimly, "crazy is right, those boys haven't given each other a
civil word in two days, just when it seemed like they were getting along
too."
Mac shook his head, "I don't know what it's all about, but Nick is mad as
hell and Heath ain't saying a word!"
Ace concurred, "first off I thought they'd tangled, but I don't reckon
that's it, blowed if I know what it all means."
Mac smiled, "well I want to think it over and for that a quiet ride into
Stockton will do fine, see you later Ace."
The foreman headed for the Stockton road and made the trip into Stockton in
reflective peace. By the time he arrived and had collected the mail bag, he had
made up his mind, he was going to wire Jarrod Barkley and tell him what little
he knew. The lawyer had a reputation as a clever man, he could bend his
powerful brain to sorting out the wall of frost between his brothers. As he
headed for the telegraph office, Mac was surprised to see Jarrod Barkley emerge
from his Stockton office and he quickly crossed the street to greet his
employer.
"Hello Mac, good to see you," smiled Jarrod extending his hand.
"Good to see you too Sir," responded the foreman shaking hands,
"you don't know how good!"
Jarrod's shrewd eyes gleamed with amusement, "oh?"
Mac sighed, "I was just headed for the telegraph office to send you a
wire."
"I see," murmured Jarrod drily, "I got through my San Francisco
work early so I thought I'd head home for a fishing break, bad idea?"
"Let's just say I'm real glad that you're here Counselor!"
Jarrod laughed, slapping McCall on the back, "I'm feeling the urge to
sprint for the train out of here, but I'll resist, come on Mac, I'll buy you a
cold beer and you can tell me what my brothers are up to!"
As Jarrod and Mac drained their glasses of beer, the lawyer
caught the bartenders eye and signaled for two more. He set down his empty
glass and sat in reflective silence for a couple of minutes. When the bartender
had set down two more foaming glasses and departed, Jarrod looked at Mac and
let out a slow sigh.
"All right, let me see if I have this right, Heath got badly beaten up the
other day and judging by the state of his knuckles you think he gave a pretty
good account of himself. There isn't a mark on Nick, which leads you to believe
that Nick is not the person Heath was fighting with, but Nick and Heath are
clearly at odds over the matter."
Mac nodded vigorously, "that's about the size of it, Sir."
"Are you absolutely sure the fight didn't involve any of our men
Mac?"
"Dead sure, if any of my boys were involved I'd know, besides, it ain't
hardly likely, the men like Heath, since the business with General Wallent they
have a pretty healthy respect for him too."
"You were planning on sending for me Mac?"
"I'd more or less made up my mind to do that," admitted the foreman.
Jarrod thought to himself, if Mac was planning to wire me, he thinks this is
serious. The lawyer smiled, "well I'll see what I can do with them both,
then maybe I can get in a little fishing huh?"
The two men rode homeward together and as they did so, Jarrod thought over the
situation. It seemed a pity that something had occurred to cause a rift between
Nick and Heath, since the trail drive, the two men had given every indication
of settling down well together. A mutual love of horses and their shared work
as joint ranch bosses, had helped to draw them closer and they had begun to
show signs of developing a measure of trust in one another. Yet Jarrod had
always known that this might happen, he knew his brother Nick's volatile nature
and quick temper too well.
Still, thought Jarrod, if Mac was right, the actual fight had not been between
the two brothers, so what was going on? It seemed to Jarrod that his best hope
of probing the affair was to talk to his brothers separately, preferably to
Heath first. Jarrod knew Nick would infallibly dig in his heels and would get
stubborn if he thought the lawyer was going to interfere.
As luck would have it, Heath was in the barn when Jarrod led in his hired
horse. He shook hands with his brother and expressed his surprise that Jarrod
was home, "I thought your case went on another week," said Heath with
soft suspicion.
"I found my client a neat little loophole and he wriggled through it to
freedom," answered Jarrod lightly.
He realized with slight amusement that Heath was looking very sceptically at
him and he said gently, "er...is there some other reason you think I'm
home early Heath?"
The blond young man blushed slightly, "I thought maybe you came home
‘cause of this," he indicated his bruised and battered countenance.
The lawyer scrutinized his new brother's hurts, "well since you mention it
Brother, what does the other guy look like?"
Heath's twisted smile dawned, "guys," he said ruefully, "there
were two of them, I was dumb enough to believe I could take the pair of them,
but I guess they took me."
The lawyer frowned, "who was it Heath?"
The cowboy shuffled his feet and looked around for a means of escape. Jarrod
regarded the younger man sympathetically, He laid a friendly hand on Heath's
shoulder, "Tell you what Heath, how about we obtain a pot of Silas's
excellent coffee and find a little privacy in the library, I don't want to
interfere but if I can help you I hope you know I'd like to."
Heath's face was shadowed by trouble, "tell you the truth Jarrod, I could
use a little help, I've been trying to handle this on my own and so far I've
made a mighty hash of it all!"
Jarrod's smile was warm and friendly, "I know having a big brother to
confide in is a pretty new concept for you, but I have quite a lot of
experience in the role, shall we give it a try?"
Heath frowned, "all right, but I sure hope it turns out better this time
than it did last!"
Jarrod hid the surprise he felt behind a bland face, so Heath had confided in
Nick already? That was encouraging on two fronts, Jarrod was glad that Heath
had felt able to confide in Nick and clearly, Nick had coaxed his brother to
tell him what was up. Equally clearly, the confession had caused some ill
feeling between Nick and Heath, now what the deuce had Heath said to get Nick
good and mad?
The brothers took themselves indoors and having coaxed not only a pot of coffee
but also fresh apple cake, still warm from the oven out of Silas, the lawyer
and the cowboy sat down in tranquil privacy in the quiet library. Jarrod gave
Heath's shoulder a friendly punch, "Start at the beginning Heath, tell me
everything and let's see if I can help."
Heath turned troubled pale blue eyes on the lawyer, "I've been overseeing
the supply trips into Stockton, gathering what we need for the new mining
season later in the Spring, Nick thought it would be good experience for me,
dealing with the bills, paperwork and all."
Jarrod was inwardly delighted by this further evidence of Nick Barkley's
growing willingness to share his power and his obvious intention to broaden his
new brother's role in running the ranch and the family businesses, good for you
Nick, he thought.
Heath was asking a question now, "Jarrod do you know the Lavisse
brothers?"
Jarrod's amiable expression hardened into one of frowning gravity.
"Claude and Pierre? Yes, I know them! So that's who you've been crossing
swords with is it?"
"I wouldn't say crossing swords," mumbled Heath, hunching a defensive
shoulder, "I wasn't looking for any trouble, they were the ones doing the
pushing."
Jarrod's smile was apologetic, "I didn't mean to imply otherwise Heath,
those two are a pair of loud-mouthed trouble-makers and they always have been.
It's a trait they inherited from their father, old man Lavisse was a bigot and
a rabble-rouser, Father couldn't abide him, we never dealt with the Lavisse
mine equipment supply company in those days."
"Why do we deal with them now?"
"Principally through lack of choice," sighed Jarrod, "their only
competitor was Jonas Egremont and when he died, his boy Charles was a little
too young to take over his company."
Heath was thinking hard, leaning forward in his chair, elbows on his knees,
hands clasped in front of him. At length he said, "We should have taken it
over, or helped Charles Egremont to run it, we shouldn't be in the position of
having to deal with scum like the Lavisses."
Jarrod hid his surprise and pleasure at Heath's words, so his new younger
brother had a brain in his head and a shrewd business instinct to go along with
it did he? Heath was glancing a trifle uncertainly at him now, "Sorry
Jarrod, I don't mean to interfere or nothing," said the blond cowboy in a
humble tone.
Not at all," Jarrod said hastily, "you're absolutely right Heath,
I've several times regretted that we didn't do either of those things, the
Lavisse brothers have driven up the prices of their machinery to the point
where many of the smaller mining outfits can't survive much longer and I feel
sure that Father would have acted to prevent that."
Heath sat up straighter, honest eyes boring into Jarrod's face, "Is it too
late to do it, or to start our own business, or at least do something to bring
the Lavisses down?"
Jarrod didn't miss the note of eagerness, he had never heard Heath sound more
determined or more in earnest about anything. He had thought his new brother a
quiet and easy-going young man, Jarrod recalled a talk with Nick a week or two
back. ‘I'm learning something new about Heath every day', Nick had said. So am
I, thought the lawyer, so am I! He nodded at Heath, "some sort of
opposition to their monopoly might be possible, but we're getting a little
ahead of ourselves here, tell me what actually happened between you and the
Lavisses."
Heath got up, prowling restlessly to the fireplace and standing with his arm
along the broad marble mantelpiece. Jarrod had to hide another smile, the
restless gesture was so typical of Nick and it reaffirmed Heath's rightful
place among the Barkley family. Jarrod wondered at this point how they had ever
doubted his identity in the past.
Heath spoke in a quiet even tone, that unsuccessfully hid the depth of his
feelings, "I get different reactions from folks, some are friendly, some
not, I don't let the unfriendly folks get to me much."
Jarrod winced inwardly, doubtless over the years, this brave young man had been
given many opportunities to learn not to react to every insult that was hurled
at him.
Heath stared into the flames of the fire, "Right from the start, I could
sense the hostility in those two, they never lost a chance for getting in a
dig, but I ignored them at first."
Jarrod's stomach was a tight knot of anger and sympathy for his sibling, he
asked a quiet question, "What did they say to you Heath?"
The cowboy shrugged dismissively, "oh, the usual dirt, nothing I hadn't
heard a thousand times before it...it wasn't any of that...what got me riled
was...well they said stuff I couldn't tolerate..."
Jarrod's perceptive eyes nailed Heath, "about?"
"About Mother," admitted the blond quietly.
Jarrod knew that Heath was speaking of Victoria Barkley, rather than of his own
deceased mother Leah. He had been a little awkward around Victoria in his first
days at the ranch, calling her Ma'am and clearly uneasy in her presence. She
had helped him past this stage and he had confided to her one day that both
physically and in spirit, she greatly resembled his birth mother.
One day, the inevitable had happened, in the course of some mild banter between
the two of them, Heath had called Victoria ‘Mother'. It had simply slipped out
and he had been highly embarrassed. With considerable tact and finesse,
Victoria had conveyed to Heath the information that she thought it a compliment
of the highest order and she had been ‘Mother' to him ever since.
Jarrod knew that there was a bond between Victoria and Heath, which had little
to do with who Heath's father was. The two loved each other, simply loved each
other for who each other was. Heath's anger at any jibe the Lavisse brothers
made at Victoria would have been just as deep as any emotion he himself, or
Nick would have felt.
Jarrod waited for a moment for Heath to carry on, but the younger man said
nothing.
Jarrod couldn't help but note the sharp contrast to his rancher brother Nick.
If Jarrod had asked Nick to tell him the history of an incident such as this,
the whole tale would have come tumbling out in a torrent, indeed the hard part
would have been stemming the tide of information and invective that would have
erupted from fiery Nick.
Getting information from Heath was like pulling teeth, Jarrod could understand
why though. He and Nick had grown up together in brotherly companionship,
accustomed to share their troubles and seek solutions to them together. This
was something Heath had never had, all his life he had faced his struggles
alone, learning to be self-reliant and secretive, to tell his troubles to
no-one else, because no-one else cared. Except of course for the remarkable
trio of women who had raised him and if one thing was certain, it was that
Heath would die rather than let trouble or danger harm those ladies.
Suddenly, the whole matter was as plain as day to Counselor Barkley, he knew
exactly what was wrong between Nick and Heath and he knew why it was wrong too.
He smiled at his silent sibling,
"Tell you what Brother, instead of me dragging this story from you line by
line, why don't I tell it to you instead?"
When Mac had handed the mail
bag over to Silas, he took himself back out to the range to supervise the winding
down of the day's activities and found that Nick Barkley had reappeared amongst
his men. His formidable boss's mood didn't appear to have improved any. He met
the foreman's arrival with a scorching glare and a demand to know where the
hell he had been!
"I went into Stockton for the mail," replied McCall quietly.
The hard hazel gaze didn't waver, "I don't believe I pay you to collect
mail bags," said Nick in a voice of ominous quiet.
A few of the hands riding nearby, unobtrusively edged their horses away, not
wanting to be in the firing line if Nick's famous temper was getting set to
blow.
McCall was tired of the prevailing atmosphere, He had put up with a lot in the
first weeks of Heath Barkley's advent here, watching as the two brothers
competed with each other, both determined to prove that they were the better
man. Mac had done his job, standing back and letting the young Barkley stags
lock horns until the two brothers had come to know and grudgingly respect each
other.
Now, just when it seemed as though the two young ranchers were achieving a good
understanding, something had gone wrong and once again, the long-suffering
ranch foreman had found himself in the firing line of the bad moods of his
boss. Looking now into Nick's challenging eyes, Mac decided that he had put up
with all he was going to put up with and in a trenchant tone he said, "Maybe
you don't pay me to collect the mail, but maybe I wanted a bit of solitude and
a break from being around you and your damned temper!"
Those men who were still in earshot fell respectfully silent, McCall was
without doubt the only man on this ranch outside of the family who would ever
dare to address the formidable Nick Barkley in such a fashion. Those newer
hands who hadn't been here long enough to know just how far back McCall's
history with this family went, expected him to die within the next few seconds,
or at best get himself beaten to a pulp!
For several long, atmospheric seconds, silence reigned and then Nick Barkley
astounded many of the hands by uttering a short laugh and saying briskly,
"sorry Mac!"
McCall was only partially mollified, "had myself a couple of cold ones in
town too," he growled.
Nick's good humour held, "I'd say you were entitled," he answered
lightly.
Mac spoke more evenly, "I ran into the Counselor, we rode home
together."
Nick grinned, "Jarrod's home? I guess his case got finished early, well
I'm glad he's here, he can take a turn nurse-maiding that idiot- brained,
half-witted, dead stubborn fool for a while! I'd say it's his turn."
Correctly identifying that this masterly description related to Heath Barkley,
Mac smiled slightly, "well they went off into the house together, so I
guess he's made a start on that already."
Nick grunted, "well I hope Jarrod has more luck getting the truth out of
him than I did! I tell you Mac, I've had easier conversations with my father's
statue in Stockton than I have with Heath."
McCall chose his words with care, "telling his troubles to a big brother,
I guess that don't come natural to Heath, you've always done it, you and Jarrod
have always been there for one another, I guess it's not so easy if you grew up
alone though."
Nick stared at him, "dammit Mac, I know that, but all the more reason for
him to lean a little now he does have brothers don't you think?"
"Sure Nick, but I can see how it might take some time for him to learn to
do that."
Nick thought for a minute and then reluctantly smiled at his foreman and
long-time friend and guide,
"Point taken Mac! I'll tell you what, why don't I take my temper with me
and head on home to make the peace with my little brother?"
"I dare say we'll struggle through without you Boss," murmured Mac
drily.
He sat and watched as Nick rode away on Coco, he hoped he had helped Nick to
understand the nature of young Heath's struggles to adapt to his new life as a
member of the Barkley clan. Mac himself had watched Heath's attempts to blend
smoothly into his new life and he had admired the quiet and intelligent
determination of the newest Barkley.
Some things had been relatively easy, Heath had lost no time in getting upon
good terms with his new mother and his sister and he seemed comfortable in the
company of either lady now. He had quickly established a good rapport with
eldest brother Jarrod too, though he seemed a little in awe of the lawyer,
treating him with a deferential respect that had taken time to lighten into
familiarity and friendship. The youngest Barkley, college boy Eugene, had been
and still was openly hostile to the newcomer and when Gene got home from school
for the Summer, Mac could see there would be more obstacles for young Heath to
overcome.
He had gained the respect and liking of the ranch hands by his calm, cool good
sense on the ‘Wallent' trail drive and they had glimpsed the Barkley steel in
his determination to make that difficult drive a success. His return home in
triumph, having exposed Wallent for the madman he was, had been the start of
his true partnership with Nick too. Mac hoped that Counselor Barkley's wise
influence could heal this rift that seemed to have sprung up between Nick and
Heath. As he turned his horse to rejoin his men, Mac wondered for the umpteenth
time, just who had beaten up Heath and why Nick Barkley was so hot about it.
Well, one thing was sure, if Stockton's sharpest attorney couldn't find out,
then nobody could!
Stockton's sharpest attorney had the undivided attention of his new brother as
he began to solve the riddle of Heath's battered and bruised appearance.
"I'm guessing that you took all of the many insults that the Lavisse
brothers hurled at you and as many of the verbal barbs that they planted in
your quivering flesh as they could dish out. I'm further guessing that you
didn't turn a hair and that their failure to provoke you annoyed the hell out
of them and prompted them to greater and greater efforts. How am I doing so
far?"
A reluctant half-smile curved Heath's mouth, "I can see why you get paid
such high fees," he murmured.
Jarrod returned the smile, well aware that even a few weeks ago, Heath would
not have ventured on this mild jest. It was satisfying to realize that his new
brother was getting more relaxed in his presence every day.
"Thank you," answered the lawyer drily. "All right if I'm
correct so far, I'll take my theory further, the Lavisses finally realized that
you weren't going to react to any personal insult, so they broadened their
attack and were unwise enough to bring Mother into it. They hoped that would
get a response from you and they got their wish, am I right?"
The blond head nodded and a rueful smile lit Heath's pale blue eyes.
"I was about ready to draw some blood by then and I couldn't stand by
while they insulted Mother," his expression challenged Jarrod,
"you wouldn't have stood for it either!"
"You're right, I wouldn't," agreed the lawyer blandly, "but I
wouldn't have waded into Claude and Pierre all alone either Young Man!"
Heath shook his head, "I figured I could take ‘em both on," he
admitted. "I mean you've seen the two of them Jarrod, you couldn't find a
sorrier looking scrawny pair of...of..."
"Fops?"
"Yeah, fops is good, fits ‘em just fine. I was so sure I could whip the
two of them, I just...waded on in!"
Jarrod grimaced, "well I'm afraid in their case, appearances are
deceptive, they fight hard and they fight dirty."
The blond cowboy's rueful smile dawned again, "I know that now
Jarrod."
"When did they beat you up?"
"A couple of days ago."
Jarrod fixed his vivid, perceptive gaze on his younger brother, "Tell me
Heath, how did your big brother Nicholas persuade you to confide in him?"
Heath rolled his eyes heavenwards,
"oh he was real subtle about it, he grabbed me by the shirt front and
slammed me up against the barn door. He told me I had ten seconds to tell him
what happened or he'd finish what they started. I mean how could I not tell him
after he asked so nicely?"
Jarrod burst out laughing, "So you told him and he's been mad at you ever
since and you don't have the least idea why do you?"
Heath's face had sobered now, he turned grave eyes on Jarrod, "No I don't
know why and I guess I sort of resent it too. After all, I didn't grow up like
you two did, confiding doesn't...well it doesn't come easily to me and when I
made the effort and shared the story with Nick, what does he do? He flies off
the handle and we're right back to square one again. So, if you do know what's
eating Nick then I wish you'd tell me Jarrod, because I'm just plain
lost."
The lawyer smiled affectionately at Heath,
"I'll be glad to explain Heath and when I do, I think you'll realize that
you and Nick aren't back at square one, not by any means. Tell me, besides
horses, women and running his beloved ranch, what would you say were Nick
Barkley's principle pleasures in life?"
"Eating," answered Heath, without the slightest hesitation and
grinned as Jarrod burst out laughing again.
"Very true," affirmed Jarrod, "and what else?"
"Well...I don't know..." Heath broke off as the truth dawned on him
at last, "he likes to fight," finished the cowboy quietly.
Jarrod pointed a friendly finger at his new brother, "Got it in one
Brother Heath, your big brother Nick loves a good fight and there's nothing
more satisfying than fighting people you dislike very deeply, Like?"
"Like the Lavisse brothers," finished Heath in a subdued voice.
"Precisely." Jarrod spoke in a mock-accusatory tone, "you went
off by yourself and fought Pierre and Claude Lavisse, how could you be so
heartless Heath?"
Heath grinned, "I wish I hadn't! With Nick beside me, I just might have
won that fight!"
Jarrod grinned back, "So now can you see what a cardinal crime you've
committed?"
"I guess so, but...are you saying Nick's as riled as he is just because I
fought the Lavisses without him?"
"No, not just because he missed a good fight, Nick feels shut out, as if
you don't need him to be a part of your life or to help you. I told you I had a
lot of experience in the role of big brother, well so does Nick and he clearly
now regards himself as your big brother. He's hurt that you didn't share your
trouble and let him help. I know he has a rather unique way of showing it, but
the truth is that you matter to Nick, as a matter of fact, you matter to all of
us."
For a long minute there was silence as Heath accepted and absorbed what Jarrod
had told him. The lawyer watched sympathetically as Heath came to believe the
truth of what his eldest brother had said. Eventually, the younger man smiled, "I
understand Jarrod and I'm glad you told me, I guess I still have a bit to learn
about belonging to a family. I...well I guess I've always had just me to depend
on, I don't expect to get any help, so I deal with my problems by myself."
Jarrod rose and came to stand beside his sibling, laying a hand on Heath's
shoulder and squeezing it.
"I'd say you've already learned a great deal about what having a family
means," said the lawyer gently, "Nick has some learning to do too,
don't forget. He's been protective toward Audra and Eugene all their lives, but
he needs to appreciate that you are not either of them, he has to learn your
strengths and weaknesses and then he can be the good big brother towards you
that I know he wants to be. I think you've been around Nick long enough now to
know that he is really a kind, caring and sensitive man..."
At that moment the front door burst open and was slammed shut again, violently
enough to rattle the windows. Nick Barkley's mighty voice bellowed, "Silas?
SILAS, I want coffee and I want it NOW!"
Jarrod and Heath looked at each other,
"As I was saying, Nick's a kind, caring, sensitive man...he just hides it
well!"
Nick Barkley entered the living room to find both his
brothers convulsed with laughter, although Heath had to cut his short as the
stretching of his mouth made the cuts around it sting.
Nick frowned suspiciously, "what's so funny?"
Jarrod advanced on Nick, "nice to see you too Nick!"
Nick growled but he shook hands with Jarrod and glanced at Heath, "Has he
told you who he's been tangling with?"
"He has, I was just rebuking him for not taking you along to fight the
Lavisses," said Jarrod with admirable gravity.
Nick jabbed a finger in Heath's direction, well I hope you take more notice of
Jarrod than you do of me!"
Heath's voice was conciliatory, "I wish I had taken you with me Nick, I
really do."
Nick uttered a short laugh, "if you had Boy, you wouldn't look as if you
got trampled by a herd of cattle!"
Silas entered with a fresh pot of coffee and more apple cake, he set down the
tray and looked at Nick with a long-suffering air.
"Oh good! coffee and cake too," said Nick, grinning at the houseman,
"I wasn't sure you'd heard me."
Silas grinned back, "I ‘spect your Mama heard you."
"Mother's fifty miles away from here!"
"I know," said Silas walking away.
Nick cast himself into a chair and bit into the warm apple cake with relish. He
looked at Heath, " sorry if I've been on your tail, I was kind of put out
that you didn't tell me about the problems you were having with the
Lavisses."
Heath's eyes were warm, "I'm sorry too, I guess I'm not used to having big
brothers to turn to yet."
Nick said softly, "I realize that, just try to bear it in mind will
you?"
"I'll do that Nick."
Jarrod sat on the settee and glanced at Nick, "shall we tell him about the
time Father tangled with the Lavisses?"
Nick's smile was grim, "I think we should, go ahead Jarrod."
"I think you should tell him, you were there," retorted Jarrod.
Heath came and sat opposite Nick, "you were there, when was this?"
Nick smiled reflectively, "I guess I was about sixteen or so, we'd just
paid off the boys in town at the end of the Fall trail drive and Father asked
me if I fancied a cold beer before we headed home. I was thrilled, he was
treating me like a grown-up and I went with him. Father picked a quiet saloon
by the river, I guess he didn't want me going off on a tear with the boys.
We went in and found the place pretty much deserted. It didn't take us long to
find out why that was, the Lavisses were there, drunk and in a foul mood and
they had found their ugly selves a victim. He was just a kid, probably no older
than I was, God knows what he said to provoke them, nothing much I'd bet, but
they were beating him to a pulp.
I have no idea how long it had been going on, the kid was on the floor, rasping
for air, I think they were kicking his ribs in and they were taking their time
about it, having their fun. One of them would walk up to the kid, slam in a
kick and then walk away again, just go back to the bar and drink some more
beer. Then a while later, back to the kid, slam in another kick, I tell you
those two are just plain evil! Father and I just stood there for a few seconds
and in that time our old man summed up the whole situation and knew what he had
to do."
"Father had a gift for being able to appreciate a situation in a split
second like that," added Jarrod.
Nick nodded agreement and went on "Father was at a disadvantage, those two
little runts are tough and they fight dirty!"
"Don't I know it," said Heath ruefully.
Nick shot Heath a look that said, ‘serves you right for going without me' then
he carried on with his tale. "Father only had me to back him and Claude
and Pierre were loving it, they were hoping to lure Father and me into a fight
and of course they would have slaughtered us but the old man was too smart for
them."
Heath rarely, if ever, betrayed any interest in Tom Barkley, but this story had
his full attention and he asked almost eagerly, "what did he do?"
Nick grinned wolfishly, "he drew his gun and he shot ‘em."
"What?"
Jarrod and Nick both laughed at Heath's amazed expression and Nick hastened to
explain, "he shot Pierre in the backside and Claude in the foot, he'd
already noticed that neither of them was wearing a gun and he thought a bullet
wound apiece would divert their attention from the boy. He sent me for the
sheriff and he kept them covered until I came back with the law."
Heath was grinning, "what did the sheriff say?"
Nick laughed, "he commended Father's good citizenship and quick thinking
and he slapped the Lavisses into jail. Father encouraged the boy to give
evidence and the Lavisses served time for the attack. They of course really
love the Barkleys since then!"
Nick looked hard at Heath, "whatever they said to you, it wasn't about
you, they hate us all as a family. Damn I wish you and I had both tangled with
them!"
Heath smiled, "me too Nick."
Jarrod sat up a little straighter and said quietly, "gentlemen, how would
you like to get even with the Lavisses in a very big way, one that doesn't
involve a fist fight?"
Nick grinned, "what are you hatching there Counselor?"
Jarrod shook his head, "actually, it's Heath's idea and I rather think it
would kill several birds with one stone."
One Month Later
There were a number of men seated in Jarrod Barkley's Stockton law office, they
were the mining captains of the various Barkley mines and also amongst them
were a number of owners of the smaller mines in the valley. Counselor Barkley
had been speaking for some time now and he had been heard in total silence,
every man in the office, listening to him with rapt attention and growing
excitement. When at last the lawyer finished, there was a ripple of wonder and
exclamation through the room.
Dennis Bache, the longest serving mining captain in the Barkley team, was the
first to break the silence.
"Well I got to hand it to you there Counselor, I thought nothing the
Barkley family chose to do would ever surprise me, but you sure have thrown me
for a loop here!"
Jarrod smiled, "I know it's a lot to take in all at once Dennis, but my
brothers and I have been thinking this through for several weeks now. If you
think about it, this scheme covers a number of different issues, matters that
are of concern to every man in this room."
Dennis nodded, "yeah I see that and I ain't saying I'm against any of it,
like you say, it's a lot to take in."
Counselor Barkley's gaze swept the room until he found the man he was looking
for. Hal Poulton was the most prominent of the independent mine owners and his
support would be crucial to the success of the new enterprise. To a man, the
rest of the independents were looking at Poulton now, wanting him to speak for
them.
Jarrod caught Poulton's eye and addressed him directly, "Hal, what's your
opinion?"
Poulton frowned, "if I've followed you Jarrod, you're proposing to set up
a mining equipment company to rival the Lavisses. We'd all have a stake in it
and we'd all agree to bring all our business to the new company. Have I got
that right?"
"Quite right Hal."
Poulton shook his head, "many of the men in this room have been driven
half-way to bankruptcy by the greed of the Lavisses, I'm among the better off
of the independent owners and I don't know if I can afford to put much of a
stake in, I doubt many of these men could offer any stake at all."
A ripple of agreement ran round the office and Jarrod intervened smoothly.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, the Barkley family is prepared to put
in all the initial finance, no financial contribution is being asked of any man
here."
The suspicious voice of Mike Settle, another independent owner rang out.
"So all we're doing is swapping one monopoly for another, how does that
help any of us."
Nick Barkley opened his mouth to retort but Jarrod quelled him with a single
flash of his expressive eyes.
"As I explained, you wouldn't be swapping one monopoly for another, the
Barkleys will not own the new company we all will."
Poulton nodded, "that's what I understood you to say, I guess I don't know
how we pay our share though."
Jarrod explained again with admirable patience, "the company will be a
while turning a profit, but when it does, each stakeholder will make his
contribution to the running costs, when he's done that, he'll start to receive
profits from the company."
Jarrod's compelling gaze swept the room and his voice was full of confidence,
"Gentlemen, ever since the Egremont company went down, we've all been held
to ransom by an unscrupulous pair of scoundrels."
The lawyer glanced in the direction of Heath Barkley, standing quietly beside
Nick at the side of the desk. "My brother Heath asked me a while ago why
the Barkleys as a family hadn't re-floated the Egremont company to provide a viable
alternative to the Lavisses, I didn't know what to say to him. We should have
done it and as a family we wish we had. It is going to cost a good deal of
money to float the new company and the Barkleys are prepared to stand that
cost, call it our way of apologising to the rest of you for not taking the
fight to the Lavisses when we had the chance."
Poulton was being whispered to urgently by one or two of the other mine owners,
he nodded and addressed Jarrod again. "One thing is plain though Jarrod,
we've missed the boat for this season, we have no choice but to do business
with the Lavisses and when they find out our plans they're going to get their
pound of flesh some way or another."
Beside their brother, Nick and Heath Barkley tensed, this was the crux, if
Jarrod could take them past this barrier, the new company was well on the way
to being born.
Counselor Barkley exchanged a quick glance with his brothers and drew a
resolute breath, "I hear what you're saying Hal, but there is one way to
prevent that, a total block on transacting any business with the Lavisses
whatsoever, this or any other season."
For a moment or two, there was uproar in the office as man after man protested
that his outfit couldn't survive an inactive spell but the powerful voice of
Nick Barkley broke through and brought about a renewed silence.
The dark haired rancher's hard hazel gaze swept the assembled men, "don't
think that we don't know what we're asking you to do, for anyone whose
equipment needs we can't meet, this is going to be a hard season, but we're
going to have a fighting fund to make sure no-one goes down completely. The
benefits may be a little far away but the only way to break the grip of the
Lavisses is to cease trading with them and to do it now!"
It was not to be expected that a scheme so daring in it's outline and so
sweeping in it's scope would be enthusiastically adopted at one meeting, but
when the assembled men drifted away to think over the Barkley proposals, the
Barkley brothers could sense that they were well on the way to achieving the
consensus they needed to proceed.
Jarrod poured a drink for the three of them and they sat in the comfortable
chairs in front of the bright fire. The lawyer raised his glass, "here's
to you Brother Heath."
"Me? Why?" Heath's face wore the look of a startled rabbit.
Nick clapped him on the shoulder, "because this was your idea Boy!"
Heath demurred, "now wait a minute I just brought it up, it was Jarrod
that drew the pieces all together and you Nick, you were the one that found the
right man to run it and suggested hiring Charlie Egremont to assist him
and..." The blond cowboy broke off as he saw that both his brothers were
grinning at him. "What'd I say?"
Jarrod's eyes gleamed with amusement, "nothing at all Heath, Nick and I
just wondered if you realized exactly what it is you did, that's all."
Heath was looking totally bewildered and Nick Barkley's face split in an
affectionate grin, "you learned your lesson is all," he said.
Heath shook his head, "I don't follow."
Jarrod said, "what have we done Heath. All three of us, I mean?"
Heath thought for a moment, then said slowly, "well I guess we thought up
an idea and each of us has put our best efforts to work on it and together
we've..." He broke off again as the truth struck him with blinding force.
Nick laughed and slapped his back, "that's right little brother, we worked
together and together we look likely to succeed ...together... get it?"
Nick punctuated each repetition of the word together with a further back slap
until Heath grinning also now, stopped him.
Jarrod looked into Heath's eyes, "how does it feel Heath, having brothers
to work with and accomplish things with?"
Heath's smile was broad and there was a warmth in his expression, "it
feels mighty good Jarrod, I won't forget I have a family in the future, I
promise you that."
Nick lightened the mood, growling, "you'd better not bird-brain! You ever
go off fighting without me again and you'll regret it, you got that Boy?"
"Got it Nick," replied Heath, tossing back his head and laughing out
loud. In his innermost soul, that laughter channeled itself into a sparkling
wave, that swept from his remembrance a short lifetime of loneliness and
rejection. He would he realized with a shiver of joy, never be alone again, he
had roots, a home, a family, he had...he had brothers!
For the first time, the first of many times to come, the three eldest Barkley
brothers touched their glasses in a toast to one another, a toast that affirmed
their mutual respect and love.