Father of the Year

Chapters 1-8

by MagdalenMary495

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.

Chapter 1

“The New England States are bordered on the North by...um...Utah?”

Sister Patience sighed. Deeply. “Try again, please, Billy.”

Yawn, yawn, yawn. Jennifer Barkley hid behind her Geography book staring not at the New England States but at the carefully folded pages of the San Francisco Examiner. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that the size of her Geography book hid the paper well enough so she could read unchallenged while Billy Duncan stumbled through the New England States. Not that the Examiner was wildly exciting either. Once she’d read the lurid, serial story, “Dirty Dan,” there wasn’t much else of interest.

“The New England States are bordered on the North by....” Billy got a pleased smile on his face, “England!”

“No, Billy.” Sister Patience spoke in a voice that told Jenny she’d just about run out of patience. “Why don’t we let Emily Parker try.”

Stuck up, Jenny thought, watching Emily stand up, press her heels together in perfect alignment before reciting. When Sister praised her for answering correctly, Emily turned to sneer in Jenny’s direction. Jenny returned the sneer with a sweet smile while thinking to herself, I’m going to put a snake in her desk. Or dip her prissy blond curls in ink. Her in her plaid dress with the “velvet” collar. Jenny’d called it a fuzzy collar earlier. Emily was only too glad to correct her with the “proper” word. The remark still rankled.

“Let’s look at page 36 now and see how quickly we can learn more about Vermont.”

Stealthily, careful to keep the Examiner hidden, Jenny turned to page 36. Read enough to see she could recite the facts about Vermont backwards and forwards and went back to her reading. Dull, dull, dull. There should be a law about printing a paper as dull as this. Jenny was just about to read more about Vermont, it couldn’t be worse than this, when a boxed advertisement caught her eye.

FATHER OF THE YEAR

Is your father special? Would you like to tell the world how your father is the best? Enter our essay contest. Tell us in 500 words why your father is deserving of the title, Father of the Year. The winning Father will be awarded a beautifully embossed parchment award, suitable for framing. The winning essay will be printed in the Examiner for the world to see how truly special your Father is....

Jenny skipped the fine print as her thoughts soared off . Now wouldn’t that be nice to hand Daddy a beautifully embossed parchment award? Jenny wasn’t quite sure what embossed parchment was but it sounded elegant. Like Daddy. Jarrod Thomas Barkley was the handsomest Barkley, Jenny was certain. Most of the time he was a good Daddy too. Getting Father of the Year might even make up for all the gray hair he said she was giving him these days. It might even sweeten him up a little into taking her along the next time he went to San Francisco on business.

Hadn’t been that long ago that Daddy promised he’d take her with him. They could stay in the Palace Hotel, go to the theater and he’d even promised to take her dancing just like she was a grown up lady. Of course, he’d also told her lots of stuff Jenny had ignored but she thought he might have put some “if’s” in there somewhere. Like “if” she behaved at school. There were always “if’s” with grown ups. They always wanted to spoil everything. Still..winning the award might be awful nice and it couldn’t hurt her chances of going with Daddy.

So lost in happy daydreams, Jenny didn’t notice until too late Billy’s frantic hissing from across the aisle or Emily’s smug, “Jenny’s in trouble again” stare. It wasn’t until Carmen poked her in the back with a pencil that Jenny looked up to see Sister Patience, defiantly out of patience, towering over her desk, hands on her hips...if Sister’s had hips. Jenny figured you couldn’t tell in those habit things they wore.

“Jennifer Barkley. Would you be so kind as to tell us what you find so fascinating in your Geography book? I have called your name three times to tell me the capital city of Vermont.”

“Um,” Jenny gulped, lied, “I lost my place.”

“Indeed. But before you lost your place I’m sure you learned the capital city of Vermont.”

Jenny, who until that second had known the answer, went blank. Where the devil was Vermont anyway? Face flaming with shame, Jenny bent her head over the book, “I can’t.”

Before Jenny could hide the evidence, Sister Patience grabbed the Geography book, exposing the San Francisco Examiner for everyone, including Emily Parker, to see. Someone snickered.
“That’s enough of that!” Sister glared into the classroom. “Jennifer, I’ll speak to you after school today.”

“Yes, Sister.”

Jenny slumped in her desk. Dirty darn...just what she didn’t need. Across the aisle, Billy shot her a quick sympathetic smile. Like he really cared. Billy might be one of her best friends but Jenny knew his loyalty only went so far. He’d be outside this afternoon riding or fishing while she was stuck inside. Trying not to look as grumpy as she felt, Jenny glanced up to see Emily grinning like an idiot, glad that Jenny was in trouble. Quickly, while the teacher’s back was turned, Jenny stuck out her tongue at Emily. Two snakes.

By the time school ended, Jenny had plenty of time to be repentant. Not that she was truly sorry for reading the Examiner. Just that she’d been dumb enough to get caught doing it.

“Jennifer, I must say I find this very disappointing.”

“Yes, Sister.” It was best, Jenny had learnt through practice, to act meek and contrite when being scolded by the Sisters.
“You’re a very smart little girl, Jenny. You could do very well at your schoolwork instead of wasting your time by reading the cheap fare offered in the Examiner.”

“Yes, Sister.”

“How many times have you been caught reading lurid dime novels or newspaper serials when you should have been doing your schoolwork, Jenny?”

How many time haven’t I been caught? Jenny thought but didn’t say. Choosing the wiser course of lowering her eyes mournfully, whispering, “Too many times.”

“You’re right. Even once is too much but you have been caught four times in the past two months alone. I think I’m right in assuming that there have been more times when you haven’t been caught.” Well, she was pretty smart, Jenny gave her credit for that, “So I think that we need to stop this behavior. Are you in agreement, Jennifer.”

“Yes, Sister.”

Sister Patience stood up, walked to the blackboard and wrote: “I wasted my time when I should have been learning about the New England States. I was disobedient, disrespectful and did not show the proper courtesy of listening to other students recite. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.” Now why did she always have to throw that Latin in there? Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. It sounded so...criminal.

Turning to Jenny she said, “Fifty times before you leave this room.”

Fifty! Fifty! Boy Howdy, that was going to take hours and hours.

“You may begin.”

An hour and a half later, Jenny’s right arm ached so bad she thought it might just fall right off. Her neck hurt, her shoulder throbbed from reaching up and even her toes shot daggers of pain from standing on tiptoes to reach the top of the blackboard. If she ever got her fingers unclasped again it’d be a darn miracle. They were probably curled in a permanent Palmer writing position, Every tenth sentence, she’d had to tell Sister, erase the board and start over...five whole times.

“I’m finished.”

Sister Patience looked up from writing something at her desk. “Very well, Jennifer. Wait just a moment until I finish this note to your Father and you may leave.”

A note! Not another note! Alarmed, Jenny clasped her hands down on Sister’s desk, “Oh, please, Sister, don’t send a note home. I promise I won’t ever read anything besides my schoolbooks in here again!” Jenny managed to squeeze out a few remorseful tears.

Sister Patience looked up, unperturbed over this drama, dipped her pen in fresh ink and wrote more on the paper in front of her. “As I was saying, as soon as I finish this note you will take it to your Father. I think too, that because so many of the notes I send home with you tend to go astray somewhere along the way, I want you to take this note directly to your Father at his office.”

“Now?”

“Now,” Sister Patience spoke firmly. “I can watch from the schoolyard as you walk most of the way down the street. And, Jennifer, I will, “ she emphasized the will sternly enough Jenny felt herself shrink a few inches, “be watching. Although you will be on your honor once you turn the corner by the Emporium do not be tempted to conveniently ignore this note. Know this, Jennifer, I will be speaking to your Father about this.”

“Yes, Sister,” Jenny answered glumly.

Jenny hoped in the time it took her to get Fancy from the school corral, walk toward Daddy’s office with Sister Patience’s eyes boring into her back almost the whole way, that maybe Daddy wouldn’t be too mad. One look though at Daddy’s secretary, Miss Adams, dashed that hope.

“Oh, Jenny,” were the first whispered words out of Miss Adams mouth, “If you don’t have to see him now, I wouldn’t. He lost a case today and he’s very grumpy.”

Figures, Jenny thought. When he gets done talking to me he’s going to be worse than grumpy.
“I have to,” dejected, Jenny slumped her shoulders, “I got a note from my teacher.”

Miss Adams crinkled her nose in sympathy, “That’s too bad. She sure could have picked a better day for it.”

Jenny knocked on the door, swallowing hard. Maybe if she cried real hard? Or told him how sore her hand was from writing all those words on the blackboard...

“Come in.”

He sounded normal enough.

“Jenny.” Clearly he was surprised to see her. He pulled his gold watch out of his pocket to check the time. “What are you still doing in town?”

“Well, um...” Darn, darn, darn...there he went staring her down with that Counselor Barkley look. “I had to stay after school.”

So far he didn’t look mad. “Why?”

Could she lie? Wiggle out of it someway? Darn, why did he keep looking at her with that stern expression tightening his lips? “I had to stay after because I was reading the Examiner instead of about the New England States and oh, please, Daddy, don’t be mad,” Jenny ran the words all together, rushing to get them out, “I promise never, ever to do it again so please don’t be mad and please don’t say I can’t go to San Francisco when you go the next time. I promise, promise, promise I’ll be good. I really will...”

“Stop!” He ordered. Rubbing his forehead as if she’d given him a headache or made one he already had worse. “Slow down. You had to stay after school....why?”

Jenny handed over the note. Watched anxiously while he read it, clenching his teeth as he neared the end. This was not a good sign. When he crumpled the note in anger and threw it down on the desk, Jenny knew he was working himself into being angry, very angry.

“How many notes does this make in the past month, Jennifer?”

“Seven,” she answered before she remembered that she’d only passed along three. Ooops!
Or maybe he already knew how many. He didn’t seem surprised at the total. Maybe tears would help. True remorse? Jenny couldn’t quite feel truly sorry but she could pretend real well. No, not with this Barkley she couldn’t. “I’m truly sorry, Daddy.”

“Truly sorry you were naughty or truly sorry you got caught?”

Darn, why’d she have to have a lawyer for a father? Couldn’t get away with anything...not with those blue eyes glaring at her forcing her to tell the truth. You couldn’t even try to lie or you just kept digging yourself deeper and deeper into trouble. “Well, Daddy, I’m truly sorry for...”

“Don’t answer that, Jennifer. Just don’t answer.” He rubbed his head again. Jenny wished he’d quit calling her Jennifer. Nothing good ever came when she got called by her full name. “Just go home,” he ordered but not yelling, “go straight home. We’ll talk about this later.”

Talk. Grownups sure had funny ideas about talking. He’d yell and scold and she’d listen....sure wouldn’t be any talking on her side.

“Yes, sir,” Jenny hurried toward the door. Stopped and looked back to see Daddy rubbing his head again. “I’m sorry your head hurts, Daddy.”

“Go home! Now!”

Jenny ran past Miss Adams, who looked like she wished she’d be ordered to go home too, untethered Fancy and mounted in a hurry. Looking up at the window of Daddy’s office, she saw him watching her from behind the gold lettering, Jarrod Barkley, making sure she obeyed.
Boy howdy, this was turning into a miserable day. Bound to get worse too...Montpelier! That was the capital city of Vermont. Sure was a fine time to remember.

As she walked Fancy out of town, Jenny meant to go straight home. Truly, she did. It just didn’t work out that way.

Chapter 2

“Good evening, Mr. Barkley.”

“Good evening, Ciego,” Jarrod replied, dismounting with a vast sense of relief at being home. It had not been a good day. He’d lost a case he’d worked on, slaved over actually, for months. He was hot, tired, dusty and more than a little irate at his daughter. The day had gone badly enough without Jenny bringing a note that summoned him to Sister Patience. Cringing a little in memory, what was it about those Sisters that made him feel ten again?, Jarrod thought about his recent meeting with Jenny’s teacher. His ears still burned from listening to a list of his daughter’s recent misdeeds.

As he walked in the door, shedding hat and suit coat as quickly as possible, Victoria came down the stairs. “Jarrod, I thought you might be staying in town tonight.”

He kissed her quickly while pulling off his tie and heading for the parlor. “No, I decided I’d better come home and talk to my errant daughter.” He poured a drink, sat down and stretched thinking if he might sit here for awhile his head would quit pounding. “Where is she by the way?”

“Jenny?” Victoria looked up in surprise from tidying up newspapers on the small table in front of the fireplace. “When she didn’t come home at the usual time I thought she was with you?”

Jarrod sighed. “She was with me over an hour ago. I distinctly told her to come straight home”

“I’m sure she’ll be along soon,” Victoria answered without concern. She’d raised enough children to know Jenny would come sooner or later. “She knows Silas is making meatloaf tonight. It’s her favorite so she won’t miss that.”

“Hm,” Jarrod grunted. “I told her to come home. I get the feeling, Mother, that I am raising a scoundrel and a con artist and I won’t have either.” He told her about the trouble with Sister Patience and his subsequent meeting.

Laughing, Victoria sat across from him on the small sofa. “Jenny isn’t as bad as all that. She’s just a lively little girl who has a hard time sitting still in school.”

“If she doesn’t curb some of that liveliness,” Jarrod answered getting up to pour a second drink, “She’s not going to be sitting anywhere for awhile. I think she deliberately tries to provoke me.”

“I can remember thinking the same thing about a certain little boy named Jarrod,” Victoria told him, “I think he turned out very well anyway. Don’t you?”

Jarrod smiled, raised a toast to his mother, “You might be right, Mother. I’m just not sure I can last another ten or fifteen years until she does. If I can’t curb some of her wildness now, what am I going to do when she discovers boys?”

Victoria stood up, went to put her arms around her son’s waist with a reassuring hug. “You don’t have to worry about that for awhile. Why don’t you go wash up for dinner?”

Brightening, Jarrod decided he would. Maybe a good meal would help soothe away some of this distressing day. “I think I will, lovely lady, I smelled the wonderful aroma of that meatloaf when I came in the gate. A hot bath and a nice meal just might give me enough strength to deal with Jennifer Victoria.”

Jenny meant to go straight home that afternoon. Thinking again about the Father of the Year contest, she’d ridden straight to the ranch. If Daddy were awful, awful mad when he got home, she just might need to someday present him with that beautifully embossed parchment award or kiss her promised trip to San Francisco with him goodbye. Not that it would do her much good today. Today she was doomed.

It made her feel a little sick to her stomach thinking about Daddy coming home tonight. Especially since he lost his case too. Daddy could be grumpier than Uncle Nick when he’d lost a case. Any other time, she’d be walking around him on tiptoes, trying her hardest to be on her absolute, best behavior so he wouldn’t turn that grumpiness on her. Too late for that today, she’d already fouled things up. Like Uncle Nick always told her when he caught her doing something wrong, now she’d have to “face the music.” Jenny never understood what piano or fiddle playing had to do with facing a scolding but it must be a grown up thing she’d figure out one day.

Well, if she had to “face the music,” Jenny figured she could postpone it as long as possible. Pulling Fancy toward the right, she left the main road toward the house, slipping into a secret place in the woods. Not that it was much of a secret. Fancy’s hooves had carved a path straight toward one of Jenny’s favorite places. It was just a small spring where the water always bubbled up pure and cold. Surrounded by a neat circle of gray rocks just perfect for sitting on while letting your hot feet dangle in the water.

Jenny lost no time in dismounting, tying Fancy to a convenient tree and shedding her shoes and stockings. Squealing a little at the coolness of the water, Jenny touched one foot, then the other into the soothing pool. If she moved her feet just right, she could feel the bubble tickle the bottom of her foot as the spring gurgled out of the ground. If she sat still enough, Jenny could imagine she heard the daisies and ferns whispering to one another. Jenny yawned, leaned back against a convenient sun warmed boulder. If she sat still enough maybe the daisies would whisper to her....

“Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no!”

When she woke up, Jenny realized too late that the sun was a lot farther down in the sky than it had been when she first sat down. Her feet, still dangling in the spring, felt like lumps of rock. When she tried to stand, the needles and pins pricking her soles caused her to slip sideways into the pool.

“Dirty Darn!” Jenny yelled, wishing she dared use one of the swear words some of the ranch hands said when they thought she wasn’t around. Just her luck if she did someone would hear.
Now she was not only late, she was wet...very wet. Jenny tried to stand, gritting her teeth at the tingling this caused in her numbed feet. Stamping both feet hard, she finally got some feeling back into them. Enough to finally look at the damage to her blue and white pinstriped school dress. It was sopping, somehow she’d torn the back hem on a branch over hanging the spring. Grandma would not like that one bit. Jenny pushed the limp strands of her curls out of her flushed face wondering where in the devil she’d lost both her hair ribbons. A piece of blue silk floating on top of the spring caught her eye. She picked up the limp, bedraggled silk in dismay. They were new hair ribbons too..

That’s three people mad at me today, Jenny thought sadly, Sister Patience, Daddy and Grandma. Hope I don’t do anything else wrong on the way home.

“C’mere, Fancy.”

Untying Fancy from the tree, Jenny tried to fit her foot in the stirrup. Fancy, who’d rather have gone on munching on a delectable leaf, snorted and shied away. “Stop that! We gotta get home right now. Daddy’s probably already home.”

That thought might have not put fear in Fancy’s heart, but Jenny figured she had enough for both of them. Her stomach twisted in knots as worry furrowed her brow. “I am in awful, awful trouble.”

Uncle Nick always said some horses were “perverse” creatures. Jenny agreed. Just as she got a good hold on the reins and had her foot in the stirrup, Fancy took a notion to be perverse. Angered over not being allowed to finish her meal, Fancy stamped her front hooves in anger, reared up, dumped Jenny unceremoniously into the dirt and took off at a trot. Sitting on the ground, bottom stinging, Jenny could only stare at the retreating horse and the swishing back of the trees and brush she passed on the way down the path.

“Stupid horse!” Jenny shouted after her. Standing up, she discovered that now she was not only wet, she was muddy. Twisting her head, she could just see the backs of her bare legs, the muddy mess of her skirt. Grandma was not going to like the state of this dress one bit. Sighing, Jenny forced herself to look around halfheartedly for her shoes and stockings. When she couldn’t find either, she remembered she’d slung them over her saddle. They were probably already to the barn by now. “Stupid horse,” she mumbled again, following the path back to the main road.

Jenny had been walking about five minutes, her wet muddy skirt slapping the backs of her legs with each step, when she heard a horse behind her. Please, don’t let it be Daddy. Please. When she turned to see who the rider was, Jenny felt a moment of relief. She’d recognize Coco from any distance. Uncle Nick rode up, reined to a stop beside her.

“What happened to you?”

“I got throwed.”

“You let that piece of a pony throw you, Jenny?” Uncle Nick sounded disgusted, “You know what I always say dontcha?”

“Yes, Uncle Nick,” Jenny answered thinking, I only heard this a thousand times.

“Ain’t a horse that can’t be rode, ain’t a man, or girl, can be throwed.”

One thousand one. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Come on up, I’ll give you a ride.”

“I’m all wet and muddy.”

“I been wet and muddy before,” Uncle Nick said not unkindly. Reaching down, he helped her get a foot up on his stirrup then pulled her into the saddle in front of him. Jenny shivered as she sat on the cold dampness of her skirt. “What are you doing out so late?”

“Nothing,” Jenny answered quickly. “Just riding.”

Jenny couldn’t see his face but she thought he must accept her answer. He didn’t say anything else as they rode up to the house, dismounting first. Just as Uncle Nick reached up to help her down, who had to come out of the house but Daddy. He brushed past Uncle Nick, jerked Jenny off the horse and stood her down roaring, “Where have you been?”

“I got throwed,” Jenny said quietly. Maybe if she didn’t make him any angrier...

For the first time he seemed to notice the mud on her dress, the limp strands of her hair falling in her face. “You got thrown.” He repeated, barely controlling his anger, “And just when did this happen? You left my office over two hours ago.”

Jenny bit her bottom lip, deciding what she could safely say. Grateful for the few seconds to think when Uncle Nick told Daddy he was putting Coco in the barn and left.

“I’m waiting, Jennifer Victoria Barkley.”

This was bad, very bad. Her whole, entire name. “I can’t remember exactly when it happened, Daddy.” Her voice trembled but this time it wasn’t pretend.

“You can’t remember.” Jenny wished he’d quit shouting. Her legs were already quaking and her stomach quivered. “Was it an hour ago? Two hours? Five minutes? And where were you between the time you left my office and when you got thrown? Didn’t I tell you to come straight home?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Jenny agreed, willing to concede on that point, “I did. I just....stopped on the way.”

Jenny didn’t like the way he shoved his hands in his pockets, staring up at the sky like he expected some answer from Heaven. When he looked back at her, his blue eyes hard with anger a stern expression on his face, Jenny bit her lip harder.
“You stopped on the way. What did you stop for?”

It came to her unexpectedly, most of Jenny’s good ideas did. Smiling suddenly, she thought of the perfect answer. “I stopped to do my homework. I felt so bad because I didn’t pay attention today in school so I decided I’d just stop and do my homework really, really well. Time just slipped away. I’m truly, truly sorry, Daddy.”

He didn’t believe her. Jenny saw that right away. He didn’t smile back or change the way he glared at her. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to lie after all.

“Jenny!” Grandma came outside, noticing right away that Jenny’s dress was a mess. “What on earth happened to you?”

“I got throwed,” Jenny repeated. That part, at least, was true. Not that anybody seemed to believe her.

Grandma clucked over the dress, thankfully not as distressed as Jenny thought she’d be, “We’ll try to do something with it later. Go get cleaned up, it’s almost time for dinner.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jenny looked at Jarrod to make sure she could obey. Jarrod motioned her toward the house, “Go get cleaned up.”

Jenny went gladly. Feeling better the second she walked in the door , sniffing in appreciation. Silas made the best meatloaf in the whole, entire world. Just smelling it Jenny felt her spirits lift..maybe this day wouldn’t be totally awful after all.

“Jennifer.”

Or maybe it would. Jenny stopped halfway up the stairs, turned and came back down to where Daddy waited at the bottom. “Yes, sir.”

“You won’t be joining us for dinner.”

Darn, darn, darn! For the first time that day, Jenny felt real tears of remorse moisten her eyes. He was doing this just to be mean. He could think up some other punishment but no...he had to make her miss her most favorite food in the whole entire world.

“Yes, sir,” Jenny pouted stamping her feet a little as she started back up the stairs.

“And Jennifer.”

There was more? Wasn’t it enough he just starved her for the rest of the night? That he broke her heart every time he called her Jennifer and she saw her trip to San Francisco sailing further and further out of reach.? There was more?

“Since you’ve already done your homework, after you get cleaned up you can just go on to bed.”
Jenny grabbed handfuls of her muddy skirt, clenching her fists. It wasn’t fair! Pressing her lips tight together, Jenny blinked back tears willing herself not to cry in front of him. Sent to bed without dinner like a...a baby. Maybe she just didn’t even want to go to San Francisco with him!

“Go on,” he told her.

Jenny seriously thought about kicking every step as she stomped up them but decided that might not be a good idea. Not with Daddy standing down there watching her. Instead she waited until she rounded the hall where he couldn’t see her and gave his bedroom door a good, swift kick. Too late she remembered she didn’t have shoes on. It hurt!

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” Grabbing her injured foot, probably seriously broken, Jenny hopped up and down in the hall until the pain went away. She wiggled her toes to make sure she could still walk. If she was crippled for life it’d be HIS fault.

Father of the Year...ha! Old Counselor Barkley would just be sorry she wouldn’t be writing about HIM for Father of the Year. Rat of the Year maybe. Or Most Horrible Father of the Year.
Sitting downstairs stuffing himself with that delicious meatloaf while his child was upstairs starving. Jenny thought regretfully that when Silas made scrumptious meatloaf, Grandma made the lightest, creamiest mashed potatoes to go with it....and gravy...mouth-watering, brown gravy to pour over it all. Of course, there were always vegetables but if you poured on enough gravy you didn’t hardly taste them at all. She was so hungry tonight she might have even eaten the vegetables without gravy.

Sighing deeply, Jenny wished she’d never seen that stupid advertisement for the Father of the Year contest. It just kept getting her deeper and deeper into trouble.

Chapter 3

Jenny took her own sweet time about cleaning up. HE hadn’t told her she had to hurry so Jenny figured she was safe enough enjoying lots of Aunt Audra’s bubble bath while she scrubbed. Wasn’t like she had anything else about this day to enjoy..unless it was the smell of that luscious meatloaf she wasn’t eating. Jenny’s stomach felt hollow. So hollow it ached. If she starved and died before morning it would be all HIS fault. People wouldn’t think he was such a great lawyer then..letting his little girl expire from hunger.

Once cleaned up, in a fresh white nightgown, Jenny searched her room for an overlooked apple or cookie she might have hidden on some other occasion. When she found a shriveled bread crust under her bed, she rejoiced. Sure didn’t taste good though and eating it made her thirsty.
Dirty darn.

Wonder what everybody was doing downstairs? Jenny thought longingly of the after dinner times when she wasn’t a prisoner in her room. Too bad this was the night Uncle Heath promised to show her some tricks on the billiard table. And yesterday Grandma said she might take the last Godey’s Lady’s Book to cut out paper dolls. There was one beautiful lady Jenny couldn’t wait to cut out. She looked just like Mama use to in the blue flowered dress Daddy brought her from San Francisco.

When she couldn’t stand the quiet any longer, Jenny tiptoed out of her room. Careful not to get caught, she crept along the hallway until she could peek through the railings on the stairs. Everyone must be in the study. Jenny heard Uncle Heath laughing. Rumbling of Uncle Nick talking , Grandma answering. Just thinking about everyone happy without her, Jenny’s bottom lip quivered as hot tears dripped from her eyes. It wasn’t fair. What’d she do so wrong anyway? It wasn’t like she was reading “Dirty Dan” when she got caught. Miserable, Jenny pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapped her arms around them and felt sorry for herself. Being punished might not be so awful if she’d actually done something wrong. Course, she was probably being punished for not coming straight home too. It was hard to tell sometimes why she was being punished. She did so many things Daddy called, “exasperating!” Whatever that meant.

Soot came along the hall, purring, rubbing up against Jenny’s nightgown..

“You’re my only friend, Sootie,” Jenny told the cat mournfully, petting him behind the ears. He purred, twisting over on his back, stretching his legs out so Jenny would keep petting his head. When Jenny picked him up, his breath smelled like meatloaf. Even the cat got meatloaf! Jenny pushed Soot away and he went pouncing on down the stairs. Free to go wherever he pleased. Not like her. Up here all alone in the dark. Nobody cared about her. Nobody in the whole world..not even her cat. Probably Soot was going to find more meatloaf scraps.

Jenny sniffed, wiping away tears. Life sure was not fair. Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown, Jenny got up and went back to her room. Not that she wanted to go in that dark room alone. That dark, scary room. Probably HE didn’t care that she had to go bed without a lamp. Jenny wasn’t allowed to light a lamp. Not since the afternoon she’d set the curtains in Daddy’s office on fire trying.. Usually, Daddy or someone else came up with her and left the lamp on low till she went to sleep. Heart pounding, Jenny raced from the door, jumped onto her bed burying her face in the pillow. Maybe if she didn’t look she wouldn’t be afraid of that spooky chair that always looked like a wolf about to pounce. Hiding in the pillow, Jenny finally gave into her misery and cried.

It wasn’t until the bed shifted sideways that Jenny realized Daddy had come into the room and sat down beside her.

“Jenny,” he said sadly, “sit up so we can talk.”

“You won’t let me talk,” Jenny didn’t care if it did make him angry. “You’ll just yell some more.”

“I’m not going to yell, honey, sit up.”

Jenny. Honey. Well, maybe if he’d got to that stage it might be okay to talk to him. Jenny rolled over and sat up, wiping her eyes. Daddy handed her a handkerchief to finish the job so Jenny made sure to swipe it across her drippy nose too. While she did that, Daddy stood up to light the lamp. As he sat down beside her. Jenny noticed how tired and sad he looked. Probably because of her. It wasn’t pretending when she said, “I really am truly sorry for what I did today, Daddy.”

“Jenny, why do you do these things? You’ve been told countless times not to read dime novels or those serials in The Examiner. Not at home and especially not hidden in your Geography book. Why?”

It was unfair that Daddy and Sister Patience were both punishing her for reading the ‘Dirty Dan” serial when she hadn’t been reading that at all. Well...not right when she got caught. If she hadn’t been reading that Father of the Year advertisement, she would have heard Sister call her name. But she couldn’t tell Daddy that.

He was watching her, not angry now but puzzled by her behavior. Jenny knew that look well.
“I don’t know.” Sometimes it was the safest answer.

“I think you do know.” Old Counselor Barkley, he might not be angry but he wasn’t going to let her off that easy. “I want you to tell me.”

Jenny wished she could think up a good enough lie. One he’d believe. Not that he ever did. Still, Jenny kept hoping someday she’d find a lie he would believe. Oh, dirty darn, she’d just have to tell the truth. “I got sleepy listening to Billy try an’ bound the New England States. He did it over and over, even Sister Patience kept yawning. There wasn’t anything else interesting to do so I wanted to read something exciting.”

“Was that what you were suppose to be doing then?”’

“No,” Jenny shook her head sadly, repeating Sister Patience’s words by heart, “I was suppose to be listening attentively to other student’s recite, giving them the same courtesy and consideration I would expect myself. Also, I was not to waste time by frittering it away reading worthless literature. When I do I cheat only myself. I clutter my mind up with useless ideas. I am also a great disappointment to Sister because she expects better things of a Barkley, especially Victoria Barkley’s granddaughter.”

“Jenny,” stay calm, Jarrod told himself, “You shouldn’t mock the Sisters, they’re only thinking of your best interests.” Jenny made a face...like she believed THAT, but Jarrod plowed on hopefully, “and I want you to respect them and listen to what they tell you to do. Is that understood? Jennifer?”

Pouting, Jenny nodded. Back to Jennifer again.

“I also insist that you stop reading dime novels and the serials in the Examiner. Do you understand that?” When she gave him another resentful nod, Jarrod brushed the curls from her eyes. “Because if I catch you at it again, you’re going to wish you’d kept your nose in your Geography book.”

“Yes, sir.” Jenny couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. It wasn’t fair. If she wanted to fritter her mind away on useless literature, why should anybody care? If she ever had a little girl of her own, she wouldn’t care what she read.

“And another thing, Sister Patience tells me that several notes she’s sent home with you have been “lost” along the way. Do you know what I call that, Jenny?”

She didn’t but no doubt he wouldn’t leave her in the dark for long. He didn’t. “Deception. You certainly know the meaning of that word don’t you?”

“Lying,” she whispered. Jenny wondered where she’d gone wrong. When she told Sister Patience she’d lost the notes, she’d made sure to keep her eyes wide and innocent while she crossed her fingers behind her back.

“Do you know what happens to little girls who lie and keep on lying?” Jenny was quite sure she didn’t want to know but he told her anyway. “They eventually get in serious trouble. “

Jarrod took her chin in his hand, tilted her head up so she had to look him square in the eyes. “Little girls who expect to be taken to San Francisco should behave or they won’t be going. Do you understand, Jennifer? And the next time you’re told to come straight home...you’d better not be making any stops along the way.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Jenny quavered, tears spilling over. Why’d he have to be so angry at her? It made her stomach ache thinking he might be so angry he wouldn’t love her anymore. Maybe he didn’t love her, maybe she was too naughty for him to ever love again. Jenny couldn’t stand not knowing, “I’m truly sorry, Daddy, truly. Do you still love me?”

He looked surprised. “Jenny, I will never stop loving you.”

“Even when I’m a terrible, terrible little girl?” Jenny found she did feel truly sorry now for making him sad. “You probably wish you had a really, really good little girl like Emily Parker. You shouldn’t have me!” Jenny sobbed, wishing just for the moment that she could be the really good little girl Daddy must want.

“Jenny,” he pulled her up into a hug, kissing her ear, “I don’t think I’d like Emily Parker for a daughter at all.”

Jenny pressed her face into his shoulder, crying freely, “She’s always so good...better’n me.”

“Let me tell you a secret,” he whispered in her ear, “before I courted your Mama I never had much success with blonds."

Jenny felt a giggle bubbling up from her tears. When she looked at Daddy, he was smiling. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he answered, giving her another hug and a few spanks....the ones that didn’t hurt at all. Jenny thought it might be a warning that he could also give the kind that hurt...a lot and she’d better start behaving. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“Silas is keeping your dinner hot in the kitchen and after that you’ve got homework to do.”

Surprised, how did he KNOW everything, Jenny widened her eyes, “But I told you I did my homework already.”

He gave her a look. It said he’d known all along she hadn’t done any homework. “Daddy, how do you always know when I’m not telling the truth?”

“Jenny, if I told you that I would lose most of the advantage I have in being your Father.”

After Jenny was pleasantly full of Silas’ meatloaf and Grandma’s mashed potatoes, she decided it hadn’t been such an awful day after all. Maybe she’d even go ahead and write that Father of the Year essay. Daddy wasn’t really so bad.-

Jenny finished drinking her milk, thinking up words she might use to describe what a wonderful Father she had. Daddy came back to see if she’d finished, started to hand over her saddle bags with her schoolbooks then thought better of it. Sitting down, he opened them himself.

Suddenly, Jenny saw the insides of those saddle bags clearly. There was a lot more than school books in there. Her mouth went dry, “What are you doing, Daddy?”

“Looking for contraband.”

Jenny wasn’t sure she knew what that word meant, but when he found the two dime novels she had hidden and the last three issues of the Examiner, she understood perfectly. Raising his eyebrows, he stared at her. “I would’ve given ‘em back,” Jenny mumbled.

“I’ll save you the trouble,” oh, she just hated it when he smiled like that! Like he could see inside her brain and knew every thought she thought. Like he knew if she was told to return them she’d read them before she did. “I’m sure these belong to one of the ranch hands....probably your new friend, Chet.”

Feeling sorry for Chet, he’d get an earful once Daddy got through yelling at him. Jenny watched as Daddy took the Examiners tossing them into the wood box. Silas kept scraps of newspaper along with the kindling for starting fires there. Jenny’s only thought then was a regretful, “ I never got to finish that last installment of ‘Dirty Dan..” Later, lying in bed, just about to drift off to sleep, Jenny had another thought. Father of the Year!

Oh, no! One of those Examiners had the advertisement for the Father of the Year essay in it! If she didn’t get it back, she’d never be able to enter the contest. Jenny sat up, trying to think of an idea. Somehow, before tomorrow morning when Silas built up the kitchen fire for breakfast, she had to get that Examiner back. She had to! If she didn’t win that Father of the Year contest, she might never make it to San Francisco. Not if she counted on being a good little girl. Jenny had no illusions about herself. She’d never be an Emily Parker.

Chapter 4

Jarrod went to bed that night oblivious to the fact that Jenny would not be staying in hers. The day had been too exhausting, too depressing with losing his case and having to face Sister Patience in the same afternoon. All Jarrod wanted was sleep. Peaceful, quiet sleep in his comfortable bed secure in the knowledge that Jenny was safe in bed. As he laid his head down on the pillow he wondered, yawning, if all parents were glad when their children were tucked in bed. Or just parents of children like Jenny. His last waking thought that night was, at least she won’t get into any trouble in the next eight hours. Comforting thought...

In the bedroom next to Jarrod’s, Jenny struggled to stay awake. Sooner or later everyone in the house would be asleep and she could sneak down to the kitchen for the Examiner. Yawn after yawn, Jenny fought the urge to lay her head down on her pillow. Trouble was, Jenny wasn’t sure where anyone was at in the house or when they would go to bed. Daddy, she knew, had gone right to bed after he’d checked on her, blew out the lamp and given her a last kiss goodnight. Pretending to be asleep then, Jenny strained her ears until she was certain Daddy’s door had closed. Grandma had gone to bed earlier. Jenny knew that because she’d come in to kiss her goodnight too. Aunt Audra had gone into Stockton to have dinner with that handsome new ranch hand, Bill. If she had come home, Jenny wouldn’t know. She’d have to chance Aunt Audra catching her.

It wouldn’t matter much if Aunt Audra did catch her up to something. Jenny had found early on that Aunt Audra could be counted on to look the other way about most mischief. Especially if Jenny promised never to do it again. Aunt Audra always said she remembered getting in trouble with Daddy too.

Uncle Nick and Uncle Heath could be problems. Jenny didn’t know where they were or when they’d go to bed. If she didn’t want to fall asleep before she got the Examiner, she’d have to hope they didn’t catch her. Not that there was anything so wrong in going down to her own kitchen to get a newspaper out of the scrap box. Except...all Jenny needed was someone to mention it to Daddy, for him to get the wrong idea and think she was sneaking a peek at “Dirty Dan” again.

Slowly, carefully, Jenny pushed off her quilts. As quietly as possible, she climbed out of bed.
Tiptoeing toward the bedroom door, Jenny pressed her ear against it, listening for any sound from the hall. Quiet.

Holding her breath, Jenny turned the knob and opened the door one halting inch at a time. All quiet. Her heart pounded so loud, Jenny heard it throbbing in her own ears. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her door shut trying not to make a sound. Closed, good!

Jenny waited while her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the hall. Not even a faint moonbeam lit the deep, black void as Jenny stood by her door. Sure looked awful scary. What was that! Staring, heart thudding louder, Jenny stared at a big, hulking shape halfway down the hall. Was it moving! Almost in a panic, Jenny turned to grab for her doorknob...where was it?..when her common sense took over. Wasn’t there always a table in that spot? With Grandma’s pretty lamp, the one with the yellow roses on the chimney? Sure, it wasn’t a monster but the table. A plain, old everyday wooden table with Grandma’s lamp. Jenny smiled at her own silly fear. Imagine! Scared of an old table. What would Uncle Nick say?

Uncle Nick. Uncle Heath. Better scoot to the kitchen and get back before they showed up from somewhere.

Walking slowly along the hallway, fingers pressed against the wallpaper, door, wallpaper, door, wallpaper, door, Jenny made her way to the kitchen stairs. On the landing she stopped, stared down, ears straining. Not a sound. No light either. Jenny looked down the stairs into nothing but dark. Maybe she’d take her chance at getting the paper back in the morning? Maybe she wouldn’t try to get it back at all? Five hundred words was an awful lot of words. Jenny suddenly wasn’t altogether certain she could think up five hundred words about Daddy.

She’d just decided to turn around and go back to her room when a sudden sounds of footsteps coming up the front stairs sent her scuttling down to the kitchen. Quickly, she looked around for a place to hide afraid the footsteps would keep coming. It would help if her heartbeat slowed down so she could hear something but it’s frantic pounding in her ears. Jenny hid for what seemed like forever beside the china cabinet.

After waiting, legs and arms tensed, Jenny finally realized no one was coming. Letting out her breath in relief, Jenny relaxed.

All this over a darned newspaper!

Jenny walked to the woodbox, found the Examiners on top and grabbed up all three. Holding them against her chest, she tiptoed toward the stairs with every intention of running up and jumping back into bed. No, wait! If she took all three Examiners, Daddy might somehow get suspicious. What if he checked, just to make sure she hadn’t taken them back? Be just like him. Not trusting his own little girl who never did anything wrong. Well, she’d just have to put two of them back or maybe...Jenny’s eyes lit up with her wonderful idea. She’d find the advertisement for Father of the Year, tear it out and leave all THREE newspapers! Ha!

Spreading the newspapers out on the kitchen table, Jenny saw her first problem with that idea. There was no light to read the ad. A dim light came in the kitchen window but not enough to read anything. The newsprint was all a blur. Jenny thought of lighting a match. Surely lighting a match wasn’t the same as lighting a lamp. Still, Jenny decided with how her day had already gone she’d probably set the kitchen on fire and get in worse trouble.

After a few agonizing seconds of indecision, Jenny solved her dilemma by holding the newspapers up to the dim light by the window. Thankfully, the first Examiner she tried had the Father of the Year boxed advertisement in it. Jenny tore it out, clenched it in her fist so she couldn’t possibly lose it on the way upstairs. Throwing the other papers back into the wood box, Jenny smiled broadly. Fooled you, Daddy! You won’t ever know I was down here.

Jenny had walked up three steps when she heard the first sounds of trouble. Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no. Uncle Nick!

“How the devil do you suppose that happened?” He asked someone, his voice loud as it came from the foyer.

Later, Jenny thought how stupid it was not to just run on UP the stairs and get into her bedroom before Uncle Nick came in the kitchen. At that second, in panic, all she thought of was getting away. Like an animal caught in a trap, she started up, then down, running in a frantic circle that ended up with her running out the back door, closing it quietly behind her. Scrunching down beside the door in the shadows Jenny made herself as small as possible. Hoping Uncle Nick would get what he wanted from the kitchen and go back to bed.

“I don’t know,” Uncle Heath answered as they both came into the kitchen. One of them lit a lamp because Jenny saw the glow out the kitchen door. She scooted carefully back into the deeper darkness. “I’m just telling ya’ there’s about a thousand mosquitoes in that room and I can’t sleep in there.”

Uncle Nick must be rummaging for a snack. Jenny heard cupboard doors opening, closing, the bang of glasses on the table. “You could sleep...mumble, mumble...in...mumble...” His head must be inside a cupboard because Jenny couldn’t hear everything he said.

“Might just do...mumble, mumble, mumble,” Uncle Heath answered. “Pour me some milk too, will ya?”

They moved away, their voices fading, came back, chairs scooting away from the table. Hurry up! Hurry up! Jenny pulled her nightgown down over her knees, tucking the hem over her feet. It was cold out here. “Jenny.” When she heard her name, her heart jolted...they knew she was out here! Too scared to run, Jenny waited to be discovered then understood they were just talking about her.

“Think Jarrod gave her any dinner?”

Uncle Nick snorted. “I doubt Jenny went to bed hungry. Did ja see how Pappy couldn’t hardly eat a bite at dinner? He worried about her the whole time.”

Surprised, Jenny strained closer to hear more. Daddy couldn’t eat because he was worried about her? This was news.

For the next few minutes she heard forks clinking plates, chairs scrapping back, quiet conversation as Uncle Nick and Uncle Heath talked about Aunt Audra and Bill...they didn’t think much of Bill...Jenny heard. When she was about frozen, her teeth were beginning to chatter, they finally stood up. “I’m going on up to bed. We gotta get an early start in the morning,” Uncle Nick said.

“I’ll get the lamp,” Uncle Heath answered. A second later, the light went out from the window. Finally! Jenny wiggled the feeling back into her frozen toes. Shivering, she waited for all to be quiet before she got up. Instead of the quiet she heard an awful sound. Someone slid the bolt on the door! It was locked!
“Dirty Darn,” Jenny fumed, “now I’m locked out!”

Angry tears sprang into Jenny’s eyes. It just wasn’t fair! Why did these things happen to her? Now how was she suppose to get inside and back in bed? Although there wasn’t much chance the front door was unlocked, Jenny walked around and tried anyway. Locked. Knocking wouldn’t do any good either. Wasn’t anybody in that house Jenny wanted to know she was outside where she shouldn’t be this time of night. Dirty, dirty darn.

Sitting down on the veranda, Jenny tried to come up with a plan. One that wouldn’t involve Daddy. Uncle Eugene! Jenny didn’t usually think much about Uncle Eugene. He’d been going to school so long and wasn’t home a whole lot that Jenny sometimes forgot she had an Uncle Eugene. Tonight, when she needed a way into the house he was the first person who popped into her mind. Uncle Eugene and the nice, helpful trellis that led up into his room. Jenny might never have thought of the trellis as a way into the house if she hadn’t spent hours listening to stories of how Aunt Audra and Uncle Eugene use to sneak into the house at night. Secretly, she’d kept the thought tucked away that some night she might need that trellis.

Jenny walked around the house to the trellis. What about the window? Surprisingly, Jenny could see it was open a good two inches. If it was open, she could raise it higher. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. Jenny had always been good at climbing. The trellis looked very easy climbing. The vines curling in and around the wooden slats might give her some problems but Jenny knew she’d have to see it through. Vines or no vines, she had to get up that trellis and back to bed.

Before she started the climb, Jenny took the Father of the Year advertisement, wrapped it up in the cuff of her nightgown rolling the sleeve almost to her elbow to hold it in place. Too bad her feet were bare, cold too, it made finding footholds harder. Still, Jenny had gotten halfway up the side of the house, only tripping once on the hem of her nightgown. The vines were a problem but if Jenny hadn’t been able to grab them as she slipped off a slat, she’d have fallen all the way to the ground.

It was while she was trying to find a handhold through a jungle of vines that she heard a buggy coming quietly toward the house. The horse was walking slowly, as if someone wanted to muzzle the sound in case anyone happened to be listening. Jenny froze. If the buggy didn’t stop in front of the house, whoever rode in it couldn’t help but see her. Breathing harder, Jenny struggled to climb faster.

“The front door’s locked,” Jenny heard Aunt Audra whisper.

Bill, it had to be Bill, whispered something back. Jenny couldn’t hear but Aunt Audra giggled in a silly way. They stood talking a few minutes while Jenny scraped her toes hurrying to get inside. All she needed was Aunt Audra or Bill coming around here.

“I’ll climb up the trellis,” Aunt Audra was saying as Jenny frantically pulled herself up the last of the vines, pushed up the window, lay on her stomach on the windowsill and dropped into the room. Breathing in gasps, Jenny realized her breathing wasn’t the only sound she heard in the room. There was someone in the bed!

“Who’s there?” Uncle Heath! Why was he sleeping in here?

Jenny dared not move. If he lit the lamp... Thankfully, he didn’t. He did sit up, put his feet over the side of the bed and start toward the window, hampered a little by being in an unfamiliar room. Trapped, Jenny could make out just his shape by the whiteness of his long johns moving in her direction. When he tripped over something in the floor, fussing, Jenny scrambled up darting under the bed before he realized what was going on.

“Who’s there?” He called louder, fumbling now to find the lamp. Jenny put her hands over her face. If he lit the lamp and looked under the bed....crash! He’d bumped into the table and turned over the lamp. Jenny smelled the kerosene leaking out. Uncle Heath said a few words Jenny hadn’t ever heard him say before. He thrashed around the room, stamping around a few minutes before satisfying himself that he must have imagined the whole thing. “Must have been a dream,” he mumbled getting back into bed. “Or that pesky cat!”

Under the bed, Jenny felt the bed sink over her head as Uncle Heath got back under the covers. What a horrible predicament! Laying on her stomach, Jenny could have sobbed. Now she’d have to wait until Uncle Heath went back to sleep to get out. For the first time that day, Jenny wished...she’d wish on a thousand stars...that she could be as good as Emily Parker. A few silent tears slid down Jenny’s cheeks, dripping on the floor.

Later, Jenny tried to remember exactly what had happened next. One second she’d been under the bed, trying to choke back her sobs. The next, her eyes widened as she saw first a hand, then a head, then a whole body shape coming over the windowsill. A ghost! Terrified, Jenny scooted further back under the bed, ready to wake up Uncle Heath to protect her. She’d just reached up from under the bed to grab his leg when the ghost tripped over something in the floor...Uncle Heath’s boots it sounded like...and squealed just like Aunt Audra.

Whether it was Aunt Audra’s squeal or the fact that Jenny had just grabbed his leg in a clench that dug her nails in, Uncle Heath yelled and came roaring out of the bed. It must have scared Aunt Audra because she screamed and went running for the door. Opening it, she crashed out into the hall. Uncle Heath shouted, “Nick! Jarrod! Someone’s broke in!” and went running out after Aunt Audra.

Jenny took that opportunity, while they were stumbling around out there in the dark, to hurry out from under the bed and make a run for her room. Just as she got past Uncle Nick’s door, he came running out, alerted by Uncle Heath’s shouts. Quickly, Jenny dropped down on all fours so no one would see her. Uncle Nick didn’t. He tripped, fell, crashing loudly into the table Jenny had been scared of earlier. Grandma’s lamp smashed to smithereens against the wall as Jenny scampered on into her room, jumped into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Grandma must have come rushing out of her room, bringing a lamp into the picture. “Nick! What happened, your head is bleeding?”

“Audra!” Uncle Nick shouted, “Where the devil did you come from?”

“Were you in Eugene’s room?” Uncle Heath bellowed, “trying to sneak into the house?”

Jenny hid under the blankets, shaking all over while the arguing and shouting went on out in the hall. Naturally, Daddy was there too, shouting at Aunt Audra...poor Aunt Audra...everyone was sure yelling at her tonight. Grandma was furious, you could tell...the whole time she went to get bandages for Uncle Nick’s head and heard the story about how Uncle Heath’s room was full of mosquitoes so she moved over to Uncle Eugene’s...she kept on scolding Aunt Audra. Finally, Aunt Audra burst into tears running into her room and slamming the door. That set Daddy off again but there wasn’t much he could do unless he wanted to bust the door down.

Uncle Nick never stopped shouting. His head couldn’t be hurt too badly Jenny decided if he could keep roaring like that. Uncle Heath got in a few choice words, complaining about the way his leg hurt but nobody paid him much attention. Jenny wondered how long it would take him to realize someone had been under the bed while Aunt Audra came in the window?

After a little while, Grandma pronounced Uncle Nick fixed up for now and ordered everyone back to bed. They’d talk about it in the morning. Jenny tried to lay still, to calm the furious thumping of her heart. Boy howdy, maybe she’d better just forget that Father of the Year essay.

Life sure would be safer if she did.

Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Jenny stood outside the dining room wearing a gray linen school dress with a black collar and matching sash. “That dress always makes you look so grown up,” Grandma always said when she wore it. This morning, Jenny hoped it was true. That she looked so grown up no one would question her about last night. Standing on one black booted foot after another, Jenny chewed her bottom lip listening to the conversation around the breakfast table. Trying to decide if she dared go on in.

“I’m telling you!” Uncle Nick shouted, “there was something or someone in that hall! I fell over it when I came out of my room.”

Uh, oh.

“What?” Daddy asked reasonably, sounding not angry but amused. “A bear perhaps? A ghost? Or no...I know...the dreaded Soot?”

“Go ahead and make fun,” Uncle Nick grumbled, “I’m telling you there was something there.”

“Mother came out of her room not two seconds after we heard you crash into the table. All we saw was Audra trying to help you up, you bleeding all over the rug and Heath yelling his head off about someone breaking into the house.”

“How was I to know it was just Audra sneaking up the trellis,” Uncle Heath sounded embarrassed, like he might be blushing and ducking his head as he spoke, “I heard a sound, saw someone running for the door. What was I suppose to think? And I agree with Nick. I might’ve not seen anything in the hall but I’m telling ya’ right before Audra fell over my boots, something came out from under the bed and got it’s fangs in my leg.”

“Heath,” Grandma interrupted, “if you’d like me to look at that wound I could put some ointment on it.”

“No, thanks, Mother,” Uncle Heath answered quickly. “I doctored it myself.”

Out in the hall, Jenny wondered just how badly she’d wounded him.

“I think,” Daddy chuckled, “you are both imagining things.”

“Are you sure,” Grandma asked Uncle Heath, “that it wasn’t just Soot climbing on the bed?”

“No, ma’am. These are strange marks. I been scratched by that cat enough times to know what his claw marks look like.”

So far it sounded as if no one suspected her. Was it safe to eat breakfast? Dare she? Jenny’s stomach grumbled wanting some of that sausage that smelled so good.

“There was something there,” Uncle Nick repeated, “and I’m going to find out who or what it was!”

That didn’t sound good. Uncle Nick could be tenacious. Still, Jenny was starved. When she couldn’t stand the waiting another second, Jenny took a deep breath, prayed, “Don’t let them know it was me. Don’t let them know it was me.” And walked into the dining room.

“Good morning, honey,” Daddy smiled. That was a good sign. When he returned Jenny’s hug and kiss, her spirits soared. Maybe no one suspected. She walked around the table, careful to skirt Uncle Nick’s chair. He sure did look like a bear this morning. Kissed Grandma good morning and went to the buffet.

“Good morning, Uncle Heath, Uncle Nick,” Jenny said sliding into her chair after dishing up a plate of sausage and eggs.

“Morning, Jenny,” Uncle Heath answered, staring hard at his plate with a puzzled expression in his eyes. Still trying to figure out what had happened last night. Jenny figured he probably wished he’d slept with the mosquitoes.

“Um, hum” Uncle Nick grumbled, staring into his cup of coffee with a scowl. He wore a bandage over his right eye. The beginnings of a black eye showed around it. Jenny took a bite of sausage and stared. Dare she ask?

“How’d you hurt your head, Uncle Nick?” Jenny asked with an innocent look on her face.

Uncle Nick looked up, growled. “How’d I hurt my head, “ he mocked, “don’t tell me you don’t know, Jennifer Barkley. I don’t remember seeing you in all the fracas. Maybe you were out there in the hall. Or under Heath’s bed.”

Jenny chocked on a bite of egg as it went down the wrong way. Did he KNOW? Or was he guessing hoping she’d trip herself up? Dirty darn, how was she suppose to answer that?
Before Jenny could think of an answer, Daddy spoke up.

“Leave her alone, Nick.”

Yeah, Uncle Nick, leave me alone.

“She was in bed, I checked on her myself after Audra locked herself in her room.”

“In bed,” Nick stared hard at her. Jenny couldn’t stand it and looked down at her plate, heart pounding in sudden fear, “I find it mighty strange that somebody, especially Little Miss Nosy here, slept through all the noise right outside her door.”

“Nick!” Grandma scolded, noticing the tears that filmed in Jenny’s eyes. Little Miss Nosy indeed! “You know Jenny’s always been a sound sleeper. During that last earthquake she didn’t wake up even when Jarrod carried her outside.”
“Yes, Nick,” Daddy pressed on, “I’ll thank you to keep my daughter out of this. Just because you and Heath got scared out of your wits because our little sister came sneaking in on the trellis...which I might add she’s done hundreds of times before...and you both went tripping and falling over your own feet , it’s no reason to blame Jenny.”

Yeah, Jenny thought, don’t blame me. Gratefully, she looked at Jarrod with adoration. He was a wonderful Daddy. Well, most of the time. Jenny finally felt able to draw a deep breath of relief and turn her attention back to breakfast. Uncle Nick kept glaring at her suspiciously, his dark eyes sizing her up. He didn’t like things he couldn’t explain. It made Jenny nervous, knowing Uncle Nick wouldn’t stop until he figured it out.

“I never tripped over my boots,” Uncle Heath complained to no one in particular. “Audra tripped over my boots. I never tripped over anything...just got my leg clawed.”

“Well, whoever tripped over what,” Grandma said, “I lost two lamps last night.”

“Is that how Uncle Nick hurt his head?” Jenny asked boldly, staring at Uncle Nick’s growly face.

“He tripped and hit his head on the table,” Grandma dismissed it lightly, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Tripped over something,” Uncle Nick objected in a roar, “or someone which is why I now have a splitting headache.”

“Probably don’t hurt as much as my leg,” Uncle Heath complained, “and you don’t hear me fuming’. Jarrod, please pass the biscuits.”

Daddy handed the biscuits to Jenny who passed them on to Uncle Heath with a big smile. Too bad she’d hurt his leg. If she hadn’t been so scared last night, or else remembered that Aunt Audra was coming up the trellis behind her. When she’d dropped into Uncle Eugene’s room and heard Uncle Heath, terror chased every other thought out of her head. Poor Uncle Heath, she hoped she hadn’t hurt him too badly.

Uncle Nick grumbled, stabbing his eggs and sausage like he had to kill each bite before he put it in his mouth. After silently listening to a few minutes of pleasant, everyday conversation around the table, Uncle Nick groused again, “And where is the cause of our losing most of a night’s sleep this morning? Has Queen Audra decided not to grace us with her presence? Mother, you’re going to have to take a firm hand with her or I’m going to...”

“I’ll speak to your sister, Nicholas,” Jenny cringed at the frosty tone Grandma used but it sure didn’t cool Uncle Nick down any.

“You’d better, or you’ll wind up with a son in law named Bill! I told you two weeks ago Audra was seeing too much of him.”

Daddy glanced up from his own breakfast, “Didn’t I tell you he was trouble, Nick? I told you when you hired him.”

“I did too,” Uncle Heath agreed, “I said that first day he was makin’ eyes at Audra and we’d have to keep an eye on him.”

Jenny slid down in her seat, unnoticed, she hoped. Listening quietly while the grownups argued on. It wasn’t often they forgot she was around and had a really interesting conversation. Eating her sausage was spiced with the tidbits she overheard. Like how Chet had seen Aunt Audra and Bill parked in a buggy up near Lover’s Leap. Jenny knew for a fact, from eavesdropping, that even Mama and Daddy hadn’t parked a buggy there until they were married. Not that she understood what Uncle Nick was so worked up about. Too bad Daddy had to notice how wide her eyes were, shaking his head to stop the conversation.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Grandma said, glancing in Jenny’s direction too. Dirty darn, just when it was getting interesting too.

Uncle Nick, thumping his foot under the table, picked up his coffee cup. “Audra gets away with too much!” He said angrily, still outraged that Daddy and Uncle Heath had questioned his hiring of Bill. Of course, once Uncle Nick was that mad, he kept finding things to get madder about. Jenny wished he hadn’t turned his mad on her at that particular moment.

“And you!” He shouted, pointing his finger at Jenny. “I got some complaints about you too, Missy.”

Startled, Jenny swallowed half a biscuit whole. Grabbing for a glass of milk to wash it down quick. Had he suddenly realized he’d fallen over her?

“What kind of complaints, Nick?” Daddy spoke in her behalf, lowering the newspaper he’d just picked up to read.

“Well, now,” Uncle Nick turned to Daddy with a half smile on his face, “it’s about that pony of hers.”

Fancy? Had Fancy gotten in the hall too? Or did Uncle Nick just think that?

“The past three days you’ve done a slipshod job on mucking out that pony’s stall.”

Boy howdy, was that all? How well she cleaned out Fancy’s stall? Jenny felt like crying in relief or jumping up and down for joy. If that was ALL...

“Well, Uncle Nick, I tried to do a good job,” Jenny answered in her most pitiful voice. She looked toward Daddy, hoping he’d step in to defend her on this. Instead, he picked up his Stockton Eagle in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. Jenny’s heart sank to the bottom of her stomach knowing she’d get no help on that subject. If she messed up on ranch work, she answered to Uncle Nick. Not Daddy.

“Tried ain’t good enough,” Uncle Nick scolded, angrier than usual because his head hurt and he still didn’t know how it had happened. It riled him. Jenny figured even if he didn’t know he’d tripped over her, she was still paying the price by listening to his ill humor. “You got a horse, he’s your responsibility. How many times I got to tell you that? You want me to take that pony away for awhile?”

“Yes, Uncle Nick, No, Uncle Nick,” Jenny answered in confusion. Which answer was right?

“When you get home today, I want that stall spotless! And just so you get a good feel for the job, you can do two extra stalls too.”

“Why, Uncle Nick?” Mistake number one. Never question Nick Barkley’s rules of ranch work.

“Because I said so!” He roared, rubbing his head from the pain yelling caused.

Uncle Heath butted in, “That’s a mighty big job for a little girl,” he objected.

“Stay out of this, Heath,” Uncle Nick scowled.

Help, Daddy, help, Jenny pleaded staring at the back of his newspaper. He wouldn’t. They’d been over this painful route before. If it had to do with Jenny’s ranch chores, Uncle Nick was boss. Daddy always said he was, “judge, jury and dispenser of sentences.” Jenny had tried a few times to wiggle out of Uncle Nick’s “sentences” but found out a hard fact. Uncle Nick showed no mercy.

“Daddy, do I have to?” Jenny asked hopefully, knowing even before he answered.

“It won’t hurt you to clean out a few extra stalls,” he said from behind his paper, “it might even keep you out of trouble for awhile.”

Jenny sighed. There went most of her playtime this afternoon, mucking out stinky old horse stalls. “Yes, sir.” And how was she suppose to find time to write her essay?

“You ready, Heath,” Uncle Nick asked now that he’d settled at least one thing that morning. “We got work to do.” He stood up suddenly, holding his head, grimacing in pain. “Course, I don’t know how I’m going to do anything with my head busting like this.”

Uncle Heath stood up too, rubbing his left thigh. Hm, must have grabbed him there, Jenny thought, remembering how well she’d dug her nails into the flesh. Sure must hurt. “I’d rather have a headache than this leg. Hope I don’t get gangrene in it.”

Jenny lowered her eyes to her plate. Surprised to hear Daddy and Grandma burst out laughing when her uncles left the room.
“Those two!” Grandma laughed, “Every time I remember how it must have been with both of them stumbling over one another in the dark. Audra trying to sneak into her room...”

They both went off in gales of laughter, talking over one detail after another. It sure sounded funny hearing them rehashing it, but Jenny’s heart still pounded each time she remembered how scared she’d been hiding under that bed.

Once Daddy quit laughing, he folded his paper, finished up his coffee and got up. “You little lady,” he said to Jenny, “come straight home from school, do your chores and homework.”

“Yes, Daddy.” After last night, she’d be glad to do everything she was suppose to do! Anything to keep suspicious Uncle Nick from finding out he’d tripped over her.

“And Jenny, you’d better not give your Uncle Nick a hard time today. Make sure you do a proper job on the stalls. You know what will happen if you don’t.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. As if she could forget! “Uncle Nick will start yelling about how this is a working ranch, missy.”

Grandma and Daddy looked at one another and burst out laughing again. Boy howdy, some people sure could laugh at the worst things. They sure never been yelled at by Uncle Nick like she had or they wouldn’t think it was so funny.

“Go get your schoolbooks,” Daddy said, finally stopping long enough to say, “we can ride into town together.,”

Jenny swiped her napkin over her lips. Standing up she grabbed an extra biscuit to eat on the way and ran upstairs. As she put her books into her saddle bags, Jenny thought about the Father of the Year advertisement that had caused so much trouble the night before. Where to hide it?
Because Jenny was responsible for keeping her own room tidied, her bed made, chances are no one would come in here while she was at school. Still, Jenny decided not to take a chance on anyone finding it. Laying down on the floor, Jenny pulled her Sunday slippers out from under the bed. What better hiding place than in the toe of her shoe?

Right before she folded the piece of paper into the shoe, Jenny glanced again at the ad. One sentence near the bottom popped out at her. One she hadn’t seen before. “All essay entries must be written in ink.”

INK?

Jenny tasted disappointment. Ink? Only too well she remembered her last experience with ink. She’d been playing around on Daddy’s desk, which was NOT allowed, when a bottle of ink upset. How was she to know those messy looking papers lying there, under a rapidly spreading pool of blue ink, were important briefs Daddy had spent all night writing? Oh, he was furious.
Jenny shuddered just thinking about it. How was she suppose to write 500 words in ink?

“Jenny!” Daddy called, “Hurry up or you’ll be late.”

“I’m coming,” Jenny called back, stuffing that dratted advertisement into the toe of her shoe. Grabbing up her saddlebags, she ran toward the stairs.

Ink.

One thing about it, ink sure couldn’t get her in as much trouble as she’d gotten into last night.

Or could it?

Chapter 6

Jenny managed to stay out of trouble at school that day. Sister Patience, feeling certain Jenny had been properly chastised at home from her subdued manner, was especially kind to her. So kind in fact that Jenny thought long and hard about asking her about the ink business. A few times, Sister had passed out ink and pen nibs so the children could practice making curls and swirls in perfect Palmer Manuscript style. It was one of the few times Jenny could remember seeing a nun cry. Maybe she’d just better keep her thoughts to herself and find the ink at home.

Once school was out, Jenny made sure she passed under Daddy’s window at exactly the second he expected to look out and see her riding by. After last night, she wasn’t taking any chances on giving anyone a reason to reprimand her. Feeling virtuous, she rode straight past the path to her secret place, tied Fancy up near the barn and went in the house to change out of her school clothes.

“Grandma! I’m home!”

“Jenny, stop shouting, I’m right here,” Grandma answered coming out of the doorway to the dining room. “If you’re going to imitate your Uncle Nick, pick one of his better qualities.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jenny looked contrite, “I just wanted you to know I’m here so you can tell Daddy I came straight home. I didn’t stop anywhere either.”

“I’m sure Jarrod will appreciate that. Go change your clothes and get started on your chores.”

Yeah, mucking out dirty old horse manure. Yucky! Jenny didn’t mind many job around the ranch but she sure hated that one. She even liked washing dishes better than she liked cleaning out the stables.

Grandma turned to go back into the kitchen where by the smell they were having beef stew for supper. Not as good as meatloaf night, Jenny decided but it was Uncle Nick’s favorite. Maybe Grandma hoped he wouldn’t be as growly at dinner as he was at breakfast. Jenny did. Fervently crossing her fingers that Uncle Nick has forgotten tripping last night or if he did, that dinner would put him in a better humor.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Jenny raced down the hall to her room with every intention of getting the stalls cleaned as quickly as possible. Passing by Aunt Audra’s room, she saw the door was open. Peeking inside, she saw Audra in one her best blue dresses, the one Jenny liked with the long floating sleeves, sitting in front of her mirror pushing her golden hair up on her head. Curious, Jenny walked in.

“What are you doing, Aunt Audra?”

“Just trying my hair a different way,” she answered not seeming to be changed at all by last night’s furor or Grandma’s taking a firm hand with her. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Jenny sat down on the bed so she could watch. Aunt Audra brushed out her hair lovingly, scooped it up into a soft, puffy mound and started putting in hair pins. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Not tonight,” Aunt Audra answered dreamily.

Jenny sat there, watching Aunt Audra smile at herself in the mirror, wishing she could ask what happened at Lover’s Leap to make everyone so awful mad Aunt Audra had gone there. Making up her mind, Jenny decided the worst that could happen was Aunt Audra would tell her it was none of her business.

“Aunt Audra, why did everyone get mad because you went to Lover’s Leap with Bill?”

For just a second, Audra’s eyes looked angry but not at Jenny. “How did you know that?”

“Chet told Uncle Heath and he told Uncle Nick and Uncle Nick told Daddy and they were all awful mad.”

“They were, were they?” Audra’s lips tightened as she drew the brush through her hair with short, angry strokes. “That’s probably why Nick fired Bill today. I knew it was something like that.”

That was too bad, Jenny thought. She always liked Bill. He was so handsome with that dark hair and those sparkling brown eyes. Even if he did pat her on top of the head and call her “itty bitty.” Once he’d loaned her an exciting dime novel to read when she’d been sent along on a picnic with him and Aunt Audra. Uncle Nick laughingly told her she was the chaperone but Jenny didn’t tell him she couldn’t do her job. Not sitting in the buggy reading Bill’s dime novel while he and Aunt Audra went for a walk in the woods. “I liked Bill.”

“Oh, he was alright I suppose, “ Aunt Audra stopped being angry, her face going all dreamy again as she pulled out hair pins rearranging her hair another way. “I was getting tired of him.”

Jenny wondered how that happened. “Aunt Audra, what happens when you go to Lover’s Leap?”

“Oh, you’ll find out when you’re older.” Audra answered in a soft voice. “If Jarrod ever lets you out of the house to find out. I feel sorry for you, Jenny, having Jarrod Barkley for a father.”

What was that suppose to mean? Grown ups were so confusing. Jenny hoped it didn’t happen to her when she got older. “I guess I gotta go clean out the stalls,” she told Aunt Audra glumly, “Uncle Nick’ll be mad if I don’t.”

Jenny stood up from the bed, wishing she could just sit around playing with her hair instead of working in the barn. Must be nice to be grown up so you could do whatever you wanted. No matter what Uncle Nick and Daddy said about Aunt Audra, she didn’t seem to have gotten in any trouble about last night. Jenny sighed. Life was not fair. She’d just reached the door when Aunt Audra’s voice drew her back into the room. “Jenny, what were you doing out in the hall last night?”

The hall! Aunt Audra saw me in the hall! Running back to stand beside her aunt, Jenny clasped her hands in front of her pleading, “Please, don’t tell anyone, please!”

Audra smiled, “Why would I tell anyone? I thought maybe you were scared because of all the yelling and came out to see what was going on. I saw you run back into your room as I was helping Nick up.......oh, Jenny...” Aunt Audra’s face changed, getting serious, “it was you Nick tripped over. You were under Heath’s bed.”

Holding her hands tighter, Jenny stood on first one foot and then another, begging, “Please don’t tell, Aunt Audra, please. I’ll get in awful trouble.”

“What were you doing?”

Jenny told her only enough to satisfy her curiosity. That she’d been down in the kitchen, gotten locked out and had to climb the trellis to get back inside. “When I heard you tell Bill that you were going to climb the trellis, I got up there really fast and hid under the bed. I didn’t know Uncle Heath was sleeping in there...”

“It surprised me too,” Aunt Audra said, “especially when he came shouting out of that bed.”

Up until then, Jenny hadn’t found anything funny about last night. It wasn’t until she met Aunt Audra’s laughing eyes, heard a laugh bust out and then another that Jenny suddenly saw how truly funny it must seem to remember Uncle Heath hearing one person falling over his boots and have something grab his leg from under the bed. Jenny started to laugh, Aunt Audra got up laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach. They both laughed so long tears came to their eyes and they fell onto Audra’s bed tired out from laughing so much.

“Oh, Jenny....I never imagined you were the one that caused all that trouble?”

Jenny sobered suddenly. “I beg your pardon, Aunt Audra, but if you hadn’t climbed in the window too nobody would have known I was even there. I only grabbed Uncle Heath because you scared me and Uncle Nick tripped over me because Uncle Heath woke him up yelling about you.” Trying to blame it all on her!

Audra laughed again.

Jenny sat up. “Aunt Audra you won’t tell anyone will you. Not Daddy or Uncle Nick or Uncle Heath or even Grandma? Promise you won’t. I’ll get in awful trouble if you do. Daddy won’t take me to San Francisco and I bet Uncle Nick will make me clean out horse stalls for a hundred years.”

“But it’s too funny,” Aunt Audra protested, still laughing.

“Please,” tears brimmed and spilled over, “please. I truly didn’t mean for Uncle Nick to get hurt or Uncle Heath. They won’t think it’s funny. Daddy’s already mad at me for all the naughty things I did yesterday and he only knows half of what I did.” Jenny cried harder wishing again that she had never seen that Father of the Year advertisement. All her troubles started yesterday..had it only been yesterday?...when she’d seen that stupid advertisement in the Examiner.

Aunt Audra sat up, putting her arms around her sobbing niece, “Don’t cry, Jenny. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“You won’t?” Jenny looked up with blurry eyes and dripping nose. “Honest?”

“Honest.” Aunt Audra even crossed her heart to prove it. “The Barkley brothers don’t need to know everything that goes on in this house.”

She got up, pulled one of her special handkerchiefs from a drawer and handed it to Jenny. Jenny stared in surprise. It was one she’d admired for a long time, pale pink linen embroidered with white roses and pale green stems. Aunt Audra never let her even touch it before unless she washed her hands first. “You can keep it.”

Jenny sniffed, feeling much better now she knew her secret was safe. If Aunt Audra crossed her heart she wouldn’t tell. Realizing she’d spent too much time doing what Uncle Nick said was “dawdling” when she should have been working, Jenny stood up. “Thank you, Aunt Audra. I better change my clothes now, I got to clean out those stalls or Uncle Nick will be mad about that.”

“I’ll help,” Aunt Audra started to search her drawers for work clothes, “then you’ll get done in half the time.”

Later, Jenny was to think how simple it would have been, since Aunt Audra was in such a good mood and all, to ask her about the ink problem. If she had, she might have not gotten into so much trouble later on. But that afternoon all she cared about was cleaning those stalls to keep in Uncle Nick’s good graces. Later, after the ink spilled, ruining everything, Jenny thought about what she should have done. Sure was too late then. Dirty darn.

Chapter 7

From Jenny’s viewpoint, and particularly Audra’s, dinner that evening was a disaster. Jenny sat down at the table, tense with fear. What if someone found out about last night? Worse...what if Daddy found out about last night? Even though he was late coming home, there was just as much danger of one or both Uncles coming to their senses. Jenny’d seen it happen before. Aunt Audra had promised NOT to tell, even crossed her heart, but if she got heated up about something she just might slip and tell.

Jenny ate beef stew and it might as well have been sawdust, the milk river sludge. The idea raced around her mind to say she was too sick to eat. It wasn’t far from the truth the way her stomach twisted in knots. But that might draw everyone’s attention her way. No way Jenny wanted that. Instead she pushed food around on her plate, pretending to swallow a bite or two, heart pounding with a fearful refrain, “someone’s going to find out, someone’s going to find out.”

Uncle Nick sure hadn’t cooled off any since breakfast. Working all day with a “splitting” headache hadn’t sweetened him up any, neither did the beef stew. From working all day with Uncle Nick’s grumbling, Uncle Heath’s disposition was most defiantly soured. When both of them sat down with Aunt Audra, they erupted, blaming her for most of their foul moods. As the conversation heated, Jenny scrunched down in her chair hoping, against hope, to stay invisible.

The “yelling at Audra about Bill” had just gotten started when Daddy came in, kissed Grandma and sat down to his own dinner.

“I came straight home from school today, Daddy,” Jenny spoke up quickly before he could think of any reason he might be mad at her today.

Opening his napkin, he smiled at her, “I’m glad to hear that. Make it a regular habit and you’re
life will be much easier.”

Aunt Audra, interrupted by Daddy’s homecoming took up her last argument to Uncle Nick, “I don’t see what difference it made where Bill and I went !”

“Audra, you know perfectly well...” Grandma began only to be stopped by Daddy’s, “You shouldn’t have been at Lover’s Leap alone with Bill in the first place!”

“Why not?” Audra asked angrily, “You and Louisa went often enough!”

“We were married.”

“What difference did that make?”

Daddy raised an eyebrow, a spoonful of beef stew halfway to his mouth, “If you don’t know, little sister, I’d suggest you stay away from there.”

Aunt Audra blushed. Flustered, she stammered, “Oh, that’s not what I meant...I meant...”

This was getting interesting. Jenny tried to stay as quiet as possible so no one would notice, when Grandma ended it all by saying in a firm, commanding voice, “We settled all that this morning. Audra you are not to see Bill again!”

Aunt Audra flinched, when Grandma looked at her the way Daddy looked at Jenny, obey or else.

“But, Mother...” she started to protest when all three brothers began to roar their opinions again. Jenny felt sorry for her. Any second Aunt Audra looked like she might burst into tears. Jenny knew how she felt. Any second she might do the same thing. As interesting as the conversation about Lover’s Leap was getting, Jenny just wanted it to be over. If they kept on yelling at Aunt Audra long enough and loud enough, everything would lead back to last night. If it did...Jenny’s roll in Uncle Nick’s headache and Uncle Heath’s clawed leg were sure to come out. When Jenny couldn’t stand the tension any longer, she did the only thing she could think of to put a stop to it all. Accidentally, on purpose tipped over her glass of milk.

“I’m sorry.”

Uncle Heath on her right, Daddy on her left both jumped up to mop up the spill with their napkins. Silas came running in with towels when Grandma called. Pretending to help, Jenny managed to tip over Uncle Heath’s water. “Just sit still, Jenny,” Daddy snapped.

Suddenly, Jenny realized everyone was staring at her. All the worry she’d had since last night over being caught bubbled to the surface and she just wanted it to be over . “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Uncle Heath tried to make up for Daddy’s frown, “accidents happen.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” Jenny said, her voice rising, “I did it on purpose! I did everything!”

“Jennifer, what is wrong with you?” Daddy asked angrily, sitting down as Silas finished mopping up the mess on the table. Under his glare, Jenny felt her nerves unravel.

“Nothing! Nothing!” Jenny shouted, burst into tears and ran from the room. Running up the stairs, she threw herself on her bed where she could cry in peace. Until someone came looking for her anyway, wanting to scold her for shouting at the table. I don’t care. I don’t care. I do care. I do.

“What was that all about?” Jarrod asked around the table. “Has she done something else today?” His tone was plaintive. Could he not come home one night , sit down and eat his meal in peace? Just once? Was it too much to ask?

Still angry, Aunt Audra said the first thing that came into her head, “A lot you care what’s wrong with Jenny!”

“Just what is that suppose to mean?”

“I mean that you should think more about being a Father than a Lawyer! You don’t have to interrogate Jenny every time you talk to her. She adores you, Jarrod, and yet the way you treat her she’s just terrified you’ll find out....” Realizing suddenly her mistake, Audra tried to cover up what she’d just said. After all, she’d promised Jenny she wouldn’t tell.

Jarrod put down his fork, folded his hands on the table, ready to hear the worst, “What’s she done now?”

“She hasn’t done anything! Unless you count being a child failing to meet the standards of the great Jarrod Barkley!” Audra jumped up, tossed her head and flounced out of the room, crying..

Victoria, use to such tirades from her daughter, kept on calmly eating. Nick and Heath looked at Jarrod, at one another and then back at Jarrod.

“That’s two females you’ve run off from the table tonight,” Heath said dryly, “Reckon you’d better risk staying, Mother?”

“They’ll cry it out and be okay,” Victoria answered calmly, enjoying each bite undaunted by either her daughter or granddaughter’s theatrics. “I for one intend to finish my dinner in peace.”

Nick laughed, “Maybe next time you’d best stay in town for dinner, Pappy.”

Jarrod had to agree. Next time he would. Until then, he planned on eating a peaceful dinner before facing whatever mischief Jenny had gotten into today.



Jenny heard her father’s footsteps outside in the hall. He came in her room, the familiar scents of cigar smoke and bay rum, alerting her to his presence. As he sat again on the side of her bed, Jenny, still crying into her pillow, felt her heart swoop into her stomach. Maybe a magic elf would pick her up and carry her away from Daddy’s anger? Maybe...maybe it wouldn’t either.

“Jenny, what’s wrong?”

“N..nothing.”

“Jenny,” Jarrod sighed, trying after Audra’s condemnation of his parenting as too lawyerish not to sound interrogative. “You’re crying like your heart is broken so I know something is wrong. If it’s another note from Sister Patience, just give it to me. Whatever you’ve done now it’s not going to get any better if you hide it.”

Outraged, Jenny sat up her face red and swollen. Furious, after she’d tried all day to be so good!, Jenny did something she rarely ever did. Shouted at her Father. “I don’t have any note! I didn’t do anything wrong in school today! I even came straight home and cleaned out those yucky old horse stalls. I did the best job I could and I didn’t do anything naughty! I didn’t!”

Daddy didn’t seem angry that she’d screamed at him. He didn’t stop her or call her “young lady” like he did when he was really, really furious. Still, Jenny didn’t want to keep looking him straight in the face waiting for his eyes to darken in anger. She looked away, kneading the bedspread nervously with her hand.

“If it isn’t today you’re crying about then what is it? You, Jennifer Barkley,” Daddy said calmly, “have guilt written all over your face. What did you do wrong?”

How did he always KNOW? Jenny sighed, a sigh of sorrow, she was going to be punished anyway. Might as well tell him. “It was me.”

“What was you?”

“Last night when Uncle Nick tripped, it was me. He fell over me. I was the one under Uncle Heath’s bed.”

Jenny flinched, waiting for him to start scolding. When he didn’t, she got courageous enough to look up at his face. “I know.”

“You do?” Jenny hadn’t expected that. How did he know everything?

“I knew last night.” He explained unhurried, “For one thing, I know we have no ghosts in this house. While I wouldn’t put it past Nick or Heath to imagine themselves the victims of something unknown, I believed they were pretty certain about what had happened. For another thing, I knew you were only pretending to be asleep when I checked on you. You were breathing as if you’d just run from somewhere...and, of course, I found a couple of these...” He pulled two ivy leaves from his vest pocket, “in your hair when I bent down to kiss you goodnight.”

“Why didn’t you say anything this morning?”

“I figured sooner or later you’d tell me...” He paused...”everything.”

Jenny wouldn’t dare tell Daddy but she thought that was the meanest thing she’d ever heard. Letting her worry all day. When he knew!

“You know, Jenny, you could have saved yourself a whole miserable day of worrying about me finding out by doing one thing. You could have just told me.”

Jenny pressed her lips together, unwilling to say anything. Tell him, sure! Like she wasn’t still going to get punished once it all came out that she’d been outside after dark. Daddy didn’t have many “don’t do it at all” rules but going outside alone after dark was one of them. And climbing that trellis! That wouldn’t make him any happier. And even if she could wiggle out of some of the blame...how was she going to explain those ivy leaves in her hair?

When Jenny wouldn’t answer, Jarrod kept talking almost to himself. “I imagine you had a reason for getting out of bed last night. I suppose it had to do with whatever it was you tore out of the Examiner I threw in the wood box...”

“How’d you know that?” Jenny was shocked into asking.

“I wouldn’t. Except this morning Silas saw the tore page and asked if I was done with the paper before he burned it. I simply put one fact together with another. What was so important in the paper, Jenny?”

“It was just an advertisement,” she answered sullenly. Determined not to tell him anymore. If he was going to tease and torment her, then think up some awful punishment, she was through with that stupid essay anyway. It just kept getting her in trouble.

Jenny anticipated the next question with a sinking feeling in her stomach. No way could she answer. “An advertisement for what?”

“I’m not telling you.” From the shocked look on his face, she knew Daddy hadn’t expected her to use such an impudent, disrespectful tone with him. Who cared? I do, another small voice trembled in her mind.

Daddy looked hard at her but didn’t tell her not to sass. “It must be a very important advertisement,” he commented. “But, what I’m not understanding is what happened after you tore it out. How, when you were on your way back to bed, did you end up in Eugene’s room, clawing your Uncle Heath’s leg and then out in the hall tripping your Uncle Nick?”

“I didn’t know he was in there!” Jenny rushed to defend herself at least in that part of last night. “It was all Aunt Audra’s fault! She came in the window after I did and it scared me. I only grabbed Uncle Heath so he could protect me because I thought she was a ghost! Then when he went chasing her out of the room, I thought I could get back to my room without anybody finding out. It wasn’t my fault Uncle Nick fell over me! Nobody would’ve even known I was in the hall if it wasn’t for Aunt Audra sneaking in the house when she couldn’t get in the front door because it was locked...”

He looked steadily at her. So steadily, in that Counselor Barkley face, that Jenny’s eyes slid from his face to the buttons on his vest and the loop of his watch chain. “Audra came in the window AFTER you did?”

Too late, Jenny realized her mistake. Me and my big mouth. Dirty darn! She’d practically admitted she’d been outside. Not that he probably hadn’t guessed already from the ivy leaves in her hair.

“Jennifer.”

“I got locked out,” Jenny’s eyes, rubbed raw from her earlier crying spree, filled with more tears, “Uncle Nick and Uncle Heath came in the kitchen and I was scared they’d tell on me. When I went outside to wait they locked the door and I couldn’t get back inside!”

“Did it ever occur to you to just knock on the door?”

Scandalized, Jenny swiped at the tears running out of her eyes, “I couldn’t do that! I’m not allowed out after dark by myself.” She told him unnecessarily since he’d made the rule, "You would’ve known!”

“And what would have happened if you’d told me?”

Crying, Jenny thought but didn’t say, same thing that’s going to happen now. I’m going to get punished.

“I’m waiting for an answer.”

“Same as now, you’ll get really, really angry at me because I didn’t listen to what you told me to do. I know I’m not suppose to go outside after dark alone. And you probably didn’t want me to climb up the trellis either. It’s higher than you let me climb in trees...” Jenny wailed out the last few words before she pressed her face back into her pillow so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Wishing heartily that she’d never, ever seen that stupid advertisement. “And I know you aren’t going to take me to San Francisco now because I haven’t been a good girl!”

Jenny cried, waiting for his verdict, for whatever punishment he thought up for last night. Scared but relieved, almost, that he knew the whole story. Well, almost all.

“Jenny, Jenny, why do things like this happen to you?”

“I don’t know,” she sobbed harder, “the more I try to be good the worse things I do.”

“Sit up here and look at me.”

It was hard but Jenny sat up, wiping at her face with the hem of her skirt. Keeping her eyes focused on the watch chain on his vest. At the end with the gold pocket watch, she knew, Mama’s wedding ring was looped on a link. Sometimes, he let her have it to wear around her neck with a chain. It always made her feel better, safer. Jenny wished she was wearing it now instead of Daddy.

“Jenny, I’m not going to punish you.”

“You aren’t?” Eyes wide, Jenny stared into his eyes making sure she’d heard what he really, truly said.

“No, because I think you punished yourself enough all day worrying about me finding out.” That was a strange idea, Jenny thought but the more she pondered it, true. There probably wasn’t any way Daddy could punish her that would hurt as much as being afraid all day. “I don’t think you planned to get locked out, or to climb the trellis. You weren’t using your head but I can't punish you for getting into a fix only you, or your Uncle Nick, could get yourself into.”
“I am telling you now, though, I don’t want you climbing that trellis again. It’s too high and not sturdy enough. If you fell, you’d get hurt. Do you understand that, Jennifer Victoria?”

“Yes, sir.” Jenny felt pounds lighter. He’d found out and he didn’t care? And maybe, just maybe he might still take her to San Francisco. He didn’t seem too awful mad, stern about the trellis, but not horrible like he could get. Better wait though to ask for sure about going to San Francisco....just in case.

“Jenny, I don’t want you to be afraid to come to me and tell me anything you’ve done.”

“But sometimes you get so awful angry, Daddy. “

“If I do, it’s only because I love you and don’t want to see you get hurt. I’m not telling you I won’t punish you...” Chucking her under the chin, brushing the damp curls from her still wet face, “if I think you need to be punished. But, Jenny, you could make life a whole lot smoother for you and me if you’d just come to me in the first place. Promise.”

Jenny threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight, glad to promise. Of course, she might have known life couldn’t be that easy, not for her. Even while Daddy hugged her back he went and ruined everything again. Right when her heart filled with love and thoughts of going ahead with the Father of the Year essay. He said the most horrible words she’d ever heard.

“Now, go tell your Uncle Heath and Uncle Nick what happened last night.”

Chapter 8

No!

Not that Jenny dared say the word out loud to her father. Still, when he told her she’d have to tell Uncle Nick and Uncle Heath, her mind screamed the word. No, no, no, no.

Jenny folded her arms across her chest, her most obstinate look on her face. I won’t do it.

“Jennifer,” Daddy warned, “they deserve the courtesy of knowing what happened. Both of your uncles were hurt due to your antics last night. I insist that you tell them.”

“But,” Jenny couldn’t help blubbering, “you said you weren’t going to punish me.”

“I’m not.”

“You are! You’re making me tell Uncle Heath and Uncle Nick! They’re already so mad and they’re gonna be a lot worse when I tell them it was me. Uncle Heath might understand but Uncle Nick will kill me! He’ll kill me then he’ll make me clean horse stalls or the chicken coop or some other disgusting chore until I’m a hundred years old and it’ll be all your fault!”

Daddy had the nerve to laugh. LAUGH. He is the most horrible father in the world. Who cared if he ever in his whole, entire life won the Father of the Year award? No her that’s for sure! Too bad the Examiner didn’t give a prize for Worst Father of the Year. Jarrod Barkley would win first prize.

“I’m sure they won’t be that angry,” Daddy said heartlessly, standing up, “but when you talk to them be sure to tell them both you’ll accept any reasonable punishment they chose to give you.”

Jenny’s mouth dropped open. Was he serious? By the unrelenting gaze he held on her face, He meant it. My life is over, Jenny thought. I might as well die right here and get it over with. I’d rather die here than have to go tell Uncle Nick why he’s had a splitting headache all day. “I don’t want to tell them that,” she said pouting, knowing she was pushing her Father a little too far for comfort.

“The law says when you cause someone else injury or harm, they are entitled to restitution.”

“I hate the law,” Jenny griped, almost saying, “I hate lawyers” but stopping herself just in time. Not daring to go that far.

Daddy towered over her, staring down with his blue eyes a little angrier than before. “Go on, go tell them. You’ll feel better once you do.”

“No, I won’t,” Jenny disagreed. “I’ll never, ever feel better again. I don’t care if they do know.”

“I do,” Daddy answered firmly in a voice that told Jenny she’d just about pushed him to the limit of how much sassing he’d take.

How could he be so mean? Jenny never felt so awful in her whole, entire life. Having to face Uncle Heath wouldn’t be too bad. Poor Uncle Heath. She truly did feel sorry for hurting his leg...which was all Aunt Audra’s fault. Aunt Audra who didn’t have to face Uncle Nick.
“Why don’t Aunt Audra have to do the restit...resti...thing too? It’s all her fault anyway.”

“Why doesn’t Aunt Audra have to pay restitution?”

“That’s what I just said.”

“Jennifer,” Daddy’s jaw clenched as he pointed firmly toward the bedroom door. “You are dragging your feet. Stop all this silly talk and go. Now!”

A lot he cared she’d never come back alive...not once Uncle Nick got ahold of her. Tears dripped down Jenny’s cheeks as she climbed out of bed, walking toward the door with her feet really dragging along the floor. Daddy followed close behind...maybe so she couldn’t escape..just like a prisoner, Jenny decided sorrowfully. And to think, she’d gotten into all this trouble trying to enter HIM in a Father of the Year contest.

“Remember how you feel now,” Daddy had to say as he crossed his arms over his chest glaring down at her, “maybe next time you’ll stay in bed when you’re suppose to be there.”

Sulking, lower lip stuck out in a pout, Jenny dawdled down the hall until she heard Daddy’s determined steps coming to hurry her along. “Scoot!” He told her in a no nonsense voice, Waiting to see her start down the stairs before going back along the hall toward his room.

Going downstairs, Jenny tiptoed from one step to another, careful to keep peeking over the banister. Uncle Heath would be the first to tell. He’d be less likely to get as mad as Uncle Nick...although Jenny couldn’t be sure of that today. Uncle Heath had been riled at dinner, out of sorts from listening to Uncle Nick’s grumbling all day. Dirty darn, it would be downright hard to tell either of her Uncles. Not getting punished, ha!

Didn’t look like anybody about. Maybe, Jenny thought hopefully, both her uncles had gone to bed or out. Biting her lip thoughtfully, Jenny tried to figure out what she should do next. Before she could decide, Silas passed by below. Jenny leaned over whispering, “Mr. Silas, have you seen Uncle Heath?”

“He said he’d be out in the barn, Miss Jenny.”

Dirty darn. Double dirty darn. Jenny was NOT going out alone tonight. No way, no how. Not after last night’s trouble. “Mr. Silas, could you take me out to the barn so I can talk to Uncle Heath?”

Silas smiled. “Sure, Miss Jenny, just as soon as I take this ice into your Uncle Nick. He’s got a powerful headache still.”

Triple dirty darn. Like I needed to hear that. Jenny hoped the ice worked fast. Facing Uncle Nick would be hard enough even if he didn’t have a headache. “Silas!” Uncle Nick bellowed from the study, “Where the devil is that ice!”

Grimacing, Silas hurried off while Jenny waited impatiently sitting on the bottom step of the stairs. While she waited, she rehearsed the apology to Uncle Heath. I’m sorry I clawed your leg, even if it WAS Aunt Audra’s fault. I’m sorry I hid under the bed. For a few seconds, she allowed her mind to shift to the interesting words Uncle Heath said when he’d turned over the lamp. Sure didn’t sound like words she would be allowed to say.

It didn’t take Silas long to give Uncle Nick the ice. Before Jenny was quite ready to face either of her uncles, Silas led her to the barn, opened the door and turned her over to Uncle Heath.

Uncle Heath, busy currying Charger, smiled down at her his blue eyes twinkling. Glad of her company. “If it isn’t my favorite niece.”

“I’m the only niece you got, Uncle Heath.”

“Even if I had ten,” he drawled, “you’d still be my favorite.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Jenny’s carefully rehearsed apology vanished as she burst into tears, sobbing out the whole story. Uncle Heath kept on brushing Charger, string at her solemnly an unreadable expression covering his face. Jenny cried, getting in all the words she had to say, “I’m truly, truly sorry I grabbed your leg but I only did because Aunt Audra scared me. Daddy says I got to pay resti-somthing and if you want to punish me you can.”

Uncle Heath looked at her quietly. Waiting in agony, Jenny sniffed and sobbed as he turned back to Charger, worrying out a clump of mud stuck in Charger’s mane. Charger snorted. Jenny moved forward to pat his nose. Seeing her distress, Charger bent his head to tap her shoulder. Still crying, Jenny pressed her face into his good horsey smell. Horses always had a good smell, not like what they left behind in their stalls. Guess when she got done talking to Uncle Nick she’d be getting a whole lot more of the bad horse smells than she wanted.

“You sure get yourself into some fine fixes, don’t you, Jenny,” Uncle Heath said finally.
Gathering up his curry comb and brush he placed them in a bucket, setting them aside neatly on a bench.

“It was all Aunt Audra’s fault!” Jenny repeated, making sure he knew that. “If she hadn’t come in the window and scared me, I never would’ve grabbed your leg.”

Uncle Heath sat down on the bench, holding out his arms for her to come closer. Gladly, Jenny let him pick her up and sit her on his knees. Looking up into his face, she saw his usual calm, loving smile. “I’m glad you told me. I kinda figured sometime this afternoon it had to be you under the bed.”

“You knew?” Sure wasted another apology on somebody who knew. Were they all mind readers in this house? Part gypsy like the lady with the jangly earrings who told fortunes in a tent at the circus?

He nodded, squeezing her into a hug. “I kinda figured like you did. If Sis hadn’t been sneaking around you never would’ve been under the bed.”

“I love you, Uncle Heath,” Jenny flung her arms around his neck, hugging him back. “I’m really sorry I hurt your leg.”

“It’s not too painful right now. My head hurts more’n my leg from listening to Nick all day long.”

Jenny feeling of relief evaporated. Uncle Nick. Sure didn’t need that storm cloud hanging over her. Lip trembling, Jenny repeated what Daddy had told her to say. “I gotta take any punishment you want to give me.”

“Well now, that might be a problem,” Uncle Heath looked down at her , his brows knit together in worry, “I don’t rightly think you done anything to be punished for. You didn’t set out to scratch me or trip Nick. Course, if Jarrod figures you deserve some punishment guess we can’t rile him by letting you off scot free.”

“No, Uncle Heath,” Jenny asked glumly. Boy howdy, if Daddy didn’t know how to get his way. He wasn’t gonna punish her...ha, ha, ha.

Uncle Heath appeared to be deep in thought. Jenny chewed her lip waiting, what would he say?
“I think I got an idea. I got a couple of pairs of boots needed shined up real good. Maybe you can do that for me? Think you can?”

Face beaming, Jenny smiled at Uncle Heath in adoration. “I can do that! I’ll do a really, really good job too.”

“I know ya will,” Uncle Heath sat her back on her feet. “Better get you back in the house.”

Jenny’s heart dropped to her toes. Dreading who waited back in the house. Uncle Nick with his splitting headache. Once inside the front door, Uncle Heath patted her shoulder for encouragement before going on up the stairs to his room.

Walking toward the study door, Jenny stepped slowly so her boots wouldn’t creak and announce her arrival. Even before she got near enough to see inside the study, Jenny heard Uncle Nick loudly grumbling to Grandma. Sure enough sounded like a grizzly waking up from hibernation in a bad, bad humor. One good thing, Grandma was inside too. While Jenny had no great desire for Grandma to overhear her apology to Uncle Nick it might be a good idea to have her around. Unless. Jenny tried to remember if Grandma might be angry at her about anything today. Quickly she went over the afternoon, dinner...nope..Jenny couldn’t remember getting on Grandma’s bad side. If Uncle Nick did try to kill her, surely Grandma would stop him.
Jenny peeked around the study door. Uncle Nick sat groaning on the red settee with his head laying back on a pillow. A yellow towel, dripping from the ice Silas had brought earlier covered most of Uncle Nick’s head. Grandma sat near the fireplace in a chair, calmly reading a book. How could she not listen to Uncle Nick? Jenny marveled that anybody could read anything over Uncle Nick’s grumbles.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Jenny walked into the room going to stand near Uncle Nick. Not close enough so he could grab her though. She wasn’t that dumb.

“Hello, Uncle Nick. Is your head still hurting?”

“Now, whatda you think,” he hollered, grimacing in pain as he moved the ice away from his eyes to glare at her with those angry dark eyes, “Go away and leave me alone!”

Well, Daddy, I tried. Jenny turned to walk away when Grandma motioned her to come sit on her lap. “Don’t mind him,” she whispered once Jenny settled down, snug in her Grandma’s arms. “You didn’t eat much dinner, are you hungry?”

“No, ma’am,” Not with my stomach full of battling butterflies, churning with the fear of telling Uncle Nick. Jenny leaned back against her Grandma’s chest, sniffing with pleasure the whiff of lavender from the sachet Grandma wore. Happy for a few brief seconds before she got killed by Uncle Nick.

“Jenny!” Uncle Nick shouted. “Go tell Silas I need more ice. Mother,” he groused,” this is NOT helping.”

“Nick,” Grandma told him sternly back, pushing Jenny off her lap, “I told you an hour ago to take the headache powders Jarrod brought from Dr. Merar and go to bed. If you hadn’t insisted on doing a full days work in the hot sun instead of resting, your head would be better by now. Jenny, go get him some more ice and tell Silas to bring those headache powders.”

Jenny went, gladly. Along the way to the kitchen, she passed Daddy smoking a cigar as he sat at the small desk by the stairs. “Well?”

“I told Uncle Heath but not Uncle Nick yet.”

“Tell him.”

“Yes, sir.” She started back toward the study, remembered she had an errand for Grandma in the kitchen and turned back. “Grandma sent me to the kitchen for more ice and headache powders.”

Daddy motioned her to continue. Smiling with that one eyebrow lifted as she passed by a few minutes later with the errand accomplished. “You don’t care if he kills me,” Jenny couldn’t resist telling him, the loser in the Father of the Year contest.

“He won’t kill you.”

Shaking her head sadly, a lot HE knew, Jenny went back to report that Silas was on his way with the ice and headache powders. Grandma breathed a sigh of relief. “Now, Nick, once you take that, you should just go to bed. I’m sure you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

Grumble, grumble. Standing beside the settee, Jenny thought he might have mumbled some of the interesting words Uncle Heath used the night before.

“Uncle Nick, I have to tell you something.”

“Not now, not now.”

Near tears again, Jenny clasped her hands together, “But, Uncle Nick, Daddy said I have to tell you.”

“Tell me, tell me,” he roared, “nobody’s got any mercy for a man with a blazing headache.”

Briefly Jenny wondered if a blazing headache hurt more than a splitting one. Would it make him any madder? He’s going to kill me.

“Uncle Nick, you know last night when you tripped and hit your head. Daddy says I’ve got to tell you that you tripped over me. I’m truly sorry you got hurt, Uncle Nick, truly! But it wasn’t really my fault...if Aunt Audra hadn’t come in that window I never would’ve been in the hall running from Uncle Heath....”

At first, he didn’t seem to hear through his moaning and groaning. Jenny waited, toeing the floor with her boot tips, biting her lip in desperation. The second he sat up, throwing off the towel full of ice, Jenny backed away quickly. “You!” He thundered so loud Jenny’s ears hurt, “I knew it had to be you!”

Jenny sure didn’t like that look in Uncle Nick’s eyes In fact, she definitely knew she didn’t like it at all. “When I get my hands on you, missy! You’re responsible for this miserable headache...”

Turning quickly, Jenny ran. He sure wasn’t going to catch her without a fight. Thankfully, Grandma guessed right away what Uncle Nick had in mind because she caught hold of his arm shouting back, “Nicholas Barkley! Don’t you dare lay a hand on that child! You’re too angry.” With Grandma holding him just a little, Jenny managed to run out of the study thinking where she could go to hide till he simmered down if he ever did. Not likely.

Jenny had seen that look in Uncle Nick’s eyes before. Right before he grabbed her and gave her two stinging swats on her backside. Boy howdy, they hurt. All because he’d told her to stay up on the porch by the bunkhouse while he and Uncle Heath got some ornery cows into the corral. Sure wasn’t her fault her felt cowboy hat blew off and she just happened to jump down to pick it up when the cows came charging and stomping, eyes crazed with fear right where she stood. If Ciego hadn’t grabbed the back of her dress, yanking her out of the way like a sack of grain, Jenny knew she’d have been pounded right into the ground. Jenny remembered how Uncle Nick came stalking toward her that day with the same look in his eyes. By the look of him now, with his blazing, splitting headache, he sure didn’t intend to stop with two swats.

“Daddy!” Jenny shrieked, running toward the foyer. “I told you he’d try to kill me!”
Daddy stood up just as Jenny reached him, grabbing his pant leg and hiding behind him for protection. “Don’t let him get me!”

“Nicholas Barkley!” Grandma shouted again, still holding his arm as Uncle Nick came charging, snorting like a bull, toward her.

“Let me have her! You need your backside tanned Missy.”

Crying, pressing her face harder into Daddy’s leg, Jenny clung to him with her tightest grip. He wouldn’t hand her over to Uncle Nick would he?

“Nick,” Daddy commanded, “you’re not going to lay a hand on her.”

Thank goodness for that!

“I’m not am I?” Uncle Nick’s eyes blazed, “What the devil was she doing running around in the hall, tripping people? Huh? Answer me that? I’ve had a pounding headache all day long because of her.”

“Nick,” Grandma interrupted again, “if you hadn’t gone out working in the...”

“Yeah, yeah, in the hot sun...” he interrupted rudely turning his anger back to Jenny, peeking out from behind her father’s leg, “what were you doing out there when you should’ve been in bed?”

“It was all Aunt Audra’s fault!” Jenny wailed. Would none of them listen?

“I didn’t trip over Audra, I tripped over you!”

“Nick, she’s trying to apologize.” Daddy started to defend her but didn’t get far. Sure, some lawyer he was if he couldn’t stand up better’n that to Uncle Nick.

“I don’t want her apology!” Uncle Nick shouted. “I want my head to quit hurting! And I want you, big brother,” he jabbed Daddy right in the chest, “to keep your kid in bed at night where she belongs! When I was a kid nobody ever caught me sneaking around at night...” He bent down and stared real hard right at Jenny still hiding behind Daddy’s back, “or I would’ve got what was coming to me.”

“Actually, Nick,” Grandma said, titling her head as she smiled, “if I remember correctly you did get caught quite a few times. Of course, there were a few times when your father and I suspected you’d managed to sneak out but we could never quite prove it.”

“Yes, Nick,” Daddy agreed, grinning, “I can remember the time..”

“Alright, all-right,” Uncle Nick brushed them off, turning a little ruddy at being reminded that he hadn’t been such a good boy all the time. “I’m going to bed.”

Daddy pulled her out from behind his leg, pushed her toward Uncle Nick with a firm hand on her shoulder. Reluctantly, Jenny said, “I’m sorry, Uncle Nick.”

He brushed past her, starting up the stairs grumpier than ever. “Silas!” He shouted halfway up, “bring me some more ice!”

Jenny watched him stomp on upstairs hoping that the ice or the headache powders of something worked to sweeten him up a little. If it didn’t, she would have to face Uncle Nick in the morning with his splitting, blazing, pounding headache and tell him about the resti-something she owed him.

“You can wait until morning to tell him the rest,” Daddy said, “go on up to bed now.”

“I sure ain’t looking forward to that,” Jenny told him feeling a little grumpy herself.

“You aren’t looking forward to it,” Daddy and Grandma both corrected her.

Puzzled, Jenny frowned, “That’s what I just said.” Boy howdy, grownups were hard to understand. Except maybe for Uncle Nick....Jenny understood him only too well. She knew exactly what he’d say too...

Continued…