THE WEAKER VESSEL / Parts 7-14

by Mrs NickB

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.

'The Weaker Vessel' was written in collaboration with 'The Voyage' by Abigail of Dreamers. In the interest of story flow, excerpts from 'The Voyage' (posted in blue) will be interspersed within 'The Weaker Vessel' and are used with the permission of the author.

Part 7

Heath walked into the saloon, nodded to Milt. The bartender points to the table near the wall where Nick is sitting pensively, waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Nick pushes the bottle and a glass over to his brother, in an invitation to join him.

"Doing some bartering." Heath grins to himself, as he pours a drink.

"Is that what you're snickering about?"

"I never snicker. Why the long face?"

"Just thinkin' is all." He swirls the glass in his hand, watching the liquid coat the sides.

"About?" Heath nurses his drink.

"My wife." He waits for Nick to offer more information, as he takes a sip of his drink.

"Why do you suppose she was lookin' up those divorce laws, huh?" Nick asked

"Didn't ya talk to her about it yesterday?"

"She fell asleep when I got upstairs last night. She was reading this book she got from Sacramento."

"That suppose to mean something?" he pushes his hat back on his head.

"The book is about women."

"Women? What about women?" Nick leans closer to Heath, whispering.

"It's a book about women's rights."

"Women's rights? What's that?" Heath squints his eyes at him.

"Ssshhh, not so loud! Trust me, you can get into all kinds of trouble talkin' about that!"

"You suppose that's why she looking up divorce laws?" Heath pours another drink for the two of them.

"Don't know," he takes a sullen gulp of the newly filled glass.

"Not that it's any of my business, but... ah..., you two ..., I mean..., ya gettin' along and all, ya know?"

"Haven't had any complaints yet." Nick says, with his chin cupped in his hand, forlornly.

"Argh!...You already told me more than I wanna know!" Heath shakes his head, disgusted.

"Well, whaddya want from me?!" Nick asks annoyed, looking at him.

"If you don't know; ... well I sure can't help ya; I figure you best be talkin' to Laura. Leastways, that's what I do if she were mine."

"She don't like that ya know."

"Like what?"

"Being referred to as 'mine'. Gets her riled. She's told me more than once she ain't nobody's possession." Nick leans his chin on his gloved hand again.

"When I said mine, I meant it to say like mine, as in my wife, you know, she's your wife. She can't object to anyone saying 'my wife'. That can't bother her, can it?!" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know, I wish I knew what the hell she wanted."

"Boy howdy, if that ain't a question for the ages, what do women want." Heath looks wistfully at the bottom of his empty shot glass. Nick picks up the pensive tone in Heath's voice.

"You got some woman problems of ya own little brother?" Heath is jolted from his thoughts as he looks at his brother with an embarrassed grin.

"Who? Me? Hell no, ain't no woman in my life! Don't have time, ya know that!"

"You can be just as closed mouth as Jarrod, when it comes to women; if Audra didn't let it slip about that school teacher of Jarrod's, I would've never known he was sweet on the new school marm."

"That school teacher don't belong to Jarrod, she don't belong to nobody. You said so yourself, women don't like being considered possessions."

"My wife said it, not me."

"Well, she's right. Right? Don't ya think? Huh?" Nick laughs at Heath's questions.

"You don't think I'm EVER going to admit Laura's right and I'm wrong do ya? 'cause that will never happen, unless you put a gun to my head, then I might consider it." Nick laughs as he takes a last gulp from his glass, and slaps Heath on the back.

Heath smiles, somewhat relieved that Nick didn't go any further with his questions about his personal life. He secretly thanked Laura for keeping Nick occupied with his own personal problems, and keeping Nick out of his!

"Let's get home, my woman and I need to talk."

"Oh yeah Nick, that's going to go over with her. I can see it coming now." Nick throws some money on the table and walks out of the saloon, he turns to Heath.

"Now I can be a reasonable man, I'll let her talk... eventually." Nick grins teasingly, Heath rolls his eyes, grinning as he follows Nick out.

* * * * *

Heath noticed that the hour's ride home put Nick in a quiet mood, and Heath knew only trouble followed when Nick was in a quiet mood. On any other ride with Nick you usually couldn't get him to shut up. Heath figured a long time ago, Nick was one of those men who liked to hear himself talk and he pretty much didn't care if you were listening or not in most cases; but as a self defense measure, Heath just half listened to Nick anyway, in case he did say something important that he should know about. That evening Nick and Heath came home late, having missed supper with the family. Victoria's warning signals went up when she noted her son's unusual quiet entrance, as he throws his hat on a table in the foyer. Victoria greets her late arriving sons. Heath leans down to kiss his mother's cheek.

"I have your dinner still warm for you. Did you get that broken gate fixed?" although she addresses Heath, her eyes are on Nick's sullen demeanor.

"Yes, there won't be anymore strays getting out tonight." Victoria's eyes pass from one son to the other then back again.

"Nick, are you all right?"

"Fine mother," he answers without looking at her, instead his eyes are fixated upstairs to the bedrooms.

"I have your dinner in the kitchen Nick."

"Ah huh." Nick heads up the stairs, still not looking at her. Victoria, looks questioning toward Heath. Heath motions with his head, to join him in the kitchen.

"Keep me company, while I eat Mother."

"Of course Heath." She puts her arm around his waist, and he with a loving arm on her shoulder, walks into the kitchen with her.

* * * * *

In their bedroom Laura is sitting on a sofa near the fireplace, with her bare feet tucked under her dress, reading a book she collected from the Stockton Eagle, titled the Subjection of Women, when she hears Nick's spurs jangling up the stairs, she quickly hides the book under a sofa cushion and grabs a book of Tennyson's poems from a nearby table. Nick opens the door to the bedroom, she looks up from the sofa, smiling.

"Hi sweetheart, I didn't hear you come in," she acknowledged his unusually quiet entrance and noted it was not a good sign. Although the whole family complained about Nick's usually boisterous entrances, secretly, Laura loved them. She marveled at his strength and energy for life. When Nick entered a room, he filled it up with his presence. Everything he did was always bigger than life, and yet there was a quiet grace to this wondrous man she married. The tenderness of a newborn lamb and the strength of a charging lion, that was Nick Barkley and she adored him for it.

"We need to talk," he says as he pulls his gun holster off, laying it on the bureau. Laura's smile immediately changes into a frown. She closes the book, rests it on the table and stands up. Smoothing the wrinkles on her dress, she looks at him, still frowning. She had hoped they could have a nice enjoyable evening, she had missed him all day and the night before she had fallen asleep before he came to bed. She so enjoyed their conversations at night. Sharing their day together, just wrapped in his arms, but sadly, it looked like this was not going to be one of those nights.

"Every time you say we need to talk, we always end up quarreling. What is it now?" she sighs.

"Well, you tell me. What's going on?" He rests his hand on his hips. Laura lets out another even deeper sigh.

"I don't know Nick? Why don't you tell me then we'll both know." She puts her hands on her hips, echoing him, waiting for him to take up the challenge.

"Okay, I'll come straight out with it!"

"Good."

"Do you want a divorce?!"

"WHAT?!"

"Answer me!"

"Why, because I fell asleep last night before you came to bed?! Is that what's bothering you? Good Lord Nick! I thought it was something serious." She turns her back to him, seating herself at her vanity, she begins brushing her hair.

"This is serious!" He looks at his reflection in her mirror.

"How is it serious?" she says calmly, as she continues brushing her hair.

"You tell me why you were reading about the divorce laws of the state." She slaps her brush down on the vanity, making a loud knocking noise.

"Oh for heaven's sake, now I'm condemned for what I read!"

"And that's another thing! Every time I see you lately, ya got your nose in a book!"

She turns around in her chair to face him, leaning her arms on the back of the chair.

"What would you have me do? Work around the ranch, bustin' broncs, shoeing horses? Just what do you want me to do Nick?"

"Well? What are you reading there?!" He points to the book on the table near the sofa.

"It's your book of Tennyson's poems, or shouldn't I be allowed to read your books now?"

"Well, you could read that if you want. It's harmless."

"Harmless? What are you talking about?"

"I came in here last night and I found you sleeping and you had one of those sufferin' books ya got from Sacramento! The one written by that Elizabeth woman!" He scolds her shaking a finger.

"Elizabeth Cady Stanton?"

"Yeah!, that's the one!"

"And what's wrong with my reading that?"

"It'll give you wrong ideas about things!"

"The wrong ideas?!" She stands up angrily from the vanity table, confronting his anger with her own, again with hands on hips.

"That's right!" He nods his head quickly to make a point.

"Are those wrong ideas you don't agree with, or just wrong ideas in general?"

"You know what I mean! And don't trick me into getting off the subject! I still want to know why you were reading about California divorce laws."

"All right, you want to know, I'll tell you. I read them because I was curious."

"You were curious?" he raises his eyebrows as he looks down his nose at her.

"That's right, satisfied?" she looks up at him.

"NO! You are going to tell me the truth, and I mean now!"

"Fine, here's some truth for you! Do you know what happened when we got married?"

"You mean besides the usual? Or are you talking about that miserable trip to Sacramento?"

"That miserable trip to Sacramento, as you so disdainfully call it; taught me a lot of things about myself!"

"AW I KNEW IT, I JUST KNEW IT!" He looks up heavenward, his hands balled up in fists, raised up in front of him as if he's about to pull something towards him. Then he shakes his head, clenches his teeth, and roars!

"GOD DAMMMNNN THOSE WOMEN!!!!"

* * * * *

Everyone in the house, hears Nick's furious bellow. Jarrod dashes out of the library, holding a reading book in his hand and looks up towards the stairs. Audra opens her own bedroom door to listen to her brother's curses. In the kitchen, Silas stops what he is doing and looks towards the ceiling, shaking his head. Victoria, looks up as well, then turns to face Heath, who's head down, still eating his supper, pretending not to hear Nick's hollering.

"Good supper Mother."

"Do you know what's going on with your brother?"

"Yup." Heath takes a drink of his wine.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope." He wipes his mouth with a napkin, giving her a slight grin, she returns the smile.

"I think those two need their own house," Victoria remarks. Heath slowly rises from his chair and helps himself to a slice of raisin bread from the sideboard.

"They need their own state." He bites off a piece of the bread, and smiles broadly, as he leans against the kitchen counter. His mother laughs out loud at his joke.

"Oh Heath, I thought your brother would be calmer after he married."

"He is for the most part Mother. Good raisin bread, did you try some?"

"No, Laura said she wanted you to have the first piece, before the rest of us."

"I'll cut ya a piece." offers Heath, as he takes the knife near the bread, slices a piece and serves it to his mother on a dish, with a fork.

"You want to tell me why your sister-in-law came straight into this kitchen to make you that raisin bread when she came home from her ride today?"

"She likes me." Heath gives her a half smile, as he takes another bite from his bread.

"Ah huh..I thought I heard her mutter something about blackmail."

"Are ya sure she didn't say, great male? Meanin' me of course." Heath wipes the crumbs off his face with his sleeve, showing a mischievous smile.

"Oh yes, that must have been it." Victoria grins at him. A crash is heard from upstairs.

"Sounds like Nick and Laura are rearranging the bedroom furniture again." Heath winks as he takes another bite.

* * * * *

Laura stood by the window, with her hand pulling back the curtains, looking out into the darkness, her thoughts were with Dora Hamon, who talked about losing her children through divorce, and never seeing them again. Laura imagined herself in that same position, a tear falling from her eye. She has spent weeks secretly reading books and pamphlets about the plight of women and the more she had read the more depress she had gotten, she almost regretted marrying. How could she have married any man who would allow these things to happen to women and call himself a man!

She could hear Nick in the background, his rage at full force, but she didn't care, why should she, he didn't. He would do the same as any man, take away everything. He already had everything that was once hers. Marriage had brought her nothing but poverty, nothing, not even the clothes on her back were hers! He even took her own horse away from her, the Barkley brand, he said! Just like her, she wore the Barkley brand too, for as long as HE wanted her! Let him rant and rage! She wouldn't take his bait and follow his lead, not anymore! She has disconnected herself from everything going on in the room; all she knew was that she had lost everything, because of him!

Nick flings a chair across the room in his ever growing rage.

Her face was set like stone, as she calmly turned to look where the chair landed, then turned back to stare out the window as if seeing her own thoughts come alive in the reflection. She wiped tears away with the tips of her fingers. Although Nick was yelling in the background, she was not listening to him. She had detached herself from what was going on around her, until she heard him holler her name.

"LAURA, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" Nick howls, enraged that she seems to be ignoring him. She doesn't move from her spot by the window.

"Nick, I'm sure everyone in the house is listening to you." She speaks in calm contrast to his own angry tone.

"What is so blame fascinating outside!"

"Not a thing Nick, I'm just waiting for you to finish your tirade." He lets out a deep breath, relaxing once again, slowly, sheepishly, he moves towards her near the window. Gently touching her shoulders from behind, he brings his face next to her hair, taking in her scent. The feel of her body in his hands always seems to make him calmer somehow.

"I'm listening now. Talk to me." He said gently, his eyes close, enjoying the moment that passed all to quickly when she forcefully turned toward him. He is taken aback by the coldness in her eyes, and he drops his hands to his side.

"I did some reading about the divorce laws in this state," she said forcefully.

"OH DAMN!!!"

"You said you would listen!" She threatened with her own show of temper.

"Go ahead," he frowns, exhaling heavily. Her tone of voice warned him to surrender any thoughts of arguing back.

"Do you realize that a wife has absolutely no rights according to the law when it comes to divorce?! Her children are not even her own, they belong to her husband! That woman in Sacramento that we met, Dora Hamon, she was just in such a situation as that. She hadn't seen her two boys in eight years Nick! Can you imagine that?!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't make the laws; it has nothing to do with me."

"But it does Nick, only men can make laws and only men can change the laws. Women haven't any rights! They can't vote!"

"Why does this even concern you?!" He throws his hands up in the air.

"Because, I am a woman and it can happen to me!" Nick furrows his brows, outraged.

"You think so little of me, that you think I would do that to you?!"

"NO NICK! You don't understand!" She shakes her head, frustrated. "That's not what I meant!"

She moves away from the window, he turns, watching her, his arms at his side. She picks up the chair from the floor to bring it upright again, then leans on the chair back with her hands, staring at the floor, trying to find the words to make him understand.

"Nick, when we married, everything I owned: my father's house, his business, the horses he had, became yours by law." Nick shakes his head, a confused look on his face.

"Laura, I never put a claim on any of those things. Those things are all yours. The horses are here because you're here, we care for them, but they're yours. And as far as your father's property is concerned, it's yours to do with as you want. Jarrod has told you he would sell it for you if you want, or rent out the house. The choice has always been yours, never mine!"

"I know that Nick," her voice revealing more frustration.

"Then what's the problem?!" His sound defeated. She doesn't answer him, but her eyes begin to fill with tears as she tries to find the words she needs to speak without hurting him.

"What's going on Laura?" She shakes her head, stumbling in her mind to find the right words. Nick begins to pace the floor. "All right, I think I know what you want, I can have Jarrod make everything legal on paper. You just name it and it's yours, no one can touch it! You just give a list to Jarrod of what you want and I'll sign it, it will be all yours, legal like. You can even have something that belongs to me. You want Coco? He's old but you can have him. Anything I have, it's yours, just name it. Horses, cattle, land, whatever, it's yours! Name it, whatever you want Laura, anything, I swear it."

She looks up sheepishly, her eyes filling with tears, ashamed of herself, hearing how much he loves her, to even offer his beloved horse, how could she not love this man, why can't she be satisfied to be his wife?

"Tell me what you want and it's yours?" He implored her.

"It's not that simple Nick." She trembled, as her tears spilled down her cheeks. A pained looked came over him as he watched her, not understanding what she wanted from him.

"Please, tell me," he begs.

"Would you give me our children if we divorced?" Her cold words were like a knife through his heart. Although it took all her courage, she had to ask him; as strongly as she could! With strength and conviction.

"No. I wouldn't let you take our children away. What are you talking about?!" Confusion taking hold of him. He couldn't begin to believe what his wife was saying to him! Did she want a divorce? Why? What was wrong? Didn't he give her everything? He adored her, what more could she want from him? he thought.

"But you would take them from me and the law gives you that right! And there is nothing I could say or do to change that law," she continued on, with more coldness in her voice then she really wanted to use.

"Is that what this is about? Women's rights? Look ya wanna vote, then VOTE, I don't care! It's a damn nuisance anyway! But I would never stand by and let you take my children from me! That would never happen! I don't understand you. I don know why you're even saying these things to me!"

Confused by his wife's words and enraged with anger, Nick looked around for something to throw, he grabbed the wash basin from the dry sink and smashed it against the fireplace, Laura ducked down, kneeling on the floor as the shattered pieces flew in all directions, she covered her head, screaming out, terrified by his fury.

Nick grabbed his gun holster and buckled it around his waist. Never has he felt such rage and anger in all his life toward anyone! He knew in his heart he had to leave before he did something he would regret, his wrath boiling over he pointed a rigid finger to her, his eyes flashing with black anger the like of which she had never seen before.

"You listen to me woman, you make your list, and you give it to my brother, take whatever you want of mine, I don't give a damn! Take it all! But at this rate, we are never going to have children!" He seized the bedroom door, almost tearing it off its hinges.

"Where are you going?!" Her voice panicked.

"I'm not staying where I'm not wanted! Make your God damn list!"

"Nick please! Don't! You can't leave me!" She immediately regretted everything she had said to him, as she convulsed weeping, still kneeling on the floor.

"WATCH ME!" He raced down the stairs, charging out the front door, grabbing his hat on the way out. Heath walked out of the kitchen with Victoria, when he spied Nick bounding out of the house, he quickly handed what was left of his raisin bread to his mother.

"I best be going with him, keep him out of trouble. Don't wait up." He rushed out picking up his own hat and gun in the foyer.

* * * * *

Late that evening, Victoria was sitting up in bed reading a book, when she heard a noise outside her bedroom. She rose from her bed and after hurriedly pulling on her robe, she opened her bedroom door to find her daughter-in-law carrying a sack toward the back stairway.

"Laura?"

"Victoria. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. What is that you're carrying?" she pulls her robe closer, to cover herself from the chill in the air coming up from the back steps.

"The wash basin is broken, I was just taking it downstairs to throw it away. I'm sorry about the breakage." She bites her lip to avoid another tearful episode and continues walking slowly toward the back steps, not wishing to speak any further about the incident.

"There's no need to apologize for the breakage, it doesn't belong to me. I'm sure we can find a replacement for it in one of the guests rooms." Laura nods to her, then continues on.

"You didn't get hurt did you, I thought I heard you cry out," she asked concerned.

"No, I was just a little startled. Excuse me, this sack is really heavy," she said fearful of letting Victoria see her on the verge of crying, but the older woman ignored her plea.

"I don't mean to be an interfering mother-in-law, but are you and Nick going to survive your first year marriage?"

"God, I hope so." A tear escaped, running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her fingertips, then put her hand back under the sack to support it.

"Do you still love him Laura?" she boldly asked, not caring if she was thought of as meddlesome at this point.

"I adore him Victoria! I could never fall out of love with Nick; he's my heart."

"Maybe you should tell him then. And that, is my last bit of meddling into your marriage." With her arms folded tightly across her chest, she retreats to her room. Laura sullenly carries her burden down stairs. 'When was the last time I told my husband I loved him? It has been so long that I can't even remember. I've been so absorbed in my own thoughts, have I pushed him out completely? I couldn't bear to lose him!' She throws the contents of the sack into a wooden trash box outside the kitchen door.' Am I throwing my marriage away too by all these ideas of suffrage? I wish I had never heard the word. I could be the type of wife he wants, I know I can... Can't I? she wonders to herself, sighing.

"I will, I'll do it! From now on, Nick comes first!" she muttered determinedly.

Part 8

Very early, the next morning at the Cattlemen's Club, Nick Barkley yawns sleepily, over a second cup of coffee being poured in his cup by a waitress.

"How about some eggs to go with that?" The waitress asks as she finishes pouring.

"Yeah, sure, why not," he leans his chin on his opened hand, forlornly staring at the coffee. Heath comes downstairs, looking very refreshed after a restful night's sleep. He smiles, as he joins Nick at the table, grabbing a napkin by an empty plate, he lays it in his lap.

"Boy howdy Nick, you look like you been sittin' in the saddle for five days."

"Feel like it too." Heath smiles at the waitress when she walks pass, a coffee pot in her hand, she nods to him.

"I'll have a cup of that Miss, when ya got a minute, please."

"Sure thing." She pours a cup for Heath, "Can I get you anything to eat?"

"I'll have the cattlemen's breakfast special." Heath flashes a familiar smile, she returns the same to the friendly cowboy, and she walks away. Heath gazes over at Nick, staring into his coffee.

"Find any answers in that coffee cup?" Heath sips his own.

"Huh?" Nick looks over to Heath, half asleep, his chin still in his hand.

"Find any answers in that cup ya staring at?" Before Nick could answer, Sam Gruber, the editor of the Stockton Eagle pounced on the Barkley brothers, he nervously held his hat in his hand, as he greeted the brothers. His pasted on smile intact. He had hoped to avoid seeing Nick today, which was why he went to the added expense of hiring a livery wagon to deliver the books over to Laura Barkley, as he did not want her to make good her threat of sending her husband to his office. Seeing Nick there at the Cattlemen's Club, was not a good sign as he had hoped to distance himself from a confrontation with the overbearing rancher.

"Well good day, Nick, Heath." Nick grunts, never once looking up from his coffee. He never did have much use for the Editor of the Stockton Eagle, as he had too often enjoyed waving the Barkley family's dirty linen in public, whether it be real or imaginary.

"Mornin' Sam." Heath greeted the dark suited gentleman, taking note of the man's apprehensive demeanor.

"I suspect I will be seeing you at my office shortly Nick. I'm glad to see you are any early riser."

Nick yawned again, his blurry eyes watered from lack of sleep.

"What are you talking about?" Nick said gruffly.

"Your wife's books, I took the liberty of having them packed in boxes. I even hired a wagon from the livery. If you hadn't showed up I was going to have one of my people drive it over to your place."

'Drive what over?" Nick glared up at the Eagle Editor, his brain muddled by the strange conversation.

"Didn't your wife mention I had books for her? She said she was going to send you over to collect them this morning."

"Sending me over to get books from you?"

"That is correct." Gruber tried to smile as pleasantly as possible. Heath watched the man, as he nervously twitched, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, while explaining himself.

"Your lovely wife came to visit me and asked about the books I had. She was interested in acquiring them."

"Why?" Nick almost growled at him, still confused by the conversation.

"She seemed to be interested in reading them," Sam laughed timidly.

"Reading them huh? And I'm suppose to bring them home?"

"That's what she told me." Gruber gave the rancher a friendly nod.

"Just how many books do you have for my lovely wife?" He asked sarcastically.

"Approximately, a hundred and thirty."

"A hundred and thirty?! And she told you she was going to read them? ALL OF THEM?"

"That's correct."

Nick shrugged at Heath, rubbing his whiskered chin with his hand, and leaned back on his chair, a glint of a smirk crawled over his face. "What do you suppose she's got in her head now?"

"She's your wife. I say lets check it out." Nick is the first to stand, kicking back his chair, Heath followed, throwing some money on the table. The two brothers walk out of the restaurant, following Sam Gruber over to the Stockton Eagle where a wagon load of books waited in front of the newspaper office. Nick smiled at Heath.

"Well, she expecting these books and she's expecting me to bring them home to her, then that's what I 'm going to do! Wanna get Coco, and tie him in the back?" Nick couldn't help snickering as he climbed aboard the wagon.

"So you're taking them over to her?" Heath grinned at his brother, pulling the chocolate horse over to the wagon.

"It's what she wants! And I always pride myself in giving that woman what she wants!" Nick chuckled and slapped the reins on the horses' backs.

* * * * *

Heath rode aside of Nick as he drove the wagon load of books, when Nick spied his brother grinning to himself. Nick squinted up at him. "Now what's that stupid grin on your face about little brother?"

"Just thinkin' is all." Heath smirked.

"Yeah?"

"That little gal of yours, 'xcuse me; your wife, has got you wrapped around her finger." Nick laughed out loud.

"Hell boy, you just figured that out?! But I tell ya one thing that sleepless night yesterday has taught me."

"Do I want to hear this one?" Heath cocked his head to one side, looking down at his brother.

"You most certainly do; it may come in handy when you finally decide to get hitched."

"Okay, I'll bite."

"I decided to give that woman everything she wants."

"That's it? That's your solution?" Heath made a wry face.

"Yup," Nick reined the horses to go a little faster.

"Do you think that's wise?" Heath grinned.

He laughed at Heath's question. "Nope!" Heath joined in the laughter. "But no one's ever accused me of being a wise man!" Nick chuckled with a twinkle in his eye.

"Now that's a fact Nick," Heath winked as he spurred on his horse.

"Yeah," Nick exhaled, pleased with himself, "I'm going to give her everything she wants, except one thing."

"What's the one thing?" Heath asked warily.

"A divorce; cause the only way she'll be free of me, is if one of us is dead! Like the preacher said, till death do we part."

Heath grins mischievously. "She a good shot, ya know."

"So am I," Nick grinned.

* * * * *

Laura woke up groggy from a sleepless restless night as she stumbled out of bed. Her head was pounding with a massive headache, and her face caked with dry, salty tears. She walked over to the wash basin, but remembered Nick had smashed it on the floor. Why did she fight with him, it wasn't what she wanted, it wasn't anything she wanted to say, it all just exploded into a mess of words that was never meant to be uttered, and now he's gone. 'What if he doesn't come back. Oh God, please let him come back, she prays to herself, I swear I'll never say those words again. I will never utter that word DIVORCE to another living soul, may my tongue fall out if I do!' Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.

"Just a minute." She ties her robe over her nightgown, then opened the door. Silas entered the room holding a pitcher and basin, some towels and a coffee cup.

"Mornin' Ma'am." He avoids looking at her as he enters.

"Silas, that's too much for you to carry, let me take them," he moves in front of her.

"No trouble Ma'am, I'm fine." Silas sets the rose colored porcelain basin and pitcher on the dry sink. "Some nice warm water for you Ma'am, and here's your coffee." He places the cup on a small table by the fireplace. Laura anxiously sips the hot mixture, hoping it will relieve her throbbing headache somewhat.

"Have you see Nick this morning Silas?" she asks hopefully.

"No Ma'am, he's not here." Laura detects a serious tone to Silas' voice, and wonders if Silas is upset with her. He hadn't even called her Mrs. Nick once. She watches as he efficiently places the folded towels on a rack, next to the dry sink, nods with a servant's smile as he would to any house guest then moves towards the door.

"Silas, are you..." she begins to speak, but when he opens the door she hears Nick's bellowing voice outside. She drops her cup on the table quickly and races pass Silas, causing him to back away when she charges down the stairs. Her robe comes loose, causing her nightgown to billow out to the sides, showing the outline of her body as she flies towards the front door, flinging it wide open.

Outside, Nick had just climbed down from the wagon, loaded with the hardcover books, when he suddenly finds himself straining to keep his balance as Laura hurriedly runs into his arms, clutching him firmly around his neck, assaulting him with kisses.

"WHOA!" he warns, as he pulls back to claim his balance, after catching her in an embrace.

"NICK! I'M SO SORRY! FORGIVE ME! I WAS SO WRONG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! FORGIVE ME PLEASE!" Nick can't help but be pleased at her enthusiastic greeting.

"Easy now! You'll knock me over!" He pushes her out at arms length, looking at her scandalous attire.

"What are you doing outside dressed like that! Have you no decency woman?!" He laughs as he scoops her up effortlessly in his arms. She giggles as she kisses his cheek, delighted to be in his strong arms again.

"I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson!" He carries her up the stairs; the two of them laughing. Standing at the bottom of the staircase, Silas grins a most pleasing smile as he watches Nick carry his bride up to their room. Outside, Heath smiles to himself as he unties Coco from the rig, rubbing the horse's nose.

"Won't be seeing them for a while, Coco. Must be nice to have someone feel like that about ya, huh?" he says wistfully as he brings both Coco and Charger somberly into the barn.

* * * * *

After breakfast, the whole family gathers outside to examine all the books in the wagon.

"That's quite a haul, did you rob a book store?" Jarrod teases, as he picks up one of the books, reading it out loud, "Tales of the American West", sounds delightful," he says, smiling at Nick.

"I have nothing to do with it. Sam Gruber gave them all to Laura."

"Gruber's not one to be so generous. How did you charm that old snake in the grass to giving these up?" Jarrod questions his sister-in-law, who is now dressed in her usual morning riding clothes.

"He just offered them to me, after I asked for them of course. He said they were just gathering dust at the Eagle."

"Ah, so now they'll gather dust here." Jarrod eyed her suspiciously.

"Not necessarily," she defended her shrewd acquisitions.

"Why did you want all these books Laura?" Heath questioned.

"You're not going to read all these; you'll end up with glasses as thick as wine bottles," Nick warns her.

"Sadly we really have no room for them in the library because they look like wonderful books." Victoria sorts through the boxes, enthusiastically.

"Maybe we'll just build a library." Nick jokes, "We'll call it the Laura Barkley Library. We'll build it right near Mother's rose garden."

"NICK! That's a wonderful idea! You're so brilliant!" She squeezes his neck and catching him in a kiss on his cheek.

"I am?"

"News to him." Heath grins bantering with his brother.

"News to me too." Jarrod follows along with a grin to Heath.

"It's just what Stockton needs! A library!"

"A library?! Why would Stockton need a library? Half the people can't even read!" exclaims her husband.

"Granted, but half the people can, and the other half that don't, will learn how to read!"

"Laura, that's a marvelous idea! Stockton is a growing town! It could definitely use a library and it's high time too! We can store all these books in the birthing room," exclaimed the older woman cheerily.

"Great idea, and we can get donations, from other people. We have a lot of books here that no one reads anymore, and I'm sure we.... Did you say BIRTHING ROOM?!" Laura questioned Victoria, aghasted.

Victoria smiles broadly at her daughter-in-law, nodding her head affirmatively. "Well, you don't expect a woman with child to climb those long stairs do you? Tom made the bedroom downstairs near the kitchen into a birthing room. Nick, Audra and Eugene were all born in that room. It's a perfect place really, because it's right near the kitchen."

"Ah huh, I never heard you refer to it by that name before." Laura stared bewildered.

"Well there hasn't been a need for it, until now." Victoria smiled happily; relieved in the fact that her married children have made up from the terrible altercation the night before.

"Do you know something I don't know, mother?" Nick questioned his smiling parent.

"And me?" Laura said dismayed.

"Well, I'm sure there will be a time for it's use, eventually, don't you two agree?" Victoria fairly beams at them..

"I...ah... suppose," Laura exhaled deeply.

"Yeah...I guess.." Nick said embarrassed by the subject of the conversation.

"Well, why don't we get these books inside. Shall we each take a box?" Victoria couldn't help a small laugh, as she took a small box. and proceeded into the house.

Nick and Laura stared at each other dumbfounded.

"Nothing like putting pressure on a man, huh?" Nick muttered as he pulled out a box of books; Laura affectionately rubbed Nick's shoulder as she thoughtfully followed him into the house.

Part 9

That Sunday Laura convinced her husband to go on a last picnic before the fall came to the valley. She also successfully persuaded him to let Tommy and his young girlfriend, Lottie come along. After having that awful quarrel, Laura was very mindful in trying to be the wife she thought her husband expected her to be, so she avoided vexing him any further, by charming him with her feminine wiles to do her bidding. Even though it took more thought on her part, it seemed to work well on the unsuspecting Nick.

In her quest to change herself, she even attempted to throw several books she had gathered from the Stockton Eagle about the suffrage movement including a book from J.S. Mill, entitled The Subjection of Women, into the cooking fire, but she couldn't bring herself to burn them; instead she hid them among the other books she had begun to collect for the Stockton Library, for other eyes than hers to read.

After eating their fill of the fried chicken luncheon Silas had packed for them, Laura leans back on a tree, with her husband's head resting in her lap. She strokes the temple of his head while his eyes are closed in a restful nap. Nick is thoroughly enjoying the his wife's attention, not realizing that she is watching Tommy frolic with the pretty, young Lottie. She smiles to herself.

"They are so sweet together." Nick opens one eye, looking into his wife's thoughtful face and grunts a reply to her. She lets out a small laugh at his inattention to her observations.

"They are so much like us. Don't you think so sweetheart?" she asks, still stroking the hair at his temple. He turns slightly to look at Tommy and Lottie, his arms folded crossly at his chest.

"Nope!" he says abruptly. He turns back to his original position, eyes closed, and adds, "She's a dance hall tramp and he's a stupid boy who is not thinking with his brain, but with another part of his body."

"NICK!" she slaps him gently on is arm, he shrugs the slap off.

"How can you say they are like us?"

"They're in love."

"He's too young to know what real love is, and she sells it for a price. Trust me! They are nothing like us!" She sighs, exasperated at her husband's stubbornness. She stops stroking his head, resting her hand on his folded arms instead.

"Oh Nick you're positively incorrigible."

"Ah huh," he smiles tauntingly, eyes still closed, "and proud of it too!" She laughs, as she swats his hand.

"You are so lucky I tolerate you!" she ribs him sweetly. He clutches at her hand and brings it to his lips for a tender kiss in her palm, a smile curling the ends of his mouth.

"I know."

* * * * *

Near the water's edge, Tommy and Lottie are frolicking, holding hands and laughing.

"Careful, you'll get wet." Tommy warns her as she taps her toe on the water's edge.

"Oh, I don't care. Isn't it pretty here? You're so lucky to live here."

"Well, ya know I won't be living here for long, I gotta go back home."

"Back East? Why?" She stopped splashing the water and looked at him seriously.

"Because I gave my word to Nick, and a man's word is important."

"You are going to leave just because he said so?!"

"I gave him my word I would go back. But I didn't promise him to go alone. Come back with me Lottie." He squeezes her hand. She looks at him astonished.

"I can't go with you, I don't belong in that world."

"We can get married! What do you say? We talked about it before."

And what would he say if I married you?!" She nods her head in Nick's direction.

"Who, Nick? He's got nothing to say about it."

"He hates me! You can see that whenever he looks at me! He stares right though me, like I'm not even there. Like I'm a nobody!"

"That's not true, Nick likes you enough. He invited both of us to come along today."

"Hah, he invited us because his wife! She's the one who really invited us along, he couldn't care less!"

"Well, what if she did, so what? We're here ain't we?"

"I don't know what a fine lady like her is doing with a man like that anyway!"

"Don't say that, Nick's a good man! A real good man! You just don't know him like I do."

"I don't want to know him like you do. I've seen the likes of his kind before. They always come around at night when they want ya, sweet talkin' and all, then in comes the dawn and they go back to their wives and look at ya, like dirt under their boots!"

Tommy frowns as he looks back at Nick and his wife. Maybe Laura will help convince Nick, and he could convince Lottie. He surely can't stay here with his uncle laid up as he is now. His aunt and uncle really need him to come home after Uncle John's accident. He has no choice but to go back to Massachusetts. And he sure has no desire to leave without his dear Lottie!

* * * * *

"How would you like to go on a long trip with me?" Nick asks his wife, still laying his head on her lap. She looks down expectantly at him.

"A trip? Where?"

"Boston."

"Boston?! Oh I would love too Nick! I could see my family. I haven't seen them in two years, it would be so wonderful!"

"Good, we leave in two days." He smiles at her.

"Two days?! Oh no, I couldn't! I have to get ready for the Harvest Festival, there's so much I have to do Nick, I couldn't possibly leave Stockton now."

"Hang the Harvest Festival, you don't need to work it!"

"But I do Nick, I made a commitment to have the book booth for the Stockton Library, I can't just abandon it to go to Boston, do you have to go so soon? Couldn't it wait, at least until after the Harvest Festival?"

"I'm afraid it can't, we have lots of work on the ranch coming up and I can't stick Heath with it

again. It wouldn't be fair to him. Besides, it's important that Tommy gets home right away."

"Why, what's wrong with Tommy?" Nick sat up leaning his hand across her legs on the other side of her, to prop himself up. His expression became very grave.

"He got a telegram from his aunt in Massachusetts, his uncle fell repairing the barn roof and he going to be laid up all winter; Tommy has to go back, otherwise they will end up losing the farm."

"Oh that's awful, but why do you have to go with him?"

"I want to give them some good work horses, and I promised Tommy his own horse. I want to send some supplies that they will need, the winters are tougher back East then they are here. You know, Tommy's aunt and uncle did me a great favor taking the kid in, and they were always good to the boy. I owe these people a lot and I mean to repay them. They are a proud people but I figured if I gave the horses and supplies to Tommy as a gift then they couldn't object. Besides, Tommy can't take care of the transport of the animals by himself."

"Of course, you're right. You are so dear to want to help them like that. You do have to go with him, but Nick, as much as I dearly want to go back with you and see my family, I really can't. I started this library project and I can't just walk away from it."

"But we will only be gone for two weeks; we will be back in time for the Harvest Festival."

"Sweetheart, I have a lot of work to do for the Harvest Festival. There are the book collections at all the local ranches, and I had hoped you would be helping me."

Nick groaned at the thought.

"Now who am I going to get to help me with all the books? I can't ask Heath with you gone. And then there's the advertisements in all the other newspapers in the other towns that have to get printed, and posters to distributed. I just couldn't possibly leave now. Do you really have to go Nick?"

"I have to, it can't wait, the man is in need."

"I know. Oh Nick, two weeks; I don't think I can stand having you away for two weeks," she grumbles, as she fingers the buttons on his shirt and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Well, you'll have this damn book project of yours to keep you busy. I'll have five long days on

a train ride with nothing to do but look at Tommy," he grumbled.

"I can give you all the books you need to read on the trip." She teases him with a tantalizing smile.

"Ha ha, very funny!" She pats his face, flirtatiously kissing him on his lips.

"Lets go home, shall we?" She smoothes out his hair.

"Yeah, I'll go round up the children," he grouses. A sound of a cracked reed calls him to attention. "What's that?"

"I don't know. Could somebody...."

"Shhh!" Nick puts up his hand up to silence her, he slowly pulls his gun from its holster he had leaning near the tree. Laura dares not take a breathe.

"HEY BARKLEY!" a menacing voice calls out to him from behind the trees. A smirking, blond man, with light eyes appears, holding the reins of his horse. Nick recognizes him immediately.

"Who is he Nick?" She squints to look, but can't see the man's face clearly.

"A stupid bastard that almost got his head blown off! Stay put, I'll be right back."

Nick puts his gun down on the ground, as he lifts himself up to meet the man in the woods. Laura takes Nick's gun and holds it in her lap, as she watches Nick move cautiously towards the stranger. She strains to hear what the two men are saying to each other. By the muttering noises they seem to be quarreling, but not loud enough for her to hear. The blond man laughs at Nick, then climbs up on his horse, reining it away as Nick scowls at him. Nick comes back to the picnic area. He calls out to Tommy and Lottie.

"Come on you two! Let's get going!" Nick offers his hand to his wife to help her from the ground. She takes it, pulling herself up. He grabs his gun from her, pushing it in its holster.

"Honey, who was that man, I've never seen him before?" Nick buckles on his gun, sharply.

"He's no one you need to know. Let's get this cleaned up, huh?" They are joined by Lottie and Tommy who help with the packing.

* * * * *

In two days time Nick and Tommy are at the train depot in Stockton, Laura Barkley is the only one there to see them off, since they said their good byes to the rest of the family at home.

"Now Tommy you have that food I packed for you." She pats his shoulder.

"Yes ma'am, even Heath's raisin bread, hope he don't mind." he laughs shyly, then looks around the depot for a familiar face.

"What's wrong Tommy?" asks Laura.

"Aw nuthing, I was just hopin' Lottie woulda come by to see me off, is all."

"Maybe she couldn't get away, and you did say your good byes yesterday." Nick joins them after seeing to the cargo of horses and supplies.

"What's going on?" he tugs his hat down further on his head. Laura moves away from Tommy.

"Nothing sweetheart, I think he expected her to be here to see him off," she whispers to him.

"Aw, it's just as well they break it off now, it wasn't meant to be. He's got to see that, she would never fit in back east."

"I suppose not, still..." She looks forlornly at Tommy, who looks around the depot for his Lottie.

"Hey, pay attention to me! I'm the one you should be thinkin' about! I'm leaving too ya know!"

Nick complains loudly.

"All I ever do in my life is think about you. You are my life and don't you forget it!" She clamps her arms tightly around his neck, making him laugh. Her mind wanders to the night before, when she knocked on the bathroom door.

********************

"Nick, may I come in?"

"Yup, door's unlocked." Laura finds Nick in the bathtub, the water white from spent soap as he lathers up his arms, a cigar tightly squeezed between his lips.

"You are a sight!" she laughs at him.

"I'm a sight for sore eyes, that is a fact!" He laughs and pulls the cigar out of his mouth. "Did you come in here woman to admire my beauty or scrub my back?"

"Actually, a little of both my love." She rolls up her sleeves, kneeling beside the tub. She takes the cigar from his hand and places it on the ashtray near by; making a face at the disagreeable smell. He smiles as he hands her the sponge to wash his back.

"Where's the soap?"

"Oops, I dropped it down there," he smiles impishly, as he points between his legs.

"Well you better find it, you don't want me going in that water grabbing after it. You may not like it!" she warns him, smiling.

"I'll be the judge of that!" he taunts her, laughing.

"Come on, get it for me or I won't scrub your back!"

"Coward!" He finds the soap and hands it to her. She rubs the soap on the wet sponge and washes his back.

"Ohh, that feels good, right there, yeah, that's it....mmm... good."

"Nick, I need to tell you about my Aunt Polly before you see her. She's not like most women her age. You know, she's rather set in her ways."

"Most women are. How is she different?"

"Well, she's a spinster and she not very trustful of men."

"Which is why she's a spinster." he reasons, laughing at his own joke.

"You know what I mean... she's, well, she doesn't like men."

"Like I said before..." Laura lathers up his back with the soapy sponge.

"I just want her to like you."

"Don't see how that can happen, I ain't turnin' into no woman for her."

"Would you stop being so obstinate and listen to me!" She scrubs vigorously.

"Whoa! Easy there woman! Your rubbin' too hard! Leave some skin on, I'm still using it!"

"Sorry." She stops scrubbing, and looks at him timidly.

"Are you worried about me meeting her, is that it?"

"Yes. I just want her to like you, that's all, I want everyone in my family to like you because you're important to me."

"I promise to charm her so well that she'll want to fight you for my affections!" She laughs at him.

"Now, you don't have to go that far."

"I promise, I will be so charming you won't recognize me; hell, I won't recognize me."

"Oh, and that's another thing; you mustn't swear in front of Aunt Polly, she just couldn't handle that."

"Sensitive type, huh? Okay I promise to watch my language."

"That includes Uncle Mick and Aunt Maggie too."

"Who? Oh yeah, the people with all the children who lived in a shoe," he jokes.

"A lighthouse," she corrects him.

"Okay, I promise not to swear in front of them too. What are they, religious or something?"

"You could say that. My cousin Sean is studying for the priesthood."

"Priesthood huh? Well, I'll be damned!"

"NICK!" She laughs as she pushes his head underwater, sending some of the water spilling on

the floor, as they both chuckle.

"Keep that up and you'll find yourself in here with me!... Sean, huh? Where have I heard that name before? Did you ever mention him to me?" Laura stands up and dries herself with a towel.

"I don't recall. You better get out of that tub, someone else might want it, besides we have better things to do, let's go." She gives him a sly wink.

********************

"TOMMY!!"

Laura's thoughts are broken by young Lottie's voice. She smiles as she watches Lottie, dressed in a gold dance hall dress and a shawl wrapped around her bare arms. The two young lovers embrace.

"Oh Nick, she did come to see him off; it's that the sweetest..."

"Laura! Shut up and look at me!"

"Nic..." He grabs her tightly to himself and kisses her passionately. She wraps her arms around his neck, returning a most passionate kiss.

"Oh Nick..." she groans, trying to choke back tears.

"That kiss is gonna have to last ya two weeks until I get back." They kiss again, the train blows a warning whistle, the conductor yells, "ALL ABOARD!"

"We gotta go. TOMMY! LET'S GO!" he waves his arm at Tommy who breaks away from Lottie's embrace.

"I'll.. write to ya Lottie! I promise! I love ya!" He rushes to the opening of the train car and jumps aboard. Nick still has his wife in his arms as the train starts to move.

"I gotta go! I LOVE YOU! " he runs towards the train car, grabbing the handrail as he jumps on.

"I put my family's addresses in you breast pocket! Don't lose them! Give Uncle Mick and Aunt Maggie my love!" Nick pats his breast pocket.

"I got everything right here! I'll tell em!" LOVE YOU!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO! I'LL MISS YOU! ...NICK! Tell my cousin that I'll write her soon!"

The train whistles blows.

"HUH!!, WHAT DID YOU SAY???! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!" he yells.

Laura shakes her head in frustration and mutters to herself, "Damn it Laura why didn't you write a letter and give it to him to deliver in person! You're so stupid!" She waves to Nick as the train chugs away, until she can't see him anymore. She sighs, "Two whole weeks!" she chokes back her tears when she hears Lottie sobbing behind her.

"Lottie, what's wrong? I thought I would be the one doing all the crying," she hangs her arm around the girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"He said he was going to write to me," she sobs, soaking an already wet handkerchief.

"But what's wrong with that? That's wonderful, he cares about you." she rubs her shawl covered shoulder.

"But I can't read!!" she wails out loud. Laura smiles at the disheartened girl.

"Lottie you just put yourself in my hands and I promise you'll be reading that letter yourself by the time it gets here," she smiled encouragingly.

"Really?!" she stopped sobbing, looking at her with tear-filled eyes.

"I promise. Now, have you got some time before you have to go to work?"

"Yeah?"

"Good. I always find that when I feel down, shopping always makes me feel better. Lets you and I go shopping and cheer ourselves up."

"But I haven't any money Missus."

"Neither do I. That's one of the many nice things about being a Barkley; you just sign for everything. My brother-in-law Jarrod pays all the bills at the end of the month!" she waves her hand with a sweeping motion, into the air.

"Really?" her eyes widen in wonder.

"Ah huh, and I haven't charged one thing at all this month!" she says delighted to have a chance to rectify the problem.

"But this is only the beginning of September" she says, wrinkling up her nose.

"Well then, it's high time, October will be upon us before we know it! Come on!"

She pushes her towards the center of town as they link arms. Lottie abruptly stops, forcing Laura to a halt.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't be seen with you! People will talk!"

"Goodness is my reputation that bad?"

"Not you, me!" states Lottie, with a laugh.

"Oh Silly; don't you know that the Barkleys are a favorite subject among the town gossips? We'll just give them something new to gossip about." Laura entwines her arm in the young saloon girl's own and off they go into town, amid stares from several of the good townsfolk.

* * * * *

On the train heading east, Nick is already restless, even though he sits comfortably in Jarrod's private pullman car on one of the plush red brocade chairs. His mind wanders to the last time he travel in the pullman, with his new wife, heading home from their honeymoon, a trace of a smile crosses his lips.

"Hey Nick, this is somethin' ain't it! Travelin' across the country in a car like this huh?"

"Yeah kid. Excuse me, I'm going out and have a smoke, give me your ticket, the conductor will be around soon, I'll give it to him when he gets here." Tommy hands the ticket over to Nick, who immediately shoves it inside his breast coat pocket. Nick opens the door to the pullman; standing outside, he carelessly pulls out a cigar from his top breast pocket, not noticing a slip of paper falling out and landing on the moving train tracks below him. Nick searches in his other pocket for a match and strikes it on the side of the pullman car to light his cigar. He leans against the car, his arms folded as he watches the mountains surrounding his beloved valley come into view; wishing it could be two weeks from now and he was watching the mountains disappearing from view, meaning he was coming home.

"Welcome aboard Mr. Barkley." the train conductor invades his thoughts.

"Thanks." Nick hands the tickets to the conductor to clip them.

"Ah I see from your tickets here you're going all the way East. This your first time East, Mr. Barkley?"

"No, 'been there before," he says wearily.

"Well, good, enjoy your trip." He hands the tickets back to Nick, who shoves it in his breast pocket. When his fingers reach in, he notices the absence of the slip of paper his wife had given him.

"Oh no..."

"Something wrong Mr. Barkley?"

"I lost a paper my wife gave me with the addresses of her relatives back East, she's gonna kill me. Damnit!" Nick starts searching all his other pockets, he finds a slip of paper, unfolds it and reads Polly Thomas, 1634 Fitchburg Avenue, Boston. After giving a sympathetic smile to Nick, the conductor continues on his duties. Tommy joins Nick on the platform, he notices Nick searching all his pockets.

"What's wrong Nick?"

"I lost that damn slip of paper Laura gave me with her cousin's family on it. You don't happen to remember what their names were do you?"

"Didn't it begin with a D?" Tommy attempts to help him.

"Yeah, something like that. Donneagan, or Dougan, nah, that 's not it! Donaley? Ah damnit!"

"Don't you know where they live?"

"Yeah I do, some kind of a strange place, oh yeah, a lighthouse."

"Which one?"

"Ya mean there's more than one?"

"There sure are, there are lighthouses all over."

"There is? How do you tell them apart?"

"The lighthouses have names like the Narrows Bug Light, the Island Head Light, Minot's Light, the Duxbury Pier Light and the Sandy Neck Light."

"Nah, none of those sound right. You know all those places?!"

"Well, I sort of got interested in them when I moved there as a kid."

"Oh. Ah the hell with it, I didn't want to go visit anyone, anyway."

Part 10

Heath Barkley walked around the barn when he noticed his sister-in-law, preparing to drive the Barkley buggy; he calls out to her.

"No riding today?!"

"Not this morning Heath." She climbs onto the buggy, he walks over and puts his hands on the wheel of the buggy, effectively stopping her from reining the horse to move.

"So where are ya headin'?" Impatient to start her journey, she puts the reins down on her lap and angles her head towards her brother-in-law.

"And why are you so interested in where I'm going?"

"Because dear sister-in-law I promised Nick I would make sure you stayed out of trouble while he was gone."

"I have no intention of getting in trouble. My intention, if you must know, is to visit a few of the ranchers in the valley and ask for book donations for the Stockton Library. Now how can I get in trouble doing that?"

"I suspect trouble will find you," he smiles teasingly.

"Well, if you're so worried then come with me. You can help carry my books." She teased.

"Now ya know I got work to do here with Nick gone and all..."

"Then I suggest you let me be about my business and you be about yours. I will see you at lunch. Good day Heath." She slaps the reins on the horse urging him to go with a 'gitty up'. He calls out to her as she moves away.

"Just be careful, ya hear?!" Laura looks back smiling at him with a wave of her hand. Heath shakes his head, wishing he had the manpower to spare, but he tells himself she'll be all right, as he walks towards his mount.

* * * * *

The one story white frame house with red trim seemed to stretch across the length of the ranch. The barn attached to it had a pile of hay not too neatly packed in front of it with a large paddock along side where a few horses cantered about. As she drove the buggy closer she notice a lack of any flowers or greenery to decorate the front of the porch that was in need of a good sweeping; telling her the place was lacking a woman's touch. Possibly a widower lived here she imagined as her boots clicked on the loosen floor boards of the porch. With a firm grasp she raps the door knocker three times. She listens as a pair of heavy booted feet approach the door. A blond headed man in his 30's, with light eyes greets her at the door, a checkered napkin at his neck which he briskly pulls off, shoving it promptly into his back pocket.

"Well, hello there, " he greets the uninvited guest, smiling.

"Good morning, do I have the pleasure of addressing Mr. Rufus Morton?"

"That's my Pa; names Zak."

"Well, how do you do Mr. Morton, I'm Laura Barkley," she smiles, extending her hand. He takes her hand, but instead of shaking it, he gives it an insistent pull into the house, closing the large wooden door. She gives a quick wary glance back as the door closes behind her.

"Barkley huh? What did you say your name was again?"

"Laura. Laura Barkley. I'll be brief Mr. Morton as I am sure you're busy..."

"Oh yeah! You're Nick's woman ain't ya? I heard tell he got himself hitched," he folds his arms over his chest, and rocks back on his heels, as if he's inspecting her.

"I'm his wife, yes," she corrects him, smiling apprehensively.

"Well, Nick may be the biggest jackass in the valley, but he sure knows how to pick a woman."

"Thank you; ...if I may Mr. Morton..." she continues undeterred.

"Name's Zak, call me Zak, Laura, pretty name, LAU... RA!" he drawls it out. "Ya know, I have seen you before, yes I have, now that I think on it."

Zak's mind wanders to that confrontation he had with Nick Barkley near the pond just on the edge of the Barkley land. The pond the Morton family had thought they owned until the Barkleys stole it from them when Jarrod has a surveyor 're-draw' those boundary lines.

**********************

"What the hell do you want here?!" came the gruff voice of Nick Barkley positioning himself as a shield against Zak Morton and his family near the picnic area.

"Now that's not very neighborly of you Nick old boy, after all, this stretch of land use to belong to us until your thieving family stole it from us," Zak snickers, enjoying another opportunity to push Nick Barkley's temper to the limit.

"That was settled long ago legally, so why are you coming around to beat a dead horse?!"

"Like I said I was just being neighborly," Zak waves with a pointed finger to the area behind Nick.

"That your woman? Heard ya convinced some poor gal to marry up with ya."

"That's none of your business! Now get the hell off my land!" Nick's jaw tightens, his fists clenched on his belt.

"Looks like a pretty little gal even from way over here. Mind if I go kiss the bride, it's tradition after all," Zak smirks widely. Enjoying any chance to rile Nick Barkley into a fight.

"You stay the hell away from her and everyone in my family if you want to keep breathing Morton, you catch my drift?" Nick's voice was lethal enough that Zak Morton decided to take his leave, the smirking grin never leaving his face, as he slowly remounted and reined away.

***********************

"As I was about to say I'm here on behalf of the Stockton Library..." Laura interrupts the blond cowboy's thoughts.

"Stockton doesn't have a library," he said shaking his head, his eyebrows creased.

"Yes, I 'm aware of that," she walks into the room, causing him to turn, watching her, she begins again, "you see, I've been visiting ranchers such as yourself, asking for book donations to start a library. Do you have a private library here?"

"Oh yeah, we got lots of books, don't read them much, they were my Ma's; she was partial to reading, always had a book in her hand. Pa sometimes reads, but not much."

"May I see your library?" she pushes her luck a little further.

"Right this way," he smiles as he leads her into a closed door room. He opens the door just enough for her to squeeze past him, he smiles with a gleam in his eye, her elbow lightly touching his stomach; his smile widening at her touch.

Inside the spacious Morton Library she found a large ornate oak desk, behind it a huge black leather chair far larger then the one at home in the Barkley library. In fact she noticed that everything in the room seemed larger. A massive fireplace took up an entire wall of the house, with rows and rows of bookshelves on either side, all of them looking quite new, but dusty from disuse. On the walls there are an extraordinary amount of stuffed deer and elk heads as a testimony to the Morton males' prowess with a gun and a keen eye. Laura pulled one of the books from the shelf, wiping the dust away with her gloved hand.

"Our housekeeper, Maria has been sick," Zak says in defense.

"I understand. I wonder if your father would part with a few of these books, considering they were your mother's."

"Well, you can ask him or I can ask him for you if you ask me nice like." He moves closer to her, putting one hand on the shelf next the her, then the other on the other side, blocking her exit.

"Excuse me." she scoots down under his arm to escape the blocking arms. "You know, I really should speak to your father myself, after all, it is his wife's books. Is he around?"

"Oh yeah, he's around here someplace."

"Oh well, if he's around I would be very grateful to you if you would find him for me." He walks over to her, she backs away from his advance.

"Just how grateful would you be?" he continues his advance on her, she moves back.

"I beg your pardon?" she moves across the room until she finds herself in front of the oak desk. He comes close enough for her to smell his breakfast on his breath. She inches her way from one end of the huge desk to the other, he follows her as she does so.

"Tell me, does Nick treat ya good?" he leans his face over her, she winces from his bad breath.

"You know, I think I will come back when your father is here." She moves towards the closed library door, and pulls at the handle but Zak charges across the room in time for him to close the library door again with the flat of his hand slamming against it.

"He'll be here soon you can wait can't you?" he smirks.

"Actually I can't wait I have a few more stops to make, so if you would be so kind..." she eyes his hand on the door.

"Oh but you can wait here a little longer, I'll be glad to keep you company." He moves closer in an effort to kiss her, she dashes away into the room, standing near the sofa, she looks around for another exit and notices that there aren't any windows in the room. 'Now you've done it Laura, Heath warned you!'

"You know Mr. Morton my family is waiting for me to get home, so if you .."

"Your family huh? The Barkleys, we don't have much use for them here. They're a bunch of losers."

"I'm sorry to hear that, had I known you felt that way I certainly wouldn't have bothered you, so I'll be leaving now, thank you for your time." Zak Morton walked menacingly toward her; she bites her lip as her eyes dart around looking for an escape route to the door.

"But we can make an exception for you, my Pa's going to like you; I sure do! Say, what do you see in that loud mouth loser Nick Barkley anyway? You can do better, a pretty little gal like you."

"I really need to be on my way," she sprints over to the closed door, but Zak is faster and obstructs her exit, as he leans his back against the door, with his arms folded.

"What's ya hurry?" Anger and fear collide together in her head as she summons all her strength in trying to stay calm.

"You know Mr. Morton I really need to leave, so I would appreciate it if you would move away from that door."

He gently grasps the hair on her shoulder and fingers it in his hand, as he ogles her with a smirk across his face.

"I sure can imagine what ole Nick sees in you." Anger winning out in her head, she smacks him arm down smartly.

"Don't touch me! Now, get away from that door!" her eyes flashed with anger. His face was indignant from the slap on his arm, but quickly changed to another menacing grin.

"Make me!"

"You will get out of my way!" she warns him, then walks to the large black sofa, clutches a vase from a nearby table and throws it at his head. He moves away just in time for it to smash against the door, shattering. He laughs at her, enjoying her anger.

"You are a spitfire ain't ya!"

"Get away from that door!" she shouts at him, but he moves towards her. She searches for something else to throw. While her eyes are averted he lunges; tackling her onto the large black leather sofa.

"GET OFF ME!" She struggles under him trying to hit him with her fists but he grabs at her wrists, tightly holding them down around her head. He attempts to kiss her, but she quickly turns her head to and fro, as she battles to get free of him.

"STOP IT! GET OFF ME!" she screams.

"Make me!" he snorts, enjoying the fight. She wiggles her leg loose from under him and tries to push him off When he moves to get a better grip on her writhing body, she takes the opportunity to bring her leg up and pushes it hard into his groin, causing him to slide off her and the sofa to a kneeling stance on the floor, grabbing his himself in pain.

"YOU ..BIT... AHH!" She flies off the sofa, grabs a rifle occupying a rack above the fireplace and points it at him.

"Men! You just never learn do you?!" At that moment Rufus Morton, hearing the commotion charges into the library, with his son J.R. by his side.

"WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON HERE!" he shouts indignantly. J.R. smirks at the scene.

"You must be Mr. Rufus Morton, " Laura declares, a rifle still trained at his son.

"I am! And who might you be young woman?!" his steely blue eyes glared menacingly at her.

"Laura Barkley!"

"Barkleys are not welcomed in my home!"

"So I found out!" she cocks the trigger, ready to shoot anyone who comes too close.

"You Nick's woman? I heard he got himself hitched." Rufus says with an eyed cocked to one side.

"Wife! I'm his wife!" she says exasperated, at the chauvinist attitude.

"I said that." Mr. Morton's replies, causing her to sigh and roll her eyes, still holding the rifle.

"Why do you have a gun on my son?!"

"Your son tried to rape me!"

"Is that true Zak?!" Rufus pulls a still anguished Zak up by the arm.

"Just haven't a little fun is all, Pa, I didn't mean no harm!"

"YOU NEVER TOUCH ANOTHER MAN'S WOMAN! I taught you better than that! Even if she is a Barkley! What's the matter with you boy?!" Rufus Morton slaps his son across the face.

"Wife damn it," Laura muttered under her breath. Rufus is genuinely contrite as he apologizes to Laura.

"I apologize for my son Mrs. Barkley. He was taught better than that."

"I accept your apology Mr. Morton." She slowly releases the trigger back in it's rest then replaces the rifle on it's rack over the fireplace, the action causes Mr. Morton takes a more business like tone.

"Now, you mind telling me what a Barkley is doing under my roof?" his eyes changing again to a steely glare. Although fearful, Laura stands her ground, she pulls at her gloves tautly then balls up her fists, planting them firmly on her hips as she has seen Nick do hundreds of times when he's determined to speak his mind.

"I am here Mr. Morton to ask for donations of books to start a library in Stockton and..."

"A library you say?" a pleased tone in his voice.

"Yes Sir."

"My dear late wife Hester was quite fond of books. She worked in a library back east when I met her, back in Cambridge, Ohio. She was quite fond of books. She missed it when I brought her out west, so I promised her that I would build her the biggest library in the valley, and that is what you see here."

"I realize that, it is quite impressive. Not even the Barkleys have a library this grand." She waves her hand around the room as she attempts to flatter the proud man. She notices her acclaim succeeds in pleasing him as a smile brightens his face. He stands very tall, his chin up high as he casts his eyes on her.

"Just how many books will you be needing Mrs. Barkley?" he attempts a half smile.

"As many as you can spare Mr. Morton," she smiles at him.

"If my wife were here I know what she would do; she would give you all of them."

"ALL OF THEM?" she mouth agape. " You're not serious."

"I AM!" he states factually.

"Mr. Morton! You are more than generous, I am astonished by your truly magnanimous act! Never have I met a man so charitable, I cannot express my gratitude! With all these books we can fill an entire wing of the library! ....In fact if I may be so bold as to ask your permission to name a wing of the new Stockton Library in memory of your dear wife! The Hester Morton Wing." Rufus' eyes shine with pride.

"If you don't mine, The Hester Caulfield Morton Wing!" Laura smiles at him.

"Consider it done Mr. Morton! It will be a fitting tribute to a fine and learned woman!"

"I thank you Mrs. Barkley," he gives her a slight bow of his head, now smiling widely.

"It is I who thank you Mr. Morton on behalf of the fine citizens of Stockton."

"I will have my sons pack them all in a wagon and take them wherever you say."

"Well, I have been cataloging them at my home, if you wouldn't mind bringing them there."

"It would be our pleasure. Boys get the wagon and some boxes, we're heading over to the Barkleys."

"The Barkleys! You're giving all ma's books to the Barkleys?!" complains J.R.

"I am giving all your ma's books to Mrs. Barkley for the Stockton Library! Now you hush up and do as you are told, NOW!"

Part 11

A quiet luncheon seems to be the order of the day, since Victoria Barkley will be having only two of her sons, Jarrod and Heath for lunch. Victoria walks in from the kitchen with Silas trailing behind her.

"Goodness, I hope Laura will make it home in time."

"I'm sure she will ma'am. I will set a plate for her just in case."

Jarrod is the first to walk in to the dining room. "Mmm, something smells good." he sits at his usual place at the table.

"We're not eating until Laura gets here."

"Where is our wayward librarian?" Jarrod asks Heath as he enters the dining room.

"Raiding every private library in the valley, and she's taking no prisoners doing it." He jokes as Victoria pats his arm walking into the parlor, leaving the two brothers alone in the dining room waiting to eat. Heath sits at the table.

"There is no library safe from Laura Barkley's clutches." Jarrod smiles wryly.

"I saw her off this morning myself."

"Well, I hope she's been staying out of trouble," Jarrod pours some water in his glass, after he pours some for Heath.

"Yeah I know, not like Sacramento." Heath watches for Jarrod's reaction from the corner of his eye, while he sips a glass of water. Jarrod jerks his head up, staring at Heath.

"You know what happened in Sacramento with Nick and Laura?!"

"Sure." Heath drawls, delighted to tease his older brother. Heath knew that Jarrod has been after both Laura and Nick to tell him what happened on their honeymoon that caused them to need $500.00 in bail money, but the newlyweds had been closed mouth, much to Jarrod's chagrin. Even though Heath hadn't any knowledge about the incident, he knew that pretending he did know about what happened in Sacramento would vex Jarrod further! And Heath always enjoyed having any opportunity to put one over on either of his brothers.

"How did you..." asks Jarrod in his best cross examination tone. Victoria walks in on them, causing Jarrod to stop in mid sentence.

"Well, I will give Laura a few minutes but then we will have to eat. Did I miss something?"

"No Mother we were just talking." Jarrod said looking warily at Heath, who lets a sly grin escape. Jarrod's face changed to one of annoyance as he stood up from the chair to get a decanter of wine.

"Jarrod dear, is something wrong?" asks his mother, noting his look. Heath takes a lingering sip of his water, trying to keep a straight face. Silas enters the room with a tray.

"Silas, we won't wait for Laura, please serve."

"Yes Mrs. Barkley." The sound of wagons driving into the courtyard outside, interrupted their lunch.

"What in the world is that?" Victoria strains to look out the french doors. Jarrod is the first to stand and investigate.

"I don't believe it!" Jarrod said astounded. Heath rose from the table and joined Jarrod at the door. The two of them looked bewildered at the sight before them. Victoria, not to be left out, joins her sons at the door.

"It's Laura! Oh my God, I don't believe my eyes, with the Mortons!" states Victoria, incredulous.

"What is she doing with them?!" Heath wonders out loud.

"Good question, lets find out!" Jarrod carelessly tosses his napkin over to the table, and is the first to step out to meet the visitors. Heath helps Laura out of the buggy, taking her by the waist, then he whispers in her ear.

"What are you doing with the Mortons?" an uneasy look on his face.

"Thank you Heath," she says, patting his shoulder and ignoring his question. " Hello Jarrod, Victoria," she smiles at all of them. " I believe you all know the Mortons."

"Just what is going on here Laura?" Jarrod asked dumbfounded.

"The Mortons have very kindly donated their entire library. There are over five hundred books in those two wagons. Isn't it wonderful?!" Laura grasps Jarrod's arm, "I promised Mr. Morton that we would name a wing in the library after his dear departed wife, Mrs. Morton. The books were all hers."

"A wing?! Just how big is this library suppose to be?!" He looks down at his sister in law flabbergasted.

"Large enough to hold thousands of books Jarrod. You know I really think you should look into getting the state to donate the old Judicial Building, it's really not being used for anything else, not since the new courthouse had been built. It would be perfect don't you think?" she squeezes his arm, then smiles at Rufus Morton.

Mr. Morton struts proudly over to the Barkleys.

"My sons will take the books in just tell us where you want them Mrs. Barkley."

"Oh please Mr. Morton, you promised to call me Laura," she pats his arm in a gentle chide.

"Heath would you be so kind as to show Zak and J.R. where we're storing the books."

Heath warily aids Zak and J.R., suspiciously wondering what went on between the Mortons and his sister-in-law to cause this unusual generous spirit of the Mortons.

"Good afternoon Victoria." Rufus removes his hat in respect to the matriarch of the Barkley family.

"Good afternoon Rufus. I wish to thank you for being so generous and helpful to my daughter-in-law; this project is very dear to her heart."

"The pleasure has been all ours, your daughter-in-law is a fine woman."

"Thank you Rufus, we are aware of that, we are all very proud of her." Victoria smiles politely at the family rival.

"Well, I best be helping the boys get those books in. Why don't you help too Jarrod, or are you too soft to lift a box?" Rufus challenges the lawyer.

"I will be most happy to help Rufus." Jarrod joins the others at the wagons.

"Why don't you get some of the hands to help Jarrod," suggests Laura.

"No need, we can manage," he strolls off with a scornful look. Laura smiles at him, then turns to Victoria, "You know there are times that Jarrod reminds me of Nick."

Victoria laughs. Rufus looks directly at them.

"I just want you to know before I go, that you, Laura Barkley are welcomed anytime to the Morton ranch; so the next time you Barkleys want to give us a message you can send this fine young woman here. She is ONE Barkley who will be safe on Morton land, you have my word on it. The only Barkley!" He firmly plants his hat back on his head, nods to the ladies then joins the others with unloading the wagons.

"I'll remind my other children of that Rufus, thank you." Victoria nods to Rufus. Then she latches onto Laura's arm and pulls her towards the house. "You, are going to tell me every word and don't you dare leave anything out!"

"Yes Ma'am." Laura smiles triumphantly as she lets her mother-in-law pull her into the house.

* * * * *

Once the Mortons had gratefully left the Barkley ranch, Laura busies herself with her newly acquired possessions. She gingerly moves around the overstocked room full of books, when there is a firm rap on the door. Laura turns to the sound when she sees a blond head poke in.

"Hi Heath," she greeted him pleasantly, " thank you for helping the Mortons."

"Wasn't helping them."

"Well, thank you anyway."

"Welcome," he answered her. Laura turned away to busy herself with her project. After a minute she noticed Heath still standing in the room.

"Is there something I can help you with Heath?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?'

"You can tell me about the Mortons, " he stands by the door, his hands in his back pockets waiting for her answer.

"Well, I'm pleased to say the Mortons saved me a lot of traveling time by their generosity. Now, I will have less homesteads to visit for donations."

"Oh, ya won't be visiting anymore homesteads."

"Well, there are still a few on my list."

"Lemme see that list of yours," he motions with his hand. Laura takes a slip of paper out of her skirt pocket and hands it to Heath. He heaves an annoyed sigh when he notices the Mortons' name on the top of the list.

"Why didn't ya show me this before when I asked ya where you were going this morning?"

"You never asked."

"I did ask." She smiles sweetly at him, he does not return the smile, but folds the paper up and shoves it in his vest pocket.

"What are you doing Heath? I need that!"

"The rest of these folks can donate at the Harvest Festival."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean ya got yer wings clipped lady."

"I want that list back Heath," she insists.

"Ya really want it back?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then tell me what happened at the Mortons today?" She turns away from his stare, and with downcast eyes, she bites her lip.

She finally looks at him again, "What makes you think anything happened there?"

" 'Cause I know 'em," he puts his hands loosely on his hips, and takes a wide, but unthreatening stance. "...They didn't give ya those books outta the goodness of their hearts."

"Nothing happened," she said after mulling over her answer.

"Fine. Ya don't have to tell me." Heath turns, opening the bedroom door.

"Heath!" He gave her a backwards glance, the door still opened.

"Are ya gonna tell me?"

"No."

"Suit yourself, I'm headin' to town." Heath leaves, closing the door behind him. Laura stands in the middle of the room, with an exasperated look on her face.

"Now I know what Audra means about having too many protective brothers!" She throws her pad and pencil down on the bed covered with books and follows Heath's path out. She finds him in the foyer pushing his hat on his head.

"Heath," she calls out to him; he looks up from under hat.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing happened!" she insists again, her hands firmly planted on her hips in her best Nick imitation. Although he is amused by her Nick stance, he won't let on, but gives her his best poker face.

"See ya," he opens the front door.

"Heath! Come back!" He looks back at her, with the front door opened in his hand.

"We got nothin' to talk about Laura."

"Why don't you believe me!" she stamps her foot on the floor.

"Believing ya ain't what this is about," he continues in a serious tone, poker face still intact as he turns back towards her, "Nick's gonna be powerful mad when he finds out I let ya go over to the Mortons' alone."

"But you didn't know I went there," she insists.

"Do ya think that's gonna matter to Nick?"

"No I suppose not. I'm sorry Heath," Laura sighs in surrender. Heath closes the front door, and pushes his hat back on his head with a flick of his finger, clasping his hands on his gun belt.

"Did they hurt ya?"

"Do I look hurt?" she tried to appease him.

"Well now, there's hurt ya see, and hurt ya don't."

"Look, no one told me about this Barkley-Morton feud. I only found out about it today!"

"From the Mortons?"

"Well, they did have a few choice words to say about the Barkleys."

"I 'spect they did."

She watches as Heath casts his eyes down on the floor, mulling over what to say next; she waits for him, hoping he will not continue the same line of questioning. Finally he looks up at her, "We need to know where yer goin' Laura, from now on, 'til Nick gets back."

"After that I'm his problem again, huh?" Heath gives her a crooked smile.

"Listen here, anything bad happens to ya, Nick's gonna kill me. Now, I ain't fixin' to die young, so ya gonna have to stay safe, so I can stay healthy, okay?"

She smiles back at him, "Okay, I'm sorry Heath."

He takes a step towards her and gently drops a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank ya kindly ma'am," he gives her a wink, then heads out of the house shutting the door behind him.

"I'm just going to have to be more clever about sneaking out." she thought to herself.

Part 12

Standing on the docks, he pulls up the collar of his jacket to protect him from the early evening chill as he watches the fishermen bring in their last catch for the day. The incessant caws of the seagulls swirling around the nets, distract him from his thoughts of home. He tightly shuts his eyes trying to revisit the valley in his mind, the great house with it's white columns, the whitewashed paddocks and the red barn nearby, the neat rows of bunkhouses. It would be almost suppertime, he smiles as he imagines Audra chatting at the table about some silly gossip of the day, Jarrod and his mother patiently listening, Heath with an amused smile on his face pretending not to take notice, and Laura, his wife, always that sweet smile on her face enjoying it all. How he loved to watch her in the early morning, sipping her first cup of coffee, standing at the bedroom window looking out like a monarch surveying her domain, 'Milady,' how he missed her.

"Sir?" Nick looks down at a young man about sixteen carrying a barrel of ale on his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I need to git by and yer in my path."

"Oh yeah, sorry." Nick moves, allowing the young man to pass. "Hey son, where's a good place to get a hot meal around here and a good drink?"

"M' uncle's pub. Follow me; that's where I'm headin' around the corner." Nick shoves his hands in his pockets to protect them from the cold as he strides ahead following the dark haired teen, with the strong back and the muscular arms.

Uncle Paddy's Pub, was like no saloon he ever saw in the west, it was more like a cafe with a bar and tall stools for sitting. There were red checkered curtains covering the bottom half of the windows looking out onto the docks.

"Brought a customer for ya Uncle Paddy in need of hot meal to take the chill of the sea off 'im."

"Welcome stranger but yeh don't look like any sailor I'ver came 'cross."

"I'm not from around here." answers Nick. " How about something for the cold?"

"Coming right up, some good Irish whiskey. Liam tell your sister to get the gentleman a hot cup of stew. Far from home are yeh mate?"

"Yeah, I'd say. California."

"Aye, 'tis a long way, here on business are ya?"

"Yeah." Uncle Paddy pours him two fingers of whiskey and places the bottle in front of him.

"That should take the cold outta yeh bones."

"Thanks." Nick takes a generous gulp, he smiles at the Irishman, " Well, that will cure ya or kill ya huh?"

"A little of both I'd say, son," he smiles as he wipes away imaginary rings on the bar.

"Here's some beef stew if ya got a mind to eat somethin' that'll stick to yer bones," said the young girl, as she placed the bowl before the stranger. She wiped a spoon on her apron, and handed it to him.

"Thank ya kindly Miss...?" he eyes her for a name, to be friendly.

"Bridget's the name, no need for Miss we don't stand on formalities here."

"Name's Nick. Are ya old enough to work in a place like this? You hardly look more than fourteen yourself."

"I'm old enough to know it's not polite to ask a lady her age." Nick laughs at the pretty girl with laughing gray eyes, her curly dark ringlets framing a heart shaped face.

"Hold yer tongue lass! I told yeh before not to speak ill to deh payin' customehers. Pay 'er no mind Sir. Never knew an Irish lass to keep a civil tongue in her head," he nods a reproving head at her.

"It's all right, my wife's Irish, and speaks her mind too whether ya want to hear it or not, " he laughed reminiscing.

"Ah married then huh? Children?"

"No not yet, haven't been married long. Hope to someday soon." He takes a spoonful of the beef stew, finding it too hot he pours in some of the whiskey to cool it off.

"Ah women, the Good Lord's blessin' and His cuhrse." Nick laughs at Uncle Paddy's comment.

"That sounds like something my brother Jarrod would say."

"He sounds like a learned man." Uncle Paddy pours him another drink

"That he is." Nick smiled and lifted the glass to him, please to find a friendly face to fend off the loneliness he felt in his heart. "To you and yours Sir."

"I'll drink to that." Uncle Paddy pours a drink for himself and lifts the glass to Nick.

"To you and yours as well." the Irishman takes a good swig down. The young teen who showed Nick to the pub comes out of the back room.

"Finished with the sortin' Uncle," said the young man wiping the sweat from his brow, with a handkerchief.

"Good Liam, you can sweep out the back then, after ya take a break, come 'ere and have yerself a cold draft. Yeh deseherve it."

"Yer know Ma wouldn't approve of it." Liam smiles as he sits near Nick on the stool.

"Well now, yeh ma's not 'ere is she, and this is my pub, she's another lass who should hold her tongue..." he turns to Nick, "my sister Maggie's boy. I figger a boy works like a man should be able to drink like one too, 'sides what my sister don't know won't hurt her," he twinkles with a laugh.

"I agree. Work like a man, drink like one." The generous uncle pours young Liam a draft of beer. Liam takes a good long gulp. Bridget comes out of the kitchen, and looks at her older brother accusingly.

"If Da comes in here...Liam."

"Ah be still, Bridget and mind yaself! Remember ya place, Sister." Nick smiled at the boy's comments, noting that this young Liam worked like a man, was wise like a man; but wise enough to know that he was not yet a man.

"She's ya sister huh? You all related?"

"It's all family run heher," says Paddy as he cleans the bar.

"So yer from out west? Been attacked by Indians?" Liam asks fascinated by the stranger from the west.

"No, not lately, they've been pretty peaceable these days, not much trouble." Nick smiled at the boy's innocent question.

"So what do you do there out west?"

"I have a spread me and my family, I run it."

"Horses and stuff like that?" asks Liam, his eyes widening with curiosity.

"Yeah, plenty of horses, cattle, things like that."

"I've always wanted to go out west, my sister's there ya know, she's a teacher, just went out there a month ago, got a job."

"Really? Long way to go for a job. What's the matter, couldn't find one here?"

"No, it's not that, she always wanted to go out west. We got family there, a cousin out near San Francisco, or there abouts."

"Well it's always good to have family around where ya live. Speaking of family, my wife's got family here in Boston, maybe you know the name..."

"What's the name then?" There is a crash in the back room, and Bridget yelling out Liam 's name. Liam rushes to his sister's aid.

"She all right?" Nick asked concerned.

"Ah, pay no mind, she's always having something toppling on her, being so short, she' always trying to reach for things too high, if that doesn't happen once a day to our Bridget it's not a normal day for her." Uncle Paddy laughs at his own joke.

"Ah,...well, maybe you know my wife's family, name's Thomas. It's her maiden name."

"Thomas eh? Can't say I know of any Thomas around here." Paddy rubs his chin, his eye cocked to one side.

"Well, her mother's family's here too, except I'll be damned if I can remember the name. She gave me a slip of paper with the name on it, and the address but I lost it on the train coming out."

"Aw, maybe it wasn't meant to be that yeh should see 'em."

"I guess not. But Laura's going to be disappointed, that's my wife's name, Laura."

"Pretty name, yeh must miss her."

"Yep sure do. Will be going home soon though, soon as I look up her aunt. That's the Thomas side of the family."

"Well I wish yeh luck in yeh journey home," he pours another drink for Nick, lifting the glass he drinks his fill. Soon after, Nick bids them a fond farewell, pays for the food and drink then heads to his hotel for a well deserved sleep.

Paddy notices Bridget biting down on the coin he left her for a tip.

"Hey Uncle Paddy, look at this: a real gold piece! Imagine that!"

"Good; t'ought that young fellar looked wealthy."

"Hope he comes back!" Bridget smiles eyeing the gold coin.

"Not likely, he said he's goin' home to his wife and family. Said he married an Irish lass."

"Did he indeed? He's got good taste, then!" she smiles at her uncle.

"Yeah, says she's got family here, name Thomas." the uncle wipes the drinking glasses, placing them on the bar.

"Thomas ya say? We got family named Thomas."

"No we don't!" Paddy protests to her.

"Don't be daft, m' da's side of the family not m' ma's."

"Ah, cor that's right, I forgot."

"He said he was from California," offered Liam.

"Cousin Laura lives there," adds Bridget, tapping her brother's arm.

"Laura yeh say, that's what he says his wife's name was, Laura Thomas." Uncle Paddy replied.

"Don't that beat all, our cousin!" Liam looks over to his sister, surprised.

"You don't say?! Then that young fellah is related to yah two!" Paddy laughed at the irony.

"Ahh! And here we are, and we don't even know him! Wait 'til Da finds out we had family in our midst and didn't bring him home, he's sure to be upset! Did he say where he was staying in town?" asked Bridget hopefully.

"Sorry, never made mention of it." Paddy shrugged his shoulders.

Part 13

Later that evening in Stockton, Laura sits on the floor in the spare bedroom, her knees up under her dress, elbows resting on them, as she looks over the vast array of books she has accumulated, feeling overwhelmed by the work before her and how best to proceed. A knock on the door brings her back from her thoughts, she looks towards the door to see Victoria peek her head in.

"Hello, may I come in?" Laura smiles when she sees her.

"Pull up a stack of books and sit down," she invites her; but Victoria chooses to remove a stack of books off a chair, placing them on the floor; she sits, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, grinning at her.

"What do you think of your birthing room now?" Laura says teasing.

"It looks like it's about to give birth to a library and you are the combination midwife and expectant mother." They both laugh out loud.

"And I have the Mortons to thank for it."

"No Barkley has ever met up with a Morton and not come away with some problem or another. You should have seen what they did to Nick the last time he came in contact with them."

"And the Mortons like me, I can only imagine what they did to poor Nick," she smiles.

"If Nick ever finds out you went over to the Mortons alone..." She shakes her head.

'If Nick finds out what Zak tried to do to me, I shutter to think what he would do to Zak Morton!' she thinks to herself as a tear falls from her cheek.

"What is it Laura?" her mother-in-law interrupts her thoughts.

"Oh Victoria, I miss him so." she wipes more tears from her cheeks. Victoria pulls a lacy handkerchief from her sleeve and hands it to her daughter-in-law. She takes it, wiping her face dry again. "Thank you."

"I know you miss him; it's not easy, especially when you're newlyweds."

"I wish I could have gone with him to Boston, if it wasn't for this damn...excuse me,...this library project..."

"It is a daunting task you set out for yourself."

"I think I bit off more that I can chew. I couldn't possibly fit one more book in here and still there's the book donation booth at the Harvest Festival coming up, and I still need a building for a library. I had hoped that Jarrod would have spoken to the state about donating the Stockton Judicial Building by now, it would be ideal for our purposes."

"Why bother with Jarrod; why don't you speak to the Stockton Town Council?"

"The town council? Why would they listen to me?" she wonders.

"Laura dear, you have a lot of influence in this valley."

"I do?! ...Oh, you mean because I'm a Barkley now," she states, unable to cover her disappointment, causing Victoria to be amused.

"No, because you have three votes."

"Three votes? What are you talking about? Women can't vote!"

"Granted but men do, and you have three men here?"

"So? I don't see how that matters."

"Listen to me, you go to the Stockton Town Council and you ask them to get you a building for your library."

"Just like that?! Just ask them?" Laura is astonished at her suggestion.

"The town councilmen are politicians, this is an election year. If they gave you your library it will be a feather in their caps; plus the fact that you represent three votes for them."

"But I haven't any influence in telling Jarrod, Nick and Heath how to vote!"

"That's doesn't matter, you don't have to tell them how to vote, the councilmen are politicians. You still represent three potential votes to them." Laura's face brightens into a smile.

"You are a brilliant woman Victoria Barkley!"

"Of course I am, I didn't get where I am today by being stupid!"

"I should say not! ... And now brilliant woman, tell me about the how the Barkley-Morton feud started. I'm very curious." Victoria sits back on the chair, her hands under her thighs. Laura awaits her story, chin resting in her hands.

"When Tom and I first came to this valley it was about the same time Rufus and his wife Hester came here. Both men were quite ambitious, as I am sure you already know. The two of them were at the time friendly rivals, both trying to see who could acquire the most, first. Tom could be quite impetuous, sometimes gambling our last dollar on some business venture. I don't mind telling you we had some heated quarrels over those business dealings of his.

"As bad as Nick and I?" she bites her lip in anticipation of the answer. Victoria can't help smiling at her.

"Well, I never threatened to geld him." The two of them laugh out loud. Laura hides her crimson colored face in her hands.

"I'll never live that down!"

"Probably not." Victoria smiles at her. "Well, as I was saying, both men were friendly rivals in the beginning, but Tom was also friendly with the local bankers and they seem to take him at his word. Rufus wasn't the type to ask even a banker for a loan, so he looked down on Tom for that; but Tom thought it was just good business sense. He always said, borrow a small amount of money and pay it back quickly and you will have the bankers trust your word and that is the best that any man has got is his good word."

"That's what Nick always says," she sighed, her thoughts going back to how much she missed her husband. Victoria continues...

"Well, because of Tom's friendliness with the local banks he soon acquired more than Rufus did, and that made Rufus Morton very jealous to see Tom receive the respect of so many businessmen in the county. Both men were successful in the end, but Tom went about it differently than Rufus and ended up having more than he did. I don't believe Rufus ever forgave Tom for being a better empire builder than he was. Some time later Rufus lost his wife, during childbirth, the child was stillborn and Hester was very ill after that, she never quite recovered. I don't believe Rufus recovered from his wife's death, he has always been bitter about it."

"That's so sad; poor man. I'm so glad we will be able to name a wing of the library after her."

"That was a very sweet thing to do on your part."

"It was the least I could do, seeing what he did for the Stockton Library. So that's how the feud started?"

"Actually, until Tom died it wasn't really that much of a feud."

"You mean there's more?!"

"As I said Rufus was an ambitious man; after my Tom was killed, Rufus waited what he thought was a respectable time than he asked to come courting me." Laura mouth drops open.

"Tell me everything! What happened? Didn't you care for him?" she asks, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"I didn't care for him anymore than he really cared for me. He had no interest in me, his interest was the Barkley holdings."

"A gold digger!" Laura laughs heartily.

"Exactly! And I certainly wasn't going to marry him and lose my children's birthright."

"Of course, because once you married him everything you had would become his to do with as he pleases!"

"Exactly..." Victoria eyes her with a questioning look as Laura stands up and paces on what little floor is clear of books, her hands on her hips.

"I tell you, this country has done women a great disservice and it just continues! Doesn't anyone see the folly of that? Why you could have lost all of this all because of the unjust laws of this country. Honestly it's enough to make a woman never want to marry! She loses everything! Absolutely every.... . I'm sorry, I'm ranting again. I don't mean to, and I promised myself I wouldn't do this again, but here I go, shooting my mouth off! I'm very sorry."

Victoria stands up from her chair, a knowing look crossed her face. "So that's it!" Victoria puts her hands on her hips and pulls her head up high.

"What do you mean?"

"The reason Nick broke the wash basin." Laura stands with her eyes downcast, her face red with embarrassment.

"I love your son, I don't want you to think for a minute that I don't. I was very wrong to say those things to him. I'm so ashamed of myself for that, he didn't deserve that and I have been trying to make it up to him by being the kind of wife he wants me to be."

"Laura, why are you trying to be the kind of wife you think Nick wants? You already are, otherwise he wouldn't have married you. Why would you want to change that? Don't compromise your integrity, because if you do, then you won't be the wife Nick wants. Be true to yourself, don't let anyone try to turn you into their idea of what type of person they think you should be. Be you! And hang 'em all if no one likes it! Even your in-laws." Victoria smiles, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"You are truly a brilliant woman Victoria Barkley," she praised her mother-in -law.

"So are you, don't sell yourself short." The two women hug each other. Heath knocks on the door as he opens it.

"Anyone here interested in a telegram from some fellar named Nick Barkley; cause if not I'll just throw it away." Heath teases them. The two women rush over to Heath as he laughs.

"Simmer down now, ladies. I got two here, one especially for Mrs. Nick Barkley," he hands Laura the telegram. She quickly grasps it from him and leaves the room, tears already forming in her eyes, as she scurries up the grand staircase to their bedroom. When there, she sits on the sofa by the fireplace, kicks off her shoes, pulls her feet up under her, and reads the telegram.

"Milady, miss you more than you know, Tommy settled on farm, family happy to have him home. Will be seeing aunt tomorrow, then home to you. Can't wait. N"

She reads the telegram over and over again, committing it to memory, as tears retrace new lines on her cheeks. Later she undresses for bed. Once in her nightgown, she pulls out one of Nick's shirts from his bureau, wearing it, she crawls into his side of the bed.

Part 14

The cabby lets his passenger off at a row of large brownstones, on a sparsely tree line street. Were it not for the different numbers set in the doors of the buildings, one could not tell one home apart from the other. The tall cowboy steps off the carriage, handing the cabby a few dollars and watches him drive off, then he turns looking at the numbers 1634 on the door of the brownstone, double checks the piece of paper in his hand, then carelessly shoves it in his pocket once he satisfied that is it the correct address.

He had been dreading this visit, but he promised his wife, and he knew full well she was going to be upset with him for losing the address of her mother's family, whatever their names were, at least he hoped he could appease her somewhat with a visit to her austere Aunt Polly, at least that's the way Laura described her: a proper, pinched face spinster, no use for men. He's met women like that before and he sure wasn't relishing this, 'Things I do for that woman!' he thinks to himself, 'well better get it over with' he tells himself as he climbs the stairs to ring the doorbell.

A small round woman, very neatly dressed, with a graying hair, that one time must have been blonde pulled back in a bun, answers the door. She has light blue eyes, almost gray in color, a minimal amount of wrinkles around the eyes and laugh lines, looked to be in her sixties, she smiles pleasantly at the tall cowboy, as he removes his hat quickly, a slight bow to the lady at the door.

"May I help you Sir?"

"Yes ma'am, I was told that a Miss Polly Thomas lived here."

"That's correct, may I say who's calling?"

"Yes ma'am, Nick Barkley, I'm her n...."

"NICK BARKLEY! OH WELCOME! I was so hoping you would come! Please come in! Oh I am so pleased!" She tugs at his coat sleeve gently pulling him into the house.

"Thank you Ma'am.. I really can't..."

"Oh you are just as Laura described you, so tall and handsome! Please sit down can I get you anything? Tea perhaps? Oh no, I am sure you would like something stronger.."

"Stronger, that would be nice..." Nick says sheepishly, still not knowing who this woman was and when he was going to meet the infamous Polly Thomas.

"Good, good, I'll make you some coffee."

"Coffee?" he questions, smiling at her naiveté, he had hoped stronger meant a whiskey but he was out of luck there; too bad because he was uncomfortable and could certainly use a finger or two. He had wanted to go back to that friendly pub on the waterfront again before he visited the aunt, but, he didn't want the old woman to smell whiskey on his breath.

The woman disappears into another room, still happily chattering away..

"You certainly had a long trip, I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you."

"No ma'am, I had a sleep car, it was quite comfortable." She enters with a silver tray and two cups.

"I just put a nice pot of coffee on the stove for the two of us. Oh please sit down."

"After you ma'am."

"Oh yes, of course, my you are so polite, I am so glad Laura has found such a worthy man as yourself. Of course she did go on and on about you..."

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, is Miss Thomas here?" The woman laughs out loud, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Oh forgive me! I'm so silly, I was just so excited to have you here that I totally forgot my manners, what would my students think of me!" she chuckles, her eyes crinkling into blue smiles. Please forgive me, I'm Laura's Aunt Polly."

"YOU? I mean, the way Laura described you, I didn't ...I mean..." Nick struggles to finds the right words, not finding any, gives up.

"Now don't forget the first time my niece saw me, it was about ten maybe eleven years ago. She was a child, she had just lost mother, and my poor dear brother Carson was beside himself with grief. It was an awful time for everyone concerned. I had all I could do to convince my brother to even keep his daughter."

"Keep her? What do you mean, keep her?"

"Carson was in no shape to raise a child, he wanted me to take her, but with my job as a teacher it was impossible, it would not have been allowed in my position, so Carson was going to put his daughter in an orphanage."

"An orphanage!?" Nick was outraged at the thought of any parent putting there own child away in an orphanage.

"Oh yes, I thank the Good Lord that I had the foresight to go out there and talk him out of it. I convinced him to just sell everything, get out of that awful town and start over in California. He sent her to that boarding school on my recommendation. My goodness the thought of my little niece growing up alone in an orphanage was more than I could stand. Oh, excuse me, that's the coffee boiling." She stands up from the overstuffed sofa, scurrying into the kitchen leaving Nick. He breathes out a heavy sigh at all the information to digest in a short time. He knew his wife had no idea that this good, kindly woman saved her from such a fate.

Polly Thomas entered with another tray, of scones and marmalade for her guest.

"I do hope you like scones?"

"Scones? Oh biscuits. Laura has made me these, they are good, thank you," he takes one from the tray and eats it without the benefit of any sweet mixture on it, not wanting to deal with the little silver spoon, protruding out of the delicate cut green jelly glass.

"Very good, did you make them yourself?" he says wiping the crumbs off his mouth with a napkin.

"Yes I did. Do you really like them?" she smiled pleasantly.

"They're great, Miss Thomas, the best I've tasted, other than my wife's."

"Dear little Laura, I can scarcely believe she's a married woman. I'm so sorry I couldn't attend your wedding but I hadn't retired yet and I just couldn't afford to leave at that time. Tell me, was she beautiful?"

"The most beautiful bride I have ever seen." Nick smiles remembering Laura gliding down from the staircase on Jarrod's arm.

"I'm sure she was, oh my. I was so happy when my brother informed me that Laura was to wed, mind you, I thought that would never happen."

"Why would you think that?" Nick asked curiously.

"Laura was never the easiest person to deal with, I'm afraid she has her mother's temperament, not that Meredith wasn't a lovely woman, but she did get into different things, you know always getting involved, putting her nose in where it didn't belong. That's how she died poor thing, she was caring for some of the sick children at an Indian orphanage, during an outbreak of measles when they were attacked."

"I didn't know. Laura never talked much about it."

"She didn't really know much herself about how her mother died, and Carson wasn't one to talk to the girl. I always felt Carson didn't really care to be a father; not that he didn't love her, but I suspect he would have been quite happy with just him and Meredith."

"That's too bad, I never knew any of that. I really didn't know Carson well, but when he died and all; it was a very hard on Laura."

"But that's all over with now. My dear little Laura is happily married and that's what counts! I am sure she has learned to settle down with your good influence." Nick laughs out loud throwing his head back.

"I don't know what kind of influence I have on her, she's pretty much her own person and anyone who dares get in her way had better watch out! I've been on the receiving end of her temper more than once," he laughed at the thought.

"Oh dear, then she hasn't changed much after all. She was always a very willful girl. My heavens when I think of all the trouble she got into in that school, it just turns my blood cold!"

"Laura, my Laura?!" his eyes widen in surprise.

"Ohh, I could tell you stories!"

"I want to hear every one of them. Would you do me the honor of dining with me tonight Miss Thomas. At the Savoy?"

"The Savoy?! Well that's quite the place to dine in Boston."

"I know, my brother Jarrod told me not to miss going there, so I made reservations for my last night here and I would love to be able to share it with so charming a lady."

"And I with so charming a gentleman, Mr. Barkley."

"Nick," he smiled.

"Polly, or Aunt Polly if you like, Nick." They both smile at each other.

* * * * *

At the Savoy, Nick was delighted to be enjoying the good company of his newly acquired relative. He sipped his wine, laughing loudly as Aunt Polly regales him with stories of his wife's impetuous youth.

"I can't imagine she would do those things."

"Oh my, young Laura was such a terror. One year she was suspended three times in one semester. My brother Carson was beside himself!"

"Really? I thought I was bad in school. Tell me more Polly," he pours more wine in their glasses.

"She lead three other girls to break into a stable at a nearby boys school and the four of them saddled the horses and took them for a ride in the park."

"She stole horses?!" Nick roars with laughter, causing the other patrons of the restaurant to turn and stare at them.

"Not steal them, she only intended to borrow them. You see at her school all the girls were taught to ride side saddle. Having been raised on a ranch as a child she didn't care for that. She said she wanted to show her friends how to ride the way a horse should be ridden, at least that was the excuse she gave her father when he came to the school. He was furious!"

"How did she get caught?" he leans on his elbow with his head resting on his hand.

"The San Francisco police arrested them. The headmistress of the school had to do some fast talking to have the police drop the theft charges. Carson ended up paying all fines and damages. It was the only way the school would agree to keep Laura there."

"Wow, he must have been fit to be tied."

"Believe me, he was!"

"Imagine that, my wife a horse thief!" he laughs at the thought of him teasing her about it.

"Personally I always thought that Laura did all those things just to get her father's attention. Carson never really paid attention to her otherwise. The poor girl was never allowed to go home, not even during the holidays. She spent them all there at the school."

"No wonder she doesn't like San Francisco," Nick's demeanor changed to one of sadness, remembering his own wonderful times at home with his family for the holidays. He promised himself to make sure his wife has the best holiday ever this year, starting with Thanksgiving.

"Did they get along better when Laura finally came home?" Polly asked concerned.

"For the most part I think they did, Carson did care about her welfare. He was quite anxious for her to marry, that I do know."

"He must have been very pleased then when you proposed to her." Polly says with a wrinkled smile. Nick smiles back as he looks down at his meal.

"Actually, I think Carson was disappointed. He wanted his daughter to marry my brother Jarrod," he chuckled.

"Why in the world did he want that?" she asked in disbelief that her brother would want anyone other than this wonderful, dear man in front of her.

"Jarrod's the learned brother, he's the lawyer in the family."

"Ah of course and she was groomed to be a wife of an intellectual." Polly nods understandably.

"Instead she got stuck with a not so intelligent cowboy." Nick joked.

"I don't think that's true. I do believe Laura did very well for herself, a cowboy indeed; certainly you are far more than that."

"Thank you," he nods to her. She sighs, sitting back in her chair, feeling a bit tired she decides to continue her story without delay.

"Well, to make a long story short, I told Carson that the only way he was going to get her to behave was to promise her something she really wanted. So he made a agreement with her; if she changed her ways then she could have the summer off from school and come here to Boston and spend time with her mother's family. That was all the incentive she needed. She became the head mistress's prize student. Even I didn't believe the change that came over her, she was so wicked before." Aunt Polly shook her head with a tsking sound. Nick laughed at the comment of his wife being called wicked.

"She didn't spend any time with you?" he asks the aunt.

"Oh she would come to visit but she spent all the time at the lighthouse. That's where they lived. The father was the lighthouse keeper. She and the older girl became fast friends, they were always together. Oddly enough the girl resembled Meredith some what, that's Laura's mother. Like sisters they were. It was bittersweet when Laura had to leave for San Francisco."

"I'm sure it was, it was the first real family she had around her, and her mother's family at that!" Nick surmises as his heart breaks at the thought of his wife's upbringing with a father who was absent for the most part and less than loving when he was around. It reminded him of his brother Heath's childhood.

"Yes, and quite a large family. A typical Irish lot they were, children everywhere, the mother was always.... well, you know... always with child," she whispers as she waves a napkin in front of her to clear away the flush in her face, from the wine and food.

"Are you alright?" he asks concerned.

"I must have talked your ear off, I'm so sorry!" she apologizes. Nick shakes his head smiling.

"Not at all, I enjoyed listening to your stories about my wife before I knew her, it makes me miss her a little less," he's pensive mood revealing his loneliness.

"You love her very much don't you?" Polly smiled pleased.

"Well, she's very special to me," he said embarrassed at being caught in his melancholy.

"You must be looking forward to going home."

"I am. Pollygirl, why don't you come home with me?" he pleaded, already attaching one of his famous nicknames to this friendly, jovial woman whom he had come to admire in a short span of time.

"Me?! How could I just pick up and leave?"

"Why not? What do you have keeping you here? Come to California and visit with us, Laura would love to have her own kin with her."

"I've only been out there once and that was to Arizona because of her mother's death. It was a very sad occasion for her I would hate to remind her of that sad time."

"Then it's high time you visit on a happy occasion. You said yourself that if you weren't working you would have come for the wedding. Come back with me now for a visit. You can stay in the private pullman, it's very comfortable, has it's own bed, you'll get plenty of privacy, I'll sleep on the sofa. You can stay out at the house, there's plenty of room. Laura will love to have you there."

"You make a very tempting offer, Nick," she smiled shyly.

"Come on Polly, get tempted. The holidays are coming, you have never experience Christmas until you experienced it at the Barkley Ranch. And this will be Laura and mine first Christmas together, come back with me and make it special for her. Laura has been cheated out of so many family holidays, don't you think it's about time she had a real family Christmas?"

Aunt Polly smiled at her new nephew, then nodded her head in agreement.

Continued…