Old Flames

Chapters 19-26

by Stacey256

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

Chapter 19

Jarrod prevailed and, in a short while, he and Christiana arrived back at Peter and Samantha’s home. A subdued Audra and Barton quietly greeted them as they came in. Both Lizzie V. and Nicky were down for naps and Carlotta was letting Tom decorate a special cake for his mother, Audra explained. At least Peter was awake; Barton added that he’d talked with his partner for a few minutes about some business issues.

“I don’t know if Samantha is still asleep,” Audra said honestly. “I’ve tried not to disturb them. Peter went into the washroom and cleaned up some after he talked to Barton, but he went back into their bedroom to be with Sam. I think the croissants are a wonderful idea, Christiana. She hasn’t had a thing to eat today. Let’s fix up a tray and you and Jarrod can take it up. Samantha may be ready for a little visit. And, if she’s not, I’m sure she’ll enjoy the croissants.”

Samantha, apparently, was very ready to have visitors. She was the one whose voice answered Jarrod’s light knock on the bedroom door. She greeted Christiana warmly and her eyes lit up at the tray. “Croissants! From Antoine’s? Oh, Christiana, you’re an angel.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Christiana teased as she leaned down to kiss Samantha’s cheek and settle the tray across her lap, “but I am well aware of your weakness for Antoine’s. I thought these might be a nice treat.”

“Oh, you thought right,” Samantha managed a sincere smile, but then it dimmed a little as her eyes moved to her brother-in-law. “Oh, Jarrod, I’m so sorry I frightened you this morning.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” Jarrod said quickly. “I was only concerned about you. I’m just glad to see that you’re feeling better now.”

“Well, part of me is sorry that you had to experience this but another part is glad you were here for Peter,” she reached out to grasp his hand. “I know how upsetting it is for him to have to just sit and wait to hear what the doctor has to say.”

“Sam,” Peter protested, “I can handle things just fine.”

“But it’s better if one of your brothers is here,” she countered.

He allowed her a small concession, “Sure, it is. Gives me somebody other than the doctor to punch when I lose my temper.”

“You were going to punch the doctor?” Christiana’s eyes shifted between the other three.

“No, he wasn’t,” Samantha started and then rolled her eyes as her husband said flatly, “I was considering it.”

“Peter!” Samantha scolded.

“Well, he was just being so damn negative. Got on my nerves,” Peter grumbled.

“He was just doing what doctors do, Peter, telling you what the worst thing could be,” his wife tired to be reasonable. “You know that’s what Gene said.”

Peter hmpffed, and Jarrod remembered how definite the doctor had seemed. It did not seem to be a question of whether Samantha was going to lose the baby but rather when. He was, however, not going to say that in front of Samantha. Instead, he asked, “So, I guess you’re going to follow the doctor’s instructions and stay in bed for a week.”

Samantha and Peter exchanged a quick look and she took a deep breath, “Actually, Peter and I have been talking. Umm, is Audra downstairs? I think it would be best if we all talked this over together.”

“I think Barton is still here,” Jarrod said carefully.

“That’s fine; maybe it would be best if he were here, too. After all, he’s been the one who’s had to keep things going at the bank when Peter had to take off to take care of me,” she whispered.

“I’m sure Barton doesn’t mind,” her brother-in-law said quickly. “Peter will be making up for it when Barton is off for his and Audra’s wedding and honeymoon next summer.”

“The wedding,” Samantha’s eyes flew up to Peter’s face. “So much to do for the wedding.”

Jarrod wasn’t sure what Samantha meant so he just raised a dismissive hand, “Mother and Audra will take care of everything. Nothing to worry about. Now I’ll go get Audra so that we all can talk.”

Audra and Barton were waiting at the foot of the stairs, obviously hoping for some news on Samantha. Jarrod quickly relayed the news that Peter’s wife seemed in very good spirits and that she had asked them to come in also. Jarrod was only a little surprised, and perhaps a little pleased, with the way that Audra and Barton communicated with each other with just a look and then followed him back to the bedroom. They were definitely meant to be together.

Christiana was now sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Samantha’s hand. Audra immediately crossed the room and bent to kiss her sister-in-law’s cheek and then stepped back to lean against Barton. Samantha managed what Jarrod would call a very brave smile. He tried to smile encouragingly and unconsciously stepped closer to the bed and placed a light hand on Christiana’s shoulder.

Samantha took a deep breath and looked up at her husband for a moment. Her voice was carefully modulated as she began, as if she had rehearsed this speech, “I’m sorry that all of you have had to deal with so much today.”

Audra beat Jarrod in responding, “You have nothing to be sorry for, Sam. This isn’t in your control.”

The young mother sighed and smiled rather grimly, “No, I know it’s not but still if I were . . . .” She was interrupted by a loud voice.

“Hey, where is everybody?”

A moment later, Eugene Barkley appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He was across the room in just a few long strides and unhesitantly gathered his sister-in-law up into a tight hug. Christiana quickly gave up her place beside Samantha so Gene could sit down. Samantha continued to press her face into the Gene’s neck. Jarrod remembered that Audra had said that Gene was close to Samantha, but he had no idea they were this close. He watched in silent awe as his baby brother gently soothed their sister-in-law with soft tones.

“More contractions?” Gene asked. Samantha only managed a nod, so he added, “Did they last long?”

“About an hour and a half,” she whispered.

“Hmm, longer than before,” he gently patted her back. “What did Dr. Anderson say?”

She sniffed, “He wasn’t very hopeful.”

“Have you dilated further?” Gene calmly asking such a personal question shocked Jarrod. He would have chastised the boy except that neither Peter nor Samantha seemed particularly concerned.

“A little more, the doctor said,” she pulled back from his embrace to look into Gene’s eyes.

“Have your membranes broken?” Samantha shook her head and Gene asked, “And there’s no bleeding?”

Jarrod felt the color rise into his face. He couldn’t believe what Gene was asking in mixed company, but Samantha just shook her head and Peter continued to calmly stand with his arms crossed.

The youngest brother smiled, “Well, that’s good news. So what’s the plan?”

Samantha laughed and reached to hug Gene again, “Thank you for saying that. For not just giving up.”

“Haven’t you been told? Barkleys don’t give up,” Gene teased lightly. “So, what are you going to do?”

Her eyes flitted up to her husband’s again and then swept around those gathered with them. Peter’s eyes told her that he would let her explain things as she wished. Her eyes went back to Gene’s. He had known about her problems from the beginning, had been there that first time she had had contractions. He had also been there when she had had the bleeding in November and had listened to her and Peter’s arguments about going to the ranch at Christmas. He had been the one who had sat and held her hand through much of the trip to Stockton, both of them pretending that they weren’t worried about how a train trip might affect her. So now, it was her husband’s youngest brother that she talked directly to.

“Peter and I have been talking. And we’ve agreed that we can’t just give up. That I’m going to try bed rest, to see if that will keep the contractions from occurring again. If this doesn’t work, and I lose the baby, then we’ll know we did all that we could and that it was God’s will,” she took a deep breath and let it out with a slow sigh. “I know you all are worried but please don’t be. We’ll just deal with things as they happen.”

“Bed rest? For how long?” Audra knew how active her sister-in-law was. Staying in bed was just not her nature at all.

Samantha shrugged, “Until the baby comes . . . and we’re hoping that won’t be until April so he or she will have a better chance.”

“Over two months,” Barton softly stated the obvious. He, too, knew how his partner’s wife preferred her usual fast paced lifestyle. He had always been amazed at how she was able to dote on her children, run a beautiful home, take part in a number of charitable causes, entertain her husband’s business contacts, and be a member of San Francisco society. Peter had told him once that Samantha was always happiest when she was at her busiest.

“Don’t worry, Barton, I’ve made Peter promise that he wouldn’t neglect things at the bank to take care of me,” Samantha smiled up at him.

“I’m not worried about that at all,” Barton replied swiftly. “Peter should spend as much time as he needs with you. We’ll manage at the bank. It’s only for two months.” He smiled at how a change in tone could somehow make that period of time seem less.

“Thank you for that, Barton,” she whispered. “I know he’ll worry about me and might be distracted at times. When he does that, you just give him a good shake and tell him that he better get back to work so that he can support his wife in the way that she likes.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Barton said with a straight face, never ever considering shaking his well-muscled, quick-tempered partner.

“It’s a good plan, Sam,” Gene said softly but added firmly, “but it’s going to be very hard on you. I know it’s easy to say you’ll do the bed rest right now when you’ve had a bad scare, but you know it’s going to be very difficult when that memory fades and you start feeling better. It’ll be boring. And you know you’re going to hate not being able to do things with the children.”

“Jeez, Gene, you already sound like a doctor,” Peter groused.

“I’m just trying to be realistic about all of this,” Gene defended himself. “I think bed rest is the only answer but I also know that this is going to be difficult on everyone, most of all Sam.”

“I can do this,” her voice was stronger. “Peter and I talked. My first job is to be a mother and right now I have to concentrate on mothering the baby that isn’t born yet. And Peter has promised that he’ll help the other children understand that this is just a temporary thing and Mamma will be out of bed before they know it. I can do this.”

Her words were so heartfelt that Jarrod, despite his misgivings, felt compelled to champion her, “Of course you can, honey. And we’ll all be here to help you however we can.”

Her next words, said in a teary voice, shocked them all, “But that’s not what I want. I don’t want to be a bother to anyone.”

“Samantha, you’re not a bother,” Audra snapped. “You’re part of our family, and all we want to do is to help you during this difficult time.”

Samantha sniffed, “That’s just it. This isn’t supposed to be a difficult time. Women have babies every day and they don’t have problems. And because I can’t do this right, I’m causing problems for everyone.”

“Sam,” Peter spoke through stiff lips. He had alternately comforted his wife and tried to reason with her every since they both woke up in the late morning. He couldn’t convince her that none of this was her fault. She kept saying she was weak, that she was failing as a woman. He had fought hard not to just out and out scoff at her; he knew that his dismissal of her views would have just hurt her more. Now he struggled not to argue with her. “There isn’t a right or a wrong way to something that’s out of your control. Please quit blaming yourself, honey.”

“There’s no one else to blame,” she whispered and sniffed again.

Amazingly, it was Eugene who tried to put an end to such talk, “All right, let’s quit talking about the subject of blame and, instead, let’s talk about making things better. Now, if you’re going to stay in bed for two months we’re going to have to work out a schedule so that you can spend time with the children here and still get plenty of rest. I know you’re not going to be happy unless you’re spending time with them every day. And, oh by the way, I’ve been doing some reading and the current thought is that you need to try to stay on your side as much as possible. That puts less pressure on the arteries leading to the baby.”

“On my side?” Samantha made a face.

“That’s what the literature says,” the youngest brother said with an air of authority.

“All right,” Samantha made a face and shifted onto her side. “What else?”

“Not much else, except you have to minimize your time on your feet. You also need to try not to sit straight up. Every time you do, you’re putting stress on the membranes. Once they rupture, then there will be no choice but to take the baby,” Gene’s voice was soft but grim.

“I understand,” Samantha nodded. “Dr. Anderson already warned us.”

“Well, you’re probably going to need to think about getting a nursemaid to help with the children and maybe a nurse for you,” Gene’s eyes went to Peter’s face. His brother slowly nodded his head. Sam would not like having someone else taking care of her children, but it had to be done.

“You know Mother’s going to be here just as soon as she finds out you’re confined to your bed,” Jarrod said quickly.

Both Peter and Gene cringed at Jarrod’s statement and Samantha’s eyes flew up to his face and she barked out, “No.”

The sharpness of her voice stunned them all. Audra stammered, “But, Sam, Mother will want to help you.”

“I don’t want your mother to have to come to take care of me,” Samantha shook her head, tears flooding her eyes. “Your mother should get to plan her only daughter’s wedding without having to worry about me. Please, I don’t want her to know what’s happening here. I don’t want any of the rest of the family to know.”

“Not know?” Jarrod was stunned. He had never considered not telling the rest of the family.

“There are already too many people worrying . . . I don’t want anyone else upset . . . particularly your mother. I want you all to try to go on with your lives and not worry about us,” Samantha’s eyes swept across the group.

“All right, Sam, we’ll do the best we can . . . but I’m not guaranteeing that we won’t worry a little,” Jarrod managed to smile at her even as he doubted the wisdom of her approach.

Peter let the silence fill the room and then murmured, “Honey, I’m going to go check on Tom. You know he’s got to be upset with all that’s going on. I’ll see if I can’t calm some of his fears and then we’ll come up and see you. In the meantime, maybe you and Christiana can have one of your hen parties.”

Christiana picked up on Peter’s intent immediately. She pretended to be offended, “We do not have hen parties, Peter Barkley. We simply discuss a wide variety of topics that probably would not interest you.”

“You’re right, the proper size of a bustle isn’t the least bit interesting to me,” Peter shot back.

“Peter, we do talk about serious things,” Samantha’s voice regained some of its usual vivre.

“Sure, honey,” Peter pretended to patronize her and then bent down and kissed her cheek. Over her head his eyes signaled the others.

“Sam, I’m going to go check on Nicky and Lizzie V.,” Audra said smoothly. “Nicky should be waking up soon. You and Christiana enjoy your visit.”

“Well, if this is going to be a hen party, I’m heading to the kitchen to see if I can find something to eat,” Gene winked at his sister-in-law.

“Barton, I think this would be a good time for us to slip out also. I just don’t think we’ll be able to hold up our end of a bustle conversation,” Jarrod added.

“Interesting choice of words, counselor,” Christiana turned to look at him, her eyes crinkling.

“I think I’ll leave without saying another word,” he let a hint of smile slip through and then backed out of the room. The smile disappeared as soon as he joined Barton and his siblings in the hallway. Jarrod opened his mouth to speak but Peter jerked his head toward the stairway. The group moved downstairs where Jarrod, hopeful that Christiana was keeping Samantha entertained, finally said grimly, “Peter, this isn’t going to work. We can’t keep this from Mother.”

The younger brother sighed, “Jarrod, I’ve argued and argued with Sam since last fall. She is emphatic. She doesn’t want to worry the rest of the family, particularly Mother. And, since Audra and Barton’s engagement, she keeps saying that nothing should detract Mother from planning her only daughter’s wedding. This morning all she could talk about was how she wished that Audra hadn’t been here for this, that Audra should only be daydreaming about her wedding day and honeymoon, not thinking about a sister-in-law who can’t even go about carrying a baby right.”

Jarrod shook his head, “Samantha is acting like this, in some way, is her fault.”

“She’s been like this since last fall,” Gene murmured. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to come home for Thanksgiving, knowing how upset she was, knowing that by the time I got back she could have lost the baby.”

“You never said a word about this, Gene,” Jarrod wasn’t sure whether he was upset with his baby brother’s silence or impressed with the boy’s sudden maturity.

“Sam made me promise not to say anything. Peter told me just to let the family think that he had business that kept them away,” Gene’s eyes flicked to Peter’s face. “You don’t know how difficult it was for me to listen to Nick grouse about how selfish Peter was, how he didn’t care about the rest of the family. Nick has no idea.”

Peter gently shushed his youngest brother, “Hey, it’s all right, Gene. Nick really had no idea what was going on. You can’t blame him for his reaction. If you want to be upset with anyone, it should be me. I’m the one who’s being untruthful.”

“I don’t think it’s an issue of untruthfulness; it’s one of not disclosing the entire truth,” the lawyer in Jarrod equivocated.

“Well, I’m not trying to make any excuses,” Peter replied. “Sam has this foolish notion that she shouldn’t be an imposition to anyone while she’s carrying a baby. I’ve tried to reason with her, but she’s steadfast. Because she’s my wife, because she’s the one I love, because she’s the one who’s suffering through this, I’ll do whatever she asks. For her, I’ll keep her condition a secret from whomever she wants and I’ll let whoever think whatever they want to about me. It’s not honest, but for Sam, I’ll do anything.”

The frank admission touched the others. Barton was the first to speak, “Well, I need to be getting back to the bank. Is there anything special I need to do for you this afternoon, Peter?”

His partner shook his head, “No, I think things will hold until tomorrow. I promised Sam that if she was doing all right tomorrow that I would go to work. Sam doesn’t think a wife’s confinement should have any impact on her husband’s work schedule. I just don’t understand it. If it were one of the children, she would expect me to set work to the side and be here. But, when it’s her, I’m supposed to not even think about her.” He sighed and shook his head, “I guess I need to go check on Tom.”

“I’ll go see if Nicky is awake,” Audra volunteered. “If he is, I’ll bring him down to the kitchen, too. We’ll give them both a snack and then you can take them up to see their mamma.”

“Thanks, Audra,” Peter smiled. “Thanks for all your help with the children. Sam has told me that you’ve saved her a million steps every day. We’re sure going to miss you when you leave this weekend.”

“Oh, I’m not going,” she said innocently.

“What?” the question was barked out by all four men simultaneously.

“I’m not going home at the end of the week,” she said calmly. “I’m going to stay and help with the children.”

“Now, Audra,” Peter started. “This isn’t what Sam wants. She wants you to go along with things just the way you planned. You’re supposed to be going back to Stockton to help Mother with the wedding plans now.”

“Plans change, big brother,” she shrugged. “I’m not 100 percent satisfied with my wedding dress. I need to spend more time with Madame Alexander.”

“I thought you said the dress was turning out perfectly,” Barton was honestly mystified.

“Well, you know how flighty I am. I’ve changed my mind,” her mouth crooked up in a good-natured smile.

The eldest brother scolded gently, “Audra Barkley, you little scamp, you know better than to lie.”

“It’s not exactly lying, Jarrod,” she batted her eyes at him. “It’s just bending the truth a little. I’ll just write Mother and tell her I think I need to stay a couple more weeks. She’ll understand.”

“Well,” Peter allowed. “A couple of weeks would give us enough time to look for a nursemaid for the children.”

“Oh, heavens, Peter,” she laughed at her brother, “don’t worry about that. In a couple of weeks, I’m going to be so busy with Barton looking at possible houses to buy that there will just be no way that I can come home. And then I’ll be swept up with picking linens and china. Heavens, I’m just not sure when I’ll be able to get back to Stockton.” She waved her hand in the air.

“Audra,” Peter shook his head. “Sam’s gonna catch on and so will Mother.”

“Sam, maybe, but I think I can keep Mother convinced for a while. Besides, it’ll be better than if I go home. Mother will see it on my face immediately and she’ll get it out of me in no time. No, it’s better if I stay here,” she nodded seriously.

Peter looked over at Barton who shrugged and grinned, “I’m not going to be the one to tell her she has to go back to Stockton and I’ll only be able to see her on every other weekend. I really like her idea.”

Peter sighed softly and looked over at Jarrod, “You know, the women in this family are really just way too independent. But darned if I’m gonna pass up help with the children.”

They all laughed and Eugene turned to Jarrod, “Well, it’s up to you, Pappy, not to let Sam’s secret out. You’re going to have to convince everyone that Audra just can’t tear herself away from Barton.”

Barton immediately pretended to be offended, “Now, why in the world would that be so difficult to convince someone of?”

The group again laughed. Peter’s eyes moved around the circle, his oldest brother, his youngest brother, his best friend, and his little sister. Their presence gave him an incredible feeling of comfort. He didn’t know what the future held for him and Sam and the baby yet to be born, but it was good to know that these people would be there to help them.

Chapter 20

“Please, Aunt Audra, can we please go to the park today? We haven’t gotten to see Adam in a long, long time,” little Tom Barkley didn’t often beg for things but today was different. It had been a whole week since Pappa had explained to them that sometimes mammas had to spend time in bed before new baby brothers or sisters came. Since then their lives had been turned upside down. Instead of Mamma helping them get dressed and eating their breakfasts, Aunt Audra was helping them. And now instead of eating their lunch and supper in the kitchen they all ate upstairs in Mamma and Pappa’s bedroom . . . he and Nicky at the little table that Pappa had set up for them and Lizzie V. in her high chair next to Mamma’s bed. While he and Nicky still got to play in the backyard, they all played in the floor in Mamma and Pappa’s room for many hours each day. Now Mamma read to them with them all gathered around her on her bed and Tom did his lessons on the little table as she watched him from the bed.

But they hadn’t been able to go to the park for days and days and days. He hadn’t gotten to see his good friend, Adam, and Adam’s nice auntie. He was worried about Adam. Adam was sad almost all the time. His mamma and little sister had gone to heaven to be with God. Most of the time Adam didn’t smile, but, sometimes, when they were in the midst of playing some game at the park he would actually laugh. Tom thought that perhaps, in those brief moments, Adam forgot about all the sadness in his life and could just enjoy playing. He wondered if Adam was missing seeing him and Nicky, if he was having fun in the park without them. He hoped so . . . but something made him doubt it. As much as he enjoyed playing in the park, the real reason he wanted to go was to see Adam.

“Please, Aunt Audra,” he repeated, having no idea how his big blue eyes tugged at her heart.

“Let me talk to your mamma,” Audra promised. Samantha had become so concerned about how much Audra was doing with the children. She kept saying that Audra should be spending her time planning her wedding not caring for her niece and nephews. And Samantha had tried to minimize the burden on Audra by keeping the children at the house except for when Peter took them to church on Sunday. But the boys, particularly little Tom, were beginning to chafe under the limits. Audra hoped that she could convince Samantha to let her do more. She had great confidence that her wedding would be just the way she had always dreamed of it, but what was important now was taking care of Samantha and the children.

True to her word, Audra approached Samantha during Nicky and Lizzie V.’s naps. Tom had spent some time working on his lessons at the little table beside Samantha’s bed and then asked if he could take a book out to the tree house to read. After a quick admonishment to take care of the book, Samantha had sent her eldest along with a smile and a kiss.

Audra watched as Samantha shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. Her poor sister-in-law, forced to spend all her time in bed. Audra knew that Samantha was continuing to have twinges of pain; she’d seen her wince and then rub her expanding stomach. Today, however, there wasn’t pain, Audra knew, as her sister-in-law’s smile became soft and her eyes dreamy as her hand gently stroked the bulge.

“All right?” Audra asked.

“Fine,” the other woman smiled. “Baby’s just moving around a lot.”

“Really?” her eyes widened and then she flushed. Polite ladies, especially those not married, did not talk about babies that were growing inside of other women; it was like you were supposed to ignore a woman’s expanding girth and then just be pleasantly surprised when a baby appeared. It was almost like you were supposed to believe that babies were found under a cabbage leaf. It was so ridiculous. Even her old friends who were now married just exchanged knowing looks and remained close-mouthed whenever she was around. Heavens, except for Samantha’s comments about her morning sickness, even her sister-in-law had been properly noncommittal about her condition until the day that they had had to send for the doctor. Audra would be glad when she was a married woman, able to discuss such things openly at least with her mother and her sister-in-law.

Samantha’s next words snapped her out of her musings, “Would you like to feel?”

“Really?” Audra was stunned.

Her sister-in-law shrugged her shoulders, “I think it’s something that can be shared between sisters.”

Smiling broadly, Audra slowly extended her hand toward Samantha. Sam took it and guided it to her stomach. “Oh, my,” Audra gasped as she felt the distinctive movement under her hand. “Oh, Sam, that’s incredible.”

“It is, isn’t it,” she agreed, softly laughing. “As many times as it has happened to me, every time I feel my baby move inside of me, it just awes me. A tiny little separate person is growing inside of me, getting stronger each day, moving and pushing and stretching, just waiting for the day it’ll be on the outside. And Peter, well, Peter is always just overwhelmed anytime he’s felt one of the babies move inside of me. It just leaves him speechless.”

“Peter speechless? Now that’s something,” Audra joined the laughter. “Oh, Sam, I can hardly wait until it’s me, carrying Barton’s baby, feeling it move, leaving him speechless.”

“Your day is coming,” Samantha winked at her.

“I know. Can you believe that by this time next year I could be the one with the fat belly, being preached to by my husband to take it easy?”

Her sister-in-law sighed, “Well, hopefully, you’ll be able to do a better job of this than I do.”

“Sam,” Audra’s blue eyes snapped in anger, “please quit saying that. You’re doing a wonderful job. The fact you’re having a few problems is not your fault.”

“Oh, Audra, I just keep thinking that if I were stronger I wouldn’t be having so many problems carrying this baby.”

“Samantha Barkley, you’re one of the strongest women I know. Just look at how you’re handling things now. Most women would be lying around, sobbing all the time. You’ve got everything organized so that you can see to things even though you’re confined to your bed. Your other children are taken care of, they’re not frightened by what’s going on. Everything is going fine.”

“For now,” Samantha whispered.

“And it’s going to be fine, right through this baby being born,” Audra patted her sister-in-law’s stomach. “Look, Samantha, Tom is asking to go to the park.”

“Oh, Audra, that’s too much. He can just play in the yard.”

“But he wants to see his friend Adam so badly. And it’s not too much. We’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.”

“You were going to work on your invitation list this afternoon, weren’t you?” Samantha countered.

“Yes, I was, but there’s still plenty of time. It’s only one afternoon and he asked so sweetly, Sam,” Audra had no idea that her identically blue eyes tugged at her sister-in-law’s heart just as Tom’s had tugged at hers.

“Oh, I don’t know, Audra,” Samantha groaned and shifted. “I’m a little worried about Tom and Nicky spending too much time with Adam.”

“I thought you said he was a sweet little boy.”

“He is. It’s just that,” Samantha frowned as she searched for the words, “he’s such a sad little boy. His mother, well, his mother had a very hard confinement. His little sister was born early and died shortly after she was born and then his mother worsened and died.”

“Oh, no,” Audra’s eyes teared for the unknown woman and child.

“His aunt came to take care of his mother and then has stayed to help take care of Adam. Adam told me that his mother and little sister had gone to heaven. I’ve only talked to his aunt once and she told me very briefly what happened,” she explained. “I’m just so worried that Tom and Nicky might draw some parallel between what is happening to me and what happened to Adam’s mother.”

“Oh, no, Sam,” Audra shook her head, “we won’t let that happen. I understand if you want me to keep Tom and Nicky away from Adam. I’ll try to think of some way to distract them from wanting to go to the park.”

Samantha sighed and shook her head, “Oh, that’s not right either, Audra. I shouldn’t be thinking that way. That poor little boy. He needs all the friends he can get. All right, you can take Tom and Nicky to the park today. Maybe Adam won’t be there.”

“What’s his aunt’s name?” Audra asked. “If they’re there, I’ll speak with her about what’s going on and explain how we want to be sure that Tom and Nicky aren’t worried.”

For a moment, her sister-in-law just looked blank and then she blinked her eyes and laughed, “I have no idea what her name is. We hadn’t gotten past the point of her being Adam’s aunt and me being Tom and Nicky’s mamma. I’ve seen her at the park several times but she keeps to herself most of the time. The only time we spoke was the last time I was at the park and she explained about Adam’s mother and sister. I guess you’ll just have to have Adam point out his aunt.”

“All right, then,” Audra smiled, “Tom and Nicky’s aunt will go meet Adam’s aunt.”

* * * * * * * *

As she walked toward the park, a chattering little boy attached to each of her hands, Audra smiled to herself. This was what her future held. In the years to come, she would walk to this park with her own children, listening to their plans, gently correcting their English, encouraging them to dream. She sighed contentedly. This must be how love felt.

As they crossed through the gate, Tom shouted, “There’s Adam,” and released her hand to race across the open space to a small brown-haired boy who was playing by himself in a patch of dirt beside the path.

“Me, too, me, too,” Nicky worked his little legs as hard as he could but he lagged well behind his longer-legged big brother.

Audra laughed and shook her head at the little boys. So much competition between the two . . . but, of course, it had been that way among her brothers . . . was still that way. She walked across the grass to where the three boys were now gathered, already planning their dirt building project. What was it about little boys? They always had to be building something out of rocks and twigs and dirt. She was pleased that Tom wasn’t trying to overrule Nicky’s every comment; in fact, the older brother was actually being fairly nice about it all. She wondered how long that would last.

Tom swung his eyes up and greeted her, “Hi, Aunt Audra. This is our friend, Adam.”

“Hello, Adam,” she smiled down at the small boy who sat between Tom and Nicky. Tom was right; he was right between them not only in age but also in size.

“Hello, ma’am,” the little boy said dutifully. He had obviously been taught his manners well. “Tom was right. You are beautiful.”

Surprised, she could only continue to smile and then managed to say, “Well, thank you, Adam. That’s a nice compliment from both you and Tom.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the boy’s smile was a shy one. She thought his face looked a little pinched; his eyes definitely sad.

“Well, it looks as if you three are already making plans on what you’re going to do this afternoon. Adam, where’s your aunt? I would love to meet her.”

“She walked over to buy a newspaper, ma’am. She told me to play here and that she’d be back in just a minute. That’s her, over there,” the little boy pointed toward the newsstand where a dark-haired woman stood waiting to pay for a paper.

“I’m going to go over and say hello to her. You boys play nice. I’ll be back in just a few minutes,” Audra reached down to ruffle Nicky’s hair and was rewarded with an angry glare from her younger nephew. He hated being babied.

Rolling her eyes, Audra left the boys and walked toward the newsstand where the woman continued to stand, waiting to purchase her newspaper. As she neared, Audra realized that she had forgotten to ask Adam his aunt’s name. Oh, well, she’d just fall back to the “Adam’s auntie” approach.

“Excuse me,” she said as she came up behind the other woman, “are you Adam’s aunt?”

The other woman quickly turned, her eyes first searching out the group of little boys. Obviously relieved that her nephew was safe, she finally turned her eyes to Audra’s face. Her eyes rounded in shock and her mouth dropped open. It was several moments before she managed to stutter, “Audra? Audra Barkley? Is it really you?”

The moment Audra had seen the other woman’s face she had been so stunned that she could simply stare at her. Now, she barely managed to respond, “Hester Converse? You’re Adam’s aunt??”

Chapter 21

“You could have knocked me over with a feather, Sam,” Audra’s blue eyes were wide as she again reflected on her afternoon at the park. “Hester Converse is Adam’s aunt or really his mother’s cousin.”

“Well, I guess it’s like Peter says, it’s a small world,” Samantha shook her head, still trying to assimilate all that Audra had told her. “I can’t believe that Nick was once engaged and no one told us.”

“Oh, it was years ago, and it only lasted a little over a week,” Audra tried to explain. “It was right after Heath came, and then, like I told you, it ended so badly. None of us ever talks about it. I mean, I know Nick told her that she shouldn’t stay unless she was sure . . . but I know it had to have broken his heart when she rode away that day.”

“And Nick and Heath fought?” Samantha’s shook her head again, “I just can’t believe that. They’re so close.”

“Oh, it was horrible, Sam. Nick so misunderstood what had happened. He jumped on Heath before either Heath or Hester could explain. Heath was just trying to protect himself, but he pushed Nick down the ravine and Nick hit a rock and hurt his back. The doctor said that if Heath hadn’t rigged up the stretcher and restraints for Nick, Nick would have ended up spending months in bed.”

“Mon Dieu,” Samantha’s eyes widened. “And then she just up and left.”

“Rode off with the doctor,” Audra nodded. “It was probably for the best, I mean Nick and Heath needed time to sort through things. I think she cared for Nick but I just think she wasn’t ready to give up being the belle of the ball.”

“You’re right, it was probably for the best . . . but my heart just hurts for Nick,” her sister-in-law grunted as she shifted to a new position in the bed earning her a sympathetic look from Audra that she ignored. “I’m sure she was surprised when you told her about Peter?”

“That was the funny thing,” Audra’s eyes were round. “She knew about Peter. I mean the moment I started to explain that I was Tom and Nicky’s aunt and that my brother Peter and his family had moved to San Francisco, she knew immediately whom I was talking about. She said that Nick had told her about his little brother Peter.”

“Really?” Samantha frowned. “But you said that they only knew each other for a week before they were engaged and it was only a week after that before she left. I can’t believe with all that was going on that Nick had time to mention a brother who’d been gone for years. And even if he did, I’m surprised Hester would even remember.”

“It was incredible. As soon as I mentioned Peter, she asked, ‘Peter? Nick’s little brother Petey? The one who ran away to sea when he was just a boy? Oh, Nick, must be so pleased. He missed his little brother so much,’” Audra shook her head. “Sam, I was with Scott Breckenridge for weeks and weeks and I never even mentioned I had another brother. Nick and Hester were together for only a matter of days and she knew all about Peter . . . about how much Nick still missed him. What does that say about me and Scott and, more important, Nick and Hester?”

Samantha reached over to pat her sister-in-law’s hand, “I guess it says something about true love. Just like you’ve shared everything with Barton, like the little fiasco with Scott, Nick shared everything with Hester.”

“And that’s what’s so sad,” Audra sighed. “Nick really did love Hester. Oh, why couldn’t she have loved him back?”

“How do you know she didn’t?” Samantha smiled gently. “She may have loved him so much that she couldn’t hurt him by staying, by causing there to be a rift between him and Heath, by making his life miserable because she couldn’t be happy living out on the ranch . . . away from all the excitement of the city. She may have loved him very, very much.”

“Oh, Samantha, she’s changed so much,” the younger woman whispered. “She told me about her cousin, Marietta, Adam’s mother. They had spent a good bit of their childhood together, and Hester would come to visit Marietta here in San Francisco after she married Bill. It was during one of her visits that she met Nick. She said Marietta wrote her last summer that she was having problems with carrying her second baby. Hester came to be with her, to help with Adam before and after the new baby was born. But Marietta got very sick. She had the baby early and the little girl didn’t live. And then Marietta developed a horrible fever . . . and she died. Hester has been here almost six months now. She said she just can’t bring herself to leave Adam until she knows that he’s going to be all right. I told her that I was surprised that I hadn’t run into her before . . . at a restaurant or at the theater or at some party. Hester told me that she just hadn’t had time to really socialize, that she felt she needed to be there for Adam and having to get up every morning with a four year old made it too difficult to ‘play’ like she used to.”

“Interesting,” Samantha murmured.

“You’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you,” Audra challenged.

“I have no idea what you’re thinking,” her sister-in-law declared. “I was just thinking that it would be good if maybe you could talk Hester into bringing Adam over here to play sometimes. It’ll be easier on you and I’d like to have a chance to visit with Hester some.”

“Curious?”

“Definitely,” Samantha confessed. “I just wonder what kind of woman catches Nick Barkley’s heart.”

“Well, Hester is just as beautiful as ever, but there is a difference,” Audra chewed on her lip. “She’s much more subdued now. I’m not certain whether she would still catch Nick’s eye now. Of course, now she seems like she would be able to give up all the parties, to settle down with one man.”

“Well, any which way, Adam is a good friend for both Nicky and Tom, and heaven knows that Adam needs to have some fun in his life. I hope you can talk Hester into bringing him over here some. I think that would be good for all the boys.”

“I’ll do my best,” Audra promised.

“Good,” Samantha smiled. “Now we need to get down to business. How far have you gotten on your invitation list?”

Audra groaned, “I haven’t had time to work on it yet, but I will tonight.”

“You better,” her sister-in-law warned, “or I’ll make Barton and Peter put you on a train back to Stockton so that your mother can settle you down even if you don’t have your wedding dress just perfect.”

“I think just a few more trips to the dressmaker will get the dress on track,” the bride-to-be beamed. “Once I get that taken care of, I’ll be able to concentrate on the other details.”

“Well, once you get the dress ‘on track’ as you say, then you need to get back to Stockton,” Samantha insisted. “You know your mother will get frantic if you don’t come home soon to help with the wedding arrangements. There’s so many decisions that need to be made.”

“How do you know about all the decisions that have to be made?” Audra teased, hoping to distract Samantha. “You and Peter got married two weeks after you were engaged.”

“I helped Jocelyn plan her wedding,” she replied. “She and Victor had a huge wedding. They had 10 months to plan it and it still was nerve-racking all the way through. Right to the last day, Jocelyn was sure it wasn’t going to happen.”

Audra waved a hand, “Oh, you know how organized Mother is. I’m not the least concerned that everything will get done and everything will turn out perfectly.”

“You’re right, of course,” Samantha sighed, thinking of the always unflappable Victoria Barkley.

Not sure why her sister-in-law’s expression had become a little grim, Audra decided to return to the lighter topic of Hester Converse and brother Nick, “Well, I wonder what would happen if Nick would happen to run into Hester now.”

Samantha smiled now, “Hmm, that might be interesting. You’re not thinking of playing matchmaker, are you, Audra?”

“Oh, no, I would never do that,” Audra grinned. “My sister-in-law does a much better job of that.”

The twinkle returned to Samantha’s eyes. She had, indeed, played matchmaker for Barton and Audra but even she was surprised at their sudden mutual declarations of love. Certainly after what she had thought was a very slow start, Barton and Audra were now racing toward the altar. Only a little over four months and her sister-in-law would be married. The thought of it almost made Samantha’s eyes mist. She pushed it back and then chuckled as she patted her rounded stomach, “Hmm, maybe we can arrange to have Hester and Adam come to this baby’s christening . . . and, of course, Nick will be there. That might be very interesting.”

“It’s a thought,” Audra nodded. “We just need to get Hester to join us here first, to get her use to the idea of being around the family. She was so fun when she came to the ranch. She has so many wonderful stories to tell . . . you’ll love laughing with her.”

“Laughing sounds good,” Samantha agreed. “You’re planning on taking the boys to the park on Wednesday . . . if she and Adam are there why don’t you ask her to come to the house on Friday. Tell her that Adam needs a chance to play in Tom and Nicky’s treehouse.”

“Sounds like a plan,” her sister-in-law smiled, pleased to have Samantha thinking about something other than the perilous state of her baby’s life. Hester would be good medicine for her.

Chapter 22

Peter called them hen parties but, actually, the sound of women’s voices talking and laughing up in his and Samantha’s bedroom made him happy. Hester had accepted Audra’s invitation for that first Friday afternoon gathering, and Audra was right – Hester was good for Samantha. The three women had laughed all afternoon and Samantha was still chuckling about some of Hester’s stories when she and Peter had gone to bed that night. As a result, Peter made it a point to wander home the following Friday, to meet the woman who had, once upon a time, captured his big brother’s heart.

And he had seen immediately why Nick had fallen for Hester. It was more than just her outer beauty. Oh, she was beautiful, all right, the kind of beauty that had men tripping over their feet and fumbling for words. She had left a string of broken hearts in her path, he was sure. But what would have caught brother Nick’s eye was that sparkle in her eye; Hester loved life just the way Nick did. It was unfortunate, Peter thought, that their romance had stumbled because they would have made a good pair, he immediately decided. Of course, Peter was no matchmaker and firmly believed in fate . . . if it had been meant for Nick and Hester to be together, then they would be together. And, unlike his wife, he saw no need to “help fate along.” The businessman in him did ponder the probability of Tom and Nicky’s newest friend’s aunt being their Uncle Nick’s former fiancée. But he refused to speculate on what the chance encounter would mean for Nick and Hester. Instead, he chose to see this new friendship as just a fortuitous diversion for his bedridden wife.

On that second Friday visit, Hester, Audra, and Samantha had been joined by Christiana. By then, their bedroom had been rearranged so that bed-bound Samantha could look out on their backyard and see the boys playing. The large yard, enclosed with a white picket fence, offered many diversions for the three little boys, from the treehouse at the back of the lot to Sam’s fledgling garden to the large bushes next to the house. So many hideouts . . . so many pretend castles and fortresses. So much better than the confines of the park. It was no wonder that the boys begged to change their Monday meeting location from the park to the house also. Peter made a mental wager that, in a few weeks, Wednesday’s gathering would also be moved to the Barkley house. The boys antics on Monday had drawn the attention of their “across the back wall” neighbor, Miss Rebecca Henderson, and Audra had immediately gone down to invite her up to the bedroom for tea and conversation. The young woman readily accepted and was soon swept up into the stories and laughter.

Adhering to Samantha’s wishes, letters home made no mention of Audra replacing her sister-in-law in trips to the park or the boys’ play area being shifted to their own backyard. So there was no reason for Audra to write about young Adam and his sad circumstances and the wonderful aunt who had come to stand in for his lost mamma. Of course, Hester’s repeated interaction with the San Francisco Barkleys could not escape notice by some of the Stockton Barkleys.

The first, of course, was Eugene. The youngest brother had started making the trip across the bay several times a week so that he could check on his sister-in-law. He wasn’t a doctor, he had no practical experience, but he was perfectly capable of reading everything he could on pregnancy and childbirth. Unbeknownst to Peter and Samantha, he had paid visits to both Dr. Anderson and Dr. Vanders and managed to parlay his position of Samantha’s brother-in-law into gaining an update on her condition. The specialist was rather dire in his predictions, offering the opinion that bed rest would probably do no good and that the Barkley family needed to accept the inevitable . . . this child was not meant to live. But Peter and Samantha’s family doctor, Dr. Vanders, was more understanding.

“Every day that she’s able to carry the baby just gives us more hope,” he had told Gene. “We always say that an early term spontaneous abortion is easier on the mother than a miscarriage . . . but Samantha is well past any of it being easy. Now our best hope is that she can carry the baby long enough that it’ll have the strength to make it once it’s born. I know how devoted both she and Peter are to their children. I know how much they both want this child, too. They are certainly doing everything they can. Bed rest is all that I can recommend . . . that and trying to keep Samantha as calm as possible.”

Gene had convinced Dr. Vanders to pay an impromptu house call and shortly afterwards Samantha and Peter had agreed that perhaps they should just rely on their family physician for the remainder of this confinement. Certainly they were both more comfortable talking with him than they were with the specialist. When Peter had mentioned this to Gene, the younger brother had simply nodded his head and hypothesized that the specialist probably only saw the worst cases and was, therefore, inclined to have to deal with more heartache than happiness. Since they were all determined to make this a happy occasion, then Dr. Vanders might be a better choice.

Gene tried to time at least one of his regular San Francisco visits to match Dr. Vanders’ now every other week house call at the Barkley home so that he would have the latest on Samantha’s condition. He also liked talking with the physician. He used his other visits both to check up on Samantha and to enjoy the company of the rest of the family. He happened to arrive in the midst of Hester’s second visit. He had been surprised, of course, to see the woman. His first thoughts had not been very kind, remembering clearly the day she had ridden out with doctor, recalling the pain in Nick’s eyes even as his brother murmured “it’s for the best. I told her she had to be sure.” Gene knew his eyes had been harsh and his voice cold when he murmured, “Hello, Hester.” He had only visited for a few moments with the women and then excused himself to go out into the backyard to play with the three little boys. It wasn’t long before Peter arrived and it was his big brother who told him the whole story, of Adam’s mother, of Hester’s devotion to her cousin and her cousin’s child, of a woman apparently changed. So, when Gene went back upstairs to bid Samantha, Audra, and Christiana good-bye, his voice was kinder as he included Hester in his farewell and he actually added that he hoped to see her again in the future.

The second was Jarrod. He returned to San Francisco three weeks after the crisis on the pretense of handling a contract for family friend Mike Wong. He had managed not to let the rest of the family in Stockton know what was happening in San Francisco, but the “not knowing the latest” began to gnaw at him. Gene’s letters home had been just as carefully worded as Audra’s so no hints of Samantha’s condition were included. Jarrod finally invented his excuse and caught the train to San Francisco. He stopped by Christiana’s shop first but it was closed. He toyed with going to Peter and Samantha’s home but then decided to go to the bank first. Perhaps his little brother would be there and Jarrod would be able to get an update. If the news was bad, he would have time to school his emotions before having to face Samantha. Of course, he tried to be more optimistic as he neared the bank, if the news was too bad, if Samantha had lost the baby, then he was sure that Peter would have notified Mother and the rest of the family. No news was good news, he comforted himself.

And that was indeed the case. Peter was at the bank and Jarrod was quickly ushered into his little brother’s comfortable private office. Peter’s smile, their father’s smile, immediately calmed Jarrod’s nerves. Peter told him that things were going as well as could be expected . . . maybe even a little better . . . and invited his big brother to accompany him home for dinner. They stopped by Barton’s office and he agreed to watch over things at the bank until closing time. “Tell Audra that I’ll be by about 7 to pick her up,” he added.

“Going out?” Peter seemed surprised.

“Oh, Samantha scolded me for not taking Audra out in weeks. She says all we do is have dinner with you two and then sit down in your parlor. Samantha says Audra needs a break from taking care of the children and that YOU can handle things for one evening,” Barton shrugged. “She said that I needed to do some courting so I’m just doing as I’ve been instructed.”

“Well, I think Sam’s right. Audra does need a night out and you’re being a little lax in your courting,” Peter nodded. “I’m sure between Marie and I, we’ll be able to get the children down. I’ll let Audra know she needs to be ready by 7.”

Jarrod smiled to himself at the thought of Audra being ready on time. Peter didn’t have the years of experience of dealing with their little sister’s tardy ways. As they rode in the hack from the bank to the house, Jarrod tried to think of a way to ask about Christiana without arousing Peter’s suspicions. He wondered if she was just at an appointment or if she was out of town. In the three weeks that he had been gone, Jarrod had thought of her often . . . several times a day, he admitted to himself. He had considered writing her, but thought that might seem too forward. After all, they had only danced a few dances at New Years and had one luncheon together. One couldn’t really count the outing to the theater. Samantha had been the one to invite Christiana. While they might have appeared like three couples, the truth was that Christiana had been a guest of the whole family. He was trying to phrase a proper question, when Peter’s words interrupted his thoughts.

“Look, Jarrod, there’s something I’ve got to tell you,” Peter started.

His heart in his throat, Jarrod interrupted, “Things really aren’t going all right with Samantha.”

“No, no,” his younger brother shook his head. “Nothing like that. Really, she’s doing pretty good. Occasional twinges but generally all right. She’s tolerating staying in bed much better than I had hoped, and we’ve worked out things so that she can still be a part of the children’s everyday lives.”

“Good,” Jarrod sighed.

“The things is, well, Sam has made friends with a woman. Nah, that’s not quite right. Tom and Nicky made friends with the woman’s nephew, met him at the park. It’s a really sad story. The little boy’s mother, well, she lost a baby and then died from fever after. The aunt, well, she’s really the mother’s cousin but Adam calls her his aunt, she came to be with the mother when she started having problems during her confinement and she’s stayed on to help care for the boy since, well, since things happened.”

Jarrod was surprised at the way his usually glib little brother seemed to be stumbling over this story. “All right,” he finally prodded.

“The thing is, Sam has become good friends with Adam’s aunt. Audra invited her to bring Adam over to the house to play with the boys so that she’d be able to visit with Sam. She’s a delightful woman and Sam so looks forward to her visits. They sit up in the bedroom and laugh and talk away the afternoon. It’s great entertainment for Sam. She says it just makes her afternoon sail by.”

“All right,” Jarrod repeated, not understanding Peter’s obvious discomfort.

“The thing is, Jarrod, well, the thing is, the woman is Hester Converse.”

Peter watched as his brother’s face went from curiosity to comprehension to consternation. His big brother was upset.

“Look, I know she did wrong by Nick,” Peter started. “And I hate that for Nick. I know he puts on this tough, brash cowboy front, but I also know he’s got the tender heart of an Irish poet. I know she hurt him. The thing is, Audra says she’s changed. She’s still beautiful and witty and totally captivating, but that her cousin’s death has changed her. Her first concern is Adam, his happiness. And, like I said, she’s been great for Sam.”

“I see,” was his brother’s only comment.

It was Peter’s turn to sigh, “I understand if you can’t forgive Hester for what she did to Nick, for the problems that she caused between Heath and Nick, but I’m asking you to be civil toward her. I don’t want her to think she’s not welcome in our home. I don’t know the woman who did those things years ago. I only know the woman who is so devoted to her cousin’s child that she’s put her life on hold. I only know the woman who will spend several afternoons a week, sitting in a bedroom and giving another woman whom she hardly knew the opportunity to laugh and gossip and talk about whatever it is women like to talk about.”

Jarrod stared out of the window of the hack for several moments. When he spoke, it was obvious that he was choosing his words very carefully, “As a lawyer, as one who believes that the criminal justice system isn’t just for punishment but for rehabilitation, too, then I have to say that I believe that people can change. And, because I love Samantha and would do anything to help her, I’ll be more than just civil toward Hester. I’ll be pleasant and hope that she’ll continue to come and visit Samantha and make her days easier. I can do those things, Peter. I’m just not sure if either Heath or Nick will be able to be as accommodating.”

“I understand,” Peter nodded, “and I appreciate your candidness. I’m not certain that either Heath or Nick will ever be around to see Hester, and we’ve all agreed not to say anything to them about her. Like Samantha’s confinement, we’ve decided the less said the better.”

Jarrod had never agreed that the less said about Samantha was the better course. He had abided by her wishes but truly felt that the whole family should be aware of what was going on so that their full support would be there for Samantha and Peter if the unthinkable happened. But, holding back the knowledge that Hester Converse was now a regular visitor at Peter’s home was perhaps a good idea.

As soon as they crossed the threshold into Peter’s home, he could hear the voices of the women upstairs. Hen party, Jarrod chuckled to himself, Peter’s description was very apt. The brothers climbed the stairs together and stood outside the bedroom door, highly amused that the group of women – Samantha, Audra, Christiana, Hester, and a young woman Jarrod didn’t recognized – were so engrossed in their own multiple conversations that they failed to notice the two male intruders for a bit. It was actually little Lizzie V., entertaining herself on a quilt at the women’s feet, who finally alerted them as she struggled to her feet and began to toddle to her father chanting, “Me Pappa, me Pappa.”

“Peter,” the delight in Samantha’s voice was obvious. “You’re home early and you’ve brought us wonderful company. Hello, dear brother Jarrod.”

Peter swooped his daughter up and stepped between the chairs to place a gentle kiss on his wife’s cheek as Jarrod returned the greeting, “Hello, dear sister Samantha. I had to come back to San Francisco for business and managed to convince my little brother that he should see that I got a home-cooked meal once again.”

“I’m glad you did. It’s always good to see you. I’m sorry, but it seems as if our bedroom has now become our sitting room,” Samantha acknowledged as she accepted Jarrod’s gentle kiss on her cheek. “It seems to be where we do most of our socializing now.”

“I think there’s not a thing wrong with that,” Jarrod winked at her. “I believe many of the queens of Europe did much the same thing. You strike me as looking very regal as you sit in your very comfortable throne bed and are entertained by your ladies in waiting.” He now turned to face Hester directly and managed a friendly tone, “Hello, Hester. It’s good to see you again. Peter told me about your family’s sad loss. My deepest sympathies. I understand that your cousin’s little boy has struck up quite a friendship with our Tom and Nicky. That’s wonderful. And, I hear that hen parties in her royal highness Samantha’s boudoir have become a regular occurrence.”

“Hen parties,” Samantha snorted. “You’ve been listening to your little brother again. He has no appreciation for the intelligent, animated conversation that a group of educated women can have.”

Hester reached out to shake the hand that Jarrod offered, “It’s good to see you again, too, Jarrod. It’s been a while. Thank you for your condolences. It has been a difficult time for us all, but Adam’s time with Tom and Nicky has really helped. He gets to be a little boy with them. I’m so thankful to Samantha and Peter for tolerating our frequent visits.”

“Don’t be silly, Hester, we love having both you and Adam here,” Samantha waved a dismissive hand.

“Well, given the past, your kindness to us is just overwhelming,” Hester’s face colored slightly.

“The past is the past,” Jarrod said as he gently squeezed her hand. “I think Peter and Samantha enjoy your and Adam’s presence here just as much as you enjoy being here. Let’s all just focus on that.”

She swallowed hard and slowly withdrew her hand, “Thank you, Jarrod, very much for that.”

Peter sought to move the conversation away from serious things, “Jarrod, I don’t think you’ve met our neighbor, Miss Rebecca Henderson. Becca, this is my big brother Jarrod, sometimes referred to as Pappy.”

Jarrod’s eyes quickly moved to the young woman he had not known, and smiled and shook his head, “Miss Henderson, it’s a pleasure. And you’ll have to excuse my little brother’s unfailing lack of manners as he slips into using everyone’s nicknames. Would you be Judge Samuel Henderson’s daughter?”

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Barkley. And, yes, my father is Judge Henderson. He’s mentioned that you’ve appeared before him in court. He also said that he knew your father,” the young woman reached out to shake the offered hand.

“Just Jarrod, please, there get to be too many Mr. Barkleys when we all get together,” he advised her. “Yes, I’ve had the dubious honor of having to argue appeals before your father. He is always very demanding of we litigators but always a staunch defender of the law. I never fail to learn from him.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along to him. I think he prefers to be seen as something of a tyrant but I’ll let you in on a little secret. He is actually a softy and loves his rose garden almost as much as he loves the law,” her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Hmm,” Jarrod grinned at her, “I’ll be sure to remember that the next time he’s dressing me down over some point of law.” He now turned to the other two women, “Christiana, how is the photography business going?” He tried to hide his delight at happening upon her here. With some luck, perhaps she could also be persuaded to stay for dinner and then he could see her home again.

“Very, very good,” she smiled at him easily. “I had a portrait to shoot on this end of town and stopped by here afterwards to catch up with Samantha and lucked into this wonderful group of educated, interesting women to talk with. I’m a very lucky woman.”

“Good for you,” he nodded at her. “Good afternoon, little sister. I trust you’ve been behaving yourself.”

“Of course,” Audra stood to hug her big brother’s neck. “I’m glad you came into town but it’s a little bit of a surprise. Mother didn’t mention it in her last letter.”

“Last minute business,” he fibbed a little. “And, Peter and I are supposed to tell you that Barton expects you to be ready at 7 to go out to dinner. Or, perhaps I should have said 6:30 so that there’s some hope that you’ll make your dinner reservation.”

“I’ll be ready on time,” she wrinkled her nose at him. “And we’re not going to a restaurant; we’re going to a party at the Palace.”

“Oh, are you going to the benefit ball?” Rebecca turned toward Audra.

“Yes, are you?”

“Uh huh, with a young man who’s clerking for Father.”

“Oh, a new love interest,” Samantha teased.

Rebecca colored, “No, just a friend but the ball should be fun.”

“Are you going, Hester?” Jarrod asked politely.

Her laugh was just as he remembered it, full-hearted but soft, “Oh, heavens, no. I have to get up tomorrow morning with a four-year-old. I’m afraid my days of dancing all night are pretty much over.”

Jarrod nodded, thinking this was what Audra had meant when she told Peter that Hester had changed. Before, Hester would have been the first woman on the dance floor, danced every dance, and convinced the band to play an extra set just for her. He only murmured, “So, Peter, are you about ready to take our little Lizzie V. to see what those little boys are up to and we can leave these lovely ladies to their hen party, I mean, their animated conversations.”

The women’s indignant protests followed them out the door and down the stairs.

Chapter 23

Barton had insisted that he needed to be the one to go out of town that Monday to handle the finalization of the loans on the mining equipment. Peter definitely needed to be the one who stayed in town; he had Samantha to be concerned about. Of course, they had to be careful not to let Samantha know that was why Peter was staying and Barton was going. It would have irritated her to no end.

He could have easily stayed the night in Copper City and come in on the train the next morning, but he had foolishly not wanted to be away from Audra for that long. He knew that her days in San Francisco were numbered. When they returned to Stockton for Victoria’s birthday party in just a few weeks, he was sure that his mother-in-law-to-be would insist that Audra remain in Stockton. He wasn’t looking forward to the battle of wills when Audra tried to convince her mother she needed to be in San Francisco without letting the rest of the family know about the problems with Samantha and the baby. Audra would not betray Samantha and that would cause her to lose her argument with her mother, Barton knew instinctively. Knowing that his days of seeing his beloved every evening were quickly drawing to a close, Barton didn’t want to waste one sitting in a hotel room in Copper City.

Of course, his luck wouldn’t hold and the train was delayed for hours as a small mudslide was cleared from the tracks. He didn’t pull back into San Francisco until almost 10. He should have gone straight home but he gave the hack the address for Peter’s house. Maybe he could see Audra for just a few minutes. Get a good night kiss from her, at least. Luckily, Peter was working down in his office and answered Barton’s knock immediately. He told Peter of the outcome of the final negotiations and Peter congratulated him on his success.

“There really wasn’t any need for you to come back tonight, Bart,” Peter told his partner. “You could have come back on tomorrow’s train.”

“Oh, just felt like I shouldn’t tarry too long out of town. You never know if you’re going to need to be away from the bank for a period of time,” Barton shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes wandering up to the second floor. “Audra, wouldn’t still be up, would she?”

Peter sighed loudly. He should have known it wasn’t business that brought Barton back so quickly. “She was talking with Sam earlier but I think she’s gone on to bed.”

“Oh.”

The word sounded so dejected that Peter figured he could at least go up and check. He told Barton to wait and he trotted upstairs and knocked on his sister’s door. Wearing a dressing gown, Audra immediately opened the door. Her eyes were wide with concern and the first word out of her mouth was, “Samantha?”

“Sam’s fine,” Peter soothed. “Bart’s downstairs.”

Her face flushed with surprise and pleasure, “Really? I wasn’t expecting him to come back until tomorrow.”

“Neither was I,” her brother said dryly as his sister slipped past him and hurried toward the stairway. He trailed along behind and watched as she descended the steps quickly and slid into Barton’s arms. The kiss they shared was unhurried and a little too intense for Peter’s comfort. After all, they were only engaged. When they finally came up for air, at least Barton had the good grace to look a little embarrassed by their display.

Audra was totally immune to Peter’s disapproving look. Instead, she kept her arms twined around Barton’s neck and murmured, “Barton, darling, I’m so glad to see you, but you look so tired. You must be exhausted.”

“I’m a little tired,” he admitted as he let his hands go up and gently stroke the hair that hung down her back. “But I just wanted to stop by and wish you a good night.”

“I’m so glad you did,” she whispered and stood on her tiptoes so that she could again touch her lips to his.

As the two started to settle into another long, deep kiss, Peter decided that he needed to take control. “Audra, you need to let Barton get back to his place,” he said sharply. “We have a busy day at the bank tomorrow.”

“Don’t be rude, Peter,” she scolded. “Let him at least come in and sit down for a few minutes. I’m going to pour him a drink and we’re going to visit for a few minutes and then he can go home.”

“You’re not dressed to have callers,” her brother argued.

“Heavens, Peter, Barton isn’t a caller; he’s my fiancé.”

“You’re even less properly dressed to be entertaining your fiancé,” he countered.

“Peter,” she took Barton’s arm and led him into the front sitting room. “You’re being ridiculous. I’m covered from neck to toe. And I’m not ‘entertaining’ him. We’re just going to talk for a bit while he unwinds some.”

Her brother frowned, “I’m not sure Jarrod would approve of this.”

“Jarrod would be fine with it,” she sighed, wondering why Peter always fell into this ‘what would Jarrod approve of’ reasoning.

“Well, maybe I should stay down here with you.”

“Peter,” she rolled her eyes as she handed Barton his drink and then sat down beside him, “you’re being ridiculous. Barton and I have sat down here in this sitting room, by ourselves, almost every evening since we came back to San Francisco. Just because I’m wearing a dressing gown doesn’t make a difference.”

“Yes, it does,” her brother said stubbornly.

“No, it doesn’t” she responded and then added, “Samantha was hoping you would come upstairs soon. She didn’t want me to come down and get you but her back is bothering her. I think she was hoping that you would give her a back rub.”

“Oh,” Peter was clearly torn. He believed that Jarrod would expect him to be chaperoning their little sister, but he hated the idea that Sam was lying upstairs with her back hurting. He needed to go up and be with her. He finally sighed and acquiesced, “All right, I’m going to go upstairs but I expect you and Barton to get your talk over and for him to be on his way and you to be back upstairs in half an hour.”

“All right,” she echoed, “now go make Sam feel better.”

“I am, I am,” he grumbled. “Good night, Bart.”

“Night, Peter. Give Samantha my best,” his partner grinned over at Audra, amused by the way she had handled her older brother. He waited until he heard Peter’s footsteps reach the second floor before leaning over to catch Audra’s lips with his. “Hmm,” he murmured, “you certainly stood up to your big brother. Are you always so impudent, Miss Barkley?”

“Not impudent,” she teasingly nipped his lower lip, “just not going to be bossed around by one of my many big brothers.”

“Well, I’m glad,” he whispered. “I was afraid that I wasn’t going to get to see you today. For some reason that just didn’t seem right.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I thought of you all day long. I was actually counting the hours until I would get to see you tomorrow. This is so much better.”

“Hmm,” he nodded and smiled softly then slipped an arm around her. “Tell me about your day.”

Audra began to relate her activities. As with most days, most of her time had been spent with her nephews and niece. She told Barton about how Tom and Nicky had almost driven their mother to distraction with their arguing and how she had been able to get them to play together civilly. And then she started telling him how, out of the blue, Lizzie V. had informed them all that she was “sis and goin’ to cool.”

“She’s been listening to Tom talk about going to school and has decided that she’ll just be six, too, so she can go to school with him this next fall,” Audra added. When Barton didn’t respond to her story with his usual chuckle she glanced up at his face and realized that he had nodded off.

“Poor darling,” she murmured. “You must be exhausted.”

When again he didn’t respond, she gently pried the glass he was still holding out of his grasp and set it on the side table. She then eased his head down onto the pillow at the end of the settee and carefully swung his feet up. After covering him up with the light throw, she bent down to brush his cheek with a soft kiss. “Just rest for a few minutes, darling,” she whispered in his ear. “You’ll feel better after a rest.”

“Mmm,” he murmured in his sleep. “Just a few minutes.” He pursed his lips and kissed the air in her general direction.

Fondly she caressed his cheek for a few moments and gave him one more kiss on his temple. Then she stood and went about turning down the lamps and making sure that the fire was properly banked for the night and that the front door was locked. She carried a lamp to light her way upstairs and was smiling to herself as she walked toward her room. The sudden movement of a door being jerked open and her brother stepping into the hallway yanked her from her happy thoughts.

“I didn’t hear Barton leave,” Peter’s statement was almost an accusation.

She rolled her eyes, “He hasn’t. He fell asleep on the settee. I’ve left him down there to get some rest. He’s exhausted, Peter.”

“Well, he just needs to go home and go to bed,” her brother said indignantly.

“Peter, I told you, he’s exhausted,” she replied calmly. “Let him sleep for a little bit and then I’m sure he’ll wake up and go home.”

“Well, well,” he sputtered, “it’s not proper. He shouldn’t be spending the night here with you here.”

“Oh, good heavens, Peter,” she snorted. “Barton has spent untold nights at the ranch both before and after we started courting. There’s nothing scandalous about this. Just let the poor man get some rest.”

“I don’t think it’s right,” he said stubbornly.

“Look,” she sighed. “Barton is asleep. I’m going to go to bed. If you want, you can go be rude and wake him up and send him home, but if I were you I’d go in and get some sleep. You can wake up early and go down and wake Barton up and send him home then . . . if he hasn’t already gotten tired of sleeping on that settee and gone home on his own. So, good night, big brother.”

Realizing that he was being summarily dismissed by his little sister, all Peter could do was send a disgusted “hrmpff” at her back as she swept down to her bedroom. He wasn’t comfortable with this, but Audra was probably right. Bart would probably wake up in a bit and go off to his home. Promising himself that he would wake early and make sure his partner had gotten up and out, Peter gave up and undressed and went to bed with his wife.

* * * * * * * *

Barton’s dreams had been jumbled and confusing, drifting from activities at the bank to images of his family back in New York to scenes of life here in San Francisco. His mind had finally settled on Audra; they were riding at the ranch together and she had raced ahead of him, turning back to smile and wave at him. He had urged his horse on but couldn’t quite catch up with her. Suddenly she had disappeared behind a rise and he had wheeled his horse, searching for her. Then he had seen her standing next to the river and he rode to her. So relieved to have found her, he drew her to his chest. He thought it was interesting that for a moment he smelled coffee, but that smell was quickly replaced by the soft scent that he always associated with Audra. He guessed it was the soap that she used to wash her hair. He allowed himself a few moments of just enjoying the smell and then trailed his lips down her temple, across her cheek, to her lips. The kiss started as all their kisses did, softly, lips gently brushing and then pressing more firmly. This time he allowed his teeth to gently nip her lower lip and then to suck. Her soft moan spurred him on, and he released the lip so that he could trace her lips with his tongue and then to urge them open so that he could taste her sweetness. She had hesitantly responded to the deepening kiss. He smiled as he felt her press against him.

Suddenly he realized that the clothes under his hands weren’t her riding clothes, but something heavier but much softer. And beneath, ahh, beneath there were no barriers of whalebone corsets or stiff brocaded lace. No, beneath was just her soft body, moving under his gently stroking. He now realized that there was an opening in the front of the soft clothing. Even as he pushed the thicker clothing to the side, he was able to philosophize that dreams certainly were much more accommodating than real life. In his dreamworld, they were no longer standing. Instead she was lying partially under him and his hands were skimming over much thinner material. So thin that he could feel her breasts respond to his firm touches. As his lips left hers and he began to nip along her jawline and then her neck, he pondered how far the dream would let him go. Would he be able to move his mouth to where his hands were now caressing? Would he be able to shift the thin material out of the way so that he could touch her bare skin? Would he . . . ?

The sound of a man clearing his throat intruded rudely into his fantasizing. What the heck was that? A louder, more forceful throat clearing caused him to jerk his head up. For a moment he just stared down at his beloved. Audra’s face was flushed and her eyes blurry as she looked up at him. Thoroughly confused, he looked down her body and realized she wore only a nightgown and robe. The robe had been pulled open and was pushed off her shoulders. Glancing around he realized that they were on a settee . . . of course, the settee in Peter and Samantha’s sitting room. He had come over after arriving back in San Francisco from the trip to Copper City and he must have dozed off. So if this was Peter and Samantha’s sitting room, the man clearing his throat must be . . . .

Barton’s eyes snapped around to stare at his partner, who was standing just inside the entrance to the sitting room, his hands on his hips, his mouth set in a straight line, and sparks literally flying from his now icy blue eyes. Totally befuddled, Barton looked back down into Audra’s face and then the realization hit him. All that he had been doing in his dream hadn’t been just in his subconscious. Audra was here, with him, and he had, he had almost . . . .

“Oh, my God,” he whispered as the realization hit. He pushed himself up from her but the throw that was wrapped around his legs tripped him and he ended up sitting in a tangled heap on the floor beside the settee. As he looked up at his partner, Audra’s big brother, he knew he was probably going to get the beating of his life.

But Peter’s icy blue stare shifted from him up to where Audra still sat on the settee. His voice was just as cold as his eyes, “Get your clothes straightened and get upstairs now.”

“Peter,” she tried to explain as she sat up and pulled her thick robe around her. “You don’t understand . . . .”

“Oh, I understand exactly,” he snapped. “Upstairs, young lady.”

She tried again, “Peter, it’s not Barton’s . . . .”

“Upstairs, now,” he interrupted.

“Peter, just let me explain,” Audra pressed.

And her brother exploded, “Damn it, Audra, get upstairs now before I completely lose my temper or, I swear to God, I will take off my belt and tan your backside right here and now.”

For a heartbeat she just stared at him. Her father’s voice, her father’s words, never directed at her, but she had heard them used often enough in addressing her brothers that she knew the threat was not an idle one. With a sob, she stood and ran from the room and up the stairs.

Barton’s eyes followed her flight from the room, his heart aching because his beloved was in pain; but, his eyes returned to the man who towered over him, his immediate concern was another Barkley. He watched as Peter closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths as if he were trying to calm himself. When he reopened his eyes, Barton detected a thaw. When Peter extended a hand down to help him to his feet, however, Barton did not immediately take it, asking instead, “Are you going to knock me back down?”

Barking a laugh, Peter shook his head, “No, I’m not going to hit you. It would probably make me feel better for the moment but it’s not the solution to this.”

Barton accepted the help up; his knees seemed a big shaky. He tried to explain, “I swear, Peter, I thought it was a dream.”

“I understand.”

“No, really, I swear I was still asleep.”

“I understand,” Peter repeated. “Drink your coffee.”

Barton stared over at the cup of coffee that sat on the side table, “Coffee.”

“Hmmm?”

“There was the smell of coffee in my dream and then, and then, I smelled Audra.”

Peter chuckled dryly, “I’m sure she thought it would be cute to fix you coffee and then wake you with a kiss.”

“Only I didn’t immediately wake up,” Barton slowly nodded his head. “And I happened to be in the middle of a dream about her.”

Peter also nodded his head, “And women don’t understand that a man’s body can wake up long before his mind does.”

The realization of what could have happened made Barton sit down, “Oh, God, Peter, I could have. I mean, in my dream, I was thinking about how far I would be able to take things. I could have.”

“I know,” Peter ran a hand through his thick blond hair. “All too well. Why do you think this baby is due well before Lizzie V.’s second birthday? My darling wife instigated things one morning and my brain didn’t register that it wasn’t the safest of times until it was too late.”

It would have seemed funny had he not been so close to committing the same act with a woman who wasn’t yet his wife. Barton swallowed hard and murmured, “I’m so glad that you came downstairs and stopped things.”

“Yeah, well, you were lucky. I just happened to wake up early and thought I’d come down to my office and work for a bit before it was time for breakfast. Bart, I think the best thing would be for me to send Audra back to the ranch.”

For a moment, Barton was so stunned by his partner’s last words that he just stared up at him. Finally, he blurted out, “Peter, I promise that nothing like this will happen again.”

Peter slowly shook his head, “Barton, I know you’re a man of your word and I know you would try very hard not to let anything happen, but I also know that once you’ve started, well, once you’ve had even just a taste of the woman you love, and once, well, once she’s had, well, she’s started feeling the pleasure of it…”

“Peter, we didn’t go that far,” Barton interrupted.

“I saw her face,” Peter shook his head. “She’s had a start of the feelings. And, well, she’s going to be curious about the rest of it, wanting to know it all. You promise me that nothing will happen but you have no idea how hard it is to think straight when the woman you love asks you to touch her, to warm her blood. Things can happen despite your best intentions. I think it’ll be better if the temptation isn’t there every day.”

Peter was Audra’s older brother and he was Barton’s best friend, and Barton knew he was only trying to protect them both. He also knew that Audra needed to go back to the ranch, to help her mother with planning the wedding, to have a chance to spend a last few months at the only home she had ever known, but he still hated the idea of not being able to see her every day.

“Maybe Samantha could talk to Audra and, well, explain,” he tried to think of an alternative.

Barton watched as guilt swept across his friend’s face. The admission was a hard one for Peter and it wasn’t anything that Barton had ever expected, “The thing is, it’s just, that, well, damn it, I bedded Samantha before I married her and I’ve always regretted it.”

“What?” the word slipped out before the astounded Barton could stop it.

Peter cringed and tried to explain, “It was just two weeks before we married. I just got all carried away with needing her and lost all sense of right and wrong. I’ve always hated it. She says she feels no guilt about it but I know she does.” He looked up into Barton’s eyes, “A woman like Samantha, a woman like Audra, shouldn’t feel one ounce of guilt for her first time. I ruined that for Samantha . . . I don’t want the same thing to happen to Audra.”

Barton took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “All right, Peter. If you think it’s best, I’ll support your decision. I’m going to miss her like hell and I’m probably going to be miserable and be a real ass to be around and I expect to be able to go to the ranch every other weekend to see her, but I’ll support your decision.”

* * * * * * * *

Barton might have agreed, but Audra was another matter. She had been properly tearful and repentant when she showed up in Peter and Samantha’s room later in the morning to “talk.” Samantha had, of course, been informed by her exasperated husband about what he had discovered in their sitting room. “I warned you, Samantha. They were spending too much time alone,” he had muttered as he shaved. “It was bound to happen.” Samantha had argued with him a little but finally agreed that perhaps Audra needed to return to the ranch, “but not because she’s done anything wrong, Peter. I just think she needs to get back to help your mother plan the wedding. I won’t let you send her home under some specter of shame.”

So, after Audra tearfully explained that she, and not Barton, was to blame for what had happened this morning, that she had only meant to wake him up with a kiss, and that she should have stopped him when she realized that he was just reacting to her in his sleep, Peter informed her that he was sending her back to the ranch. The tears became stormy then as she refused to accept that they were sending her away. But Peter was firm and Samantha backed him up, saying only that it was time for Audra to return to her original plan to spend the months before her wedding at the ranch.

“But I thought you needed me,” Audra sniffed as she continued to argue with Samantha even after Peter had gone to the bank. “I thought I was helping you with the children.”

“Oh, you have been, honey,” Samantha reached out to pat her sister-in-law’s hand. “You were planning to go home weeks ago, and Peter and I have taken advantage of you by making you take over caring for the children.”

“You haven’t been taking advantage of me. I wanted to help you.”

“Well,” Samantha replied firmly, “we appreciate all the help but it’s time for you to go home and enjoy just planning your wedding day.”

“This is just because of what happened this morning, isn’t it,” the younger woman demanded. “I’m truly sorry for what I did, Samantha, and I promise it won’t happen again. Please trust me.”

“I do trust you, we trust you both, but you need to go home, Audra,” her sister-in-law repeated. “Now, dry your tears. It’s going to be fine, I promise. We’re not going to pack you off on the train today. I talked Peter into waiting until this weekend and Barton can take you back to Stockton.”

“Peter trusts us to be alone for that long?” Audra said peevishly.

Samantha couldn’t stop her smile. Audra was certainly irritated with her big brother. “I think Peter feels that you two will behave yourselves on a public conveyance especially since he’s not going to let you take his private car,” she finally said. She knew that Audra was bitterly disappointed that she would be leaving San Francisco and Barton soon, but perhaps this morning’s little misstep was for the best. Audra should be home, planning her wedding and trousseau with her mother, not taking on all Samantha’s jobs while she was stuck in bed. Yes, it was time for Samantha to take control and simply insist that Audra had to quit worrying about her.

Chapter 24

Audra had soon realized that, despite her most ardent pleas, Peter – backed by Samantha and, surprisingly, Barton – was standing firm on his decision to send her home on Saturday. Audra had been initially hurt when Barton had said that he had agreed with Peter that it was probably best that she return to the ranch. He, of course, had seen the tears jump into her eyes and had immediately begged her forgiveness. He had told her he didn’t want her to go, despaired at the idea that he wouldn’t get to see her for weeks at a time, but, like Samantha, felt that it was time for Audra to go back to the ranch as they had originally planned. Then he had leaned down to kiss her again and, now that she had known the power of his unguarded kisses, she felt the restraint that had always been there. He loved her and wanted her, she was certain, and so she accepted her fate and quit arguing with them all.

Wednesday she met Hester at the park and told her what had happened and made her promise that she would continue to bring Adam to the house at least every Monday and Friday and to spend time with Samantha. She also made Hester promise to write her immediately if there were any problems. She would make Christiana promise the same thing when she saw her on Friday. She’d already exacted a similar promise from Becca Henderson, and Becca had also promised she would help entertain the little boys. Somewhat assured that she had help lined up to watch over Samantha and the rest of Peter’s family, Audra started preparing the boys for her abandonment of them, explaining how she needed to go back to the ranch for a time, but that she would be back soon to help their mamma when the baby was born. The boys were disappointed but accepted the explanation.

And Audra would have left that Saturday if it hadn’t been for Thursday’s events. The day had started just as any other. She had helped get the children up and dressed and then taken them in for breakfast in their parents’ bedroom. While Audra and Peter helped Tom and Nicky eat at their little table, Samantha oversaw Lizzie V.’s messy efforts in the highchair that was positioned next to the bed. Peter had gone off to work, and Samantha, with Audra’s help, got the children started on their morning activities. Midway through the morning it was decided that it was warm enough for all three to go out into the backyard for a time, so Audra took them out. Lunch went just as smoothly, and Lizzie V. and Nicky were put down for their naps. As usual Tom spent Nicky’s naptime working on his letters and numbers at the little table under his mamma’s supervision. After Nicky got up, both boys had a little snack and then Audra took them outside to play again. Knowing Lizzie V.’s schedule well, she left the boys after about an hour and came in to get the little girl, who, as usual, was playing quietly in her crib. She automatically glanced into Peter and Samantha’s bedroom as she started toward the stairs. The sight rooted her to that place in the hallway for a moment.

Samantha was sitting on the side of her bed, her arms wrapped around her large stomach . . . and she was sobbing.

“Sam, honey, what’s wrong?” With Lizzie V. balanced on her hip, Audra rushed into the room.

It was several moments before Samantha was able to sob out, “Oh, Audra, you have to send for Peter and Dr. Vanders. Mon Dieu, I’m losing the baby. Please help me, Audra.”

Fear froze her for just a heartbeat and then the panic in Samantha’s voice forced her into action. Only one of them could panic and Samantha had priority, she reasoned. She made her voice be calm, “Here, now, lie back in bed, Samantha. I’ll send Sean for the doctor and Peter. Just lie back for a minute. I have to run downstairs but I’ll be right back, I promise.”

She rushed downstairs, depositing Lizzie V. in Marie’s care and stepping outside to call Sean from the stables. The young man’s eyes widened as he heard Miss Audra’s instructions but he bobbed his head and ran back to the stable to saddle a horse. Carlotta was already setting her dinner preparations to the side and wiping her hands as Audra came back through the kitchen. She, too, just nodded her head as Audra asked her to bring a watered-down brandy upstairs. Forgetting all her mother’s instructions on how to ascend the stairs in a lady-like fashion, Audra lifted her skirts and took the steps two at a time. She did not realize that she took a deep calming breath and straightened her shoulders before she stepped into the room. Her only thoughts were that it was up to her to calm Samantha and take care of her until Peter and/or the doctor could arrive. Silently wishing that Gene would make one of his impromptu visits right now, she felt the mantle of responsibility settle around her as she walked in and saw the pain and panic in Samantha’s face.

Samantha had stayed in bed as Audra had instructed and she now lay on her side, curling her body as much as she could around her stomach, as if she were trying to protect the child inside her. But she continued to sob, her chant of “no, please, no” becoming dangerously close to hysteria.

“Sam,” Audra said gently, but it drew no response. “Sam,” she tried once more. Again no response. Biting her lip, she hardened her heart and barked, “Samantha!”

The single word caused her sister-in-law to gasp and stopped the mindless mantra. Seeing the hurt in the other woman’s eyes, Audra softened her tone, “Samantha, honey, you have to calm down. You know that only makes it worse. Here, now, Carlotta has brought you some brandy. It’s already watered down, so you should be able to sip it just fine. This will help calm you some. Just sit up a little, I’ll hold the glass.”

She coaxed Samantha into drinking a good bit of the brandy. Suddenly Samantha gave a sharp cry and curled around her stomach again.

“Pain?” Audra set the brandy to the side and took Samantha’s hand. “Here, squeeze my hand. That’s good. I’m right here, Sam. Just hold on, it’s going to be all right.” She glanced up at the clock that sat on the fireplace mantle. She would need to track the length of each pain and the time between pains. She made a mental note of the time and then turned back to gently rub Samantha’s brow with her free hand. “Hold on, Sam. Just hold on.”

It seemed forever before anyone came to relieve her, but the clock told her it wasn’t quite two hours. She bathed Samantha’s brow with a damp towel, held her hand as each of the pains came, and got her to sip more of the watered down brandy. She told Carlotta to tell Marie to walk over and ask Becca Henderson if she would help entertain the boys . . . perhaps even take them for a walk around the neighborhood. Finally Dr. Vanders arrived. He apologized for taking so long, explaining he’d been away from his office making housecalls when Sean arrived; and it had taken the boy some time to find him. Only after Sean found the doctor had the young groom turned his horse back toward the bank. The doctor added that it might be some time before Peter arrived. Audra just nodded and reached out to smooth the wrinkles in Samantha’s forehead, “It’s all right, Dr. Vanders. We women are doing just fine, aren’t we, Sam?”

She stayed with Samantha through the doctor’s examination, continuing to hold her sister-in-law’s hand and whispering words of encouragement. She calmly answered the questions about the number of pains, how long they lasted, the intervals between them. The doctor was just finishing up when she heard the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hallway. She then heard Carlotta’s voice, saying they needed to wait until the doctor was done. Audra smiled down at Samantha. “Peter’s here, honey,” she whispered. “Are you ready for him to come in?”

“I guess,” Samantha sniffed. “Is it all right, Dr. Vanders?”

The doctor turned back from the washstand, “That will be fine. How are you feeling now? A little better?”

Samantha managed another sniff and nod. The doctor walked over and opened the door. Peter and, surprisingly, Barton both stood just outside the door, both with identical worried looks. Peter came through the doorway and headed straight for his wife’s side. Barton, in some kind of deference to propriety, stayed in the doorway, his eyes seeking Audra’s, hoping to get some hint from her as to how things were going. She gave him a very small smile and he nodded slightly. They would be here for Samantha and Peter.

Peter bent down to press his lips against his wife’s brow, “I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I wasn’t at the bank. Barton had to go across town to get me. I’m sorry, cherie. I should have been here.”

“It’s all right,” she tried to reassure him. “Audra was wonderful.”

“How are you feeling now, mon amie?” Peter sat down beside her and put his arm around her.

“Still scared,” she admitted, her eyes now going to the doctor. “I’m losing the baby, aren’t I.”

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Vanders’ eyes were sympathetic. “You’ve dilated further.”

“But my water hasn’t broken yet,” she interrupted, trying desperately to hold onto her hope.

“No, the membranes are still intact,” the doctor agreed, “and I don’t know why. As much as you have dilated, as intense and as long as your pains have been, we would have expected your water to have broken by now. But, it seems that the pains have stopped again . . . at least temporarily.”

“Stopped?” Peter was stunned.

“Stopped?” Samantha echoed.

“It’s been 45 minutes since the last one, Sam,” Audra smiled at her. “They were 20 minutes apart before.”

“Oh,” she was so surprised. Her hand went down to caress her rounded stomach. A movement underneath her palm caused tears to jump into her eyes. Her baby was still alive. Oh, please, God, she whispered, let my baby be safe. She had no idea that her plea was reflected in her eyes. “They’ve stopped?”

“For the time being, but I have to tell you I think that they will start again, probably in the next few days. I think your membranes are going to rupture and you are going to deliver the baby early,” the doctor refused to sugar coat things for them.

“It’s still too early, isn’t it,” Peter had felt his child moving inside his wife so many times. The bond was already there; he didn’t want to believe they were not going to have the opportunity to know this child.

“You’re still two months early,” Dr. Vanders started.

“No, just over six weeks,” Samantha interrupted. The doctor raised his eyebrows, so she explained, “Gene told me that the, umm, the umm gestation period for humans is 40 weeks and he said that a baby born 10 days before or after the due date is considered to be full term. So I counted 40 weeks from the Fourth of July and that was April 10th so I figured if I made it to April 1st then the baby would have a very good chance. That’s just over six weeks away.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the doctor smiled, “The Fourth of July?” Samantha nodded seriously while Peter flushed. “Well, it sounds as if your calculations are correct and, if you make it to April 1st the baby would stand a much better chance, but I don’t see how you’re going to carry to that date.”

Samantha’s hand stroked her stomach again, “The baby is moving a lot, good strong kicks.”

“I know,” the doctor said kindly. “There’s a healthy heartbeat, too. The problem is that the baby is still too small, its lungs are too weak, to live outside your body.”

“I’m not giving up,” Samantha said, her trembling chin in stark contrast to her firm words. Her husband tightened his grip around her shoulders and rested his cheek on the top of her head. And people thought Barkleys were stubborn. Sam took top prize any day.

The smile the doctor gave her was a sad one, “I understand. I don’t want you to give up, but I also have to tell you that things are just getting worse. I really don’t understand why you haven’t already delivered this baby. Maybe whatever is keeping that baby inside you will let it stay there for a few more weeks. Every day improves his or her chances.”

“Six weeks,” she said firmly. “I want to give her the best chance possible.”

“Six weeks,” his smile became real. “We’ll all hope for six weeks.”

The doctor repacked his bag and told them to send for him if there was any change; otherwise, he would stop by to check on Samantha in a week. Barton walked him downstairs.

“You’ll be back before the week is out, won’t you,” it was more of statement than a question.

“I’m afraid so. Short of a miracle, there’s just no way this baby is going to make it.”

Barton nodded his head and then smiled, “Well, this family has seen a few miracles, maybe we can manage one more.”

The doctor just smiled and shook his head; none of them gave up easily, did they.

Back upstairs, Barton found Audra and Peter both still sitting with Samantha. They were worried about her; she was worried about her children. Audra reassured her that the children were all in good hands but now that Peter was here she would check on all of them and if Samantha felt up to it, bring them up for a little visit. As she stood to leave, Samantha reached over to grab her hand.

“Thank you, Audra,” she whispered, the tears in her voice. “For being here this afternoon. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”

Audra gently patted her sister-in-law’s hand, “I didn’t do much more than just hold your hand and tell you to drink.”

“You did much more than that,” Samantha shook her head and then looked over to her husband. “Peter, please don’t make Audra leave this Saturday. I need her here. Please let her stay.”

Peter took a deep breath and looked from his wife to his sister and back. He knew the doctor thought everything was going to be over in a few days, and Samantha was hoping against hope that it wasn’t. What would Audra staying a few more days matter, he decided, especially if it made Samantha feel a little better. He finally murmured, “She doesn’t have to go. If she wants to stay, then of course she can stay.”

Chapter 25

And so Audra put aside her plans to return to Stockton that weekend, instead sending a letter home to her family explaining that while her wedding dress was finally coming along, she and Barton were in the midst of settling on a house here in San Francisco and she simply couldn’t come home this week . . . but maybe next week . . . or the week after.

It seemed as if all those in the Peter Barkley household held their breath all the rest of Thursday and through the night. Peter refused to go to work Friday morning, but Samantha convinced him to go in after lunch. Wanting both to not disrupt the children’s routine and to give Samantha a diversion, Audra did not send word to either Christiana or Hester so both showed up as planned on Friday afternoon. When they arrived, Audra briefed them on Thursday’s events. Both women were stunned. They both pasted on smiles for Samantha, but she saw through them and took it upon herself to calmly give her version as to what had happened.

“So,” Samantha finished up bravely, “we’re saying our prayers and crossing our fingers and just hoping for the best.”

“And we’re going to do all those things, too,” Christiana reached over to hug her friend again.

“Well, right now I don’t want to think about it. What I really want you two to do is tell me what’s been going on this week. Audra and Becca have told me about the charity ball. Now, Christiana, tell me where your camera has taken you this week,” Samantha forced herself to be upbeat.

“Well, actually, I have spent a little time with our friend Hester,” she grinned over at the other woman. “I got the most delightful picture of her and Adam on Tuesday. We went to the Presidio. It makes such an interesting backdrop.”

“Oh, I’m so pleased you decided to have the photograph made,” Samantha beamed over at Hester.

“I decided you were right. Adam is changing every day. I wanted a picture of him now and Christiana talked me into having one made with the two of us. I’m sure I’m going to treasure it always. Thank you, my friends,” Hester’s words were laced with tears.

“I want a copy of the picture,” Samantha demanded in a teasing voice.

“Hmm, it’ll cost you,” Christiana teased back. “Oh, look, here’s Becca and she’s brought us treats.”

“Good afternoon,” Becca Henderson smiled and held out the tray of teacakes. She had been a little surprised after yesterday’s events that Samantha would want company but Audra has insisted that they needed to try to keep Samantha’s spirits up. “Mother and I have been baking all morning for the library reception but I convinced her that a few could be spared for our afternoon tea.”

“Ah, excellent,” Samantha grinned. “Of course, if I keep eating like this and lying in this bed, I’m going to be huge by the time this baby gets here.”

Her joke fell flat as the other four women exchanged quick looks. “All right, I know what you’re thinking,” Samantha sighed. “I know that the chances that this baby will hold on much longer are pretty small but I’m not going to think that way. Please just humor me and let me pretend this is going to all go all right.”

“Of course everything is going to go all right,” Hester nodded her head firmly. “That’s what we all believe.”

“Agreed,” Christiana smiled and reached over to pick up a teacake. “Umm, this is delicious. So what’s the library reception for?”

“Money raising . . . again,” Becca sighed. “I think all I do is go from one charity event to the next. I just wish I could do something more . . . more . . . meaningful.”

“Enjoy the parties, honey,” Hester smiled. “You’re doing good by taking part in the fundraisers. You have a long time before you need to worry about doing more.”

“Hmm,” the girl wrinkled her nose. “It just seems as if you all are doing so much more. Samantha’s taking care of her family and involved in half a dozen charities. Audra was so involved with the orphanage in Stockton and now she’s here, helping Samantha. You take care of Adam, Hester. And, Christiana, well Christiana is the first woman I’ve known who’s a successful businesswoman in her own right.”

“Heavens, Becca, all I used to do was see how fast I could wear out dancing slippers,” Hester shook her head.

Christiana chuckled, “You’re giving us more credit than we deserve, Becca. I, for one, am just living my life as best I can.”

“That’s all any of us are doing,” Samantha agreed. And then she prodded her friend, “So, Christiana, how was your ride home with Jarrod after dinner last week?”

“It was fine,” Christiana answered evenly. “Jarrod was just being a gentleman.”

“Jarrod’s always a gentleman,” Audra interjected.

“Always?” Samantha’s eyebrow raised as she prodded again.

But Christiana was ready for her, “Don’t start, Samantha. Jarrod is a friend; he was here visiting you all and he was just being kind to see me home after we all had dinner together.”

Christiana didn’t add that she and Jarrod had gone out for lunch that next afternoon. Nor did she tell about the promise that Jarrod had gotten her to make after he walked her back to her shop, before he had to rush off to catch his train to Stockton. He had gotten her to promise to write him at his Stockton office about how things were going with Samantha.

“Peter and Gene are both afraid to write me anything for fear Mother might happen to see one of the letters at my office and recognize the handwriting and read it,” Jarrod had explained. “I understand that, but not knowing how things are going is driving me crazy. If you could let me know, I would appreciate it so much. And I’ll write and let you know if I’m going to have to be out of town for any period of time.”

Of course, she had agreed to do as he had requested. It was the least that she could do for her friends. And, when she had finished up her first letter to him, an absolute tome of three pages, she had realized how fun it was to have someone to write to. She had started off by telling him exactly how Samantha was doing during her stop on Sunday. She had added a story or two about the children’s antics and then she had felt compelled to tell him what she had been doing. She wasn’t sure he would be interested, but she had been almost giddy when she had gotten his immediate reply. It was just as long as hers, thanked her for her news on Samantha and Peter and their family and then went on to relate what he was doing and what was going on with the rest of the family. She had already written him another reply with another update on Samantha based on Hester’s Monday visit related to her during the Tuesday photography session. She hoped to hear from him soon. In the next letter, she would, of course, have to tell him about the most recent scare but hopefully she would be able to add that all was quiet.

And she certainly hadn’t told Samantha how, after Jarrod had seen her into her shop after lunch and, even though it was midday, made her once again go upstairs to check to be sure that everything was secure, as he slowly relinquished her key to her, he had bent down and brushed her cheek with a soft kiss and whispered, “Thank you.”

She had automatically responded, “You’re welcome” even though she wasn’t sure what he was thanking her for. It had taken all her resolve not to reach up to touch the place where his lips had touched until he had closed the door and started down the boardwalk. His first kiss, she had thought, and then had immediately chastised herself. They were friends, both of them happy with their lives. Don’t make it into anything more than what it was, a gesture of friendship.

As the memory of that afternoon swept through her mind, Christiana deftly diverted attention from Jarrod and herself by asking Audra, “So are all your brothers always gentlemen?”

“Pretty much so,” the gregarious girl nodded seriously. “I mean, Mother was always so insistent about them learning their manners and knowing when to use them. I think they all behave themselves most of the time.”

“Most of the time?” Becca pressed, very curious about the Barkley brothers.

“Well,” Audra grinned. “They’re not angels. I mean they’ve all had experiences, but I think they treat all women with respect. I think that would make them gentlemen, don’t you. Didn’t you think Nick was a gentleman, Hester?”

Hester started and looked around the room guiltily. Of course, Audra knew about her and Nick, and now so did Samantha . . . but did Christiana and Becca know? “Well,” she stuttered. “He was a terrible flirt and so funny and then very attentive . . . but, yes, he was always a gentleman. I think he must have taken your mother’s teachings very seriously.”

“So you and Nick used to keep company?” Becca asked the obvious.

Hester took a deep breath and just said it, “Nick and I were engaged for a very brief time several years back. I made a real mess of things and we ended it.”

“Oh,” Becca was the only one who did not know the story but she sensed that it made Hester uncomfortable to talk about it . . . so she just added. “Now I’ve never met Nick, have I.”

“No, Nick has never visited us,” Samantha shrugged. “He’s too busy on the ranch.”

“He’s just being stubborn,” Audra countered. “He’s trying to make out like it’s Peter fault that we all don’t get together very often. He thinks it only counts if we come back to the ranch. He’s just going to have to learn that part of the family lives in San Francisco and that the trains run both way.”

“Nick considers the ranch home and he just wants everyone to come home,” Samantha had a soft spot in her heart for her loud, brash brother-in-law.

The conversation lagged for a moment. Becca was the one who forged on, “Well, Christiana says Jarrod is a gentleman, and Hester says Nick is a gentleman. And, of course, we all know that Peter is a gentleman. I’ve met both Eugene and Heath and they both seem like gentlemen, so I guess Audra is right. All her brothers are gentlemen.”

“You know, it’s interesting that Heath, whom Mother didn’t raise, is probably the gentlest of the boys,” Audra commented.

Samantha nodded in agreement, “It’s probably because he was raised in a house full of women.”

Hester was again surprised at the honest discussion and she wondered how much Christiana and Becca knew about things. Becca was the one who asked, “House full of women?”

Audra just nodded and sipped her tea, “Besides his mother, Heath was raised by his mother’s best friend, Rachel, and by a Negro woman named Hannah who had come west with Miss Leah and her half-brother, Matt.”

“Are they still alive?” Becca asked trying not to seem too curious about Heath Barkley’s background. Her mother had explained the circumstances of Heath’s birth to her not long after the Peter Barkleys had moved into the house behind them. Anne Henderson had thought her daughter might hear some gossip and wanted her to know the truth. She had finished up by telling her daughter that similar things had happened and would happen to other families so one best be careful about throwing stones. She added that she thought the Barkleys handled it all with a great deal of dignity, grace, and love. She had pointed out that neither Audra nor any of her brothers ever referred to Heath as anything but their brother . . . that spoke of a deep affection, her mother said. Becca thought it was the first time that her mother had ever treated her like an adult, had spoken so openly of such an adult topic. She had been pleased and a little proud and she had listened and watched just as her mother had urged. She had seen how Heath was accepted as an equal by all his siblings . . . at least the ones she had been around for any period of time.

“Only Hannah,” Audra replied. “Heath’s mother died about four years back; it was only when she died that he found out who his father was. That’s when he came to live with us. Rachel died shortly after that . . . actually we think she was murdered but no one can prove it for sure. His uncle and aunt have disappeared. Hannah still lives in Strawberry though, where Heath grew up. Heath visits her every few months. He’s tried to get her to move to Stockton but she won’t. She says she needs to stay to take care of Miss Leah’s grave.”

Becca spoke carefully, hoping what she said would not be misconstrued, “Last fall, when Heath came to help take care of Eugene when he had the influenza, when we first met him, Father said that Heath must be very devoted to his family, to come to San Francisco to take care of his younger brother.”

“Your father said that?” Samantha was pleasantly surprised.

“Uh huh,” Becca continued. “He met Heath one morning when Heath came over to borrow some syrup from us . . . something about a family remedy. Father just thought he was very nice and obviously very concerned about his brother. Father also said that you could certainly tell he was Tom Barkley’s son.”

“Hmm, that’s a nice thing to say,” Samantha smiled. “Well, I guess all your brothers resemble your father in some way, don’t they, Audra?”

“Uh-huh, you see Father in all of them, physical characteristics, how they act, how they sound, the words they say,” she rolled her eyes. “Heavens, Peter sounded just like Father the other morning when he ordered me upstairs.”

“Peter ordered you upstairs?” Christiana raised her eyebrows.

Audra blushed slightly but Samantha just laughed, “Yes, my dear little sister-in-law upset her big brother to no end when he found her downstairs early Tuesday morning enjoying some rather intimate moments with her fiancé.”

“Audra!” Hester’s eyes rounded as she scolded. Christiana set her teacup and saucer down with a clink, and Becca just blushed.

“They weren’t intimate moments,” Audra denied instantly. “Barton stopped by late Monday evening after spending all day travelling to and from Copper City. He fell asleep on the settee downstairs. I left him there, and early the next morning I went down and fixed him some coffee and went in to wake him up. We were just kissing.”

Samantha snorted, “You were down there in your nightgown and robe and Peter said you were half undressed when he found you.”

“I was not,” her sister-in-law gasped. “I was completely covered and we were just kissing.”

“Peter said your robe was open and that Barton’s hands were definitely not where they were supposed to be.”

Audra’s blushed deepened, “Well, I suppose they weren’t. He was really not awake and I did lead him on. He was so embarrassed about it; he must have apologized a dozen times. But, oh, Samantha, I just get these butterflies in my stomach every time I think about how he made me feel that morning.”

Samantha chuckled, “Butterflies? Just wait until your wedding night. It’ll be a lot more than butterflies, won’t it, Christiana. I predict that Barton will curl your toes.”

“Samantha,” Christiana scolded as the other women all blushed varying shades of red. “Behave yourself.”

But nothing would dim the gleam in Samantha’s eyes.

Chapter 26

Heath’s official reason for going to San Francisco was to deliver some paperwork that Jarrod had completed on the sale of the mine. The reason he had given Nick was that he wanted to pick up something special for Mother for her birthday. Nick had tried to get him to pick up something for him to give her, too, or to go in together on a gift, but Heath had politely told him that if wanted to get her something from Frisco then he could go to the city himself. Nick just grumbled that he was too busy to just take off and go to San Francisco and stalked away. Heath knew Nick was still chafing about the angry words that he and Peter had exchanged at Christmas time. He wasn’t sure whether Nick was angry at himself for what he had said or still just angry at Peter, but the hazel-eyed rancher refused to talk about his blue-eyed banker brother, choosing to ignore any conversation that included Peter’s name. Heath figured this was one rat’s nest that Nick was going to have to clean up himself.

Heath knew he could find something in Stockton that Mother would have been perfectly happy with. The real reason he was going was to warn little sister that she needed to quit playing in San Francisco and get back home and take care of all this wedding stuff. Even Mother was starting to look exasperated after reading Audra’s letters filled with excuses for why she couldn’t come home yet. Nick was downright angry, even hollering at Jarrod the last time that he had come back from San Francisco, demanding to know why Jarrod hadn’t insisted that Audra come back with him. As he walked up the street to Peter and Samantha’s home, Heath remembered the dining table argument just a few days before.

“We got a letter from Audra today,” Mother had announced.

Heath had known just from her voice that the letter contained no schedule as to when little sister would be returning home. He wasn’t sure why Nick had to ask the obvious and stir up a hornets’ nest but his big brother had snarled, “When the heck is she getting her tail back here so she can get this almighty important wedding planned?”

Mother had sighed and automatically scolded, “Nicholas. That’s enough.”

“I’m not the one you should be scolding, Mother,” Nick replied. “Our spoiled little sister should be hearing from you.”

And Jarrod had flown to Audra’s defense, “Just ease up, Nick. Audra’s got a lot going on in her life right now.”

“Yep, she’s got a lot going on and she’s playing the little princess, staying in Frisco and leaving it to Mother to handle all the stuff with the wedding. If she’s going to get married, she best grow up now and start taking on some responsibilities,” Nick had continued to rant.

“Audra has grown up just fine,” Jarrod had said through tight lips.

“You’re just protecting her, Jarrod,” Nick had shot back. “You should have brought her home. It’s obvious that Peter’s not gonna send her home. He’s just trying to become her favorite brother by letting her stay with him and avoid any work.”

Jarrod had snapped, “Audra isn’t avoiding work. She’s actually helping Samantha with the children a good deal. And I think, right now, she’s just more focused on what happens after the wedding rather than on the wedding.”

Heath had been a little surprised at Jarrod’s statement, but Nick’s face had flushed bright red in embarrassment and he had sputtered, “Jarrod!”

Jarrod had just looked at him for a moment and then rolled his eyes in disgust, “That’s not what I’m talking about, Nick. I’m talking about she’s thinking about making a home for Barton, for the family they’re going to have. I’m talking about she’s thinking about what her job will be in making her marriage work. And I think it’s been a very good thing for her to spend time with Peter and Samantha, to see first hand what a good, strong, loving marriage is about, about sharing each other’s life, about the respect, trust, and caring between a husband and wife. These past weeks have been a very good experience for Audra, and if she’s extending her stay for a few more weeks I think that’s fine, too. I’m sure the wedding will happen whether Audra spends the next few weeks here or in San Francisco.”

“Well, hell, you sure are singing little brother’s praises aren’t you,” Nick had gone from shocked back to angry in a heartbeat. “Audra learned what a good marriage was by watching Mother and Father. She doesn’t have to spend time with Pete and Sam to learn that.”

“Audra only saw Mother and Father’s marriage from a child’s perspective,” Jarrod had replied. “She’s a young woman now, and she sees things differently and she understands things better. Trust me, this has been good for her. She’s grown up a lot.”

“If she’s grown up, then she should be here. Ah, hell, there’s no reasoning with you,” Nick had stood up and tossed his napkin down. “You’re just as bad as Pete, spoiling her, letting her have her way.”

“Pete’s not spoiling her,” Jarrod had stood also, “and neither am I and I’m not arguing with you. Audra will be back here just as soon as she has things under control. If you want to talk her into coming home sooner, then I suggest you go to San Francisco and talk to her personally.”

Nick had snorted, “I’m too busy to waste my time going up to San Francisco to get our little sister,” and he had stalked out of the room.

Jarrod had stared after him and then had dropped his own napkin on the table, “Excuse me, please, Mother, Heath. I have some things I need to work on in the library.”

Heath had taken a few more bites of his supper and then risked a look at Victoria. She had no longer been eating, her brow wrinkled as she stared at the doorway that her two eldest sons had disappeared through.

“Mother?” he had asked.

She had shaken her head slightly, “I just wish they wouldn’t argue so. Jarrod seems to think that Audra should stay in San Francisco for a bit longer. I’ll write and tell her that her plans are fine with us, but that we all are missing her here and that we want her to come home as soon as possible. Maybe I can convince her to at least come back with Barton for a few days; that might be a nice compromise.”

“What are you gonna say to Nick?”

“That if he wants to talk his little sister into coming home sooner, he’ll need to go to San Francisco.”

Heath had sighed deeply, “He ain’t gonna do it.”

“I know,” and she hadn’t said anything more.

So now he was going to do his best to get Audra to come on home. It would simplify things greatly and it wasn’t that many months before Audra would be living in San Francisco full time. She needed to spend the next few months at the ranch.

He opened the front gate to Pete’s house and strolled up the front walk. As much as he dreaded having a showdown with Audra, he was looking forward to seeing Pete and Sam and the little boys and little Lizzie V. Christmas and New Years seemed like a long time ago. Nick might be stubborn about having too much work on the ranch to make visits to San Francisco, but Heath knew he’d be making this trip a lot in the years to come what with both Audra and Pete and their families living here.

He tapped lightly on the front door and heard little boy voices on the other side. Sure enough, it was Tom who pulled the door open. His face lit up in a bright smile when he saw his uncle. “Uncle Heath,” he shouted and threw himself into his uncle’s arms. His uncle didn’t hesitate as he swooped him up and tossed him in the air.

“Hey, there, Thomas Henri, dang you’re getting heavy,” Heath teased.

“Me, too, Uncle Heaf, me, too!” Little Nicky grabbed onto his uncle’s leg.

He set Tom down and gave Nicky a toss in the air. It was then he noticed another little boy standing back, watching with big brown eyes.

“Well, who’s this?” he said as he set Nicky down and then knelt so that he was at the boys’ level.

“This is our friend, Adam, Uncle Heath,” Tom replied. “Adam, come meet our Uncle Heath. He’s real nice.”

Biting his lip and eyeing the man closely, the little boy edged nearer. Heath extended his hand to the boy who solemnly shook it. He remembered Jarrod’s story about Tom and Nicky’s new little friend, a little boy named Adam whose mother had died in childbirth and whose aunt had put her life on hold to help take care of the little boy. The aunt had apparently become good friends with Samantha and Audra.

“Howdy, Adam, pleasure to meet you,” he smiled gently.

“Hello,” Adam said softly.

“Say, would you like a toss in the air like Nicky and Tom?” Heath felt inspired.

Adam’s eyes rounded and he slowly nodded his head. Heath hoisted him up and gave him a good toss, being sure to catch him securely and then carefully place him on his feet. He figured he could do his part to help cheer up a sad little boy. It apparently worked because Adam exchanged a delighted look with Tom and smiled widely.

“Well, what are you boys up to?” he surveyed the trio of boys.

“Just going out into Mamma’s garden to play, Uncle Heath,” as the oldest Tom felt it was his place to answer all questions.

“So where’s your mamma and your Aunt Audra?”

“Upstairs,” Nicky piped up, earning him an exasperated look from his brother.

“Upstairs where?” Heath said patiently.

“In her and pappa’s bedroom, of course,” Tom replied.

“Of course?” it just sounded a little strange.

“Mamma’s always there now, ‘til the baby comes,” Tom sighed. “Let’s go outside now . . . through the kitchen . . . and ask Senora Carlotta for a cookie.”

“Yeah,” Adam piped up.

“Are you coming with us, Uncle Heaf?” Nicky asked eagerly.

“I’ll be out in just a bit. I want to talk with your mamma and Aunt Audra first,” he said, trying to make sense of what he had been told by the little boys.

“All right,” Tom said agreeably and then led his playmates toward the back of the house.

Heath slowly climbed to the second floor. He could hear women’s voices chattering away. It sounded like when Mother and Audra would have a group of their friends in for a tea or some other such thing. As he neared, he heard Audra’s voice and Samantha’s. And then he heard another familiar voice, Christiana’s he decided, say, “Samantha, behave yourself!” He wondered why Samantha was being scolded but the laughter indicated that it was a light scolding.

Taking a deep breath, he stuck his head in the door and gave a teasing, “Howdy, ladies.”

Audra twirled around in her chair and then fairly leaped across the room and into his arms, “Heath! What a wonderful surprise.”

Well, if Audra was surprised, Heath was downright flabbergasted. He wasn’t sure what he expected when he stuck his head in, but this sure as heck wasn’t it. He hadn’t expected to find Sam lying in bed and he should have realized from the laughter that there were more women in the room than just Audra, Sam, and Christiana. No, Becca Henderson was here and he couldn’t help but smile at her . . . and his eyes moved to the fifth woman and his smile disappeared.

“Hester?” his voice was strangled.

She had gone deathly white and now blazed bright red. “Heath,” she whispered and barely nodded her head.

Audra broke the strained silence as Heath continued to stare at the woman, confusion and pain twisting his features. “I don’t know if Jarrod mentioned Tom and Nicky’s new little friend, Adam,” she waited as the words sank in and Heath numbly nodded his head. “Hester is Adam’s mother’s cousin. I was as surprised as you are when I finally met Adam’s ‘auntie’ at the park. It is certainly a small world, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” was all that he could muster for the moment. Interestingly it came out with a sense of wonder and absolutely no bitterness.

Hester, who had expected only bitterness, slowly stood, “Samantha, I think perhaps we should call it a day. I’ll go out and get Adam. I’ll be in touch.”

“Oh, no, Hester,” Samantha immediately protested. “The boys have just started to play outside. They’ll be so disappointed if you leave now.”

Hester’s eyes went back to Heath’s stern countenance. “I just think that I should go now.”

Samantha started to argue again but Christiana took over the conversation. “You know, ladies, I think that the Barkleys are due a little family discussion. Why don’t you and Becca and I go downstairs with little Miss Lizzie V. and check on what those three boys are up to, Hester?”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Becca immediately stood and brushed out the wrinkles in her skirt. She boldly added, “It’s good to see you again, Heath. I hope we get a chance to talk again before you have to leave.”

He could only nod his head as he watched the three women leave the room. His eyes now freed from staring at Hester Converse, roamed the room, taking in all the changes. It wasn’t just a bedroom any more. No, as he contemplated the seating arrangement around the bed where his sister-in-law lay, the little table set up just a few feet away, and Lizzie V.’s highchair tucked back between the wardrobe and Samantha’s vanity, no, this room had now become the center of Peter’s home.

“How long?” he finally asked. His eyes swinging over Audra and to Samantha.

“How long have I known Hester Converse or how long have I known that she was Nick’s former fiancée?” she asked in return.

“Neither,” his voice was uncharacteristically short. “How long have you been confined to that bed?”

Chagrined, she could barely whisper, “About four weeks.”

The knowledge rocked him back on his heels. He had known it had been a time, the shifting of a household didn’t happen overnight. But a whole month? And not one word to the family in Stockton.

“What’s the doctor say?” he finally managed.

Her eyes locked on his and he saw such fire there that he was afraid that he had angered her. But her words sent his heart to aching more than any anger from her could have. “He says I’m going to lose the baby and I’m trying real hard to prove him wrong.”

“Ah, Sam,” he breathed out the words and then came to sit on the edge of the bed and take her tiny hand in his. “Why didn’t you let us know?”

She sniffed back a tear, “Because there was nothing you could do but worry, and there are more than enough people worrying already.”

“But, still, Sam,” his eyes reflected the hurt.

“Don’t be angry with me, please, Heath,” she begged. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I just don’t like being a bother to anyone. And I’m being such a bother to Peter and Audra and Barton and my children and, oh, just so many people right now that I just couldn’t stand the idea of bothering one more person.”

And, because, he, too, hated to be a bother, he finally nodded his head that he . . . sorta . . . understood.

So, how long?” he asked.

“How long what?” she answered his question with her own.

“How long you gonna have to stay in bed?”

“Until the baby comes . . . and we’re hoping that won’t be until the first of April,” her eyes watched his face closely.

He sat back and let out a slow whistle. “That’s a lot more weeks, Sam,” he stated the obvious.

“I know, but it’s the way things need to be.”

He slowly nodded his head and then he asked, “How long?”

Now she snorted and repeated once more, “How long what?”

“How long have you known Hester Converse and how long have you known she was Nick’s former fiancée?”

The grimness in his voice tied up her tongue for a moment but then she met the challenge head on, “I met her about six weeks ago, in the park where I take Nicky and Tom a couple of times a week. She was there with her cousin’s son, Adam. I had seen her there a few times before, but she tended to stay to herself. One time, Adam looked particularly sad and I asked her if there was a problem. She explained that his little sister had died shortly after she was born a few months before and that his mother developed a fever and died a few days later and that that particular day Adam was just having a hard time thinking about his mother, whom he’d never get to see again. I was so stunned that I forgot to even ask what her name was. About a week later, after I was confined to bed, Audra took the boys to the park and had a chance to meet Adam’s auntie. That’s when we learned that Adam’s aunt was Hester Converse. Of course, the name Hester Converse meant nothing to me until Audra explained that Nick had been engaged to her once and then that she had caused problems between you and Nick and then broken the engagement.”

“And broke Nick’s heart,” Heath added coldly.

“I’m sure she did,” Samantha replied quietly. “And I’m sorry for that.”

“But she’s changed, Heath,” Audra interjected. When he just looked at her with doubt, she continued, “I know it’s hard to believe, but people do change. Oh, she’s still so beautiful and so full of laughter. She’s been such wonderful company for Samantha while she’s been stuck in bed; you know Hester has a million fun stories. But, she’s changed inside. All she does is worry about Adam, about how sad he is sometimes. And she never goes out to parties or dinners or dances or anything. She’s there for him morning, noon, and night.”

Because he could think of nothing else to say, he just murmured, “I met him downstairs. He’s a sweet little boy.”

“Tell her that,” Samantha said swiftly. “Nothing would make her happier than to hear you say that about Adam.”

He walked to the window and stared out at the women and children in the backyard. Hester was patiently swinging Nicky and talking with Becca and Christiana while Adam and Tom were climbing in the treehouse. Suddenly Heath laughed softly.

“What?” Audra demanded.

“Ah, I was just thinking of something that Nick said.”

“What?” Samantha prodded after a moment of silence.

“After Jarrod told us the story about Adam, about him losing his mama and baby sister and how his mother’s cousin had put her life on hold to help to take care of him, Nick told me that he figured the cousin was probably some dried up old maid who knew that this was probably gonna be her only chance to have a child to raise,” Heath chuckled. Then he added, “Nick sure would be surprised if he could see who this cousin really was.”

“Yes, he would be,” Samantha agreed softly but then hesitantly added, “You know, sometimes I think Hester actually believes that. That, because of what she did to Nick, how she hurt him, that she doesn’t deserve to have a family of her own, that Adam is the only child she will ever have a chance to raise. She is so sorry for what she did to you and Nick.”

“Nick and I got past it . . . I just ain’t sure if Nick ever really got past what Hester did. She hurt him pretty bad.”

“That’s just what I told Sam,” Audra said eagerly. “That you and Nick fixed what had happened between you, but that Nick never talked about Hester. I think he’s never gotten over her.”

“I expect that’s Nick’s business,” Heath replied tersely.

“You’re right, of course, Heath,” Samantha soothed. “We never expected that you or Nick either one would ever know that we had become acquainted with Hester and that Adam was Nicky and Tom’s good friend. I’m sorry you discovered this way.”

“You weren’t gonna let Nick know?” his eyes moved between his sister and his sister-in-law.

“No, we thought it would be best not to mention this at all. We thought it would be just too painful for Nick and we thought that we could be sure that you all never crossed paths. Nick never comes to San Francisco and USUALLY you let us know when you’re coming,” Audra was the one who replied.

“Sorry, meant it as a surprise. I was planning a sneak attack on you, to try to get you to come home with me,” he admitted.

Her face fell, “Oh, Heath, I can’t. Samantha and Peter need me here.”

“It’s all right, Audra,” Samantha tried to be brave. “You should go home with Heath.”

But Heath just shook his head, “Nope, you stay here as long as you need, Audra. I’ll take care of things at home. Right now, though, ladies, I’m gonna keep my promise to a group of little boys and go downstairs and play. I’ll send your friends back up. We’ll talk later, Samantha.”

The two Barkley women exchanged a look and just silently watched as he left the room. Heath walked slowly downstairs and out the back of the house. Nicky saw him coming first and literally jumped out of the swing to rush to his uncle. Heath reached down and grabbed the boy by the ankles and dangled him upside down, causing Nicky to giggle wildly. As Tom and Adam rushed over to join the fun, Heath winked at the women and then told them to go back in and finish up their “hen party.” Christiana protested at the term, muttering how all the Barkley men had no appreciation for women’s discussion groups. Heath just grinned at her. He nodded and spoke to Becca also, promising to visit with her later before she headed back around the back wall to her parents’ house. As the women started toward the house, he gathered the courage to call out to the last woman in the group.

“Hester,” Heath said softly.

She turned to look at him, her heart in her throat. She knew he must be so angry with her, with what she had done to him and Nick. But, surprisingly, his eyes were gentle.

“Thanks,” he started and then paused as her expression turned to incredulous. He continued, “Thanks for being such a good friend to Sam. She’s going through such a bad time now . . . she needs all the good friends she can get.”

She bit her lips to keep from crying and she could only nod.

“I know Tom and Nicky enjoy playing with Adam,” he concluded. “I hope that you and Adam keep coming over to visit. It’ll mean a lot to the whole family.”

“Thank you, Heath,” she finally whispered.

He smiled softly and added, “Adam’s a real fine boy. You’re doing a good job with him.”

And, as Samantha had predicted, that was just the thing to tease a smile from her.

Continued…