Chapter 5

Jarrod inched his way across the porch toward the side of the house where the stranger was approaching. He stayed close to the wall, holding his handgun ready, expecting any moment to see another gun or a face come slowly around the corner. When he finally got to the corner himself and nothing had happened, he risked a quick look around the corner and then ducked back for cover. He saw no one out there.

An alarming thought hit him. The guards had all been taken out, and the stranger was headed for the back door.

Jarrod hurried back to the front door, did another quick peek inside and saw no one, then quickly ducked inside and behind the sofa. Facing the back door that came in through the kitchen, he saw no one. He could see into the bedroom through its open door and he looked that way. Maggie was on her knees on the floor, putting her body over the cradle as best she could. Jarrod Jr. was beginning to wail.

Where the hell was the stranger?

Jarrod listened but couldn't hear a thing over the baby's crying, and he saw no movement in the house. Carefully, he turned around and looked toward the front door behind him. What he saw froze the heart in him. A shadow of a man against the window, and a handgun.

The door began to open. Jarrod dove around to the other side of the sofa and realized, terrified, that whoever was coming in would have a straight shot into the bedroom. The front door opened slowly.

With scarcely time to think, Jarrod broke cover and put himself between the bedroom door and the front door. As soon as the front door opened and a body appeared, Jarrod fired for all he was worth. The stranger with the handgun fell into the room. Jarrod fired at him until his gun was empty, and then he dove for the stranger on the floor.

The stranger's gun went off twice before Jarrod got it away from him, but he realized right away that it was wild fire as a result of reflexive action. Death throes made him pull the trigger. The man was dead on the floor, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

Jarrod knew him right away. It was Jack Dysart.

Jarrod slid Dysart's handgun across the room on the floor, sending it under the sofa, and he pushed the rifle he himself had left against the wall out of Dysart's reach. He was taking no chances, even though he was certain the man was dead. Then he ran as fast as he could, stumbling over his own feet, into the bedroom.

"Maggie?! Maggie?!"

"We're all right, we're all right!" Maggie gasped, still on the floor covering the cradle as best she could, but now she was reaching in to pick the crying baby up.

Jarrod put his weapon back in his holster and threw his arms around his family. "It's over, it's over. He's dead."

Maggie's voice shook uncontrollably. "Is he the man you expected?"

"Yes," Jarrod said. "He's the one. He's dead. He won't hurt us now."

Maggie burst into tears, and Jarrod wept out of sheer terror himself. There the three of them were huddled on the floor, weeping, when someone came in the front door.

Jarrod pulled his gun out of his holster, forgetting it was empty, afraid Dysart had someone else with him, but the man coming in the door was yelling, "Carbuncle! Carbuncle!" as he tripped over the body lying there.

It was one of the ranch hands. He quickly grabbed at the body of Jack Dysart.

"Carbuncle!" he still yelled.

"Carbuncle," Jarrod replied wearily. "We're all right."

XXXXX

The ranch hand told Jarrod that Dysart had crept up on him and one of the other guards and knocked them senseless. The third had spotted him and there had been a gunfight – the third guard was dead.

Jarrod closed his eyes, grieved deeply for the ranch hand who had died protecting his family. He told the hand who had come in to take Dysart's body out of the house and put it in the yard, then go into town for the sheriff. The hand left quickly, saying he'd leave the other surviving hand out in the front yard.

Jarrod nodded, then looked up from where he knelt holding his wife and son, and he saw the bed.

He saw a bullet hole in the headboard. When Dysart's gun had gone off, one of the shots came into the bedroom and hit the headboard. The headboard where Maggie had been resting only minutes earlier.

"Oh, God," Jarrod moaned.

"What?" Maggie asked. When he didn't answer, she asked more urgently, "What?!"

Jarrod motioned toward the headboard. "Our little man isn't a day old, and already he's saved his mother's life."

Maggie looked, and saw. "Oh, my God – "

Jarrod pulled her closer into his arms. "It's all right. We're all right. It's all over now, and we're all right."

XXXXXX

Word of what happened spread quickly back to the main house. Nick and Heath were with their older brother within minutes after the sheriff arrived and had the bodies removed. Jarrod had gotten Maggie settled into the chair in the bedroom – she was not interested in sitting near that headboard. She was rocking Jarrod Jr. in the cradle when Nick and Heath came in to see the damage.

"We can fix that," Nick said. "It'll be good as new."

"No," Maggie said. "We're getting a new headboard."

"The lady of the house has spoken," Heath said with a smile.

Nick went to her and kissed her on the forehead. "You've had quite a day, Mrs. Barkley."

Maggie smiled, still nervous. "I don't think I'll have another one like this anytime soon. At least, I better not."

Nick looked down at Jarrod Jr., sleeping peacefully in the cradle. He silently thanked God that his brother's family was safe, and especially that this little man was safe. Tears stung his eyes. Maggie saw them, but Heath didn't.

Heath had gone back out into the sitting room where Jarrod was seated in the chair by the fireplace. Jarrod's eyes were shut. He looked awfully pale.

"You okay, Jarrod?" Heath asked.

Jarrod nodded without opening his eyes. "Angina. It's passing. Guess I earned this one."

Heath squatted beside the chair and put his hand atop Jarrod's on the armrest. "Can I do anything for you?"

Jarrod sighed. "Take a look around outside before you go. I don't know if there's any damage from all the shooting we need to repair."

"Nick and I will take care of it if there is. Don't you worry about anything but your family."

Jarrod smiled a little. "Nothing to worry about now. We're all okay."

Nick came in from the bedroom, and as he did, Jarrod stood up. Heath steadied him for a moment, but Jarrod shook him off and went into the bedroom to his wife and son.

Nick and Heath looked at each other and breathed again. "This was too close," Nick said.

Heath nodded. "Jarrod's had an angina attack. Guess I would have, too."

"He needs a hand or two here all the time," Nick said. "Think he'll accept a couple from us?"

"We'll have to ask him – "

A buggy pulling up outside interrupted Heath's line of thought. He opened the door, and their mother came in, looking frantic.

Heath looked at Nick. "Or we can get Mother to ask him."

Nick smiled.

It put Victoria at ease right away. "What happened? Are they all right?"

"Everybody's fine," Heath said. "A little furniture damage is all. I'm gonna go take a look around outside to see if there's any more damage."

Heath went outside, and Victoria turned to Nick. "Where are they?"

Nick motioned to the bedroom.

Victoria went in tentatively and saw Jarrod standing beside his wife, holding her, both of them apparently winding down from what had happened.

Jarrod saw her. "Everyone's fine, Mother. Nothing to worry about now."

Victoria sighed and nearly collapsed in relief. Jarrod hurried to her and supported her while moving her to the bed and sitting her down on the edge of it. Nick came in.

"I was so frightened," Victoria said.

"I think Jarrod Jr. was the only one who wasn't," Maggie said. "You Barkleys live a fairly exciting life, don't you?" She smiled at her mother-in-law.

Nick grinned. "Now I wouldn't say this was a typical day, but yeah, it does get a little crazy now and then. That's why you two need a couple hands here full time."

"If you can send me one who can cook and clean, I'll take you up on it, Nick," Jarrod said.

"You can't have Silas," Victoria said quickly.

Jarrod shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

Jarrod could see that his mother was still calming down. He looked at Maggie, and she nodded. He lifted Jarrod Jr. out of the cradle and brought him to Victoria.

Victoria gathered him in and let tears of relief fall all over him. "This baby's face is getting awfully wet today," Jarrod said, "but I think he'll survive."

Victoria kissed her grandson on the forehead and wept even harder. "Of course he will. He's a Barkley."

The End