Chapter 2

J.J., safely in his mother's arms, leaned over a bit to see what his Uncle Heath was holding in that blanket. He looked, and he saw, and he broke into a big grin. He looked around at his mother and gave a single happy laugh.

"It's love at first sight," Maggie said.

Heath, Nick, Nancy and Maggie all laughed together. Nancy held Tony in her arms and leaned forward, but Tony was far too young to be interested in the other baby there with them. He stretched a little, then turned in his mother's arms so he could see his father. Nick winked at him, and Tony reached for him, so Nancy let Nick take him while she got a better look at Heath Pearson.

"I'd love to hold him, but Tony will get jealous," Nancy said. "He is beautiful, Heath."

"I talked to Suzanne about that photograph you want to have taken, Nick," Heath said. "She's all in favor of it."

"How is she feeling?" Nancy asked.

"She's fine, just very tired," Heath said. "She might wake up in a little bit."

"You know, Heath," Nick said. "When I think about that day about six years ago, when you and I went at it on the bridge over the river and then went at it later in the barn – "

"And all the times we've gone at it since then," Heath interrupted. "Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about those days, too."

"I never would have thought it," Nick said, shaking his head. "I just can't believe it, here we are, married with our own families. When I think about everything that's happened over the last six years."

"Makes me wish we'd had more photographs taken," Heath said, "especially maybe one right after that first fight, with your black eye and my split lip."

Nick laughed. "I think Mother is just as happy we didn't take that one."

"One of these days," Nancy said, "you two are going to have to tell us all the stories you just hint at with each other."

"Well, maybe we'll tell the boys someday, but I'm not sure they're all stories for a lady's ear," Nick said.

Heath said, "You remember that book Jarrod said he was gonna write for J.J., that one about all the things he imagined J.J. might see in his life?"

"Yeah," Nick said, and gave a squirming Tony back to his mother.

"He wrote it," Maggie said. "J.J.'s not ready for it yet, but it's there waiting for him when he is."

"Maybe we ought to write down some of our stories for Tony and Heath," Heath said.

Nick grinned. "We could write the same stories, only you'd write from your point of view and I'd write the truth."

"Yeah, sure," Heath said.

"It sounds like a good idea to me," Nancy said. "I think the boys will get a charge out of it when they're older – but just remember to write it with twelve-year-old boys in mind, all right?"

"Do I hear more Barkleys?" Suzanne's voice came from inside the bedroom.

Nancy and Maggie smiled at each other and, carrying their sons, went in to see Suzanne.

Left with each other and Heath Pearson, Nick and Heath sat down in the chairs beside the fireplace, and for a while they were just quiet. But then Heath said, "I really have been thinking a lot about the past six years. I can't believe how fast my whole life turned around that day we met on the bridge."

Nick nodded. "Mine, too."

"Yours?"

"Yeah, mine. Once you and I settled our differences, I finally had a brother I could share ranching with. Oh, Jarrod and Eugene helped out a lot in their day, but they were both the brainy types, happier behind a desk than herding cattle. Eugene was Jarrod's brother. I wanted one of my own. Got you. Pretty glad I did."

"I needed a brother, too," Heath said. "I needed more than that, and you all gave it to me. I just breezed on in here like some angry colt and you all took me in. I grew up here, Nick. I thought I'd be teaching my big brother all about ranching – since I was the one who roamed everywhere west of the divide and thought I did it all – but I was really just a kid. You taught me. About ranching. About how to be a rancher. About how to be a brother, and now, how to be a father. And all in six years, Nick. Just six years."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, it is funny, isn't it?"

Heath Pearson began to cry, softly at first, then insistently.

"Well, he's an angry colt, just like his father," Nick said as he and Heath got up.

They took Heath Pearson in to his mother. Nick gave Suzanne a peck on her cheek and then left the room so she could nurse the unhappy little newcomer. Nancy left with him, and he put his arm around his wife, then kissed his own son, who made a face about it.

Nancy laughed, and then she sighed, "What a day."

Nick kissed her. Maggie brought J.J. out right behind them, but J.J. was trying to climb over her shoulder. He wanted to be with the baby again.

Nick swooped J.J. up as he just about made it over his mother's shoulder. "Enough, already, little man," Nick said. "It may be your birthday, but your presents are all at home. The baby does not belong to you."

Maggie laughed and took J.J. back from Nick. "We girls were talking about how much life has turned around and around again for all of us over the last two or three years. Three years ago, we were all unmarried and wondered if we would always be that way, and now here we are, with three fine sons."

Nancy knew how lucky she was to have her husband with her, and it broke her heart that Maggie couldn't say the same thing. It had to be difficult for her to know this was the day two years ago when her husband was with her and she was having their son.

But Maggie just smiled. She looked around the room and remembered, saying "Carbuncle," softly to herself, until J.J. started up over her shoulder again and brought her back to the present. "J.J., you are the squirmiest little boy I've ever seen! I think we better get you back home and leave this little family to get better acquainted."

Nick called, somewhat softly for him, "We'll be leaving! See you tomorrow!"

Heath came out of the bedroom and saw them all to the door.

"Thanks for coming over," Heath said.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Nancy said. "To see if you need anything, and to fawn over that baby again."

Heath smiled, for the hundredth time today. "Come anytime." Then he looked at Nick. "Thank Mother for me – for the past six years."

Nick nodded. "That I'll do."

After they went out, Heath went back into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed while Suzanne nursed Heath Pearson again. "For the past six years?" Suzanne asked. She had overheard.

"Six years ago seems like when life really started for me," Heath said. "That's when I came to the Barkley ranch. That's when Mother and everybody else opened their life to mine. That's when I started down the road that led me here."

Suzanne smiled. "Then I'll have to thank her, too."

"I think that's how I'll be starting off the book I'm going to write for this little guy – I'll start it with the day I got here, the day my whole life turned around."

Suzanne kissed him, and Heath Pearson gurgled a bit. Heath smiled yet again. He wasn't sure he was ever going to stop.

The End