Pappy Lessons

Chapter 1

Three days later, and Victoria Barkley was still exhausted, and still in bed. Having a third baby ten years after having her second was not what she expected. Jarrod, her first, had been a little tough but that was mostly circumstance – Jarrod coming early, Tom being away when her labor hit, trying to make it to the doctor but only making it to the Miles ranch, the actual birth long and hard. Nick, her second, came just as she realized she should have expected given the boy he was growing into – fast and impatient to get the show on the road. Victoria had expected her third, this brand new little girl, to be somewhere in between, but the delivery had been very, very hard on Victoria. She was older and again, Audra was early and Tom was away. Her labor had been longer than with Jarrod, and she lost a lot of blood. Three days later, she was still trying to get her strength back.

Victoria had fallen asleep but woke up when she sensed someone moving around her. She smiled to see her oldest son quietly walking around the room, gently rocking the baby in his arms. Watching him now, smiling at the baby, Victoria couldn't help but smile, too. He looked so natural, acting the father. It might only be a few years before he had one of his own. Victoria had considered getting one of the women from church in to help out, but Jarrod said he could keep up with school work even if he stayed home for a few days, and he wanted to help in his father's place. Victoria couldn't refuse him. Jarrod was 14 now, getting tall, his voice deepening fast. He was growing up, and he seemed to want the experience of helping out with the new baby.

Jarrod noticed his mother was awake. "I'm sorry," he said. "I heard the baby cry and thought I might quiet her down before she woke you up." He moved to put Audra back into her mother's arms.

Victoria waved him off. "Not yet. I like watching you hold her."

Jarrod chuckled. "I'm a bit better at it now than I was with Nick. Being ten years older makes a big difference. How are you feeling? Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes, I did. When does the doctor come again? I might like to get up and around before too much longer."

"He said he'd be here this afternoon," Jarrod said and rocked Audra in his arms. And smiled down at her. "And we got word back from our telegram to Father in San Francisco. We were right, he was offshore for the past few days, went out to that ship of rice that was hung up and just got back. He should be here on the evening train."

Victoria felt relief wash through her. "Oh, that's wonderful. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees he has a daughter. We had been hoping Nick would be a girl."

Jarrod laughed softly. "I can't begin to imagine Nick as a girl."

Audra started to squeak and wriggle. Victoria reached for her. "Let me have her. She might be hungry."

Jarrod lifted the baby into his mother's arms. "I'll change her if that's what she needs."

Victoria did a quick check and noted the baby's lips smacking. "No, she's hungry."

"Are you?" Jarrod asked. "I'll go get you a bit of that chicken soup Silas made."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Bring it in about half an hour, would you?"

Jarrod headed for the door. "Consider it done, Lovely Lady."

Victoria smiled as he went out. Jarrod had given her that nickname of his fairly recently. He really wasn't a kid anymore – he was turning into a genuine young man. And a fine one at that.

Jarrod headed downstairs and ran into Nick coming in the front door. It being a Saturday, ten-year-old Nick had been out on the range with the foreman McColl. The boy hadn't started a serious growth spurt yet and still had trouble reaching the stirrups, but he was a good rider nonetheless and it was branding time. Nick loved branding time. He loved cutting the calves out of the herd. So why was he coming in so early?

"Is everything all right?" Jarrod asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," Nick said. "McColl just told me to come in and check on Mother and you to see if you needed me for anything."

"Mother just woke up from a nap, and the doctor should be here in an hour or two," Jarrod said. "I'll take her up some chicken soup in a while. I know better than to ask if you're hungry."

"I want more than chicken soup," Nick said.

"Me, too," Jarrod said. "Let's go see what else Silas has cooked up."

They headed to the kitchen together, the scent of the chicken soup overwhelming anything else, but they immediately saw Silas had a plate of roast beef sandwiches set out on the table, a bowl of apples beside it. "Milk, boys?" he asked.

"Please," Jarrod said. "I'll take some soup up to Mother in a half an hour or so."

The boys sat down and Silas poured them milk as they dug into the food. "How is your mother this morning, Mr. Jarrod?" Silas asked.

"Tired, but doing fine," Jarrod said. "She's had a nap. She's starting to get anxious to get up and around."

"Not surprising. And how is that beautiful baby girl?"

"Beautiful," Jarrod said with a smile.

"I hope you boys are gonna like having a sister."

"I don't know," Nick said. "I don't know how to act around girls."

"Oh, she'll teach you how to act," Silas said with a laugh. "She'll wrap you around that little finger of hers before the week is out."

"I think she's got Jarrod already," Nick grinned.

"She is awful cute," Jarrod said.

They heard a knock at the front door, and Silas went to answer it. Jarrod and Nick each finished off a sandwich and reached for another. "Can I go back out to the branding after I eat?" Nick asked.

"You can go back out, we're all right," Jarrod said. "We got a telegram from Father. He'll be back on the evening train."

Silas came back in shortly, saying, "Mr. Jarrod, the sheriff is here to see you."

"Sheriff?" Jarrod asked, surprised.

"I think you best go talk to him," Silas said.

Nick kept eating, but Jarrod saw something in Silas's eyes he didn't like. Jarrod got up and went out to the foyer quickly, where he found the sheriff, a tall grizzled man named Malachi Shane, standing awkwardly, his hat in his hands. "Jarrod – " he said. "I'm afraid you're the one I'm gonna have to talk to about this. Silas says your mother isn't up and around yet."

"Not yet," Jarrod said. "Is there a problem?"

The sheriff nodded. "I just got word from the railroad. They've had a derailment between Sacramento and San Francisco."

Jarrod went cold. That was the first leg of his father's trip home.

"They have injuries," the sheriff said.

Jarrod's head began to spin. "Is Father among them?"

"I don't know, but it was the first class car that took the worst of it."

Jarrod's breath began to leave him. "That would be Father's car," came out. Thoughts began to spin in his head like crazy – thoughts like he wanted to go there, but his mother needed him, and Nick was too young to take care of either situation on his own. And their mother – how was he going to tell her this?

"Listen, son," Sheriff Shane said, "I want you to know I wired the railroad in Sacramento personally. There are several people on that train who expected to end up here in Stockton, and I've told the railroad we need to know as soon as possible who's been hurt in this accident, if any of our people are. Regardless, your father won't be home tonight because trains aren't running, but I'll find out as fast as I can whether he's been hurt. For now, I think you'd better just stay put, take care of your family. I'll talk to your mother if you'd like."

"No," Jarrod said quickly. "I'd rather we had more information before we talk to her about any injuries. If Father is all right, there's no point in frightening her, or Nick. Have you told any of this to Silas?"

"Just about the derailment and that your father wouldn't be coming in, nothing about possible injuries," the sheriff said.

Jarrod nodded. "Let's not tell anybody yet, all right? I'll talk to Mother and Nick. You let me know as soon as you know if Father's been hurt or not, please? It shouldn't be too long, should it?"

"I'm hoping to have some word when I get back to town, but I don't know for sure."

Jarrod nodded. "i think we'll wait a while, just in case there's nothing to worry about."

The sheriff put his hand on Jarrod's shoulder and could tell he was trembling. "I know this is a nasty load for a boy your age, but I know you, son. You're up to it, or I wouldn't have talked to you about it just yet. But word is starting to get around. I thought I'd better tell you before somebody else picked it up in town and brought it out here."

"The men are branding today," Jarrod said. "It's not likely anybody's in town, but thank you for telling me. The doctor is supposed to come out today to see Mother. Does he know what's going on?"

"Yes, he knows, all of it," the sheriff said. "He knows I'm talking to you too, but I'll make sure he knows you're not telling Victoria or Nick about possible injuries yet."

Jarrod nodded. "Thanks." And then he stood there, looking confused, looking worried.

The sheriff gave his shoulder a squeeze and then let go. "I'll get back to town. As soon as I know anything more, I'll let you know."

Jarrod nodded and said, "Thanks," again.

The sheriff left, and Jarrod was left standing in the foyer. He didn't wonder what to do – he knew what to do. Just tell them Father would be delayed, that was all. But for now, he'd have to carry the thought that his father might have been injured all by himself, and there wasn't a thing he could do for his father. There was too much for him to do here.