Chapters 1-3
The conductor tapped on the open door of the compartment. �Stockton in ten minutes, Miss.�
The young woman staring out the window stirred slightly, then turned almost in slow motion, and smiled briefly. �Thank you.�
�They�re ready in the baggage car�I just checked.�
She nodded. �Thank you very much.�
�I�m real sorry, Miss.�
She nodded without speaking. As the man moved on down the car, she reached for her hat. Placing the long hatpin through the folds of the crown, anchoring it firmly to the bright auburn hair, she remembered how her mother was given to repeating regularly that a young lady always paid attention to her appearance in all circumstances. �It takes only a moment to make sure you�re neatly and properly attired.� Her mother�s face rose up in front of her as she drew on her gloves and deftly fastened the small pearl buttons.
Certainly Mother had practiced what she preached�always turned out to perfection. Papa was always telling her how lovely she looked, whether in a simple dress donned for breakfast, evening dress, or the split riding skirts and comfortable shirtwaists she favored even when she wasn�t going to ride.
The young woman looked out the window again and reflected on this same trip she�d made only fourteen months ago when she�d brought her mother�s body back for burial. Papa had been with her then, and he was with her now�in a way�though it was his body she was accompanying now. She pressed her lips together. This was not the time for tears. They would wait until she�d taken care of the necessary business. Mother used to say that, too. �A lady always does what has to be done, no matter what.�
The train slowed, then stopped with a jerk. Gathering her traveling bag and the package wrapped in plain brown paper, she stood up and started down the narrow passageway to the end of the car. As the conductor took her hand to help her on the steps, her gaze drifted down the platform a little. They were all there, just as they�d always been�her brothers. Even Nick was wearing a coat and tie. Poor Nick! Who�d insisted on that torture for him?
The others stood waiting their turn as Jarrod embraced her. �Hello, KatieBee, honey.� He kissed both her cheeks. She closed her eyes and savored the security of his arms.
�Hello, honey.� Nick took his brother�s place. In a moment, Heath took Nick�s, then it was Gene�s turn.
�Everything�s ready,� Gene said. �We thought we�d take him�that is, go on to the church before we go home�since the service is tomorrow morning.�
Dr. Katherine Barkley Wardell nodded. �Yes, I think that�s the thing to do.�
They walked farther down the platform and stood silently in front of the open baggage car, waiting. In a few minutes, two men slid a gleaming walnut casket onto a green baggage wagon and tipped their caps sympathetically. She reached into her purse for some money and offered it to the men. �Thank you for your particular care of him during the trip,� she said.
�No, miss, that�s not necessary,� one said uneasily.
�Please.�
He hesitated, then took the bills and handed one to the other man. �Thank you, miss.�
On the street at the end of the platform, two men stood beside the familiar horse-drawn, black-curtained hearse waiting to make the transfer. Jarrod nodded at the new automobile parked a few feet away. �We�ll follow them.�
�I�d like to walk, if you don�t mind, Jarrod. I�ve been cooped up on the train for so long. I need to stretch my legs.�
�All right. I�ll drive down and meet you.�
�I�ll go with her,� Gene said, offering his arm.
It was a strange procession that late October afternoon�the hearse, the young woman on the arm of the middle-aged man walking behind it, and the new touring car that followed at a dustless distance.
At the church, Nick, Heath, and Gene helped the mortician and his helper carry the heavy casket up the steps and down the aisle where they placed it on the waiting catafalque, then stepped back respectfully. Katherine came down the aisle with Jarrod who, she noticed, wasn�t leaning as heavily on his cane has he had last year after the stroke just a month before their mother�s death.
She began to unwrap the package she carried. �He gave this country fifteen years of his life,� she said, taking out an American flag. �He served honorably, and that meant a great deal to him. He deserves this.�
�Yes, he does.� Heath took the flag from her hands, and he and Gene unfolded it and draped it over the casket.
They stood silently in the unlit church as the last rays of the autumn sun waned in a red-orange blaze. �He was a good man.� Nick spoke with conviction. �A very good man.�
* * * * * * * *
The house was strangely quiet. Only Audra greeted her with quiet warmth. The unexpected pregnancy that had ended tragically two years ago had left Audra frail, but despite the loss of physical stamina, her inner strength remained untouched, reminding Katherine of their mother. �We have everyone parceled out between Heath�s house and Jarrod�s and Gene�s houses in town. My children are with Don�s mother. We felt we should keep things quiet, at least for tonight.�
An unexpected weariness caused Katherine to sway slightly. Gene caught her arm. �You�re worn out, KatieBee.�
�I suppose I�m more tired than I thought,� she admitted.
�Then you�re going straight upstairs and lie down,� Audra said, taking charge as always. �We�re having dinner in half-an-hour, but I�ll see that you get a tray.�
In the room that Mother and Papa had always shared when they came to stay at the ranch, Katherine changed her traveling suit for a dressing gown and sat at the dressing table to brush out her hair. Mother had always insisted that she brush it thoroughly morning and night. �Young ladies don�t have untidy, fly-away hair,� she repeated patiently.
Once, exasperated by being sent upstairs to put up her hair before dinner after a romp in the yard with her dogs, Katherine had asked, �Did you make Audra do all this?�
�Did I insist that she look and behave like a lady? I didn�t have to. Audra spent too much time in front of the mirror anyway.�
�She wasn�t a tomboy like me then.�
�She was well-rounded.�
�But I�ll bet with tending to the boys, you didn�t have time to stay on her like a hen with a single chick.�
Victoria smiled. �That much is true. Do hurry, Kate. You know your father likes for us to sit down at the table on time.�
She recalled that particular scene now as she replaced the pins in the hair she�d coiled in a silken knot at the back of her neck. Oh, Mother, I miss you, she thought. You cultivated me like a pearl�polished me, treasured me, kept me safe. . .I miss you. . .so much!
Lost in thought, she didn�t hear the knock on her door and startled as it opened. �I brought you a tray, KatieBee,� Audra said.
Katherine jumped up to take it. �Audra, you shouldn�t have carried that upstairs!�
�I brought my plate, too. Would you mind if I joined you?�
�Of course, not! I need some company right now.�
The two women arranged the dishes on a small table near the window and sat down to eat. �Nick told me about the flag,� Audra said. �I�m so glad you thought of it.�
�Those four years in the Confederate Army stripped him of all his rights,� Katherine said. �He couldn�t even be buried in a military cemetery.�
�He didn�t want to. He wanted to be by Mother.�
�I know that he mentioned it to Jarrod last year. He thought that the family might not consider it entirely fitting. . .�
�We all loved him. He wasn�t our father or even a stepfather really, but he was a member of this family in every way. He made Mother happy for twenty-five years.�
�How long was she married to Tom Barkley? I�ve forgotten.�
�Thirty years. She never thought she�d have nearly so long again.� Audra dabbed her lower lip with the corner of the heavy linen napkin. �I�m so sorry that I couldn�t help you more when she was ill.�
�I know you�d have been there every minute if you could.�
�You gave up your career before it hardly began.�
�I taught two classes and saw a few patients until the last month of her life. We had an excellent trained nurse, you know. She was there all the time, although I cared for Mother myself except for the few hours a day when I was at the college. Afterwards, I could see Papa going down, and I knew it wouldn�t be a good idea to try to add anymore to what I was already doing.�
�But you�ll go back, won�t you?�
�They�ve offered back my position full-time on the faculty, and I can build my private practice again.�
�That�s good to know.�
�Yes.� She stirred her coffee thoughtfully. �Audra, tell me about things�about Jarrod�about you. I feel I�ve been so out of touch this past year.�
�Jarrod is making an excellent recovery as you can tell. He declined to sit on the bench again, but he oversees everything at the firm, and Gene tries the cases and does the legwork.�
�Is Jarrod content with that? He enjoyed being a judge.�
�I think so. Yes, he is. He�s sixty-seven, after all.�
Katherine nodded. �And you, Audra?�
�I�m fine�you can see that!�
�The doctor is in, and she doesn�t think the patient is being completely truthful.�
Audra sighed. �I have my good days and my bad days, I suppose. I�ve known women who miscarried, and they didn�t so long to recover.�
�It wasn�t a simple miscarriage, Audra, it was a ruptured tubal pregnancy that necessitated a complete hysterectomy. You�re lucky to be alive.�
�But it�s been so long. I don�t understand why I�m still not myself.�
�What does your doctor say?�
�He says that surgery like that takes its toll on women.�
�Is he a specialist?�
�No, but. . .�
�Why don�t you visit me this spring? I�ll arrange an appointment for you with a doctor who specializes in women�s health.�
�Do you think it would help?�
�It certainly can�t hurt.�
Audra nodded. �I�ll speak with Don about it. I know he�d like to have his wife back the way she was, and the children�I�m not able to be as involved in their lives as I once was.�
Katherine insisted on carrying the tray back to the kitchen and stopped in the library to say goodnight to her brothers. Jarrod and Gene were preparing to go back to town. �We�ll meet you at the church at nine-thirty,� Jarrod said. �That way we can get seated ahead of the crowd.�
�Do you think there�ll be one? I mean, Papa wasn�t a local Stockton man.�
�I think there�ll be a considerable gathering,� Gene replied. �Some will be there simply because they know the younger generation of Barkleys, but there are still some in Stockton who remember Mother and who met Royce at one time or another.�
�I want to thank you again for allowing him to be buried in the Barkley plot.�
�And just where else would he be?� Nick demanded gruffly, his voice betraying his true feelings.
She looked up at the portrait of Tom Barkley. �I wonder what he�d say to having Papa buried on the other side of his wife?�
�He�d say it was fit and proper,� Heath said. �And it is.�
Katherine crossed the room to look more closely at the picture of the man she often felt she almost knew. �You look more like him every year, Nick.�
�You think so?�
�Oh, yes. And Audra looks so much like Mother.� She leaned her head against the mantle. �Sometimes I wonder if there�s anyone�anywhere�who looks like me.�
�No!� Nick got up and poured himself another drink. �That was settled a long time ago, honey. Fred Madden did his best to turn up somebody who knew. . .well, anyway, he didn�t find out anything, so it�s over.�
Katherine moved to the opposite wall to another portrait. She had been four of five years old then. Mother and Papa were sitting on chairs in front while Jarrod, Nick, Heath, Audra, and Eugene stood behind them. She, Katherine, perched contentedly in Papa�s lap, his arm around her protectively. They were all smiling�but then, they all smiled in those days when they were together.
�I don�t mean I�d change anything even if I could,� she murmured. �They were my real parents. I loved them.�
�They were, and you did,� Heath said quickly. �Life usually works out the way it�s supposed to KatieBee. Leah Thompson was my mamma, but I wouldn�t have missed out on our mother for anything in the world.�
�Hear, hear!� Jarrod interjected heartily.
She went upstairs later, still feeling the loving warmth of her brothers� arms as they told her goodnight and added, as they always did, that they loved her.
After she�d put on her nightdress, she blew out the lamp and opened the curtains. How many nights had she sat with her parents in this window overlooking the road that led to the ranch?
When she was small, she�d slept on a trundle that pulled out from under the bed. The three of them would come upstairs together and sit here, watching the stars dance among the clouds or the rain run down the glass like a rushing torrent. Whatever was outside didn�t really matter as Mother told stories of beautiful castles and handsome knights who slew dragons and rescued beautiful princesses.
Katherine knew�had always known�that she was a princess and that no evil dragon would dare breathe fire in her direction so long as she was snuggled in the castle of Papa�s arms. No wicked crone would think of casting a spell on her as long as Mother wove her magic in stories and song. No wicked army would come near enough to carry her off when her four strong brothers were just a whistle away and her beautiful sister could banish all sadness with one brilliant smile.
Katherine Barkley Wardell had lived a charmed life�she knew that well. Now, though, as she stared into the darkness beyond, she knew that she�d have to make her own castle secure and slay her own dragons. Something inside her whispered that it wasn�t fair she was left alone like this. It wasn�t fair that the two people she loved best in the world would never hear her tell them that again. And most of all, maybe it wasn�t fair that somewhere out there, someone knew something about the newborn baby rescued from a lonely line shack almost twenty-eight Christmases ago�knew it and might take it to his grave unless she did something about it.
Not for the first time did she wonder where�and when�she would begin to unravel the mystery of Katherine Barkley Wardell.
Chapter 2
As Jarrod had predicted, the church was full�even overflowing. Katherine sat in the front pew between Jarrod and Nick, her mind on the image she wanted people to carry away with them. She wore a black dress but no mourning veil, rather a fashionable black hat with a taffeta bow of royal purple. Her only jewelry was the gold watch on a fleur-de-lis pin that Mother and Papa had given her when she graduated from medical school three years earlier. In the front was the inscription To our Kate from Mother and Papa with great pride and deepest love. In the back was a picture taken of the three of them soon after her adoption was finalized when she was a few months old.
She�d understood the symbolism of that gift all too well. Both of her parents were nearing eighty. They had always been there for her�not only as her parents but as her best friends�and they knew how difficult it would be for her when they were gone. To all of them, the watch was a clear and final statement of mutual love and devotion. It would be with her forever, even though they would not. That night, clasping the watch in her hand, she had sobbed herself to sleep.
It was important to her now to present herself to the people of Stockton as who she was. Over the years, she hadn�t been deaf to the gossip�Royce Wardell was a traitor to his country�Victoria Barkley had run off to New Orleans and impulsively married someone she barely knew and betrayed her husband�s good name�and the two of them together had taken an orphaned baby�a bastard, no doubt�instead of contenting themselves with the adult children�all except one�who rightfully bore the Barkley name.
She sat up straighter and turned her attention to what the minister was saying. Don�t slouch, Kate, she could hear her mother saying. Young ladies don�t slouch, and they at least give the appearance of listening in church!
�To everything there is a season, and a time for everything under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die. . .� the minister intoned.
�There�s a time for everything, Kate,� Papa had said. �It�s time for you to go to school with other girls now, so we�re moving to Nashville.�
�But Papa, I like New Orleans! Why can�t Mademoiselle keep teaching me?�
�You�re a big girl now, Kate, almost eight. Big girls go to school, and there isn�t one here that Mother and I approve for you. We�ve decided on a school in Nashville near your uncles and cousins where you can live at home with us. We couldn�t bear to be parted from our princess, you know.�
They settled comfortably into a spacious house in town with a side yard large enough to accommodate the puppies Papa bought to console her childish grief over leaving New Orleans. She named them Arthur and Guinevere. Mother said it was fortunate that Guinevere turned out to be just plain Guinn so that the puppy population remained at two.
Her parents enrolled her in an exclusive girls� school that prepared her well for any college she wanted to attend. She chose Vanderbilt, not only for its academic offerings but because she wanted to continue living at home, and her acceptance was immediate. Breaching the male ranks of the medical school had been a challenge but one that, with her parents� support, she had met and overcome.
She focused her attention on the minister again. He was speaking of her father now, but his words rang hollow. He�d only met Papa on a few occasions, but she had lived her lifetime with the man he was trying to eulogize and could have done it much better.
�Tell me the story again, Papa. Tell me how you and Mother found me on Christmas Eve.�
He held out his arms, and she crawled into his lap, snuggling against his clean white shirt and leaving gingerbread fingerprints scattered over it. �I�m sorry, Papa. I got your shirt dirty.�
�The shirt will wash, Kate. I can buy a thousand shirts, but there�s only one Kate.�
�Tell me the story, Papa. Did the Christ-Child really bring me?�
�Only the Christ-Child can bring a miracle, Kate, and that�s what you are.�
She�d never grown too old for the story, but the day she was twelve�when she overheard two of the girls talking�she�d come home in tears. Mother sat beside her the rest of the afternoon, reminding her over and over that she was their beloved miracle, until Papa came home. He sat down on the other side of the bed and lifted her in his arms.
�There, there, Kate precious, don�t cry. Tell Papa what�s the matter.�
She was crying too hard to speak, so her mother told him, tersely and with barely-controlled anger, how she�d overheard the two girls speaking of the circumstances of her birth�in ignorance, to be sure, but with chilling accuracy just the same.
With her face buried in his chest, she couldn�t see the look of pain that crossed his face. Mother told her later that it was as if someone had plunged a knife into his heart. After what seemed like a long time, he began to speak.
�You were our miracle, Kate, our gift from God. How you came into the world is unimportant. How you live in the world is what counts, and you�ve lived twelve shining years with many more to come.� He rocked her in his arms, stroking her hair, kissing away her tears.
* * * * * * * *
She realized that the minister had finished speaking. Jarrod escorted her down the aisle while the others stayed behind to act as pallbearers. She lifted her chin almost defiantly as she passed the pews of mourners�or curiosity-seekers. It was difficult to tell who was who sometimes.
It was more difficult to maintain control at the cemetery. The gaping grave seemed to reach out and engulf her. Audra and Jarrod held her arms firmly as she hesitated. �Steady, KatieBee,� Jarrod murmured.
According to her wishes, Jarrod had asked the minister to announce that only the family would gather at the cemetery. Afterwards there would be lunch at the town hall�standard fare after any funeral of note.
The final moments were mercifully brief. Katherine�s lips moved with the minister�s as he repeated the Twenty-Third Psalm. Papa had always helped her with her memory work for Sunday School. He said his father would have had him memorize the entire Bible if it had been possible. Katherine was always convinced that he knew most of it anyway.
She insisted on staying until the casket had been lowered and the ropes pulled up again. That was the worst moment, and it was harder to swallow her tears, but she did. It wasn�t time for that yet.
She was nibbling half-heartedly at a plate of chicken salad when Nick found her. �KatieBee, you know that man over there?�
She followed Nick�s glance across the room. �I don�t think so. No�no, why?�
�I don�t know him either. Neither does Jarrod�or Heath or Gene for that matter. But he was at the church, and now he�s here.�
She shrugged. �I don�t know half the people here.�
�Well, you don�t live here, but we do.� He patted her and walked off toward the man.
Nick Barkley approached the stranger directly. �You from around here?�
The tall, well-dressed stranger surveyed him coolly. �No, San Francisco.�
�You a friend of Royce Wardell?�
�You could say that.�
Nick frowned. �I�m Nick Barkley, one of the family, and you�re. . .�
The stranger smiled thinly. �I�m just leaving.� He was gone before Nick knew what was happening.
* * * * * * * *
Katherine asked Audra to excuse her from dinner that night and went upstairs. Without bothering to undress, she fell across the bed and was asleep immediately. Sometime in the night, she woke to the sound of rain. She sat up, disoriented, and then realized that the windows were open, allowing rain to blow through the drapes.
When she had secured the windows, she slipped out of her dress and lay down again. In the dark silence, the totality of her loss overwhelmed her, and she wept, releasing the grief she�d held in for the sake of appearance. Of course, there were those who would say that her dry eyes signified an uncaring attitude�that she had no appreciation of what had been done for her. Some would say that she considered herself well rid of the protective environment in which she had been raised and would live high on her substantial inheritance.
Papa had made sure she understood about her inheritance. �I�ve done well for myself, Kate, better than I ever imagined. I�ve left everything in trust for you. Oh, you can have whatever you want, but a trust protects you from fortune-seekers and such. I want the best for you�you know that.�
�I�ve had the best, Papa. It wouldn�t matter if you didn�t leave me a single penny. I can earn my own way.�
�Of course, you can. You�ll do well, and the trust will be there whenever you need it.� He took her hand. �I need to speak to you of some things your Mother and I have discussed.�
�All right, Papa.�
�You know that under the terms of Tom Barkley�s will, Victoria inherited everything�to be divided among the children after her death. Of course, Heath wasn�t mentioned since Tom didn�t know about him. Jarrod shared with me several years ago that each of them had agreed to sign over a portion of their inheritance so that Heath would have an equal share.�
�What does that have to do with me?�
�Only this. Jarrod spoke of doing the same for you. At that point, I felt it was time for him to have an idea of my personal financial circumstances. I wanted him to understand that you would have a generous inheritance of your own, and your Mother agreed that the ranch shouldn�t be shared out any further.�
�I agree with Mother. I have nothing to do with the ranch�not like the others.�
�I promised her I�d discuss it with you.�
�I understand, Papa.�
�Are you sure?�
�Yes, Papa, I�m sure.�
�Then you�ll talk with Jarrod when. . .�
She�d left the room hurriedly, unwilling to discuss the inevitable. By then they knew that her mother was dying, and she wasn�t sure she could bear it. The thought of Papa leaving her, too, was unthinkable.
It had taken a full year for her mother to give up the fight. On the morning that she died, Katherine wept with relief that the suffering was over, but she knew in her heart that part of her father had died that morning, too.
His doctor said later that his heart was failing, but she knew that it was simply broken. So when he fell ill with pneumonia just over a year later, she accepted that he was ready to go, ready to join his beloved Victoria. She loved him too much to want him to stay, but his going had been hard. She felt so terribly alone now despite the love and support of her brothers and sister. Even they couldn�t fill the void in her aching heart.
Katherine got up again and looked out the window. The rain had stopped�it had only been a thundershower after all. All her life she had liked rain. Papa said that, when it thundered, God was telling the angels to light Heaven�s candles�and when lightning lit up the sky, they had done it.
She had never been afraid of storms�or of anything�as long as Mother and Papa were there. But now, for the first time in her life, fear struggled for supremacy in her soul. She had known for a long time what she had to do, and if Mother and Papa were here, she wouldn�t be afraid. Yet, if her parents were here, she wouldn�t have to do it.
Chapter 3
At breakfast the next morning, Katherine told Nick that she wanted to ride into town. �I�ll have one of the boys take you in the chaise,� he said.
�No, I�d like to ride if you don�t mind.�
He frowned, �You don�t need to be on the road alone, KatieBee.�
She laughed and touched his arm affectionately. �You�ve always looked out for me, Nick, and I love you for it. But I�m almost twenty-eight years old, you know, and an excellent horsewoman.�
�I know, I know,� he conceded grudgingly. �Okay, I�ll have Fernando saddle a horse for you.�
�One that will get me there and back today, Nick, please.�
�Then you don�t want Maudie,� Audra said.
�Maudie?�
�Nick put her out to pasture last summer. She�s enjoying a well-earned retirement as the children�s pet.�
Nick glared at his sister. �Maudie�s a good horse!�
�I believe we�ll leave Maudie in retirement, Nick,� Katherine said, trying not to laugh. �I�m surprised that you don�t have one of those new automobiles like Jarrod,� she added teasingly.
Nick didn�t even glance up. �No place for one of those doodads on a working ranch! Give me a good horse any day! Besides, they�re a fad�won�t last.�
Audra and Katherine exchanged amused glances. �Oh, I think they�re here to stay, Nick. I�m thinking of buying one when I get back to Nashville.�
Nick�s fork banged against the side of the plate. �Now, that�s foolishness, KatieBee! What does a girl need with something that doesn�t understand the meaning of �whoa�?�
Susan, Nick�s wife, set down the coffeepot with more force than necessary. �There you go again, Nick! What�s being a woman got to do with anything?�
Katherine couldn�t help laughing this time.
�What�s so funny?� Nick growled.
Susan shook her head and lifted her eyebrows expressively.
�Haven�t you heard, Nick, that women are no longer content with just the so-called rights graciously�or ungraciously, as the case may be�extended to them by their husbands and fathers?� Audra tapped the table with one finger to emphasize her point.
�Oh, really? And just what does Don say about all that?�
�Don takes the path of least resistance and gives me my own way.�
�Oh, really.�
�Mother was a woman ahead of her time,� Katherine said. �She knew her own mind. She was quite firm with Papa.�
�Oh, yeah? About what?�
�About everything, especially me. Do you realize how much Papa would have indulged and spoiled me?�
�You�re telling me he didn�t?� Nick threw his napkin on the table.
�Nicholas Barkley, that was uncalled for!� Audra�s wrath was instantaneous.
Nick grinned and leaned over to kiss the top of his youngest sister�s head. �KatieBee knows I�m teasing her. If anyone spoiled her, it was her brothers. Mother threatened all of us at one time or another. Come on out to the barn when you�re ready, honey. I�ll have a horse for you.�
�I know I was spoiled,� Audra said when Nick left. �Jarrod and Nick would have given me the moon when I was growing up. I remember Mother telling Don that he would have to take me firmly in hand�but he never did.� She dimpled as much as her thin cheeks would allow.
�I think I had the best of both worlds,� Katherine said. �Mother was strict�almost unyielding in most cases�and Papa thought I could do no wrong. But the combination paid off in the long run�I hope so anyway.�
�It paid off extremely well, I�d say,� Susan said, rising. �I�ve a committee meeting at the orphanage this morning, so you�ll have to excuse me. But sit here and visit as long as you like�don�t think of hurrying.�
�I have to pack, Audra said. �Will you be long in town, KatieBee?�
�I�m not sure,� Katherine said casually. �Don�t wait lunch for me.�
She savored the solitude of the slow ride into town and took advantage of the time to rehearse exactly what she would say to Jarrod and how she would say it�and if she would say all of it. There were two different matters to discuss. One, concerning the inheritance, he would have to handle. The other�she had carefully reviewed the advantage and disadvantages of sharing the other with each of her brothers and concluded that, given all the circumstances, Jarrod was the most logical choice.
His secretary greeted her pleasantly. �Mr. Barkley�s with a client, Miss Wardell, but he shouldn�t be long. Just make yourself comfortable. May I get you some coffee?�
�No, thank you.� She sat down and picked up a magazine. In a few minutes, a man came out of Jarrod�s office.
�I�ll tell him you�re here,� the secretary said.
Jarrod came out of the office to greet her. �How are you this morning, honey?�
�I�m fine, Jarrod. I slept well.�
�You were almost exhausted yesterday.�
�The trip caught up with me, that�s all.�
She preceded him into his office and took one of the fat leather chairs in front of his desk. �I need to get some business out of the way,� she said, getting right to the point.
�I�m at your disposal for as long as you need.�
�It won�t take long, Jarrod. Papa said he spoke to you about my inheriting from him and leaving the ranch undivided any further.�
�Yes. You know we haven�t probated Mother�s will yet. There wasn�t any particular hurry since we�d formed a business trust several years ago.�
She reached into the pocket of her riding jacket. �I brought a release that Papa�s attorney drew up for me, stating that I forfeit all claims to any of the Barkley holdings.�
Jarrod frowned. �Are you sure you want to do this, KatieBee?�
�Papa said he discussed all this with you. I have more than enough, Jarrod. And Mother wanted it this way, too.�
�Did she tell you that?�
�She told Papa. That is, they discussed it.�
�I think we should have a family meeting. . .�
�We�ll do whatever you think best, Jarrod, but the release is legally binding. All I want. . .� Her voice trembled slightly. �All I want is to be able to call the ranch home�I want my children, if I have them, to know their Barkley heritage.�
�Honey, that goes without saying.�
She laid the paper on his desk and settled back in the chair. �Jarrod, how did all of you really feel when Mother and Papa announced they were going to adopt me?�
�More than a little surprised,� he said honestly. �But after we thought about it awhile, it seemed the right thing to do. They brought you home a week before they returned to New Orleans, and by the time you left, we were all in love with you.�
She smiled. �You�ve never made me feel like an outsider.�
�Because you never were. You were just our little sister�an unexpected but most welcome blessing.�
�I don�t know if that makes it easier or harder to say what I have to say.�
�I�m not sure I like the sound of that.�
Katherine sighed. �I didn�t know for a long time that I was named for Papa�s first wife.�
�You weren�t named for her so much as they wanted your name to reflect both sides of your heritage. Mother suggested your name�and then changed the spelling to make it specific to you.�
�Nick was the one who gave me the nickname of KatieBee, isn�t he?�
Jarrod chuckled. �He was downright foolish over you! I think he was trying to cover his real feelings by complaining that your name was too long and too formal for such a tiny baby. But �Dr. Katherine Barkley Wardell� has a nice ring to it.�
�I wouldn�t want to be called anything but �KatieBee�, at least not by my family.�
�I think it�s too late anyway.�
�Mother told me the whole story when I was about seventeen. I asked her why, and she said she thought I ought to know everything about Papa�how much he�d suffered by following his conscience during the war�how he lived because of Catherine�s care but she paid with her own life�and how her family blamed Papa and turned against him.�
�I didn�t know she�d told you.�
�That last year, when there were just the two of us, Papa talked to me on a more adult level�more like one friend to another, not a father talking to his daughter. I suppose Mother had told him that she�d shared the information with me, because one night he just said, without any preface, �I could die easier if I knew that Catherine�s family had forgiven me.�� She sat forward and chewed her lip thoughtfully. �Jarrod, I tried to make it happen. I knew, through Mother, who and where the family was. It wasn�t hard to track them down�they�re prominent in Manhattan.�
Jarrod�s eyes narrowed slightly. �You contacted them?�
�Not directly.�
He looked relieved. �That wouldn�t be a good idea, honey. But go on.�
�I had Papa�s attorney forward a letter I wrote to the surviving brother who�s in charge of the family business. I introduced myself and told him what Papa had said�about wanting forgiveness before he died. I was tempted to add that it wasn�t his fault, but I didn�t.� She sat back. �It wasn�t, Jarrod, not at all.�
�Did you get a reply?�
�Oh, yes. He said that Papa was a traitor and should have been convicted of treason long ago and that, but for Papa, his sister would still be alive. It was the most venomous letter I�ve ever read! I wrote an equally hostile reply, but Mr. Twomble refused to forward it and advised me to tear it up.�
�Did you?�
�Yes and promised him not to make any further contact.�
�Well, you tried, KatieBee. It was a loving and generous thing to do.�
�I did more than that, Jarrod�I wrote a letter and had one of the male interns at the hospital copy it and sign Richard Wright�s name to it.�
�You what?� Jarrod stared at his sister in amazement.
�I wrote a letter giving Papa full absolution�saying that the family had spoken hastily and in grief and that they regretted their unkindness to him. Then I gave it to a friend who was traveling to New York and had her mail it back from there. It was a masterpiece of deception, I know, but Papa�Papa actually cried when he read it. And there was such a peace about him after that. He took pneumonia that same week and died just ten days later.�
Jarrod shook his head. �Honey, I don�t know what to say.�
�There�s nothing to say. I�d have done anything for Mother and Papa�anything!� Her seafoam green eyes blazed. �They had no right to condemn him! He was the most wonderful man�Mother and I adored him! And he loved us so much! They were so right for each other�and for me!�
Jarrod offered her his clean handkerchief as tears formed in her eyes and started down her flushed cheeks. �KatieBee, you were the joy of their lives together. You did everything for them�more than could be expected. We all felt badly that you had the entire burden, but with my stroke and Audra�s poor health. . .Eugene was trying to keep the firm going, and Nick and Heath couldn�t leave the ranch. . .�
She wiped her eyes. �We went over all this last year, and I told all of you that I understood. I knew you were all thinking of me. There wasn�t a day that I didn�t get at least one letter from someone in the family.�
�Just so you understand.�
�I do�and now there�s something I need for you to understand, Jarrod. It�s very important to me.� She looked up almost pleadingly.
�Well, honey, I can�t understand until you tell me.�
She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. �I�ve rehearsed this for weeks.�
Jarrod watched her carefully. He�d had a feeling, ever since she arrived, that more was weighing on her than Royce Wardell�s death. Though it had been a devastating blow for her to lose both her parents in the short span of fourteen months, their deaths had not been unexpected. Whatever was on her mind didn�t involve her parents.
He sat back and folded his hands and waited for her to speak.