Champagne and Candlelight

It was with an air of trepidation that Jarrod and Amber rode up to the Barkley home. By unspoken agreement, they left the purchases they’d made at Jarrod’s office in town rather than rent a buggy, choosing to ride the horses they’d left at the livery. And now…

“Are you ready?” Jarrod asked Amber as he helped her dismount.

Amber looked at him wryly. “Do I have a choice?”

Jarrod pressed his lips to her temple and took her hand, leading her toward the house.

“ ‘Ours is not to wonder why, ours is but to do or die’,” Amber said resignedly, but there was a hint of humour in her voice as she paraphrased Tennyson.

“It won’t come to that,” Jarrod assured her, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt and opened the front door, ushering her inside.

Victoria stood up slowly from her seat in the parlour and walked toward the couple. Jarrod continued to hold Amber’s hand, both of them finding support in the other.

“How dare you bring that woman into my house?” Victoria said in an icy tone. “I want her out of here, now.”

Amber gripped Jarrod’s hand tighter and he gave hers a reassuring squeeze.

“Amber is my wife, Mother,” Jarrod informed the steely-eyed matriarch evenly. “We were married in San Francisco a few days ago. She has as much right to be here as I do.”

With the speed of lightning, Victoria’s hand lashed out and struck Amber a resounding blow across the cheek. Amber stumbled back at the surprise and force of the strike and Jarrod quickly caught her and pulled her to him, eyes searching hers. She just shook her head slightly and buried her face to his chest to stifle any tears.

“No, Jarrod, she does not,” Victoria maintained, posture rigid. “I don’t know what she’s done to you, but I can’t believe a son of mine would ever do something this immoral without encouragement.”

Jarrod closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding Amber all the while. His first impulse was to strike back when Victoria slapped Amber and defend his bride, but he would never hit a woman, much less his own mother.

“I love her, Mother,” he said, using all the experience he had in the courtroom to keep from yelling at her. “And if Amber’s not welcome here, I guess I’m not, either.”

“Fine!” Victoria spat. “I won’t have you living in sin under my roof with your little whore, your cousin. You can just pack your things and get out.” She spun on her heel and whisked out of the room, brushing by Nick and Heath who were standing in the doorway, unable to miss the heated exchange.

“Jarrod, I’m sorry,” Amber agonized. “If I’d have known she’d react like this…”

“Shhh,” Jarrod reassured her, stroking her hair. “Even if I’d known, it wouldn’t change my feelings for you.” He looked at his brothers, blue eyes daring them to censure him.

“Well, I reckon I get to be the first to say congratulations,” Heath told them, coming over shake Jarrod’s hand and give Amber a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Heath,” Jarrod said gratefully.

Amber smiled as she sniffed and wiped the tears off her face, wincing as her hand brushed her cheekbone. “I must look a sight.”

“Naw,” Nick assured his new sister-in-law, “you look beautiful.” He put a hand on each of their shoulders. “I can’t say I really understand, but if you’re happy, well, then I’m happy. Congratulations.”

Jarrod reached his hand up and gripped Nick’s arm in appreciation before turning to Amber. “Well, I guess we should go pack.”

“Jarrod, this is your home,” Nick insisted. “You can’t just walk out of here.”

The lawyer shook his head. “It’s not my home any more, Nick. That was made abundantly clear. And I don’t want to cause Mother any more grief than I already have. We’ll get a suite at the Cattlemen’s until we find a place. Besides,” and he gave Amber a sensual look as he said it, “I don’t think we’ll mind having a little more privacy. That can be in short supply around here.”

Amber blushed at the frank desire in Jarrod’s eyes as Heath and Nick just grinned at the happiness Jarrod had obviously found with Amber.

“Reckon I’m gonna see if Mother’ll talk to me,” Heath announced. “Amber, I put your things in my room.” He suddenly looked a bit ashamed. “Thought Mother was gonna throw them out when we got home,” he added in a low voice.

“Thanks, Heath,” Amber said quietly. “You don’t mind if I go get them?”

Heath shook his head. “Be my guest,” he told her before going off in search of Victoria.

Nick shifted his feet, uncomfortable. “I’ll go hitch up a buggy for you. Don’t reckon you need to take everything now, you got a heck of a lot of stuff, Pappy.”

Jarrod nodded, thinking of the possessions he’d accumulated over a lifetime. “I guess I would have trouble fitting all those books in a hotel suite,” he said lightly, trying to make a joke of it. “Just make sure Mother doesn’t throw them all out.”

Nick gave a snort at Jarrod’s jest. “Heath and I’ll make sure they get to you,” he assured his big brother and couldn’t help adding a joke of his own as he left the house. “But if a couple boxes of cigars are missing, or a bottle of scotch, just reckon Mother threw them in the fireplace.”

Jarrod couldn’t help a small chuckle, even thought the thought that Victoria could be upset enough to toss his belongings wasn’t particularly funny. He looked at Amber and tried not to let the sorrow in her eyes get to him. “Come on, it won’t take me long to gather up what I need and then we can go house hunting.” Jarrod could see Amber struggling with her tears and pulled her close to him again. “It’ll work out, sweetheart,” he assured her, trying to make her smile. “And I meant what I said about privacy. You can be a little loud for us to live in the same house as my family.”

Amber looked at him in reproach, but the smile Jarrod was hoping for played around the corners of her mouth. “You’re awful,” she admonished as she followed him up the stairs.

Heath found Victoria in the dining room, furiously polishing a silver serving dish.

“Don’t you reckon you were a little hard on them?” he asked sympathetically.

Victoria whirled to face him and Heath was glad her wrath wasn’t actually directed his way.

“A little hard on them?!” she repeated, appalled. “Heath, they went against everything the Bible says! How can I accept that little tramp as Jarrod’s wife after how she corrupted him?”

“You accepted me,” Heath reminded her quietly.

Victoria set down her polishing cloth and put a hand on his arm. “Oh, Heath, you didn’t have any choice in your birth. But Amber had a choice when she seduced her cousin and trapped him into marrying her. And until Jarrod sees her for who she is and comes to his senses, well…” She shrugged and returned to her polishing.

“I don’t think---” Heath began, but Victoria cut him off.

“And I’m not going to hear another word about it.”

“But, Mother---”

Victoria glared at him, naked hostility in her eyes. “I said, I’m not going to hear another word about it!” She flung down the cloth and stalked out of the room.

Heath just stood, shaking his head. Boy howdy, Jarrod and Amber had opened a Pandora’s box, and he just hoped the snarled mess left in its wake could somehow be untangled.