I do not own Big Valley or any of the original Barkley characters. Thanks to my Beta Reader though mistakes are still my own.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

CHAPTER TEN

Will and Jonathon sat in the saloon where they'd been joined by Jacob, Peter and Peter's good friend, George Landers. "They have to be somewhere in this town! Where else would he take her? The next town is too far away!" Jonathon was doing his best not to raise his voice as he figured it would get him kicked out and lose his beer if he made too much of a disturbance.

Will had enough. He knew his brother well enough to know his niece's wellbeing was not his motivation and he was tired of the hypocrisy. Standing up he looked at his brother, "I don't know what you are really doing here, but I'm going."

Jonathon stared as his brother walked away. In all his born days he never thought Will would do that; walk away that is. He looked at Peter, his eyes daring 'the boy' to do so. Peter cringed inside. He knew full well it wasn't his cousin's welfare his father was concerned about. Truth was, he'd let his father talk him into helping embezzle a lot of Star's 'back then'. He knew he faced prison time as well if McCallister 'won' as his father had put it on more than one occasion when it had just been the two of them.

"I'm staying with you." Peter said. The others nodded their head.

00000

"Just my luck," Nick and Star stood in the empty sheriff's office, "Sheriff Hansen isn't here. He is the one man in this town who knows me. I mean, there are others, but they don't know me as well as Sheriff Hansen does. Guess we'll have to hope we can find him, or someone who will listen, before your family sees..." Nick quit speaking when Star starting frantically pointing out the window. It didn't help that she was standing off to the side of the window, as if she was trying to hide herself.

Nick hurried to the other side and glanced out; sure enough Jonathon and those with him had just stepped out of the saloon that was across the street and down just a little ways. They were heading toward the sheriff's office. "Da...," Nick bit his tongue again as he looked around the office. Spying the back door he grabbed Star and hurried to exit out of it.

Once out back he headed for the livery stable at almost a dead run; Star was right beside him. "Let's see Mr. Caldwell is still there. If the sheriff ain't around he's the next best bet." When a bullet whizzed over his head Nick grabbed Star and darted into the closest alley way. He pulled out his gun and took a shot at the fellow who had stepped out of the sheriff's back door. He grabbed his leg as he fell.

Nick and Star didn't stick around to see if the others would come out; they hightailed it into the side door of the building they were standing up against. It turned out to be the back of the dressmaker's shop. The woman started to scream only to find Nick's hand on her mouth, "Please, don't scream. I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Nick Barkley; this is Star Leavitt. There are men after us and I need to know where the sheriff is!"

That seemed to calm the woman right down and Nick took his hand off her mouth. "I don't know where the sheriff is, but if she's Star Leavitt then why have those men been calling you Lynn McCallister?" the woman didn't like the contradiction.

"'Cause they have the wrong man and the wrong idea." He wasn't going to go into further explanations. When they heard the sound of running footsteps the woman hurried and hid them in the storage room saying, "I'll get rid of them, but then you two get out of here. I don't need this kind of excitement!"

0000

Heath and Anna tied their horses to the hitching post outside the sheriff's office and went inside. Finding no one there they stepped back outside. Out of the corner of his eye Heath saw a man helping a wounded lad walk. He had a funny feeling and hurried down to talk to the two. Anna was right behind him.

"What happened?" Heath asked upon approaching the men.

"A no good fellow by the name of McCallister shot me!" Peter scowled; he wasn't about to admit he'd shot first, "Pa's gone after him."

"What does this McCallister look like?" Anna wasn't sure why she asked; she just knew she needed to.

As Peter described the tall dark haired man Heath and Anna caught their breath, they didn't know what was going on, but they knew Nick when they heard him described. Without waiting to hear anymore they took off hoping to find Nick before a bullet found him.

As they ran Heath accidentally bumped into Will Leavitt. "Excuse me," Heath apologized, "I was in a hurry."

"No problem," Will didn't know why, but he liked the blonde haired gentleman and there was something about the woman he liked too. "May I be of assistance?"

Heath hesitated, but then explained they were looking for his brother and the meeting with the wounded man. Will's eyes widened, "Your brother! This is getting crazier by the minute!" He laid out the events of the past few days for Heath and Anna; by the time he was done they were as confused as he was.

"If you'll help us keep Nick from getting killed," Heath looked at the man, "maybe we can all get some clear answers."

Will wasn't about to turn the man down. He wanted those answers as badly as the Barkleys did!