I do NOT own The Big Valley or any of the original Barkley characters. Thanks to my Beta Reader, though all mistakes are my own.

Blindsided

Chapter Twenty-One

Nick and Heath sat on the couch as Audra directed while she helped Brigham into the bedroom. All the way back to their home, Brigham lay in the wagon with his eyes closed; the whole time he was thinking, easy to do as no he had been in and out of sleep. If Audra and the men had done any talking, they'd talked while he was out. By the time they reached the small home he and Audra had been sharing, he figured he pretty well knew who the men were, but he wanted to hear it from Audra.

"They're your brothers, aren't they?" Brigham asked once he was lying down; it felt good to lie on something that wasn't moving. He reached up and took her hand; Audra sat down on the edge of the bed. Before she answered with her voice, he saw it in her eyes. "I guess I should get back up and face the music, and then I can deal with the guns. I found the hiding place; that is, I know of its location. That fellow that tried to kill me, I overheard him and another fellow talking about it. Unfortunely, after the first man left, I stepped on a twig lying on the ground and the second man heard me. He tried to kill me to shut me up." He started to rise only to find Audra with her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down, her eyes widening as she realized he meant to face her brothers and go after the guns even in his condition.

"Doc said to stay in bed!" She didn't care if she was being loud, nor did she worry about just how clearly her brothers might be able to hear her because of the rectangular hole on top of the wall. The fear she felt, the fear that said she could still wind up burying Brigham, came out in her voice and in her eyes. It stopped Brigham cold.

"The guns can wait for a few days, but your brothers," he asked as he stopped trying to get up, "what about them?" Brigham kept his hand on her wrist and his eyes on her face. He still didn't want to be the cause of causing friction in a family.

Audra stood up and composed herself. "I told them on the way here I'd explain everything after we got you home. I'll go deal with it now." Without giving it a second thought, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Now, get some rest." She straightened up and walked out of the room. Once out in the kitchen, Audra took a deep breath and then stepped into the front room.

Nick was standing by the window and Heath was still on the couch. Audra felt like she was back in school, facing the teacher after the one time she'd gone against the rules and had to face the consequences. Okay, this time wasn't really of her making at first, but it had, somewhere along the line, become her choice. Only when Nick turned around to face her did Audra speak.

"There are things you need to know." Audra held herself erect, mostly to hide how nervous she really was. "But, Nick, I need you need to promise me, within an inch of your life, to hear me out. Don't let the first thing out of my mouth, or even the first part of it, get your short fuse lit. If you can't make yourself listen to all of what I have to say," she fought the fear that threatened to overcome her, as unfounded as her head said it was, "then you might as well walk out that door and go back to Stockton pretending you never saw me." She found herself holding her breath; the last thing wanted to see was either brother leave.

Heath and Nick stared at Audra. They could tell by the look on her face and the tone in her voice she was very serious. In fact, for a split second they could see their mother standing in her place. Nick still had to shake his head. "You sure you weren't around when Jarrod talked to me?" He gave her a small smile. Audra returned the smile, but said nothing.

After a few moments of serious thinking, Nic answered, "All right, you have my word. I'll hear you out." He leaned up against the window and looked at his sister, wondering what on earth she had to say that had her so all-fired worried about his reaction.

Audra took a deep breath and started from the beginning. She wasn't surprised to see fire shoot forth from Nick's eyes as steam rolled out of his ears, but he managed to keep his promise and not interrupt. By the time she was through, both brothers had to pick their jaws up from off the ground more than once, especially when she admitted to having fallen in love with the man. "He's found out where they're storing the guns, but he can't get to them by himself and now," she looked in the direction where Brigham lay, "he can't do anything for a few days at least. I know what the doctor said; he doesn't know Brigham." She paused and then glared at Nick; she could see the steam that was still, somewhat, escaping out of his eyes. He looked as if he was going to explode more than once while she was talking. "So help me, Nick, if you lay a hand on him, especially with the way he is right now, it's you I'll be using my riding crop on! He slipped, yes, but he did his best to protect me! My reputation is and will be intact!"

The picture of his sister taking her riding crop to Nick had Heath turning his head to keep from laughing at the picture that came into his head. The gratitude he had for what Brigham had done, in spite of his slip, kept him from strangling the man.

When it came to Nick, his fists were still clenched as he turned her words over in his head more than a dozen times before he would even think of speaking. Like his brother though, it was the fact that Mr. McCallister had done all he could to protect their sister and keep her reputation from being shred to pieces that kept his temper in check; besides, he may be hot tempered, but he wasn't cruel. He wasn't about to hit any man in Brigham's condition. Though he would definitely let him know what he thought about the whole mess another day!

When it came to the man's current problem, they didn't have to think twice about it. The solution was simple enough. "I won't lay a hand on him, and we'll go with him." Nick spoke up after taking it all in. He let his hands uncoil, and looked at Heath who knew, without his brother saying anything, what the man was thinking. "You said they're expecting three men, so we'll just give them that. Do you know how many men are guarding the guns?"

Audra shook her head. "Brigham didn't say." She hadn't even thought to ask exactly what he'd overheard when he was eavesdropping on the dead man and the man that had left; after all, the man looked like he needed rest more than anything. "Thanks too, and I'm sorry. We both are. Also, I meant it when I said I loved him and, if he asks me to marry him, I will accept. Please, give him a chance. He's not bad, only human." She desperately needed her brothers to know life had finally handed her the kindest, gentlest man that ever walked the face of the earth, even if he did work in a dangerous field.

Nick, while still having a hard time comprehending his sister was actually showing a side of her he'd never seen before, the side that made her remind them of their mother, stood up and walked over to Audra, as did Heath. Nick took a hold of his sister's shoulders and smiled at her. "No, I'm the one that's sorry, we all are. I'm just glad Jose wrote that letter, that Jarrod's contact gave us the information he did and we got here when we did." Jarrod's contact investigating Brigham was one thing they'd discussed up while Brigham was sleeping. "As far as accepting Mr. McCallister goes," Nick spoke very firmly and with a tone that spoke of his seriousness, "IF he treats you well, fine, but the first time he hits you or mistreats you in any other way, he answers to me!"

"And then me, if Jarrod doesn't push me out of the way." Heath gave her a lopsided grin as both Nick and he took turns giving their sister a heartfelt hug, and no one fought the tears that insisted on running down their cheeks. Audra felt very relieved. There was still a battle waiting for Brigham, and now her brothers, but at least they'd have each others' backs.