Chapter Twenty

Heath shook his head. "You actually caught my eye the first time I laid eyes on you only…I just got around to being serious enough to say something."

Melissa starting beaming. "Yes, oh my yes!" She exclaimed as Heath, keeping a hold of his own saddle horn, leaned over and kissed her. He just prayed that, when Miss Lindon made her move, he'd be able to keep his fiancée safe.

It was dark before the stagecoach rolled into Stockton. The first chance she got Miss Lindon climbed out of the coach and, after practically ripping her lone suitcase from the driver, hurried towards the Stockton Hotel. Since the announcement she'd seen had simply said Melissa was working in Stockton, the former orphan director assumed the young woman was also living in Stockton. This being the case, she was praying like crazy it was late enough that the young woman would not have cause to be anywhere but where ever she was living.

The moment Miss Lindon stepped into the hotel the clerk stiffened-but not so much that the action was noticeable. "May I help you?" He smiled politely.

"I need a room, one in the far back if possible." Miss Lindon held her head up-almost to the point where the clerk wondered if she expected him to bow to her.

The clerk slid the hotel's registry book and told her to fill in the information. "I need that before I can give you a room." That wasn't quite the case only, since the woman fit the description Jarrod Barkley had given him, he wanted to see what name she wrote down. He might not have only Stockton attorney had specifically asked him to. While the clerk didn't know Heath's and Melissa's original 'wedding' announcement and its date had originally been a simple ruse, he trusted Jarrod and gave him his word that he would do as the gentleman asked. "I can rent you room 52. The very back rooms are already taken." The clerk handed her a key; he wasn't surprised when the woman grabbed it and scurried away. The moment she was gone he hurried into the office and told his boss who had just checked in.

"Get back to your desk. I'll get word out to the Barkleys." Mr. Thomas Hyde-who happened to be a good friend of the Barkley brothers-and whom Jarrod had also talked to, told his employee. He then wasted no time in leaving the building and heading for the livery stable.

For her part, Miss Lindon-totally unaware of what was going on behind her back- was doing her best to relax as she thought on the various ideas she had when it came to dealing 'with that treacherous woman'-she seldom thought of Melissa by name, nor the fact the description fit her better than Miss Leitch.

"I've got to stop that wedding somehow; she doesn't deserve to marry into such a rich family!" Miss Lindon scowled as she succumbed to the sleep that had been trying to overcome her for hours.

While Miss Lindon slept, Mister Hyde was pounding on the Barkleys front door. Since it was almost nine thirty o'clock at night before he reached the ranch, he had to wait a few minutes for anyone to answer the door.

"Mr. Hyde!" Silas, who had answered the door, was shocked to see who was on the other side of the door. With the late hour, he'd feared it might be the sheriff who was calling upon the family he worked for. "

"I'm sorry, Silas." Thomas stepped inside. "I know it's past visiting hours only I need to talk to Jarrod-or his brothers, doesn't really matter."

Before Silas could make any sort of reply, Jarrod and his brothers were heading down the stairs. All three men had been woken up by the pouncing on the door, and had the same fear Silas had had. One look at who their visitor was, and those fears remained. "What's up?" Jarrod asked at the same time Heath was asking if 'she' was in town.

"Yes. Well, a woman fitting the description checked into the hotel under the name you gave me is there now." Thomas told them and then bluntly asked exactly what was going on. "And don't tell me nothing, I've felt from the beginning something was off, but didn't push the subject because no one was near my family or at my place of business."

"As I told you before," Jarrod, who couldn't blame the man for wondering, but still didn't want the full details told to anyone-especially with an engagement between Heath and Melissa now being an actual fact, shook his head. "She has been hunting my future sister-in-law for a long time due to the fact that Melissa had a backbone and stood up for what was right in a bad situation. Just remember, Miss Lindon is not to be trusted-no matter what she says or does."

"I'll keep that in mind, and I'll ask my clerk to keep his eyes and ears open as well. He's quite good at that." Then, due to a concerned look that was in all the brothers eyes, he added, "Don't worry. I'll remind my clerk to say nothing-and he won't. He's a man of his word as well." The gentleman turned around and soon disappeared out the door. When Heath also started for the door, Nick stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going? We have a couple of guards watching Melissa's home, and Miss Lindon is in town. There won't be any trouble tonight." The concern he had for both Melissa and his younger brother could be heard loud and clear as he spoke. After all, he wasn't putting it past 'that woman' to not only try to harm Melissa, but hurt Heath as well.

While he understood Nick's worry, Heath still gave the hot tempered rancher a look of utter disbelief. He didn't think that was a question that needed to be discussed. Still, he turned back for the door. "I promised Melissa to tell her the moment we knew Miss Lindon was in town, no matter the hour. I'm keeping my word."

Once the door had shut the door behind Heath, Nick turned to Jarrod. "I hope Miss Lindon doesn't catch wind that we've got eyes and ears watching out for her."

Jarrod shook his head. "I only talked to Fred and Thomas, and if he's guaranteeing the actions of his clerk, it's because he knows his employee well. Now, let's get some sleep. Even if tomorrow turns out to be a small bump, it's still going to start early."

"Don't I know it," Nick muttered as he headed back up the stairs.