A/N: This is an idea that I began a long time ago and never finished until recently. I hope everyone enjoys it! All recognizable characters do not belong to me. I've merely had fun with them and returned them to the sandbox.

"Timothy Carter! Where are you, you useless child?"

Huddled under a cot, a blonde haired toddler held his breath. His bright blue eyes were wide with fear. He saw and heard a pair of feet enter the room. Black boots came to a halt next to the bed. Timothy squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip.

Maybe she wouldn't find him this time. He just wanted things to go back to the way they'd been before he came to this terrifying place. 'Mama,' he mouthed, afraid to make a single sound.

"That little bastard. When I find you, I will make you regret you were ever born." The female voice was sharp with irritation and anger.

Of that, Timothy didn't have a single doubt about. He'd been on the receiving end of the woman's anger before, which was why he was hiding."Why is it whenever I want the stupid child, he cannot be found?"

There were several seconds of absolute silence. The boy let out a yelp when a hand curled around his ankle. His little hands tried to grab the leg of the cot, but he didn't have the strength to keep himself safe in his hiding place. He was pulled out into the light and he stared up in horror, a whimper leaving his lips.

Sitting in the office that had once been his father's, Jarrod Barkley stared at the letter in his hand. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he took in the information the missive contained. He'd expected to get through his correspondence swiftly, however, an hour had passed since he'd first begun reading that letter.

He gave a start when there was a knock on the door, which then opened a moment later. "I've been calling for you for ten minutes, Jarrod," his mother said as she entered. "Silas has dinner ready and your brothers are cleaning up. I didn't think you were involved in a case."

"I wasn't," Jarrod said, quickly folding the letter and slid it underneath other papers. He stood up and moved around his desk. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you calling for me."

Victoria Barkley smiled fondly at him even as her eyes studied his face. "What's wrong, Jarrod?"

Her son's eyes shifted towards the desk as he forced a smile. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Jarrod." Her tone was chiding, as though he were a child. "What is it?"
With a sigh, Jarrod went back to his stack of papers and withdrew the letter out. "This came for me today," he said in explanation. For a moment, he weighed it in his hand and then held it out to her. "It went first to my office in San Francisco first. Quite honestly, Mother, I don't know what to make of it."

Raising her eyebrows, Victoria unfolded the letter and began to read. Several different emotions shifted as her eyes moved across the page: surprise, unease, confusion. When she finally finished, she breathed out slowly and lifted her gaze. "Well."

"My sentiments exactly," Jarrod said, his tone serious. "It's a bold claim."

"Could it be true?"

The lawyer hesitated. "My instincts say no, but I've been proven wrong before," he said, choosing his words with care. "I've been trying to decide whether this is a matter I should address in person or have one of my associates look into or just ignore completely."

"I don't see how you can ignore it."

"True. I suppose it's a good thing I'm going back to San Francisco tomorrow," Jarrod said with a sigh. "I don't think it likely that I will get back as soon as we'd planned. I'm sorry that I will miss part of Cousin Greg's visit."

"I'm sure he'll understand. He knows how busy you are." Victoria frowned at the letter once more before folding it and handing it back. "The others will have to be told. Who knows? Perhaps we shall solve the mystery without you having to go all the way to San Francisco."

Jarrod flinched as he slipped the letter into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "After we eat. There's no reason for everyone's appetite to be spoiled." He held his arm out to his mother. "May I escort you to your table, Lovely Lady?"

Forcing a smile, Victoria looped her arm with his. Together they walked out of the office to the dining room, where life was moving along as normal as ever. Nick was the last one to make it to the table and Audra immediately took advantage of the situation to poke fun at him. Heath was watching them, egging on both sides whenever an opportunity arose.

The matriarch's appetite had fled after reading the letter, her stomach churning from the uncertainty of the matter. She was thankful that Audra's high spirits and Nick's inability to stay out of any discussion kept her children from noticing her distraction. On the opposite end of the table, Jarrod seemed to be doing a better job at behaving normally, a skill he must have learned from being a lawyer.

She couldn't keep from frowning in concern as she thought of the task her oldest son had undertaken. Audra chose that moment to glance over. "Mother?" the young woman asked. "What's wrong?"

It became quiet at the table in an instant as Victoria struggled with whether to tell the truth or not. "I suppose now is a good time for us all to adjourn to the living room," Jarrod said smoothly. "We'll be more comfortable there for this conversation."

"So, something is wrong."

"Yes," the family matriarch admitted, folding her napkin. Nothing would be gained by subterfuge. She stood up from her chair and led the way to the other room. She took her seat in front of the fireplace and waited for her children to find someplace to put themselves, though Nick chose to go to the liquor cabinet first.

"This must be serious to bring us all in here," the dark-haired rancher said.

Exchanging glances with her oldest son, Victoria nodded and took the lead. "Jarrod received a strange letter today." She hesitated, wanting to choose the right words. "He didn't want to tell you until he'd gotten to the bottom of the matter, but I think you all have the right to know about what the letter contained as it affects this family."

"How?" Nick demanded. "What are you talking about?"

All of them were looking at Victoria impatiently. "First of all, I want to ask a question," Jarrod said, moving to stand behind his mother. "Nick, Heath, have either of you, in your trips to San Francisco, ever met a woman by the name of Caroline Carter?"

Surprised, Nick and Heath both shook their heads. "Well, perhaps you might know her by her...professional name, Pearl," Jarrod continued, watching them carefully.

Audra's eyebrows went up as Nick choked on the brandy he'd been sipping. "Jarrod!" the man protested as soon as he'd recovered himself. "Just what are you trying to get at?"

"So you don't recognize the name?"

"No, but you wouldn't expect me to confess that in front of my mother and sister!"

Frowning, Heath just shook his head, watching everyone else in that disconcerting way he had. "In the letter Jarrod received, a woman of—well, of rather questionable repute—begged for help since 'a child of Barkley lineage' was in some distress," Victoria spoke up again.

Silence reigned for several seconds and Victoria braced for the reaction she knew was to come. "Oh, heck no!" Nick, predictably, exploded. "Just because we accepted Heath, does not mean every saloon girl from here to the border can pawn their brat off onto us!"

The muscles in Heath's jaw tensed. "My mother may have worked in a saloon, but there was more to it than what you're implying, Nick," he pointed out, his tone cool and tightly controlled. He focused on Victoria. "What kind of help was this woman looking for?"

"The woman, who gave her name as Diamond, stressed that it wasn't her child, but one born of Pearl and... someone who claimed to be a Barkley," Victoria said, giving Nick a sharp look meant to silently chastise him. "She didn't say what kind of distress the child was in or what help she expects from us. Jarrod is going to go back to San Francisco to look into it. That is all we know at this point."

"And you weren't going to tell us?" Audra asked, sending a scowl at her oldest brother. "This is exactly the kind of thing we ought to know. What are we supposed to tell Uncle John and Cousin Greg when they get here next week?"

"I'm sure they'll understand that a lawyer's life is a busy one," Jarrod answered. "I don't see that any explanation will be necessary."

Audra gave a huff and crossed her arms. "What will you do if you learn someone has been using the Barkley name?" Nick demanded.

"Nick, I won't know the best course of action until I actually get to San Francisco and find this woman."

Victoria raised an eyebrow imperiously. "You will let us know how your investigation goes," she stated, not asked.

"I wouldn't dream of going otherwise, Mother."

It didn't escape anyone's notice that Heath appeared troubled by the conversation. Then, a moment later, he challenged both of his half-brothers to billiards, leaving his family wondering if there had been any hesitation from Heath at all or if it had been in their heads.