I do NOT own The Big Valley or any of the original Barkley characters.

Blindsided

Chapter Fifteen

Brigham watched as the man called Jose Rodiquez rode off. He'd come out in time to hear the last part of what his 'wife' had been saying, just in time to back her up. After the man disappeared, Brigham turned to Audra. "That was an opening to get word to your family. Why did you say what you did?"

For a moment, Audra didn't say anything then she started talking, "For a couple of reasons. First, I don't trust the fellow to keep his facts straight. Let's say I told him I was moving to Nevada, he'd have it being Nebraska. Second, somewhere along the line your cousin and men started calling me Mrs. McCallister and everyone around Strawberry knows me by that name now, along with the maiden name you gave me. To tell him anything different would shred the good reputation I still have thanks to the fact that everyone thinks we're married. Of course," she said as she shrugged her shoulders, "don't ask me how we're going to keep that intact once this is over."

Brigham stiffened then relaxed. "It won't be a problem. I have connections with various people, ones that can put you down as one of the few women involved in this operation from the beginning. Don't know what people will think of a lady detective, but it will keep your reputation intact."

Audra smiled. Once again she found herself admiring Brigham's ability to come up with various answers for different situations. "Thanks." She patted his arm as she went back into the house. While she fixed supper and thought on family, Jarrod was sitting behind his desk in Stockton doing the same thing; thinking about family that is.

Jarrod was leaning back in his chair and reading the letter in his hands for what felt like the hundredth time; his mouth turned downwards and his eyebrows also turned in the same direction. He still looked like that when Nick and Heath walked into the study laughing and talking; they quit immediately upon seeing their brother's troubled look.

"What is it, Jarrod?" Nick asked as he pulled a chair away from the front of the desk and sat down, as did Heath. Both men were concerned, as they didn't really feel like any more trouble, not with Audra still missing after six weeks. Their hearts about dropped when Jarrod sighed and answered.

"It's from an old client of mine, remember Jose Rodriguez?" He looked at his brothers as if to say 'please, tell me you remember.' Jose had been accused of robbing the Stockton bank; as it turned out, it was the man's "best friend" who had did it. Nick and Heath had actually done some investigating for Jarrod during the trial.

Heath and Nick grinned as Nick replied back, "So, what about him? Did he go mix up facts and get into more trouble?" The man did seem to have a knack for it; if he didn't have to defend himself in a court of law, he had to defend himself in the saloon.

"No." Jarrod laid the letter down and looked at his brothers. "He finally married and settled down about seven miles from Sonora." That part of the letter was good news; Jarrod had always hoped the young man could find a good life somewhere, with a good woman if possible. Apparently, Jose had done just that.

Heath and Nick looked at each other. There was more to it than that; they could tell that just by the way their brother was acting and it made them nervous. After all, Jose was decent enough, for the most part, and Jarrod should be happy that he'd finally settled down.

"And the problem is?" Nick asked as his eyebrows turned up slightly, as did the palms of his hands.

Jarrod took a deep breath and said, "He apologized if he was out of line in asking, but he wanted to know what he'd done to this family that Audra would act as if she didn't know him when he bumped into her and her husband as he traveled through a part of Strawberry on his way back home."

Major shock appeared on both Heath and Nick's faces as Nick exploded, "Her what!" He was sure he had to have heard his older brother wrong. She'd rode off upset at the fact that Garner had turned to be so bad, but would she really have met someone and married him without telling the family?

"Something's not right, Jarrod." Heath turned his hat around in his hands, the wheels in his mind turning. "Was he sure it was her?" He couldn't imagine Audra willingly doing something like that; besides, it wasn't sitting right in his gut.

Jarrod shrugged his shoulders and picked back up the letter. He began reading a small portion of the letter:

"Your sister, Audra, looked as healthy and as happy as the last time I saw her. However, I was confused as she acted as if she did not know me. She kept on insisting her name was Audra McCallister and that her maiden name was McKinley not Barkley. I would have cornered her on it, but her husband, one Brigham McCallister, glared at me as he barked for me to leave his wife alone. Mr. Barkley, I may be a lot of things; I may have done a lot of things, but I am not downright stupid. I know Audra when I talk to her. It was your sister I was talking to. What have I done to the Barkleys that she would try to get me to believe such things?"

He put the letter down and looked at his brothers.

Audra married? To a man she could have only known only met shortly before she married him? Nick was in a state of shock. "I hurt her bad enough for her to go changing her last name and, apparently, pushed her into the arms of a man she barely knew." There was pain in Nick's voice as he stood up and walked over to the nearby window, not that he could take any pleasure out of the scenery before his eyes. His heart was hurting too much to take much pleasure out of anything at the moment.

"For the last time, Nick!" Jarrod slammed his fist down upon the desk. "YOU did not hurt her! It was Garner that did this; we only did what we had to!" It made Jarrod furious as to how Garner's actions had led to all the pain and heartache they'd gone through since Audra had ridden off. Good thing he couldn't kill a man that was already dead, or he might have tried it.

" 'Her husband'." Heath repeated the words quietly, as he got an uneasy feeling in his gut. "You don't suppose he took her by force, do you?" He looked at his brothers, wondering about the contradiction of what he'd just said and what Jose had stated in the letter.

Jarrod didn't know what to think. Audra had done a lot of impulsive things in her life, but to marry so soon after Garner's death? He repeated the words, "'Your sister, Audra, looked as healthy and as happy as the last time I saw her'. It doesn't make sense. Surely, she wouldn't change her last name just because of what happened and, if this Brigham took her by force, why would Jose write she was happy?" Still, Jarrod found himself turning the idea over in his head, as did Nick.

The idea that Audra would change her name and marry anyone without telling them was just too much for Nick. "If it is her, no wonder no one's been able to help us!" He slammed his fist down upon the desk as he exploded, "There's got to be a way to find out!" He let his hand fall to his side as Jarrod gave him 'that look', but he wasn't going to apologize either. He wasn't sorry. "I'm getting my horse and riding down there myself!" Nick headed for the door only to find Jarrod blocking his way.

While he agreed they had to find out, he feared driving Audra further away if the marriage was for real. He pointed that fact out to Nick. "Look, I have a few contacts. I'll see what they can find out about this Brigham McCallister. If he's a wanted criminal or a man with a sour reputation, we can start hunting them down and bring her home." He paused as he looked at his brothers, and then said, "But if he has a sound reputation, we only hunt them down to do what we can to reconcile things with her. After all," he sighed, "we can't force her and her husband to live here."

Nick just knew something was off, but he couldn't prove it and Jarrod had a valid point. He'd never had such a huge struggle going on inside himself before. He didn't want his sister in an unasked for marriage nor did he wish to drive Audra further away than she was if she'd entered the marriage willingly. "Forty-eight hours, Jarrod!" Nick barked as he put his hands on his hips, "I'll stick around for forty-eight hours, but that is it!" He stormed out of the office leaving Jarrod and Heath to talk over the situation.