Chapter 2

As they rode up to the Courthouse and Jarrod dismounted, Nick stayed on his horse and said, "I'm gonna go on over to Catherine's. I'll meet you over there."

Jarrod said, "On one condition – if you run into any of Cambridge's men you stay clear of them. I mean it. Even if they try to provoke you, remember you are there to see an older woman. You don't want to get her hurt in this."

"How long are you gonna be? Five minutes at most?" Nick asked, and he took off.

Jarrod gave a brief shake of his head in exasperation. So much of Nick had never grown up. Jarrod decided he'd better hurry up and get over to Catherine's as quickly as possible, so he hurried into the courthouse to file the motion for injunction.

Catherine's home was only ten minutes or so from the edge of town, and luckily Nick didn't run into anyone at all before he pulled up and tethered his horse to the post outside her front door. She was in the side yard, hanging up laundry to dry. She heard him ride up and turned to look – and she looked frightened until she saw who it was. Then she broke into a smile.

"Nick!" she said with her arms wide.

Nick came to her and gave her a warm hug. "Ah, Mrs. Carmichael, you are a sight for sore eyes."

"Well, you should bring those sore eyes of yours over here more often," she said. "Let me look at you."

She pulled back and gave him a once over.

"I haven't changed all that much," he said.

"I don't know – you might have gained another pound or two around the middle since I saw you last."

"Not me."

"Come inside, have some coffee."

"Think I will," Nick said, his arm around her as they walked into the house. "Jarrod's filing that motion with the court, so he should be here too in a few minutes."

"Two Barkley brothers! My lucky day!"

Nick opened the door for her and she went inside, with him right behind her. He took off his hat and gloves and left them on a small table just inside the front door.

The living room and kitchen were exactly as they had always been, to Nick's memory. He knew where every little thing was – of course he did, this had been his second home. He watched as Catherine went into the kitchen and poured some coffee, then brought it to the table just this side of the kitchen area.

"I haven't seen you in so long," Catherine said. "Jarrod's been keeping me up to date on what's happening with the family, but Nick, I miss seeing you. It's too bad you don't take a break from all that ranch work now and then."

"You're right, I should," Nick said and sat down with her at the table. He took a sip of the coffee she had put in front of him. It was good. "And I will. I miss you too, Mrs. Carmichael."

"So much that you forgot I asked you to call me Catherine years ago," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I can't help it," Nick said with a grin. "Whenever I come in here, I turn back into that little kid who played hooky every chance he got and came over here."

"Oh, those were lovely days," Catherine said, and she seemed to be able to see them in her faraway look.

"I'm sorry for your trouble with Cambridge," Nick said. "I can't believe he's doing this, especially after all these years."

"He is creating quite an annoyance," Catherine said, "but I know I have the best lawyer in town."

"Jarrod said his men have been encroaching onto your property."

Catherine nodded. "I've caught them being nosy from a distance, but so far they haven't come near the house."

"If they do, you'd better let the sheriff know right away."

"He already comes by to check on me every few days. I suspect that's why they haven't come near the house. But I will be happy when this is all settled, even if for some reason the court rules for Mr. Cambridge."

"If it does, you come to me for help getting resettled. I mean that."

Catherine smiled and reached for Nick's hand. "Nick, you're a wonderful man. I admit, I wondered a lot how you were going to turn out."

Nick feigned surprise. "Me?! I was always a gem of a boy."

Catherine laughed. "A gem with a flaw in it, maybe. You did get into your share of mischief."

Nick laughed, too. "And Mr. Carmichael got me out of a few scrapes, him and Jarrod, before my father ever found out."

Catherine's eyes went back through the years again. "I remember that time you got into a fight with the Wilson boys. You really thought you could beat all three of them by yourself."

"I got one down, and then Jarrod came along and the other two took off."

"And Jarrod brought you over here for me to clean you up so your mother wouldn't find out about it."

"Well, she found out anyway when my eye turned black and blue."

"We never have been able to break you of getting into fights."

Nick shrugged. "I guess maybe it's time for me to give fighting up. I'm rapidly getting old enough that I lose more than I win."

As Nick took another sip of his coffee, Catherine got up, saying, "You know, I think I'll have a cup of that myself."

She went into the kitchen and began to reach for the pot, but then she suddenly stopped, looking out the kitchen window. Nick noticed. "What is it, Catherine?"

"A man, out near the barn," Catherine said.

Nick got up and went out the door.

"Nick, wait!" she called and went for the door.

Jarrod happened to be riding up at the same time, and he saw Nick heading around the house to the barn. The man saw the two of them and took off.

Jarrod dismounted and joined his brother and Catherine. They all watched the man ride away. "Catherine, have they been coming this close to the house?" Jarrod asked.

"No," she said, "not until now."

"That looked like Andy Cambridge," Nick said.

"I think I'd better try to get a temporary restraining order right away," Jarrod said. "Catherine, do you have a pen and some paper handy?"

"Yes, come on in," Catherine said.

Soon they were all seated at the table, Nick and Catherine drinking coffee while Jarrod quickly penned a motion for a temporary restraining order. "If the judge grants this, and I think he will, it'll keep Cambridge's men away until the motion for injunction can be heard, and if he grants that, it'll keep them away until we get a trial on the merits."

"So you think we'll be filing suit?" Catherine asked.

"If Cambridge doesn't, I think we ought to, to clear title as soon as possible."

"Jarrod, what would you say to us sending a couple of our men here to stay with Catherine for a while?" Nick asked. "I don't trust Andy Cambridge as far as I can throw him."

"Let me see if I can get this TRO, Nick," Jarrod said. "The judge is so finicky, he might deny it because it's not on legal paper, but I'll try to impress on him that it's because the situation has suddenly gotten more urgent. And if he does deny it, we might want more than a couple men out here."

It wasn't long before Jarrod had three copies of the motion and order drawn up and was heading out the door.

"How long do you think this will take you, Jarrod?" Nick asked.

"I don't know," Jarrod said, "but stay here with Catherine until I get back. With any luck, it won't be more than an hour or two, and I'll have the order in my hand. I'll take it to Cambridge first, and then I'll come back here. BUT don't let things boil over here, Nick."

"It won't be me who causes the problem," Nick said.

"Maybe not, but don't let any of Cambridge's men goad you into anything either. I don't think any of them will be back this close to the house today, but please, just watch it, all right?"

Nick nodded. "All right, Jarrod."

Jarrod nodded and gave a smile. "I'll be back before too long," he said, and he was out the door.

Nick watched him go, and Catherine watched Nick. He looked too worried. "Tell you what, Nick," Catherine said, and he looked around to her. "Why don't you help me finish hanging the laundry, and then we play some cribbage?"

Nick smiled. "I don't know. You get pretty cutthroat, as I recall."

"I'll go easy on you," Catherine said with a smile. "Coffee, clothesline and cribbage?"

Nick smiled. It was the best offer he'd had in a long time.