Chapter 6
"Get some sleep, Nick," Heath said, looking down at his brother lying on the ground, his back against the underside of his saddle. "We'll wake you up if anything suspicious crops up."
Nick grunted. "Can't seem to sleep. It's not what's going on around here."
Heath sat down beside him. "Catherine Carmichael?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, I just feel uneasy about things out there. I don't think Cambridge is gonna pay any attention to that restraining order Jarrod got."
"If he doesn't, he'll be going to jail."
"Assuming anything can be pinned on him. I just don't like any of it, Heath. Woman's getting older, living her last years without her husband and the vultures are already gathering to eat her up. I keep thinking I ought to be over there."
"The North boys will take care of her."
"I know, it's not that. I just want to be there to take care of her. Hell, you had a different mother than our mother. She was your real mother, but the point is, you've had two mothers. So have I, in a way. You know?"
"Yeah, I know. You come to feel like two women are your mothers. You come to care almost as much for one as for the other. I feel that way about my mother and yours. I can see you'd feel that way about your mother and Mrs. Carmichael. You don't want to let either one of them down."
"No, I don't. I think if things are pretty quiet here tonight, I'm gonna go over to her house tomorrow and just spend the daytime helping her out for as long as this restraining order runs. I'll send one of the North boys back."
"Well, even if we have a little action here tonight, I don't see any reason you can't go on over there tomorrow. We can handle things without you if you'd rather stay overnight there."
Nick looked up at his younger brother, at the smile on his face in the light from the fire. Nick couldn't help but smile, too. "Yeah, okay, I just might do that."
Heath got up and went back on his guard duty. And Nick snuggled down and finally fell asleep.
XXXXXXX
Nothing did happen that night with the herd, so Nick went back to the Carmichael ranch as soon as he finished eating breakfast in the morning. When he got there, he found the North boys already at work in the barn, before it got too hot. They gave him a grin, and he decided he needed to leave both of them there, at least until the barn was repaired. He went into Catherine's house, although he knocked first.
"Nick!" she said. She was cleaning dishes in the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron as she came to the door. "I didn't expect to see you today."
"I just got a little eager to see how things were going. Any problems last night?"
She lost her smile and nodded. "Some stranger came into the yard yesterday, just after supper. He took off before either of the North boys could see who he was."
Nick scowled. "Now, I don't like that."
"I was thinking I'd send one of the North boys over to tell Jarrod, but they're working on the barn. Maybe you could go."
"He's probably at his office in town by now," Nick said, checking the clock on the mantle over the fireplace. "I'll go – won't take me ten minutes to get there. He might want to come back and check it out with the North boys himself. You just don't worry. I'll go talk to him and be back before you know it."
Catherine smiled again, happy Nick had come and she could get word to Jarrod today. Maybe Jarrod would want to lean on Cambridge about the restraining order again.
True to his word, Nick was at Jarrod's office in town within ten minutes. Jarrod's secretary was not there, so Nick went right into his brother's office, and Jarrod was there, behind his desk, staring out the window. He didn't even blink when Nick came in the door.
"Jarrod," Nick said.
Jarrod jumped.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Nick said.
"I was just thinking," Jarrod said. "Went off somewhere for a few minutes. What's up, Nick?"
"Catherine Carmichael had another visitor yesterday. Whoever it was took off before the North boys could identify him. I want you to go have another talk with Cambridge and tell him you're gonna see he goes to jail the next time she has another visitor."
Jarrod scowled. "I will, even though if nobody can see it's one of his men who 'visiting,' I can't get him arrested."
"He might only need a friendly reminder. It would put Catherine's mind at ease if you gave him one."
Jarrod got up. "You head on back to her place. I'll go see Cambridge and meet you at Catherine's in an hour or so."
XXXXX
It took Jarrod nearly half an hour to get to Cambridge's place. Again, Cambridge was the one who answered the door. As soon as he saw it was Jarrod there, his face took on a "you again" look. Cambridge did not let him in.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Someone has been riding onto Mrs. Carmichael's property, right up to the house, just to annoy her apparently," Jarrod said. "It needs to stop."
"Who says it's one of my boys?"
"Your boys are the only ones who ride in and ride off when they're spotted. Stop it right away, Mitchell, or I'll go to the court with a violation of the restraining order. You don't want or need that."
Cambridge looked like he was thinking deeply, maybe trying to figure out who was bothering Catherine – or maybe he already knew. "I'll check into it. You do what you think you need to do, but it's not me and I'm not telling anybody else to do it. If it's one of my boys, he's acting on his own."
"Whatever it is, stop it."
Jarrod turned and went back to his horse. Cambridge watched him mount up and ride away before he slammed his fist into the door frame.
XXXXXXX
Jarrod was at Catherine's door within half an hour. It was Nick who let him in. He took of his hat as he entered, saying, "Well, I talked to Cambridge, and he claimed he didn't know anything about anyone coming up to your house."
"Figures," Nick said.
Jarrod noted the cribbage board and cards set up on the table. "Have you lost the ranch yet?" he asked.
"No," Nick protested.
"Good thing he hasn't, or Cambridge would claim that, too," Catherine said. "Thank you for going over there, Jarrod."
"I really can't a grip on what's going on over at the Cambridge place," Jarrod said. "After talking to Mitchell, I think he really is telling the truth. He really has been trying to obey the restraining order, which means one of his men is the one who isn't. There's got to be a reason somebody at his place wants to keep harassing you. The only person I can think of who might do that despite what Cambridge says is Andy, his son."
"It was Andy who was here before. The only reason Andy would do it is if he wants the land for himself," Nick said.
Jarrod nodded. "He's come of age. I've heard he's engaged to be married. It would explain all of this – the sudden urgency to get Catherine out, the men riding up here just to annoy you."
"My land is supposed to be his wedding present," Catherine said.
Jarrod nodded. "It's just a guess, but it would explain things pretty nicely. Which is why we shouldn't put too much stock into it."
"And it doesn't matter a whole lot anyway," Nick said. "Even if we could prove it was Andy, that wouldn't stop his bothering Catherine."
"If someone could identify him on the property here, I could get a restraining order against him personally," Jarrod said.
Nick rubbed his eyes. "That's so slow, so chancy. Whoever it is is being careful we don't get a good look at him."
"Are you staying here all day?" Jarrod asked his brother.
Nick nodded. "I'll spend the night in the bunkhouse and send the North boys back to the herd. We've had someone or something bothering them out there, too."
"Well, I wish I could get a restraining order against coyotes, but so far no judge has ever been willing to sign one," Jarrod said with a little grin, and he swatted his brother playfully with his had as he turned to go back outside. "I'll make sure Mother knows you won't be home for dinner. Catherine, try not to worry. You have the best body guard there is on your side."
Nick let Jarrod out the door and watched as he mounted up and rode away. Then he turned to Catherine and said, "I'm going to tell the North brothers they can go back out to the herd after they finish up the barn – that is, if you don't mind me being your body guard for a few days."
Catherine smiled. "Not at all – but I might put you to work a bit."
Nick grabbed his hat and as he left, said, "That's fine. I can work off my cribbage debt."