I do NOT own The Big Valley nor any of the original Big Valley characters. Thanks to my Beta Reader, though all mistakes are my own.

End of the Rainbow

Chapter Three

Patrick was sitting on the edge of the bed when a knock came on the door, Cat answered it and had to bite her tongue and force herself to be polite. It was Matthew Miller, Paul's brother. While she loved Paul and his wife, his beanpole of a brother not only lacked meat on his bones, but a functioning brain as well. At least, in her opinion he never acted as if he had one.

"What you be wantin'?" She closed the door slightly and moved in such a way to make it clear he was not welcome in the house. It did not pass by Patrick, and he was instantly on the alert. If there was going to be trouble, he wanted to know about it.

"Now come on," the smile Matthew put on his face was so fake it wasn't even funny, "Paul told me your cousin was here. I just figured I'd be neighborly and come and welcome him."

"Welcome 'im me foot, more like try to talk 'im into sellin' me 'orses to you more like it!" Cat kept the thought to herself as she did not move, "Patrick's still 'ealin' and needs 'is rest. You'll 'ave to wait. Good day, sir." She went to close the door only to find Matthew's foot in the door. She was furious. "I be tellin' you 'e can't visit right now! Now kindly take your foot out of me door!" she barked angrily.

Matthew had no intention of just walking away. "Man needs visitors even when he's…" Matthew didn't get any further, as he saw Patrick leaning against the entrance way to the bedroom glaring at him. There was something in the dark haired stranger's eyes that had him backpeddling as fast as he could. "I'll come back another time then." He quickly removed his foot and scurried off.

After shutting the door, Cat hurried over to her 'cousin's' side, "Maybe you should be takin' another day in bed." The last thing she needed was for him to go getting worse on her, not with everything else she had on her plate.

"I'll go crazy if I do that." Patrick made his way to the table very slowly and once he was sitting down he looked toward the door. "Who was he?"

"The black sheep of the Miller family." Cat sat down and did not try to hide her disgust. "'e wants me 'orses and I won't sell to 'im. Bet you all I 'ave 'e's thinkin' 'e can get you to sell the animals to 'im behind me back. 'Tis the only reason 'e 'as to be comin' over 'ere."

Patrick was appalled. Why would he go selling any animal, or anything, to someone when they didn't belong to him in the first place? There was something about buying and selling horses that felt familiar, only problem was he didn't know if it was because he actually had experience with it, or if he just wanted it that way. "Can I see them?"

Cat's eyebrows rose slightly, then she shrugged her shoulders. "I'll be showin' them to you after you get somethin' in your belly and if you'll be promisin' me not to be walkin' faster than your body can take."

Patrick smiled at the woman before him. He had no desire to push his luck and make her made; after all, he'd hate to lose such a pretty nurse. "I promise."

While Patrick ate breakfast, Jarrod and Heath were sitting in a saloon talking about their failure to find Nick. "We're gonna have to go to the sheriff and ask him if he'll help." Heath was more than worried; he didn't like not knowing what had happened to Nick. He kept telling himself the man was alive, but in the corner of his mind remained the fear that his brother had met up with some sort of accident and the outcome had not been good.

Jarrod knew they needed help; he also knew his spare time was running out. "I have to head back, and you know it. We'll stop in at the sheriff's office and tell him what's going on, then, when we get home, I'll wire the Pinkertons. We can keep our eyes and ears open as well."

Heath found himself angry at Jarrod, and then chastised himself. He knew Jarrod was just as worried as he was, but he also had obligations that were becoming pressing. Heath would just send Jarrod home by himself, but he couldn't stomach the idea of something happening to Jarrod too and not being there to at least make an honest attempt to help him.

"Heath," Jarrod started talking in his 'pappy' voice when his brother did not answer, "I would keep on looking, you know I would. I hate it that my time has run out and we haven't found him. I have to get back to Stockton." He paused, leaned back and let his shoulders sag slightly. He hated being put in such a position; he'd rather keep looking himsef. "If you want to keep looking, I can get McCall to run the ranch a bit longer."

Heath had never felt so torn in his life. He wanted to keep looking, but McCall had already been running the ranch longer than planned. "We keep looking as we head back." Heath lifted the glass he held in his hands up. He wouldn't just give up on Nick.

Jarrod nodded; he wouldn't think of doing anything else, "Of course."