I do NOT own The Big Valley nor any of the original Big Valley characters.
End of the Rainbow
Chapter Nine
"Be you serious?" Cat and Patrick were standing on the porch talking with Henry and Marie Hanks; the couple had shown up to find Cat and Patrick packing a few items.
"Very serious, Cat." Henry looked at the gentleman she'd called her cousin; there was something in his facial features that was eerily familiar. Still, with his mind on the horses, Henry did not dwell on it. He went on to relate their tale. "Remember, you said we could go as far as Stockton. Anyway, we made our way towards the ranch the lawman everyone called Fred had directed us to." He then went on and related the incident.
Henry and Marie could see two men talking in the near a corral as they approached the main house. Heath, who due to an unexpected fall, was on crutches with a broken leg, was talking to Jarrod. He'd rather have been on his way to the auction, but the leg prevented that. When Jarrod and he saw the couple driving up in the wagon, Jarrod hurried to get the gate open and soon both he and Heath were standing next to the wagon.
"May I help you?" Heath looked up at the strangers.
"I hope so," Henry answered. Assuming the men before him were ranch hands, he explained, "The sheriff in Stockton said we could find either a Heath or Jarrod Barkley here. Are they around?""
Grins spread over both Heath and Jarrod's faces as they bit back a bit of laughter. "I'm Heath." Heath held out his one hand and pointed to his brother. "This is Jarrod. What can we do for you?" There was something in the men's smiles that leapt out and took a hold of both Henry and Marie, that something gave them hope that maybe, just maybe, their search was indeed over.
"My name's Henry and this is my wife, Marie. I need to talk to you about some horses that need a new home. I don't suppose you'd be interested?" Henry asked. "If not, I might as well not climb off this wagon."
They didn't really need more horses; though they weren't to the point where looking was out of the question either. "Come on inside," Heath said as he nodded towards the house, "we can talk in there while we eat lunch." He needed something to distract him anyway and he was sure the couple would not argue with the food offered them; they didn't.
Once inside, Heath showed the couple to into the dining room and asked Silas to bring something out for them. "So, you have horses to sell?" Heath looked at the strangers across from him.
"We're looking for a home for five horses," Henry began. "They belong to a friend of ours." He went on to explain that, for reasons he was not free to state, the woman needed to get rid of the horses. "I know it sounds odd, but she's not necessarily looking to get paid for them. I can guarantee there are no hidden strings and no law has been broken. We just desperately need to find a place the horses will be treated well."
It was odd; at least it sounded odd. "What's your friend's name?" Heath figured if no law was being broken then there was no harm in asking.
Henry only hesitated a moment and then answered, "A young woman a few miles out of Rockville by the name of Catraoine O'Brian, but she goes by the name of Cat."
Heath sat straight up as he remembered the young woman from the auction. Why would a young woman who had gone to the trouble of buying a horse be trying to find homes for all her horses, even if it meant giving them away? His curiosity was piqued enough to ask, "Who are you going to have deliver the horses if I agree to buy them?" 'If I agree…' it was all he could do to make himself say those words. Nick was supposed to do things like this, not him. He wished those blasted Pinkertons, or somebody, would hurry up and find the man, or at least what had happened to him!
Henry sighed. "I'd go back and help Cat bring them here, unless I get back and she has someone else. You'd have them in a couple weeks at the most."
"Alright." Heath stood up. "If you run into trouble, wire me. I'm thinking to go down that way in a couple of weeks, after I get this cast off my foot, but I'll pay for them, no need for her to just give them away."
Henry smiled and stood up. "Cat will be happy to hear I've found a place for the horses." He led Marie out of the house and headed back in the direction they'd come.
Henry looked from Cat to Patrick. "I didn't know you had your cousin here with you, but I can still help move the horses if you'd like." He wasn't going to just turn his back on their friend.
"No need for you to be goin'." Cat smiled at Maria, the woman was showing a condition of her own. "Me and Patrick can be takin' them. If you'll be kindly to be sendin' a wire to this bloke, 'eath Barkley," she too remembered the name, but wasn't going to tell Henry that, "tell 'im me and Patrick'll be deliverin' the horses."
Henry smiled as he and his wife turned to leave. "Will do, Cat."
Once her friends were gone, Cat smiled at Patrick. "See, I told you last night, I 'ad a feelin' we'd not be 'avin' to worry 'bout you movin' back into the 'ouse."
Patrick grinned and, on impulse, kissed her on the forehead. "Remind me never to argue with your feelings again."
As startled as she was to have him kiss her on the forehead, she couldn't help but grin at what he'd said. "See that you don't." She was laughing as she said the words. Before long, the two of them started planning the route they'd take to get the horses to the Barkleys.