I do NOT own The Big Valley nor any of the original Big Valley characters. Thanks to my Beat Reader for all her help and to Martha for answering a lot of questions when it comes to California, towns, distances etc., and to Cynn and my sister for the hours they spent helping me get past the few walls I hit while writing this story.

*I don't know if Fred (the sheriff) was supposed to be married or not. I never have been able to catch that fact on you tube. So, if he's not? He is now, and he has children etc.

End of the Rainbow

Chapter Fifteen

Jarrod and Heath stood outside Fred's office talking to the lawman. Fred was still in shock the two had confirmed what he'd been hearing around town. "Yes, Fred, that's right." Jarrod shrugged his shoulders. "Mother doesn't want a word said to him. She's afraid of pushing him away and losing all contact with him."

Fred wasn't going to argue with him on that point. He knew how he felt about his own children and grandchildren. If something happened to one of them, he'd have felt the same way. "Will they be coming through town or straight out to the ranch?" He knew that part wasn't important; he was just curious.

Jarrod shook his head. "We don't really know. We need to get back to the ranch just in case they go straight there. We just wanted the word to get around, just in case. We'll see you later." Personally, he was praying the couple went straight to the ranch. He could come up with more than one name that might get some idea into their head if his brother showed up in town first.

"See you." Fred walked away leaving Jarrod and Heath to mount their horses and head back to the ranch.

"You got another telegram today." Heath made the statement after they left town. It caught Jarrod by surprise as he'd said nothing about the telegram to Heath.

"Julia say something to you?" Jarrod asked because the woman was known to talk, and she was running the telegraph office for a few days.

"No," Heath turned his head toward his brother and gave him a look that said 'I'm not stupid', "but you stopped telling people it might not be him. What does that telegram say?" It had to have held some news for Jarrod to drop the 'might not be' part.

Jarrod didn't answer for a moment; he was too busy chastising himself for not taking the time to stop and think Heath would catch onto the omission. "It was from the Pinkerton detective. He talked to people in Rockville, this time handing out Nick's description. Want to take a guess what the outcome was?"

Heath didn't have to guess. "We should have taken her up on her offer." He found himself angry to realize just how close they'd been to Nick the first time around.

Jarrod didn't want to see his brother beat himself up over something that they couldn't change; it wouldn't help them or him. "We didn't. There's no way to change that fact and useless to dwell on it. He's alive; that's the important part. We just have to find a way to keep him on the ranch once they get here." He hoped that by being on the ranch his brother would be given back his memories.

As they rode along, Jarrod remembered all the times Nick had been there for him, for Heath, for that matter, all the times he had been there for any of them. He also remembered the times the family had had to wait and hope the news Dr. Merar gave them would be good news. "We should have taken her up on her offer." Heath's words, just spoken, rang again in his ears. All he could do was sigh, as he was having a hard time not raking himself over the coals for not following that gut feeling he'd had to follow after her.

By the time they got back to the ranch, Victoria and Audra were outside talking to McCall. Jarrod and Heath dismounted their horses and joined the group. "They're not here yet?" Heath, seeing the concern on all their faces, assumed that was the case. He, himself, felt as if he was on a tightrope and getting ready to fall any moment. He just wanted his brother back and to get back to as normal as possible, considering everything.

"Not yet," Victoria answered as gave him a sympathetic smile, "but, they should be arriving soon. If it's him, we just need to give him all the support we can." She paused then sighed, "We give it without pressuring him to remember us."

Jarrod started to open his mouth to tell them what he'd confessed to Heath on the way home only to have McCall look like he'd seen a ghost and point towards the gate.

"If's he's not Nick," McCall stiffened, diverting the Barkley's attention toward the road leading up to the gate, "I reckon he's his twin."

The Barkleys felt both shock and pain run from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet as they could see 'Patrick Barnes' and Cat leading the horses toward the ranch.

"It's not his twin," Jarrod spoke softly as he steadied himself, "it's Nick." He handed the telegram to his mother as Heath hurried to open up the gate.