I do NOT own The Big Valley nor any of the original Big Valley characters. Thanks to my Beat Reader, though all mistakes are my own. *On the other site I inserted a paragraph and combined chapter 17 and18.

End of the Rainbow

Chapter Eighteen

"Hey!" Audra laughed as flour flew through the air and landed onto her head. She had ridden over to see Cat, as Patrick was off working with Heath and the rest of the men. Okay, truth be told, she'd overheard her brother telling Jarrod and Heath he was concerned about leaving Cat alone, but that "That gal is far too stubborn to ask for company." Well, if Cat was too stubborn to ask, Audra figured she could be stubborn enough to make sure the young woman had company and had been begun making regular visits, when Patrick and Cat weren't over at the main house.

"I told you I be a mess in the kitchen!" Cat laughed as she and Audra continued with the baking. "It was kind of you to be comin' over for a visit." Cat quit laughing as she looked upon the blond hair gal that stood on the other side of the table. "I appreciate it." She did too. It was felt good to have some female companionship at times.

Audra, wanting to know just what had caused Nick's amnesia, but not daring to go against her mother's wishes, found a back door to the question and opened it up. "How did you meet Patrick? The two of you seem so right together."

Cat's smile left her face and she grew quiet. Naturally, the young woman would be curious and feel free to ask such a question. After all, hadn't she become a good friend? "'e showed up one day at me 'ouse, beaten up and shot." She wasn't surprised at the shocked looked that came upon the young woman's face as she, Cat, began relating the events of that not so distant day. "'e 'ad to 'ave a name, so I gave 'im one. 'e stayed around out of kindness to me and me 'orses." Cat's smile returned and her eyes lit up. "Somewhere between the mercy we both be givin' each other, love came about."

Audra looked at Cat and cautiously asked, "What about his family? If someone could tell him who he was and all about his past, wouldn't he like to know?" She figured there was no harm in asking the question.

Cat shook her head. "If you be wantin' to know that, ask 'im." As much as she liked the young woman, Cat wasn't about to discuss all the private conversations she'd had with Patrick with her. "Now," she said as she laughed and put the cookies in the oven, "we best be getting' this 'ere kitchen cleaned up. Patrick don't care none to see a dirty kitchen the moment 'e sets 'is foot in the door." Personally, she thought having the kitchen placed in such a manner as to be seen from the front door was stupid. If she had more time, she'd have insisted on building their own house, with the kitchen hid away in some corner.

Audra and Cat may have been having the times of their lives, but Heath and Patrick were not. "Looks like someone's been cutting your fence lines." Patrick stood next to the fence next to Heath, McCall and Jimmy, unsettled as he realized how angry he felt that someone was doing such a thing to the Barkleys. Maybe, just maybe, Cat had a point when she'd said, 'You belong 'ere, somehow, I feel it. You should be askin' questions, you should.' If he felt this strongly about the Barkleys, and the threat someone posed to them, maybe he should seriously consider making it his permanent home. After all, Mrs. Barkley and her family had made it quite clear he was more than welcome to stay in the small house for as long as he wanted.

"Been a long time since we had any problem with anyone." McCall spoke to Heath, but kept an eye on the man he couldn't stop thinking of as boss. "You think those McQueen boys are up to no good again?" 'Those McQueen boys were sons to one of most decent men in Stockton; only trouble was, he was seldom home and it was having a negative effect upon his two youngest boys. The two boys were constantly doing what they could to cause someone a headache.

"Let's hope so; after all, if it's them, it'll be easy enough to deal with," Heath said as he looked at his brother. If he included him in the decisions made, maybe it would stir something around in him. "What do you want to do? Fix this fence line or go up with us to the north pasture?"

Patrick was caught off guard. Since when did a hired hand get a choice of what to do? If anything, why wasn't he asking McCall or Jimmy? After all, from the sounds of it, the men had worked for the family for years. He looked at the men; they showed no hint of any resentment at not being asked first. In fact, they were acting as if it was normal. "If you're saying I have a choice," Patrick answered, "I'll fix the fence line." He would have opted to go to the north pasture, but he could see the house Cat and he were living in from where he stood. If he fixed the fence line, he could keep an eye on the house too.

Heath saw his brother glance in the direction of his home and easily guessed the reason. As he surveyed the fence, Heath had an idea. "If they've cut this part of the fence, there's a chance they've cut other parts of it. Jimmy, why don't you stay and help Patrick? McCall and I can head to the north pasture."

"Yes, sir, be glad to," Jimmy answered as he and Patrick started in on the fence.

Once McCall knew they were far away there was no way either men could hear them, he asked, "Is anyone ever going to tell Nick the truth?" He hated going around treating the man like one of the regular ranch hands. The man had run the ranch for too many years to do that.

The question shot a thousand arrows into the very center of Heath. "Not without going against Mother's wishes. Let's go see if anything else has been tampered with," Heath said as he spurred Charger forward. He had no desire to talk about something he felt he had no control over. By nightfall Heath was back at the main house while 'Patrick' was standing on the porch of his home.

Cat walked up and stood beside him. "What be on your mind, cowboy?" She laid her hand on his arm. He had such a troubled look on his face; it worried her.

He had to give her a slight smile. She'd given him the nickname of cowboy the moment she'd seen how well he'd handled the horses. "Someone's trying to cause trouble for the Barkleys' and I don't' like it." His eyes narrowed as he spoke and his voice grew hard. He knew it was more than that, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe, that was making it worse, not knowing why he felt so strongly he had to be there for the Barkleys.

"I be right." Cat turned around and leaned up against the railing. "There besomethin' 'ere and with the Barkleys for you. You feel it too." She could see it in his eyes.

"Yes." He finally admitted what his gut had known from the beginning. "There's something here, but what?" He'd tried and tried to figure it out, but finally given up, as it only made his head start hurting immensely.

"There be only one family be answerin' that for you," she answered as she slid her arms up his chest and around his neck, "the Barkleys. I told you before and I be tellin' you now, ask 'em, or I can." She would too; if it gave him a peace of mind, she was willing.

"No," Patrick told her as he pulled her close and held her tight, "if, and when, anyone does the asking it will be me." At that moment, he found himself not wanting to dwell on who he might be, who might be causing the trouble or when he'd be losing his wife-that was something that was always in the corner of his mind as she seemed to getting tired more easily and going to bed earlier. With the various sounds of the night playing their music to the couple standing in the dark, Patrick whispered, "May I have this dance?" Cat simply held on and let him take the lead.