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. *Jarrod's marriage from 'Days of Wrath' is mentioned in this chapter.

End of the Rainbow

Chapter Twenty-One

Heath stood next to the dock watching Patrick as he sat with his legs up on the crates he'd once again arranged into a 'couch'; he was tossing small stones into the river below. Once Heath had realized the man was heading towards Stockton, it hadn't been hard to figure out where he went. He made his way to his brother and, finding another empty crate, pulled it over and sat down on it, facing the river. He said nothing; he simply looked at the water and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Patrick, who had his eyes on the water spoke, "I swear she would have lived in it if she could."

Heath nodded slightly. "Nothin' like the smell of a good river!" He could almost hear Cat repeating the words as she had done on more than one occasion. "You two went good together."

Patrick tossed yet another pebble into the water. "She said she was the water and I was the land," he told Heath as the two of them watched the ripples appear below him, "I feel like a dried up desert. We didn't even get a year together." There was pain and anger in his voice.

Heath sighed; life wasn't always the way a person would like it to be. If it was, Eugene would have figured things out, Cat would be alive and Jarrod would have been able to answer all the questions Patrick might have meant to ask him. Now, Heath wondered how soon his brother would be asking them anything. "I ain't never been married myself." Heath picked up a small pebble near his feet and threw it into the water. "But if you ever need anyone to talk to, go to Jarrod. He was married once, but she was killed a week after they got married."

Patrick swung his legs around and sat straight up, shock on his face. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "A week? What the blazes happened!"

Heath shrugged his shoulders and turned around. "A man meant to shoot my brother and missed. Jarrod went crazy with grief, went after the man." He paused then continued, "Well, let's just say he came close to killing the man with his bare hands."

Patrick shook his head as he said, "It's amazing he didn't." He stood up and walked down to the end of the pier, Heath followed him. The sound of the running water seamed to reach up and do what it could to sooth his broken heart.

The sound of the water floated up and rested upon Patrick, as if it was doing its best to sooth his grieving heart. After what felt like a good five minutes, Patrick started speaking. "Like I said before, Cat gave me the name of Patrick Barnes." Patrick closed his eyes and then opened them. "She, no we, always felt there was something familiar about the ranch." He turned to Heath, he could not tell what the man was thinking. "Jarrod said I used to give the orders instead of McCall."

"You did," Heath answered as he kept his eyes on the river; he didn't dare look into his brother's eyes. He was afraid he'd betray his mother's wishes if he did. As it was, Heath felt as someone had a hold of each arm and was pulling as hard as they could in both directions.

Inwardly, Patrick cursed. He wanted to remember things on his own, but every time he tried his head felt as if it was going to split right open. Well, that wasn't quite true. There was one thing that had been pressing on his mind for some time and didn't cause it to hurt. He about jumped when he heard Cat asking, "What you be waitin' for Patrick? Ask 'im 'bout it!"

Seeing his brother's face pale a bit, Heath hurried to make sure he was all right. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He hoped so.

Patrick shook his head. "Probably not, but," he looked at Heath and asked, "Who's Nick?"

A crooked smile appeared upon Heath's face as he answered, "You."

Patrick started a bit. His face showed his astonishment. It was his name? Feeling a bit unsettled, he headed back for the crates. Heath followed, but said nothing as his brother sat back down on the crates looking as if he didn't know which way to go. While he appreciated Heath's concern, Patrick no longer felt like having any company. "Just leave me alone for right now, please." He picked up a pebble and threw it into the water. "Don't worry; unless you're gonna fire me, I still know the way to the ranch."

As much as Heath disliked the idea of his brother being alone; he understood. "No one's sending you anywhere. The door's always open. You're welcome to come in anytime," Heath said as he turned and headed for Charger.