Nick sighed in frustration; it had been three days of searching for another attorney to handle the ranch business but they all turned down the rancher. He didn't think he was asking too much of them since they would be getting paid rather handsomely but they did. All of them laughed at Nick's demands telling him he was a fool if he thought someone would be at his beck and call twenty four hours a day.

More than anything Nick hated to lose let alone admit he was wrong. And he had been wrong on so many levels. He put his feet on the desk and looked at the stack of paperwork in front of him. The mining contracts were looming ever closer and they had not even started to work on them yet. Nick picked up one of the contracts and knew it must have had at least thirty pages if not more.

His mother for her part seemed to really enjoy doing the accounting and bookkeeping and was showing Audra how to do the books as well. Heath was working non-stop getting ready for the upcoming cattle drive and it looked like Nick would be missing it unless he figured something out quickly. Jarrod had been in San Francisco for the last week in business meetings according to his mother. Nick suspected otherwise but did not say anything as his mother was still very angry with Nick.

He had to admit he missed his eldest brother. Jarrod had only been in San Francisco for a little over a week but according to the wire his mother had received he would be returning home in a few days. He needed his big brother in the worst kind of way but Nick would never admit that. Jarrod knew Nick better than anyone else but lately the brothers had not been as close as they use to be.

It started when Jarrod announced he would no longer be handling the ranch business. Nick never realized how much Jarrod actually done until then. He had always picked at his oldest brother about his lily white hands and dusty law books but now he wished he was here. Jarrod had the patience of Jobe in dealing with all the demands of handling the ranch business dealings.

When his mother had revealed her findings of Jarrod never paying himself or reimbursing his expenses it unnerved Nick. At first Nick couldn't understand why it bothered him but it did. When their father had been killed Jarrod easily stepped into the role of the family patriarch and never once complained. In the beginning Nick had leaned heavily on Jarrod to help him run the ranch but once Nick got his bearings he continued to let Jarrod handle the ranch business.

Nick never felt bad about Jarrod's contribution to the ranch since he didn't do any of the physical work. From time to time Jarrod would help out with cattle drives, round ups or mending fences and each time Nick would tease him unmercifully. Jarrod would take the teasing in stride never once getting angry or upset. And on certain occasions he would pick at his own lack of help around the ranch.

But now Nick knew what he needed to do; apologize to his oldest brother and make things right again. And to be honest Jarrod's only request to continue doing the ranch business was that it was to be done while he was at his office during business hours which was not asking too much.

Victoria entered the study and saw Nick sitting at the desk. "Working on the contracts?" She asked as she pointed to the desk.

Nick smiled and answered, "I guess you could say that."

Victoria frowned at Nick and asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Nick got up and kissed his mother on the forehead, "That I need to apologize to Jarrod. I never realized how much he actually did around the ranch."

Victoria smiled at Nick and said, "I'm glad to hear that Nicholas. When are you going to talk to him?"

"Depends. How long will he be in San Francisco?"

Victoria frowned as she thought about that. One of Audra's friends told her they had seen Jarrod out several times with a certain young lady. Based on the description of that lady Victoria knew it was the same young woman that owned the Pool Emporium although she wondered why that lady was in San Francisco. Victoria did not know anything about the young lady and was curious what the story was.

Jarrod never talked about his lady friends and only brought home a few to meet the family. It had been a shock when he came home with Beth announcing they had eloped in Denver. It had been a whirlwind romance and this was something she suspected Nick would do, not Jarrod the one who thought through everything before he did anything.

She hadn't gotten a chance to know Beth since she was killed only two days after they had arrived in Stockton. Jarrod had been eaten up with grief, rage, anger, revenge and Victoria suspected guilt. Not that Jarrod would ever admit to that but she suspected the guilt is what drove him to go after Cass Hyatt. Thankfully Nick and Heath had found him in time before he killed Hyatt but it took Jarrod a very long time after that to resemble the man he used to be.

He literally threw himself into his work at both of his law practices and then coming home to tend to the ranch business. When he wasn't working he would find solace in a scotch bottle. Victoria wasn't sure what exactly had brought Jarrod out of his depression but finally he seemed to be coming around to the old Jarrod.

"Mother?" Nick called.

"Hmmm?"

"Did you hear me?"

"No I'm sorry what did you say?"

Nick frowned at his mother and said, "Do you know when Jarrod is coming home?"

"No I don't. All he said in his last letter was that the meetings were going successfully well and he would be home in a few days."

Nick sighed as he answered, "Oh." The contracts for the mines needed to be looked at sooner rather than later and he could not wait for Jarrod to come home.

"Nicholas are you apologizing to your brother because of the mining contracts or do you really mean it?"

Nick sighed as he answered, "Does it really matter? I was wrong and I need Jarrod."

Victoria sighed at Nick's admission. That he wanted to apologize was a step forward but the reasoning behind it bothered her. "Nicholas, it does matter. I know you have met with several other attorney's and they all turned you down so are you seeking out your brother because he is the only one left?"

Nick turned away from this mother, "The ranch needs him." He poured a whiskey and gulped it down. "It doesn't matter why I'm apologizing all that matters is that I'm admitting I was wrong."

"Nicholas..."

Nick interrupted his mother, "Mother please."

Victoria sighed as she talked, "Do you need Jarrod or does the ranch need Jarrod?"

Nick frowned at his mother and asked, "We both need him and I...well I miss him and I know you miss him too." Nick put his glass down and said, "I'm going to San Francisco and talk to big brother and see if I can't make things right." Nick walked out.

Victoria sat down and pondered Nick's words. She knew how important family was to Nick but she had her doubts as to why Nick wanted to apologize to Jarrod and hoped Nick would not make things worse between the brothers.