Nick sat at Harry's Saloon as he waited for the three pm train going to San Francisco. He thought his mother would have been happier that he was going to see Jarrod and make amends to him. She was worried about Nick's reasoning for going. Nick would apologize to Jarrod if that's what it took to get him back but he would not admit any wrongdoing. Nick sipped his beer as he patiently waited for the train.

Phil Archer entered Harry's Saloon looking for him and was pleasantly surprised to find him so easily. He had heard the rumors around town that Jarrod was no longer handling the family business and that Nick Barkley had talked to a few attorney's to see about hiring them. Phil was not shocked that Nick had not talked to him given his and Jarrod's rather ominous past. But he planned on using that to his advantage.

Phil looked around the saloon and sighed inwardly; this was not his preferred place to visit but he knew Nick Barkley was a regular.

Nick looked at Phil Archer as he approached the bar and frowned at him. Nick did not care for Archer after he had Heath arrested for murder. Jarrod was able to clear Heath of all charges and while Jarrod and Heath had mended fences with Archer, Nick had not. He never liked Archer or trusted him.

"May I have a whiskey please?" Archer asked Harry.

Harry looked at Archer and thought he could not afford to turn down any business. He sighed as he turned his back and got a whiskey bottle and glass and poured Phil a drink. He was going to take away the bottle but Archer grabbed his hand and said, "Leave it, please."

Nick watched the exchange between Harry and Archer and wondered what Archer was doing in here. He had never seen him in here before. He decided it was none of his business; he had to figure out what to say to his brother once he got to San Francisco.

Archer lifted the bottle and asked, "Would you like to join me for a drink Barkley?"

Nick eyed Archer and wondered what he was up to. However Nick was never one to turn down a free drink and he still had an hour to kill before the train left. "Sure."

"Could you please get Barkley a glass?" Archer asked Harry very politely.

Harry frowned but got the glass and put it in front of Nick. Archer filled Nick's glass and offered a toast. "To your health Barkley."

Nick drank to the toast and placed his glass back down as he wiped his mouth. "Thank you Archer." Nick turned back to nurse his beer.

Archer inwardly sighed; this may be a little harder than he originally thought. "I heard you have been looking for an attorney? Is there anything I could possibly assist you with?"

Nick coughed into his beer and said, "I don't think so."

"I'm an attorney," Archer replied as he sipped his drink.

Nick glared at Archer and spat, "I'm fully aware that you're an attorney."

Archer sighed and said, "Very well. I can only offer my services." Archer walked to a table with his bottle and glass. He knew he was taking a chance but based on what he had heard he thought he a decent chance to get this job.

Nick sighed as he sipped his beer. He had talked to two or three attorneys and gotten fed up with their legal mumble jumble. He knew Archer had went to school with Jarrod and at one time they were friends. Although they were no longer friends they weren't enemies either. He often wondered what had caused the friendship to fracture.

Nick looked over his shoulder at Archer and thought it couldn't hurt to talk to the man. He had an hour to kill after all. Nick grabbed his glass and walked over to Archer's table. Nick pointed to the chair and asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not Barkley."

"Ah well you can start off by calling me Nick."

Archer smiled and said, "Very well Nick. You may call me Phil."

Nick grunted, "Well then why does my brother call you Archer?"

Archer smirked, "He started it in college and he knows I do not care for it." Archer hated to be called by his last name and always had. But it was something Jarrod Barkley had started in college and unfortunately it had stuck. "I have asked him numerous times to stop it but he continues."

Nick huffed, "Sounds like something he would do." Nick knew Jarrod could be pompous when he wanted to be and he could see his older brother purposely goading Archer.

"If it's all the same to you I would rather not discuss your brother," Archer smirked.

Nick chuckled, "Fine with me."

Archer poured another drink for him and Nick. "What brings you into the bustling town of Stockton in the middle of the day? Don't you have a ranch to run?"

Nick grunted as he replied, "Business, unfortunately."

"I thought your brother took care of the Barkley business."

Nick huffed as he downed his whiskey, "Not any longer. Not only do I have to run the ranch but now I have to take care of the business portion of it." Nick poured another shot of whiskey and downed it as well.

Archer looked at Nick and knew he was upset with Jarrod for whatever reason. But he knew this was his opportunity. If he could convince Nick to hire him as the Barkley's attorney it would help his career almost certainly. He just had to be careful how he approached him. "I'm sorry to hear that Nick. I would imagine running a ranch is a full time job coupled with handling any business that comes up well that is more than one man can handle."

Nick agreed, "It is. And trying to find an attorney willing to take over such a large task has been well...impossible." Nick took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. "And now I have to go to San Francisco and get my brother to come back and admit he was right and I was wrong."

Archer looked at Nick and said, "From experience apologizing to your brother is not a very pleasant task. He can be a very pompous ass when he wants to be."

"Tell me about it." Nick huffed.

Archer offered a toast, "To apologizing."

Both men laughed as they drank.

Nick looked at Archer and said, "So what are you doing these days Phil?"

"Not much thanks to your brother." Nick frowned at Phil's statement. "Apparently everyone around here wants the famous San Francisco attorney to be their lawyer. Pretty hard to compete with that."

"Didn't think there was that much lawyering that needed to be done around here."

"You'd be surprised Nick. After all weren't you looking for an attorney a few days ago?"

Nick chuckled, "Never looked at it that way." Nick looked at Archer and wondered if...nah, he couldn't do that to his family, could he? Archer did apologize to Jarrod and Heath and as far as he knew his mother and Audra never had a problem with him. It would certainly save him a trip and he wouldn't have to apologize to his older brother. Maybe...

"Nick?" Archer called him.

"Hmmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah I was just thinking. Say do you have any plans? I mean maybe we could talk business in your office." Nick asked.

"I thought you had a train to catch?"

"Well now that depends on how the meeting goes, doesn't it?"

Archer smiled as he got up and went to pay the bar bill.

"You hired who?" Victoria asked.

"Phil Archer," Nick said proudly.

"I thought you were going to talk to your brother."

"Changed my mind. Besides he agreed to my conditions and the money was right. Now Jarrod can continue on with whatever it is he has been doing." Nick kissed Victoria's cheek as he walked out.

Victoria wondered how Jarrod would react to hearing Nick had hired Phil Archer as the family attorney. She knew they had been friends in college but now they were merely acquaintances at best. She wondered if Nick hired Phil Archer just to upset his brother.

Victoria was not sure when Jarrod would be home since he had been busy with meetings in San Francisco and Sacramento. She was not sure how Jarrod would react to the news of Nick hiring Phil Archer to be the family attorney. Only time would tell.