Chapter Seven

Fred was sitting behind his desk looking through various posters, when the front door opened. He turned his head to see Nick Barkley walking into the office. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see the famous rancher inside his office. Nick was making a habit of dropping in three or four times a week and checking to see if Fred had seen or heard anything. The lawman just wished there was something to tell the man that would satisfy him. Unfortunately, everyone who knew Nick Barkley, or any of the Barkleys for that matter, knew that unless he heard what he wanted to, Nick was going to keep checking in.

"Hello, Fred." Nick threw his hat down on the desk and sat down in the chair Fred kept nearby, for any visitors might drop in.

Fred leaned back in his own chair and studied Nick's face. It was obvious the long, hard hours Nick was putting in either with work on the ranch, keeping an eye on Maggie and Heath when he could (everyone knew he was doing that) and coming into town to check in with Fred, was depriving Nick of some sleep. If Fred thought giving the dark haired rancher a fatherly lecture would do any good, he'd have given Nick the lecture of a lifetime. As it was, he sighed and said, "I haven't seen Paul or Tyrell around, Nick. I really doubt they'll show up until the court date. When do you go to court over this situation?"

"Another month," Nick sounded disgusted. They were supposed to have had the hearing the day before, but the judge had had a family emergency come up and had the court secretary had rescheduled everything on his agenda.

"Nick," Fred leaned forward and, deciding to take a chance, gave his friend a shortened version of the lecture he wanted to give him. "You need to get some rest. Running yourself into the ground is not going to help your family. And," he said with a bit more force in his voice, "there's no guarantee the past will repeat itself. Even if it does, how will you be any good to anyone if you're dead on your feet?" Fred leaned back and waited for the explosion to come. He didn't have to wait long.

Nick jumped to his feet, his eyes blazing with fire, as he put both his hands on the sheriff's desk. "What do you want me to do?" Nick snapped, his voice carrying through the office and through the door that led to the cells where the prisoners kept. "Just sit around until Paul or Tyrell show up and put a bullet through me, or worse yet Heath or Maggie!"

"Nick! You will lower your voice when you're in this office!" Fred stiffened and snapped back, only not as loud. For a split second the two men held a hard glare with each other, and then Nick broke it when he backed off and sat down.

"I can't just stand by, Fred." Nick finally said as he rubbed his forehead. "As far as the law is concerned, Iris' brother killed her and was killed by me in self-defense. However," he leaned forward in his chair and said in his dangerously low, quiet voice, "I don't believe Paul and Tyrell didn't know about his plans when they sent him into town. They wanted all of Iris' family out of Stockton. I think they hoped he would kill Iris and myself and then, later, be hung for murder. They knew her family would leave town if something happened to even one member of their family." Nick stood up and walked over to the window that sat on the right side of the front door and then turned around. "My family and Maggie have something they want even more." He picked up his hat and put it on his head. "They might have waited this long, because they thought they'd be in court by now. Only, with this postponement," he said as he took a deep breath and continued, "mark my words, they will show up before the second court date. Whether or not they'll cause trouble is another matter; still, they'll be here." He turned and stalked out of the office.

Fred watched Nick until the rancher shut the door behind him, and then hit his fist on top of his desk. Paul and Tyrell Hamilton had been in, or around, Stockton just enough for the lawman to know there was a high chance that everything his friend had just said was true. If there was only something he could do, but there wasn't. As long as Paul and Tyrell had done nothing illegal, or until someone could prove the two men were already guilty of a crime, his hands were tied. Seeing how he had no prisoners at the moment, Fred stood up, picked up his hat and walked out the door. He had rounds to make.

~oOo~

Victoria walked out of the front door to see Heath driving towards the house in the surrey he'd used to pick Maggie up in and go on a Saturday afternoon picnic. He was spending more and more time with Maggie. Victoria didn't mind it; in fact, she hoped it meant an announcement would soon be made. However, it also concerned her as, like Nick, she feared the past might repeat itself. With her eyes on Heath as he drew closer to the house, her mind wandered back through time.

"No!" Nick stood in the living room dressed in his all black leather outfit fighting with his mother. "I told you! Iris and I found the evidence we need to clear her name! Now," his eye grew hard and his voice quiet, the kind of quiet that always scared those around him, even Victoria, "We're taking it to the sheriff ourselves and then we'll get married. And since," he snapped as he talked, "you've made it quite clear how you feel about her; we'll live in the guest house until we build our own home…somewhere in the area of the north pasture!" Nick turned and stormed out of the house leaving Victoria realizing, too late, she'd crossed lines and broken a bridge. She determined right then and there to make things right with Iris and Nick even if it took years to do it.

Victoria sighed as Heath drove through the gate and up to the house. With the trouble Paul and Tyrell had started when they hired an attorney, she wondered how wise it was for Heath and Maggie to get too close. Still, she bit her tongue. She'd never had a chance to make things right with Iris, and it had taken almost an entire year to make peace with Nick. As Heath climbed down from the buggy, Victoria promised herself that she wasn't going to make it so she had to worry about ironing things out with Heath and Maggie.