Chapter Seventeen

Heath and the men with him rode as fast as they could…without kicking up any dust and alert anyone who might be watching that someone was coming. Needless to say, it wasn't as fast as Heath wanted. As they continued passing by trees and various bushes and rocks, Heath's mind went to the conversation Nick had had with him and the men with them after the sheriff had left. It was a conversation that Heath was sure Fred would have had heart failure if he'd been around to hear it.

"Are you kiddin', Nick?" Heath and the men with him looked at his brother; the concern he felt was in his eyes and in his voice.

"I know the area around Shadow Hill like the back of my hand." Nick told him as he grinned at McColl, who was also grinning; the long time foreman knew all about Nick's adventures in that area. "Yes, there's a number of places that would leave most people exposed to anyone who might be watchin'. Only there's also a number of hidden passages in that area; that is, places that ain't what they seem to be from a distance. Junction Pond might not have those kinds of passages, but there's plenty of cover for you and your men as ya go through that area. Trust me, if I take a couple of the men and go to the Hamilton's cabin by the way of Shadow Hill, then the chances of flushing out anyone who might be hiding increases."

Heath had never been more torn in his life. What Nick said made sense, only it also raised the risk on their part; Heath was sure of that. He might have objected, only he could see how determined Nick was. "I could go by the way of Shadow Hill just as well as you."

"You could." Nick conceded, but then added, "Only one thing wrong with that… you and your men would be sitting ducks. You do not know the area like I do." He then leaned forward in his saddle and locked his eyes onto the men and his brother. "I'm taking the Shadow Hill area no matter what, Heath. However, I think the men should free to choose who of us they want to follow."

Again, Heath knew Nick spoke the truth. His brother did know the area around Shadow Hill the best, so he didn't fight him. When it came to the men, Heath wasn't about to argue. When the men starting deciding who they would go with, Heath wasn't surprised when McColl stayed with Nick; the man had worked for the rancher for too many years to do anything else. It didn't take long for the other men to choose.

Are you absolutely sure about this, Nick? The idea is to get Maggie away from them and stay alive at the same time." Heath leaned forward in his saddle as he spoke.

Nick nodded. "Something in my gut says both places needed to be covered. If I ignore that feeling and let it slide, somethin' could happen to your Maggie, and I couldn't live with myself." He then turned the tables on his brother and asked, "If it was me with a wife out there, and you had that feeling, would you keep quiet?" The look on his face as he spoke the words screamed for Heath not to tell him that was indeed the case.

Heath didn't have to think about that question as, truth be told, something in him had known the plans had needed to change…he just hadn't known how. "No, no I wouldn't." Heath threw a small lopsided grin towards his brother, as he put his hand upon Nick's shoulder. "I'll still tell you to be careful."

"You do the same." Nick returned the smile, praying for the best for both of them.

After ironing out a few more details, the two groups separated. Nick had four men with him; Heath had three. As Nick and his men left, he told Heath. "You'll see. Maggie will be freed, her cousins arrested, and then I'll race the two of you home."

"He'll be fine, Mr. Barkley." Jed, one of the newer hands, a recent transplant to California, saw the worry in his boss' eyes and did his best to assure Heath there was nothing to worry about when it came to Nick. "He's got McColl and the others with him. They'll keep him thinkin' straight."

Heath turned his head slightly and rolled his eyes, and fought to keep from chuckling. The nineteen year old red haired ranch hand had just proved how much of a green horn he was when it came to knowing any member of the Barkley family, including himself. His mind then turned to Maggie. Her smile, her sparkling eyes and the way she made him feel when the two of them would lay together, all of it continued to feed the drive in him to push forward and to get her back.

~oOo~

The noise in the convention hall was almost deafening as Jarrod hurried and made his way out into the hallway. He had continued to be plagued by concerns when it came to his brothers and the Hamiltons, even as he and his wife boarded the train out of Stockton. He thought he'd successfully pushed the matter out of his mind until one of the other attorneys started talking about land disputes he'd handled. Then Jarrod felt as if someone had taken their fist and hit him in the stomach as hard as they could.

"Jarrod?" Laura, who had been talking to one of the other attorney's wives, had seen her husband pale and his hurried exit. Instantly concerned, she had excused herself and went to find Jarrod. "What's wrong?"

What was wrong? Jarrod didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He also didn't k now exactly what to say. Laura already knew how uneasy he'd been after the two of them had bade his family goodbye at the train station, especially as he and his brothers had looked at each other and sent a silent 'remember I love you' to each other. However, she did not know that same uneasy feeling had never really left him.

Laura's concern grew when Jarrod did not answer right away. She thought maybe he was coming down sick. "Jarrod?" Laura knelt down to Jarrod, who was now sitting on a bench that sat against the wall. "What's going on?" She expected to hear anything from he was not feeling well to him telling her not to worry about it. However, she was shocked beyond measure when he turned his head and looked at her with sheer pain in his eyes. "We've got to go back to Stockton. Something has either happened or is going to happen." He sighed and then added, "Even if we get there after whatever's happened, I have to be there."

Laura knew her husband well enough to know he knew what he was talking about. Since he'd put "going to happen" into the phrase, she prayed their early return would prevent whatever it was that was so bad as to reach out and grab her husband. Even as she prayed for it, Laura got the same bad feeling Jarrod had. However, all she could do was wonder about it as she helped Jarrod to his feet and to the hotel room they'd been using. Within the hour they were on a train back to Stockton.