Chapter Four

Previously:

Heath nodded in understanding then asked if Nick minded telling him what she had done for him that made it so he'd told her to go by Mrs. Barkley – if she felt it was urgent enough and needed him.

Nick took a deep breath and shook his head. "Sorry, I mind." He fell silent as he continued eating.

Heath might have pressed him to talk only there were memories he, himself, had never-and would never-share with anyone. That being the case, he continued eating and said nothing more.

The moment the train pulled into the station, Nick and Heath wasted no time getting off. They made their way through the myriad of people who had either gotten off the train as well or were standing around waiting for those same passengers. Before long they were also getting their horses off the animal cars and riding way from the station. Once they'd left their horses at the livery stable and talked to the young man who worked with the horses- they walked further into town. "Where are we going to start looking for your 'wife'?" Heath asked as he stepped to his right-in order to avoid a young man who wasn't looking where he was going as he ran past the two Barkley brothers.

Nick thought a moment then surprised Heath. "We're not." He stepped up onto the boardwalk that ran past some of the businesses that stood on the main street through Carson City.

Heath stopped in his tracks and stared at Nick. "What do you mean? What did you run down here…"

Nick interrupted his blonde-haired brother. "We're going to walk around, go to places like a cafe and a few stores. Whoever is using my name- whether it be Chelsie or someone else- they'll get wind of it-especially if we make sure to mention our names. Though, we'll have to do it in such a way to make it appear natural." Nick told him, making sure he was talking uncharacteristically low-even as he was growling. "I feel like a fish out of water doing it this way. I want to just start tearing one place after another apart until we find out what's going on."

Heath, who had been surprised at the first part that came out of his hot tempered brother's mouth, couldn't help but grin. That last part sounded more like the Nick he knew. "Why aren't you then?" Even as he asked the question, he found the answer. "Chelsie," he spoke even quieter than he normally did. "If it's Chelsie, you don't want to risk putting her in harm's way—even if we don't know what that would entail."

Nick gave a slight nod of his head. "I owe her, Heath. I have to find out what's going on without revealing the truth about our relationship. And the truth coming out now would put her in danger. If it wouldn't, she wouldn't be passing herself off as my wife-nor would she have made sure Adam spoke to me about her." Nick then stopped speaking so softly. "I could use a bite to eat. That meal on the train was hours ago."

Heath rolled his eyes. It hadn't been that long since they'd eaten only he wasn't going to start debating that issue. "There's a cafe right up the street, the name on the sign is the one the stable employee told us about." Heath pointed to a sign that hung on a pole, outside a building that stood roughly a hundred yards from them. "Think they can handle feeding two Barkleys?"

Nick chuckled. "I think you're insinuating they might have a hard time feeding this Barkley." He thrust his thumb into his own chest.

Heath might have made a remark back only, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a balding gentleman who wore the clothes of a preacher and a silver haired woman standing not five feet from Nick and he. The couple were in front of a store that said Carson Mercantile on it. He might not have noticed them only when he and Nick said their last name, the woman had stiffened slightly-and the man had restrained her from moving-which it looked as if she was going to.

"Think we best head to that cafe." Heath looked at Nick, his eyes telling Nick that he had seen something.

Nick, who had seen the same thing as Heath, said nothing as he made a beeline for the cafe.

"One of them has got to be her husband." Mrs. Alder looked at her husband of forty years.

"Maybe, but don't you think we best tell her? I mean, why approach two men who may very well have the luck of simply sharing her husband's last name?" Reverend Alder looked at his wife as if to ask if she was going to disagree.

"Still want to know what kind of man sends his wife to a town by herself. It isn't right." Mrs. Alder looked in the direction that Nick and Heath had taken. Truth was, 'Mrs. Barkley' had been working for the Alders in exchange for room and board-until her husband reached Carson City. Mrs. Alder liked the young woman (anyone under sixty was young in her book) and she had hated the idea that Mrs. Barkley could have a bad apple for a husband.

The good reverend, who actually knew more than he was telling his wife, due to conversations he'd had with Mrs. Barkley-even though he got the strongest impression the woman wasn't telling him everything, chastised his wife. "We don't need to be passing judgment on anyone when we don't know all the details." He then reminded her that Mrs. Barkley had been kind enough to promise to have lunch ready for them by the time they got home. "I think we best get going."

"They know your 'wife'." Heath, who had stopped in front of the cafe turned and saw the couple walking by on the other side of the road.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Nick watched them as well. "Let's get inside, eat a bit and throw our names out a bit more."

"Sounds like we are on a fishing trip." Heath chuckled as he put his hand on the cafe door's handle.

"I thought we were." Nick chuckled as his brother opened the door and the two of them went inside.