Nzie
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
Nick sat at his desk
reading the paper, his feet propped up on the corner as he leaned comfortably
in the high backed, leather chair. It had been a long day as he and the boys
mustered those wild mustangs, but they managed it expertly and corralled them
in the temporary corral in the field, waiting for the army to pick them up in
the morning. He smiled to himself as he turned the page and thought about the
lucrative new deal. He had disregarded Jarrod’s warnings and patted himself on
the back for his brilliant scheme.
* * * * * * * *
There she was,
lovely as ever in a resplendent, deep blue silk gown complementing her
strawberry blonde hair. The sapphire earrings accentuated her long neck and the
matching necklace showed off the low neckline.
“Oh, Nick,” she said, “they’re beautiful! They must have cost you a fortune. I
can’t accept these.”
“Now, now, of course you can. The cost is nothing compared to the lady who’s
wearing them.”
“You’re sure you can spare the cost? My, they are lovely. Oh, thank you, Nick!
You’re so sweet.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss....... He sat up
abruptly from the leather back chair. “Must’ve fallen asleep....”
* * * * * * * *
Heath rode past the
south field on his way into town. All those horses--where were the hands? They
couldn’t be broken yet, could they? Had the Army been delayed or something? Why
on earth were they just sitting there?
* * * * * * * *
“I’ll take them both, Zeke.”
“Both, Nick? The necklace and the earrings? Sure? Must be some lady.”
“She is, Zeke. She surely is.”
Nick waited while Zeke wrapped them. Paying the man, he walked out of the
store. Heath saw him from across the street and waved to stop him before waling
over.
“Hey, Nick,” he began. “Say, you plannin’ on doin’ anything with those horses
in the south field? Isn’t the Army coming Saturday? It’s already Monday, ya
know. How’re you gonna get ‘em broke?”
“Who said anything about breaking them?” Nick replied nonchalantly. “Hey, what
do you think about these?” He opened up the box for Heath to see. Heath pushed
his hat back on his head.
“Whew-ee, Nick. How’d ya ever get the money for those?”
“Don’t worry. It’s taken care of. In fact, I’ve been thinking about getting a
new saddle, too.”
“Who’s the lucky lady?”
“Miss Charlotte Ames.”
“Nice work, big brother. I gotta get back to the ranch. See ya later.”
“Right; see ya.”
* * * * * * * *
He’s gonna try an’
sell ‘em without breakin’ ‘em?! He’s gotta be nuts! What in tarnations is he
tryin’ to pull? I gotta talk to Jarrod.
* * * * * * * *
“Oh, Nick, it’s you. Please, come in.”
“Thank you, Charlotte.”
“Please, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee, cookies...?”
“No, thank you. I-I have something for you. Here,” he handed her the package.
Charlotte unwrapped it slowly and gasped in surprise.
“Nick, these are beautiful! Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
“Why don’t you put them on, see how they look?”
“Will you latch the necklace?”
“Gladly. Do you need a mirror for the earrings?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t wear earrings; my ears aren’t pierced. Do you mind,
Nick? Here, you can take them back. The set cost too much, anyway.”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine. The necklace is the more important piece, anyway, and
I like your ears just fine the way they are.”
“Oh, you are sweet!”
* * * * * * * *
“Here, Audra,” Nick said.
“What’s this? Oh, they’re lovely! How sweet of you! Thank you so much, Nick!
They’re beautiful. I’ll go put them on right now.” She gave him a hug and
skipped up the stairs.
“Funny, Nick, I coulda sworn you said those were for Miss Ames.”
“Heath, well...”
“The lovely Miss Ames does not have her ears pierced, does she, Nick?” Jarrod
prodded. “How did you not notice? I thought I’d caught you nibbling on them
once or twice.”
“Jarrod, you hold it right there! I-I...I’m going to bed. G’night.”
* * * * * * * *
“What’s up, Heath?”
“I need to ask you a what-if.”
“A what-if. Hmmm. Go ahead.”
“What exactly would happen if someone tried to pass off unbroken horses for
broken ones on a deal that’s already been made?”
“The legal ramifications would be terrible. He’d be up for lawsuits, others
could accuse him of doing that to them whether it’s true or not, his reputation
as a businessman would suffer irreparable harm. The consequences are terrible.
You don’t mean.....?”
“That’s what I thought would happen. Thanks.”
“Is Nick up to something like this after I specifically told him it was a bad
idea?”
“Goodnight, Jarrod.”
* * * * * * * *
He rose early and
worked late all that week. He had to get his regular work done as well as the
work added from Nick’s crazy scheme. For his part, Nick hadn’t even noticed
anything and hadn’t even looked at the horses with more than a passing glance.
Rain was poor weather for breaking horses, but Saturday was only a few hours
away and he needed to finish this one last one. Nick had only seen that one was
broken as the demonstration mount. That left nineteen to Heath to make sure
they didn’t lose the deal or their reputations.
He lowered himself from the fence to the saddle. The mustang was still for a
prolonged moment and then bucked for all he was worth. Heath tried to meld
himself to the horse’s movements. In unison, they twisted, reared up, struck
the ground fiercely and then rubbed against the fence posts. Despite his
soreness, Heath clung on for all he was worth. Suddenly, they were still again.
The last horse was broken and it was time to go home before another long day.
* * * * * * * *
“Here, Colonel, try this bay,” Nick offered,
leading him to the already saddled horse.
“Fine looking animal, Nick, as usual.”
Heath rode up and dismounted just as the colonel was about to sink his foot in
the stirrup.
“Nick, I’m surprised at you. Colonel, you really ought to try that one over
there. This one isn’t right for you. He’s too small. Try that one. The black.
Isn’t he a beaut?”
“You know, son, I believe I will. I’ll just saddle him up myself and try ‘im.”
“Uh, Colonel....Well, Heath, I believe you can, uh, handle the rest of this.
I’ve got to go check on the or---”
”There ya go again, Nick,” Heath said as he hooked his brother by the arm.
“Ought not leave before you see how well they do from your hard work.”
“What are you doing?!” Nick whispered harshly. “I told you they weren’t broke!
What’s gonna happen to him when he gets on that horse?”
* * * * * * * *
He could see it all.
The colonel mounts up. He’s thrown almost immediately. The newspapers go haywire,
their reputation is ruined. They lose the house, Mother and Audra are homeless,
and he, Jarrod and Heath are drifters. And all because of a crazy, hairbrained
scheme......
* * * * * * * *
“Well, Nick, these are better than usual,”
the Colonel complimented. “Ya know, someone actually tried to sell us unbroken
horses before. Can you imagine? Takes a special kinda fool ta try that. Well,
we’ll be leavin’ now. Nice doin’ business with ya.”
“So long, Colonel,” Nick called out as they left. He turned to Heath, puzzled.
“How did that happen?”
“How much did ya make on this deal? I won’t charge ya for the jewelry.” Heath
held out his hand. Nick opened his wallet.
“Heath....? How.....?”
“Just give it to me.” Nick placed the money in his hand. “Let’s go into town for
some beers.” Nick still looked dumbfounded. “Alright, I’ll buy. Now get on your
d---ed horse, Nick.”
“Huh? Oh. Yeah. Whatever you, uh, say. How....?”
“Just leave it be, Nick. Just leave it be.”
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