A/N: This is the first Big Valley story I ever wrote, and the first piece of writing I ever let anyone else read other than my BF in high school. Hope you enjoy.

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Nick Barkley took the stairs two at a time. The repairs to the corral had taken longer than expected and now he was going to be late. The new seedlings for the pear orchard were supposed to be on the noon train and he didn't want to leave them sitting at the station.

"Nick, are you heading into town?" A woman's voice came from the library. Nick turned as his elegant mother came towards him.

"Just about to go pick up the shipment for the orchard," he said.

Victoria smiled at him. "Could you do me a favour?" she asked.

Nick sighed. Last time he did a favour for his mother in town, he spent two hours trapped by Ellie Simpson at the dressmaker's while he waited for the jacket his mother had ordered to be ready. Boy, that girl could talk the hind leg off a mule! "Well, Mother, I do want to get those seedlings back before it gets too hot…" he started, but his mother continued.

"This shouldn't take long. I was to meet the new schoolteacher on the 12 o'clock train, but Mylie Sykes is down with a fever and I'd like to take her some soup and give her a hand," Victoria explained. "If you'd meet the new teacher and show her to Mrs. McDonald's boarding house, I would greatly appreciate it." She reached up and gave the tall cowboy a kiss on the cheek.

Nick sighed again. One just couldn't say no to one's mother. "Of course, Mother. What's her name?"

"A Miss Remington, I do believe. Thank you, Nick." Victoria smiled as she headed to the kitchen to prepare the soup for her ailing friend.

"If she talks as much as that Ellie Simpson…," Nick muttered as he left the house. At least the boarding house was only two blocks away from the train station. He headed to the stables where the wagon was waiting.

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Remington Kirk watched out the window as the California countryside sped past the train. Almost there. Her resolve quavered momentarily at the unknown trials before her and she briefly considered buying a ticket back to Philadelphia before even getting off the train. Then she recalled the circumstances surrounding her departure. No. Better off the imagined troubles before her than the nightmare she'd left behind. Besides, there was potential in Stockton, the potential of a better life and a renewed friendship.

"Next stop, Stockton!" the conductor cried. Remi took a deep breath and tried to prepare for her new life.

After leaving the train, Remi stood at the train station feeling a little lost. One of the school board members was supposed to meet her, but she saw no sign that anyone was waiting for her. She looked around one more time. Maybe the stationmaster could direct her to her accommodations and help her arrange to have her trunks sent over. She picked up her satchel and turned towards the ticket office.

Nick looked around the station platform. There, with her back to him was a red-headed woman he didn't recognize. Must be the new schoolteacher, he thought, might as well get this over with. He walked over to her as she picked up her bag and turned, running right into him.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry…" she started and looked up. "Nick?"

Nick looked down. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Red?" he exclaimed. The last time he had seen her, she was a gangly adolescent, certainly not the beautiful green-eyed woman standing in front of him. Could this really be the little sister of his old army buddy? "I don't believe it! Look at you, all growed up!" He picked her up in a giant bear hug. "How come you never wrote you were coming to Stockton?"

Remi laughed. "Put me down and let me breathe, cowboy! By the time I knew I was coming, I'd be here the same time as any letter I sent!"

Nick released her and became more serious. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to the funeral. When I got the news about Josh, it was too late to make it in time. I really wanted to be there for him…and you."

Remi smiled at him. Her brother's death had been hard on her and she knew how close he and Nick had been. She laid a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Nick," she said softly. "I understand…and so would he." Nick gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"So, Red, what brings you so far out West?" he asked. "Last I heard, you were teaching at some finishing school in Philadelphia." He paused. "Wait a minute. You ain't the new schoolteacher in town, are you?"

Nodding her head, Remi replied, "That I am. And someone was supposed to meet my train, but I think I've been forgotten."

Taking off his hat, Nick gave a gallant bow as he replied, "I apologize, Miss Kirk. On behalf of the Stockton School Board, I was asked to meet the new schoolteacher, one Miss Remington. However, it's sure not the first time someone mixed up your name and I don't think it'll be the last." She smiled ruefully as Nick picked up her bag and offered her his arm. "I was to help you take your things over to Mrs. McDonald's and then I insist you come out to the ranch for dinner."

Remi looked down at her dusty, travel stained clothing. Travelling across the country by rail was easier than by horseback or stagecoach, but it still left one's wardrobe worse for wear. And dinner at the Barkley Ranch, while probably not up to the standards of Philadelphia society, would certainly require more effort than she was willing to put in after a week's travel.

"If you'd just help me get my things to the boardinghouse, I'd greatly appreciate it, Nick," she said gratefully. "But could I take a rain check on dinner? Right now I'd just like a long bath, clean clothes and a good sleep in an actual bed."

Understanding, Nick replied, "Of course. But tomorrow night. And I won't take no for an answer."

"That sounds lovely, " Remi responded. An evening to rest, then dinner with her brother's best friend and his family. It sounded like a good introduction to a new town and a new life.

Nick got Remington settled at the boardinghouse, leaving her in the capable hands of Maggie McDonald. A formidable woman, Mrs. McDonald took her job seriously and was surrogate mother to the young women who stayed with her. Giving Nick a stern look that brooked no nonsense, she took Remi inside with the promise of a hot bath and a warm meal. Nick informed her he would be picking Remi up to take her to dinner the following night.

Mrs. McDonald shook a warning finger at him. "You just make sure you have her back by eleven o'clock, Nick Barkley, or I'll be talking to your mother!" Nick tipped his hat to the fiery Scotswoman, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left to pick up his pear trees. Mrs. McDonald shook her head as she closed the door. "Those Barkleys!" she said with a smile. "A bunch of charmers, all." She looked over to the travel-weary redhead standing beside her. "You must be exhausted. I'll show you your room and you can rest until dinner."

Remi followed her new landlady up a flight of stairs to a room at the end of the hall. Mrs. McDonald opened the door and showed her inside. "If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen," she said as she left, closing the door behind her. Remi surveyed the room. Not the luxurious townhouse she had recently called home, but the bed with its simple iron frame covered by a home sewn quilt and the dresser with a white porcelain washbasin felt safe and comforting. My new home, she reflected. A new start, a new life, as long as the events back east didn't come back to haunt her. She removed her shoes and jacket and sat down on the bed, intending to rest only for a minute before unpacking. Before she could have another thought, the weariness of the past few weeks overcame her and she was fast asleep.

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Nick loaded up the seedlings and headed for home. He smiled to himself all the way back to the ranch. What a change a few years could make. He remembered the first time he had met Remington.

The war was over and his buddy, Joshua Kirk, had invited him to stay with him for a few weeks before heading home. He and Josh had become fast friends, each saving the other's life more than once and sharing the pains and glories that came with war. They had arrived at Josh's family's stately townhouse in Philadelphia and just entered when a flash of red almost knocked him down. The face of a 13-year-old girl suddenly looked up, embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the girl exclaimed "I thought you were my brother!" She looked behind him. "Josh!" she squealed and gave her brother a big hug.

He picked up and swung her in the air. "Look at you, Red!" he exclaimed "You must've grown at least three inches!" He put her down and turned to Nick. "This is my friend, Nick Barkley," he introduced, "Nick, this little pest is my sister, Remington, but you can call her Red."

Remington turned furiously on her brother, hands balled into fists. "No, he CANNOT call me Red!" she protested. "If either of you call me that, I'll knock you down!"

Josh laughed. "Okay, Red," he replied and she came at him, fists flying. Grabbing her, Josh carried her to the settee and started tickling her.

Nick smiled. She had reminded him a lot of his own sister Audra. Nick spent three weeks with the Kirks and made friends with his buddy's little sister, even though he couldn't seem to not call her Red. Over the years that followed, Nick had been out to visit several times and Josh had visited California a few years ago. But frequent letters were written with both of them, and since Josh had been killed in a wagon accident last year, he and Remi had kept up correspondence. He couldn't wait to catch up on everything that had been happening in her life and couldn't wait to introduce her to his family.

"Hey, Nick!" Nick broke out of his reverie as his brother Heath rode up. "Got the trees off the train alright?" The blond cowboy looked in the back of the wagon. "Boy howdy, they sure look just like a bunch of old sticks."

"That's how they ship 'em. Prevents shock from the transplanting. You might know a lot about horses, little brother, but you've still got a lot to learn about fruit." Nick grinned. "Come to think about it, there's still a lot I could teach you about horses, too."

Heath grinned back. "At least I can stay on one for more than 10 seconds." Nick rolled his eyes. That new stallion was proving a hard one to break, even Heath hadn't been able to stay on his back for more than half a minute.

"I'll get him yet," Nick growled, "but I've gotta get these trees out of the heat until we can get them planted. I'm sure you've got more to do than sit around jawin' all afternoon."

Heath nodded. "I do at that. Real work, not just babysittin' a bunch of sticks. See you at supper." With that parting shot, Heath smiled and reined Charger around, heading for the north pasture where the fence line still needed to be inspected. Nick smiled and shook his head as he started the team back to the ranch.

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Nick removed his hat, wiping a hand across his brow as he headed into the house. Planting trees was hard work. Make sure the holes were deep enough, not too deep, spaced the right distance apart and the irrigation all set up before they could even be put in the ground. He almost regretted expanding the family orchards, but diversification had always been part of the Barkleys' success. Cattle, horses, mining, timber, shipping and now the citrus, peaches and pears. Hard work, but it would be worth it in the end. Maybe he'd be able to show Remi the new trees when she came for dinner tomorrow. Funny how she stuck in his mind like that, but he wanted her to appreciate this land and this valley as much as he did.

She sure grew up pretty, he reflected, got to keep an eye on those brothers of mine when she's around. He laughed to himself. Now I'm starting to think like her big brother. Well, Josh would appreciate me looking out for her, he figured, I'll make sure she gets settled into town, introduced to the right people and steered clear of those who are bad news. He walked into the parlour and poured himself a drink as his mother came down the stairs into the room.

"I do hope you're planning to change before dinner," she said, observing his dirt-covered pants.

"Just getting a little something to cut the dust before I head up," Nick replied, taking a swallow. "By the way, Mother, thank you for the little errand you gave me in town today."

Victoria smiled. "I take it you approve of our new schoolteacher? Is she pretty?" Victoria gave her dark-haired son a knowing smile.

Nick contemplated his drink. "Well," he said finally, "I think she's the prettiest thing who ever got off the train in Stockton. Of course, I'm probably partial, seein' as how's she's the sister of my best friend." Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Remember my friend Josh? We served together in the army. He came out to visit for a week a few years back."

Victoria thought for a moment, then remembered the charming young man who had saved her son's life on several occasions during the war. She remembered how upset Nick had been when he returned home from the drive to Sonora to learn about his friend's death. "Yes, I do remember him. He was a wonderful young man. So the new teacher's his sister? I do hope you invited her here for dinner some evening."

"What poor girl is Nick inflicting himself on this week?" Heath asked as he came into the parlor after hanging up his hat. "Must be someone new, I reckon the rest of them have all been warned off by now."

Nick glared at his younger brother. "I'll have you know they were lined up three deep last week to have me on their dance cards."

"Now, boys," Victoria admonished gently as Heath walked over to kiss her cheek. "Go clean up. Jarrod will be home soon and it's almost time for dinner."

At dinner that evening, Nick regaled the family with stories of Josh and Remi, from the war and their too infrequent visits. The Kirks had made him feel like one of the family and he hoped Remi would feel as comfortable with his. Jarrod, Heath, Audra and Victoria all shared knowing glances. It seemed Nick was smitten with the new schoolteacher.

"Well, brother Nick, she sounds lovely. When will we get to meet her or are you going to keep her all to yourself?" asked Jarrod as Nick finally paused long enough in his storytelling for someone else to speak.

Nick pushed back from the table. "Actually, I asked her here for dinner tomorrow night. And I expect you all to be on your best behavior!" Jarrod chuckled. Yes, Nick was certainly smitten.