That January 1

Chapter 1

January 1, 1882

Nick rolled over in bed and kissed his wife on the back of her neck. Then he snuggled up against her and sighed a happy, warm sigh.

Nancy woke up when he kissed her, and she smiled. "What is this about?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean? I just kissed you," Nick said.

"That was no ordinary kiss. You're remembering something."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Nancy waiting, but Nick did not go on. "Well, are you going to tell me about it?"

Nick sighed again. "Two years ago – well, come February two years ago, but on this day – New Year's – well, let's just say it all went into motion on January 1, two years ago."

"What went into motion?"

"Me, dragging that crazy prisoner up to Placerville – that guy who wouldn't shut up for love nor money."

Nancy laughed. "I remember him."

"If I hadn't had to take him to Placerville, we'd never have come to your house in the snowstorm. I'd never have met you. We wouldn't be married, we wouldn't be having our baby – none of this would have happened if I hadn't – " Nick stopped.

"If you hadn't what?" Nancy asked.

Nick rolled onto his back. "I think I might be talking myself into a trap here."

Now Nancy laughed and rolled over onto her other side to face him. "Trap? What kind of trap?"

"I think I'm gonna have to tell you what I did on January 1 two years ago that got me sent on that trip to Placerville."

"And you don't want to?"

"Not really."

"Why? Is it that bad?"

"It's – embarrassing, especially in mixed company."

"Well, then, don't tell me," Nancy said very flippantly.

"You're not mad if I don't?"

"Well, we do tell each other everything, but if this is something you don't want to tell me…."

Now Nick really felt trapped. Nancy had maneuvered him right into the corner he had aimed himself at, and she did it so expertly he could have kicked himself. "It's – uh – well, I'd like to tell you but like I said, it's embarrassing in mixed company."

"Not good for pillow talk? Will I still want to be married to you if you tell me?"

"I hope so. I think you will. The whole thing is just – embarrassing. Even my family never knew about it, except Heath, and I told him I'd tell on him if he told on me."

Nancy laughed again. "You make it sound like you were two ten year olds getting into trouble."

"Kinda like that – but maybe more like two twenty year olds getting into trouble."

"Nick Barkley," Nancy said flatly, "either tell me or let it go. Don't keep tantalizing me with these hints."

"All right," Nick said. "It really started on New Year's Eve, end of 1879. Some things had happened at the end of 1879, a crazy mixture of wonderful and dreadful. Audra had become engaged to Carl Wheeler, but then she was attacked and her recovery was okay but it was slow. Jarrod was living in San Francisco but he came home for the Christmas holiday. It was then his heart condition got so bad that he told the family about it, but it was also then he told us about Maggie and of course, he married her a few months later.

"When New Year's rolled around, Jarrod had gone back to San Francisco, Audra was improving steadily, and things were settling down for everybody. That was probably the reason Heath and I decided to cut loose a bit on New Year's Eve. We went to town together, started out at Harry's bar, liquor and gambling and too much of both. I remember laughing a lot and carousing with the saloon girls too much, but then I blacked out, and the next thing I knew, it was just after sunup on January 1, 1880, the start of a new decade, and I was starting it out – "

"Nick!" A pounding at the door interrupted Nick's story. "Nick! Get up!"

It was Heath.

"What the heck is he doing here at this hour?" Nick asked and then he yelled, "Whattaya want?!"

Nancy felt it right in her ear.

"We got trouble!" Heath yelled. "That prize stallion Duke got up in Placerville broke out over night! Get up!"

Nick moaned all over the place but scrambled into his clothes and his boots, gave Nancy a quick peck, and dashed out the door. Nancy just lay there for a moment, upset about the horse but almost as frustrated as Nick's story being interrupted. After a few deep breaths, she climbed out of bed and started getting herself together for the day.

When she got down to breakfast, the men were gone and only Victoria was there, just beginning her day. "Good morning," Nancy said.

"Not so far," Victoria said.

"So I heard. How did Heath get here so early?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure how it came about," Victoria said, "but somehow he got word out at The Grove that the stallion got out – something about Duke and a couple of the men chasing him in that direction, and it looked like they lost him, so they woke Heath up. Heath came back here to get Nick while the men kept looking for the stallion – and then Heath was waking the whole house up here and that's about all I know."

"I hope they get the horse back all right," Nancy said, sitting down. "Is Maggie up yet?"

"Fussing with J.J., the last I checked. Heath scared the poor little kid half to death with the pounding and the yelling."

"That's not like Heath. This must be a serious situation."

"It is. Nick really wanted that stallion. They'll either find him or the won't."

"I hope they do. They'll be miserable to live with if they don't."

Victoria sipped her coffee and smiled at her pregnant daughter-in-law. "How are you feeling today?"

"Like I wish I could have this baby tomorrow," Nancy said. "It's getting hard to move around."

"How well I remember," Victoria said. "But once that baby is here, you'll forget all about feeling the size of a buffalo. All you'll be is tired."

Nancy chuckled. "Listen, while it's just the two of us here – Nick was starting to tell me something before Heath came pounding at the door. Do you know about anything that might have happened on January 1, 1880, something Nick is embarrassed about?"

Victoria searched her memory, but her face said only that she didn't know. "Nothing unusual that I can remember. But you said embarrassing?"

Nancy nodded and poured coffee for herself.

"Well, then, he'd never have told me about it," Victoria said.

"Nick said whatever happened that day was behind the reason he had to bring that prisoner up to Placerville, which is how he and I met."

Victoria smiled. "That I do remember. Before he left, he was complaining about how hard it had been for him to find the right girl to marry. And then, lo and behold, he found you."

"So he was saying," Nancy said. "But I could shoot Heath for interrupting that story."

Victoria laughed. "Don't worry. You'll be able to get Nick back to it once he gets home."

"I hope so," Nancy said. "It sounds like something I'll be able to hold over his head for the rest of our lives."

She gave Victoria a wicked smile, and Victoria laughed again.