Chapter 4

Nick and Heath were up and at it early the next morning. Victoria was the only one up with them, so she and Heath were left to deal with Nick's continuing surliness alone. Victoria kept thinking she should try to say something to him, but Heath kept shaking his head, so she backed off. The two cowboys were off and out to work before anyone else came down.

Jarrod and Maggie came down with J.J. about an hour after Nick and Heath left, and Eugene and Mary Margaret were about half an hour behind them. Victoria lingered at the breakfast table (the second set up for Silas, but he didn't mind), and they chatted happily for an hour or so, but Mary Margaret was still very quiet. It was beginning to look like she was just shy, not tired.

Jarrod and Maggie left for home at about nine, and Eugene and Mary Margaret joined Victoria in the living room. Victoria was mending socks while Eugene and Mary Margaret shared more coffee.

Victoria tried to pull Mary Margaret out a little more. "Did you ever have to darn socks, Mary Margaret?" Victoria asked.

"No, not really," Mary Margaret said, and that was all.

"Well, it's something I've always enjoyed doing, actually," Victoria said. "There's something about completing a necessary chore that makes me feel good."

"Mary Margaret's mother passed when she was only ten," Eugene explained. "I doubt she had time to teach Mary Margaret how to darn socks."

Mary Margaret finally volunteered something. "We had a housekeeper after Mother died. She did those kinds of chores."

"Mary Margaret has a lot of brothers and sisters," Eugene said.

"Oh?" Victoria asked.

"Four brothers and two sisters," Mary Margaret said. "We really needed a housekeeper."

"Before her father was administrator at our hospital, he was assistant administrator at Johns Hopkins," Eugene said. "Long hours both places. They did really need that housekeeper."

They spent more than an hour just chatting, and gradually Mary Margaret came out of her shell a little. Victoria found she was beginning to like the young lady. She did have a smile, and she did have a sweet way with words. All she needed was to feel a bit more comfortable.

Eugene finally said he wanted to take Mary Margaret out to see the property. Since she did not know how to ride, he planned to take the buggy. Victoria had Silas pack them some sandwiches, and they were off.

The first place they went was to see Nick and Heath tending the herd. The hands were bringing in winter feed and dropping it in bundles off wagons for the cattle to eat. Eugene was explaining that to Mary Margaret when Nick and Heath saw them.

"Well, Miss Talkative is here," Nick said from a distance.

"Came to see Mr. Talkative, I guess," Heath said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick asked.

"It means you're still out of sorts. Be careful. Pappy will be giving you a talking to before long."

"So, he has to know my business too?"

"Nick, he's known you all your life. It doesn't take much for him to figure you out. Besides, maybe talking to him would be a good idea, given what's been bothering you."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, I haven't gone into details with anybody. That's your job."

Heath turned his horse and went away. Nick looked up and saw that Eugene and Mary Margaret were moving on, too. He grumbled and got back to work.

XXXXXXX

Eugene and Mary Margaret were gone all day, returning to the ranch at exactly the same time as Nick and Heath were coming in, near five.

"Well, hello," Nick said. "Did you two have a good day?"

"Beautiful," Eugene said. "Saw your herd."

"We saw you," Heath said as he and Nick dismounted. "Did you like the tour of the ranch, Mary Margaret?"

"It was very nice," Mary Margaret said, and that was it.

"Why don't you two go on inside?" Heath said. "We'll see to the rig."

"Thanks," Gene said, helping his wife down, and together they went into the house.

"Nick, I'm heading into the Pearsons' for dinner tonight. You gonna go get Nancy?"

Nick looked at his brother. "Yeah, I am. I'm just gonna change the horse on the buggy and go get her. Would you tell Mother when you go inside?"

"Sure."

"I guess both the ladies are coming for Christmas dinner tomorrow."

Nick looked at him suspiciously. "I guess."

Heath just smiled and nodded. He gave his horse off to Ciego and asked for a fresh mount to take into town, and then he went inside the house.

His mother was there alone in the living room. Eugene and Mary Margaret had already gone upstairs to change clothes. Heath went into the living room, saying, "Mother, I'm going to change clothes and go have dinner at the Pearsons' tonight."

"All right," Victoria said. "Where's Nick?"

"He's going to go get Nancy and bring her out here for dinner."

"Well, I hope we don't have quite the silent dinner we had last night."

Heath said, "I'm not sure if that's gonna happen or not. I tried talking to Nick today, but I'm still not sure exactly what's eating him." That was somewhat of a lie, but it was up to Nick to tell people what was eating him.

"It'll have to come to a head sooner or later. I guess it's best we just leave Nick alone for a while."

"Hm," Heath agreed. "I'm gonna go change and I'll be off."

"Have a good evening, Heath."

XXXXXXXX

Nick pulled up to Mrs. Callum's boarding house, tied the rig to the hitching rail, and went up to the door. It only took a brief knock before Nancy herself answered the door.

"Good evening, Nick," she said quietly.

"Evening," Nick said, took his hat off and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "You ready?"

"Yes," Nancy said and stepped outside, but then she stopped. "Nick, would you mind, I'd like to talk here on the porch for a few minutes first."

Nick felt a bad itch, but he said, "Sure, let's sit down."

There were several chairs there, two of the to the right side of the door, and that was where they sat down.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"That's what I was going to ask you," Nancy said. "You seem very distant lately, and I don't know why, and I don't know what to say to you."

"Distant?" Nick asked. "I don't mean to be distant."

"Well, you are," Nancy said. "It seems like since I came here six weeks ago, we've grown farther apart and not closer together. What's wrong? Are you changing your mind about me?"

Nick sighed, looking at his hat in his hands and then up at Nancy. "No. No, I like being with you – I love you."

"You're not acting that way," Nancy said.

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Like I said, you just seem to be distant. Going through the motions of courting me without really wanting to." Nancy's voice was beginning to close on the words.

Nick put his hand atop hers. "I don't mean it that way. Maybe I'm just really bad at courting, I don't know."

"It didn't seem to help that Heath asked Suzanne to marry him."

"No," Nick said, "it didn't."

"Are you afraid of being married?"

"No, no, not at all – well, maybe in a way. It's not you. It's just that – well, when I think of all the problems I could have with whoever I married – I get uncomfortable."

Nancy almost rolled her eyes. "Are we going to go over the chance that you might get heart disease again?"

"That – and the thought of maybe losing you in childbirth. I don't know why. They really lay heavy on me these days."

"Do you want to stop seeing me?"

"No!" Nick said fast. "That's the one thing I'm sure of. I want to keep seeing you."

"It can't go on like this forever, Nick," Nancy said, her tears not threatening now. "At some point we're going to have to decide if we want to get married or part ways."

Nick asked, "Are you saying we're at that point?"

Nancy sighed and looked away.