Chapter 7
Heath didn't particularly like spending an evening at the saloon in Stockton without Nick along. It was just not as much fun. Nick was always into a poker game, or dancing with the saloon girls (maybe more than one at a time), or even drinking too much so that Heath had to keep him from getting arrested. In brief, you never had a dull time with Nick around.
And other people noticed, too.
"Where's Nick?" at least five men asked him the first fifteen minutes he was in the saloon.
"Out of town," Heath replied each time.
He took his turns dancing with the girls in Nick's stead, and he sat down for a good long poker game after nine o'clock rolled around, but he had trouble concentrating on the game and made some dumb moves. Unlike him. He gave it up after an hour or so, grateful that he had lost only a little bit of money, and he wandered out into the street at close to ten thirty.
No respectable woman would be out at this time of night, was his first thought. His second thought was, why am I letting Nick's expedition into finding the right woman get to me so much?
Because he was, that was all there was to it. It was Audra getting married, Jarrod already married, Eugene seeing someone back east and now Nick, of all people, thinking about someone in particular seriously. And here he was, no prospects anywhere in sight.
Am I gonna end up alone again?
Heath shivered at that. That was no way to think. First of all, Audra and Jarrod would not be far away, and even if Nick did settle down, he'd be settling down right on the ranch, right where he was, running things with Heath just as he had been for the last four years. Still, to be the only one without someone to love, someone to love him – it bothered him.
"You're here awful late, Heath," he heard Sheriff Madden say. The sheriff had come up beside him so quietly, Heath didn't hear it.
"Just now calling it an evening, heading home," Heath said.
"Where's Nick?"
Heath started laughing. "Get in line, Sheriff. Everybody wants to know where Nick is. He wanted to get away for a few days, went up to Placerville."
"Placerville?! I thought he'd never go anywhere near that place again after I sent him up there last February."
"He never has forgiven you for that."
"Can't say I blame him, but I couldn't bear the thought of taking that blabbermouth prisoner of mine up there myself, and I had January 1 to hold over your brother, so I used it. He'll get over it."
"Well, you know, he might end up thanking you for it."
"Thanking me?"
"I think he met a young lady on that trip last February. He went up to check in on her."
"Hm," Sheriff Madden said, surprised. "Jarrod gets married, Audra getting married, now maybe Nick. That's some disease you got running around out there."
"Well, so far I haven't caught it, but when I look back about one year – nobody else had caught it yet either. Funny how fast things can turn around, isn't it?"
Heath gave the sheriff a friendly pat on the arm and took off toward where he had tethered his horse. In a moment, he was mounted and on his way home.
When he arrived back at the ranch, no one was up but there was a light left on for him in the foyer. He was tired, so he just doused it and headed up to his room, leaving the hall lights on as usual. Everything was quiet and still, not even any snoring coming from anywhere – and then he remembered Nick was not around. He chuckled to himself, went to his room, and got ready for bed.
After he turned in, he lay awake for a long time, wondering again if it was time for him to look seriously for someone to spend his life with. He really didn't know why he hadn't looked before now. Was it just that he was happy being single? Maybe. Growing up an only child, being on his own for so long before he came here – maybe he was just used to being alone. It was comfortable – maybe too comfortable?
He rolled over onto his side, and was sorry there was no one there beside him. It was a feeling that came over him suddenly, without him even thinking about it. Someone should be there.
He reached for the phantom who wasn't there.
XXXXXX
Nick and Nancy had to camp for the night, but the time they spent around the campfire was as companionable as the time they spent in her home. Nancy explained how she grew up an only child, her mother dying when she was 12. She talked about taking care of her father after that and how she didn't regret the choices she'd made, even if she was left alone now.
"I did what I needed to do," she said. "I couldn't go marry and leave my father alone."
"Was there someone who asked you?" Nick asked.
Nancy hesitated. "Yes, when I was 18, but he wanted me to live with him in Sacramento, and he did not want to take Father along with me, so I had to turn him down. I'm not sorry. That wasn't the kind of man I wanted anyway. How about you? Tell me about your family that I'll be meeting in the next couple days."
"Ah, well, my Father died a lot of years ago. He was killed in a dispute with the railroad. He and my mother had built the ranch up from nothing, and he didn't want the railroad to take the land from others who were trying to do the same thing. He was considered a hero to the ranchers in the valley." Nick's mind drifted away, seeing his Father again, seeing him stand up to oppression and being shot down for it.
"I'm sorry," Nancy said quietly.
Nick came back to the present. "My mother – she's an amazing woman. Elegant, beautiful, but so tough. She rallied us all when we needed it, she and my older brother, Jarrod. He took over for Father in a lot of ways. He's a lawyer – he knew how to fight the railroad with the law as well as with guns. He's four years older than I am, and we had two younger siblings. Audra's 10 years younger than I am, Eugene 11. Jarrod kind of became surrogate father to them. I took over the running of the ranch. And then, about four years ago, my brother Heath came to us."
"Came to you?"
"Well, that's a long story. Heath had a different mother. We didn't know he existed until he came to the ranch. He's a few years younger than I am. He's fit right in with us, runs the ranch with me. It's like he was always with us. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but Jarrod just never was a rancher. Having Heath around, running the ranch with me – it's like God just dropped a brother I needed right into my arms. Eugene lives back east now. Audra will be getting married next month. Jarrod is married and they're expecting a baby this fall. We're building him and his wife a house on the property."
Nick's mind drifted off again. He started drawing in the dirt with a stick, the fire dancing off the idle pictures he was making.
"You love them very much," Nancy said.
"Yes, I do," Nick said. "I'm sorry you never got to have a family like that."
Nancy smiled. "We take what we get, don't we? I'd have liked to have brothers and sisters, but it didn't happen. And you're right. I've been thinking that I can't stay on our ranch alone for long. I need people around me. Thank you for inviting me to your home for a few days. I think it will help me clear my head."
"Talk to my mother while you're there. Talk to Jarrod and his wife and Heath and Audra. I think it will help you decide what you want."
"May I talk to you, too?"
"Of course. Anytime."
Nancy leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek. "I think I need to get some sleep. I really look forward to getting to your ranch tomorrow."
Nick smiled. "Good night."
