Author's Note: The story is going to veer in a slightly different direction, as Jarrod nurses his broken heart at the seashore. No, I won't forget our favorite aquamarined eyed lawyer! Audra was feeling very left out, and not at all happy on the east coast, so the plot fairy-bunny delivered something for her. This chapter takes place about three days after Jarrod has left Stockton. I wasn't sure how to work it into the story, so I am stating it here.

Thank you to all of you who have been reading and enjoying the story!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Audra Barkley arrived in San Francisco in the early evening, worn out from her six day ordeal of getting across the country. Her first thought was to go to Jarrod's apartment, but then she remembered that he was in Stockton for the summer. Instead she had a porter get her a cab, and arranged for her luggage to be sent to the Empire Hotel.

The Barkley's maintained an account there, where the manager and concierge both knew her family very well. Audra was soon installed in a spacious suite, while the concierge took care of arranging for the family's private railcar to be attached to the train going to Stockton, tomorrow. She was glad that it was in the city, and not sitting at the depot in Stockton. It made her wonder if Jarrod was in town, but she decided not to pursue that tangent. All she wanted to do was get home as soon as possible, to nurse her hurt pride and heart.

It was hard to think that last week she had been a guest at a grand house in Newport, Rhode Island, about to be proposed to by Andrew Van Renesslar. She had spent the summer in New York City, staying with an old friend of her mother's. It had been thrilling when they had been invited by a member of the Astor family to visit Newport.

The days had been filled with garden parties, polo games, and yachting trips, along with coquet on the lush green velvet yards of the stately houses overlooking the ocean. Andrew was the most eligible bachelor, and he had squired her to every elaborate ball. He was handsome, charming, and a descendent of one of the oldest New York families. The estate, in the Hudson River Valley, was the largest property there.

It was clear to Audra, and everyone else, that Andrew was attracted to her, and a proposal was eminent. When it had all come crashing down there, she chided herself for being a romantic ninny. She pled a family emergency for why she had to leave so quickly, as she made her get away from her host's mansion. Andrew had been off sailing for the day, but she'd had no interest by then in saying goodbye to him.

Now, turning over on to her side in bed, after a hot bath and cup of tea, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind, thinking instead about being home on the ranch. Audra slept soundly, glad to be in a proper bed, instead of on a train, and woke up feeling slightly better. She dressed quickly, and had breakfast in her room, not wanting to run into anyone she might know in the dining room. The thought of trying to explain why she wasn't still on the east coast was something she didn't want to talk about.

A cab took her to the railroad station, and she went into the station manager's office. He recognized her right away, and made a big fuss over her, much to her dismay. Adding to that was the fact that the car had not been attached to the train yet, still being by the siding. Audra decided that instead of waiting in the office, and making awkward conversation with the man, she would just go to the car right away.

The station manager offered to have someone escort her, but then he was called away on some business, and Audra was left alone in the office. She was familiar with the rail yard, having been there numerous times with her family, and she didn't see the need to be escorted the short distance. Leaving the office, she went out to the platform, and then turned left, to walk over to the siding where the family car was.

The only inconvenience was that it was one of the farthest ones, and she had to carefully lift her skirts, as she walked between the tracks, and wooden trestles. The air was chilly, and slightly foggy, as San Francisco always was, but she was dressed warmly. Audra was too preoccupied with the thought of getting home, and didn't notice the two roughly dressed men who were staring at her from a freight car further down the one track.

The men motioned to each other, and quietly started to follow her, before they cornered her on the next track, between two empty boxcars. Audra was taken by surprise when one of the men grabbed her by the arm, while the other one went to pull her reticule away from her. She had a small gun, but it was in the valise that she'd dropped in surprise, and she now wished she had not been in such a hurry to get away from the station manager.

It came to her that no one knew she had walked out into the yard, with the workers being too busy to notice her. Audra felt like her heart had stopped beating, while her legs wouldn't budge. She was trying to remember what Nick had taught her about defending herself, but all she could think about was how scared she was.

The second man had jerked the reticule off of her wrist violently, and she could feel the skin being cut as he did so. The throbbing though cut through the fog in her brain, and she tried to struggle, which just caused the first man to grab tighter on to her, as he pulled out a very sharp knife. Audra was sure now that she was going to die, and started to say her prayers, asking God to forgive her for being so stupid, when a deep male voice, with a southern accent rang out.

"Now there might only be one of me, but I do have a gun, and I am a very excellent shot!" The voice was accompanied by the click of a pistol, and Audra looked up to see a young man wearing an east coast type suit, holding a gun she recognized as a Colt Peacemaker revolver – her brother Nick had one, and had taught her how to shoot with it. The sun was glinting off the barrel, which that was the last thing she saw before everything went dark, being sure she would never see her loved brother again.

D'Arcy Carter Randolph, known as Darcy to his family and friends, had arrived in San Francisco earlier in the week. His original plan, of staying with his cousin fell through though, when he found out that said cousin was in fact out of town, in Stockton. He was pleased to learn that the city was sixty or so miles east, or about half a day by train. However, having just spent over two weeks riding trains, Darcy decided to spend some time exploring San Francisco before he got on another iron horse.

He checked into a clean, but utilitarian hotel down by the waterfront, that one of the porters on the train had recommended. Darcy had his letter of credit from his bank in Charles City, Virginia, as well as a good amount of cash discretely on his person, and could have checked into somewhere more upscale, if he had desired. His cousin had given him a very generous cash gift when he'd graduated from college earlier in the year, but he was trying to conserve as much of it as possible.

His trip across country had mostly been second class accommodations on trains, along with a boat trip across the Mississippi river, and a stage coach between the Black Hills and Denver, Colorado. Darcy had taken the scenic route, wanting to see as much of the country as he could. His long term plan was to have his cousin help him find a job in California, to get established. She had written him of the opportunity to be found there, and Darcy, coming from a place with no opportunities had decided to visit. He had sent a letter, but he guessed now that she had not received it, since she wasn't in town.

The three days he spent exploring the city were fascinating and enjoyable to him. The influence of the various cultures in San Francisco, especially the oriental one, gave the city an exotic feel to it. Darcy wasn't scared of exploring the waterfront, knowing all about port towns and river cities. He had his Colt gun, and was a young, strong, fit young man, with a confident air about him. His demeanor gave off a don't mess with me air, that the various rouges around the waterfront recognized right away.

Darcy also spent time reading the various newspapers, and walking around the better parts of town. He figured that if he was going to make his living here, he needed to know what was going on in town. Luckily he was a quick study, and soon had a good idea of the business climate of the city. He liked the hustle, bustle, and newness of it all, being very different than the staid east coast.

The day he decided to head to Stockton, he had arrived at the rail station, bought his ticket, and checked his larger bag. He had his valise with him, his gun inside it, liking to have the fire piece close at hand. The Peacemaker had not had to be used yet, but he had heard enough stories about the Wild West to want to have it handy. The ticket seller told him that it would be an hour before the train left, so Darcy decided to go explore the rail yard. Railroads were the backbone of the country's growth, and he was curious to see the size of the operation in San Francisco.

He had explored all the way to the far side of the yard, and was coming back to the station when he rounded the backside of an empty boxcar. It took him by surprise to see two ruffians attacking a young woman, with one of the men brandishing a knife in her face. They were busy robbing her, and didn't notice Darcy's presence until it was too late.

"I will have no problem killing at least one of you, and I could probably get both of you!" Darcy stated in a loud voice, as he leveled and cocked the gun. He was distracted by seeing the young woman slump down, and he became afraid that she'd been hurt. Without a second thought he started walking over to her, as he aimed for the man who was holding the woman's reticule.

Both ruffians were cowards, and had only preyed on Audra because she was alone. Seeing the well dressed man now, with a gun he was clearly ready to use, their eyes got very wide. The man holding Audra let her go, and turned quickly, before he ran away. The second man decided the reticule wouldn't be worth dying for, and he dropped that before he too ran away. Once Darcy saw that they were gone, he hurried over to the young woman, keeping his gun handy in case they came back.

It puzzled him why a fine lady like her was alone in the rail yard. He knew she was a lady because of the stylish expensiveness of her clothes. The bluish grey tweed traveling suit was well cut, and ornamented with silver fox trim that was lush and glossy. Taking a closer look, he saw that she was very young, with fine boned features and pale blond hair neatly put up under an elaborate hat of blue ruched chiffon.

"Miss, Miss." Darcy said, as he gently put his arm around her, to help her sit up. He didn't see any blood anywhere, and hoped that she had just passed out from shock. It took almost another minute, and then she came around, and he saw that she had large, expressive blue eyes. Her beauty almost took his breath away, and he just stared at her.

Audra was vaguely aware of a man's deep voice addressing her, and she couldn't figure out why someone with a southern accent was calling her Miss. She felt fine wool against her face, like a man's suit, but the scent she smelled wasn't one of her brothers. There was a faint tang of salt air, but also the fragrance of bergamot and orange blossom, from a man's cologne. Raising her head and opening her eyes, she found herself looking into the softest pair of brown eyes she'd ever seen.

The young man – she guessed him to be slightly older than she was, but younger than her brothers – was wearing a dark blue suit, with a grey tie and white shirt. He had a broad brimmed grey hat on, but it was the type men on the east coast wore, she noted. When he saw that she was coming around, he took it off and lightly fanned her with it. She then noticed his neatly trimmed tawny golden brown hair, and handsome features.

"Miss, how do you feel? Did those ruffians hurt?" The man asked her, and she liked the way his southern accent sounded. It wasn't pronounced, but just made the words seem soothing. Audra regarded him, and felt butterflies in her stomach. She was glad that she was already on the ground, because she was sure that her legs would not hold her up. It was that thought that made her realize what had happened.

"Oh my gosh, you saved my life! Thank you!" Audra was so relieved that she hugged him, as she sat up, before the unseemliness of it occurred to her. "Please forgive me! I didn't mean to be so forward! Oh, what you must think of me!" By now she was blushing bright pink, as she tried to stand up with as much dignity as possible.

Darcy had certainly not minded being hugged by the beautiful young woman, and watching her blush made him realize how innocent she was. That brought back to mind is original thought, of why she was alone in the rail yard.

"Your reticule, Miss?" Darcy picked up the small grey leather bag, cutting into her stammering. He watched as she took a deep breath to calm herself, as a grey gloved hand reached out to take it. At that point they both noticed her wrist, which was bleeding slightly from where the thin strap from the reticule had cut it.

"Here, use my handkerchief." He pulled the white lawn fabric from his pocket, and carefully wrapped it around her wrist. His touch was gentle against the tender skin of her wrist, as she found herself almost touching him; they were standing so close together. For some reason the thought was thrilling, not scary.

"Miss, let me escort you back to the station." Darcy stated, once he had finished with her wrist. He had been very aware of how soft and white the skin was, as well as how close she was too him. His comment though made her step back quickly, as her eyes flew open in panic.

"No, please I don't want to go back there and be fussed over! My family's railcar is the next siding over, just take me there!" Audra pleaded, not wanting to make a scene at the station; she was trying to get home as discretely as possible.

"Yes, I can do that!" Darcy smiled encouragingly, as he held out his arm for her take. "Can I have your name?" He asked his curiosity about her even more intense now. The mention of a private railcar caught his attention.

He was aware that it was common practice for the very wealthy to have private railcars, which meant that her father was a member of a very small group of important men. It was hard for him to fathom a man like that letting his daughter out by herself. Because of his background and looks, Darcy had come into contact with some of those daughters, and their fathers, neither of which had endeared themselves to him. This girl here though was different, he thought, and wanted to get to know her better, not just because she was beautiful.

"Audra, Audra Barkley. Thank you again, Mr.?" She tried to compose herself, before the good looking man thought she was any more of a ninny than she was. Lately though, she thought, that seemed to be all she was capable of. Taking his arm she became aware of how tall he was, at least as tall as her brother Nick. He also had the same self-confident air about him that he could take care of himself and everyone else too.

"My name is D'Arcy Randolph." He pronounced his first name in the French fashion, before he added with a twinkle in his eyes. "Everyone calls me Darcy though! I was named after my grandmother's family; it was supposed to be an honor, but it usually ends up being a bad joke!" He observed dryly, and Audra liked how he didn't seem to take himself too seriously. After the pomposity of Andrew Van Renesslar it was a refreshing change.

She led him over to a dark green car, with windows on both sides, which he noticed had gold curtains with fringe on the inside. The car was detailed with black scroll work around the windows and door, while the only signage on it was the car's number, done in black painted numbers. It was good sized, but not flashy, which made Darcy even more curious as to the girl's family.

In the rail yards at Richmond, and Washington D.C. he had seen the outside of several private railcars. The ones belonging to the titans of industry were always lavishly ornamented with gilt trim, as if the owner felt the need to announce just how wealthy he was. On the other hand, the ones belonging to important government officials, or old money types that still had the funds, were like this car here – designed not to draw attention to the status of its passengers. At first glance this car would look almost like a regular passenger coach.

"Darcy, I don't want you to miss your train, but will you come inside with me? I can at least offer you some coffee, after saving my life." Audra's voice became tremulous, as she thought about what those two ruffians could have done to her. She felt herself start to get shaky, and was glad to have the young man's arm to hold onto.

"Well I think I have some time, Audra, before my train leaves for Stockton." He replied, glad that he was going to get the chance to spend a little more time with her. In truth, he was also happy to make sure she got safely on her family's car. There was something weird about why a girl of her station and wealth was traveling alone. Young ladies, from the kind of families that could afford private railcars, were usually kept on a tight leash.

"But I'm going to Stockton! That is where my home is! You can ride with me, and Soo Lin will make us lunch!" Audra exclaimed excitedly, adding. "Please it is the least I can do, after you saved my life, Darcy!" She wanted to try to revise the impression she had made on him so far, that of a silly goose.

"Audra, that is a kind offer, but would your family be all right with me riding in the car with you?" Darcy didn't want some railroad baron, which is what this girl's father probably was, accusing him of having designs on his princess. The mention of someone with an oriental name intrigued him though.

Audra was touched at how considerate he was, and the way he was concerned about her family's feelings. Andrew had always acted like her family was lower class, in spite of the money he wanted so badly from them. As she had that thought, she felt tears start to come to her eyes again, which Darcy noticed.

"Let's get on board, Audra; I think you need some tea." Darcy decided that she must be in shock from everything that had happened. If nothing else this Soo person would be a familiar face for her to see, and the railroad baron would not have wanted Darcy to leave his fair haired angel alone again in the rail yard. He escorted her upstairs, and held the door open as she entered the car, with him following behind her.