Chapter 3
As he drove Amanda back to town, Nick talked more about the Barkley family, about having an older brother not back from the war yet, about being 10 years older than Audra and 11 older than Eugene. He talked about how he was learning to do more of the work required to run the ranch and that his father was grooming him to take over someday.
He did not talk about the war.
But Amanda brought it up. "I suppose serving in the army helped you get some of the maturity you've needed to take over more of the ranching duties."
Nick didn't realize she knew about him being in the army.
"Audra brags about you serving in the war," Amanda said. "You and your brother Jarrod both. But he's not back yet, I take it."
"He's on his way," Nick said. "It'll take him a while to get here."
"Your parents are quite charming, and your cook Silas is excellent," Amanda said. "I haven't had such a nice evening in years."
"I'm glad you liked it. Maybe – " Nick hesitated.
Amanda looked his way, wondering.
Nick gave into his thoughts. "Maybe you'll allow me to take you to dinner in town one night next week, just me and you. My father taught me that a lady should be treated with both respect and spoiling."
Amanda chuckled. "Your father is a charmer. Yes, Nick, I'd like to have dinner with you in town."
XXXXXX
It seemed like that dinner came fast, and yet far too slowly, but by midweek, Nick took Amanda to the finest restaurant in Stockton. Red wine and chateaubriand. "You are spoiling me," Amanda said.
"Do you mind?" Nick asked.
"No, it's just not what I'm used to," Amanda said. "I don't think I've ever felt this special before."
"Then the men of California have been neglecting their duties," Nick said. "Not to mention missing a lot. I don't think I've ever felt this special before either, Amanda. It does a man's heart good to treat a woman like she's really special."
"You hardly know me," Amanda said.
"And you hardly know me, but I hope we're beginning to change that. I'm very comfortable with you, Amanda."
After dinner, they walked together to a nearby park. It was dark now, but the park had some lighting, just enough to make it both intimate and safe. When Amanda shivered a little in the cool night air, Nick gave her his coat and put his arm around her.
They found a bench and sat. And talked. About Stockton. About the school. About the ranch. About the stars and the waning moon.
Nick was tempted to steal a kiss, but not yet. Don't rush this, something told him. This could be very, very special.
XXXXXXX
"Oh, here's Nick again," Audra said as she and Eugene left school and spotted their brother standing next to the buggy, come to pick them up. Well, maybe not just that.
Nick brightened when Amanda came out of the schoolhouse a moment later. He walked toward his siblings and the teacher. When Audra and Eugene came bounding toward him, he just said, "Go get in the buggy."
"You want to talk to Miss Collins again!" Audra said in a sing-song.
"Go get in the buggy!" Nick repeated.
They did, giggling.
Nick walked up to Amanda, who was free of all the children now. "Hello, Nick," Amanda said.
Nick came closer, and handed Amanda a note. She read it. It was a formal invitation to a late lunch on Saturday afternoon.
"At the ranch or in town?" Amanda asked. "It doesn't say."
"At the ranch, but not at the house," Nick said. "I plan to have Silas prepare us a picnic at a spot not far from the house, a place I like to spend time. I'd like you to see it."
She and Nick had seen each other casually two or three more times now. A walk after meeting at a dance. A lunch together on a Saturday. A chance meeting at a church social – that was really very chance.
"I'd like that," Amanda said.
XXXXXXX
"So, is this your special place?" Amanda asked as Nick led her around the back of the house, through the garden, into a small grove of trees.
"One of them," Nick said. "There are a lot of places on this ranch I really love. This one I didn't even find until just before I went off to the war. I just had never been back here before. But when I was trying to make my decision – whether to go or not – I took a long, long, long walk to think. And I found myself here for the first time."
There was no much undergrowth here, and not so many trees so dense that that shut out the sky. The sun was not high up but not starting to set yet. Its light filtered in from the west, creating patterns through the trees and the leaves.
"Is this where you were when you decided to go?" Amanda asked.
Nick remembered. "This was where I worked up the courage to tell my parents I wanted to go. Brother Jarrod had already been gone for three years. I knew it was going to take a solid argument for me to get my parents to let me go – but it really didn't."
Nick nodded toward a little corner of the grove and led Amanda through the trees to a little cleared area where a blanket was already laid out, a picnic hamper already waiting. He helped her sit down, then sat down himself and opened the hamper. The lovely scent of fried chicken came wafting out.
"Here we are," Nick said, lifting out a couple plates, then the platter of chicken, a bowl of potato salad, and a carafe of white wine. Then he took out two wine glasses. He set them all on the blanket between him and Amanda.
"That smells so good," Amanda said as Nick put some of the chicken and potato salad on a plate for her, then pulled a napkin and some silverware out of the basket before he poured the wine.
"As you already figured out, Silas is the best cook this side of the Mississippi," Nick said.
"May I use my fingers with the chicken?" Amanda asked.
Nick chuckled. "I don't know any other way to eat fried chicken."
It was two hours later before Nick escorted Amanda back to the buggy, waiting now with a fresh horse in the stable yard. "Should I pay a call on your mother and sister?"
"Oh, they're away for the day," Nick said. "Audra and Gene, too. Visiting. Today is the day that Silas secures several of the women from town to do the spring cleaning. Mother and Audra usually chip in, but Mrs. Miles a couple ranches away has been under the weather, so they went over to see if they could help. Silas is pretty glad to have gotten them out of the way, I think. Especially Gene. He's really more of a hindrance than a help on cleaning day." Nick helped Amanda into the buggy, then climbed in himself. "Let's take the long way back to town. I'd like to show you more of the ranch."
"I'd like that," Amanda said.
XXXXXX
It was getting dark when Nick finally brought Amanda back to her boarding house. By then, she was snuggling close to him in the buggy, and he was relaxed and enjoying it. When he pulled up in front of her home, he was sorry to be doing it.
"Well," she said, sitting up straight, "I really enjoyed the picnic and the tour of the ranch. I wish – " She stopped.
"You wish what?" Nick asked.
"I wish this day had more hours in it," Amanda said.
The look in her eyes was inviting. Nick finally accepted it, leaned in and gave her that first kiss. He heard her sigh. He liked it, and kissed her a second time. Not too deep. Not too forceful. She was a lady. You don't push yourself on a lady.
Amanda pulled back, smiling. "That was nice."
"May I see you again?" Nick asked.
"Soon, I hope," Amanda said.
"Next Saturday night, about seven, another good Stockton restaurant?"
Amanda nodded.
Nick helped her out of the buggy and up to the door of her boarding house, where they paused. He kissed her hand. "Good night, Amanda," he said.
"Good night, Nick," she said, and went inside.
Nick walked back to the buggy on a cloud, dimples showing, almost skipping he was so happy.
"Well, I saw that Barkley buggy and thought it might be for me, but I see my little brother is courting with it," the deep voice said.
A man carrying a traveling bag came toward Nick out of the fading twilight. Nick hardly recognized him, but the voice was unmistakable. The man was thinner, taller, but those bright blue eyes backed up that deep voice. Nick's mouth fell open.
"Jarrod!"