Chapter 2

Nick was right on time to pick Ava up at the boarding house. She looked just as beautiful as she had the night before and Nick couldn't help but glance her way often as they made their way down the road. She noticed his looks and smiled to herself. She was enjoying getting an eyeful as well. She found herself getting lost in his hazel eyes. And when he smiled at her, she felt as though she could melt.

Ava loved to hear Nick explain the workings of the ranch. That he was proud of his family's home was evident. He told her about his family members too. She had already met Heath and Jarrod, but today she would meet his mother and sister.

When they arrived, Nick and Ava stepped down from the carriage and Nick yelled for Ciego. A few moments later, the man came to care for the horse and buggy. Nick led Ava into the house where his mother was sitting in the parlor waiting for them.

"Mother," Nick greeted her, "This is Ava Simpson. Ava, this is my mother, Victoria Barkley."

Victoria greeted the young woman and could see immediately why Nick seemed to like her so well. She was beautiful! And not just on the outside. After a few minutes of conversation, Victoria surmised that this young lady was just as beautiful on the inside as well.

Audra came in the room talking but stopped when she saw their guest.

"Oh, excuse me, I wasn't aware our guest had arrived yet," she apologized.

Nick took care of the introductions again and Ava and Audra seemed to hit it off well. Audra instantly liked Ava and wondered if she would one day have her as her sister-in-law. If the looks Nick was giving were any indication, that was a real possibility.

Heath and Jarrod arrived home a while later and they sat down to a wonderful dinner. Ava enjoyed the banter between them all. That this family cared for one another deeply was evident. She felt privileged to have been asked to be a part of it for the evening.

After dinner, Jarrod and Heath played billiards while Audra and Victoria had some handwork they concentrated on. Nick and Ava stepped out for a walk around the grounds.

With Ava's hand safely tucked in his, Nick showed her his home. He wanted to take her out and show her the entire ranch but knew they didn't have time for that now. He was already wondering when he could see her again and was planning it in his mind.

They made their way back to the house where Victoria served coffee. It was getting late when Nick and Ava said their goodbyes to the others. Nick didn't allow the horses to move too fast as he wanted to spend as much time with Ava as he could. She noticed what he was doing and admitted to herself she was glad.

"Tell me about yourself, Ava. Where are you from? Do you have any family?" Nick asked.

Since Nick had already shared so much with her about his family, she had no hesitation in telling him about hers.

"My parents were quite a bit older when I was born. They never expected to have children, having been married for almost 25 years when I came along. We had a small farm that my father had built up from nothing. It wasn't the most productive, but it met our needs," Ava said, smiling at the memories of her parents and their home.

She paused, lost in thought. Nick loved to hear her voice and he wanted her to go on. "Are your parents still living on the farm?"

Ava's eyes clouded. "No. My mother died when I was 5. When I was 15, an influenza epidemic hit our small town. Because of my father's advanced age and failing health, he didn't survive it. We didn't have any other family, so I just stayed on the farm and rented the land out to the family next to us. That worked for a while, but it didn't really meet my needs very well. So, I went into town for work, but the only work available was the saloon. I didn't want to do that." She shivered, just thinking about all those men pawing at her. Nick put his arm around her and was happy to have her scoot in closer to him.

"Anyway, there was a young man in town who started calling on me. His name was Lance. I had known him from school, but he had been quite a bit older than me. He came to me one day and asked me to marry him. I couldn't see any reason as to why I shouldn't, so I did. It was a mistake." She paused again and then said, "He died a few years after we were married."

"I'm sorry," Nick told her.

Ava smiled, looking up at him.

"Don't be. He wasn't a very nice man."

They were on the edge of town now. Nick knew it would just be a matter of minutes before he would have to say good-bye again and he found that he didn't want to. He stopped the buggy and shifted so that he could see Ava's face. She watched him silently. His eyes went from hers to her lips and back again. She parted her lips slightly and Nick leaned in. He only meant to give her a small kiss, but found once he started, he couldn't stop. He brought his arms around her and realized she had done the same with him. How long they were locked in their embrace, they didn't know, but when they parted, both were breathless. Nick looked down at her, getting lost in her black onyx eyes. She brought her fingers up to his lips and gently caressed them. Nick took her the fingers in his hand and kissed them, watching in delight as Ava closed her eyes with pleasure. He drew her again to himself and kissed her on the mouth.

The horse whinnied and this brought them back to reality. It was getting quite late. Nick pulled back reluctantly, but as soon as he had the horse going again, he put his arm around Ava. She snuggled in closer to him. They arrived at the boarding house and made plans to be together on Friday. It was Ava's day off and Nick was going to show her the ranch. He said he would be there early Friday morning to pick her up. He kissed her gently and watched as she walked inside. He was falling hard, he knew. But he couldn't help himself. He found Ava Simpson to be intoxicating.

The two had been riding for several hours. Nick had chosen a gentle horse for Ava and she handled her expertly. Nick enjoyed showing her the Ranch. She was excited about everything and asked many questions. Seeing the ranch through her eyes made things look new again to him. She was impressed with everything she saw and was very enthusiastic as she asked questions.

They had brought a picnic lunch and stopped to eat it under a large tree. Silas had outdone himself and Nick had brought along one of his best bottles of wine. He couldn't remember ever having such a wonderful time before. As they sat under the tree, there was a lull in the conversation for the first time in hours. Nick watched Ava as she played with a small stick that had fallen on the ground. She looked up to find his eyes on her. He leaned in and placed his lips on hers. She responded by wrapping her arms around him.

When they broke apart, both breathless, Nick stared into her eyes, hoping she wasn't feeling any kind of distress for the way he'd kissed her.

"I feel like I've known you all my life and I wanted to show you how I felt. I'm sorry if I was too bold," he added softly.

"No need for I'm sorry's, because I feel the same way, Nick," Ava said shyly averting her eyes.

They decided to pack up their lunch and do some more riding. Nick wanted to show Ava the view of the mountains from the south. It was a breathtaking site, and he wasn't disappointed in her reaction. They eventually made their way back home and had dinner with the family. Nick then took Ava home, since she told him she was working a double shift the next day.

"Doesn't the hotel pay enough?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, it does. But when you must use your tips to pay for the meals that end up in the patron's laps, it tends to be financially strapping," she laughed as she said this, but Nick knew she wasn't joking.

"How often does that happen?"

"Only three times this week."

"Only!" Nick said in outrage.

Ava laughed at him and said, "Don't worry about it, Nick. I don't enjoy it, but I'm new and the men who have acted inappropriately are just trying to gauge what kind of girl I am. I haven't had any problems with repeat customers."

Nick still didn't like the fact that it was happening at all. But he realized Ava was a big girl and she hadn't asked him to intervene. He would make a point to come into town though tomorrow for lunch so that he could see her.

Nick stopped the buggy on the outskirts of town as he had done a few nights before. Ava smiled at him and the two kissed. Nick didn't let things get out of hand, but he wanted Ava to know how much he cared. When they parted, the look in her eyes let him know she had no doubt.

They rode into town and he kissed her deeply before helping her down from the buggy and told her he would see her later.

In the month that followed, both Ava and Nick were busy and did not have much time to see one another. They had only been able to go out for dinner twice and went on another picnic once. They missed one another terribly but understood that their time was limited and took what they could get.

Finally, it looked as though the ranch work was going to slow down enough for Nick to invite Ava out to the Ranch. He wrote a note to send in with Jarrod, asking if he could come pick her up on Sunday morning for church and then they would spend the day together. Nick would have rather asked her in person, but he knew he couldn't spare the time, especially if he wanted to take Sunday off. Jarrod gladly took the note to Ava and watched as her face lit up upon reading the words. She asked him to wait while she penned a response. She handed the note to Jarrod and told him she would see him on Sunday. Jarrod smiled. Ava would make a nice addition to their family.