Chapter 5
The next morning found everyone together at breakfast. Jarrod was not dressed in a suit, but wore only his casual blue shirt and dark pants. He was planning to work at home and then go into town early in the afternoon to see if there was a response from Pinkerton to his telegram.
Nick was in his work clothes, planning to finish up fixing the fence he had begun the day before. Audra and Victoria were planning to finish a dress for Audra that they were working on together, and Heath was planning to take Melanie riding again, a last look at the west before she took the train back to Baltimore.
"I've had a wonderful time," Melanie said. "I can't thank you all for entertaining me TWICE on this little vacation of mine."
"You'll have to write to us when you get home," Audra said, "especially if you find that one of the suitors your parents are planning for you turns out to be the right one."
"You never know – one of them may be exactly the right one," Melanie said.
Jarrod began to get up from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I want to get an early start on those files I brought home, so I will take my leave and shut myself up in the library."
"Don't forget to come out for lunch," Victoria said as he kissed her on top of her head.
"Better remind me," he said. "You know how I can get when I'm working."
He walked out of the room as Nick was saying, "Heath, why don't you bring Melanie up my way to see how a real man works in the wild west."
"I'd love to see that," Melanie said. "Will you have many helpers?"
"None," Nick said. "I am on my own today. If you want to see some real cowboys, talk Heath into taking you out to see the herd. That's where all of our hands will be."
"We've been short on men for a while," Heath explained.
"So I better get going," Nick said and got up from the table. "Ladies," he said, kissing his mother, "and gentleman," he said to Heath. "I am off to keep this ranch running."
Melanie smiled after him. "He has a certain charm, hasn't he?"
"Like a freight train has charm," Audra said with a laugh.
XXXXXXXX
Heath took Melanie out to see the herd first, and he was surprised in a way that she seemed interested. She asked about the cattle – what kind they were, where they were taken to market or to whom they were sold if not taken to market, how many calves they had every year, when branding took place. She was full of questions Heath hadn't expected.
Then she asked, "Have you always worked with cattle?"
"Mostly," Heath said as they sat mounted and watched. "Not always though. I've worked in mines. I've done scouting for the army. A few other things. Jarrod has me running errands and business trips these days when he can't do it. I think I like working with cattle most, though. Smells bad, but there's something relaxing about just moving them along from one pasture to another, spending all day outside in all this sweet country."
Melanie smiled. "You have a tendency to make everything sound romantic, do you know that?"
Heath smiled back at her. "I guess I'm a cowboy poet."
"You're very different from your brothers. Of course, they're different from each other. Jarrod, so businesslike and brainy. Nick, so open and easy. You, in the saddle but with the soul of a poet. A very interesting trio, the three of you. I'm sorry I can't stay longer and know you better."
"I'm sorry, too," Heath said, "but all fantasies have to end sometime, don't they?"
Melanie nodded, a little sadly. "Is Nick working nearby?"
"No, it'll take us til lunchtime to reach him, but Silas packed him plenty of food for us to share when we get there – and I can't say I'm in a hurry to get there."
Melanie laughed. "Well, then let's take the slow route."
XXXXXXXX
A knock on the door sent Silas to answer it, but Victoria and Audra, coming in from the kitchen, watched with interest as he did. Soon he closed the door and came back in, carrying an envelope.
"Who was that, Silas?" Victoria asked.
"A telegram from town for Mr. Jarrod," Silas said. "Do you think I ought to disturb him?"
"I'll take it to him," Audra offered, holding out her hand. "I was about to go in to remind him of lunch anyway."
Silas gave Audra the telegram, and she headed for the library. When she knocked at the door, Jarrod's voice said, "Come in."
Audra found him at the desk, hunched over a large file. "The telegram came for you, Jarrod."
"Oh, good, thank you," Jarrod said and took it from her.
"We'll be having lunch in about half an hour," Audra said.
"Just you and Mother and me?"
"Yes," Audra said. "Heath and Melanie have gone to go needle Nick about fixing the fences by himself." And she left.
Only half listening to her, Jarrod rubbed his tired eyes and opened the envelope. It was from Pinkerton. It did contain information he needed, and suddenly, that hole in his memory that contained Melanie began to fill in.
XXXXXXX
Nick took a break from his job when he finished redigging one of the post holes and went to the wagon that held the equipment and his canteen. He was glad a creek was nearby, because there was no way one canteen of water was going to last him all day. It was hot and he had already removed his shirt. Sweat was pouring off him like a waterfall.
He looked up to see if company might be coming, but so far, he was alone. Heath was taking his time with that sweet Melanie. Well, no wonder. She was pretty, and she was much closer to Heath's age. And she was leaving tomorrow. Nick decided he'd make a last play to steal a kiss after dinner and otherwise not think anymore about her.
XXXXXXX
Kissing her hand the first time, all her questions about Nick, her coming back a second time - it all came together with the wire from Pinkerton. Jarrod was carried off in a wave of swirling memories that seemed to physically wash him out of the library and into the foyer, where he tripped and crashed down on the bottom steps of the stairway. His shin caught the worst of it. No one was around, so he yelled, "Audra?! Audra!"
Audra came running from the kitchen, her mother right behind her. "Jarrod!"
Jarrod got to his feet, his mother and sister helping to steady him.
"What happened? Are you all right?" Victoria asked.
"I'm fine," Jarrod said. "I just tripped. Audra, where did you say Heath and Melanie were going?"
"Out riding," Audra said.
"Where?"
"Around the ranch, I guess."
"No, you said something about Nick!"
"They've gone to go needle Nick about fixing the fences by himself," Audra said.
"Where?!" Jarrod yelled.
