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Chapter 13

The next day, Jarrod took it upon himself to straighten things out.

Nick was working hard on the ranch and trying to do his part despite his injured arm, but he was pensive. Quieter. He would eat his dinner with the family and join in the conversation, but there was sadness in his eyes. Everyone had approached him and tried to get him to talk, but he simply said he was fine.

Waiting until his brothers left the house, Jarrod saddled up Jingo and headed for Nora's place. Hopefully, she would be willing to see him and hear him out, as it seemed like Nora Steele was just as bull-headed as Nick was. But someone had to do something.

Dismounting, Jarrod knocked on her door, surprised when she opened it.

"Oh, hello Jarrod. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Nora. May I come in?" Jarrod noticed her hair was a mess and it looked like she had been crying, but he didn't want to mention it.

"Well..."

"It's important or I wouldn't be bothering you. Only a few moments of your time."

Nora stepped back and gestured for him to enter before closing the door behind him. "Please, have a seat," she offered as she walked over to the table and sat down, Jarrod sitting opposite her.

"How are you doing, Nora?"

"I'm alright. A little tired."

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day. With Nick."

The look in her eyes said that she wanted to talk about anything besides that, but Jarrod wouldn't be deterred.

"It seems you were angry with him for what happened with Demarco. Can we discuss it?"

As the tears filled her eyes once again, Nora knew she had to speak to someone. Crying hadn't solved anything. She nodded and then cleared her throat.

"Jarrod, I couldn't let that man take your brother. I didn't know what would happen to him. I did the only thing I could and offered him Demarco instead."

"Demarco is your best friend and yet you were willing to give him up. Why do you think that is?"

"Because I care about your family."

"I know you do, Nora, and we care about you. So, what made you angry with Nick?" Jarrod was glad she was opening up.

"When I offered Wilson Demarco, Nick tried to help me convince him to take my horse. It seemed easy for him, and I guess it was since Demarco doesn't mean anything to your brother. It hurt me. Then he wouldn't let me go with him to rescue Marco and I got angry."

Jarrod smiled as he listened to her explanation. "Nora, it was Nick's plan all along to rescue Demarco. That's why he encouraged it. He never meant to hurt you. And he didn't want you going with him because he wanted to protect you."

Nora instantly stiffened. "I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, but he would never forgive himself if you had been the one to take the bullet."

Looking down at the floor as he spoke, Nora jerked her head up. "What do you mean, 'take the bullet?' Nick was shot?"

"I thought you knew. It was only a graze, but bad enough for 12 stitches. Could have been much worse."

Suddenly standing, Nora paced the floor. She had been so transfixed on Demarco that she hadn't noticed Nick was hurt. "He got shot rescuing my horse? Demarco means nothing to him." Her mind was going in all directions, trying to figure out this cowboy that invaded her constant thoughts.

"But his owner does."

Her tear-filled eyes found Jarrod's. "He cares for me?"

The nod was enough to make the tears spill over. "I've never seen him care for anyone as much as he does you."

"But Jarrod, how can I trust him? I've seen how men are in relationships..."

Standing, Jarrod walked over and put his hand on Nora's arm. "You saw how your father was in a relationship. Please don't take this the wrong way, but real men don't treat women that way. There...uh...is one more thing you don't know. Since Nick found out that someone was trying to break into your house, he came at night and slept in your barn. To watch over you."

"He...what?..." Her voice trailed off as she began pacing again, her palms on her cheeks. Things were quiet as she considered that bit of news. Now, Wilson's words made sense. He called Nick 'her bodyguard.' Nora had no idea that Nick had been sleeping in the barn, but Wilson did. And he refused to break in because of it. Nick had most likely saved her life by doing what he did. If Wilson had come in at night without Nick here...

Shaking her head to rid herself of that negative thought, she realized how uncomfortable Nick must have been sleeping in the barn, night after night. And yet he did it. For her. And didn't brag about it, or even let her know he was doing it.

Not even knowing if she had feelings for him, he sheltered her from harm.

She had completely misjudged the man.

Turning back towards Jarrod, tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was so wrong, Jarrod."

"With what you have been through, I'm not surprised that you would be suspicious of people. Don't be so hard on yourself."

The soft words got through. "Will he ever speak to me again?"

Gentle laughter filled the room. "I think you greatly underestimate the power of your charms where my brother is concerned. As I said before, he cares a great deal for you. The question is- how do you feel about him?"

Her eyes drifted off to the ceiling as she contemplated her feelings. She was attracted to Nick, that was for certain. But that wasn't love. When they would talk, she found herself wanting to spend more time in his presence. To get to know the real Nick Barkley. She worried about what happened to him and knew her thoughts toward him were completely different than how she felt about his brothers. Her affections were deep. Could she see herself married to him with children and living happily ever after? She smiled as she realized the answer was yes.

"I care for him too, Jarrod. More than I wanted to admit out loud."

"I'm happy to hear it. Would you like to come for dinner tonight so you two can talk?"

After a moment of contemplation, Nora shook her head. "No, but actually, I'm going to need your help with something..."

###

After Jarrod left, Nora sat at her table with a sheet of paper in her hands.

The last couple of days, she had spent reading the stack of letters from her grandmother to her mother. Her grandmother had poured out her feelings repeatedly to her daughter, begging her to come home. The last read letter was dated the year Nora turned 14. Her grandmother pled once more to see her daughter and granddaughters. The remaining letter had never been opened.

Nora's emotions were already all over the place with everything that had happened with Nick and Demarco, so reading the same words in each letter only brought more tears. Saving the last unopened one to read today, she ripped open the envelope, noticing the postmark was a couple of weeks before her mother had passed. Perhaps her mother hadn't the strength to read it.

There was a letter and a smaller envelope inside. Nora picked up the note and began to read.

My Dearest Daughter,

Life hasn't been kind recently- your father has had a stroke. While it is too soon to determine the extent of the damage done, and if he will fully recover, I wanted to once more invite you to come home. I know you will be exactly what he needs to help him heal.

As I know traveling expenses can be prohibitive, I have enclosed more than enough for you and the girls to make the trip. If you are unable to come, please use the money for some new clothes for my granddaughters.

All my love,

Mother

After reading the short passage, Nora realized that her grandparents did not know that their daughter had been dead for a year. And reading about her grandfather, Nora wondered if he was still alive. Anything could have happened in all this time.

Nora decided to write to her grandparents as soon as she could get some stationary but then remembered the smaller envelope laying on the table. Looking down, she retrieved and opened it. Her eyes widened as she pulled the bills out and counted them up.

There were one hundred dollars here.

It was more than Nora had ever seen in her life and she was sad that the money couldn't have been spent on what it was sent for, but Nora could now catch up on her rent to Mr. Henderson. And suddenly she knew exactly what she would do with part of the money.

Smiling through her tears, Nora jumped up and readied herself for a trip to town.

This windfall had come right on time.

###

"I have a perfect idea," Jarrod said as the three of them were riding back to the ranch. "After dinner, let's all go to town for a few drinks."

"That sounds like a great plan. I'm in. How about you, Nick?"

"You two go on. I don't feel much like it today."

"You've been moping around long enough, Nick. I'm not taking no for an answer," Jarrod insisted, waiting for a reply.

"Come on, Nick," Heath added. "A game of poker might improve your mood. I'll even let you win."

"Let me win? I can tell you two won't stop harassing me until I agree. Alright, we will go to town after dinner," he grumbled.

"Great," Jarrod said with a wink in Heath's direction.

###

Jarrod insisted on everyone cleaning up before going to town. Nick had already washed his face before dinner, but his older brother persisted until he got his way. So, with clean clothes and hair in place, he added a dab of cologne to his neck and exited his room.

"Does this pass your inspection?" he asked grumpily, meeting Jarrod standing in the hallway.

"You look fresh as a daisy," Jarrod said, then leaned in and sniffed. "Smell pretty too."

Heath came out of his bedroom and joined them. "Ready to go?" he asked, leading the way down the stairs and out the front door.

As they mounted up, Victoria came outside. "Oh good. You haven't left yet. I need one of you to come and help me with something in the back. Doesn't matter which one. Will only take a few minutes."

They all looked at each other, then Nick sighed and dismounted. "I'll volunteer. You two go on ahead." It was exactly the excuse he needed to stay at the ranch. He wrapped Big Duke's reins around a post and followed his mother into the house, Jarrod and Heath watching him go.

"Our work is done. Want to go in and play checkers?" Jarrod asked jauntily.

"Are you kidding? And waste all these clean clothes you made me wear. Let's go to town." Heath chuckled, bringing a laugh from Jarrod before they rode out.

###

"Mother, what did you need help with?" Nick asked as he trailed her through the house.

"Follow me," she said as she opened the back door and walked out, Nick right behind her. When he exited, his eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. Victoria smiled and went back inside without saying a word, closing the door behind her.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared, not able to take his eyes off the beautiful vision standing a few feet away.

With trembling hands, Nora watched Nick walk out the door, more nervous than she had ever been. Her preparations for this moment had taken her most of the day. When she went to town, she stopped at the dress shop to see if Mrs. Moss had anything ready-made that she could purchase. To Nora's delight, she showed her a beautiful gold satin gown. The woman that ordered it changed her mind at the last minute and decided to go with something she already owned. It went wonderfully with Nora's coloring and red hair, so she bought her first fancy dress and was pleased that it fit like it was made for her. The bodice was low-cut with a layer of lace, it had short puffy sleeves and the skirt was full, with lace trim. She hurried home and took out her jewelry box- which she had hidden in a place that Wilson hadn't found, and she had, thankfully, forgotten about when he was there wanting money.

Taking out the citrine necklace, Nora was thrilled to see that it was a perfect match and that her sparkly barrette would finish the look. Her hair was full and curly and she never tried to stick with the hair fashion that was in style, so she pulled most of it over to one side and held it there with the barrette in the back. Long curls streamed down her left breast, and she pulled a few down in front of her ear on the right.

Jarrod had sent one of the hands to pick her up and she had stayed hidden away in their guest room until after dinner, Silas having brought her a tray. Then he had helped set up a table with candles and a bottle of chilled champagne with two glasses. Nora hurried downstairs while the men were cleaning up in their rooms. As she stood next to the table waiting, she wrung her hands, uncertain as to what she would say first.

This was the image that Nick walked out on, and he had to stop from pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He didn't know the how or the why and for a few moments he was speechless as he gazed into her eyes. Her dress and hair were stunning, but her beautiful face outshone them.

"Nora," he began.

Smiling slightly, Nora raised her hand to stop him.

"I need to talk to you, Mr. Barkley," she said, her voice quivering. His quiet nod gave her the courage to continue.

Nora took a few steps, trying to calm her nerves, then cleared her throat. "You don't know a lot about me, but the truth is I haven't had relationships with very many men in my life. My father was the first man I had an association with, so he was the one I compared others to. The problem with that is, he wasn't much of a husband or father. Therefore, his behavior ruined my trust toward men. Other than him, you and your brothers are the only men I've been around."

Pausing to get her thoughts together, Nora was glad that he remained silent.

"Heath has been so kind to me, but I never felt the need to be wary of him because I wasn't attracted to him. The same with Jarrod. But...from the moment I first saw you...in the saloon...I didn't trust you. It took me a while to understand the reason. It's because I was drawn to you and scared of my feelings."

She stopped speaking as she noticed the smile on Nick's face, and it distracted her.

"As you have probably gathered, I've never been in a romantic relationship, Nick. And I've been leery of caring for anyone because I thought all men were like my father and I refused to be treated the way my mother was."

The more she spoke, the faster Nick's heart beat.

"I believed no man could be trusted where women were concerned." Hesitating for the briefest time, she continued.

"But I was wrong."

Nick tried to swallow the lump in his throat. His mouth had gone dry as she spoke, and he couldn't speak now if he wanted to. His breathing increased as he anticipated her next words.

"My hurt and anger toward you the other day was unwarranted and undeserved. Deep inside I think I knew what your plan was, but it was easier to let myself get hurt, and angry, so I could push you away.

"Little did I know exactly how trustworthy you really are.

"Jarrod came to see me this morning and he told me that you have been watching over me at night. He also told me you were injured rescuing Demarco. And I... can't thank you enough for all you have done for me. And I'm grateful you weren't killed..." She clasped her hands together and gripped them tight, her legs were shaking so much she thought she might collapse before she finished.

"I want to tell you I'm sorry, Nick. I misjudged you."

Her posture told him that she was finished speaking, and the way she was wringing her hands he knew she was anxious about his response. He stepped closer.

"When I first met you...as Nora," he specified, "I didn't trust you either. I was stunned by your beauty but had seen you pretending to be a man, and it made me believe that you were something of a con artist, thus my attitude toward you at dinner that night. Despite that, you were like a magnet to me," he said softly. "I wanted to be near you, be with you, but I believed that you and Heath were a couple, and I refused to hurt my brother. Therefore, I pushed you away the only way I knew how."

Nick had moved closer as he spoke, Nora now able to smell his cologne. She took a deep breath to enjoy the aroma and to still her racing heart.

"I even contemplated leaving town because I desperately wanted to be with you and thought I couldn't. As soon as I found out you and Heath were only friends, I came to see you, but Wilson was there."

Now she knew why he had come the other day.

"So, you don't hate me?" she asked looking up into his dark eyes.

"Hate you? No...never that..." his voice purred as he gazed into the green orbs and took one step closer, so their bodies were touching.

Nora could feel the heat radiating from Nick's body, but this time she wasn't afraid. "I've never kissed a man..." she breathed out, knowing it was only moments away.

His hand involuntarily reached up and anxiously touched her face, his fingers shaking. Never having been nervous around women, it was a new feeling for him that he enjoyed.

"Then I hope I don't disappoint you," he murmured as his other arm encircled her waist, and he drew her even closer, anxious to kiss her and yet wanting to make the moment last. Their eyes remained locked in a passionate gaze and then closed as he leaned down and their lips finally met.

Nora wasn't sure what to expect, but the fireworks going off in her head surprised and thrilled her. The feel of Nick's lips on hers was everything she could have dreamed of and more. The kiss was soft, as were his lips, and then went deeper. His lips parted, and so did hers, as he gently touched her tongue with his, sending a shock wave through her body.

Nora's moan was almost Nick's defeat, as their first kiss nearly consumed them both. Clearing his thoughts, Nick began drawing away, Nora's arms around his neck pulling him closer still. He had to disengage before things went too far. Reaching up, he carefully removed her arms and stepped back, reluctantly separating his lips from hers. He held her trembling hands in his between them, as they both struggled to catch their breath. It may have been her first kiss, but it certainly wasn't his, and yet somehow it seemed different than all the others. Powerful and significant.

"You are so beautiful, Nora. I've wanted to tell you that from the moment I saw you in the living room that night. And tonight, you look magnificent."

His voice was deep and soft. Nora had never been complimented that way before and her heart stirred within her. Enough so, that she got on her tiptoes and pulled him down for another kiss. He could easily become an addiction for her, and she wanted more.

"Nora," he said between kisses. "We have to stop."

Stepping back, she looked every bit the petulant child as she pouted. "You don't like kissing me?"

He moved forward again, taking one of her long curls in his fingers and examining it as he had at Paradise. "The problem is, I like kissing you too much."

Looking up at him with a suggestive smile, she breathed, "Prove it." Nick had never met a more innocent temptress in his life and wanted nothing more than to do exactly that.

"You have no idea how enticing you are, Leonor Steele. But, as a gentleman, I can't risk your reputation. Would you like to take a walk?"

Even though she was a little frustrated at his answer, Nora realized he must care for her greatly to protect her character. So, she took his hand in hers and they strolled out in the moonlight.

Victoria looked out her window and smiled, happy that they had finally found their way to each other.