Chapter 1.
Audra Barkley had ordered six petticoats, four chemises, five pairs of pantaloons, three nightgowns, two corsets, and four corset covers for her upcoming trip to Europe. It was the largest order Emily had ever received from a single customer. She had been in Stockton only a few months and business had been slow but promising to start. She had few needs for herself and had dipped into her savings fund only twice to cover her costs.
Miss Barkley's order, while sizable in and of itself, also held the promise of more customers - such was the influence of her family. Emily thought Audra a very pretty girl if a little naïve and impetuous. And very talkative. But she was always pleasant and polite and Emily was glad to let her chatter on about herself. Emily had heard that Audra and her mother, the family matriarch, often dressed in trousers, especially when on their ranch, and Emily marveled at that. She was not shocked but rather amused by this. She admired the practicality of women in the West and their ability and willingness to do whatever needed to be done to survive and convention be damned. Emily found Audra's Western informality frankly refreshing.
Not that Audra had been completely self centered. She had asked, and Emily answered, questions about Emily's life and background: That Emily's husband had died in a fire in San Francisco, that she was from Ohio, that her father was a Federal judge there, and that two of her brothers were lawyers. Like her own brother, Jarrod, was a lawyer. In San Francisco. And also widowed. To Audra, it was a perfect match and she never failed to include something about Jarrod during her visits for fittings.
When Audra invited her to the Barkley Ranch for an informal luncheon, Emily readily accepted and without the deliberation she thought a widow should give such invitations. Later, she concluded this was a fine and acceptable way to introduce herself to local society. The Barkleys were well known and influential and she understood them to be good and gracious people, as well.
As planned, some of Audra's friends came by on Saturday morning in a surrey carriage to bring her along with them to the Barkley Ranch. There were two couples: One newly married, Emily learned, and the other a brother and a sister. The young ladies, particularly the sister, a tall blond named Susannah, seemed to eye Emily critically and it made her uncomfortable.
As they rode out of town and through the countryside, the young people told Emily of the vastness of the Barkley land and other holdings. Susannah especially seemed eager to tell her all about the family and Emily wished she could hear such things from Audra – or any member of the Barkley family – rather than Susannah. It sounded like gossip coming from her.
Audra was sorely disappointed when Jarrod wired from San Francisco the day before explaining his work would keep him there over the weekend and she couldn't help but confide to her mother about her secret plans for introducing her oldest brother to this newcomer.
"Is Mrs. Powell ready to consider courting again?" Victoria asked, entertained and not a little touched by her daughter's romantic and well meaning machinations.
"Well," Audra replied, "she hasn't said so but it's been two years!"
Victoria smiled. She was looking forward to meeting the woman. Audra had talked about her very favorably, describing her shy and quiet nature, her educated background, her gracefulness, and, of course, her accomplished father.
For her part, Emily half hoped and half dreaded but fully expected to meet Mrs. Barkley this day. Certainly, the matriarch of the clan was not someone to dismiss and Emily was fully braced to be evaluated and critiqued. She hoped she would pass the inspection.
The surrey arrived at the stately home and Emily noted how Susannah's demeanor shifted from relaxed to tense and watchful. As the young husband was helping the ladies from the surrey and onto the front porch, Audra emerged through the front door to greet her guests. Emily noted she was wearing a dress.
Audra welcomed all her guests, Emily included, with equal warmth and enthusiasm. This was clearly not a first visit for the others and they entered house unbidden. Emily could hear another woman inside greeting them by name and being addressed as Mrs. Barkley.
Audra linked her arm with Emily's and brought her inside. It was an informal gesture Emily wasn't prepared for but she accepted it as the custom Out West. Still, to exhibit such familiarity with a mere acquaintance was not done in Cincinnati society.
"Mother!," Audra called as they entered the house. Emily saw a slight woman approach them in confident strides. She was also wearing a dress and, aside from the gray hair, Emily thought she looked very youthful.
"Emily," Audra said, "this is my mother, Victoria Barkley. Mother, this is Mrs. Emily Powell."
Victoria stepped forward and took both of Emily's hands into hers and said, "Welcome to our home, Mrs. Powell. I am so glad you could come."
Emily felt immediate relief at being welcomed so warmly and, she sensed, sincerely, so it was easy for her to respond in kind, offering her gratitude for the invitation. She noted no pretense in Mrs. Barkley. Rather, the woman had a relaxed confidence in which Emily found some shelter from her own self-doubts.
A few other guests had already arrived and were seated in the front parlor. As wraps and hats were removed and carried away by an older gentleman in a white jacket, the newest arrivals made themselves at home with them. Victoria led Emily to a chair in the parlor and sat down beside her.
Emily overheard Susannah ask if Nick would be joining them and Audra said, yes, Nick and Heath would be there soon but Jarrod was in San Francisco. Emily knew Jarrod was Audra's brother but she wasn't entirely clear on the relationship of Nick and Heath to the family, only that she'd heard their names and that Heath's origins were somewhat scandalous to the family.
Soon, another small group arrived, also clearly familiar with the family and the house. Introductions were made and Emily found she'd already met Sarah through the dressmaking shop she and her mother, Ruth, had in town. The two shops had started referring customers to each other.
Victoria settled again into the chair beside Emily and asked her the usual questions about where she grew up (outside Cincinnati), did she have any family in California (none), about her family back home (five brothers, her mother died when she was three). Emily sensed Mrs. Barkley might be curious why she didn't return to her father's home as young widows often do, especially when their fathers are also widowed. So, Emily offered that her brother Frank had his horse ranch on land adjoining her father's farm and, in addition to Frank's wife, he also had a household staff to look after him.
Mrs. Barkley gave no indication of disapproval of Emily's decision to remain in California. She simply asked, "Is your father agreeable with you staying in California?"
Emily smiled. "My father says he will support whatever decision I make for my life," she replied.
"Your father sounds like a caring man," Victoria offered.
Emily adored her father and it shone in her eyes when she spoke of him. She said, "He is, Mrs. Barkley. He is very caring and quite wise."
The front door opened and three slightly dusty, slightly sweaty men entered the house and each in turn flung a cowboy hat on the table and, without breaking stride, approached the front parlor.
Victoria stood and Emily followed suit.
"Nick, Heath, I'd like you to meet Mrs. Emily Powell. I believe you know everyone else," Victoria said. She then turned to face Emily and added, "Mrs. Powell, these are my sons, Nick," gesturing towards the tallest one with black hair and black leather vest and then to the blond in the tan trousers, "and Heath." Gesturing to the third man, she said, "And this is Carl Wheeler, a friend of the family." Each one, in turn, nodded to Emily, "Mrs. Powell," "Ma'am," "Ma'am."
Audra asked the men if they'd been to see them and Heath answered, "Yep, and we got our work cut out for us."
Audra then announced to the assembled group that the men had captured three mustangs the day before and Victoria suggested the men should wash up before luncheon.
With that, the three men started up the staircase. A rather elegant stair case, Emily thought, and a bit incongruous to the three dirty cowboys upon it, and Nick's spurs jangling. Emily wondered what damage those spurs must do to the floors of the fine house. She was amused by the sight but reasoned the staircase fit with the elegance of her hostess and this was, after all, a working ranch.
Lunch was a lively affair with Mrs. Barkley presiding at the head of the table. Emily was seated to her right and watched and listened intently.
She noted Audra's attentions focused on Mr. Wheeler seated directly across from her. She saw Heath's attentions to Sarah, seated next to him, and thought they looked very sweet together. She also noted that Susannah had made sure to sit next to Nick and asked too many questions. They were too many questions because Nick, though polite, seemed disinterested in giving fully considered responses. His interests, Emily noted, were in getting everyone's attention when he talked about catching the mustangs, which he did by talking loudly.
Emily found the group dynamic most diverting and followed it closely. At one point, she turned to find Mrs. Barkley looking at her, smiling, as though she, too, found the interactions entertaining.
By the end of the meal, the group consensus was to ride to the corral some distance from the house to see the mustangs.
Victoria noted the disquiet on Emily's face as Emily debated whether she should join them, whether she was even invited to join them. Victoria reached out and covered Emily's left hand with her right and addressed the table, "Perhaps Mrs. Powell will join you as I don't think there are any wild mustangs in Ohio."
There was some polite laughter and Nick let out a loud, "Ha!"
"I would love to see the mustangs!" Emily stated cheerily. And it was true.
The men left to get their hats and to ready the buckboard to carry some of the guests out to the corral. Other guests would ride.
The day was sunny and Emily found her way to the front parlor to retrieve her hat, a straw affair with a wide brim and a wide blue ribbon to anchor it to her head. The other women were already bonneted and leaving the house. Only Mrs. Barkley remained nearby in the front parlor, straightening up, when Nick strolled in, spurs announcing him as he walked over to the front table where he'd tossed his hat earlier and retrieved the gloves he had also deposited there.
"Oh, Nick!" Mrs. Barkley exclaimed, "I would so love to have Mrs. Powell's advice on some sewing which is giving me trouble. Would you wait for us and accompany her to the corral? I won't be but five minutes."
Nick immediately responded with, "Certainly, Mother! I'll meet you at the stables." He tipped his hat to Emily and left the room.
Emily sensed this was a ruse to create some distance between Susannah and poor Nick and she was perfectly fine with being used for the purpose.
Following Victoria into what Emily would describe as a billiards room, she asked her hostess if she would be joining them at the corral.
"Oh, heavens, no!" Victoria said. "I've seen my fair share of mustangs."
And broken a few of them, too, Emily thought with admiration.
"And have you broken any?" She ventured to ask.
Victoria stopped and looked at her pretty young guest. "I've broken a few, yes," she said, smiling conspiratorially.
Emily found Mrs. Barkley's sewing challenges to be rather simple to remedy and might have wondered why they were challenges at all but figured women who break mustangs, build cattle empires, and raise polite and obedient children are not necessarily also adept at all the arts of homemaking.
With her hat tilted forward over her face to shield her eyes and face from the sun as well as to accommodate the braid pinned high at the back of her head, Emily followed Mrs. Barkley out to the stables. Nick was leaning against the corral fence, talking amiably with an older Hispanic man. Two saddled horses stood close by, a chestnut gelding with palomino blood and a beautiful black mare. Nick saw the women approach and began walking over to them.
"Oh, Blackie!" Mrs. Barkley exclaimed before Nick reached them, "she's an excellent choice for Mrs. Powell!"
Nick and Victoria watched as Emily walked over to the black mare, patted her neck, and spoke to her in tones too soft for them to hear.
Nick turned to his mother and explained that all the sidesaddles were being used. Victoria responded by nodding her head at Blackie and when Nick turned to look, he saw Emily in mid-mount, her left foot planted in the stirrup, right leg in mid-air, her green calico skirt in a semi circle behind her.
Nick turned back to his mother to give her a look of astonishment as Emily leaned forward, patting Blackie's neck, still talking to her. He walked over and, without a word, cinched the stirrups up for a better fit, then shook his head, and mounted Coco. Emily clicked to spur Blackie toward Nick and Coco as though she had been riding her whole life, which, in fact, she had.
"Where d'you learn to ride like that?" Nick asked, puzzled.
"I grew up on a farm," she replied.
"Thought your father was a judge," Nick said, his tone sounding much more gruff than he intended.
"He's a judge with a farm," Emily thought the rude comment deserved an equally terse response.
Victoria turned to go back into the house, smiling to herself and feeling triumphant.
Nick pointed out the trail they would be taking.
Once clear of the ranch and facing a long stretch of trail, Emily, asked, "Does she gallop?"
"'Course she gallops!" Nick exclaimed. Then he slowed, and smiling, extended his arm to invite her to ride ahead of him.
Emily clicked Blackie into a canter and up to a full gallop till they reached the top of a small incline and stopped, waiting for Nick,
Nick watched as the seemingly proper young widow – a judge's daughter, no less – let her guard down to engage in a full-on race with the wind, demonstrating some of the finest horsemanship he'd seen in a woman.
When he caught up with her at the crest of the small hill, she was smoothing her skirts back down over her black stockings. There was pink in her cheeks and long wisps of brown curls which had escaped her tightly secured braided bun.
She smiled as he approached, looked up at the cloud speckled blue sky and said, "Oh, Mr. Barkley, I haven't had this much fun in a very long time!"
He watched her as she surveyed the horizon from all directions. Looking east, she raised her arm, and pointed at the snow-capped peaks in the far distance.
"Are those the Sierra Nevada?" she asked.
"Yep," was all he answered and he continued to watch her take in the scenery. She stopped when she realized she was being watched.
"You know, Mr. Barkley," she explained, "Ohio is very, very pretty. But it isn't breath-taking and it isn't majestic."
As they traveled on at a more relaxed pace, Nick pointed out to her the features of the land around them and did not miss the opportunity to mention that his family owned much of what she saw. When he mentioned the Barkley orchards to the southeast, she gasped.
"You have orchards?" she said. "What kind of orchards?"
Nick told her of the fruit and other crops they grew and saw her genuine interest. She explained how she and her husband had wanted to plant an orchard but hadn't settled on what kind of fruit or nut trees were most profitable.
They continued talking about crops and harvests and markets till they reached the corral where the others were gathered against the outside of the fence in a circle. They dismounted, tied the horses, and parted ways as they joined the group.
Audra approached Emily to be near her guest and to talk about the horses. Nick didn't stay in one spot very long as he wanted to view the animals from all angles.
At a spot directly opposite where Emily stood talking with Audra, Nick noted how small she looked standing next to his sister: Not a great deal shorter, but thinner, delicate even, and it occurred to him that a strong wind could probably knock her to the ground.
Sarah moved around the corral to talk with Emily and Heath was not far behind.
Sarah was kind and sweet and Emily was grateful for her effort. She remarked how glad she was that Emily could join the group that day and Emily sensed a kinship with the young woman who she understood was also new to the valley and was also shy.
When Heath joined them, Emily asked him about the horses and found the quiet young man more than happy to share what he knew about the horses – but not much more.
The group traveled back to the house en masse, Audra taking the lead, talking and laughing with whoever was riding next to her, usually Carl Wheeler. Nick and Heath took up the rear, keeping watch over the group and talking with each other in an easy manner which Emily thought spoke to mutual trust and respect. The quality of their friendship from her vantage point at that moment reminded her of Sam and a fresh wave of grief swept over her.
Stable hands greeted the group as they arrived and dismounted. Heath offered his assistance to Emily as she climbed down from Blackie. She didn't think she needed it, really, but it had been years since she'd ridden a horse and she was at once loathe to dismount and feeling the after effects as soon as her feet touched the earth.
A stable hand came to lead Blackie away. Emily wanted to curry the girl herself but looked around to see no one else was attending to the horse they rode. She patted the mare's neck and thanked her for a lovely afternoon.
After she watched Blackie being led into the stable, Emily noticed she was the last of the group still outside. Everyone else had gone into the house, except Nick who stood alone by the corral gate, waiting for her. He opened the gate for her and followed her into the house without saying a word.
Emily found the group in varying stages of drinking lemonade, donning wraps and jackets, and thanking Audra and Mrs. Barkley for the luncheon. Emily located the couples she had arrived with and was relieved to see them preparing to leave.
She crossed the room to Mrs. Barkley and thanked her for the lunch and told her how nice it was to meet her. Victoria told her that she hoped to see her again soon and Emily felt the comment was sincere.