Chapter 4

Jarrod drove the party out to the Barkley ranch in the surrey for dinner. Laura asked to sit beside Jarrod in the front, while Michael and Kate sat together in the back, but Laura was often turning in her seat to talk to them. She mentioned the road off to her place as they passed it. She talked about the herd of horses they saw on the Barkley property.

The moment that the four of them reached the Barkley home and went inside almost gave Jarrod that déjà vu chill again. Victoria, Nick and Sarah were in the parlour but came into the foyer to greet them all. Jarrod held the door open, allowing Michael to lead Laura in by the hand first, then he led Kate in, holding onto her arm as he closed the door. Touching her arm rather than holding her hand avoided the I've done this before feeling for the most part.

But not entirely, not when Victoria finished embracing Laura and looked up to see Kate at Jarrod's side. It wasn't that she looked anything like Beth, but Victoria seemed to get that flash of déjà vu too.

Jarrod pushed the moment aside by making the introductions. Nick gave a big smile and kiss on the cheek to Laura, shook Michael's hand, and gave Kate a polite bow. Sarah told Laura how nice it was to finally meet her, and they all exchanged some chit-chat as Victoria led everyone into the parlour.

Laura and Kate sat down on the settee, while Victoria and Sarah took the arm chairs that faced it. The men stood, while Nick fetched drinks for everyone. It was a nice, polite before dinner gathering – no complicated questions and answers beyond finding out that Laura had met Michael and his family through Kate, who was with her at Butterfield.

Oh, my gosh, she's only 21, Jarrod thought right away. I've passed 40 and she's 21…..

Jarrod didn't talk much after that, but only listened to the chatter between the others. Kate was fairly quiet, too. She didn't look uncomfortable but only like she thought the evening was about Laura and Michael. Jarrod realized that Kate was probably feeling like the lady in waiting for Laura, the young woman who should fade into the background while the princess took the attention. What struck Jarrod most was that Kate didn't seem to mind not being the center of attention.

Dinner was also very polite, very polished. Laura chattered away about Europe, Paris, and Michael, but after a while she backed away as Victoria began to talk directly with Michael, asking him about his way of earning a living and what future plans were.

"I must be honest," Michael said. "I've grown up in luxury and been very fortunate to attend Harvard. In college and in Europe I turned my attention to writing."

"Writing?" Victoria asked.

Michael looked a little sheepish. "I wouldn't say I'm a Mark Twain or an Edgar Allen Poe, but I did publish a small fiction in Paris."

"In French?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Michael said. "That was the point of writing the book, actually – to practice my French. The book actually sold a few hundred copies."

"Parisians seemed to be fascinated with how an American sees them," Laura said.

"Are you working on something now?" Victoria asked.

"In my mind," Michael said. "I'm fortunate in that I don't need to worry about money. I inherited a trust from my grandparents that's taken care of me very well – and in case you're wondering, Laura and I will live just fine."

"We're going to be living at my home," Laura said.

"Do you think you'll be able to get used to living on a ranch near Stockton instead of Paris or New York?" Nick asked.

"I'm looking forward to it," Michael said. "Paris and New York are exciting, and growing up in a big city had many advantages, but one of my uncles had a farm further upstate in New York. When I was a boy, I loved being out there with the countryside and the animals and the peace and quiet. I was actually jealous of my cousins, able to live there and grow up there. Stockton isn't that far from San Francisco, so our children will have a choice as they grow older. At least, I hope to be able to give them that choice."

The talk continued and turned more toward the plans for the wedding. Only Jarrod and Kate seemed to be sitting back and listening to what was going on, not chiming in with any questions. Kate answered a few but kept her answers brief. Jarrod noticed again that she seemed to be carefully staying out of Laura's limelight.

There was only one thing that came up that caught Jarrod's attention. Victoria asked Michael, "Who will your best man be?"

And Michael said, "An old school chum, Roger Whitman. No relation to the poet. He lives in Santa Fe and he should be here any day now."

An old school chum. A young man. Jarrod couldn't even explain to himself why the appearance of a young man in this group felt awkward, except that it did. It made his stomach sink. He looked Kate's way almost out of reflex and knew why he was feeling suddenly out of sorts. Four young people now – Michael and Laura, and Kate and Roger.

If he had been feeling an attraction toward Kate that he even remotely considered acting on, now it seemed to be completely foolhardy. Idiot, he thought. What have you been thinking?

No, not thinking. Feeling.

At the end of the evening, there were polite good-byes. Jarrod noted a definite look of approval of Michael in his mother's eyes, and he gave it back to her. He was liking Michael as Laura's husband, too. Even if he felt more like an extra wheel on the surrey now that there was a Roger Whitman in the picture, he managed to put it aside and put Laura's and Michael's happiness first.

Jarrod drove Laura, Michael and Kate back to town in the surrey, Laura and Michael in the back seat, Kate beside him in the front. Jarrod intended to deliver Laura to her home on the way, but she wanted to go into town with Michael and Kate first, so she parted company with her fiancé at the front of the Yosemite, saying, "Tomorrow I'll show you both all around my ranch – if Jarrod will be kind enough to drive you out there."

Jarrod wondered why she asked. Surely one of her hands could fetch the Pattersons out. But he said, "I'll be happy to. I hope you both enjoyed dinner tonight."

"Very much," Kate said first.

"Indeed," Michael said, and kissed Laura's hand.

Jarrod was sorely tempted to kiss Kate's hand, but she was already turning away to go into the hotel, lowering her eyes before she turned. Jarrod wondered if she was nervous about him. He wondered if what he had been feeling, until and since Roger was mentioned, was obvious to her.

Jarrod helped Laura back into the surrey, and they drove off into the darkness of the night toward Laura's home. "I'll probably be unpacking for most of tomorrow morning," Laura said, "but if I don't finish before you and Michael and Kate arrive, it'll be all right."

"I'm sure you'll finish it eventually," Jarrod said. "Since the Pattersons plan on a late breakfast, I'm sure we won't be there before 11 anyway."

"What do you think of Kate?"

Jarrod was startled by Laura's bluntness. He waited a beat before he said, "She's a very nice young woman."

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Again, Jarrod hesitated a little before he said, "Yes, she is."

"She's not married or spoken for," Laura said. "Her parents were a little worried about that, but Kate is an independent sort of woman."

Jarrod asked himself why that made him feel better than he had been feeling. Feelings just don't make any sense tonight, he thought. "Well, I haven't spent enough time with her to make a judgment on that,"

"She's going to be living with me and Michael, you know."

Now Jarrod was even more startled. "She's not going back to New York? Aren't her parents a little concerned about that?"

"Their parents are quite elderly now," Laura said. "The trip home from Europe was tiring for them, and they aren't even able to travel out here for the wedding. They have servants and her mother's widowed sister who is younger and cares for them, but they've made it clear that they want Michael and Kate to live their lives as they want to. Kate wants to spend some time with us and in San Francisco," Laura said.

Jarrod was close to stunned now. Her plans sounded like his plans, plans he had already told Laura and the Pattersons about. "You don't mind having your sister-in-law living with you?" he asked, trying to keep the focus away from himself.

"No, I love Kate," Laura said. "I don't know how long she'll be with us. She could very well marry. She's lovely and could have her pick of suitors out here, I think." And then she forged right ahead to where she wanted to go, just as she was always prone to do. "She'll need an escort in San Francisco."

Jarrod understood it right away. He wasn't sure how to react. "And you were thinking I'd be that escort?" just came out.

Laura said, "It would be a personal favor to me."

"Well, we'll see," Jarrod said. "We have a wedding to take care of first."

He knew he was trying to divert her attention again. She was making him feel awkward – she always did love making him feel awkward. And today and tonight, he was feeling awkward enough without her.