Forbidden love for a Barkley

Part Four:

"Barkley Ranch is the place to be"

After reminiscing about certain memories about the late Barkley family patriarch & talking a little more about Stefania without admitting to blushing and/or possibly liking her more as a friend, Nick had a dream where Tom was alive and well, Jarrod's late wife Beth was also alive and well, Gene was back home & married, Heath had married Gail, the woman he met while he, Nick, and Jarrod were in the process of transporting nitroglycerin to a wildfire, and he (Nick) was about to confess something to Stefania. Before he could do so, the dream abruptly ended. Now, the remaining question or questions was/were: Was the dream a certain sign of something? Did Nick take a liking to Stefania despite barely knowing her? Did Stefania feel a certain way about Nick? Stay tuned!

Author's note: I do NOT own "The Big Valley" or any of its characters. I only own the characters of Leonard Barkley & Stefania Mangano. Also too, if you go back to Part 3, you'll notice changes made to it. A reviewer pointed out the many angry notes and pauses in between; I have changed those as looking back at them, the pauses were too much and the notes too angry, but it still doesn't change my stance on the fact that I have zero time for rudeness, hate, and/or trolls. If anybody gets a bug up theirs & leaves a nasty review, just know that the said review will get deleted. Anyways, that being said, to the rest of you readers out there, enjoy the story! :D

(Flashback to part 3)

Nick sat in the same chair he did earlier and stared right at the floor, still in thought and trying to go over the dream he just had.

"Nick?" a voice called out.

Nick turned to the direction the voice came from and saw Heath standing at the staircase.

"You alright?" Heath asked.

"I suppose so, little brother." Nick finally spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

"You look like you didn't get any sleep." Heath sat down on the chair Audra had sat in earlier.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep." Nick told him, while running a hand through his hair.

"Are you thinking about Stefania?" Heath could tell that something or someone was on Nick's mind.

"Well, not only her, but I'm also thinking of father." Nick turned his attention to the same picture of Tom he and Victoria had been focused on earlier.

"With his birthday coming up, I can see why. However, regarding Stefania..." Heath took a deep breath and continued, "Do you like her? Don't lie or deny it."

Stunned by the question and how direct it was, especially coming from Heath who was never quite direct about anything, Nick just sat there and didn't say a word.

"Nick." Heath was waiting for his big brother to answer the question.


(Now)

"Heath." Nick said back to his younger brother.

Heath sighed and gave him a look that said: "Answer the question!"

"Alright...Alright! You want to know the truth?" Nick stood up and had his back turned to Heath.

"I would appreciate some kind of answer instead of you dodging the question. I mean-" Heath was cut off when Nick turned around to face him.

"Then again, since when do I have to answer to anybody? I'm a grown man!" Nick raised his voice and slapped the arm of the chair.

"Nick, do you have to shout?" Heath shook his head.

"Yeah, can't you use your indoor voice?" Audra appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Nick turned to his sister and got knocked onto his butt when a pillow was thrown at him, "Oomph!"

"To tell you to shush, because you woke me up with all your yelling." Audra sounded like a sassy teenager.

"Throwing...stuff, Audra?" Nick grabbed and squeezed the pillow, "What're you? Two?"

Heath put his hand over his mouth and let out muffled laughter.

"Shut up, Nick and lower your voice." Audra came down the stairs, walked up to Nick, and ripped the pillow out of his hands, "And most importantly, give me my pillow back!"

"You're the one that threw it at me!" Nick chuckled.

Audra let out an annoyed noise and whacked him in the face with the pillow, before going back upstairs to her room.

"What's with her?" Heath whispered to Nick once he knew Audra was back in her bedroom.

"The hell if I know." Nick whispered back to him, "I'm not a girl or expert on girls."

"Anyways, where were we?" Heath asked.

"I said since when do I have to answer to anybody?! I'm a grown man!" Nick repeated the same exact thing he said seconds earlier before Audra came down.

"Well, you don't but we're all curious." Heath shrugged.

"Wait, wait, wait! Who's this "we" you're referring to?" Nick put his hands on his hips.

"We meaning Audra, mother, and Jarrod when he gets back." Heath replied.

"Okay, count Jarrod out of the equation for now since he's not home. It's just you, Audra, and mother who are curious or in other words, being busybodies." Nick started to raise his voice again, only to stop himself from doing so.

"Busybodies?" Heath stood up from his chair, sounding a bit offended by the term, "What kind of crack was that?"

"No crack. I'm just saying that with all due respect you guys are being a bunch of busybodies. I mean what does it matter what I feel about Stefania?" Nick turned his back towards Heath and stared out the window.

"Ah ha! You just admitted to something!" Heath pointed his finger at Nick, despite knowing that his older brother had his back turned.

"Admitted to something? What have I admitted to?" Nick asked, back still turned.

"You said and I quote: "What does it matter what I feel about Stefania?" unquoted. Nick, you put the word "feel" into the question which means you feel something about her." Heath pointed out.

"Heath, I asked a simple question. I mean what does it matter what or how I feel about her? What does it matter to you guys?" Nick put his hand over his forehead.

"It means you feel something about her, but what? Plus, like I said, we're curious." Heath told him.

"Well, curiosity killed the cat." Nick turned to him.

"But satisfaction brought it back." Heath added.

"Heath, what do you want?!" Nick was starting to get annoyed and hoped his younger brother would let off already.

"I just want to know how or what you feel about Stefania. I mean it's obvious you feel something about her, because you wouldn't have put the word "feel" into your question, if you didn't feel anything about her. I believe Audra, mother, and I deserve to know. Whenever any of us, excluding mother, have someone we have taken a liking to on our minds, you're always curious and tell us that we can talk to you about our feelings, woes, etc & you offer advice for trying, testy, and difficult times. So, it would be nice to return the favor." Heath pointed out and reminded him. He did have a point, because since Nick did say all of that and made that promise/vow, well he should be courteous and return the favor. Fair is fair.

"I really got to shut my big mouth at times!" Nick slapped the table.

"Nick, just come out with it. You know you want to, as immature as that just sounded coming from me." Heath facepalmed at how immature that last part sounded.

"Even if I were to admit to anything like that, I know you, Audra, and Jarrod would tease me. Gene, too. If he was back home. Mother and father would be happy and cheer me on, but the rest of you would tease me." Nick sighed.

"Nick, we're not kids. We're that immature. I mean sure we'll give you a little rough time and all, but we'll be rooting for you & Stefania at the end of the day." Heath tried to reassure him while understanding how he felt, even placing a hand on his shoulder.

"That is true." Nick nodded as he realized Heath was right, though he wouldn't say it out loud.

"Now, do you like her or not?" Heath asked in a very direct way.

"I'm going back to bed." Nick walked towards the staircase.

"Nick!" Heath said in an annoyed way.

"Hey, I don't want to feel as if I'm on trial. I went through that with the court martial that took place here a while back. Plus, I want to get back to sleep while it is still dark out. I have a big day tomorrow and I want to be early to meet up with Stefania." Nick went upstairs and retired to his bedroom.

Heath just stood there and shook his head. Who could blame him? Nick had dodged the question despite the fact that he (Heath) had reassured him that nobody would make fun of him, but then again, it was Nick. Consider the source.


*The next morning*

As planned, Nick was up bright and early for the big day he planned. He managed to breeze through his chores and breakfast with out any questions being asked. It was at this time, he was thankful Tom wasn't there, because the Barkley patriarch would not let up until he got an answer, even if it went into the evening and possibly the next day & days, even weeks after that. After all, Tom was known for dragging answers out of everybody. Truthful answers at that. No lying. If any of the Barkley siblings were caught in lies, he would either soap their mouths out or spank them or their both plus give them extra chores. He was not one to tolerate lies or his questions being dodged.

Anyways, Nick was off to meet up with Stefania and go riding around more of Stockton with her. Meanwhile, Audra, Heath, and Victoria were discussing amongst themselves about Nick's possible feelings towards Stefania and how well he was hiding those possible feelings.

"I just don't understand Nick. I mean if he likes Stefania and it's pretty obvious he does, then why not come out and say it?" Audra took a sip of her coffee.

"Well, last night or very early this morning, we were talking in the parlor and he said that if he were to have feelings of any kind towards Stefania, he couldn't tell any of us, because we'd be immature and laugh & by we I mean you, Jarrod, Gene if he was still at home, and I." Heath told her.

"Laugh at him? What are we? A bunch of immature teenagers? I mean sure we'd give him a hard time and all, but at the end of the day, we'd be happy for him." Audra shook her head in disbelief after what she just heard. Who could blame her? It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for any of the Barkley siblings to laugh at Nick's feelings towards Stefania (if he possibly had any). They'd give him the business which is what siblings (good and supportive siblings) do, but at the end of the day, they'd all have his back & be cheering for him, because that was what a true loving family did & the Barkley family was the perfect example of that.

"That's what I told him, but obviously, I didn't get far." Heath took a bite of his breakfast.

"Mother, can you believe this?! I mean none of us are that shy about admitting something like that. Look at me, I told you my feelings for Chotaro. Heath does for every time he meets a girl as did Jarrod and Gene. Heck, Jarrod came back married to Beth that time and he wasn't shy about telling you guys & later me that he was indeed a married man!" Audra turned to her mother for a response.

"I know, Audra but you guys are all different. You each have your own way of saying and/or admitting to stuff. You, Heath, and Gene take different approaches & Jarrod and Nick? Well, Jarrod and Nick are very different on a number of levels; Jarrod is more open and direct. Nick, not so much and I believe we all know that. Even your father knew that." Victoria explained in her usual calm voice.

"You got that right about Nick being very different about things." Heath nodded.

"We all know Nick. If he chooses to tell us, he'll do so. If he doesn't, then we either leave it alone and wait for him or drag it out of him. Your father was good on dragging it out of Nick. The rest of us have yet to be that good." Victoria took a sip of her orange juice.


*With Nick*

Nick finally showed up at Stefania's house and was met up once again by her nieces Cara and Mariah, who were a little less shy than they were yesterday. In fact, it seemed as though the two little girls have warmed up to Nick almost immediately. So much so that while waiting for Stefania, as rare as it was for him to do, Nick was playing a game of hide and seek with the girls. Who knew the rough tough and gruff Nick Barkley would have such a gentle side that was so gentle that he would play hide and seek with a couple of kids? Who knew?

"Okay, I'm counting. One, two, three..." Nick covered his eyes and began counting.

Cara and Mariah hid behind a tall bush and tried to stifle their giggles as best as they could.

"Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten! Ready or not, here comes Nick!" Nick uncovered his eyes and started to look around for the two girls.

Stefania came out of the house and stopped in her tracks as she watched the scene of Nick playing with her two nieces unfold. It brought a smile to her face that somebody who wasn't a relative was playing with and entertaining the little girls. It had been a while since Cara and Mariah had fun and right now, the two were having the time of their life.

"I found you, Cara!" Nick found a giggling Cara and hugged her, Now, we need to find Mariah."

Mariah moved out from behind the second bush and went to the right side of Nick's carriage, even grabbing his hat and putting it on.

"Now, where could that silly girl have gone?" Nick kept searching around for Mariah.

Stefania, seeing Mariah standing there & hiding under Nick's hat, silently laughed and shook her head.

"Stefania..." a woman came out of the house and joined her.

"Sssh! Stai zitta, Allegra (Sssh! Be quiet, Allegra)." Stefania shushed and whispered to her sister.

"Stefania, Chi è quell'uomo con Cara e Mariah ? (Stefania, who's that man with Cara and Mariah?)" Allegra asked her.

"Questo è Nick Barkley. Il gentiluomo che ti ho parlato della scorsa notte. (That's Nick Barkley. The gentleman I told you about last night.)" Stefania got a smile on her face after mentioning Nick by name.

"Penso che sia bello. (I think he's handsome)" Allegra couldn't help staring at Nick. It was obvious, she thought he was good looking and may possibly have a tiny crush on him.

Stefania looked very offended by what her sister said and shot her a death glare, almost as if to say: "Hey! I saw him first!". Seeing the look on her sister's face, Allegra quietly laughed and continued to stare at Nick.

"Stefania, Allegra, cosa sta succedendo ? Stefania, Chi è quell'uomo con Cara e Mariah ? Allegra, perché Stefania sembra che voglia ucciderti ? (Stefania, Allegra, what's going on? Stefania, who's that man with Cara and Mariah? Allegra, why does Stefania look like she wants to kill you?)" another woman around Stefania and Allegra's age came out of the house.

"Francesca, quell'uomo è Nick Barkley. Un bell'uomo di cui Stefania è innamorato. (Francesca, that man is Nick Barkley. A good looking man who Stefania is in love with.)" Allegra turned to her and snickered.

"Non sono innamorato di lui. È un brav'uomo che ho visto per primo ! (I'm not in love with him. He's a nice man who I saw first!)" Stefania shot back.

"Awww ! Sei innamorato di lui. Quanto adorabile ! (Awww! You are in love with him. How adorable!)" Francesca put her hands together and put them on the side of her head, mockingly making a the pose girls usually make when they find a guy very dreamy.

Allegra snickered some more and made kissing noises.

"Vai via, voi due ! Non hai cose che potresti fare piuttosto che prendermi in giro?! (Go away, you two! Don't you have stuff you could be doing rather than teasing me?!)" Stefania folded her arms.

"Ora, non sarebbe troppo divertente. (Now, that wouldn't be too much fun.)" Francesca sported a smug grin on her face.

"Oh, voi due! Lo prenderà da me uno di questi giorni! (Oh, you two! You're gonna get it from me one of these days!)" Stefania shook her fist at her sisters.

"Oh, howdy, Stefania. I didn't see you there." Nick walked up to her.

Stefania didn't say anything and just smiled at Nick.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my teeth?" Nick nervously chuckled.

"She adores you, signor Nick." Francesca chimed in.

"Don't you have somewhere you could be?" Stefania slapped her on the back of the head, while blushing due to embarrassment.

"But it's so much fun t-" Francesca was cut off.

Stefania shot her another death glare which surprisingly was intense enough to make her sisters go way.

"Oh my word!" Nick snickered.

"I know, right? They're so annoying and immature!" Stefania rolled her eyes.

"I was going to say that they remind me of my siblings Jarrod, Heath, Audra, and Gene." Nick busted up laughing after failing to hold it back.

"Oh my lord!" Stefania put her head in her hands and shook her head.

"Well, it's like the old saying goes: "When it comes to family, you can't live without them, but sometimes, you can hardly live with them" unquote." Nick shrugged.

"Ain't that the truth." Stefania nodded.

"Anyways, in case you were wondering what was going on, your nieces greeted me and we played hide & seek." Nick was joined by Cara and Mariah who hugged his waist.

"I know. It was so adorable. You know, they haven't had fun like this in a long time, so it was very kind of you to join them & have some fun." Stefania said, before turning to her nieces, "Cara, Mariah, entrate. Il tuo pranzo è pronto. (Cara, Mariah, go inside. Your lunch is ready.)"

"Ahhh! Dobbiamo proprio, zia Stefania? (Ahhh! Do we have to, aunt Stefania?)" Mariah asked, while still hugging Nick's waist.

Stefania didn't say a word and just nodded.

"Va bene, zia Stefania. (Okay, aunt Stefania.)" Mariah went inside, followed by Cara.

"They're not in trouble, are they?" Nick asked.

"Oh no, no, no. I made them their lunch. Would you like anything?" Stefania went to take a step inside, only to be stopped.

"Ah no. I ate breakfast already and I am still full. However, when I get hungry, I'll let you know." Nick patted his belly.

"I'm glad you came." Stefania's smile grew a little bit bigger.

"Hey, when I give anybody my word, I keep it. Barkley honor." Nick smiled back at her.

"Speaking of which, you promised to take me riding around more of Stockton and I'm more than ready. In fact, I was so excited that I couldn't even sleep." Stefania told him.

"Well, my lady, let's go while the day is young." Nick hooked his arm into hers.

Stefania, taken aback by this as no man had ever done this before, felt her heart beginning to beat very fast.

Nick, also feeling the same exact thing of his heart beating a bit faster, took a deep breath and helped Stefania into the carriage.

"Thank you, Nick." Stefania said.

"You're welcome." Nick got into the carriage, sat next to her, and put his hat back on, before giving Coco the okay to go, "Alright, Coco. Let's go."

With that, Nick and Stefania went off to ride all around more of Stockton.


*Inside the Mangano household*

While Cara and Mariah were having their lunch, Allegra and Francesca couldn't help staring out the window and watching Nick & Stefania go off. It was pretty clear that they were smitten by the second oldest Barkley child.

"Quel Nick Barkley è davvero bello! (That Nick Barkley is very handsome!)" Allegra twirled a strand of her hair with her finger.

"Di sicuro lo è quando vedi che aspetto ha piuttosto che seguire quello che ha detto Stefania. A dire il vero, pensavo che fosse frutto della sua immaginazione. Voglio dire, tu e io sappiamo che tende ad avere un'immaginazione iperattiva. (He sure is when you see what he looks like rather than go by what Stefania has said. Truth be told, I thought he was a figment of her imagination. I mean you and I know she tends to have an overactive imagination.)" Francesca nodded in agreement, while admitting that she thought Nick was indeed a figment of Stefania's imagination and how glad she was knowing that he was indeed real.

"Oh si. Ricordo la sua immaginazione iperattiva e selvaggia. Diamine, è lei che ha detto che voleva vivere in un castello dopo che un cavaliere dall'armatura scintillante l'ha spazzata via. Penso che avesse 16 anni quando lo disse. (Oh yes. I remember her overactive and wild imagination. Heck, she's the one who said she wanted to live in a castle after a knight in shining armor swept her off her feet. I think she was 16 when she said that.)" Allegra started to snicker while remembering when Stefania had said that.

"Chi lo sa? Forse Nick potrebbe essere quel cavaliere dall'armatura scintillante? (Who knows? Maybe Nick could be that knight in shining armor?)" Francesca shrugged.

"No, a meno che non ottenga un bacio da lui! (Not unless I win a kiss from him!)" Allegra whispered to herself.

"Che cosa? Che cos 'era questo? (What? What was that?)" Francesca asked her in a somewhat shocked way.

"Ho detto che forse quel suo sogno si sta finalmente avverando. (I said maybe that dream of hers is finally coming true.)" Allegra replied.

"Sembrava che avessi detto qualcos'altro. (It sounded like you said something else.)" Francesca raised an eyebrow.

"Stai zitto è quello che ho detto. (Shut up is what I said.)" Allegra flicked her in the back of the head.

"Nick sarà mio! (Nick will be mine!)" Francesca whispered under her breath, "D'altra parte, se non trovo Nick, spero che abbia dei fratelli. (Then again, if I don't get Nick, I hope he has siblings.)"

"Cosa hai detto? (What did you say?)" Allegra folded her arms.

Francesca slapped her which resulted in a slap fight between the two sisters.


*With Nick and Stefania, one hour later*

Nick and Stefania had been riding all around Stockton for an hour, though to them it felt like an eternity. Stefania had never realized two things; One, how beautiful Stockton was and Two, how much more fun it was to spend time with somebody who wasn't a relative for a change. For her, it felt like a dream. A great dream. A dream that nobody would want to end...ever. For Nick, it had been a while since he spent time with a woman who wasn't Victoria or Audra and since he spent time with somebody who wasn't any of his brothers, either. The last time he was with a woman was that French woman named Michele whom he had dinner with during the time when a wildfire was threatening Stockton & he, Heath, and Jarrod were tasked with transporting nitroglycerin. To him, this time with Stefania was just as much fun in his eyes, as it was in her eyes. In fact, during this ride, they got to know a little bit more about each other than they did yesterday. However, while all of that seemed good, there was one thing missing. Just one thing: Their possible feelings for each other, despite only knowing each other for a day.

After a few minutes of silence and after telling Stefania to close her eyes, Nick pulled the carriage up to Barkley Ranch. Knowing he was pulling off a good surprise, Nick smiled as to tell himself, "You're doing good, Nick. You're doing good!".

"Nick, could I open my eyes, please?" Stefania asked while still covering her eyes.

"Yes, you may." Nick was still smiling.

"Oh my word! What is this place?" Stefania's eyes got big.

"This my dear, Stefania is Barkley Ranch." Nick gazed at the ranch with pride in his eyes, "My home. My home that I promised to give you a glimpse of during yesterday's ride around Stockton."

"Oh, Nick. Nick, it is beautiful." Stefania was in awe of Barkley Ranch and its beauty.

"I'm proud to say that I run the ranch day in and day out. I took it over completely after my father died." Nick went from smiling to getting a solemn look on his face as he started to remember the days Tom ran the ranch and the night Tom was killed.

"Well, you've done a great job and your papa would be proud of you." Stefania smiled and put her hand on Nick's shoulder.

"Oh, you're just saying that." Nick blushed a little.

"No, I mean it. I really do. You see, I've never ever seen a ranch before, especially one as beautiful as Barkley Ranch." Stefania told him.

"Well, any ranch could be beautiful if-if it is taken c-care of by the right person." Nick stuttered a bit which was rare for him.

"Well, Barkley Ranch is taken care of..." Stefania looked into Nick's eyes and leaned in a little closer, "By the right person."

Nick felt his heart beat faster than before and he even started to sweat a little. Clearly, he was having what felt to be an adrenaline rush or the case of his possible feelings coming to the forefront. Either or, he just sat there and didn't say a word.

"Nick? Nick, are you alright?" Stefania got a look of concern on her face.

"Huh? Oh...yeah. Sorry..I uh I uh I uh I must've started to daydream." Nick sounded nervous and a little shaky, "Ummmm, let's get back to riding before my siblings come out and start being immature."

"I hear you." Stefania chuckled, "I was ready to clobber Allegra and Francesca for being dumb."

"I've done that many times to my siblings. Of course, my father tanned my backside for it at times." Nick smirked, before cringing at the mere thought of the times Tom tanned his backside, "Let's go, Coco."

Coco, as directed, moved forward and unbeknownst to Nick and Stefania, the horse moved at the right time, because Heath was just coming out of the house.

"Hey! Nick! Nick!" Heath called out, only to realize he was too late, as Nick disappeared into the distance, "Shoot!".


*Many more moments later*

After riding around and telling more and more about themselves to each other, Nick and Stefania stopped off at the very tree he and Heath had been yesterday and decided to just sit under the shade and take in the beautiful scenery and sounds. The scenery and sounds were so beautiful and relaxing in a sense that after a while, Nick had found himself falling asleep with his hat over his eyes. Seeing this, Stefania took off her shawl and put it over him, before going off to the fruit trees and flowers.

Fast forward a few minutes to nearly an hour, Nick woke up to the scent of a freshly peeled orange combined with the perfume scent of a few freshly picked flowers. He took his hat off of his eyes and saw Stefania had flowers in her lap and was eating an orange.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Stefania said after swallowing the last piece of her peeled orange.

"Wow! It's the next morning already?" Nick's eyes got big.

"No, no, Nick. I was just teasing you. No, you fell asleep for a bit and that's just my way of being funny whenever a person wakes up from a nap." Stefania lightly laughed, "While you were taking a cat nap, I picked some more fruit and some flowers. Would you like me to peel an orange for you?"

"I would love-I mean like it. Thank you." Nick smiled.

Stefania nodded and started peeling an orange for Nick.

"You're a very beautiful girl." Nick unknowingly spoke part of his thoughts out loud while gazing at her beauty.

"Huh?" Stefania asked.

"Um...Ummm...Did I say something just now?" Nick realized he blurted out part of his thoughts and was trying to quickly cover it up.

"I think you said I am a beautiful girl." Stefania stopped peeling the orange and started to blush, "Do you really think so?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. I really do. I hope that didn't sound weird, because I don't mean for it to come off as weird or like I'm getting fresh. I just-I just-You know-I-I-" Nick was cut off when Stefania put her finger on his lips.

"It's alright and I don't think you sounded weird or fresh. In fact, I'm flattered, because no other guy has ever called me "beautiful" or "pretty" in forever. However, you probably say that to all the girls you meet." Stefania looked down at the flowers in her lap.

"Oh, but the girls I have met in the past have never captivated me like you have, Stefania. I mean I do admit I was engaged to be married once only to find out that the woman wasn't the right one and that it was a rushed relationship. Heck, half of the girls I met turned out to either be liars, cheats, or be part of an evil gang or something." Nick lifted her head up with his thumb, so that way they had eye contact, "Stefania, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes upon and I mean that with all my heart. You're very beautiful inside and out."

"Well, thank you and you are, too." Stefania blushed some more.

"I'm beautiful?" Nick was a bit surprised by this.

"I mean you're handsome. Very handsome and kind. In fact, you're what every woman wants in a man. Tell me, Nick, you live at the ranch, but didn't you ever have thoughts of building a house of your own?" Stefania started to get mesmerized by Nick's good looks. Who could blame her? He was indeed very good looking and irresistible plus his charm was what won the ladies over to his direction & Stefania was no exception. She had possible feelings for Nick and there was no way she could keep hiding them for long. The same applied to Nick.

"Of course I have, but Barkley Ranch is my home. In fact, Barkley Ranch is the place to be. It's the life for me truth be told. The land so far out and wide and beautiful just really makes me feel right at home. I could never have that any place else and plus, I grew up there. So everybody else can keep San Francisco and Los Angeles and just give me that beautiful countryside & I'm happy." Nick told her.

"Now that you put it that way, I completely understand. Plus, Barkley Ranch is the most beautiful ranch I ever saw in my life. I would love to see more and more of it." Stefania picked up four of the flowers she picked and handed them to Nick, "Here you go. You can give these to your mother."

"Thank you, Stefania. How thoughtful! Oh, I know she'll love these. However, I think three will do for mother and this fourth one will go here." Nick put the fourth flower in Stefania's hair as best as he could, "There we go. I believe that flower looks better already."

Stefania, surprised by Nick putting a flower in her hair as no guy had ever done that to her before, blushed even more than before.


*Back at Barkley Ranch*

It had been a while since Nick left and Heath couldn't get it out of his mind that he could've sworn that he saw Nick with Stefania despite only getting a quick glimpse. He kept on ruminating with it in his head.

"Heath?" Audra walked into the parlor room.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Audra." Heath snapped out of his thoughts, "What brings you in here?"

"Mother and I are in the dining room and we've called your name about five times. When we didn't hear an answer, I got worried and wanted to find you. Now, are you alright?" Audra had concern in her voice.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Heath was obviously lying.

"Heath, I know when you're lying and right now, you're lying. So, come out with it." Audra wasn't fooled in the least bit.

"Oh alright. Well, I saw Nick earlier today." Heath started off.

"You saw Nick? Heath, we all see Nick. That's not something to have on your mind or be shocked about." Audra snickered.

"No, no, you don't understand. I only saw him for a brief moment and I saw that Stefania girl he met yesterday. They were seated together in the carriage. Granted, I only got a glimpse of her." Heath added.

"But Heath, you met her, so why does it come off as a surprise?" Audra was a bit thrown off.

"Because it just confirms that he has feelings for her." Heath replied.

"Heath, just because people ride in a carriage together doesn't-" Audra was cut off.

"Audra, they were sitting very close together. Very close together and people who are perfect strangers or just good friends don't sit that close." Heath pointed out.

"Heath..." Audra tilted her head to the side.

"I'm just saying." Heath shrugged.

"Well, let's go to the dining room before mother begins to wonder where we are." Audra headed back to the dining room.

Heath shrugged again before following Audra to the dining room. Once there, he pulled Audra's chair out for her & pushed it in after she sat down before sitting down himself.

"You okay, Heath? I was beginning to worry when you did not answer." Victoria said before taking a sip of her tea.

"Oh, I'm fine, mother." Heath lied, again.

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked.

"No, not really. Actually, there's something on my mind." Heath sighed, unable to keep up the whole "I'm fine" facade.

"I had a feeling you had something on your mind. Well, don't keep Audra and me in suspense. What is it?" Victoria, knowing already that Heath had something on his mind, wanted to know what it was.

"Well, earlier, I saw Nick and Stefania, though only by a quick glimpse." Heath admitted.

"Okay and just how is this surprising, considering that Nick told us all about her last night?" Victoria gave him a quizzical look.

"Think about it, Nick and Stefania sitting in a carriage close together, mind you. If it wasn't obvious that he had feelings for her, then why sit very close to her in a carriage?" Heath told her.

"That is puzzling now that you put it that way, but we all know Nick. He's not one to admit to stuff easily without getting angry or embarrassed." Victoria pointed out.

"That's true, but I just don't understand the need for him to hide his obvious feelings for Stefania. I mean we deserve to know, because if it were one of us, he'd want to know and plus too, think how she must feel. She just may reciprocate the feelings, but if Nick never tells her, just think of how heartbroken she'd be." Heath added. He did have a point, even if some of it was hard to believe in a sense. For one thing, the Barkley family would stick their necks out for and support each other on anything which showed how tight-knit they were. While it didn't make sense for Nick to be hiding the fact that he may have feelings for Stefania, one could see his point. After all, he did have siblings and whenever someone had feelings for a person and told their siblings, their siblings would be immature about it, tease, and the likes, but at the end of the day, if they were that kind, they'd all rally around the one who was on cloud 9. Plus too, it wouldn't be fair to Stefania if Nick continued to hide his feelings, because any possible growing relationship did involve both parties to be candid and honest. Honesty was the best strategy after all.

"You do have a point, Heath but if anything, Nick will tell Stefania way before he tells any of us. Plus, even if he has feelings for her, I'm sure he probably would want to take things slowly as his previous relationships happened way too quickly and ended just as fast." Victoria replied. She was 100% right, because Nick's prior relationships never panned out the way he had hoped and plus, whenever he fell for someone, it always happened way too quickly and ended before the blink of an eye, so perhaps if he did indeed fall head over heels for Stefania, he'd probably want to take things slowly & let it gradually build on its own. Also too, Victoria should know not only because of Nick's past relationships, but her own relationsip and later, marriage to Tom. She and Tom had wanted their relationship to slowly build itself from the ground up and to see where it would go. Knowing that, she could understand why Nick was hiding his possible feelings for Stefania from Audra, Heath, and her (Victoria).

Audra and Heath took a moment to think about what their mother just said and realized she was right. If Nick wanted to wait all of it out and see what was to come, it was indeed his prerogative to do so.

"I wouldn't fret over it too much you two. When the time comes, Nick will announce it to all of us." Victoria reassured them, before turning her attention to another picture of Tom.

"I almost forgot that father's birthday is coming up." Audra also found herself taking a gander at the picture Victoria was looking at.

"Why? Why did you have to go to Strawberry? It could've waited until morning. It wasn't that important! It was not worth the cost of your own life! You should still be here, celebrating your birthday and going through all these adventures we have been through." Victoria thought, as she once again started to drift more and more into the distant past and think about the night of Tom's murder, yet again.


*Flashback to one of the days leading up to Tom's murder*

Upon hearing that there had been trouble at one the mines he owned in Strawberry and despite knowing that two of the many close friends of his were killed doing that favor for him, though he had not asked them to, Tom was getting himself prepared to head up there and see what in the Sam Hill was going on and most importantly, who was behind it all. However, his planned trip was not going over big with Victoria or any of their children. They were all understandably worried about Tom's safety, especially knowing that two of his closest friends were killed while checking on the mine as a favor to him; a favor he did not ask for, but appreciated in its entirety. With that in mind on Victoria and the others' minds plus Tom being hellbent on going and checking out the trouble at the mine, there was always a fight about it whether it be between Tom & Victoria, Tom & Jarrod, or Tom & Nick to name a few duos who fought over it. Anyways, Tom was combing his hair when Victoria walked in.

"Tom..." Victoria started.

"Victoria, I know what you're going to say and let me just tell you to not waste anymore oxygen in your lungs, because I have made up my mind and made my decision which is I'm going to Strawberry and that's final. The matter is closed." Tom finished combing his hair and put on his coat.

"Tom, at least take one of the kids with you." Victoria pleaded.

"No. I have to do this alone." Tom shook his head.

"Tom, if you do, you'll-" Victoria paused as tears filled her eyes.

"Victoria, I'll be fine. Look, I've faced many dangers before and came back safe and sound. I've been sick and on the brink of dying and still got stronger, so the trouble in Strawberry is nothing." Tom sounded a little cocky.

"Tom, how can you just have that cavalier attitude and assume everything is going to be okay just because you have had close calls & came back unscathed?" Victoria turned away from him.

"Victoria, you worry too much and you always assume the worse. You need to stop doing that and-" Tom was cut off.

"Tom, I do my best not to be pessimistic. Really I do, but I just can't help it. I mean you have to remember Nick was practically a still born baby when he was born, Nick almost died when he got struck with the flu, Jarrod nearly bought the farm when he had the mumps at the age of 10, Audra nearly passed from pneumonia at the age of 5, you almost died of the flu, you were nearly paralyzed when you threw out your back, and just so many things have happened to make me be a worrier, if you will." Victoria explained.

"I remember those times very well. I've never forgotten them and I never will forget them. However, while I understand that you're worried and all, you have to remember that Nick, Jarrod, Audra, and I beat the odds those times which means if any of us could during those times, then we still can now." Tom folded his arms.

"Tom, that all sounds nice, but..." Victoria gently grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes, taking a deep breath, "Look dear, you know the kids and I love you & we have confidence in you, but think about it, really think about it...your two closest friends were just killed while doing you a favor by checking out the trouble at the mine. Two of your closest friends, Tom. Think about it. Wouldn't that tell you to be careful and a little more cautious about going up there?"

Tom took a moment to let what she said sink in and didn't say a word.


*Back to the present day*

"Mother? Mother?" Heath called out.

"Huh? Did you say something, Heath?" Victoria snapped out of her thoughts and sported a somewhat confused look on her face.

"I was asking if you'd like more tea." Heath told her.

"Oh yes. Thank you, Heath." Victoria held up her tea cup so that Heath could refill it.

"Did you have a memory of father pop into your mind?" Audra chimed in.

"Yes, I did but it wasn't one I would like to relive." Victoria sighed.


*Back with Nick and Stefania*

More time had passed since Nick had put the flower in Stefania's hair. They had been spending the rest of the time enjoying nature and telling each other more & more about themselves and their pasts. In fact, Stefania was in the midst of talking about her first love back in Milan. It could be said that she was hinting at something and hoping Nick would get the possible hint.

"So anyways, I'm going on my second date with Pasquale and everything starts to go fine until he says and I quote: "Stefania, we have to talk. This is very very serious and it cannot wait another minute." unquote." Stefania said.

"Oh, the whole "We have to talk" routine is never ever good. That's when you know that either the relationship is going downhill or you're in trouble romantically." Nick told her.

"Well, it seemed to be good at the time, because that was when he proposed to me. Of course, I was shocked. I mean just shocked, because we had only been dating for two months and already, he wanted to take it to the next level that fast." Stefania shook her head, obviously still in disbelief that Pasquale had done that, despite it being years since they've been broken up.

"Wait, wait, wait, he proposed to you?" Nick was also in disbelief and even chuckled a little.

"Uh huh. Immediately, might I add and plus, he had done so five times before that time." Stefania nodded.

"Five times before that?" Nick asked.

"Yup. That time marked six times and I finally accepted, because I figured that he was in love with me and all. In fact, my family was so happy for me, because they figured I finally found the one." Stefania sighed and looked down, "Unfortunately, it was all a big fat filthy lie."

"A big fat filthy lie you say? Well, what happened?" Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Two days before our would-be wedding, I found him in another girl's bedroom." Stefania had a sad tone in her voice, "I confronted him and he openly admitted to cheating on me, because the blonde girl gave him something I wasn't giving him; intimate relations, if you catch my hint."

"Oh gee, Stefania, I-I'm so sorry that happened to you. I can imagine how devastating it would be to discover someone whom you truly loved and wanted to spend the rest of your life with was lying to you the whole time." Nick shook his head in disgust as her story of Pasquale cheating on her reminded him of his father cheating on his mother, "I must admit that your story hits home for me."

"It does? Did some girl cheat on you?" Stefania was curious.

"No, but my own father cheated on my mother twice that we know of." Nick sighed.

"Your papa cheated on your mama? How awful!" Stefania had a sympathetic look on her face.

"Oh yes and it's pretty much a long story, but to summarize it, my father had been fighting with my mother as she had grown distant towards him. So instead of talking it out with her, he felt it was okay to cheat on her with a...I won't say the word. Anyways, long story short my uncle Leonard who had and still has been a romantic rival of my father's, even after my father's death mind you, decided to blab my father's infidelity to my mother which led to a big fight and a near divorce." Nick was starting to have a bad taste in his mouth just talking about his late father's infidelity, something he had wanted to completely forget about, but part of him still couldn't just forget it.

"A near divorce? I'd say that would be grounds for an official divorce and no going back." Stefania was a little disgusted at the fact that Nick's own father would cheat on his mother, despite having not met Victoria.

"Yup, a near divorce, because my mother, in a shocking turn of events, decided to help work on the marriage and eventually forgave him for it, as he had promised up and down that he would never ever do it again. My siblings Jarrod, Audra, and Eugene decided to forgive him as well. Me? No way. In fact, my father and I had a feud over it that spanned for a year." Nick added.

"Eugene? Who's he? Plus, where's Heath in all of this? Was he from a previous marriage?" Stefania was slightly thrown off and confused.

"That's another thing I was going to delve into." Nick sighed, "You see, I call Heath my brother, but he is actually my half brother. That happened as a result of my father's infidelity, yet again. When Heath first arrived to Barkley Ranch, it had been six years after my father was killed and well, it was a dog fight practically. I mean we were all like: "Who does this guy think he is? Coming onto Barkley Ranch, claiming inheritance, etc! The colossal nerve of some people!" at first, but after a while, we all accepted him and since then, he's a Barkley and that's the end of it. I do have to admit that it is sad that my father and Heath never met, because I'm sure that they would've had a good relationship. Now, on the subject of Eugene. Eugene or "Gene" as we call him, well he's the baby of the family. He worked all around the ranch until he decided to go off to med school, I guess to study to become a doctor. However, he later got shanghaied and shipped out to the south seas where he currently is as of now."

"Awwww! That's too bad. I bet you miss him." Stefania told him.

"I do. I really do at times. However, he's a big boy and plus, I can miss him all I want to, but I do have Barkley Ranch to run and you can't just sit by and mope, ya know." Nick said in a matter of fact way.

"That is true, but family is very important and in my culture, we do value our family a lot no matter the age. Heck, a whole generation can live in the same house. That being said, I do understand where you're coming from." Stefania leaned back against the tree.

"That's funny you said that, because our family believes in the exact same thing. Family values, cherishing your family, all of that." Nick smiled, before looking at the ground, "That being said, I do have to admit that at times running Barkley Ranch does get lonely, especially when you don't have a special somebody to share it with and by special somebody, I mean a significant other or romantic partner, you know, somebody like that."

"You get lonely, too?" Stefania asked.

"I do. I really do at times and while I can be lonely all I want, Barkley Ranch doesn't run itself and I have to put those feelings aside. However, that doesn't at all discount the times where I wished I had somebody to rub my shoulders, talk about my stresses to, and well, treat like a queen. I may have a hard shell, but I also have love in me and I do hope to share that love with someone." Nick had a sad tone in his voice, despite doing his hardest to hide it, "Do you get lonely at times?"

"Yes. Lots of times. I mean I see my brother and his wife with Cara and Mariah plus my sisters in their relationships & just wish that I could have that as well. I love Cara and Mariah with all my heart, but I wish I had a husband and children of my own. I've been wanting to have a family of my own for a while and I almost did with Pasquale, but he did me dirty and I just kind of gave up." Stefania looked into his eyes, "Until recently."

"Until recently?" Nick felt his heart starting to beat a little fast, again.

"Yes." Stefania turned away and took a deep breath, before looking back into Nick's eyes, "Nick, I-I-I think I have something to tell you."

"That's strange, because I have something to tell you too, Stefania." Nick's eyes got big.

Before Stefania could say anything, she accidentally knocked over some of the fruit she picked.

"Oh, allow me." Nick went to pick up one of the fruits right at the same time Stefania did.

The next thing that happened surprised the two of them, because their hands had touched for the very first time which in turn caused them to stop in their tracks and look into each other's eyes.

"Nick, our hands are...are touching." Stefania's eyes had also gotten big.

"I know. I know. However, you go first and say what um...what you have to say then I will." Nick felt another adrenaline rush coming on.

"Nick, I can't hide it anymore!" Stefania took her hand away and turned her head to the side, "I like you and I don't mean in a friend way. I really really like you! I know we barely met and we barely know each other, but I'm drawn to you and I just can't help it. I'm so sorry if this comes off as weird and if you don't feel the same way, I'll be sad, but I'll gradually understand."

"Stefania..." Nick put his hand on her shoulder, "You didn't come off as weird, because well...I feel the same way and plus, who cares if these feelings are sudden all because we barely met? Who cares? You see, I haven't felt this way about anybody for a long time, so to me, it is all brand new and the moment we met, I was drawn to you almost immediately. I tried my best to deny it and hide it, but I knew I couldn't do that any longer, because if I did, I would explode. My point is, I like you a lot and I can't hide it anymore."

"Do you really feel that way?" Stefania turned to face his direction and look directly into his eyes.

"Stefania, if I didn't, I wouldn't have said anything." Nick put his index finger and thumb on her chin and gently caressed it.

"That's true, but how do we-how do we go about this?" Stefania asked in a worried tone of voice.

"We'll just take things slowly and let it build itself from the ground up. You understand, of course." Nick suggested.

"I understand completely, Nick because I also wish to take things very slowly." Stefania looked deeper into his eyes and started to get mesmerized by his looks.

Nick looked into her eyes and also started to get mesmerized by her beauty.

Then, before anybody knew it, Nick and Stefania gave into their emotions and shared a very passionate kiss.

To Be Continued...

Author's note 2.0: December 16th, happy b-day to me! Didn't think I would publish the fourth part on my birthday LOL! But I did, because well, there it is. Enjoy! Also too, the part where Nick is saying basically the chapter's title, well I had the theme song to "Green Acres" stuck in my head and kind of inspired the chapter name and all of what Nick said from that theme song LOL! :D

Anyways, Merry early Christmas and Happy New Years! God bless and be safe, everybody!

Nick: That kiss was nice, Stefania!

Heath, Audra, and Victoria: WHAAAAAAT?!

Jarrod: Can I come home yet?

Tom: Son, wait until the next chapter or so.

Jarrod: Father? Did you rise out of th-

Nick: R&R, people! R&R! R&R!