Rumors- by Nicole
Something To Talk About
~Bonnie Raitt, Shirley Eikhard
verse 1
People are talkin, talking 'bout people
I hear them whisper, you won't believe it
They think we're lovers kept under covers
I just ignore it, but they keep saying
We laugh just a little too loud
We stand just a little too close
We stare just a little too long
Maybe they're seeing, something we don't, Darlin'
chorus
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love?
verse 2
I feel so foolish, I never noticed
You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?
It took a rumor to make me wonder
Now I'm convinced I'm going under
Thinking 'bout you every day
Dreaming 'bout you every night
Hoping that you feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it, Darlin'
chorus
bridge
Let's give them something to talk about
A little mystery to figure out
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love, love, love, love?
chorus
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love, love, love, love?
chorus
Part
One
Jarrod
took a deep breath of the night air as he glanced down the empty street,
thankful to finally be getting out of his office and heading for home. He considered staying the night in the
hotel, but he was eager to sleep in his own bed. He walked easily down the street, glad that he finally had a
respite from his seemingly never ending workload. After his most recent lengthy trial, having an appeal to complete
before the deadline, and drawing up a will for a client who suddenly had become
seriously ill, along with contracts that had to be completed for the ranch, it
seemed that he had been working non-stop for weeks. He strode into the stable, walking to Jingo’s regular stall,
talking softly to his favorite horse.
“Hey, there. Ready to go home,
boy? Bet you wouldn’t mind a few days
in a nice green pasture.” Hearing a sound
behind him, he turned, smiling easily when he saw the livery owner standing at
the door way.
“Jarrod,
so you’re finally getting home, are you?”
He
chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in the low light of the lanterns. “Finally, eh? I suppose my extra hours have been adding to your work as well,
haven’t they?”
“Jarrod,
Jingo’s no trouble,” Melanie answered, smiling back at Jarrod as she crossed
the building, stopping near him, standing on the other side of Jingo’s
stall.
“Why
would he be? Not when he gets all the
carrots he wants. You have him
positively spoiled, you know.”
“He’s
just like all the Barkleys, man and beast.
Everyone of you is a charmer.
You all make it hard to deny any of you anything.”
Jarrod
chuckled, just a bit self-consciously.
“I don’t know that Nick would agree with you.”
Melanie
rolled her eyes. “Yes, well he had some
pretty stiff competition. So, are you
finally getting home?”
“Finally.” Jarrod stifled a yawn. “But I don’t mind telling you, I’m so tired,
I hope Jingo remembers the way home.”
“Jarrod,
I have some fresh coffee in the house.
You want to come in for a cup?”
“No,
Melanie, thanks for the offer. I
wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”
“I
have blueberry cobbler.” Melanie
watched as Jarrod cocked his head, the thought of cobbler tempting him. Laughing, she repeated the offer. “C’mon, Jarrod, the cobbler’s still warm.”
“Well,
if it’s still warm, how can I say no.”
They walked into the comfortable house through the back door, the
furnishings well worn but clean.
Sitting down at the long table, Jarrod laid his briefcase and hat at the
chair next to him while Melanie busied herself getting out cups and
saucer. He glanced around at the empty
chairs. “So, how is Joe doing at
Berkley?”
“Very
well, actually. Having him gone leaves
the house kind of quiet though,” she said as she brought over the plates of
cobbler, moving back to the stove to pick up the pot of coffee. “I’m glad you accepted my invitation. It’s nice to have someone else at the table.
After all those years of the table
being so crowded, all of a sudden it’s gotten empty.”
Jarrod
sipped the hot coffee in front of him.
“You did a great job with all your brothers and sisters.”
She
shrugged her shoulders. “You do what
you have to do. You certainly know
about that.”
Jarrod
nodded appreciatively. They had had
this conversation more than once. When
Melanie’s parents had died, some eleven years before, she had taken over the
raising of her six younger brothers and sisters and the running of her father’s
livery stable. Jarrod had been the
executor of her parents’ estate and had helped the young woman with the legal
details of her guardianship of her siblings.
Even though Melanie had been one of his first clients when he was a new
young attorney, he had been an easy choice for her, as at the time everyone
assumed that she and Nick would be getting married before too long. But those plans had come to a crushing halt
when Melanie had to become mother and father at the tender age of nineteen. Jarrod well remembered how heartbroken his
brother had been when Melanie told him she needed to concentrate on her new
responsibilities and more than once Jarrod had worried about whether the young
woman was sacrificing her own happiness for that of her younger siblings.
Jarrod
thought about how any sacrifices he made paled in comparison to hers. “Not to the same extent you do.”
“Jarrod,
you and Nick both had to step up when your father died. You know, I saw Audra here in town the other
day. She was running errands for the
orphanage. She’s really turned into a
woman of substance.”
Jarrod
chuckled. “I suppose she has, although
there were times I had to wonder if she would ever get to this point.”
She
laughed heartily. “Jarrod, don’t you
remember what I was like before my parents died? The flighty young thing I was?
I just had to finish growing up.
So did Audra.”
“I
suppose we all did.” Jarrod leaned
toward her and smiled mischievously.
“Although there are times I still have my doubts about Nick.”
She
shrugged her shoulders, the smile never leaving her face but no longer reaching
her eyes. Turning her head to Jarrod,
their eyes met and he could tell she was weighing her next words carefully. “You know, after my parents died, I just
didn’t have room for anyone else. And I
couldn’t burden him with all of it,” she said, her voice growing reflective as
she traced the edge of her saucer with her fingertips. “I suppose, in retrospect, it would have
made things so much easier for me to have had someone to share it with . . .
Well, what’s done is done.” Letting the
years slip by, she confided in her friend, “You know, one of the hardest things
for me was watching Nick go from girl to girl.”
“You
know, I think for a long time, he was looking for you.”
She
looked at Jarrod skeptically. “Is that
why the girls kept staying the same age even as the rest of us got older?” she
asked, the sarcasm dripping.
It
was Jarrod’s turn to laugh heartily.
“Now, I don’t think that’s true.
It’s been a long time since Nick dated 19 and 20 year old girls.”
Melanie
took a sip of coffee. “You know when he
started dating girls who were a bit older, don’t you?” Jarrod eyed her carefully, waiting for her
answer. “When Audra reached that age,”
she said, matter of factly.
Jarrod
let out a quick laugh, try though he might to stifle it. “Good heavens, I believe you’re right.”
“Definitely,”
she said, shaking her head, still smiling.
“And
what about you, Melanie?” Jarrod asked, quietly, his voice rich with sincerity.
“Was there anyone after Nick?”
“I’ve
had an occasional admirer, Jarrod. But
it’s hard when you’re a 20, 25, 30 year old woman with 6 children to raise and
a business to run.”
“But
they’re all raised now.”
“Yes,
they are. And I’m a 30 year old spinster. Although I don’t feel nearly as old as some
people would like to think I am. Isn’t
it funny the way that happens?”
Jarrod
cleared his throat, reflecting on his own age, his own youth gone in the
estimation of many, staring at this woman who he thought of as young as he
thought of himself, but who seemed so much wiser.
He
watched her, still pretty, as she moved to pick up the pot of coffee and pour
him another cup. Putting his hand up,
he stopped her, “I really should be going.
I have a long ride ahead of me still.”
“You’re
sure?”
“Yes,
but thank you for the coffee and the cobbler, but most of all, for the
companionship,” he said, taking her hand, gallantly kissing the back of it.
She
laughed, pulling her hand from his, tapping his arm. “You Barkley men do go on.
C’mon, Jarrod, I’ll walk with you out to the livery. Make sure it’s closed up.”
Jarrod
thought about objecting to her accompanying him out, but he knew from past
experience that it was hopeless, that she would see that he got Jingo out and
that the livery was closed up before she returned to the house. Walking out to the livery, a proper distance
between them, they continued to casually chat as they had for years. She stood on the side, leaning on a post as
she watched Jarrod saddle Jingo. When
he heard the crunch and gnashing of teeth, he looked over his shoulder, shaking
his head as he watched Jingo eating the last of the carrot. “You spoil him.”
“I
know,” she smiled, patting the horse lightly on the side of the neck as Jingo
chewed the carrot.
“I’ll
send you a batch of carrots to make up for all the extras I know you’re giving
him.”
She
laughed again. “It’s certainly not
necessary, Jarrod.”
“Well,
it’s just that – ” Suddenly, Jarrod stopped in his tracks, his face a study in
concentration. “Good heavens, I owe you
stable fees for the month.”
She
shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry
about it, Jarrod. I knew by the hours
you’ve been keeping that you’ve been busy.
I know you’re good for it.”
“Still,
you should have said something.”
“Really,
Jarrod, it’s fine. When I had all those
mouths to feed, it might have made a difference, but a few days here and there
doesn’t matter anymore. Send it to me
sometime next week.”
“I’ll
be sure to add something for my lateness.”
“Oh,
Jarrod, don’t be ridiculous.”
“I
insist. And as you said, you don’t have
all those mouths to feed, so do something extravagant for yourself. You’ve earned it.”
“The
regular amount will be just fine, Jarrod.”
She eyed him carefully and stepping toward him, laying her hand on his
arm, she reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek, “but you’re sweet to
suggest it.”
Jarrod
cocked one eyebrow, his eyes twinkling, “Well, perhaps I’ll be late with the
bill more often.”
“I
didn’t suggest that. But if you’d like,
feel free to stop for coffee if you’re late in town.” Hearing a noise, they both turned to look at the other side of
the stable, the small door knocking against the frame. Melanie shrugged, walking over to pull the
door tight, then stepped to open the large door to allow Jingo and Jarrod out,
stepping back in to blow out the lantern before she followed Jarrod out. They shared a smile and said their good
nights as Melanie returned to her house and Jarrod mounted Jingo for his ride
home, neither of them noticing Mr. Jenkins standing in the shadows, shaking his
head at the sight of the town’s leading lawyer leaving the home of the spinster
at an hour far past what was proper.
Part
Two
After
spending two days of blissful calm on the ranch, happily tending to the easy
monotony of the books for the ranch, with Silas and his mother available to
keep his coffee warm and to offer a friendly smile every so often, the luxury
of being able to sleep in, not needing to dress for the office, not having to make
the long ride to town and back, knowing he would be able to eat dinner when it
was hot and not rewarmed, Jarrod was eager to ride into town, planning on
spending a short day, just taking care of correspondence at the office. He had ridden leisurely into town, heading
toward the livery, when he noticed the bins of fresh produce outside the
general store. Pulling Jingo to a stop,
he tied him to the hitching post, lightly stepping up onto the boardwalk,
glancing at the bundles of carrots, a smile crossing his lips. Gathering up a bunch, he entered the
mercantile, throwing a quick glance about the building.
“Hello,
Mr. Barkley, what can we do for you today?” asked the proprietor’s wife.
“Hello,
Mrs. Jenkins, I want to buy these carrots and I was hoping to buy a bit of
ribbon.”
Mrs.
Jenkins eyed him skeptically.
“Ribbon? Was there something
special your mother or Audra wanted?”
“No,
no,” he answered, glancing over to the dry goods area, his eyes landing on the
array of colors wrapped around spools on the shelves. Crossing over, he spied a striped green and white ribbon. “I’ll take some of that one,” he stated
clearly.
“How
much?”
“How
do you normally sell it?” the lawyer asked, realizing he was completely outside
his element.
“It
depends on what you’re going to do with it.”
“I’m
just tying it around something, say a bunch of flowers,” Jarrod lied, somewhat
embarrassed at the notion of bringing a bunch of carrots to Melanie and not
wanting to explain, certainly not to Mrs. Jenkins, Stockton’s most notorious
gossip.
“If
that’s all you need, a yard should be enough.”
Jarrod
noted her piqued interest and immediately regretted his comment but continued
unabated. “Fine, a yard then.”
They
moved to the front counter when Jarrod spied the licorice whips and sticks of
peppermint at the front counter. “Mrs.
Jenkins, do you have any boxes of chocolates?” Jarrod asked, thinking as long
as he was bringing treats for his horse he might as well bring some for
Melanie.
She
eyed him carefully, “Of course, Mr. Barkley.
Will you be needing more ribbon for the box of chocolates?”
She
was stunned by Jarrod’s reaction as a hearty laugh escaped his lips. “That sounds like a wonderful idea Mrs.
Jenkins.” Leaning across the counter,
his eyes twinkling, his smile rakish, he declared, “Another yard, please.”
Leaving
the mercantile with his ribbon, his chocolates and his carrots, Jarrod went to
his office, greeting his clerk and continuing into his private office. His clerk followed him, armed with papers
and questions, but Jarrod waved him out, dropping his purchases on the desk.
“Jarrod,
I noticed Jingo out front. Are you not
staying or did you need me to bring him down to the livery?”
“No!”
Jarrod answered, far too aggressively, causing his clerk to look up in surprise. “I’ll take Jingo round to the livery in a
few minutes. I, uh, need to pay
Melanie, that is Miss Waters.” Jarrod
sat down at his desk, reaching for a check from his desk. Watching his clerk make a hasty retreat,
Jarrod say down at his desk, and proceeded to fumble with the ribbon, wrapping
it around the bunch of carrots, ending it in a bow and then to do the same with
the matching ribbon for the chocolates.
Chuckling at his own joke, he admired his handiwork. He stood to gather his gifts and the check,
putting his newly decorated purchases into his saddle bag and the check into
his vest pocket, then strode out the
office for the livery. Riding up to it,
he cast an eye for the lovely yong owner.
Not seeing her, he approached, Tim, her stablehand.
“Hey
Mr. Barkley, you haven’t been around the last couple of days, I was wondering
if you were in San Francisco.”
“Nope,
just playing hooky for a couple of days.”
Pulling off his saddlebags, he glanced around once again, “Is Melanie
around?”
“Yes
sir, she’s in the house,” he answered as he moved to unsaddle Jingo and settle
him in the stall.
Realizing
it had been some time since he’d seen the young lad, Jarrod pulled a coin out
of his pocket and flipped it to him.
“This is for taking such good care of Jingo these last few weeks.”
“Thanks,
Mr. Barkley.”
Jarrod
walked to the back door of the adjacent house, rapping confidently, then
stepping back to wait for an answer, turning when he heard the door open.
“Jarrod,
what are you doing here?”
“I
come bearing gifts,” he announced, pulling off his light grey Stetson amd
bowing low.
“What
in the world?” Melanie shook her head
at him, but couldn’t resist the mischievous look in his eye. “Well, if you have gifts, I suppose you
should come in,” she said, stepping back from the door way.
He
entered the house, smelling the rich, tempting aromas of baking. “More cobbler?”
“No,
the church is having a bake sale after services on Sunday. I promised I’d bring a couple of cakes. So they’re already spoken for, but I do have
a few biscuits left over from this morning if you’re hungry.”
“No,
thank you. I’m not here to put you to
any trouble.” Reaching into his vest,
he pulled out his check. “First, let me
take care of business,” he said, presenting her with the check.
“Ha!”
she exclaimed, “See, I knew you were good for it,” she added, laughing,
stopping when her eyes fell on the check.
“Jarrod, this is far too much!”
“Nonsense,
I just added in a small late fee.”
She
looked at him devilishly. “That’ll buy
a lot of carrots.”
“Ah,
yes, the carrots, Jarrod echoed, reaching into his saddlebag, pulling out the
carrots, with a flourish, watching as Melanie dissolved in laughter.
“Oh,
Jarrod,” she said, accepting them as if a bouquet, “they’re lovely,” she chortled
sarcastically.
Jarrod
laughed along with her. “Those, madam,
are for the horses.”
“Are
they now?”
“Indeed,
these are for you,” he addded, pulling out the chocolate, presenting them with
a bow.
Her
eyes reflected her genuine surprise.
“Oh, Jarrod, that’s so sweet of you, but completely unnecessary.”
“I
couldn’t very well bring something for the horses and not something for you.”
Untying
the box, she looked up at him. “This
ribbon’s lovely. Did you do all this
today?” she asked, obviously enjoying herself.
Jarrod
smiled, amused by her delight. “I did
indeed.”
Opening
the box of chocolates, Melanie clapped her hands together in anticipation. “They look scrumptious, do have one with
me.”
“No,
those are for you to enjoy.”
“Jarrod
Barkley, like is too short to pass up chocolates. Please have one.” She
reached in and chose one for herself, then held the box up to him, smiling when
he pulled out a piece for himself.
As
the rich chocolate melted in her mouth, Melanie sat back in her chair, delighting
in the experience. “Mmmmm, just
heavenly,” she said, the inside of her mouth coated in the sweet chocolate,
enjoying it fully as she leaned back in her chair.
“They
are good,” Jarrod agreed, smiling as much from her reaction to the minor luxury
as from the sensation of the chocolate.
As he watched her, his mind immediately noted that she was not one to
indulge in such luxuries often, that her entire adult life had been spent
denying herself.
“Would
you like another?” Melanie offered.
“No,
you enjoy them. I need to be getting
back to my office,” he said standing, picking up his now empty saddlebags and
his hat.
“Well,
thank you Jarrod, for everything, truly.”
They
walked out to the front porch, exchanging pleasantries, before Jarrod turned up
the street, heading back to his office.
Melanie
walked back inside, her eyes darting to the pretty ribbon, untying the one from
the carrots, chuckling at the very idea.
Retrieving a hat that had seen better days, she pulled the old
decorations off, wrapping one section of ribbon around the crown. Taking the other section and fashioning it
into a broad bow, she admired the new look for her hat, quite satisfied with
its transformation. Glancing up to the
clock, she returned to the kitchen to check her cakes. Setting them out to cool, she returned to
her hat with needle and thread, firmly attaching the new ribbons with a few
quick stitches. Glancing in the mirror,
she made herself presentable, then affixed the hat to her head, smiling at her
own reflection. There’s nothing like
a pretty hat to make a girl feel good.
Standing a little taller, she left her house to run errands, stopping
first at the bank to deposit Jarrod’s check, then heading on to the
Mercantile. Walking in, she cheerily
greeted the owners, “Mr. Jenkins, Mrs. Jenkins, how are you today?”
Mrs.
Jenkins turned, her eye immediately finding the striped ribbon. Aha!
So this is Jarrod Barkley’s lady love.
Humph, he certainly didn’t waste any time.
Melanie
eyed Mrs. Jenkins curiously. “You’re
doing well, I hope?”
Mrs.
Jenkins pulled her mind from its suppositions.
“Oh, yes, just fine. And how are
you today, Miss Waters?”
“Well. Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins. I need – ”
“The
ribbon on your hat is certainly striking.”
“Why,
thank you. Would you be so kind – ”
“So
fresh and crisp. If you need more, we
carry ribbon just like that. Just got
it in last week, as a matter of fact.”
Melanie’s
eyes narrowed. So, that’s what this
is all about. Knowing what a
notorious gossip and busybody Mrs. Jenkins could be, Melanie was inclined to
cut her to the quick, but she held her tongue.
Seeing Mrs. Jenkins intent gaze, Melanie’s mischievous nature got the
better of her. Leaning on the counter,
she cast a glance to either side and said in a soft voice “It was from a
gentleman friend.”
“Really?” Bertha Jenkins eyes twinkled at this bit of
news. “How nice for you.” Not able to resist the temptation, she
prodded for more. “Have you been seeing
him long?”
Seeing
the glint in her eyes, Melanie leaned closer, feeding Mrs. Jenkins insatiable
curiosity. “We’ve known each other for
ever so long but our relationship . . . it’s well . . . complicated,” she
answered, adding great feeling to her last word. Fighting the urge to laugh out loud, Melanie dropped her gaze to
the counter, an action which Mrs. Jenkins attributed to mild embarrassment.
“Oh,
my dear, I DO understand.”
“I
wish I could say more, Mrs. Jenkins, but . . . well, there are some family
matters.” Melanie tried her best to
keep a straight face, trying to affect a serious countenance, reminding herself
that what she said was true. After all,
Jarrod had handled numerous family matters for her, but she wondered whether
Bertha Jenkins would remember her earlier involvement with Nick and attribute
the complications to him as she intended.
Certain by the sudden look of recognition that swept over the other
woman’s face that she did indeed remember, Melanie slammed the door shut. “I’ve really said more than I should. If I could get some vanilla beans and
chocolate.”
“More
chocolate?”
Fighting
the urge to confront her nosy nature, Melanie smiled innocently. “A bar of baker’s chocolate if you would.”
With
her packages in hand, Melanie started off down the street, throwing a quick
glance back to see Mrs. Jenkins already whispering excitedly to two other women
in front of the store. Feeling a tinge
of regret, she pushed it aside, telling herself that Jarrod had always had a
good sense of humor and little tolerance for gossips. Jarrod. Even so, he’d
have to be told, and the sooner the better.
Instead of her customary turn at the corner, she continued to the next
block, squaring her shoulders before entering Jarrod’s office, thinking teasing
Mrs. Jenkins may not have been such a good idea.
Part
Three
When
Jarrod heard the door to his outer office open, he quickly sent his clerk out
to deal with the unexpected visitor.
“Miss
Waters, hello. I’m sorry, Mr. Barkley
isn’t seeing any clients today.”
“I’m
not here on a legal matter.”
Jarrod
heard the conversation and stood from behind his desk, walking to the door,
pulling it open. “Melanie! And to what do I owe this visit?”
“Jarrod,
I’m sorry to interrupt your work, but there’s something I thought you should
know . . .”
Hearing
the tone in her voice, Jarrod opened the door wide to his private office,
ushering Melanie in, while his clerk astutely hurried in, picking up papers
from Jarrod’s desk, muttering something about preparing letters as he walked
back out. Jarrod eyed her quizzically,
his eyes drawn to the brim of her hat.
“Well, I see you found a use for the ribbons. Having done that and with the cakes you were baking, how could
you have found time to become so distressed?”
Sitting
in one of the chairs in front of his desk, having been a frequent visitor in
the office over the years, Melanie felt strangely uncomfortable that day. “The ribbons are what started it. Jarrod, it was foolish of me, but I couldn’t
help myself,” she began, her voice betraying her annoyance with her own
actions.
“What
was foolish and what do the ribbons have to do with it?”
“I
needed a couple of items for the frosting on the cakes.” Jarrod studied her carefully, leaning back
against his desk. “So I went into
Jenkins’ Merchantile.”
“And?”
he asked, one eyebrow lifting.
“I’m
assuming you bought the ribbons and chocolates there this morning?”
“I
did. Don’t forget the carrots,” Jarrod
replied, curious as to where this was headed.
Melanie
rolled her eyes at the mention of the carrots.
“Well, you know Mrs. Jenkins.
She couldn’t come right out and ask if the ribbons were from you but
anyone could tell she was just dying to know.
She’s such a busybody.” Melanie
stopped, looking away from Jarrod. “I
don’t know why I did it. I guess I just
wanted someone to be able to prove her wrong for once.”
Jarrod’s
face broke out into a grin. “And, pray
tell, what did you say to her?” he asked, teasingly.
“I
may have led her to believe that the two of us are . . . engaging in a
romance.” At the sight of Jarrod’s
reaction, Melanie found herself smiling as well and explained hurriedly, “I
didn’t lie, I’ll have you know. And I
didn’t mention your name. But I told
her the ribbon was from a gentleman friend, which I consider you to be. And that our relationship was complicated
and that there were some family matters to deal with. Then I begged off and told her I couldn’t say anything more.”
“And
at that point, did she explode?”
Seeing
Jarrod’s amusement at the situation, Melanie brightened considerably. “No, she did not explode, although,” she
hesitated slightly, “as I was leaving she was already chatting on with a couple
of other women, I’m sure spreading her latest gossip. It may be flying across town, Jarrod, and I thought you should
know.”
Jarrod
swallowed hard, then shifted his weight to one corner of the desk, leaning
toward Melanie. “It’s been a long time
since I’ve been the subject of romantic rumors. People have come to think of me as a settled, highly respected
attorney. What say we try to dispel
that image?” Melanie’s eyes widened at
Jarrod’s embrace of the very idea.
“That is, if you don’t mind. I
certainly wouldn’t want to compromise you in any way.”
Leaning
forward in her chair, she smiled broadly in response. “You know, I’m getting tired of being Old Maid Waters who runs
the livery.”
“Then
what do you say we go have lunch together?”
“Jarrod,
you don’t have to – ”
“It’ll
be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
And what kind of suitor would I be if I didn’t take my lady love to
lunch? If we go now, we could have our
choice of tables at the Stockton House.”
“Jarrod
Barkley, I do believe you have an ulterior motive in mind.”
“Well,
I’m tempted to suggest we get a table in a dark corner, but if we really want
to fan the flame, if we go now we can get a table near the front window.”
“Which
assures that the entire town will see us.”
“Exactly.”
Melanie
watched as Jarrod’s eyes twinkled with delight. “Why do I think this isn’t about putting Bertha Jenkins in her
place?”
Immediately,
Jarrod flashed back to the conversation he’d had with the family that morning.
“I’ll
probably see Melanie Waters today. You
know she asked about you when I saw her the other night, Nick.”
“Saw
her? What, at the livery?” Nick asked,
glancing up.
“Mmm
hmm,” Jarrod murmured, taking a sip of his coffee.
“How
is she doing, Jarrod?” Victoria asked.
“She
seems to be doing fine. A bit lonely,
perhaps. The last of her brothers has
gone away to college.”
“With
Lucy getting married last spring, that means she’s all alone now,” Audra chimed
in.
“Yes,
when we were having our coffee, she commented that it was nice to have someone
at her table.”
“She
invited you in for coffee?” Nick asked, looking at Jarrod out of the corner of
his eye, still jealous, even after all the years.
“You
have a problem with that, dear brother?”
“Now
why would I have a problem with it?” Nick blustered. “I think the only person I know who’s gone longer without a date
than you is her. The two of you are
perfect for each other. Although with
your normal pace, Jarrod, you better move quick so that if you finally get
around to kiss her, you’ll still remember how.”
“You
know, Nick, not all of us feel the need to go through every woman of marrying
age in Stockton.”
Nick
looked up, smiling rakishly. “Now,
Jarrod, since when have I limited myself to Stockton?”
Audra
glanced over at her older brothers.
“You know, Nick, Jarrod spends a lot of time in San Francisco and
Sacramento. From what I hear, he’s
considered quite the catch in both of those cities. For all we know, he could have lady friends in both places.”
Jarrod
smiled at his only sister. “And when
did our little sister become so astute?”
“Ha! Not possible.” Nick countered.
“Really,
why not?” Audra asked.
“If
he did have a girl in San Francisco or Sacramento, what’s he doing spending his
time here in Stockton?”
“We
all know Jarrod’s been busy working these last weeks, Nick,” Heath added to the
conversation. “Maybe duty called.”
“If
you or I had gone as long as Jarrod,” Nick began, noticing his mother’s
eyebrows arch up, “without a girl on our arm, and there was a girl in Frisco or
Sacramento, we sure wouldn’t have spent the last few days around here.”
“Who’s
to say he doesn’t have a girl here, Nick?” Audra teased.
“Oh,
is that right? Then what’s wrong with
her? Cause if he hasn’t even mentioned
her to the family, there’s got to be something wrong.”
“Maybe
Jarrod’s just being discreet,” Audra suggested.
“Discreet?!”
That
means where you don’t make a big show of things, Nick,” Heath teased. “Jarrod’s just the kind to try and keep
things private like,” he added with a wink at Jarrod.
“I
know what discreet means.”
“Really,
Nick? Must not be from personal
experience,” Heath replied, drawing laughter from around the table, even Nick joining
in.
Pointing
a fork at his younger brother, Nick countered, jeering, “Well, can I help it if
the girls like to talk?”
“Oh,
Nick,” Victoria exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, her mother’s eye
falling to the opposite end of the table.
For all the humor and joking back and forth, Jarrod knew his mother
noticed that he had stayed out of it for the most part, leaving the banter to
his younger siblings.
When
she met his gaze, Jarrod had looked away first, and excused himself as soon as
he was done with breakfast, claiming that he had an appointment and needed to
get to the office.
Now
as he stood there with Melanie, he found himself thinking it might do his
reputation some good to be seen around town with a pretty woman, even if the
two of them knew there wasn’t anything to it.
“You’re
up to something, Mr. Barkley.”
“Correction,
we’re up to something, Miss Waters.”
The
two of them spent a delightful lunch together.
It wasn’t hard, they had been friends for years and had spent many an
hour together, talking and laughing after the legal work was done. For Jarrod, it was a delightful break from
the never ending piles of work on his desk.
For Melanie, it was a brief respite from her responsibilities, the never
ending chores at the livery, caring for her younger siblings. But today was different, neither had
anything they needed to return to immediately and there was a certain feeling
that their behavior was the slightest bit wicked, deliciously so. Sitting in the front window, they had each
noticed more than a couple of Stockton’s ladies staring quite impolitely at the
sight of the two of them having lunch, seeming to confirm Mrs. Jenkins rumors.
As
they sipped their coffee, Melanie looked over her cup at Jarrod. “What now, Jarrod? As much as I am enjoying your company, I should get back and
check on the livery.”
“And
I would suspect you still have cakes to finish.”
“I
forgot all about those. I do need to
get going.”
“Well,
let me walk you home.”
“Jarrod,
it’s not necessary.”
“Ah,
but don’t you understand it is,” Jarrod said chuckling. Laughing, the two of them left the
restaurant, Jarrod carrying her packages for her. “You know there’s a dance tomorrow night. I was wondering if I might take you. Assuming, of course, you don’t already have
plans.”
“Actually,
I don’t Jarrod. I wasn’t even sure that
I was going.” Looking up into the
beautiful blue eyes, she wondered how long it had since she had such a charming
gentleman caller. “As I recall, you’re
quite the dancer. I’d love to go with
you, Jarrod.”
Part
Four
Jarrod
donned his dark blue suit and carefully tied his black tie. While Nick’s approach to women might be more
practiced, and while Heath might win them over with his down to earth easy
going attitude, Jarrod knew that he was the most sophisticated of the three and
when he set his mind to being suave and debonair, he was a match for his
brothers’ romantic abilities. As they
gathered downstairs, the various members ready to head into town, Victoria
noticed the light smell of bay rum as he approached her chair. Turning slightly in her chair, she lifted
her face to her oldest son as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Don’t you look nice, Jarrod.”
“Why,
thank you, Mother. I must say you look
especially lovely, tonight.”
Nick
stood at the mantle, nursing a sherry, sniffing the air conspicuously. “Do you think you might be able to find
someone to dance with if you smell pretty enough?”
“I
expect the lady I’m escorting will dance with me a couple of times, Nick. And if you’re not too obnoxious, maybe I’ll
suggest that she let you dance with her.”
“What
do you mean the lady you’re escorting?”
Jarrod
smiled down at his mother. “If you’ll
excuse me, I need to get into town.”
“Who
is she? Jarrod?” The family watched as Jarrod walked out the
door, picking up his hat on the way out.
“Mother, do you know who it is?” Nick asked.
Victoria
shrugged her shoulders lightly. “I have
no idea. But Nick, should it be so
surprising? Jarrod has certainly taken
women to church socials before.”
Heath
surveyed the room. “I did hear a couple
of people talking, but I didn’t put any store in it.”
“Any
store in what?” Nick demanded, his face turning to his brother.
Heath
cleared his throat. “If it’s true, I’m
kind of surprised he didn’t say anything to you Nick, but it’s probably best
that you know before you see it for yourself.”
“See
what?”
“I’ve
heard rumors that Jarrod has been seeing Melanie Waters.” He thought back to the comment made by
Jenkins at the Mercantile, thinking at the time that he was worse than his wife
for spreading tales.
Nick’s
face screwed up in confusion.
“Nah. Jarrod and Melanie? I don’t believe it.”
“He
did say she asked him in for coffee,” Heath added.
“They
have been friends for a long time, Nick. And in recent years, she’s been closer to Jarrod than to you.”
Victoria watched as Nick turned back to the mantle, leaning heavily on it. “Nick, if Jarrod is seeing Melanie, surely
you don’t begrudge him this?”
“But
Melanie, Mother?”
Heath
looked on, sensing that Nick and Victoria needed some time. “Why don’t I go get the surrey and bring it
around?”
Victoria
stood and moved to stand next to her middle son, laying a hand on his arm. “Nick, it’s been over ten years since you
and Melanie stopped seeing each other.”
He shrugged unconsciously, thinking about the times during the years
he’d made overtures to Melanie and been rebuffed by her. “You’ve seen many other women since then and
even been engaged. If you’re still
carrying a torch for Melanie, you had better tell Jarrod about it now. But if not, and they are seeing each other,
I would hope that you wouldn’t stand in their way.”
Nick
shook his head. “I always figured that
Melanie would find someone eventually.
I just never thought about it being Jarrod.”
“And
if it is?”
He
shrugged. “I’ll wish them all the
best. I just wish Jarrod had said
something to me.” He looked over to his
mother. “I know it’s been a long time,
but I did love her, Mother.”
“Did
love her, Nick? Do you still love her?”
He
closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.
“I care about her still. I
expect I always will. But do I love
her? I did for a long time. But at some point it was just too hard.”
“What
do you mean, too hard?”
“She
didn’t have time for me. And then I
didn’t have time for her. It wasn’t
anyone’s fault.”
Victoria
nodded. “Just remember that, Nick, no
matter who Jarrod’s date is.”
When
the family arrived at the church hall, Nick having escorted his mother to the
dance before he went to pick up his own date, he glanced around the building,
checking to see if he could see Jarrod or Melanie, hoping that the two weren’t
actually together. Not seeing them
around, he walked his mother over to a group of friends before heading to pick
up Susan at the boarding house. Susan
worked at the millenary store and Nick had found himself taken with her when he
had to go fetch Audra from inside the store late one afternoon. He had found himself lost in the deep
blue eyes and the sweet sincere smile
she bestowed upon him. As he picked her
up that evening, he took a deep breath when she came to meet him in the parlor,
her dress, as always, reflecting the height of fashion, her grooming
impeccable.
Walking
back to the dance with her on his arm, Nick felt like he was on Cloud Nine, a
pretty girl on his arm, those entrancing blue eyes sparkling up at him. Then, he looked across the room and saw
them. Jarrod and Melanie. He studied them closely as Jarrod leaned
over to her and whispered something in her ear and watched as she laughed. Not a school girl laugh, or the laugh girls
did when they’re flirting, but that real, deep down, hearty laugh that Melanie
could get when you really got her going.
And there was Jarrod. That no
count blue eyed bay rum smelling snake of a brother laughing right out loud
with her. Nick’s gut twisted as he saw
the neighboring couples turn at the sound and he knew it was the kind of joke
that they wouldn’t share if you asked them about it. Just then, the band began to play. Damn. A waltz. It’d have to be a waltz. And he watched as Jarrod took his first real
love by the hand, kissing the back of it lightly before they walked out to the
dance floor.
“Nick?”
Looking
down, he saw Susan, puzzled, watching him.
“I’m
sorry, shall we dance?”
She
smiled up at him, “I’d love to.”
Nick
took her in his arms and skillfully led them out to the floor, his eyes
scanning the room as he watched his brother and his life long love twirl around
on the dance floor, swaying in time to the music and his eyes narrowed at the
lack of space between them. Since when
did Jarrod hold a girl that close at a church social? Didn’t he know he’d set the tongues of every old cat wagging? How dare he do that to Melanie’s
reputation! Determined to give his brother
a piece of his mind, Nick made it to the end of the waltz, waiting for Jarrod
and Melanie to leave the floor, but hang it all, if they didn’t stay for the
next dance and the one after that.
Nick, after being cut in on by some of the other swains seeking the
attention of the pretty shop attendant, found himself watching on the
sidelines, finally boiling as another waltz began to play and damnation if
Jarrod wasn’t holding her even closer.
It just wasn’t decent! Not by a
long shot.
“Something
wrong, Nick?” the soft voice asked.
Nick
looked to his younger brother standing at his side, somehow managing to control
his normally booming voice. “You tell
me, we were raised by the same parents, Jarrod and I, taught the same things,
since when have you ever seen me hold a girl that close at a dance?”
Heath
cocked one eyebrow. “You’re right
there, Nick. I ain’t never seen you
give a girl that much room.”
Nick’s
head whipped around to see his brother hiding his grin in a cup of punch. Turning to him, he made his point with his
finger to his brother’s white shirt for emphasis. “Very funny. I’ll tell
you this, he wouldn’t be happy if someone was dancing that close with our little
sister.”
“I
s’pose not Nick. But she doesn’t seem
to mind.” Nick grumbled in
response. “Your date, on the other
hand, has been throwing you looks for the last five minutes. You might want to go rescue her.”
“What?” Nick scanned the dance floor, his eyes
falling on a decidedly unhappy Susan.
“Damned women.” he muttered as he strode out to cut in on his own date.
Part
Five
Jarrod
and Melanie had a perfectly delightful evening together and when they arrived
at her house, she had once again invited him in for coffee, an invitation,
under the circumstances, he readily accepted. He followed her to the kitchen, standing by as she stoked the fire
in the stove and made the coffee, the conversation light and easy, the two of
them dissolving in laughter as they recalled the looks they had received from
some of Stockton’s gossips. They had
sat in the parlor, at opposite ends of the settee, drinking the coffee,
enjoying pieces of cake.
“So
am I depriving the church of some of your bounty?”
“No,
I made an extra one today for the bake sale.”
“Ah,
and what did you bake today?”
He
watched as her smile widened and her eyes twinkled. “You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow, Counselor.”
“I
can keep a secret, you know.”
“Maybe
it’s a surprise for you.”
He
looked at her quizzically. “You didn’t
bake my favorite, did you?”
“That
depends. What’s your favorite?”
“White
cake with strawberry frosting.”
Her
eyes danced. “You don’t say.”
“That’s
what you baked? Where did you get the
strawberries?”
“Strawberries
this time of year are tough. Must be
why I didn’t bake that. You’ll have to
wait til after church, Jarrod. You do
go to church?” she teased. “An
upstanding lawyer like yourself, or what was it again?”
“You
mean, a settled, highly respected attorney?
“That’s
it,” she laughed.
“Of
course, I go to church. How about you,
Old Maid Waters?”
She
sputtered into her coffee cup. “If not
for those cakes, I’d suggest we skip this once. Now THAT would start them talking, wouldn’t it?”
Jarrod
grinned at her boldness and she smiled in return. “Before we completely corrupt each other, maybe I should take my
leave.” Without waiting for a response,
he stood and walked to the door.
“Wait,
Jarrod.” She jumped up and ran to him,
her grin capturing her face. Reaching
up, she pulled down on the ends of his tie, then reached up and mussed his
hair. As he rolled his eyes, she
reached for his collar and unbuttoned the top button. Moving her hands to the next, he stopped her, his blue eyes
playful but his voice serious.
“Absolutely
not, Melanie. It’s one thing to let
them talk, another to give them reason to shriek. As I said at the beginning, I wouldn’t want to compromise you.”
She
eyed him carefully. “You’re sweet to be
concerned about me, Jarrod.” Reaching
up, she placed a light kiss on his cheek.
“By the way, I had a wonderful time tonight.”
“So
did I, Melanie.” He turned the knob to
leave. “You’re sure it’s not
strawberry?”
“Goodnight,
Jarrod.”
Raking
his hand through his hair, he pulled his hat on, then tipped it back from his
forehead. “Night, Melanie.
When
Jarrod entered the house that night, his feet were on the lowest risers when he
heard Nick’s gruff voice from the door to the study. “Out a mite late, aren’t you, Pappy?”
Jarrod’s
eyebrows shot up as he pulled the jacket from over his shoulder. “Since when have you taken to waiting up for
me, Nick?”
Nick
quickly took in Jarrod’s disheveled appearance, the undone tie, the open
collar. “You want a drink, Jarrod? Although by the looks of it, you made
yourself comfortable on the way home.”
The
amused expression disappeared from Jarrod’s face and his eyes became
steely. “Watch it, Nick.” he cautioned,
pouring himself some Scotch from the crystal decanter.
“Oh,
isn’t that rich. You’re the one who’s
been parading Melanie around like some kind of prize all night long and you’re
telling ME to watch it?”
“That’s
enough.”
“I
don’t think so.”
“No? What business is it of yours if I have a
good time with Melanie Waters?” Jarrod asked, moving to stand near the
fireplace.
Jarrod
never saw the punch coming and only out the corner of his eye did he see the
ball of fire as his glass of Scotch exploded against the bricks in the
fireplace, the whiskey feeding the flames.
Looking up, he saw Nick’s dark frame looming over him. “Get up,” Nick growled.
“Nick
– ” Jarrod warned.
“Get
up or I’ll drag you to your feet.”
Jarrod
wiped at the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Nick, I don’t know who you think you are but when I said I had a
good time with Melanie, I meant a nice evening and nothing more.” Rising to his feet, he glared at his younger
brother. “You’re the only one of the
two of us who thinks of her in that way.
And if you jump to that conclusion again, you’ll be the one getting off
the floor.”
Nick
and Jarrod stood toe to toe, having been in this position before, although no
time recently. They both knew Nick was
the stronger of the two, but they also know if Jarrod got in a good punch, he
could knock Nick out cold.
“I
heard glass breaking. Is everything
alright?” Jarrod and Nick both turned
at the sound of their mother’s voice.
“Jarrod, darling, what happened?” she asked, quickly moving in and
taking his handkerchief from him, pouring some water from a second decanter,
placing it lightly against his face, her eyes quickly scanning the faces of her
two older sons.
“According
to him, nothing,” Nick answered sarcastically, brushing past the two of
them. “It’s late, I’m going up to bed.”
“Nicholas
– ” Victoria called out, stopping when Jarrod laid his hand on her arm.
“It’s
alright, Mother.”
“It’s
not alright. Jarrod, I don’t normally
pry, but what’s going on between you and Melanie Waters?”
He
let out a heavy sigh as his mind quickly went to the two of them that
night. “Nothing, Mother. Absolutely nothing.”
Part
Six
Sunday
church services came early for the Barkley family, sleep having escaped most of
them. Victoria looked around the table,
Nick’s absence conspicuous as time came for breakfast. When Silas came into the dining room to fill
one of the chafing dishes, Victoria asked, “Silas, have you seen Nick this
morning?”
“Yes,
ma’am. Mr. Nick ate already this
morning.”
Victoria
nodded as she looked down the table and met Jarrod’s gaze.
“Jarrod
– ”
“Mother,
what do you expect me to do if Nick isn’t here?”
As
the family, save for Nick, arrived at church, the ladies auxiliary was already
busily accepting cakes at the tables arranged for that purpose. Jarrod looked behind the table to see
Melanie busy at work and walked his mother and Audra, each bearing a cake, to
the table. “Do you think you have room
for two more?”
“Certainly,”
Melanie answered, her smile dropping at the sight of the face that matched the
voice. “Mrs. Barkley, Audra, these look
wonderful. If you’d each fill out a
card.” She turned to Jarrod and dropped
her voice. “What happened to you?”
Jarrod’s
hand unconsciously went to the bruise on the side of his face. “Ah, just a bit of a problem after I got
home last night. I had a run-in with a
cantankerous beast.”
“One
of your horses?”
Jarrod
shrugged in seeming acknowledgment. “More
like a jackass,” Jarrod mumbled, as Melanie turned to help another lady
bringing a cake.
She
leaned back toward Jarrod. “Can you
find me after the sale?” she asked, with a twinkle in her eye.
When
the auction began after church services, the bidding for the various cakes was
sometimes polite, sometimes spirited, depending upon the baker. When it came time for Audra’s cake, Jarrod
took care to help raise the price but not beyond the level where the price was
too dear for Audra’s suitors. Finally, Jarrod
heard the minister announce, “How much am I bid for Miss Melanie Water’s carrot
cake?”
The
bidding began and Melanie scanned the crowd, not hearing Jarrod’s voice. Finally, her eyes met his and she caught his
amused grin. “Carrots?” he mouthed, to
which she nodded. Allowing the bidding
to continue, he waited until it seemed stopped at three dollars before his
deep, stentorian voice called out “Ten dollars” and the minister turned, his
eyes bright as he thought of the good the money would allow and answered with
“Sold.”
As
people began to wander away, the last cake sold, Jarrod found Melanie, merrily
exchanging cakes for the monies promised.
“Carrot cake, Melanie?”
“You
really needn’t have paid so much.
Especially considering you bought the carrots.”
“It
was for a worthy cause. Mother wants me
to invite you to picnic with us. We
have carrot cake for dessert.”
She
laughed heartily. “I’m sorry,
Jarrod. I’m eating with my brother
David and his family. Give your mother
my apologies, please.”
“Only
if I can come take you for a ride later.”
“It’s
not necessary, Jarrod. Truly. Surely, you’re beginning to tire of me.”
“Never.”
She
studied him carefully. “All right
then. Four o’clock?”
“Fine.”
BVBVBVBVBVBVBVBV
They
walked their horses in the last of the afternoon sun, bringing them down to the
stream, settling themselves just upstream, sitting on the soft grass. Melanie stretched her legs out in front of
her, enjoying the balmy afternoon.
“Jarrod, have I mentioned what a good time I’ve had these last few
days?”
“Perhaps
once or twice. But allow me to assure
you, it has been my pleasure.”
“I
must tell you, Jarrod, I think people are rethinking the notion of you being a
settled attorney and my being Old Maid Waters.
I had more men ask me to dance last night than in a month of
Sundays. Something about being seen on
your arm suddenly made people sit up and take notice. And I have to tell you, Counselor, I saw a couple of Stockton’s
pretty young girls trying to make sure you knew which cakes were theirs this
morning.”
“Did
they? I didn’t notice.”
“Really? Goodness, Jarrod, for someone who is ever so
clever in a courtroom, I would have thought you would have caught that,” she
teased.
“Perhaps
I only had eyes for you,” he teased, leaning toward her.
“Is
that so?” she asked, her own voice teasing as she matched him.
Suddenly,
an uncomfortable silence descended between them as they realized how close they
were to each other. Reaching up to take
off his hat, Jarrod pulled it off easily, arcing his arm around to Melanie’s
back, his head dropping to hers for a gentle kiss. Slowly, sweetly, their lips met as she tipped her head back, her
lashes lying on her cheeks, one hand rising to lightly touch Jarrod’s face.
She
pulled away, looking shyly at the ground.
“That was nice.”
Jarrod
reached down and picked up her chin, searching her face. “Nice?”
He bent his head to hers and once more they kissed, this time more
insistent, their lips pressing against each other, her body arching for his,
his arm pulling her close to him.
Melanie pulled back first again, ducking her head back down. Jarrod looked off to the side before he
glanced back at her. “There’s nothing
between us, is there?”
After
letting out a heavy breath, she looked up to him and met his smile. “I wouldn’t say nothing, Jarrod.”
“That’s
only because you’re too polite.” They
both sat on the grass, shaking their heads.
“This
should be so easy, Jarrod. You’re a
wonderfully charming, attractive man and I’ve loved spending time with you
these last few days.”
He
picked up her hand and kissed it lightly.
“And you’ve been a most charming and lovely companion.” They sat amused, reflecting on the absurdity
of it all. “Friends, Melanie?”
“Friends,
Jarrod.”
He
extended his hand to her and helped her up and they began to walk back to the
horses. “Melanie, may I ask you
something?”
“Of
course.”
“Whatever
happened to you and Nick?”
She
let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, I don’t
know, Jarrod. My life was too
busy. Then both of our lives were. I suppose when I finally got to the point I
had the time for gentlemen callers, Nick had stopped asking.” She looked out across the horizon. “Maybe I said ‘No’ one too many times. I just assumed he would still be there when
I was ready.”
Jarrod
noted the faraway look in her eyes, his trained attorney’s instincts honing in
on her unspoken emotions. “Hmmm. I suppose when Nick kissed you there was
something there?”
“Jarrod
Barkley!” she exclaimed, cuffing him on the arm. “What an impertinent and improper question!!” Shaking her head, she watched him out of the
corner of his eye, keeping her face trained to the ground. Yet, even so, Jarrod could see the blush
rise on her cheeks.
“It
just strikes me that Nick was one of those suddenly paying you attention last
night.”
“Hah! Nick does that anytime I start seeing
someone. He’s more protective of me
than my own brothers.” She glanced up
and noticed Jarrod’s intense gaze. “No,
Jarrod. Nick and I had our
chances. And we didn’t take them. He moved on a long time ago,” she said, her
voice tinged with regret, “and so have I.”
Jarrod
nodded but thought back to his brother’s fury from the night before and glanced
at the woman walking next to him, a twinkle reaching his eye.
Part
Seven
Monday
morning, Nick rode into Stockton determined to confront his brother. It had taken him all Sunday to try to calm
down enough to even think about talking to Jarrod but his ire had returned in
full force when he learned that Jarrod had returned to Stockton that afternoon
with the intention of spending the night in Stockton. Nick rode into town with every intention of going straight to
Jarrod’s office but found himself heading to the livery instead, dismounting
from Coco and walking into the stable, stopping when he saw Melanie fighting to
stand up a sack of grain.
“Let
me get that.” Nick reached over Melanie
and picked up the sack of grain she was struggling with. Lifting it easily on one shoulder, he looked
down at her. “Where did you want it?”
She
smiled up at him. “On the ground,
Nick. I was about to cut it open.”
“Oh. Sure.”
Nick
let it drop to the ground and watched as Melanie pushed a strand of hair back
from her face and then grabbed the utility knife from the adjacent shelf,
cutting open one corner of the sack.
“If you want, you can pour it into the grain barrel for me.”
“You
should have Tim do this for you.”
“Normally,
he does. But he’s running an errand and
this needed to be done.” She leaned
back, watching Nick effortlessly pour
the sack into a barrel. “I’ve done it
before.”
“You
have anything else that needs to be done?
As long as I’m here.”
She
watched him, sensing that he was as tense as a clock spring. “No, but thanks for offering, Nick. You going out of town and need to leave Coco
here?”
“What? No, nothing like that. How are those new horses working out for
you?”
“They’re
wonderful, Nick. But then, the horses
you sell me always are. But I’m
guessing you didn’t come here to ask
about horses you no longer own. So, why
are you here, Nick?” He slapped his hat
against his leg, fighting to find the words.
“Nick,” she said tentatively, wondering if she should explain, “if it’s
about me and Jarrod . . .”
“Yes,
it’s about you and Jarrod,” he answered, his voice gruff.
She
raised an eyebrow at his tone. “Then,
it’s none of your business,” she said plainly, taking off her gloves, leaving
them on the shelf.
“He’s
my brother!” he said indignantly.
“So?”
“So,
why him?”
“Nick,
I don’t think this is a conversation I want to have and I certainly don’t want
to have it out here,” she said, glancing around at the people passing on the
street.
“Just
tell me, why Jarrod?” he asked, not willing to be put off.
She
shook her head at him, annoyed. “Why
don’t you at least come inside?” she said, striding past him, heading for the
door to her house. He followed her in
through the door into the kitchen, watching her move to the stove. “Leave the door open so I can hear if anyone
comes to the livery. You want some coffee?” she asked, automatically getting
out two cups and saucers. “So, why do
you assume something is going on between Jarrod and me?”
“You
mean, other than the fact that you and Jarrod have been inseparable?”
A
smile crossed her lips as she poured the coffee. “I wouldn’t describe us as inseparable,” she answered, somewhat
amused by his antagonistic attitude.
“So, why not?” she asked, breezily.
“Why
not what?”
“Why
not Jarrod?”
“I’d
just think after what we had . . .”
“And
what’s that, Nick? A school crush from
ten years ago?”
He
looked down at the floor and then up at her out of the corner of his eye, his
voice suddenly quiet. “I’d say it was
more than a school crush. As a matter
of fact, it was a lot more and you know it.
And by my count, it’s been nowhere near ten years.”
Placing
the cups of coffee on the table, Melanie took a deep breath. “Nick, I’ve loved you since we were
children. And there’ll be a part of my
heart that will always be yours, but it’s been too long and too many
opportunities for us have come and gone.
If we were meant to be together, Nick, don’t you think something would
have happened by now?” she asked, sitting at the end of the table.
Nick
took a seat next to her, sighing heavily.
“It’s not like anything happened between you and me to make us split up,
Melanie.”
“No,
you’re right, it was always things from outside.” She rested her forehead on her fingertips. “My parents dying, your father dying. My siblings, your family, my livery, your
ranch.” Her hands came down and she
crossed her arms in front of her on the table.
“But, Nick, it was up to us to make it work, to stick with it and we
never did.”
Nick
raked his hand through his hair. “No, I
guess we didn’t at that.” They sat
silently for a moment. “But Jarrod?”
She
smiled softly, her eyes and voice were teasing. “Why not Jarrod? I hear
he’s a good man.”
“Humph,”
he chuckled. “I suppose I have to agree
with you there. Not the cream of the
crop though.” They both smiled and
Nick’s tone stayed light even though Melanie knew a part of him was
serious. “If he does anything to make
you unhappy, you let me know and I’ll take care of him.”
It
was Melanie’s turn to chuckle. “I don’t
think you need to worry about that.”
Her mind went to her feelings about Jarrod, strong feelings but platonic
and she suddenly recalled Jarrod’s comment about when Nick kissed her, there
being something. She felt a blush come
across her cheek and watching Nick intently, she hesitated, then, with her
voice uncertain, asked, “Nick, does Jarrod know . . . about us?”
“About
us?” Nick asked, uncertain of her meaning.
At the roll of her eyes and the slight blush that had come across her
face, he dropped his gaze, his hands moving to play with his hat on the table. “Oh, that.”
Swallowing hard, he looked back to the pools of green, nodding
reluctantly. “I’m sorry, Melanie. I told him a long time ago, I guess not long
after it happened.”
He
watched as she stared into her coffee, the disappointment in her voice belying
her words. “Nick, I suspected over the
years you might have told someone. It’s
not as if you’re telling tall tales.”
He
reached over and took her hand in his.
“No, Melanie, it wasn’t like that.
Really. I didn’t tell Jarrod to
brag. But . . . I was having such a
hard time with everything back then and he and I were talking, and it just came
out.”
She
nodded slowly. “So Jarrod’s known for
years? He never let on. I never would have known.” She considered Nick carefully. “Did our . . . what happened between us . .
. Well, you said you were having a hard time.
I’m sorry if I made your life more complicated back then.”
“Aw,
Melanie, if anyone owed an apology for that day . . .”
She
waved him off easily. “It was a long
time ago, like you said, Nick. It’s
okay.”
Melanie
was no stranger to Nick’s soft side and the quiet of his voice didn’t surprise
her. “I don’t know that I would have
made it without you. You were . . . I
needed someone and you were there for me like no one else was.”
“Like
no one else was? Well, I’ve hoped I
wasn’t just one of many,” she stated plainly, casting a sly smile up at
him. She laughed as she saw a slight
blush come to his cheeks.
“Nah,
Melly. You were always one of a kind.”
She
looked at him and smiled, cradling her chin in her hand, her tone wistful. “Do you know how long it’s been since you
called me Melly?”
Nick
shrugged. “Old habit, I guess.”
They
sat quietly, both thinking back on that day, so long ago. Melanie had stood at the graveside of Tom
Barkley, remembering how Nick had been at her side when she had buried her own
parents not long before. She stood to
the side, the hill filled with the Barkleys’ friends and admirers, and her
heart ached for the family’s loss but her eyes sought out Nick’s face, he was
the one who earned her immediate concern.
She had heard some of the details, knew that Nick had been at his
father’s side when the shooting occurred, knew that Nick had been the one to
bring his father’s body home and had to tell his mother. And she could see by his face that he hadn’t
eaten, hadn’t slept, and she knew he was close to his breaking point. When, two weeks later, she heard the noises
in the livery during the night and went out, shotgun at the ready, her heart
felt as though it would break when she saw Nick stumble across the barn.
“Nick?”
He
wheeled around, looking at her through bleary eyes. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Excuse
me? It’s my livery, or have you
forgotten?”
“It’s
too late for you to be out here by yourself.”
Melanie
smiled at Nick’s protectiveness of her.
“And you’ve had too much to drink to be anywhere. Come in and have some coffee.”
“I
don’t need coffee.”
She
rolled her eyes at his stubborn, ever independent streak but reminded herself
that she had learned to handle that years before. “Fine, but the least you could do is walk me inside,” she said,
knowing he couldn’t turn down her request.
Taking
a deep breath, Nick walked to her side, taking the shotgun out of her hand and
checking it to see if it was loaded.
Glancing at it, his practiced eye took in that the firearm was well
cared for. “You still practice?”
“Just
like you taught me. And I’ll have you
know I’m getting better.”
“Humph,
stay with the shotgun. It’s not as
accurate, but you’re more likely to hit your target.”
As
they neared the porch, Nick stumbled again and Melanie caught him under the
arm. “Easy, Nick, I’d hate to have you
shoot off a foot with the gun you bought me.”
Keeping her arm around him, she opened the door, bringing him
inside. “You’re in no condition to ride
home, Nick. At least, get some coffee
or just sit for a spell.”
He
nodded, letting her steer him toward the settee in front of the fire, leaning
back into the soft cushions, his feet stretching out in front of him. Melanie took the shotgun out of his hand and
lifted the hat off his head, tossing the latter on the table near the door,
then walking in front of the fireplace, lifting the shotgun to the pegs Nick
had put in the wall. Turning, she faced
Nick, seeing his eyes drooping, she crouched down and unbuckled the spurs from
his boots, smiling to herself as they jingled, then picked up his heavy feet
and placed them up on the settee.
Pulling an afghan off the back of a chair, she placed it over his quiet body,
her smile bittersweet when she heard the soft snores escaping his mouth. Reaching up, she brushed the hair from his
face, her fingers lightly tracing his jawline before she drew her hand
back. Shaking the thoughts of what
might have been out of her head, she turned and walked to her room, leaving him
asleep in her parlor.
The
next morning, Nick was awakened to the sounds of muffled voices and scampering
feet and he walked heavily into the kitchen where Melanie’s siblings were in
varying stages of breakfast. “Morning,
Nick,” was the hearty welcome from a younger brother.
Somehow,
Nick managed a smile. “Hey, David.”
“Melanie
said you weren’t feeling well and that we should let you sleep.”
“She
did, did she?”
“Yeah,
so I made sure Coco had fresh water and hay.”
Nick’s
smile was sincere as he tousled the boy’s hair. “Thanks, David. You know,
you can always judge a man’s worth by
how he treats animals. You done good,
boy.”
Nick
fought a chuckle as the boy’s adoration of Nick was evident in his face, his
small chest swelling with pride.
“David, go get ready for school.”
Nick turned in the direction of the soft voice, his eyes meeting
Melanie’s as she stood in the kitchen door, drying her hands on the apron tied
over her blouse and pants. “Mike,
Suzie, you too. Hurry up or you’ll be
late.” He watched as she moved
effortlessly, placing a steaming hot cup of black coffee in front of him,
brushing a sister’s hair and handing a brother his books, seemingly all at the
same time. Sending them out of the
house, giving the younger children kisses and hugs, she turned back to
Nick. “Eggs and ham?”
Already
tired just from watching her, he shook his head, “You don’t need to go to any
trouble.”
Glancing
into his coffee cup, she moved back to the stove. “It’s no trouble, Nick, I haven’t eaten yet and you look like you
could use a good meal. Hand me your
cup. Even if you don’t feel hungry, you
can keep me company while I cook my breakfast.”
Nick
drank coffee and watched as she moved about the kitchen, easy and confident in
it, the aromas tempting him and the food placed before him satisfying his
hunger. As she placed the newly
refilled cup in front of him, he took a healthy swallow. “It’s good.
When did you get to be such a good cook?”
“Didn’t
have much choice. It was that or not
enjoy eating. I’ve had a few of
Stockton’s matrons offer me pointers these last couple of years. Your mother included.” Nick smiled, cradling the warm cup in his
hands. “How’s she doing, Nick?” Melanie
asked hesitantly, her question more than a casual pleasantry, her tone bringing
life’s reality crushing back down on him.
He
sighed heavily, his face suddenly grim.
Rubbing his brow, he looked down at the table. “What do they say? As
well as can be expected.”
“How
about Audra and Jarrod?” Melanie asked.
“Okay,
I guess,” he answered, his mouth set in a thin line.
“Lucy
said Audra has started back to school.
It’ll do her good to be back in her normal routine,” Melanie commented, her voice certain from
experience. Dropping her head a little
so that she could see his face, she looked at Nick from her spot at the head of
the table. “And how are you doing?” she
asked, the concern ringing in her tone.
Shrugging
his shoulders, he rested his forehead against his closed fists. “I still can’t believe he’s gone. It’s . . . just . . . so . . . hard.”
Melanie
watched as he sat frozen, waiting for him to speak again. Finally, she answered, “Nick, I know. I know how it hurts.” Placing the cup down in front of her, she
leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder, stroking it lightly, letting the
quiet envelop them. She watched as he
fought his emotions, not sure how to react, sensing his growing
embarrassment. “Nick, why don’t you
clean up before you head out? Come
on.” He nodded morosely and stood when
she did, letting her take his hand and he followed her into the downstairs
bedroom.
Glancing
around, he looked over at her. “This
your room now?” he asked, remembering the
bedroom as her parents but recognizing the things in it as hers.
She
shrugged her shoulders. “It took a
while, but it made sense for me to take this room. I’m closer to the kitchen, the livery. Sometimes I’m up late or up early and this way I don’t have to
disturb the others.”
He
smiled in spite of himself as he looked to the unmade bed. “Still hate to make your bed, I see.”
“And
you know, I’d give anything for my mother to complain about it again. Much as your mother probably already misses
your father yelling when he comes in the door.”
“Maybe
I’ll just yell twice as loud when I come home.”
She
smiled, patting him on the arm as she moved to the cabinet, pulling out clean
towels, placing them on the wash stand.
“Take your time, Nick.” She
watched as he dropped into the chair near the bed, his head dropping into his
hands.
She
glanced back into the room as she started to close the door and when she saw
his shoulders begin to shake, at first almost imperceptibly, she walked and
stood over him, placing her hands on his shoulders, rubbing his back. She felt his arms reach out to pull her
close to him, his face pressed into her stomach as his body began to be wracked
with sobs. She slipped her arms around
him, holding him close, stroking his hair as his grief escaped him. “I know, Nick, I know,” she whispered
quietly. Fighting to keep her own
feelings in check, she held him as he cried, much as he had held her two years
before, the heaving sobs eventually giving way to shuddered breath, his
breathing calming as he wiped his face, his eyes swollen and red.
“I’m
. . . sorry.”
“Don’t,
Nick. Don’t apologize for grieving for
your father.”
“Do
you still miss them?” he asked, his voice cracking, his eyes rising to meet
hers.
She
knelt before him and nodded. “Of
course, some days more than others. And
. . . there are days when I don’t know how I’ll make it without them. But it’s easier now than a year ago. It was easier a year ago than two years
ago. It does get better, Nick.” She reached out and stroked the side of his
face. “Even if it doesn’t seem like it
ever will.”
He
closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
“It hurts so much.”
She
nodded quietly and stood, pulling him into her arms, kissing him lightly on the
side of his face. Feeling his weight
lean against her as his arms encircled her, she rubbed the broad back easily as
he held on tightly and she felt his breath grow easier. She breathed deeply, pressed up against his
muscular frame and her heart ached for his pain, and for her own, and she
grieved not only for her mother and their fathers but for their lost youth. She grieved for the time so recently passed
when they cuddled on the porch swing, when he held her until their breath grew
sharp and he would steal a kiss before she disappeared into the house. It seemed a lifetime ago that they were so
young and carefree and she knew she would never be so young and innocent
again. Nor would Nick. The easy times were over, the times when
they didn’t have worries were over. Now
there were responsibilities and a business to run and horses to tend to and
people to care for and meals to cook and noses to be wiped and no time to be
young and carefree and not think of anyone else.
Nick
felt her lean against him, felt the softness of her body, smelled her hair and
instantly he was transported back to when there were picnics and rides on
Saturday afternoons, to times when they were able to think about themselves, to
those breathless afternoons before there were ledgers and contracts and
decisions and men to handle and cattle and crops and mines and a mother to
comfort and a sister to raise. NO! He forced all that out of his head and went
back to the easy days when he and Melanie would walk along the creek, getting
their feet wet, laying back on a blanket with their shoes and socks off. He felt her lips brush his face once more,
felt her hands moving along his spine and he reached down, his face finding the
curve of her neck, burying himself in her scent and the soft skin, his mind
filled with the way she felt in his arms.
“I need you, Melanie.”
“I’m
here, Nick.”
There
was another of her kisses on his cheek, and his on hers and then their eyes met
and slowly, so slowly, their faces were drawn together. Their mouths found each other and, fumbling,
their heads turned, noses in the way until they remembered, remembered the way
their bodies fit, their lips pressed one to the other, the kiss needy and
insistent. Nick felt her pull away
slightly, felt her tongue dart across her lips and, emboldened, brought his own tongue to her lips, first
letting it dart across before he pressed for entry, entry which was quickly
granted. As she felt him searching her
mouth, tasting her as she tasted him, she felt her body melting into his, the
memories flooding back to her of the times they kissed like this, the heady
rush she felt as he probed her mouth.
“I
want things to be like they used to be,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse
and desperate as he tried to send his hands through her hair, his lip traveling
up and down her neck.
The
tears threatened to spill from her eyes and she held on tighter , sharing his
need for all that they had. “Ssh, Nick,
just let things be as they are. Let me
be here for you.”
“I
just . . .” He let out a shaky breath.
“Don’t
worry about the rest of it for a little while.”
Pulling
her against him, Nick let one hand hold the back of her head, his fingers
fighting to feel her hair loose around her shoulders like she used to wear it,
before there were meals to cook, horses to care for, and he felt her fingers
fighting his, the delicate ping of hair pins hitting the bare floor as her hair
cascaded down. As her hands worked in
her hair, her arms raised, each of them became aware of the delicious feelings
evoked by her breasts moving against his chest and, quickly, Nick’s hand moved
down from her hair, the backs of his fingers leaving a trail along the side of
her neck, over her shoulder, his hand turning to caress the soft mound of
flesh through the fabric of her blouse,
his thumb moving over the peak, already hard.
When he heard the gasp escape her lips, he thought of moving his hand
down to her ribs but stopped when he felt her turn slightly, her body move into
his touch, her hand pulling down on his head, her mouth pressing hungrily
against his. Before either of them
realized what was happening, buttons were loosed and garments started dropping
to the floor. Shirts, hers and
his. Nick began to try to toe out of
his boots, and his frustration mounting, gave up and pulled Melanie into his
arms, picking her up and taking the two steps to her bed, climbing effortlessly
onto it, the two of them stretched out, their hands feverishly exploring the
other’s body. Bodies moved the
requisite ways to get out of clothes.
The thuds resounded through the room as Nick’s boots hit the floor. The delicate camisole lightly wafted down the other side of the bed. Pulling his mouth from hers, Nick left
kisses along the trail his fingers had traced, down to her ear, along the side
of her neck, stopping briefly to suck the pulse point there, smiling as he felt
her move underneath him as she reacted to the gentle sucking, easily overcoming
the urge to stay there as he moved down her neck to collar bone, licking across
her chest until her reached her breast, his tongue lightly dancing around the
pink nipple, another groan escaping Melanie as she arched up into his
mouth. Feeling her hands playing in
his hair, her fingers grazing the back of his neck, he let himself linger at
her breast, feeling his entire being coming alive. Desperate for the feelings of comfort and pleasure and love this
act would invoke in him, he moved from one breast to the other, needing to
escape into the mindless oblivion making love to Melanie would provide,
muttering, “Oh, Melly, I’ve missed you.”
“It’s
been so long, Nick.”
He
listened to her breath as it came fast, “Too long.”
Letting
one hand cup the breast he was suckling, he let the other wander down to her
waist, stroking it lightly before sending it to the small of her back, giving
her gentle touches, moving on to cup her bottom, squeezing lightly before
working down to her thigh and up again to her back, pulling his head from her
breast, returning for her sweet kisses, her kisses more passionate than he had
ever known them. As she moved her hands
across his chest, he felt his own body twitch as she found his own hard
nipples, brown and tanned from many an afternoon in the sun. As he softly moaned into her mouth, she
pulled her lips from his, her eyes, dark with passion, meeting his, watching
his response as she stroked the broad, muscled chest, watching his eyes close
as she dropped her head to his chest, letting her own tongue dart out to tease
the brown nubs, then dropping to his chest, kissing the middle of his chest, as
if she could make the hurt, the pain he was feeling go away. Their eyes connected and Nick lifted her
head with one finger under her chin, whispering only, “Melanie” before plunging
his tongue back to her mouth, his hands once again roaming her body, finding
the soft curves of her pants, her hips, her round bottom, then reaching for the
back of her pants, his hand seeking entry down the back of her waistband. Once again, there was a sharp intake of
breath from Melanie as Nick’s touch explored new flesh, and he felt her body
pressing against him, saw her eyes dropping toward his waist as she felt his
hard flesh press into her lower abdomen.
“Nick,”
she murmured, “show me how to love you.”
Wordlessly,
Nick reached for her hand, guiding it to the outside of his pants, pressing her
hand against the flesh crying out for contact.
As he felt her tentative touch, he kept his hand against hers, guiding
her to give him full strokes, their eyes meeting before the intensity of his
body’s reaction forced his eyes to close.
Fighting his body’s urge to finish right there, Nick moved to her
breasts yet again, feeling her touch against him lessen as her own pleasure and
desire captured her attention. Moving
from one peak to the other, his tongue dancing across them, before he settled
on one, his hand dropping to her waist, finding her belt, his fingers deftly
pulling the strap, opening the leather, then moving to the buttons. Reaching between her legs, he massaged her
lightly, giving her long strokes, his finger rubbing through the cloth, feeling
her move involuntarily, listening to her breath becoming shaky. Pushing against the mattress, he raised onto
his knees, moving his kisses down to her stomach, letting his tongue circle her
belly button before pulling away from her body entirely. As he moved down to her boots, his hands
massaged her legs, pulling off one boot then the other, then working his way
back up her body, his hands rubbing the long legs, stroking their length until
once again he reached her center, his fingers lightly skimming the area around
the seam of her pants, moving over the area where he knew the gentle curls hid
her delicious center. Their eyes met
and she nodded, her passion as strong as his.
She watched his tender touches, her body wanting more, needing more, her
breath heavy, drying her lips. When he
saw her tongue dart out to wet them, he could wait no longer and his hands
moved to the fabric of her waistband, pulling lightly on each side until the
fabric cleared her hips, a slight smile gracing Nick’s lips as she lifted her
hips off the bed to aid him. As the
fabric cleared her body, Nick sucked in a deep breath, taking in the soft
valley between the hip bones, dropping once again to kiss the flat stomach
before he moved back up to Melanie, claiming her lips again in a gentle kiss,
the two of them groaning as their bodies pressed up against each other and Nick
pulled her to her side, pulling her top thigh up around his body. Reaching underneath, his hand slipped
between her legs, and each of them sighed as Nick’s fingers slid in her juices,
his fingers finding the bundle of nerves, causing Melanie to gasp at the new
sensations coursing through her body.
“Oh God, Melly, I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“Love
me, Nick.” Bucking against his
caresses, Melanie sought Nick’s mouth with hers, her kiss desperate as her
tongue plunged into his mouth, her touch firmer as she stroked him.
Reaching down, Nick pulled on his own belt and swiftly opened his pants,
loosening some of the pressure on his blood filled erection. Feeling Melanie’s hands at the waist,
pushing away the cloth, Nick wasted no time pushing off his pants, taking her
hands in his once again, guiding her to close her hand around his member, each
of them feeling the twitch as her touch enveloped him.
Burying
his head, in her neck, his voice soft, he uttered, “I love you, Melly, so
much.”
“And
I love you,” she breathed into his ear.
Nick
pulled away from her, and once more their eyes met. “Melanie – ” he said, his eyes searching hers, wanting to know
she was sure. In answer, she reached
under his shoulders, holding him around his back, pulling him over her, pulling
him to rest atop her, then reaching for his face, pulling him down for another
kiss. His touch certain, Nick reached
down, pulling her legs around him, settling down between them, guiding himself
to her center, moving gently as he sought the comfort of her warm core. Thrusting slowly, he worked his way inside
her, stopping when he felt the barrier he felt sure would be there, stopping
for a moment.
Melanie
felt the hesitation and looked up to him once more. Reaching behind his shoulders, she pulled him to her, whispering
in his ear, “Yes, Nick, I’m sure. Make
love to me.”
Burying
his head in her neck, he thrust firmly, feeling her grow stiff as her nails dug
into his back and he heard her trying to catch her breath. Waiting for a moment, not able to bring
himself to look into her face, not able to deal with any more pain, he placed
light kisses near her ear as he waited for her body to soften, waited for her
hands to become easy on his back again.
Then, once more, he started thrusting slowly until he was embedded in
her hot sheath, slipping in her juices.
When he felt her start to move, then stop herself, he brought his hands
to her face and looked deep into her eyes.
“It’s okay, let yourself move, I want to feel you move underneath
me.” When he felt her legs move higher
on his back, he thrust even deeper, eliciting yet another moan from her. At the sound he stopped. “You okay, Melanie? I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No,
Nick,” she whispered, her voice quivering, a light giggle escaping her
lips. “You’re not hurting me.”
He
chuckled with her, dropping his head to kiss her neck as he began to move
inside her again, hearing her take in a shaky breath as her hands roamed over
his back. “That’s it, Melanie. It
should feel good.” He waited for her to
find her rhythm, letting her discover what it meant for two to be one, what it
meant to make love before he shifted his weight, sending his hand between them,
finding her nub, stroking it firmly and slowly at first, waiting for her
reaction. Seeing her eyes widen, he
waited for her to relax into the sensation, changing his touch as he moved
inside of her, watching for the signs.
As her breath began to come fast, as her hips began to thrust against
him, seeking more of him, he settled on his movements, finding what pleasured
her, continuing to thrust into her, his concentration torn as she neared the
peak. “Don’t fight it, Melly. Trust me.”
Knowing she could trust him, letting her body lead, Melanie quickly
found that she lost control of her body, her breath fast, her heart racing,
suddenly her entire body began to spasm deliciously and she found herself
groaning, calling Nick’s name, desperate, almost scared, as her world exploded
and she felt herself moved to a place she’d never been before. But somewhere, she heard Nick’s voice, heard
him saying her name over and over, his strong voice strained but his presence
reassuring as she felt him entering and leave her body. She felt his own movements growing fast, not
that she much cared as long as he didn’t stop.
Suddenly, she felt her entire body tighten, every muscle tighten
uncontrollably and even her voice quieted as she lost control of her body and
just as suddenly, everything stopped, her back curled back into the mattress
from its arch, her legs and arms loosened as they held Nick to her, and her
face softened as her head dropped to one side against the pillow. She felt Nick fall against her and felt the
two of them twitching, first one then the other as their bodies calmed, as they
lay there, not two, but one, joined together in so many ways, sleep over coming
her before she even realized it.
Later
that morning, as she shifted in bed, feeling the weight of Nick’s arm and leg
dropped over her, she startled, a blush coming across her face as she
remembered what had happened. Feeling
her move underneath him, Nick roused from his sleep, blinking and yawning, his
top arm stretching as his head rolled on the pillow. Opening his eyes fully, he considered her face as her eyes
dropped away from his. Quickly, she
brought her arms over her chest, trying to hide her nakedness. Nick stroked the length of her arm, “It’s
okay, Melanie. You’re beautiful, you
know that?” He reached over and kissed
her on the top of the head lightly before he sat up, pulling the sheet and
blanket from the foot of the bed, covering their bodies . She brought the covers over her, holding
them against her tightly, her eyes meeting his only briefly before she looked
away. Sensing her continuing
discomfort, he sat up at the side of the bed, facing away from her. “I’m sorry, Melly. we shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have.”
He
was startled by the feel of her hand on his back. “It’s okay, Nick . . . Don’t run off, not yet.”
He
turned to look back down at her. “You
sure?”
She
nodded. “The children won’t be home for
a few hours, and I told Billy to handle the livery this morning. He never comes in the house without
knocking. Can you . . . would you hold
me for a while?”
He
smiled, forgetting his own grief, his need for her to comfort him replaced by
his need to comfort her. Reaching for
her, he pulled her close to him, letting part of the blanket fall between their
bodies, bringing her head to rest on his shoulder. They lay there in bed not talking for a long time. Finally, the silence was unbearable for
Nick. “I love you, Melly, and what just
happened – ”
“Sssshhh,
Nick. It’s okay. I wanted it as much as you did. I love you, too, you know.”
“I
don’t think it’s the same, Melanie.”
“No,”
she said softly. “If I remember
correctly, I expect you needed to feel alive.
You needed to remember what it was like to feel without being in pain. And I needed to remember what it was like
for someone to want me, to need me as a woman.” She took in a deep breath.
“Maybe it was the same, Nick. We
both needed to be loved.”
He
kissed her on the head again and pulled her to him tight. “I feel so empty so much of the time. Like there’s nothing inside. No reason to work, no reason for anything.”
She
pulled away from him and rolled onto her side, her hand reaching up to caress
his face. “You need to keep going,
Nick. Just like I did. There are too many people counting on
you. Your mother, Audra, and all the
men who work for you.”
“I
know,” he said, letting out a shaky breath.
“But there’s so much, so much I don’t know.”
“Oh,
Nick, you have to let people help you.
And for the most part they will.
Some people will try to take advantage, but most people, Nick, they’ll
try to help. They’ll walk you through
things.”
He
rolled on to his back, pulling one arm over his head. “Business men can be cutthroat, Melanie. You don’t know.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her bristle.
“Nick,
I’ve been running a business for two years now. And, yes, there were people who tried to force me out, buy me
out, get me to sign contracts where I’d pay more and get less than what I
should, but decent people look to the future, Nick. And you have a lot more bargaining power than I did because of
who you are, because people want your business and contracts and your favor
long term, not just for today,
“Maybe.”
“You
can do this, Nick. I know you can. Nick, you were born to run the ranch.” He looked up at her, his face uncertain. “You’re much better off than I was when I
started running the livery,” she insisted.
“You
think so?”
“Definitely.”
He
smiled at her, reaching up to caress her face.
“With the likes of you in my corner, how can I fail?”
“What
do you mean with me in your corner?”
“Melanie,
just that . . .”
Pulling
the sheets around her, she sat up, looking down at him. “Nick, do you realize how long it’s been
since we’ve courted, since you called on me?
We can’t just go back like these last months never happened.”
He
sat up facing her, taking one of her hands in his. “Melly, I’ll call on you if you’re willing to let me again. I don’t know how often I can get into town
but I will. I love you, Melly, I love
you.”
“Nick,
I know you do and it’s okay. I love
you, too, but you’re going to have your
hands full.”
“If
I were to ask you to marry me – ”
“You
ask me to marry you any time soon and I’ll say no.”
“But
Melanie – ”
“Nick,
the last thing you need is to race into a marriage because of something we did
when we needed each other. I still have
my family to take care of and, now, you have the ranch. This morning, all we had was each other and
it was wonderful, but it wasn’t real.
My family, your family, the livery, the ranch - that’s what’s real in
our lives. This, us, it’s a luxury we
can’t afford for now.”
He
looked at her, his heart aching at the tears welling in her eyes. “But Melly, after today, what I did – ”
She
brought her hand to his lips. “We did
it, Nick. There are two of us in this
bed. I knew what I was doing. The last thing I want is for you to feel
guilty about it or for you to feel like you have more pressure than if you’d
ever come in. Nick, I don’t regret it. I certainly don’t want you to.”
Nick
glanced over to Melanie, where she sat at the same kitchen table, now almost
eight years later. “Did you ever come
to regret it?”
She
smiled, knowing their thoughts were shared.
“Never did, Nick. How about
you?” she answered, her voice soft.
“Guess
not. You know that was some pretty good
advice you gave me that day.”
“Yes,
well, I’d been where you were. I can’t
say I was glad to be able to give it, but I’m glad if it helped.”
“We
always had so much going against us, didn’t we?”
“I
suppose so.”
“I
should have come back to you a long time ago.”
“Were
you expecting me to wait for you, Nick?”
“Nah.” He smiled rakishly at her, “But would it
hurt for you to pretend that you did?”
She
laughed heartily. “Like you did for
me?”
He
raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side. “If I had come by late at night, would you have invited me in for
coffee?”
“I
have in the past.”
“So
why’d you end up at lunch with Jarrod, and at the social and with him after
church?”
“He
asked.”
“Hell,
Melly, I’ve asked.”
“Such
language, Nick.”
He
rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Melanie. But I have.”
“No
time recently. And you’ve never brought
me carrots,”she teased.
“Carrots?”
“Your
brother brought me carrots for the horses and chocolates for me. It’s been a long time since anyone’s done
things just for me. You included. Even though you’ve done lots of things over
the years to help me out – ”
“I
never brought you carrots.”
“Nope.” He watched as the smile lit up her
eyes.
“So,
you gonna marry a Barkley after all?”
“First,
I’d need a Barkley to ask me. And I
don’t expect a proposal from your brother any time soon.”
“Melanie,
after we, well, after that one time, why’d you send me away?”
She
looked out through the window, her gaze fixing on nothing. “I guess my life was . . . it was just too
busy.”
“Aw,
Melanie,” he began, then stopped himself, thinking better of it. Nick nodded, looking down into his empty
coffee cup. “Well, I best be going. I’ve got things to do for the ranch.”
“And
I have a livery to run.”
Nick
stopped as they reached the door, reaching down to kiss her on the cheek. “You know, you’ll always have a spot in my
heart, too,” he murmured, rubbing her cheek lightly with his thumb.
“Thanks,
Nick. It’s nice to know.”
“Listen,
about calling you Melly – ”
“It
was nice to hear again, Nick.” She took
in a deep breath. “It’s been a long
time.”
“Yeah. It was nice to say it again.”
He
looked down at her, watching as she took a step back from him, leaning on the
open door. Nodding, he walked out the
door and went straight to Coco, gathering the reins in hand, pulling himself
into the saddle, watching as Melanie walked over to the livery, her attention
immediately diverted by Tim’s return.
Riding up the street, he glanced over at the produce in front of Jenkins
Merchantile. Reining in Coco, he tied
him to the hitching post, and walked up to the fruits and vegetables, reaching
down to pick up a bushel of carrots, carrying the entirety into the store.
Part
Eight
Nick
stormed into Jarrod’s office, stopping only when he saw the closed inner
door. “Is he alone?” Nick gruffly asked
Jarrod’s clerk.
“Yes,
sir, but he’s working.” he called out in vain as Nick brushed past the desk,
Nick
shoved open the door and marched over to Jarrod’s desk, slamming down the
bushel of carrots onto the highly polished mahogany desk.
Jarrod
looked up, surprised and annoyed by the sudden intrusion. “What the devil?”
Nick
glared down at his older brother.
“Seems you won her over with carrots.
I figured I’d give you a ready supply.”
Jarrod
looked past Nick and waved at his clerk who shut the door from the outer
office. “You mean Melanie?”
“Who
else?” roared Nick.
“Nick,
there’s nothing between Melanie and me.
Nothing that hasn’t been there for years. The fact that you’ve become jealous all of a sudden is out of my
control.”
“Are
you sweet on her?”
“Not
particularly.”
“Does
she know that?”
“I
think she does.”
“You
think?!” Nick fumed. “If you hurt her .
. .”
“I
have no intention of hurting Melanie,” Jarrod answered, his blue eyes piercing,
incensed at the very idea. “She’s been
a friend of mine almost as long as she’s been a friend of yours. And I’ve certainly had more dealings with
her over the last few years than you have.”
“And
how would you know that?”
“We’ve
had professional dealings, Nick. Things
you wouldn’t know about.”
“Yeah? Well, apparently your professional dealings
haven’t always been enough,” Nick sneered, pacing in front of the desk, his
voice increasing in volume. “When she’s
had problems with her brothers, needed a man to talk with them, who’d she ask
to help? When she’s needed help with
the livery, needed advice on horses, who did she talk to then?”
“All
right, so you’ve helped her over the years.”
“You’re
damn right I have,” he growled.
“What
is this about, Nick?” Jarrod challenged, his eyes and tone those normally
reserved for hostile witnesses.
“I
want you to stay the hell away from Melanie,” he answered, the black gloved
fists resting on the desk as Nick leaned across it.
“And
why should I do that?”
“Because
I asked you to.”
“You’ll
have to do better than that. What makes
you think you have any right to make such a request?”
“Because
I love her, dammit,” Nick roared, slamming his fist on the desk for emphasis.
The
shocked silence descended on the room, the only sound the light creak as Jarrod
leaned back in his chair, his fingers tenting over his chest, his tone now soft
in marked contrast to the accusing tone of moments before. “Since when?”
Nick
glanced around the room, his eyes stopping at nothing until he met his
brother’s gaze. “Since we were fifteen
years old, Jarrod,” Nick answered, his own voice soft and pained. “Hell, maybe longer than that.”
“Sit
down, Nick.” As Nick sat in one of the
chairs in front of the desk, Jarrod rose, moving to the decanter of aged Scotch whiskey on a shelf
of the bookcase, pouring two glasses, handing one to his brother and setting
the bottle on the desk between them.
“Why didn’t you say something, Nick?”
Nick
studied the glass in his hand, just letting the whiskey swirl in it, searching
his own mind for the answer. “Maybe I
didn’t want to admit it. Maybe I
convinced myself it wasn’t so. After all
the times she told me no, that there wasn’t any room in her life for me, I
stopped asking.”
“When’s
the last time you said anything to her, Nick?”
“Told
her I loved her?” His eyes took on a
faraway look. “It’s been years. But the answer was always the same after her
parents died. She didn’t have time in
her life for anything more. She had
responsibilities.”
“She
did, Nick. She took on a lot at
nineteen. She gave up a lot, too.”
Nick
drank the whiskey, slamming down the empty glass as he stood up and began to
pace the room. “You don’t think I know
that? I was there, remember? And the things she gave up, a life for
herself, a family of her own, when she gave up on them, I had to give up on
them, too. Her life was supposed to be
our life, Jarrod. A family of her own
was supposed to be our family.”
“You
know, Nick, all the brothers and sisters are out of the house now. When’s the last time you talked about any of
this with her?”
“I
went to talk to her just before I came here.”
“And?”
“Right
now I’d say she’s concentrating on some jackass who gave her carrots.” Jarrod fought the grin threatening to
surface. “Mind telling me what that’s
all about?”
“It
was just a friendly gesture, Nick.”
“Uh
huh. And the chocolates?”
“Nick,
I brought her a couple of tokens of appreciation for taking good care of Jingo
when I was working all those long hours.
I would think, my dear brother, that they would pale next to a genuine
expression of love. Did you tell her
you still love her?”
“Today?” Jarrod nodded. “Nah. I don’t know that I
even realized it until I said it just now.”
“Maybe
she still loves you too.” Nick shrugged
his shoulders but his mind went back to Melanie’s comment. “What is it, Nick?”
“She
said,” he hesitated, his manner betraying his mild embarrassment at repeating
her comment, “she said that I still have a piece of her heart. That I always will.”
Jarrod
smiled. “I’d say that’s a good
start. But Nick, before you do anything
rash, try to make sure how you really feel.
If it’s taken you this long, what’s a little longer?” Nick nodded silently and started toward the
door. “Ah, Nick, what am I to do with
all these carrots?”
Nick
pulled his hat down low. “I’m sure
you’ll think of something to do with them,” he said with a grin, heading out
the door.
Part
Nine
Nick
began to ride out of town, with every intention of taking Jarrod’s advice when he
heard the church bell ring the hour.
Stopping to look down at his watch, thinking that half the morning was
already gone, it occurred to him that time didn’t stand still and he snapped
shut the gold cover, pulling on Coco’s reins and heading back to the livery,
determined to waste no more time.
Riding at a trot, he pulled Coco up short when he saw Melanie
outside. Dismounting easily, he handed
off the reins to Tim and strode over to Melanie. “We need to talk,” he demanded.
She
rolled her eyes at him, recognizing his mood immediately. “Nick, there’s nothing more to say.”
“There’s
plenty more.”
“Nick,
if you want to talk about Jarrod and me, there’s nothing to talk about.”
“Who
says I want to talk about you and Jarrod?
I want to talk about us.”
“Us? There is no us.”
“The
hell there isn’t. There’s been an us as
long as you and I can remember.”
“I’m
not having this conversation,” she said calmly but firmly.
“Well,
then you can stand there and listen, cause I’m gonna have my say.”
She
shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“And when has anyone been able to stop you?”
He
pulled the hat off his head. “Melanie,
I want us to try, really try this time.
No more excuses about family or the livery or the ranch. Somehow other people manage. We’ve spent our whole adult lives taking
care of everyone and everything and now it’s our turn.”
“No,
Nick.”
“Why
not?” he challenged her loudly. “You
still love me and I still love you.”
“What?”
she asked, stunned by his words.
“I
love you and you said there’s still a part of your heart that’s mine.”
“Can
you lower your voice?” she hissed, looking at the people stopping on the
street, staring down to the livery building.
“Deny
that you still have feelings for me,” he barked.
“I
already said I still have feelings for you, but maybe that’s not enough.”
“It’s
a start.”
She
opened her mouth to speak, then shut it firmly, staring back at Nick. “I’m not doing this,” she said, turning to
head to her house.
“Don’t
run away from me again, Melanie,” Nick insisted, grabbing her by the arm,
pulling her back to him, waiting just a split second before he sent his arms
around her and dropped his face to hers, capturing her lips in a bruising
kiss. He felt her struggle against him
and then, the struggle stopped and the kiss was returned, as her arms reached
around his neck, sending his heart soaring.
He held her even tighter as the kiss continued, both of them oblivious
to the shocked faces of Tim and the passers by on the street, the kiss finally
ending of its own accord before he pulled his mouth from hers. They stood for a moment and even though he
saw the hand coming up, he did nothing to stop the heavy slap as she brought
her open palm across his face, her eyes furiously challenging him.
“How
dare you?” she growled, pushing him away from her.
“Ho
o o o o o,” he said in a halting, quiet laugh, not even feeling the stinging of
his face as adrenaline coursed through
his veins. “You say that, but just now,
you kissed me.”
“You’re
insane! I did no such thing, ” she answered
angrily.
“Maybe
I kissed you first, but you kissed me back!”
“So
what if I did?!”
“You
still love me as much as I love you.”
“You
are delusional,” she challenged, her eyes flashing, turning to go into the
house. As she reached the door, Nick was
at her back. “Don’t even think about
coming in, Nick.”
“What
are you going to do?” Nick leered, leaning against the doorway.
“Tim,
go get the sheriff,” she called out.
“C’mon,
Melanie, admit it,” Nick said, following her into the house. “You kissed me back.”
Tim
stuck his head in the door. “For real?”
“Yes,
tell him Nick Barkley accosted me in broad daylight and forced his way into my
house,” she said, stepping around the kitchen table.
“You
kissed me back,” Nick crooned, following her, tossing his hat onto the table.
“So
what if I did?” she said, backing away from Nick, the two of them circling the
table. “That’s a far cry from saying I
love you.”
“But
you already said it this morning.”
“I
did not say I love you.”
“You
said you’ve loved me since we were kids and that I still have a piece of your
heart. That’s close enough.”
As
she came around a corner of the table, backing her way around, Nick suddenly
sidestepped her, backing her into a corner of the room, placing one hand on
either side of her. “Melanie, you and I
have been avoiding each other for ten years now. It’s time it stops.”
“I
have not avoided you,” she insisted, breathing heavily, her eyes, reflecting a
mixture of anticipation and trepidation, not leaving his face.
“Why
won’t you give me a chance, give us a chance?”
“Why
should I?” she asked, the tears welling in her eyes.
“Because
we’re supposed to be together and you know it.
Why else have you asked me for help all these years if you didn’t want
me in your life?”
“Maybe
I thought you were a friend.”
“Why
haven’t you ever married?” he demanded.
“I
had responsibilities,” she insisted, the tears starting to fall down her
cheeks.
“Dammit,
Melanie, widows with children marry all the time. Why? Why did you insist
on keeping me close but still pushed me away all these years?” She looked away from him, not having a ready
answer. “Why?”
Taking
a deep breath, her eyes met Nick’s and she answered angrily, “Maybe it hurt too
much!”
He
sucked in his breath, his voice quieting.
“What hurt too much?”
“To
love someone and not have anyone to love you back.” She could no longer hold back the sobs and her next words barely
managed to get out. “Mama, Papa, You. I loved you and I lost you all.”
Nick’s
face fell as Melanie turned and faced the wall, crying into her hands, the
turmoil and sacrifice of eleven years, feelings denied for so long tumbling
out, unfettered. He reached out,
touching her shoulder, trying to turn her to face him, putting his face close
to hers as she pressed her body against the wall. “Melanie, please – ”
“Good
God, Nick, what’s going on here?”
Nick
wheeled around to see Fred standing in the doorway, Tim right behind him, a
collection of townspeople not far from the door. “Fred, can you give us a minute?”
“Nick,
why don’t you back away from her?”
“What? Fred!” Nick began, exasperated, but moving
just far enough away as decorum demanded.
“Miss
Waters, are you okay?” Melanie nodded
her head, fighting to calm down as she leaned against the wall. “Are you sure?”
“What
do you mean, is she sure?” Nick countered.
“Heavens
to Betsy, Nick,” Fred began, “Tim comes running up, says you attacked Miss
Waters and forced your way into the house and I walk in on this? She’s hiding in a corner and you’re right up
next to her.”
“Fred,
it’s not the way it looks.”
“You
want to try and explain, Nick?”
Melanie
glanced through a window and turned her back to the crowd outside the house,
shaking her head at the throng gathered outside her house. “Sheriff, it’s all right. Tim, go outside and get rid of all of them.”
“You
sure you’re okay?” he asked, glaring at Nick.
“I’m
fine. Just go.” She waited for him to leave and shut the
door, then she walked to the stove, grabbing a kitchen towel to wipe her
face. “Sheriff, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t
have called you into this.”
Fred
threw a puzzled look at Nick, having never known him to be even the slightest
bit abusive where women were concerned.
“You’re sure you’re ok, ma’am?”
Melanie
thought about the question for a moment but didn’t answer it, instead looking
up at him and saying, “I’m sure there’s no need for you to stay.”
He
looked from one to the other before he left, sensing that this was a private
affair, trusting in Nick Barkley to be the gentleman. Nick and Melanie stood silent, waiting for the noise outside to
settle down, hearing murmurs as Fred dispersed the crowd.
Nick
raked his hand through his hair, then moved to the cabinets, remembering where
the glasses were kept. “Drink this,” he
said softly, handing her a glass of water, stroking her hair lightly. He waited for her to set the glass down,
then watched as she slid down and sat on the floor. He sat down next to her, the two of them leaning back against the
beaded board doors of the cabinets.
“You said you lost me earlier.
What did you mean by that?”
She
shook her head, her eyes closed. “I
don’t know.” She took a deep
breath. “It’s just that one day
everything was fine, and then, I didn’t have my parents or you.”
“Melanie,
time after time, you pushed me away – ”
“I
know. I know I did. But it didn’t make your loss any easier.”
He
put an arm around her shoulders. “You
never lost me, Melly. I’ve always been
here.” Feeling the shaky exhale escape
her body, he pulled her close to him, his gravelly voice ugent in her ear. “I can’t promise it’ll work out this time,
but I’m willing to give it a try. I
love you, Melanie. I’ve always loved
you.”
She
leaned her body into his, feeling his arms strong around her. The security that came with being there
flooded back into her mind. “Do you
really think we could make it work?”
Nick
took in a deep breath, kissing the top of her hair. “If we want it to. Oh,
Melly, I’ve missed you.”
He
felt her nod her head against him. They
held each other close, remembering how it felt, how they fit together, the
feelings, the wants, the needs, all filling their minds, their hearts, their
souls.
“Why’d
you push me away for so long, Melanie?”
“I
don’t know. I guess, at the beginning,
I was overwhelmed. The idea of having
to take care of anyone else . . .”
“Melanie,
I could have helped. We could have done
it together. And I wanted to be there
to take care of you.”
She
pulled her knees in and rested her chin on top of them as Nick stroked her
back. “Nick, I remember thinking that
the only saving grace was that all the children were old enough to feed and
dress themselves. The idea of our
marrying . . .” she closed her eyes, “I knew, just knew that there would be a
baby within a year.”
“Would
that have been so terrible?”
She
looked up at him and smiled. “Nick,
imagine if you’d inherited the running of the ranch and instead of Audra, there
were six brothers and sisters but no Jarrod and no Mother. I already had six children to raise, and a
business to run. And Nick, I wasn’t
even twenty!”
He
nodded, thinking on her words, reaching his arm around her and pulling her back
into his embrace. His mind flashed back
again to the day they had made love.
“You must have been terrified after we made love.”
She
let out a small chuckle, “Oh God, Nick, I was so scared. Those few weeks . . . Can you imagine Nick,
if in the midst of learning to run the ranch, you’d had a wife and a new baby
to deal with?”
“Can
I imagine? It kept me up at night,” he
confessed, pulling her head to his, kissing her temple.
“Did
it?” Melanie asked surprised, turning
in his arms and kissing him lightly on the cheek, settling her head back on his
shoulder. “After my parents died, I’d
think about what would happen if I did marry you. I knew you’d want to live on the ranch, and I would wonder what
would happen with the livery and how I’d support my brothers and sisters. I couldn’t expect you and your family to
take care of everyone.”
“We
would have managed, Melanie.”
“Nick,
it’s easy to say that now. But then . .
. At the time, I couldn’t bear to think about anything more than just making it
through, day to day. Just keeping up,
it didn’t give me a lot of time to see that there might have been options. And we were so young.”
“I
know. Where have the years gone?”
“I
don’t know.”
“I’m
sorry, Melanie.”
She
picked up her head and turned to look at him.
“For what?”
“For
not being there. For listening when you
told me no.”
As
they sat there, they found strength in each other’s arms, and the love that had
been denied for so long by each of them filled their beings. Melanie let out a shaky breath. “Oh Nick, I’ve missed so much. You said I still have a spot in your heart?”
He
looked down at her, his eyes searching hers.
“If this works out like I expect, you’ll have the whole thing.” He leaned down to her and she lifted her
face to his and they met in a kiss full of longing, her hands quickly slipping
around his neck while his pulled her close to him. The kiss ended with both of them breathing hard and Nick leaned
his head down onto hers. “Well. I know
one thing, we need to get off this floor.”
He stood, pulling her up, then placed a hand on either side of her head,
caressing her face and stroking her hair.
“Is this going to be easier than I thought? Or harder?”
Melanie
swallowed hard, pulling her head back, smiling up at him. “I expect it will be a little of both.” She leaned back up to him for another kiss,
pulling back just before their lips met.
“Just remember,” she said smiling, “you kissed me first.”
“You
always did like a good chase.” He
dropped his lips to hers, this kiss short but sweet as Melanie pulled her lips
from his.
“That’s
only because, sooner or later, you always managed to catch me.”
“It
took a while but did I finally catch you this time? For good?”
“Seems
like you might have.”
He
kept her in his arms, the two of them holding each other. “Melanie, it’s been a long time. Too long.”
“A
lot has happened.”
“I
know.” Nick took a deep breath. “Melanie, what about Jarrod?”
“Nick,
Jarrod and I are friends. Good friends
but just friends.”
“How
can you be so sure?”
She
reached up and kissed Nick softly, a soft moan escaping her lips as she pulled
away from him, her hands and forehead resting on his chest. “Because he doesn’t make me feel like I feel
right now.”
Nick’s
eyes opened wide. Pulling away from
her, holding her at arm’s length, his voice filled the room. “You kissed
Jarrod?!?!”
She
leaned back against the kitchen sink, fighting to contain her smile. “They were very innocent kisses, Nick,”
Melanie answered softly.
“Kisses? He kissed you more than once?” he yelled,
his voice booming.
“Two
kisses, Nick. Two brief kisses.” Her voice took on a slightly accusatory
tone. “Do you want to tell me how many
times you kissed Susan?”
“Susan
who?”
“Susan
who? Susan Martin. The girl you brought to the social two days
ago.”
“Who
says I kissed Susan Martin?” Melanie
stared at Nick and leaned back on the counter, crossing her arms over her
chest. “Well,” he huffed, “maybe I
kissed her.”
“Maybe? Oh Nick, you might, MIGHT, let a first date
go by without trying to kiss a girl.
But you haven’t gone out with a girl more than once and not tried to
kiss her since you were sixteen.”
“And
how would you know that?”
“Stockton’s
a small town, Nick. People talk. And even if they didn’t, I know you.”
“Is
that right?”
“Yes,
it is. What?” Melanie stared at him carefully, sensing something was wrong,
watching as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“What is it, Nick?”
“Just,
about Susan . . .”
She
took a deep breath, asking quietly, “What about Susan?”
“Well,
you see, I have a date with her for Friday.”
Melanie
stared at Nick, her eyes growing wide.
“You have a date with her?! For
this Friday?!”
“Now,
Melly . . .”
“Don’t
‘Now Melly’ me.”
“I
was so busy watching you and Jarrod at the dance, that she didn’t have a good
time. I felt bad about it, so I asked
her to dinner for Friday. You know,
you’re the one who used to hate it when I asked you to things at the last
minute.”
She
shook her head in amazement. “Nick
Barkley . . .”
“Oh,
come on, Melanie. It’s not like I had
any idea that we’d be getting back together and it can’t be any secret that
I’ve dated other girls. I’ll stop at
the shop before I leave town and tell her I need to call it off.”
“Nick,
it’s not that you’ve dated other girls.
But did you have to date so many of them?”
He
leaned toward her, grinning, his dimples deep.
“You’ve been keeping track?”
She
closed her eyes, knowing what Nick said was true, deciding quickly to try to
turn the tables on him. “Oh and you
haven’t? Nick, I suspect you made it a
point to find out about every date I ever had.”
He
grinned down at her. “Maybe so. But just why’d you feel the need to keep
track all these years?” She stared back
up at him, shaking her head. “Could it
be because you’ve, what did you tell me, that you’ve loved me since we were
kids? That you’ve loved me all these
years? That you still love me?” His brought his hands to the sides of her
face, finding no resistance this time as he dropped his mouth to hers, feeling
her arms go up around his neck. He
kissed her fully, parting her lips with his tongue, waiting a moment, feeling
his passion stirred as she sent her tongue into his mouth, her kiss as
insistent as his. His arms went back
around her and he pulled her to him and they stood in the kitchen, pressed up
against each other until finally she pulled away, her body in need of air, her
eyes slowly opening, rising to meet his.
Bringing his hands back to her face, he locked his gaze on her,
searching her face. “Tell me you still
love me,” he urged her.
Her
eyes dropped down and she took a deep breath.
“Nick . . .” she said tentatively.
He
pulled her close. “If it’s too soon,
it’s okay.”
She
lifted her eyes up back up to his, nodding subtly.
Nick
searched her eyes, reassured by the sense of calm in them. “If you want, I can give some room. Some time to think. But not too much. I don’t want you to get too far away from me ever again. But I could leave now if you want and come
back out on Saturday.” The look that
entered her eye told him that his leaving was the last thing she wanted. “Of course, that way I could still keep my
date with Susan,” he teased.
“You
will not,” she challenged, her eyes becoming fiery as she grabbed his vest by
the lapels.
Trying
to keep a straight face, Nick looked down at her. “No? Any particular
reason?”
She
glanced to the side, then back up at him, seeing the smile on his face as much
as he tried to hide it. She swallowed
hard, deciding to finally throw caution to the wind. “Because you love me. And
because I love you and you’d never do anything to hurt me.”
Breaking
out into a broad grin, Nick dropped his head back to hers, hungry for more of
her, pulling her as close to him as he could, whispering “I do love you,
Melanie.” Hearing her quiet, “I love
you, Nick,” feeling her respond in kind, he was tempted to never let go,
finally pulling away when he realized how much he wanted of her. Letting out a heavy sigh, he growled out,
“Melanie, we need to stop.”
She
nodded, knowing his reasons as well as he did.
“You did say you had things to do for the ranch,” she cooed.
“That
too. But the ranch can wait.” He glanced over at the clock on the
wall. “Listen, it’s almost
lunchtime. Miss Waters, would you do me
the honor of letting me take you to lunch?”
“I’m
a mess, Nick. I could cook something
here.”
Nick
shook his head. “You look
beautiful. C’mon, if we go soon, we
could beat the rush.”
“Have
our choice of tables?”
“Yeah,
something like that.”
She
nodded, remembering having this same conversation with Jarrod just days
before. “And, assuming we have our
choice of tables, where would you want to sit?”
He
stroked her hair lightly, “Someplace off in a quiet corner, if that’s all right
with you. Even though I think it’s a
good idea that we get out of the house, I still want you all to myself.”
Melanie
and Nick spent the next hour tucked away at a corner table, holding hands,
talking quietly as the restaurant patrons buzzed around them. Neither missed the stares they received as
they left or those of Stockton’s citizens as they walked down the street,
Melanie’s arm laced through Nick’s. As
they passed Jenkins Mercantile, Melanie smiled serenely at the Jenkins, shaking
her head at the open mouthed stare of Mrs. Jenkins when they were further down
the street.
“You
want to tell me what that was all about?” Nick asked, puzzled.
Melanie
rolled her eyes. “When I said that
Jarrod and I were just friends, that may not have been completely true. See, recently we’ve been, I guess you could
say, scheming,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, smiling slyly.
Nick
stopped and looked down at her, placing his fists at his waist. “Am I going to like this story?”
Melanie
took him by the arm again, holding it tight as they started to walk down the
sidewalk. “Oh, I think it’s getting
better and better.”
Part
Ten
Late
Monday evening found Melanie thinking about the events of the day, her mind still
spinning from the turnaround of her relationship with Nick, her body and heart
aching with the hope of what might be, what could be. When the sun began setting and Nick felt the need to return to
the ranch, it was with the knowledge that he would soon be back in her house,
they would be back in each other’s arms.
As Melanie stood on the back porch, staring up into the night sky, she
kept a watchful eye for Jarrod Barkley’s return to the livery. She did not need to wait long, the leather
attache case slapping lightly against the dark blue suit as he walked toward
the stables. Stepping out from under
the porch, she caught his eye. “You’re
working late again, Counselor.”
“Yes,
well, sometimes it seems that there’s no end.”
She
nodded easily. “Heading home for
dinner?”
“Yes,
although I expect that I’ve missed dinner with the family, but Silas always
seems to have something for me.”
“You
can join Nick in the kitchen.”
“Your
kitchen?” Jarrod said, surprised.
She
smiled down at the ground, then looked up at Jarrod, as she leaned against a
post on the porch. “No, Jarrod, Nick
left not terribly long ago. I meant
your kitchen.”
“Ah.”
“I
take it that you knew Nick was here earlier.”
Jarrod
stepped toward the porch, pushing back his hat off his forehead, leaning
against the porch railing. “Nick came by my office after he visited you the
first time today. I had suggested to
Nick that he think on things for a while before he came back here but,
apparently, he didn’t take my advice. I
saw the two of you at lunch but you looked like you didn’t need company.”
“Oh,
Jarrod, you know Nick. With matters of
the heart, he sometimes acts first and think about it later.” She hesitated for a moment. “And on that subject, Jarrod, you might keep
your guard up when you get home. I . .
. mentioned to Nick that you had kissed me and I don’t think he was terribly
happy about it. I couldn’t even tell
you why it even came up. But, knowing
Nick, I figured you should know.”
“Not
terribly happy? I’m surprised I didn’t hear
him at my office.”
“Yes,
well, rest assured I told him it was all rather innocent.” She laughed at the memory of their
conversation. “But then I asked him
about whether he’d kissed Susan Martin, and your name didn’t come back up so
you could be off the hook.”
“If
the look on your face reflects anything that Nick is feeling, I suspect I’ll
survive.” Melanie blushed lightly. “I take it things went well between the two
of you.”
She
nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We’ll certainly be seeing more of each other in the near future.”
Jarrod
smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Although I suppose our little game with Mrs.
Jenkins and the other cats is over.”
Melanie
rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t know that
they’re going to let it go that quickly.
When Nick and I were coming back here, we passed Jenkins
Mercantile. You should have seen the
look on her face when I walked by with Nick.”
“As
I recall, you were tired of being Old Maid Waters. Perhaps if all goes well, that name will be done away with
entirely.” He smiled as he saw the
blush rise into her cheeks again.
“Funny,” she hesitated, “
but, Nick . . .” She smiled at the
thought, shaking her head.
“What is it, Melanie?”
She met Jarrod’s gaze. “It’s just . . . Nick asked me this morning if
I was going to marry a Barkley after all and I told him I wasn’t expecting a
proposal from you anytime soon. The
thought that Nick and I might get back together . . .” She shrugged, the smile ever present on her
face. “It was the farthest thing from my
thoughts.”
“But I take it that you’re
pleased with the turn of events?”
She raised her eyebrows. “I can tell you I am surprised and stunned,
absolutely. Pleased? I don’t think that even comes close to describing
it.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know. Now . . . I guess we’ll have to see what
happens. But what about you,
Jarrod? You were interested in
dispelling your image. Just because I
won’t be available doesn’t mean you have to go back to being the settled, staid
attorney.”
“No, no, I don’t suppose it
does. But I think I’ll be hard pressed
to find someone as easy to be with as you.”
“Maybe that was part of our
problem, Jarrod. Old Maid Waters and
the Settled Counselor Barkley. Maybe we
let life get too easy. I think what’s
been fun these last few days is that we were faced with a challenge.”
Jarrod smiled at the woman
standing close to him, raising his eyebrows, considering what she had to
say. “Perhaps you’re right at that,
Melanie.”
Stockton would long wonder
about Miss Melanie Waters and her relationships with the dark haired Barkley
brothers. There was no question that
she and Nick were hopelessly in love and the talk about town was that he was a
frequent visitor to her house, often there late in the evenings, although after
the misunderstanding and the baseless innuendo with Melanie and Jarrod, people
were not so quick to pass judgment or repeat gossip. The tongues of Stockton weren’t completely quiet, as Jarrod was
for once proving the far more interesting of the Barkley brothers as of late,
becoming the favorite of Stockton’s most eligible young ladies, the blue eyed,
bay rum smelling charmer enjoying the ladies’ renewed interest in him.
If anything, Jarrod’s brief
amusement with Melanie had reminded him of the fun he could have in the company
of a woman if she was so inclined and he had made it his goal to have as much
fun as possible, within reason. He
still liked the ladies to be pretty, certainly, and have a mind of their own,
and a level of independence, but he was willing to entertain certain thoughts
and ladies who were not quite as serious as those he had sought out
before. No one was quite sure how it
happened, but within a matter of weeks, Nick Barkely had become the settled,
committed brother and Jarrod the one with the eye for the ladies. And the ladies took great pleasure in
returning his glances both in Stockton and San Francisco.
The pretty, green eyed
gallery owner smiled at Jarrod, sitting up on the blanket in the garden of
Jarrod’s San Francisco townhouse as he filled the glasses of champagne. Her taste in art had always struck him as a
little avant garde, her manners a little forward but when he saw her during the
intermission at the Symphony, he found himself returning her smile. When he approached her, she stroked the
lapel of the waistcoat he’d purchased on a whim. “Why Mr. Barkley, that is a beautiful silk. How wonderfully daring. Not many men can carry that off, you know.”
He returned her brilliant
smile. “Yes, well, I’ve decided I need
to be a little less predictable in life.
A little more daring.”
Now, as they enjoyed the
picnic in the walled garden, they were enjoying flirting with each other with
abandon. “Jarrod Barkley, is it true,
the rumors making the circuit?”
“You know, you never know
what to believe in rumors, although sometimes there’s a bit of truth in them,”
he commented, stretching out on the blanket alongside her.
“Who would have figured you
for a romantic, playing matchmaker? Did
you really see to it that your brother reunited with a lost love?”
“Is that what they’re
saying?” he asked playfully.
“Yes, it is.” She reached over and stroked him along his
shoulder. “Are you hiding Cupid’s wings
under that jacket?”
Jarrod reached up, his hand
finding the back of her neck, pulling her down to him, their mouths meeting in
a sensual kiss. “Maybe they’re put away
with my bows and arrows.” She smiled at
him, letting herself be pulled down to the blanket, the two of them pressed up
against each other. Their lips met once
more in a deep kiss, a kiss eagerly given and returned, rich with passion. They stopped only long enough to breathe and
then the kiss continued, Jarrod having no doubt this time of the attraction he
shared with this young woman. He pulled
her closer, rolling the two of them so that she was resting on top of him,
releasing her slightly when he heard her gasp and she pulled her head back,
looking at him coyly. “My goodness, Mr.
Barkley,” she whispered, her voice sultry, “I think I may have found one of
your arrows.”
In Stockton, Nick and Melanie
were returning to her house, having spent the day riding, the two of them
sharing a love and knowledge of horses.
They brushed down their mounts, taking care to ensure they had plenty of
fresh water and feed. Nick glanced over
at Melanie, patting Coco unconsciously as he gazed longingly at the woman in
the next stall. “You have any treats
for these two? After a hard ride like
that, I’d say they earned it.”
She glanced over her
shoulder. “You can check over
there. I should have some carrots
left.”
Nick nodded, getting carrots
for each of the horses, the sound of crunching filling the stables. “I seem to recall Jarrod bought you
carrots. What would you think if I
bought you some?”
Melanie laughed, reaching
around Nick’s waist, the two of them walking back to her house together. “Sorry, Nick. It’s been done. You’ll
have to think of some other way to sweep me off my feet.”
He closed the door behind
them, watching as Melanie moved to start the coffee. Stepping behind her as she stood in front of the sink, filling
the coffee pot from the pump, he put his arms around her, kissing her
neck. “The carrots Jarrod gave
you. What kind of carrots were they?”
She grinned, looking over her
shoulder, her eyes twinkling as she answered, “Orange.”
He nodded, releasing his hold
on her as she put the coffee on the stove, pulling her back into his arms,
gazing down at her, saying. “I thought
I might give you some other kind.”
She looked up at him puzzled,
“And what other kind of carrots are there, pray tell?”
Her eyes grew wide as Nick
took her hand in his and slipped a diamond ring on her finger. “This kind.” She glanced down at her hand, the diamond sparkling, the gold
glistening and she nodded lightly, looking up at Nick, smiling broadly at
him. “Marry me, Melanie, and make me
the happiest man on the face of the earth.”
The stunned look on her face
changed to one of sheer bliss as she looked into his eyes. “Oh, Nick, yes. I thought you’d never ask.”
He grinned down at her, his hands slipping around her as he pulled her
into an embrace, their lips meeting easily, tenderly as they kissed.
As she lay in his arms later,
one hand on his chest, he looked down to see the diamond glinting in the
lamplight. He picked up her hand and
kissed it softly. “As I recall, you
took the carrots Jarrod gave you and baked them into a cake. I wouldn’t do that this time.”
“To do that, I’d have to take
it off.”
“So you like the ring then?”
“It’s beautiful.”
She glanced up at Nick, her
eyes soft, meeting his lips in a tender kiss.
“You know, it’s only been a few weeks since we started seeing each other
again and what with the stunt Jarrod and I pulled, people might talk.”
He bowed his head down,
shrugging his shoulders. “So? Let them say what they want. No matter what we do, they’re going to find
something to talk about.”
The End