“Gosh, no. Doc’s always inviting me to come over and ride anytime I want. There are some really spectacular places to see on Three Rivers. And given the ranch goes for miles and miles, we wouldn’t get in anyone’s way.”
“That would be interesting,” she replied. “Did you say great-great-great-grandparents? Three times great?”
He nodded. “From what Doc has told me, Edmond Hollister built the first ranch house back in 1845. He and his wife, Helena, lived there until the big house was built some years later—the one the Hollisters live in now. The original family and their part in settling Yavapai County is in historical records at the library in Prescott if you’d like to read about them.”
“I would. I love history.” Nicole thoughtfully repeated, “Hmm, 1845. If I’m remembering what little I’ve learned about Wickenburg’s history, the big gold strike there didn’t happen until 1863. So that means the Hollisters settled in the area before the rush.”
“The Hollister family arrived in Arizona long before the big Vulture Mine was discovered. Doc and his brothers have a theory that Edmond originally came to Yavapai County to look for gold or silver.”
“Did he find any?” Nicole asked.
“Doc says, from what they’ve gathered from old family documents, the man found some of both and used the money to invest in cattle and horses. So that’s how the ranch got started.”
“That’s how it is sometimes,” Nicole said thoughtfully. “A person starts out with a certain plan, but halfway there something comes along to change it. Usually for the better.”
“Yeah, just like the old saying goes. When one door closes, a better one will open.”
She studied his profile. “I believe you’ve already walked through your better door, Trey. You’ve found the spot in life where you want to be.”
He grunted. “Funny you should say that. Only last evening, Doc implied that I should get more ambitious.”
Nicole’s jaw dropped. “Ambitious? I can’t believe Chandler would say such a thing to you! You work so hard. How could he expect more from you?”
He shook his head. “Doc doesn’t think I’m lazy. He says I do the work of two men. I don’t think so, but anyway, he—uh—well, this sounds ridiculous, but he wants me to go back to college to add on to my associate degree in veterinary tech and get a veterinary degree. Imagine. Me being a vet? Funny, isn’t it? You can go ahead and laugh. It won’t bother me.”
Nicole had to admit she was surprised by the suggestion, but she hardly found it amusing. “Why would I laugh? You should be flattered he has that much faith in you.”
He laughed, but the sound was hollow. “Like I could pass all those chemistry and anatomy classes.”
“Why not? You have a brain. All you have to do is make it work. The real question is whether you want to be a vet, rather than can you become one.”
Frowning, he shoved the brim of his hat back off his forehead. “Well sure, why wouldn’t I want to be a vet and make big money?”
“The heavy workload, the emergency calls at all hours of the night, the responsibility, not only for the welfare of the animals, but to the owners. And that’s just for starters,” she answered.
He pulled his hat back onto his forehead. “Doc wants me to be his partner. Which I guess I am in a working sense, just not on the business side of things.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
He looked at her and frowned. “Yes, it is. But I wish he’d never said any of this to me. It’s got me feeling mixed-up and guilty. I don’t want to let my buddy down.”
Nicole could hear a wistful note in Trey’s voice. He wanted to dream, even believe that one day he could be a doctor of veterinary medicine. And she wanted to believe it for him.
“Whether you choose to remain Chandler’s assistant or become a veterinary partner, he would never think you let him down. I seriously doubt you’ve ever let anyone down,” she said gently.
He cast her a wry glance. “I’m human, Nicci. I’ve disappointed a few people over the years. We all have—even you.”
His honest reply hit her hard, and she turned her gaze out the passenger window. The desert hills they were traveling through were beautiful, but at the moment she wasn’t seeing them. She was back in Texas and faced with the choice of letting her mother down, or ending Randy’s future plans.
“Yes. I’m guilty, too,” she said quietly.
There was a stretch of silence and then he asked, “A man?”
She stifled a sigh. Not for anything did she want him to think she was still pining for a lost love. That part of her life was long over.
“Yes. He’s a marine now. I turned down his marriage proposal and he was disappointed. But I made the right choice—for both of us.”
Even though she was staring straight ahead, she could feel his gaze traveling over the side of her face. What was he thinking? That she’d callously tossed her boyfriend aside? That she cared only about her own happiness? She could try to explain what had happened with her family and with Randy. She could tell him how her mother had suffered an emotional and physical breakdown after her parents had divorced. Therapy and medication hadn’t helped Angela Nelson recover from the loss. The only thing that had seem to help was having Nicole constantly at her side. In the end, when Randy had announced he was leaving for California for military boot camp, Nicole couldn’t abandon her sick mother and join him. But spoken words weren’t always enough, she thought. Trey needed to discover for himself that she wasn’t a self-absorbed person.
“You’re saying you’d make the same choice all over again?”
For a long time, she’d regretted letting Randy out of her life. But that was before she’d come to realize that she’d never really loved him. He’d been like a comfortable pair of shoes she’d not wanted to give up. That was hardly the basis for a lasting marriage.
Smiling, she reached for his hand lying on the console between them. “Most definitely.”
His hand turned over and wrapped around hers. “I hope I don’t ever let you down, Nicci,” he said gently, then slanted a grin in her direction. “But what are you going to think if we don’t find any gold?”
Laughing softly, she could only think she’d already found her gold in the form of a long, tall cowboy with sparkling green eyes and a smile that made her heart sing.
“That the fun is in the trying.”
Chapter Six
Nicole had turned down a marriage proposal. A man back in Texas had loved her enough to want to marry her.
For the remainder of the drive to Congress, Trey tried to push those realities from his head, but the tormenting images of Nicole making love to another man refused to budge from his brain.
He was reacting like fool. Her love life, past or present, was really none of his business. Or was it? Hadn’t that kiss they’d shared on the porch made it his business?
It could be your business if you wanted to make it yours, Trey. But you’re not a family man. Don’t be stupid and let yourself get mushy over Nicole.
Trey was fighting to push the annoying voice out of his head when he spotted the turnoff to his friend’s property and steered the truck onto a hard-packed dirt road.
As the vehicle rattled across a pair of cattle guards, Nicole leaned up in the seat and peered out the windshield. “I’m going to make a guess and say this isn’t the road to Congress.”
“No, it’s up the highway,” he told her. “This is a friend’s land. He raises cattle—that’s the reason for the cattle guard.”
“Has he ever looked for gold on this land?” she asked.
“He’s had several mining companies offer to buy it. But he considers cattle to be his wealth.”
“Must be a man who bets on a sure winner,” she replied.
“Nothing is a sure winner. All sorts of things can happen to deplete a herd of cattle. T
he weather, disease, predators, and then there’s the market value that can drop on a whimsy.”
“I guess there are risks to most everything,” she remarked.
Especially when a simple man like himself becomes involved with a beautiful woman, Trey thought. But who said he was involved, anyway? Just because he’d gotten lost in her kiss didn’t mean he was about to fall in love with her. No, indeed.
“That ridge of mountains over there looks fairly close. Are we going that far?”
Her question interrupted his thoughts and he followed the direction of her gaze. “No. Those mountains are probably thirty or more miles away. Why do you ask? Are you ready to get out and stretch your legs?”
“I’m fine. And the scenery is gorgeous.”
She looked at him and smiled, and Trey wondered for the umpteenth time why she’d invited him to kiss her. Was she one of those women who liked to tease a man? Is that why she turned down the marriage proposal? Because she never intended to have a serious relationship? The idea should give him a measure of relief, but it bothered him to think she might be just playing him along.
Another three miles passed before Trey finally braked the truck to a halt a short distance away from the edge of a gravelly wash.
“This is probably as far as we should take the truck,” he told her. “If we walk on up the wash, I believe we’ll find a bit of water in this little stream. It would probably make panning easier. Are you up for a hike?”
“Sure,” she replied as she peered out at a rocky shelf shading the west side of the wash. “It’s so beautiful here. I can’t wait to see more.”
After he helped her out of the truck, they gathered their equipment and lunch fixings, and Trey loaded everything into a canvas duffel bag that he’d brought along to use as a carryall.
As he shouldered the bag, she said, “That’s a lot for you to carry. We could leave our lunch here at the truck and walk back later when we get hungry.”
“It’s not that heavy,” he assured her. “Besides, once we get to where we’re going, we might not want to leave for a while.”
“Sounds logical. But how will we know when we get to where we’re going?” she asked.
Trey laughed. “Good question. Let’s just play it by ear. When you start getting good vibes about a place, we’ll stop.”
“Okay. I’ll put out my ESP antenna,” she joked.
They took off hiking up the shallow arroyo, and Trey remained close to Nicole’s side just in case she tripped over any of the small boulders embedded in the dry creek. Because she was unaccustomed to wearing cowboy boots, he’d not expected her to navigate the rough terrain all that well. But the farther they hiked, the more she impressed him with her sure-footedness.
“Look at all the blooming sage!” she exclaimed as they passed a thick patch of the bushes covered in tiny purple flowers. “It’s beautiful. And what are those trees with the yellow and pink blooms? Those are very pretty, too.”
“That’s salt cedar,” he explained. “Most of the farmers and ranchers here in the southwest call it a monster.”
She looked at him with surprise. “Why a monster? It’s lovely.”
“It’s invasive and sucks up an enormous amount of water that’s needed for grasses and other useful vegetation,” he explained. “And salt cedar trees are very difficult to clear away. But in recent years the pros and cons of the plant are becoming more debated. Because the trees provide a nesting place for birds and that sort of thing.”
She paused to gaze at one of the trees. The long feather-like leaves were covered with yellow blooms and a mass of buzzing honeybees.
“Being a city girl and studying business in college, I never learned much about the environment. I didn’t realize it was so fascinating until I moved out here and started experiencing it firsthand.” She glanced around at him, then promptly asked, “What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like I’m strange, or something.”
He shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking back to when I first met you. Those high heels you were wearing—well, you looked darn pretty, but I was worried.”
A knowing smile curved her lips. “Worried? That I might be out of place?”
“A little.” Placing a hand on her elbow, he urged her forward. “Come on. Let’s walk on before the bees decide they want us, too.”
They walked about a quarter mile on up the creek before a few shallow pools of water began to appear. When they finally reached a spot where a larger pool was partially shaded by willows, Nicole paused and looked around her.
“What do you think about this spot, Trey? Might not be any gold nuggets here, but it’s a nice place for a picnic.”
“I’m all for it,” he agreed.
Trey stashed their lunch in the deepest part of the shade, then carried their equipment over to the water’s edge.
Following him, Nicole said, “I almost called Loretta yesterday to ask her for tips on how to do this panning thing. But I didn’t want to make us sound dumb.”
Laughing, Trey squatted on his heels and shoveled a small amount of gravel into one of the pans. “Why not? We are dumb about it. My guess is that, back in the old days, prospectors must have learned by trial and error. We’ll pretend we’re back in the 1860s and just starting out.”
“Just starting out. I like the sound of that.” Flashing him an impish grin, she reached for one of the pans and knelt down beside him. “Maybe we’ll have beginners’ luck.”
* * *
For the next two hours they painstakingly sifted through pan after pan of rocks and gravel. Nicole tried to imitate what little she’d seen about panning on television shows and in movies, but she’d quickly discovered it was much more difficult than it looked to swish out the water and still leave the pieces of rock silt in the pan.
“I can understand why Loretta does this,” Nicci spoke as she poked a finger through several colorful rocks. “It’s addictive. I keep thinking, the next scoop, and the next pan will turn up a nugget.”
“Guess I’m hooked, too,” Trey told her. “I keep thinking the same thing.”
She looked down the stream to where he was squatted over his pan. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled back on his tanned forearms while the hems of his jeans were wet from wading near the water’s edge. For most of the morning, she’d tried to focus her attention on sifting through the endless rocks and pebbles, but even the idea of finding a gold flake or small nugget wasn’t enough to keep her gaze from constantly straying over to him.
“Hey, here’s something,” he said suddenly. “But I think it’s pyrite.”
Leaving her pan, she walked over and looked down at the small rock he was holding between his thumb and forefinger.
“Oh, it looks like gold! Maybe it is! How can you tell?”
Rising to his full height, he dug a pocketknife from the front pocket of his jeans. “For one thing the color isn’t yellow enough. This has a brassy tinge.” He sliced the point of the small knife blade over the glittery streak running through the rock. “Not soft enough, either. If this was the real stuff, my knife would leave a mark. It didn’t.”
He handed the rock to her, and she held it up to the sunlight and angled it one way and then another. “Aw, that’s a bummer. But it’s pretty. Can I keep it? It might be the closest thing to gold that we find.”
“It’s all yours,” he told her. “But let’s not give up. I’ve heard if there’s fool’s gold around, there’s usually a good chance the real stuff is nearby.”
Slipping the rock into her shirt pocket, she turned wide eyes on him. “Wow! If that’s true, then we might actually be in the right spot.”
“Could be,” he said. “But before we do more digging, I think it’s time for lunch. What about you?”
“Eat? At a time like this? You’ve just made a discovery!”
Laughing, he placed h
is palm on her forehead. “Just what I was afraid of. You’ve caught gold fever. I should’ve never brought you out here.”
Laughing along with him, she looped her arm around his. “Okay. We’ll forget about gold for a while and eat lunch. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m hungry, too.”
On a grassy knoll, beneath a shade tree, Trey placed his jacket on the ground to use for a makeshift table. Once they had the food laid out, they sat cross-legged on the ground and munched on fried chicken, potato salad and Western-style beans.
“Mmm. I can’t remember anything tasting so delicious,” she said. “I must have been hungrier than I thought.”
“You’ve been working hard.”
Glancing down at her yellow T-shirt, she hardly recognized it as the same one she’d started out with this morning. The front was blotched with mud and water stains, while her jeans were equally soiled. She could feel that parts of her hair had worked loose from her ponytail and were now glued in sweaty strands against the back of her neck. She didn’t need a mirror to tell her she looked a mess. But she didn’t care. She’d never felt this good.
“I’m having too much fun to call it work.”
“You call digging through shovelfuls of gravel fun?” he joked. “My fingers are about to bleed.”
“Really? Let me see.” She put down her paper plate and grabbed up his hand. As soon as she turned his palm upward, she realized he was teasing. “What a faker! It would take more than a few rocks to make those calloused fingers bleed.”
Their gazes met and locked, and then his hand gently took control of hers. Nicole’s heart began a wild pitter-patter as he drew her fingers toward his face.
“I think I’d better examine yours,” he murmured. “Just to make sure they aren’t bleeding.”
“I—uh—I’m tougher than you think.”
She didn’t know if he noticed the breathless sound to her voice, but she figured he could probably see the rapid thump of her pulse on her inner wrist and know that he was causing an upheaval inside her.
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