CHAPTER ONE
The Sierra Mountain Ranges in Nevada were
rugged, strong and insurmountable. Sierra means ‘saw’ in Spanish,
which is appropriate because the mountains look like the teeth of a
saw with their granite rock offerings dwindling down to lower
elevations. Just up the road was beautiful Lake Tahoe, a clear,
freshwater lake with an elevation of over 6,000 feet. Various
canyons in the glacially scoured area included Hetch Hetchy Valley,
Yosemite and Kings Canyon. The groves of giant sequoias occurred
along a narrow band of a lower altitude on the western side of the
Sierra Nevadas. On the east side lay the town of Naples, just south
of Carson City, where the Johnson family had resided for six
generations and would endure for many generations more. Their ranch
was a sprawling two thousand acres. Cattle raised there were
unique, expensive and sold all over the world. Colt Johnson was a
sixth generation Nevadan.
“Dad, I know what you’re saying, but I think
I need to get more practice,” said Colt.
“Son, I hear what you’re saying too, but why
do you need to go to Sonoma? Why do you think Grandpa Sam can help
you?” Sandy, his father, was trying to understand his thinking.
“Grandpa’s been training horses for probably
forty years and I think I would learn a lot from him.”
“Honey, I think Grandpa would learn more
from you, than you from him,” said Lily, his mother. “You know you
have a way with horses that none of us understands. Why
Sonoma?”
“It’s not something I can explain, but feel.
That probably makes no sense -- my saying that feelings count more
than facts, but that’s about it.” He looked at his mother for
confirmation. She was still so beautiful with all that luxurious
black hair. No wonder his fair-haired father had fallen head over
heels for her. But he also knew Lily believed in fate. It’s what
brought her to Naples in the first place to meet her beloved
husband, Sandy. Lily smiled at him.
“You know, Grandpa will love having you, as
will Grandma Jeanne. They are up there at this time of year and
will gladly help you with anything. Like they did with Meggie.”
Sam Cable, Lily’s dad, had married Jeanne
Johnson, Sandy’s mom, the year after Sandy and Lily had married.
Their relationship went back a long way – back to when they were in
grade school. They lived part of the year in her home in Naples,
Nevada and the rest of the year at Sam’s ranch in Sonoma, up in
northern California. Sam and Jeanne had taken in their
granddaughter Meg for a while, while she attended the Culinary Arts
Institute in Napa Valley. It appears that Meg, named for Lily’s
mother Margaret, had inherited her grandmother’s cooking skills as
well as her name.
Sandy frowned at him. “I thought you and
Jesse would take over the ranch together someday. What happened to
that idea? That’s what you said you always wanted.”
“Jesse can take care of the ranch for now.
I’ll help him when he needs it, but I want to try some things on my
own. It’s what I need to do.” Colt looked at his mother and father,
whom he loved. He was his parents’ first child together—His
brother, Jesse, had been five when Sandy married Lily. He knew what
a special bond they had with each other and it was partially
because of him. It was hard to break away.
Minutes passed. Sandy and Lily looked at
each other remembering that torrential night in the barn all those
years ago, when they had discovered the love they felt for each
other. Colt might have been conceived that night—an unforgettable
night. An unforgettable child and now, man…Yes, he had to find his
own way. Sandy took a good look at him—over six feet tall with wavy
black hair like his pretty mother. He was incredibly good-looking
and had always been a good son. He hadn’t been in half as much
trouble as his younger brothers --Only twenty-four, but wise beyond
his years.
“So will you call your grandparents
tomorrow? They should know that you’re coming and be prepared.”
Lily looked at her husband.
“Absolutely, call first. They will want to
arrange something. Maybe a trip to the Hitching Post Restaurant.”
Sandy smiled at Lily, remembering a trip there a long time ago.
Lily’s father, Sam, was not too sure that Sandy was the man for his
little girl. It took a while to smooth everything out.
“God forbid, he should take our son there,”
she laughed and patted his arm.
“I’ll be fine,” said Colt. “Actually, I
already called and they’re expecting me sometime late
tomorrow.”
“Colt, I love you more than life, and I want
you to be happy. Please say that you will come back to visit,
because I need to know that.” Lily looked away, fresh tears on her
cheeks. Sandy took her hands in his.
“I promise. Honest…please don’t cry, Mother.
I’ll keep in touch.”
Colt and his mother hugged and she kissed
him on the cheek. He shook hands with his father and then hugged
him as well. He went off to pack.
Sandy looked at his wife. “Sweetheart, you
knew this day would come. He can take care of himself and he has a
gift. It’s time he used it,” Sandy shrugged. “All our children are
talented. He isn’t the first to leave home.”
“I know. But there’s something about Colt
that is so special. He seems bound for greater things.” Lily smiled
at her husband. They studied each other; a little older perhaps,
but the love they felt was as strong as it had ever been. Colt
would be fine.
“On to Sonoma then.”
“Godspeed, Colt.”
Lily went into the kitchen to make some
fudge. The best in three counties, Sandy said…
* * *
The drive to Sonoma would take about four
hours. Colt watched Nevada leaving in his rear-view mirror and
California beckoning him up ahead. His home was Nevada and always
would be. Colt knew he’d come back—but not just yet.
Going up the road to Tahoe, the huge lake
soon spread out before him. That icy, blue lake ringed with tall
pines and various mountain ranges was the site of many happy
memories—a few of them flashed through his mind as he drove through
the town of South Lake Tahoe. His dad had brought him and his other
siblings up to Lake Tahoe fishing many times over the years. They
had fished for mackinaw – a great tasting variety of trout.
Thinking of that fish, his mind wandered to a particularly funny
occasion…
His younger twin brothers, Miles and Joey,
had apparently been born to create a little havoc and turmoil in
the Johnson family. Colt smiled at the memory of their first
infamous boat trip on their own. Even though Dad had taught them
boating safety and they had practiced with the equipment, Miles
forgot to put the plug in the boat before launching it, or so Joey
claimed. Dad had bought them a nice aluminum fishing boat, complete
with all the fishing equipment they would need.
About a mile off from shore, the boat
started taking in water. Joey had a soda cup bought at a
convenience store that he was desperately trying to bail out the
boat with. It was a losing battle… They started sinking and faster
than they thought possible. Other boaters came by to rescue his
brothers, but by the time Harbor Patrol got to the boat, it was
nearly submerged. All the fishing equipment was lost and the boat
eventually sunk. Colt laughed as he remembered the twins had
flipped a coin to see who was going to call Dad. He had driven up
with his pretty pissed-off father to get the boys and couldn’t
control his laughter… After making sure they were all right, Dad
yelled at Miles, then Joey, then Miles again. They were only
teenagers then, but Sandy wouldn’t let them use a boat alone for a
very long time after that escapade.
Just one of many… Miles was a published
author now and had used the story in one of his books. Dad still
wasn’t pleased, reliving the whole story in print, although Mother
had doubled over laughing… Colt smiled. He had a nice family…
Driving into Sacramento meant lunchtime.
Sacramento was a large city with lots of suburbs and too much
traffic. Colt decided to go to Old Town for lunch, as his family
had done many times over the years, driving to see his grandparents
in Sonoma. Old Town had a wonderful train museum that he had
visited many times as a kid. He had had an obsession with trains
that lasted a few years and still had lots of toy trains packed
away. Colt decided to grab a hamburger in the little restaurant
next door to it.
Old Town Sac reminded him so much of Naples
-- an Old West veneer on refurbished wooden buildings. Restaurants,
souvenir shops and the occasional saloon made the place look like
the set of ‘Gunsmoke’, the old western TV show. It had the same
wooden sidewalks with horse and buggies going by hauling tourists
around for a look. Still, it had a comfortable feel and he enjoyed
coming here. Colt entered the Sweet Pony Restaurant and sat down in
a booth. Looking around, he caught the eye of a beautiful girl
sitting not too far away. She had been scowling at the woman
sitting across the table, saw him looking at her and smiled. It
wasn’t even a smile of surprise, it was more like ‘Hi. Where
have you been?’ Wow. It made Colt catch his breath. She had
dropped her napkin on the floor and Colt strode over to pick it up
for her.
“Excuse me, miss, but you dropped this,”
Colt smiled at her and then nodded at the older woman sitting with
her. The woman didn’t seem too friendly, but when the girl took the
napkin from him, their fingers touched momentarily. Colt felt a
kind of shiver go through his hand and rubbed it against his
leg.
“Thank you very much,” she said shyly.
“No problem at all. Have a nice lunch.” Colt
started walking away reluctantly since he could think of nothing
further to say that would prolong the conversation. The woman at
the table with her didn’t seem welcoming, so he knew he had better
leave.
“Thank you. You too,” she smiled up at
him.
What a sweet voice…and that gorgeous auburn
hair. She had it caught up in a long ponytail at present, but it
looked like it could be wild if left on its own. Colt wondered what
it would be like to run his fingers through that beautiful mane,
like one of his horses back home. Was he just comparing her to a
horse? Yikes, maybe that wasn’t the best comparison. After he sat
down, the girl and woman got up, paid their bill, and started
leaving the restaurant. Colt sighed. A great opportunity lost, he
thought.
He started to read his menu but suddenly
glanced up. Right before she went through the door, that beautiful
girl lingered and then turned around. She gave Colt one of the most
meaningful looks he had ever experienced. Wow again. Who is
she? She parted her lips in response to his broad smile and
grinned back. Then she was gone.
He blew out the breath he was holding… Colt,
his mother’s son, knew he would see her again. He believed in fate
and it had just given him a sneak preview of coming events. This
was a teaser, as Grandma Jeanne would say, and that meant the movie
had yet to start. Sonoma was going to be very interesting. Colt
smiled again and decided to order the spiciest hamburger on the
menu.
* * *
“Why were you smiling at that cowboy,
Amanda? You’re too flirty for your own good,” said her mother.
Amanda Evans was shifting into another gear, trying to coax the old
car to keep going. She needed to pack a few more things.
“Mom, just because you’ve had two horrible
marriages, that doesn’t mean I’m going to. And it’s really none of
your business who I smile at. You go your way and please let me go
mine.” Amanda stuck out her chin in defiance and her mother backed
down.
“I just don’t want to see you hurt again.
That miserable creep of a boyfriend you had last time was enough to
make you swear off men. At least that’s what you said at the
time.”
Amanda let out an exasperated breath. “God,
Mom, you are enough to drive someone to drink. This is my last
weekend in town—could we please not have a fight over some guy in a
restaurant whom I don’t know and will likely never see again?
Please?” Her mother was needy, dependent and between husbands. “You
need to get your own life, Mom. Not try to live mine.”
“Okay, you’re right. Let’s not fight. I’ll
save my energy to battle husband #2 for alimony.”
If Amanda thought she was safe, she needed
to think again.
“And why are you moving up to that Soda
Springs area by Donner Lake? It seems a million miles from me and
Sacramento?” Her mother’s mother face contorted like she might cry,
but Amanda didn’t buy it.
“I’ve been hired at that children’s camp,
Mom. I want to get out of this town and see more of the country.
I’ll come back to visit sometime, if you don’t start nagging me. In
the meantime, get a job, learn to knit, volunteer—do something.”
Amanda gave her a stern look as she stopped the car. Her mother got
out, shut the door and then bent down to speak through the
window.
“You’ll come say good-bye before leaving?
And I have your cell phone number, right?” She looked anxious.
Amanda sighed. “I promise, now go lie down
for a while, before another headache comes on. I have to go pack.”
Her mother nodded and then turned away.
Amanda was exhausted just taking her out to
lunch. She’d turn into a nervous wreck if she moved back home like
her mother wanted her to do. Nope—I’m out of here. I need to find a
better way of life for myself than what I’ve known here. Amanda
pushed her wayward hair out of her face. She tucked a few loose
wisps back behind her ears. She stopped at her apartment building,
glanced out the windshield and was glad to be leaving it. Void of
color and comfort, the place felt like a tomb. Getting out of the
car, she stood straight, thinking about the man she had just seen
at the restaurant.
What was it about him? Jeez, he was so
something. Good-looking, yes… Polite, definitely. But touching
his hand was electrifying… That had never happened before to her
with any man she had ever known. What was it about? Did that mean
anything? She remembered looking back to get one last look at him.
Looking down, he was angelic-looking. Looking up at her, her heart
kicked into overdrive. She knew her face flushed and the room
suddenly seemed too small. They looked deeply into each other’s
eyes. Some kind of pool of energy stared back at her. When he
smiled at her, she felt the sun rise. Wow again. She knew
she’d see him again. That was a certainty…