Being Emma (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

The immense blue sky was spread out like a
canvas. Masses of white clouds were painted as an artist might roll
his brush from side to side. The craggy Sierra Mountains reached up
like blocks tipped on end and all jumbled together. Higher and
higher they were piled… Massive pines and junipers dotted the
landscape as the altitude climbed as well.

Dropping down quickly in elevation from Lake
Tahoe, a meadow lay at the foot of the Sierras just as it broke
into Nevada. The town of Naples lay in this meadow that stretched
from Minden, south of Carson City, to Topaz Lake, some thirty miles
south. Naples was a beautiful, small town with an historic western
flavor and prosperous ranches tucked here and there. One of these
sprawling ranches was the Johnson Ranch, some two thousand acres of
prime ranch land. Cattle bred there were unique and sold all over
the world. The Johnson family had resided in Naples for seven
generations now. Sandy Johnson, head of the family, was a fifth
generation Nevadan whose ancestors had come into the area in
covered wagons. Their heritage was long and distinguished.

Colt and Jesse Johnson, Sandy’s eldest sons
and Janie’s brothers, were out riding the back part of the property
looking for strays. They had also heard a report of coyotes
harassing some of the cattle – They galloped out with Craig
Ferguson. Craig’s family lived in the next ranch over — The
Johnsons and Fergusons had all grown up together.

The three men sat back on their Palomino and
Appaloosa horses as the orange and yellow colors of the sky
signaled night was coming. His horse wasn’t riding right, so Colt
jumped down to check its hooves.

“Your horse start limping, Colt?” Jesse
looked over as he got out his logbook to make the day’s
entries.

“Not sure. I thought I’d better check.” He
felt down the side of a back leg and then lifted it to take a
look.

“Tough luck walking back home, Colt,” kidded
Craig. Colt looked up at him.

“You mean I can’t ride back with you? Sir
Craig, I thought you were supposed to be this great Scottish
knight. You disappoint me terribly with your lack of chivalry.” He
grinned.

“What a wry sense of humor you have and no,
you can’t ride back with me. I don’t want Mandy jealous.” He leaned
back in his saddle and considered Colt’s work.

“I think she’s probably too busy with the
kids to worry about how I get home tonight.”

Jesse looked up and laughed.

“Well, no one told you to have twins,
brother…” He smiled. “You should have been more measured like me –
Audrey and I have kids one at a time, like any sane person would.”
Colt gave him an exasperated look.

“Yeah, like I have anything to say about
gender or number…”

Craig looked from one brother to another and
started laughing.

“What’s wrong with you, Ferguson?” Colt
climbed back up on his horse. He adjusted his cowboy hat.

“That horse gonna make it home all right?”
Jesse put the logbook back into his saddlebag.

“Yeah, she’s okay…”

Craig stopped chuckling. “I remember you two
when you were single and carefree… Working days, playing nights…
Swatting the girls away like flies. Ring any bells?”

Jesse glanced over at Colt. “Not sure I
remember any girl-swatting… How about you, bro?” He started
laughing.

“Hell, Jesse. I don’t remember you with any
girl except for Audrey.”

“…You’re one to talk. Who were you ever
serious about until you met Mandy?”

Craig put out his arms between them.

“Boys, boys… No fighting. Obviously, I didn’t
teach you the fine art of romancing women.”

Jesse snorted. “Do you even have a
girlfriend, Craig? You seem to play the field all the time, it
seems to me.” Colt picked it up.

“…Sounds like commitment issues. Right,
Jesse?”

“No doubt about it. The man can’t
commit.”

“Or,” Colt began tantalizingly, “he hasn’t
met the right woman. Hmm?” He raised his eyebrows at him.

They both looked at him expectantly. He
smirked at them.

“Why is it, that no matter where we go or
what we do, we always talk about women?” Craig got out a bottle of
water and took a sip.

“That’s what Dad said that he and Jason
always talked about when they were out here mending fences or
looking for strays.”

“Be nice what you say about our foreman… He’s
been pretty nice to me since I married his daughter and gave him
two grandchildren.” Jesse laughed.

Colt looked around and up at the sky. He
pulled his hat down lower on his face.

“I don’t think we’re going to find those
coyotes tonight and it’s starting to get dark. I need to get
home.”

“Me too,” said Jesse.

Craig smiled. “Apparently, I’m the only one
who doesn’t have to rush home to a wife and children.” Colt gave
him a slow, easy smile.

“One of these days, Ferguson, you’re going to
be begging us to go home early to a wife and children. Just you
wait…”

“Okay, I’ll wait… And while I’m waiting, I
guess I’ll go out with that new waitress over at the Naples Inn.
She might keep me company awhile. Pretty blonde, know her?”

“Nope. I’ll just head home to my brunette…
How about you, Colt?”

“Don’t know her, but I have a pretty redhead
waiting for me.”

“See you, guys. Later… Much later.” They all
laughed, turned their horses and galloped back to the ranch. After
reporting to the foreman, they headed off to their various
pursuits. And each was happy in those individual pursuits…

CHAPTER THREE

Janie shared an apartment in Naples located
by the Hot Springs Resort, but not far from the downtown area.
Continuing on up that same road is Lake Tahoe and surrounding
towns. Janie and her roommate, Diane Smith, would often drive up to
Tahoe to dance and have fun. Lake Tahoe had a great area on the
north side called Sand Harbor where they could swim, picnic and, in
the summers, watch Shakespearian plays performed by troupes of
actors from Ashland, Oregon. Janie thought it was the best location
to have an apartment – Close enough to work and family, yet with an
escape route to fun, fun, fun…

Diane worked as a hair stylist in one of the
salons in Naples. She and Janie had gone to school together and
remained good friends after high school. Many times after work, the
girls would figure out an activity and take off together. Diane was
a welcome guest at the Johnson ranch and Janie’s parents knew her
well.

Getting
home about 5:00 one afternoon, Janie walked in the door while Diane
was talking on her cell phone. She brightened when she saw Janie
and pointed at her phone, mouthing
Wow
… Janie heard her conversation as she locked up her weapon
in the safe located in her closet, and changed out of her uniform.
Going into the kitchen, she wondered whom Diane was speaking to.
She saw Diane was wearing her long hair up, instead of down. She
briefly thought another stylist had fixed her hair today — They
were always fixing each other’s hair. Diane tried time and again to
get Janie in her chair at work to do something different with her
hair. But she didn’t want to change her style – Janie liked her
ponytail.

“… Really? That’s interesting… I had no idea…
No, I’ve never been over there… Is the food good?”

Janie perked up her ears – It sounded like
she was making a date.

“… That sounds like fun, John, but I don’t
have my work schedule with me right this minute. Could I call you
back later and let you know for sure? … No, I’m not trying to put
you off, but I promise I will call you later tonight… Okay… Thanks.
Bye.”

She snapped her phone shut and put it on the
kitchen counter. Diane had a dreamy look on her face and sighed as
she sat down in a chair.

“What’s with you?” Janie took a drink of the
soda she’d poured.

“I might have a date with John Marston.”

“John Marston? That guy who works in the
garage in town?”

“Yep. That’s the one.”

Janie frowned. “When did you meet him?”

“I needed to have my car serviced and took it
in there. I couldn’t get in the garage in Carson City, where I
usually go. I met him and I think it’s love at first sight. He’s
got dark hair and darker eyes…” That made Janie snort and spit out
some of her soda at the same time.

“You’re kidding, right? Diane, didn’t you
fall in love last year with some guy in Reno who sold shoes?”

“…Yes… no. I just liked him a lot. He was
nice.”

“Yeah, until he hit on that girl in the bar
where he’d taken you for dinner.”

“Okay… so it wasn’t meant to be.” Janie
looked at her dubiously.

“Do you really want to get tangled up with
some guy?” Diane looked over at her.

“I don’t understand why you’re so down on
love.”

“I’m not. You know my brothers, Colt and
Jesse, are happily married, as is sister, Meg, in San Francisco.
But they all sure went through a lot of heartache to get to the
other side. Not sure I want to do that…” When Diane frowned at her,
she added, “I know lots of people in love, it’s just not for
me.”

Shaking her head, Diane tried again. “Why
not, Janie? The last time I remember you with a guy was this side
of never.”

Janie took a sip and thought about that for a
minute. “There’s just too many more interesting things to do. Men
take up too much time. Some are real high maintenance. And some
always want to tell you what to do. I don’t want some guy telling
me what I can and can’t do.”

Diane smiled slyly. “Maybe not yet… So maybe
love’s not for you, but I kinda like it. And John could be the real
thing for me.”

“Really? ... The real thing with John
Marston... For Pete’s sake, he’s a mechanic in a garage.”

“What a snob you are, Janie. Never thought
I’d hear you say something like that.”

Janie had Diane’s best interests at heart –
really… And she thought Diane would do better with a more
professional man. So she thought she might offer up someone else to
take her mind off John… It came to her just who that might be…

“I’m sure he’s fine, but if you want to date
someone interesting, you should consider Ethan Moody.”

Diane stopped at that. Hmmm… Sheriff’s
son…

“Ethan, one of the other deputy
sheriffs?”

“Sure. Why not? He’s single, cute, I guess,
and he’s a cop – the protective type, which should appeal to you.
It appeals to most women.” She studied Diane for her response.

“… Actually, that’s not bad. Is he seeing
anyone?”

“Don’t think so. I could nose around a bit
and find out. Do you want me to?”

Diane was hooked. “Definitely. Give me a call
when you find out anything….” She thought of something. “Wait… What
should I do about John Marston? I think I have a date with him –
He’s expecting my call back. Maybe I should go out with him
anyway.”

Janie rolled her eyes. “You can’t go out with
one guy while you’re thinking about another.” Diane laughed.

“Where’d that rule come from? Did you make it
up on the spot?”

“Well, could you have a good time with John,
if you’re thinking about dating Ethan? Really? Would you enjoy
yourself?”

“… Probably not… So I should call him back
and cancel?” Her eyes widened. “How do you think he’ll take it? I
don’t want him upset or mad at me.”

“He’ll be fine. Guys get rejected all the
time and bounce back. Wait and see… You’ll see him around with
somebody else before you know it.”

“Okay. I guess you’re right.”

Janie drank down the rest of her soda.

“Absolutely, I’m right. Now make that call
and let’s go grab some dinner. I think Ethan will be at the coffee
shop tonight. He mentioned something about it at the office. Maybe
we’ll run into him.”

Diane brightened. “All right. I’ll make the
call and get my shoes.”

Janie was happy that she had done a good deed
and saved her friend from making a mistake – Or one that she
thought she’d be making.

She fixed her ponytail and put on a sweater
over her jeans. Finding her cowboy boots in the corner of the room,
she sat down to put them on while thinking about her archery lesson
tomorrow. She was preparing for the state competition in Las Vegas
and wanted to ask Craig about the new bow she had purchased.
Ferguson was preparing for the competition too and had been an
archer much longer than Janie. In fact, he was the one who got her
interested in archery in the beginning. Craig had an ancestor who
had been in the Royal Company of Archers in Scotland back in the
1800s. They were the archers who protected the Queen.

Diane came out of the bedroom and brought
Janie’s thoughts back to the present. She finished pulling on her
boots and they took off for dinner at the coffee shop. And a
hopeful encounter with Deputy Ethan.

* * *

It was late afternoon of the next day and the
indoor archery range was not busy. It was a long area that could
accommodate twenty archers shooting at a time. There were targets
placed twenty feet away that were regulation. Two yellow concentric
circles were in the middle of the target with red, blue and black
circles revolving around them. If an archer shot the X in the very
centermost yellow circle, that indicated a bulls-eye – the best he
could shoot. So naturally, everyone practiced for the
bulls-eye.

Craig and Janie happened to be the only
archers practicing this afternoon and occupied two center lanes
next to each other. Janie had just hit a bulls-eye and was
insisting Craig tell her how good she was. He laughed.

“Yes, all right. Janie, you are the best
female archer I know.” He knew that would get a rise out of
her.