The chapters are fairly short, Lynne, so you should catch up easily. You can skip the "To the Reader" section without any harm done.
As Steve and The Virginian are parting, Steve calls him an SOB affectionately, and the narrator's jaw drops. He half-expects The Virginian to take offense and start a fight. But astoundingly, the tall dark-haired one does not. Thus the narrator learns another lesson about the West, just as we did when Ennis exclaimed, "Jack f**kin Twist!" (See the Cowboy Etiquette thread.) This is one of the many amusing and light-hearted parts that punctuate the story.
The two men go to wash up and join all the travelers in the eating hall. The narrator is again shocked at the primitive nature of the washing-up facilities, but the Virginian manages to get the proprietress to change the linen with his simple but eloquent and always respectful ways. Skillfully the author lets us know of the Virginian's and proprietress's mutual attraction without in any way having them act improperly for their mileu. The scene in the eating hall, and the subsequent antics that take place later that night are told with style and dispatch, with just the right dose of authentic dialogue.