A Secret Santa

Chapter 1

“Dadburnit, them little kittens is gonna die ifn they won’t let me near ’em. Ever since their mama died, I been trying to feed ’em, and they won’t come anywhere near me. I wish we didn’t have all that work at the timber camp coming up. Ifn I don’t get ’em to start eating, they won’t be here when I get back.” Hoss was worried, and he tried to get his brothers to take his turn at the timber camp, but he could tell neither one was moved by his plea. He guessed that, in their shoes, he might not do it either with Christmas almost there and some time to spend with his wife especially Adam who had just returned from a two week trip to Denver. In the past, he would have thought that Adam’s time away was mostly a vacation but had learned how much he worked on these trips and how much he longed for his family to be with him. Gabriel had a cold though so Zona had stayed home with him. Hoss packed up his clothes and bedroll preparing to spend a week away. The plan was for him to get home the day before Christmas Eve. Joe however wasn’t going to let the subject drop. He was anxious to say something.

“Their mama didn’t just die. She got squashed. I’ve never seen a flatter animal.” The mother cat had been cold apparently and took a nap in the bedding in the stall with the milk cow that must have laid down without the cat knowing it was going to happen. They had found the dead cat the next morning, and Hoss had been trying to save her litter ever since that day. Rosalind slapped Joe on the shoulder for his comment.

“Joe, that was cruel. You should have more concern for your brother’s feelings.”

“Hey, it isn’t my fault that mama cat was so stupid. Hoss has been crawling around in that loft like a kid trying to catch those little ones for a couple of days now. They’re too stupid to know that he’s trying to help them. That’s not my fault.”

“It is your fault for how you talk to your brother when he’s hurting. Now say you’re sorry.”

Wondering if he should be mad for getting a dressing down in front of his family or proud that his wife was so supportive of his family, Joe wisely agreed to apologize. His ‘sorry’ was simple but heartfelt. Hoss accepted it before he went to the stable to saddle up his horse and head out.

One set of eyes followed him as he exited the house. Some possibilities were swirling around in that head. A trip to the bedroom led to the discovery of an old perfume bottle that was empty and had been for some time. Then a trip to the kitchen, and a little convincing of Hop Sing led to a trip to the stable. Sitting for over an hour near the kitten’s hideaway was all it took. They were lonely and hungry. The smell of the warm milk drew them out. Sitting very quietly holding the small bottle now filled with milk at arm’s length, it wasn’t difficult to entice three little kittens to come explore and then to find the teat on the end of the bottle that Hop Sing had fashioned from a tiny piece of oil cloth. Step by tentative step, they edged closer and closer. The drops of milk that oozed from the opening got the kittens licking up the drops and then fighting to see which one could get the most sucks of milk before being pushed out of the way by the other two. After several times refilling the little bottle, it seemed the kittens were temporarily satisfied. The next problem was to get them out of the loft and into the tack room where it would be easier to care for them. They had some sores that needed care, but some of Hop Sing’s salve would likely help there too. A man’s voice from down below was startling but welcome.

“Need some help getting those kittens down from there?”

A big grin was his answer. Soon, the kittens were in a box in the tack room sleeping together in a nest of old flannel pieces with salve soothing the little sores.

“You’re going to have to do this at least four times a day and probably once at night.”

“I know. It’s a big job, but it’s my Christmas present to Hoss if it works.”

“I’ll help all that I can. I might even be able to do that feeding at night if they let me.”

“Oh, they’ll let you. They already know your smell. I have to see if I can find two more bottles. It would make this a lot easier.”

“Except you only have two hands.”

“Oh, just like with a baby, I can prop one or two up and watch over them. It’ll be fine.”

“I’m going into town. I’ll get two more bottles for you.”

“Thank you. That would be a big help.”

Within a week, the kittens were taught to lap milk from a bowl too. They were messy and didn’t get that much into their mouths so they still needed the bottle, but they had to learn how to eat on their own if they wanted to survive. By the time Hoss arrived home, the kittens were drinking from a tray of milk and only needed the bottle feeding once or twice a day. He didn’t see them however because they were locked in the tack room for their own safety. Hoss climbed up to the loft to see if the kittens had somehow survived. He knew it would be a miracle. There was no sign of them. He climbed back down the ladder, took a deep breath, and reminded himself it was the way of nature before he walked to the house to let them know he was home. After a hurried hello so they knew he was safe and sound, he headed to his house to reunite with his wife and son. Bess and Isaiah were thrilled to see him, and Hoss hid his pain at the fate that he thought had befallen the three little kittens.

Chapter 2

While Hoss had been at the timber camp, Doctor Martin held a party for his friends at the International House. Joe and Rosalind volunteered to take care of Isaiah so that Bess could go with Ben to the party. Adam and Zona had thought they might have to stay home, but as long as they were already watching Isaiah, Joe and Rosalind volunteered to care for Gabriel too.

For Adam and Zona, it was a great reminder of their days as newlyweds. Adam held her hand at dinner and whispered in her ear. They got to visit with friends with no worry as to where their young and active son was and what he might be doing. Adam had remarked that it was wonderful to be able to go somewhere and not have sticky hands grabbing his hand or staining his wife’s dress.

Some guests wondered at Adam’s comments but parents understood even before Zona said anything. “Adam loves Gabriel, but I know what he means. Gabriel is so smart and so fast that he’s into things before you can even think that he might. I find chasing after our son can be exhausting on some days.”

“And usually Isaiah is right there with him making the mess even bigger. Those two boys are as close as brothers. I swear they know what the other is thinking. They seem to have a little bit of their own language too. There are words they say to each other that sound like gibberish, but they seem to know what they mean.” Adam liked that the two boys were so close especially as there were no other children on the Ponderosa. Neither of the boys would ever have the problem of loneliness that Adam had suffered as a child.

“Is Isaiah going to be as big as Hoss?” was the most common question asked. Adam had the same answer each time.

“Gabriel and Isaiah are the same size so I don’t think so. Isaiah was bigger when he was born, but now the two seem about the same although Gabriel is more slender.” People nodded at the answer satisfied for the time being. Adam knew that Hoss was relieved that Isaiah wasn’t noticeably bigger. Hoss had been teased a lot as a youngster and often more was expected of him as if he was older because he was so big. He didn’t want that for his son, and apparently, neither of them would have to bear it.

Hoss’ wife Bess had a grand time too. Instead of sitting in their home doing some sewing or reading that night after getting Isaiah into bed, she was meeting all sorts of people and greeting old friends too. Hoss tended a bit toward shyness at these get-togethers, but Ben Cartwright would never be accused of being shy. With Bess on his arm, he proudly made the round of the room greeting everyone and introducing Bess to those with whom she was not well acquainted. Then when the music started, Ben formally asked her to dance with him. He danced the first three dances with her until switching and dancing with Zona while Adam danced with Bess for a couple of dances. Then there were a succession of ladies who wanted to dance with the two men who were such graceful dancers that Zona and Bess sat down with a group of ladies to have some punch and talk before getting to dance with their handsome escorts again and again later. When nine o’clock arrived, the four of them had to head slowly toward home. With the darkness and the frozen road, they didn’t want anything to happen. There was plenty of moonlight, and the light snow on the ground reflected a lot of light. It did take them more than twice as long to make the ride as it normally did but it didn’t seem too bad as they sang carols for much of the trip. Once they arrived at their home, Ben and Adam escorted the ladies into the house before going to take care of the team. What they saw when they entered made them all stop and stare.

The blanket was over the game table so they knew that the boys had built the tent they liked to build every time they got to play with Joe. The big rug was centered in the middle of the room with anything breakable moved well away so they knew that Joe had been wrestling with the boys, but it was the appearance of Joe and Rosalind that stopped all movement and conversation. Rosalind had two perfectly shaped handprints on her face with one adorning each cheek. Joe had a red nose.

“The boys are both asleep upstairs, and they’re fine. We tried a little painting. Don’t worry. We were in the kitchen, and we had Hop Sing’s permission. He even helped us make the paint for them to use. It was just vegetable paints, but I had no idea that the red made from beets would be so permanent although Hop Sing did warn me.” Rosalind held out her hands then to show they were quite red as well.

“But how did it get on your face?” Zona was mortified thinking it was probably her son that had done it because of the shape of the handprints.

“Well, you know how Gabriel likes to grab your cheeks when he gives you a kiss. Well, he wanted to give me a kiss because he was so happy to be painting, and I forgot he did that. By the time he did it, it was too late to stop it so I kissed him and got him back to painting. Oh, we did give the boys a bath before bedtime, and Hop Sing thinks he can come up with something tomorrow to get rid of the red stains.”

Bess had the next question. “So our sons have red hands?”

“Ah, temporarily, yes.” Rosalind was so worried and getting near tears. Joe stood by her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. Seeing Joe with his red nose wrapping his red hand around his wife with the handprints on her cheeks was all that any of the four could take. They began laughing so hard they had to walk outside so they wouldn’t wake the boys.

“Well, they took that pretty well. As soon as they stop laughing, we can tell them the rest.”

“No, they can find out the rest tomorrow.” Rosalind was a little hurt that they were laughing so hard. Joe looked at her and grinned. “Why are you grinning?”

“If we came home and saw one of them looking like we look, we’d be laughing just as hard and probably would have done it sooner.” Joe looked at her a bit longer until she began laughing too.

“I suppose it would be a good idea to warn them about Hop Sing and his war paint before they see him at breakfast and say something rude.”

Chapter 3

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was on their best behavior especially in not commenting on the red stained streaks still adorning Hop Sing’s face. Hop Sing served breakfast with a smile though. He enjoyed Rosalind’s help in the kitchen. She could be quiet and work for a long time without instruction. Hop Sing appreciated that she did not need to be directed to do things and that she did not require him to entertain her. It was much more pleasant in the kitchen for him with Rosalind’s presence.

In one of their discussions, Hop Sing had told her that he didn’t remember the date of his birthday but he knew the year. He was born in the Year of the Metal Horse. Doing some basic math and using Hop Sing’s information on the Chinese calendar years, Rosalind was able to determine that Hop Sing had been born in 1810. She had to chuckle when Hop Sing described the characteristics of the Metal Horse.

“Metal Horse strong of will and very nice and very smart. The Horse wants do things his way because he wants only best. Metal Horse move people his way, and the Metal Horse most bold of all Horses.”

“Hop Sing, that is a wonderful description of you. You are the perfect example of a Metal Horse.” That made Hop Sing smile. He knew he smiled a lot when Rosalind was in the kitchen. He didn’t know what year she was born but knew it had to be the year of the Tiger or of the Dog for those were the natural friends and allies of the Horse.

As Hop Sing worked in the kitchen on a solution to fade the red stains, Adam was in the great room working on a song. He had written it a few weeks before but needed to sing it to get it just right. It was a lullaby to the baby Jesus, but of course, it could be sung to any child who needed soothing. It was a very pleasing song and everyone found themselves humming it by day’s end as it wormed itself into their brains and wouldn’t go away. The verses were simple and the chorus was mostly humming of sounds. Gabriel and Isaiah sat entranced as Adam sang it, and Zona touched Bess on the arm after about an hour because both boys were noticeably getting drowsy listening. Bess was planning to spend the day working on some sewing projects with Zona so the boys were going to nap together. It seemed that was a good time to let them have a morning nap.

Ben had come out to sit in his leather chair as he looked over the contracts Adam had signed for the Ponderosa. He knew he would have to sit down with Joe and Hoss to create a work schedule to fulfill the contracts, but there were no penalties in any of the contracts. Ben wondered how Adam managed to do that so often. Ben had been forced on numerous occasions to accept penalty clauses, but somehow Adam maneuvered around that with some ease. It was a good situation with Adam handling most of the negotiations. He didn’t lose his cool when contract negotiations became heated. Ben assumed that was how Adam had acquired so many businesses and so much wealth while he was away. He was glad to have him back and working his magic with the Ponderosa business interests. Ben was also glad that Zona valued family so much. He knew that she would not want to live anywhere else. Between the demands of negotiations and the desire to keep his wife happy, Adam was fully engaged again in building the Ponderosa. Adam saw him smiling and had to ask why.

“I’m so happy to have all the family here. I have two grandsons and three lovely daughters. A few years ago, I wasn’t thinking that would ever be true. Tomorrow when you put up the tree, we can celebrate family, and we’ll be able to do that every year.”

“Joe talking about building a house hasn’t bothered you then?”

“No, he needs his own place. And his plan is to build about as far away as Hoss. Far enough away to have some privacy but close enough to share time with the family. It has worked out very well for Hoss and Bess.”

“I’ve been drawing up some plans for them. He wants a more modern looking home than this one or Hoss’ house. It’s been more of challenge to make it modern but have it fit the setting too.”

“Well, I know how you like a challenge.” Ben grinned as Adam nodded. It was good that he would have an activity like that over the winter.

“Every time I show them any preliminary drawings, Rosalind has some new ideas of things to include. I think she’s trying to keep me busy on this for a while.”

“She may be, son. She has certainly taken an interest in everyone in the family. I really like that girl. She’s a good match for Joe.” What both of them left unsaid was that Sheena had not been a good match for Joe, and although neither would have ever wished harm on her, Rosalind was a much more desirable addition to the family.

“Are any of Rosalind’s family coming over for Christmas this year?”

“We’ve invited the whole family for the day after Christmas. The holiday will be three days instead of two this year.”

“How has Hop Sing reacted to that news?”

“Well, I promised him a double bonus, but I don’t think he actually minded at all. He likes Rosalind a great deal. She’s almost like a daughter to him.”

“Yes, who else could have gotten him to mix paints for two little boys to use and in his kitchen no less.”

“That was a lovely song you were singing. Will we get to sing it with you on Christmas Eve?”

“Yes, that was my plan. Now that you have all heard it, do you think that everyone would like to sing it with me?”

“Oh, Adam, we would all be very happy to sing that song with you. It exemplifies the season so well. The ladies sing too especially Rosalind. She’s heading into town for choir practice later. Joe says that she had a beautiful voice.”

“She never really sings around here.”

“Joe told me that she prefers singing in a group. She’s too nervous to sing alone.”

“Perhaps she would like to do it as a duet with me.”

“That’s a grand idea. Why don’t you ask her if she’ll do that for the family? We are a very appreciative and supportive audience.”

Adam agreed to do that as someone was taking in the whole conversation, and another plan was hatched.

Chapter 4

Christmas Eve was a whirlwind of activity with getting the tree and greens, decorating the house, icing cookies, and preparing the house inside and out for guests as well as for the family celebration. Two toddlers decided they ought to help so Joe was given the task of using the wooden and cloth ornaments to decorate the lowest tier of the tree and as high as the boys could reach. That solved two problems. It kept the two busy, and it meant they couldn’t reach any of the more delicate ornaments that were placed higher on the tree. Joe tried to tell them the story about Santa Claus but that didn’t go well. Isaiah was scared of the idea of a strange man on the roof sneaking down their chimney while they slept. Gabriel was more practical.

“Unca Joe, Santa can’t come down the chiminy.”

“Gabe, why not?” The ‘Gabe’ got a scowl from both Adam and Zona. Joe shrugged and smiled. He knew they didn’t want that nickname applied to their son unless he chose it when he was older. Meanwhile though he gave his full attention to Gabriel’s answer to his question.

“He’s gonna burn his butt.” Joe began to giggle and soon all three were giggling as they decorated the tree.

But Adam sighed deeply as Zona chuckled. Gabriel seemed to be picking up Hoss’ way of talking. It was simpler than his father’s way of speaking, and it was the way Isaiah was learning to talk. “He’s going to sound like a ranch hand when he goes to school.”

“You can teach him grammar and pronunciation when he’s older. For now, he and Isaiah are learning together. You want them to be close, don’t you? Well this is another way for that to happen. Gabriel already talks more than Isaiah. It’s better that they learn together. They can help each other.”

Christmas was on a Sunday so the whole family bundled up to attend church services after gifts were opened that morning. When everyone thought all the gifts were opened and it was time to leave, Rosalind had handed a small box to Hoss. He opened it to find three small perfume bottles with oil cloth teats attached. He looked up in consternation trying mightily to understand what the significance was for those three items. Just about the time it all made sense to him and to the others who had seen him lift the bottles out of the box, Joe walked in the front door with a basket filled with three healthy kittens.

“You’re going to have to take them to your house. You know Pa won’t let us keep cats in the house here.”

Nearly overcome with emotion, Hoss took the basket onto his lap and petted his three little charges. The two boys were soon there petting them as Hoss instructed but with nervous mothers standing by to make sure the boys were gentle. Hoss looked at Rosalind. “You did this? You saved them for me?”

“I had some help. I couldn’t have done it without Joe stepping in to help me.”

“It’s the best Christmas present I could imagine getting this year. Thank you.”

As Hoss continued to play with the kittens with the boys’ help, Rosalind brought out three large squares of cloth. She handed one to Ben who sat in amazement looking at the two sets of handprints in red surrounding a sketch of him in his red leather chair with the two boys standing at the side. “Oh, my dear, how did you do this? I mean the drawing? This is a treasure I will keep forever.”

“I asked Adam to draw the sketch for me. I told him it was going into a quilt I was making. It is, but I’ll need Zona and Bess to help. I never made a quilt before. I thought we could put that in the center, and then add others when there are others.” Rosalind then handed a square of cloth to each of her sisters-in-law. They each had a set of red handprints of Gabriel and Isaiah. “I thought with the way you ladies sew, you might want to make a pillow using that. There was a plan behind that crazy night of painting. Joe and Hop Sing helped or I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Zona and Bess hugged Rosalind then. Ben had a question. “Joe helped with all of this? Does that mean he doesn’t get a gift?”

“Oh, no, I told Joe about his gift earlier when we had some time to ourselves.” Joe was beaming so it didn’t take long for anyone to guess. There were congratulations all around at the news that they were expecting a child. Then they had packed up the family and headed off to church. Everyone had something for which to be thankful so the singing on the way to town was very enthusiastic.

Ben had noted that everyone except Adam and Hop Sing had gotten something from Rosalind. He wondered what she had in mind for the two of them because he knew she would never forget those two men. There was a temporary pastor in place because the regular minister had taken a month to go visit some relatives who needed help. The pastor wasn’t sure how things were done in this church so he had agreed to an unusual request from the women’s choir. They wanted to sing an original work as a postlude to the Christmas service. The pastor stood up to announce it at the end of the service.

“I’m new here, and I hope that this does not offend anyone, but our ladies have asked to sing an original work for the postlude. It was written by a local man, Adam Cartwright, and the ladies are debuting the work today.”

First Adam was in shock, then a bit angry that he had not been asked, and then he was very pleased as the women did a marvelous job singing the lullaby and bringing tears to many as they listened to the song. By the end, the congregation, who had not moved from their seats, joined in the singing. Finally, something happened that the minister had never heard in a church. There was applause. Adam got a lot of congratulations on the song, and the choir received accolades for their performance. Everyone left the church happy, and the Cartwrights were very proud. Adam walked up to Rosalind as the family trooped to the sleigh and the horses.

“Thank you. I would never have done that myself, letting someone publicly perform my song. I’m very grateful that you did that for me.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek then whispering in her ear. “If you ever do anything like that again, I’ll take you over my knee and spank you.” He had a smile when he pulled away so Rosalind thought he was kidding. She hoped he was, but you never knew with Adam. She would remember what he said. When she asked Joe about it later, he had the same opinion she did. Adam might have been kidding, but maybe he wasn’t.

Once the family got home, Ben had to ask because he had seen no evidence to give him his answer. “What did you do for Hop Sing? I know you wouldn’t have forgotten him.”

Rosalind took Ben into the kitchen. Painted in red over the doorways were Chinese symbols for luck and a long future. There was a sketch of a Metal Horse framed over the workspace next to the stove. Hop Sing was a little nervous until Ben smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Hop Sing. Perhaps when you have some time, the two of us can share a cup of tea, and you can tell me what all of those mean.”

Hop Sing agreed with a grin. He would be very pleased to do that. At dinner, Ben had his final question for Rosalind.

“What gave you the idea to do these things for us this Christmas?”

“I asked Joe what I should get for everyone for Christmas. He said he didn’t know because we all have so much. He said that sometimes the best presents he had gotten were not ones that could be bought and wrapped and left beneath the tree. The best ones had come from the heart. So that’s what I tried to do. I tried to touch your hearts.”

“My dear, you did just that.” Ben raised his glass to toast his daughter-in-law. “Merry Christmas, one and all, and a special thank you to the Santa in our midst who secretly worked her magic and brought joy to our hearts.”