Summary:  The third Adam and Leah story. Ben wants to drive cattle to Salt Lake City, but Adam and Hoss object creating some tension in the family. Adam is working hard at building a house and trying to keep up with his ranch duties. Meanwhile Leah is facing some unpleasantness with women in town who are talking about her unfavorably.

Rating = T    WC  29,984

Leah Series:

One Step at a Time
One Step Back
One Plus One
Guilt Trap

One Plus One

Chapter 1

“Adam, why do you think I’m not with child yet? It’s been eight months. I’m glad it didn’t happen right away because it gave us time to get to know each other better, but by now, I thought I would be.”

Snuggling in close to his wife, Adam pulled Leah into his embrace as he murmured into her hair. “It will happen when it happens. All we can do is keep trying, and we’ll be blessed with a child if that’s what happens.”

“If that happens? Don’t you want to have children?” Each time Leah brought up this subject, she had the feeling that Adam didn’t want to have children, but he would never admit it if he was thinking that.

“It’s not that I don’t want a child, but I’m happy with just the two of us. I’m very tired now. Can we get some sleep?” Adam had spent the day working on the ranch and then the evening working on their new house. He was doing that every day except Saturdays when he spent most of the day working on the house. Leah’s brother Lem was in San Francisco wrapping up his business there, packing his things, and preparing to move to Virginia City. He was going to be living with Adam and Leah so Adam needed to get the house ready. He had already secured a small building just outside Virginia City that Lem could use as an office for his medical practice and had workmen remodeling it so that it could be used as a surgical and medical facility. Whenever he could, he was there to supervise what was being done. Every night, he was exhausted, and he wasn’t ready to engage in a long conversation.

“We haven’t even been trying this week because you’re too tired.”

Rising up on one elbow, Adam looked down at his wife and could see her eyes glistening in the moonlight that was very bright that night. He leaned down and kissed her softly. “That is something I can remedy, but I should shave first.”

“No, you’re too tired. For the shave, that is. I love you so much. I don’t mean to be so demanding.”

“Sweetheart, this is one demand you can make as often as you wish.”

Any more commentary or questions that Leah had were lost as Adam began to caress and kiss her. She felt the rasping of his beard against her, but it was rather titillating to have her husband make love to her that way. The extra stimulation soon had her asking for more. After nearly a week without lovemaking, both were soon at their peak and then collapsed together. After some soft kissing and touching, Leah settled into a spoon position with Adam as they fell asleep. In the morning, she regretted not allowing Adam to shave. She had a number of pink patches of skin that itched. Adam helped her apply some salve which relieved the itching, but the pinkness remained. Although it was only visible along one line of her jaw, both of them knew that Hoss and especially Joe were likely to say something. They didn’t have to wait long.

As soon as they left their bedroom, they met Joe in the hallway. Adam has slept later than usual, and now had to face the whole family who would know exactly what he and Leah had been doing the night before. It was obvious of course that a married couple would be making love in their bedroom, but Adam preferred that his family know that in the abstract and not specifically when it was happening. The close proximity of Joe’s bedroom however meant that was seldom the situation.

“You know, Adam, maybe you ought to listen to her when she says ‘More’ because it could mean she wants you to shave more. Good morning, Leah. You are certainly looking in the pink this morning.”

Joe got a scowl from Adam and a blush from Leah. He was satisfied with that and hurried down the stairs before Adam could retort. At the dining table, it was clear from the looks Leah got that both Ben and Hoss noticed the whisker burn, but at least the two of them were polite enough not to say anything. It was Saturday so once Adam completed his chores, he would be going to town to inspect the medical office and then would spend the day working on his new house. Hoss offered to help.

“Son, that’s a good idea. We could all work there today as long as Adam has enough work for all of us. Maybe we could take Monday and Tuesday as well to work on the house.”

Adam was pleased with that offer but was also a bit suspicious. His father had expressed regret that Adam and Leah planned on living in their own house, so his sudden interest in completing that house made Adam wonder at the motivation. “Is something in the works that you want to help me finish that house?”

“Well, you know we are about to start the fall round-up, and then we’ll have our drive to get the herds culled for the winter.”

“Yes, but that happens every year. I’ll still have time over the next two months to finish enough of the house that I can have it ready by the time Lem gets here in November.”

“Maybe not. I got a wire from some businessmen in Salt Lake City. They’ve had very large numbers of people moving through there recently and that with the weather we had this past winter and the dry conditions this year, and they’re short of beef.”

“Pa, you’re not seriously considering a drive there? Our cattle are stressed already with the dry conditions and the poor condition of our pastures. If we drive them to California, we can fatten them up in those mountain valleys where the grass is better. If we don’t rush, we can still have them across the mountains in three weeks.”

“Yes, and we could have a herd in Salt Lake City in four weeks.”

“If any of them survive, we could. Pa, it’s just as dry that way, and we don’t even know if the rivers that flow into the sink even have any water in them. We could lose so many head that we wouldn’t make any profit at all.”

Ben was getting angry at Adam’s reaction to his plan. Joe had heard him out and liked the idea because of the much larger profits he could envision. Hoss had remained silent, and Ben had taken that to mean that he accepted the idea too. “I understand we could lose a few, but we could sell more and at a higher price than we could get in California. We need money to invest in the Ponderosa, and this is a better option.”

“In your opinion.”

“Yes, in my opinion, and I still make the final decisions around here. Your brothers don’t seem to have any problem with my plan. We’ll round up more cattle than usual because Hoss thinks we can get the rest through the winter better if we do. Then when we get them to Salt Lake City, we’ll get nearly twice as much per cow. That’s the plan we’re going to follow.”

“You won’t even consider my objections?”

“I have considered them. In fact, I thought about all of them before I decided. I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a problem. I’ve been over that route before. It’s not that bad.”

“You’ve never been over that route during a drought. We have no idea what to expect.”

“And I’ve already planned for that. You and Hoss will scout ahead for us and map a route for us to follow. We’ll have one of you at least a day’s ride ahead of the herd at all times. One will report back as the other rides forward. Then the next day you can rendezvous, and the other can ride ahead. As scouts, you’ll easily be able to stay well ahead of the herd and let us know where we can find water.”

“If there’s any water to be found.”

“Maybe you’ve been working too hard, and that’s made you very surly, but I do expect more cooperation once we start this operation.”

Dropping his head into his hands, Adam rubbed his forehead. It was not a concession to his father’s ideas, but it was a sign that he would argue no more at that time. Ben was wise enough not to try to force the issue any further, but he was disappointed. Hoss and Joe had wisely stayed out of the interchange between their father and his oldest son. Leah had gotten quite an education though. She had witnessed some disagreements between father and son before, and Adam had told her of some of their monumental battles, but this type of conversation was not one she had ever witnessed before that morning. Ben had asserted his authority to make the decision, and he had dismissed Adam’s concerns. He had planned the whole thing without consulting his oldest son probably because he knew that Adam would object. Leah didn’t have to talk with Adam to know how he felt about this situation. The rest of the breakfast was very quiet. There was one parting salvo though as Adam prepared to leave.

“Well, do you want us to help you with the house?” Ben realized Adam had never answered that question.

“Do whatever you want to do. It doesn’t seem to matter what I want.”

Grabbing his hat and gunbelt, Adam left without another word, but what he had said was enough. Leah could see Ben’s face get red. She hurried after Adam to see if he wanted her company for the ride to town, but she realized as she followed him to the stable that she should just ask if she could please ride along. Otherwise, he would probably want to be alone to brood about what had happened that morning. His reaction to her request confirmed her suspicions. He nodded but without a smile that she would normally get for asking to ride with him.

“I’ll hitch up the carriage so you’ll be more comfortable, and if you buy anything, we’ll have room.”

“What makes you think I’ll buy anything?”

“Because we have a list of things we need for the house, and it makes sense to get some while we’re in town. I assumed that was why you wanted to come along with me.”

“Perhaps I just wanted a chance to spend some time with you.”

“And perhaps you wanted to talk with me after what just happened in there. I’m not in a mood to talk about it, so it could be rather a quiet ride to town.”

“I still get to be with you, and that’s what matters most to me. I need to get a jacket, and I’ll see if Hop Sing has some food for us.”

“Get the jacket, but how about if we go to the new pastry shop in town and get something there. I’ve been meaning to try their pastry, and this would be a good opportunity.”

Leah smiled and nodded. She knew that Adam was trying to get out from under that dark mood, and he would talk with her when he was ready. She nearly skipped to the house but had to curb her enthusiasm when she heard Hoss and Ben having a similar talk to the one between Adam and Ben at breakfast. It wasn’t heated, but she could tell that her father-in-law was frustrated. Joe joined in the conversation only a little, but it was clear he backed his father’s position. Leah wasn’t sure why he was doing that, but apparently it made him uncomfortable to go against the things that Hoss was saying that were echoing Adam’s objections.

“Pa, I know you and Adam got to arguing more than talking, and I don’t want to do that, but he had some real concerns. I do too. He didn’t even mention what could happen if we can’t find water, and you must know that’s a possibility.”

“Yes, but then we would move the herd further to the west.”

“Then we’d take a lot longer getting them to market, and we’d be risking more injuries and such on those steep slopes. It would be a lot easier to take em to California.”

“Yes, it would be easier and faster, but I’m looking at the bottom line. We’ve spent a lot of money adding land and improvements to the Ponderosa in the last two years. We need more cash to remain solvent.”

“Then how about we take more cattle to California? We could make more money that way without the big risks.”

“Maybe, but then we would deplete our herds here and make it more difficult next year. What I’m proposing resolves those issues better.”

Unable to formulate any more arguments against the idea, Hoss could only nod. Ben took that as his approval but as Leah turned at the top of the stairs and looked back, she could see the worried look he had. She needed to find out from Adam more about the reasons he didn’t like the route to Salt Lake City.

Chapter 2

As Adam drove the carriage, he stared straight ahead noting his surroundings but not saying anything. Leah slid one arm around his right arm and sat beside him as quiet as he was. It was a little chilly riding so she leaned against him after a short time enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. He slowed for a short time to reach behind him and pull a blanket from the back seat with his left arm as he held the reins in his right hand. Leah took it from him and spread it over their legs up to their waists and then slowly smoothed it out before wrapping her arm around his again and leaning against him. She felt him turn a bit toward her so she looked up and was gifted with one of his full dimple grins.

“You are special, sweetheart. You know just what to do.”

“All I did was smooth out the blanket and make sure we were well covered.”

“Exactly.” Adam smiled again and concentrated on driving the team, but Leah could feel that he had relaxed. When they were nearing town, Adam pulled the carriage to a halt. Leah looked at him wondering if there was something wrong and frowned a bit to see him smiling.

“Why did you stop?”

Leah got her answer but not in words. Adam wrapped his arms around her kissing her passionately. She felt his love as well as his need, and she kissed him just as passionately. When Adam broke the kiss, he didn’t break the embrace. He pressed his head against the side of her head and whispered in her ear.

“You are wonderful. You never demand what I cannot give. You never push me when you know I shouldn’t be pushed. You’re patient and understanding when I get upset. I am so very lucky to have found you. There is no woman in the world like you. You are my most rare and precious gem. I am a wealthy man to have a such valuable treasure as my wife. I can only hope that you will always love me despite my many flaws.”

“When you talk like that, I cannot think that you have any flaws. You are my perfect husband. I love you so much. Perhaps we could skip going to town and just spend this day together?” Leah finished her question leaning back from her husband with a coquettish look that had Adam smiling even more.

“I wish we could, but even though we will be together today, I’m afraid there won’t be the opportunity to be together like that. Although, I do think there will certainly be opportunities to do this.” Adam pulled her into a kiss again and teased her lips apart for his tongue although it took very little teasing for her to yield to that. He pulled away after less than a minute though. “If I kiss you any more here, I won’t be able to get out of the carriage when we get to town.”

“You see, we should follow my idea.”

Adam smiled and moved to snap the reins when he paused and looked at Leah. “When we get to your brother’s new office and go inside to check on the work that’s been done this week, bring the blanket.” He turned to the horses then and snapped the reins. He knew he had just shocked Leah into silence and wondered how long it would be before she had an answer ready for him. It didn’t take long.

“Yes, we should see if the surgical tables and patient beds have been delivered and set up properly.” She settled against his side once again and smiled. She knew about what he would be thinking for the rest of the ride, and smiled even more when she realized they were going much faster than they had been going earlier. Apparently Adam had something urgent on his mind.

The inspection of the building being remodeled to be Lem’s medical offices took far longer than Adam had planned when he first decided on his itinerary for the day, but he was much more relaxed by the time they were done. Leah straightened her clothing and asked Adam to inspect her dress and hair to make sure there were no telltale signs of what they had been doing. Once sure that she was presentable, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and pulled her list from her pocket. Adam groaned a little at the length of the list.

“Sweetheart, I’ll drop you at the store and then run my other errands. We can’t do everything together and still get out of town by noon.”

“I don’t mind. It will give me more time to pick out the things I want for the new house. It’s a good plan.”

Adam stopped the carriage in front of the general store and hopped out to help Leah from the carriage. He looked at her list and at the carriage with a raised eyebrow. “Remember how big the carriage is and limit your buying enough that I can fit it all in there when I get back.”

“How much space will you need?”

“I only need the space for the building supplies that are on that list: a box of roofing nails, about twenty sheets of glasspaper, a roll of tarpaper, and a can of tar. The rest of the space is yours.”

With a smile, Leah turned to go into the store before turning back to wave goodbye to Adam who smiled and shook his head before getting back into the carriage to complete his other errands. In the store, Patricia smiled too because there was something she had wanted to do for a very long time, but Leah had always had Adam by her side whenever she was in town. This time, Leah was alone and Patricia and her friends were in the store where they could carry out their plan. They began to talk loudly enough so that Leah could hear without making it obvious that they wanted to be overheard. They also acted as if they were so busy that they didn’t see who had entered the store.

Patricia started the little play they had concocted over months of discussing Leah.

“Melanie, now why would he be so interested in her? She’s so plain looking. He could have had any pretty woman he wanted. It makes you wonder how she got him. Maybe while she was nursing him, she did more than a lady ought to do so that he felt he had to do the honorable thing and marry her.”

“Well, Patricia, if she did do anything like that, it must have stopped with the wedding. They’ve been married a long time and she’s not showing at all. She’s still wearing the dresses he bought for her. If she was with child, she would be wearing wrap dresses by now, don’t you think?”

“Well, I think both of you may have it wrong. She was his nurse, and I’ve heard stories about men being so grateful to a nurse that they married them only to realize later that they didn’t love them. If anyone is holding back, it must be him. Why, you know he could still have any pretty woman he wanted. I bet that as a rancher, he must be out of the house a lot and I’ve seen him in town here a number of times. He could be, ah, romancing any number of pretty ladies.”

“Ardis, you are so wicked, but you’re probably right. A man like Adam isn’t going to be satisfied with only one woman, especially a frump like her.”

“Patricia, what’s a frump?”

“Oh, you know. It’s someone who’s dull, drab, and dowdy.”

The three ladies laughed and went to the counter with their selections. After paying, they exited the store without a backwards glance although all three were anxious to see the effect they had on Leah. She had held up well though. As the ladies left, Mr. Cass came back with the items that Leah had said Adam needed. He was surprised at seeing tears in her eyes.

“Mrs. Cartwright, are you all right?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. I must have just gotten something in my eye. I’ll be fine. I need to look over your dishes and pans.”

Mr. Cass spent the next few minutes showing Leah the latest arrivals some of which were still in cases. He noted that she was rather unenthusiastic even with some of the beautiful items he was showing to her. She said she would be back to make a decision when the time was closer to them moving into their new house.

“Mrs. Cartwright, if you like any of these, I could set them aside in the backroom. You could pick them up at your leisure then. I doubt I will be getting in any more until spring. The cost of shipping them in the winter months is too high.”

“All, right then, I do like the blue and white dishes. I think Adam would like them too. And the set of pots and pans that you have in that crate should be all that we need too. Adam has ordered some blue and white tiles for decoration in the dining room so the dishes would be a match for that.”

“I’ll set them aside for you. Whenever I see something that I think would work well with those, I’ll set them aside until the next time you get to town. Then you can tell me whether you want them or not. Did you see the new bolts of cloth I got in? Based on what you’ve told me, some may be what you want for curtains in your dining room. When my daughter gets back in a few minutes, she can show you those if you have time.”

“If it’s soon, I have the time. Adam is running some errands and will meet me here when he’s done.”

Realizing who had been in the store when he left to get Adam’s items, Mr. Cass spoke quietly to Leah. “If those gossipy old maids said anything to upset you, don’t let it bother you. They’ve been complaining since you got married that Adam would have married one of them if not for you. Now I know that’s not true, and so does everyone else in town. Adam would never have wanted any of them. He wanted you, and I can tell why. I can tell he loves you very much. Now, here comes Sally. She can help you with the cloth and measure and cut any that you want.”

By the time that Adam got back to the store, Sally had cut yards of cloth for Leah and was wrapping it in brown paper along with matching thread and packets of needles. Adam looked at the packages and was quite surprised.

“That’s it? I thought you would have a stack of purchases to load up and bring to the house.”

“I did pick out some dishes and pots and pans, but Mr. Cass was gracious enough to say he could keep them in his backroom until the house is ready.”

“Well, you won’t have to wait that long. As soon as I can, I’m going to finish the roof and tarpaper the window openings. That way it will be dry inside so I can get to work on what needs to be done inside, but it also means that you could have boxes or crates of items delivered. That way when I finish a room, you could get to work adding your touch.”

“I’m going to make blue and white curtains for the dining room and the kitchen.”

“Good, then those are the first two rooms I’ll finish. Did you ask when our windows are arriving?”

Overhearing that, Mr. Cass answered. “About a week yet before they get here. I’ll have them delivered to your home site when they get here if you want.”

“That would be wonderful. When the windows go in, it will look more like a home. Now, could you help me load up these supplies? Leah and I need to get going to the house. My father and brothers were going there to help, and I want to get there before irreparable damage has been done.”

The words sounded serious, but Adam was grinning as he said them so Leah knew he had recovered his good mood. She hoped that he and Ben wouldn’t get into another argument about the drive. She thought that father and son were so alike it caused conflict. Ben liked being in charge but so did Adam. When Leah and Adam got in the carriage, Adam turned to her.

“When I left you here an hour ago, you were very happy. Now you seem rather melancholy.” He reached up to touch her cheek and turn her face toward his. “What happened?”

Leah didn’t want to say, but that gentle touch and the equally gentle question made her tell him. He leaned forward and kissed her softly not caring who saw him and rather hoping the three cruel gossips were watching. They were, and were very disappointed when they saw Adam’s reaction to his wife’s sadness. He pulled the blanket back over their legs for the drive, and then he wrapped an arm around Leah pulling her close to him as he slowly drove the carriage down the main street. He was sure that many people saw him. He smiled and nodded to everyone who made eye contact.

Watching the carriage disappear as it went around a corner, Ardis turned to Patricia and Melanie. “Maybe he does love her. It certainly looked like it there.”

“He doesn’t, I tell you. She’s bewitched him, and something needs to be done about her.”

Melanie had doubts too, and as Patricia continued to stare in the direction that Adam and Leah had gone, Melanie raised her eyebrows when looking at Ardis who nodded. They were done with this cruel game. Patricia had talked them into it, and now both wondered how they had let that happen. Once Patricia left to go home, the two of them talked.

“Ardis, after what we did, there’s only one thing we can do. We need to go out to the Ponderosa and apologize.”

“Why can’t we wait until she comes to town again?”

“Well, that would mean that all that hateful stuff that was said would be with her all that time. Besides, there are a lot of handsome single men on the Ponderosa. It wouldn’t hurt to let them know that we’re available and that we’re women of good character.”

Ardis smiled. Melanie was a whole lot smarter than Patricia.

Chapter 3

“Adam, am I plain or pretty?”

“Leah, you are my beautiful gem. I’ve told you that over and over. Don’t you believe me?”

“It’s just that, in the War, they told me I was plain. Then those women called me a frump. That’s a plain, dull person. Is that me?”

“First of all, you need to remember that those women were trying to hurt you. Next, you need to know yourself not rely on someone’s opinion of yourself. You are anything but dull. You are a great conversationalist, a wonderful companion at any time, and I love to be with you.”

“They said you could have had any pretty woman you wanted.”

“Maybe, but what of happiness? A pretty face is scenery. I wanted a lot more than that in the woman I chose to marry. That’s another thing. I wanted the woman I married to be one of my own choosing, and that I would be her choice because she loved me. I didn’t want to marry someone who was more impressed with my wallet than me.”

“You think women like that were after your wealth?”

“Of course I do. They don’t know me and have never had a conversation about anything of substance with me. I seriously doubt that Patricia could hold her own in a conversation with a drunken cowboy on a Saturday night. She has the depth and substance of a mirage in the desert. It’s pretty and promising, but when you get there, it’s nothing except fine particles of dirt so dry they suck the life out of you leaving you a dessicated shell.”

“If you said that to her, she probably wouldn’t understand.”

Adam looked at Leah then, and when she looked up at him, they both burst into laughter. For the rest of the trip, they talked about their house and what they wanted to do with it. When they got to the building site, Buck, Cochise, and Chubb were grazing in some pasture to the side of the new house construction. Adam pulled up in front and helped Leah from the carriage. She wanted to go inside immediately and see the changes Adam had made in a week. She was most impressed that the roof structure was in place. All it needed were shingles and the house could be dry although with the lack of rain that summer, that wasn’t much of a problem.

Adam carried in the building supplies he had brought from town. Joe and his father were busy framing in windows with the wood he had cut and left for that purpose. Hoss was mortaring more stones into one of the two large fireplaces Adam had designed into the structure. One was to provide heat to the dining room as well as heat the great room from one end. The other fireplace provided heat at the other end of the great room. Behind each fireplace were two bedrooms, two on the ground floor and two upstairs. The fireplaces would provide radiant heat for those rooms too. Adam wasn’t planning on finishing the upper two rooms until after they moved into the house. He would have lots of time over the winter to do finishing work. Hop Sing had sent along a big lunch which they shared. Then Ben asked Adam if they could talk privately. With a slight sigh, Adam agreed. He and his father walked outside to a small grove of trees not far from the house. When they got there, Adam leaned against one of the trees and waited.

“I didn’t handle that conversation with you very well this morning. In fact, I did a very poor job of it. I guess that I assumed you would object and I was mad before you even said a word. I didn’t listen to you because I assumed that I already knew what you were going to say.”

“I understand that, but what’s the point of going over it all again? You’ve made up your mind, and you’re not likely to change it.”

“That’s true, but I wanted you to better understand how I reached that conclusion, and I want to apologize for not including you in the process. I know why I didn’t. I knew you would have objections. I understand them, but I wanted to tell you why I had to decide a different way.” Adam waited silently. “We’re in a bit of financial trouble. The timber operations are not showing much of a profit this year. With the lack of snow last winter, we cut a lot, but now with the streams low or dry, it’s costing us more time and money to haul the logs out. What looked very promising didn’t pan out. Now we need a large infusion of cash to pay on our loans and have money for the winter. If we can get a larger herd to Salt Lake City, we can take care of all of that. The price will bring in so much more money than the price in California, that even with larger losses, we’ll come out ahead. That is, we will if you and Hoss can map a route that keeps us near water at all times. I know it’s a very big risk, but the reward for success will be great. Even if we lose quite a few, we’ll still make as much as a drive to California would net.”

“Did you talk to Hoss about this before this morning?”

Ben hung his head. “No, I only talked to Joe. I knew that the huge profits and making him ramrod would get his approval. Hoss talked to me after you left this morning. I had to admit to him that I wanted to lay it all out for the two of you as a final plan because I knew both of you would object and for similar reasons. It was a cowardly way to approach it, and I am very sorry.”

“Can we at least agree that you will not sign for any more loans without consulting us, and that you will never use the Ponderosa as collateral against a loan in the future?”

“But what else can I do?”

A bit exasperated, Adam sighed deeply before responding. “We need to organize the Ponderosa as a business. We should have it set up in a more modern way. With the way banks are acting like vultures all over the west setting interest rates that are unreasonable and forcing landowners into defaulting on loans, we need to be better prepared for a situation like this. What would happen if they called the loan?”

“I know. I’ve worried about that. We don’t have enough cash reserves at the moment to meet that.”

“That’s what I mean. We should talk this over as a family and find a way to make sure we never are held over a barrel like this again where a bad decision is the only one we can make.”

“Does that mean you’ll agree to this drive and scouting for it?”

“Of course it does. I’ve never let my temper stop me from helping my family when they need it, but I’m very serious about the rest of it. I won’t keep being ignored on that point.”

Ben nodded in agreement. One worry he had been having for years was that Adam would get so unhappy on the Ponderosa that he would leave. Once Adam married Leah and began building this house for them, Ben had started to think Adam wouldn’t leave, but that last statement made it all very clear. Adam would accept his father’s authority but needed to be included in decision making too. He would not accept being treated as only an employee. Adam was the most capable of making his way in the world very well. It wasn’t that Hoss and Joe didn’t have great skills and talents, but those Adam possessed gave him a far wider range of interests and possibilities. Ben needed to remind himself of that and not let himself fall back into complacency. If he wanted Adam to stay, he needed to listen to him and accept some of his ideas. The two men walked back in companionable silence and had to laugh at the relieved looks they got once they re-entered the home.

As they worked that afternoon, Hoss and Adam were standing on a platform high above the great room floor placing the last stones into the second of the massive fireplaces. With some time to dry thoroughly, the fireplaces would be ready to use. As Adam saw his father head into the kitchen and not return, he looked to Hoss who had been expecting some conversation about the drive.

“Hoss, Pa said he and you talked about the drive after I left this morning. What do you think?”

“Bout the same as you, I reckon. I don’t think there’s enough water out that way, and we’ll lose too many head to make it as profitable as Pa says we need it to be. I understand what he says about the risk and reward thing. We’ve taken a lot of risks to build the ranch up into what it is, but this risk is too risky ifn you know what I mean.”

“We’re just guessing though. How about if we take a ride out that way to map a route? The first week or so is going to be the worst. If we can get to where there’s better grazing and likely more water, we shouldn’t have too much trouble the rest of the way.”

“You ask Pa about us doing that?”

“Not yet. I was thinking about it as I was working though. We could ride a lot of that trail and be back here before they finish the round-up.”

“Gets us out of doing the hard riding and branding too, but we’ll still be sleeping outside on the ground eating beans.”

“Yes, and I know where I would much rather be sleeping, but it can’t be helped either way.”

Hoss snickered. “When you reckon we should mention this to Pa?”

“Let’s think it through. He said he was willing to let us work on the house on Monday and Tuesday. Let’s think about it, and if we still agree on Tuesday, we’ll talk with him then.” Hoss agreed, and the two men got back to work.

By midafternoon, they had visitors. Adam looked out and frowned to see Ardis and Melanie climbing down from a carriage. He stepped outside and walked to them stopping them from getting any closer to the house. Both ladies looked embarrassed and looked down to the ground when he approached.

“After what happened in town, I find it very surprising that you show up here. I hope you’re not expecting to be welcomed because that isn’t going to happen.”

Ardis was able to face Adam even as Melanie shrank back a bit afraid of the tall and apparently angry man. “We said some mean things when we knew your wife could overhear. Patricia had convinced us that your wife was a gold digger and had tricked you into a marriage. Well, what we saw showed us that wasn’t true, and we are terribly embarrassed over our behavior. All that I can say is that when Patricia is talking that way so often, you start to believe what she believes. I know now how foolish that was. We came out here to beg your wife’s forgiveness.”

By that time, Leah was watching them from the door with the rest of the family standing with her. Adam crooked a finger at Leah to signal her to come to greet the ladies. It was clear that Leah was very angry with them, but because Adam had requested she join them, she did. Ardis repeated what she had told Adam and asked Leah if she could find it in her heart to forgive them. Melanie finally spoke asking too if she could be forgiven. Leah looked at Adam who shrugged. He was letting her make the decision. Adam was quickly evaluating the two women and decided that Ardis had some character and was reasonably intelligent. Melanie was as clueless as she was beautiful. It was a good thing she had switched her allegiance from Patricia to Ardis. She would do far better with Ardis as her best friend. Leah responded to the ladies by nodding her head and saying only a little.

“Yes, I forgive you. Now if you want to be friends, I’ve been working on some curtains inside. I could certainly use some help.”

Ardis smileded and began to walk to the house with Leah. Melanie hung back because she wasn’t sure she was included. Ardis turned around and crooked her finger to get Melanie to follow her. Adam had to grin watching Leah in action. She caught the grin and smiled back at him. Soon all of them were busy working on projects to finish the house. By late afternoon, Ardis said that she and Melanie should be getting back to town before it got dark.

“Well, you ladies shouldn’t be going alone. Hoss and I could ride with you and make sure you got back safely.” Hoss was surprised but pleased that Joe had included him. He liked Ardis and wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Joe had stared often at Melanie as the ladies worked in the kitchen where he and his father were finishing the window sills. Ardis agreed, and soon all four were on their way to town. Hoss yelled out that they shouldn’t worry if he and Joe were a little late getting back and not to hold dinner for them.

In the time that was left of daylight, Adam and Ben covered the downstairs window openings with tarpaper. It immediately felt warmer in the house without the wind blowing through. With two more days work, they would be able to shingle the roof and install doors. Before he left, Adam hoped to smooth the floor and apply a coat of varnish to seal the wood. It would be dried well by the time he got back. They would be able to put some rugs down then and their furniture likely would arrive by then too. He wished the windows would get here sooner so that he could install those but Mr. Cass had said another week. As the sun began to set, they packed away the tools and headed for home.

Chapter 4

“What do you mean you won’t be available for the round-up? Where will the two of you be if you’re not helping? This isn’t an acceptable time for you and Hoss to be off somewhere.”

“It is if we’re mapping the route for the drive. We thought we should go see where the water and grass is so we can better plan a route. That first week is going to be the toughest part as dry as it’s been. We’re hoping to find enough water and hopefully find that conditions further north are better. We can cover a lot of ground with the two of us.”

“Won’t Leah object to you being gone when you’re going to be gone on the drive for a month after that?”

Ben’s question was a concession, and Adam knew it. “I would be gone with the round-up too. We’ll be back for the traditional one night for planning and preparing. She knew what was coming. She’s got some work she wants to do at the new house to keep her busy while we’re gone.”

Adam and Leah had talked about the round-up and drive quite a bit on Monday night. Leah had a good idea what to expect even before they talked. She liked the plan that Adam and Hoss had concocted because it made a great deal of sense to her. She sat as quietly as Hoss as Ben listened to Adam during dinner on Tuesday. It was an important moment for the future of the family, and they all knew it except perhaps Joe. His questions though gave Ben more time to think.

“Adam, you and Hoss still plan to scout for the drive, don’t you?”

“Yes, but if we get the first week mapped out, we can range further north in our scouting. We should be able to let you and Pa know days in advance the direction you’ll be going and where the water and grass is best.”

“So you’re not planning to take the ramrod job?”

With the hint of a smile on his lips, Adam looked at Hoss who had that same kind of smile too. They had discussed this knowing how important it was to Joe. “No, it makes sense for me and Hoss to do the scouting. I’m more familiar with that territory than anyone else here, and Hoss knows signs and tracks better than anyone. The two of us are the logical ones to do the scouting.”

“It’s really great for us to work together like this, isn’t it?”

Adam and Hoss nodded and waited for their father to speak. “What you say makes sense. We could certainly plan the drive better with more information. You do that and we’ll have the herd at the border of the Ponderosa when you come back.”

There were no great sighs of relief that this had worked out well, but Leah noted how Adam’s shoulders dropped just a little and the smile that had been threatening a bit earlier showed up in full force once his father agreed to his plan. Hoss had the same look, and Joe just looked relieved that he was still ramrod. Third in line for that job, he had not expected the chance so soon and found the prospect very exciting.

After dinner, Joe and Hoss got into a checkers match as Adam and Leah did some reading and then retired early. Adam was always a little perturbed that his family would know what he was doing whenever that happened, but there was no way to avoid it as long as they lived in the same house.

“I’m looking forward to us having our own house, and if I want to be with you, I can carry you off to the bedroom and no one will notice.”

“Lem will be living with us.”

“Sweetheart, as much as Lem pays attention to what goes on around him, we could take a trip for a weekend, and I’m not sure he would notice.”

Chuckling Leah had to agree. Then Adam stepped close to her and pulled her into a tight embrace as he began kissing her neck and worked up to her cheek and lips and across her other cheek and neck until he was unbuttoning her dress and kissing more and more. Whenever he did that, all rational thought was gone, and all she could do was to react to the kissing. He was a patient and passionate lover who was gentle and yet insistent. She knew if she ever had to describe his lovemaking, she would be at a loss for words for how to describe it, but she could see how any woman would want to be in his bed. She smiled as she realized that she would always be that woman. Adam saw her smiling and asked her why.

“I’m just so happy when you’re with me. You make me feel so wonderful. I love being married to you.”

“I love being married to you. Now how about if you pull down the covers? It’s getting a bit chilly out here.”

After Leah pulled the covers back and slid in, Adam was right beside her. He pulled the covers up to her chin and over his head as he paid a lot of attention to her and made sure that she felt as loved as he could make her feel. When they finished, they fell asleep as they often did with Leah spooned up against Adam who wrapped an arm around her to hold her close. They might wake up in all sorts of positions, but this was their favorite way to fall asleep. In the morning when Leah awoke, there was only a hint of dawn. She smiled for she knew they could spend more time together before Adam had to leave. He was sleeping on his stomach then so she moved to her knees beside him and began to massage his back paying special attention as she always did to the muscles up by his neck and shoulders. As she massaged them deeply, she heard Adam sigh with pleasure several times. She could feel the deep rumble as her hands continued to work on his upper back. After a bit, she moved down to massage his hips and then his thighs. She knew what would happen then. He rolled over and pulled her down to him. From there, things proceeded just the way she wanted them to go. He hadn’t shaved yet that morning so he was very careful how he kissed her, but his caresses more than made up for that. Later as they dressed, neither could seem to stop smiling. Once Adam shaved, he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly.

“In about a week, I’ll be back. We’ll only have one night then probably before I have to leave for the drive. I hope we can have another night like last night and a morning just like this.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Will you? I know your flow is a bit unpredictable, but you haven’t had one in a month.”

“You keep track?”

“Of course. You’re my wife. I want to know everything about you.”

“It could happen today or tomorrow. Who knows. I hope it doesn’t happen in a week though. I want you to have a night and a morning just like this again.”

After breakfast and some good natured teasing that Adam was going to miss his father and Joe as much as Leah especially because he would be getting to endure Hoss’ snoring every night. After breakfast, Ben and his two younger sons bid farewell to Leah and left with their gear so the couple could have a quiet moment. Adam pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair inhaling her scent. He kissed her then, and walked out of the house without saying a word. Words were unnecessary. They both were thinking the same thing and would be together again in a week.

Riding out that first day, Hoss and Adam made good time. They were off the Ponderosa and beginning to map a route by that evening. It didn’t look good. They found water but only a small amount. It was enough for a very small herd but not the large one their father wanted to drive to market. They camped that night and expressed their doubts about this enterprise to each other.

“Adam, you think we’re likely to find more water than this tomorrow?”

The pause before Adam responded was enough. Hoss knew what he was going to say. “It’s not likely but we can hope. The cattle can go a few days without a lot of water, but eventually we need to find water for a large herd. I can’t see it happening with the conditions we’ve had over the winter and through the spring and summer. It got drier and drier out here.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. How we gonna talk to Pa about this? We can’t drive that large herd this way. Too many will die, and the ones he gets to market are gonna be in tough shape so the price won’t be that good.”

“The only thing to do would be a better plan so that he would do it instead of what he wants to do now.”

“Well, he already rejected a drive to California, so what else is there?”

“Let’s think about that. We have a week to come up with something unless we find a lot of water within a few days. Otherwise this plan of his can only end in a disaster.”

“Say, Adam, I got another question for ya.”

“Go ahead and spit it out then.”

“That Ardis, what did she do that had you so mad? I saw how you were when she got to the house the other day. Then you had Leah come out, and then everything was all right. So I was wondering what it was that brought her out there.”

“It’s all over now. She’s a nice woman if that’s what you’re actually wondering. She made a mistake, admitted it, and apologized. It’s a sign that she’s got some good standards of behavior. We can all be an ass sometimes.”

Hoss chuckled. “Speaking from personal experience then?”

Adam threw a clod of dirt at Hoss then making him topple backwards off the log he was using as a seat. It didn’t stop the laughter though. The two brothers spread out their bedrolls without much more conversation and fell asleep promptly. In the morning, the good mood continued until they found even worse conditions than the day before. As they traveled along the likely path for a herd, they found water in sparse supply and grass about the same. Most of the grass was brown and wouldn’t feed a large herd. After a week, they were nearly home again having followed a different path back hoping for better conditions but not finding any. They knew that when they met their father there might be another divisive argument unless they could convince him to follow the plan Adam had devised over the week they were looking for water and grass to support their father’s plan. Hoss had helped him refine the plan and thought it had a good chance of success if they could convince their father to try it. They reached the Ponderosa and saw the herd ready to go, and that caused the two of them to look at each other, take a deep breath, and head over there to confront their father with the bad news. At first, it didn’t go well.

“Pa, what we suspected is true. Hoss and I could not find enough water to support a herd this big for a drive in that direction, and the grass is brown and not much better than nothing. If you take a herd this big, you’ll start losing stock the first week, and the rest will be so weak that any more trouble and you could lose half or more of them. What you get to market won’t bring in top dollar.”

“Somehow I knew that sending the two of you who didn’t want this drive in the first place was a bad idea. All you did was look for evidence that you were right.”

“Pa, if you’d let Adam finish before you start in on us you might have something to think about other than complaining about us. All we was trying to do was to find a way to make your idea work. Maybe you could think about listening for a bit.” Hoss seldom stood up to his father, but Ben knew that when he did, he had good cause. It also surprised him every time it happened which had the extra benefit of making him speechless at least temporarily. Adam used the time Hoss had bought for him by further explaining what he and Hoss had devised as an alternate plan.

“What we suggest as an alternative is to take less than half the number you originally wanted. We think the water and grass supplies would support about three hundred cattle that your could get to Salt Lake City in reasonable condition and minimal losses. Four hundred would be pushing the limits, but could possibly be done.”

“That won’t be enough income, and that would leave our herds here too large for the pastures and hay we have for the winter.”

“Pa, let Adam finish, please.”

“The other part of our idea was that there would be a second drive at the same time taking five or six hundred head to California. Hoss and Candy could boss and ramrod that drive. Hoss has been over that route dozens of time and knows exactly what to do. You could boss this drive with Joe as the ramrod and me as the scout. The only problem would be that Hop Sing would want to go on the California drive so we would need someone else as cook going this way, and we’d need to outfit another chuckwagon.”

Ben thought for a bit making Adam and Hoss hopeful. “So if we got top dollar for four hundred or maybe a few less in Salt Lake City and the normal price for six hundred going to California, we would make a better profit that trying to take them all to Salt Lake City and taking some huge losses to get them there? That’s what you’re saying?”

As Adam and Hoss nodded, Joe added his opinion. “Pa, it sounds like a good plan. Hoss and Adam have seen what we have to face heading this way so we ought to follow their plan, I think.” The last part had Joe’s voice going higher so Adam and Hoss smiled knowing how nervous Joe was in making that statement, but it was what he would have to do as ramrod so this was a good start.

“Well, with the three of you in agreement, it seems that it must be the right way to go. Let’s get Candy and head to the house. We have some planning and organizing to do.”

Chapter 5

“It’s going to take some time to reorganize so I have at least another night at home.”

“Your father seems a lot happier now.” Leah was resting her head on Adam’s chest being soothed by the sound of his beating heart.

“Yes, I think once we presented an alternate plan, he was relieved. He knew the huge risk he was taking, and this makes it far less risky. No matter what happens, we’ll have a good income from the California drive. Hoss looks so happy being trail boss for the first time. He and Candy get on well together too so that drive shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You still think the other drive is going to be very difficult, don’t you?”

“Yes, sweetheart, but a lot less difficult with less cattle to worry about, but we’re not familiar with that route nor of any obstacles in our way. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Any storms in those conditions could be a big problem.”

“Wouldn’t a storm be good? You would get rain and that would help, wouldn’t it?”

“The problem is we could get a storm with no rain. Lightning, thunder, and wind, but no rain. That would be the worst, but it’s so dry out there, it could happen. Now, tell me about your week. I sensed that you seemed a little sad today. Did anything more happen that I should know?”

Leah shifted a little letting Adam know she was uncomfortable with what she had to say. In a minute, he knew why. “I had my flow this week.” She was quiet then, but Adam could feel the tension in her body that had been so relaxed against him just a moment before. He didn’t say anything. He slid down in the bed until her head was at his head and gathered her into an embrace. As he suspected, she began to cry. He held her like that until the tears stopped and she relaxed into his arms. Then he tried to soothe her.

“When winter comes, and we’re in our new house, we’ll be more relaxed and have lots of time. I’m sure that God will bless us with a child because he knows how much you want one.”

There it was again. Leah still had the feeling that Adam wasn’t sure about wanting a baby. As she looked over his shoulder while he held her, she saw his mother’s picture on the bedside table and had an insight she realized she should have had much sooner. Her next thought was how to bring it up in discussion with him, and she decided to do it indirectly. “You don’t have to worry about me being with child. My family has been producing many offspring for a very long time. If my parents hadn’t been killed in an accident, I’m sure that I would have very many younger brothers and sisters.”

Realizing that Leah understood why he talked about a baby the way he did, Adam simply nodded. She could tell him she would be fine, but until that baby successfully emerged and Leah was still in good health, he would worry about her. Having found someone who was such a good match for him, he could no longer think about his life without her. He pulled her closer and kissed her.

“Now, let’s get some sleep. I still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

“Will you have time to go over to the house to see what I’ve done?”

“Probably after dinner tomorrow, I’ll have time. You’ve been busy since I’ve been gone then?”

“Yes, Ardis has been out to help, and she’ll be over again tomorrow. I think perhaps I’ll invite her to stay for dinner. She deserves it, and so does Hoss.”

“Hoss?”

“She manages to fit in a few questions about Hoss every day. He made quite an impression on her in just one evening. I think she would like to see more of him. Do you think he would like to see her?”

“He did manage to ask a question or two about her while we were scouting. I don’t know much about Ardis so there wasn’t much I could say, but I can definitely say that he would like to see her more. Inviting her to dinner tomorrow would be just fine with Hoss, I think.”

Leah giggled a little so Adam had to ask why.

“Patricia has got to be chewing and gnawing on wood by now. Ardis has been out here every day except Sunday to help me. We’ve had a good time working together too.”

“What about Melanie?”

“Ardis told me that her parents are worried that she’s interested in Joe.”

“Why would that worry them?”

Leah moved up to lean on Adam’s chest then as he rolled onto his back. “With Joe’s reputation? Seriously? Now, Melanie isn’t too bright, and apparently her parents know that. They’re afraid that she could be compromised by Joe.”

Adam said nothing to that because as he thought about it, it could happen that way. “Well, maybe Joe can see her at the harvest dance when we get back. I’ll see if I have a chance to talk to him about her before then. If he’s interested, I’ll let him know he has to be on his best behavior around her.”

“Are we matchmaking?”

“You may be. I’ll only be trying to make sure that Joe doesn’t harm Melanie. I can’t see him being interested in her for very long. Beauty isn’t very satisfying when you realize that’s all there is, and my impression of Melanie is that she isn’t bright.”

“Well you stated that rather politely. She is rather empty headed. Trying to have a conversation with her is a bit frustrating. She has a tendency to repeat the things you say as her contribution. It’s rather like talking to yourself. I shouldn’t talk so though because she means well, but I could see where anyone could lead her wherever they want her to go.”

“As Patricia apparently did with ease. I wish someone would finally shut her up. She’s been on a rant about us for so long you would think it would finally sink in that I love you and only you.”

“I had thought that Lem could distract her for a time, but he tired of her rather quickly. He said that all she wanted to do was talk about you. That’s not at all flattering for a man like Lem. He did seem to like Bess, but I thought she was sweet on Hoss.”

“She is, but I think Bessie Sue could be persuaded to be sweet on another man. She’s a much nicer woman than many realize because she lacks the social graces.”

“Now who’s putting it mildly? But Lem isn’t very good with those either. I suspect he wouldn’t even realize that Bess doesn’t have any either.”

“Well, then, it should be interesting to see what happens in all of these pairings. It could get very interesting around here. But now, could we get some sleep. I’m very tired and sore.”

“I could give you a massage.”

“No, we both know where that would lead. Let’s save that for tomorrow night.” With a last soft kiss, Adam laid back and closed his eyes. Leah smiled at him and snuggled in for the night. The next evening, their thoughts about Ardis and Hoss were reinforced. The two couldn’t stop looking at each other and the mutual attraction was apparent to all. After dinner, Hoss decided that Ardis should not drive her carriage back to town alone. He tied Chubb to the back of it as his father reminded him that they were leaving early the next morning.

“I know, Pa. I done this a hundred times it seems. I won’t be late, but don’t wait up. You need your sleep. You’ll be riding herd on Joe for the next month.” With a grin, Hoss climbed into the carriage and snapped the reins starting the carriage for town and making Ardis lean against him for safety. He didn’t mind that at all.

Inside the house, Adam was oiling up his pistol and rifle as well as a spare pistol. Joe had asked him why he needed to do that, and he answered as Ben came back into the house. “I don’t know what I’ll be facing out there, and I want to be ready. There certainly will be a lot of dust so I want my firearms in the best of condition when we start out. I’ll wear a duster but dust seems to get inside those too as soon as there’s a little wind.”

The prediction about dust was accurate. The first week, the terrain that the Salt Lake City drive had to traverse was dry and dusty. The slightest wind got grit into everything, and there wasn’t extra water so they had to tolerate somewhat gritty beans for meals, grit on their bodies which chafed, and grit in their eyes and mouth much of the time. They did use water to wash out their eyes so their eyes wouldn’t be scratched, but even that had to be done sparingly. Adam rode into camp after they were six days out with bad news.

“It’s worse up ahead. I’d suggest waiting here a day even if you drain that stream dry. There’s hardly any water and no grass for the next day. This is as far as I scouted with Hoss and the conditions are even worse than when we were here.”

Ben was very concerned. They had a lot riding on the success of this drive. “What about the day after tomorrow?”

“By the end of that day, you’ll be able to push the cattle a few miles west and find grass and adequate water. We may have to do that more often as we head further out. I’ve marked it on the map.”

“That’s going to slow us down a lot.” Joe wanted the first drive on which he was ramrod to be successful, but this was looking like it might not be the case.

“Better that, Joe, than seeing your cattle start to die off. They can take a day without water especially because it hasn’t been that hot, but you can’t push them any harder than that because they won’t be able to recover with the limited water and grazing that we have on this route. It’s not like the California route where we push them hard through the mountains and then slow down and let them recover in the downslope valleys.”

“I know that, but as scout, aren’t you supposed to be finding us water and grass?” Joe was a little perturbed that Adam had talked to him as if he didn’t know all of that. Adam chose to ignore Joe’s comment and grab some dinner. Ben waited quietly and hoped that Joe would say nothing more. Fortunately that was the end of it, but if Adam kept coming back with bad news, Ben suspected that Joe would get more and more frustrated until he said something he shouldn’t. Ben decided he needed to have a talk with his youngest son when his oldest headed out to scout again in the morning.

The next day, they pushed the herd on although the cattle were becoming balky being driven into terrain that had neither grass nor water. That night the herd was on edge so Joe had to put more men on nighthawk duty. That caused more grumbling because it was one more thing to bear on this drive that was turning out to be a very unpleasant job. The men were on edge as much as the cattle. Ben and Joe talked but couldn’t think of anything they could do to improve the situation. Adam rode back in late the next day. The cattle were grazing and drinking in the little valley Adam had marked on the map for them. Once Adam got a plate of food, Ben walked over to talk with him.

“I have to apologize to you. You were right on every count about this drive. If I knew then what I know now, I would have come up with a different plan. We’ve got weeks to go, and the men and the cattle have already had enough.”

“We’ve gone too far to turn back. We used up a lot of water and grass behind us. With these conditions, they won’t be able to regenerate.”

“Yes, I wasn’t considering going back, but I’m worried about the men mostly, I guess. They’re about as ill at ease as I can remember them ever being.”

“They need something to take their minds off the discomfort.”

“You’ve been ramrod a number of times. What should Joe do because the men are really his responsibility?”

“Maybe I’ll see if I can get him to take a poke at me.”

“I don’t want you fighting about it.”

“No, but sometimes a good fight can liven up the men. Nothing like somebody else having it worse to make them feel better.”

“Let’s hold that for later if at all. Anything else?”

“Well, who’s the worst complainer?”

“Jackson as usual.”

“I’ll take him with me. I was going to ask you if you could spare a man. I want to scout further out to see what direction we should go, but I can’t do that, and get back here every two or three days. I’ll head out with Jackson, and send him back after two days with the information you need, and I’ll mark a map. Then I’ll head out further and be back in five days or so.”

“Jackson will likely see it as a promotion and be happy about it. It’s a good idea. Getting him out of camp is a good idea too.”

Ben told Joe who got to give the news to Jackson who was pleased that he wouldn’t have to push cattle for a few days. It seemed like they were giving him a vacation. Joe reminded him that he would have to put up with Adam for a couple of days.

“I don’t mind Adam at all. He sings a lot, but most of the time, I like the songs. Course with all the dust out here, he might not be singing so much, but I still won’t mind.”

The plan worked well and for the next three weeks, that’s what they did. Joe picked the most disgruntled hands to ride out with Adam, and each time, when they came back, they were in a better mood especially when they had good news to share. Having Adam range further ahead worked out well too because he could adjust their long-term direction to take them through the areas with the most water and grass. They still were losing a few head every week, but the losses were minimal and about what would happen on any difficult drive. About a week away from their destination, spirits began to rise among the men who could finally see an end to their torment. The drive had lasted a week longer than expected but the last stretch was through land with adequate water and grass. They even sold some cattle at a premium price to settlers they met who had lost stock on the way and were happy to get some to replace them. By buying directly from Ben, they avoided a middleman’s markup. Settlers were happy, and Ben was happy to see money coming in. With everything starting to go so well, Ben had one worry. Adam had not come back to camp for four days. He was two days overdue, and that wasn’t like him at all. Then they found his horse.

Chapter 6

“Damn dust! Damn horse! Damn dust storm!” Adam was angry. He had been caught in a dust storm with no cover. He had done his best to try to outrun it and get to cover, but his horse had stumbled tumbling him into the sand. He had suffered no more than bruises and abrasions in the fall, but those added to his overall discomfort. He had no water. His eyes were full of grit that hurt him whenever he tried to open his eyes or blink so he had to avoid that as much as possible. Keeping his eyes open only a slit enough to see what was before his feet, he was walking back toward the herd. His horse had run off carrying his bedroll, rifle, and most importantly, his canteens. He had lost his hat in the storm and had to wrap the duster around his head for protection. It had worked reasonably well for that purpose but left the rest of him exposed to the whirling wind-driven sand that felt like it had scoured away some of his skin on his back which had been exposed because he had ripped his shirt. His extra shirt was in his saddlebags on his runaway horse which gave him another reason to curse the animal. He knew that he had mapped out water only about four hours from where he had been caught in the dust storm, but that was by horseback.

On foot, it was going to take him at least two to three times as long to get there. He doggedly put one foot in front of the other ignoring his thirst and hunger until he couldn’t. He had trudged probably half the way by the time it got dark and he had to give in to his exhaustion. He wrapped his duster around him and leaned his left side into the shelter of some boulders while keeping his right hand on his pistol. He knew that he would be even more stiff and sore in the morning, but there was nothing he could do about that. He fell asleep and dreamed of home being so far away and out of reach.

Only a day’s ride away, Ben and Jackson set up a quick camp. Once Adam’s horse had been found, Ben had Adam’s gear transferred to Sport and began riding out to look for him leaving the herd in Joe’s hands. Jackson volunteered to help, and Ben very happily accepted his assistance. He hoped that Jackson’s knowledge of how Adam was scouting would help them find him. The next day, they headed along the path the herd would likely take not realizing that Adam would start cutting back to the herd on a straight line. If not for Jackson’s keen eyes, they never would have found him.

That morning, Adam was even more stiff and sore than he expected, and worse than that, his vision had worsened overnight because of his inability to get the grit out of his eyes. He began walking but had to use only one eye at a time as it was too painful to try to keep both of them open even a slit. By early afternoon, Adam could smell the change in the air that told him he was nearing water. He would have cried if he could have made tears. He finally reached the water’s edge a half hour later because he fell several times when he tried to rush and had to struggle to his feet each time. When he got to the water, he drank too much at first making his stomach rebel a little. He laid down and washed his hands as well as he could in the water and then began scooping it up to wash his face and his eyes. Each time he did that, his eyes felt better but within a few minutes, his eyes would be burning again. He continued to bathe his eyes with the water and to drink small amounts until he felt better. He wished he could take off his clothes and submerge himself but knew it wasn’t safe to do that. When he had scouted out this water, he had seen cougar tracks and scat. He looked around then wondering where he could spend the night that would be safe. There was nothing he could see that would be sufficient. Instead, he irrigated is eyes a few more times, drank more water, and then began walking in the direction of the herd that he assumed was getting closer to him every hour, but disoriented, he headed east instead.

Later that day, Ben and Jackson reached the water. The river was sluggish but the water supply was adequate. They watered the horses and prepared to keep searching when Jackson dismounted and looked at the ground.

“Mr. Cartwright, a man’s been walking round here. His tracks head off into the desert.”

“Why would anyone start walking in that direction?”

“Might be he’s not in the best of shape. Mr. Cartwright, I’m thinking that it’s probably Adam. I think we oughta follow these tracks. And we better hurry.”

“Yes, hurry.” Then Ben thought a bit as Jackson mounted up. “Is there more than the obvious reason that we should hurry?”

“Yes, sir, there’s cougar tracks following him. Tracks are right over his so the cougar is following those tracks.”

“Go, go!”

Jackson took off riding as fast as he could follow the tracks through the sand. He was grateful that there was no wind or they would have nothing to follow. The tracks became more distinct as they rode letting them know that they were getting close, but it also meant the cougar was close. They heard three pistol shots then and rode hard without regard for the tracks any longer. Ben’s heart constricted as they rode to some boulders up ahead and rounded them. Adam was sitting on the ground next to a dead cougar, but Adam’s hand was bloody and there was blood on his face. There was no telling how much blood was concealed by that black shirt and pants. Jackson got there first and rushed to Adam.

“Are you hurt bad?”

Looking up as if in a daze, Adam said nothing at first. When his father arrived and asked about the same thing that Jackson had, Adam looked at his hand and then at the cougar.

“It’s not my blood. At least most of it isn’t. I saw him stalking me when I thought I heard someone, so I set myself up here so he’d come for me when I was ready. I shot him, but he came at me anyway so I had to shoot twice more to take him down. The last shot was when he was almost on me. He fell on me as he died. Damn thing was heavier than I expected.”

“Son, you’re all right then?”

“Sort of. I got banged up when that damn jackass of a horse threw me, and my eyes are burning from that damn dust storm, but nothing too bad.”

Jackson had to smile as he saw his boss stiffen at his son’s coarse language. Adam’s use of a few cuss words was understandable under the conditions, but Jackson knew Ben Cartwright wasn’t about to chastise the son he was so relieved to have found. Without being asked, Jackson got the canteens and some food as well as some cloth.

“I’m not too thirsty at the moment, but if you’ve got something I could eat, that would be wonderful. I haven’t had anything to eat since the dust storm two days ago. I think it was two days ago. My thinking is a bit fuzzy on that.”

As Ben wet the cloth and began wiping the blood from his son’s hand, Jackson dug out some jerky and some biscuits. Once Adam’s hand was clean, he began chewing on a biscuit that Jackson had warned him might be a bit gritty. It was, but he didn’t let that stop him. Once he finished two biscuits and drank some water, he asked if they brought a horse for him. Ben realized then that he couldn’t see well as he kept his eyes open only a slit.

“How did you ever see that cougar with your eyes like that?”

“I figured he might be following me, so I’d sit still and watch for anything moving. I saw movement several times, and it was getting closer. I thought I needed to make sure I faced off with him at a short distance so I picked this spot. He was going to have to show himself in order to see me. He probably could smell I was here, but he wouldn’t attack unless he could see me. I could see a bit better until he attacked too because I think some of that blood splashed into my eyes.”

“Lay back. Let me pour water on those eyes to clean the blood out and any more grit you may have picked up.” As Ben did that, he saw how red Adam’s eyes were and saw that the eyelids were red and puffy. He wet the cloth he had used earlier and told Adam to close his eyes before he placed the wet cloth over them. “There, how does that feel?” Adam smiled in answer. “I’m going to use my scarf to tie that in place over your eyes. Before you object, we’ll ride back to where the water is. You can take a bath there, and I’ll wash your clothes. You can take it off when you’re there, but right now, your eyes need some tenderness.” Adam nodded slightly. He didn’t like being treated like an invalid, but his sight was of paramount importance so he cooperated. Once they were back at the water, Ben helped Adam strip off his dirty clothing and step into the water. Ben was dismayed to see the abrasions and bruises his son had, but there was nothing they could do for them until the chuckwagon and its medical kit arrived until Jackson volunteered to ride back for them.

“I can get em here a couple of hours at least before the herd arrives if I leave now. I was gonna fix up a lean-to to give him some shade. I’ll do that first. If you wash his clothes and stretch them out over the lean to, he’ll get more shade that way.”

“Yes, those are good ideas, and Jackson, thank you.”

After Jackson left, Adam sat in the water even though he was as clean as he could get that way. He let the water soothe his soreness and aches. As Ben finished setting up the lean-to that Jackson had started, Ben watched Adam carefully. He looked so tired. Finally Ben walked to the river bank to help his son from the shallow water. Adam dried himself by standing in the warm dry air, and then laid down on the bedroll that Ben had laid out for him under the lean-to. Ben tossed him a blanket but he only covered his midsection leaving his legs and his chest and arms exposed. Within a few minutes, he was asleep. Quietly, Ben took care of the horses and then sat watch until Jackson returned four hours later.

“They had a bit of trouble with the herd. They’ll be here later than we thought. Probably won’t get here until it’s nearly dark.”

“What happened?” Now Ben was worried about his youngest son too.

“Some Indians said they couldn’t cross their land. Joe paid them off with five head, and then they rode off saying it was all right if we came this way.”

There was chuckling from the lean-to. Ben frowned. “What’s funny?”

“I was just imagining your thoughts when Jackson said there was trouble. Do fathers ever stop worrying?”

“No, and one of these days, you’re going to understand exactly what I mean.”

Smiling, Adam laid back on the bedroll and closed his painful eyes. Jackson gathered some wood for a small fire and began brewing tea. Ben frowned at him next.

“I thought you brought the medical kit for Adam.”

“I brought what I needed. I’m going to make a poultice for his eyes. I’m going to use this tea for washing the eyes, and then the tea leaves and a few other things I’ll pack in these clean cloths I got. It’ll work. You’ll see.”

“You seem to know a lot about this.”

“My Ma was a healer. She taught me a lot of stuff. I worked for a doctor while I was in the Army during the War. Found out a lot there too. Lots of times though we couldn’t take the time to do the right thing by each patient. We had to do our best to save their lives cause there were more coming in all the time. I hated to see those amputations. I thought a bunch of them could have been prevented, but there were too many wounded and not enough to help. But we got all the time we need to help Adam so I’m doing things the way I was taught. No shortcuts.”

Once the tea was brewed, Jackson poured some in a cup to let it cool as he strained out the tea leaves and added some other items from the bottles that Hop Sing had put in the medical kit. Once he was ready, he asked Ben to help Adam over to the fire. Then as Ben helped Adam lean back, Jackson used his concoction to irrigate his eyes. At first there was a little stinging, but that stinging sensation was soon replaced by cool relief.

“All right now, you can close your eyes and keep them that way. Does that feel a lot better now?”

“Yes, better than I thought they could.”

“Good, now I’m going to place the poultice once you get your clothes on and lay down in the lean-to again. Then I’ll put some salve on the scrapes you got. You should be feeling a whole lot better by tomorrow morning.”

Jackson was correct about the time the herd was due to arrive. They heard them of course long before they saw them. As the cattle arrived at the water, it was difficult at first to keep them from rushing in and muddying the water. It took a lot of work by the drovers to keep the herd orderly, but after so many weeks of the routine, most were trained well enough. Once the herd was watered, they were set out to graze. Joe came to the campsite then and was going to say something smart to Adam about being thrown from his horse. Seeing the bandage on his brother’s eyes though made him change his mind about that. He whispered to his father.

“What’s wrong with his eyes?”

But Adam was the one who answered. “My eyes are bandaged but not my ears. You can talk to me.”

“All right, what’s wrong with your eyes?”

“I got caught in a sandstorm. The horse stumbled, and yes, I fell off. Damn horse took off then with everything I had including the water. I had nothing to rinse the sand out of my eyes, and they got rather irritated about that. I can see, but Jackson mixed up this concoction for a poultice that makes my eyes feel a lot better. That’s about it.”

As Adam had talked, Joe had watched his father for a reaction. Ben smiled and nodded so that Joe knew he had the straight story from Adam.

“I think Adam is even looking forward to some gritty beans.” Ben grimaced at the thought of eating them again though.

“Pa, we can do a whole lot better than that. Two of the cows broke legs when the Indians swooped in and nearly started a stampede. We gave one to them and five healthy but skinny cows. We butchered the other one for us so we’ll be roasting some beef tonight. Cookie says he can cook it enough tonight and make stew and such for breakfast as well as beef again tomorrow night.”

Jackson took charge of Adam’s care that night checking the poultice and refreshing it after irrigating the eyes once more. Ben held a lantern for him to see what he was doing and thought that Adam’s eyes didn’t look as red as they had earlier in the day. Both Ben and Joe laid out their bedrolls on one side of Adam, and Jackson took the other side.

Chapter 7

In the morning, Adam’s eyes were glued together by secretions, but Jackson told him not to worry and used the tea he had brewed before Adam awoke to wet the poultice. After it had been on Adam’s eyes a short time, Jackson was able to softly wipe away the crust in his lashes so he could open his eyes to be irrigated again.

“Adam, you need to stay out of the dust. Your eyes are still badly irritated. I can do this a couple of times a day for you, but any more dust in your eyes could really be trouble. The tissue is already irritated and any more grit could scratch your eyes. I think you ought to ride in the wagon with this poultice over your eyes for the next few days.”

Reluctantly Adam agreed to the restriction. There was no need to scout any further. The herd would be in Salt Lake City in just a few days. Once they go there, Ben insisted that Adam go to a doctor before abandoning the poultice that was making his eyes better every day. The doctor was skeptical when he learned that a cowhand had been treating Adam, but when he turned from his examination to address Jackson, it was with respect for the man.

“Where did you learn how to do these things?”

“My mother was a healer, and I worked in the surgical hospitals in the War.”

“You’re a natural. I won’t do anything more than what you’ve done. I think two more days with the poultice protection or a light bandage for the eyes during the day when you’re outside should be sufficient. You can remove the covering indoors, and at night, I think you can sleep without it. Mr. Jackson, is that what you were thinking?”

“Yes, but Adam don’t want to keep it on any more.” Jackson frowned a bit.

“Well, he should listen to you. If he follows your advice and submits to your care, he shouldn’t lose any sight. Although there is still some irritation in the eyes, and the scratches he had are not fully healed, the eyes are clear with no sign of infection. Now, Adam, how were you planning to return to your home?”

“We plan to ride back two days from now.” Adam was anxious to get home.

“Traveling to your home in two days is fine, but you shouldn’t go with them on the trail. I would suggest that you take the stage or the railroad. Mr. Jackson here could travel with you to make sure you have no more issues with your eyes, but going by horseback is likely to cause problems. To be safe, don’t do it.”

Even with the poultice reapplied, Jackson and the doctor could see the scowl. Ben was waiting a few feet away and knew that this was going to be a difficult decision for Adam. He decided to see if he could sweeten the pot enough to get him to follow the doctor’s advice.

“If you go by train or by stagecoach, you should beat us home by several days at least. Now I don’t suppose you want to see your wife that soon. You’d probably rather get home when the rest of us get home, I suppose. And Hoss should be home by now, and perhaps wondering if he could be doing something at your house, but won’t if you’re not there with instructions.” Ben didn’t have to wait long to get Adam’s response to his poorly concealed advice.

“You don’t have to go getting all folksy and wise with me. I know what I should do. It’s just difficult to be treated like an invalid.”

Jackson’s more direct approach was appreciated by Adam. “Oh, Adam, I won’t treat you like an invalid. I’ll just be along to help with irrigating your eyes and making sure they keep on healing. In two days, you should be able to do without any bandages or anything as long as you don’t get no more dust in your eyes. I’ll be there if you need help, but you shouldn’t if you follow the doc’s advice.”

“And yours.”

Adam was conceding and Jackson knew it. He was happy to continue the conversation on another topic. “And mine. I wouldn’t mind the quiet time. I rarely get to read, and this is going to be a chance to do that.”

“You like to read?”

“Yeah, but it’s hard to do it in the bunkhouse. The other hands give ya a hard time if you read anything other than them junky dime novels.”

Suddenly far more interested, Adam had to ask. “What do you like to read then?”

“Well, I heard about this book that’s about this boat that can go under the water. I thought that one would be fun to read if I can find a copy of it here.”

“Do you read aloud?”

“Well, normally I don’t of course, but I suppose I could.”

“Pa, we’re going to go to the bookstore. I’m sure Jackson can get me back to the hotel all right if you want to take care of that for us. You better get a room for the two of us, and you and Joe can share the other.”

Reaching out for Jackson’s arm, Adam was anxious to get going. Jackson was grinning almost as much as Adam at the prospect of getting that book and reading it. Ben watched the two of them leave the doctor’s office with Jackson carefully guiding Adam down the steps in front. As Ben paid the doctor, he smiled. It looked like Adam had made a new friend, and Jackson was much more friendly to everyone since Adam had taken an interest in him for those days of scouting. Unable to find the Jules Verne book, Adam and Jackson had to settle for a Charles Dickens book which Adam had already read but wouldn’t mind hearing again. Jackson did some reading and the two talked. When Adam found out that Jackson liked music, he had him go buy two tickets to a concert he had heard some people discussing in the bookstore. The two days passed quickly and soon Adam and Jackson were on a train for the first leg of the trip home. Ben had wished he was the one accompanying Adam but knew that Jackson was better prepared to deal with any eye issues if anything happened. He wished his son a safe journey and then left with Joe to take the horses and chuckwagon back home. They were going to be following a longer route that was not suitable for driving cattle, but it would make their trip home much more pleasant than the drive had been. As Adam had prepared to leave, Ben had a few heartfelt words to tell him.

“You and Hoss were correct. The risk for this drive wasn’t worth it. I could have lost a son, and nothing I own is worth that. I am so relieved that you are going to be completely well again. Next time I get on my high horse about the Ponderosa, would you please remind me of these words. I don’t want to have to face losing a son because of plans I have made to take a big risk.”

“Is it that, or are you afraid of facing Leah if something happens to me?” Adam had a cheeky grin as he tried to offer what comfort he could to a guilty father.

“Oh, and you’re not worried about her reaction. I saw how fast you agreed to wear those bandages for part of two days when I mentioned her name. You married quite a woman. I can’t wait to see what kind of children your union produces.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Pa. That’s kind of the thought that Hoss and I had when you told us Marie was going to have a baby.”

Ben shook his head. “Get on home with you, and tell Hop Sing I’m going to want a big dinner in a couple of weeks when I get home.”

“I’ll tell him, and you take care too. Farewell, Pa.”

On the train, Adam and Jackson had a lot of time to talk. Adam mentioned that Jackson seemed to be a different man than he had been earlier. Jackson had a question in response.

“Was it Joe’s idea to send me out scouting with you or did you pick me?”

“I picked you.” Adam said nothing of his reason for picking Jackson.

“Well, that really did something for me. I guess I haven’t been the best of hands around the ranch although I do my work. I didn’t feel like anybody respected me at all. When you asked me to scout with you, well, it made me feel better about things, you know. I respected you, and for you to pick me was pretty important to me. Then you accepted my help, and even asked me to read to you and go to that concert with you. I ain’t had anybody care anything about me for so long, it felt real good to feel included. I guess that’s a pretty big speech, but I wanted you to know how I felt about things.”

“I appreciate that. I have a lot of respect for you and what you can do. If you don’t mind my asking: would you be interested in working for me instead of the Ponderosa?”

“Ah, I don’t know what you mean.”

“My wife is a healer and a nurse. Her brother is a surgeon. They plan to open up an office in Virginia City. Sometimes they might get called out to treat people at a ranch or a homestead or even at a house in town. I’d feel better if there was someone along who could protect them if necessary. And with your skills, you could help them in their work too. If you don’t mind, I’ll talk to Leah about it.”

“Adam, thank you. That would be like a dream come true for me, I guess. Where would I live?”

“I’m building a new house. I’ll have to build a small stable, and I could add a room there for you. I could put in a stove, and Leah could make curtains and some bedding for you. You could borrow books from me. We would have to go by whatever Leah says about where you would take your meals but I would think in the house with us probably.”

“Well, that would be a little awkward, I would think seeing as how it would be your family. I wouldn’t mind eating in my room as long as somebody else was doing the cooking.”

Suddenly Adam wondered who would be doing the cooking. He had never asked Leah if she could cook nor how well if she did. He might be hiring a cook too. Jackson asked why he looked worried so Adam told him. That made Jackson smile and remark that marriage was quite a bit more complicated than he had ever thought. They passed the trip in conversation and reading.

Five days after bidding goodbye to his father, Adam and Jackson stepped off the stage in Virginia City much to the surprise of Sheriff Roy Coffee who frequently met the stage to see the new arrivals in town. After greeting Adam, he had to ask why he was coming back on a stage after leaving on a drive.

“Got in a little tussle with a sandstorm, and the sandstorm won. Jackson here was a big help.”

Jackson was smiling. “That’s the first time he’s referred to it without calling it that ‘damn sandstorm’ so he must be feeling better.”

“Mebbe he’s just thinking he needs to watch his language now that he’s home and gonna be seeing that pretty wife of his right soon.”

“Now why is it that people think my wife is going to say anything to me about things like that?”

“Well, son, you and her done had a few arguments where people could overhear, and she didn’t step down for you even though you can be a might intimidating when you’re mad, so I’m guessing we figure she don’t ever step down for you.”

“Well, we haven’t had an argument for some time, so people can just stop talking about it, and they weren’t actually arguments anyway. We had some disagreements.”

Hearing that note of irritation in Adam’s voice, Roy dropped it because Adam never was one to like hearing any criticism of his family. “Well, I know Hoss is back cause I saw him in town. He had a big bank draft to deposit. He looked mighty proud that he had that too.”

“Yes, those funds are very important. I’ve got another one so I’ll bid you good day now and head over to the bank to take care of that and a few other things.” Adam deposited the bank draft and paid off the loan they had. Money might be a little tight over the winter, but they had a few other things to bring in money. He was thinking that he could probably bring in a sizeable amount himself if things worked the way he hoped. He did a few other errands before he rented a wagon to take them to the ranch. He had stopped at Cass’ store and found that a lot of the things he had ordered were there so he and Jackson stopped there first and loaded them up. They made one quick trip to unload those items at the new house and then headed for the main house. Jackson could see how anxious Adam was to see his wife because Jackson didn’t think he would be so obviously in a hurry to see Hoss.

The first people that Adam saw were Candy and Hoss. He congratulated them on their success on the California drive, but Hoss had a question.

“Why are you home already? Did something happen?”

“A little problem with a sandstorm. Jackson can fill you in. Is Leah inside?”

“Nope, I think she’s out in the back in the garden. She’s got company too, but I wouldn’t mind at all if you wanted to send her guest over here for a while.”

Adam grinned and nodded as he headed toward the back of the house.

“Hey, ain’t you gonna take care of the wagon and the horse?”

“I thought you would do that for me seeing as how I’ll be doing you a favor too.”

“Only because you want to, oh, you know. Oh, all right, I’ll take care of the horse and the wagon.” Then Hoss turned to Jackson. “Well, what happened?” As Jackson entertained Candy and Hoss with the story of the sandstorm, the cougar, the poultice, and everything else that happened, Adam rounded the corner of the house to see Ardis and Leah busy harvesting potatoes.

“What? I go away for six weeks, and I get back to find that my wife has become a farmer?”

Shocked at first, Leah wasted little time wiping her hands on her apron and rushing to Adam who held her off just a bit after only a quick kiss.

“Ardis, Hoss said he would like to see you. I hope you don’t mind but I haven’t seen my wife for a month and a half.”

“Oh, I understand. I wouldn’t mind spending a little time with Hoss. We were almost done here anyway.”

As a smiling Ardis rounded the corner of the house heading toward Hoss, Adam picked Leah up and kissed her as he walked toward the house. He had to set her down at the door but kept his arm wrapped around her waist as he opened the door to usher her inside.

“Now why were you working in the garden? Isn’t that part of what Hop Sing does?”

“Yes, but he hurt his ankle on the drive so I’ve been helping him out. Hoss has too so that Hop Sing can spend his time in the kitchen. We’ve taken the laundry to town waiting for the rest of the family to get home to discuss getting someone else to help Hop Sing out around here.

“We could help him out right now by heating some water for a bath. If you didn’t mind, we could share the bath so we wouldn’t need as much water and only once.” Leah blushed and nodded as Adam grinned. By the time the bath was finished, Adam and Leah had become reacquainted very well, and she had heard the story of the sandstorm and the cougar. Adam knew he had to tell her because she would have been very upset if he hadn’t and someone else had told her. She was a bit upset to learn what had happened to him and asked what his father had said about it so he told her. Shortly after that, Hop Sing called out that dinner was ready. Leah went to serve the food as Adam went to tell Hoss and the others that dinner was served.

Chapter 8

“Ardis had to go. She told her folks that she would be back home in time for dinner. Jackson volunteered to take the wagon back to town so he’ll follow along behind her and make sure she gets home safe. He seems like a different man than the one who left here with the drive. Something happen to change him so?” Hoss had been very surprised by Jackson’s offer to help and just as surprised by the changes in the man’s demeanor and attitude.

So Adam explained how Jackson had been picked to do some of the scouting with him and why. Then he explained how Jackson had helped find him and helped him. He talked about how both of them liked reading the same kind of books and listening to music. He mentioned the man’s family background and his experiences in the War. “So it seems Jackson is a lot like me except he’s had a lot more go wrong in his life. He needs to be appreciated, and even though I asked him to scout with me to get him out of camp, he doesn’t need to know that. He did a good job, and I’ve talked with him about working for me.”

That surprised Hoss. “Working for you? What do you need a hand for?”

“I’ve already mentioned it to Leah, and we’ll have to talk with Lem too, but Jackson could be the driver for Lem and Leah when they do medical calls on people. He knows the country and can handle himself out here, but he’s got medical training and experience too. He could do some work taking care of our horses too. I’ll add a room to the stable plans so when we build it so he has a room of his own. He liked that idea too, and he can borrow books from us.”

“How you planning to pay for all of that? You know money is gonna be tight around here until spring.”

“I plan to sell my investments in the silver mines, and I want to try my hand at drawing up some building plans. I’ve got one offer already. I’ll do that, and if the man likes it, he said he will have more work for me. It’s a great way for me to spend the winter, and it will bring in cash too.”

“And Hoss, I will be bringing in some money too.” Adam smiled at Leah. He liked her independent spirit because it took some pressure off of him to do everything. “And I’ve been practicing with the pistol too so I can better take care of myself, but it would make me feel better to have someone like Jackson around. We’ll probably have to hire a cook who can do some housekeeping as well. I can only cook the basic things, and I won’t always have time when I’m working.”

Dinner was pleasant as the men shared the experiences they had on their respective drives, and Leah filled them in on progress on the new house as well as what had been happening in town. Hoss seemed most interested in what had happened with Ardis and surprised no one with that. After dinner, Leah went in to help Hop Sing who was still recovering from his ankle injury. Adam and Hoss had some time to talk after Candy went back to his quarters.

“You’re making a lot of plans without talking with Pa. Ain’t you worried that he’s gonna be upset about that?”

“The only plans I’m making are with Leah and about our lives. It doesn’t affect the Ponderosa so Pa shouldn’t expect to be part of the discussion.” Adam smiled at Hoss’ frown. “Yes, I do expect he may not like it that much, but he needs to get used to the idea. I suppose you can expect some grumbling around here when he finds out how much is changing. Hoss, if you and Ardis to develop a relationship that could lead to marriage, just think of me as the trailblazer who will make that trek a lot easier for you.”

“Yeah, well first we’ll see how Pa reacts. At least he oughta be happy we got both drives done with a good profit. He sure is gonna be tickled pink to see that receipt for the loan being paid off. That should put him in a good mood for you talking about all your plans.”

“I hope so. I don’t like being at odds with him. I like it a lot better when we’re getting along.”

Hoss chuckled. “All of us like it a lot better when the two of you are getting along. You got any other plans I oughta know about before you spring em on Pa?”

“No, but I was thinking that you could spring them on Pa. That way he won’t start saying things before he has a chance to think about them.” Adam leaned back in the chair with a speculative look as he waited for Hoss to process those ideas and react.

“You know darn well that by telling me, I’m bound to say something about all of this to Pa at some point!” Hoss scowled at Adam.

“Yes, the thought had crossed my mind.” Adam had the hint of a smile and Hoss couldn’t maintain the scowl.

“I appreciate you telling me instead of trying to trick me into doing it. I know Joe woulda had some big ole plan where he would get me to tell Pa so I would face the thunder instead of him. The way you say it, Pa ain’t likely to say too much to me.” As Adam nodded, Hoss had another thought. “And Pa does tend to listen to me when I talk all quiet with him and try to get him to see things reasonably, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, you have the best relationship with Pa of any of us. You can say things to get him to think. With me, he tends to lose his temper first and talk second, and with Joe, he simply gets frustrated.”

“All right, but ifn I do this favor for you, then I got one to ask in return.” Adam cocked that one eyebrow up as he was prone to do when he wondered what was coming next so Hoss obliged him. “I want you to coach me on what to say to Ardis. I like her a lot, but sometimes I get all tongue-tied around her and don’t know what to say.”

“Hoss, say what’s in your heart. You do that very well. If you’re all tongue-tied around her, it’s because you care for her so much you don’t want to say the wrong thing and get her upset, right?” Hoss nodded. “Well, then say that to her. Tell her what’s going on. If she is as intelligent as I think she is, she’ll appreciate the honesty and understand that you care for her very much already. If she has similar feelings, it would be the perfect opportunity for her to tell you.”

“And if she don’t?”

“That’s not likely. I’ve seen how happy she is when she’s with you, but if she did say that she didn’t have feelings for you, that would be good to know before you give her your heart completely.” Hoss frowned a bit so Adam had to continue. “She will tell you she cares, Hoss. All of us can see it, and you must know too.” Hoss smiled and shook his head a little in his embarrassment at being read so easily, but it was all good news so he wasn’t upset. The conversation might have lasted longer except for someone knocking on the front door. Jackson had returned with news.

“Well, the good news is that Mrs. Cartwright’s brother is in town early. He said he’s taking a room at the International because he wants to talk with Doctor Martin tomorrow, and then he’s gonna go take a look at the office you got fixed up for him.”

Leah had come out from the kitchen when she heard the knocking. She was very pleased that her brother had arrived early but wondered where he would be staying because their house wasn’t ready yet. Adam and Hoss wanted to know the rest of the news before they discussed Lem so Hoss asked.

“Jackson, what’s the bad news?”

“The main bank got robbed late this afternoon. It must have been shortly after we left town. They got everything, and the Sheriff Coffee is out with a posse trying to find them. People said they headed in this general direction. I kept checking around me as I rode home, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Of course, it’s kinda dark now, but there were no campfires or anything like that. It was all pretty quiet.”

“All right, we’re short-handed until the men from the other drive get back, but tomorrow Hoss and I will head out with a few men to take a look around. Jackson, you want to come with us? You seem to know a bit about tracking.”

“Well, I’m not so much a tracker as I see things that sometimes others miss. That’s about it.”

Hoss smiled at the man’s honesty. “That’s a good skill to have. I’d be pleased ifn you was to help us.”

Once Jackson headed to the bunkhouse, Adam had a warning for Leah. “There are a lot of places on the Ponderosa for men to hide. Don’t go to the new house tomorrow. I’ll alert Hop Sing to keep a watch, and we’ll set one man to keep a lookout. I doubt they’ll come here to the house, but you can’t be too careful with desperate men.”

“Why would they be desperate?”

“Leah, if they haven’t escaped that posse yet, they’re worried they’ll be caught and facing probably at least twenty years in prison. Jackson didn’t say that anyone was killed, but this isn’t over yet. If someone dies, they could get the gallows.”

“I wanted to go to town to see my brother tomorrow.”

“If I get back early enough in the afternoon, I’ll take you to town, but under no circumstances are you to try doing that by yourself.” Adam knew that Leah could be headstrong. “Promise me that you won’t.”

Leah nodded in frustration. She had wished he hadn’t asked her to do that. Adam saw the look and knew what it meant.

“Sweetheart, you just have to trust me when I tell you about dangers out here. I know you think you’re nearly invincible, but you aren’t. I wouldn’t ride out alone with these men on the loose.”

“He’s right there, Sis. I would want somebody with me ifn I was going anywhere right now. In fact, I’m gonna go set up some men to work tonight. They can take turns keeping watch. Adam, you want to light the lanterns?”

Leah didn’t understand what Hoss meant by that so Adam had to explain. “We have lantern hooks set all around the property. When we’re expecting that there might be trouble, we hang lanterns from those hooks. If anyone is approaching, they can be seen, and if they take out a lantern, then that’s a warning to us that we’re under attack. Pa came up with the plan years ago.”

Reassured that precautions were being taken, Leah was able to relax again. She knew then that she should not go to town or anywhere on her own the next day or until Adam told her it was safe to do so. She was getting used to how things were done in the west and getting a much more realistic idea of how she had to act. She had finally conceded that when there was danger like this, she had to listen to Adam and follow his advice. He watched her as she processed everything that had been said. She looked up to see him watching her.

“Why aren’t you setting up those lanterns? Should I close the shutters on the windows and help Hop Sing secure the kitchen and washroom doors?”

Smiling because she understood the situation so well, Adam stepped to her and kissed her cheek. “Yes, that would be very helpful. I’ll be back in soon. Get that small pistol and put it in your pocket, and please grab some shotgun shells and bring those to Hop Sing. He can tell you where he wants them.”

A short time later, those tasks were completed. Adam brought in the basket of potatoes that had been forgotten by the garden as well as the small spade the ladies had been using. Leah helped Hop Sing wash the potatoes and place them on a table to dry. They would be put in the root cellar the next day when they were thoroughly dried. Once those tasks were completed, everyone retired for the night.

In the bedroom, Adam lay back on the bed and relaxed in the soft comfort of familiar surroundings as Leah took the pins from her hair and brushed it out. He loved watching her do such ordinary things. It was one of the benefits of marriage that he had never anticipated. He found that watching her dress or fuss with her hair was endlessly fascinating although undressing was his first preference when it came to watching her. She smiled as she used her peripheral vision to watch him watching her remove the pins from her hair, and managed to put on a little show for him dropping her dress and petticoats and draping them over a chair before sitting again to brush her hair wearing only her nearly see through chemise. Finally deciding that she had given him enough pleasurable torment she stood as if to move to the bed.

“Would you enjoy a massage before sleep? I’m sure it would relax you.”

Rolling over with a smile, Adam gave his answer with his actions, but he knew it would do anything but relax him. He was not mistaken. Later as they lay together, sated, and ready to sleep, he had a statement he made as often as he could.

“I love you, and I am so happy to be married to you.”

“I love you so much. I’d turn around and kiss you for that, but then it would likely be another hour before we get to sleep, and I’m tired. You must be tired too, so good night, my love.”

Smiling and content, Adam snuggled down into the pillow with Leah beside him. He couldn’t imagine how life could get much better than that.

The next morning, Candy took charge of the hands and getting work done that needed to be done. Hoss, Adam, Jackson, and another hand headed out after breakfast to see if they could find any sign on the Ponderosa of the men who had robbed the bank. Adam suggested that they go to his home under construction first.

“I know it’s unlikely that they would stay there, but it’s also true that we would likely think that.”

“So ifn they was gonna hide, it might be a place they’d choose cause we would think they wouldn’t.”

“That about sums it up. Then let’s check the southeast line shack. It’s also unlikely, but we should make sure.”

The four men checked those two places and saw the posse riding in the distance. Turning that way, they headed toward them to see if there had been any news. Roy recognized them and waited on the road as the rest of the posse moved ahead carefully searching the sides of the road.

Roy addressed Hoss who arrived first. “You boys seen anything?”

“Nothing, Roy. Say what ya doing searching the road like that?”

“Hoss, we followed the direction those men road out of town. We rode hard and went by two stage stations. Neither station master seen anything so we assumed they had to get off the road at some point and ride in a different direction. Well we searched the road once and never found any place where riders left the road. We’re going all along the road now in the other direction and we still ain’t found nothing.”

“Roy, you think them varmints are local or they’re holed up some place local then that they could get to by road?”

“That’s about it, Hoss. Now did you see anything on the Ponderosa that was out of the ordinary?”

“Nothing, and we been looking. Adam thought we oughta check out his new house and the southeast line shack, and nothing was disturbed at either place.”

“Well, we’ve checked all the roads heading off the main road going south. You boys think you could check the couple of roads that head north? At some point, they either left the road to get away or they used the road to get to some place where they’re holed up. They got a lot of money and such. We need to find them.”

Chapter 9

For the next several hours, Adam and Hoss searched the sides of the road as the other two men followed and looked around to see if they could notice anything out of the ordinary. Finally they had to accept that they had failed to find what they hoped to find.

“Adam, we’re almost at the trail that takes us to Ardis’ family place. You wouldn’t mind riding there with me, would ya?”

“I’ll go with you. Jackson and Turner, you can ride back to the posse and tell them we found nothing. Then head on home and get yourself a late lunch. Jackson, please tell Leah that Hoss and I will be back in a couple of hours.”

About fifteen minutes later, Hoss and Adam rode into the Dahin family ranch although it was more of a large farm than a true ranch. Adam looked around with curiosity because he hadn’t been to the place for many years. Hoss dismounted and went to the home and knocked on the door. Ardis’ mother answered. When Hoss asked to see Ardis, she looked nervous but agreed to get her daughter. Ardis came to the door and stepped outside to talk with Hoss. Her voice was high and sounded a bit strident.

“Hoss, what are you doing here? You can’t just come here unannounced like this. People who come in unannounced are not welcome visitors. I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave.”

“Ardis, we was just out helping the posse look for the men who robbed the bank in town. Did ya hear about that?”

“Yes, we heard that story. Now if you would like to tell me when you want to come back, I’ll be happy to see if that day works out or if ma Pa has things he wants me to do on the ranch.”

“All right, then. I’m sorry to have bothered you. Ifn you don’t mind, I’d like to come calling on Saturday. Would Saturday be all right for a visit?”

“That would be fine. Maybe then we could take a ride to see the stable at Joe’s new house.”

“Oh, you mean Adam, dontcha?”

“Yes, of course, I meant Adam. Now I have to get back inside. I’ll see you soon then, Hoss.”

Hoss nodded and walked back to Chubb to mount up. Adam seemed to be having some trouble with Sport and had wheeled him around twice trying to get the spirited horse under control again. Usually such antics would have made Hoss make some comment on Adam’s choice of mount, but Hoss was feeling rather low after being brushed off by Ardis. He rode out ahead of Adam until he realized Adam had slowed and was riding off the road and up behind a hill that put the Dahin ranch out of sight.

“Adam, what ya doin?”

Signaling for Hoss to be silent, Adam tied off Sport and grabbed his rifle as he began to walk rapidly up the hill. Hoss tied down Chubb and followed him still wondering what was going on. As Adam neared the top of the hill, he got down low and finally stretched out on the ground at the top of the hill overlooking the buildings down below. He watched carefully and waited for Hoss to slide up next to him. Hoss whispered.

“Now you want to tell me what’s got you so all fired curious about this ranch?”

“Ardis wasn’t very friendly, was she?”

“No, and here I was thinking she liked me.”

“She does. She just saved your life.”

“What?”

“Her attitude was what made me the most curious. Just the day before she was delighted to be able to spend some time with you, and today, she’s cold as ice toward you. Something was very wrong with the whole thing.”

“What else made you think something was up?”

“She said ‘People who come in unannounced are not welcome visitors.’ Then she said her father would have things for her to do on the ranch. Hoss, she has several brothers and no sisters. The Dahins have probably six men working for them, so Ardis doesn’t do any work around the ranch. When I looked around I saw that the stable was all closed up, the bunkhouse was closed up, and not a single member of the family was outside doing any work. Ardis finished by saying she had to get back inside. That is one very intelligent woman.”

Hoss had listened carefully and then turned to Adam with a very worried look. “You think those bank robbers are in the house!”

“Shh, not so loud. No, I think some of them are in the house. I saw what looked like it could be the end of a rifle barrel sticking out of the hay loft door that was open about two inches. I saw a face at the window of the bunkhouse watching us.”

“That’s why you had trouble with Sport. It was so you could look all around without them knowing that was what you was doing.”

“Yes, and it looks bad. I think I saw some blood on the steps to the bunkhouse. Ardis made a reference to the ‘stable at Joe’s new house’ and she knew we don’t have a stable up there yet so that seems to confirm my idea that there was at least one in the stable. There is probably one in the bunkhouse, so that would mean the rest might be in the house with the family. Do you remember if anyone said how many men robbed the bank?”

“I don’t remember anyone saying. How about if I go get the posse and you keep watch? We’ve got to do something to save Ardis and her family as well as the hands.”

“Just what I was going to say. Remind them to come in very quietly. I get the feeling that those robbers are a bit on edge. It could be that they already killed someone and now they’re afraid of the gallows.”

“All right. Don’t do anything and I’ll be back with Roy and the others as fast as I can. I think I’ll see if someone will go to the ranch and get Candy and some of the men too.”

Two hours later, Roy was at Adam’s side and looking down at the ranch. There had been very little activity. Someone had come out from the bunkhouse and gotten a bucket of water. For two hours, that was the only movement. Shortly after Roy arrived, two of the Dahin boys headed out to the stable. Apparently they were going to take care of the stock while the rest of their family remained as hostages inside the house.

“Roy, I know how to get into that house. Back when the Bonners lived here, I was here fairly often.”

“Or as often as you could get away from your pa and sneak over here.”

Adam grimaced a little. He didn’t enjoy being reminded of his few years of rebellious and sometimes illegal behaviors although he had never committed any serious infraction. Hoss noted that at some point he was going to quiz Roy and find out about those mysterious years of Adam’s life because neither he nor their father ever wanted to talk about them. Meanwhile, they needed a plan. “While those two are in the stable, if you could get Ardis and her mother on the porch and then away from the house, I can get in the upstairs. The tree we used to use is still there and even bigger than it was then. If no one is keeping guard up there, I could sneak down the stairs and surprise whomever is in the house. You could slip some men into the stable and get the man in the hayloft and probably some men could sneak up to the door of the bunkhouse and break in there.”

“I like the stable and the bunkhouse plan, but I don’t like you heading into that house alone. Best we’ve been figuring is that there are three men in there and four hostages. If we get the women out, that still leaves you against three and two hostages in harm’s way.”

“I could go in with him.” Hoss wanted to help as much as he could.

“No, Hoss, the way I’m going in requires a man a bit lighter than you. I’m going to need a distraction to cover the noise I’ll make, but you wouldn’t even make it in across that roof. It’s only a back porch roof and none to strong.”

“I’ll go.” Candy’s words were echoed by Jackson.

Adam looked at both. “I’ll take Candy with me. Sorry, Jackson, but you’re more of a healer than a shooter. You need to be ready to help out though so stay close.”

Soon the plan was that Roy would go to the house and ask to speak with Ardis and her mother on the porch. As soon as they were outside, he was going to get them off the side of the porch and use the small woodshed beside the house for cover. Jackson and a few others would be there with covering fire as well if that was necessary. Hoss would take a few men into the stable to take out the outlaw there and rescue the two younger Dahin boys. Clem was to take some men and storm the bunkhouse as soon as there was a distraction from the other two locations. There was likely to be gunfire which Adam and Candy would use to disguise their entrance into the upstairs of the house via the back porch roof.

“Adam, there’s a lot that can go wrong with this plan.”

“Hoss, I know, but we’re getting the youngest and most vulnerable to safety first. We’ll all do our best to get the rest of them to safety too, but we may need a few prayers to make this work.”

A short time later, Roy was standing on the porch of the Dahin house. He had two members of the posse who had ridden up with him looking like they were waiting for him. He had some story about one of the posse members being hurt and needing to talk to the two ladies about how to care for him. Even if the outlaws inside were suspicious or on edge, they let the two women step out onto the porch. As soon as they did, Roy grabbed their arms and told them to run. At the same time, shots rang out from the stable and several men broke into the bunkhouse. The men in the house broke some windows and pointed guns through them, but by that time, there were no targets as Roy and the ladies as well as the two men from the posse were safely hidden behind the woodshed, and two other men held rifles on the house in case there was pursuit.

Meanwhile Adam and Candy had used the yelling and the gunfire as a cover to drop from the tree branches onto the back porch roof and climb in through a bedroom window. Adam climbed through the window first and then turned to help Candy step through. They had taken off their boots and padded lightly on their stocking feet, but unfortunately there was an outlaw using the front bedroom as a lookout post. He came to investigate the sounds he heard. As soon as he saw Adam, he drew and fired but Adam was able to draw faster, and the man’s shot went into the ceiling as he fell back. Candy whispered to Adam.

“I didn’t know you had your fast draw back.”

Whispering back to him, Adam had an answer. “I didn’t know either until that moment. Leah kept telling me the hesitation was all in my head. I guess she was right. I wasn’t thinking there. I was only reacting. It was more natural than target practice.”

Unfortunately for them, the two remaining outlaws downstairs were now well aware that they were upstairs but didn’t know there were two of them. They began firing through the floor and Adam and Candy quickly moved to the side away from where the shots were coming through the floor.

“Candy, run across the floor and draw their attention so I can sneak down the stairs.”

“You do know they’re going to start shooting again as soon as I make a sound.”

“I do. I need the noise to cover me going down the steps. So run fast.”

“You are always such a smart ass. All right, but you better get them before they get me, or I’ll come back and haunt you. I swear I will.”

Very softly, Adam slid across the floor to the doorway and into the hall. He nodded at Candy who ran across the room before jumping up on the broad windowsill to avoid the shots fired once more through the floor. Then he did it again and stepped into the hallway to avoid the shots. He glanced down the hall and saw that Adam was nearly at the bottom of the stairs. He ran across the room one more time and up onto the windowsill. He heard Adam yell.

“Drop your guns!”

Then there were several shots, and Candy realized he was holding his breath. Next he heard Adam call to him to come downstairs because it was all over. When he got there, two men were lying wounded on the floor, and Mr. Dahin and his oldest son were sitting in chairs where they had been tied. Adam asked Candy to get a knife from the kitchen.

“You could get it. You seem to know where things are around here.”

In answer, Adam took his hand from his side holding it up and showing blood. Candy nodded and went to find the kitchen which he assumed was in the back. Adam staggered a bit as he walked over to the front door and opened it. Roy was soon inside with the other men as well as the rest of the Dahins who rushed to help free their family members. Roy and his men took the two wounded outlaws outside.

“There’s another one upstairs. He’s beyond needing help.” Then Adam sat on the steps and leaned back. Hoss saw the blood on his hand and asked him how bad it was. “Not bad. It hurts like damn hell but it’s mostly a crease. Leah is going to be so mad at me.”

Adam pulled his shirt from his pants and raised it so that Hoss could see for himself. He nodded after he leaned down to take a look. Adam had told the truth. It was an ugly wound but very shallow.

“Aw, Adam, get yourself patched up, and she won’t likely know. I didn’t know you was wounded till Hoss saw that blood on your hand.” Roy was concerned, but Adam had said it was only a crease and Hoss had confirmed it.

“She’ll see it when we go to bed tonight so I better just tell her right away.”

“Well, your nightshirt ought to hide it just fine.”

Hoss started chuckling then, and Adam scowled. Roy frowned for he didn’t see that anything he said was funny or bad. Hoss looked at Adam and chuckled more before he explained to Roy.

“Adam don’t wear no nightshirt. He don’t like em. He only has one on when he gets sick or hurt and Pa puts it on him when he’s out cold or too weak to fight him.”

“Well, now, that could be a problem. I guess you better get patched up and then head home to tell the missus.” Roy chuckled too as he went to organize the posse and get statements from the witnesses. The outlaws had killed one of the hands so the surviving members of the gang would be facing the gallows. After Jackson and the Dahin women patched them up for the trip, Roy took them to town to lock them in the jail.

As Jackson then made sure that Adam had a good tight bandage on his wound before allowing him to ride for home with Candy, Hoss headed outside to see how Ardis was doing. She rushed into Hoss’ arms.

“Oh, Hoss, you know I didn’t mean those things I said. I was trying to let you know what was happening. You know that, don’t you? I was so scared.”

In answer, Hoss wrapped his arms around Ardis and kissed her before holding her to him and talking in a soothing tone. A short time later when Adam and Jackson came out of the house, Hoss had some information for them.

“Adam, don’t expect me home tonight. Me and Jackson are gonna stay and help get things settled here. These folks been through a nightmare, and it may take some time to make em feel safe again.”

Adam nodded and then slowly turned Sport for the ride home. He did tell Leah what had happened. She had hugged him and cried, but she had said little. Adam knew she was upset and gave her time as he waited for her to tell him what was wrong. He knew that he had put himself in danger, but there were lives to be saved, and there were a number of people who had agreed to the plan and helped to make it work. He had told her all of that, but it didn’t seem to help. Adam wasn’t used to Leah being so emotional and wasn’t sure why she was so upset, but when they went to bed that night, she was still upset. She pulled away from him and at first rebuffed his efforts to comfort her.

Chapter 10

Adam lay in bed staring at the shadows the moonlight cast on the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. He knew she was very upset, but her rejection of him hurt too. He knew Leah wasn’t sleeping, and she was still crying at times.

“We need to talk. This can’t come between us like this. I felt I needed to do something, and I was as careful as I could be. There were innocent people at risk. If I could do something, then I had to do it. I couldn’t live with myself if I hadn’t helped in their rescue.”

“But why did you have to do the most dangerous thing?”

“One, I was the only one of the men who had been in that house before especially upstairs. And I was the only one who knew how to get in the house that way too. One and one equals two. That’s all I can say. It was the logical thing to do, and the right thing to do. I wouldn’t be the man I am if I didn’t help like I did.”

“One and one equals two. Well sometimes one and one makes three.”

Staring at those shadows, Adam tried to understand what she meant by that. In the context of what he had done to make her upset, he didn’t see how it applied. Once he began thinking outside of that context, he turned to her and pulled her to face him.

“You are?”

Leah buried her face against Adam’s chest. He felt more of her tears but was beginning to get an understanding of them. “Are you sure?”

Suddenly it was as if the damn broke. “No, but pretty sure. It’s been almost six weeks now. I’ve never gone that long before. And I feel different too. I feel like a different person. I cry a lot. I guess you noticed that. I want you all the time although that isn’t so different than before, but you’re always on my mind, and again that’s not so different than before. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel different somehow. The whole thing is frightening. I don’t know what to expect. I was going to tell you tonight after dinner, and then to find out I could have lost you and faced this all alone. I don’t know. I got so upset. I’m sorry.”

As Leah started to cry again, Adam was surprised by his own reaction. Knowing it was possible and seeing it as reality were two decidedly different things. He had thought he would be afraid for Leah and of the possibility of losing her, but found instead that all he felt was unbounded joy. He slid his hand down between them and placed it over where he knew a baby he had fathered was growing.

“You aren’t upset?”

“No, I thought I would be worried and scared for you, but all I can feel is exhilarated over what we’ve done. I’m looking forward to the next months seeing your belly swell and knowing our baby is in there.”

“I’m so relieved. I bet your father is going to be so happy.”

“Yes, when we tell him. I don’t want to tell anyone yet. I want this to be our secret and only our joy for a while.”

“Yes, we can get used to the idea and make plans without anyone else having a part of it. That will be fun, won’t it, as you get the nursery ready and I can start making gowns and small blankets. Will you make a cradle for our baby?”

“Yes, I will make a beautiful cradle for our beautiful baby.”

“What if our baby isn’t beautiful?”

“Our baby will be beautiful no matter what. He or she could be a snaggletoothed, red-haired troll and be beautiful.”

Leah finally laughed. “I don’t think we could have a baby who looked that bad, but it’s good to know it wouldn’t matter to you.”

Relieved to have Leah talking again, Adam asked if she wanted to go to town to see Lem, and that got an enthusiastic yes. He smiled at her. “We can take him out to show him the new house, and we can talk over what needs to be done at the office yet. It looked to me like it was finished, but I’m not a surgeon so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Leah had an admission to make and sheepishly confided what she had done. “I was in the office a few times while you were gone and made some suggestions to the men finishing the work there. Some things looked quite different to me on the drawing in comparison to how it actually turned out. I asked them to make the surgery room larger, so the patient room is smaller. No one is likely to stay there for very long, so it seemed that it could be smaller, but the surgery room has to accommodate a lot of equipment and people moving around.”

“Good, then perhaps Lem will be pleased so the two of you can begin work there. Now, how is being with child going to affect what you do?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“Are you sick at all? I know some women get sick when they’re with child.”

“Yes, but that wouldn’t happen for a month or two yet. For now, I seem to be getting bigger in a couple of spots that I hadn’t expected to get bigger. They’re a bit tender too.”

“Ah, yes, I noticed that. I have to tell you that I don’t mind a bit. I will be careful though so I don’t add to your discomfort.”

“We have a lot to do now, don’t we?”

“You mean putting the windows in our house, plastering, painting, and then moving in; making a cradle, finishing the nursery, getting you and Lem started in your practice, building a stable that includes a room for Jackson, and hiring a cook who can also do some housekeeping and take care of a baby as needed. I have some building plans I said I would draw for a client, and I need to meet with my broker to sell the shares I have in silver mines. That’s all.”

“I hadn’t thought about what I would do once the baby arrives. Working then would be very difficult, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, but we have months yet to figure that out. But with that long list of things to do, we should probably try to get some sleep now. Tomorrow is going to be the first of many very busy days.”

The next week was very busy, and then Ben and Joe arrived home with the rest of the hands from the Salt Lake City drive. As expected, Hoss told Ben and Joe most of the news, but even he did not yet know that Adam and Leah were expecting a baby. Ben took the news fairly well except he was worried that Adam was taking on too much. He suspected that Adam would become far more interested in building than in working on the ranch though he kept that concern to himself. It had been a worry of his for a long time, but at least with Lem and Leah working in town, and Adam and Leah living in a house on the Ponderosa, he was unlikely to leave which had been the greatest concern for Ben as Adam got older and more disenchanted with working on a ranch as his main occupation. At least with everything Adam had set for himself to do, he would be very busy with little time to think about living someplace else.

The annual harvest dance was that Saturday. It was a rainy day, but the skies cleared by late afternoon. Joe was looking forward to see if he could make an impression on Melanie. Bess was going to be there and told both Hoss and Lem that she expected some dances. Hoss was more interested though in squiring Ardis to the dance, and he worried how Bessie Sue was going to react when he walked in with Ardis so Hoss asked Lem to please be at the dance before he got there. Adam waited at the door with Leah so that he could signal Hoss that Lem was already inside. It worked like a charm. Bess said she was glad that Hoss had found another gal as she wouldn’t have to share her time with two men. Lem actually looked pleased with that surprising most of them. Unfortunately, Patricia had her claws out. She approached Adam as he got punch for himself and Leah after two dances.

“Well, you could offer to dance with an old friend, couldn’t you especially as seeing that your wife can’t even keep up with you after two dances.”

“I would dance with an old friend if I saw one who wasn’t busy at the moment. Excuse me. I wish to get back to my wife and pleasant conversation.”

Hoss and Ardis were walking to the punch table with Bess and Lem. Lem was explaining why he liked Bess so much better than women like Patricia. “Bess speaks direct and to the point without all that social dancing around in conversation that confuses me. She listens to me until I talk too much, and then she tells me it’s time to be quiet for a bit. I like that straightforward honesty. It is very refreshing. She’s kind and smart as well as quite fun to be with. She’s always in a good mood.”

“Lem, you might have to wait and see on that one. Everybody can have a bad mood now and then.”

“Hoss, now don’t you be trying to tell any tales on me. Me and Lem is getting along just fine without you muddying up the waters with your fool talk.”

The two couples were nearing the table then and all could hear the criticism of Leah that Patricia was heaping on Adam. He had stayed by her side because he was afraid she would follow him if he left, and he didn’t want Leah to have to hear the insults. By this time though, Patricia was getting loud enough that Leah noticed as did at least half the people in the dance hall. Ardis was embarrassed and wanted Patricia to shut up.

“Patricia, please, you’re making a scene.”

“Oh, and he bought you off with his brother. I have to wonder how many friends he’ll have to buy for her before she’s happy. Is he going to give Joe to Melanie so she will be her friend too.”

Melanie walked up with Joe at that point and heard that as well as some of the conversation that had led up to it. “Patricia, I may not be too smart, but Adam and Leah are happy together, and he certainly hasn’t had to do anything to make us friends with Leah. She’s a very nice lady who doesn’t say mean things about other people, even you.”

“Oh, Melanie, you are as dumb as that center post. You have no idea what you’re talking about. And Ardis, you need a man on your arm so people don’t wonder what you were doing with those outlaws in your house when the men were all tied up. There must have been some reason you weren’t tied down like they were. That ugly cow, Leah, can have you.”

Any further venom spewing from Patricia’s lips was cut off as Bess picked her up and threw her over her shoulder. She carried her to the wide double door entrance and stepped outside leaving everyone inside speechless. Patricia was screaming that Bess had to put her down.

“All right, then, I’ll put you down.” And Bess deposited her into the big mud puddle just off the walk in front of the dance hall. Shocked at first, the people who had crowded outside began to laugh at Patricia who tried to get up several times slipping in the mud until her dress was filthy. She finally crawled out of the puddle and stood up to give an obscene gesture to the crowd. Bess looked at her and had only one thing left to say.

“Don’t you make me come after you and make you be nice.”

Patricia turned and ran down the street then. The crowd laughed. Bess turned to find Lem beside her and the Cartwrights and their ladies standing behind him.

“Bess, dear, what have you done?”

“Took out the trash, Lem. It was as foul as a hundred hides curing in the sun. The stench is gone now. You ready for more dancing?”

Lem offered her his arm and smiled. After they left, Adam and Leah looked down the street as Hoss and Joe escorted their ladies back into the dance.

“Adam, she doesn’t know how to shoot, does she?”

“No, and she won’t dare show her face after that. It was cruel, but somehow very satisfying.”

“That’s a nasty thing to say.” But Leah couldn’t hold the serious look and chuckled.

“How about you, sweetheart? Ready for more dancing?”

“Yes, but I’m already tired so can we make it an early evening?”

“Of course. I have to take care of the two of you, now, don’t I?”

By nine, Adam went to get the carriage to drive Leah home. Melanie had to go home early as well, so Joe rode back with them. Hoss was planning to stay at Ardis’ family home. They were so grateful for all he had done for them and liked him so much, they told him that anytime he wanted to stay, he could bunk in with the boys or in the bunkhouse. Once Adam pulled the carriage into the yard, Leah was almost asleep. Joe told him to take her inside, and he would see to the horses. Once inside, Leah asked if she could have some warm milk or something to settle her stomach. Ben said that Hop Sing had left a pot of hot chocolate for them thinking they might be chilled when they got home.

“No, Leah is warm enough. She just has a bit of a queasy stomach.”

“So, when is the baby due?”

Leah was shocked, but Adam shook his head. “You figured it out that fast! You’ve been home less than a week.”

“I know, but I’ve been through this three times. I saw some of the signs. You couldn’t help being more attentive than usual, Leah was so tired even though she went to bed early every night, and she’s been drinking a lot of milk. Inger was like that with the milk craving. Maybe that’s why Hoss was so big.” Ben chuckled as he saw Leah’s expression. “No, my dear, I was only teasing my son. Inger was a tall woman and her brother was a big man. It wasn’t a surprise to either of us that Hoss was a big baby. The little ones do tend to look like their parents so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

The move into the new house went smoothly except that Lem had to stay at the hotel a bit longer than expected as Adam had to finish one of the upstairs bedrooms so he could work over the winter finishing the other downstairs bedroom as a nursery. Jackson settled into his room in the stable and looked forward to lots of time for reading especially over the winter. There was no room yet for a cook so Leah had to do her best, but Hop Sing was very happy to send food over fairly often. Adam decided to set up an office in town next to the medical office where Lem and Leah were working. Some days he would work there as an architect and could conduct Ponderosa business there as well as some projects of his own. Within a year, Adam hoped to start up a construction business either as part of the Ponderosa or on his own if necessary. His father was getting closer to being willing to organize the Ponderosa as a corporate entity so adding a construction business would be feasible and give them an additional and steady source of income. He wasn’t going to do that though until Leah had the baby so that there would be no additional stress. That winter was one of the most pleasant that he could remember. One plus one making three was certainly more fulfilling than he had ever thought it would be.

Chapter 11 (seven months later)

“Jackson, what’s your first name? I know you tell people you don’t like it so you won’t tell them, but Leah and I have been talking about names, and I was wondering why you don’t like yours.”

“All right, Adam, I’ll tell you, but if anyone else ever knows, I’ll know it came from you, and I’ll bury my boot in your ass just before I quit this job.”

“I swear I will never tell. If you don’t want to tell me though, could you at least tell me why you hate your name so much?”

“My Ma met this English doctor. She was real impressed by him and named me after him. Now if you’re a doctor in England and just visiting hospitals in America, I guess you can get away with a name like that, but out here, men take your measure when they first meet you, and you better measure up. There has never been an occasion when I wanted to tell anyone that my name is Aubrey Timothy Jackson.”

Adam grimaced in sympathy. “I’m sorry about that. So we should think about not what we like, but how our child will face the world with the name we choose.”

“Yeah, that’s about it. I mean, there is no manly way to say Aubrey, and Tim or Timmy are no better. A long time ago, I started going by my last name only. I signed on in the military as A. Jackson. They didn’t care.”

“Do you know you can legally change your name?”

“Yeah, I thought about it, but my Ma gave me the name. It seems like it would be a slap in the face to get rid of it.”

“You don’t have to get rid of it. Even though the usual is one first name and one middle name, there is no rule about middle names. You can have a number of them. Any judge reading your petition would understand. You just have to file it with the court and as long as nobody objects, that’s your new name.”

“Really? Wahoo, I never knew. I’d like to be named Samuel if I had my choice. It’s a good name. So I could be Samuel Aubrey Timothy Jackson?”

“Yes, and you could sign legal papers as Samuel A. T. Jackson if you wanted or you could just start using it, and that would be your name.”

“Will you help me do the legal thing? I mean, I’m used to people calling me Jackson, and they can keep right on doing that, but it would be nice to have a legal name that doesn’t shame me when I do have to give it for some reason.”

“So it means that we ought to think about the reaction to a name and not just whether we like it for some reason.”

“Yeah. What names are you thinking of using?”

“We were thinking Emma, Sarah, Selina, or Lila if it’s a girl and Alonzo, Morgan, James, or Lucas for a boy. All of those should pass your test of public acceptance, but after talking with you, I’d like to drop Alonzo and Selina out of the choices. Maybe I ought to ask Ardis if anyone ever picked on her for her name. Ardis is rather unusual. I never heard of anyone named that before I met her.”

“You don’t have to ask her. I already did because I do have an interest in unusual names. She said it’s Scotch-Irish, and that it’s a popular name in some areas, but some out here gave her a bit of a hard time until they got to know her. Her mother’s family comes from the Mississippi area originally where there were quite a few of their relation who had that name. She said her brothers were named after family members too so that’s why there’s Alexander, John, and Patrick.”

“Except I know them as Sandy, Jack, and Trick. I guess I never would have guessed that Trick was short for Patrick.”

“Maybe it’s because Pat or Patty could be a girl’s name so he wanted to make sure no one thought to do that.”

“Well, we’ve still got some time. I’m taking Leah in to see Doctor Martin tomorrow. She said that apparently he will be able to give us a better idea of how much longer once he sees her. It will be nine months in five weeks so we’re getting close.”

“So you won’t need me to drive tomorrow?”

“No, I’d like you to work on the extension to the corral instead. Then maybe the day after we could work on the lean-to for the wood. It wasn’t big enough last winter so I want to expand it. We should put a small one next to the stable too so you have easier access to wood for your stove.”

“All right, then I know what my jobs are for the next few days. You getting closer to hiring a full time cook and housekeeper?”

“Yes. Leah has had a difficult time getting around in the kitchen so we have a woman coming out with us tomorrow, and she’s someone whom we already know. I think she’ll be just right for the job. Melanie Michaels. I had thought she wasn’t very smart, but the woman can cook wonderfully. We sampled some things she made, and it was very impressive. She seems smarter when she’s in the kitchen. It seems she gets very nervous around a lot of people or even a few people. Then she just does what she thinks they want because she’s too nervous to think of what she ought to be doing.”

“Wasn’t your brother Joe seeing her for a while?”

“Yes, but even though she’s quite pretty and that drew Joe’s attention, she’s too shy and reserved for my brother. She needs a quieter man with a lot of patience. Her parents are hoping that working for us will help her become more confident, and at least they know she’ll be safe here. I’ll watch out for her like she’s my little sister. She’ll be good company for Leah too.”

“And with Hoss getting married to Ardis after the fall drive, she’ll have her best friends right here on the ranch.”

“Yes, October will be a big month this year with Hoss’ wedding and Joe turns twenty-five. The expansion of our lumber mill will be completed too. Pa is planning a big celebration for Hoss though and that takes precedence over everything else. It’s over four months away and he’s already excited about it. Hoss has decided to live in the house with Pa when he gets married. Ardis plans to take over the gardens and the chickens and the milk cows as well as some of the housekeeping. She’s already spending a lot of time in the garden because she wants a fully stocked root cellar when winter comes. Hop Sing is finally getting some help.”

“It seems odd that you as the oldest son didn’t stay in the house, and the middle son is the one staying.”

“Pa and I get along better this way. Hoss is more easy going so he and Pa get along well most of the time.”

“Yeah, I felt the same way. I left home to be my own man too. Now, I got a few books I’d like to read, and it looks like Leah is looking for you.”

Adam looked to his house to see Leah on the porch. She waved when he looked and got his answering wave before he began walking to the house. When he reached Leah, he did what he did often over the past months. He hugged her, and put his hand on her swollen belly. He always smiled when he did it. Leah had thought he might find her unattractive when she got large, but instead he seemed to love touching her and feeling the baby kick.

The next morning, Adam drove Leah to town to see Doctor Martin. Lem had two patients in his office so he had stayed overnight with them. He had hired a nurse to help him now that Leah was unable to go into the office on a regular basis. At Doctor Martin’s office, all went well until Paul told them the due date.

“I’m sorry. I told Leah this last time I saw her. I suspected then that we were off on the due date by a month or so. This confirms it. She’s due now. She’s not in labor, but that could happen at any time. It’s very close. Drive home carefully.”

“Paul, I don’t want to drive home if she’s going to start having the baby on the way.”

“Adam, it doesn’t happen that fast, but two rides like that could make it start. I’m not busy today, so Jackson could come get me if it does start.”

“I’m going to need Jackson’s help because now we can’t give Lem a ride home.”

“All right, Adam, I’ll give Lem a ride home later, and that way I can check on Leah once more today, and Lem will be there too if you need help.”

“He’s a surgeon. What does he know about delivering a baby?”

“More than you do. Now, he’ll know what to do even if he lacks experience in delivering babies. Jackson will be there to help too. Have you hired Melanie yet? Leah told me last time that you were likely going to hire her.”

“Yes, she’s supposed to ride back with us today. Do we have time to stop by her house and pick her up?”

Paul had to smile at the big grins Leah had as she listened to her usually calm and decisive husband reduced to a scared father-to-be. Adam looked back at her because of Paul’s smile.

“I just want everything to go well.”

“I know you do, Adam, and I wish all fathers took such an interest, but you don’t need to be so worried. Everything looks just right, and Leah is more than ready to be done with this. So, help her into the carriage. Pick up Melanie. Go home, and relax. Lem and I will be there by late afternoon. I know he has two patients but they should be going home today.” Paul almost said that they would be there unless there was an emergency, but Adam was worried enough.

As Adam drove through town to go to the Michaels home, Leah bent over and gasped. Then as Adam pulled the carriage to a halt, she sat back up and grinned. “Just teasing. I’m fine, although I don’t think I should bend over like that. It made me want to retch for a second there.”

Exasperated, Adam snapped the reins to get the carriage moving again. “Do that again and you might find yourself bending over my knee.”

“Oh, Adam, I’m sorry, but you are so serious about this. Lots and lots of women do this all the time. I’m sure it can’t be all that bad.”

When they got to the Michaels house, Adam paused before going up to the house to get Melanie. “Have you ever been with a woman who was having a baby?”

“No, not actually there. My experience was sometimes after a birth, I would help a mother to recover if she couldn’t walk or get out of bed as she should. Most often it was because of a breech birth, but Paul said the baby is in the perfect position to be born so that won’t happen.”

“Leah, it is more difficult than I think you know. I remember when Joe was born, and I’ve been around a few other women who have given birth. It’s not easy, and you need to be ready for it. When we get home, I want you to lie down and rest. The way Paul was talking, this could happen at any time, and you need to be strong for it.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Adam’s look was enough answer. “All right, I’ll do as you ask, but I don’t think it’s going to be that hard. I’m just as ready as I can be to have this over with. It can’t be that bad or women wouldn’t keep having children after the first one or two.”

About eight hours later, Leah had an entirely different viewpoint on the subject. “Oh, God, make it stop. I changed my mind. I don’t want the baby to come out now. It can wait a while longer. Oh, God, it hurts so much.”

Outside the bedroom, Adam paced the room. Every scream or complaint by Leah was easily heard. Ben tried to get Adam to sit, but he would have none of that. He barely could control the urge to go in the bedroom and help somehow. He knew he would likely be in the way instead, but when she screamed or called out for him, his heart seemed to literally hurt because he couldn’t go to her. Ben finally stood and ushered Adam outside telling Hoss and Joe to come get them if Paul wanted Adam for any reason.

As Ben walked outside with Adam, he grabbed his coat and Adam’s. It had been a warm day, but the night promised to be chilly with clear skies and winds blowing down from the mountains. “She’s going to be fine. Anyone who can yell like that is doing just fine. If she was growing weak, there is no possible way she could do what she’s doing.”

“I know in my head that what you’re saying is true, but my heart is breaking for the pain she’s enduring, and it’s all my fault.”

“All your fault. Son, I’m not deaf. When you were still in the house with all of us, we did hear her invite you to come to bed early. I know that it bothered you that we always knew what it meant of course, but that means Leah was as much a part of this as you. In fact, wasn’t she getting a bit sad that it took so long for her to be with child? It’s something you did together in every sense of that word.”

“Pa, I can’t lose her.”

Ben stepped up close to Adam and wrapped his arms around his son. “You won’t lose her. She’s a strong woman. I even wanted to laugh when I heard her say she changed her mind, but I knew you wouldn’t appreciate that. I don’t doubt that your brothers are going to bring that up in the future at some point though. Now no woman who can holler that loud and scream with that much energy is in any kind of trouble. She’s just letting it out because of the pain. Now if you could be in there, you might be surprised at what she would say to you, but know that when it’s all over, the pain will be forgotten as well as anything she said. She’ll take that baby in her arms, and everything that happened will seem a very small price to pay.”

“Pa, I don’t even have the cradle ready. It still needs to be varnished. I thought I had another month or at least several weeks.”

“It’s all right. Use it the way it is. The baby won’t be touching the wood anyway. By the time the baby is ready to grab something, you’ll have the crib ready. We used an old box for Hoss, but no one could tell. We had it wrapped in a soft muslin sheet, and Inger had those small baby blankets to tuck around the boy. We could have had the finest cradle and no one would have known that either.”

“I should go get it then. It’s in the tack room in the stable.” Together father and son walked to get the cradle, and then once they had it in the house, they wrapped it in a soft muslin sheet making sure there was plenty of padding on the bottom. Then Adam laid in the waterproof cloth and laid a small receiving blanket over that.

“It looks fine, son. Just what the baby needs now.”

“Now?”

“It’s gotten very quiet in there. I expect to hear a baby crying very soon.”

And then it was there, and all the men grinned. After about fifteen minutes, Paul opened the door to let Melanie take soiled laundry out and he invited Adam into the room to meet his child. Ben, Hoss, and Joe gathered at the door waiting to see the new arrival. Adam was afraid to sit on the side of the bed until Leah told him she wanted him there. She was holding a small bundle to her chest and cooing to the baby.

“Meet your son, Adam. How about Adam Lucas Cartwright? We can call him Lucas or Luke, but he should have his father’s name.”

“I have a son?”

Leah pulled back the blanket to show Adam his son’s face. “He looks like you with those lips. He doesn’t have much hair, but he does have a few curly wisps of black hair up there and more in the back. And he has such a cute nose. He is beautiful.”

“Yes, he is.” Adam reached out a hand and placed it on his son as Leah held him. It was an image that Ben Cartwright would never forget. He got to see his firstborn son with his firstborn son, Ben’s first grandchild. One plus one had made a beautiful three.

Epilogue (one year later)

Adam was discussing some business with his father, and when they concluded, Ben had one request. “Oh, don’t leave before you see Hoss because he has some news to share with you. I’d tell you, but your brother wants to be the one so he told us not to say anything.”

Intrigued, Adam nodded and walked out to the stable where Hoss was working. He leaned up against the corral fence as Hoss placed and hammered a board to replace one that had been splintered by a mule unhappy to be harnessed up and left standing there. “Pa said you had some news for me?”

“Just a minute. Let me finish this up, and then I’ll get a dipper of water and tell ya.” As soon as Hoss could, he put the tools away and had that drink of water. “Well, you know Pa sent me on up to Reno to see ifn we could sell some cattle to the businesses up there. We can, by the way. Folks up there are building all sorts of new places. We got a regular order to deliver beef up there. Ain’t that good news?”

“Yes, Hoss, but I’m guessing that isn’t the story you didn’t want anyone else to tell me.”

“Oh, yeah, well you know that Patricia’s folks sent her on up to Reno to get married to a banker who had expressed interest in her?” At Adam’s nod, Hoss continued. “They was so embarrassed to have her acting the way she was all they could do was get her out of town and married. Now I seen her when I was up there. She tried to walk away. She didn’t want me to see her, but I was just polite as can be, and I said ‘well, halloo, there, Miss Patricia’ so she couldn’t ignore me then.”

“That’s the story?”

“No, no, I ain’t got to the best part yet. Adam, that husband of hers looks just like ole Smokey, only I think maybe old Smokey is a might better looking and maybe a mite narrower in the belly.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope, her husband looks just like our big ole sow who’s gonna make some right fine bacon and hams one of these days. And Patricia is a match for him now. I asked her when the baby was due, and I thought she was gonna cry cause she was so mad. Seems she ain’t gonna have no baby, but she looks like she’s a gonna have twins. Only I guess she don’t have that glow like you expect with a lady who’s gonna have a baby. I remember when Leah was carrying Lucas cause she looked just rosy all the time. Patricia looks like, oh, I don’t know, but it ain’t good. Her skin is all mottled red like she’s sick or something, and her nose was all red too. Her husband was all proud as can be though and said they’re moving to St. Louis cause he got an even better job at a bank there.”

“So, poetic justice of a sort there.”

“Huh?”

“She used her beauty here to try to land a husband and made people miserable in the process, and now she has a husband but no beauty, and she’s miserable. Kind of what goes around, comes around?”

“Yeah, and ain’t none of us got to worry about her no more.”

Next in the Leah Series:

Guilt Trap

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Family