Summary:  The story starts with a horse race as the three Cartwright brothers take on a challenge, but the story continues with romances, tragedy, heartache, an abduction that takes Adam to Australia, and troubles at home until all the issues can be resolved.  There are three parts to the story with Four Corners, Dreams, and Turbulence and Trouble.

Rating = T    WC = 81,104

Rosalie Series:

Four Corners, Dreams, Turbulence, and Trouble
Date Night
Witch’s Sham

Four Corners

Chapter 1

“Nah, your Joe will always be the son who needs his father. There ain’t nothing in the world gonna drag him away from you. It’s the other two you need to be thinking on more.” Ben had walked into Sheriff Roy Coffee’s office looking upset, and it was clear after only a few comments that he was most upset with his sons and worrying about them.

“Hoss would never leave the Ponderosa.”

“Now, I wouldn’t be too sure on that. He’s a man of strong emotions. I know he loves you and his brothers, but he has needs too, and ifn he needed something that wasn’t here, well, he might just mosey on over to where it is.”

“You’re talking about that woman in California, aren’t you? The one Hoss met after the trail drive last year? Well, I told him he gets to travel to visit her when he has time, but we have a lot of work to do on the ranch, and he hasn’t been able to get away lately.”

“Or rather, you seen to it that he couldn’t.” That got a glower but not a denial. “Ben, I think you’re making a mistake there. Hoss is a good judge of character. If he thinks she’s worth chasing after, then I got to think he might be right.”

“He wasn’t right about Helen Layton. Anyone can make a mistake.”

“No, anyone could, but Hoss wanted to save Helen. He knew she needed it. It was only that she didn’t want saving. You can’t help someone who ain’t ready to be helped. Now this gal seems like she can handle herself pretty darn well from what I hear. She don’t need no saving, and by keeping them apart, you might just see Hoss get pulled away from ya.”

“She has a child and no husband. That worries me. Hoss has had his heart broken too much to go through another mess.”

“Now from what I hear, she was only just barely sixteen when she had that boy. Ben, you must remember being young and in love. She was one of the unlucky ones especially when the boy didn’t stand by her. It takes two. Hoss would be a good father to that boy right about now when he really needs one.”

“Who have you been talking to? It must be someone in whom Hoss would confide. He hasn’t said anything to me about him thinking he might marry her.” Ben paused and thought only a moment as Roy didn’t answer. “It was Adam, wasn’t it? He’s been doing everything he can lately to go against whatever I want. Tarnation, I don’t know what’s gotten into that boy anyhow. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find out that he’s been putting some of these ideas into Hoss’ head.”

“Now I think you got to give Hoss more credit than that. He can think on his own.”

“Thinking! It seems that my boys have been doing way too much of that lately.”

“Now I talk about your ‘boys’ too, but when you say it, well, Ben, it sounds as if you don’t see ’em as men.”

“Of course they’re men. I know that. But I am still their father and I still run the Ponderosa. Everyone needs to remember that.”

“Especially Adam?”

“Yes, especially Adam. I can’t turn around lately without him suggesting some new thing we ought to try, and when he isn’t, Hoss is.”

“Well, they done helped you build that ranch of yours, didn’t they? I mean, those boys had a lot of responsibility when they was real young.”

Warming to the subject, Ben remembered and his voice took on an almost wistful quality. “Yes, they did. Adam wandered with me for a number of years. He took care of himself, and then he took care of Hoss. The two of them helped me take care of Little Joe when Marie died.”

“They worked side-by-side with you then, didn’t they, especially Adam?”

“Yes, I’m afraid I gave him too much responsibility when he was young. He had to grow up so fast. I’m glad that he got to go away to college. It gave him a chance to experience a bit of life that he was denied when he was younger.”

“Did it? I mean, didn’t you say that he finished his course of study in only three years and then he came back here to work on building that ranch with you again working side-by-side. Seems all he knows how to do is work. He’s been a loyal son and a lot more to you for a long time.”

Feeling reassured of his son’s love by Roy’s observations, Ben looked toward the wall without seeing anything as memories were jogged in his mind. “Yes, he was more of a partner and a friend sometimes than he was a son. I talked to him as a man long before he was one. I leaned on him and drew on his strength when mine wasn’t enough.” Ben was remembering especially those times first when Inger was killed and then when Marie died in an accident. He almost shuddered wondering what would have happened if Adam hadn’t been there to help him.

“Yes, he gave advice, worked hard, supported you, and helped build that ranch. He was your partner and your friend. But now when you disagree with him, you want him to buckle under to your authority. You want to treat him just like any one of your cowhands.” Ben began to bristle so Roy knew he needed to hurry to finish what he had wanted to say. “Hoss might get pulled away by his heart ifn you keep trying to hold him back from what he wants most, but Adam is being pushed away by you cause of how you treat him.”

“I’m not forbidding Hoss to go see her, and I don’t treat Adam any differently than I treat Hoss and Joe.”

“Oh, but Ben, you do by making it near on impossible for Hoss to get away to see her. Now seems to me, you’d be right mad if anyone tried to dictate who you was to see. As for Adam, you do treat him different than the other two or at least you used to, and now you’re trying to treat him differently than you always did. Joe grew up working for you so that comes natural to him. Hoss was still real young when he started working but the ranch was already pretty big when he started taking on work like a man too, and you and Adam guided him along. But Adam had already been working for quite a while before Hoss did, and that much longer before Joe did. He had responsibility for his brothers and then work to do to help build up the Ponderosa. You trusted him and depended on him. Now, what happened to change all that?”

Not knowing whether to explode in anger at having his position questioned or to confide in his old friend, Ben sat and stared for a time. Roy was exceptionally good at waiting when someone was thinking. He said nothing as he watched Ben’s expressions subtly change indicating that he was thinking not only about what Roy had said but about how to respond to it.

“I got old.”

“Ben, now, you ain’t old. I’m older than you, and I still can do my job. I got Clem taking over more of the responsibilities cause I know darn well that someday I won’t be able to do this job no more, at least not the way it rightly ought to be done. But until then, it’s my job to do, and part of doing it is getting somebody ready to take over when I’m ready to retire. Now, can’t you do the same?”

“So you’re saying that I ought to hand over some responsibility to Adam but let him know that I’m still the final say when there’s a dispute. He’s been itching to do more with our lumber mill. Now that’s something I never did do much with. He could take that over and keep himself busy with projects and finding ways to do things his way without butting heads with me. I suppose I ought to find some ways to free up some of Hoss’ time too and hand off some responsibility to him. We do have some business concerns that take one of us to California regularly. I could have Hoss do some of that. With Adam busy with projects, someone else would need to go more often anyway. If Hoss makes more trips and Adam has projects to do, Joe would have to work more closely with me on the other ranch business. I think he’d like that too. Roy, I have to thank you for making all those suggestions. I think my family will be better for it.”

“Well, I don’t rightly remember saying all those things, but ifn you want to give me credit, now I ain’t about to say no.”

“Could I buy you a beer or some lunch?”

“Well, now, I’m on duty so a beer wouldn’t look right, but now lunch I gotta have so I wouldn’t mind at all ifn you was to invite me over to that new café that just opened.”

“I’ve heard the food is very good there. We might even run into the boys. They came to town with me as we all needed a break, and every one of them said they had errands to run.”

“Well, my guess would be that some of those errands had a frothy top on ’em and a few others might be wearing a long skirt.”

“Roy, sometimes, I think you know my boys as well as I do.”

“Ben, them boys of yours are the closest thing I have to having some of my own. I seen ’em all grow up, and now I see them as fine upstanding men. You got a right to be proud of those boys.”

When Roy and Ben arrived at the restaurant, Joe and Hoss were already seated and looking glum. The two older men joined the two younger ones who had not yet been served. Hoss seemed especially depressed, but the usually irrepressible Joe was quiet and frowning as well.

“What’s wrong, and where’s Adam?”

Joe answered first. “He’s over at the mercantile yet, and he can stay there for all I care.”

“What happened?”

“Hoss can tell you. I’m too mad yet.”

Hoss appeared unwilling to talk. “Son, if you don’t tell me what happened, I can’t help you with it. Now, Joe wants you to tell it, or would you rather I hear his version of events?”

‘Well, you see, Pa, you can’t help us with it. I mean that Adam had every right to say no. It’s just that we needed his help, and he wouldn’t do it.”

“You needed his help and he wouldn’t do it? That doesn’t sound much like your brother.”

Joe was ready to add details then but it wasn’t any clearer to Ben when he did. “It wasn’t just that he said no. It was how he said no. He was kind of insulting to us.”

Looking over at Roy who had a small smirk, Ben directed his next comment to him. “Now you can see why I feel old. You can step in any time you would wish to and try to guess what these two are talking about.”

“Pa, Joe and me done told ya. We asked Adam for help, and he said no, but he kinda insulted us some when he done it.”

Inhaling deeply and then exhaling forcefully, Ben was exasperated. “Help with what? And why did he say no? And why did you think that was insulting?”

“Gees, Pa, you don’t have to get mad at Hoss and me just because we’re mad at Adam.”

“Joseph, I do enough verbal sparring with Adam. I don’t appreciate more from you and Hoss. Now answer my questions with clear and complete answers.” Those bunched brows over the glowering eyes let them know their father wasn’t being put off by any of their delaying tactics.

“Well, Pa, me and Joe got kinda tricked into this here bet.”

“Bet?”

“Yeah, you see, we ran into the Mortons down at the livery stable. They said some insulting things about our horses and said they couldn’t beat a draft horse that had been put out to pasture. They said that Cochise couldn’t even decide on what color to be. Well, we got kinda mad, and I said we could outrun their horses any day of the week. Then that was it.”

“It? You haven’t explained ‘it’ yet.”

“Pa, I think I can explain what Hoss didn’t yet.”

“Oh, you do, do you. Please, do then because he hasn’t explained anything yet.”

“Well, when Hoss said that, they challenged the three of us to a race. They said the three Morton brothers would race the three Cartwright brothers, and the losers pay three hundred dollars to the winners. That’s a hundred dollars each.”

“You let yourself get suckered into making a ridiculous bet?”

“Well, Pa, you see, Joe and me didn’t think it was such a terrible bet. Every year in the Founders’ Day race, Joe and Adam both always come in ahead of those Mortons. I never raced, but Chubb could keep up with ’em just fine, I bet.”

Beginning to understand, Ben nodded. “And Adam said he wouldn’t do it?”

“That’s right, Pa. When Hoss told him, he said he didn’t want to get into some childish game risking his neck and his horse for only a hundred dollars. Pa, he called us childish. That’s pretty insulting, don’t you think?”

Wanting to disagree with that statement but unwilling to risk any more anger from his two younger sons, Ben could only fight the smile he felt coming on. He knew Roy was already smiling so he didn’t dare look at him. “How did you appeal to Adam?”

“Well, Hoss asked him right out to be a brother and help us. He wouldn’t. If it’s the two of us against the three of them, we’ll have to ride half a race each and they only have to ride a third each. We might lose then, and it would be one hundred fifty each that we would have to pay out.”

“Now, to Adam, a hundred dollars is probably not as much of an incentive as it is to you two.”

“Incendiave? Pa, we didn’t mean to start no fire.”

“No, Hoss, incentive; a reason to do something. Adam won’t do this for money. You have to appeal to things that he finds important.”

“What’s that?”

“Hoss, Adam values intelligence, honesty, respect, and quite often the opinion of a pretty lady. Now, I still think it’s a terrible idea, but if you’re sure you want to do it, then you have to appeal to Adam in ways he can be influenced.”

Snapping his fingers, Joe turned to Hoss. “Thanks, Pa. We’ll go talk with that lady at the mercantile as soon as we finish lunch. Then we’ll talk to Adam too. Right, Hoss?”

“Huh?”

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Joe, you done said those things to me so often, I can never believe ’em.”

“This time, you need to trust me. I got this idea, and we can talk it over after lunch before we see Adam.”

With their spirits boosted by their father’s advice and the optimism they felt that they could get Adam to agree, Joe and Hoss ate fast even though Hoss of course ate considerably more. Then the two brothers headed out on their mission. Roy looked over at Ben.

“Looks like you got a reprieve, but don’t let it make you think you don’t have to do the things we discussed earlier. This race will be over and done with soon enough, but them other things will still be there.”

Not appreciating the tone of Roy’s remarks, Ben still had to accept that he was correct. He nodded. He would have some time to think through how to approach doing what he had told Roy he would do, and in his heart, what he knew he had to do.

Chapter 2

“Hoss, that gal over at the mercantile is one I’ve had my eye on for a while. She tries to be a bit standoffish with me, but I know she likes me. Now Adam probably doesn’t stand a chance with her no matter how much time he spends with her, but she likes me well enough already that I think she’ll do a favor for us. I’ll ask her to support us when we talk to Adam about that race again. You just have to distract him for long enough for me to get a good chance to talk with her.”

“How am I gonna do that ifn he’s talking up that gal? You know how he hates to be interrupted when he’s a doing that.”

“Tell him that Pa wants him or something.”

“But Pa don’t want him so he’ll know I’m lying ifn I tell him that.”

“All right, I’ll distract him, but you be sure to talk to Joelle then. Tell her that I really need her help with this one. That will do the trick.”

As Joe turned to head to the mercantile, he missed that small smile Hoss had. Hoss was going to get to talk to Joelle, and Joe was the one Adam would be mad at if anyone. Hoss figured it was Joe’s big plan so he ought to do the hard part. Once they arrived at the store, Joe walked directly up to Adam who was leaning against a bookcase that Joelle was organizing with the latest arrivals.

“Adam, I thought you would be long gone by now after what those Morton brothers said. I can’t believe you’re still in town after those insults. I know Pa don’t like us fighting, and I figure that’s why you didn’t go after them for what they said, but aren’t you the least embarrassed to be in town with those things being repeated about you and all?”

“Ah, what things, Joe?”

“Oh, I thought Hoss mentioned those earlier. Well, I almost hate to repeat them because surely I don’t want you mad at me about them.”

“What things, Joe?”

“Well that they said they wouldn’t want you in the race cause you’d find a way to cheat even if you weren’t smart enough to get away with it. Why, they said Sport was the sorriest ugliest example of a horse they ever saw, and that it was a good thing he was gelded so he couldn’t spread none of that around. Now as long as that didn’t upset you at all, you can help me pick out the tools for the roundup and the drive. Pa wants two good short handled shovels and a new axe for the chuck wagon. A nice big new and much bigger cast iron fry pan would be good too if there’s one in stock.”

“Joe, the roundup is a month away yet. Can’t it wait?”

“Now, Adam, what would you say if I said something like that to you when there were jobs to be done? Besides, I have to do this after what Pa said about the three of us racing the Mortons.”

“Oh, what did Pa say?”

“He said it was a ridiculous bet. I don’t think he thinks we can win. I told him we could, but of course if you aren’t helping, we might not. Then Pa would be right again. Anyway, I don’t want to give him anything else to criticize.”

With a roll of his eyes and an apology to Joelle for the interruption, Adam promised to be back as he headed to the tools and utensils section of the store. Hoss used that opportunity to come over and ask Joelle to help convince Adam to be in the race.

“He’d be mighty proud to win that race in front of you. Why, don’t you think that would be something having both my brothers running that race just so you could see ’em win? I was wondering if maybe you could tell Adam you thought it would be a good idea for him to ride that race with us?”

“Hoss, you’re so sweet. Of course, how could I say no to you? I’ll do my best.”

Thinking their work was done, Hoss and Joe headed out to get their horses and wait for Adam. They were hoping he would be there soon to tell them he would ride the race with them. In the store, Joelle had to chuckle once Hoss and Joe were gone.

“Well, Adam, you were right again. They came here to get me to help convince you to ride. That story of Joe’s was very funny. It was as if he was reading the script you wrote. How do you know your brothers so well?”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“They certainly are an interesting pair. Joe is such a smooth talker.”

“Yes, he is, and remember that when he tries to talk you into anything else. Now for a short time, I would like to keep talking with you. I don’t want them to think they convinced me that easily.

“Now I know nothing they said convinced you to do it unless it was because your father doesn’t want you to do it. Is it to irritate your father? I’m assuming that he doesn’t like horse racing because of the accident that happened to his third wife, Joe’s mother.”

“No, he doesn’t like it more because he doesn’t like gambling, and doing things like having races in general. Those are the things that would bother him more. The danger will make him worry, but lots of things make him worry. He sees what could go wrong that it stops him from trying new things or taking any kind of chance.”

“And you like to be the rebel and do it your own way even when he doesn’t like it or perhaps especially when he doesn’t like it. There must be another way.”

“I’ve tried to find other ways. I’ve tried every way that I can think to argue, cajole, or logically convince him to try some new or more modern things, but he won’t agree. The choices I’m left with are to stay and put up with how things are or leave and seek my own way.”

“You don’t like either of those, do you?”

“I assume that was a rhetorical question. I don’t want to leave my family, but if I’m so unhappy here, it’s like being gone anyway. I lost a draw once on purpose so that they would all go to San Francisco and leave me alone for a time. It left me with a lot of work, but it was invigorating not to have to answer to anyone for a few weeks at least.”

“How did you lose on purpose?”

“It was a test. You each get a match, light it, and the first one to drop it stays home. If you wet your fingers before you pick up your match, it burns slower. I taught Joe the trick, but didn’t use it myself that time even though it looked like I had. I assume that Joe did his best to teach the trick to Hoss. As soon as Hoss started getting ready to drop his, I dropped mine. Then I had to act all put out about it and complain. They wouldn’t have bought it otherwise. Besides, they felt guilty leaving me with all the work and alone, so when they got back, they were very cooperative and even volunteered to do some of the dirty jobs. It was wonderful.”

“I can tell you love your family. The way you talk about them tells me you care about them very much. You get a special look in your eye when you think about them. Why would you even consider leaving?”

“When I’m unhappy, I get, ah, a bit snappy, or to be honest, probably a bit worse than that. I would make their lives miserable if I stayed and continued to feel the way that I do. Now, how about you? How long are you going to let my little brother hang before you tell him how you feel?”

“How did you know that?”

“We’re friends, and I know that’s all it is. You look at Joe with a different kind of expression. It’s guarded so that he doesn’t see it, but you like him a lot. You know he likes you by how often he’s hanging around the store, so why not let him know?”

“He’s a fun-loving man with so much energy, and I would love to be with him, but so many ladies like him, and he likes them. I’m afraid I would only be one of many. That’s not something I want to be.”

“My little brother can be more discerning than you credit him. If you are the one he wants, he’ll commit to you.”

“Yes, but for how long? That’s what worries me the most. So, for now, we’ll talk, we’ll flirt a little, but that’s all there is.”

“You’ll let him think that there’s more between us than friendship then, and he’ll do all he can to win you away from me. It’s quite a game you’ve got going.”

“Isn’t that what life is?”

“You and Joe are well-matched. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Now, Joelle, it’s time for me to go out and grudgingly agree to help my brothers.”

“For some favors at a future date?”

“Of course. If they want to play, they have to pay. When I do see them, Joe’s bound to ask if you said anything about him. I’ll have to admit we talked about him, but that’s all I’ll say. His curiosity will bring him here when he can’t fight it any more. You can decide how much to say about what we discussed. I trust your discretion.”

As Adam exited the store, Joelle watched how he moved with grace, and she admired the powerful physique. She wished that he wasn’t so dark and brooding much of the time because she did enjoy their intellectual discussions. She admired his dedication to his work and his integrity and honesty. They shared a passion for the theater, and Adam had said that when the next show came to the opera house in Virginia City, he hoped that she would accompany him to the performance. She had agreed but had hoped that he had not read too much into that, and apparently by what he had said, he had not. He understood that she was more attracted to his lighter and more exuberant youngest brother. More than once, she had dreamed that there was an amalgam of the two forging their best characteristics together, but if she didn’t have that, she had to choose between them. She did think that if things worked out with Joe, she might have the best of both because then she could continue to be Adam’s friend. She had the feeling each time she saw him that he needed a friend very much because he had so much to say and needed an outlet. She had to feel some pride that he had chosen to confide in her and trusted her that much with his very honest revelations. She knew if she ever needed it, she could be that honest with him without fear of judgment. Adam had admitted to her that he should have been confiding in Hoss, but that Hoss wouldn’t accept that Adam could ever leave, and it would hurt him to even know that Adam was thinking about doing just that. As she did every night, Joelle would pray that the Cartwrights found a way to move forward without losing any of them. Adam had told her that Hoss was unhappy for a very different reason so she prayed for the big man every night as well. Now she would add a prayer for each of them to be safe in the race.

At the livery stable, Adam had to suppress a smile as he saw that his brothers had the buckboard ready to go and had paid the fee for the care of the team of horses. The supplies were well secured in the bed of the wagon, and a blanket had been folded for a cushion on the seat. Buck was also ready to go so he had to assume his father was on his way as well. Joe and Hoss looked so anxious that Adam couldn’t help teasing them a little by talking about everything except the race. Joe couldn’t hold back more than a few minutes though.

“Adam, can I ask you one more time to please ride in that race with us. If we lose, Hoss and I will pay the Mortons ourselves so you won’t be risking any of your money.”

“If I ride and we win, then do you get the winnings too?”

“Oh, no, if you ride and help us win, you get your hundred just like us. How about it? You don’t want to let Hoss down, and let those Mortons smear the Cartwright name, do you?”

“I guess that I can help you out this time, but there’s a condition.”

Looking wary, Joe had to ask. “Adam, what other condition could there be? I made the best offer I could think of.”

“In the future, ask me before you commit me to anything or I will say no, and you won’t change my mind.”

Relieved, Joe smiled but held back the shout he wanted to make. “Of course, Adam. We can do that. Can’t we, Hoss? We can do that, right?”

“Right, and little brother, you remember this promise you just made.”

“Oh, I will. I will. Now, I was thinking that Hoss should ride the first leg because it’s out of town and mostly on a downgrade. Then Adam, you and Sport take the ride up and over the ridge. Sport is stronger than Cochise and faster than Chubb, so he’s the best combination to make that part of the ride. Then Cochise and I will do the last leg because none of their horses will ever catch him on that straightaway even if half of it is uphill.”

“You’re assuming you’ll have the lead. What will you do if you don’t?”

With lips pursed, Joe thought for a bit. “I’ll use that light saddle I used in that, um, race that you lost. Now don’t get mad. That’s a real saddle, but it’s lighter. I’ll dress light too so that Cochise has less to carry. I’m smaller by fifty pounds than any of the Morton brothers so that should give me a real advantage. I can catch up and pass any one of them, or I’ll leave them in the dust if I have a lead.”

Ben arrived about that time and was relieved to see his sons in what appeared to be a rather jovial mood. He mounted up on Buck, and led the way with Joe and Hoss on their horses as Adam drove the buckboard home.

For the next several days, Joe was excited for the race and took extra special care of Cochise. All three sons were up early every day and hard at work all day so that they could ride out at the end of the day and look over the route of the race. Ben was happy that his sons were focusing their attention on the race and their energies on work. He had a lot of things to consider and wanted to find the best way to approach making changes in the status quo without relinquishing his role as head of the family and patriarch of the Ponderosa. It was a new perspective on how to run the ranch and how to manage his family. He suspected the most challenging conversation was going to be with Adam so he spent more time thinking about how to approach his eldest son but still thought long and hard about how to talk with Hoss and Joe concerning the changes he wanted to make and how it would affect them. For a week though, Ben was fairly certain that the rancor and frustration of his two older sons would be held in check by their enthusiasm for the race. Despite some denigrating comments each had made about racing the Morton brothers, Ben could tell they were almost as excited about the competition as Joe was. In the stable two days before the race, Adam and Joe were talking strategy.

“I’m not letting Cooch run at all for the next two days. By the time he gets to race, he’ll be jumping at the chance to run. I know Sport is high-spirited so he’ll want to run too.”

“Yes, especially if there’s a horse in front of him. He can’t stand not being the one in the lead. It makes him run harder.”

“So that’s why you always hold back at first in the Founders’ Day race. I always thought it took Sport some time to get into it, but that was you and that was real smart.”

Adam at least had the good grace to look just a bit embarrassed by the unexpected praise. The last few days had been very pleasant for him. He had a project on which to focus. He planned and thought about all the things that might go wrong and what he could do if any of them actually happened. For the next two days, the brothers continued to get along well. Ben had been worried that the tension might lead to some arguments, but instead, the race had drawn the brothers closer together again. Ben found himself getting a bit excited by the day of the race. Despite what his sons thought sometimes, he was competitive and wanted to win. To beat the loudmouth Morton brothers would certainly be a victory that would be discussed for a long time. While his three sons saddled up their horses, Ben saddled Buck. He was done first because his sons were riding different horses to town and would only ride their favorite mounts in the race itself. The four men rode to town together and the conversation was lively and supportive.

Chapter 3

In town, the rules of the race were stated publicly. Then just when it seemed they could start, Adam suggested they all head into the saloon for a beer first. Hoss was delighted, Joe was surprised, and Ben wondered what scheme Adam was executing. Adam had that look that gave away nothing, but his eyes were twinkling letting his father know he had something planned. While in the saloon, Joe had a great idea.

“Why don’t we get the ladies here to give us something that we can carry to show that we didn’t cheat? Maybe a garter that we could wear on our arm and then pass to the next rider. First one back to replace the lady’s garter wins.”

Ben rolled his eyes and shook his head as everyone else in the saloon roared their approval. He guessed quite correctly that Joe was going to volunteer to get the garter for each team. Joe and the saloon girls played it up big for the audience of course.

“Joe Cartwright, your hand didn’t have to go that high to reach my garter which everyone can plainly see is just above my knee.”

“Now, darling, your leg is so smooth, my hand slipped.” Joe smiled his most ingratiating puppy dog smile and she couldn’t even pretend to be mad at him.

It took several more minutes for Joe to get the second garter and give one to the Morton brothers. Ben watched not only that production starring Joe, but he watched Adam circulate around the room talking quietly to a number of men. He began to have a suspicion about what he might be doing but knew his eldest son wouldn’t tell him yet if he was correct. He would want to play it out before explaining. Finally everyone was ready. Joe and Adam took their horses and rode to their designated spots with the Morton brother they would be racing. It had been decided that they would allow fifteen minutes for them to ride out before Hoss began the race against the oldest of the Morton brothers. He wasn’t the heaviest of the three which made Hoss and Joe even more sure of their strategy and reinforced Adam’s secretly held opinion of what was going to happen especially as the heaviest of the three rode out with him.

Sheriff Roy Coffee was the starter, and he watched his pocket watch carefully telling Hoss and the Morton brother when it was one minute before starting time. The brought their horses to the center of the street and spectators cleared a wide path for the two. As soon as the time was five seconds away, Roy began to count down as he raised his right arm. When he threw his arm down, the two riders took off. The two men pounded out of town leaving dust flying into the air and then settling on the hats and shoulders of the spectators who gradually dispersed to saloons and waiting benches and chairs along the street. Most guessed that it would be at least forty-five minutes before the last pair of riders would be coming back into town. Several teenage boys climbed up on roofs to survey the road back into town as well as to give updates on the first pair until they couldn’t see them any more.

On the road, Hoss was pushing Chubb as hard as he could but found that the distance between him and the lighter rider kept increasing. He guessed though that as long as he didn’t let the rider get more than a few hundred yards ahead, his brothers could make up the difference. He was especially sure that Adam could do it because the heaviest Morton brother would be doing the ride up and over the ridge giving Adam a distinct advantage. Working hard at riding and just a bit worried about Chubb being pushed this hard, Hoss was relieved to finally see Adam waiting for him. He passed over the garter that Joe had given him, and Adam slipped it on his arm before riding to try to catch the Morton brother who had a good lead already. Hoss began to wipe down Chubb and then mounted up on the spare horse Adam had ridden to the spot and led Chubb back toward town. The first Morton brother had ridden away on the horse he had raced. Hoss felt sorry for the animal who wasn’t being given a good chance to cool down but was still working.

On the steep slope leading to the top of the ridge, Adam had lost sight of his opponent. When the rider appeared again ahead of him, he smiled despite the dust, the exertion, and the tough ride as well as concern that Sport not be injured in this competition. When he got to the top and watched the other rider heading down the slope, he was even more sure of his evaluation of this race. When Adam got to Joe, he had to endure the younger man’s pained expression and look of disappointment, but he had more important matters with which to deal than that. He wished Joe luck and took the spare horse leaving Sport to walk on his own for a few minutes. Adam took off in pursuit of the rider who had bested him. The rider was heading toward a grove of trees instead of toward town. Sensing pursuit, the rider turned back and saw Adam before riding hard but on the horse that had raced so Adam’s fresher mount quickly overtook his quarry. He grabbed the rider pulling her onto his horse and across his lap. She tried to fight him, but he slapped her behind.

“Don’t. I’m in no mood for any more games, Rosalie Morton. I don’t recall you being part of this bet at all.”

“Let me down, Adam Cartwright, you filthy pig!”

“I’ll let you down when you promise to go back to town with me and tell the truth.”

“The truth is that you’re a stinking animal. Let me down!”

Rosalie started to kick and thrash as much as she could so Adam swatted her behind again. “I don’t like doing that, but you’re putting both of us at risk with your behavior. So if you’ll simply agree to be quiet and not fight me, I’ll let you down.”

Saying nothing but ceasing her struggles, Rosalie was released by Adam and slid to the ground. She stood glowering at him as he stayed on his horse and looked down at her with a smirk. “How the hell did you know, anyway?”

“If you had taken the place of your smallest brother, I might not have known. But the contrast between you and your oldest brother is too big to miss. I was fairly certain when I first glimpsed you riding ahead of me but when I saw you racing down the hill, it made the conclusion very obvious. Now, is your brother supposed to meet you here so he can get the horse he supposedly rode and go back to town to get his money?”

“None of your business!”

“Oh, but it is my business, and your answer made it very clear. Let’s go get your horse and ride back to mine. Sport needs a bit of care, and I had to neglect him because of your cheating ways.”

“It’s not cheating! I’m a Morton.”

“Yes, but the bet was the three Cartwright brothers riding their horses against the three Morton brothers on their horses. You are definitely not a Morton brother.” Adam at least had the good grace to blush a little at that. When he had pulled her from her horse, he knew his hand had grabbed some very soft parts of her, and he had to hold on or drop her. Then he had laid his hand across her buttocks to hold her in place. She was definitely not one of the Morton brothers.

“You are a pig!”

“Perhaps. I’m not sure anyone in your family has the right to make such a judgment, but we’ll let it stand for now. Go get your horse and ride with me, or I’ll show you how much of a ‘pig’ I can be.”

On the road, Joe was riding as hard as he could push Cochise. He had made up some of the gap his brothers had given him, but they were already on the outskirts of town, and he had too many yards to make up. He kept trying, but when he got to the end, he had lost by ten yards. There was a lot of cheering but less than there would have been if the Cartwrights had won. Hoss was there and put a hand on Joe’s shoulder.

“Sorry, Joe, but I just couldn’t keep up to him. He was a good hundred yards or more ahead of me by the time I handed off the garter to Adam.”

“Hoss, that’s all right. We kind of expected that, but their lead was twice as big as that by the time Adam handed off to me. I couldn’t catch him. What the heck is wrong with our older brother anyway? He should have narrowed the gap not doubled it.”

Two of the Morton brothers sauntered over to where Hoss and Joe were standing. “Where’s our money? You lost and we won. Your old fleabags couldn’t keep up to our horses at all. Now what you got to say to that?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll pay, but we have to wait for Adam to get here. The race ain’t over until we all say it’s over and there was no cheating involved.”

“You calling us cheaters?”

“No, I ain’t, but me and Joe want to see Adam and make sure it was all on the up and up.”

“That’s the same as calling us cheaters. You got no right to call us cheaters.”

“But I do.” While everyone had been focused on Hoss and Joe facing two of the Morton brothers, no one noticed Adam ride up with the third brother and Rosalie Morton. “Brothers, I hope you haven’t handed over any money. I believe the race was between the three Cartwright brothers and the three Morton brothers?”

“Of course it was, Adam. What are you talking about?”

“Joe, I know you were disappointed that I gave you such a long gap to make up, but there was a good reason for that. Rosalie here took her brother’s place going up that steep slope. She’s the one who handed off the garter to her brother who took off ahead of you. Now I believe that they lose because the bet was the three Morton brothers could outrace the three Cartwright brothers and they didn’t. You did finish the race, didn’t you, little brother?”

Joe wasn’t even bothered by Adam referring to him as ‘little’ because he knew then what Adam had said. “Yeah, and the Morton brothers never finished the race, now did they?”

“No, they did not. They only completed part of the race. I do believe that there is a little payment of one hundred dollars due to each of us.” Adam smirked, but he did it with that intimidating glare that let the Morton brothers know that he didn’t find it funny at all. They reached into their pockets to get their cash, but Rosalie interrupted them.

“What about Adam Cartwright grabbing me? He touched parts of me that only a husband is supposed to touch.”

Now that caused a collective sigh in the crowd and then some angry murmuring. Sensing a chance to claim something out of their defeat and humiliation, the oldest Morton brother stepped forward. “Now, Rosalie, do you want us to insist on him marrying up with you then? I mean, everyone here heard what he did so they wouldn’t be surprised at us saying he had to marry up with you to keep his honor and yours.”

“Now, wait a minute here. I only accidentally touched her and she was wearing that big old coat of her brother’s. If she hadn’t been cheating, I never would have had to chase her down and drag her from her horse.”

Ben and Roy stood to the side watching the whole scene unfold. Roy couldn’t help smiling a bit watching Adam trying to talk himself out of this one, but Ben was speechless with all the events and revelations. Hoss and Joe were enjoying themselves quite a bit too. First they liked that they had won and would get the money. That put them in a very good mood as they watched Adam squirm as he talked with the Mortons and tried to explain away Rosalie’s accusations. Neither dared to say anything but did find it all very entertaining. They would decide what to say later once the whole thing played out. Rosalie definitely wasn’t going to let Adam off the hook easily.

“Yes, but what about laying me across your lap and resting your hand on my behind giving me a few swats too. Now only a husband gets to give his wife a tanning, so what do you have to say about that?”

“I only had to hold you like that because you were kicking and screaming and would have fallen and hurt yourself if I didn’t!”

“Now, Rosalie, I asked you a question. You gonna tell me and your other brothers here what you want us to do?”

“Well, I don’t want to marry up with him. He’s a filthy pig. But he has to apologize right here in front of everyone for what he did.” Rosalie paused then before delivering what she thought was going to bother Adam the most. “And he has to dance with me at the next dance. At least three times. And bring some punch to me. And introduce me to all his friends.” Then to remind everyone why she had the right to make all these demands, she added one more. “And he has to keep his hands where they belong when he’s with a lady.”

Stepping even closer to Rosalie, Adam dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. “I sincerely apologize for anything that I did to offend you. I am truly sorry.” He stood slowly then with her hand still in his and raised it to his lips where he gently kissed the back of her hand. “Will you do me the honor of dancing at least three dances with me at the next dance and sharing a glass of punch with me as well? I promise to keep my hands where they belong when I am with a lady.”

Rosalie had planned to slap his face after he apologized, but the gallant gesture of him going down on one knee, the honeyed tones, and the kiss on her hand made her mind go blank. She said nothing until her oldest brother nudged her.

“Is that enough, Rosalie?”

“Oh, what, oh, yes, well, yes, that was fine. Yes, Adam, I accept.”

Finally dragging her hand out of Adam’s grasp, Rosalie had to turn away from him before she made a fool of herself more than she was afraid she already had. She gruffly told her brothers to pay up so they could go home. They did and then grabbed their horses and headed out of town before they could hear any more critical remarks. They wanted to find out what Rosalie had planned too because they had been very surprised by her requests of Adam.

In town, Hoss and Joe got a lot of compliments on a race well run especially by those who had bet on them giving odds in order to get the bets. Adam got quite a few compliments as well as some ribald comments and a few jabs about what he had done. After a celebratory beer, the three brothers were ready to collect their horses and ride home with their father.

“Yes, Hoss, that was the easiest hundred dollars we’ve ever made. I got a couple of other ideas about how we can make more.”

“Oh, no, little brother, I don’t want to hear no more about any of these schemes of yours. Ain’t that right, Adam? I mean, you was the one who said it wasn’t worth the hundred dollars we won.”

“Oh, I won over three hundred dollars. I’m thinking about investing it.”

“Hey, how’d you win that much? Joe and me only got a hundred each. Did you make side bets on the race?”

“No, no side bets. Everyone wanted odds, and that was too risky. No, I bet that the Morton brothers would cheat. As soon as they said Brent would ride the first leg and Augie would ride the second, I knew something was up. It was clear that whatever they had planned was likely to happen in my part of the race. I only had to be observant.”

“Adam, you know more ways to make money than anybody I know, and you spend less of it than any of us too. You’re gonna be richer than all of us put together someday. You oughta be mighty proud of yourself even if ya gotta dance with that Rosalie Morton at the next dance. Ifn I was you, I’d be one right happy man.”

“Yes, and some days, I wish I was you too so that those things could make me happy.” With that enigmatic comment, Adam let Sport have his head, and the big chestnut took off for home.

Hoss looked over at Ben and Joe. “I didn’t mean to upset him. I was only telling him how proud I was of him.”

Ben nodded. “It wasn’t anything you said. I need to say a few things though.” Ben began to explain a few of the changes he wanted to make on the ranch. Hoss and Joe were happy with the things Ben told them. He didn’t say anything about Adam making them wonder what was going to happen between their father and their older brother.

Chapter 4

“That Rosalie is something else, ain’t she, Adam. She rides better than any of them brothers of hers, and she’s a right pretty little thing too. She shur was mad at you though, but you calmed her down just like she was a little filly eating right outta your hand. He was good, wasn’t he, Joe?”

“Real good. Now he has to dance with her at the next dance. I wonder if she’ll wear a dress. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a dress. Have you ever seen her in a dress, Hoss?”

“No, Joe, cain’t say as I have. But then our older brother knows all about her charms as it is seeing as he had his hands all over ’em.”

“I did not have my hands all over her. I accidentally may have touched her when I pulled her from her horse, and I only had my hand on her buttocks to stop her from falling off my horse. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I have some work to do.” With a final pat on Sport’s rump, Adam stalked out of the stable, mounted up on the extra horse he had ridden that day, and rode off.

“Boy, he’s touchy these days. What got him so mad about us teasing him about Rosalie?”

“You know he’s on edge and you tease him anyway. When are you two going to learn that your brother is not made of granite? He has feelings like anyone else, and he doesn’t need you two stomping all over them all the time.” Ben was perturbed because after the win in the race and Adam resolving everything so smoothly with Rosalie, he had hoped that he could have a serious talk about the future with his eldest son. Now Adam was off working again, and the chance to talk had passed once more. Ben knew he would have to find another time soon, but as long as Hoss and Joe kept getting Adam riled up, it would be very difficult to do.

“Where did he go? I didn’t know we had any work that had to get done today.” Joe had thought that there wouldn’t be any work that had to get done until they started the roundup.

“He didn’t like the herd counts that came in yesterday. He told the men to do them over again today.” Ben had been worried too when Adam told him about the counts being off.

“Oh, boy, they aren’t gonna be in a good mood about having to do that. I hope they know that he’s already in a bad mood and don’t ride him none.” Hoss was worried for Adam because he knew that some of the men were getting tired of his demands. He never asked the men to do more than what he was willing to do himself, but he worked so hard it was unlikely anyone could keep up with him lately. Hoss wondered what was bothering him so much because he knew that whenever Adam threw himself into work as he had been doing, it meant that there was something on his mind. Hoss had another concern as well. “Pa, I been thinking on what you told me and Joe earlier about changes you plan to make around here. Now I like the changes cause I wouldn’t mind at all doing some of the traveling especially to California, and I know Joe is pretty happy to know you’re want him to work with you more on planning stuff, but where does that leave Adam?”

As Hoss talked, Joe had another worrisome thought. “Adam hasn’t told you he’s leaving, did he? I mean, you’re handing over work to us that Adam would normally do so are you getting ready for him to leave. Please tell me that isn’t it.”

Ben sighed. He had wanted to talk to Adam before telling this part to Hoss and Joe, but now knew that wouldn’t work. “No, I’m expecting that you two will need to be ready to take over some of Adam’s work because I want him to take on some new projects.”

“New projects? Pa, you mean some of them things he’s been trying to get you to do for ages now?”

“Well, I’m not sure I can agree that he’s been trying to get me to let him do them for ‘ages’, but yes, I’m ready to say yes to some things. First up, I would like him to make improvements to our lumber mill and expand that part of the Ponderosa’s business. He’ll need to meet with the railroad men more often as well as with construction crews for any other big building projects within a reasonable distance. He’ll probably have to expand our freight hauling as well. That would keep him very busy so he would need you two to step up and take over some of the work he’s been doing.”

“So he wouldn’t be doing any more of the roundups and cattle drives? Pa, we kinda count on his help with those.”

“I know you do, Joe, but that would have to be up to Adam. I want him to be able to make more decisions like that. But before we get there, I need to be able to sit down with him and talk about all of this. With you two riling him up like you did, that makes it a lot harder to find the right time to talk with him.”

“We can back off, can’t we, Joe?” Joe nodded so Hoss continued. “I’m figuring that you don’t want to say anything about what you talked to us about until you talk with Adam?”

“Yes, I know it might be difficult not to talk about what I told you, but please, it would be so much better if I was the one to tell Adam. I hope to find a time in the next couple of days to do that. I want him to have something to get excited about again.”

Out in the southeast pasture, Adam was talking with the foreman and some of the hands. They had redone the count and found ten less cows than the day before with no sign at all of where they might be. Billy apologized for all of them.

“Sorry, Adam, we didn’t know that you were worried about the count being so low. We thought that you didn’t think we’d done it up right. Now I can see why you’re worried. Ten a day is a lot to lose.”

“I’m sorry too. I should have told you why I wanted the count done again. I guess I was thinking about other things and didn’t pay enough attention to what you were thinking. I’m sorry about that.”

“Well, it’s all right. Today, once we figured the count was lower than yesterday, we double-checked everything. That’s why we weren’t in yet with the count, but we couldn’t find no tracks or nothing. Maybe you or Hoss could. You two can track better than any of us.”

After thanking the men once more for their work, Adam headed home to grab a bedroll and some supplies. He planned to sit out in the southeast pasture that night to see if he could spot whomever was stealing their cattle. When he arrived at the house and announced his plans, his father and brothers were too surprised to even offer an alternative to his plans except to offer to come out to replace him halfway through the night.

“No, that would alert anyone out there that the herd was being watched. I want to get out there now and get settled in somewhere. Hopefully they’ll be there tonight, and I can get an idea of where they’re going. Tomorrow morning, you can meet me out there so we can track down our cattle and the rustlers. Otherwise, someone else needs to sit out there tomorrow night.”

As it turned out, Adam sat out there again the next night and the next. The first morning when he had arrived at the house, he was tired and frustrated. Ben said he ought to get some sleep so that he wouldn’t get hurt while working. That night, of course, he was the most rested and agreed to sit out another night. It went that way for five days giving Ben no opportunity to sit down and talk with his eldest son. On the sixth day, Adam said he wasn’t going to sit out again. He and Hoss were walking in from the stable after Adam had spent one more frustrating night sitting out in the cold night air getting stiff from not moving and not having any results to make the sacrifices worthwhile.

“Hoss, we have to accept that they got away with over two hundred of our cows. That loss is going to hurt, but we can survive it. We have no idea where those cattle went and no idea who took them.”

“We’re giving up then?”

“Unless you have a better idea.”

That was the last thing anyone heard before the two brothers entered the house and closed the door.

“Ya think that was loud enough, Adam, so the varmint could hear us all right?”

“I’m sure it was. I hope they don’t figure out that we put on that little act just for them.”

“What act? What varmint?” Ben was confused and asked the questions before the equally confused Joe could.

“Me and Adam were talking out in the stable. We kinda got a feeling that maybe one of our hands is mixed up in this.”

“One of our hands?”

“Yep, otherwise why did the rustling stop as soon as Adam said he was gonna be out there watching?”

“It could have been coincidence?”

“Yes, Pa, it could. We’ll find out tonight.” Adam was not a believer in coincidence to explain anything like this.

“What about tonight?”

“Me and Adam are both going out there, but we ain’t leaving until well after dark, and we’ll walk the horses out so nobody hears us leaving.”

“Do you two have any idea which one of the hands could be involved in this?”

Both Adam and Hoss looked down not wanting to meet their father’s eyes at that moment. He understood immediately that whomever they suspected was probably someone he had hired or befriended. However he wanted to know anyway.

“Who is it that you suspect and don’t worry about my feelings. Something needs to be done about this rustling, and no matter who it is, they need to pay the penalty for their thievery after we’ve trusted them.”

Adam and Hoss looked at each other. Hoss broke the stare first and turned to his father. “We think it might be Billy Drummond. He’s the only one who leaves at the end of the day. It would give him the perfect opportunity to know where the cattle were bunched and with a little help, he could easily get ten or so away and cover his tracks. The next morning, before he got here, he could check to make sure that there were no signs of what they done.”

“It makes sense, but I hope that the two of you are wrong. Billy has a wife and two little children. It would be a shame if he got into this.”

“Pa, you said you hired him cause he needed the money. His crops failed for a few years in a row and he owes the bank a lot of money. What if he already had a way of making some money and got hired on here so he could get it?”

It made sense but made Ben sad to think that it might be true. He grudgingly accepted that his sons were probably correct in their thinking and told them that. Joe offered to go with them but they thought that three would likely be too obvious thinking that even two might be a lot in the dark, but both Adam and Hoss had excellent woodsman skills learned at an early age so they hoped to remain undetected. Nothing more was said about it, and that night when it was completely dark, Adam and Hoss slipped from the house to the stable, quietly saddled their horses, and walked them out well away from the yard before mounting up and riding slowly at first so as not to make any sounds that could be detected. As they neared the pasture, they split up to go to their previously agreed upon spots to hide so they could observe. Adam was the first to see any movement. He cautiously moved forward a bit to get a better look in the dim moonlight of a waning moon. It was easy to spot Billy with his sideways slouch in the saddle. What wasn’t so easy was to accept the pistol that was suddenly pressed into his back.

“You promised to splinter my spine once. You just be real careful now or I’ll do just that to you. Now reach around real slow like and unbuckle that gunbelt and let it drop.”

“How did you know?”

“We knew you wouldn’t give up so easy so we had someone watching the place. He followed you here and then told us where you were. In the dark, it took a bit to find you, but since we knew where to look, it wasn’t too hard. Now your brother should be tied to a tree right about now. You’re coming with us. Start walking out into the open so the others know I got you.”

As Adam moved forward, he faked a stumble and spun around to tackle his captor but got hit in the side of the head instead. Dazed, he fell to his knees and tried to make the world stop spinning.

“I knew you’d try something. Now get up and keep walking. Next time I won’t be so gentle.” With the pistol prodding him again, Adam stood and walked forward even as his stomach roiled and his head pounded. He felt what he knew had to be blood dripping down the side of his face. Once he got to where he was told to stop, he dropped to his knees and did his best to not retch. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the side of his head trying to stop the bleeding even if the additional pressure made his head hurt even more.

“Why’d you have to go and hurt him?”

“Billy, boy, you ain’t in charge here. You take orders or you know what will happen.”

Kneeling next to Adam, Billy pulled Adam’s hand and the handkerchief away from the wound and used a match to see it better. The match got slapped out of his hand quickly.

“What’s it matter? You got both of them.”

“No need to advertise where we are. Now get him on his horse and tie his hands to the pommel. He’ll come with us and we won’t even have to worry about changing the brands. He can vouch for us having the right to sell them cattle.”

“What if he won’t?”

“Oh, he will, cause we’ll use the same thing on him as we used on you. He won’t say no.”

Adam was confused and not only because of the blow to the head. It sounded to him as if Billy had been forced into this, but if he had, Adam couldn’t understand why hadn’t he asked them for help instead of stealing from them. Billy cleared it all up as he helped Adam to stand and then mount up on his horse.

“They got a man with my wife and kids. I do anything wrong, and you know what they’re going to do to them. I feel real bad about all this after your Pa was so good to me, but I didn’t know what else to do. I figured you’d all understand once you knew what was going on.”

“I do, but Billy, we have to get away. They won’t let either of us live through this and your wife won’t survive it either. They can’t let the witnesses live to put them in prison.”

“I kinda figured they might do that to me, but why my wife?”

“She knows at least one of them.”

“They was all there the first night.”

With a sinking feeling that he had called it exactly as it was, Adam had to ask. “Did the boys see them and hear what they said?”

“Yeah, we was having dinner when they all walked in. The boys heard it all.” Billy paused then as he thought through what Adam had said. “They’re gonna kill my boys too? Damn. Adam, what we gonna do?”

“Tie me, but do it so that I can work it loose. Wait for me to make a move and then you ride as hard and fast as you can to the Ponderosa. They’ll be looking for me and for Hoss by then. Tell them everything.”

That worked out about as Adam had planned. By midday, he had worked his hands free and reached down to grab the reins from the hands of the man leading Sport. As quickly as he could, he wheeled Sport around and headed out at a diagonal away from the rustled herd and the men driving the cattle. Very quickly there were men in pursuit who caught him after just a mile. They pulled him from his horse and pounded him for his action until their leader said it was enough.

“He won’t try that again even if he’s strong enough to try which I doubt he will be. Now get him on his horse and tie him better than he was. I don’t want him getting loose again. Where is that damn Billy?” Suddenly it dawned on the rustlers’ leader that this could have all been a ploy. “Where’s Billy?”

“Maybe he stayed with the herd?”

“Hell he did. He’s on his way for help. Let’s get those cattle moving. We gotta find a place to make a stand. At least we still got us a hostage.” As he rode by Adam, he slammed the butt of his rifle into Adam’s back. “No more tricks, or I will splinter your spine. It won’t likely kill you, but you’ll wish it had.”

“Hey, do you think they’ll really come after us? I mean you told the big one to tell ’em that we’d kill this one if they followed us.”

“Yes, but Ben Cartwright isn’t one to be stopped by anything like that. He’ll be coming for his boy now, and that fool Billy told them everything, I bet. They’ll know how many guns we got and that Rink is at the Drummond farm. That damn Billy. When this is over, I’m gonna go kill that bastard myself. Now get going. We need to move fast and hard.”

Chapter 5

Hurt, tied and helpless as well as exhausted after a forced ride of over a day, Adam still felt invigorated to be in a situation that required him to think, plan, and prepare. He guessed that he would be in the center of the encounter with whomever came to his rescue and had to face these rustlers turned kidnappers. Earlier back on the Ponderosa, Hoss had been discovered and gave the message he had been told to give.

“Pa, they said that Adam was gonna go with ’em, and ifn we followed ’em, they was gonna kill him.”

Dropping his head as he thought, Ben wondered how things could go so wrong so quickly. He was fairly sure of one thing though. “Hoss, did you see who did this to you?”

“Nah, they came up behind me and had me drop my gunbelt and back up to the tree. They tied me to the tree and left without ever letting me see who they was. I didn’t recognize any voices either.”

“Then they will kill Adam regardless of whether we follow them or not. He can identify them. We have to follow, but I wish I knew more about who it was and what they were doing.”

“Pa, Billy was with ’em. I could tell that slouch to the side even in the little moonlight we had.”

“Yes, I suppose that slouch of his is rather unique to him, but I wish he wasn’t involved. I had thought he was a better man than that. We would have helped him out more if he had only told us he needed more help. Now he’s put Adam into grave danger, and I don’t think I can forgive him that.”

It wasn’t difficult for Hoss to track the men, horses, and cattle. They had left a clear trail this time indicating that they didn’t expect pursuit. In the late afternoon, a rider was approaching them riding hard. It surprised everyone when they realized it was Billy Drummond. Ben pulled is pistol and held it on Billy when he arrived. “Where is my son, and your life depends on you telling me he’s still alive and well.”

“Mr. Cartwright, I got to explain. Adam is hurt a little, but he’s still alive. I had to help those rustlers. They got a man watching my wife and boys. They said they would kill them if I didn’t help them. Adam told me to ride back here and tell you everything. He said you would tell me what I had to do next.”

Billy explained everything that he knew. Ben told him to ride to town and get Sheriff Roy Coffee to help him. He and his younger sons led the rest of the men after the rustlers and Adam. They didn’t catch them that day, and finally had to camp when the darkness made travel too treacherous. Ben sat in their cold camp eating some of the food one of the hands had brought when he caught up with them. Hoss and Joe walked over to sit beside him.

“We’ll get them, Pa. With Hoss tracking and them driving a herd, we should be on them by early tomorrow. They wouldn’t have done anything to Adam yet. They need him.”

“That’s all probably true except Billy said he already had a head injury, and I have to wonder what they did if they realized he was the one who let Billy get away. I should never have let you and him do that surveillance by yourselves. You should have had backup. I just didn’t want to argue with Adam about it, but some things are worth arguing about.”

Joe smiled a bit at his father’s last statement. In the dark, Ben didn’t see it. “Pa, I think I’ve heard Adam say something just like that more than once.”

“Yes, I realized it when I said it. It was like an echo of Adam. I guess I should have listened more to him, and I promise you that I will as soon as we can get him back home safely. Now why don’t both of you try to get some rest. We’ll move out as soon as it’s light enough that we can see where we’re going.” Ben stared at the stars that night watching the constellations in the heavens and remembering teaching the names of all that he knew to Adam. Over the years, Adam had learned more of them until he knew even the smallest and most dim ones. He had taught a number of them to Hoss and Joe as well. It was knowledge the whole family shared. He could only hope that there would be more things like that in their future. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing any one of his sons.

The next morning, Ben and his sons didn’t have to wait long to find out when they would confront the rustlers. Bullets slamming into the dirt in front of their horses announced that the rustlers had stopped and were making a stand. They heard a demand that Ben dismount and walk forward. He did so when he saw one of the rustlers walk out pushing Adam ahead of him. Adam’s hands were behind his back and were presumably tied there. The rustler had a mask over his lower face.

“You want him, you can trade him for a bill of sale for two hundred twenty five cattle. You fill out all the necessary papers and you can have him back once we sell the cattle.”

“No, I need him back now. I don’t trust you, and I worry what you’ll do to him. I know he’s already hurt.”

“We don’t want to kill nobody, but if you force us, we will.”

“You kill anyone, and you’ll hang. Just let Adam go and ride out of here.”

The same demands were thrown back and forth a number of times with neither side giving an inch. Ben finally demanded that Adam’s hands be freed and that he be allowed to tell them how he was doing. The rustler grudgingly gave in on that one. Adam called out that he was ‘fine’ which let Ben and the others know he wasn’t. He always said that when he was hurt or sick and didn’t want anyone fussing over him or giving him any special treatment. Ben wondered at Adam’s hand that seemed to be twitching on his thigh as he talked. Joe very quickly saw a pattern there and began to understand that Adam was trying to use Morse code to communicate. Joe was whispering almost to himself as he watched Adam’s two fingers against his thigh.

“1 L, 2 R. My Morse code must be getting rusty. That’s what I got. He repeated it several times too. Now he’s saying ‘drop’ and now ‘shoot’. 1 L, 2 R, drop, shoot. What the heck does that mean?”

Watching intently, Joe only saw the same message again. Suddenly he knew and had to fight to keep his voice to a whisper so the rustlers wouldn’t hear.

“Pa, Hoss, he’s saying there’s one in those rocks on the left and two in the trees to the right. He’s going to drop down to the ground and we better be ready to shoot when that happens. Hoss, move off to your right and I’ll move left. Adam will know we understand once we start moving to get in better positions. Pa, be careful. You’re right in the middle of it.”

Ben couldn’t say anything without the rustlers being aware that he was talking to his younger sons. As Joe moved back a few steps at a time trying to look like he was simply being nervous, he whispered to the hands to move right and left and to be ready to run for cover and to shoot. As with much violence, when it happened, it was over very quickly. Adam watched his brothers and then some of the hands begin to move. The leader of the rustlers yelled out that they should all stay right where they were. Adam knew it was the crisis point and fell forward almost dragging the leader down with him. In the few seconds of surprise after what he had done, there was no sound. The leader pointed his pistol at Adam’s back when he realized what had happened, but several bullets slammed into him knocking him back. The other three rustlers opened fire at the Ponderosa group who had scattered, taken cover, and were returning fire. One of the rustlers realizing that it was hopeless turned to fire at Adam who was struggling to get out from under the body of the leader. When the man turned his rifle toward Adam, Hoss took him out with a single shot to the chest with his buffalo gun. That was all it took for the other two to yell out that they were surrendering. Both had decided that a stint in prison wasn’t so bad in comparison to being dead. Ben rushed to Adam’s side as Hoss and Joe made sure there was no more danger.

“Adam, are you all right?” Of course, Ben could see he wasn’t all right with blood dried on one side of his head and bruises along his jaw line and on his cheeks, but he wanted to know what other injuries there might be. Adam leaned up against a rock before answering.

“I’m fine, Pa, except for getting pounded a bit and getting hit in the head.”

“Why don’t you take off your shirt so we can check you out.”

“I don’t need you to do that. Just get me my horse so we can go home.”

Hoss had walked over by that point and heard the last exchange. “Brother, you can take off that shirt or I’ll do it for ya. Better you do it than me though so you can keep the buttons on it.”

Adam scowled up at his big brother but Hoss’ scowl said that he meant what he said so Adam unbuttoned his shirt showing them the bruises on his chest and abdomen. Hoss checked the ribs but found nothing that seemed too bad. Adam started to pull the shirt together to button it, but Hoss had another idea.

“No, take it off so I can see your back.” Adam paused but knew it wouldn’t stop Hoss so he pulled his shirt off with a grimace. Hoss whistled when he saw the nasty bruise on his back. He touched it just a little and Adam flinched. “Boot or rifle butt?”

“Rifle butt.”

“It looks real nasty. You been passing blood?”

“No. I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since dinner the last night at home.”

“They didn’t give you no food or water?”

When Adam didn’t answer, Ben answered for him. “Water and food make you feel nauseated so you avoided both?” Adam agreed very quietly knowing they were well aware that what Ben had said was most likely true. There was no point in trying to hide it. “All right, you can ride but the horse will only be walking. If we can only get you to the line shack, that will be far enough. You can rest there and we’ll get you home tomorrow.”

“Pa, you don’t have to treat me like a child.”

“I’m not. I’m treating you like a man who has been injured. I would do the same for anyone else in the same condition. Now, is that all you have to say about it?”

Pausing to think, Adam knew that he had been unfair and that some of the resentment that he had been carrying around had made him say what he had said. “I’m sorry, Pa. That was uncalled for. Thank you for your help.”

Hoss put out his hand to help pull Adam to his feet and then held his shirt to help him put it back on. Adam didn’t seem too steady on his feet so Ben and Hoss stayed very close until they got him to his horse and mounted up. One of them rode close to Adam who realized after about an hour why his father had wanted the horses walking instead of a faster pace. He began to be more nauseated and dizzy. Getting to the line shack was about all he could manage. Once there, he nearly fell onto the small cot and was asleep in probably a minute. Ben told Joe and Hoss that they didn’t have to stay especially as they had not packed bedrolls in their rush to ride to rescue Adam. All they had were some blankets and thin bedrolls as well as beans that they had confiscated from the rustlers.

“Pa, we’re staying. It’s the same answer as we gave you earlier today when you said we could ride ahead or go take care of the herd. The hands will get the herd back home. It only took one man to haul those two off to jail and we can send more men if they need help. We don’t know yet what happened at Billy’s place so we’re staying. You know all about backup now, don’t you?”

A bit chagrined to have his own idea used against him, Ben also knew that Joe’s advice was probably the best plan at this point. Each of them did their best to find a reasonably comfortable spot to sleep propped up on their saddles. They laid the two best blankets that they had with them over Adam to keep him warm. In the morning, all woke stiff and a bit chilled. Hoss began to feed the wood back into the coals in the fireplace and soon had a good blaze going. After ten minutes, Ben was there with the concern that they had no light food that Adam would likely eat.

“Pa, we got some bread left. We could toast that by the fire. I’ll head on out to see if I can get a rabbit or something that we could use to cook up some broth.”

“Good. I’ll get some water in the small pot that’s here and rummage around to see if there’s something besides beans to eat. There should be coffee at least.”

It was enough even though Hoss didn’t find any small game. Adam ate some toast and had a cup of coffee. All three remarked that he looked a lot better than the day before even with all that stubble on his chin. It was going to be a long slow ride home, and they wondered if he had enough strength for the trip. The four-hour ride was likely to take at least twice that long. They had only gone about two hours when Hoss yelled out that a carriage was headed their way.

“I sure hope it’s Hop Sing with a big old picnic basket filled with fried chicken and biscuits. I think I can smell fried chicken.”

Hop Sing didn’t have a picnic basket, but he did have fried chicken, biscuits, preserves, and broth as well as news. “Cook all night and pack up carriage in morning. Men hitch up horses for Hop Sing and I come to help. Sheriff come by and say all is well with Mr. Billy and his family. Bad man is in jail.”

“That’s good news, and a mighty fine help it is too. I’m starving.”

“Mr. Hoss must let Mr. Adam eat first. He the one need it most.”

“It’s all right, Hop Sing. I think the biscuits and the broth are what I would like.”

As Adam dismounted, he nearly fell. Joe was at his side in an instant to offer assistance, and then with Ben’s help, led Adam to the carriage. Once he was comfortably seated there, Hop Sing brought him biscuits with preserves and a cup of water. He munched on those much to the relief of his family and Hop Sing. With a small fire, the broth was heated and a cup of that was given to Adam who drank it down slowly. Once that was accomplished, everything was cleaned up and packed away in the carriage although all the fried chicken and most of the biscuits had been consumed. Hop Sing pulled a tin out from under the seat and offered Adam first choice of the sugar cookies he had before he offered the rest to Ben, Hoss, and Joe. Adam wanted to drive the team but Hop Sing said he would and that Adam should sleep.

“What a splendid idea, Hop Sing. Thank you.” Adam took the blanket that Hop Sing offered and propped it behind his head and shoulder leaning into it and closing his eyes. In a few more hours, they were home. That evening, Adam headed up to bed early. He had soaked in the bath, shaved, and put on clean clothing so he looked better than he had. Ben was still worried about him, but at least he was able to climb the stairs by himself and he had eaten a light dinner with them. When Ben climbed the stairs later, he couldn’t help himself and looked in on Adam who appeared to be resting comfortably with the covers up to his chest and his bare arms and shoulders showing that he was wearing nothing. Ben shook his head at Adam’s obstinate refusal to wear a nightshirt most of the time. Ben smiled a little remembering how a very young Adam had insisted it was like wearing a dress and that it twisted around him while he slept making him uncomfortable. As soon as he was old enough to defy his father on that issue, he had. Ben realized that was part of who Adam was. He wanted to do things his way, and was uncomfortable being forced to do them another way. He thought about that a lot before he went to sleep realizing that he needed to tell Adam to go ahead and do the lumber mill project any way he wanted to do it. Anything less was going to create problems between them instead of alleviating the tension.

In the morning, Ben anxiously awaited Adam getting up. It was much later than his usual time to wake but after what he had suffered, it wasn’t surprising. Hoss and Joe told him that they heard Adam stirring when they finished dressing and headed downstairs for breakfast. When Adam finally came downstairs, he looked healthy except for being a bit pale. He ate another very light meal.

“Adam, I think you ought to stay at the house today. You look like you need more time to recover.”

Appreciating that his father had not issued an order but had only made a suggestion, Adam nodded. He didn’t like the thought of mounting up and riding anywhere anyway, and he knew his father would be relieved if he took it easy for at least another day. By midmorning as Ben worked at his desk, he noticed that Adam had leaned back in his chair and appeared to be sleeping. It was nearly noon when a knock on the door woke Adam and got Ben’s attention. Ben answered the door and greeted Doctor Paul Martin. With a glance over at Adam, Ben noticed the scowl. Adam didn’t like the idea that the doctor had been summoned for him, but it was too late to object so he grudgingly agreed to let Paul examine him in the downstairs guest bedroom. When Paul emerged, Adam was scowling just a bit yet.

“I told him that he isn’t to work for two weeks. He informed me that he has a dance to attend in eight days in order to keep a promise he made. So I amended my prescription to that he not ride his horse for two weeks. He can take the carriage if he wants to go somewhere. His head injury is minor, but his kidney needs time to recover and bouncing around on the back of a horse isn’t the way to do that. It’s why he’s so tired and why he can only eat light foods. I don’t think there’s going to be any long-term problems especially if he follows my prescription of light meals, no riding, and getting as much sleep as he needs.”

When Hoss and Joe arrived home for lunch, they found Paul at the table with Adam and their father. Paul told them exactly what he had told Adam and Ben. Hoss and Joe nodded. This was what they had been hoping because it meant that their father had his opportunity to talk with Adam, and they would have plenty of time to work out any friction between them.

Chapter 6

“You want me to expand and improve the lumber operations, and you aren’t telling me how to do it, when, or how much to spend?” Adam had been surprised when his father had asked to speak with him. What he had said shocked Adam.

“Son, I have been listening to you whether you believe that or not. I found it very difficult to accept that you wanted so many changes in the Ponderosa. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that changes do need to be made. Now, I’m not ready yet to endorse everything you want to do, and I doubt we could afford to do all of them anyway, but I’m willing to start with some significant changes. I do mean what I said about you improving the lumber operations. I do know you that have a lot of ideas about what to do there, and I know it’s going to cost a lot, but if you’re right, and you usually are when it comes to money, then we should get a very good return on our investment and have money to do other things as well.”

Warming to the idea but still a bit wary at this sudden change in his father, Adam had to ask a few more questions. “What about all the other work I do around here? I won’t have time to do that and be at the lumber mill too.”

“Hoss is willing to take over the contracts and planning for the cattle drives. He’s looking forward to making a few more trips to California. Whether you go on the drives or not will be up to you. I suspect Hoss will want you along on the next drive and probably on his first trip to meet with buyers. He’ll be pumping you for information so that he will be ready to do it on his own in the future.”

“So you’re giving him the time to see AnnMarie?”

“It’s not a situation I would have chosen for him, but it’s up to him to decide his future in that regard.”

Sensing the tension behind that statement, Adam dropped that line of discussion. “And what about Joe? How does he feel about all of this?”

“He’s in favor as well. He will need to start working more closely with me especially as you might be gone for days or even weeks at a time.”

“So you talked to me last. Did I have you that worried?” Adam smiled a little wondering how much his father would admit at this point. Ben was remarkably candid with him. He welcomed that change especially. They were back to talking like partners instead of the authoritative father addressing his rebellious son.

“Yes, I was worried, but not because I didn’t want to talk with you. It’s that I know I have to do this right, or you might decide to leave. It would break my heart for that to happen even if I understood your reasons and sympathized with them. I know what it’s like to have a dream and have someone saying you shouldn’t try for it. In some ways it was easier for me. I had to leave to reach my dream. You have to stay and fight against this old Ponderosa Pine who’s put down a mighty big taproot here. But even a big pine has to bend in a strong wind.”

“And I’m the strong wind?” Adam had even more of a smile then so Ben knew their conversation was working the way he had hoped.

“Hop Sing told me that we are the four corners of the Ponderosa blanket. I’m the big pines anchoring all. You are the wind that blows in fresh clean air and white clouds and even the necessary storms from time to time. Hoss is solid as the land nourishing all that grows here. Joe is the water that flows through the land providing cool refreshment. All very different and all very necessary.”

“I’ll do it, Pa. It sounds exactly like what I need. I’ll go on the drive and I’ll help Hoss all that I can. This is an exciting time for the Ponderosa. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever.”

“Now you sound a little like Joe.”

“Please don’t say things like that and ruin the moment.”

The two broke out in laughter signaling Hop Sing that it was the right moment to bring out coffee and the fresh cookies he had just baked. He had heard most of the conversation and liked all of it but especially that his boss and friend had heard his words, remembered them, and told them to his number one son.

For a number of days, Adam had thought that his father had something to say to him. There had been times that he had looked at him like he was about to say something, and then the moment would pass with nothing important being said. It was a relief to know that this was what he had wanted to say. If he meant what he said and stuck to it, Adam knew he could be happier on the Ponderosa. One building project might not satisfy his urge to design and build, but it was a good start and would get him using those skills again. Instead of thinking about leaving the Ponderosa in order to satisfy his desire to use his talents and skills, Adam started thinking of ways he could do that and remain on the Ponderosa.

When Hoss and Joe came in they found their father and Adam discussing the lumber mill. “You know I can’t give you the original plans for the sawmill because we didn’t use any. We had the saws and measured them. We built the floor first and installed the saws and the belts that drive them. Then we built the rest of the mill around that. It was in the fall and we closed it in well so that the cold weather and rain wouldn’t make the saws too difficult to use. Then the next summer, we had to cut holes for windows because it got to hot in there without any cross ventilation.”

“I would guess that with all the sawdust, light from windows was safer than lanterns.”

“We didn’t even think about that so much as windows provided cheaper light in the long run. I guess we thought about the fire danger only after we had a small fire.”

Hoss and Joe were hanging back listening and assuming that all had gone well. Ben reinforced that when he said they should all go to the dining table for lunch and talk about the next few months. Both Hoss and Joe noted that Adam smiled at that and nodded. They looked at each other and smiled as well.

“Hoss, about the next cattle drive.”

“Adam, you’re gonna help, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I already told Pa I would. But you have to boss it. I’ll be along to help, but you have to make the decisions. You can ask my opinion if you want it, but the final say has to be yours.”

“I kin do that, Adam. I like the sound of that too. You know, me being boss and all. Hey, Joe, you want to be the ramrod then?”

“Yeah, I like that too. Hey does that mean I get to assign the drovers to whatever crew I want them on?”

“Oh, no, you are not going to assign me to ride drag. I’ll ride flank or lead but no drag. I’m too old to be sucking up that much dust every day. That’s a condition of me going along.”

“Gosh, Adam, whatever gave you the idea that I would think about doing that?” Joe’s expression gave him away though because he could not entirely hold back the grin that was threatening to break out.

“Adam, you gonna be helping with the roundup?”

“No, Hoss, you don’t really need me for that. I thought I would go up to the lumber mill and timber camps and get some work done up there before we leave on the drive. Over the next two weeks, I’ll draw up some preliminary plans for the lumber mill expansion and see about ordering new saws and other equipment. Then when I go up there, I can do some measuring so that I can finalize the plans when I get back from the drive. It will probably take months for new saws to get here so there will be plenty of time to do that. I’ll have to see what kind of contracts are out there for milled lumber too and what length and types are the most popular.”

“Son, just remember that we need the money from the drive to pay for some of those things you want to order.”

“Pa, I’ve got about three hundred dollars to invest. I can’t think of a better investment than an expanded lumber mill for the Ponderosa. That should be enough to place the orders. We can pay the rest on delivery once the drive is over.”

Ben looked at Hoss and Joe who nodded. It made sense to them as well. Ben didn’t dare mention anything about Adam investing his own money in the Ponderosa. If he wanted to do that, then it was even more evidence that he was committed to this project, and there was nothing that would ever stop Adam once his mind was made up that he needed to do something. From that point on, the discussion turned to the dance that was coming up and Adam’s promises to Rosalie Morton.

“Joe, you reckon she’s gonna wear them boots she’s always wearing? Older brother’s gonna have to watch out for his toes ifn she starts a hopping around in those.”

“He better watch where his hands go too. We just might get to see our older brother slapped right in the middle of the dance floor.”

“Just so he don’t drop down on one knee again. Joe, I was plumb shocked when he did that. I thought he was a gonna ask her to marry him after all she said he done.”

“No, Hoss, our older brother sees marriage as poison ivy. It’s something to be avoided at all costs cause it makes him uncomfortable all over.”

“I have the impression that all of my sons have that attitude about marriage. I’m not getting any younger, you know. I’d like to know that when my sons inherit the Ponderosa that there would be someone coming after them to take over.”

“Now, Pa, ain’t the oldest one supposed to marry up first? So, you can see that Joe and me are just biding our time waiting on our older brother here to do what’s his job to do. He needs to get hitched up so we can.”

“How did I ever get tangled up with you two?”

“You’re just lucky, I guess. Now, Adam, Hoss and me want to know. Are you gonna marry Rosalie?” Hoss snickered and Joe barely kept the giggle at bay.

“She seems more your type, Joe. Feel free to ask her. I’m sure she would say yes to you. You both like to break horses and race so you could do that on your honeymoon.”

“She is kind of pretty, Adam. If I married her, I wouldn’t be breaking horses on my honeymoon. Maybe that’s why you aren’t married. You seem to have some confusion over why a man wants to marry a woman. Besides, I got my sights set on that gal at the mercantile you seem to like to talk with so much. Believe me, if I was with her, we wouldn’t be spending our time talking.”

“Joseph, I would like to remind you to keep a proper respect for women.”

Ben’s admonition to his youngest son ended that spat of teasing, but there were many other opportunities in the days leading up to the dance. Adam dressed in a vest and jacket for the dance which was more than he usually wore to a simple dance. He suspected that Rosalie might dress up as much as she could, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. They had a little show to put on for people, and he thought he had dressed the part. He didn’t analyze his feelings at all assuming that he felt that way because he was a bit sorry for how he had treated her when he was angry about the cheating in the race. She had only been trying to help her brothers, and he couldn’t fault her for that motive. Hoss and Joe could hardly contain themselves when they saw him but waited until they were outside to begin the teasing. Adam was using the carriage because the doctor had told him not to ride, and he had found the carriage to be enough of a strain when he had gone to town to order some saws and other material for the expanded lumber mill. He ignored the jibes from his brothers and found that he was actually looking forward to the evening. It was a nice thought that a woman was waiting for him and wanted only to dance with him. He could be gallant and charming, and go home after having done a good deed. He never expected it to be that simple, but it was a nice fantasy.

“You know, Joe, with the way Adam’s all sissified up and all and that little smile he’s got, maybe he thinks he’s gonna have real good luck with the lady tonight.”

“Lucky? I don’t know. Her brothers would likely force him to marry her then.”

“Maybe? Oh definitely. At least our Pa would be happy to have one of us married off.”

“Hey, maybe Pa put them all up to it as a way to get Adam married. Pa does like a good mystery. Maybe he set this all up just to get Adam walking down the aisle.”

“C’mon, both of you. She’s just a kid.”

“Hey, she’s the same age as me.”

“That’s what I meant, Joe. She’s just a kid. Now, I’ll see you at the dance.”

Adam snapped the reins and drove the carriage out of the yard before Joe had a rejoinder. Joe did try to throw out an insult as he and Hoss rode by the carriage, but Adam was singing so it was unlikely he heard anything which greatly frustrated his youngest brother. Hoss was waiting outside the dance hall when Adam arrived. Joe had gone to walk Joelle to the dance as he had asked her to attend the dance with him and she had accepted. Hoss walked in with Adam and noted that Joe had already arrived with Joelle. Adam saw that Rosalie had not yet arrived so he sat in a chair and talked with several of his friends who asked him if he was keeping his promises. He acted somewhat offended that they would question that, but the smile that he had showed that he wasn’t upset. When Rosalie walked in with her brothers, Adam realized that he was pleased to see her. She walked right up to him and waited for him to say something. He reached for her hand.

“Miss Rosalie, I believe that you promised to dance at least three dances with me so would you consent to be my partner for the next dance?”

Surprised at how Adam had phrased the question, Rosalie stammered a bit until she was able to say yes. Her cheeks reddened because she had meant to come in and act strong and confident but Adam’s debonair ways had already nonplussed her. They waited silently until the dance ended and another one began. It was a slow dance, and Adam was sure he saw his brothers grinning so he knew they had arranged it. He didn’t mind too much though because Rosalie was tense and a slow dance would hopefully allow her to relax.

“Just follow my lead. You’ll be fine.”

“Of course I’ll be fine. I’ve been to dances before tonight.” But Rosalie was anything be fine as she was as nervous as the first time she had ridden a horse. It was exhilarating but scary to be in Adam’s arms. He talked softly to her encouraging her, but all she could see were all the people watching the two of them dancing, and she was sure they were waiting for her to make a clumsy move in the handsome cowboy’s arms. She did then. She tripped and began to fall, but Adam made a move as if he had dipped her down. He pulled her up then and she nearly cried in relief.

“Relax. We’re doing fine and no one will be watching unless you give them some reason to stare other than you look quite beautiful tonight.”

That nearly caused her to stumble again, but Adam was ready for it and twirled her around as if the move was something the two of them planned.

“Think of it as running through a bright meadow full of flowers but hand-in-hand with me. You can trust me. I won’t let you fall.”

That nearly made Rosalie chuckle as she remembered their last close encounter. “Will you catch me the same way you held me on your horse?”

That statement surprised Adam who began to smile. “Whatever you wish, my lady.”

“You wouldn’t dare?”

“Only if it was something my lady desired.”

“You are a pig.”

“There, now you’re relaxing. It’s much easier to dance if you relax into the music.”

They were quiet for the rest of that dance, and by the end of the second dance which was a reel, Rosalie was smiling but she quickly made it a scowl at the end of the dance when Adam mentioned that she had a lovely smile.

“Would you like a cup of punch now and then I could introduce you to some of my friends.”

“You are good at keeping your promises at least.”

“I always keep my promises.”

With that, Adam led Rosalie first to the punch bowl and then to a small group of his friends. Within a few minutes, three of them had asked Rosalie to dance. It was warm in the hall so Adam walked outside to cool down. He was only there a few minutes when Joelle joined him on a bench not far from the door.

“Are your promises kept now?”

“No, I believe I owe the young lady one more dance, but the next three were already taken so I decided to cool down. It was warm in there.”

“A bit warm perhaps, but maybe it was because you were enjoying yourself too?”

Unwilling to commit to a positive answer, Adam hedged. “That was a lot nicer than I expected. At least she didn’t slap me.”

“She looked like slapping you was the last thing on her mind. She seems quite taken with you.”

“She’s only a kid.”

“She’s well past the age when most women out here marry. She’s a young woman, but you already know that.”

“I thought you were with Joe. What are you doing out here alone?”

“I’m not alone. I’m with you, and when Hoss cut in for a dance, there were several ladies vying for Joe’s attention. I thought I would take a short walk until he’s ready to dance with me again.”

Adam was disappointed that Joe’s entirely innocent actions had however fueled the misgivings that Joelle had about his youngest brother. “I’m sure Joe is doing his best to extricate himself from the ladies so that he can be with you.”

“I don’t know. He seemed to be enjoying himself. What about your lady?”

“She is hardly my lady.”

“But are you going back inside to dance with her?”

“I owe her one more dance so at some point I will. I wanted her to have a chance to dance with other men so that I was not monopolizing her time over some silly wager gone wrong.”

“Adam, what are you doing out here with Joelle?” Joe had walked outside and was very surprised to see Joelle seated on a bench with Adam.

“Actually, I was out here, and Joelle came out to get some air. We are not doing anything except that.”

Joe offered Joelle his arm. “Well, then, you won’t mind if I escort her back inside for some dancing.”

Adam heard Joelle whisper Jealous too! as she stood. He shook his head just a little. He didn’t see much future for the two of them, but then again, Joe seemed to bounce back quickly from every failed romance. He would find someone else soon enough. Joe and Joelle had barely left when Rosalie was standing in front of Adam.

“You didn’t come out here to get away from me, did you?”

“Not at all. I was feeling very warm in there and thought some cool night air was a good idea. Joelle was out here for a few minutes for the same reason.”

“You didn’t come out here together?” Adam looked at her as if asking why she wondered about that. “I saw your brother looking around for her and then he stomped out here. I thought maybe there was going to be a fight between you.”

“No, not over Joelle. She’s not interested in me other than as a friend.”

“Were you interested in her as more than that?”

“I was at first, but it became clear that we were only going to be friends.” Adam was surprised that he answered her questions. Yet she asked them so innocently and without guile, and it was easy to simply tell her the truth.

“Do you think we could be friends?”

“Yes, I think we could be if that’s what you wanted.”

Rosalie sat beside him then. “I didn’t think it was warm inside, and it’s kinda cool out here. Makes me wonder if you’re sick. You’re not sick, are you?”

Adam smiled. “No, I had a run-in with some rustlers about a week ago, and I guess I’m not as recovered as I thought. Once I got out here, I realized I felt a lot better in the cool air and sitting down.”

“Is that why you came in a carriage tonight? I saw you. My brothers and I were waiting to see if you’d show up. I didn’t want to wait inside and look like a fool if you didn’t.”

“You speak much better than your brothers. I know they all had some schooling and you rarely attended school, except you sound far more educated than they are.”

“Pa said that schooling except for math and writing was wasted on a female, but Ma said that education is what keeps us civilized. She taught me at home when I couldn’t go to school. Ma went all the way to eighth grade so she knew a lot. She passed on everything she knew to me, and then she gave me her books. Pa always made fun of her when she was reading, and when she got sick, she gave me those books. She was worried that Pa would burn them or sell them when she died. Now I have them, and it’s like having my Ma with me yet.”

“I’m glad that you have that.” Adam paused a moment. “Are you ready for that third dance?”

“Yes, I would like that, and if you don’t mind, maybe we could dance a few more. You’re a much better dancer than your friends.”

Chapter 7

After several more dances and another cup of punch, Adam and Rosalie walked outside again, but Adam steered her to a bench further from the dance hall. When she shivered a bit as they walked, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her making her smile.

“Your coat is very warm. Thank you.”

When they sat on the bench though, Rosalie was still shivering a bit. Adam wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

“If it’s too chilly, we could go back inside.”

“No, but in the future, I should bring a shawl or a wrap along. I didn’t think about how much cooler it would be with a dress on.”

“You didn’t bring a wrap or a shawl? Maybe I should give you a ride home in the carriage. It’s only a little out of my way, and I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“I don’t know if my brothers would approve of that.”

“They can ride along with us if they don’t trust me.”

“What could you do in a carriage that they wouldn’t trust you?”

“I could kiss you.”

“You could kiss me right now, couldn’t you, if you wanted to?” Rosalie turned to look up at Adam, and he leaned down and kissed her gently. “That was nice. Would you do that again?” He kissed her again but with a bit more passion. She leaned into him, and he deepened the kiss moving his tongue along her lips until they parted. He pressed his body into hers as his tongue touched hers. After a minute, he pulled away. She was disappointed. “Why did you stop?”

“Because that’s all a man ought to do and perhaps it was a bit more than a man ought to do with a woman whom he is not courting.”

“Oh.” Rosalie settled against his side as he kept his arm around her. “Adam, I heard my brothers talk about hot kisses, but I never knew what they meant. Now I do. I’m not cold any more.”

“You must have been kissed before. You didn’t seem nervous about it.”

“Yes, but those men were all pushy and grabby. I could hardly say I enjoyed it as I was fighting off their wandering hands. Your kiss was different. I liked it.”

“Before I get in trouble with your brothers, perhaps we should go find them and tell them that I’ll give you a ride home.”

Rosalie agreed, and as they neared the dance hall, her brothers walked outside. They saw Rosalie with Adam’s coat around her shoulders and asked if she was all right. She said Adam had been a gentleman and given her his coat when she shivered. That led to her explaining why Adam was going to give her a ride home if they would lead her horse home. They looked a bit leery, but she assured them he was only doing it to be a gentleman because she had not brought a shawl or a wrap. Once they were in the carriage, Adam pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around Rosalie who gave him his coat back somewhat reluctantly.

“Once we get out of town, I’ll drive slowly to be safe and you can sit close to stay warm.” They chatted for the hour-long ride, and Adam helped her from the carriage when they arrived at her home. The house was nearly dark but there was lantern on the porch. She said it would be enough and thanked him for the ride. He took her hand and kissed the back of it before saying good night and returning to the carriage for the ride home. Rosalie stood on her porch watching the carriage disappear into the darkness and wondered if he would ever be back.

When Adam arrived on the Ponderosa, he heard some noise from the stable and found Joe there muttering and kicking a bucket he had dropped. He walked to be sure nothing was wrong but suspected he knew the reason for Joe’s unhappiness.

“Do you want to talk about it or just kick that bucket around for a while.”

“What I’d like to do is hit someone.”

“I hope that’s not me. I was hoping to get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“No, it’s not you, I suppose.”

“You suppose?”

“Did you know what Joelle thought about me?”

“Oh, I was afraid it was that. What did she say to you?”

“She said that I’m too popular with the ladies. She said she would never feel secure in a relationship with me, and that being at the dance with me only made her think that even more. She could have been the one, Adam. I really liked her.”

“I like her too, but I wasn’t up to her standards either. She brushed my romantic overtures away several weeks ago.”

“But you kept going in to the mercantile to talk with her?”

“I still like her even if all we will ever be are friends. She is very likable, but she seems very leery of getting involved with a man. I’m not sure what kind of man she wants, but I guess neither of us fit her list of requirements.”

Joe dropped down to sit on a bale of hay. “You know, you did make me feel better. It’s funny, but knowing she said no to you too makes me feel better about it.”

“Well, glad to help out then, little brother. Perhaps I can give you a list of all the women who’ve said no to me and you can feel great. Say, didn’t Hoss ride home with you?”

“No, he said he was having a great time and was going to stay. He plans to get a room and sleep in town. He’ll ride back tomorrow. My turn: say, did you have a good time with Rosalie?”

“It was a very pleasant evening. I gave her a ride home because she didn’t have a wrap or a shawl so she was chilled.”

“Yeah, I saw you walking back toward the dance hall. You two looked very cozy with your jacket wrapped around her as well as your arm. Did you kiss her?”

By not answering that question, Adam gave Joe all the answer he needed. “I didn’t see you or I would have told you I was going to give Rosalie a ride home.”

“That’s when we were sitting out on one of the benches and Joelle was explaining why she didn’t think she wanted to spend any more time with me. I wasn’t feeling too friendly at that moment. Hell, it was real kick in the teeth. I wanted to hit something or someone. Hoss must have seen the look in my eyes when I walked back in the hall after walking her home because he told me the best thing to do was to ride home. He said maybe I would catch up with you and see if you were all right. We didn’t know you were giving Rosalie a ride home. I figured it out when I never caught up with you. I knew that the only way I could have missed you was if you turned at the fork and went toward the Morton place. Glad to see you got home all right, by the way. I’ll help you with the carriage if you like?”

“Thank you. That would be much appreciated.”

The two brothers worked in companionable silence before heading into the house. Knowing that their father would be worried with only two sets of footsteps in the hallway, Adam knocked softly and opened his father’s bedroom door telling him in a near whisper that Hoss was staying in town and would be home the next day. Adam got an equally quiet whisper of thanks before he pulled the door closed and nodded at Joe who had waited to see the reaction. They both grinned at the knowledge that their father still worried about them as much as he did when they were children.

The next morning at breakfast, Ben was confused at the information he had gotten. “So Joe went with a beautiful and charming young woman but she has spurned him because he is too popular and well-liked. Adam went to keep promises made under duress but had a very pleasant time and likes the young woman apparently. Hoss went with no plans and no one on his arm, but he had the best time of all and stayed in town because he was there presumably until the last dance. Is that about right because it seems I never know what to expect with you boys?”

“Yes, Pa, that’s all of it except you forgot that Joelle didn’t want Adam either. That’s important to remember.” Joe couldn’t help grinning and Ben felt a smile tugging at his lips too.

“I know I’m going to regret telling you that. I already do.” Adam was in a good mood though and there was no rancor in the statements. It did get close to trouble when Adam said he was going up to the lumber mill on Monday.

“Adam, the doctor said no work for two weeks.”

“Pa, that will be ten days and I’ll take a wagon.”

“But that’s a rough trip from here. You can wait another week.”

Joe saw how Adam reacted to that and played the part usually reserved for Hoss. “Pa, don’t you think Adam can decide if he feels strong enough to do it. I mean, that will be ten days and that’s longer than any of us thought he would do what the doctor told him to do. He must be feeling a lot better now, don’t you think?”

“Yes, of course, Adam can make up his own mind. I was only reminding him of what the doctor said to be sure he had considered that.” Ben thought that he had done his best to camouflage his initial inclination to tell Adam what to do. It didn’t work though. His sons began to chuckle and he had to smile. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to this new way of handling things. For the time being, I can only hope you will be patient with me as you were this morning. Now, why don’t you tell me more about the dance and who was there.”

“I think that Adam only danced with Rosalie. He seemed to be having a good time too.”

“I didn’t think that Pa necessarily needed a description of what I did. Perhaps you could tell him who else was at the dance?”

“Why? Didn’t you notice because all your attention taken by the ‘kid’ on your arm although she didn’t look much like a ‘kid’ last night, did she?”

“She was nice and we had fun. That’s all there is to it.”

“Well, I have no one on my arm now that Joelle brushed me off so maybe I should see if Rosalie might be willing to be with me. She doesn’t seem to have been won over by you.”

“You stay away from her.”

“Adam, do you have feelings for this girl? I’m sure Joe would keep his distance if you did.”

“No, but I don’t like him talking about her like she’s some prize to be won. She’s a nice woman and deserves to be treated with respect. Now I have some work to do if you’ll excuse me. I want to see what kind of surveying equipment we have out in the tool shed.”

After Adam left, Ben and Joe talked with Ben cautioning Joe to stay away from Rosalie.

“So you thought the same thing I did. He does like her a lot. I wonder how long it will take him to realize it.”

“Do you think she feels the same way he does?”

“From the look she had last night, Pa, she realizes it and is probably just as surprised about it all as my older brother is.”

“How are you doing after what Joelle told you?”

“I’ll be fine, Pa. I need some time because I don’t understand it completely, but I’ll get there.”

“It seems Joelle may feel that too many women would be pursuing you, and she may want someone a little less of a charmer than you are.”

“Yeah, she said something like that. She said she wished she could find someone with the best of me and the best of Adam. She said she liked my joy and my enthusiasm but not the flirting. I guess I did a bit too much of that with her and she didn’t like it. She probably thinks I do that with all the women.” One of Ben’s eyebrows went up and Joe shook his head. “All right, maybe I do, but I’m only trying to be nice and flatter each and every one of them.” Pausing to think about what he had said, Joe frowned. “So maybe that could be a problem with more than Joelle. I’ll have to see about that.”

“Yes, it could be that she saw you chasing after more skirts than hers, and of course, some of those skirts were chasing after you too. There are quite a few stories out there about you and the ladies. She may be wondering if any of that would stop.”

“Of course it would, Pa. I would never chase after a woman if I already was in a relationship with another, but now I think I see where some might think that. It’s all right to look though, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Joe, we all look, but try not to be so obvious about it.”

“You’re looking too, Pa?”

Joe had that impish grin that Ben knew was best to ignore. If he fell into this trap, he was destined for a lot more teasing. He simply got up from the table saying he had a lot of work to do. Joe wasn’t disappointed though. Hoss was due home soon, and Joe could tease him about the dance except Hoss spent most of the day with their father discussing the upcoming roundup and the drive to follow. Hoss was going to be in charge of both and wanted to make sure that he and his father had the same ideas about how things should go. When they didn’t, they discussed them until they reached a consensus or at least an acceptance of how it was to be done. By the end of the day, Hoss was more confident and Adam had packed up supplies to take to the lumber mill to work there for a week or so. Adam apologized to Hoss for leaving him one hand short during the roundup and any branding that needed to be done.

“It’s not a problem except some of the hands aren’t so good with a branding iron and some others don’t like to do it.”

“Maybe Pa would be willing to help out with that. I would guess he might like to be asked. He’s handing over a lot of responsibility to us. It would be nice if we made sure he knew how much we valued his help.”

“Did you ask him to help you with the lumber mill?”

“No, but I did show him the order for parts and equipment before I sent it. He approved but I don’t think he knew why most of the stuff was needed. It’s not something he’s spent much time doing. Now branding he’s done for over twenty-five years. He ought to have some expertise there that could help.”

“When did we start branding?”

“I was probably about ten or eleven. It took that long for us to have enough cows for it to matter. We had a simple brand at first. The brand we have now wasn’t used until about fifteen years ago when our herds got a lot bigger and rustling started to become an issue.”

“You know, I don’t remember any cattle being branded when I was a young’un.”

“That’s because we kept you away from it. We didn’t want you to get upset.”

Hoss nodded in understanding and asked Ben later if he had time to help with the branding that might be needed. They usually missed calves in the spring and sometimes found other unbranded cattle with the herd during fall roundup that they had missed in the spring roundup. Any that they were taking on the drive needed to be branded.

Everything went smoothly except when the family went to church services the next day. Joe saw Joelle and did his best to avoid her heading into church first which surprised his family. Adam should likely have done the same. Instead he had to endure comments about him chasing after a girl young enough to be his daughter among other things that were said. Ben took one elbow and Hoss took the other so they could escort Adam into church before he lost his temper. He fumed a bit but was calm by the end of the service. The sermon had been so long, everyone was calm if not actually soporific. Joe rode off before Joelle could talk to him to apologize so she sought out Adam who had the carriage.

“I wanted to apologize to Joe for what I said the other night. I shouldn’t have told him at the dance. That was the wrong place to have such a conversation, and I should have been more honest in my reasons. It’s not him. It’s me and it’s what I need that is the real problem. My father was a womanizer and a drinker. He would get in these dark moods, get drunk, and hit my mother. When he wasn’t in one of those moods, he was happy and charming and chased after every woman who was willing to be chased. I know you aren’t like that and Joe isn’t like that either, but it’s just too hard for me. I need someone different so that’s why I wanted to apologize. Please, could you tell him?”

“I will, and I’m sorry you had a father like that.”

“No one else here knows. My mother and I would like to keep it that way. I would hate for any of that to become town gossip. There’s so much of that in this town. I suppose you know that especially with all the gossip about you now.”

“Gossip?”

“Of course. Tongues have been wagging since Friday night apparently. Working in the store yesterday, I heard all sorts of stories. Apparently there were a number of women watching your every move.”

“Well. I’ll be gone to the lumber mill for over a week and then on a cattle drive for a month so that should let things calm down. It’s happened before and will probably happen again.”

Other than the gossip, everything continued to run smoothly for the next five weeks. Adam went to the lumber mill, measured, surveyed, and talked to the men working there to get their opinions on expansion. Hoss managed the roundup without any difficulties, and then he bossed the cattle drive finding that he didn’t need to ask much help from Adam. When it came right down to it, he had watched his father and Adam boss drives enough and worked with them when they did so that he knew what had to be done and how to do it. It had only been his lack of confidence that was an issue. By the time they reached the California stockyards, everyone knew Hoss could do the job well. It was when Hoss went to see AnnMarie, that there was a big problem.

Hoss had gotten a bath, got a haircut, shaved, bought a new shirt with Adam’s help and wore a tie also courtesy of Adam’s help. He polished his boots and wore clean pants. He was so anxious to go that Joe suggested that maybe he needed a drink to calm down first. He had refused and left before he could get teased any more. Once he got to AnnMarie’s home, he nearly ran up the front walk. He stood on her porch after knocking waiting to see the woman he was hoping to ask to marry him. “Hello, AnnMarie. I’m here just like I said I would be.”

“Oh, Hoss, you didn’t get my letter then?”

“Letter? No, I didn’t get a letter from you.” Hoss had a sinking feeling right then, and it didn’t take long for him to know why and that he was likely to feel that way for a long time.

“I haven’t seen you in so long. In fact, I only saw you twice. The week when you were here last fall, and then a few days this spring. I never heard from you since then, and well, Hoss, I needed to be with someone who could be here all the time and not twice a year. My son needs a man around not a man who lives on the other side of the Sierras.”

“But I thought we had something special. I thought you said you could be patient and wait for me to get things worked out.”

“I know I said that, but I found it was a lot harder to do that than to say it. I wasn’t strong enough, Hoss. When some of the men here started to come calling, I said no at first, but they came back again and again wondering why, if I already had a beau, I was all alone.”

“So you have a beau now instead of me?”

“I do, and he asked me to marry him. I told him that I would but first I had to tell you. That’s why I wrote the letter. I hoped you would get it so that we wouldn’t have to do it this way, but I can’t invite you in. It would be wrong under the circumstances.”

“Yeah, I guess it would be at that. Well, I better get back to the hotel then. My brothers are probably waiting for me already. I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I’ll be going now. Best wishes to you, and I hope you’re happy with the choice you made.” Hoss turned away before she could say anything more. He had tears in his eyes and didn’t want her to see. He put on his hat and walked away without looking back. When he got back to the hotel, he took off his tie and threw it on the bed when he entered the room he was sharing with Joe.

“Somebody said something about getting a drink. Is that offer still open?”

“It is. Adam and I were just about to go get a drink and dinner. You do want dinner, don’t you?”

Hoss nodded, and Joe grabbed his hat and gunbelt as Hoss turned and left the room. He waited while Joe knocked on Adam’s door. He answered and looked out to see Hoss standing with his back to him. He looked at Joe with an eyebrow raised. Joe shrugged. They both decided that Hoss would tell them what happened after he had enough to drink.

“I was patient. I put up with a lot in order to see her. I ain’t been with another woman since I met her. It’s only been a year. Some women wait many years to get married. I told her I was coming, and her answer was to send me a letter telling me she had somebody else already. She even told him she’d marry up with him, before she told me.”

Hoss had enough beer to loosen up and tell his brothers what had happened. Neither Joe nor Adam tried to keep up with him. On a normal day, they couldn’t and when he was like this, it was improbable that anyone could keep up with him. Joe had a few more than Adam though.

“Yes, Hoss, nobody can figure out women. Joelle said I was too popular so she didn’t want me. That’s just crazy, ain’t it?”

“Women are crazy. That must be why none of us can find a woman to marry up with. You would think by now at least one of us would be married. Women are just too crazy. Don’t make no sense why Joelle didn’t want you, Joe. Now, Adam, how come Joelle didn’t want you either.”

“She said I was too dark and moody.”

“Well, she got one right anyway.”

Hoss laughed then especially when his comment made Joe snort beer out of his nose. The three brothers spent another hour discussing their problems with women, woke up the next morning with hangovers, and then headed for home.

Chapter 8

“I’m sorry, Hoss. I’m afraid the responsibility rests with me. If I had allowed you time to see AnnMarie, then perhaps things could have worked out for you.” Hoss had arrived home the day before with his brothers and told Ben the sad news about AnnMarie turning him away.

“You know, Pa, when I was here and she was there, I did blame you. I was getting a lot of bad feelings stored up inside for you. But when I saw her again and she told me she was already seeing a man and ready to tell him she would marry up with him, well, I decided that she wasn’t the one for me. I mean it wasn’t that much I was asking of her in comparison to what she could get now, was it? I don’t think she ever loved me. It made it easier to get her out of my heart.”

“Well, I’m grateful for that and for you forgiving me. How are your brothers doing? Joe must still be hurt after what Joelle spurned him.”

“Nah, I think once Adam told him what she said when she wanted Adam to give her apology to Joe, well, that helped a lot. He knows now that she’s just a mite skittish around men. That ain’t the kind of gal for Joe and he knows it. He wants a gal with some spirit. She’s a pretty little filly, but she needs a real gentle touch. Adam’s too feisty and Joe’s too frisky.” For a moment, Hoss was picturing himself with Joelle. He liked the picture. He would have been very surprised to find that his father was thinking the same thing. But Hoss decided it would be too complicated especially because of her cutting Joe loose after the dance. It wouldn’t hurt to think about her though especially as it kept thoughts of AnnMarie out of his head. What she had done had hurt him, but he meant what he said when he told his father that she had probably never loved him. He wondered why she had seemed to want him to think she did, but that all got too complicated to think about, so he thought about Joelle and how nice it would be to have a gal locally to take on picnics, escort to church, and go to some dances. It was too bad that she had turned away the attention of both of his brothers. He guessed that he didn’t stand a chance with her anyway, but he couldn’t even try because he was worried about how even that would likely bother his brothers. He was thinking so much he didn’t hear his father’s next question so Ben repeated it.

“How is Adam doing? I mean, Joe seemed to think he had some feelings for Rosalie, but he hasn’t said a word about her since the morning after the dance.”

“Oh, he did, but he don’t know it.”

“What? How could he and not know it?”

“He said her name in his sleep a couple of times. Joe heard him too. We never said nothing cause we didn’t want to rile him up, and be careful if you mention her name too. He goes into just staring off into space sometimes when you do that. It’s like he’s a long way from where you are at that point.”

“Rosalie is on his mind then. I wonder what he’s thinking.”

“You could ask me.” Adam had walked into the house and heard Hoss and their father talking by Ben’s desk. As usual, they didn’t hear him enter. He was the opposite of Joe whose entrance could seldom be missed.

“Dadburnit, Adam, I swear you are part Paiute the way you can sneak up on people.”

“I wasn’t sneaking up on anyone. I simply entered the house.”

“Well, son, I apologize for talking about you when you weren’t here, but I meant no harm, and I only asked Hoss about how you were doing, and the conversation naturally turned to Rosalie. Now that you’re here, how do you feel about her?”

Adam sighed, looked at the floor for a moment before looking up, and then had a very short answer. “I don’t know.”

“If you don’t know, do you plan to see her to try to discover how you feel?”

“I was thinking I might do that. First though, I want to go to town and get the equipment that’s already been delivered to the freight office. I wanted Hoss to go with me because some of the pieces might be very heavy.”

“So you only want me along to do the heavy lifting.”

“I’ll buy lunch and a beer.”

“Well, let’s get going. No need to waste time here jabbering.”

As Adam and Hoss left, Ben smiled. He was very pleased that his two older sons understood each other so well. He worried about Joe though for with all the teasing and kidding, he wondered if Joe was hiding the hurt of what had happened or if he had truly gotten over it. He thought that perhaps now that Adam and Hoss were leaving for town, he would go find Joe to find out if he wanted to talk. Usually he did which was in sharp contrast to Adam who held so much back and Hoss who liked to choose his moments to talk. He found Joe in the tack room and began helping him clean up the tack that had been used on the drive and needed to be cleaned and inspected to see what needed to be repaired if anything did.

“Adam and Hoss went to town. Hoss and I were talking before that though. He seems all right with what happened. I have to tell you that I did apologize for keeping the two of them apart.”

“He told us on the way back home that he thought that maybe she had never loved him if she could move on so easily. He’s lucky he found out before he committed himself to her.”

“How about you? Are you glad you found out what Joelle thought before you fell in love with her?”

“Well, I don’t know if I would have fallen in love with her. I like her, but that’s a long way from love. I guess her coolness toward me should have been a clue. I thought she was shy, but that’s not it. I remind her too much of her father. She never said we’re alike, but I suppose that growing up with a father like that makes you see people differently.”

“You sound very philosophical, almost like Adam.”

“Pa, we’re having a good conversation here. Don’t ruin it with comments like that.”

Both men laughed, but Joe had no idea why his father laughed so hard. It hadn’t seemed like the comment was that funny, but he was pleased to see his father relaxed and laughing.

“How about you, Pa? Have you gotten used to the idea that the Ponderosa is going to be run differently?”

“At first, I worried about that, but when the three of you were gone on the drive, I realized that having the three of you working together toward a common goal and getting along was far more important than anything else I could do. I did worry about you while you were gone, but that’s a father’s prerogative. You’ll understand that someday too.”

“I think I understand quite a bit already. It’s how I worry about you and my brothers except it’s probably even more worry.”

“Yes, it probably is. I feel all your pain and all your joy as if it was my own. I feel so much better when things are going well like this.”

“So when those rustlers had Adam, you must have been hurting real bad.”

“Yes, I feared for him and what he had endured, and I feared too about you and Hoss being in danger too because we had to rescue Adam. Any or all of you could have been hurt or killed that day. It’s a nightmare fathers have.”

“I never thought about you worrying about us that day. I figured we could take care of ourselves. It was Adam who was in danger.”

“Yes, Adam was in the most immediate danger, but all of us were in danger and facing the unknown. I am so grateful that you figured out that Adam was using Morse code to communicate with us. Too bad he couldn’t have spelled things out better. I wonder why he didn’t.”

“We talked about that one long night on the drive as we sat under tarps trying to stay dry. He didn’t say more because he couldn’t remember the other letters. He had to figure out what to say using the letters he remembered.”

“How did you get so good at it?”

“When I was real young, Adam taught it to me. I would tap on the bedroom wall at night when I was scared, and he would tap back telling me it was all right so I didn’t have to act like a little scared kid and let everyone know I was afraid of the dark sometimes. He can be a really good brother sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

“Well, he is a good brother but I don’t want to tell him that and let it all go to his head. His head is big enough as it is.”

The two shared another laugh and talked more about the ranch and what needed to be done next. There was a lot that had to be done, and Joe groaned a little when Ben said that Joe needed to start taking a look at the ledgers too because he was going to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the ranch and he needed to have a better idea of the cash flow for expenses and from income. Joe decided that working as his father’s right hand man sounded better than it was in some ways. He was beginning to think that he would be gaining an appreciation for all that Adam had done when working with their father. There seemed to be a lot of time spent organizing, planning, and coordinating work with the hands available and matching skills to tasks. There were so many details to consider that his head felt like it was spinning by the time his father finished talking.

“Joe, it may seem like a lot now, but in time, you’ll do some things almost automatically and you will have others in a list organized by what has to get done now and what can wait.”

“I never realized how much planning had to go into assigning work.”

The next comment made Joe feel as if his father had been reading his mind. “Don’t be afraid to ask Adam for help with this. He’s gotten bored with doing this kind of rudimentary things, but he is very good at planning and organizing. You could ask him how he did it. It would be like learning Morse code from him. He could tell you things that would make things easier for you and make you more efficient.”

After that, Ben and Joe went into the house to look over the ledgers to see how the bottom line was faring. Then they sat down together to write a list of jobs to be completed in the next week and assigned men to each task. Finally, Hop Sing told them that dinner was ready, and Joe realized the day was already gone and all he had done was talk, plan, and organize. He expected his father to bring out the ledgers but Ben said they would do that in the next day or two once Joe felt like he had a handle on organizing the work and making job assignments.

In town, Adam and Hoss did a lot of work too packing the supplies and equipment into the buckboard. Then as promised, Adam treated Hoss to lunch and a beer. They would have been able to head home after that except word had gotten out that Adam was going to be expanding the lumber mill on the Ponderosa. There were several businessmen who wanted to meet with him to see about getting some of the milled lumber as soon as he could start producing larger amounts. Hoss told Adam to go ahead and talk all he needed to talk. Hoss had another beer and then decided to take a walk through town after making sure the horses hitched to the wagon got some water and food. He left them munching on some hay and saw several people he knew. He got caught up on recent events in Virginia City. When he was headed back toward the saloon to see if Adam was ready to go, he saw Joelle stumble and fall dropping her packages into the street. He rushed to her side protecting her by directing traffic away from her and picked up her packages after helping her to her feet.

“You all right there, Miss Joelle?”

“I am except my ankle hurts. I think I may have injured it.”

“Well, you just lean on my arm here and I’ll walk you to your home. I can carry these packages for ya too.”

“I’d like to say that I don’t need it, but thank you because I think I might fall again without your strong arm to lean on.”

Walking slowly with Joelle beside him, Hoss tried to think of things to discuss to keep her mind off her ankle and the pain she must be feeling. When they got to her house, he helped her inside and then helped her sit.

“Miss Joelle, I think maybe you ought to see a doctor about that ankle.”

“No, I’ve hurt it before. It was broken when I was only about ten, and sometimes it gives out like it did earlier and I fall. It will likely swell up a little but I’m sure that it will be fine after a few days or so.”

“You should wrap it up tight to help with the swelling. It would help too to soak it in some cold water first.” Hoss thought for a moment about how difficult that would be for her to do. “Maybe I could get a basin of cold water for you to soak it?”

“Hoss, I hate to bother you so much after you’ve been so wonderful already.”

“Aw, it ain’t no bother to help a pretty lady. Now if you’ll tell me where I can find a basin, I’ll go get some cool water and you can soak that ankle.”

“Actually I have a small wash tub in the kitchen. If you could help me into there, I could sit with my whole ankle soaking. You could use the bucket by the well to bring in some water.”

Hoss offered his arm again and Joelle limped to the kitchen with his assistance. As Hoss went to get some water, Joelle unbuttoned her shoe and slipped it off the injured ankle, Hoss returned and slid the small wash bucket over to her chair and then filled it with the water he had gotten from the well.

“Ah, Hoss, that does feel so much better. Thank you. You have been a big help.”

“Once you’re done soaking your ankle, I could wrap it up for you.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to stay that long. You’ve done so much already.”

“I’d be happy to help you, Joelle. Adam is in a meeting over at the saloon about selling the lumber he’s gonna be making with a bigger lumber mill on the Ponderosa. When Adam gets to talking money and business, it can take a long time. We were in town getting the equipment and supplies he’s gonna need. The bigger saws haven’t gotten here yet, but they should be here in another week or two.”

“Thank you, then. If you’re going to stay, we should have some cookies. I baked them this morning. They’re in that tin on the counter.”

“Miss Joelle, I did think that it smelled real good in here. I’ll get some cookies and plates if you tell me where the plates are.”

“Hoss, you don’t have to call me Miss Joelle. You can call me Joelle. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Yes, uh, Joelle, I would like that. I would like that very much.”

Joelle told him where to find plates and napkins. Hoss got those and then got a pitcher of cool water and poured two glasses for them to drink with their cookies. They talked for an hour before Hoss said it was probably time to wrap that ankle. He dried her foot and ankle when she lifted her leg from the water. Hoss had gotten a bandage roll from a drawer and proceeded to wrap her ankle very expertly. She was so comfortable with Hoss that she wasn’t even embarrassed at all to have her leg bare to the knee as Hoss worked on her ankle. He was very aware of it though and did his best not to look at more than what he needed but he did peek a few times.

“Now are you gonna be all right here by yourself with that bad ankle?”

“Hoss, it feels better than it did. I’ll sit with my leg up on the divan as much as I can. I’ll be fine. Thank you so much for all your help, and I did enjoy sitting with you and talking.”

“Joelle, I enjoyed it a lot myself. Maybe it would be all right if I stopped back in the next time I’m in town to make sure you’re all right?”

“Hoss, I would like that very much. You are a special kind of man, and I would be very pleased to be able to spend more time with you.”

“Thank you, Joelle. Now I best be going. Adam may be wondering where I am.”

Adam was wondering. He had found the horses had been watered and fed, but no one had seen Hoss for well over an hour. He was beginning to wonder until he saw Hoss walking back with a small smile. He climbed onto the wagon seat and waited for his big brother to climb up too.

“That looks suspiciously like cookie crumbs on your shirt.”

“Yes, they are. Joelle makes some mighty fine frosted cookies. I don’t know that I ever had a frosted cookie before, but I’ve decided that I like them better than any cookie I’ve ever had.”

“You went to see Joelle?”

“Nah, she fell in the street and hurt her ankle. I helped her home, and then I got some water for her to soak her ankle. We talked and had cookies. Then I bandaged up her ankle for her before I came to see if you were ready to head on home. She said she wouldn’t mind me visiting again.” Hoss suddenly had a worried look. “You’re not upset about that, are you?”

“Not at all. It’s our younger brother who will have to get used to the idea although it’s been almost two months now so perhaps that’s not much of a concern either. I like her, and I hope that things work out for the two of you.”

“Ah, Adam, it ain’t the two of us. We’re just friends.”

“I saw the smile and the look in your eye. It’s more than that, but you don’t have to admit it to me if you don’t want to.”

“You always was good at reading me. Adam, she said I was a special kind of man. She said she liked that I was strong but gentle, and that I was so easygoing but got done what needed to be done. She said she liked everything about me.”

“I’m guessing that she might have one of those smiles and a twinkle in her eyes right about now too.”

Hoss got that all shucks kind of look which made Adam smile. He was glad that Hoss was already finding someone to make him forget all about AnnMarie. Adam had never liked her much thinking that she was too guarded in her expressions and her conversation. He hadn’t been with her much but it had been enough for him to dislike her. He was glad that she was no longer in the picture and was very pleased that Hoss was happy again. He thought it would be interesting to see if their relationship turned into something more than the friendship that Hoss claimed it was. Hoss wanted to change the subject so he asked Adam about Rosalie.

“I haven’t seen her since the dance so there’s nothing to talk about there.”

“Isn’t there. Joe and me heard you say her name when you was sleeping and dreaming on the drive. She must be on your mind.”

“She’s too young. She and I don’t have much of anything in common. What would we talk about? Anyway, her family doesn’t like me so it wouldn’t ever happen anyway.”

“Seems to me you’re trying to talk yourself out of feeling the way you feel. You should know by now that what’s in your heart ain’t always sensible and logical. It just is. You need to go see her and find out what’s in that heart of yours. I think you’ll know when you see her.”

Adam was quiet for the rest of the ride home. Hoss didn’t mind although he did take the reins because it seemed Adam was a bit distracted by his thoughts. As Adam leaned back, he thought about all the things that Hoss had said and all the arguments he had been having with himself about Rosalie. He finally decided that Hoss was correct. He needed to go see her and talk with her. Just before they arrived home, he told Hoss that.

“Well, see, I knew that sometimes I could be smarter than you.” All he got for that was a light punch in the shoulder, but Adam was smiling so it was in good humor. That evening, Ben and Joe never guessed what had happened that day for Hoss and Adam. They were all simply happy to have a pleasant evening at home with everyone in a good mood.

Chapter 9

The next day, Adam took the supplies and equipment to the lumber mill and filled the storehouse. He saw that the men had cleared the area for the expansion as well as milling the lumber they would need for the project. The wood was being cured by the sun and would be ready when they needed it. Next he had the foreman look over the map for the expansion of the mill ponds. He was going to have the existing pond expanded and filled to capacity at all times and the new pond to be dug would be the one they used on a daily basis. If the water level got too low, then the lower pond would be filled by the upper one to keep them up and running on schedule. The foreman liked the plan and made a few suggestions on how they could increase or decrease the water flow depending on how many saws had to be operating. Adam told him that eventually he wanted the saws running on steam power. He had seen some of the efforts that were being made to make that happen. It would make their lumber mill more efficient because their water supply sometimes ran rather low in the summer. Fuel wasn’t a problem though so a steam engine system would work for them. He had a lot of time to think while he was driving the wagon and then as he lay on the cot in the office trying to sleep that night. When he arrived home the next day, he asked Hop Sing to heat bath water for him. Once he was bathed, shaved, and in clean clothing, he saddled up Sport and rode out without telling anyone where he was going. Ben asked at dinner when he noted that Adam was gone.

“He probably went to see Rosalie.”

“Hoss, why do you assume that he probably went to see Rosalie?”

“Cause he took a bath, shaved, and put on clean clothes.”

“But Adam would likely do that after two days of hard work anyway. There must be another reason.”

“He did mention two days ago that he ought to go see her and talk to her kinda to find out how he felt about her. Now don’t nobody say nothing to him about me saying that. I’m not sure he meant that it was all right for me to share that especially cause he rode off today without saying anything to anyone.”

“He say to someone.” Hop Sing had brought a pie in as the men finished the main course. “He say to me to tell he go see Miss Rosalie.”

“Hop Sing, why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“Mr. Ben, Mr. Adam say to tell if anyone worried he gone and not eat dinner. He say he be back in few hours.”

“Thank you, Hop Sing. Well, I guess we’ll find out what happened in a few hours if he’s willing to tell us.” There was nothing else to say. At Rosalie’s house, Adam had found quite a bit to say and heard quite a bit too. He had ridden into the yard of the Morton home to find Augie chopping wood and looking very unhappy and perhaps even downright hostile on seeing him ride in. Brent walked out of the stable, and there was no question that he was hostile. Adam dismounted and walked to Augie as Brent walked from the stable to join them.

“I oughta pound you into the ground.”

“I’m sorry that you lost so much money on the race, but you did cheat.”

“I ain’t talking ’bout that. I’m talking about how unhappy you made our sister. She hardly smiles any more. Some people in town say that she’s your gal, but you ain’t been by even once to see her. Other people are talking that you made a fool out of her and out of us. That don’t sit too well with any of us. Pa said we oughta shoot ya the next time we saw ya.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I’m sorry if Rosalie has been hurt by the gossip. It’s something that my family has learned to ignore. I didn’t realize that she was being talked about that way. If my actions have caused any hurt to you and your family, I do sincerely apologize to you and I will apologize to Rosalie if I get a chance. I was hoping that I could talk with her.”

“She’s with Pa breaking some horses.”

“She’s breaking horses!”

Augie and Brent smirked at the surprise and disbelief from Adam. Brent motioned with his finger that he would lead Adam to his sister. Augie went back to chopping wood thinking that perhaps they had misjudged Adam, and if they hadn’t, their Pa could handle it. Adam rounded the stable expecting to see Rosalie on the back of a wild horse. Instead she was leading a horse around the corral holding his head close to her as she stroked his cheek and talked to him. She had a blanket on the back of the horse and it was easy to see that the horse found that unpleasant, but whenever he moved to try to shake it off, she stopped and moved the blanket around on his back with one hand as she continued to hold the reins that kept his head down. When the horse calmed, she began walking him again. Amazed, Adam turned to Brent.

“How long has she been working with that mustang?”

“Just today. It usually takes her a couple of days to get them used to a saddle. Then when she says the horse is ready, one of us will try to ride him. Usually it works. It’s why we have such spirited horses. If we were as good a riders as Rosalie is, we coulda won that race with you boys easy.”

“Maybe, and maybe not. We have some very spirited horses too. How long have you been breaking horses this way?”

“We don’t break ’em as much as make ’em our friends. Rosalie is a natural at it. She does it better than any of us. Pa says she’s got a natural touch with animals. Our Ma got us started on trying to do it this way. She was Scottish and I guess she learned some things about raising horses before she came to America and then married our Pa. Pa wasn’t all sold on doing it this way until Rosalie started doing it. She’s really good.”

“Yes, she is. She has a gift.”

Brent noticed how Adam looked at his sister and how he talked about her. Like Augie, he began to wonder if maybe there was something between him and their sister. It would be up to their Pa though to decide whether to let him talk to Rosalie. When their father finally noticed Adam was there, he had a look that was far more hostile than her two brothers had been. Adam steeled himself for more criticism but all Mr. Morton asked was why he was there.

“I had hoped to talk with Rosalie. I’m sorry that I didn’t let her know I was coming over but I was gone on a cattle drive and then after picking up equipment and supplies in town, I was up at our lumber mill. Augie told me about the ugly gossip. I am sorry about that. I didn’t realize that there was talk that hurt her.”

“Well, I guess none of that was really your doing. You can talk to her ifn she wants to talk with you. We’ll be watching though if she does so you mind yourself or you’ll answer to me.”

“Yes, sir, I will.” By that point, Rosalie had noticed that Adam was there. She released the horse with which she had been working and walked to the corral fence. She stood as if waiting for Adam to explain himself so he did. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner. I was up at the lumber mill, then on a trail drive, and then up to the lumber mill again, but I should have found some time to come over here to see you. I’ve only heard now about the gossip in town. I’m sorry about that.”

“Sorry that some people say you made a fool of me or sorry that other people say that I’m your gal so no man in town will so much as say hello to me?”

“I am very sorry that anyone would think that I made a fool of you. You are certainly not that.”

“What about me being your gal?”

“I don’t know. You’re so much younger than I am. Compared to me, you’re just a kid.”

“When you walked out here, did you see a kid or a woman working with that horse?”

“I saw a very talented woman.”

“When you pulled me from my horse and laid me across your lap, was I a kid or a woman?”

“You are all woman.”

“When you danced with me, was that like dancing with a kid?”

“No, not at all. That was a wonderful time dancing with a woman.”

“And when you kissed me, you must have felt I was a woman?”

“Yes, yes, I did.”

With each question, Rosalie had moved closer to Adam until she was inches away by the time she asked the last question. She reached up to put her hands behind his neck and pull his head down for a kiss. Mr. Morton saw that and told Brent that they ought to go rustle up some dinner because Rosalie was busy. Adam wasn’t aware they had left until Rosalie broke the kiss.

“Did that make anything clearer to you?”

“Yes, it did.”

“Then why didn’t you kiss me like you did at the dance?”

“Because I didn’t want your father to think I was taking advantage of you.”

“They’re gone. Unlike you, they know I can take care of myself. Now, about that kiss.”

Stepping as close to Rosalie as he could, Adam pulled her into an embrace with his hands at her waist. Then he reached up to touch her cheek and guided her lips to his in a passionate kiss that lasted until they both needed air. Then he kissed her again. All of his doubts and insecurities were forgotten for those moments. When they stopped kissing, Rosalie looked up to see Adam and the worry lines were back.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re so young and inexperienced. It makes me fell like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Yes, I’m younger, and I have much less experience in most things than you, but who better to learn things with and who better to experience things with than you? You can’t take advantage of me if I’m fully aware of the situation and I willingly enter into it, now can you?”

Remaining silent and thinking, Adam made Rosalie nervous again. She reached up and touched his cheek.

“There is one thing. If we’re together, you have to promise to talk with me. You can’t hold it inside especially if it concerns me or us. I thought you were willing to talk to me. You did at the dance and then even more as you took me home. What happened?”

“Nothing happened. I did find that it was amazingly easy to talk with you. I was relaxed and happy. Right now I’m trying to get used to the idea that we are a couple. It’s what I came here to find out, but I guess I thought my logical and rational arguments against us being together would win out. They didn’t. I’m falling in love with you, and I can’t help myself even if our first encounter was me catching you at cheating. That still does bother me.”

“I know I was wrong to do what I did, but my brothers begged me. We don’t have the kind of money that your family does and they knew they had made a huge mistake betting that kind of money against you and your brothers. Augie and Brent especially have a tendency to want to brag too much and Joe and Hoss made them back up their claims. Can you forgive me for what I did or tried to do?”

“Can you promise to never do anything like that again?”

“Yes, I can promise you right now that I will never do anything like that again. Unless of course if you ask me to.” Rosalie grinned then causing Adam to shake his head.

“I will not ask you to day anything like that. I love you, and I want our relationship and what we do to be honest and straightforward.”

“Good, because I started to fall in love with you the day of the race. Then you were so sweet at the dance, I couldn’t stop myself. I was so hurt not to hear from you, but I understand now, but don’t ever do anything like that again.”

“I won’t if you’ll promise me one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Could you please wear a dress when you’re with me? I can hardly think with your, ah, feminine attributes on display. I don’t want to think about other men seeing you like this either.”

“I can do that. Pa warned me that any man who wanted to be with me would want me in a dress. I don’t mind as long as you understand that I need to wear these clothes when I’m working with the horses.”

“There are split skirts that women wear.”

“I couldn’t afford those because I don’t sew very well so I’d have to have them made. That’s too expensive.”

As Adam thought about what he could do to remedy that situation, he smiled and pulled Rosalie close again. “Well then there’s nothing to stop us from seeing each other. On Saturday, I would like to come by for you and take you to town for dinner. Sunday morning I would like to pick you up to go to church services, and then afterwards I would like you to take a carriage ride with me. Does that meet with your approval?”

“It certainly does. Now should we seal that with a kiss?”

“You do have some wonderful ideas.” Adam kissed her again as passionately as before. When they broke the kiss, Rosalie was nearly breathless but had a question.

“At the dance, you said that kissing like that was for a lady who was being courted by a man. Are you courting me now? I don’t mean to pressure you, but I think I have a right to know.”

“If you will accept it, I think I may ask to court you, but I think I have to think that through and then I have to ask your father’s permission for that too. Shall we go to the house so I can ask your father’s permission to call on you?” Adam reached out and traced her lips with his finger. “Perhaps we should stop kissing and talk for a bit so it doesn’t look like I’ve been plundering your lips for kisses.”

“Papa must know that’s what we’re doing.”

“Yes, probably, but it would be a courtesy not to be so obvious about it.”

“I have to put some of this tack away. You can help, and then we can go up to the house. I’m sure my father and brothers will want to have a drink to celebrate our news. Is that all right with you?” She got a grin from Adam as he offered her his arm and they picked up the tack and headed to the stable.

When Adam arrived home later, it was quite dark and Ben had been worried. He had left a lantern burning outside the stable and was relieved to see that it was Adam who had ridden into the yard. He waited inside for him and greeted him with relief but was also surprised. “Adam have you been drinking?”

“Yes, Pa, I had a drink with Rosalie’s father and brothers. They really are quite friendly especially when you’re sharing a drink with them.”

“It seems you may have had more than one?”

“Yes, they kept thinking of things that we should drink to toast. It would have been rude to say no, Pa, and you told us never to be rude when someone offers you a drink. Or was that Sam, the bartender? I don’t know. I can’t remember right now, but it’s good advice and I followed it to the letter.”

By that time, Hoss and Joe were snickering in the background as they realized that Adam was slightly drunk. He rarely had more than one drink, and to see him in this condition after seeing him that way at the end of the drive was remarkable.

“So you have decided to pursue a relationship with Rosalie?”

“Yes, I have. I kissed her, Pa, and that’s when I knew.”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember kissing, Pa?”

“Of course I remember kissing. What did you know?”

“Know about what?”

“What you knew.”

“What do I know about what? Pa, do you know what you want to know?”

“Maybe you should go to bed and we can talk in the morning.”

“Good idea, Pa. I am tired. I think I’ll go to bed and we can talk in the morning. I hope by then that you can remember what you wanted to know. Good night, Pa. Good night, Hoss. Good night, Joe.” Adam climbed the stairs and headed to his room for some sleep. Hoss and Joe broke out laughing and couldn’t stop for several minutes. Even Ben had to chuckle. It was funny to see Adam who was usually so serious and logical being anything but that. Up in his room, Adam smiled as he undressed because it had all gone rather well. They thought he was drunk so his father had dropped the questioning and let him go to bed. He didn’t want to talk about Rosalie yet. He had some thinking to do and thought it would be best if he got to do that without anyone interjecting their opinions. He was thinking that she was going to be a big challenge, but he liked challenges and the reward in this case could be very sweet.

The next morning, Adam awoke early after having some very pleasant dreams. He didn’t go downstairs though until several minutes after he heard Hoss and Joe stirring in their rooms. Walking down the stairs very gingerly, Adam proceeded to the table with his head down slightly as if he had a hangover headache. He remembered what they were like so simply mimicked how he had acted when he had had one. He drank coffee and ate two biscuits and some eggs. With a deep sigh, he looked up briefly at his father.

“Pa, I think I’ll work on the lumber mill plans in my room today if you don’t mind.” He was going to say that he was taking Rosalie to town for dinner on Saturday but thought that perhaps Saturday would be a good time to announce that and then on Sunday morning, he could tell them that he was escorting her to church and then on a carriage ride. The less they knew beforehand, the less they could question him. They knew he was pursuing a relationship with her. That was more than enough for them to know. He did spend the morning working on the lumber mill plans, but he often found himself simply staring at those papers and thinking of Rosalie. He had made a big commitment to her already and had to fight down the pessimism that threatened to overtake him. No romance had ever worked out well for him before and his big fear was that this one would not either. He had to think positively though and worked on that as he looked forward to taking her to dinner which would announce to the whole town that he was calling on her. He smiled when he thought of how the gossips would react to that.

Chapter 10

“Joe, are you bothered that your brother is seeing Joelle?”

“No, why should it? We never had anything together. She went to one dance with me. It was the same for Adam when he couldn’t get her to be with him and then I did my best to win her over. Hoss turned out to be the kind of man she wanted. I only hope she’s not too skittish for him because I would hate to see him hurt again so soon after what AnnMarie did.”

“What about Adam seeing Rosalie even though she helped her brothers cheat in the race?”

“Well, I don’t see that as a big problem. You all have known for years that I, um, that I’m creative in how I play checkers. Rosalie wasn’t doing anything that was so bad. She was helping her brothers. Hoss and Adam would never ask me to cheat to help them, but if they did, I probably would. I blame her brothers, not her.”

“Son, I’m impressed with your attitude. I’m proud of you for being so understanding.”

“Pa, I’m not a kid any more.”

“Now Joseph, weren’t you the one who put the frog in your brother’s water pitcher this morning?”

“No, Pa, I didn’t put a frog in Adam’s water pitcher this morning.” Joe couldn’t hold in the laughter though. “I put it in there last night. I guess he didn’t pour out enough water to notice. It must have been a big surprise to him this morning.”

“And a costly one. He has to buy a new water pitcher now, and because it won’t match the basin, you know he’ll buy the set. He could never tolerate a mismatched set in his room for long.”

“I know. I offered to give him mine and he only glared at me with those dark eyes of his. He must have gotten that skill from you because he can look pretty fierce pretty fast. But I thought he deserved something for playing that trick on us by making us think he was drunk.”

“So you think I look fierce?”

“Only when you’re upset, Pa.” In a hurry to change the subject, Joe stood to look out the window behind his father’s desk. “Looks like my brothers are ready to go. Hoss is using the bigger carriage and Adam has the smaller one.”

“Yes, Adam said he wanted to use the larger carriage tomorrow because he invited Rosalie to go on a carriage ride with him. Hoss will be in town both days so it doesn’t matter so much which carriage he uses although he’s more comfortable in the larger one, but it’s only fair that they take turns. Are you going to town too?”

“Yes, later, some of the hands are going in and I’m going with them. If it gets too late, I may take a room in town and meet you at church tomorrow.”

“Please take a change of clothing then. I would appreciate it if you didn’t smell like a saloon when you’re in church.”

“Of course, Pa. I’ll do that. Thanks for asking instead of telling.”

“I’m learning. I know that my sons are more willing to work with me than for me. I’ve gotten more cooperation with less complaining by doing things this way. Now I wish I had changed things sooner. But don’t tell Adam that. I don’t want to make things too easy for him. He’ll start looking for a lot more changes than I can handle at one time.”

“I won’t tell, but I don’t think you have to worry about Adam bothering you with any more changes. Between the lumber mill and Rosalie, he’s going to be plenty busy.”

Adam was very busy, but he couldn’t remember being happier. He had his family, the Ponderosa, a challenging project that let him use his education, and a woman who wanted to be with him. He hoped it wasn’t a dream, and he would wake up and it would all disappear. He mentioned that to Hoss while he was in the stable getting the harness for the carriage horse.

“Now, older brother, even your imagination would never had me and Joelle together so it must be real, dontcha think?”

“That’s true, but if I had ever thought it through all the way, I would think that I would have known you were the kind of man she would find attractive. You have the optimism and surety that life is good and you are as thoughtful and considerate as any gentleman I know. You’re a strong man with a healer’s touch. You’re the kind of man she’s been trying to find for quite a while.”

“What about Rosalie? I don’t know her at all. What kind of man was she waiting to find?”

Thinking for a moment, Adam was quiet. Hoss let him think because he knew he wouldn’t answer until he thought it through. They finished harnessing up carriage horses and then put on their jackets, hats, and gunbelts. Adam had not answered the question yet so Hoss prompted him again.

“Hoss, I don’t know. There’s so much I don’t know about her yet. That may be one of the things we talk about today or tomorrow. I need to know what she wants for the future before I can decide if I’m the right one to provide it.”

At the Morton house, Adam was very pleased to see how Rosalie had dressed for their dinner. She had a very simple green dress, but she wore her mother’s necklace and had her hair up with curls slipping loose in the back. He liked the look very much and told her so.

“Adam, this is my best dress, but I only have one wrap and it doesn’t match this dress.”

“I may have a solution for you.” Adam pulled a box from beneath the seat and handed it to Rosalie. She opened it to find an ivory shawl that had tiny roses embroidered along the edges.

“Oh, it’s beautiful, but I can’t accept a gift that’s so expensive. What would people think?”

“No one except your family will know. Now put it around your shoulders and tell me if you think you can give it back.” Adam smiled at the look she had as she wrapped it around her shoulders and then smiled up at him.

“Thank you. It’s so beautiful. Where did you get it?”

Rosalie saw a bit of a dark look pass over his face before it faded and he answered her. “I bought it for someone else but was never able to give it to her. It was so beautiful that I decided to keep it and hope that there would be a wonderful woman who would appreciate it.”

“It was for Laura, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Adam clipped response let Rosalie know that wasn’t a topic he wanted to discuss. “I’ll never walk away from you, and I promise to be honest with you about everything.”

“Sweetheart, I can’t ask you for anything more. Now, let’s go to dinner.” Dinner conversation was light and amiable. Adam didn’t want to discuss anything too serious that might be overheard and repeated all over town spawning rumors no doubt. He planned to have a more serious discussion with Rosalie the next day when they took a carriage ride. The two of them could get to know each other better and share their thoughts. He looked forward to it although chatting about everyday concerns and activities was pleasant too. He talked about his plans for the lumber mill and how he had preliminary orders for wood that could be milled to exact specifications once the new saws arrived. They continued the conversation on the carriage ride to Rosalie’s home where Adam kissed her gently before taking his leave to go home promising to be back early the next morning to escort her to church.

Arriving at the ranch, Adam found that Hoss was there as well. “How did your evening with Joelle go?”

“It went real well, I think. She’s kinda quiet sometimes and it makes it hard to know what she’s thinking, but she said I could come calling again tomorrow, so it musta been all right with her. How about you?”

“We had a very nice dinner and time to talk. Yes, she wants me to come calling again too. Hoss, it still feels like a dream especially with both of us seeing women who want to see us and it looks like it’s for the long haul too.”

“I know what you mean. I was thinking on it while I was with Joelle. It seems kinda like it’s not real, but then it is, and it makes me smile. I guess it’s about time, ain’t it?” Hoss had kissed Joelle that night before he left. It had been a tender first kiss, and he didn’t want to try too much and scare her off, but she was smiling when he left so he guessed it had been all right. He remembered everything that had happened that night as if the details were written in a book inside his heart. She had said she was looking forward to seeing him the next day too. They had talked quite a bit, and she had admitted she was a bit jealous of women her age who were married and had children. He had asked how many children she wanted, and she had said at least four. Hoss couldn’t help grinning when she said that.

“Darling, that’s the exact same number I was thinking. I always thought I’d like to have sons but then I’d like to have daughters too so four would be perfect ifn it was two of each.”

“What if it was four girls?”

“I think that would be a mite near on perfect too. I want a family so much, and I was beginning to think it would never happen for me.”

“Hoss, does that mean you think it could happen for us?”

“I know it’s only been a real short time, but when I feel love for a woman, then it’s fast when I know it’s right, and this feels real right to me. I ain’t one for pushing and we can go as slow as you want, but you have to know, I want to start courting you and not just calling on you.”

Joelle had taken a deep breath and then taken his hand. Hoss had worried then that she would say no. “Hoss, would you mind very much if I thought about that for a time. I don’t want to say yes unless I’m sure and I’m ready to be courted.”

“You can take all the time in the world that you need, little lady. I’ll be waiting on your answer and praying it’ll be yes.”

“Oh, I think it will be yes, but I have to be sure. I’m getting close to that idea already, but maybe just a little time to get used to the idea will help me.”

As Hoss remembered, Adam watched him. He saw the dreamy look he had. Once the harness was put away and the horses had been groomed, watered, and fed, Adam slapped Hoss on the shoulder. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you? Did you ask her already?”

“Ask her what?” That question for an answer got a headshake from Adam who knew Hoss was trying not to answer, but Hoss couldn’t hold back any longer. “Yeah, I asked her if I could court her. She’s already leaning toward saying yes and only asked for some time to think on it.”

“Well, you must be the right one for her. That’s quite a bit more than I thought might happen so soon. Congratulations, Hoss. The two of you deserve each other, and I mean that in a very good way too.”

“Thanks. Now how do we do this without Pa and Joe asking too many questions.”

“We’re very tired, and we both promised to take our ladies to church in the morning so we’ll head to bed instead of sitting down for any talking.”

It worked reasonably well except Joe asked Adam if he had remembered to purchase a pitcher and basin for his room eliciting a scowl from Adam who had forgotten. Joe laughed and said Rosalie must be the one for him because she had managed to get him to forget something and he never forgot anything. Ben saved an argument from happening by reassuring Adam that Hop Sing had put one of the sets from a guest room into his room. With a good night then, Adam followed Hoss up the stairs.

As expected, the next morning, there were a lot of stares and quite a few animated conversations about the two older Cartwright sons escorting ladies to church. It was as good as announcing that they were courting because ladies were not escorted to church as a casual date. Such an event had the solemnity of a sincere promise to be there at that church again soon for a wedding. Everyone knew it of course including the ladies being escorted. Joelle had greeted Hoss with a smile that morning and said her answer was yes. They were going to talk after church and have lunch. Adam had not yet told Rosalie that he was courting her but planned to ask her and her father that question later that day. Ben watched his sons as they stood beside him in church. Adam stood to his right with Rosalie on his right. Hoss stood on his left with Joelle on his right which also put Joe on Hoss’ left where he had no opportunity to cause any trouble by teasing his brothers or the ladies who had accompanied them. Ben couldn’t have been prouder than he was that day. He hoped that both relationships worked out because both were good for his sons. He hadn’t seen Hoss smile so much in a long time, and it had been even longer to see Adam in such a good mood.

That night, Ben got even better news when both sons told him that they were officially courting. Hoss had wanted to tell his father right after church services but decided that he and Joelle needed to talk some things over first so he could have more answers to questions his father was inevitably going to ask. Adam still had to ask Rosalie and her father so his news was necessarily delayed until that was done. First though, Adam took Rosalie on a carriage ride. High above the lake on the ridge, he found the shade of a large tree and spread a blanket beneath it. He took the picnic basket from the carriage and carried it there where Rosalie was already sitting on the blanket and looking out across the vista before her.

“It’s so beautiful here, Adam. I could stare at this all day.”

“Yes, I had the same thought.” Except Adam was looking at Rosalie, and when she turned to him, she realized that and blushed. Setting the basket beside the blanket, Adam dropped down beside Rosalie and pulled her into a kiss that deepened until both were nearly overwhelmed by desire. Adam rolled onto his back and stared up through the leaves of the tree. Rosalie rolled onto her side and looked down at him. “Sweetheart, I have a question for you.”

“Whatever it is, the answer is yes.”

Smiling, Adam looked into her eyes. “Are you sure? I was going to ask if I could court you, and I don’t want a long courtship. I want to marry you as soon as you and your family will allow it.”

“And the answer is yes. Are you sure? Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes, I’m as sure as I can be. When I’m with you, I’m happy. When I’m not with you, I think about you and that makes me smile too. I do know it probably won’t be easy. We’ll have to get used to each other, and we’ll have decisions to make, and we won’t always agree on the answers, but I trust that you and I can do this. Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but are you sure that you can take living with me? I can be difficult at times.”

“I can because I know you have those things that I want in a man. You’re strong not only physically but morally. You are also gentle and kind. I did love that romantic gesture when you went down on your knees when I was acting so offended that you swatted me. You do know that you better not ever do that again?”

“I promise I will not ever do that again; unless you ask me to.” Then he grinned as she scowled in mock anger at him and did her best to tickle him. She leaned down to kiss him then, and they kissed gently and lovingly.

“I knew I could love you like no other man when you kissed me at the dance. You were so considerate of my feelings. You wanted to kiss me, and I knew that you wanted more too, but you wouldn’t do anything more than I allowed. Now I want you to do more too, so we probably should get married soon before I say yes to whatever you want to do with me. I would too, you know, say yes to anything you wanted. I dream about being with you, and it’s getting more and more difficult to wait. I want to be with you so much.”

“Don’t say things like that. I’m trying as much as I can to remain a gentleman here. Now, perhaps I should ask your father if I can marry you instead of courting you first. I have to go up to the lumber mill this week, but next Friday, I could be back and we could be married any day after that.”

“My Pa and brothers are leaving this afternoon to go catch some mustangs. They’re probably gone already so you can’t ask my father, but you can ask me.”

Pulling Rosalie into an embrace, Adam kissed her gently and then whispered to her. “Rosalie, sweetheart, will you marry me and live with me all the rest of the days of my life?” Her yes was muffled by the kisses they shared when she answered.

“I could fix a nice dinner on Friday night, and you could ask my father then.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Chapter 11

It was a good plan except that week, rain, wind, and just about everything that could go wrong at the lumber mill, did go wrong. The existing saw needed to be repaired. The cornerstones for the expansion were set but had to be reset because heavy rains turned the construction area into a quagmire showing Adam that he needed more substantial cornerstones and foundation walls than he had anticipated. He had to redo part of his plan and the get the cornerstones and foundation stones set so that the workers could begin the construction of the addition. By late on Friday, Adam was surly because he knew that he couldn’t get back in time to have dinner with the Mortons and that he knew he was going to severely disappoint Rosalie with no way to tell her why. Friday night there was another storm. On Saturday morning as the men were beginning the cleanup, the foremen apologized to Adam and said that breakfast would be delayed.

“I plan to be well on my way home before you get breakfast going. I’ll be back in a week or sooner if the new saws arrive. I’ll see about hiring a couple of extra men too if I can find any with experience. Send someone to town for any supplies you need.” Then Adam rode toward the Morton ranch cutting a diagonal across the Ponderosa. He arrived there at about eleven. The Morton men weren’t too sure what to think of him. He seemed intent on wooing their sister, but he had missed dinner the night before. He walked up to the men when he arrived and dismounted.

“I know. I’ll explain, but first I have to explain to Rosalie. Where is she?”

“She’s down at the corral behind the stable. She’s working with a horse so be careful as you approach. And one more thing: you make her any more unhappy, and you’re gonna have a hard time getting back up on that horse of yours.”

“I’ll do my best not to make things worse.” With that, Adam headed to the corral as Rosalie’s brothers followed and went into the stable to watch surreptitiously. Adam approached the corral slowly as Rosalie was standing at the head of a large stallion talking very softly to him. She heard Adam and turned briefly to see him and then turned back to the horse quickly so that he wouldn’t see her tears. He put his hands on the top rail of the corral and talked softly. “I’m more sorry than you can imagine. There were storms at the lumber camp and I was delayed. I had to get the work done. I don’t know how else to say how sorry I am other than to say it again.”

“You look like you haven’t been home.”

“I didn’t go home. I know I need a bath and a shave, but I had to see you. I knew yesterday how awful this was going to be. If you want to change your mind about being with me, I understand. I have this thing about work, and it drives me. Sometimes that makes me hurt the ones I love. Is there anything else I can do to let you know how sorry I am?”

“No, you already did it. You came here to tell me knowing how upset I would be and how angry my brothers are. I’m kind of surprised they let you walk back here to see me. They were ready to tear you limb-from-limb last night.”

“I think they still feel that way. I’m sure they’re watching to see if they have to carry out the threat they made.”

“They threatened you?” Adam nodded when Rosalie turned to look at him briefly. “They will have to learn not to do that. I can’t have my brothers and my husband at odds like that.” When she turned around then, Adam was grinning.

“I don’t deserve you, but I’m very happy you accept me the way I am. Is there anything I can do to help you with that horse?”

“Yes, he seems interested in you, so very slowly walk in here. Be careful not to swing the gate quickly or do anything sudden until he gets to know you better.”

Doing as instructed, Adam walked slowly until he was beside Rosalie in the corral. She guided his hand up to the horse’s cheek and told him to talk softly to the horse. Soon, the horse was as relaxed with the two of them as he had been with Rosalie. Adam asked what they would do next.

“Normally, I would ask one of my brothers to mount up and see if he could ride him while I led him and kept his head down. They have experience doing this with me and with my father. Do you think you could do it?”

“If you think I could.”

“Remember to do everything slowly and wait if he gets nervous or at all skittish. We don’t have to do this today. I don’t want either of you to be hurt.”

Following her instructions carefully, Adam mounted up after adjusting the stirrups to fit his longer legs. Rosalie led the nervous horse around the corral until she felt confident that he wouldn’t buck. Then she told Adam to let him go around the corral on his own but to rein him in if he tried to go faster. She unhooked the lead rope then and let Adam ride him. After a half hour, it was clear that the horse wasn’t fighting the reins at all.

“That’s a surprise. I thought he would resist this. Now comes the big test though. Are you up for me opening the gate into the larger corral? If he’s gonna make a run for it, this is when it will happen.”

When Adam agreed, Rosalie made a small wave at the stable to summon her brothers who she knew had to still be watching. She told them to mount up and get into the large corral ready to help Adam if the horse decided to fight after all. All went well until their father walked around the stable and saw Adam on the stallion.

“What’s he doing on one of our horses!”

The stallion began bucking suddenly almost unseating Adam who had a wild ride for a half minute until Augie and Brent could get their horses on either side and help calm down the big stallion. Once the big horse stood panting then between the two flanking horses, Rosalie walked over with a lead rope and attached it to his halter pulling his head down.

“All right, Adam, you can slide off now. He’ll be fine.”

Brent and Augie nodded impressed by Adam’s skill knowing that either of them would have been in the dirt if they had been on that stallion.

“Thank you, Adam. Once we get him tamed, he’s going to do a lot to improve the breeding of horses here on the ranch.” Mr. Morton was at their side then demanding an explanation. “Adam was working up at his lumber mill and couldn’t get back. He’s apologized and has a question for you, I believe.”

Shrugging at her suggestion, Adam turned to face her father. “Mr. Morton, I do apologize to you for missing dinner last night. As Rosalie said, I was at the lumber camp and things didn’t go well. I had to stay to make sure the mill could be up and operating again. I had hoped to ask you this last night, but Rosalie still seems to be willing despite my disappointing her. Sir, may I have the hand of your daughter in marriage?”

Rosalie’s father looked at her. She nodded and smiled. He looked back at Adam. “I woulda thought you coulda shaved and cleaned yourself up before coming here to ask me that, but I guess you were in a hurry to see her. Well, she wants ya and that’s good enough for me. Welcome to the family.” He reached out his hand to shake Adam’s and then her brothers were there to shake hands too as well as slap Adam on the back and tell him he didn’t know what he was getting himself into by marrying their sister. “Now, you think you can come back here tonight for dinner all proper dressed up and such?”

“Yes, sir, I would be honored to be back tonight. Thank you.”

Two days later, Rosalie had a question for Adam. “Where are we going?”

“To the dress shop. I want you properly attired for our honeymoon.”

“We’re having a honeymoon?”

“For a couple of days, yes, we are having a honeymoon. Now, once you get what you need, we’ll drop those things at the hotel. I’ll go make arrangements with a minister while you get what you need. Then we’ll get married and spend the next two days together. I wish it was more, but I need to get back up to the lumber mill by midweek.”

It was Monday morning. Adam had returned to the Mortons for dinner on Saturday night. Kissing Rosalie in the moonlight, and then again as often as he could the next day and evening had tested Adam’s resolve to remain a gentleman. Rosalie though had felt much the same way. When he rode up on Monday morning to see her again, she had suggested they elope. She wrote a quick note to her family and then got a horse and rode with Adam to the Ponderosa where they saw Hoss and told them what they were doing before going to Virginia City where Adam had some business to do. Once that was completed, he had walked her to a dress shop after making a reservation for a large suite at the hotel.

At the door of the dress shop, Adam stopped and looked down at Rosalie. “Any doubts?”

“None at all.”

With a smile then, Adam opened the door to the dress shop and followed her in. Not many men ever entered a dress shop, but these women recognized the oldest Cartwright son. “We are getting married. I want you to outfit her with a beautiful dress and anything else she needs. I want her to have a split riding skirt and blouse as well as a nice hat to shield her from the sun. Then add in any other garments that you think she may want or need for the next two days. Put it on a tab for me and I’ll pay whatever it is when I get back.”

“Adam, I don’t need all that.”

“Yes, you do, and more, but this will have to do for now. I’ll be back in an hour. I hope that’s enough time.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Cartwright. That should be enough time. We’ll get busy as soon as you leave.”

Already dressed in a nice shirt and tie with his best jacket because he had brought them along for a business meeting, Adam stopped at the jewelry shop he had seen down the street from the dress shop. He picked out several items and had them packaged. Then he asked directions to the minister’s home and went there to make arrangements for a wedding ceremony. In an hour, he was back at the dress shop. Rosalie was in a green dress, but this was no simple dress. It was dark green with ivory trim matching the shawl Adam had given her. She had hurriedly packed that and a few items in her saddlebags before they rode out. Now she had boxes of items on the counter. Adam paid the bill and asked if all of that could be delivered to the hotel and put in their suite. It could be so he offered his arm to Rosalie and wondered why her smile seemed a bit forced.

“Is it always going to be like this? It’s kind of overwhelming.”

“No, but time is limited now so I hope I didn’t offend you by making so many decisions and rushing you along. You can still say to wait.”

“No, but I would like a chance to catch my breath a little. This has been a lot already for one morning.”

“We can have lunch. The minister said that he would meet us at the church. He has some work to do there and will be there all afternoon. Does having lunch appeal to you?”

“I’m not sure I could eat anything, but it would be nice to have the break even if all I have is tea and biscuits. I have to tell you that I don’t really mind that you’re in charge and making all the decisions, but I wish you would tell me first what we’re going to do. If you don’t, this could get to be a problem between us.”

At first inclined to be irritated by that, Adam finally had to smile. “I guess I am my father’s son especially in liking to be in charge. I will talk with you in the future and get your input even if I make the final decision. All right?”

“Why do you find it so hard to talk with people?”

“I don’t know. I wish I could talk more freely about how I feel, but I can’t. I sometimes feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders but then a laugh or a kind word from one of the family makes me feel so much better. I wonder if they know how important they are to me because I do have a difficult time saying it to them. I hope they know that when I yell or argue, it’s because I care and that I shed tears inside each time one of them is hurting. Maybe with your help, I could be more open. I’ll try. With you, I’ve already been more open than I usually am with my family.”

“That’s very sweet. Maybe you could say something like that to your family sometime.”

“Maybe I could. You make my heart feel lighter. Do you think you might like some lunch now?”

“Yes, thank you. Maybe I could eat something now.”

After a leisurely lunch and then a walk to the church, Adam and Rosalie were married by the minister who did ask them if they perhaps should wait for their families to be in attendance for such a momentous occasion in the lives of two families. Both declined so he married them. Adam pulled the ring he had bought that morning from his pocket and placed it on Rosalie’s finger pledging his troth as she had done before him. The minister folded their marriage certificate into an envelope, and Adam gave him a generous donation for his church. By then it was late afternoon, and Adam and Rosalie walked arm-in-arm back to the hotel.

The ladies who worked in the dress shop had been discreet and had not spread the tale that Adam and Rosalie were getting married. When people saw Adam and Rosalie walking to the hotel, that news spread rapidly. Finally Adam and Rosalie were in their hotel suite alone. She began unbuttoning his shirt.

“So I finally get to see what’s been peeking out of your collar all these years?”

“You can see all of me very soon. I want to see all of you too.”

Adam and Rosalie began undressing each other but there was a knock on the door and they heard the roar of Rosalie’s father as he demanded that the door be opened. A shirtless Adam did as Rosalie quickly grabbed a robe to cover herself. Rosalie’s whole family crowded into the room and between Adam and Rosalie.

“How dare you take my daughter to a hotel!”

“We got married so she’s my wife now and there’s no reason we can’t go to a hotel.”

“You got married?”

“Yes, Rosalie left a note for you.”

“Yes, Papa. I left it on the table. You must have gotten it if you’re here.”

“You said the two of you were going to plight your troth here in town and would be at the hotel. I figured that plight your troth was, you know, something married folks do. Why didn’t you say you was getting hitched?”

“I did. I said we were going to go through the sacrament of matrimony.”

“Now what the heck is that?”

“It means we went to the minister to get married. I wanted to get married in church and Adam did too.”

“Geez, ifn you’d a said you was tying the knot in front of the preacher man, I woulda known what you meant. So you’re all hitched official like and all?”

Rosalie showed the ring on her left hand as Adam picked up the envelope with the marriage certificate and pulled that out to show to Rosalie’s family.

“Well, don’t that beat all. Well, c’mon boys. We don’t want to keep ’em from doing, well, you know, what we thought they was doing before we knew they was married.”

After Rosalie’s family trooped out of the room, Adam closed the door and turned to Rosalie who looked worried. Adam stepped to her and gathered her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

“That didn’t upset you? I was afraid you would be upset with me.”

“Not at all. My family may take some getting used to as well. Now where were we before we were interrupted.” Adam and Rosalie began to kiss and suddenly there was another knock on the door. Adam wondered what the Mortons had forgotten to say on their last visit. He opened the door to find his father and Joe standing there. Ben looked shocked to see Adam shirtless.

“Adam, the news is all over town that you took Rosalie to the hotel. I didn’t want to believe it, but here you are.”

“Pa, we got married.” Rosalie raised her left hand again and Adam handed the marriage certificate to his father.

“Why didn’t you let us know?”

“We did. I told Hoss to tell you.”

“I haven’t seen Hoss since breakfast. Joe and I were going over the ledgers and decided to come into town to talk to Hiram and the bank about some business ideas. Then we heard the news, and I am sorry that I believed it. I should have known better.”

“Thank you, but could you leave now? I’m on my honeymoon, and I only have two days. We’ll talk later like perhaps next Sunday.”

After Ben and Joe left, Adam and Rosalie again began kissing only to be interrupted once more. Adam answered the door and their dinner cart was there. He pulled it into the room and tipped the desk clerk who had brought it up. He closed the door then and walked to the bed taking off his pants as he did so. “I am not answering that door again. Anyone else knocks, we tell them to go away.”

“What about dinner?”

“I think it’s going to get cold.”

Three months later, Ben stood beside Adam and Rosalie as Joe stood beside Hoss as he married Joelle in a formal ceremony. There had been a big party at the Mortons to celebrate Adam’s marriage to Rosalie although the Ponderosa supplied not only most of the food but all of the beverages. For Hoss’ wedding, they were using the dance hall in town for the party because it was too cool to have the kind of big outdoor party like Adam had. Ben had seen Adam place his hand on Rosalie’s lower abdomen that morning when they weren’t aware he was watching. He suspected there was going to be another addition to the family in about six or seven months. When the ceremony was completed, Hoss and Joelle received everyone at the door of the church. Adam had coached Hoss on what to say so that guests felt that they were hearing something special just for them. Hoss had memorized about five different greetings and used them in order. By the time he used the fifth one, everyone who had heard the first one had moved out of hearing. Ben thought it was humorous that his sophisticated eldest son had eloped and had a very strange first night with his bride while his more easygoing son had the formal church wedding and was going on a trip to San Francisco for their honeymoon. He looked out over the crowd and saw Joe chatting first with one woman and then with another. He shook his head wondering how anyone would ever manage to snare that one, but he smiled as he looked back at his two older sons walking with their wives to the dance hall. Life was good, and he thought it had gotten a lot better since he had made some changes on the Ponderosa which had helped reduce the tension among the four men as well as seeming to give some confidence to his sons to pursue goals. He walked up to Adam in the dance hall and put a hand on his shoulder.

“How are the house plans going?”

“Very well. We should be able to build in spring.”

“Just in time then.”

“Just in time for what?” Except Adam smiled as did his father because Adam understood then that his father knew. “I suppose with three wives and three sons, you did get used to what it was like. She is even more, ah, loving now then when we first were together.”

“No problems then?”

“Not with her health. We saw Paul and he pronounced everything normal.”

“With what then?”

“We are, ah, discussing how long she can continue to help her family with the horses. They only do a little work in the winter, but in spring, they get very busy. I don’t want her working with horses when she’s that far along. She thinks that what she does has no danger in it, but I disagree. One jerk of the reins or pull on a lead rope and she could fall. Even worse things could happen.”

“Perhaps when she becomes more heavy with child, she’ll reconsider her position. You have several months before that happens. How is the lumber mill doing?”

“We’ve started production. With all the contracts and buyers, the mill will be turning a profit in a short time. The demand has been excellent, and we can sell cheaper than any of our competitors because our overhead is lower and we have shorter distances to go to deliver our products here.”

“The prices aren’t too low, I hope.”

Smiling, Adam nodded. “I learned from a very astute businessman. Our prices are only low enough to corner the market. Our profit margin is quite large.”

“Adam, I’m very proud of you and what you’ve done. I waited far too long to let you make some changes around here. I know now that all of my sons needed me to make some changes.”

“Well, Pa, then I have a list of ideas for you to read.”

Ben rolled his eyes but smiled. Life was indeed very good for him and the other three corners of the Ponderosa.

 

Dreams

Chapter 1

Adam felt every punch like a knife was being stabbed into him. He knew his ribs must be broken or cracked. He worried that one more blow might displace a rib and kill him outright. He heard the men who were beating him telling each other not to hit him there for that reason. At least that is what he believed they meant when they said over and over to be careful of his ribs. But they kept asking questions that he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even understand the questions any more and wondered if he ever had. It was getting darker. He could tell that because the light coming through his tightly closed eyes was less and less. He had trouble breathing and found even taking short shallow breaths was too painful. He couldn’t hold his breath though because then his body would demand he breathe in huge gulps of air that sent severe stabbing pains through him the few times he had tried that. He wished and prayed that this whole thing could be a dream, and he would awake to find none of it had happened. But it was no dream. He was sure of that because he knew that if he felt that bad in a dream, he would wake up. He thought that had to be true, and then he heard them say that he might die. He was fairly certain he would never let himself die in a dream so this must be real even if his thinking was foggy and he could see nothing with his eyes squeezed shut against the pain. They didn’t want to be held responsible for his death so they were going to leave him alone. First though they must have decided to hide him so that no one would find his body when he died. He felt weights being pressed down on him. He guessed they were piling rocks on him even before he was dead. He was thirsty, hot, having trouble breathing especially with the additional pressure, and in severe pain. He guessed they were correct. He was dying, alone, and couldn’t help himself at all.

Next, hands were pulling at him. The weight was gone, but they were making his ribs hurt even more. He must have fallen asleep and they came back for him. He didn’t know why, but the pain was excruciating. He tried to fight them but was too weak. They had him partially upright and the questioning started again. What was strange this time was that the voice sounded just like his father. He couldn’t imagine his father being involved in anything that caused him pain. He decided to try to relax and let his father work whatever scheme he was working against those who would hurt him. He trusted his father and knew he could count on his help. Then he heard Hoss’ voice and then Joe’s. That brought tears to his eyes. His family was there to save him. He was sure of that, and he heard them talking more.

“Pa, it looks like he’s crying. Maybe he’s finally waking up.”

“Hoss, I see that. I see it. Adam, son, can you open your eyes? Please?”

It seemed like such a simple request, but when breathing takes all your energy, opening your eyes can be a daunting task. He wanted to do it for his father though so he struggled to open his eyes. He managed to blink a few times but couldn’t keep his eyes open. He felt a cool cloth on his forehead and then a spoonful of water in his mouth. He managed to swallow and continue his shallow breathing. He hoped there would be more water and opened his mouth, and another spoonful blessedly washed over his tongue. For several minutes, that was all that happened until he heard his little brother’s voice.

“C’mon, Adam, open your eyes for Pa, please. You know how he worries. It would make me feel a lot better too seeing as how I fell asleep while I was watching over you and you fell over on your side. I’m real sorry about that. It’s just that we’re all so tired.”

Adam had to think about that for a moment. He closed his mouth and wondered what it could all mean. Maybe it had been a dream that men were beating him. Maybe he could open his eyes and it would all be over. He struggled then to open his eyes focusing as much energy on that task as he could. He blinked a few times and then was able to keep his eyes open. He saw his father with his brow bunched with worry, and behind him, Hoss and Joe were grinning at seeing him open his eyes. The other thing that was obvious was that waking from the dream, if that was what it had been, did nothing to ease the pain he was enduring. He looked at his father and managed to whisper a question. “What happened?”

“Joe was watching over you and you rolled to your side. The heavy pillows we were using to keep you upright so you could breathe a bit easier fell over on you. Joe heard you struggling to breathe and tried to help, but you struggled against him and he called for us to come help. Son, don’t ever scare me like that again. Your lips looked a little blue until we managed to get you back upright. You fought us a bit when we did that so I was hoping that meant you were finally waking up. I can only say how sorry we are that you were hurting because of what we had to do.”

Adam frowned a bit so Ben quickly and correctly understood that he needed to know more.

“Almost three days ago, you tried to ride that stallion that had bucked Joe off four days ago and left him with a sprained wrist. Joe couldn’t ride any more and asked you to help out breaking the horses that we needed for the Army contract. By the time you got to him, he must have been in a murderous mood. He crashed right through the corral fence, went down, and took you with him. No one could get to you in time to help. We had to put him down. He hurt himself too much by doing what he did. You’ve got some broken and cracked ribs as you probably already guessed. You got quite a bump on your head, and as Hoss says, bruises on top of bruises.”

So it wasn’t a dream. He had been hurt, but he had been in the loving care of his family the whole time. He smiled and reached for his father’s hand. Hoss moved around to the other side of the bed and touched his shoulder as Joe sat on the side of the bed and rested his hand on his leg. As if by magic, Hop Sing appeared in the doorway with a small cup of broth and another of tea.

“Why you wake up in middle of night? Hop Sing work hard all day and now cooking in middle of night. You better drink all that Hop Sing cook up for you, or Hop Sing go back China and get to sleep all night all nights.”

Hop Sing’s tirade was how he expressed how worried he had been and how relieved he was to find that Adam was awake. Adam and his family understood that. Hop Sing left after handing the tray to Ben who helped Adam sip the broth and the tea until both cups were empty. With the broth and the tea, Adam mind began to clear as well. The pain was still severe however, and his father asked if he wanted more laudanum. He said no softly and then jerked his attention to each member of his family in order. Someone was missing.

“Where’s Rosalie?” Asking that question sent pains stabbing through his ribs and made him drop back against the pillows. His family waited as he got his breathing back under control and fought off the waves of pain assailing him. When he was able to open his eyes again, he stared intently at his father demanding an answer with his look.

At first, Ben didn’t want to answer because Adam needed to rest and needed to remain calm too, but he did have a right to know. “She’s having your baby. She came over here from your house after you were hurt. Hoss went to get her. She sat with you nearly nonstop for the first day until we practically had to drag her out of here to get some rest. She was back as much as she could but the strain apparently started her labor.” Adam looked like he was going to try to move again so Ben put a restraining hand on his shoulder and Hoss pressed down on the other one. “Now, you’re in no shape to go help her. Joelle and Doctor Martin are with her. Hop Sing was taking a break when you awoke and he brought you the tea and broth. I’m sure he’s been bringing tea to Rosalie as well.”

Leaning back into the pillows and willing himself to relax, Adam grimaced with the pain and with the frustration. Finally though he had to smile a sad smile at the irony of it all. He and Rosalie had argued for several months over her working horses at her family’s ranch even in her advanced state of pregnancy. He remembered several of the arguments especially the ones that had happened most recently. Living with Rosalie was anything but peaceful, but Hoss said that he would get bored with a peaceful marriage as he was always seeking out challenges. Well he had married a challenging woman but also a very loving, lusty one so the days were never dull. But now his fear that she would have an early labor had come true not because of her activities but mostly because of his.

As Adam lay resting, Hoss caught his father’s eye and nodded toward Adam. Both of them knew that he was blaming himself for her early labor. All they could do was to pray that both Rosalie and the baby would be fine. Sadly, prayers are not always answered or certainly not in the way expected.

Laudanum and exhaustion made Adam doze off, but worry and fear made him awake again and again to ask about Rosalie and the baby. They would never have told him that news in the weakened state he was in, but Rosalie’s anguished cry was all it took for him to know that something terrible had happened. He struggled as if he intended to get out of bed, but Ben and Hoss kept him there. He struggled to speak and rasped out his question once he was able to breathe more normally again.
“What happened? Tell me.”

Ben took Adam’s hand in his. “The baby couldn’t take the stress of being born so soon. He was very small and weak. His heart stopped. There was nothing anyone could do. They tried to keep the news from Rosalie because she’s very weak now too. She lost a lot of blood having that baby, but like you, she insisted on knowing. You heard her cry out when she was told.”

“I want to be with her.”

“I’m guessing that she said the same to Doctor Martin, but neither of you is strong enough to console the other or even to be moved from your beds.”

Adam was confined to his bed and Rosalie to hers. Hoss softly asked Adam what he wanted him to do with the baby. Adam whispered some instructions to Hoss who left the room returning with the small bundle in his arms. Adam saw his son and nodded. Hours later, Hoss returned to tell Adam that he, Joe, and their father had carried out his wishes. Ben had gone to tell Rosalie what had been done. Adam heard another anguished cry and knew that she felt as he did about not being able to even attend their small son’s burial.

Chapter 2

Rosalie was inconsolable for the first day after the loss of their baby. On the second day, she appeared numb. She ate what Hop Sing brought for her, she washed herself and dressed, and then with Ben’s help, made her way to Adam’s old room that they had shared for many months until their house was finished enough to move in. They had only lived there for a month before they faced this tragedy. Ben helped Rosalie sit in a chair at Adam’s side. He noted how anguished his son looked but that Rosalie didn’t seem to have any emotional response to him or to anything else. He pulled the door closed to give them some privacy. Later he wished he had not done that for they had needed help and got none.

Almost overcome with emotion, Adam could only say his wife’s name as he reached for her hand. His pain had rapidly diminished in the past day as the healing process had progressed enough for his ribs not to send such terrible pains shooting through him when he breathed or moved. Exhausted, he had slept well the night before until awakening at dawn and remembering their loss. Now all he hoped to do was to console his wife. Rosalie however was feeling a complex mix of emotions including guilt over not taking better care of herself and losing the baby. She looked at Adam not accepting his outstretched hand.

“You didn’t want me working with horses, but you had to take a foolish chance again. You had to ride the horse that hurt Joe. Then you lay here and I didn’t know if you would live or die. I was beside myself with worry. Now we lost our baby too.” She didn’t say it but the implication was there. She was blaming Adam for the loss of their baby even if she didn’t say it or that was the impression that Adam had probably because he had been thinking the same thing since he had heard the terrible news.

“I’m so sorry. No one knew that horse would go crazy like that. He threw Joe but lots of horses throw riders while they’re being broken. How could I know what would happen when I rode that horse?”

Sitting in tense silence for several minutes made both of them uncomfortable. Rosalie looked up to see that Adam had adopted that look that showed nothing of what he was feeling. She couldn’t read him on this matter and wondered how much he blamed her for the loss of their child. She wasn’t sure she could take him blaming her because she was blaming herself so much already. If she hadn’t pushed herself, she would have been stronger and more rested when Adam was hurt. She believed that she wouldn’t have started her labor so early then and their baby would still be alive.

“Perhaps I should go live with my family for a while. I don’t like having your family fuss over me like they do, and you’re not going to be in shape to do much of anything for a while yet.”

Shocked by her suggestion, Adam stared at her wondering what she was thinking. He worried that she thought their marriage was over. When she referred to his father and brothers as his family not including herself, he didn’t know what other conclusion to draw especially when she wanted to move back home with her father and brothers. He loved her so much, but he wasn’t feeling anything from her at all.

“If that’s what you need to do, then I want you to do it.”

Rosalie had hoped that Adam would tell her she couldn’t do that. She wanted him to say that he needed her and wanted her by his side. By telling her that she could go live with her family for a time, it felt as if he was sending her away even though it had been her suggestion. She felt unimaginable pain at hearing those words from him. She thought that they had always talked so openly and freely with each other, but now it seemed as if there was an invisible wall between them. Hoss drove Rosalie to her father’s house. Her family seemed as surprised to have her arrive there as Hoss had been when he heard she wanted to go. For three weeks, Adam and Rosalie had no contact. Adam moved back to his house despite his father’s strong encouragement to stay with them. He spent his days working on the ranch as his injuries healed and he was able to resume normal duties. In the evenings, he worked at finishing the work left in his house until the early hours of each morning when he fell into an exhausted sleep. He became ill-tempered and short with everyone. Any remark was likely to get a scathing retort so almost everyone kept their distance. It seemed to be what he wanted, but his father knew better. Finally he rode to Adam’s home to confront him over what had been happening.

“Son, I know I shouldn’t interfere in your life, but I care so much what happens to you. You can’t keep going like this. You should bring Rosalie home. She’s your wife.”

“Does it look like I have a wife?” Adam swept his arm around indicating his sterile environment.

“You suffered a terrible loss and some hurtful things were said, but why can’t you forgive her?”

“I had a dream, and it was a good dream. Now it’s a terrible dream, and I want to wake up and have it be gone, but everyday, it’s all still the same. I don’t want to look in her eyes and see the condemnation there. She blames me for the loss of our son.”

Ben heard the lonely child in Adam’s words. It seemed that his oldest son had carried a fear of abandonment with him since he was a baby. His mother who had carried him for nine months had left him soon after birth. He lost two more mothers, and never had a home until he was seven. Ben knew that had marked his son, but until this moment, he had not seen how deeply it had harmed his heart. Adam couldn’t see beyond his own pain. “Does she blame you or was she overwhelmed by grief and feeling terrible that she could do nothing to save her own child? I know you remember some of the terrible things that I said after Marie died. You forgave me. I know it took some time, but eventually you understood that I never meant what I said in my most grief stricken moments. There was so much pain inside that I was trying to release some of it, and in the process, I hurt others especially you, I’m afraid. Son, I know that you love her and she loves you. I know I had some doubts about your marriage to her, but I saw the love between you and how both of you were happier when you were together. Please consider going to her and asking her to come back.”

“She’ll come back if she wants to come back. You came back after you got over your sorrow over Marie’s death.”

“Son, I don’t think I ever ‘got over’ my sorrow at losing Marie. What did happen is that the love I had for my sons helped me to heal and I came back because I loved you boys so much.”

“Pa, sometimes love isn’t enough.”

“Adam, it is enough if you’ll let it be enough. Let your grief and your anger go. Give up punishing yourself for something that could not be foreseen and can’t be blamed on anyone. Both of you are hurting yourselves by your stubbornness. You’re too much alike in that regard, and that you both retreat into yourselves to escape pain instead of reaching out for those you need.”

Adam said nothing to that, and it was only later at home that Ben realized that Adam had not argued any of those points. He had sat stone-faced and still. Ben had brought in the basket of food that Hop Sing had sent over as well as a small kettle of stew that he hung on the hook by the fireplace where it could heat for Adam’s dinner. He had taken his leave then to let his son think through what he had said. The next morning, Adam was at the ranch to work. He was still taciturn and glum, but there were no bitter comments, no angry retorts to questions, and some ordinary conversation. It was very limited, but Hoss and Joe smiled at their father when Adam wasn’t looking. They too knew that Adam was finally working through his grief and loss. Still, Adam went home to an empty house every night and made no effort to get Rosalie to come back home. Ben was terribly worried and his younger sons were as worried as he was. After another week, they talked to their father about doing something about it.

“Pa, it’s like Adam’s here and he ain’t. Joe tried to light a spark under him today while we was working, and all it did was get him to move further away from us and keep working.”

“I know. He’s putting distance between himself and everyone else. I remember doing that too when Marie died. I had Adam to help pull me back.”

“Pa, it’s been a month. Me and Hoss were thinking that maybe you need to help Adam to pull back to us this time. We’ll help any way we can.”

Ben sat in thoughtful silence for only a short time because he had been thinking exactly what his sons had verbalized. “Joe, you’re right. Tomorrow, I’m going to go talk with her father. Clarence and I need to find a solution to this. I have an idea. I hope he likes it and maybe we can do something about those two stubborn souls.” He told them what he wanted to do and both nodded and smiled vowing silently that they would pray that it would work. The next day, Ben took his carriage over to visit with Rosalie and her family. After several hours, Clarence hitched up his carriage and went to find Adam. When he did, he demanded that Adam get in the carriage telling him that they had to talk. He drove to Adam’s home though hardly saying anything. When they arrived, Adam saw that there were lamps lit in the house and saw his father’s carriage sitting outside the house. He looked at Clarence who sternly ordered him out of the carriage.

“Now get in there and take care of your wife.”

“This isn’t going to work.”

“It ain’t work, boy, it’s love. Her ma and me was as different as any two people could be, but I loved that woman more than I have ever loved another being ‘cepting the four children she gave me. Them children were all born outta love. Now get in there and make sure she knows that you love her. Anything else is just warts on a toad. It don’t change nothing on the inside.”

“I can go in, but that doesn’t mean she will accept me. You forcing her to be here is a sign that she doesn’t want to be with me.”

“You coming with me just like she went with your pa shows that both of you want somebody to tell you what to do. I know you’re lost. I felt that way when my wife died. But you gotta face up to it so you can move on. Now, you two are gonna stay here until you work things out. Your Pa is inside with Rosalie. We don’t want to see either of you for most of a week. There’s no horse here and we won’t bring one over until next Sunday. Your pantry is fully stocked and there’s plenty of firewood cut. We took care of the necessities. It’s gonna be up to you two to take care of each other. Now go.”

When Adam went inside, Ben walked out. Adam passed him without saying a word. Ben shrugged and climbed into his carriage as Clarence shrugged in response from his. Clarence and Ben drove off in their carriages but stopped some distance from the house to talk. They hoped that it would work and wondered how the meeting between Adam and Rosalie was progressing back at the house. Ben and Clarence spent some time talking. They found that they had more in common than they expected. Ben suggested that perhaps they could begin some mutually beneficial sharing of horse breeding stock to improve both of their herds. They talked about those things that had made their ranches successful but their minds were on Adam and Rosalie. Later, they went home and told their sons what they had done and how it had gone.

Chapter 3

Standing inside the door of his home after his father had closed it on the way out, Adam had no idea what to say. His thoughts and emotions were so mixed that he was at a loss for words and that was so unusual for him that he had no alternative except to wait for Rosalie to say something. He had been shocked at her appearance not knowing that she felt the same when she saw him. She was thinner than she had been since he had known her. It was clear that she hadn’t been eating well, and she was pale as well. He had also lost weight but had circles under his eyes and a scruffy beard because he was no longer shaving once a day. Rosalie had been practicing what to say for several weeks, but had not had the strength to face her husband after what she had done. Finally all that practice was discarded and she said what was in her heart.

“Adam, I’m sorry I was awful to you. You were suffering and I made it worse. I was so terribly embarrassed and ashamed of my behavior that I wanted to escape. I was afraid too that you would never forgive me for losing our baby and now I have to ask you to forgive me for saying such mean things to you when it was all my fault.”

“Rosalie, no, I thought you blamed me. I blamed myself.”

Almost in unison, they asked the next logical question. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Adam pointed at Rosalie to continue but she pointed at him. “Let’s sit down and talk. We need to talk, don’t we?” Once seated beside Rosalie, Adam took her hand in his. “You must already know that I have a very difficult time telling people that I’m hurting. I don’t want to increase the load that anyone else has by adding my burden to theirs. Before you say anything about that, I know that it is selfish and perhaps even a bit arrogant of me, but it’s the way I am. I’ve tried to change and be more open with people, but I can’t. You seemed to be able to read me as well as Hoss and my father do. I counted on that but failed to take into consideration how the pain of our loss could have affected you.”

“Adam, I have to say that most of what you say applies to me as well. I should have told you how I felt. Instead I struck out at you because I was hurting so much. I needed to find someone to blame so I wouldn’t blame myself so much, but I only made things worse for both of us. Papa said we’re to stay here and work things out. Most of that should probably be by being honest with each other and saying what we feel instead of making it the other person’s responsibility.”

“Perhaps we could start off on a lighter note and go fix lunch together?”

Rosalie smiled and stood pulling Adam up beside her. She thought too that doing something as ordinary as lunch would help them start feeling more comfortable around each other so hey fixed lunch together, cleaned up afterwards, and then took a long walk. They talked about everything except the trouble between them. Each understood that they needed to spend some time together healing first before they attempted to talk through the troubles in their relationship. Their fathers must have known it too and that’s why they had told them they were going to be together for nearly a week with no interruptions.

“Do you suppose they’re checking on us?”

“Probably not any more.”

“Any more?”

“When we came out of the house, I saw sunlight reflecting off metal in the trees at the end of our drive. I’m sure that it was probably both of our fathers hoping that their little scheme was working. We walked out hand-in-hand, and when we came back, I didn’t see anything.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“And spoil all the self satisfaction of the spies by having you look directly at where they were so well concealed or at least how well they thought they were hiding?”

“I suppose that’s true. I bet they’re back home by now telling our brothers how clever they were and how well this is working.”

“It is working, isn’t it?” There was less doubt in that statement than the words implied. Adam had wrapped an arm around Rosalie’s shoulders and pulled her close. The question was more of a statement or rhetorical question than an interrogative.

“Yes, it is. When your father ordered me into the carriage and my brothers said I better get in or they would put me in, I was so mad I could have hit someone. But now I understand that they could see what I was too stubborn to see. Hiding at my father’s home wasn’t helping at all.”

“No, and I felt much the same way when your father ordered me into his carriage and then mostly refused to talk with me. He said most of what he wanted to say when we got here and I told him it wasn’t going to work. He knew better. We ought to thank them, but not too much. I don’t want them to think they can interfere at will even if they were right this time.”

Each of them had gratitude mixed with a small dose of resentment that their fathers had stepped in and not let them come to the realization of what they needed to do by themselves and in their own time. That night after dinner and relaxing on the veranda watching the sun go down, Adam wasn’t sure what his wife expected of him on their first night back together. Rosalie made it easy for him though. She said she was tired, and when they got to their bedroom, she moved behind the changing screen and came out wearing a pretty gown. She seldom had worn any or at least not for long, but on this night, she wanted more emotional support rather than physical release.

“Tonight, could you hold me? I need you to hold me.”

Slipping into bed beside Rosalie, Adam turned to her, kissed her lightly, and then pulled her into a spoon position. They talked softly about their plans for the next day until slowly conversation ceased altogether and both closed their eyes in the first peaceful sleep they had had since Adam had been hurt or even before that because of the arguments they had been having. Adam knew now that it wasn’t the pregnancy that had led to those verbal battles. It was that both of them held too much inside and didn’t share with the other. He promised himself that he would change and he hoped that Rosalie had made that same commitment. Based on their new understanding of their relationship, he decided that should be a topic to be explored the next morning. In the morning after breakfast, Adam did bring up that topic and Rosalie had questions.

“Adam, you’ve said that you have tried to change that about yourself in the past and it didn’t work. What will make it work now?”

“It’s probably because I tried to change too much. This time, I am only promising that I will be honest and open with you, not with everyone. I have already been doing that since yesterday, and it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. It’s probably because I trust you and I love you. I’ve been this open and honest with my father usually and always with Hoss. Now I am with you except I will be even more open and more honest about my thoughts and feelings with you. If I’m not, you can remind me of the pledge I made to you today.”

“All right, and I promise to do the same. We can work on this together. The first thing I need to ask you is why you told me to go live with my family.”

“I thought it was what you wanted. I only wanted to make you feel better and I that being with me was not what you wanted. When you told me that, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

“I wanted you to say that you wanted me to stay. When you told me I could go, it felt like you didn’t want me around. I thought you blamed me for the loss of our son.”

“We’re back to that. We do need to be more open about our thoughts even when we’re upset. It’s the only way the other one is going to know how to react. If we had been more honest, this last month would have been a lot easier on both of us. We could have helped each other.”

Rosalie nodded because she agreed completely. “Now, what do you want to do?”

“Well, in the interests of being honest and open, I want to go back to bed, but this time, sweetheart, I don’t want to sleep.”

“Perhaps we ought to kiss a bit and get more in the mood?”

Adam’s grin let Rosalie know that he was all in favor of her proposal. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently kissing her lips, her cheeks, and her nose. Growing more passionate, he began to trail kisses down her neck as she wrapped her arms around him and caressed him.

“Yes, I want you to do this like you did when we were first married. I want to feel that this is a new beginning, and we can put all of the past behind us and only look forward.”

“I don’t know that I can remember exactly everything we did that first time.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want you to mimic that first day together. What I want most is that I want you to act like it’s our first time. I want that loving man with the gentle soul who unleashed such wonderful passion when we were together. That’s how I want to know you tonight and every night from now on.”

“I’m not sure I can promise every night.”

Adam’s smile though let her know that he planned to try. She knew too that there would be nights when he would be too tired or gone on business, or she would not be able to participate because of her flow, but they could still show their love to each other. Slowly unbuttoning her dress as he kissed her, Adam pushed it off her shoulders and down to the floor. He ran his fingers up each arm and down again before bending and kissing the inside of each of her forearms until she shivered. He kissed her as she caressed him and returned his kisses. Their lovemaking continued like that until their desires were met. Hours later, they lay beside each other with sunlight streaming in the window. They had a chance to talk of the future.

“What’s your dream, Adam?”

“At one point, having a home that I built and then perhaps doing some design work and some engineering work was my dream, and coming home to a house with my family inside every day. I wanted to have something in which I was in charge. The lumber mill fulfilled that. Now I’m back to thinking that I would like to see beauty in the world, to see exotic places, and do things I’ve never done before. I dreamed of that when I was much younger, but as I got older, it seemed only the stuff of a young man’s dreams.”

“Let’s do it.”

“What?”

“Let’s get away from here, away from the pain and the sadness. Let’s bask in beauty and adventure.”

“It will never take the sorrow away.”

“I know, but it will be good to have something in our life that is so good that it can help us accept our loss.”

“Where would we go?”

“We could go to Mexico for a start. We could go on a trip to buy horses. I’ve been reading about some of the horses that ranchos down there are breeding and would like to get some. While we’re there, you could explore all the Spanish architecture.”

“Perhaps we could sail to the Sandwich Islands. There’s a volcano there. I’d like to see a volcano.”

“Perhaps as you say, but it could also be the half dressed native girls dancing that the friend of your father’s mentioned when he was here. Your eyes got very big as he was talking about that.”

“Perhaps.” Adam moved his eyebrows up and down and then they laughed. It was the first laughter in their home for a very long time and the first shared by the two of them since Adam had been injured. There was optimism again and a sense of a shared life. They made love again that night still somewhat tentative with each other as neither wanted to do anything wrong. Over the following week, they relaxed their guard until they were ready to start making concrete plans for their future as they were once again a loving couple whose main desire was to be together.

At the end of nearly a week of imposed exile from their families, Ben and Hoss arrived at Adam’s house with Sport, Rosalie’s horse, Champion, and a carriage horse. They put them in the small stable there and walked to the house with a basket of food and great hopes for Adam and Rosalie. When they heard sobbing, they sighed thinking that all had failed. Ben knocked and after a few moments, Adam opened the door looking disheveled and distraught. He motioned them in and then went to sit beside Rosalie again pulling her into his arms as she buried her head against his chest and sobbed more and more. Hoss and Ben were confused. Adam sighed deeply and explained.

“We went for a walk, and I decided it was time to show her where our son was buried. It hit her hard.”

Amazingly, it had been the marker and the fresh flowers at the carefully tended small spot near where Adam had first shown Rosalie where he wished to build a home that had caused her tears. The meaningfulness of that spot as well as the care Adam had given to the small burial plot had overwhelmed Rosalie letting her know that his grief was indeed as deep as her own. It also hit her like a physical blow to see her son’s grave. Gradually, she got her emotions under control and told Hoss and Ben that she and Adam had made cookies. She left to get them and coffee. Ben and Hoss looked at Adam hoping he would explain more.

“You can be proud of yourselves. You were right. The time together has helped very much. We have some things left to work out with each other, but our marriage is stronger than it ever was. I guess the old pirate still has a few tricks to teach his stubborn son.”

The lightness of the tone and the easy teasing let Hoss and Ben know more than what his words told them. He was healing as was Rosalie. Everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, but Ben didn’t know that some of the things they had discussed and nearly decided to do would shake up their families even more. That came up at Sunday dinner with both families at Adam’s home. They had brought food and set up a banquet. Adam stunned them then.

“Pa, Clarence, I have something important to tell you. Rosalie and I want to travel. In a few months, as it gets closer to winter, we’re going to close up the house and take a trip.”

Chapter 4

Hearing Adam say that he and Rosalie were going to be taking a trip led to a prolonged silence as everyone there contemplated what that could mean. Ben was the first to say anything and that was the question that had worried him for years.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes, in that we will be taking an extended trip, and no, in that it is not permanent. We plan to be back in spring. We want to travel to Mexico to buy some horses that Rosalie heard are being bred there. Then if we can make the arrangements, we want to travel to the Sandwich Islands before returning to San Francisco.”

“What kind of horses?” It surprised no one that Joe and Augie asked the same question as Augie echoed Joe’s query.

“We would like to get some Spanish Barbs or Jennets that Rosalie can use to breed a small number to train and sell. They are very attractive and distinctive horses that should be in high demand. The horses that we want to get for our ranches are the Aztecas. It is strong and very athletic. We think that we could breed those with the horses we have here or keep them purebred and use them on the ranch. Eventually, both the Morton ranch and the Ponderosa could each have a very lucrative horse business. We already have Morgans, quarter horses, and even a thoroughbred that we’ve bred into our horse lines so we already have some horses that are better than anything else being sold here. It’s why we get so many Army contracts.” Looking over at Joe and Augie who looked intrigued by the possibilities, Adam had to smile. “You two could get very busy once we start shipping horses here.”

“You’re having them shipped? Adam, isn’t that going to be rather expensive? We could go get them and drive them home.”

“Pa, the horses we’re going to try to buy are in southern areas of Mexico. It would be a hardship for men and horses to try to drive them up here, and with the turmoil in Mexico right now, probably dangerous too and at the end, you would have to bring them through Apache lands. In the long run, it would be safer and cheaper to ship them.”

“Son, it seems that you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

“Not so much me as Rosalie. She had these ideas but couldn’t see how to do it. We’ve talked this week, and her ideas fit well with my ideas about traveling. There’s nothing to hold us here this winter so we decided to do this together.”

There were many undertones in that last statement. Without a baby they had been expecting, they had no family obligations that would tie them to the Ponderosa. Adam had dreamed for years about traveling and seeing some of the wonders of the world as well as trying his hand at some new things. Rosalie wanted to work with horses and apparently was letting go of the idea that her work had caused her to lose their baby. It would be a chance for Adam and Rosalie to depend on each other and strengthen their relationship too. Clarence finally offered his opinion.

“Seems to me, we set something in motion by getting these two to open up to each other. It all sounds real good to me too. I say we do all we can to help ’em do it.”

Despite his misgivings, Ben had to agree. He could hear the excitement in Adam’s voice as he talked about the upcoming adventure, and to Ben, there was no doubt this would be an adventure. He could only hope that it would not be too dangerous. He realized he would be praying every day while they were gone that they were safe, but he knew that it would be difficult to sleep each night as he wondered about the fate of his oldest son. One by one, the other members of the family added their support until it was Joelle’s turn to speak.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Rosalie. I could never imagine doing something like what you’re going to do. I like that Hoss prefers the Ponderosa to anywhere else. I feel safe here, but it will certainly be very different living here with all men.”

Hoss was very glad that Joelle did not tell anyone their news. Even though Adam would be overjoyed to know, he would also be sad, and this was not an occasion in which Hoss wanted to interject any sadness. He could see that his brother was happier than he had been in quite some time and knew that Adam needed to travel and see new things. Being gone for the winter wouldn’t be too bad especially because Adam had said they would be back in spring. That had been the part of the conversation that Hoss had been most happy to hear.

At first, Joe had thought that Adam was planning to run the horse operations on the Ponderosa and was ready to argue, but when Adam had let him know that he expected Joe to work with the horses to produce better stock for the ranch and to sell, he had only one comment.

“Older brother, by adding all these horses, are you trying to give me so much work that I don’t have time to go to town?”

“Joe, that might be the best option, don’t you think? I’m only doing it to protect all the young women in the Comstock as well as giving Roy a break.”

Laughter greeted the brothers’ banter, and the rest of the evening was filled with discussions about how to work the logistics of Adam and Rosalie being gone and then horses being shipped to the two ranches. Adam explained that he was going to draw some funds from his investments but also that he had been commissioned to design two homes on a similar scale to his own. He had at first declined the work, but now wanted to do those projects. He guessed that he could have both completed by November, and then he and Rosalie would leave on their trip if all other arrangements could be made by that time.

“What about the lumber mill and the timber operations?” Those were both bringing in significant profits and Ben didn’t want to see them fold because of lack of attention.

“I have maps for cutting for the timber camps and I’ll add more for the winter. The foremen in charge of each operation know what they have to do, and the lumber mill foreman is handling the contracts we have there. I won’t bid on any additional contracts until we return.”

“Can you do all of that, design two homes, and make all the arrangements for the trip in the next few months? It’s an awful lot on your plate at one time.”

Adam wrapped an arm around Rosalie’s shoulders. “I have a partner. We’ll manage.”

There was nothing that Ben could say about that, and he did notice Clarence grinning at him. They had pushed the two of them back together, and with the personalities of Adam and Rosalie, it was likely that there would be surprises. This had surprised Clarence as well, but he saw how happy Rosalie looked again that he could only be happy for her and for Adam. The two would likely still have some issues to work out between them, but now they had the time to do it.

About a week later, Hoss helped Adam pick up some deliveries in town and take them to the lumber mill. It was an overnight trip, so Rosalie was staying at the house with Joelle. The two ladies were sewing some lightweight white cotton shirts for Adam and dresses for Rosalie although the skirts of her dresses would be a variety of colors even though all the tops would be made of the same fabric as Adam’s shirts. Joelle was doing the sewing while Rosalie did the cutting according to patterns that Joelle had made from brown paper. When they finished the construction, then they would sew on buttons as well as decorative pieces onto the dresses. Joelle and Hoss had decided it was time to tell Adam and Rosalie their news. However, they did think that the best way to do it was for Hoss to tell Adam and let him find a way to tell Rosalie. So as Hoss and Adam rode from town to the lumber mill, Hoss struggled for the words to tell his brother that he and Joelle were having a baby. Adam drove the wagon and sensed his brother’s discomfiture.

“Hoss, you and I have almost always been able to be honest with each other. What is it that you’re finding so difficult to say to me?”

“You always know when I got something important to say. This is real hard to tell ya, though cause of what happened to you.”

It didn’t take long for Adam to guess. “You and Joelle are going to have a baby.”

“Ya, but we didn’t want to say anything cause you and Rosalie are still hurting so much.”

Suddenly Adam was worried. “Joelle isn’t going to tell Rosalie, is she?”

“No, we talked about it and we thought it would be best if you told her. I told Joelle that I would tell you while we were gone so you could get used to the idea, and then you could tell Rosalie. She’s probably gonna need you there when she hears the news.”

Adam agreed wholeheartedly with that plan, and had to tell Hoss what he was feeling. “Of course a part of me hurts when I think about you having a baby because it makes me remember losing ours. But, Hoss, I’m very happy for you, and for the family. I know that it was painful for all of you to have our baby die. It will help the whole family to have a baby in the house to be showered with the love that everyone has to give.”

“I’m real glad you feel that way, Adam. I was worried. I didn’t want to cause you any pain. It did seem real strange that our good news could be a problem, but when I saw Rosalie crying into your shoulder cause she saw where we buried your baby, well I knew it would like as not cause her and you to remember what you lost.”

“Hoss, it won’t make us sad any more than we already are. In fact, it may help to know that you and Joelle will bring a new life into the family. I guess with Joelle, you won’t have to worry about her taking good care of herself. She seems, ah, cautious.”

“She is that. Adam, sometimes she’s too careful, but with the baby she’s carrying, I guess it’s all right. It’s just that sometimes I wish she had a bit more spunk like your wife. Rosalie seems willing to try new things. Joelle needs to be talked into everything, and I mean, everything.”

“But she’s good for you and she loves living on the Ponderosa as much as you do.”

Hoss wasn’t sure how to bring up the next idea, but with Adam, there was no telling sometimes as he was prone to say to Joe whenever he objected to his oldest brother’s taciturn ways. “But you and Rosalie don’t love living on the Ponderosa?”

“Hoss, we do, and we love our families, but for us, it’s not enough. It will always be our home even if we’re gone for a while.”

“You’re planning on more trips, then, ain’t ya?”

“Yes, if this goes as well as we hope, there will be more trips. We’ll try to be here part of every year, but we can’t promise that will always be the case. We may choose to briefly live in some other place.”

“Well, I’m gonna miss ya when you’re gone, and I’ll pray every day that you’re coming back and that you and Rosalie are safe and healthy.”

“Thank you, big brother. I always know I can count on you no matter what.”

When Adam and Hoss arrived home, Rosalie climbed into the wagon with her valises with the clothes she had brought and the ones she had made with Joelle. Adam talked about the trip and what they had done at the lumber mill. Rosalie saw right through his attempts to talk about the trip and nothing else that was important.

“What is it that you’re not saying?”

Having pledged to be honest and not hide anything from Rosalie, Adam had to tell her. He was impressed with how well she responded. “I guessed that Joelle might be with child. I’m glad that she didn’t tell me though. It gave me time to get used to the idea, and now to accept it when I hear it from you. You and Hoss must have talked. How are you doing with this news?”

“I had guessed it before he told me. There was something about how he was when he was around Joelle. But I’m glad he told me, and now everyone will be looking to see how we react. We can be honest and tell them that we’re happy about the news.”

There was a definite relaxing of tension when everyone realized that Adam and Rosalie had accepted the news and were happy for Hoss and Joelle. Adam finished his work on the house plans, made the arrangements for travel, and with Rosalie, packed up two large valises for their travels. Finally at the end of November, they were ready to embark on their adventure.

Chapter 5

“You are my trusted advisor, my friend, my companion, my love, and the only one for me. Are you ready to do this?”

“Wherever you go, I go. You are all those things to me as well. I love you, and yes, Adam, I’m ready to go.”

“No second thoughts?”

“Of course I have second thoughts and the whole idea makes me nervous, but I want to do this, and with you, I know I’ll be as safe as I could be with anyone. Now, I am ready to go.”

Pulling the door closed behind him, Adam locked it before picking up their two valises and walking to the carriage. He handed the key to Ben who was driving them to town where both of their families would see them off. Joe sat beside him. Sitting in back, both Adam and Rosalie looked around at the Ponderosa not saying much but knowing they wouldn’t see their home for a long time. They wanted to have some clear memories of it to keep with them. Ben looked back to see the two of them and smiled.

“She gets in your heart and in your blood, doesn’t she? This land has a hold on our family that it will never let go.”

With smiles, they let him know they agreed. In town, they boarded the train for the short shuttle to Reno, and then the train across to California. They planned to spend some time in San Francisco before they sailed to Mexico. Adam had some contracts for cattle to try to make for the Ponderosa. He would mail them any contracts he was able to procure. Ben and Clarence reminded them that they had promised to write often, and Adam reminded them that getting letters delivered from southern Mexico and from the Sandwich Islands was going to be unreliable but that they would do their best.

Travel to San Francisco was uneventful and put both Adam and Rosalie into a good frame of mind. The trip was going smoothly which did a lot to relieve their tension. In the hotel suite in San Francisco soon after they arrived, Rosalie stood on the small balcony looking out over the city.

“I thought it would be prettier after all you told me about it. It’s crowded.”

“Yes, cities like this have a hustle and bustle that is very different from Virginia City, but there are beautiful parts of the city. In a few days, I’d like to take you on a picnic by the shore. Meanwhile, the days are going to be filled with business meetings. I’d like you to meet me for lunch each day though so that I can introduce you to the men with whom I’ll be negotiating. It’s quite possible that they will be utterly charmed by you.”

“So you want to show me off and try to get an edge in negotiations at the same time.”

Grinning, Adam pulled her close to him and kissed her. “Right again. Now do you think you would be willing to do that?”

“Oh, more than willing. I’ll be there wearing one of my new dresses. Should I let my hair down?”

“Oh, definitely not, my little vixen. It would have them with their tongues hanging out, but that view is only for me. No, just be yourself. I’m sure they will find you enchanting. I do.”

“How enchanted are you?”

“Enchanted enough that I want you all the time. Now would you be willing to spend some time in our suite exploring possibilities with each other before we begin exploring the city?”

“Well, we didn’t have much privacy as we traveled so this would be a good time to make up for all of that imposed abstinence, wouldn’t it?”

“Sweetheart, I do like how you think.”

Adam began helping Rosalie out of her traveling clothes discarding his on the floor as he did so. They made love and then freshened up, dressed in clean clothing, and headed out to find a restaurant for dinner except Adam had their driver take a long route around the city to show some of the sights to his wife who marveled at them. They shopped but didn’t buy much while they were in the city. There were two reasons for that. They wanted to save their money for the rest of the trip and buying more exotic items, and they didn’t want to have to add to the luggage they were carrying with them preferring to travel lightly for the time being. They did get their picnic once Adam had mailed some contract offers to the Ponderosa.

Then their ship arrived in port, and it was time to set sail for southern Mexico. On the way, they saw whales, dolphins racing ahead of the ship, and even some sharks attacking an injured whale turning the water red. Who or what had injured the whale was unknown, but Rosalie found the sight too awful to watch so Adam took her to their cabin until that scene was well behind them. They arrived in southern Mexico and disembarked finding a lot of commotion on the docks as people were buying, selling, and making offers. Adam got quite a few offers, but declined eliciting grins from him each time as he watched his wife thoroughly offended by the young ladies hoping to make some money by tempting the tall dark American into wanting their services. Finally Adam whispered to her.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be upset. I already have all that I can handle in my bed every night. I can’t be tempted when I have all the woman I could ever want.”

“Keep sweet talking like that, and tonight might be the most fun you’ve had in a long time.”

Rosalie enjoyed the look first of surprise and then delight she got from Adam. She turned to walk to a hotel that had been recommended to them by the captain of the ship because most English speaking visitors stayed there. Adam could speak Spanish but Rosalie only knew basic phrases so she would be more comfortable having people around with whom she could communicate especially when Adam was not there. That would be only a rare occurrence though as they expected to go out together to try to buy horses. They got a room facing the harbor with a pleasant breeze. They knew that it would be difficult to sleep at night otherwise because it was much warmer than the climate of Nevada and quite a bit more humid. There was mosquito netting around their bed so they knew there were other problems with the night.

Once they were settled in their room and had put everything away, Adam asked Rosalie if she would like to take a long walk on solid land. They had been on the ship for two weeks as it made its way slowly down the coastline. They strolled hand-in-hand down the main street of the town and then back up the other side. They had worked up a good appetite by then so they freshened up in the room and went in search of the nearest restaurant which turned out to be owned by the same people who owned the hotel. It was only a block away so they walked to dinner too. There were a number of guests from the hotel in the restaurant, and as newcomers, they were introduced to all of them. The other hotel guests were very friendly, but as the night wore on, Rosalie was uncomfortable with the staring that one man was doing. She felt his eyes boring into her and tried to ignore it unsuccessfully. As they walked back to the hotel later, she mentioned it to Adam. Blankenship was a rather ugly toad of a man at only about five feet tall but wide with small eyes set close together and teeth that were as crooked as they could possibly be and stay in his mouth. Yet he managed to leer at Rosalie as if she invited his attentions. She had to tell Adam.

“That Mr. Blankenship from Australia made me very uncomfortable. Every time I looked around, he was staring at me.”

“You were the most beautiful woman in the room. Of course, he stared at you. Any man would if given the chance. I stare at you all the time. You never seem upset by that.”

“He stares at me as if he’s a wolf and I’m dinner. He winked at me as if we were silently communicating. When he smiles, it makes my skin crawl.”

“You don’t have to spend any time with him. If he makes you that uncomfortable, we can eat at other restaurants when we’re here.”

“Thank you. I do appreciate that, and I can work on my Spanish too that way. Now, could we leave? I’m not comfortable here.”

“Yes, of course. We have a big day tomorrow and for the rest of this week.”

“Yes, and a big night tonight. I did promise you something special for our first night here.”

“Yes, I believe you did, and you always keep your promises.”

Smiling, Adam offered his arm to his wife and escorted her from the restaurant. Many men there were envious of him, but one in particular sat in the corner of the room and began making plans. Later that evening, as Adam made love with his wife, neither of them were aware of the man on their balcony watching them. He had taken the opportunity of the empty room next to theirs to change his room and the adjoining balconies made it easy for him to climb over the simple railing between them and spy on the couple. She was as lusty as he hoped. He knew that he would be dreaming about her until she was his. As Adam moved over her, he imagined that he was in that position. He couldn’t stay until the end or they would likely hear him on their balcony. He slipped back over the railing to his balcony but stood in the darkness listening to the sounds the lovers made.

“Adam, did you hear that before?”

“Hear you?”

“No, I thought I heard something on our balcony.”

“No one is on our balcony. How could you hear that, anyway? Weren’t you completely enthralled by my attentions? If you weren’t, I’m going to have to increase my efforts to thrill you.”

“You do thrill me, but, please, could you check our balcony?”

Slipping from the bed and through the mosquito netting, Adam approached the balcony cautiously taking his pistol with him. When he was standing at the balcony doors, he slowed his breathing and listened before moving back to the bed.

“There’s someone on the balcony of the room next to ours. It’s a hot night, so he must be out there to get some cooler night air although it seems like it’s probably almost as hot out there as it is in here.”

“Adam, I thought the room next to us was unoccupied.”

“The clerk said it was, but someone else must have checked in.”

“Please close the balcony doors. I don’t think I could sleep with them open.”

“We only have the window for fresh air then. It’s going to be stifling in here.” Adam saw the look on her face even with the lamp turned very low. He slipped out once more and closed the balcony doors and opened the window as wide as he could before returning to bed.

Next door, their stalker reevaluated the couple. She was far more suspicious and discerning than he had thought a woman could be, and he was dangerous if that pistol he carried was any indication. He held it as comfortably as a skilled shooter would and showed no sign of fear as he stood in the balcony doors looking out to evaluate the potential threat. Earlier the stalker had seen the powerful and confident walk of the man earlier, and he began to plot how to remove him from the scene because this abduction wasn’t going to be as easy as the ones he had previously done.

The next morning, Adam and Rosalie did not feel rested. Sleeping in the hot room caused both of them to toss and turn for most of the night. The night air had been still so they were denied even a breeze entering their room. There didn’t seem to be an alternative place to stay so they were reconciled to the fact that they would probably not sleep well until they were able to leave or the weather changed. They were assured however that the weather seldom changed there and warm and humid were far more likely to become hotter and more humid rather than anything else although by January and February, they were assured the weather would be more pleasant. They weren’t planning to still be there at that time.

As Adam and Rosalie dressed and talked about their plans for the day, next door, their stalker waited at his door planning to leave as soon as he heard their door. He wanted to surprise them so he could evaluate their reactions. He did surprise them very much too stepping out of his room just as Adam was locking the door to their room.

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright, isn’t it? Good morning to you.”

Surprised almost to the point of being shocked, Rosalie was silent but Adam greeted their neighbor. “Good morning, Mr. Blankenship. I thought you had a different room here.”

“Oh, I did, but it was so beastly hot last night that I asked to be moved. They said this was the coolest room that they could offer. I must say it wasn’t any better than the other room but at least the views are much nicer. So lush.”

The leer was unmistakable and put Adam on edge. He excused the two of them but Blankenship was not so easily dissuaded. “Say, I heard you were going to look at some horses. I’m here for that reason too. Perhaps we could travel together?”

Adam felt Rosalie shudder slightly. “Sir, my wife and I are vacationing as well as conducting business so I’m afraid our itinerary is not all business related. I must decline your kind invitation.”

“Well, I am so sorry that we cannot reach a mutually beneficial travel arrangement, but I’m sure I will see you again this evening. Good day to you sir, madam.” Blankenship left then excusing himself as he passed them in the hall but using the opportunity to lay his hand across Rosalie’s forearm as his other hand rested on her shoulder. “Excuse me, my dear. I do not mean to jostle you in passing.” Then he walked on but with a self-satisfied smile.

Not waiting to be sure he couldn’t hear, Rosalie expressed her opinion quite clearly. “He’s a pig and he touched me. I feel like I need a bath. Please, Adam, we need to find a way to be away from him. I think he may have spied on us last night. The way he looked when he said some of those things was as if he was referring to something else.”

Adam’s look was grim. “We’ll check around and see if there is another hotel with similar accommodations to which we can move. You’re right. He acted as if he knew more about us than I would like anyone to know. For now, let’s try to forget him and enjoy our first full day here. Remember, we have horses to see. That should make you smile.” It would have worked that way except that several times that day, they saw Blankenship.

Chapter 6

“There he is again, Adam. I swear he must be following us.”

“He said he was here to buy horses too so it does make some sense that he would be where we are.” Adam saw Rosalie’s look. “I am not demeaning what you say. I agree that we need to be careful, but let’s not jump to conclusions. He’ll play his cards soon enough. We’ll be ready for him. Do you have the pocket pistol with you?”

Rosalie nodded as she climbed into the carriage they had hired to take them to two ranchos where there were horses for sale. At the first ranch, both Adam and Rosalie had noted the distinctive spur marks on every working horse. It made them leery about buying horses there wondering how they had been treated during their training. A horse that had been abused could be unreliable and even dangerous or its spirit might be broken. So even though they had beautiful Andalusians, Barbs, and Jennets, they passed saying only that they would be back if they decided to make an offer. They left Blankenship there as he was making offers. They thought that they had seen the last of him, but he showed up on the next ranch they visited. Senor de Castenada had beautiful spirited horses, and he told them that he did not sell to every buyer who came to his property. When they made some offers, he asked them if they had seen any of his competitors’ horses.

“Yes, Rosalie and I visited the Montoya Rancho early this morning. The horses there were very beautiful as well.”

With a nod and a small smile, Senor de Castenada looked at both of them. “I think that I may sell my horses to you, and if I do, I will give you a fair price. I can tell that you did not like seeing the condition of some of the horses on Montoya’s rancho. I have told him that he is too impatient in his training and that he ruins horses but he does not listen. Instead he often and loudly complains that I get paid more for my horses and he does not understand why. I think that you do understand. How will you get my horses to Nevada if I sell to you?”

“We plan to ship them to San Francisco, and then we will have them transported upriver by steamboat, and then by train to Virginia City.”

“Ah, my horses will travel in style. I do like hearing that.”

“It is not so much style as practicality. There would be no point in buying fine horses only to ruin them with arduous travel. They will be breeding stock on our ranch so they will spend most of the rest of their lives in stables and pastures near to our homes.”

“Homes?”

“The Barbs will be horses that my wife and I will breed and keep purebred if we can get enough stock. The Aztecas will be for our fathers’ ranches and they will be bred most likely with Morgans and thoroughbreds to get working horses, horses to sell to the Army, and horses for the market. Some will be purebred and sold as breeding stock again if we can get enough of them.”

“Now how will I know that you are going to treat my horses well once they are on your ranchos?”

Smiling, Adam knew that they had made a purchase. It was only the price that was left to be decided. “Senor de Castenada, you would be a most welcome guest if you would wish to visit us on the Ponderosa.”

“I have heard of this Ponderosa from a cousin who visited with us to buy horses. He and his wife, Margarita, spoke very highly of you and your family.”

“You are a cousin of Don Luis Santana? What a small world this truly is. I have not seen them in years. I hope that they are well.”

“Yes, they are quite well as is Don Miguel especially now that both daughters are married. Now let us go inside for refreshments and we shall talk about prices later. My wife will enjoy the company. It is not often we get people here who know horses as well as we do. Many come here to buy but few are approved.”

As they were walking to the house, Blankenship pulled into the yard of the rancho in his carriage. He climbed down and with a big smile greeted Adam and Rosalie. “Ah, Senor Castenada, you have met my friends. I hope you will sell to them and that you would reconsider selling to me. I would like some of your horses very much to ship to my properties in Australia.”

“No, Senor Blankenship, I am sorry but all the horses you want are already spoken for by another. Perhaps another year. I am taking my guests inside to speak with my wife. So if you will excuse us please. My men will water your horse and give you refreshments as well if you need them. Good day, sir.”

Senor de Castenada turned on his heal and walked to his house. Adam and Rosalie sensed a coolness toward them once Blankenship announced that they were his friends. Adam sought to clear that up as soon as he could.

“So, you are not acquainted with him?”

“Acquainted, yes, as one is acquainted with a rattlesnake only to know the danger and how to avoid it. He has been following us. We don’t know why, but he makes Rosalie very uncomfortable.”

“Ah, yes, my wife says the same. She met him the first time he came here. He stared at her in a way that is not proper to look at a married woman.”

“Yes, that’s how he looks at Rosalie.”

“You must leave here as soon as possible. Other people have disappeared when Mr. Blankenship has been in town. There is no evidence that he has committed a crime here, but rumors are rampant.”

“We want to buy the horses. We had already talked of getting a room in a different hotel to get away from him.”

“Why, you should stay here. You need only to get your bags and settle your account in town. You and your lovely wife can ride the horses and choose the ones you wish to ship to your Ponderosa, and we will discuss prices when you do.”

“Senor, we do not wish to impose on you, but if it is not too much trouble?”

“No, no trouble. I will tell my Friera and she will be happy. Now come in, come in.”

So Adam and Rosalie went to town later that day to get their luggage and pay the bill. The hotel clerk was all smiles, and Adam wondered at that. He explained that Senor de Castenada owned that hotel as well as several others and the restaurants attached to them. Raising horses on his rancho was his hobby not his vocation. Adam had a new appreciation for the man for he was a gentleman and an astute businessman. As they carried their bags from the hotel, they met Blankenship again. He asked where they were going and they said only that they had found other accommodations. Blankenship waited only until their carriage had turned a corner down the street and then ordered his driver to follow them to find where they were going. He was very surprised later to find that they were going to be guests on the de Castenada ranch.

It was an idyllic three weeks for Adam and Rosalie. They rode horses, enjoyed meals with Ignado and Friera, and met many of their neighbors and friends. Adam learned quite a bit about the architecture of the area when the local priest found that he had an interest in Spanish buildings. The priest had studied architecture before he became a priest and dreamed of designing a large cathedral some day. He and Adam spent several days visiting the largest buildings in the area and discussing the good and bad points of each. In the evenings, Adam sang some songs and taught them to the vaqueros on the rancho who in turn taught some of their songs to Adam. Rosalie worked on her Spanish and was able each day to communicate more effectively with the people on the ranch without having Adam there to translate for her. Both of them purchased clothing at a store in town and with their dark coloring, they didn’t stand out as much as most visitors did especially once Adam tanned in the warm sun each day. He looked very different with the tan. Rosalie did her best not to get darker because she didn’t like the effect it had on her skin. Friera had a similar attitude about the sun so the two ladies did most of their riding in the early morning and again late in the afternoon.

Business was concluded as well with Adam and Rosalie choosing fourteen horses to buy and ship to the Ponderosa. Adam made arrangements for the first part of the trip and sent letters to instruct his family about how to accomplish the rest of it. In his letters, he told his family about their good fortune in meeting Senor de Castenada and that they had invited him to come to the Ponderosa as their guest sometime in the future. They shipped home some souvenirs as well as some woven rugs that Adam was sure his father would like and Rosalie was equally sure that her father would like them too. There was one for each brother as well as a few for Adam’s home. They regretted that it was time to leave when the ship was in port that would take them to the Sandwich Islands and then home. When they arrived in town, they were relieved that they didn’t run into Blankenship again. Senor de Castenada had arranged for them to have a private suite for their last night in his town. Their bags were in their room when they got there as was a tray of pastries and a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Ah, how about a night of debauchery to satisfy our every sense because tomorrow we’re back on board a ship with those thin cabin walls?”

“That does depend on what you had in mind. What do you have in mind?”

“We have these pastries and wine so there’s no need to go out for dinner. We have an early departure in the morning anyway because of the tide. I was thinking we could spend the evening in bed after sampling some of these delights before I sample your delights.” Adam pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear.

“You are terrible sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Yes, but not in a bad way. Rather in a way that is terribly delightful.”

Groaning, Adam popped a pastry into his mouth. “These are very good. Would you like one?” When Rosalie nodded, Adam put one between his lips and brought it to her. She shook her head and took it from him but escaped his attempt to kiss her.

“Not until I’m done chewing. Ooh, these are very good. I would like another one, but I would prefer it on one of those little plates. I think perhaps we could sit on table in front of the balcony doors and have the pastries and wine. The view is magnificent. Then we could retire to enjoy the activities you were describing earlier.”

“If you would serve the pastries, I will pour the wine, my lady.”

Each of them had more pastries and a glass of wine. Adam wanted to go back to get another pastry, but when he stood, the room began to spin. He grabbed at the table but couldn’t stop himself and fell to his knees. Rosalie gasped but when she stood, the room spun around for her as well. She followed Adam to the floor and lost consciousness before he did. Two men stepped from the bedroom of the suite.

“That was easier than expected.”

Adam was still conscious but his movements were sluggish and he found he couldn’t say anything as only mumbles resulted from his effort to speak. One of the men hit him, and he fell on his side still semi-conscious. The two men pushed him onto his stomach and tied his hands and feet and then tied those bindings together. He was effectively hog-tied. Next they gagged him. He heard them and couldn’t do anything to stop them.

“Blankenship is paying real well for this job. Now we’ll haul her down the stairs and to the ship. It’s leaving on the high tide in the morning.”

“Figures that somebody as ugly as him has to kidnap a pretty woman to get one.”

“This is the third one I know about. He wears ’em out and gets rid of them.”

“That’s a shame. She’s a pretty one. She could make us a lot of money on her back.”

“She’s already making us a lot of money, and this way we stay alive. Too many who cross that ugly toad disappear. I don’t aim to be one of ’em.”

The two men had Rosalie wrapped in a blanket then and carried her from the room locking Adam in. He knew that he was going to struggle and be unable to free himself. He began working on rolling onto his side so that he could attempt to bang on the floor. It turned out that he couldn’t do much of anything tied as he was. He worried about Rosalie knowing how scared she would be when she awakened. Apparently the drug had worked better on her because she was so much smaller. It had knocked her out. Adam nearly cried when he realized he could not get free, and after hearing what Blankenship’s men had said, he knew what sort of treatment his wife was going to get.

During the night, he managed to knock over one chair and then another through force of will more than anything. Yet no one came to the door. It was dawn before anyone came to the door, They called his name and told him that his ship was going to leave soon. When he didn’t answer, the clerk finally opened the door and stood in shock at seeing Adam trussed and gagged. After a moment, he rushed forward and untied the ropes holding Adam. He struggled to his feet and nearly fell as his feet were numb.

“When is Blankenship’s ship leaving?”

“Senor Cartwright, it has already left. Your ship would have left too except they are waiting for you and your wife.”

“He kidnapped my wife and took her with him.” And Adam knew that he would miss his ship and have to try to find passage to Australia to save Rosalie for he knew that her life was in danger. He contacted the authorities as well as Ignado de Castenada who called in all the help that he could. The two men who had kidnapped Rosalie for Blankenship were found floating in the harbor. They had misunderstood their directions to ‘take care of Adam Cartwright so he can’t follow us’ because they had thought tying him was enough but Blankenship had meant for him to be killed. Without those two and without Rosalie, there was no evidence against Blankenship. It took nearly three weeks for Adam to secure passage to Australia. He was drawn with circles under his eyes by the time that Ignado and Friera bid him farewell and good luck. His idyll had turned into a terribly bad dream, a nightmare, and it was far from over.

Chapter 7

“What are you doing here in The Rocks? Are you trying to get your throat slit and your purse stolen?”

“Who are you, and why are you so interested in my activities?”

“Mr. Cartwright, I am Inspector Poole. We have been watching you since you arrived because you came with apparently no intention of settling here nor even of working here. That in itself was peculiar, but since then, you have contacted people of questionable character capped by this night’s visit to the worst area of Sydney. I want to know why, and if your answer is not satisfactory, you will be on the first ship out of here in the morning.”

“I’m looking for a man. He kidnapped my wife in Mexico and brought her here.”

“There are sixty thousand people in Sydney. How do you plan to find him?”

“I’ll keep asking questions until I get some information. I have money. I can support myself without working at least for a while. Finding my wife is the only thing that’s important at this time.”

“Who is this man you’re after?”

“Blankenship. It’s all that I have and yet no one seems to know anyone by that name here.”

“I know him, and he isn’t here. He came through here. He does every time he comes back. Now tell me the whole story if you want my help.” Poole had seen that Adam was going to demand the information. He wasn’t going to give it away until he knew more especially if Adam was an honest man with a story that rang true or a scoundrel. He saw the dark fury in the man’s eyes and the hard look of him. He knew he never wanted this man looking for him. Just that lent some authenticity to his claims. Once Adam told the story including a very accurate description of the man sometimes known as Blankenship, Poole was convinced.

“Come with me. There are some important people who need to hear your story. I suspect this isn’t the first time that he’s done something like this, but it’s the first time we have some real evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“We have you, Mr. Cartwright. Witnesses to his supposed transgressions never survive. You are a rare one. Now come with me before my men come here thinking you’ve tried to kill me or something.”

“Your men?”

“I would never venture into The Rocks alone. You are a very courageous man or a very foolish one. Time will tell which of those is the correct description.”

Two hours later, Adam was repeating his story once more. He had told it twice already and each set of men had decided that there were other men who needed to hear what he had to say. Poole stayed with him for each session. When he finished telling it for the third time, Poole vouched for him saying that he had told essentially the same story each time, and that the details meshed with what they did know already.

“Mr. Cartwright, do you know who I am and who Blankenship are?”

“No, other than that you appear to work for the government here, and Blankenship is an evil toad. I have no other information to add.”

“I am the Governor of New South Wales appointed by Her Majesty at the suggestion of the Premier whom you met in the last session. The original session was with the military commander of this district and two of the leading members of our Legislative Council. The Premier didn’t say much probably because the man you know as Blankenship is his brother. We have long suspected him of foul deeds, but we had nothing more than rumor. Now this is a politically sensitive issue so we have to be very careful. The government of this state could fall if this isn’t properly handled.”

“Properly handled? My wife is in the hands of that man, and you can bet he’s ‘handled’ her already. Do you expect me to sit idly by while he harms her more?”

“No, I’m sure that Inspector Poole has a plan. I’m hoping to hear it right now.”

“We need to get someone working undercover at his station. It is likely where he has Mrs. Cartwright. He claims that he married her in California and brought her here. We doubted it of course, but now we know he kidnapped her.”

“Why don’t we simply go there and rescue her if you know where she is?”

“He’s had three ‘wives’ before. None is here any more. He claims that they run off and that’s quite believable if you know him, but they’re never seen anywhere in the country again. We had considered that he had them killed. There are so many ways to get rid of a body on a large station such as he has.”

“Then that’s all the more reason to go rescue Rosalie.”

“He has outriders. They would see us coming from miles away most likely. If he thought we were coming to rescue her, she would be dead and likely removed from the scene before we could get there. No, we need at least one man on the inside and two or three would be better.”

“I’ll do it.”

“You can’t do it. You’ve already told us that he knows you.”

“I’ve lost weigh and grown a beard since he last saw me.”

“Your accent would give you away.”

“I could speak with a French or Spanish accent.”

“How about an Scotch-Irish accent? We’ve had a few move here recently. Most struggled to find work, and some are living in The Rocks. It wouldn’t probably be that difficult for you to get hired there.”

“I’ll do it.”

“I’ll go with you.”

It was Adam’s turn to be skeptical. “You hardly seem the type to work on a ranch.”

“Mate, I’m bettern most blokes that rides a Brumby. I ain’t big noting myself too much but I can outfight and outdrink you any day and have energy enough to root with a sheilah. I’ll be the yabber and you be the quiet one.”

“I’m not sure of most of what you said, but if we’re going to where Rosalie is, then let’s get started.”

The next day, Adam and Poole rode into Baxter’s station and asked for work. They said they got caught stealing in Sydney and needed to be out of the city for a while. They were hired at very low wages and given the jobs of mucking the stables and various other jobs that no one wanted to do. They knew they needed to grouse a bit about that, but they didn’t mind too much because it put them in close proximity to the house. They watched and waited hoping to locate where Rosalie was being kept. There was going to be a raid on the station in two days so they had to find her in that time and be ready to move in to protect her when the raiders were spotted moving toward the station. At least that was the plan. As they worked, they heard a lot of yelling and then some crying before Blankenship walked from the house and yelled for his foreman.

“This is getting ridiculous. She isn’t worth the trouble. Find a man to take her out and take care of her. You know what I mean. Make sure there’s nothing to be found when it’s done.”

The foreman agreed but as his boss walked away, the sneer was quite evident as well as the worry that accompanied it. Usually, the women were taken out at night when no one could see who was doing what. Although many of the men working on the station were fugitives from the law as Adam and Poole had claimed to be, but in order for the station to make money, most of the hands were not. Doing something like this when there were so many witnesses could lead to trouble. Then he looked over and saw Poole and Adam digging a new hole for the latrine. He walked over to talk to them.

“So I’d be interested in knowing exactly what it was you two done while you was in The Rocks.” It was a statement and a question. Poole and Adam looked at each other until Adam nodded at Poole as if to give him permission to tell.

“We relieved a bloke of his money but he fell kinda hard and never got up again. He never will. We got out before any blokes could connect us to it. It ain’t like they know it’s us but we’d as soon keep it that way.”

“Most of what I thought. All right, I got a job for ya. There’s a sheilah in the house that the boss is tired of. He wants you to take her out and leave her for the dingoes. When they’re done with her, you go back and clean up the mess so there’s nothing left to find. Pick a spot where no one is likely to see you or her.”

“How will the dingoes know where to find her?”

“No worry about that. They know when there’s fresh meat for their bellies.”

“Is she still alive?” Poole could feel Adam tensing beside him and put a hand on his arm to remind him to keep his temper under control. The foreman thought it meant he was anxious to get to her. He was but not in the way the man thought he was.

“Course she is. You heard her crying, I’m thinking. If you’re thinking you could have a time with her before it’s over, well, I ain’t giving you orders to do that, but I could see how it could happen. Now saddle up your horses and go get her from the house. Be back here by dark or you could have your own problems with the dingoes.”

“Do we get paid more to do this?”

“You know better than to ask that. I did you a favor and now you’re doing me one.” With that, the foreman walked away glad to have that nasty business out of his hands.

Poole whispered fiercely to Adam as they saddled their horses. “She may be hurt, but you have to remember that getting her out of here is the first priority. Keep that hunched look and don’t say anything if you don’t have to. Now, you ready for this?”

“As ready as I can be. If she’s not alive, I won’t be held to my promise that I wouldn’t take my revenge on him.”

“I know. Now let’s go get her.”

Poole preceded Adam into the house where they found a bruised and battered Rosalie lying on the floor. She seemed to barely be breathing. Blankenship ordered them to roll her in the rug on which she was laying and haul the ‘trash’ out of his house.

“I don’t know you two. When did you get hired?”

“Today, sir. We had a blue and had to bail The Rocks in the Big Smoke in a hurry and we’re thankful your foreman took pity on us and hired us. We’re blow ins and ain’t been able to get any regular work. We been cleaning out the stables and digging a new hole.”

“All right. And he told you what to do with her?”

“Yeah, he told us how to flick her.” Nodding, Poole and Adam knelt beside Rosalie and began to roll her in the rug. Adam had tears in his eyes, but with his hunched over look, Blankenship couldn’t see his eyes. If he had, he would have been scared.

“You don’t have to be so careful with her.” He giggled then and it was disgusting to hear. “I wasn’t. Just get her out of here. I can’t stand looking at her any more.”

Poole and Adam carried Rosalie from the house. Adam mounted up and Poole lifted the bundle up to him. He held her over his lap and Poole mounted up. Blankenship stood on the veranda of his home watching them and wondering why the taller man looked familiar. Suddenly as they began to ride off, he knew. He had recognized how Adam had mounted up on his horse, and sitting in the saddle with Rosalie on his lap, he no longer had that hunched over look.

“Stop them! Stop them!” The foreman and the few other men working at the station looked to Blankenship wondering what he wanted and why. They saw him race back into the house and return with a rifle which he fired at the two retreating horsemen who had kicked their horses into gallops as soon as they heard his yell. The foreman and the other men had to saddle up their horses to give chase so Poole and Adam had a good lead. However with Rosalie on his horse, Adam would not be able to escape pursuit. Poole knew it and began looking for a place to make a stand if they had to do that. Blankenship or Baxter was out at his stable haranguing the men to hurry.

“Why do we have to chase them down? I thought you wanted them to take her away.”

“It’s her husband, you fool. He’s headed right for the authorities. If they come for me, you and the rest of them here will all be in jail and looking at the gallows. Now get going.”

As soon as the men rode out in pursuit of Adam and Poole, Blankenship rushed back to his house to pack. He took everything of value that he had in the house and ordered his butler to go out and saddle a horse for him. When he saw the man tie the horse in front of the house, he lit a match and tossed it on the pile of papers soaked in lamp oil. There was another stack in the study. He lit that too. There would be no evidence here that they could use against him. When his servant rushed in on seeing the smoke, Blankenship shot him. He figured a body in the ashes might fool them into thinking he was dead, and he needed some time to flee the country. He had connections in Mexico and elsewhere so as he rode away, he began to plan his future but was sure of one thing. He was going to make sure that Adam Cartwright and his wife paid with their lives for the trouble they had caused him and the financial losses he would have to suffer. Then he swore because he knew that if Adam was alive, the people in Mexico knew what he had done. His options were far more limited than he had thought. He had less than a day to come up with an alternative.

Several days later at the hospital, Rosalie looked to the blank wall at the back of her room so she wouldn’t have to look at Adam. She was afraid to see the look on his face.

“Some things are too terrible to share.”

Adam was sitting by Rosalie’s bed in the hospital. He had refused to leave her side even when hospital staff insisted he go. Inspector Poole intervened and got permission for him to stay. They had been able to get away because once their pursuers saw the fire, they knew that the rat was escaping the sinking ship. Those who had worked for Blankenship had ended the pursuit and fled to save themselves. Adam had pulled up his horse and with Poole’s help had gotten Rosalie to the ground. They unwrapped her from her cocoon and Adam had been moved to tears again but this time with relief to find her breathing. Poole had said he thought she was drugged more than she was injured, but at the hospital, they had found numerous injuries. Adam had been aghast when the doctor talked with him.

“She has several cracked ribs in various stages of healing. I bound those. Her hips are bruised. My guess is that she was thrown to the floor and probably kicked as well. Her left knee is badly bruised and swollen, and both wrists are sprained. The wrists look like they were held as she tried to get away. Those are wrapped in thick bandages. Her left elbow is broken. I put a cast on that. She has two small burns that were made by cigars most likely. She also has several bite marks.”

“You mean bites as in insect bites?” Adam was sickened by the doctor’s answer even as the doctor had a difficult time saying it.

“No, Mr. Cartwright, your wife has several human bite marks. They are infected. We have cleaned them out and bandaged them.” The doctor said no more letting Adam imagine the worst because that is what it was. He saw Adam’s look change from disgust to horror as he realized to what his wife had been subjected. “Sir, with what he’s done, he will get the gallows if he is caught.”

“If he lives. I’ll kill him if I ever see him again.”

The doctor had no doubt that was true, but his major concern was his patient. “Your wife is slowly regaining consciousness. When she does, you need to be prepared for her to either have a very emotional perhaps even distraught reaction to her rescue or for her to be so dispassionate that you wonder if she is still the same person. I have seen both reactions to terrible trauma. I don’t know your wife and even if I did, I don’t think I could predict the reaction. You will need all your patience and self-control to help her.”

That first day when Rosalie had awakened, she had looked at Adam as if he was a ghost and then turned away from him. Adam had gently touched her arm, but she had flinched and pulled her arm away crossing that arm and her arm with a cast over her chest before rolling away from him and curling up into a ball. Not knowing what to do, Adam had done what had seemed most natural. He softly caressed her back and whispered gentle soothing words to her assuring her of his love and devotion and telling her that she would recover.

“I’ll be here every day and every night. I know you have suffered terribly, but I’m here and I love you.” He had fallen silent then but continued the soft caresses. It was nearly two hours before another person entered the room. The nurse came in to help Rosalie use the chamberpot assuring Adam that he could return as soon as his wife finished. “No. I’ll help her.”

“Sir, that wouldn’t be proper.”

“Who better to help my wife than her husband? I love her. I will do anything to help her.”

Amazingly to the nurse, it was Adam’s willingness to help with such a personal hygiene issue that broke through the first of the barriers that Rosalie had erected. “He can help me.” The nurse wasn’t sure that she had heard correctly so softly asked Rosalie to repeat what she had said. “Adam can help me.” The nurse was shocked but had been told by Inspector Poole to accede to whatever demands Adam and Rosalie made as long as it didn’t involve leaving the hospital. She left the room and pulled the door closed.

As soon as the nurse was gone, Adam helped Rosalie into a sitting position and then asked if she was ready. Without looking at him, she nodded and put out her arm so that he could help her to the chamberpot that the nurse had left for her use. When she finished, he wet a cloth and handed it to her so that she could clean herself. She did and waited. Adam put his arm around her waist and very carefully helped her stand and then helped her back into the bed. For the next two days, that was the kind of care Adam gave to Rosalie. He helped her dress, bathe, eat her meals, and take care of her necessary needs. He slept in a chair at her bedside until the hospital moved a cot in for him to use. On the third day, Adam asked her to talk with him. That’s when she told him that some things were too terrible to share.

“Sweetheart, I’ve seen the marks on you. I’ve seen the bruises. I have a fairly good idea how that happened. You need to talk about it though to get the demons out of your head.”

“If you know what he did to me, how can you call me sweetheart? How can you love me or want to be with me?” Rosalie avoided looking into Adam’s eyes because she feared the condemnation and disgust that she was sure she would see there. She had seen the shock when she had first awakened.

Doing his best to remain calm, Adam put a hand on her shoulder and gently tugged to get her to turn toward him. “Look at me, please. Do you blame me for what happened to you? Is it my fault that monster took you and hurt you? Is that why you can’t stand to look at me?”

That tremor in his voice made Rosalie look at him. She reached up and touched his face wiping away his tears with her fingers. “You must know I don’t blame you. You saved me when I thought he was going to kill me.”

“Then why won’t you talk with me?”

Deciding that she did need to say some things, Rosalie dropped her eyes and started to talk. “He tried to make me be with him with threats, with bribes, with anything he could think of, but I wouldn’t do it. But he drugged my food or my drinks. I don’t know which, but I woke up in his bed. He laughed when I got out of there as fast as I could and grabbed my clothing to cover myself. He was exposed. He laughed and told me what he had done to me. I was disgusted and I wouldn’t eat or drink anything for two days. He had some men hold me down and he put a funnel and hose down my throat and forced water into me. I woke up in his bed again. It happened two more times after that. I tried to fight him, but he hit me and hurt me until I couldn’t fight back. I had to eat and had to drink the water he gave me even though I knew what would happen. I did it anyway.”

Sensing that Rosalie needed to be prodded, Adam asked her why she had to eat and drink.

“Because I’m with child.” Rosalie waited for Adam’s reaction but there was none. It made her believe that she had been right. “I don’t know if it’s your baby or if it’s his.” She looked up then when Adam reached out to touch her face. She was shocked to see more tears flowing down his face.

“Sweetheart, I am so sorry that you had to endure all of that, but things will get better. I have to tell you too that any baby you have is my baby. You’re my wife. It’s our baby.”

“No, no, you can’t believe that.”

“I do. I married you, and any baby is our baby.”

That caused Rosalie to cry out and then collapse against Adam as she sobbed into this chest. Two nurses rushed into the room in alarm wondering what had happened. She stopped in dismay not knowing what to do. Adam spent his time consoling Rosalie as she sobbed until she was too weak to cry any more. He didn’t want to let her go though so he sat on the edge of the bed with her cradled in his arms as one of the nurses went to get the doctor. When the doctor arrived, he had a fair idea of what had happened.

“She finally talked to you?” Adam nodded. “So now you know all of it?”

“Yes. Thank you for letting her tell me that last thing. She needed to be the one to tell me.”

“I thought it was best. You can have her discharged now. There’s a hotel suite waiting for you according to the information I received from Inspector Poole. I will have to notify him when you decide to leave, but there is nothing more we can do for your wife here. You and she will have to do the rest.”

Chapter 8

Rosalie wasn’t ready to leave the safety of the hospital yet so Adam waited one more day for her to get used to the idea. The next day, he asked her at lunch if she was ready to move to a hotel suite, and her unease intensified. Adam wondered at her response.

“I don’t think I would be comfortable in a hotel suite.”

“But the bed would be nicer. The food would be so much better, and you could have a bath in the suite. It has a water closet with a small tub. I checked it out while you were sleeping last night. I didn’t think you would notice me being gone a short time. One of the nurses sat with you while I was gone to be here if you awakened and found I was gone. I didn’t want you to be alone.”

“I still don’t know.” Rosalie averted her eyes which Adam recognized as a sign that there was something she didn’t want to say to him. He sat quietly thinking until he had a guess that he thought was probably right.

“The suite has a couch where I could sleep if you’re worried about that. I won’t push you to do anything more than you’re comfortable doing.”

Rosalie started to cry softly then. Adam put his hand on her shoulder and talked softly to her because he had found that was about all she was willing to accept from him at this point. He could touch her more when he was helping her, but shows of affection overwhelmed her.

“Sweetheart, things will get better. We have time. I won’t try to make you feel better than you do or ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You need time and I know that.”

“What if time isn’t enough? What if I can’t ever accept you in my bed?”

“We are so many things to each other: partners, friends, husband and wife, companions, lovers, and soon to be parents. I know that the world is imperfect and some of these things may not work out for us in the long run, but as long as you’re by my side, I’ll be happy and fulfilled. It was only when you were gone that I was sad. You are the joy of my life. I need you with me.”

“I am so lucky that you love me. Almost every day, I wonder how I got so lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one too to have found you. Do you think we could move to the hotel today?

“I would like to say goodbye to the people here who have been so kind. How can we ever repay them?”

“Ah, I’ve made a promise to them, and I’ve already started work on it. They need a new laboratory wing because they had a fire in theirs and it took out that wing of their hospital. I have a new plan with the laboratory on the third floor in its own tower. If there’s a fire, the doors to the tower can be closed keeping the fire contained within. They liked the idea so I’m drawing up plans for them in exchange for the expenses we incurred while we were here.”

“How will we pay for the hotel suite if we have to stay there until I recover?”

“Ah, Inspector Poole had an idea there too. He said there are several building projects that could use my help. I’ve agreed to work on their plans as a consultant offering suggestions for improvements and looking for any design flaws. There’s a cathedral being built and a town hall. Most of my input has been with the town hall. I’m trying to convince them to build it with plans for expansion because the city is growing so fast. The work will likely keep me busy for at least a month. I had hoped that you would be feeling well enough by then to travel.”

Rosalie frowned so Adam asked why. “Adam, I had hoped not to travel until the baby is born. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my, ah, our baby. Is it possible that we could stay until then? This is the one place we know he isn’t in. He has to have fled the country by now.”

“I’m sure he has and it will be fine. I’ll write to our families to let them know where we are. I haven’t sent anything since I shipped the horses. I didn’t know what to say because it would only worry them and there was nothing they could do to help.”

As Adam and Rosalie continued to talk, a nurse left her spot by their open door and headed out for the day. She had information to sell to the strange ugly little woman who had wanted to know how the couple was doing. The nurse didn’t know why the woman was interested, but she expressed concern for them and paid well for the information.

On the Ponderosa, with no new information, concern had turned to worry and then to fear. First some contract offers had come in the mail as expected. Next, Adam’s letter had arrived from Mexico and described the couple’s idyll at the de Castenada rancho and letting Ben know that Adam had invited Ignado and Friera to visit the Ponderosa. That was reassuring that all was well. Then the horses and the instructions had arrived. However months had passed with no further communication from Adam and Rosalie. Ben asked friends in San Francisco to check with shipping companies to see if any had a record of transporting the two as passengers. None did. As April progressed into May, Ben began to wonder if his son was lost. He and Clarence talked, but neither had an idea of what to do. All they could do for the time being was wait. Ben did send a letter off to Ignado de Castenada but knew that it could be months before he received it and then perhaps months before a reply arrived.

In Sydney, Adam wrote a long letter to his father asking him to tell an abbreviated version of events to his brothers and to Rosalie’s father and brothers. They could read between the lines, but for the time being, a short version was better. He told his father that he and Rosalie were going to have a baby and planned to stay in Australia until the baby’s birth and for a few months after that before they felt that travel would be wise. They had moved from the hospital to a hotel suite, but when Inspector Poole found out that they hoped to stay that long, he had found a small house for them to rent.

“It’s right on the horse tram route. Some here don’t like it, but I did assume that the two of you would not be offended by the smell of horses. The house is already furnished. All that you will need will be linens, dishes, and pots and pans and various utensils. You can move there as soon as Rosalie is comfortable with the idea. We do not want to rush you. The two of you have done a great service for our government and especially for the Premier, and we’re willing to pay for the suite for even a few more weeks if that’s necessary.”

“Thank you, Inspector. Is it proper to ask if I can address you by your first name?”

“Certainly when we are not conducting official business. It’s Lemuel but most call me Lem. My mother called me Lemmie but that is off limits to anyone but her.”

Adam smiled and thanked Lem. Then when Lem left, he returned to the bedroom of the suite to see if Rosalie was still sleeping. She slept a lot but the doctor said that was to be expected with the twin issues of needing to recover from her ordeal and nurturing the baby she was carrying. She was eating well so her color had improved immensely. Many of the bandages had been removed as the small wounds healed. The wrapping around her ribs was the next to go. The doctor said she could leave that off whenever she felt comfortable enough without it. As she gained weight back, the doctor removed the cast from her elbow and replaced it with splints and heavy bandages that could be adjusted more easily. It also let her wash that area. Adam told the doctor that she seemed to want to bathe rather frequently for someone who spent most of her day resting.

“She’s trying to wash him away. It won’t work, but in many cases, it is soothing to the patient to be able to do that. Is she calmer and more relaxed after her bath?” Adam nodded. “Unless it gets to be extreme, let her do it. It is symbolic cleansing of her mind and heart. As she heals there, the baths won’t be as important to her.”

“What’s extreme?”

“More than one bath a day would be extreme. Washing her hands or her face more than three times per day could indicate a serious problem. Once per mealtime is acceptable, but more than that is an issue. She needs to face what happened and let out her anger, her sorrow, and her fear. Once she does that, she will begin to recover more quickly. It’s too bad he wasn’t captured. Although brutal, seeing him on the gallows would let her know that it was well and truly over. Now she probably wonders where he is and if he’s coming back.”

“The authorities believe he has fled the country. We have to give our statements later today, and they’ll formally charge him in absentia.”

“Good. He’ll never come back then. Now you take care too. I’ll be back in another week to check on her again. She is doing reasonably well. I hope that in a week, I will see a marked improvement in her demeanor. Like you, I am worried about that but it’s too soon to know if it’s a problem.”

That had been that morning and she was still sleeping. He pulled the door almost closed and walked back into the sitting room of the suite. There was a knock on the door and he assumed that Lem had forgotten something. Instead, when he opened the door, an ugly short woman was pointing a pistol at his midsection. He backed up slowly into the room.

“I don’t have much money here with me and we have very little luggage or property here with us but you’re welcome to whatever you want.”

“What I want is you dead and your wife too.”

“Blankenship!”

“Yes, I came to finish my business with you and her. Now where is she?”

“I’m not telling you where she is.”

“I’ll shoot you and go find her myself.”

“You don’t want to do that though, do you? A shot would bring people to check it out, and my wife can shoot. If she hears the shot, she’ll grab the pistol that I left for her and I’m guessing that she’s a better shot than you and has a bigger caliber weapon than that little thing you have.”

Adam was backing up slowly as Blankenship moved forward. He talked loudly hoping that Rosalie would hear and close and lock the bedroom door. He could tell that Blankenship was nonplussed by his bravado because he had apparently expected Adam to cower in fear with a gun pointed at him. Adam had had a gun pointed at him on far too many occasions already in his life. He noted that the pistol was a small caliber. He knew that if the bullet didn’t hit anything vital, it might pass through him and give him a chance to live. His plans didn’t work as well as he had hoped when Blankenship grabbed a pillow from the couch and folded it over his pistol.

“There that should muffle the sound enough.”

Blankenship raised his hand to fire, but Adam saw his eyes get very big and then he began to swing his pistol toward the bedroom door. A loud blast was nearly deafening in the confines of the sitting room. Blankenship was propelled back into the wall that was already stained with his blood from the bullet that had pierced his chest and exited his back. He sank to the floor as the pistol fell from his grasp. He was dead. Adam turned to see Rosalie standing with his smoking pistol in her hand. She stared at Blankenship and said nothing. Adam moved toward her and carefully took the pistol from her hand. That’s where they were when Lem burst into the room with a pistol drawn followed by two constables only a moment later. Lem stood in the middle of the room and looked at Adam and Rosalie. Rosalie startled everyone.

“I shot the bastard before he could shoot Adam. You ought to give me a medal, but I’ll settle for a place to stay that hasn’t been stained by that piece of dung.”

Still in her gown, Rosalie seemed unaffected by four men standing in the same room with her. Adam told Lem that he would get Rosalie dressed while they removed Blankenship from the suite. Fifteen minutes later, the bedroom door opened and Adam escorted Rosalie out to talk with Lem. They gave their statements not only on the shooting but on everything that had preceded it. By late afternoon, it was all over. Adam had told Rosalie that they would only refer to him as Blankenship which is how they had first been introduced to him. That made it easy for the Premier because the name Baxter would never be in any official reports. Lem knew that Adam had done another great favor for the people who had helped them. When Rosalie asked Adam if they could please stay somewhere other than the hotel that night, Lem suggested that the rented house was available. Adam questioned that because they had not purchased any linens or the other items that Lem had said they would need.

“The Premier has connections. I’m sure we can get what you need and have it all there within the hour. I’ll send some men to see to it.”

Within two hours, Adam and Rosalie bid good night to Lem who said that a constable would be standing watch outside their house until morning. They locked the doors and secured the windows before Rosalie declared that it was time for them to go to bed. Adam’s surprise must have been evident.

“Yes, it’s time. I want you in bed with me even if all we do is hold each other and sleep. You belong at my side.”

Both of them may have had that intention, but once they were in bed, they kissed softly and then more insistently until Rosalie told Adam that she wanted him to make love to her. She told him not to object but just to be gentle. He held his passion as much in check as he could and did everything he could to bring his wife pleasure until he couldn’t hold himself back any more. As Rosalie rested her head on his shoulder later, she asked him if he thought they should travel back to the Ponderosa before the baby was born.

“That’s up to you, sweetheart. We can do it either way. How far along do you think you are?”

“I think about three months.”

“Good, we could be home by sometime in your sixth month if we left now or we could wait until the baby is born and arrive home in about eight or nine months. It’s your choice. I would support you in either decision.”

“Adam, I killed a man, and I don’t have any regrets about it at all. I thought I might feel terrible, but I only feel relieved. I know you’ve said that you remember all the men you’ve killed and that the first one gave you bad dreams. Why don’t I feel bad about taking a life?”

“I never killed anyone who was as evil as Blankenship. The men I’ve killed had redeeming qualities but they made bad choices. He was a bad man in every sense of the word. I can’t think of any reason he shouldn’t be dead. I would have killed him as easily as I killed a rabid dog. No regrets when you do something like that.”

“Hmm, no regrets. Mama used to say that people seldom regret what they do. Most often they regret what they didn’t do. I guess that applies here. If I hadn’t shot him, he would have shot you. That would have been awful. It is so much better that I shot him instead.”

“Yes, now, let’s get some sleep and tomorrow we can decide what to do next.”

Chapter 9

Three months later, Adam and Rosalie arrived in Virginia City. They rented a carriage and drove to the Ponderosa. Their families didn’t know they were coming because any letter they wrote letting them know would have traveled at the same speed they were traveling. Both looked forward to seeing their fathers and brothers. They stopped at Rosalie’s family ranch first. Clarence was shocked and overjoyed, and her brothers hugged her and said how happy they were that she was having a baby. Clarence told them that he wanted them to stay to dinner although he knew they needed to go see Ben and Adam’s brothers too, but he asked if they could please come back for dinner or to spend the night. Adam promised that they would.

When Adam pulled the carriage into the yard of the Ponderosa, Ben came out to see who had arrived and stood in shock at seeing Adam help Rosalie from the carriage. “I’m sorry, Pa. We changed our minds and decided to come home so the baby could be born here.”

“There’s no need to be sorry, son. Oh, my Lord, I am glad to see you and Rosalie, and to see that you’re safe. Please don’t ever worry me like that again. I got all this gray hair worrying about Joe. The only thing left is for it to fall out, and you wouldn’t want me to have to suffer that, now would you?”

A rider coming in hard cut off any further conversation. “Mr. Cartwright, some rustlers got Hoss, Joe, and Candy pinned down. They need help.”

Adam looked at Rosalie and shrugged. Some things never seemed to change. “I’ll go with you, Pa. Who’s Candy?”

“I’ll explain it all when we get there. Buck is saddled, but you’ll need to saddle up. I’ll get Rosalie into the house while you do that.” Ben did that yelling for Joelle who came down the stairs a moment later with her newborn in her arms. She grinned to see that Rosalie was back even as Ben grabbed a rifle and ammunition for Adam before heading outside. Rosalie told Joelle that there was some trouble with rustlers and Ben and Adam were heading out to help out. She thought that was enough for Joelle to know.

In the rocks where they had taken refuge, Joe, Hoss, and Candy were running low on ammunition. They fired only enough to keep the rustlers from closing in on them, but the rustlers had the high ground and were using huge boulders for cover. There wasn’t much the three could do against them because they seldom had a target large enough to see much less hit. Suddenly they heard rifle fire from a different direction and at first were afraid that they had been flanked except they heard one of the rustlers cry out in pain and then another. Firing from the rustlers diminished and then there was nothing. Candy looked from Hoss to Joe. Both brothers were grinning.

“I suppose you think you know who’s doing that shooting. Who the hell is that? He can shoot around corners, and I never thought anyone could do that except in tall tales.”

“Only one man I know of ever done that. Right, Joe?”

“Right! He claims that he shoots billiards to practice his shooting.”

“It could be, Joe. He does bank those rifle shots like nobody else I know.”

“Well, who the hell is it?”

“Joe, you gonna tell him?”

“Nah, Hoss, you tell him.”

“Well, somebody tell me.”

“All right. Dagnabit, Candy, you don’t have to be so impatient. That’s gotta be our brother Adam over there. He musta come back sooner than we thought he would.”

As Adam kept watch and made sure that the rustlers would not fire on anyone, Ben rode up to Hoss, Joe, and Candy.

“Hey, Pa, Adam’s home?”

“Yes, he is, Hoss. And the first thing he had to do was to come rescue you.”

Joe groaned. “Oh, boy, we’re going to hear about this forever. Pa, do you suppose you could send him away again if he talks too much?”

“Joe, of course not. Now, why don’t the three of you find your horses? I think we have some rustlers to track down.” Ben waved to Adam to get him to join them. When he rode up, Ben introduced him to Candy who had been the first to return with his horse. Within seconds, Hoss and Joe rode over after retrieving their horses and greeted their older brother with big grins before asking about Rosalie.

“We’ll talk later. I think Pa wants us to chase after some rustlers. They probably can’t move too fast with two of them wounded.”

“Mighty fine shooting for a man dressed in sissy duds.” Candy was surprised to see Adam dressed like a city dweller but wearing his pistol rig low like a gunfighter. He was also impressed by his demeanor and thought that Adam was more like his father than his brothers with an intimidating presence like his father but with an underlying sense that he was dangerous. Candy had baited him a bit to see how he would react.

“Well, I never thought my brothers would hire a man named after a confection. I can change my clothes.”

Ben and his younger sons waited for Candy’s reaction with some trepidation. They wanted these two men to like each other but it seemed they were already at odds.

“Good. You look like a fool riding around on that fine horse dressed like a city slicker.”

“Yes, he is a fine horse. I’ve missed him too. Thank you for standing with my brothers.”

“You’re welcome. I had to. Joe owes me a beer.”

Candy and Adam chuckled and turned their horses to ride after the rustlers as Ben, Hoss, and Joe breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that Candy liked sparring with words as much as Adam did so it could get very interesting.

As expected, the rustlers hadn’t gotten very far. They were rounded up and brought back to the house where Candy assigned some men to take them to town to hand over to Sheriff Roy Coffee. Adam was a bit surprised to hear Candy giving some orders. He looked over at his father and brothers until Hoss answered.

“With you gone, we needed somebody. The men listen to Candy so he’s been working as a foreman to see how it works out. It’s another change we made in how the ranch is run.”

Slowly Adam’s grin grew. “Good, you won’t need me on any cattle drives then.”

“I don’t know, son. You have Joe so busy with horse breeding that he barely has time to do anything else. We may need you to boss the next drive.” Adam looked worried because that would be about the time that Rosalie was due. Ben saw the look and quickly explained. “I’m kidding. We know that you have to be with Rosalie. We wouldn’t interfere with that. By now, I would guess that Hop Sing has a room ready for you. Your house isn’t ready because we didn’t know you were coming. It needs to be aired out, stocked, and cleaned. I’m sure there’s dust and probably a few little critters that have found their way inside by now.”

“Ah, Pa, I promised Clarence that we’d be back today. He wants us to have dinner there and spend the night. I said we would. Then we’ll be back and spend a week or two here before we move back to our house.”

Quickly masking his disappointment, Ben smiled. “Of course she needs to spend some time with her family too. We’ll have a big dinner tomorrow then to welcome the two of you back.”

“Thanks for understanding, Pa.”

“Well, do you have time to come inside and meet your nephew?”

“Of course. I need to see this strapping big boy that I’ve heard about. Hoss couldn’t stop talking about him on the ride back.”

When they group walked into the house, Rosalie hurried to Adam’s side. “You’re all right!”

“Of course, I’m all right. You weren’t worried, were you?”

“Not too much, I guess.”

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Adam wrapped an arm around her. At first she had been standoffish with him and felt guilt, shame, and fear. Once she welcomed his presence, she didn’t want him to ever be gone from her side. Those short interludes when he was gone made her very nervous. He had thought that she was getting over that, but it was clear to him that she had not. He kept his arm around her.

“Have you had a chance to meet our nephew?”

“Yes, he’s adorable.” Except her voice was cracking and Adam knew he needed to get her away from the others to help her regain her composure.

“We have some gifts in the carriage. We’ll go get them and be back in a minute.”

Once they were outside, Rosalie cried on Adam’s shoulder for a minute. That was better than it was when they were first dealing with her reaction to her ordeal, but he was still concerned with how emotionally fragile she was at times and worried that she was masking how she felt at other times. Once he dried her tears, he gave her time to compose herself as he recounted meeting Candy and what the two had said to each other.

“Adam, weren’t you kind of mean to him?”

“Rosalie, he called me a sissy.”

“No, he said you were wearing sissy clothes, and now looking at you, I can see why he thought that.”

Adam scowled at her for that comment, and she grinned at him. “Let’s bring these presents inside and then we’ll head back to your father’s place. We’re probably already very late for dinner, but I bet he won’t mind too much with his daughter back and a grandchild on the way.” As soon as Adam said it, he wished he hadn’t. He saw that dark look pass over her face again and had a fairly good idea of why that had happened. Any mention of the arrival of the baby seemed to make that happen. He guessed that she had the same fear that he did, but he managed to control it and mask it better. He was doing his best to convince himself that he would love that baby even if Blankenship was the father, but in his heart, he knew it was going to be very difficult. He wondered, and supposed that Rosalie did too, if every time he looked at that innocent babe, he would remember how the child had been conceived. If it was his, it had been conceived in joy and love as both dreamed of having a family, but the alternative was too awful to contemplate much. It was the stuff of nightmares, not dreams.

Once they were inside with the small presents they had brought with them, everyone noticed Rosalie’s puffy red eyes. It was clear that she had been crying, but only Ben and Hoss had a good idea why. Ben had confided to Hoss more of what Adam had written than to anyone else. He had thought that Hoss would be a source of comfort to Adam especially giving him a trusted confidante. No one else knew of the ordeal that Rosalie had endured except in the most vague terms. Ben knew that after this reaction of Rosalie to seeing Joelle with her baby that he was likely to face a lot more questions but wasn’t sure how many answers he ought to give. As Adam and Rosalie prepared to leave, Ben put his hand on Adam’s arm. Adam turned to him and softly told him what had to happen next.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, Pa. Right now, I need to get Rosalie to the comfort of her father and brothers.”

Adam and Rosalie were very late to dinner, but there was nothing that was going to stop her father and brothers from the joy they had at having her back home. Adam was congratulated on bringing her back to them safely, but Clarence noted that his smile disappeared when Augie said that and the brothers seconded the statement. When Rosalie left with her brothers to go see the horses that had been sent from Mexico, Clarence confronted Adam.

“I’m thinkin’ there was a whole lot more to what happened to make the two of you be gone so long other than what Ben told me. She’s my daughter. I got a right to know.”

Dropping his head as he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, Adam finally began talking to Clarence who was getting increasingly agitated by the delay and told Adam that.

“Out with it. It already happened so there ain’t no reason not to tell a body.”

“It’s a story that Rosalie doesn’t want her brothers to know. She was kidnapped in Mexico and taken to Australia. She was hurt by him and nearly killed. You don’t need to know the details which are awful, but the great fear she has now is that the baby she is carrying was fathered by the monster who took her.”

Clarence had turned pale at the news and sat down heavily in a chair. He suddenly had a great fear too. “You ain’t gonna leave her, are ya? That ain’t why ya brought her here tonight?”

“No, no, never. I brought her here because I thought that you and her brothers could be a greater comfort to her than my family. We’ll spend some time with my family on the Ponderosa too before we move back to our house, but she needed to be with all of you tonight.”

“Thank the Lord. Some men wouldn’t stay with a woman after something like that.”

“I am not some men who blame the victim for being harmed. I love her, and I’ll be with her as much as she needs me.”

“What about the baby?”

“It’s our baby no matter what.”

“But if he’s the father?”

“I’ll love the baby. I know it will be difficult, but I will.”

“I’ll help any way that I can.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell Rosalie that you know. She’ll probably have trouble facing you knowing that you know, but reassure her that it doesn’t change your feelings about her and be prepared for her to cry. She cries often as anything reminds her of what happened to her.”

“My Rosalie crying a lot? Usually she got angry when somebody did something to her.”

“She did get angry, but I think the tears are more related to carrying the baby and not being sure of the father.”

“What happened to the bastard who done it to her?”

“Rosalie shot him. One shot through and through the chest. He won’t hurt anyone again.”

“Who did Rosalie shoot?” Augie was walking in the door preceding his brothers and Rosalie. They had heard Adam’s last statement.

“So you told him?” Rosalie was ready to cry again except she was also angry as she assumed that Adam had told her father the whole story.

“I told him that you killed the man who kidnapped you.”

Augie responded. “Good. We knew that you had been kidnapped and Adam had to rescue you. It’s good to know that the bastard won’t try that with any other women.” His brothers nodded in agreement reassuring Rosalie that they did not know the terrible details and the horrible worry she carried with her. Augie could see that the topic upset his sister so he changed the direction of the conversation entirely.

“Pa, Rosalie likes the new corrals we built for the new horses. She says Adam can design an addition to the stable so we got room for them in there this winter.”

“Whoa, now, boy, we ain’t got the money to do that too. We can get by on what we already got until next year.”

“Sir, I think I could help with that.”

Snickering, Brent slapped Augie on the shoulder. “He called Pa ‘sir’, Augie.”

“Wouldn’t hurt you boys none to show a little respect like that for your pa. Now Adam, you know I can’t accept your money. I never took a loan for this place and I ain’t about to now.”

“I wasn’t thinking loan. I was thinking of barter. I need some help expanding my stable for the Barbs we got and the Morgans that we want to buy. I would trade the labor of your sons for the lumber for your stable. I know where I can get the lumber at a very cheap price. The plans don’t cost anything so that would be free.”

Clarence frowned as he thought that through and then smiled as he offered Adam his hand sealing the deal. The rest of the evening was filled with talk about how to expand the stable for the horse business. Adam mentioned an indoor riding ring and Clarence asked how that could be done.

“We could build an extension in the shape of an hexagon with one side sharing a wall with the back of your stable. We could open that up as much as you wanted. Then we would put the stalls to the outside leaving a wide space in the middle where the horses could be trained even in winter.”

“You just come up with that idea just like that?”

“No, I’ve drawn plans for us to have a smaller stable built like that and attaching to ours. We would have the stalls in one building and then only the exercise area in the hexagon. You have quite a few more horses so you need more stalls.”

“Hmm, how about we just add stalls this year, and next year we add on that hexa thingie you said and make it all for exercise and training like yours only bigger? We could have quite a place to show people our horses.”

Rosalie turned to Adam with a more hopeful expression than he had seen her have for many months. He smiled and nodded. She hugged him then and kissed him in front of her family before she blushed a bit at realizing what she had done. It was getting late by then, and Rosalie and Adam headed up the stairs to stay in the room that had been Rosalie’s when she lived at home. She giggled a little when Adam closed the door to the bedroom.

“It’s funny. I feel a little guilty taking a man up to my bedroom. Papa had told me when I was younger that if he ever caught a boy up here with me, he would cut off, well you know what he would have cut off.”

“Hmm, I don’t think I have to worry. It’s been a long time since I was a boy.”

The muffled sounds from their room later made Clarence smile instead of being angry as he said a prayer of thanks to God that Adam was Rosalie’s husband.

Chapter 10

“So Clarence knows too. Adam, I told Hoss. I thought that you might want to talk to him sometime too.” Ben and Adam were seated by the fireplace. Joelle was upstairs nursing her son, and Hoss and Joe had taken Rosalie on a walk to see the horses that had arrived from Mexico as Joe explained his plans.

“That’s it, Pa. I don’t want anyone else to know except for Doctor Martin. I’m going to tell him because he has to see to her medical care. He needs to know what happened. He would have some questions anyway once he examined her.”

“That bad?”

“No, just that identifiable. Cigar burns and bite marks are distinctive and Paul would know. He will likely wonder at her emotional state too. He saw her through it all the first time, and she was as feisty as ever. This more fragile state is very new for her. I’m hoping that he has some advice.”

“She is fragile. I saw the tears simply from seeing Hoss’ son. What else causes her to cry so perhaps we can avoid those things?”

“It’s unpredictable. I didn’t realize she would cry when she saw Gunther.”

“We’ve taken to calling him Gunnie by the way. Gunther is such a big handle for a baby.”

“We’ve taken to calling our little boy, Robert. It makes it easier to talk about our loss when the baby has a name even if we never got to name him before he was gone. I’m going to make a new marker for him.”

“Hoss has been tending that for you. He knew that both of you would like to know that he was not forgotten.”

“That’s just like Hoss. I’ll thank him for doing that. It means a lot. Now, as for what upsets Rosalie, it could be anything. A man lighting up a cigar, a word that monster might have used, or anything that reminds her of him. It has gotten better over the last two months while we were traveling. It was good to get out of Australia and away from people who sounded like him even if they were very nice to us. We rode out storms, saw dolphins and whales again, and spent a lot of time at the rail just letting the clean air wash over us. She doesn’t like enclosed spaces or people crowding around her. Let her initiate a hug or a touch. Anything else can startle her too much. You should treat her, as Hoss would say, as a skittish filly.”

“She seems to want to be by your side all the time.”

“Yes, and that has gotten a bit better since we’ve been home. She went to the stable with her brothers last night, and now she’s out there looking over the horses with Hoss and Joe. She has more people here whom she can trust. That helps, but I don’t plan to be far from her side until she’s more at ease.”

“It must be very difficult for you having to walk on eggshells around her all the time.”

“It’s not all the time. She is often just like the woman I married. It’s that the hurt occasionally overwhelms her for a short time when she is reminded of what happened. I want to be at her side when that happens so that I can help her.”

Just then the door burst open and Hoss carried Rosalie into the house. Adam rushed to him but Hoss brushed past him to carry her to the settee where he carefully set her down.

“What happened?”

“We was in the corral with the horses and Candy come up and said something. It startled Rosalie some and she fell. She kinda twisted her ankle and I didn’t want her walking on it until Hop Sing has a chance to look at it. Candy is real sorry for it. He didn’t know that a stranger’s voice could surprise her so.”

“Adam, I’m fine. Hoss is being too protective. Hoss, please tell Candy it’s all right. It was just silly of me to jump like that at a simple greeting.”

“Aw, now, Rosalie, there ain’t no such thing as me being too protective like that on your account. I’ll be here to watch out for you any time you need it. I’ll let Candy know. He’ll appreciate that you were thinking of his feelings too.”

“Oh, Hoss, if I could stand up, I’d give you a kiss.”

“Aw, shucks, Miss Rosalie, you don’t have to do that.”

“Hoss, I do believe you’re blushing. That’s amazing. You’re a married man with a baby and you can still blush. I don’t think Adam can blush.”

“I don’t think Adam ever blushed in his whole life, Sis. I don’t rightly know as to ifn he knows how.”

“Oh, he knows how.”

Rosalie giggled a bit as Hoss laughed. Adam scowled eliciting more chuckles all around, but inside he was delighted. Rosalie was being more like what she had been before their nightmare had happened. Getting home had been the right idea. The next issue was opening their house and seeing if she could be comfortable there especially when Adam wasn’t in the house. He had a suggestion and decided there was no better time to bring it up.

“Rosalie, with your ankle hurt and with you carrying our child, do you think we ought to ask Hop Sing if he knows someone who could help us out at our house at least until after the baby is born?”

Ben wanted to jump in and endorse the idea but held back because he knew Rosalie had to make this decision. She was very quiet and looked very serious as Adam waited for his answer.

“I would like our helper to be a woman if you don’t mind.”

It was a concession but one that was going to be difficult to fulfill. Women from China were restricted from entering California unless they were married to a trader or the daughter of one, or if they had a father already in the United States who had become a citizen. Very few Chinese sought citizenship that the avenue was rarely used. Some Chinese women were smuggled in but almost all of those ended up working in brothels of one sort or another. With so many Chinese men and so few Chinese women, most females were married as soon as they were of age and usually promised well before that point. Adam went to talk with Hop Sing who verified his information. If they wanted a female to help out at their house, it was going to have to be a white female. Hoss suggested that they ought to go ask among the homesteaders to find someone who could do that work. It would likely only be for the three months until the baby arrived and then for a couple of months after that. Suddenly something occurred to Rosalie that she had not considered before that point.

“I won’t be able to work with the horses once the baby is born.”

“Rosalie, I’ll be working at home often. I can take care of our baby while you work with the horses. If it gets to be too much, we can hire someone to help.”

Ben understood the logic of combining the two ideas. “Why don’t you hire someone who can stay on to help then even after the baby is born? Taking care of a home, a baby, and the horses would seem to be too much for one person.”

Adam smiled and looked at Rosalie who nodded. “Sweetheart, I can go to town tomorrow if it’s all right with you and check with some people to find someone. I could have her come out to meet you so you could have the final say.”

“Who would you ask?”

“Sheriff Coffee, Doctor Martin, and Reverend Miller all come to mind as people who might know of someone we could trust to bring into our home.”

A week later, Minnie Miller came to live with Adam and Rosalie in their home which had been cleaned, aired out, and stocked with the necessities. She was Reverend Miller’s mother. He was happy to find a good safe place for her to work. She had been widowed six months earlier and was a robust, healthy middle-aged woman with experience running a household and caring for children. Reverend Miller got to have his mother nearby, and Adam and Rosalie said that she could have Saturday afternoon through Monday morning off every week to spend time with her son and his wife and her grandchildren.

Adam had an extra bedroom in his home on the opposite end of the hallway from the master bedroom and she would use that one. The bedroom in between those two bedrooms would be the nursery. The first morning that Minnie was in their home, Adam heard her rise early and head downstairs. He got up and shaved as the sun rose and sent morning light into the bedroom. When he turned around, he saw Rosalie watching him. Then she put her hands on her swollen belly and asked him to come quick. Worried at first, he relaxed when he realized she wanted him to touch her belly to feel the baby kick. That had been happening quite often as Rosalie became more and more relaxed about having the baby. She still asked Adam if he could love the baby no matter what, and he told her he would, but in his heart, he prayed that the baby would be his. He worried about his ability to love the baby without reservation if the features showed that Blankenship was the biological father.

As the end of the nine months approached, he realized that he had been unable to banish that fear. His worry about that ended one night when Rosalie awakened him in the predawn hours to tell him it was time. She had felt uneasy the day before and gone to bed early asking Adam to massage her sore back before she was able to fall asleep. She had been gaining confidence and was no longer as prone to crying so easily, but that night, she shed a few tears as Adam did his best to soothe her fears. She knew that her labor was likely to start soon and all the worries and fears of the previous months weighed heavily on her. Despite that, with Adam’s help, she had slept soundly. That would put her in good stead for the hours of labor she faced.

“I’ll tell Minnie, and then I’ll ride over to Pa’s to get someone to ride to town for the doctor.”

“I don’t think he’s there. He told me last week that he was going to San Francisco and would be gone for at least a week. He asked me to hold off until he got back, but this baby wants out now.”

“We’ll get Hop Sing to help and see if one of the other doctors in town is available if Doctor Martin is still gone.”

All went as expected with Doctor Martin arriving about noon still in his traveling clothes. He had arrived on the morning stage only to be notified by Roy Coffee that the Cartwright baby was on its way. He was there to help Rosalie through the last hour of her labor. Adam was pacing downstairs finding that the second birth was nerve wracking. He had been in bed for the first one and under the influence of laudanum. There were a few times that morning that he longed for that especially when he heard Rosalie cry out in pain. Her father was there, and he probably had the same feelings hearing his daughter suffering the pains of labor. Finally they heard a baby’s strong wail, and Adam bounded up the steps not waiting for anyone to tell him it was all right. He entered the room to find Minnie wrapping the baby in a soft blanket with the umbilical cord still attached. She placed the baby across Rosalie’s chest as Paul called Adam over and had him help cut the cord after Paul had tied it off in two spots. Minnie left then with the soiled linens and towels. Once the placenta was expelled and removed from the room by Hop Sing, Paul told Adam he could go to his wife and son. Paul pulled the door closed to let the family have a quiet time together as he went downstairs to let Ben and Clarence know that they had a grandson. It was Ben’s second but it was Clarence’s first. Adam and Rosalie could hear him shout for joy even with the door closed.

“Adam, we have a healthy baby. Paul said he looks wonderful.”

“Rosalie, I love you, and I love our son. To be honest, I worried if I could love him, but now I know I could no matter what.”

“Adam, I had the same fear, but when I felt that baby coming out, I knew I would love him no matter what. Now, do you want to see your son?” Rosalie peeled the blanket away from the baby’s face and upper body. He had dark curls, long fingers on the hands at the end of his long arms, and a cute dimple in his left cheek with a soft cleft in the chin. “He’s ours, Adam. He’s all ours. It’s a dream come true.”

Epilogue

Ben and Clarence each tried to enter the bedroom at the same time and then both stepped back to allow the other to enter. Adam sat on the bed leaning against the headboard with Rosalie resting against his chest and holding their son as he had an arm around her left shoulder and his right hand resting on the bundle she held. He smiled as he watched his father and father-in-law finally enter the room with Clarence going first to see his first grandchild and Ben to see his second. Rosalie peeled back the blanket so that both of them could see the baby.

“Why, he’s the spitting image of Adam as a baby!”

The wonder and delight as well as the relief at that were evident in Ben’s voice and in his body as he noticeably relaxed and smiled. With that said, Clarence also smiled for he knew too that their greatest fear had disappeared. He saw the love that Adam and Rosalie had and couldn’t congratulate them enough. Finally, even as the rest of the family crowded into the room or stood in the doorway, he asked the question that Ben had been waiting to ask.

“What’s the boy’s name?”

“Papa, we thought about naming him Adam Benjamin Cartwright, but then his initials would be ABC which seemed silly to us. You told me not to name him after you because you wanted one of the boys to name a son after you. I was tired and told Adam I wanted to sleep and think about it later. He said.”

“To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub.”

“So I asked him who said that, and he said William Shakespeare. Then he said.”

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”

“So, girl, that’s all very fine, but what’s the baby’s name?”

“He has his father’s favorite author’s name and his grandfather’s name too. He’s William Benjamin Cartwright, Papa.”

 

Turbulence and Troubles

Chapter 1

“Joe, she’s a right beautiful woman. I guess I didn’t appreciate it before, but now that she’s a mama as well as a wife, she seems to have blossomed.”

“Yeah, and in all the right places. Hoss, will Joelle be upset that you were staring at her so much?”

Cringing at the conversation Rosalie was overhearing, she wished it could be her they were describing but knew it was Margarita who with her husband Don Luis had stopped in for a visit. Ben had invited them to stay for a couple of days. Rosalie had been surprised that Margarita seemed to be at odds with her husband on numerous occasions even as he doted on her. However Margarita gave many compliments to the men on the Ponderosa being especially lavish in those she gave to Adam as well as giving him more attention than any other man on the ranch including Don Luis.

As Rosalie listened, she also knew that Adam was upset with her. William had been born six weeks earlier, and Rosalie was feeling closed in with the baby nearly always with her. She longed for a moment of fresh air and sunshine without the demands of the infant. Adam had gone over to the main house so Rosalie had dressed in her pants tugging them closed by lying back on the bed and sucking in her stomach until she was able to close the buttons. Adam preferred her in skirts and dresses, but she wanted to go work with one of the horses and found the pants more practical. It was probably also a challenge and a victory to get into them after carrying the extra weight because of the pregnancy. She hoped to regain her figure and getting into her pants even if they were very tight was a way to show that she was on the way back. Minnie agreed to watch over William to be sure that he was safe and snug in his bed until she returned. However as she worked with one of the horses, she heard a carriage and riders arrive. Wondering whom it could be, she walked out of the stable practice ring to find Adam had brought Don Luis and Margarita to their home apparently to show the new stable to them. Adam’s eyes had gotten very big as he saw her dressed in pants and then he had frowned even as he plastered a smile on his face for his guests.

That morning, Adam had shaved carefully, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black vest, and his black striped trousers instead of his usual black work pants. Rosalie had assumed he had done it to impress Margarita when he went to the main house. She had been surly at breakfast because of how insecure she was feeling, and now to see Adam clearly disapproving of her attire as he brought guests to their home, she was more hurt than angry. She had excused herself as soon as she could and gone to the house to change. By the time that Margarita and Don Luis were ready to leave, she was back dressed in her usual clothing that she regretted as soon as she stood by the other three to say goodbye. She felt shabby and unfit to be in their company as she compared her attire to the very expensive riding skirt with coordinated jacket, hat, belt, and boots worn by Margarita. Even her blouse was the perfect color to match the deep burgundy of the jacket and skirt. As they drove away, Adam had stood beside her and inquired softly about what was wrong.

“Nothing is wrong. I wanted to work with the horses so I dressed to do it. I never expected you to show up with your entourage. You could have told me that you were bringing them back here.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t think it was going to be a problem. It’s my home too, and I still don’t know what upset you.”

“I’m not upset. I was surprised. Now I need to go to see to William.”

Watching his wife stalk to the house, Adam sighed deeply. He had been very concerned about Rosalie ever since William was born because within a day or two, she had been prone to tears at every little thing that happened. Doctor Martin had said that some depression after giving birth was fairly common and to be supportive and patient. He had been as helpful as he could even as he juggled his workload and spent many nights working on plans and ledgers after Rosalie had gone to bed. He didn’t know that she cried those nights thinking that somehow he was trying to avoid her. He never realized her pillow was wet with tears that would be dry by the next morning when dawn lit their bedroom with rosy shades. That tearful phase had seemed to pass only to be replaced by this resentment. Anytime he left the house, he returned to a somewhat angry wife who seemed to blame him for her confinement to the house.

“I’m sorry, but you need to recover from giving birth, and I can’t nurse William. I have to go outside to do my work. I’ve avoided any overnight trips so that I can be here with you. I don’t know what else I can do.”

With no answer for that, Rosalie had simply turned away. Adam had decided at that point to go talk with Clarence to see if he had any insight about his daughter. It had been helpful but not enough.

“Her ma was like that every time she had one of ours. She snapped at me for every little thing and cried over every little thing too. Took her a couple of weeks to come out of it, and then she was real sorry for how she treated me.”

“It’s been several weeks since William was born, and I don’t see her coming out of it. She cried quite a bit at first, but now she seems angry with me. I can’t seem to find a way to make her happy.”

“Well, Adam, I don’t know then. She was always more feisty than her ma so maybe that’s why it’s taking so long.” Clarence had shrugged because he didn’t know what else to say. He sympathized with Adam over Rosalie’s behavior but had no advice to give.

However Adam suspected that there was more to it than the usual postpartum depression and emotionalism. He worried that her time with Blankenship had altered her irrevocably. He hoped that was not true, and he planned to be there for her no matter what, but it worried him especially because of William. He was so relieved that they had Minnie Miller in the house as a housekeeper and cook. It meant there was always someone there to help out. He went to town to visit with Doctor Martin again only a few days before Don Luis and Margarita arrived for their visit.

“Adam, I think you could be right that her time in captivity may be a factor now. I don’t think that it changed her so much as it affected her emotionally. She’s a lot like you in some regards. I think she didn’t deal with her feelings about what happened but pushed them away thinking that was all that she had to do. She’s got a lot of anger and probably some fears stowed away inside and it needs to come out. I’m sorry that she’s doing it this way, but eventually, you’ll see that it did some good.”

“How will I know it’s out?”

“The two of you are going to have some arguments. She will explode at you, and instead of being patient and supportive; you’re going to shoot back. When that happens, be prepared for an emotional outburst like you have never seen before from her.”

“So I’ve been doing it all wrong?”

“No, not at all. She needed to be treated just the way you treated her. That was the recovery from carrying William and worrying about who his father was. No, the explosion will be the anger and possibly the fears that she’s carried from those months at the hands of that madman.”

“How will I know when to ‘shoot back’ as you call it?”

“It likely won’t be a conscious decision. Rosalie will push and push until you decide to push back. I know you would never hurt her intentionally so this has to be spontaneous. I only told you this so that you’re not wracked with guilt afterwards. It’s something that has to happen just like thunderstorms help wash out the debris from the rivers and streams. You need that kind of storm for her to wash out those things that she’s been holding back.”

After thinking back to all that he had learned, Adam wondered if it was getting close to the time when Rosalie would have that outburst. He walked to the house to tell her that they had been invited to the main house to have dinner with his family and their guests. Margarita and Don Luis were leaving the next day. Adam looked forward to that because he had been neglecting even more work to spend time with their guests as his father had asked him to do. He realized that agreeing to do that had probably been a mistake, but there had been work that Hoss and Joe had to do so it had been reasonable for their father to think that Adam could take over some of the hosting duties for their guests.

When Adam, Rosalie, William, and Minnie had arrived at the main house, Rosalie had been almost immediately pushed into a foul mood. Margarita was wearing a stunning gown that made Rosalie’s look shabby by comparison or so Rosalie thought. Then when Margarita had asked to hold William, Rosalie had warned her that he seldom enjoyed being held by a stranger only to watch as William cooed in Margarita’s arms and even smiled at her. That had caused Rosalie to slip out of the house to try to get back her emotional control only to overhear her two brothers-in-law talking in the stable about how beautiful Margarita was. She stepped to the shadows at the side of the stable and began to cry. Adam had stepped out on the porch to watch her disappear around the side of the stable. He waited until Hoss and Joe got back from taking care of his carriage horses before heading toward where he had seen Rosalie go.

“What’s wrong? Why did you leave the house?”

“Why do you care? Everything you want is in that house?”

About to retort sharply, Adam remembered Paul’s words. There was going to be a storm between them and he suspected it would be with lots of thunder and lightning. “I’m taking you home. We need to talk. Wait for me right here and don’t even think about arguing about that or I’ll pick you up and carry you to our home.” Adam walked to the house and asked Hoss if he would please give Minnie and William a ride back to his house after dinner. He said quick goodbyes to everyone explaining that Rosalie wasn’t feeling well and that he was taking her home. He walked outside to find a very contrite Rosalie.

“You don’t have to take me home. I’ll behave.”

“No, it’s time we had this out. Now, we’ll do that when we get back. No one has to ‘behave’ but there will be some brutal honesty if I have my way. I need to think about what I’m going to say so there won’t be any conversation on the way back. Is that clear?” Adam had spoken forcefully because he was so worried but also because it had to be done.

Worried about what Adam was thinking, Rosalie simply nodded and did her best to stop the tears from falling. She suspected there were going to be a lot more tears later. As Adam helped her into their carriage after hitching up the team that had only been unhitched less than a half hour earlier, there were eyes watching them. The same pair of eyes had been watching them for weeks. Tom Weller had been hired on the Ponderosa and had worked on the Morton ranch before heading to the gold fields to try to become rich. Rosalie’s youngest brother, Cam, had explained it all to Joe who had told his family the man’s background, as he understood it based on what Cam had said.

“Tom Weller worked for us and he was my friend, but as I got older and had a better idea of what kind of man he was, I spent less and less time with him. He works hard and does what he’s told, but there’s something about him that makes you want to take a bath after you spend time with him. He wanted to court Rosalie but Pa said no. Tom said it was because he had no money, so he went away to try to strike it rich. We were relieved to see him go because Pa didn’t have a good reason to fire him, but wanted to. Getting rich by finding gold didn’t work. Now he’s back, and I’ve got to wonder what he’s planning to do.”

“If he didn’t do anything wrong, why were you all so happy to see him go?”

“It seemed that he was always kinda sneaking round. You’d be having a talk with someone, and there he’d be. He always wanted to be in on everything even when it wasn’t any of his concern. He made us all a bit nervous. People who gave him trouble seemed to have bad luck with lame horses, barn fires, and things like that. We never saw any evidence that Tom was involved, but it was too much to be coincidence every time. He always had an alibi, and with no evidence against him, no one could really say he did anything wrong, but the worry was always there.”

“We can watch to make sure he doesn’t do anything like that.”

“Joe, there’s something else. Something happened between him and Rosalie. She never wanted to talk about it, but just mentioning his name kinda made her shiver and wrap her arms around herself. I don’t know what it was, but you make sure he doesn’t go anywhere near my sister.”

Readily agreeing to protect Rosalie, Joe had ridden home from the Morton ranch and told his father and brothers what Cam had said. They informed Candy and all of them kept an eye on Tom but found nothing even remotely like what Cam had described. After a short time, they forgot that they had been warned about him.

Chapter 2

“All Margarita can do is praise you, touch you on the arm, and spend as much time with you as she could.”

“That bothered you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why? So you could compare me to her and find me lacking?”

Adam had to hold back at that point. His temper was dangerously close to exploding and he was doing his best not to let that happen. He had pushed Rosalie to be completely honest reminding her that they had made a pact to do that. Now he had to be honest too but struggled to keep his manner reasonable. “No, I would never do that.”

“I saw how you reacted to her when they were at the stable earlier. Then when we were dressing to go to dinner, you tried to be romantic with me. I couldn’t bear it knowing I was standing in for the one you desired.”

That was more than Adam could take. He did explode. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing? It was you I desired when we were at the stable. In those pants and shirt, all of you was packaged showing everything so clearly. You filled out those pants showing every curve and your breasts pushed against your shirt outlining themselves very clearly. If we didn’t have guests, I would have wanted to take you right there in the stable. It’s been six weeks of abstinence since William was born. I’ve been going nearly crazy trying to keep myself from taking you to bed at every opportunity.”

Rosalie nearly shouted her response. “But at night, I go to bed alone while you work downstairs.” Suddenly Rosalie understood why Adam might want to busy himself with work while she undressed, nursed William, and then slipped into the bed after placing him in his cradle. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t understand, but why did you look angry with me at the stable.”

“Because another man got to stare at my wife’s attributes, and in that outfit, there wasn’t much left to the imagination. Those pants were very tight as was the shirt especially with no feminine undergarments to soften the outlines.”

“But how is that different than all the attention you get from Margarita?”

“She is only being grateful. She has no designs on me. She was a guest with us once before and I tamed some of her shrewishness, and then showed her how to be a woman of fire without the nastiness. It’s why Don Luis married her. She only wanted to show me how happy she was with what I had done for her and how much she appreciates that I helped her. She’s happy being a wife and a mother. But Don Luis was looking at you as any man would seeing you like that. I don’t want to think about another man having images of my wife in his mind like that.”

“But I don’t feel attractive. I don’t know how you can stand being with me after everything. I’m fat, and I’m, I’m, oh, I’m.” Rosalie burst into tears and Adam suspected that he knew why.

“You are beautiful. I love you. I have never loved anyone like I love you. I never will. You are in my heart and in my soul. You are the mother of my child, the love of my life, and my best friend and my partner.”

Wrapping his arms around his sobbing wife, Adam wondered if things were going well or badly. He had not expected Rosalie to burst into tears when he had told her he loved her and how important she was to him. He waited until the sobbing diminished to sniffles. He felt that his shirt was wet with tears and reached for the clean handkerchief in his pocket to gently wipe her tears once he could get her to turn her face toward him even if it was only a little. He kept one arm around her to hold her to him as he spoke softly.

“I don’t know why you cried so hard.”

Tears began to fall again. “It’s that you were so sweet, and I’ve been such a bitch. I haven’t been all those wonderful things you said. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You are all those wonderful things. You have had a very difficult year or so. We lost Robert. You suffered terribly until I could rescue you in Australia. Then you carried a child not knowing if I was the father. You gave birth to our son. Anyone could be expected to have some problems with so much to bear. You held up wonderfully, but sooner or later, you had to let it all out. I expected something like this but I thought you would be more angry than so sad.”

“Sometimes I am angry. I want to scream and kick things. Then that makes me feel worse for being so out of control and it makes me cry again.”

“Sweetheart, we’re going to get through this now. We’re together and that’s all that matters. We’re a family, we have a wonderful home, and there are so many good months and years ahead of us. Let’s try to look forward and not back as much as we can.”

There was the sound of a carriage outside at that point, and Adam pushed aside the curtains to see that his carriage was back but Hoss wasn’t driving it. A young man helped Minnie from the carriage and then carefully handed William to her. He took her elbow and helped her up the steps to the house being concerned that she not trip in the dark. Adam had not yet lit a lantern because he hadn’t expected them back so soon. As he opened the front door, Minnie smiled a little to greet Adam a bit sheepishly. She knew that Adam had wanted time alone with Rosalie and that was being cut short.

“Young master William will not be soothed. He wants his mother, I’m afraid, and the rest of us were poor substitutes in his opinion. He’s got his father’s spirit according to Mr. Cartwright.”

“Pa would say that. Here, I’ll take him.”

Minnie could see that Rosalie had been crying. She looked at Adam who shook his head only enough to let her know not to say anything about her red eyes and puffy face. She turned to thank the young man who had driven her and the baby back to the house but he had stepped inside the doorway right behind her and introduced himself as soon as Adam turned in his direction.

“Hello, Adam. I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced. I’m Tom Weller. Hoss said that his son was creating some kind of problem and I volunteered to drive Mrs. Miller over here once I got the carriage all hitched up. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Thank you for helping out. Go slow on the way back. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt. I have a lantern I can light for you if that will help. I have to go put my carriage horses in the stable anyway.”

After handing William off to Rosalie, Adam walked outside with Tom pulling the door closed behind him without seeing that Rosalie had turned nearly white with shock. Tom had stared at her and when no one noticed, he winked. She didn’t know what he meant by that but feared that he meant it as a threat of some kind because he looked at Adam and smirked when Adam was talking with Minnie. She knew she would have to talk with Adam about Tom. She didn’t want to have that conversation but knew she had to tell him because she believed that Tom was a threat to her and to him. She hoped that William was not in any danger but couldn’t be sure. Minnie stood by Rosalie’s side after Adam handed William off to her. Minnie was deeply concerned not only about the state Rosalie was in after being with Adam, but Minnie had seen the frightened look she got when she saw Tom who had seemed like such a nice young man as he drove the carriage.

“I don’t know what you and Adam, ah, discussed before I got back, but I can tell you have something more to say to him. Don’t delay. Anything that makes you turn white as a ghost and nearly start shaking is something that can’t wait.”

“Minnie, you’re right. I can’t tell you until I tell Adam, but I can tell you this. Do not go anywhere with that man again, and don’t let him near William. I didn’t know he was working on the Ponderosa. I can’t believe that no one told me.”

“Well, now, let’s get you and William upstairs. You can nurse him and put him in his cradle by the time Adam gets back here.”

Almost reluctantly, Rosalie did as Minnie suggested, but her thoughts were on what Tom might be planning, and she worried about Adam being with him without knowing what he was capable of doing. She suspected that she did and knew she would worry until Adam walked back in that door.

Outside, Tom Weller had noticed the ax leaning against the woodpile and the long sledgehammer next to an anvil by the stable. He knew that either one would work well to split Adam Cartwright’s head open like a melon. But he did nothing because those methods however emotionally satisfying they might be to him would get him the noose. No, he was trying to think of something much more subtle to remove the man he saw as his rival. He looked around thinking that he wouldn’t mind living in this house and having his own stable as well as a cook and housekeeper. He guessed that once Adam was gone, he could woo Rosalie and the Cartwrights would be so grateful to have a man willing to be a father to William that they would welcome him into the fold. Those thoughts made him smile, but he noticed that Adam had seen him smiling. He needed a cover story and fast.

“You sure have a nice little boy there. He cooed and smiled as we drove back. It was like he knew I was bringing him home to his mama. I sure look forward to the day when I can have a pretty wife and handsome son like that.”

Adam smiled and thanked him for the implied compliment but felt that there was something off about the way he said it. He began to understand why Cam had said that Tom made people feel uneasy by the way he said things. He bid the young man good night and went into the stable but watched from the dark gateway to see him climb into the carriage and stare up at the lighted bedroom window before he drove off. Adam decided that he was going to be doing some checking on Tom Weller and certainly did not want him driving members of his household. He wondered exactly how he was going to explain that to his family because he had no concrete evidence that Tom was a problem in any way. Hoss always said that one should trust their gut, and his gut was telling him that Tom was a problem about to become their problem. Once he got inside though, it was Rosalie who broached that subject almost immediately.

“Adam, why didn’t you tell me that Tom Weller was working on the ranch? How could you not tell me?”

Keeping his concerns private for the moment, Adam spoke calmly because he knew how emotionally on edge Rosalie was. He didn’t want to unnecessarily upset her. “Cam said he might seek revenge against someone he thought had wronged him. He warned us to watch him, but he’s done nothing wrong. Now, why does he worry you so much? I know Cam said he had wanted to be a suitor for your hand, but he said your father forbid it.”

Once Rosalie started explaining, she found that the words rushed out. She had been frightened to tell anyone when she was younger and had held the secret for too long, but with Adam at her side and after the things she had already survived, her courage was stronger. “It’s much more complicated than that. He came to me to tell me that he was going to court me. I was flattered and actually considered accepting that, but after he spoke to my father, he was furious. He told me that the only reason my father didn’t accept him as a suitor for me was because he didn’t have money. He said he was leaving to strike it rich and that he would be back for me when that happened.” Because Adam looked like he wanted to say something, Rosalie raised her hand to stop him. She needed to get all of it out before she thought about it too much and lost her resolve. “He told me that I was his, and he said that I better wait for him because if I gave myself to another man, he would turn my bull into a steer before he killed him. He pushed me back into a stall of the stable and said he wanted a kiss before he left. He did more than that. I was wearing pants and a shirt. He touched me in places that no man should touch a woman who is not his wife. I managed to push him away before anything else happened. He laughed and said he liked me fighting back a little because it showed I had spirit. He said he would break me just like we broke horses, and then he said some very crude things and laughed when it made me upset. I told him he was crazy. He got furious then and said that if I ever said that to him again, he would cut out my tongue. But, Adam, he is crazy.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell this to your family?”

“He left, and I didn’t want to make trouble. Then when he didn’t come back, I thought it didn’t matter, but he’s back now, and I’m scared.”

“I’ll talk with my family. We’ll let him go.”

“But, Adam, that won’t help. He’ll be even more angry, and we won’t know where he is.”

Chapter 3

That night as Adam slid into bed, he gave Rosalie a soft kiss and then lay on his back to sleep. He would have preferred wrapping his arms around his wife and pulling her toward him but then she would know that he had much more on his mind than comforting her. He thought she needed to sleep so he kept his distance not knowing that Rosalie was awake for hours with a troubled mind. She had hoped that Adam would make a romantic overture to her so that she could lose herself in passion and pleasure for a time and forget about any unpleasant thoughts. Instead, Adam had fallen asleep rather quickly. Once she finally fell into a deep sleep, those terrible thoughts swirled through her dreams to coalesce into a nightmare. Her movements awakened Adam who heard William mewling softly in his cradle. Knowing that those soft sounds would soon be replaced by a sharp howl as William came fully awake and realized his discomfort from being wet and being hungry. Adam slid from the bed, turned a lamp up enough so that he could see what he was doing, and lifted William from his cradle.

As expected, William needed a change but Adam felt his cradle and was relieved that at least this time he had not wet his bedding. That was a warning though that there was more to come so he held a clean diaper over his infant son as he removed the sodden diaper. It was a precaution he had learned from Mrs. Miller and found it very helpful. As expected, the cool air made William release the rest of it. Adam dropped both wet diapers into the pail of soapy water that was there for that purpose. He wrapped his son in a thick soft clean diaper and then pulled a clean gown over him. He lifted William into his arms then and spent a few moments softly brushing his son’s cheeks with kisses. William cooed and reached for the lock of hair hanging down on Adam’s forehead. He missed so Adam gave him another few tries until he was able to grab it and pull. They played that game for another minute until William began to fuss. He was hungry and could only be distracted a short time before that urge became too strong. Adam moved closer to the bed and softly called Rosalie’s name to wake her. He didn’t want to startle her, but when she did not respond to his call, he sat on the side of the bed and touched her shoulder as he said her name again. Rosalie came up punching. Adam turned his back to her to protect William and she pounded his back with blows before she fully awakened and realized where she was.

“Oh, my Lord, Adam, I’m sorry. I guess I was having a nightmare. Oh, my, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, of course not.” Adam knew he was likely to have some bruises in the morning, but at least William was safe. He did his best to reassure Rosalie that he was fine, and then asked if she was ready to nurse their son. She was embarrassed by her nightmare-induced violence and quietly accepted William after opening her gown for him to suckle. She continued to look down at the infant not wanting to meet Adam’s eyes.

“Sweetheart, it was a nightmare. I understand. You don’t have to feel so badly about it.” He reached out his hand, and with his index finger under her chin, he raised her face to look directly at him. “I love you. I know you love me. There’s no need to be so embarrassed about a nightmare. There are any number of reasons why that happened, but I suspect I know the main one. I’ll talk to my family tomorrow to see if we can come up with a solution.”

“Thank you. I am so sorry about hitting you.”

“I know it was the nightmare. If it wasn’t, you would have to find a way to make it up to me.” Adam grinned then and moved his eyebrows up and down making her laugh.

“I had thought you might make that suggestion earlier.”

“I thought you needed to rest.”

“I’m rested now.” Then it was Adam’s turn to chuckle. “Let me finish with William and then I need to use the water closet. After that, I’m all yours.”

A short time later, Rosalie emerged from the small water closet in their bedroom and had to smile as she watched Adam who was rocking William. He had put a diaper across his chest so that his chest hair didn’t tickle William. That usually led to a fun time between father and son, but at the moment, Adam was hoping to get William to fall soundly asleep instead. Seeing Rosalie emerge, Adam stood and gently laid William in his cradle pausing a short time resting his hand on his son’s back reassuring him that his father was still there. As William settled down and began to breathe softly as he slipped into a deep sleep, Adam stood looking down at him for a moment before turning to his wife and slipping into the bed beside her.

“I’m glad you didn’t cover up your chest hair for me. I like how it tickles me all over, but it’s been so long, I can hardly remember the feeling.”

“Well, then, sweetheart, let me remind you how it’s done.”

Soon, Rosalie was giggling and afraid of waking William until Adam did a few other things, and then she couldn’t think at all as she gave herself over to pleasure and passion. As Adam slumped against her side later with one leg still draped over hers, she smiled wrapping one arm around his neck and the other over his arm letting her hand rest lightly on his back as she held him close to her. She felt as safe and loved as she could feel and began lightly caressing his back even as the fingers on her other hand played with the damp curls at the back of his head. Her hand caressed his arm then as she turned toward him and began kissing his cheek and neck.

“You keep that up and we won’t be getting much sleep tonight.”

“Sleep is highly overrated, don’t you think?”

The only answer Adam could give to that was to move up to kiss her face moving across her cheek and down her neck kissing softly and making her body come alive with pleasurable sensations all over again. She put a hand on his shoulder then pushing him onto his back so that she could kiss and touch him as he had kissed and touched her earlier. It was an hour later before they exhausted couple curled into a spoon position and fell soundly asleep. William awoke them several hours later demanding attention. Rosalie slid up to the headboard positioning pillows so that she could rest as she nursed their son. Adam put a dry diaper on William but didn’t replace the gown knowing that Rosalie would bathe him as soon as she was finished nursing him. As Adam turned away to dress, Rosalie gasped. With the brighter light of morning, she could see the deep purple bruises that had formed on Adam’s back.

“Oh, Adam, I am so sorry I hit you. You’re going to be sore today.”

“It’s not so bad. I’ll think about the other things you did last night to keep my mind off of it. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’m going to grab some breakfast and head on over to talk with my family. We’ll work out a solution.”

“What about your trip to the lumber mill this week? I know you’ve been putting it off for me, but I also know you need to go there this week.”

“I’ll ask if Joe can stay here with you and William at night. It shouldn’t be a problem for him, and he can get to know his other nephew better.”

“It will make me feel better too having him in the house.”

“I’ll be back for lunch if I can. We’ll talk more, and I should have more ideas from my family. You stay in the house, please, and make sure that you keep that pistol handy.”

“I thought you said he hadn’t done anything wrong?”

“He hasn’t yet, but I don’t trust him especially after what you told me about him. If he sees that I’m at the house with Pa and my brothers, I wouldn’t put it past him to come over here. He’s odd, and that makes him unpredictable. Now, you tell Minnie all about him while I’m gone. She needs to know too what kind of man we’re facing. Don’t even think of working with the horses unless I’m here or Joe to make sure you’re safe.”

With that warning, Adam left the house to ride to the main house to talk with his father and brothers. He explained what he had learned from Rosalie and talked about how and why Tom made him uncomfortable. Ben understood Adam’s need to protect his family but worried about treating the young man unfairly.

“Adam, perhaps we can find duties for him that take him well away from your home and your wife and son. Would that be acceptable?”

Although not inclined to like that proposal, Adam had no specific complaint he could make. His father and brothers wondered if perhaps Tom’s threat from years ago was the bravado of a very young man.

Hoss had been the one to work most often with Tom and had found him easy-going and a hard-worker. “Adam, now we wouldn’t want to hold Joe here to things he said when he was eighteen. Maybe this feller has growed up some and doesn’t think like that at all no more. I mean, when you say he looked up at the bedroom window, it seems to me that ain’t all that surprising at night in a strange place. He volunteered to take Minnie and your son back home when I said I needed to stay here. He was doing me a favor. That don’t seem like the kind of thing a man would do ifn he meant harm to our family.”

“Hoss, it’s not ‘our’ family that may be in danger. It’s my family, my wife and my son, who could be in danger. I don’t like the idea of keeping him on, but Rosalie said about the same thing even if she had different reasons.”

“Son, what did Rosalie want?”

“She said we had to keep him on now so that we could watch him and know where he was at all times. We’re going to be worried though regardless of where he is after what Cam said and now what Rosalie told me. I should have been more suspicious of him from the start. I want to check into his background too and find out why he came back here. He might have caused trouble elsewhere. If he has, we should know about it.”

“That seems reasonable. You’ll take care of that?”

“Yes, Pa, I would be happy to do that and as soon as I find the time to go to town, I’ll send some wires to see what I can find out about him. Joe, I have a special favor to ask of you. When I’m gone, will you stay at my house in the evenings until morning?”

“Anytime you need me to stay at your place, I will. I would be happy to help you out like that, and you know I’ll protect Rosalie and William with everything I’ve got.”

“Thank you, Joe. I’m going up to the lumber mill tomorrow for three days, and it might even take me four or five days because I haven’t been up there in almost two months. I’ll need your help then. We have a bedroom you can use because William is still in our room. He needs to be nursed every three or four hours so it’s more convenient to keep him close.”

“So you’ll be home on Thursday if you can but no later than Saturday?”

“That’s the plan.”

“In two days, I have to be in Carson City for a meeting. I’ll have Candy fill in for me at your house that night. You can trust him, Adam. He’ll protect her like she’s his sister.” Adam nodded because he had come to trust Candy as much as his brothers did.

The trip to the lumber mill went as expected. Adam had a backlog of work to do there though and ended up being gone for five days instead of three. He was confident that his family would see to it that Rosalie and William were protected. When he finally mounted up to ride home early Saturday afternoon, the foreman asked if he didn’t want to stay until Sunday because he was tired and wouldn’t arrive home until after dark, but Adam was determined that he would go home. He did arrive well after dark, opened the stable, and lit a lantern. The next thing he knew he was face down in the dirt of the stable floor looking at a pair of boots. His head was pounding as he struggled to make sense of what had happened. Then there were strong arms grasping his arms and dragging him toward a stall and a horse that he knew was Candy’s. He was too groggy to process what was going to happen and a moment before he was shoved beneath the hooves of the agitated horse in the stall, he heard other voices and the strong arms dropped him to the stable floor again.

Tom Weller had slipped away from the other hands who had gone to town for a Saturday night, and he had ridden out to Adam’s place when he heard Hoss say that they expected Adam home by that evening. Hoss said he was overdue but wouldn’t miss Sunday with his family if he could help it. Tom had a plan and decided right there to implement it. Adam was going to have an unfortunate accident in his own stable stumbling into a horse stall because he was so tired. That was the plan and Tom had thought that no one would be able to suspect him of any wrongdoing. His plan was to make sure Adam’s head was where the horse’s hooves couldn’t miss it. No one would ever see the injury from the shovel after the horse trampled Adam.

“Dadburnit, I knew you was up to something when I saw ya a sneaking out of the saloon. Now back over there and don’t move too much or I’ll likely break you in two. Candy, get his pistol, will ya, while I take a look at Adam?” Kneeling at Adam’s side, Hoss helped him to sit up against the post of the stall where Tom had meant to drag him. “I’m betting you got yourself quite a humdinger of a headache right about now. You feeling sick or anything?”

“No, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I try to stand up.” Suddenly Adam was more alert. “Rosalie?”

“Joe went to the house right off when we got here. It’s quiet so he found them safe and sound. We’ll get you up to your house now cause I’m sure they’re both worried about what happened out here.”

Hoss helped Adam to his feet, and as expected, Adam was unsteady because of dizziness so Hoss stayed by his side and guided him to the house where Joe waited with Rosalie and Minnie. Candy already had Tom’s hands tied and led him outside the stable telling Hoss he would take him to town and turn him over to Sheriff Roy Coffee. Adam heard that but couldn’t remember it a short time later. He ended up spending two days in bed and then a week more working at his house before he tried riding in the carriage to town for Tom’s trial. He couldn’t testify to much because of the head injury so he explained how he had walked into the stable. That was about all he could remember. Hoss and Candy filled in the rest. The jury found Tom guilty of assault and battery, but because it was his first offense, he only got three years in prison for the assault on Adam. Adam and his family knew that it was attempted murder, but they couldn’t prove it. However later they found that Tom was wanted in California for some minor offenses. That state wouldn’t pay to extradite him for minor crimes, but when Tom was paroled after two years, Ben Cartwright offered to pay the costs of having him taken to California for trial. He got another year at hard labor there.

Chapter 4

“Light has all sorts of colors in it. When the sunlight comes through the air, we see the blue color. Sometimes you see the red color when the sunlight bounces off the clouds.”

Ben was amazed again at the patience Adam had in explaining things to his son. William asked questions the way Adam had asked when he was that age, but Ben had to admit that Adam’s education made it easier for him to explain some of the answers. William had asked why the sky was blue. Ben remembered how he had answered that question for Adam decades earlier.

“It’s just the color that it is like leaves are green and dirt is brown.”

He smiled as he remembered Adam frowning and thinking for several minutes before answering. “Papa, but why are some leaves yellow and some dirt is red?” He had to admit that some of Adam’s questions had stumped him. Adam had answered all of William’s questions even though William was even more curious than Adam had been at that age, so the questions were more numerous and often fairly complicated. Ben wondered what would happen when William found out that his mother was going to have another baby. He smiled again as he thought about his reserved and serious son managing those questions from his four-year-old son. For the time being though, he listened as Adam explained that he had a prism at home stored away somewhere and that he would get it out on a sunny morning and show William all the colors of light. Then he told him that raindrops were a natural prism and that was how they got rainbows.

“There are books at our house with drawings of rainbows inside because Mama likes rainbows. It’s one of her favorite things. She can show you when we get home.”

Nearly every weekday morning for the past year, William rode over to the main house with Adam in the morning and sat and paged through picture books or played with Gunnie while Adam talked over business with his family. Once that was done, William sometimes stayed under Joelle’s supervision, and some other times, Adam and Hoss took the boys over to play under Rosalie’s supervision. The boys did need to be supervised. William was exceptionally curious and that sometimes got him or both of the boys in trouble, and Gunnie was older and quite a bit bigger and thought he could handle anything that came his way. Hoss joked that somehow part of Little Joe got into his son. Ben enjoyed the days that the boys played together at his house even if they were a bit noisy. He had learned, just as his sons had, that silence from his two grandsons was a danger signal and meant they were up to something. Hoss’ twin daughters, Maureen and Darlene, played quietly and seldom made noise. They were quite a contrast to the two boys whose noise didn’t seem to bother Hoss or Adam.

However for Adam the most troubling aspect of being a father was that William was either imagining that he saw things or seeing things and misinterpreting or not seeing them clearly. Several times, he had told his parents about a man sneaking around the house. He couldn’t describe him other than in the most general terms, and Adam could never find any evidence of a man being anywhere when he went to look. William said the man was wearing snowshoes, but of course with the weather, that was preposterous. When Adam or Rosalie asked how he knew there was someone outside, William said he could hear him walking. That seemed preposterous too until an incident when Adam and Rosalie were quietly discussing her pregnancy while standing in his office. William was still at the dining room table waiting for the dessert Mrs. Miller had promised. Adam had walked Rosalie from the table because she got a queasy stomach. She had escaped morning sickness in her first two pregnancies but it appeared that this time, she was going to have problems. As Adam walked back to the dining table leaving Rosalie to rest on the reclining chair in his darkened office, William smiled.

“So Mama is gonna have a baby?”

“William, why would you say that? Did someone tell you that?” Adam had wanted to keep the news from William for as long as they could because he knew his son would be asking interminable questions once he found out.

“I heard you and Mama talking. I didn’t do a bad thing, did I, Papa?”

“But we were whispering when we were talking.”

“Uh-huh, it was hard to hear you.”

Adam sat down heavily. He had been concerned that perhaps William had some visual impairment, and now it seemed as if he had remarkable hearing. “William, tell me again what you hear when you go to see if there’s a man outside.”

“I hear funny squeaking sounds. Then I go look. There’s a man with snowshoes walking around. He’s looking at the house. Then he leaves.”

“You stay at the table and eat your dessert. I’m going to take a walk outside before it gets too dark to see.” Adam went to tell Rosalie what he had discovered and what he was going to do. Rosalie looked worried and watched Adam strap on his gunbelt before going outside. A half hour later, he was back. He whispered to Rosalie that they would talk later when William was in bed. Then Adam locked the doors and latched the shutters on all the windows as they would do if there was a storm on the way. There was a danger but it wasn’t a storm that had him worried. Rosalie was anxious to find out what was wrong and was in the kitchen as soon as she could get William settled in for the night. Adam and Minnie were having a cup of coffee and had been discussing what Adam had found.

“What did you find?”

“William has amazing hearing. Someone has been walking around our house. Whoever it is, they are wearing birch bark on their feet so that I never saw any tracks. Once William described what he saw and heard, I looked for something like that. It didn’t take long to find it once I knew that I wasn’t looking for boot tracks but something flat.”

“What are we going to do?”

“For tonight, I’m going to stay up and keep watch. I want you and Minnie to take a pistol with you to the bedroom. The windows are locked and shuttered, but because we don’t know what the threat is, we should be very cautious. Even if you can’t shoot well, the noise of it might scare an intruder away. In the morning, I’ll fire three shots to get help to come running. At any time tonight, be ready to do that if we have a intruder and I can’t fire off the shots. I’d go get help now except I don’t want to leave you here with no protection.”

“What about protection for you? Adam, you need to keep yourself safe too.”

“Sweetheart, I will. Now, I suggest that you and Minnie sleep in your day clothes tonight so you can be ready for anything.”

Nothing happened that night except that Adam got no sleep and the ladies got very little. In the morning, Adam fired three shots and soon Ben was there with Hoss, Joe, and Candy who wondered what was wrong when he met them at the front door.

“If you come around back, I’ll show you.”

As they walked around the house, Adam explained what William had heard that had made him go search for the odd prints instead of the tracks of boots that he had always looked to find before he understood what he should have done. He hoped to show them the tracks and perhaps have Hoss help him find the direction the tracks had gone even through the long grass and pine needles. That’s what would have happened except the tracks that Adam had found the evening before were gone.

“Son, are you sure you saw something like that? Perhaps it was your worry that made you think that you saw those kinds of tracks.”

Adam sighed deeply and looked at Hoss who was still moving around looking intently at the ground. “Pa, somebody did their best to brush out any tracks that were here. Didn’t you notice that any tracks Adam must have made are gone too?”

“So whoever it is could be watching us right now.” Ben did his best not to stare at the grove of trees not too far from the house.

Adam had nodded at Hoss’ evaluation of the situation and had an idea of how they should proceed. “Yes, so I suggest we spread out and keep our pistols ready. If we begin to get close to where he’s at, he could act like a cornered rat.”

That also was an accurate assessment. As they moved out in a line and gradually approached the grove of trees, a horseman dashed away headed toward town. There was no possible way to catch him because their horses were tied in front of the house though it didn’t stop Joe and Candy from trying. They rode back a short time later explaining that when the rider got to the road, they couldn’t track him either. For the rest of the day, Joe stayed with Adam and his family at the house. Ben asked Candy to find out if any of the men were interested in extra pay for keeping watch at Adam’s house at night.

“Joe, you can tell them that they can sleep in the tack room. One can watch as the other sleeps. I’ll keep a couple of lanterns burning outside so that they can see anyone moving around.”

Men began taking night duty at Adam’s home, but no one approached the house again. After several weeks, Adam told his father that they would keep two men sleeping in the tack room, but that there would be no sentry duty. He did keep the lanterns lit and kept the windows shuttered, but even that seemed unnecessary as months passed and nothing happened. Then as they prepared for Gunnie’s fifth birthday party, Adam took William into town with him leaving Rosalie and Minnie at home to bake for the party. Rosalie walked to the small chicken coop near the back of the stable and was confronted by a lean, bearded man. Startled, she didn’t recognize him until he spoke.

“Now, sweet Rosie, you haven’t forgotten your first love, have you?”

Rosalie wanted to scream but all she actually did was drop the pail she was going to use to get some eggs for the baking that she and Minnie were doing. She backed away from him in the direction of the house.

“Has that beast made you afraid of me, Rosie? I would never hurt you. I love you, and I’ve come back for you.”

“It’s not love. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not love. I love Adam and he loves me.”

“He doesn’t love you. He’s using you to get the heirs that his father wants. You’re nothing to him. You are everything to me. I’ll even take care of his brat once he’s out of the way. It’ll be the three of us then. We’ll be very happy, I’m sure.”

“No, Adam and I are going to have another baby. He’s the one I want. I’m sorry if you are disappointed by that, but that’s the truth.”

“Rosie, my love, I have to admit that several years ago that would have made me furious, but now I’m happy. We’ll have two children right away, and both of them will be heirs to a lot of money. It’s nearly perfect, don’t you think?”

“Is that what this is about? You want money?”

“We all want money, Rosie, love. Isn’t that why you married a man so much older than you? You wanted his money. You knew he would die long before you and you would have his money because you had his children. It’s kind of funny really that he’s using you, but you’re using him too.”

“No, I love him and he loves me.”

“Poor deluded Rosie. I know better. For the last three years, I’ve only thought of you and how you must be suffering the attentions of that hairy beast. I only regret that I didn’t hit him with that shovel when he was still holding the lantern. I didn’t think of that until later. He would have fallen and the lantern would have started the stable on fire. All my troubles would have been gone, and we could have been together this whole time.”

“No, I would never have been with you. If you had killed Adam, I wouldn’t have rested until you got the gallows for it. Now you should leave because Adam will be home soon.”

“Now Rosie, I saw him heading for town. He won’t be back for hours. We can spend some quality time together.”

Tom Weller moved closer to Rosie who assessed her chances of making a run for it and concluding that she would never reach the house before he caught her. As Tom talked, she looked around for something to use as a weapon to defend herself. Suddenly both of them were startled by three shots fired at the house. Tom instinctively ducked and then stood and furiously demanded what had happened.

“Minnie must have finally realized that I was late getting back and saw you here. It’s the Cartwright signal for help. Riders will be here in a few minutes. You’re going back to jail even if it is only for trespassing so far.”

“Not if they don’t catch me here.”

Tom turned and ran behind the stable and soon Rosalie heard the pounding of a horse’s hoofs as he beat a hasty retreat to town. Soon after that, Hoss rode up with several hands and then a moment later, Joe and Candy rode up as well. Finding Rosalie standing alone, they had to ask what had happened. Hoss dismounted and wrapped an arm around her when he saw she was shaking.

“C’mon, now, Sis, what happened here?”

Rosalie did her best to keep her composure as she explained, but when Ben arrived, she lost it and began crying. Hoss quickly informed his father of what Rosalie had told them. Ben told Joe and Candy that they could take the hands and go home while he and Hoss took care of Rosalie. Joe wanted to stay to help but Ben told him he could help by riding to town to let Adam know what had happened. As expected, Adam arrived home as quickly as he could. He was furious when he found out who their stalker was.

“I’ll kill him.”

“Adam, no. He wants a confrontation with you. He wants you out of the way and if you attack him, he might get his wish. No, I think we may have a solution though. He wants money so badly that maybe we can pay him to leave. I get the feeling that he would do anything for money.”

“I’ll go talk with Roy about him tomorrow, and maybe I’ll see if I can find Tom and talk to him, but I won’t pay him money to leave us alone.”

“Why not if it will take care of it and get him to leave? Please think about it and don’t let your pride stop you from considering all solutions. Please?”

Chapter 5

In town, Tom Weller was figuratively kicking himself. He knew at that point that he should have asked the Cartwrights for money. He suspected that Rosalie would have given him quite a bit of money to go away and Ben would probably have been willing to do that too, but now that wouldn’t happen because of the things he had said to her and how angry that likely had made her husband. Tom downed several swigs of cheap whiskey as he waited expecting a visit from the sheriff because of the trespassing because that was a violation of his parole that had said he was not to have any contact in the future with any of the Cartwrights. He worried that he would go back to prison, and he couldn’t accept that. He knew that prison for a third time was more than he could take and he drank more. After a sleepless night, an exhausted man watched out the window of his cheap hotel and saw Adam Cartwright ride into town. It was the morning after Tom had visited with Rosalie and made his threats that he now saw as so very stupid. Those threats had been empty. He knew it but had wanted to upset and hurt Rosalie because he had been hurt and upset that she had married instead of waiting for him. He was feeling powerless and hated feeling that way. To him, his life was a cesspool and he hated the whole stinking thing. Then he came up with a solution in which he would no longer suffer but his enemies would. All that it required was a visit from Adam Cartwright whom he expected soon anyway. He sat back on his bed and waited.

Meanwhile Adam was taking some of his frustration out on Sheriff Roy Coffee who had seen similar behavior from Adam in the past. Adam felt guilty because he had not known it was Tom Weller who had been sneaking around his place. After several years, he had not been as concerned as he should have been knowing that Tom’s grudge against him and his obsession with Rosalie would likely only be strengthened by sitting in prison and working at hard labor with nothing else to do but think.

“Why weren’t we informed when Tom got out of prison? Surely they knew he could be a threat to us?”

“Now, see here, Adam. Tom was in prison in California. Your father saw to that. They ain’t likely to be telling us anything. You knew as well as any of us that Tom got a year there for what he done. You coulda kept track of the time yourself.”

Standing before Roy’s desk, Adam fumed a bit more until he sat in a chair in frustration. Roy handed him a cup of his usual awful jailhouse coffee. Adam sipped, grimaced, and then looked up apologetically to Roy.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to vent at the world for my wife being so frightened and you got in the way. I never should have ranted at you like that.”

“It’s all right, boy, cause I know how much you love your family and want to protect them. Now, what he done was a violation of a court order here. I can lock him up for it and then ask the state what they want to do about it. He won’t likely be locked up for long, though. He didn’t hurt no one and didn’t damage anything. Not too much we can do about him for words that wasn’t even threatening by what you told me.”

The two men were quiet for a time until Adam spoke. “Rosalie thinks we can pay him off to leave us alone.”

“Could be. I remember the last time when he was in my jail and complaining about how he was only in there cause he wasn’t rich. He does seem to think money will solve his problems.”

“I don’t want to have to pay him money for the rest of my life so that he will leave my family alone.”

“More likely the rest of his life which I expect won’t be that long. Man like that is gonna get in more trouble and more trouble until he’s in so deep, he can’t get out. I don’t see him living a long life on your money. More likely just a year or two ’til he’s locked up for something else.”

“That’s probably true. I’d like to try to talk with him to see then if that might be a possible solution. I know Rosalie would be happy if we never saw him again. I guess if it takes money to make that happen, then it would be worth it.” Adam’s expression left no doubt as to how distasteful that solution was to him however.

“Let me go send a wire off to Carson City about him. I expect they may need some time to decide what to do with him once I got him in the jail. Clem’s not working today so I’ll have to sit with him and listen to his complaining about how life is so danged unfair. Sometimes I wish I could charge some people with whining. Give them a hefty fine so they’d shut up. I’ll meet up with ya at that cheap little hotel where he stayed last time. I figure that’s where he’ll be again. He seems to follow patterns in his behavior so I expect he’ll be there.”

As Roy walked off to send a telegram, Adam strolled to the hotel working very hard to keep the tension out of his walk purposefully greeting everyone he knew with a pleasant line or two. His path was a direct line to the hotel and of course he go there well in advance of Roy. He decided to wait outside rather than going in by himself. He didn’t trust himself not to harm Tom Weller if he got close enough to him. An hour later, Adam sat in Roy’s jail charged with murdering Tom Weller and trying to explain how that happened to his lawyer even as they waited for Adam’s family to arrive.

“I was waiting across the street from the hotel where we thought Tom would be staying. He must have seen me waiting there and yelled out the window at me.”

“What did he say that made you go to the hotel instead of waiting as Roy had asked?”

“He yelled out a question. He asked how an old man like me could satisfy a ‘juicy morsel’ like ‘Rosie’ and said he had done better with her than I ever would. I know I shouldn’t have lost my temper and gone to see him, but no man out here can let another man talk about his wife that way and not react.”

Hiram Wood only nodded agreeing with what Adam had said and wondering how he could use it to sway a jury if the case ever progressed that far. “What happened in the hotel? I need to know step-by-step what you did and anything you said or he said.”

“I asked the desk clerk what room Tom Weller was in. He said 1 so I headed up the stairs and knocked on the door of room 1. It was ajar and opened when I knocked on it. All right, to be more accurate, I pounded on it. When the door swung open, he had a gun pointed at my chest and told me to toss my pistol over to him. He stood up then and motioned me to come closer and stand at the foot of the bed. He put his pistol in his holster and held my own pistol on me.”

“Did you have any idea why he had done that?”

“None, other than convenience. I assumed that he thought there was some meaning in shooting me with my own pistol. I thought that was what he was going to do and I was kicking myself for not being ready for him to pull a gun on me. I never expected him to do what he did. I told him he didn’t have to shoot me and get the noose for it. I told him that Rosalie had suggested that we pay him to go away. He laughed then and said it was too late. He smelled like whiskey so I assumed he was drunk or nearly so as badly as the place reeked.”

“What happened next? Please be as specific as you can.”

“There’s not much to be specific about because it all happened very suddenly. He said something about getting his revenge and his freedom at the same time before he took my pistol and aimed it at his chest and fired the trigger. I think I said no but I’m not sure if I actually said it or thought it. He flew back into the wall next to the bed and my pistol dropped out of his hand and onto the bed as he fell. It was clear he was dead. I stood and did nothing for a moment. I was so shocked by what had happened. The next thing was the clerk standing in the door shouting that I had murdered Tom Weller. Roy was there a moment later and saw what looked like a murder scene, I suppose.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing that’s going to help my case. He said that he knew something terrible had happened when he heard that gunshot inside the hotel. He said he was sorry he had let me go on ahead by myself considering how angry I was, and that he was sorry too that he hadn’t gotten there sooner to prevent it. Then he put me under arrest for murder even though I tried to explain it to him just as I have explained it to you. He told me to wait until we were over here and I could give a statement. When we got here, I told him the whole story, but he said that with the clerk yelling it was murder and drawing a crowd, he had to lock me up until it could get all sorted out.”

“Adam, my guess is that Roy is going to have an inquest. Hopefully, it will be ‘sorted out’ there. I’m going to insist that he let you go home with your family until he can convene an inquest. Hopefully, he will agree and we can have you out of here and home by tonight. If not, you may have to sit here until there’s and inquest or a hearing.”

Roy wasn’t as agreeable as Hiram had hoped. “Now, you listen here. I got people out there saying as how Adam murdered that man. Now I know he never woulda done anything like that, but I got to go by the law. I got a dead man shot with Adam’s pistol and he was the only one in the room who coulda fired that pistol.”

“No, Roy, there was another man there who could have fired and you know that. Tom Weller was a liar, a thief, a bully, and perhaps a murderer if some of those rumors from California are true. He had obviously been drinking. There is doubt right there of Adam being guilty of anything.”

“But that needs to come out in front of a judge or people won’t accept it, and we got to support the rule of law here. You got to admit if that had been anyone else, he’d be sitting in my jail right now.”

“No, I’m afraid that is not true. Is it possible that you are going out of your way to prove that there is no collusion with the Cartwrights on this? Would Adam be sitting in that jail cell if he wasn’t a friend of yours, a supporter? Roy, you’re going too far to show there is no favoritism. Adam’s story is plausible and fits the facts as we know them. There is no reason to doubt him, but keeping him in jail is going to make more and more people in this town think that he is guilty of something.”

“Well, I don’t want that. I was thinking that ifn he was here, it would show that he was cooperating, and then at the inquest, we could get the whole story out and he’d be cleared. Everyone would know he was innocent.”

“Roy, perception is as important as any facts of a case. Adam sitting in jail gives the impression that he committed a crime. Some will never believe he’s innocent because of it, and the longer he sits in there, the more people will think he is a guilty man.”

“I can’t back off now though. I already told the judge we’d have the inquest in the morning first thing. He stayed over an extra night just because of it. He’s got the information and I told him I had Adam over here at the jail.” After a pause, Roy leaned back in his chair. “Hiram, I been thinking that it’s time I handed over more duties to Clem. This only goes to show that I need to do that. I was thinking of following the letter of the law, and I plumb forgot my duty to protect and defend the citizens under my authority. I made a big mistake here and don’t rightly see how I can fix it.”

“Roy, release Adam and let him stay at the hotel tonight. No one needs to know he was locked in that cell. We can all walk out together and have dinner. You can tell everyone that Adam has given you his statement with me there to make sure everything was done according to the law. Tell them that Adam will be at the inquest in the morning.”

“Some folks have already probably been saying that I locked up Adam Cartwright.” Roy paused and smiled sheepishly. “But I’m guessing they’re gonna look a mite foolish when they see us walking over to the hotel for dinner. Sure is gonna help me too when Ben gets here.”

“Roy, have you met Rosalie? If I were you, I’d be more worried about her.”

Understandably chagrined by his unusually poor handling of the situation and ready to accept some pointed comments from Adam, Roy nodded and went to the back with the keys in his hand.

Chapter 6

“Roy, what is the meaning of this?”

“Ben, keep your voice down so you don’t make things worse just when they’re getting better.”

Hiram put his hand on Ben’s arm to try to calm him. Ben had stormed into the restaurant after going to the jail only to be told that Adam had gone to the hotel for dinner with Hiram and Roy. He had no idea what to make of things, but most people in the restaurant were distracted completely by Rosalie rushing into Adam’s arms and kissing him. It wasn’t something that was seen much in town and certainly not involving the serious oldest son of Ben Cartwright. After the momentary shock and outright stares, customers in the restaurant used their peripheral vision to keep an eye on the couple wondering if there was going to any more public displays of affection.

Ben nearly hissed his response to Hiram while giving Roy a hard stare. “So things are getting better, are they? I was told that my son was in jail for killing Tom Weller. Now I find him here in the restaurant with the sheriff and our lawyer. What in tarnation is going on?”

Speaking very quietly but loudly enough to be heard by the closest restaurant patrons, Hiram gave his carefully prepared response. “Adam was in the Sheriff’s Office making a statement. Now no one is more aware than you concerning all the trouble Tom Weller made for Rosalie and Adam. It took quite a while for the whole story to be written out. I was there to make sure all the legal points were properly addressed. If someone told you he was in jail, they were jumping to a ridiculous conclusion.”

Noting the intense looks he was getting from his son as well as from Roy and Hiram, Ben did his best to play along with a script he didn’t know. “Well, I’m glad that’s all cleared up. It seems that whenever a Cartwright is anywhere near a bad situation, the gossips can’t wait to spread their malicious rumors.” Ben saw a small smile tugging at Adam’s lip even as he clasped Rosalie’s hands in his showing the tension that was in him yet. Ben suspected that he wouldn’t hear the rest of the story until they were able to be somewhere private.

“Pa, we expected you so we ordered dinner. Where’s Joe?”

“He wanted to come, but I asked if he could help Joelle with the children. William especially minds Joe better than he does Joelle. She gets nervous too when all of us are gone from the ranch, and Hoss insisted that he needed to be here.” Adam looked to Hoss then and the two shared a small smile because they shared a bond that went back to when Hoss was a baby. In times of trouble, they were always together. “Now, what happened here?”

As Adam gave a condensed version of what had happened in the same sotto voce that Hiram had used to talk with Ben, Roy glanced at Rosalie and had to look down at the fierce condemnation he saw in her eyes. Nothing that had been said had fooled her. The way Adam had greeted her and the way he held her hand as he talked was all the evidence she needed. Roy listened to Adam but spent more of his energy trying to think of a way to apologize to Rosalie and Adam. Meanwhile, the dramatic effect of presenting his story as suggested by Hiram appealed to Adam’s theatrical side but also made a great impact on his audience of customers who no doubt would be telling the tale as soon as they left the restaurant. Once dinner was finished, Hiram suggested that they take rooms and meet in one of them to discuss what would happen the next day. Roy asked to see Rosalie.

“Hiram asked me if I had met you. He was trying to be funny because he knows how fiercely you love Adam and how angry you would be with me for locking him up. I know that my first impulse in this case was all wrong. Somehow I thought that holding Adam would show cooperation but Hiram pointed out that it would make a lot of people think that he was guilty of something regardless of how the inquest turned out. I’ve apologized to him, but now I need to apologize to you for what I put him through and what I put you through. Please, can you forgive me?”

Rosalie paused a moment before answering. “You’ve always been a good friend to Adam. He thinks of you very fondly. Anyone can make a mistake. Adam has forgiven me for those I’ve made, and he’s forgiven you. I accept your apology, but Roy, just remember that I do have a temper and I’m not afraid to shoot.” She smiled then but Roy didn’t know if it was genuine or if she was covering what she actually thought. More and more, he realized that she was quite a bit like her husband. He nodded and walked out of the hotel and back to his office.

After bidding Roy a pleasant goodnight, Rosalie joined the men in Ben’s hotel room for a quick strategy session. Then she and Adam returned to their room. Once that door was closed, Adam pulled her into a tight embrace. She said nothing knowing that her presence and her affection were what he needed.

“I shouldn’t have let him rile me up so easily. If he had yelled out more, there would have been more people paying attention and I would have witnesses to back up my story.”

“No one could ever have expected the man to kill himself. I mean, that was crazy, wasn’t it? He seemed to think he could get revenge on you by shooting himself in the heart. Didn’t he know that he wouldn’t be around to enjoy his vengeance?”

“He might not be, but after tomorrow, I hope I’m still around to be a husband and father especially with another one on the way.” Adam ran his hand over the baby bump on his wife. He had never expected to be so thrilled to have children. He hoped that this second one would be a girl. He saw Hoss with his daughters and wanted that experience too but he would be happy too to have another son.

“Hiram seems to have this well planned. If it goes like he thinks it will, by this time tomorrow, we’ll be home and finally free of Tom Weller.”

When Adam and Rosalie slipped into bed, they made love but it was as much a need to reaffirm love and support as it was to enjoy each other. Exhausted, they fell into sleep wrapped together. In the morning, both were groggy but hopeful that the day would go well. They met Ben and Hoss for breakfast but no one could eat much. Then they talked about everything except the inquest until nine when it began. Clarence and Rosalie’s brothers met them at the courthouse to show support. In the inquest, the desk clerk was the first to tell his story. Then Hiram asked some questions.

“Did you see Adam shoot Tom Weller?”

“No.”

“Did you hear Adam threaten Tom Weller?”

“No.”

“Did you hear Tom Weller talking?”

“Yes.”

“Could you understand what he was saying?”

“Only a little. I heard him laugh and say it was too late.”

“That was followed by the gunshot?”

“Yes.”

“Where were you when you heard the gunshot?”

“I was at the top of the stairs cause I was worried about what would happen.”

“When you entered the room, did you see a lot of blood spattered about?”

“Yes, it was all over the wall and Mr. Weller’s shirtfront was drenched in blood.”

“So, it sprayed around quite a lot?”

“Yes, it was even sprayed on the spread on the bed. We had to burn that.”

“Was there any blood on Mr. Cartwright?”

“Ah, he wasn’t there. It was Adam who was there.” There were chuckles in the packed courtroom in response to that. It was the first sound that had been made during the early testimony.

“Yes, then, was there any blood on Adam?”

“None that I could see, but he wears those black shirts.”

“Yes, he does, but if he was standing next to Tom Weller when he was shot, wouldn’t he have had blood spray onto his hand and perhaps even his face if there was blood sprayed everywhere even on the spread?”

“Yeah, I guess so. He wasn’t next to him though. He was on the other side of the bed standing at the footboard.”

“Did you see a gun?”

“Yes, it was on the bed.”

“In which direction was it pointing?”

“Ah, I guess it was pointing at Adam.”

“So, somehow, Adam pointed a gun at Mr. Weller, who according to the report the sheriff and the doctor filed was that he was shot at close range, managed not to get blood sprayed on him even as the area was sprayed with blood, jumped back across the bed, dropping his pistol so that it aimed at him all in the time you took to reach the door and look in?” The clerk had no answer to that but there was murmuring in the courtroom as the audience understood all the points that Hiram had made. Next up was Roy who explained what Adam had told him about what happened.

“Did Adam seem upset that Tom Weller was dead?”

“Yes, he did. He said more than once that he thought Tom wanted to shoot him with his own pistol. He seemed surprised that Tom shot himself.”

“Yes, that pistol. Now the clerk said that there was blood sprayed about quite a bit. Was there blood on the pistol?”

“Yes, there was. I had to pick it up with my handkerchief. I got it right there on the table ifn you wanted to see it or show anyone.”

“Was there any blood on Adam?”

“Nope.”

“His hands were clean?”

“Clean as they could be?”

The judge said he was ready to make a ruling but Hiram said he wanted the whole record completed so that no one would ever have any doubts about the case. The judge agreed but asked that any other witnesses tell their stories without so many questions to speed things up because he was supposed to be in Carson City by that night. Doctor Martin testified that the bullet had traveled up from the point of entry supporting the idea that Tom had shot himself because otherwise he would have had to stand there while Adam knelt down to shoot up at him. He said that there were grains of gunpowder around the wound and on Tom’s shirt indicating that he had been shot at extremely close range. Finally Adam took the stand and told the story he had told Roy and then Hiram before telling his family. Tom Weller had a twisted desire for revenge and had been drinking which most likely affected his thinking. By the time Adam finished his story, the whole courtroom was nodding in agreement with what he said. It all made sense to them. The judge ruled the death a suicide and the case was closed.

Sitting in a seat with his family at his side, Adam blew out his breath but said nothing. His father put a hand on his shoulder and Hoss put a hand on the other shoulder. Rosalie was seated beside him holding his right hand between her hands and was also quiet. Many people came up to tell Adam that they had never thought he would ever have done anything like what the rumors had said he did. Adam smiled and thanked each of them for their support and their understanding even though he knew some of them were lying. Once the courtroom cleared, Adam and his family thanked Hiram who smiled and said he would be sending his bill. That brought smiles finally.

“Son, let’s go home. You and Rosalie need to be back on the ranch.” Ben turned to Clarence and the rest of Rosalie’s family then. “Why don’t all of you come back with us? We’ll have Hop Sing cook up one of his great dinners and we can all relax together.”

However, relaxing was delayed a bit when they got back to the ranch. First Hop Sing had to be placated about being asked to fix a big dinner for guests when he had been given very little warning. Then the whole inquest had to be recounted in detail for a very curious Joe who chortled on hearing how Hiram had turned the desk clerk’s testimony around to help Adam’s case. Adam and Rosalie had stopped to pick up Minnie on their way to the ranch and she was as interested in what had happened as Joe was. She had been feeling ill and had been in bed for a few days but a chance to visit with Clarence and Ben seemed to make her perk up even more than the good news that Adam and Rosalie brought. Unknown to Ben or Clarence, their sons had been discussing for some time whether Ben or Clarence was the one that Minnie would choose. There were many smiles when Clarence offered to drive Minnie back to Adam’s house and Ben looked clearly disappointed in that. Adam followed in his carriage with Rosalie and William, as Rosalie’s brothers rode behind them until they turned off toward the Morton ranch. The turbulence caused by Tom Weller was finally over.

Chapter 7

“Papa, how did that baby get in there?”

Relieved to be done with anything having to do with Tom Weller, Adam took his son for a ride the next morning. As Rosalie’s stomach swelled, William had more and more questions and didn’t seem satisfied with the answers he had gotten. “When a man and woman love each other and are sweet with each other, God puts a baby inside the woman so they can share their love with a baby.”

Sitting in front of Adam on Sport, William thought for a time. “I saw Grandpa and Minnie being sweet with each other. Grandpa kissed her. Is God going to give them a baby?”

Almost choking with that one, Adam had to clarify. “No, the man and woman have to be married.”

“Oh. If Grandpa marries Minnie, will God give them a baby then?”

“No, I think they’re too old to have a baby.”

“How old is too old?”

“Ah, well, a grandfather does not have babies.”

“What makes somebody a grandpa?”

“When a man’s children grow up and have their own children, then he’s a grandpa.”

“Who are grandpa’s children?”

“I’m the oldest, and then there’s your Uncle Hoss and your Uncle Joe. Grandpa is our father.”

William thought about that for just a moment. “Why doesn’t Uncle Joe have children? He’s all grown up.”

“He’s not married.”

“Oh, yeah.” Nothing slowed the questioning down much though. “Did Grandpa ever give you a tanning?”

“Yes, he did.”

“At the end, did he say he still loved you?”

“No, he didn’t. Not then. It made me worry about that and that’s why I always tell you that I still love you no matter what you do. I don’t always like the things you do, but you, I will always love no matter what.”

There were more questions but those were about nature and the things that they could observe on their ride. When they reached the yard of the main house, Adam let William slide down to the ground where he turned and raced to the house for the morning ritual of being greeted by his grandfather with a hug. As expected, the front door opened and Ben was there to greet William. Gunnie was right behind Ben waiting anxiously for William.

“There’s some kittens in the stable. Papa found them this morning and moved ’em into the tack room. We can go see ’em now.”

The two boys were about to race to the stable but Adam halted that. “Who’s going with you? You know you can’t go to the stable alone.”

Joelle stepped forward. “I’ll go with them and take the girls. I’d like to see these kittens too and so would the girls.”

Once Joelle led the girls and followed the boys who were anxiously waiting for the entourage to move faster, Adam sat at the dining table and poured a cup of coffee for himself.

“Son, you look tired.”

“Pa, I thought facing Tom Weller and then facing the inquest would be the most difficult things I did this week, but fielding the questions from William is exhausting.” Adam saw the small grin his father sported. “I know. It’s poetic justice, but it seems I’m getting a much bigger measure than I handed out to you.”

“Perhaps you do it too well. I struggled with coming up with answers for you so that probably made you less enthused about asking. I’ve heard some of your answers to William. Almost makes me want to ask some questions to hear what you have to say.”

“Pa, now you know ole Adam don’t need no extra reasons to be talking. We best just let things lie as they are for now.” Hoss turned to Adam then with a question about expanding the house.

“You and Joelle having another baby?”

“Nah, it’s not that. It’s that the three of them are getting older and we could use more room. Joelle would like a place to keep her sewing stuff too away from the girls and someplace where she wouldn’t have to put everything away all the time. She’d like a place where she could leave a piece out until it was finished.”

“Our wives must have been talking. Rosalie asked for the same thing. I’m going to add onto the washroom to have a separate room for sewing and crafting things. It will be a multipurpose room with one wall of cabinets to give us more storage. Do you think that would work here?”

Ben waited for his sons to look to him for his opinion. When it didn’t come, he reminded them that it was his house and he should be consulted at least. That got him a couple of sheepish smiles.

“Sorry, Pa. What were you thinking?”

“The plans for this house sound fine. I was wondering though, with the baby on the way, if you were going to add a bedroom to your home for Minnie.”

“Oh, I was wondering about that myself. William said that he saw the two of you being sweet to each other. He said he saw his grandfather kiss Minnie. He wondered if the two of you were going to have a baby.”

Ben spit his coffee out onto his plate that was much less painful than the coffee that went up Joe’s nose with that comment. Hoss laughed at the comment and at the reactions of their father and brother.

“I reminded him that a man and a woman had to be married to have a baby though. He asked then if you married her, would you have a baby.”

“And what was your answer to that?”

“Oh, I said that grandfathers didn’t usually have babies.” Adam didn’t dare use the word ‘old’ because his father was getting touchy about that being said. Ben accepted his answer though and they discussed ranch business next before Adam headed back home taking William and the promise of a weaned kitten in the future.

Several months later, Adam walked up the stairs of his home with William holding his hand as they went to greet the newest member of their family. In the master bedroom, William noted that his mother’s stomach was much smaller and she was holding a small bundle.

“Come here, William, and greet your sister, Anne. Isn’t she pretty?”

William’s facial expression conveyed his thoughts on that question. To him, the baby was mottled and wrinkled. He couldn’t understand why his mother thought she was beautiful. After a few more moments of family time, Ben and the others joined them in the room to admire the newest addition to the family. Adam took William by the hand to have him go downstairs for breakfast. As he walked away with his son, the rest of the family chuckled to hear William’s question.

“Papa, how did that baby get out of there?”

Adam groaned and put a hand to his head. He was exhausted and now to face the toughest question William had ever asked him seemed to be too much. He sighed deeply and prepared to give a very simplified version of what happened except William spoke before he could.

“It’s all right, Papa, if you don’t know the answer. I still love you.”

Next in the Rosalie Series:

Date Night
Witch’s Sham

 

Tags: Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright, kidnap, revenge