Summary:  The announcement of Joe’s wedding to Alice brings a variety of reactions from some of his old girlfriends

Rated: K (7,735 words)

Wedding Announcement
San Francisco Chronicle

 19th April 1874

Congratulations are in order to the prosperous Cartwright family of Nevada on the marriage of Joseph Cartwright to Alice Harper on the event of their marriage last Saturday 14th April.

Joseph is the son of Mr Benjamin Cartwright, wealthy rancher and businessman of The Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City Nevada.

The bride wore a white French lace wedding gown and the groom was attended by his brother James Cartwright. The couple are honeymooning in San Francisco before returning to Nevada to settle on the Cartwright Ranch.

Julia
New York City, New York

‘Miss Grant? …. Excuse me Miss Grant?’

The woman lifted her head and stared at the young woman in front of her. ‘Yes?’ she said.

‘Ten minutes to curtain Miss Grant,’ said the woman with a smile. ‘Is there anything I can get you?’

Julia Grant shook her head slowly. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Thank you Bernice. Nothing.’  She turned back to the newspaper in her hand as the door closed and her eyes widened.

‘I thought you might be interested to see it,’ said a quiet voice beside her and she felt a hand on her shoulder. ‘I wanted to show it to you before you saw it from someone else.’

Julie looked up into the eyes of her son and smiled as she patted her hand on his own. ‘Thank you Tom,’ she said. ‘That was very thoughtful of you my dear.’

Tom sat down next to his mother and as she re-read the article. ‘So he finally did it,’ she murmured. ‘After all these years Virginia City’s most eligible bachelor has finally given in to marriage.’

‘You make it sound like something bad,’ said Tom as he searched his mother’s face for any signs of distress. ‘Feeling any regrets?’

Julia smiled at him again. ‘Regrets?’ she said and then nodded her head. ‘Of course I am. Joe is one special man darling, and there will always be a part of me who wishes that I chose him over the Theatre all those years ago. We could have had a wonderful life together.’ She looked at her son intently. ‘How about you?  Do you ever regret that Joe Cartwright and I were never married?’

‘Well, I was fairly young at the time if you remember,’ said Tom as he fiddled with the makeup pots on her table. ‘But I do remember having a great time with him when we stayed at The Ponderosa. He was quite a bit younger than you though, wasn’t he mother?’

Julia gave a short laugh. ‘You know what Tom?  I said the same thing to him once.  He said that I was using it as an excuse.’

‘And were you?’

Julia looked pensive. ‘Yes,’ she replied finally. ‘At first I was. But later on I really came to love that sweet young man. If I hadn’t won the main role in The Bohemian Girl … well who knows?  You might be a rancher now.’

Tom smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have minded,’ he replied. ‘There are worse things to be.’

Julia caught hold of his hand and kissed it. ‘There certainly are,’ she said. She looked into the mirror and caught a glimpse of the heavily rouged and powdered face with the blue eyes and piled-up reddish hair. ‘Tom dear, would you mind leaving me alone for a few minutes?’ she asked. ‘I really need to prepare for the first scene.’

‘Of course,’ her son replied as he stood up to kiss her. ‘Good luck mother.  I’ll be in the front row as usual to lead the standing ovation.’  He closed the door as he left the room and Julia turned back to the mirror again.

‘So,’ she said to her reflection. ‘It serves you right.  You had your chance and you blew it lady.’ She sighed. ‘Well?’ she said severely. ‘What did you think he was going to do? Wait around for you forever?  Just because you think of him still doesn’t mean that he thinks of you.  After all…. You were the one who left him, remember?’  She put her finger on the lips of her reflection and shut her eyes momentarily as a glimpse of his handsome face drifted back into her mine. ‘Joe,’ she breathed softly as she tilted her head back and felt his lips on hers and saw the intense gaze of his green eyes once more as they stared into her blue ones. ‘Joe!’ A lone tear escaped from the corner of one eye and made a trail down her cheek as the memories overcame her. She felt his hands on her neck gently caressing her throat and a low groan escaped from her involuntarily. No man had ever stirred in her the feelings that he had before or since.

A knock at the door startled her and she opened her eyes and dabbed the tear away. ‘Miss Grant?’ came Bernice’s voice. ‘Curtain call ma’am.’

‘Coming!’ called Julia as she stood up and check her makeup in the mirror one last time. She smiled as she recalled that time long ago in a dressing room far away when a young handsome man had tilted her head back and looking longingly into her eyes as he uttered the words ‘Sing good!’ 

Julia walked to the door and flung it open.  As she stepped through to the passageway beyond she squared her shoulders and flung her head back in a determined fashion. ‘Come,’ she said confidently. ‘The audience is waiting and it’s time for me to sing good!’

^^^^^^^^^^

Tessa
Chicago, Illinois

Tessa Caldwell stared at the newspaper in her hand and gave a small smile. ‘Joe Cartwright,’ she softly to herself. ‘Well what do you know?’

‘I beg your pardon?’ asked the woman on the other side of the counter.

Tessa looked up and smiled at her. ‘Oh sorry,’ she said. ‘I was just reading about someone I used to know.’

The woman put down the bolt of cloth she’d been fingering and stared down at the paper in Tessa’s hand. ‘Anyone interesting?’ she asked.

Tessa nodded. ‘Very interesting,’ she said. ‘At least to me he was.’ She pointed to the marriage announcement. ‘I nearly married him many years ago.’

The woman’s eyebrows raised. ‘Really?’ she said as she bent over to read it. ‘An old beau?’

‘Not really,’ said Tessa softly. ‘Just a good friend.’  She looked thoughtful as she remembered the time when she had first seen Joe Cartwright and smiled at her recollection of her first glimpse of him. ‘He shot me,’ she continued.

The woman looked startled. ‘He shot you?’ she said. ‘A man shoots you and you decide to marry him?  How can that be?’

Tessa shrugged. ‘It was an accident,’ she explained. ‘He shot at an animal and hit me instead.  I was blind for a couple of weeks because of it.’

The woman began to look very interested in Tessa’s story. ‘Blind?’ she echoed.

Tessa nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Joe felt sorry for me you see .. he felt a lot of guilt for having blinded me and so he asked me to marry him.’

‘But you never did?’

Tessa shook her head. ‘We weren’t really in love,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t meant to be.’  She shook herself momentarily as she realised what she’d been saying to a total stranger. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Can I help you with anything?’

Later when the woman had left the store, Tessa turned once again the newspaper and read the announcement for a second time. She gave a small sigh as she wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn’t had the courage to tell Joe the truth that day …. Their wedding day.  She shuddered as she realised just how close they’d both come to making the biggest mistake of their young lives.  Why … the minister had been reciting the words over them before she’d suddenly come to her senses and ran away from him …. Tessa stopped her thoughts in mid-stream. ‘And I’ve been running away ever since,’ she said to no one in particular.

Mr Cartwright had been so good to her family, even after all the trouble they’d caused. He and Joe had forgiven her for playing blind even after she could see again and they seemed to have forgiven her father and brother for encouraging her to do so.  She’d never forget their friendship and generosity at the time.  Joe’s father had given her father a letter to a friend of his in San Francisco to help him get a job, but of course Father hadn’t held on to it for very long. That was the way it had always been with them.  She and Lorne had been dragged from one end of the country and back again while their father chased his elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and they were still doing it.

Her father just didn’t seem capable of being anything but a bad businessman.  Everything he touched seemed to turn sour and they were continually on the move because of it. Mr Cartwright had once called her a ‘remarkable girl.’  Well what would he and Joe think of her now … stuck here in Chicago in a dead-end job with no prospects and no way out? She was simply biding her time and waited for the day when her father or Lorne would appear again as they always did, looking for a place to stay and a handout of money.  She wondered how many times she’d bailed them out of difficult situations?  It seemed that every time she was just about to start her life going in the right direction they spoilt it all again for her. Sometimes she thought that the only thing she was working for was to earn money to help them out.  She never actually got to keep much of it.

A couple of times she’d come close to marriage, but the man had always walked away when he’d realised that she came as a package.  There were her father and brother always to be considered and try as she would she had never been able to turn her back on them.  So here she was all these years later … still single and still waiting for someone to come along and sweep her off her feet.

Tessa wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. She fingered the page in front of her and smiled as she remembered the young boy who had looked at her with such gentleness and compassion.  He had been such a sweet boy.  When she was blind he told her that he would have given her his eyes if he could and Tessa didn’t for one minute doubt that he truly meant it.  He was that kind of person.  His compassion for her had led him to a proposal of marriage that came from a desire to protect and support her. Tessa shook her head. She had never found anyone who had thought that much of her before or since.  Joe Cartwright had been a very special boy and she loved him for it.

Joe deserved happiness in his life and she was so glad that one of them had finally been able to achieve it. ‘Good luck Joe,’ she whispered as she fingered the page in front of her. ‘I hope you’re happy.’

^^^^^^^^^^

Connie
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

‘I don’t know why you still insist on getting those Western papers,’ said Dan as he leant over to grab another piece of toast and slap his small son’s hand away from the milk jug. ‘Surely you can’t find anything interesting to read in them after all these years?’

Connie frowned at him. ‘I lived out there for many years,’ she said. ‘Of course I find them interesting.  There’s always something to ….’  She stopped and caught her breath.

‘What?’ asked Dan as he picked the baby’s spoon up yet again and held it out to her.

Connie was silent for a moment as she read. ‘There’s a wedding announcement here,’ she said after a moment. ‘About someone I used to know.’

‘Oh yes? And who would that be?’

‘Joe Cartwright,’ replied Connie with a faraway look on her face.

Dan shook his head and took another bite of his toast. ‘Haven’t heard you ever mention him,’ he said. ‘Old boyfriend?’

Connie giggled. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘You could say that. We talked about getting married once.’

Dan eyes bulged. ‘How come you never told me about him?’ he said.

‘It was a long time ago,’ she replied. ‘Right about the time my father died. I told you about that.’

‘Well yes, but you never said anything about being engaged before.’

Connie gave her husband a sideways glance. ‘Didn’t I?’ she said. ‘I must have forgotten to mention it.’

Dan stared at her for a moment. ‘So what’s he like, this Joe Cartwright?’

Connie gave a small sigh. ‘He was the most handsome boy I ever met,’ she said and noticed that Dan looked affronted. ‘I said boy,’ she continued quickly. ‘We were both really children then.’  She put her hand on top of her husband’s. ‘Don’t worry darling. I chose to marry you remember?  Not him.’

‘Well why didn’t you? Choose him I mean?’  Dan studied his wife’s face intently. ‘What happened between you?’

Connie looked momentarily sad. ‘Life,’ she said softly. ‘Just life that’s all.  When my father was shot I felt that I had to get away.  I couldn’t live there with all the memories of what had happened and so I left.  I really only meant to go away for a while … but one thing led to another and I never went back.’

Dan patted her hand. ‘Sorry you never did?’ he asked.

Connie shook her head. ‘No,’ she said, giving him a sweet smile. ‘Not sorry.  Joe and I were just caught up in the joy of young love really,’ she said. ‘We’d never have survived together.’

Dan looked confused. ‘Why not?’ he asked.

‘We’re too alike,’ she replied. ‘Both of us were too strong willed and impulsive to ever have a successful marriage. We’re both better off this way … Besides, if I’d gone back I’d never have met you would I?’ Her eyes drifted over to the two small children seated in between them. ‘And these two would never have happened.’  She turned to her husband again. ‘No,’ she said again. ‘I’m not sorry.’

Dan stood up and kissed the top of her head before walking away from the table. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Well I’m off to work now.  I’ll see you tonight.’

‘Bye,’ she said and then turned to stare at the newspaper again on the table before her. ‘Not sorry,’ she said softly as she thought again of the beautiful young boy who had captured her heart all that time ago and tried to convince herself that she meant it.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jane

Rapid City, North Dakota

‘Hey you! Where’s that drink I’ve been waiting for?’

The man behind the bar shook his head and muttered under his breath as he pulled out yet another bottle of whiskey and took it over to the table in the corner. ‘Haven’t you had enough?’ he asked as he looked at the figure slumped on the chair in the corner.

‘Nah!’ said the customer. ‘I ain’t had nearly enough yet.  I’m drowning my sorrows in this here whiskey and I still got a longs ways ta go mister. Wanna join me?’

The man looked around the bar which was empty except for the two of them. ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ he said after a moment and sat down to pour himself a drink. The figure on the other side of the table gave him a crooked grin. ‘So what’s the reason ya gotta drown ya sorrows for then?’ he asked sociably.

The customer pulled a face and gestured towards a newspaper on the table. ‘Bad news bout someone I know in there. Mighty bad news.’

The man looked down and noticed that the paper was opened at the announcements page. ‘Someone ya know die?’ he asked.

‘Nah!  Worse.  Someone I know is gonna get married! Old beau of mine.’  There was the sound of a loud burp. ‘Seems they didn’t wait fer me ta go back and claim em.’

‘What’s the name?’ asked the man.

‘Joe Cartwright.  From Nevada.’

The man choked on his drink. ‘What did ya say?’ he asked tentatively.

‘Joe Cartwright,’ repeated the customer. ‘Handsomest man I ever met.’  There was a huge sigh. ‘We was right gone on each other.’

The man swallowed. ‘Um….’ he faltered. ‘Am I right in thinking … I mean … you and him …. He’s a man?’ he asked, his eyes popping out of his head. ‘You and a …..’  He looked across at the buckskin clad figure seated opposite him who was staring back at him indignantly.

‘Whatcha mean me and a man?’ the customer asked. ‘Who else would I be marrying?’

The barman leant backwards as the customer leant towards him. He could smell a distinct smell of buffalo and it wasn’t pleasant. ‘Well…’ he faltered. ‘I just mean … that is, I thought …’ his eyes widened as the light dawned. ‘Are you a woman?’ he asked incredulously.

The figure across the table threw back their head and laughed. ‘Sure is!’ she declared. ‘What did ya think I was …. A horse?’

The man glared at her. ‘You mean I’ve been serving a woman whiskey in here?’ he said.

‘It would appear so!’ she said delightedly and held out her hand. ‘Cal’s the name.  Most folks call me Calamity Jane.’

The barman swallowed. ‘I’ve heard about you,’ he said.

‘Good!’ she said. ‘Glad ta hear it. Now as I been saying before ya started interrupting … this here’s one sad day.  That Joe Cartwright up and got hisself hitched and old Cal here’s in mourning.’

The man leant forward and read the article in question and then frowned. ‘You ain’t serious!’ he said. ‘You and that Joe Cartwright were never beaus.  I’ve heard of his family and they wouldn’t have tolerated the likes of you!’

Jane leant forward and pulled the man towards her by the collar. ‘What’s that remark supposed ta mean!’ she demanded.

The man tried to disentangle himself. ‘Nothing!’ he declared. ‘I just meant ….’

‘It’s OK,’ she said, letting go of him. ‘I get ya meaning mister.  Ya don’t have ta spell it out fer me.  Guess ya right and all.  I never was fancy enough fer that pretty Joe Cartwright.’  She sighed. ‘Sure woulda liked ta find out though,’ she said. ‘I reckon we woulda had a great time learning bout each other’s likes and dislikes if ya get my meaning.’ She gave him a wink and he looked confused. ‘His father said he weren’t nothing but a boy at the time,’ she mused. ‘But I reckon he mighta grown inta one hell of a man if ya get my drift!’ She nudged the man in the ribs. ‘Shame I won’t ever get ta find out now eh?’

The man looked embarrassed and didn’t answer.

‘Ya know what?’ said Cal, leaning closer to him again and breathing her whiskey over him. ‘That Joe Cartwright was so gone on me that he was ready ta kill fer me.  What do ya think of that eh?’

The barman shrugged. ‘If you say so,’ he said.

What do ya mean iffen I say so?’ she demanded. ‘Course I say so!  Faced down one of the fastest guns there is jest fer me he did!’

‘Yeah?  Who?’

‘Doc Holliday,’ she declared.

The barman laughed. ‘Yeah sure,’ he said.

Cal glared at him. ‘Ya don’t believe me?’ she said angrily. ‘Well its true! Prettier sight I never did see … Hey!’ she yelled suddenly. ‘Fill up ya glass again.  The drinks are on me!’

Jane raised her glass and downed its contents in one gulp. ‘Yes siree!’ she said with another burp. ‘Here’s to that pretty Joe Cartwright! Sure is one sad day!’ The barman gave a slight shudder and didn’t reply.

^^^^^^^^^^

Emily

Wichita, Kansas

Emily threw back her head and took a deep breath as she lifted the veil and flung off her black hat. ‘Finally!’ she said to herself. ‘I am so glad that is finally over!’  She strode over to the mirror on the top of the dresser and looked at her reflection and noted the paleness of her skin and the dark rings around her eyes. ‘Well at least I look the part of the grieving widow,’ she said.

Emily turned her head and studied herself for several minutes. ‘Mmm,’ she continued. ‘I’ll have to do something about all this before you see me again my darling,’ she murmured. ‘I can’t have you disappointed in me after all this time.’  She picked up her brush and began to apply long slow strokes to her blonde hair as she wandered over to the table near the window and stared down at the street … the street where Wade had been killed three days ago.

Had it really only been three days?  It seemed like a lifetime ago to her since she had stood at this very window and heard the gunshot that had signalled the end of her husband’s life.  She shuddered as she thought about it.  She and Wade had been having their problems of course, in fact they’d been having them for quite a few years now, but she had never wished him dead. She would never have wanted that, no matter how difficult things were between them.

Emily shook her head slightly and tried to ward off the guilty feeling that threatened to invade her very soul.  After all, it wasn’t her fault that Wade had died.  It hadn’t been her who had made that sad drunk draw on her husband. He had only been doing his job as sheriff trying to protect the townspeople. She wasn’t responsible for his death.  Then why did she feel so guilty about it all?

She knew why.  She was guilty because now she felt free!  Free to do as she pleased without having to answer to her husband.  Free to finally follow her heart and be with him … her one and only true love … her Joe!

Emily hugged her arms around her waist as she gave a little skip. How long had she dreamt about being able to do this?  For years now she had tried desperately to be a good wife to Wade, but always there had been someone between them and they both knew it. Since that time in Virginia City that she had met Joe again there had been no turning away from his love for her and she knew that Wade knew it too.

She could still feel his lips on her neck as he softly kissed her that night on the dark street. He had whispered to her of his love and his green eyes had stared at her with a longing that still made her heart beat fast with desire.  Of course he hadn’t known at that moment that she was married, but even when he did find out he still couldn’t deny that she was in his heart.  Hadn’t he said those very words to her that next day before their whole world had fallen apart?

Emily cringed inside as she closed her eyes and saw the hurt look he had given her when he had found out that she was married. From that very moment he had behaved so honourably towards her and gallantly turned his love away from her in consideration of Wade.  She loved all the more for it.  Even as his eyes had averted from her she could still see the longing in them .. for that was something he could never had hidden from her.

‘And now I’m free my darling,’ she murmured as she moved away from the window and sat down on the bed. ‘Free to come for you my love.’ Her eyes drifted to the newspaper that was opened on the bed beside her and even as her heart lifted with the longing and the exhilaration of the thought of her beloved she caught her breath in amazement at the words as they leapt out of the page in front of her. She read the wedding announcement in disbelief.

Emily threw back her head and screamed at the ceiling …. A long heart-rending cry that came for the depths of her soul. ‘No!!’  She couldn’t believe it!  just as she was free to go to him he had chosen to be with another … and now it was too late!  She threw her arms around her waist and began to rock herself backwards and forwards on the bed as the tears fell down her face unchecked. ‘Joe!’ she cried ‘My love!’  Slowly her head dropped and her sobs abated until all that could be heard in the empty room was the ticking of the clock.

^^^^^^^^^^

Wendy

San Francisco, California

‘Wendy dear are you awake?’ Taylor Daniels looked down at his daughter’s profile on the pillow and smiled as she opened her eyes.

‘Yes Papa,’ she said, beaming up at him with her blue eyes. ‘I’m awake.’  She sat up in the bed. ‘Is everything all right?’  Her eyes darted over to the crib beside her bed.

Taylor sat down on the edge of her bed. ‘Yes,’ he said as he patted her arm. ‘He’s fine.  Don’t panic.’

Wendy craned her neck to look at the small squirming bundle that was her newborn son. ‘I’m guess I’m just not used to him yet,’ she said with a happy smile.  ‘He’s so wonderful that I think I’ll just wake up some time and I’ll discover it was all a beautiful dream.’

Taylor smiled at the small boy. ‘He’s no dream,’ he said. ‘Have you and Matthew picked a name for him yet?’

‘No,’ said Wendy. ‘Not yet. We’re still not sure. We want to call him Taylor after you of course, but we just can’t decide on his first name.’

Taylor planted a kiss on her forehead. ‘Well you will,’ he said. ‘Here. I’ve brought you the paper to read.’  He put them on the bed in between them.

‘I’m getting so bored being in bed all the time,’ said Wendy with a sigh. ‘I wish I could get up.’

‘You heard what the doctor said,’ replied her father. ‘In a few days at the earliest.’  He wagged a finger at her. ‘You hear me young lady?’

Yes,’ she said contentedly. ‘I must admit it is nice to have you and Matthew waiting on me hand and foot like this.  Not to mention Mrs Sprogis.’  She thought of how their housekeeper had been fussing over her for the past few days.

‘We’re just glad that we’re able to do it for you sweetheart,’ said her father. ‘Since my business has become so successful I can afford to give you the luxuries of life and Matthew working for me means that he’s able to be a part of all this too.’  He swept his arm around the richly decorated bedroom. ‘I have to go to work this afternoon, but Matthew has just come in and he’ll stay with you.’  He planted another kiss on his daughter’s head. ‘Anything you need?’

Wendy shook her head as she gazed up fondly at her father and then looked over at the cradle. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I have everything I need right here.’  She picked up the newspaper and began to read as her father left the room. After a few moments the door opened again and her husband put his head around it. ‘Want some company?’ he asked.

Wendy motioned for him to come in. Matthew picked up his small son and sat with him on the edge of the bed. ‘He’s awake,’ he said delightedly, looking at him closely. He looked up at Wendy and noticed her studying the paper intently. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘Do you remember that boy I told you about in Virginia City?’ she asked. ‘The one who wanted to marry me?’

‘How could I forget?’ asked Matthew as he cuddled the tiny boy in his arms. ‘You talk about him all the time.  Just as well I’m not the jealous type, isn’t it?’

‘Joe was very special,’ said Wendy. ‘If I talk about him its because I remember how good he was to me at that time.’

‘I know that,’ said Matthew with a grin. ‘I don’t mean anything by it.’

‘You know,’ said Wendy thoughtfully. ‘I think Joe was the first true friend I ever had. If it wasn’t for his family Father would never have got the start he did here in San Francisco and had the chance to become so successful.  We really have the Cartwrights to thank for that.’

Matthew looked at her. ‘So he was just a friend,’ he said. ‘Nothing more?’

Wendy shook her head. ‘Puppy love,’ she said. ‘That was all.’

‘On your part,’ said Matthew. ‘He would have married you even so.’

Wendy smiled. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I think I broke his heart when I left with Father to come here.’

‘Seems he got over it though,’ said Matthew as he looked at the wedding announcement in the paper over his wife’s shoulder.

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘I knew he would. Anyway he really had no choice.  I couldn’t leave Father to face things by himself could I? He was always off chasing his Castles in Spain and needed me to bring him down to earth again. One thing I learned with the Cartwrights was that dreams are very valuable things, but they don’t count for much unless we put some real effort into making them reality.’

‘Your father has certainly done that,’ said Matthew.

Wendy smiled at him. ‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘Joe was the one who convinced me to be there with him while he was doing it too. Even though he wanted me to stay a part of his life he knew that I had to leave and be part of father’s for a while as well.’

‘And you never went back,’ replied Matthew, watching her intently.

Wendy shook her head. ‘No,’ she said softly. ‘I never went back.’  She smiled at her husband and touched the head of the small boy in his arms.  ‘I must write to Joe and send my congratulations,’ she said softly.  Her eyes rested on the small bundle that was her son. ‘Matthew?’ she said softly. ‘What do you think of the name Joseph?’

Matthew smiled at her and cuddled the boy to him. ‘I think it would be just fine,’ he said.

Wendy nodded. ‘I’ll write and tell him,’ she said contentedly.

^^^^^^^^^^

Meena
Ridgecrest, California

Meena shifted the baby to her other hip as she stirred the soup on the stove and bounced him up and down a couple of times when he began to whinge. The twins sat at her feet playing with a small ball and she stepped away so as not to trip over them.

‘Meena!’ she turned at the sound of her name to see her father standing in the doorway holding her eldest son in his arms. ‘This youngun here has been trying to get down after Jessie and Owen in the mine again!’

Meena brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes before replying. ‘I can’t help it Papa,’ she said defensively. ‘I haven’t got time to check on all four of them at once.’

Her father gave her a glare before depositing the youngster on the floor beside his brothers. ‘Well what about Virgil?’ he asked. ‘Why can’t he watch them? He never does any work in the mine so he may as well make himself useful up here.’

‘You know very well that Virgil is in town getting supplies,’ said Meena haughtily. As if on cue there came the sound of the wagon pulling up outside and the three small boys on the floor jumped up in excitement. ‘Papa! Papa!’ they called as they ran through the open doorway straight into their father’s arms.

Virgil kissed each of them in turn and then turned to Meena. ‘Hi Meena,’ he said with a grin and then added unnecessarily. ‘I’m back.’

‘So I see,’ she said as her father left the small room. ‘Are you going to unload the supplies Virgil?’

Virgil kept grinning at her. ‘Yes Meena,’ he said.

‘Now?’

‘Yes Meena,’ he said again.  He put a newspaper down on the table. ‘I read something in there bout that Cartwright fellar,’ he said as he left the room.

Meena sat down at the table with the baby still on her lap, opened the paper and began to read silently. As Virgil entered the room again with a twin on each arm and another boy wrapped around his leg, she looked up at him with a surprised expression. ‘It’s Joe Cartwright,’ she said.

‘Yep,’ said Virgil. ‘That’s what I said. That Cartwright fellar.’

‘He’s got married,’ said Meena.

‘Yep,’ said Virgil. ‘He has.’

Meena stared at the paper. ‘He was the one that taught me how to kiss,’ she said thoughtfully.

‘He did?’ asked Virgil as he put the squalling twins on the floor.

‘Yes,’ said Meena with a sigh. ‘He was a very good kisser.’

Virgil looked hurt. ‘Ain’t I a good kisser Meena?’ he asked.

Meena patted him on the arm. ‘Of course you are,’ she said. ‘But Joe Cartwright was a really good kisser.’  She frowned. ‘Mind you … he was a bit of a liar too.’

‘I ain’t no liar,’ said Virgil with pride.

‘No,’ agreed Meena. ‘You know what Virgil?  Papa offered him a half share in our goldmine and he still wouldn’t marry me.’

Virgil looked confused. ‘How come?’ he asked.

Meena shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘He said something about how I had no choice cause he was the only one here at the time.  He didn’t want it to be like that.’  She reached down and pulled the twins apart as they rolled past her on the floor.

‘He didn’t know what he was missing out on,’ said Virgil sincerely as he pulled his eldest son down from the stove where he was balancing.

Meena glanced down at the baby on her lap who was sucking contentedly on the newspaper. ‘No,’ she agreed. ‘He didn’t.’

^^^^^^^^^^

Morpeth

Augusta, Georgia

‘I don’t see what the problem is,’ said Davis haughtily. ‘You never seem to care where I go so why should you suddenly worry about it now?’

Morpeth gave her husband a frustrated look. ‘But its my father,’ she said. ‘Don’t you think it would be nice if you were here to have dinner when he comes?’

Davis shrugged. ‘What difference would it make?’ he asked. ‘We don’t get on and he’d probably be relieved if I wasn’t here.’

‘But ….’  Morpeth held up her hands in dismay. ‘Honestly!  Sometimes I wonder why we ever got married in the first place!’

Davis gave her a scathing look. ‘You know very well why we got married,’ he said. ‘My money was far too temping for you and your father to resist my dear, wasn’t it?’

Morpeth gave him a dark look. ‘That’s a horrible thing to say!’ she said.

Davis gave a short laugh as he leant over to kiss her on the top of her head. ‘Horrible perhaps … but true,’ he said. ‘Face it my dear. After your father lost everything in the war I was your ticket to the kind of life that you were used to, wasn’t I?  You didn’t exactly come into this marriage with your eyes closed did you?’  He walked aver to the door. ‘I’ll be back later tonight,’ he added. ‘Make sure your father doesn’t stay too late.  I’d rather not run into him if I can help it.’

Morpeth listened to the door closing behind her and then buried her head on her arms in front of her on the table. Why did it always have to be like this?  Perhaps Davis was right in a way … she had been attracted to his money at first, but after getting to know the man she found her love beginning to grow and longed for the day when he would return it. Perhaps it was just as well that they’d never had any children for how sad it would be for anyone else to be trapped in this loveless house along with them both.

She wondered why Davis had ever married her?  Probably because of her father’s connections … but that had all gone astray after the war. She wondered if he had ever cared for her at all.

Morpeth wiped her eyes with her lace-trimmed handkerchief and sighed as she tried to compose herself. She didn’t want her father coming in to find her like this, for he would only worry about her.  He had enough of his own problems with trying to establish himself in business at the moment.  He had lost everything during the war and she admired him for the way in which he was trying to pick himself up again.

Morpeth stared at the open paper on the table and her brow wrinkled as she read the wedding announcement softly. ‘Joe Cartwright!’ she said out loud and her eyes filled with tears again. The memories came flooding back of a young boy with sparkling green eyes and the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. He had spoken to her of love and marriage and together they had envisaged a life of contentment and ease.  But that was before …..

She thought about how ironic it was that she should everything that she and Joe had dreamed of together.  The big white house with the tall pillars out front. The servants and fine clothes.  The parties and the social events.  It was all there … all except one thing.  The man she loved to share it with.

Morpeth fingered the page and watched as her tears fell onto it and began to smudge the printing.  Joe’s name smudged as her tears fell on it and she tried to wipe it clean again.  She wondered what his new bride was like and smiled as she thought about all the jokes they had shared as they had planned their own wedding together. It had another time and another place …. and another world.

‘Joe Cartwright,’ she said, softly this time. ‘If only I hadn’t let things come between us.’  She sighed again for a love lost and a life that had disappeared forever.

^^^^^^^^^^

George

Omaha, Nebraska

‘Excuse me Miss Blessing,’ said the boy as he opened the door. ‘They’re ready for you now.’

George lifted her head. ‘What?’ she said.

‘The men. They’re ready for you,’ he said again patiently.

‘Oh.  OK,’ said George, trying to smile at the boy. ‘I’ll be in soon.’

Patrick Brown stood up and stretched. ‘George dear, I really think you should go in now,’ he said. ‘They won’t like to be kept waiting.’

George Blessing looked up at her lawyer and confidant. ‘They can wait,’ she said irritably. ‘Who’s running this show anyway?’

Patrick put his hands up in a gesture of defeat. ‘I suppose you are,’ he said as he sat down again. ‘But just keep in mind one thing.  They might be very anxious to view your latest pieces, but you really shouldn’t antagonize the press unnecessarily.’

George gave him one of her famous scowls and he wondered for the tenth time that day just how such a gauche and unattractive girl could produce such works of beauty.  Miss Georgina Blessing certainly had a rare gift for photography and they were both bringing in big money because of it. Why the way she was going she might end up one of the richest women in the country and he wasn’t about to let go of his meal ticket.

‘I ain’t antag … what you said,’ declared George. ‘I’m just gonna take a few minutes before I go out there that’s all.’  She stared at the faded photograph in her hand.

Patrick looked across and noticed that it was a portrait of a handsome young man. ‘Who is it?’ he asked, intrigued.

‘Just someone I used to know,’ she replied with a sigh. ‘He just got married.  It says so in there.’  She indicated the paper on the table.

Patrick leant over and read the wedding announcement. ‘Joe Cartwright,’ he said and then studied the photograph again. ‘Handsome young man.’

‘Sure is!’ agreed George.

‘An old boyfriend of your perhaps?’ he asked cagily.

‘Aw nah!’ she said. ‘He weren’t interested in me!’  George stared at the picture. ‘I sure liked him but.’

Patrick’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Yes?’ he prompted.

‘My uncle did some of these portraits for the Cartwrights just before he died,’ she explained.

‘But that was years ago! You still have his picture after all that time?’ asked Patrick amazed.  This girl never ceased to amaze him.

‘Yeah!’ she said and blushed. ‘He was a right purty one.  I like ta look at it.’  She looked sad for a moment. ‘I thought about going back out there one day and getting ta know him again.  I reckoned if I had all this money that I’ve been making then he might like me some.’

‘Seems like it’s too late,’ said Patrick, trying to hide his relief.

‘Yeah,’ said George sadly as she gazed at the photograph of the young handsome man in the dark blue suit. ‘I reckon it is now.’

‘Well you’d better forget him then,’ suggested Patrick.

George shook her head firmly. ‘Nah!’ she declared. ‘I ain’t ever gonna ferget him!  No man will ever come close ta him in my mind, so I reckon I’m just gonna haveta die an old maid!’  She sighed wistfully at the thought of it. ‘I reckon I might invest my money in one of them female academies that’s springing up round here.  Uncle Enos always wanted me ta go ta one of em, so maybe it’d be the best idea.’

Patrick tried to hide his concern at her words. ‘Well I think you should come out and start showing off these latest photographs of yours,’ he said. ‘They’re not going to wait forever.’

‘Hmm,’ said George still studying the photograph. ‘You go.  I’ll along in a minute.’  She waited until the door closed behind him and then put the photograph to her lips with a sigh. ‘Sure was a might purty thing!’ she said wistfully as she put it carefully into a drawer and locked it.

^^^^^^^^^^

Alice
Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada

 Alice pulled her shawl closer around her as a slight breeze entered the room and caused her to shiver.  She looked up at the moon as it came out from behind a cloud and thought back on the event of the day. Everything had been so wonderful … just as she had imagined it would be. It had been everything a girl always dreamt of for her wedding day.  The guests … the flowers … the food … everything had been so wonderful! She looked over at her new husband sleeping in the bed behind her and smiled.

Joe had wanted to start straight away on their wedding trip and leave for San Francisco this afternoon, but she had persuaded him to delay it a day.  She had wanted so desperately to spend their first night together here in the home that he had built for them … the home that they would be spending the rest of their lives together in.  She had told him that that had plenty of time for trips, but only one chance to spend their wedding night here.  Of course he had agreed with her as she had known that he would.  He agreed with everything she said.  He was such a wonderful man.

Alice turned away from the window and moved silently over to the bed, sitting down next to the sleeping man and looking down at him.  She noted his profile in the moonlight and gently ran a finger down his cheek as she sighed softly.  She found it hard to believe that this beautiful man was really her husband and wondered what she had done to deserve such happiness. She had a sudden urge to brush the curls off his forehead and gently ran her fingers through his hair as he lay there.

Joe suddenly opened his eyes and smiled up at her. ‘Hello,’ she whispered softly.  He said nothing, but merely reached up for her and drew her to him until she was lying on his chest. His arm around her to encircle her and she snuggled in towards her.

‘What are you doing out of bed?’ he asked softly. ‘I thought you’d gone to sleep.’

‘I was just thinking,’ she replied.

He kissed her lightly on the top of her head. ‘About what?’ he asked.

‘Today,’ she replied. ‘About how wonderful it all was … and how lucky I am.’

‘I’m the lucky one,’ said Joe with a smile. ‘I’ve got you.’

‘And I’ve got you,’ she said as she returned the look. ‘I still can’t believe it. The most eligible bachelor around here has suddenly become my husband. I wonder what all your old girlfriends would think if they knew?’

‘Doesn’t matter,’ said Joe. ‘You’re the only one that matters in my life now.’  He gazed down at her with love in his eyes. ‘Forever?’ he whispered.

She smiled back at him, the look in his eyes reflected in her own. ‘Forever,’ she agreed.

The End

Author’s Note:  The women portrayed in this story appeared in the following episodes:

 
Julia – ‘The Actress’
Tessa – ‘Bullet For a Bride’
Connie – ‘Denver McKee’
Jane – ‘Calamity Over The Comstock’
Emily – ‘Emily’
Wendy – ‘Shining in Spain’
Meena – ‘Meena’
George – ‘A Girl Named George’
Morpeth – ‘The War Comes To Washoe’
Alice – ‘Forever’