Summary:  New neighbors involve the Cartwrights in a prickly situation.
Rating:  G    27,800 words

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Though the Library already contains stories from this author, this story was forwarded by Corina to be included as part of this project.

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A ROSE ALSO HAS THORNS

CHAPTER ONE

 

Joe wiped the sweat from his forehead and from his eyes and blinked again. Yep. That was barbed wire that he was looking at. There hadn’t been barbed wire here, several years ago, when the Cartwrights had brought a large herd of cattle through this area before. In fact, there weren’t even any people who lived here back then. Well, there was the town of El Crucero not too far away where supplies could be bought to re-stock the chuckwagon, but the town was small. It wasn’t even marked on any map. Tired and saddlesore, Joe dismounted and turned to his friend, Pete.

“Go back to the herd and tell Adam that I need some wire cutters.”

Pete looked at the barbed wire. “How’d that get here? This is practically the middle of nowhere!” Standing up in his stirrups, Pete scanned the horizon. “I don’t see any cattle or horses or anything.” Turning his horse around, Pete headed back to the herd of two hundred steers to inform Adam of the situation.

Joe grabbed his canteen from his saddle and took a long drink of water. He was hot and thirsty. Cochise pawed the ground.

“You thirsty, too, Cooch?”

Cochise’s head bobbed, and he pawed the ground again. Joe removed his hat, turned it upside down and poured water into it. Cochise drank the water noisily, causing Joe to laugh.

“I wish we had taken the other route – the one we usually take,” Joe said aloud. “But Pete rode ahead and found the watering hole dry as a bone. On the other side of this fence is a place that always has water, no matter how dry other places get.”

Cochise nuzzled Joe’s shoulder in answer and dripped water all over Joe’s shirt. Joe laughed and then sat down on a rock in the shade to wait for Pete to return.

CHAPTER TWO

It wasn’t too long before Pete arrived with two pairs of wire cutters. He handed one pair to Joe who walked up to the fence. He made one snip and then turned to Pete who had just dismounted. It was then that the first shots rang out.

Joe screeched in surprise and pain, dropping the wire cutters, his hands going immediately to his backside. Both he and Pete dove for cover and looked around the rocky hillside.

“You okay?” Pete shouted.

“Just birdshot,” Joe shouted back. “But it sure does hurt!”

A voice rang out from behind the rocks. A female voice.

“This is private property! Now get on your horses and go back to where you came from!”

Joe shouted in the direction of the voice. “This is free range. You can’t put barbed wire in free range!”

“We own this land. And if you try to destroy our fences, then my brothers will be forced to shoot you as trespassers!”

More shots rang out from several different directions. Joe and Pete returned gunfire in the general direction of where the first shots were coming from.

“Pete,” Joe shouted. “Can you get to your horse if I give you cover?”

“Yup. I think so.”

“Go get Adam! And hurry!”

Pete sprinted for his horse, fairly leaped into the saddle, and rode hell-bent-for-leather while Joe shot in every possible direction. Although the firing from the rocks stopped, Joe knew he was pinned down. All he could do was to wait for Adam. Putting his right hand to his backside, he checked to see how badly he was injured and found his hand showed little specks of blood all over it.

“Hmph,” he muttered. “At least it’s nothing serious. But it sure does sting!” He lay flat on the ground on his belly and waited for Adam and Pete.

CHAPTER THREE

Adam’s arrival set off another round of shooting. He hurriedly took cover in a copse of trees, tied Sport to a branch, and then zig-zagged his way to his little brother.

“You hurt bad?” he asked as he ducked behind a rock as a bullet whizzed over his head.

“Naw,” Joe answered. “But sitting down is going to be a problem for a while.”

Ordinarily, knowing Joe wasn’t severely injured, Adam would’ve laughed. But he was thinking about this situation.

“Other than the birdshot, have any bullets come close to you?”

Joe thought for a minute. “Uh-uh. Either those folks are bad shots or they were just trying to keep Pete and me from taking down that fence.”

Adam nodded. “I was an open target when I rode up, but the bullets only came close enough to keep me dodging – not close enough to kill me.”

Joe changed position to look in his eldest brother’s face. “How come you didn’t bring more help?”

“Pete’s with the herd. Don’t know if this is a distraction to steal our cattle or not. If it is, then Pete can handle it until we get there to help him. We’ll hear gunfire if there’s trouble. Can you ride?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Then I can ride.”

The brothers waited to see what would happen next.

CHAPTER FOUR

What happened next was that the shooting stopped completely. And there was no sound of gunfire in the direction of the herd. All was temporarily quiet.

“Hey! You down there!” A female voice. “If you take down that fence, I’ll shoot you for trespassing! You’ll be on private property and we can shoot you legally!”

Adam shouted back. “This has always been free range! All we want to do is to move our thirsty herd to that watering hole ahead of us! Then we’ll be on our way!”

“Then go around to the east of here!”

“That place is bone dry,” Adam countered. “Can we talk this out? I’ll pay a reasonable price to get to water.”

Silence. Then, “We’ll meet you at the fence.”

Minutes passed. Adam and Joe watched as several figures began to emerge from the rocky hillside. Adam helped Joe to his feet and walked toward the fence. They both knew that they were taking a chance – this could be a trick – but it was a chance that had to be taken. Joe winced with pain as he walked.

Adam chuckled. “At least you’re shot where you’re well-padded.”

“Thanks a lot, big brother. Just what I needed to hear,” Joe muttered.

The two groups met at the fence line – five men on one side and Adam and Joe on the other. Seven men, all armed and uneasy, looked at each other. Nobody spoke. And then a woman made her appearance, her shotgun pointed at Adam. That shotgun had to be the origin of the birdshot because the other men were carrying rifles.

The woman broke the silence. “On this side of the fence is Mallory property, bought and paid for. Take your herd around to the east.”

Adam tried to be polite. “Our herd has been without water for two days. If we went around to the east of here, it’d take about three days. We’d probably lose half the herd getting there.”

The woman, wearing boots, jeans and a man’s shirt with a rope tied around the waist, shrugged as she looked at the dark-haired figure standing in front of her. On any other occasion, she would’ve found the man to be quite handsome with his hazel eyes and broad shoulders, but this was not one of those occasions.

“Your herd isn’t my problem,” she said. “The fence stays.”

“I told you that we’d pay a reasonable price if you’ll just let us through,” Adam countered. On any other occasion, he would’ve taken time to scrutinize the woman thoroughly, making note of her tousled blond hair pulled back behind her neck. Those impossibly-amber eyes bored into his. This was not one of those occasions to scrutinize a pretty woman who happened to be holding a shotgun pointed chest-high.

“My brother’s been shot,” Adam said. “He needs medical attention.”

“He doesn’t look hurt to me,” the woman said. “At least, not in the front. I expect his backside hurts him some.” A small smile played about her lips. “I always hit what I aim at.”

She paused. “The closest town is El Crucero, and there’s no doctor there. Bring your brother up to our place and we’ll get him all fixed up.” A sly smile. “After all, you wouldn’t want him to get an infection, now would you?”

Adam sighed. He didn’t like this woman but somehow believed her. The point about “infection” was true. If Adam had to decide between his brother and a herd of cattle, there was no denying what choice he would make.

“Have you got a doctor at your place?” Adam asked as he looked off into the distance.

Another sly smile. “We’ve got the closest thing to one. Look at my brothers – wouldn’t you say that they’re a healthy bunch?

Indeed, the five men looked quite healthy.

Joe spoke up. “I’d rather take my chances and let Cookie fix me up.”

“Cookie’s in town, getting supplies. He won’t be back at the herd for hours. You need to be tended to now.”

Joe sighed. When Adam had “that look” on his face, there would be no winning any argument with him.

“This discussion about your fence and my cattle isn’t over,” Adam growled.

“Yes, it is over. I won’t back down,” the woman said. “But, for the time being, we’ll tend to your brother. Then you can ride on.”

And so it was that Adam and Joe followed the Mallory family to their home. There had been not one introduction among the two groups. The only conversation had been between Adam, his gun holstered, and the woman who had finally lowered her shotgun.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Mallory “home” was comprised of more than just a house where six people lived. In fact, there were six different houses which sprawled over a considerably-large area. There were several barns, an untold number of horses and cattle, dogs, women and children. In addition, there were huge fields planted in what appeared to be corn, potatoes, and perhaps vegetables. The place appeared to be quite self-sufficient.

“Climb down off your horses,” one man said to both Adam and Joe. “Matt, take all the horses and make sure they get plenty of water and maybe some sweet feed.” This was the first time that the Cartwright brothers heard a name mentioned.

The Mallorys had all dismounted, and the woman began walking toward the biggest of the houses. She turned and spoke to Joe.

“Boy, I bet you’re glad to get out of that saddle!” Her smile was impish.

Joe, who had been forced by pain to stand up in his stirrups all the way to the Mallory place, was glad to get his feet on the ground. But he was angry now – at the whole ridiculous situation. For all he knew, he and Adam would get killed here – just “disappear” from the face of the earth. Pete would eventually find the Mallory family, Joe supposed, but two Cartwright brothers would end up “missing.”

“Don’t call me ‘boy’,” Joe practically shouted. “I’ll have you know that my name is Joe…..”

The woman cut off the rest of what Joe was going to say. “I don’t want to know your names. I doubt you’ll ever come this way again. You’d better not! Anyway, you have wounds to tend to. Brother Louis, will you get my medical bag? I think it’s still in your house after Sally had her baby.”

“Your medical bag?” Joe gaped.

Adam had picked up a piece of hay and was gnawing on it. “You’re the doctor?”

The woman smiled. “Well, I’m the closest thing to one around these parts. I’ll take good care of your brother, I promise.”

Joe turned to run toward Cochise, but he didn’t get far. He heard the woman’s voice over the pounding of his heart.

“Brother Randall. Brother Will. My patient seems to be unwilling to come into the house by himself. Will you please help him?”

Joe was picked up bodily and carried toward the house.

“Adam!” he screeched as he struggled. “Adam! She’s gonna kill me!”

The woman turned around briefly. “Oh, and Brother Gus? Would you mind relieving ‘Adam’ of his artillery – including the one that’s probably hidden behind his back under his shirt. We wouldn’t want him to hurt himself, now would we?” Her smile was devilish.

Adam sighed as he handed over his gunbelt. Gus found the gun right where the woman said it would be – tucked under his shirt in the small of his back. The woman was not only pretty but smart as well.

“I’m ‘Gus’,” the man said as he took Adam’s guns. “Your brother called you ‘Adam’. He said his name is ‘Joe’. Now we’ve all gotten acquainted.” Gus was an amiable guy and smiled easily and confidently. He had the look of an honest man.

“Who’s she?” Adam asked wryly as the woman disappeared into the house with Joe shrieking for help the whole way. “An Army General?”

Gus chuckled. “Oh, that’s ‘Rose’. She’s the oldest of the Mallory family. When our parents died, she raised us and kept us fed and clothed. She tended us when we were sick and even helped our kids come into this world. All this and maintaining her own life at the same time.” There was foreshadowing in that last sentence, but Adam wouldn’t be aware of it for quite a while.

“’Rose’!” Adam exclaimed. “Roses are soft and delicate. She’s nothing but thorns!”

Gus laughed. “She is. But she’s had to be. C’mon and sit down. I see Randall’s wife coming over with a pitcher of lemonade. It should taste good after trailing that herd in bone-dry conditions. That’s how we knew you were coming – we saw all the dust from miles away.”

So, while sprawled, trouserless, on a table with Randall and Will holding him down, Joe’s backside was relieved of all the birdshot while Rose hummed and happily wielded the forceps in her hand. Adam truly felt sorry for his brother, but he couldn’t help but grin just a little at the words coming from Joe’s mouth. Pa would definitely not approve of such language!

CHAPTER SIX

Gus and Adam made small talk about the weather, cattle, horses and farming, all the while trying to ignore Joe’s intermittent hollering. Adam decided that he actually liked Gus – after all, Gus hadn’t chosen his sister. Gus’s love for Rose was apparent when he talked about her skill with livestock and farming and her ability to keep track of every penny that was earned or spent.

All of a sudden, the door banged open and Joe limped out, his face absolutely florid.

“Let’s get out of here,” he mumbled to Adam. “I never want to see that woman again!”

Matt had done as Rose had asked – both Sport and Cochise had been watered and fed a treat of sweet feed. They were tied up at the rail below the steps. Adam and Joe’s gunbelts hung from each saddlehorn. Matt handed Adam the “extra” gun.

Adam stood up and actually shook Gus’s hand. “I can’t say that it’s been a pleasure being here, but I’ve enjoyed talking with you. I’ll be seeing you again.”

Rose emerged onto the porch, drying her hands on a towel.

“Don’t come back here,” she warned. “I’ve seen enough of you and your brother to last me a lifetime.” She paused. “As a matter of fact, I think I’ve seen more than enough of your brother. It’s probably a good thing that I was looking at his best features. His face would stop a clock!”

Joe swiveled around gingerly and stared into Rose’s serene face. He started to say something, but Adam grabbed him by the arm and fairly pulled him down the front steps. “Just get on your horse, little brother,” he said in a low voice.

“Brother Luke?” Rose asked, turning to the man whom Adam had heard by that name. “Don’t you think it’s rather rude to leave without saying even a ‘thank you’ for all my hard work?”

Joe exploded. “You’re the one who shot me to begin with! And then you poured whiskey all over my open wounds!!! And you expect to be thanked?”

Rose turned to Gus and shook her head. “What an absolute waste of good whiskey.”

Joe muttered something unintelligible as he sat gingerly in his saddle.

Rose looked sweetly at him. “Would you like a pillow to sort of….cushion….that leather?”

Adam had to smother a grin. He didn’t like Rose but her cutting remarks were humorous.

Judging by the look on Joe’s face and, discretion being the better part of valor, Adam deliberately made Sport bump into Cochise, taking Joe by surprise and causing him to try to regain his balance instead of opening his mouth.

“Let’s go to town, Joe,” he said. Then he looked directly into Rose’s amber eyes. “I’m sure we can get some help from the sheriff.”

Rose snorted. “I seriously doubt it.” And she turned and walked into the house as Adam and Joe rode away.

“Somebody sure gave that witch the wrong name,” Joe said between gritted teeth.

“I never saw a rose with no thorns,” Adam mused. “But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many thorns with no rose.”

“Cactus.” Joe grinned.

“Huh?”

“Somebody should have named her ‘cactus’. You reckon she’s got a husband?” Joe winced as he jolted in the saddle.

Adam shrugged and then grinned. “If she does, I bet he wears a suit of armor to bed every night!”

The brothers rode to check on the herd first. The steers milled around restlessly – they could smell water and were dangerously close to stampeding.. Pete rode up and tried hard not to laugh at Joe’s escapade as a patient. And the name “Rose” made him chuckle – how ironic that such a pretty woman could be so ornery. But he was angry that precious time would be lost in having to go to town for the sheriff. He would stay with the herd and keep it in check until Cookie came back with fresh supplies and when Adam came back with a resolution to this problem.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Upon arriving in El Crucero, Adam and Joe – his backside still stinging – tied their horses in front of the sheriff’s office. Unfortunately, there was a note on the door that stated that the sheriff had gone fishing.

Adam swore. “Well, all we can do is to ask around and see if anybody knows where we can find him.”

“I see our chuckwagon down the street. Let’s check and make sure that Cookie isn’t having any trouble,” Joe opined. “But let’s walk, okay?”

Adam chuckled. Ordinarily he would’ve laughed out loud, but the situation that they were in had taken away most of his sense of humor.

The town of El Crucero was very small, and the brothers hadn’t walked far when they were approached by a well-dressed gentleman.

“Excuse me,” Adam said. “We’re looking for the sheriff but he’s apparently not in his office. Can you tell us where we might find him?”

The man smiled. “Oh, Sheriff Blanton goes fishin’ ever’ day and comes back jest in time fer supper. I’m the Mayor of El Crucero – my name’s Delmas Fletcher. Call me Delmas.”

“I’m Adam, and this is my brother, Joe,” Adam said as he shook Delmas’s hand. Joe smiled and nodded.

“You two are new in town,” Delmas said happily. “Ain’t nobody here ’bouts that don’t know about the sheriff and his fishin’ trips. You in some kinda trouble?”

Adam liked this portly, friendly man. “Yeah. We’ve got a herd that needs water bad. Got ’em standing around in the heat and can’t get to the watering hole. Some fool female has a barbed-wire fence put up on free range and won’t let us through. She shot at us and peppered Joe with bird shot.”

“Well, that sure is against the law. The shooting, I mean.” Delmas wiped his sweaty brow with his handkerchief. “But the Mallory family owns that land, and I guess they can put up a fence if they wanna. Rose must be gettin’ ready to get her crops in. The fence is torn down durin’ plantin’ and harvestin’ time. You know who she is, don’t you?”

“No. Who is she?”

Delmas shook his head and stuttered. “Um….er….well….she’s the head of the Mallory clan, that’s all.”

It was obvious that Delmas was hiding something, and it was equally evident that he wasn’t going to tell what he knew.

At that moment, people started rushing toward a loud crash-banging in the saloon across the street.

Delmas sighed. “Junior’s at it again. Why cain’t the sheriff ever be here when this happens? I guess I’d better go take a look. Come on with me. If the saloon ain’t all broken up, we can at least have a beer until Blanton gets back.”

Without waiting for an answer, Delmas headed toward the saloon. Adam and Joe followed and made their way to the front of the crowd.

A very large man, Hoss’s size, was carrying Cookie, at arm’s length, out the door. Cookie was swinging his fists and kicking his feet but was making no contact with the man at all.

“Yep. That’s ‘Junior’, all right,” Delmas said sadly, shaking his head. “Ever’ time he comes to town, he manages to git in trouble. He ain’t never been drunk, but sometimes folks jest manage to say the wrong thing to ‘im. Ain’t nobody can fight ‘im. I done told Rose not to let ‘im come to town without his brothers, but I reckon he snuck away today.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me. His last name is ‘Mallory’.” He bore a striking resemblance to Rose – he was just several sizes larger.

Junior, a smile on his large face, was busily hanging the back of Cookie’s vest on the signpost next to the saloon. With Cookie wearing the vest and still swinging his fists.

“Hey!” Joe shouted. “That’s our cook!”

Adam took two long steps and faced Junior. “Take him down, mister.” Adam’s voice was low.

“Cain’t do that. He’s tryin’ to hit me.”

“I said to take him down,” Adam repeated, his voice another octave lower.

“Nope. Don’t wanna fight the little guy. I might hurt him.”

Adam sighed. “Then you’ll have to fight me.”

“Okay,” Junior replied happily. He loved a good fight – but he very seldom had the chance to get involved in one.

Adam sent a crashing blow to Junior’s jaw. Junior’s head didn’t even move. Then Adam gave a one-two punch to Junior’s stomach. Junior remained unfazed. Adam was mad. He knew he was in over his head with this huge man, realized that he could never win this fight, and he felt a flush of embarrassment redden his face. Cookie was screaming and Joe was egging him on. So Adam gave it one final try. He clasped his hands together tightly and swung with all his might, delivering a blow to Junior’s temple. The big man went down to his knees, smiled, and then fell unconscious.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I coulda took ‘im by myself!” Cookie was hollering from the signpost. Joe was helping him down while Adam tried to rub away the pain in his hands.

“Sure you could’ve,” Joe said soothingly but sarcastically.

Delmas looked at Junior and then at Adam. “If the sheriff was here, he’d lock Junior up for a while. What we need is a deputy.” He looked at Adam and smiled. “How long’re you gonna be in town?”

“Until tonight when the sheriff comes back, I suppose.”

Out of his pocket, Delmas pulled a badge. There was never any explanation as to why it was there. But it got pinned onto Adam’s shirt.

While Junior snored, Adam removed the badge and tried to return it to the mayor. But Joe grabbed his arm.

“Hey!” he whispered. “This is perfect! The sheriff isn’t here to help us with the problem with Rose and the fence. But you’re now ‘the law’! You can get her to let the herd through! Use Junior as a bargaining chip!”

Adam’s lips turned upward into a conspiratorial smile as he pinned the badge back on. He first looked at Cookie.

“Did you get all the supplies into the wagon?”

“Yep. And then I stopped in the saloon for a beer. Just a quick one. All I did was look at this guy and tell him he was as big as Hoss and….”

Adam interrupted him. “Go on back to the herd. I’ll meet you there later. Joe, go with him.”

“But, Adam!” Joe protested. “I wanna see….”

But Adam had now turned to Delmas. “Delmas, you said that the sheriff would lock Junior up for a while. This badge says that I can do just that, but it won’t solve my problem. How about if I take Junior back home and trade him for passage to the watering hole?”

The mayor smiled. “That’d be a sly trick. But it might work. I don’t want a bunch of dead or dying cattle this close to town. They smell so bad.” He paused. “I’ll go with you. I gotta see this. Poor Rose. She’ll be fit to be tied. And she’s such a nice lady, too.”

“Yeah,” Adam growled, “real nice.”

Junior now had regained consciousness and was sitting up, looking innocent and slightly confused.

“Did I hurt you, mister?” he asked Adam.

“Some.” Adam rubbed his sore hands. “C’mon, get up. You’re coming with me.”

Junior saw Adam’s badge. “Are you takin’ me to jail? Rose’ll never forgive me.” He looked glum.

“As a matter of fact, I’m taking you back home,” Adam replied.

Junior grabbed Adam’s hand and pumped it in a tight grip. Adam winced.

Junior grinned. “Gee, thanks! Sheriff Blanton would’ve thrown me in jail.”

And so it was that Cookie and Joe headed back toward the herd while Adam, Delmas, Junior and several of the men in town headed toward the Mallory ranch. Just for show, Adam tied Junior’s hands together with a bit of rope. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Rose’s face!

CHAPTER NINE

At the barbed-wire gate to the Mallory compound, Adam was surprised to see that he was met by the five brothers and Rose – all with rifles in their hands.

“I told you not to come back here!” Rose exclaimed.

“Now, Rose,” Delmas said soothingly. “Junior got in another fight at the saloon and we’re just bringing him back.”

Rose looked at Junior and shook her head. “I guess I should be grateful. It saved me a trip into town and bail money. Junior, get over here right now!”

“I can’t,” Junior said morosely. “The deputy has my hands tied up and told me if I moved that he’d shoot me!”

Rose looked perplexed. “What deputy? El Crucero doesn’t have a deputy!”

Adam spoke. “It does now. I’m wearing a badge to prove it. Now, let’s talk about your brother, a thirsty herd of cattle, and how this situation can be rectified, Rosie-gal.”

“’Rosie-gal’!” Rose shouted indignantly. Angrily, she hauled off and slapped Adam’s face while her brothers looked on in astonishment.

Adam grabbed her arm and held it. “Mister Mayor, what do you suppose is an appropriate punishment for assaulting a peace officer?”

“Hmm,” said Delmas, thinking hard. “Maybe a few days’ jail time?”

“Well, well, well,” Adam said with his own sly smile. “Untie Junior, please. He’s free to go but leave his horse here. And hand me the rope from his wrists.”

Hazel eyes and amber eyes locked in a steady glare.

Junior opened the gate and rushed in. Delmas put the piece of rope over Adam’s shoulder. Adam never broke his gaze into Rose’s eyes. He simply snatched away her rifle, quickly bound her wrists, and threw her unceremoniously over his shoulder.

“Put me down, you heathen!” she kept screaming. She kicked and wriggled but she was no match for Adam’s strength and determination.

Adam plunked her onto Junior’s horse and grabbed the reins. “Now,” he said, “it’s time to talk.”

Turning to the six brothers, Adam spoke. “This is the problem, as I see it. I have two hundred head of steers who will die of thirst if they don’t get to some water before dark. You have the water. In the name of the law, I order you to let us go through the Pass.”

Junior, who loved animals, couldn’t stand the thought of any creature dying of thirst. “But we’ve got crops almost ready to be harvested. They’ll all be trampled to smithereens.”

“You let me take care of that. Not one potato, not one ear of corn, not one vegetable from your garden will be touched. I swear it.”

“But what about Rose?” Randall asked.

“She broke the law by assaulting me,” Adam answered evenly. “And she did shoot my brother. And she is going to jail. But I expect that the sheriff will be lenient with her. I don’t know why, but she seems to be well-liked. I’ll instruct Mayor Fletcher to have someone wait at the jail until Sheriff Blanton returns so she won’t be alone.”

Delmas nodded his head.

The Mallory brothers huddled up and talked among themselves. Finally, Gus spoke.

“Okay. You’ve got a deal. But if your herd gets out of hand and ruins our crops, we’ll shoot you dead.”

Adam nodded. “Fair enough.”

“But, Gus!” Rose wailed. “What about me?”

Gus sighed. “He’s the law, Rose. I’m sorry. You know that Sheriff Blanton won’t keep you long.”

“We’ll take Rose back to town fer ya,” Delmas offered. Nods from the men who had ridden out with him. “You git back to your herd.”

Adam shook his head. Another sly smile. “No. I’ll take Rose into town and make sure she gets locked up. I’d appreciate your riding out to the herd and telling Joe to keep the steers circling slowly towards the pass. But don’t let any animals through until I get there.”

Delmas and friends rode off in the direction of the herd. Adam climbed onto his saddle, still holding the reins of the horse Rose was on, and headed toward town. He could almost see smoke coming out of Rose’s ears. He smiled.

CHAPTER TEN

Rose was, indeed, far beyond furious. Adam couldn’t stop chuckling.

“You sound like a hyena,” Rose growled.

“Sorry.” Adam truly did try to stop smiling. But, after a few seconds, he found himself laughing.

“Well, tell me what’s so funny! I need a good laugh!”

“Rose, you’re a very intelligent woman. I would imagine that any other man would’ve gone to the east like you dictated. But I have an obligation to get this herd home, and I will, in spite of you.”

“Spite. That’s a perfect word. You’re just being spiteful and hateful and…..”

All of a sudden, she jumped from her horse and ran down the hill. She stumbled and fell and rolled. It had been too difficult, with her hands tied, to keep her balance.

Adam was off his horse in a flash. He reached Rose’s side at the edge of a small creek.

“Now why would you do such a stupid thing?” Adam was beyond frustration.

“I’m very particular about the company I keep,” Rose said with a glare. “And I don’t like your company.”

Rose had smudges of dirt all over her face. As she sat and pouted, Adam pulled out his handkerchief and wet it in the creek’s water. Gently, he began wiping away the dirt from Rose’s otherwise flawless complexion. The two were close enough to get really good looks at each other.

She’s really quite beautiful. Soft skin, nice cheekbones, full lips, white teeth, a slightly-cleft chin, and those amber eyes……..

He’s really quite handsome. Rugged, strong jaw line, a Cupid’s-bow mouth, white teeth, and those hazel eyes……..

Rose was aware that she felt an inkling of physical attraction for Adam. “Whew, I bet I look a mess!” Her bound hands went to her hair which definitely needed some smoothing down. She actually wanted to look pretty right now.

Adam felt the same physical attraction for Rose. He reached for her hair and tucked a few errant strands into place. Then he took her hands in his.

She jumped. “What’re you doing!”

“Relax. I’m just going to untie your hands!” Adam’s voice was impatient.

“Why? So I can try to run away and then you can shoot me in the back?” Rose’s voice was surly.

Adam sighed. “I’m not planning on doing you any bodily harm, Rose. I’m just going to take you to jail and hope that the sheriff will keep you there long enough to get my cattle through the Pass.”

Rose allowed her hands to be untied. She looked at Adam curiously. She couldn’t figure him out, a fact that bothered her considerably. She snatched the damp handkerchief away from Adam and continued wiping her own face.

Adam leaned over the creek and splashed water on his own face. Then he sat back.

“Rose, why did you choose to put your home in such bad country? There’re nothing but rocks all around here.”

“I liked the look of the soil,” was her reply. “If you weren’t so busy playing lawman, you’d see what I mean.”

Adam cleared a small area, scooped up some of the soil, and found that it was, indeed, good soil. He put his tongue to it.

“Just like butter!” he remarked, quite surprised. “Clear the land of the rocks, till the soil, drop some seeds and just watch how things grow.” He paused. “But you had to know that cattlemen use the Pass to get to water when the other watering hole is dry. You had to know there’d be trouble.”

Rose looked almost relaxed. Almost. “Nobody ever argued the point with me or my brothers. We stay well-armed and vigilant. You’re the first man to stand up to us. I kinda admired you for it.”

There was silence for a minute. Then Rose continued. “I….we….were looking for a place that was quiet and peaceful and off the beaten path. The town is small, and that was another plus.”

Hazel eyes and amber eyes locked once again. Adam felt a tightening in his belly – the good kind of tightening. Rose felt herself get lost in Adam’s eyes and felt the same tightening in her belly.

“Rose,” Adam said softly. “Let us through the Pass. I don’t want to take you to jail.”

The word “jail” brought Rose back to reality. “I won’t back down! I’d rather go to jail!”

The spell had been broken. Adam stood, leaned over and scooped Rose into his strong arms. She kicked and protested – all to no avail.

Adam smiled at her. “When will you learn that there’s a time to fight and a time not to, girl?”

He carried her up the hill and sat her on Junior’s horse. But he didn’t tie her hands or grab her reins. And she didn’t try to get away.

By the time they reached town – and the jail – the sheriff had still not returned. One of the men with Delmas had ridden back and was waiting for Adam to arrive. Adam escorted Rose to a cell and felt guilty. He felt guilty when he made sure that there was a bucket of fresh water in case Rose was thirsty. He felt guilty when he locked the cell door behind him.

Rose looked at him as he finished locking the cell door.

“Just so that you’re aware, I’d like to tell you something,” Rose said sweetly but there was fire in her eyes. “I don’t know when I’ve felt such absolute revulsion for any other human being in my whole life.”

Adam’s feelings of guilt disappeared. “Lady,” he said, “I can assure you that the feeling is quite mutual.” He turned and walked into the outer office.

Marcus, the man who would keep an eye on Rose until the sheriff’s return, whispered to Adam. “You really locked her up!” His eyes were wide. “The sheriff sure will be surprised!”

“Just make sure she doesn’t talk you into letting her out,” Adam advised. “I need just enough lead time to get my herd to water. After that, it won’t matter if the sheriff releases her.” Adam wondered why the sheriff would be “surprised,” but figured that it was because someone actually had the audacity to bring her in. But she had said that she chosen her land because it was away from everything. Maybe she or one of her brothers was wanted by the law for something. Adam shook his head. Questions and not one single answer.

“You haven’t seen the last of me!” Rose hollered as Adam opened the door to leave the office. Her words would turn out to be prophetic.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Back at the Ponderosa, Adam and Joe recounted their experiences with the Mallory family from beginning to end. The herd of cattle had drunk their fill at the Mallory place and had not so much as gotten near any of the crops, just as Adam had promised. Adam had no trouble with any of the brothers who, though armed with rifles, never fired a shot – they just stood guard and watched.

Ben puffed on his pipe as he listened, a smile playing about his lips. Hoss just laughed outright at Joe’s being shot.

“Adam,” Ben said, “was it really necessary to throw the lady in jail?”

“Yeah, Adam. You cain’t jest go ’round throwin’ a gal behind bars!”

“Pa!” Joe interjected. “She shot me in the ass! And she slapped Adam while he was wearing a badge!”

Ben looked at his youngest son. “Don’t be vulgar, Joseph.” But Ben’s face showed that laughter was just hiding below the surface. “And I don’t think this is the first time that Adam’s been slapped.” Poking his pipe back into his mouth didn’t manage to disguise Ben’s chuckle.

“Pa,” said Adam as he leaned against the mantel of the fireplace, a toothpick clenched in his teeth, his arms crossed over his chest. “Rose is not a normal kind of….um….’lady’. I’d rather be staked out in an ant bed than to deal with her again. Joe said it correctly when he described her as being like a cactus. She’s pretty to look at but too full of thorns to want to be around. Besides, Joe and I had the herd to take care of, and we did the best we could under the circumstances.”

Ben nodded. “You did what you thought was right. What’s done is done. I have my sons home again, safe and sound. Well,” he looked at Joe, “none the worse for wear, anyway.”

Joe rubbed his behind. It had healed but was still slightly sore if he sat down too hard.

“Ya gotta think about what that gal’s life was like,” Hoss said thoughtfully. He was always quick to stand up for the underdog. “Her folks was dead and she had six brothers to raise. Now they got their own wives and kids and she has to take care of all of ’em. I’d be kinda prickly, too, if I was in her shoes.”

“’Kinda’ prickly?” Adam coughed. “That’s the biggest understatement I’ve ever heard!”

That night, Adam dreamed of amber eyes and of kissing full lips. He dreamed of blond hair fanned out on a pillow, of a body yielding beneath him and of murmurs of tender passion.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Virginia City was bustling with activity – the annual charity drive would be taking place in a few days. Booths were being built to display various and sundry items running the gamut from pies to leather goods. New people were pouring into town every day, crowding the sidewalks, the streets, and the hotels. Even the mountain men came down, pitched their tents just outside of town, and strummed their guitars and banjos, their feet tapping to the rhythm of the music. Patrice’s place, “The Black Garter,” the most expensive “Gentlemen’s Club” in town, was doing a booming business – thanks mostly to the appearance of those mountain men. It seemed that Virginia City never slept during this annual event.

All four Cartwrights had arrived in town in the early morning with each man going his own way. They promised that they would meet for lunch at “Maggie’s Cafe” later in the day after the rush of lunch hour. Joe went to look at a new shipment of rifles that had just arrived. Adam went to check out some new mustangs. Hoss went to look at saddles. Ben went to the bank and then to the leather-goods store where he had seen a pair of boots that had grabbed his attention several days ago. He seriously doubted that they’d still be in the store and wished he had bought them when he had first seen them.

His bank dealings being finished – there had been a long line of folks at every teller’s window – Ben made his way along the boardwalk toward the leather-goods store. He never got there.

As he passed by the Bucket O’ Blood saloon, he could hear shouts of “You can take ‘im, Hoss!” and “Put some muscle into it, Hoss!” Ben wondered what in the world his middle son was up to, so he pushed his way through the swinging doors and saw a crowd of people around a table. He looked around and didn’t see any broken chairs or bottles, so Hoss wasn’t fighting. But the cheers for “Hoss! Hoss!” continued to rise.

Ben made his way to the center of the crowd and saw that Hoss was involved in an arm-wrestling match with a stranger who was just about Hoss’s size. Hoss’s huge hand was firmly clasped with the stranger’s huge hand, and both men’s arm muscles were bulging with effort. Ben watched for a while as Hoss gained some ground and then lost some ground.

Ben stood near his son and tried to speak above the noisy din of the crowd.

“Hoss, are you winning or losing?”

“Oh, hi, Pa!” Hoss was smiling broadly as he looked up into his father’s face. “It ain’t often that I run into a feller as good as me at arm rasslin’, and I mighta just met my match!” Then Hoss, remembering his manners, looked at the stranger and said, “This here’s my Pa, Ben Cartwright.”

“Glad to meet you,” the stranger said, smiling. It was obvious that he was enjoying himself as much as Hoss was. His smile was just as broad as Hoss’s.

Ben nodded and smiled back.

“Uh, Hoss?” he began. “How long have you been at this?”

“I don’t rightly know, Pa. Fer a while, I reckon.”

“Thirty minutes!” shouted Sam from behind the bar.

Ben scratched his head. “This is the best two-out-of-three, right?”

“Don’t think so. Once is gonna be enough to cripple me for days.” Hoss’s face turned red as his arm began to lean slightly toward the table and he had to exert more pressure to regain his position.

“Hoss, we’re supposed to meet your brothers in about half an hour. Will you be there?”

The stranger answered, “Win, lose or draw, we’ll quit in thirty minutes. Deal, Hoss?”

“Yep, Junior. You got yerself a deal.” Then he added, “We’re gonna eat at ‘Maggie’s Cafe. Like Pa says, my brothers’ll be there. I’d like fer ya to meet ’em. You kin bring your family along, too. The food’s real good and maybe most o’ the crowd’ll be outta there by then.”

Junior smiled. “You got yourself a deal, Hoss! ‘Maggie’s Cafe’ in thirty minutes or so. Save three chairs for us. If you lose this match, you buy. If I lose, then I buy. If it’s a draw, we’ll split the tab.”

Hoss looked up at Ben. “Okay with you?”

“Certainly.”

It wasn’t until Ben got outside the saloon that a bell went off in his head. ”Junior” The name was familiar, but Ben’s mind was on that new pair of boots and he didn’t give the name a second thought. Perhaps he should have….

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ben had bought his new boots – the ones he had hoped for – and decided that this was a very good day. He entered Maggie’s Cafe and spotted Hoss and his friend already waiting for him at a table large enough to seat seven people. But Hoss had a strange look on his face, one that always indicated that something was amiss. Taking a deep breath and hoping he was wrong, Ben clenched the bag of new boots firmly, stood straight and tall, and finally plastered a smile on his face.

“Well, you two are here early,” he said cheerfully. “I gotta know. Which one of you came out the winner?”

Hoss half-smiled. “It was a draw, Pa. I ain’t seen too many folks as strong as Junior. Junior Mallory.” Hoss’s blue eyes watched his father’s face carefully.

Ben dropped the bag in his hand. It hit the floor noisily. He made himself smile. After all, Junior hadn’t been the major problem for Adam and Joe.

Junior’s smile was broad. “How nice to see you again, Mister Cartwright. Your son sure is giving me a run for my money. Why, my arm’s so tired and sore, I may not be able to use it for a week!”

Ben’s mind was reeling. Now he understood the strange look on Hoss’s face. Junior seemed quite at ease – and he spoke as though he were well-educated. The two men shook hands and sat down.

“So you’re the ‘Junior Mallory’ that I’ve heard about,” Ben said as he reached for the cup of coffee already on the table.

“Sir?” Junior looked confused.

“Junior,” Ben began, wanting to get to the heart of the matter quickly, “Adam and Joe are my other two sons. They met you in El Crucero not that long ago. They were driving a herd here and needed water.”

Junior’s eyes popped wide. Ben could see Hoss begin to tense up.

“Why, sure I remember Adam and Joe!” Junior smiled and looked at Ben conspiratorially. “Adam was the man who put my sister in jail! She was madder than a wet hen when she got out.” And then Junior laughed.

The tension was broken. Both Hoss and Ben visibly relaxed.

“Yer not mad, Junior?” an astonished Hoss asked.

“Why would I be? I love my sister more than anything. But she’s stubborn. Besides, I got less than what I deserved. I hope I didn’t hurt the cook too much by hanging him up on that signpost. But he said that I was as big as a horse and I got my feelings hurt. I’m very sensitive about my size.” He turned to Hoss. “You understand, don’t you?”

Hoss laughed. “I reckon I do, fer a fact.”

Ben had relaxed. “I spoke to Cookie and found out what he said to you. He had said that you were as big as Hoss, not that you were as big as a horse.”

“You mean I scared that man half to death over my mistaking what he said? Aw, I’m awful sorry, Mister Cartwright.” Then, “Adam and I never would’ve had that fight if I hadn’t misunderstood.”

Hoss interrupted. “From what Adam said, you never fought him. He hit you but you didn’t even react. He finally managed to knock ya out by hittin’ you with two hands square in the temple. You went unconscious then. I reckon you don’t even remember that.”

“Nope. Don’t remember that part. Adam was smart. A strong blow to the temple will definitely turn out somebody’s lights!” Junior continued to laugh.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Joe walking in and heading towards the table. Joe stopped, unsure as to what to do – he recognized Junior immediately.

Junior stood up, a broad grin on his face. “Joe! Come on and sit down! We’re having the best time!”

Joe looked at the smile on Hoss’s face, and he saw his father nod – a nod that meant all was well. So Joe walked up to the table and shook Junior’s outstretched hand. Joe was, for once, at a loss for words, so he sat down and tried to smile.

“Joe, I hope you aren’t mad at me for what Rose did to you.” Junior searched Joe’s eyes for an honest answer.

This situation made Joe chuckle. He couldn’t wait for Adam to get here to see what would happen.

“Naw. Rose really just hurt my pride.” Of course, Joe was lying about that – his ass had hurt like hell for at least a week. “Junior, the only person you scared was Cookie. He still thinks he could’ve beaten you if you hadn’t hung him up by his vest.” Joe grinned.

“Hoss and I have to be careful around smaller guys. They get hurt so easy.” Junior took a big sip of coffee. “When do I get to see Adam again?”

“Right now, Junior. He’s headed this way.” Hoss had long since stopped being tense. He smiled as Adam approached the table.

“Hey, Adam!” Junior rose to his feet again. “How’s your hand?”

Adam looked quite confused and then the dawn of recognition hit him. “Junior? Junior Mallory?”

“It’s me all right. It’s good to see you.”

Adam looked into the mostly-forgotten honest face and saw no enmity there. He extended his hand and winced only slightly at Junior’s firm grip. Then, “You’re not mad that I threw your sister in jail?”

Junior grinned. “Not at all. She’s never been in jail before, but she always says when one person does another person wrong, then punishment should be accepted. After all, she shot Joe in the….um….behind. And everything worked out okay after that. You got your herd to water, none of our crops were damaged, and Rose wasn’t in jail for too long – she came home just as the herd was watered and on the move again. All’s well that ends well.”

Hoss’s stomach growled loudly. He looked at the two empty chairs. “Reckon when we can order?”

Junior answered. “My brother, Gus, should be along any minute now. He had to go to “tent city” where the mountain men are. He had to fetch Rose.”

“Rose?” Adam repeated. “Rose is here in Virginia City?”

“Yeah, she’s here. This is gonna be some fun – the three of us and the four of you at the same table.” There was no guile in Junior’s eyes.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be ‘some fun’,” Adam echoed. He sipped his coffee and wished that it would magically turn into whiskey.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The door to Maggie’s Cafe opened, the bell over the door heralding the arrival of more patrons. Adam, who was sitting with his back to the door, looked over his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Rose wasn’t among them. There were a husband and wife with two small children, all of whom were wearing clean but patched and re-patched clothing. Adam overheard the woman say to the man, “I don’t know if we have enough money to eat here.” The husband’s answer was, “Then we won’t eat. The children are hungry – they come first.” Adam couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation but felt a tug at his heartstrings. He remembered, when he was young, that his own father had gone without food so that Adam could eat.

Without fanfare, Adam caught the eye of Katie, one of the waitresses. He whispered something to her that only Junior could hear and then slipped something into Katie’s hand. Katie smiled and nodded and then went to the kitchen for a few moments. She emerged, looking jubilant, and loudly announced that today was a special day. The one-hundredth customer would receive a prize. She looked around the room, which wasn’t full at this hour, and let her eyes fall finally on the family with the two children.

“Congratulations!” Katie crowed. “You’re the winners! Would you like to know what you’ve won?”

The startled man nodded his head slowly.

“Hold out your hand, sir.”

He did.

And into his hand went fifty dollars in cash. His eyes bugged out, his wife gave a little shriek, and the children clapped their hands in delight. “Daddy won a prize, daddy won a prize!” they sang with happy little voices.

The room was filled with applause. The patrons, though few, were in a festive mood, and any good fortune for anybody was reason to be still happier.

“Now, sir,” Katie said, “I’d like to take your order. It’s part of the prize, so you get to eat for free.”

Stunned, the husband ordered a large meal for his family. The wife wiped away a tear of happiness.

Junior leaned over and whispered into Adam’s ear, “I thought that you were a good man when I met you. And you just proved that I was right.”

Adam started to say something to Junior but realized that Junior was now looking over his shoulder in the direction of the door.

“Uh-oh,” said Joe. “Adam, don’t look. Maybe I’m wrong.”

But he wasn’t wrong. Gus and Rose had just come into the cafe.

Adam didn’t look. He heard Gus say, “Look, Rose. There’s a familiar face!”

Adam heard Rose’s voice. “Well, there’s our friend, Joe. Are you able to ride comfortably now? I wouldn’t want my best patient to be suffering any long-term effects from my surgical skills.”

Hoss was grinning. Ben looked surprised. Joe just stared. Junior chuckled.

As gentlemen, when a lady approaches the table, manners dictate that the men stand up. Adam stood up and turned around slowly. His eyes met Rose’s. She had been smiling that devilish smile but it slid off her face quickly.

The first words out of her mouth as she looked at Adam were, “Oh, crappp! It’s you!”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Adam, be nice,” Ben warned under his breath.

Gus had a stern look on his face. “Rose, watch your mouth. You aren’t in ‘tent city’ now.”

Rose snorted in reply. “Junior told Gus that we were having lunch with a friend he had made. I surely wouldn’t be here if I had known that the ‘friend’ was the man who threw me in jail and forced my brothers to open the fence after I had said an emphatic ‘no’.”

“Rose, you have it wrong. The friend I was talking about is this man – Hoss.”

“Well, Hoss, it’s nice to meet you.” Rose turned to look at Hoss and gave him a bit of a smile. “Junior said neither one of you won the arm-wrestling match. But you do need to be more particular about who you eat a meal with.” She looked at Adam and then at Joe and then back at Adam.

“Uh, ma’am? Adam and Joe are my brothers. This here is my Pa, Ben Cartwright.” Hoss fidgeted slightly.

“Oh, Good Lord. I’ve died and gone to Hell! They’re a family!” Rose muttered unhappily.

“Rose! Behave yourself!” Gus grabbed her arm and gave it a slight yank. Rose responded with her best pouty face.

“You’ll have to excuse my sister. She’s having a bad day,” Gus said by way of apology.

Adam looked innocent. “Has she ever had a good day?”

Ben’s voice was low. “Adam, mind your manners and your mouth!”

Gus extended his hand first to Ben. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I hear that the Ponderosa is the biggest and finest spread in Nevada Territory.”

Ben smiled and shook Gus’s hand. “It takes a lot of work to keep it running smoothly. I’m glad that I have my sons to help me.”

Rose snorted and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like “Adam and Joe are a help?”

Gus turned to shake Adam’s hand. “I have good memories of our sitting on the front porch and drinking lemonade.”

Rose muttered quietly, “It should have been laced with arsenic.”

Then Gus shook hands with Joe and turned to shake hands with Hoss. “It’s about time Junior met a man who could give him a run for his money. It’s a shame that you don’t live in El Crucero – or at least close by.”

Rose sighed. “Can we please eat now? All these pleasantries are going to make me lose my appetite.” Then “Ow!” as Gus yanked on her arm again.

“Rose, these are gentlemen. They won’t be seated until you are seated. So sit!”

Rose sighed loudly and sat down. She chatted politely with Ben about the Ponderosa and answered his questions about her land, its excellent soil, and about the crops her family raised. Ben noticed that Rose was ignoring Adam altogether.

But Adam had a question that would require Rose to speak to him.

“I noticed at your place that you called all the men ‘brother’ – ‘Brother Gus’, ‘Brother Will’, ‘Brother Matthew’…. I was wondering why. Do you belong to a religious sect?”

Rose turned her amber eyes toward him. “No, we don’t belong to a religious sect. When our parents died, Louis and Randall were very small and started calling me ‘Ma’. I didn’t want them to forget that I was their sister, so I started calling them ‘brother’. I guess I still do.”

Adam didn’t miss the loving looks she gave her brothers when she spoke. And she was actually civil!

“You raised all six brothers by yourself? That must’ve been difficult. I had to raise only three sons by myself and they were all that I could handle,” Ben said gently.

“Well,” Rose said with a sly smile, “God said, in the Good Book, to go forth and multiply. My parents must’ve taken it very seriously.” And then Rose made her eyebrows wiggle up and down.

Ben laughed out loud. His laughter was contagious and spread around the table quickly. And Rose surprised Adam by actually smiling at him! He felt his heart beat a little faster. Felt his belly tighten. Maybe Rose wasn’t such a bad person after all.

But she was back to her old self almost immediately.

“Mister Ben – you don’t mind if I call you that because I will anyway – Hoss and Joe seem like decent men. But, perhaps, did you drop Adam on his head at some point when he was young? Or is he ‘slow’ and doesn’t understand that a man just can’t throw a lady over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and haul her off to jail just because she wants to protect her land, her crops, and her family?”

“I’m not ‘slow’ and you got what you deserved,” Adam retorted testily. As he started to say something else, the entire conversation was interrupted. Adam would see quite a surprising side to this thorny rose.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“That’s ‘Alexandra’!” the little girl squealed – the same little girl who belonged to the family who “won” a free meal and fifty dollars.

The child leaped from her seat, avoided her mother’s grasp, and made a bee-line for the table of seven. She approached Rose with a big smile. Adam noticed that Rose flinched slightly.

“I just know it’s you,” she said happily. “I think you’re the most beautiful lady in the world. Well, my mommy comes first, then you. Daddy said today was our lucky day, and he was right! He won a lot of money and we got our breakfast for free!”

“And what makes you so sure of who I am?” Rose turned sideways in her chair and propped her elbows on her knees, bringing herself to eye-level with the child.

The little girl reached into her patch-pocket and pulled out a handbill which showed a sketch of a woman playing a violin. The handbill was not an unfamiliar sight around Virginia City. It was advertising the arrival of a “world-renown violinist” who would be putting on a show during the charity drive. And the sketch did rather resemble Rose….

“We saw you play your violin last year in….um….Utah. We couldn’t get into the building there ’cause Daddy said it was too ‘spensive, but we stood outside and looked through the windows. I wanna play the violin and get famous just like you!”

Maggie’s Cafe went silent. Everybody was listening to the little girl and watching Rose.

“Busted!” Gus whispered with glee.

Rose shot him a quick dirty look and then returned her attention to the bright-eyed youngster.

“You know my name, but I don’t know your name. Will you tell me?”

“Daddy calls me ‘his princess’, but my real name is Laura Purvis. My brother’s name is Frederick. He wants to marry you when he gets bigger.”

Frederick’s face turned crimson. Laura’s father was on his feet, intending to bring his daughter back to her chair. Rose looked at him and smiled, putting up her hand as a signal for him to sit back down.

“Tell Frederick that I’d be proud to marry him. But he has to get a little older first. And I’m very happy to meet you, Laura. That’s a beautiful name.” Rose picked Laura up and sat the child in her lap. The little girl’s dress was shabby but clean. Rose’s heart ached for the family.

“So you’d like to play the violin, too?” Rose asked.

“Oh, yes!” came the breathless answer. “When Daddy gets rich, he promised to buy me a violin of my very own!”

“I think you should know that the violin is a very difficult instrument to play. You’ll have to spend hours and hours practicing. At first, the tips of your fingers will be very red and sore and you might lose interest. But then you get callouses on your fingers, and they stop hurting. Are you willing to put that much effort into playing the violin?”

Laura nodded emphatically. “Do you have callouses?”

Adam was watching Rose intently. Her face had softened, and she had a gentleness about her that was real. She wasn’t putting on a fake show for the people in the cafe. She looked almost angelic. She took Adam’s breath away.

Rose laughed, a genuine laugh that had a lilt to it. “Do I have callouses? Just look at my fingertips, Laura. They’re hard as rocks!”

Laura inspected Rose’s fingers, touching them gently. “My daddy has callouses like that all over his hands. He says it’s from plowing the field and doing ‘manual labor’. What’s ‘manual labor’?”

Rose played with a tendril of Laura’s hair. “It’s the hardest work a man can do with his hands. His callouses are his ‘badges of honor’. The work he does is honest, really hard work. He’s a man to be deeply respected.”

Laura listened intently and gazed into Rose’s eyes. “You have funny eyes.” Only a child would be so blunt.

Again, Rose laughed. “I certainly do! I think God had a sense of humor when he handed out eye-color!”

Laura laughed along with Rose. Adam was mesmerized. Rose, with her face and body relaxed, was really quite beautiful. His heart skipped a beat.

“Will you sign your name on this picture? Momma says it’s called an..um..er….auto-something.”

“It’s called an autograph, and I would be delighted to sign it for you and your family. Brother Gus, have you got something to write with?”

Gus handed over a pencil.

“Now, I need to know your mommy and daddy’s names, so I can write something personal.”

“Mommy’s name is ‘Donna’ and daddy’s name is ‘Edgar’.”

Rose spent a moment writing something. Before she handed the handbill to Laura, she spoke to Junior.

“Don’t you have some things in your pocket for this family? They couldn’t watch my last performance, and I want to make sure that they don’t miss the next one.”

Junior reached into his pocket and withdrew some pieces of paper. He reached across the table and handed them to his sister.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Laura, I’ll be playing my violin at the Opera House on Saturday. Here are four tickets – the best seats in the house, on the very front row. I hope that you and your family will be my guests. I’m going to write on them so that none of you will have any problem getting into the building and in getting these special seats.”

Laura looked sad. “But we don’t live in Virginia City. And we have to go back home before Saturday because there’s no place to stay in town. All the hotels and boarding houses are full. Daddy found that out this morning.”

Rose smiled gently. “Oh, I forgot to tell you! How careless of me! When you are my most special guests, you get your room and meals at the International House for free. When you check into the hotel, all your mommy and daddy have to do is to sign the guest register and put ‘special guests of Alexandra Mallory’. You can’t check into the hotel until late this afternoon though. Is that okay? Go ask your parents for their permission.”

Because it was so quiet in the cafe, the Purvises had heard every word. Donna was holding a handkerchief to her eyes, and Edgar’s lower lip trembled slightly.

“Is it okay, daddy? Can we stay? Please?” Laura’s voice carried throughout the cafe.

“Yes, princess. We can stay. Now, come on back to the table. You’ve bothered Miss Alexandra enough.”

“Mr. Purvis, Laura has been no bother. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I’m very glad to have met her.”

Laura climbed happily down from Rose’s lap and took the autographed handbill and ‘special tickets’ with her as she skipped over to her own table. She handed the tickets to her father and the paper to her mother, who read it aloud.

To Donna, Edgar, Frederick and Laura. You are a very exceptional family. It has been an honor to meet you. I’ll see you at the concert on Saturday. With much gratitude, Alexandra Mallory.

With handbill and tickets tucked safely away in his pocket, Edgar approached Rose and whispered to her.

“I’d like to pay you for the tickets, Miss Mallory.” He pulled out his ‘prize’ money of fifty dollars.

“Mister Purvis, you owe me nothing. Would you deprive me of the pleasure of seeing Laura’s bright smile and her appreciation of the violin?”

“No, ma’am,” Edgar answered slowly. “God bless you for your kindness.”

Rose shook his hand. “I fully expect to see you on Saturday. If I don’t, I’ll hunt you down and drag you to the Opera House myself!”

Edgar grinned. “I bet you’d do just that, ma’am!”

He and Rose shared a laugh and then he and his family were gone. Rose’s face fairly glowed with happiness.

“Uh, Rose?” Gus broke the silence. “You just gave our suite away. Where’re we gonna stay?”

“At the Ponderosa with us,” Ben stated quickly. “We have plenty of room, and Hop Sing will be delighted to have a famous lady in the house.”

“Who’s Hop Sing?” Rose looked suspicious.

“Our cook. He’s Chinese and has been part of this family for a very long time.”

“Good Lord! There are more of you?” Rose rolled her eyes. “Thank you for your kind invitation, but I’m sure we can find a place to stay.”

“You’re outvoted, Rose,” Junior said, his eyes twinkling. “We would be most happy to stay with you at the Ponderosa, Mr. Cartwright.”

Rose looked glum. “Gus didn’t vote.”

“Did too,” Gus answered as he finished his coffee. “The Ponderosa wins – with our thanks. We’ll be gone in three days, so maybe we won’t put you out too much.”

“Not at all,” Ben replied. “We would be honored to have you as our guests.”

Rose’s lips were tight. “I am not staying in the same house as that man!” She pointed at Adam. “I’d rather sleep in a barn!”

“You’ll be glad to know that we have a large barn and plenty of hay. You’ll be quite comfortable there,” was Adam’s retort.

“Adam!” Ben growled.

Rose stuck her tongue out at Adam. “I was right. Your father did drop you on your head when you were little!” Then, turning to Gus and Junior, she added, “You’d better get our things out of the International House before the Purvises get there. Get off your butts and get moving!”

Her voice was so assertive, so commanding, that both Joe and Hoss jumped up to help Gus and Junior. Neither of them wanted to run afoul of those thorns if it could be avoided. Ben looked at Adam and tried very hard not to laugh.

The meal ended on that note. And, true to their words, Hoss and Junior split the bill.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

By the time Hoss, Junior, Gus and Joe had sneaked everything out of the Mallory suite at the International House by way of the back stairs, the Purvis family was checking in. Rose had already alerted the desk clerks of her plan and had sworn them to secrecy. She would pay the bill before she left Virginia City. Her only other instructions were to treat the Purvis family like royalty – she sincerely wanted this to be a memorable occasion for all the Purvises.

Into a nondescript buckboard went the luggage. Gus, with Hoss sitting beside him and with Rose sitting low in the bed of the wagon, clucked at the horses and headed to the main street to meet up with the Cartwrights. Already on the street were crowds of people, waving and shouting their welcomes to ‘Alexandra’.

Joe rode beside the wagon as it slowly headed out of town. Ben and Adam rode behind and watched the crowd with great interest. Poor Junior had gotten side-tracked by the editor of the newspaper and would catch up in a few minutes.

“It doesn’t take long for news to spread, does it?” Ben observed.

“Apparently not. But we don’t get celebrities here very often.” Adam was quiet for a moment. “Pa, do you think it’s a good idea to let the Mallorys stay at the Ponderosa? Gus and Junior seem to be okay, but we’re going to have to put up with Rose and her bad attitude. And she really might sleep in the barn!”

Ben looked at his eldest son. “You aren’t helping matters with Rose. She baits you and you take the bait without hesitation. Try to be nice for a change and see if that makes a difference. I have a feeling that there’s much more to that lady than meets the eye. Give her a chance, son.”

Joe rode back to inform his father that Gus would be stopping at “tent city.” Rose had her horse there and wanted to get him. She had promised the men that she would take part in their music-making if they would keep an eye on her horse.

Adam had nothing against these mountain men. In fact, they knew more about this part of the country than any of the Cartwrights might ever know. But he was now seeing Rose through different eyes and didn’t think that a lady of her status should be in “ungentlemanly company.”

Ben’s face grew serious when Adam mentioned this. “You’re talking about the same lady that you threw in jail, son! If you had known who she was then, would you have done the same thing?”

“Well….I….” Adam stammered. The question was valid. Would he have treated Rose any differently if he had known she was famous? He honestly didn’t know. Right now, all he could think of was her face as she spoke to Laura – there was a deep warmth and sweetness and gentleness that caused her to almost glow. He doubted very seriously that anybody could put on such an act. Was she as thorny as he and Joe had thought?

Adam looked ahead at the buckboard. He saw only Gus and Hoss on the seat. But something peculiar was going on in the wagon bed behind all the luggage so he left Joe with Ben and rode alongside the buckboard. The “something peculiar” was Rose changing clothes. Adam caught sight of Rose, in buckskin pants, but with only a camisole on. While Rose was pulling a shirt over her head, she was leaning at just the right angle to give Adam a view of the tops of her breasts. Adam couldn’t stop looking and wished he had gotten there when she was putting those pants on.

Rose’s head popped through the neck of the shirt and she saw Adam staring at her.

“Well, get your eyes full,” she growled. “I’m sure, with your personality, that you’re seeing something you’ve never seen before! You pervert!”

Adam grinned. “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen it all before. Many times. But you’ve got the best of the breasts!”

Rose gaped. “You’re sick. Do you know that?”

“Absolutely!” Adam said, tipping his hat and riding up closer to Hoss and Gus. They had heard the exchange between Rose and Adam and were having a good laugh. Adam scowled and rode a little way ahead of them.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Tent City” was alive with mountain men, and the guitar-playing and banjo-plucking had already begun when the Mallorys and the Cartwrights arrived. Rose, now dressed in buckskin pants and shirt and calf-high sheepskin-trimmed moccasins leaped from the buckboard. A leather strap held her hair at the back of her neck – it had been there at lunch. She must have changed into the skirt and blouse before lunch at the Hotel. The case that held her violin was tucked securely under her arm. She looked at Adam, started to walk toward him, turned around, then turned around again and approached him.

“It goes against my nature to have something nice to say to you,” she began, “but I feel that I want to. Just once.”

Adam looked at her curiously.

“Hoss and Gus told me what you did for the Purvis family. I’m referring to the ‘prize’ that they ‘won’ in the cafe. I am quite surprised and delighted by your actions. Maybe you and I will never get along, but it’s obvious that you do care for folks less fortunate than yourself.” She touched Adam’s chest. “I think you have a heart after all.”

She spun around and hurried away, greeting several of the mountain men in passing. She stood by the men playing guitars and banjos and harmonicas, removed her violin from its case, listened to the music for several minutes, and then joined in. Her foot tapped lightly in rhythm to the beat of the instruments, a happy smile – another genuine smile – lit her face. She seemed to fit right in – to be accepted by the men who had spent their lives alone in the mountains.

The Cartwrights stood together with Gus and Junior and listened and watched.

“They have no idea who she is,” Gus said softly. “They just know that she can play her fiddle right along with them. And she enjoys doing it.”

Junior added, “She’s played for the crowned heads of Europe. She was – and still is – famous among the rich folks there and back in the Eastern part of our country. She’s retired now and wants to spend time with her family, but she still makes it her business to play for different charities. She never accepts money for her performances. She donates it to whatever cause she’s performed for.”

Adam was seeing Rose in a brand new light. A good light. Maybe her “thorns” weren’t as sharp as he’d thought.

“When we were young, she was gone a lot. She performed for money. That’s how we were able to be fed and clothed and educated. Things weren’t easy for us when she was gone – but somehow we all muddled through those times and, I think, are better for it.” Gus’s love for his sister was obvious and very touching.

Adam glanced at Ben and saw the “I told you there was more to her” look. Adam nodded back and then turned to Junior.

“But why does she keep her true identity a secret? Why hide away in El Crucero?”

Junior smiled. “She wants to be liked for herself, not for what she does. The folks in El Crucero know all about her, know that she is trying to be a private person, and they all keep their mouths shut. Sheriff Blanton and Mayor Fletcher see to that. Rose will always be grateful to the people who are celebrity-conscious, but she doesn’t miss being hounded by newspaper folks who never let her rest. She has an agent in San Francisco who understands her. They keep in touch. When he learns about events that he thinks she’d be interested in, he lets her know. That’s why we came to Virginia City. The big Charity Drive draws folks from just about everywhere.”

Hoss scratched his head and looked at Junior again. “But the whole town knows she’s here by now. And I reckon there’ll be a lot of newspaper folks trying to see her. What’s she gonna do?”

“She’ll be gracious to their faces and a witch behind their backs if they misquote her. That happens a lot. Staying at the Ponderosa where she can be mostly secluded is a double-edged sword because she’ll be out of the public eye for the most part. But don’t be surprised if you open the paper one day and find that she’s secretly married to one of you!”

But she’s so….so….contrary,” Joe said, searching for the right word.

“She’s stubborn. She has a temper. And she has an issue with trust. She’s been hurt badly by being too trusting. But she’s a really good person and very protective of those she loves. And that’s all I’ll tell you. If she wants you to know something, she’ll tell you herself.” Gus was through talking about his sister. He was afraid he’d said too much already. He didn’t want to admit it, but even he was a little afraid of her wrath.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The sun was low on the horizon before Rose finally packed up her violin, hugged a few of the grizzled mountain men, and headed toward the buckboard. Time had passed quickly for Gus, Junior and the Cartwrights – the rhythm of the “mountain music” had all of them tapping their feet and truly enjoying themselves.

Rose’s faced was flushed but happy as she handed the violin case to Gus and then turned and walked quickly to get her horse.

Adam had been scrutinizing her for quite a while and he liked what he saw. He watched her hips as she had her back to him – they swayed provocatively as she walked away toward the string of horses.

But all eyes were on Rose as she picked out her horse – a large and beautiful Appaloosa gelding. She stroked his nose for a few seconds, checked the cinch on the saddle, and climbed aboard. If nobody had known better, she would easily have been mistaken for the wife of one of the mountain men.

“We’re ready,” she said, the smile still on her face as she halted the horse in front of Junior who was already in the buckboard, his horse tied to the back rail.

Gus put his hand on the horse’s neck, stroking the animal gently. “Did you have fun, Rose? You fit right in with everybody else.”

“I had a wonderful time,” Rose answered. “Too bad the rest of the day has to be ruined….” She looked pointedly at Adam and then rode up to where Hoss was waiting. Junior followed behind her.

“Well?” she said. “We can’t find the Ponderosa without you. I don’t think I can trust Adam to hit the floor with his hat, much less find his way home. Lead on.”

Adam shook his head. He turned to his father.

“Pa, she’s making it really difficult to be nice to her.”

“Try, son. Just try. It’ll be just three days and then they’ll be leaving.”

Gus grinned. “Adam, she likes you.”

Adam looked at Gus in stunned silence. Rose and Hoss were walking far ahead, and Rose was out of earshot.

“She what?” Adam looked very confused.

“She likes you,” Gus repeated.

Joe was as surprised as Adam. “How can you tell?”

“Because she acts that way around somebody she really likes. She tends to be quite contrary because she doesn’t want to like you.”

“Contrary? You call the way she acts ‘contrary’? She’s a downright witch! What she needs is a strap across her ass to set her straight!”

“Adam!” Ben’s voice was angry and very deep. “I told you before – watch your manners and your mouth or you’ll be sleeping in the line shack in Rojo Canyon! I mean what I say!”

Adam sighed and climbed aboard Sport. “We’d better catch up to Hoss and Rose before they get to the Ponderosa. If Rose meets Hop Sing before we do, we may not have a cook any more.”

Ben’s face relaxed, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. He recognized that Rose and Adam just didn’t get along. It certainly would be an interesting three days.

Adam muttered to Joe, “If this is the way she shows that she likes me, I sure would hate to know what she’d say if she didn’t like me.”

Joe just grinned. “Brother Adam, you know you love a challenge. And now you’ve got one!” Joe sped away before he could have his ear yanked – one of Adam’s favorite things to do to his little brother.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

When the group finally merged on the road to the Ponderosa, one member was missing. It was, of course, Rose.

“Where’s my sister,” Gus asked as he looked around.

“Maybe she decided to go back to El Crucero,” Adam said, sounding hopeful.

Junior waved his arm in every direction. “Maybe there, maybe way over there, or behind those trees. Who knows?”

“Joe? Hoss? Where did she go?” Ben wasn’t pleased that Rose was wandering around, maybe hurt or lost, and he was holding his sons accountable.

“She said she wanted to let ‘Diablo’ run fer a while. Said he’d been tied up fer too long and needed to stretch his legs. Chubb couldn’t keep up, but Cochise could.” Hoss looked at Joe.

“Well, Pa….” Joe had hoped he wouldn’t have to admit this but he was now forced to. “She galloped through those low trees and jumped over logs, doubled back and jumped the creek, went straight down ‘Dead Man’s Slope’ and disappeared.”

“Dead Man’s Slope?” Gus looked concerned.

Ben sighed and decided to tell the truth, harsh as it was. “It’s a very steep and rocky place that goes straight downhill from a mesa into a small valley. One man tried to gallop down it – this was a long time ago – and both he and his horse fell and rolled most of the way down. It was a fool thing to do. The man died and the horse had a broken leg and had to be put down.”

Junior and Gus looked horrified. They turned to Hoss and Joe and asked why in the world did they let Rose go there.

Hoss blushed. “Me and Joe was too far behind to stop ‘er. Pa, I swear that gal rides better’n any Injun we’ve ever seen!”

Ben was not pleased. His sons knew it and knew that they were responsible for their guests – all of them. As Ben was about to send his sons out looking for Rose, there was a whoop and holler of glee in the distance. There was Rose, bent close to Diablo’s neck, riding hard towards them. The horse’s long legs pounded the sod and kicked up clumps of it as he galloped. When woman and horse got closer, Rose had a huge smile plastered on her face. She finally slowed Diablo to a walk and stopped in front of the buckboard.

Mild-mannered Junior exploded before Ben had a chance to open his mouth. “Just exactly what do you think you’re doing!”

“Having a good ride,” Rose answered with an innocent expression on her face. “Joe and Hoss lagged so far behind, and Diablo and I wanted a good run, so we just ran.”

Ben pointed his finger – a very dangerous sign that he was very angry. “Young lady, you could have been hurt or lost or….worse. Do not ride like that again without one of us with you!”

“Mister Ben, you are not my father and therefore can’t set rules for me. I’ll do as I please.”

 

Ben, at a loss for words, gaped in anger and started to speak.Adam looked at him and whispered, “Remember, Pa. Try to be nice. It’s only for three days. Isn’t that what you told me?”

Ben stared at his eldest son and clenched his teeth. “I’m riding ahead to tell Hop Sing that we’ll be having guests and to set extra plates at the table. I’m taking the shortcut. The rest of you will take the long way home.” With that, he galloped away.

Rose looked perky and devilish. “What’s he so angry about? At his age, he should learn to control his temper.”

Adam slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead in frustration. Joe chewed on the inside of his cheek. Gus and Junior said nothing.

Hoss motioned for Rose to ride next to him, then came Junior with the buckboard. Adam and Joe brought up the rear of the procession.

“Joe, why didn’t you stay with Rose? I know that Chubb would have a hard time keeping up, but Cochise wouldn’t.Joe sighed. “I’d rather something happen to Rose than to Cochise. Adam, you didn’t see how Rose was riding – or where she was riding. Under trees, through trees, over rocks, between rocks, in the grass, in the mud, over the creek, down that Slope. She scared the Hell out of me! I don’t think you would’ve taken a chance with Sport just to save Rose’s idiot neck.”

“Let’s just get home, Joe. Maybe Pa’ll have cooled down when we get there. But it sure is gonna be a long three days.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Hop Sing had put on his best clothes and was waiting outside the house with Ben when the group arrived.

“Welcome, Missee Rose,” the Chinese cook said with a smile and a bow.

Rose looked at him strangely but said nothing. Hoss broke the silence.

“Hop Sing, somethin’ smells mighty good! And I’m powerful hungry.”

Ben introduced Gus and Junior to Hop Sing.

“Velly grad to meet you. Hop Sing show you rooms now. Wash up before meal. Mistah Hoss get unhappy when belly empty.”

Gus and Junior smiled. “Give us a moment to put the horses away. We’ll wash up in a hurry, we promise.”

“Be fast. Meal get cold if you take long.”

Rose dismounted. “I don’t eat bird’s-nest soup or hundred-year old eggs or monkey meat.”

Hop Sing looked confused and then sad. His shoulders slumped as he walked slowly back to the kitchen.

“There was no need to talk to Hop Sing in that manner,” Ben said slowly, anger in his eyes as he looked at Rose. “He was so excited to cook a special meal for you. I don’t allow anyone to make snide remarks to a man who is part of our family just because he’s Oriental.”

Rose glared. “You don’t allow much around here, do you? I can’t ride without a chaperone and I can’t voice my opinion. Are there any other taboos that I should know about?”

Ben was seething, and so was Adam. Hoss, the peacemaker, went to have some gentle words for Hop Sing. Joe helped Gus and Junior put the horses in the stalls and to unload the buckboard. Adam steered his father into the house and they both drank a large shot of whiskey.

“Your Pa sure is mad. And rightly so. Rose crossed the line in what she said. And she said it to hurt a man she doesn’t even know.” Gus looked absolutely stricken as he unsaddled the horses in the barn.

“Maybe we shouldn’t stay here,” Junior added. “Rose seems to be getting way too far out of control. I know she has a problem with Adam, but she should work it out with him and not draw everyone else into her sarcastic web.”

Joe spoke. “You’re here now. Pa can handle himself and so can Adam. Let’s see how tonight goes. Grab your luggage and hope for the best.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Having been shown to their rooms, Gus and Junior washed up quickly. Rose had taken her sweet time and arrived at the table after the men were seated. They rose as she approached. Adam pulled out her chair for her and saw that she was seated. Hop Sing brought in a large covered platter, but his face was set like stone.

Putting the platter on the table, he removed the lid and glared at Rose. “See? Not monkey meat. Loast pork. Velly good.”

He disappeared and returned with a huge bowl of parslied boiled potatoes, green beans, buttered sweet corn off the cob, and fresh biscuits with butter and syrup. He poured a vintage wine into the glasses.

“No bird’s-nest soup. No hundred-year old eggs.” Quickly he returned to the kitchen.

Hoss broke the silence as he stabbed at a slab of pork and spooned gravy over it. “Pass the potatoes, please. Hop Sing has outdone himself tonight. He did it for our famous but ungrateful guest.” It was the first snide remark he had made pointedly at Rose.

Rose looked sulky. Junior ignored her and spoke. “This is a meal fit for kings! Gus, hurry up and don’t hog all the beans and the corn!”

“These are the biggest biscuits I’ve ever seen!” Gus said, wide-eyed. “I could probably throw a saddle on one of ’em, but I’d rather eat one!”

The tension had been somewhat broken. Maybe the supper wouldn’t be a fiasco after all.

Trying to start a conversation, Ben looked at Rose as she silently helped herself to the food. “How did you come upon the stage name of ‘Alexandra’?”

It was the perfect topic.

“It’s not a ‘stage name’, Mister Ben. My father’s name was ‘Alexander’ and my mother’s name was ‘Rose Ann’. They decided to name me ‘Alexander’ if I was a boy-child and to name me ‘Alexandra Rose’ if I was a girl-child. My name is really ‘Alexandra Rose Mallory’. But, lately, in order to be more private, I just go by ‘Rose’. Nobody in these parts recognizes me by that name. And,” she smiled, “I’m not easy to recognize any more because I’m older now. No matter how much I don’t like it, time continues to march by.”

Hoss had the next question. “What’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin?”

Rose buttered a big, fat biscuit. “Hoss, there isn’t any difference. The name of the instrument doesn’t matter. It’s the songs that are played with it. Like today at ‘tent city’. Those were songs that required a good old country rhythm, so they required ‘fiddle music’. Classical music, like Bach and Beethoven and Gounod, need a different kind of sound which requires more high-toned ‘violin music’. I hope I’ve explained it correctly.”

“Yes’m,” Hoss said, his face relaxing. As a matter of fact, everyone was relaxing.

“Why did you pick the violin?” Joe asked, stabbing another piece of roast pork.

Rose’s face softened. “My father taught me when I was little. I loved the different sounds that it made. As I got older, my skills improved, and when I reached the ripe age of eighteen, I was accepted into a music conservatory back East. My father was a wonderful man – you would’ve liked him. We used to play duets together while my mother crocheted or did her sewing. You would’ve liked her too. They were made for each other, Momma and Papa. He knew just how to handle her when she spoke too sharply….” Rose stopped. “Well, that’s enough about them. But I like to think that they’re both looking down on me and are proud of my accomplishments.” Rose’s eyes had a faraway and sad look.

Adam, who happened to be seated right next to Rose, kept watching her. There was something about her that tugged at his heart strings but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was. Yes, there was a distinct “physical” attraction but there was something more that he felt. Something deeper.

Gus looked at his sister with pride. “She’s been all over Europe, playing for the crowned heads. That’s quite a coup for a gal so young.”

Rose actually blushed. “I was so scared of those fancy folks! But they turned out to be just regular people who happened to be Queens or Kings or Princes or Princesses.”

“What’s your favorite type of music,” Adam asked.

“Music is music. I like every kind. I actually don’t read sheet music very well. All those little notes on lines just confuse me. I play mostly by ear. If I hear enough of a song, I can play it. Papa always said that I had ‘the gift’. I didn’t know then what he meant, but I found out while I was at the Conservatory.”

Things were going exceedingly well – far better than anyone could have hoped for. But Rose was Rose. And it was Adam who inadvertently opened up a can of worms.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“I’ve met your brothers – all of them – and seen their wives and children. Why is it that you’re not married with a family of your own?”

Rose’s gentle expression turned harsh. Adam had hit a major emotional nerve without realizing it. “I’ll have you know that I was married! For a total of a month. Then I found out that he couldn’t keep his pants on around other women!”

“Maybe your attitude scared him away?” Adam said it before he thought about how it would sound.

“You cretin! Only you would blame me for something my husband did!”

Not only was what Rose had said completely vulgar, her instant and complete anger took everybody by surprise. There was a moment of dead, stunned silence. Then Adam’s chair screeched across the floor as he pushed away from the table, stood up, and grabbed Rose’s arm firmly.

“Let go of my arm, you bastard!”

“You’re coming with me. And I mean right now!”

Adam half-dragged Rose out of her chair and headed for the front door.

“Oh, Lordy,” Hoss moaned.

Junior started to stand up but Ben said quietly and firmly, “Please sit down, Junior. Adam won’t hurt her, but it’s time that he had a ‘discussion’ with her.”

Gus nodded solemnly. “He’s right, Junior. We can’t handle her, but I think he can. Let’s just eat and enjoy good food and new friends.” He looked around the table.

Hop Sing entered the room.

“I hear big noise! Where Mistah Adam and Missee Rose? Plates still full. She no like Hop Sing’s cooking?”

Ben smiled. “She likes your cooking just fine, Hop Sing. She and Adam are outside for a few minutes and will finish their meals when they come back in.”

Hop Sing returned to the kitchen, muttering under his breath in Chinese.

Ben looked at Gus and Junior and opened up a conversation about growing crops. Adam, on the other hand, would not be addressing the same subject. He was a man on a mission.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Rose struggled and tried pulling away from Adam’s grip, but it was useless. She stumbled and started to fall. He yanked her back onto her feet and pulled her away from the house. For once, Rose felt real fear.

Finally Adam turned to look into her eyes. His eyes were almost black with anger and the muscles in his jaw worked overtime before he spoke.

“I’ve had enough of you and your mouth. And so has my family. Pa told me to try to be nice to you, and I’ve tried and tried. But enough is enough! You’ve called me a cretin. You’ve called me a bastard. You’ve sniped at Joe. You’ve sassed Pa. You even caused Hoss to call you ‘ungrateful’, and Hoss is the easiest-going man in our family. You’ve hurt Hop Sing’s feelings. There’s no end to the vulgar language that you use which is completely unbefitting a lady. I’ve kept my mouth shut, but no more! This kind of behavior is coming to a screeching halt right now! As long as you’re a guest in our home, you will conduct yourself like a true lady. You will be respectful, your bad language damn well better cease, and you will stop your sarcasm and sniping. If you don’t, so help me God, I will drag you by your hair out to the woodshed and give you the spanking that you so richly deserve!”

“Why don’t you do it now if you feel that’s what I need?” Rose’s voice was quiet and controlled.

“Because I’m so mad that I might accidentally beat you to death!”

Amber eyes met very dark hazel eyes and locked. Silence. Adam had expected that Rose would apologize, but she didn’t.

Adam felt exhausted. He took Rose’s arm and led her back to the house, opened the door for her, escorted her to the table, pulled out her chair for her and then sat in his own chair. Neither said a word and no questions were asked of them. Ben, Hoss and Joe had kept the conversation going, the subject now being about whether or not the Mallory family should plant hay for the next season.

Adam and Rose ate what was on their plates even though the food was cold. Both coffee cups were miraculously empty – thanks to Ben – and Adam reached for the coffee pot on the table. He poured some of the hot liquid into Rose’s cup and then some into his own cup. He took a deep breath and joined in the conversation about the possibilities of hay-growing. Rose spoke not a word, but the hot coffee put color back into her wan face.

Hop Sing appeared, his face inscrutable, and began clearing away the dishes. He jumped when Rose addressed him.

“Hop Sing, the meal was delicious. Thank you.”

The Chinaman looked through his slanted eyes into Rose’s face and saw honesty there. “Hop Sing velly glad you like.” He scurried away to the kitchen, confused but pleased.

The group now adjourned to the living room for an after-dinner drink. Adam poured a shot of whiskey for himself. Then he joined the others in a glass of brandy.

All of a sudden, Gus remembered something important. “Rose, aren’t you supposed to play somewhere tonight at nine? It’s after eight now.”

Rose jumped. Her mind had been on Adam – his anger, his eyes, what he had said, the heat of his breath against her face. “What did you ask me, Gus?”

Gus repeated his question.

“Oh, my Lord!” Rose answered. “Yes, I remember now! Mister Ben, I have to go back into town. I’m supposed to be at Patrice’s place for a few hours. Can you tell me how to get there?”

Ben had an odd look on his face. As a matter of fact, so did Adam, Hoss and Joe. But Ben spoke first.

“Patrice’s place? Do you know what that is?”

Rose shook her head. “No, but she’s donating a small fortune for me to be there. I can’t just not show up.”

Adam grinned. “It’s called ‘The Black Garter’. It’s….er….um….a ‘gentleman’s club’.”

Rose’s eyes popped out of her head. “You mean I’ll be performing at a whorehouse?” Rose immediately clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Adam. He just grinned at her.

“Yep. It’s supposed to be the finest, most expensive, most upscale ‘house’ in town.”

Rose looked at Gus and Junior. They seemed stunned.

“I’m gonna kill my agent,” Rose said through clenched teeth. “He should’ve found this out before he told me anything. Now I’m committed to go. I’ll have to hurry – maybe change clothes there. I don’t have time to bathe. My hair is a fright….”

Gus chuckled. “I don’t think anybody will be looking at your hair, Rose. I don’t think anybody will be looking at you at all. Junior and I will be with you in case there’s any trouble.”

Ben spoke. “Hoss, hitch up the buggy. You go with them to make sure they get there and back without getting lost. Rose, go put on a dress, but nothing too showy. You don’t want to be mistaken for one of the ‘girls’ there.”

As Rose hurried to her room, she passed a grinning, dimpling Adam.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she snapped.

“Oh, absolutely!” came the answer with a low chuckle.

“You’re hateful! Downright hateful!” Rose hissed as she disappeared into her room.

Adam laughed out loud. And he and Ben and Joe laughed out loud later after three men and a lady piled into the buggy and sped away to the finest whorehouse in Virginia City.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The hour was late when Adam heard the buggy pull up outside and when the front door opened. In flounced an irritated Rose who was muttering under her breath. Adam hadn’t been able to sleep and had picked up his guitar, had come downstairs, and had lit a fire in the fireplace, and was busily strumming a tune of his own making. The fire warmed the chill of the downstairs as well as lending a cheery and welcoming ambiance. He told himself that he wasn’t waiting up for Rose, but he knew also that he was lying to himself.

Earlier, he had been trying to sleep but couldn’t. He kept seeing Rose’s face with those amber eyes and full lips and cleft chin. He remembered the way the tops of her breasts looked. He recalled the way her hips moved in those buckskin pants and the fullness of her butt. He finally got up, splashed cold water on his face, and pulled on his jeans. No shirt. He walked quietly downstairs with his guitar. The lack of shirt was not for Rose’s benefit because he hadn’t actually planned to be awake when Rose returned. Or had he?

Now she was here. He stopped strumming his guitar and looked at her flushed face.

“Heathens,” she snapped. “They’re heathens!”

“Keep your voice down, Rose. Pa and Joe are asleep.” Adam had stopped strumming his guitar.

“Well, nobody in this house will be asleep after Gus and Junior come in. They’re both as drunk as billy goats!” Rose hissed. “Some bodyguards they turned out to be! I’m glad that Hoss was with us or we never would’ve made it back here.”

“Did anybody hurt you?” Adam was worried about Rose’s safety.

“Nobody did anything to me. I played the violin in a dark corner while the women all wandered around half-naked. I saw at least ten newspapermen whose faces were familiar, but they didn’t see me, thank God. How in the world would I explain my presence in a whorehouse? I can be thankful that this is one performance that will never be in print!”

Rose plopped down on the sofa. “Crappp! I’ve spent part of the the evening with half-naked women, and now I get to end the evening with a half-naked man.”

Adam, uncharacteristically, felt shy. “I’ll go get a shirt,” he whispered.

“Oh, never mind. I’ve already seen you like you are.” If Rose were to admit the truth to herself, she would know that she liked what she saw. She had a wonderful visceral reaction to the nearness of Adam’s half-clothed body.

Through the door came two very drunk men with a sober Hoss between them. Both Adam and Rose sprang to their feet as the men’s voices began to get louder. Hoss looked downright horrified as he tried to get Gus and Junior to be quiet and walk straight. His arms strained with the effort of trying to hold them upright.

“Adam, I couldn’t stop ’em from drinkin’ so much champagne! There was buckets of it ever’where!” True to his nature, Hoss felt responsible.

Rose put her hand on Hoss’s chest. “Hoss, none of this is your fault. My brothers are grown men and should’ve acted responsibly. You’re not their babysitter.”

“No’m, I reckon I ain’t. But….”

Adam grabbed Gus under the arm while Rose did the best that she could by trying to hold Junior upright.

“Adam, we can’t take them upstairs to their rooms,” Rose whispered, clapping her hand over Junior’s mouth. He was beginning to sing happily, loudly, and off-key. “These idiots will wake up your father. He’ll be fit to be tied.”

“Maybe we could put ’em in the barn?” Hoss asked hopefully.

Adam shook his head. “Then we’d have to explain to Pa why they were in the barn.”

“Well, I know what to do!” Rose growled. “Adam did it to Junior once before.” With that, she clasped her hands together and made a mighty swing directly at Junior’s temple. He slithered to the floor and was quiet.

 

Rose rubbed her hands and flexed them to make sure that nothing was broken.

“I guess you don’t have to be strong to knock a drunk man out cold.”

Adam and Hoss both gaped at Rose and then looked at each other. Adam nodded at Hoss. One blow from Hoss’s hand to Gus’s temple did the trick. He, too, was unconscious.

Hoss threw Junior over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. Adam grabbed Gus’s arms and Rose grabbed his feet – and this is how Rose’s brothers were carried upstairs and put in their beds, their clothes still on. Nobody woke up.

“If it’s okay with you, ma’am, I’m goin’ to bed too,” Hoss said to Rose.

“Thank you, Hoss. You’re a sweetheart.” Rose stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

Hoss blushed and scurried away.

“I need a drink,” Rose said wearily. “I’m going downstairs to help myself to some of that brandy. Care to join me?” She hoped that Adam would be agreeable to the idea, and he was.

The two of them slipped quietly back downstairs where Adam poured snifters of brandy. “Here’s to a very productive evening and good teamwork.”

Rose giggled. “I’ll drink to that. But right now, I think I’d drink to anything!” Her amber eyes danced with glee.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Adam and Rose sat down on the sofa and looked at the fire in companionable silence. Then Rose spoke.

“You were playing something on the guitar when I came in. What song was it? I’ve never heard it before.”

Adam shrugged. “It’s just a song I’ve been playing around with. I made it up but I’m having trouble with it. It’s in my head but it’s not coming out right on the guitar.”

“Will you play it for me?”

While Adam picked up his guitar, Rose tucked her legs underneath her, the glass of brandy in her hand. She listened intently as Adam played a quite beautiful combination of chords.

“I want to go from here….” he said with a frown as he played several chords “….to there.” He played several more chords. He tried several different progressions but was unhappy with the sound.

Rose looked at her violin case on the floor where she had put it when she came in. “Would you mind….?”

“I’d be happy for some input,” Adam interrupted.

Rose tuned her violin to Adam’s guitar. “Now, start again from the beginning. She watched his fingers as they pressed against the guitar strings.”

“Again,” she said when the music had stopped.

This time, when Adam played, Rose played her violin with him, matching him almost perfectly note-for-note.

The music was a distraction – a good one – that opened communication easily between the man and the woman.

“I’m sorry I hit a raw nerve at supper,” Adam said as he tried yet another few notes that didn’t work well.

“I’m overly-sensitive about my marriage,” Rose responded as her fingers pressed the violin strings. “And I was vulgar.”

The struggle with the music continued with note changes and chord changes.

“I made a mistake in my choice of men,” Rose said quietly.

“Did you love him?” Adam sipped his brandy then returned to the guitar.

“I thought I did. Now I know it was just a case of infatuation. I knew that he was a womanizer when I married him. I thought I would be woman enough to keep him home. Apparently, I’m not woman enough, probably for any man.” Rose’s voice was sad. She continued to search for the right notes on her violin. Until she realized that Adam had stopped playing. She looked at him.

“Rose, you’re all woman, through and through. The failure of your marriage lies with your husband, not with you. Are you sarcastic, hot-tempered, devilish? Yes. But you’re also kind and gentle and thoughtful and beautiful. I think you hide behind snide remarks as a defense-mechanism so that you won’t ever give your heart – or let any man into your heart – to keep from being hurt. Stop hiding, Rose.”

Moving her chin from its resting place on the violin, Rose looked at Adam and didn’t move. For a moment, he didn’t move either. Then, ever so slowly, he brought his face closer and closer to hers until she could feel his breath on her cheeks. And then his lips touched hers, strong yet gentle, a long and closed-mouth kiss that spoke volumes. Her eyes had been open and she had seen his eyes close, his long lashes dark against his skin. She felt her own eyes close, felt the warmth and the pressure of his lips against hers, and she felt her lips respond – morphing from a thin, unyielding line into a welcoming pliability.

Adam didn’t want to stop that kiss. But he didn’t want to frighten Rose with too much too soon. He ended the kiss, touched her lips with the tip of his finger and said, “You are all woman, Rose. Never doubt it.”

Rose’s heart soared! And with that soaring came music of her own. She moved so quickly that she almost knocked Adam to the floor. She immediately put her chin back on the violin and played the elusive “bridge” that Adam had been looking for.

“That’s it! That’s exactly what I couldn’t find on my own!” Adam didn’t seem the least bit upset that the romantic moment had changed on a dime.

He grabbed up his guitar and played the song straight through without Rose’s accompaniment. The song wasn’t finished, the ending hadn’t been invented yet, but a major hurdle had been surmounted.

Clapping her hands like a delighted child, Rose asked, “What name are you giving your song?”

Adam’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know yet. I had to get over that stumbling block first. But I have an idea of what I might name it. When it’s finished, I’ll tell you. Deal?”

“Deal,” Rose answered cheerfully. She returned her violin to its case and finished the last sip of brandy.

“Adam, it’s been a long day and an even longer night. I’m just plain tired. Would you mind terribly if I went on to bed and got some sleep? Tomorrow is the ‘big event’ for me, and it’ll be a busy day all over Virginia City. Unless my agent told me another lie, this charity drive is a really big thing.”

Adam was disappointed. He wanted to hold Rose, to kiss her, to get closer to her. The two of them had made such giant strides tonight. But he smiled instead. “I think it’s time for my head to hit the pillow too.”

He put his guitar down carefully and, without warning, found Rose’s arms around him in a gentle hug. Her lips brushed his stubbly cheek.

“Thank you, Adam. Tonight has been so….so….special.” And then she disappeared into her room, closing the door quietly.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Adam ascended the stairs and climbed into bed. The more he tried not to think about Rose, the more he actually did think about her. He remembered how Rose’s lips hadn’t reacted to his kiss at first and then had become soft and pliant. He had noticed the beginnings of heat in that kiss and wished he had taken things just a wee bit farther. He knew that her skin would be soft. His heart cried out for Rose – not just physically but mentally and emotionally. He tossed and turned an finally fell asleep.

Adam Cartwright was in love.

Meanwhile, alone in her room, Rose took off her dress and looked at her naked body in the mirror. She wasn’t as young as she used to be, but she was still in excellent shape. She sighed and climbed into bed. She kept remembering how Adam had looked in the warm glow of the firelight. His hair was tousled. The stubble on his face was dark – and he had the longest eyelashes she had ever seen on a man. His broad chest was covered with a thick mat of dark, curly hair that tapered somewhat as it approached the waist of his jeans. How firm and strong Adam’s body had been! How his muscles had rippled as he carried most of Gus’s weight up the stairs. Adam’s kiss had been erotic and gentle all at the same time and she had just gotten ready to react wholeheartedly to the kiss when he pulled away.

One thing was clear to her as she thought about Adam. This was not anything like the infatuation she had felt for her husband. This was deeper, stronger.

Rose had fallen in love.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Adam rose early but knew that Hop Sing would be busy in the kitchen. As Adam walked downstairs, looking forward to a hot cup of coffee, he heard strange sounds coming from the kitchen. Melodic but foreign. He quickened his pace and found Rose in the kitchen with Hop Sing – that was remarkable in itself because Hop Sing never allowed anyone in the kitchen with him when he was cooking. And the sounds that Adam had heard were coming from the violin in Rose’s hands.

Rose looked over the top of her violin and gave Adam a wink. Adam was stunned into silence and he gratefully reached for the coffee cup that Hop Sing extended to him.

“Mistah Adam!” Hop Sing began excitedly. “Missee Rose play music special for Hop Sing!”

“So I hear,” Adam answered. He had never heard Chinese music played on a violin before. “And just how did that come about?”

Rose stopped playing and had a hint of devilment in her eyes. “I asked Hop Sing what his favorite song was. I told him that I’d play it if he would hum it for me. Turns out that it’s a lullaby that he remembers his mother singing to him when he was little.”

Hop Sing scowled at Adam. “You go away. You keep Missee Rose from violin. Hop Sing want music. No talk.”

Adam dimpled at Rose and exited the kitchen. The music began again promptly. And, when Ben, Hoss and Joe came down the stairs, Adam explained to them what was going on – an explanation which elicited knowing smiles from his family.

“Looks like Rose has made peace with Hop Sing,” Ben said with a smile as a beaming Hop Sing emerged from the kitchen long enough to put hot coffee on the table. He scurried back into the kitchen as quickly as he had come out of it.

There now came the heavy tread of feet on the stairwell as Junior and Gus made their way downstairs. It appeared that the brothers were trying to hold each other upright as they navigated the steps.

“What’s that racket?” Gus asked as he sat down at the table and held both hands against his banging head.

“Make it stop!” Junior added. He looked equally miserable.

“Are you two not feeling well?” Ben knew the look of a hang-over when he saw it and deliberately spoke louder than normal.

Gus and Junior shuddered at the sound of Ben’s voice. Hoss poured two cups of coffee and set them noisily in front of the pasty-faced brothers. Joe stirred his coffee loudly. The Mallory brothers, big and brawny, trembled as they tried to hold their cups steady enough to get the hot liquid to their mouths.

“What is that awful sound?” Gus asked again.

Adam, leaning against the wall, looked innocent. “What sound? I don’t hear anything. Do you, Pa? Hoss? Joe?”

Joe grinned. “I hear the birds outside the window. It’s a beautiful day and they’re singing.”

“Shoot ’em!” Junior pleaded.

Gus continued to hold his aching head.

The “awful sounds” stopped. Rose appeared. She had heard the conversation and sneakily hid her violin behind her as she entered the dining room.

“Good morning!” she said loudly as she passed by her brothers. “Just look at that beautiful sun!”

Knowing that their sister couldn’t abide drunkenness, both brothers sat straighter and looked out the window dutifully, hoping that they would appear sleepy rather than hung-over.

“Oh, my eyes!” Gus shouted as he turned away from the window.

Junior moaned pitifully.

“Mister Ben?” Rose began. “Does it appear to you that my brothers might be ill? Maybe we should send for the doctor.”

“What they need is a good breakfast. Eggs and bacon and sausage and pancakes with lots of butter and syrup and….” Ben began.

Holding his hand over his mouth, Gus bolted for the front door. Blood drained from Junior’s face and he took on a slightly green appearance.

Quickly, Rose put her violin back in its case. Then she went to the front door and pulled Gus back into the house, leading him back to the table.

“Why, Gus,” Rose said with a sly look. “There’s a big bruise on the side of your head! What happened to you?”

Hoss could stand no more. He went into the living room and picked up a book, pretending to read it. Joe just giggled. Ben and Adam smothered their own laughter.

“Junior? What in the world happened to Brother Gus?”

“I don’t remember,” Gus finally said.

Rose, her arms akimbo, said loudly, “You don’t remember because you were both drunk when we got home last night! You know that I don’t tolerate drinking to excess! And you did it while we were guests in this house!”

“Rose,” Gus pleaded, “I don’t mind being scolded, but could you lower your voice? My head feels like it’s gonna split wide open.”

“Yeah, Rose. What he said.” This from Junior. “And we’re real sorry.”

“Oh, goodie!” Rose clapped her hands with glee. “Here comes that big breakfast!”

The Mallory brothers bolted for the front door when they saw the platters of food that Hop Sing put on the table. They were outside for a very long time.

The day of the Virginia City Charity Drive had begun.

CHAPTER THIRTY

After breakfast, Ben and Adam walked outside to the barn to hitch up the buggy. Rose would be taking her dress and other things to the Opera House to change into before the night’s performance – hence the need for the buggy.

Adam looked at the luggage. “A man could carry his things in a bedroll for a week. A woman can’t carry anything for one short evening.” Father and son laughed and then chuckled at Gus and Junior and how they finally had drunk one of Hop Sing’s “miracle cures” made expressly for hang-overs. The “cure” actually did work after a short time, and the Mallorys were now in the process of changing clothes to go into town.

“Adam, I don’t want to get into your business. You explained your ‘discussion’ with Rose to your brothers and to me last night, but I have something to say.” Ben looked serious.

“I’m listening,” Adam said as he opened a stall door.

“I think what you said to Rose was appropriate. I’m proud of the way you handled the matter.” Ben paused. “I also recognize that you have deep feelings for this lady – it’s not overtly obvious. But it’s something I just know.”

“I love her, Pa.” There, he had admitted it to himself and to his father. It was then that Adam repeated what Rose had said about herself and her husband – and not feeling that she was a real woman.

Ben smiled. “I think she loves you. But don’t rush into anything too soon, son. Don’t push her too fast. I’d hate to see either of you get hurt.”

“Pa?” Adam grinned. “Are you going to have the ‘birds-and-the-bees talk’ with me at my age?”

“No, son. I just want for you to remember something important. People fall in love with each other for who they are. They accept the good with the bad. Rose can be ‘difficult’ and so can you. Don’t make this relationship into a power struggle about who can control whom. Don’t try to take away all of Rose’s ‘thorns’ and turn her into a ‘shrinking Violet’. And don’t let yourself become a doormat for her to wipe her feet on. Both of you would be miserable if that happened.” Ben paused. “I’m saying this badly….”

Adam looked into his father’s eyes. “I think you said it just fine, Pa. Thanks for keeping me ‘centered’.”

The buggy got hitched up, horses got saddled, and the Cartwright-Mallory procession went into town.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Throngs of people crowded the streets. The booths had been set up the night before with everything any person could dream of buying, and Rose loaded her brothers down with gifts for her family. The money raised from the sales would be doled out to several different charities – it was a good cause, and Rose spent her money freely, as did her brothers and the Cartwrights.

Knowing that the next day would be a madhouse with people checking out of hotels and boarding houses, Rose asked Adam to accompany her to the International House to pay the bill for the Purvis family. Adam’s heart was once again touched by Rose’s generosity and thoughtfulness. She paid the bill quickly and discreetly and tried to sneak out again. But she had been followed by a gaggle of newspaper reporters – who fortunately had no idea what she had just done – and now she was trapped. With a sigh, she sat down and answered basically the same questions she had been asked a thousand times over. All of this was old-hat to her, but she knew that the local news articles would be printing information that the folks in town might not know. Adam watched her carefully, impressed by her poise and her patience.

There was one question that Adam heard and felt his body get tense.

“You were married once – but only for a short time. Can you tell us why you got divorced?”

Rose bit her lip. “My marriage and my divorce are intensely personal and private subjects. And they will remain that way. How rude of you to ask!”

“Well, let me ask another question. Is there a special man in your life right now? Do you have plans to marry again?”

Rose sneaked a peak at Adam. He winked. Rose’s answer was sphinx-like. “There may be a special man in my life, but that falls under the ‘personal and private’ category.” Then “Now, if you will excuse me, I’d like to leave and look at all the different booths. I saw several items that caught my eye. If I don’t get out there, those things’ll be gone. Thank you, gentlemen, for your time and your interest. Perhaps I’ll see you at the Opera House tonight?”

There were nods and a smattering of applause as Rose left the Hotel. Adam was waiting, inconspicuously outside.

Gently, he took Rose’s elbow and steered her through the crowd.

“I’m proud of you. You handled yourself well.”

Hazel eyes and amber eyes met and locked.

“Is there a ‘special man’ in your life?”

Rose chewed on her lip and heard herself answer, “I hope so.” Pause. “You’re so damn nosy, Adam. Why don’t you go look for a gun or something!”

Remembering what his father had said, Adam ignored the edginess to Rose’s voice. He rather liked a few thorns. But he wouldn’t be a doormat either. “Nope. I’m sticking to you like glue. Somebody needs to be around in case your mouth gets you in trouble.”

Rose gaped at him and then strode off into the crowd. Adam was by her side the whole time.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The day passed quickly and it soon was time for the Cartwrights plus Gus and Junior to go back to the Ponderosa to eat a quick supper, bathe, change clothes and return to Virginia City for Rose’s performance. The gifts that Rose had purchased were loaded into the buggy along with the things that the others had bought.

Adam walked Rose to the Opera House. “You haven’t eaten since lunch. You need to eat something before you go on stage.”

Rose smiled. “I’ll have something in my dressing room – it’s written in my contract that there be a light sandwich and some fresh fruit. I’ll be fine Adam. Really.” She was touched that Adam was worried about her. “Now do go back home. I’ll see you tonight.”

Adam paused. “How ’bout a kiss for luck?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Tilting Rose’s chin up with his fingers, Adam kissed her. And this time, Rose felt the tip of Adam’s tongue against her lips. She surprised herself by opening her mouth to allow her own tongue to briefly touch his. The kiss gave her goosebumps, and she was disappointed when Adam drew quickly away. He dimpled at her, kissed her on the tip of her nose and then turned and strode away.

Rose went to the dressing room that had been used by many performers – the last one being the famous Mark Twain. There were four dozen roses in vases all over the room – one dozen from each Cartwright. Rose was moved to tears. She felt loved by some very special men. And, as promised, there was food for her to eat, so she sat among the flowers and nibbled on a large sandwich.

There was a small wood stove with wood already in it, and there were buckets of water and a tub for her to bathe in. She lit the stove, poured a bucket of water into the pot on top of the stove, and ate the fresh fruit while she waited for the water to boil. Next came her bath with lavender soap. She soaked in the tub with her eyes on the clock on the wall – the curtain would rise at seven o’clock and she was never late for a performance.

When she was squeaky-clean, she toweled dry and then sat down in front of the large mirror to put on her stage make-up. As she touched her lips lightly with lip color, she thought about Adam and his kiss. Her hand trembled as she remembered the thrill that had gone through her at the feel of his tongue in her mouth. Looking into the mirror, she mouthed the words “I love you, Adam Cartwright.” The words – and the feeling behind them – just felt right. She smiled.

She started to gather her hair into a low bun on the back of her neck and then decided against it. She would leave it down and began brushing it ’til it gleamed. She looked at the clock. It was time to put on her dress, and she was ready when there was a knock on the door. “Miss Mallory, you have two minutes.” She checked herself in the mirror, was satisfied with what she saw. Picking up her violin, she plucked the strings to make sure the instrument was in tune. She then walked to the center of the stage confidently and waited for the curtain to rise.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Virginia City Opera House is proud to present Miss Alexandra Mallory!” the Mayor announced and then disappeared.

The curtain rose slowly to reveal Rose in a green dress with amber thread running through it. The bodice was tight and cut low. Only one piece of material wound around the neck to keep the dress up. Through the glare of the stage lamps, Rose could see that the House was packed full – and the Purvis family was seated right where they should be which, as promised, was on the very front row in the center. Rose moved forward and touched little Laura on top of the head with the bow-string. Laura smiled her biggest smile.

Then Rose looked, not for her body-guard brothers, but for Adam. At first, she didn’t see him – she had expected that he’d be in the balcony. None of the Cartwrights were seated there – not even Hop Sing. Rose’s heart dropped. With a heavy heart, she scanned the audience. Damn these lights! I can’t see anybody!

But then she saw the man she was searching for – he was standing next to Gus below the stage and to the side of it. His smile made her heart soar! She returned his smile and, as she continued looking around quickly, she saw Junior and Hoss at the other side of the stage. Joe, Ben and Hop Sing were sitting several seats away from the Purvis family. A sea of faces stared up at her, waiting expectantly. Then there was applause, so loud that Rose laughed out loud.

“What a wonderful welcome! How gracious you are!” She paused. “I….uh….I just want to thank you for inviting me here and allowing me to perform for you. What a treat!” Another pause with a shake of her blond hair. “Are you ready? Shall we go for it?”

Cheers and applause ensued as Rose tucked the violin under her chin. She sneaked another peak at Adam – how handsome he looked, freshly-shaven and in that crisp white shirt and dark jacket and pants! I love him!

The first song was a rousing, foot-tapping, hand-clapping song with Rose dancing and skipping all across the stage, from left to right and then right to left. She twirled and spun, the soft skirt whirling around her legs like a cloud – and often showing her bare calves. She had a genuine smile on her face, even when she tossed her head to get her hair away from the violin strings.

She was so professional that the audience, enchanted, never knew where one song began and ended. The segue was that smooth. Rose played all kinds of music from classical music to lullabies to music of the mountain men to music from the East to campfire songs borne of the West that were sung on trail drives. When the slower music was played, Rose stood and swayed. For other songs, she stooped low and dipped and teased – always moving her body to the rhythm of each song. A newspaper writer would later describe her in print as being “poetry in motion, moving with fluid grace and confidence.” He was right on target.

There was only one time when Rose stood too close to the edge of the stage. A large mountain man grabbed her skirt and wouldn’t let go. Rose didn’t stop smiling but this was the kind of trouble that she caused herself. And then Adam was there, gripping the mountain man’s thick wrist and saying something in a low voice. Rose’s skirt was immediately released, Adam winked up at Rose, and the performance continued for over two hours. Rose had the audience in the palm of her hand.

Finally, after her last slow song, Rose held up her bow-string, then lowered it, and curtsied. The curtain closed, but the roar from the audience, their sustained applause, and their demands for “One more!” brought Rose out for a second time.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Rose stood quietly until the the audience calmed down.

“I am often asked if I have a favorite piece of music. The answer to that is ‘yes, I do.’ I was raised in a valley outside of Virginia. It was, and still is, a beautiful area. The music itself has many names, but I think you will recognize it immediately. I hope you enjoy it.”

Tucking the violin under her chin, Rose began to play individual notes just loud enough for the audience to hear. The notes were, as Rose had predicted, immediately identifiable as “Shenandoah.”

As the sweet notes and then even sweeter chords were played, Rose’s face took on a look of serenity and joy. She actually glowed. It would be hard for anyone to believe that such sounds could emanate from one single instrument, but it was true. Rose’s whole body swayed gently, dipped slightly as she changed octaves both up and down, but she never lost the melody of the plaintive and haunting music.

Adam, like so many others, was transfixed. Rose couldn’t have looked more angelic if she had been wearing wings. Adam knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was in love with Rose. Yes, he wanted her physically – her swaying body, the sight of her bare calves – made him feel hot all over. But, more than physically, there was a huge emotional reaction that his heart couldn’t deny.

“Don’t hurt her,” Gus whispered. “If you do, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

“If anybody gets hurt, it will be me,” Adam whispered back. “She may not feel the same way that I do.”

“She does, Adam. I promise you that.” Gus’s voice was serious as he repeated again, “Don’t hurt her.”

Rose had now finished playing. She made a deep, long curtsy, and the curtain closed to thunderous applause that lasted and lasted. Rose came out, spread her arms wide, and shouted “Thank you for being so wonderful! The money that you paid for tickets is being donated to charity – so many needy people will be helped by your kindness. I’m proud to be a part of all of this!” More thunderous applause, but Rose didn’t emerge. The performance had come to an end.

Junior approached Adam when most of the audience had made their exit.

“Why don’t you go to Rose’s dressing room? I know she’ll be happy to see you.”

Is it so obvious that I’m in love with Rose? Are my feelings that transparent? Even Pa knew!

Adam headed behind the stage to the corridor leading to the dressing rooms. He had been back here before when Charles Dickens had read excerpts from one of his books, so getting lost wasn’t a problem. Holding his breath, Adam knocked on the door with “Miss Mallory” written on it.

“Come in, Gus,” came Rose’s answer.

“It’s not Gus. It’s Adam.”

Rose opened the door and was immediately enfolded in Adam’s strong arms. Rose felt her feet leave the floor as Adam lifted her up and swung her around and around, his lips against hers. His kiss was returned with a joy that Adam could feel all the way to his toes.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

“Ahem!” Junior cleared his throat loudly.

“Oh, for God’s sake! You sure do know how to ruin a moment!” But Rose was smiling over Adam’s shoulder at her brother. Well, actually, Gus was there too, along with Ben, Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing.

To Adam, she sniped, though gently, “You’re acting like a caveman. Put me down!”

“Don’t know as I want to,” Adam retorted. But he did put her down. He was rather embarrassed at being caught in such a display of affection.

There was now a crowd of men in the small dressing room – four Cartwrights, Hop Sing, and two Mallorys.

Ben spoke. “I see you got my flowers – at least I’m assuming that one of those vases came from me.”

“Mister Ben,” Rose grinned, “thank you for the roses. They’re beautiful. And thank you Hoss, Joe and Adam for the roses that each of you sent. I am truly grateful.”

Ben looked at his sons in surprise. “It would seem that I’m not the only Cartwright who had the same idea.” He chuckled.

Rose giggled. “A woman can never receive too many flowers. I’m a sentimental slob.” Then, “Did you remember to bring the buggy back?”

Hoss nodded. “We knowed that all the luggage that come in had t’ be took out after the show.”

“I don’t have to tell you what a wonderful, moving, touching performance that was,” Ben said, still smiling. “Folks’ll be talking about you and your violin for a long time.”

Rose was stuffing things into a large valise. She turned, joy on her face. “I don’t know when I’ve felt so….so….loved by so many people. It was a magical night. I hated for it to end.”

Gus tapped his foot. “We’ll step out while you get changed. Then we’ll load up the buggy.”

Rose looked at herself in the mirror and saw Adam’s appreciative glance sweep over her. “I’ll just wear this back to the Ponderosa. Be careful with the roses – I want to keep them! Throw everything else in the buggy and let’s go home.” The word “home” was a slip of the tongue that didn’t escape Ben’s notice. Or Adam’s.

“Um, Rose?” Junior grinned. “We had kinda planned to go to the Bucket O’ Blood for a while. Gus and I talked about it earlier.”

Rose looked at her brothers with suspicion. “Don’t you dare get drunk! I’ll not be embarrassed by you two again!”

Ben had a strange look on his face. “We’ll keep an eye on them, won’t we?” He looked pointedly at Hoss and Joe. Hop Sing giggled.

“But, Pa! Hop Sing’s made….” The look in Ben’s eyes and the jolt to the ribs by Joe made Hoss stop in mid-sentence.

Adam chuckled. “I guess it’s up to me to drive the buggy home.” He was no fool and understood exactly what was going on. He was being given precious time to be alone with Rose.

Rose stamped her foot. “I can drive the buggy myself! Don’t do me any favors! Go ahead and belly up to the bar if you want to.”

Adam took Rose’s arm. “This has been a wonderful night. Try to make it through one whole evening by being nice!”

With that, Adam whisked Rose out of the dressing room, out of the Opera House via the back door to avoid the throngs of people still in the street, and ended up lifting her bodily onto the buggy seat. Luggage was put in the back while Rose pouted.

“See you later, Pa!” Adam said with a laugh. He snapped the reins on the horse’s rump and the buggy lurched forward causing Rose to slide sideways in trying to keep her balance.

“You are a caveman!” she said sulkily.

“Yes, ma’am. You said the same thing earlier and got no argument from me.” Adam chuckled for a long time.

Rose pouted.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

High on a knoll that overlooked Virginia City, Adam stopped the buggy. “Get out,” was all he said.

“I most certainly will not! And don’t speak to me in that tone of voice.”

Adam got out and scooped Rose in his arms and then stood her on her feet. “Look over there,” he said.

“I’m looking and I don’t see anything.” Rose stuck out her bottom lip.

“Just wait,” Adam said.

Rose tapped her foot impatiently and then jumped at the sound of an explosion. Her eyes widened and she forgot to pout. “Fireworks. Look, Adam! Look at the colors! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

“Yes,” Adam said quietly as he put his arm around Rose’s shoulders. “You.”

Rose shivered slightly, but not from the cool night air. Wordlessly, Adam removed his jacket and draped it around Rose. She said nothing but edged closer to Adam until her hip bumped his. The two stood together in silence and watched the fireworks display until it was over.

“This really has been a magical night, hasn’t it?” Rose looked into Adam’s eyes.

Adam said nothing. Instead, he cradled Rose’s face in his big hands and kissed her, gently at first. Tasting the sweetness of her lips. Reveling in their softness. He was more than pleasantly surprised when he felt Rose’s tongue against his lips, against his teeth, and his tongue met hers in soft swirls. Their tongues did little dances against each other, played hide-and-seek with each other. Rose’s arms went around Adam’s neck and his arms went around her back. This was a kiss that never broke, not even when Adam’s jacket fell off Rose’s shoulders – he just moved his arms and let it drop to the ground.

Rose felt light-headed, giddy. She had never felt such passion before nor had she ever felt such a passionate response from her husband in what seemed a lifetime ago. One of Adam’s hands moved to her hair, pulling it gently until her head bent back. He broke the kiss and turned his lips to her neck, to her ears, and then back to her lips.

But then she stiffened. “Adam, we can’t…. I have to go back home tomorrow.”

“Don’t go,” he whispered into her neck.

“I have to!”

“Don’t go, Rose. I don’t want you to ever leave me.”

Rose looked into Adam’s eyes, saw the fire and heat there. Felt her own fire and her own heat. “I need time, Adam. Time to know what I truly feel.”

Ben’s wise words came back to haunt Adam: ”Don’t push her too fast, son.”

“I love you, Rose,” Adam said simply. “But I won’t push you. I think you already know how you feel but I think you’re afraid. Trust me. Please.”

The two stepped away from each other slowly but Rose held Adam’s hands. “I think….I think you’re right, Adam. Trusting doesn’t come easy for me, you know that. Can we talk about it tomorrow, in the daylight, when the magic of this night is over?”

Adam nodded. He lifted Rose back into the buggy and drove home. They were both silent as their bodies cooled down and their minds began to clear.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Back home now at the Ponderosa, Adam put the buggy in the barn, unhitched the horse and put it in its stall. Rose noticed that the horses were in their stalls, including the ones belonging to Junior and Gus.

“Well, I sure am glad that everyone is home at a decent hour,” Rose remarked. “Maybe Gus and Junior are sober and asleep.”

“Maybe,” Adam said with a chuckle. He bent his head to give Rose a quick kiss. “Let’s go inside. These bags are getting heavier by the minute.”

Rose opened the front door for Adam who was carrying her luggage. She was met with a smattering of applause by her brothers and by Ben, Hoss and Joe. She was so surprised that she stopped suddenly, causing Adam to bump into her and almost knock her down.

Ben was holding a newspaper, copies of which would be put out in town tomorrow. The headline, typed in big bold letters, read “Alexandra Mallory’s Stellar Performance.” There was a long story underneath it, but Rose didn’t read it. She was distracted by Hop Sing’s appearance – with an enormous sheet cake, carefully and lovingly decorated with small roses, a violin, and actual musical notes.

“Hop Sing! I’m speechless! I can’t find the right words….”

“Hop Sing spent all evenin’ bakin’ this cake for you,” Hoss said proudly. He tried to take a swipe at the icing and got his hand slapped by Hop Sing.

“But there are even musical notes on top. See? There’s an ‘A’ and a ‘D’ and a ‘G’ and a ‘C’. And they’re perfect! How did you do that?” Rose was impressed.

Hop Sing smiled broadly. “Borrow music book from Mistah Adam. Copy notes carefully on cake. You like?”

Rose answer was to fling her arms around the grinning cook, hugging him hard.

“Please, Missee Rose. You squeeze Hop Sing. Make him pop!”

Rose looked around the room slyly. “You never went to the saloon at all, did you? And you set me up with Adam to delay my arrival so that the cake would be done.” Then, “It was a fantastic idea! We watched the fireworks from the top of a hill. The magic of this night just goes on and on. All I can say is ‘Thank you.’”

Joe grinned. “We’d better eat that cake before Hoss gets his hands on it or there won’t be any left for the rest of us!”

“What kind of cake is it?” Rose could see only the white frosting.

“Devil’s food,” Adam answered, his hazel eyes dancing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Rose was ravenous and stuffed her mouth full of the delicious cake. When she was through eating, she realized that Gus was looking at her curiously.

“Rose?” Pause. “What happened to your face?”

“Did I not get all the cake off?” Rose swiped again at her mouth with her napkin.

Junior looked at her. As a matter of fact, everybody looked at her.

“Your face….it’s all red. Like sunburn.” Junior stared.

As a matter of fact, Rose had noticed that her mouth, cheeks and neck felt hot on the way back to the Ponderosa. She just assumed that she was flushed from the excitement of the evening – the performance and the applause and then the cake.

“What’s it look like to you, Gus?” Junior barely hid his grin.

Gus tried to look menacing. “Looks like beard-burn to me. Adam, have you been trifling with my sister’s affections?”

Adam, his long legs stretched out while he sat in his chair, had a sly grin. “Absolutely!”

Rose’s mouth dropped open and the rest of her face turned bright red. She was surrounded by laughter and didn’t know what to do. She stamped her foot. “You’re barbarians! All of you!” Turning on her heels, she flounced off to her bedroom. As she removed her make-up, which had probably saved her skin from being “burned” any worse, she looked at the redness. Touched it. Smiled and remembered why it was there. I love you, Adam.

Meanwhile, Hop Sing cleared away the dishes and took what was left of the cake into the kitchen. Gus and Junior went up to bed.

“Pa?” Adam caught his father’s attention.

Hoss nudged Joe. “I think it’s time for us to be somewheres else.” So upstairs they went.

While Ben smoked his pipe, Adam had a serious talk with the wisest man he knew. When “the talk” was over, Adam smiled and went to bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow, and there were no dreams this night.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Breakfast was served a little later than usual this morning – at Rose’s request. She and her brothers were going to be packing up the buckboard to head to El Crucero. As the Cartwrights sat down at the table, Hop Sing explained the reason why breakfast wasn’t being served yet.

“Missee Rose packing clothes. She and brothers go away. She look velly sad. Not talk much.”

Adam’s heart dropped. Rose would be leaving after all.

Gus and Junior clomped down the stairs and sat at the table. Gus was eager to get home to his wife, and Junior looked forward to going home period. Rose quickly sat down – not waiting for the men to rise to their feet or for someone to pull her chair out. She was very subdued. Hop Sing had been right in his assessment of her – she did look sad. Even Ben’s reading of the paper from last night didn’t put much of a smile on Rose’s face. She pushed her food around her plate but ate very little.

There was much small-talk while everybody ate, but Rose said nothing. Nor did she look at Adam. She just couldn’t.

“I have an idea,” Ben began. “Why don’t you stay here on the Ponderosa a little longer. I know that El Crucero isn’t a thousand miles away, but it’s a long trip – especially after the late hours we kept last night.”

“We couldn’t do that. We are just grateful to you for letting us stay these few days. Besides, I have a wife and kids to get home to.” Gus was being honest.

“We’d really like to stay. You said that there were a few mustangs over the ridge that we might be interested in. I sure would like to take a look at ’em.” Junior was being honest.

“We have to go back,” Rose snapped. “We can find mustangs somewhere else.”

Hoss looked at her. “No’m. With all due respect, there ain’t no mustangs like we got ’round here. If you stayed and looked at ’em, you’d understand what I’m sayin’. Bred to the horses ‘at Joe says you already got, you’d end up with some foals that got the best of ever’thin’.”

Rose chewed on her bottom lip. Hoss had a valid point. Junior looked at his sister. Gus looked at her, too.

Joe spoke. “Hoss is right. Those horses you have are clearly from good blood lines. Mixed with the stamina of good mustangs, you should have a bumper crop of critters better than you can imagine.”

“I have to go back,” Gus said. “But that doesn’t mean that Junior and Rose can’t stay here a little while longer. Good mustangs are an asset to any ranch. How long do you think it would take to catch a few?”

Ben sipped his coffee and sneaked a glance at his eldest son. “Oh, maybe a few days to find just the right ones, then bring them here, dip them, have the vet check them over. Is a week too long?”

Rose slammed down her fork. “You can’t go back to the ranch without me! Who’d run the place, do the books, take care of the bills?”

“Rose, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve all grown up. We can run the ranch very well without you. You saw to it that we were well-educated and it’s time that you let us share in the responsibilities of the farm. Sure, you let us do the planting and the plowing and moving rocks and cutting down trees, but we can all add and subtract, keep the books, pay the bills, and keep things running smoothly without you. None of us chose mindless idiots for wives and they certainly do their share of the work. Let us grow up, Rose. We’re only talking about one week. You and Junior can find the mustangs and drive them home. Shoot, Diablo has the savvy of ten people!.”

“What you’re saying is that you don’t need me any more,” Rose said quietly.

Gus reached for her hand across the table. “Rose, we always will need you because we love you. But you have to let us grow up! You’ve watched over us long enough. Loosen up a little bit.”

Rose gave a little smile. Gus was right and she knew it. “Okay. If Junior stays, then I don’t see why I can’t stay a little longer. Virginia City has grown on me. But we’ll stay for one week only. Horses or not, we’ll head back to El Crucero after that.”

Adam breathed a sigh of relief. Ben had opened up the door with his invitation but Hoss and Joe, without realizing it – or did they? – had cinched the deal.

Now Rose realized that she was starving. She ate her breakfast like a woman possessed. She didn’t have to make her mind up about what to do with Adam. She had been given the gift of time.

CHAPTER FORTY

The next few days found Rose and Junior, with the Cartwrights as their guides, trailing three different herds of mustangs. Much to Adam’s surprise, Rose was an excellent judge of horseflesh – she knew a good horse when she saw one.

“I like that one and that one,” Rose said quietly to Junior. “Look at the deep chests, the arches of the necks, and the long legs.”

Junior looked at the mustangs that Rose had pointed out. He agreed. Out of each of the the three herds, two mustangs were chosen, making a total of six animals that would go to El Crucero. And none of the herds had to be chased down – Diablo and Rose were the reason for that. Rose simply slid to one side of Diablo’s body, Indian-style, and allowed Diablo to wander into the herd as though he were a mustang himself. Diablo carefully cut out the chosen horses and gently pushed them toward the waiting men who threw ropes over their necks without fanfare. The horses were then taken to the Ponderosa to wait for the vet to check them out. Fortunately, the vet wouldn’t be back in Virginia City for a couple of days. Fate had stepped in to keep Rose and Junior as houseguests for a little longer.

Adam spent some time with Rose. They still stole kisses when nobody was looking, but the kisses weren’t passionate ones. Adam was trying to take things slowly for Rose’s sake. He didn’t want to scare her or to come on too strong. But he wanted for her to know that she was “special.” This extra time gave Rose a chance to scrutinize Adam – not as a lover but as a man she felt that she really loved. But was marriage in the picture? Rose hesitated. Was what she felt the “marrying kind” of love or was it just a strong, visceral, physical attraction? And is that what Adam was feeling too?

She thoroughly enjoyed going into Virginia City with Adam. Often, she was surrounded by people wanting autographs. Adam stood to one side, allowing Rose to glow in the presence of deep admiration and respect. Then he would take her elbow or put his hand gently in the small of her back and guide her down the street. People would whisper among themselves that it looked like the eldest Cartwright son had fallen in love. Even the newspaper would print innuendos about the pair. Ben would smile as he read these articles.

“It says here that you two are planning on getting married. Is there something I should know?”

Rose would snort. “My name has been linked to everybody from the Prince of Wales to a blacksmith in Texas. I’m growing used to things that one finds in a newspaper.”

But she would sneak a peek at Adam. His eyes would dance but he said nothing to dispute or acknowledge anything.

And the days began to dwindle before the vet would arrive. Rose had been dragging her feet about making any decisions about Adam. But one day would change everything, and Rose would have to make a decision.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The vet arrived at the Ponderosa just after breakfast. The new mustangs would be dipped to rid them of any ticks or skin diseases and then, with Hoss and Junior’s help, would be examined all over to make sure the animals were healthy.

Ben barely looked up from his coffee as he spoke to Adam and Rose. “Joe’ll be back from town in a little while. Hoss and Junior can handle things here with the vet. Why don’t you two go for a ride. It’s a beautiful day – it shouldn’t be wasted.”

Rose’s face lit up. She was always ready for a good ride – it relaxed her. She looked at Adam. She couldn’t read what was written on his face, but he seemed agreeable. Rose went into her room and donned jeans and one of Junior’s shirts. She tied her hair back, emerged from her room and went to the barn. Adam had saddled both Sport and Diablo. He was ready.

They walked for a long time, just looking around at the scenery. But Diablo was ready to run. Adam remembered what had been said about Rose’s riding ability on such a fast horse, but Adam also knew that Sport was equal to the task.

Adam halted. “See that big hill over there, beyond the tree line? I’ll race youthere!” And he nudged Sport into a dead gallop.

Rose whooped with delight. Diablo jumped into a dead run and was soon neck-in-neck with Sport. Diablo would surge ahead and then Sport would take the lead. Adam’s laughter mingled with Rose’s. They were like two happy kids rather than full-grown adults. But finally the hill was reached, and Rose declared that she was the winner.

Adam shook his dark head. “Nope. I won by half a length.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Not.

“Too.”

Rose stuck out her tongue at Adam and then ran down the hill laughing. Adam gave chase.

Rose ran like a deer and peeked out at her pursuer from behind trees and rocks. “I did win. Admit it!”

“I beat you fair and square,” Adam laughed as he gave chase.

Rose ran to the creek and stood in the middle of it. Adam ran in right behind her, his long legs giving him an edge because she was standing still. He got splashed with water as Rose, continuing to laugh and taunt him, threw handfuls of water at him. He edged closer and threw water right back at her. Then she evaded his hands and ran back up the hill again. With a flying leap, Adam tackled her with both of them falling to the ground and trying to catch their breath and laugh at the same time.

Rose looked at her wet boots. “You wouldn’t have caught me if my boots weren’t so damn full of water.” She promptly removed them – and her socks – and wiggled her toes in the grass.

Adam thought about that. “Well, my boots are just as wet as yours are and I caught you anyway.” He removed his own boots and socks. The sunlight on his toes felt good and so did the grass.

“Ahhh, what a beautiful day,” Rose said with a smile as she flopped back into a bunch of wild flowers.

“Amen,” came Adam’s reply as he grabbed up some flowers and played with their stems. “And the day is just beginning.”

The morning sun made Rose feel a little sleepy. She closed her eyes – only for a second.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Something made Rose wake up. She looked around groggily and saw that Adam was staring at her. She rubbed her eyes. “I feel asleep, didn’t I?”

Adam nodded, a strange look on his face.

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked so peaceful. You must’ve been having a good dream because you were smiling a little.”

“You watched me while I was sleeping!” Rose was embarrassed. “There ought to be a law against that!” She jumped to her feet.

Adam stood up also, his hands gently on her arms. “I love you, Rose.” A simple statement that said volumes.

And then Adam kissed Rose gently. As the kiss ended, Rose touched her lips with her fingers and then touched Adam’s lips. Slowly, she slid her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his, gently at first and then with the passion she had bottled up inside her since that night on the hill.

Rose’s passion took Adam by surprise but not in a bad way. He welcomed the feel of Rose’s tongue in his mouth, searching, exploring, teasing. At first, he didn’t give her his tongue. Not because he didn’t feel the instant reaction but because he wanted for her to do what she wanted. But he soon gave in to the delicious feelings that her tongue had aroused. Once again their tongues danced together in erotic interplay, twisting and turning slowly together. Rose nipped at his tongue gently and, when he retracted it, she nibbled at his lips until his tongue returned. The sinuous dance continued with both man and woman feeling the heat build inside them. Still, the ardent kisses continued.

Rose slid one hand down to Adam’s chest, playing with the curly hair there, tugging and pulling without causing pain. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck, smelled his after-shave, and then kissed the area where she felt his pulse above his collar bone. She heard him exhale softly, a sound that thrilled her and made her belly tighten.

Pushing away from him, she let her amber eyes meet his hazel eyes. She got lost in his gaze, felt giddy, felt the want of him. It took all of Adam’s strength not to grab her, to pull her back to him. He managed to stand perfectly still.

Rose’s hands went to the buttons on her shirt. Her fingers trembled as she undid each button.

“This is me,” she said softly. “Is this enough for you?”

Adam, fighting desperately to control himself, reached out and placed his fingers over the area of Rose’s heart.

“This is enough for me. The rest is icing on a beautiful cake.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Adam swept Rose into his arms then and kissed her, gently at first and then with growing passion. Rose’s response was positive and instantaneous. Tongues played together, clothing whispered to the ground. Bodies sank into the lush grass among the flowers. There were soft murmurs, whispers, the exploring of bodies, and then two bodies became one with great tenderness. They looked into each other’s eyes, both of them seeing as well as feeling the heat and the passion. Later, fully-sated, Adam held Rose close to him and kissed the top of her head.

Silence. And then a quiet whisper from Rose. “I love you, Adam.”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t have too. He had already told her the words she needed to hear. Rose nestled her head back on Adam’s broad, hairy chest and listened to the steady sound of his heartbeat.

“This is a special place for me. Would you like to know why?” Adam asked quietly.

“Why?”

“This is my land. Pa let us pick out our own places when we were old enough. I plan to put a house on the hilltop and a barn downhill from that. I often come here to listen to the wind as it sighs through the trees. Flowers are always blooming here in the Spring and Summer – some even bloom in the Fall. That creek that we ran through forms a pond not far from here and the fishing is good there. This place never floods and the grass is lush enough to satisfy cattle and horses. What do you think of it?”

“It’s way beyond beautiful,” Rose answered without looking around. Adam had painted a picture with his words so there was no need to use her eyes.

Rose nestled closer and let her mind wander to a house, a garden, sharing a life with Adam, having his children….

She sat up quickly, her eyes wide. “Oh my God! Adam! What if I turn up pregnant after this?”

Adam smiled slyly. “Then we’ll get married sooner than later.”

“Adam Cartwright! Is that supposed to be funny?”

“No.” Adam was serious in both face and voice. “I can’t think of anything more joyful than our having a child together.”

Rose glared at him. “You haven’t even asked me to marry you, you jackass!” Rose reached angrily for her clothes, but Adam pulled her back to him.

Bending down on one knee, Adam looked up into Rose’s face.

“Alexandra Rose Mallory, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Rose looked at him suspiciously. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No.” Again there was the serious voice with the serious face. “I wish I had a diamond ring in my pocket to put on your finger, but I don’t. All I have is this.”

Adam slowly opened the palm of his hand and in it was a round, green, tightly-woven object. Rose remembered that earlier she had seen Adam playing with the stems of flowers. He had been weaving stem after stem, and Rose hadn’t been paying attention. If the truth be told, Adam wasn’t deliberately weaving a ring, he had just been braiding things together. Apparently this ring was a Freudian slip. And a timely one at that.

Rose’s face softened as Adam slipped the flower-ring on her finger. It was green and shiny and fit perfectly.

Adam looked at it. “The stems are already dying and will soon fall apart and disintegrate. But it’ll have to do for now. And you haven’t given me your answer yet.” Were those tears welling up in his eyes?

“You already know my answer,” Rose said softly.

“But I need to hear you say it,” was Adam’s soft reply.

“I love you, Adam. I love this ring, no matter how temporary it may last. And my answer is ‘Yes. A thousand times yes’.” Were those tears welling up in her eyes?

There were no passionate kisses, no wild love-making that ensued. There was a simple, strong embrace with gentle kisses, accompanied by the chirping of birds in the trees, and then the putting on of clothing that had drifted to the ground.

Man and woman, happy beyond words, held hands as they headed to where Sport and Diablo had stood all this time. Adam and Rose shared yet another kiss, climbed onto their saddles, and headed back to the Ponderosa to share the good news. Which, by the way, came as no surprise to anyone.

That evening, Adam and Rose sat by the fireplace and played duets – one of which was “Shenandoah.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the music stopped.

Ben’s observation was, as usual, very wise. “Two stringed instruments, different in timbre and shape, can be played together in perfect tune and harmony. So it is with a man and a woman of different personalities – with deep and abiding love, they can live together in perfect tune and harmony, one with another. It is only natural that there will be a few ‘dischords’, but you have to remember that a place where the sun always shines, there’s a desert below. Sometimes it takes a little rain to make love blossom to its fullest.”

That night, Adam played one more song – the song he had been working on so many days ago. The song with no name. It was a very moving melody and it now had a name: “A Song For Rose.”

THE END