Little Joe Cartwright came down the stairs and scanned the room. Locating his father, he sauntered over to the alcove and stood quietly. It was always best to be quiet when Pa was working on the large, leather-bound ledgers that held the thousands of numbers related to the running of the Ponderosa. Little Joe sighed softly and leaned against his father’s desk gazing at the daguerreotypes of his father’s three wives.

“My mama was the prettiest, wasn’t she, Pa?” The boy’s finger reached out and traced the gilded edge of the frame.

“Joseph,” Ben Cartwright’s tone carried a warning.

“I ain’t meaning no disrespect, Pa. They were all real pretty,” Little Joe was quick to offer the sincere compliment. “I was only saying my mama was the prettiest. Old Hank says she was the prettiest lady he ever saw.”

“Your mother was a very beautiful woman, Little Joe, but she was beautiful outside and in.”

Little Joe turned his head to smile at his father, but then his gaze returned to the daguerreotypes. “Adam’s ma was good at book learning like him, wasn’t she, Pa?”

“Adam gets a great deal of his academic ability from his mother, yes.”

Little Joe’s brow wrinkled at the word academic. “Guess she was the smartest, huh, Pa?”

Ben studied the face of his youngest son and answered simply, “Elizabeth was a very intelligent woman.”

Little Joe rose onto his toes and leaned over the desk to peer more closely at Elizabeth’s likeness. “There’s lots of kinds of smart though.” His eyes moved on to the third daguerreotype. “Adam says Hoss’s ma was the friendliest person he ever knew ‘septing Hoss. She liked to give lots of hugs and kisses.” Little Joe turned to face his father. “Did Adam let her hug and kiss on him?”

A smile spread slowly across Ben’s face. The memory of a slim, raven-haired boy in the arms of a smiling blonde filled his mind. “Yes, yes, he did.”

Little Joe shook his head in wonder, for few people dared to hug his elder brother. His finger patted the edge of the frame as if to make contact with the woman who had cuddled Adam. He stood silent for a few moments staring at the trio of women. “Pa, do you think they all live together in heaven?”

Ben paused to consider his answer.

Little Joe spoke before Ben could, “If they ain’t now, they’ll have to later.”

“What do you mean, Son?”

“After you get there.” Then the little boy hurried to add, “Not that that’s gonna be anytime soon, Pa.” Little Joe’s eyes twinkled, “We ain’t nowheres near through with ya yet.”

Ben reached out and drew his young son into his lap. “Good thing, boy, because I’m not nearly done with you either.”

Little Joe snuggled against his pa. “Preacher said there’s lots of mansions in heaven. I bet we’ll have a big one seeing as how you’ll have three wives and all of us.”

“So, you think we’ll all have to share, do you, Joseph?”

“Wouldn’t be heaven if we ain’t all there together,” Little Joe chided his father. “I think it’ll be nice having three mothers. You don’t think mama will mind sharing seeing as how she’ll get to share Hoss and Adam, do ya?”

“I don’t think she’ll mind.”

Little Joe snuggled deeper into his father’s arms. “None of them was the lovingest. I mean they all were real loving.”

Ben felt the tears welling in his eyes. “They all were full of love, Joseph.”

“It will be real nice, won’t it, Pa?”

“Ever so nice, Joseph, ever so nice.”