Chapter 10

“Merry, we should think about getting married as we planned.” It was a week after the funerals for Charlotte and Dwayne. Drew was settling in on the Ponderosa although he was very withdrawn and quiet much of the time as he dealt with his grief.

“Adam, how can we do that to Drew. To have a celebration like that when he’s so sad. It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Life proceeding normally could help him a lot. When I lost my mothers, it was a relief to have something to do. Having a wedding to look forward to might help him more than anything.”

“Adam, right now all he wants to do is to be around you. He follows you everywhere. Don’t you think that it might bother him to have us together and away from him?”

“We won’t be going anywhere for a while with the weather the way it’s been. I just want to go back to our plan to marry and then have the party in June. I still think that’s a reasonable plan.”

“It just seems so selfish to me.”

“Maybe it is a little, but you have every right to do something for yourself too. You lost your sister, and we still haven’t been to town to talk with your mother. When we went there four days ago, she was too drunk to talk.”

“How has she been getting that brandy anyway? Roy says she never leaves the house as far as he can tell. Some ladies from church bring her food and leave it on the porch after knocking on the door. I guess they have mixed feelings about her too. In some ways, I’m so angry with her, and in other ways, I feel sorry for her. I think she did what my father wanted because she had this idea that a wife was supposed to do whatever her husband said. She told me once that was in the Bible. Even then, she was trying to justify her actions. She must have carried a lot of guilt all these years.”

“And shame hopefully, but you don’t think she started that fire either, do you?” At Merry’s nod, Adam leaned back against the stable wall and thought a bit before speaking. “That makes it much more of a danger to all of us. We have no good idea who is behind this now. Do you think your mother could have hired someone?”

“I think she might have been willing to do that but she has no money, and the house is mortgaged as much as possible. How could she pay someone?”

Having thought about that too, Adam was stymied wondering who would hate Charlotte and Dwayne enough to kill them, and then he wondered if that same person did want to cause harm to Merry and to him. As he and Merry had finished the chores they set out to do, they headed back to the house. Up on the hill looking down at the yard, the person they had not yet suspected was just settling in under some evergreens. Grabbing a rifle when the couple walked to the house, the would be assassin wasn’t able to aim before they went into the house. Laying the rifle down, she got busy preparing to spend the day waiting for an opportunity for one or both of her targets to reappear.

As Adam prepared to open the front door of the house, Merry put a hand on his arm to stop him. “You’re right. I should be thinking of you and of us too. Let’s see if your father thinks it’s a good idea. I don’t want to upset him.”

“Merry, this should be our decision.”

“It is, but I would like to know what he thinks about it too. It is his house after all.”

Sighing, Adam nodded. When they went in the house, the first thing that happened though was that Drew ran to Adam for a hug. Normally, Adam was not a hugger, but it seemed if it was Drew or Merry that wanted or needed a hug, he was there ready and willing.

“Drew, Merry and I were talking about something important outside. We want to hear what you think and what Pa thinks.”

Looking worried, Drew wrapped his arms around Adam’s waist. “You’re not sending me to town to live with Grandma, are you?”

Unwrapping Drew’s arms from his waist, Adam knelt down to look him in the eye. “Drew, we told you that those papers we signed with Sheriff Coffee make you part of our family. It’s the law, Drew. Now you know I would never go against the law, don’t you.”

“I just get scared, Uncle Adam. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I know, but you not only have me and Merry. Pa and my brothers are part of your family now too. You can always count on them too.”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” Ben was listening intently too wondering but thinking he already had a fairly good idea of what he was going to hear.

“Merry and I want to get married soon with just the family and a few friends. Then in June when it’s nice, we could have a big party to celebrate. What do you think about that?”

“If you get married, will you be my papa?”

“Drew, married or not, I would be proud to be your father. I can’t replace your father, but I had three mothers so I think perhaps you could have two fathers.”

“You had three mothers! What happened to them?”

“My mother died soon after I was born. My next mother was Hoss’ mother, and she was killed by Indians as we traveled here. I was about seven then. My third mother was Joe’s mother and she died in an accident when I was seventeen.”

“So that’s why there’s no mother here?”

“Yes, but you would have Merry as your mother if you want us to be your parents instead of your aunt and uncle. It’s up to you.”

“Can I still love my old mama and papa too even if they’re in heaven?”

“That would be wonderful. I can’t imagine you not loving them.”

“How can you love more than one father and more than one mother?”

“Lots of parents love more than one child. My father loves three sons, so why can’t a son love more than one father? I loved three different mothers, each in a different way. Your heart will be as big as you let it be, and there’s lots of love you can give to others, more than enough to love your parents in heaven and love others still on this earth.”

Ben got teary eyed again for he had never been as proud of Adam as he was listening to him talk as a father to a seven-year-old boy. No one else in the room was talking, but all were listening intently as Drew tried to make sense of his new reality.

“All right, I think you and Merry should get married.”

Joe started giggling then and soon Hoss joined in. Even Ben had a smile for that one.

“Why did they start laughing when I said that?”

“Because my brothers have very weird sense of humor. People often say that a man and woman should get married when they are going to have a baby.”

“Are you and Merry going to have a baby?”

“Hopefully, at some point we will have a baby, but not right away.”

Ben was waiting for the next line, and he was not disappointed. Joe rolled on the floor with laughter, and Hoss leaned back in the big red chair and roared.

“How will you and Merry have a baby? Nobody ever told me how people get babies.”

“Son, you walked right into that one.”

“Pa, perhaps you would like to take over on that question?”

“No, Adam, I’m more than happy to see how you handle it.”

Looking at Merry for help, Adam could see she wasn’t going to help either. “Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much, and they kiss and are very nice to each other, …”

“Hoss, Hoss, when they’re ‘very nice’ to each other. Our older brother went to college to learn those fancy words, and that’s all he’s got. When they’re ‘very nice’ to each other.” Joe was laughing so hard it was difficult to understand him but not impossible. Adam scowled at him and then turned back to Drew.

“Perhaps we should talk about this at some time when they’re aren’t any rude brothers of mine in the vicinity.”

Drew was agreeable. He didn’t know why Joe and Hoss were laughing so much or why Adam was so upset with them. He figured it would be better some time when he got to talk with Adam more privately.

“Can I start calling you Papa now, or do I have to wait for the wedding?”

Pulling Drew into a hug, Adam told him in a hoarse voice that right then was perfect as far as he was concerned. He smiled at Drew who returned the smile. “Now, there’s a lot of fresh snow outside and there are a couple of people I would love to hit with some snowballs. Are you ready for your first Cartwright snowball fight?”

That got everyone’s attention, and there was a move to the front door and all the coats, hats, and gloves they would need. Almost as soon as they got outside, everyone ran to places to hide from flying snowballs. As they were dressing, Hoss described each of the brothers in a snowball fight. “I throw the biggest snowballs in the Sierras, Joe throws them faster than anyone. He’s just like a Gatling gun except with snowballs instead of bullets, and Adam has the best aim especially for hitting people in the face with wet mushy snowballs.”

“What about Mama?” Hoss almost choked up at that point but was able to answer. “We don’t rightly know. This is her first Cartwright snowball fight too.” When Drew asked about “Grandpa Ben”, Hoss said he was too smart to play in the snow.

Up on the hill, a rifle was sighted in on the snowball fight participants, but every time the line of fire was clear, the target would move or duck down behind a pile of snow or other obstacle. Finally after about a frustrating hour, the targets went back into the house with everyone else. It was time to do more waiting.

Hop Sing knew what everyone would want and as they shucked off the coats, hats, and gloves, he set a tray with coffee and hot chocolate on the table by the fireplace. Within minutes, he was back with a plate of cookies. “Two for each, and Mister Hoss eat no more. I make roast pork for dinner.”

It was warm by the fire and sipping the hot drinks, but when Joe stood to add wood to the fire, there wasn’t any. He tried to sit quickly but Hoss wouldn’t let him. “You know the rule. If you’re the one who discovers we need wood, you’re the one who gets it. Pa made that rule a long time ago, and it’s still a good one.”

“But my coat is all wet with those slushy snowballs Adam and Merry got me with.”

Adam was helpful he thought. “Go ahead and wear my coat, Joe. It’s hardly even damp with those tiny little snowballs you were throwing.”

“Gee, thanks, Adam. You’re so helpful.” Joe shrugged on the tan barn coat and grabbed the bucket for wood before heading outside to the woodpile.

“Adam, you woulda been plenty wet if my giant snowball had found its mark. Dang, why did you have to duck down right at that second? Oh, and sorry, again, Merry for hitting you with that one. You do know that was meant for Adam, don’t you?”

“All’s fair in love and war, Hoss. The three of you never did tell me and Drew how seriously you take a snowball fight. Next time we’ll be ready.”

“Say, I wonder what’s taking Joe so long to bring in a bucket of wood. Maybe I’ll go give him a hand. We’re gonna need some big pieces anyway.”