{"id":12858,"date":"2002-10-06T19:35:48","date_gmt":"2002-10-06T23:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12858"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:05:41","slug":"private-lessons-by-gwynne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12858","title":{"rendered":"Private Lessons (by Gwynne)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>An unconventional older woman; an exceptional young man \u2013 everybody has to learn from someone, and Adam is fortunate to find the perfect teacher.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T (6,245 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Private Lessons<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you love instruction, you will be well instructed.<\/em> \u201d\u00a0 Motto inscribed in golden letters above the door of Isocrates\u2019 school.
\n\u201cOne pulse of passion \u2013 youth\u2019s first fiery glow, —<\/em>
\nIs worth the hoarded proverbs of the sage:<\/em>
\nVex not thy soul with dead philosophy;<\/em>
\nHave we not lips to kiss with, hearts to love, and eyes to see?<\/em>
\nOscar Wilde, Panthea,<\/em> St.2<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He was nineteen and beautiful.\u00a0 Unpolished, surely, untrimmed and untrained, but magnificent in the first glow of his young manhood.\u00a0 When she had asked Jonathan to bring someone new and interesting to her soiree, she hadn\u2019t dreamed he would turn up with anyone like this dark, compelling Westerner.<\/p>\n

He stood almost a head taller than the rest of the men in the room \u2013 well over six feet.\u00a0 Tall, wide-shouldered and slim hipped, he was as supple and graceful as a great cat and, by the look of him, just as lethal.\u00a0 Clearly unused to city society, he looked over her gathering with eyes that gleamed with curiosity and intelligence.\u00a0 What color were they under those thick, dark brows?\u00a0 One moment she would be ready to swear they were brown, then he would turn his gaze and there would be a flash of amber or green.\u00a0 The nose was narrow and straight, the cheekbones high and the jaw line firm, even stubborn.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t be driven, but with subtle, careful luring . . .\u00a0\u00a0 The challenge was intriguing, and the rewards would almost certainly be worth the effort.<\/p>\n

She drank in his whole look.\u00a0 Like a connoisseur of fine art she took in every detail: the hair, thick, dark and slightly curly, was cut all wrong; the severe black suit was already a year out of style, and the carefully polished boots showed a bit too much below the trouser hem.\u00a0 He had obviously grown since acquiring the garments.\u00a0 No matter, she thought, as she studied the way the maroon silk vest strained across a chest as broad and solid as a stately oak.\u00a0 And finally his skin \u2013 smooth as the finest Italian leather and a glowing copper bronze that radiated youth and health.<\/p>\n

When Jon had presented him in the receiving line, his manners had been rustic but charming with that slight Western drawl and polite deference.\u00a0 But, through the veneer of civilization, the careful training of his elders and a natural courtesy, the raw, naked power of his elemental maleness had struck her like a blow.\u00a0 It had taken all her will power not to fall against his chest, caress the muscled pillar of his throat and run her tongue across the full, dimpled mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Adam, now that you\u2019ve met Mistress De Bauer, Merry Mari, the wanton widow of New York society, what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s a little disrespectful of your hostess, Jon.\u201d\u00a0 Adam smiled to take most of the sting from his words.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s an attractive lady, and she greeted us quite warmly.\u00a0 Gossips can be cruel to a woman with no one to defend her.\u00a0 What happened to Mr. De Bauer, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld Heinrich De Bauer was almost forty years her senior and richer than Croesus,\u201d Jon said. \u201cFamily had dealt in gems and jewelry for generations \u2013 think his great grandfather supplied the beads the first settlers used to trade the Indians out of Manhattan Island.\u201d\u00a0 Jon hid his grin behind his hand and glanced around to be sure they weren\u2019t overheard.\u00a0 \u201cHe was a huge man, could barely pant his way up a flight of stairs, but he treated Marlette like a princess.\u00a0 Showered her with jewels, clothes, carriages and fine horses, summer homes, anything she wanted.\u00a0 They\u2019d only been married about three years when he up and died in bed one night.\u00a0 Word is he had a beatific smile on his face when the undertaker came,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cMarlette mourned for the approved year, but then gradually began to make this place a center for the . . . um . . . less staid element of the social whirl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked around the huge ballroom.\u00a0 It reflected not only great wealth, but good taste as well.\u00a0 Crystal chandeliers blazed with light from rose scented candles of the finest beeswax, and the parquet oak floor reflected it like polished gold.\u00a0 The lavish buffet was dressed in snowy linen and trailed garlands of fresh flowers.\u00a0 It was laden with enough exotic dishes to feed half the city.\u00a0 Butlers in black evening dress and white gloves circulated constantly with trays of champagne in fragile, long stemmed glasses.\u00a0 Adam could only guess that it was probably a rare and excellent vintage; he had little expertise in the area.\u00a0 The room was awhirl with women in elaborate gowns; the full skirts in layers of lace and satin set off their pale, bare shoulders and arms.\u00a0 The men reminded him of peacocks with their tight britches, high stocks and pinch waist, flared frock coats in a rainbow of colors.\u00a0 Perhaps he should have borrowed one of his college friend\u2019s flashy vaquero outfits.\u00a0 He dismissed the thought almost instantaneously as one of Ben\u2019s lectures about being your own man leapt to the forefront of his consciousness. They were fine for Brew Lattimer, bred and raised as a California don, but he was content and more comfortable in his plain, dark suit.\u00a0 If they wanted to think of him as a country bumpkin, well, they\u2019d be about right.<\/p>\n

There didn\u2019t appear to be a soul over forty in the room.\u00a0 Mistress De Bauer\u2019s guests were youthful and in search of experience if he was any judge.\u00a0 Dark eyes flashed at him over a coyly spread fan as a slim, cool beauty strolled by.\u00a0 She was quickly appropriated by a slope shouldered fellow in a vivid plum coat with a diamond studded watch on a gold chain around his lace swathed neck.\u00a0 Adam shrugged and returned his attention to his companion.\u00a0 He was spending the summer of his first year in college with Jon Talon and his family in New York.\u00a0 He had been fascinated by his country\u2019s greatest city with its many treasures as well as its teeming slums.<\/p>\n

\u201cWonder if any of them ever tailed a steer?\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, who and what\u2019s that?\u201d came the baffled reply.<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOh, just looking at some of these game cocks struttin\u2019 around, and wondering if any of them could tail a steer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd would ye mind to be telling me just how that feat is to be accomplished?\u201d his friend asked in a very bad attempt at an Irish brogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, sometimes on a round-up or trail drive you get a bunch quitter \u2013 a steer that won\u2019t stay with the herd.\u00a0 They\u2019ll take off running flat out for the brush country.\u201d\u00a0 As he described the maneuver to Jon, Adam could almost feel the heat of the high mountain sun at midday, smell the ancient earth scent of the pale dust stirred up by the shuffling feet of the herd and hear the bawl of thirsty beeves.\u00a0 Some savvy old steer that was half deer and had dodged the last two gatherings would suddenly light out hell-for-leather, and he\u2019d clap the spurs to his bronc and take off after him.\u00a0 Reins held high and steering with his knees, he\u2019d race alongside, the wind of passage tugging at his hat and his heart hammering with the challenge. Careful to stay clear of the wide spread of horns that could gore him from side to side, he would lean well out of the saddle, grab the base of the streaming tail, and with a practiced twist of his wrist yank it hard to one side.\u00a0 It sent the animal tumbling head over heels, knocked the breath out of him and so dazed him that he would usually behave for the rest of the day.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just a trick of using their speed and weight against them,\u201d he concluded, \u201cbut it takes some practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jon laughed softly.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I can maybe see you doing it, but not any of these gents.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured around them.\u00a0 \u201cI think father took in a small dairy somewhere up toward the Hamptons a couple years back as payment on a bad debt.\u00a0 We could go up there and try it if you like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt if your dairyman would like the results.\u00a0 Think they prefer not to churn it in the cow.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked up.\u00a0 Mistress De Bauer was making her way across the room toward them.<\/p>\n

She was a striking woman of about thirty.\u00a0 Her lustrous auburn hair was piled high and dressed with velvet ribbons of fern green intertwined with strands of seed pearls.\u00a0 Her face was heart shaped with wide, slightly tilted gray eyes, a nose that was little more than a button and a rosebud mouth.\u00a0 It was a face that was both beautiful and mischievous.\u00a0 But it was her throat and shoulders that caught Adam\u2019s eye.\u00a0 He had read of women with swanlike necks, but he had never thought to see one.\u00a0 With skin like rich cream, her throat rose slender and graceful from perfectly rounded shoulders.\u00a0 The moss greens and pale yellows of her low cut gown set off an intriguing figure.\u00a0 Her waist was tiny, the breasts small but up thrusting; the full skirts concealed legs and bottom, but the imagination was willing to speculate.\u00a0 Adam regarded himself as a gentleman, but he was a man, a young one at that, and the room was flooded with the essence of desirable women.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright.\u00a0 Mr. Cartwright!\u201d\u00a0 A light, lilting voice broke into his unruly thoughts.\u00a0 He looked down to find Mrs. De Bauer standing before them, looking up at him with half smile on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh \u2026 yes, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Charming party.\u00a0 Thank you for having me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my pleasure, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019m delighted Jon brought you along.\u00a0 Are you spending the whole summer with the Talons?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be going back to Boston at the end of August.\u00a0 I want some time with my grandfather before classes start again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t be going home then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 It\u2019s too far.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t make the round trip in time.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be going home until I graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds rather lonely.\u201d\u00a0 She pouted prettily as she empathized with this handsome young man who was obviously far from home. \u201cYou must miss them.\u00a0 Where do your parents live?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just my father, Mrs. De Bauer, and two younger brothers.\u00a0 We live in the western Utah territory up against the eastern ranges of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy, that is exciting, a wilderness frontier.\u00a0 And what do you do there . . . farm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly,\u201d there was a little dry humor in Adam\u2019s tone.\u00a0 \u201cWe ranch \u2013 cattle, horses, timber.\u00a0 With the folks swarming to California there\u2019s a demand for all three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d enjoy learning more about it.\u00a0 Perhaps, I might add your name to my dance card?\u201d\u00a0 She lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be honored, ma\u2019am, although my ballroom skills are limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps, a waltz?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next waltz, then.\u00a0 Be sure to find me.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled enchantingly and turned with a soft swish of silk and a lingering trace of jasmine.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes siree, Adam,\u201d Jon gave him a knowing wink.\u00a0 \u201cYou seem to have made quite an impression on our hostess.\u00a0 Your summer could be heatin\u2019 up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRidiculous,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 A slight flush lit the copper of his cheeks.\u00a0 It might have been the champagne.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s a beautiful, wealthy, popular lady who moves in all the right circles.\u00a0 What would she want with a barely solvent student that nobody ever heard of?\u201d<\/p>\n

His companion ran his eye slowly down the tall, square shouldered form beside him.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be na\u00efve, old son.\u00a0 There are other attractions besides social status.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was searching for some reply when the lilting strains of a Strauss waltz floated across the room.\u00a0 \u201cBetter go find her,\u201d Jon advised.<\/p>\n

Adam moved swiftly across the crowded room; the jewel toned butterflies that populated the dance floor parted before his dark form, and Marlette De Bauer appeared at the end of the opened aisle.\u00a0 She looked up at him with a smile of melting sweetness and held out fair, gently rounded arms.<\/p>\n

Adam held a clean, white handkerchief in his right hand.\u00a0 It would keep his direct touch from her bare back.\u00a0 She took it gently and tucked it into her bodice.\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t need this.\u201d\u00a0 She placed one delicate hand in its lace glove on his right shoulder and stepped into his embrace.\u00a0 \u201cCome, let\u2019s dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a swift waltz, full of dips and twirls.\u00a0 Adam had attended a number of dances in Boston, and the young ladies had been more than willing to help him polish his terpsichorean skills.\u00a0 His natural athleticism served him well.\u00a0 Marlette was as light on his arm as a leaf buoyed on the breeze.\u00a0 Her scent of delicate perfume and warm, lightly perspiring woman flesh filled his nostrils.\u00a0 Her even teeth gleamed between slightly parted, moist lips, and her eyes held his \u2013 open, honest, interested.\u00a0 He was surprised when the dance ended almost before it had begun, it seemed.\u00a0 Reluctantly he released her from the circle of his arms and opened his mouth to thank her for the waltz.\u00a0 Before he could get the words out, she spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually ride on Saturday afternoons, if the weather permits, along with a small group of friends.\u00a0 I have a good stable and some attractive parkland along the Hudson.\u00a0 If you would care to join us, I can send someone to pick you up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d enjoy riding, but I don\u2019t have a mount here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure my stableman can find you something worthy to ride.\u00a0 You\u2019ll come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right then, yes, thank you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll look forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She delicately removed his handkerchief from between her breasts and pressed it into his hand.\u00a0 \u201cFine, be ready about 11:00.\u00a0 Dress comfortable; we\u2019re not formal,\u201d she said with a slight wink.\u00a0 At least he thought it was a wink. It was done so quickly and with such subtlety that Adam couldn\u2019t be sure.\u00a0 In an instant, she turned and was gone,surrounded by her guests.\u00a0\u00a0 A trace of her subtle, intriguing scent lingered in the handkerchief that he absently held to his nostrils before returning it to his pocket.\u00a0 There was a slight, luminous glaze to his amber eyes.<\/p>\n

Saturday morning found Adam ready well before eleven.\u00a0 Jon looked him up and down: slim, hard wool black pants, crisp white shirt and soft, calf-skin black vest.\u00a0 He held a flat crowned, wide brimmed grey hat in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWell, will I do?\u201d Adam asked his friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a change from riding breeches and red tail coats, anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned. \u201cIs that the idea, do you think?\u00a0 A dumb cowpuncher to have a little fun with?\u201d<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what Mari has in mind, no.\u00a0 You might have some trouble with some of her giddier friends.”\u00a0 Jon raised his brows as he perused Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0 “Why, want to back out?\u00a0 I can make your excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 A memory of the illusive scent that had drifted through his room on awakening this morning surfaced.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve run into that sort at school.\u00a0 They soon lose interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jon peered down the street a second and then glanced sideways at his friend. Taking note of the determined set of Adam\u2019s jaw, he let the matter drop. He knew one thing about his friend: Adam Cartwright could handle a stampede \u2013 whether they wore a brand or a petticoat didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

A handsome surrey pulled by a perfectly matched pair of blacks drew up at the gate.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Cinderfellow, your carriage has arrived.\u201d\u00a0 Jon punched Adam lightly and got a sharp jab in the ribs in return.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t do anything I wouldn\u2019t love to do,\u201d was his parting shot as Adam made his way down the steps to the surrey.<\/p>\n

The uniformed driver, a handsome black man, stepped down as Adam approached.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 You\u2019re from Mrs. De Bauer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 Miss Mari instructed that I bring you to the river stables.\u00a0 Are you ready, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite ready; and you are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJacob, sir.\u00a0 Miss Mari\u2019s driver.\u00a0 Will you get in?\u201d\u00a0 He held out a hand as if to assistance his passenger into the rear seat.<\/p>\n

Adam stepped into the front seat with one smooth stride.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Jacob.\u00a0 I hope you don\u2019t mind if I ride up front with you?\u00a0 You can point out the sights as we go.\u00a0 Fine team you have here; did you select them?\u201d<\/p>\n

A half hour at a brisk trot brought them through the gates of a lovely estate.\u00a0 Rich river bottom land planted and landscaped to delight the eye offered pleasant gallops over rolling hills and through open woodlands.\u00a0 The odor of abundant water and lush deep grass sent a small shock of envy through his chest.\u00a0 An expanse of land like this would be worth a fortune back home. The carriage drew up to a stable large enough for 30 horses, paved with deep red brick and painted a gleaming white. It was busy with stable hands and dotted with knots of young people in fashionable riding clothes.\u00a0\u00a0 A charming gazebo stood on a hill overlooking the river.\u00a0 It held tables loaded with covered picnic baskets tended by servants in white.\u00a0 As Adam stepped from the surrey, Marlette De Bauer hurried up followed by a butler carrying chilled wine.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 I am delighted you have joined us.\u00a0 Will you have a stirrup cup?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thanks, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wait until a bit later, if I may.\u00a0 You have a beautiful place here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mari gestured the servant away.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u00a0 I do enjoy it.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be riding out soon.\u00a0 Will you select a steed?\u201d\u00a0 She took his arm and steered him toward the stable.\u00a0 Her full riding skirts swished softly against his leg as they walked.\u00a0 Adam was greeted by some of the young men and women he had met at the ball, and Mari introduced him to a few of the others.\u00a0 They were cordial, but their looks were filled with an intense curiosity that he ignored.<\/p>\n

He was offered a choice among three big, thoroughbred geldings.\u00a0 They all had a hunter clip \u2013 coat cut short except for the outline of the small, English saddle on their backs \u2013 and closely roached manes.\u00a0 He examined each: ran a hand down their legs and across their withers, checked eyes and teeth and listened to their wind.\u00a0 He rejected one plump and glossy animal.\u00a0 \u201cThis fellow\u2019s being overfed,\u201d he told Mari.\u00a0 \u201cYou should tell your stable master to cut down on the corn and give him more exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled gently.\u00a0 \u201cAh, you have a good eye. But of course you would.\u00a0 So do you want the bay or the chestnut?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave them another glance.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take the bay.\u201d\u00a0 The bay had a bright but kindly eye and a chest that promised staying power.\u00a0 It was led away by a stable boy and returned tacked with a flat saddle and light snaffle bit.\u00a0 Another lad brought Mari a beautiful dappled grey mare wearing a handsome side-saddle.\u00a0 They led their mounts out side by side.<\/p>\n

With no dogs or huntsmen in sight, Adam assumed she wasn\u2019t planning a fox hunt.\u00a0 He was grateful.\u00a0 Although he had trapped fox, this group surely didn\u2019t need furs, and they weren\u2019t very good eating.\u00a0 He wondered how the ride would be organized.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long to find out.\u00a0 Mari handed him her reins and asked, \u201cIf you could assist me in mounting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly.\u201d\u00a0 Adam cupped his joined hands and held them midway between her stirrup and the ground.\u00a0 Mari put one slim foot in its delicate boot in his hands and sprang upward as he lifted.\u00a0 She settled lightly into her saddle and hooked her right leg around the offset horn.\u00a0 Adam checked that she had both feet well seated in the stirrups and then handed up her reins.\u00a0 As soon as the other guests saw Mari mounted they began to tighten their girths and assume their own seats.\u00a0 Adam lengthened his stirrups \u2013 he didn\u2019t like riding with his knees forced up too high; it made his once broken hip ache \u2013 and swung on board.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll canter out to the jumps,\u201d Mari told him.\u00a0 \u201cSome of my guests want to put in a little practice for Col. Winterfield\u2019s hunt next week.\u00a0 When they are satisfied, we\u2019ll all take a pleasant ride along the river for a ways.\u00a0 Do you jump?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly occasionally,\u201d Adam told her with only the hint of a dimpled smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, what sort of hurdles do you use?\u201d<\/p>\n

The small smile turned into a grin.\u00a0 \u201cFrom choice \u2013 none.\u00a0 But undergrowth, low brush, is the most common, a fallen tree or a gopher den.\u00a0 Every now and then you end up jumping a downed steer, and I once cleared a horse that reared up and fell over dead in front of me along with his rider.\u00a0 No time to stop, too close to go around.\u00a0 Glad old Shadow could jump like a jackrabbit.\u00a0 That would have been a nasty wreck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mari smiled back, \u201cI want to know more about your world, Adam Cartwright, but just now I\u2019d better get this ride started.\u201d She called out to her guests, and they gathered around Mari and Adam.\u00a0 At a signal from her they moved away from the stables, spread out across the smooth, green pasture land and urged their mounts into a trot and then on into a canter.\u00a0 He noticed that a few stayed behind entirely.\u00a0 One man with a heavy limp and another with his arm in a sling were admiring a fine sorrel stallion held by a stable boy.\u00a0 Two ladies, obviously expecting, settled at a table under a broad umbrella with a pitcher of lemonade, smoothed their full skirts in cool summer prints over the charming bulge of their bellies and flipped open fans.<\/p>\n

Adam enjoyed the smooth, powerful action of the big animal under him.\u00a0 He relaxed and let his back flex with each surge of the powerful hindquarters, absorbing the rolling shocks easily with his butt tight to the saddle.\u00a0 While he preferred the additional security of a good stock saddle, he had used an English saddle enough in Boston for it not to be entirely new to him.\u00a0 He rode largely on skill and balance anyway.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember a time when his father hadn\u2019t tossed him atop anything from a wagon mule to a green-broke colt and told him to hang on.\u00a0 He had spent many happy days and hours bareback on anything that could be ridden, feeling the play of muscles under him, his narrow boy\u2019s rump warmed by the animal\u2019s own heat.\u00a0 Later the Mexican vaqueros who came to work cattle on the Ponderosa had polished his style, taught him the tricks of riding and roping.\u00a0 He was confident of his horsemanship, but fully aware of its inherent dangers.<\/p>\n

A quarter hour\u2019s canter brought them to a fenced arena that contained jumps of all kinds: rail and solid fences, water and brush jumps.\u00a0 Mari drew up beside him and lightly rested a hand on his forearm.\u00a0 \u201cWill you join us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think not.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just give this beauty a breather.\u201d\u00a0 He patted the horse on the neck, \u201cAnd see if I can learn something by watching the others.\u201d\u00a0 He could see that the group was separating itself into jumpers and audience.\u00a0 Only a few of the women chose to try the course, and Adam was not the only man to refrain.\u00a0 Mari guided her mount through the gate and into the paddock.<\/p>\n

Adam dismounted and strolled to the white painted fence to join the other observers.\u00a0 The girl that had flirted with him from behind her fan at the dance soon leaned her back against the warm wood beside him and looked up.\u00a0 Flushed from riding she fanned herself with a wide-brimmed straw hat banded with a gay pink ribbon.\u00a0 \u201cGood day, to you, sir.\u00a0 Mr. Cartwright was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s correct, ma\u2019am although I don\u2019t believe we have been properly introduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, pooh.\u00a0 No need to be so formal.\u00a0 I\u2019m Dorothy Henshaw; call me Dotty.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was slim and coltish, very bold and appealing, although Adam doubted if she were a day over seventeen.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Dotty, I\u2019ll do that provided you call me Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear you are from way out West,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThat must be such an exciting life.\u00a0 Do you have to fight off wild Indians?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam got this question a lot.\u00a0 Easterners apparently pictured life in the West as one long running fight with savage tribes.\u00a0 \u201cWe prefer to get along with them whenever we can, although I have been in a few dust-ups.\u00a0 My stepmother was\u2026<\/p>\n

Adam was interrupted by the man who had swept Dotty away before they could speak at the dance.\u00a0 He pushed in rudely between them and put an arm possessively around the girl\u2019s waist.\u00a0 He was still slope shouldered and pudgy faced but possessed rough strength and a bully\u2019s attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re speaking to my fianc\u00e9, sir,\u201d he said abruptly.<\/p>\n

Adam slid a calculating eye down his bulky frame.\u00a0 \u201cMy apologies, sir.\u201d\u00a0 His voice was cool and contained.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t realize that engagement prohibited civil conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Lionel!\u201d Dotty hit the fellow a sharp blow in the chest with a clenched fist.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be such a ghastly bore.\u00a0 We are not engaged, and Mr. Cartwright was about to tell me all about the Indians.\u00a0 Adam, this is Lionel Bagley; we\u2019ve known each other forever, but I don\u2019t want to get engaged yet,\u201d she quickly added.\u00a0 \u201cLionel, Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam extended his hand only to have it pointedly ignored.\u00a0 He rested it lightly on the fence rail.\u00a0 Mari was rounding the far turn of the course and had just cleared a four foot fence neatly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you know all about wild Indians, do you?\u201d Bagley demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHardly, I have spent a few summers with the Paiute and Bannock and understand a good bit of their language and customs, but there are many tribes and many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ve lived with the filthy beggars, then.\u00a0 Squaw man, are you?\u00a0 Have a nice fat wife and a papoose or two at home, do you?\u201d\u00a0 It was intended to insult, and Adam felt himself flush.\u00a0 His fists knotted and his shoulders lifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cLionel!\u201d Dotty stormed.\u00a0 \u201cHow perfectly awful; apologize at once!\u201d\u00a0 He gave her a hard stare.\u00a0 It won Adam a moment to collect himself.\u00a0 It would be a serious embarrassment to his hosts, the Talons, if he got into a public brawl at a social gathering.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mr. Bagley,\u201d he said very low between clenched teeth.\u00a0 \u201cI was taught to respect good women no matter what their race or religion.\u00a0 And you won\u2019t find women anywhere that are braver, more faithful or harder working than among the Indian.\u00a0 I am not yet ready to marry, and I would no more dishonor a red woman than I would a white.\u00a0 Now, good day, Miss Dotty, sir.\u201d\u00a0 He courteously tipped the brim of his hat, turned, and walked away briskly, leading his mount.\u00a0 His blood seemed to fizz and bubble.\u00a0 Behind him he could hear Dotty raging furiously at Bagley.\u00a0 Presently she galloped by him, headed back toward the stables.<\/p>\n

He walked until he could feel his temper steadying and his bile receding, then stood a little apart, leaning against his horse and watched the end of the jumping.\u00a0 There were a number of very good riders in the ring and it was a pleasure to see their skill as they guided their mounts through the tight turns and over the various obstacles.\u00a0 Mari completed her round and left the ring as others were finishing up.\u00a0 She cantered over to where Adam was standing and came quickly from her saddle to meet Adam\u2019s hands as they closed around her tiny waist and lowered her gently to the ground.\u00a0 The mare was blowing slightly, and Mari was glowing with pleasure and exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI caught some of that from the corner of my eye,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI gather Bagely was being his usual offensive self and was trying to bully you?\u00a0 What did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing for a lady\u2019s ears.\u00a0 Never mind; I\u2019ve dealt with his sort before.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid Miss Dotty got so angry with him that she rode back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf her parents had good sense, they\u2019d send him packing entirely.\u00a0 No woman should be saddled with such a boor, but let\u2019s not allow him to spoil the day.\u00a0 When our horses have rested a bit, we\u2019ll finish the ride and get back in time for a late lunch.\u201d\u00a0 She began to lead the mare in a slow circle to cool her.\u00a0 Adam walked along.\u00a0 She was an interesting woman, lively and perceptive, quite open with her opinions, yet appealingly feminine.<\/p>\n

When the ride resumed, Mari kept Adam by her side.\u00a0 They rode leisurely along the border of the river on land that rolled from grassy meadows back to green and leafy woodlands kept open of underbrush.\u00a0 Wildflowers bloomed along their way, and birds sang lustily in the trees.\u00a0 Suddenly a circling hawk dived almost at the feet of the leaders of the group.\u00a0 With a rush of wings and a piercing shriek he struck a half grown rabbit crouched in the tall grass.\u00a0 The rabbit screamed as the raptor struggled aloft again.\u00a0 The lead horses spooked, startled and frightened.\u00a0 Some reared and others bolted.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam\u2019s bay pranced, but the firm hands and solid legs of his rider held him.\u00a0 Mari\u2019s mare jolted up and then down hard onto her forefeet before starting to run.\u00a0 Adam heard a startled squeak as his companion lost a stirrup \u2013 her seat suddenly loosened.\u00a0\u00a0 The grey mare was running hard, and Adam saw that Mari was not regaining control.\u00a0 He turned the bay and kicked him hard.<\/p>\n

The mare was swift, and she headed into the woods, swerving around great oaks and slim elms, dashing across open patches only to duck into the trees again.\u00a0 Adam was closing slowly.\u00a0 His larger mount couldn\u2019t turn as nimbly as the smaller mare.\u00a0 He was close enough to see the empty stirrup slapping hard against the gray hide.\u00a0 Mari was bent low over the neck tugging at the reins with little effect.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t scream.\u00a0 They broke into a larger clearing, the mare was slowing, and Adam closed the gap.\u00a0 He leaned from the saddle and scooped Mari from her seat with his right arm pulling her across his body as he reined the bay to a sliding stop.\u00a0 She threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself close against his chest.\u00a0 He could feel her trembling, and her breath came in gasps.\u00a0 Adam threw a leg over the saddle and slid down with Mari cradled in his arms.<\/p>\n

She was light and warm.\u00a0 Her pixie\u2019s face was flushed and lovely, and her eyes were enormous. Adam searched her lush form urgently, asking, \u201cAre you hurt?\u00a0 Can you stand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hurt.\u00a0 I was frightened \u2013 so foolish to let Moonbeam get away from me.\u00a0 I am very grateful.\u201d\u00a0 She pulled his head down to her and found his mouth, her lips slightly open and soft.<\/p>\n

His blood racing from the chase, he returned the kiss long and deep, despite his surprise.\u00a0 Her boldness and open interest was strange but exciting.\u00a0 Still holding her he sank to his knees, supported her back against a moss-covered rock, and unfastened the tight bodice of her riding costume.\u00a0 The tops of her freed breasts pushed up into the opening \u2013 creamy ivory framed in white lace.\u00a0 He bent his face to them.\u00a0 She lifted her hands and ran them through the thick mass of his hair for a moment and then gently pushed him away.\u00a0 He sat up at once, his eyes filled with questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Adam, beautiful Adam, we will get there when the time is right, but not now.\u00a0 They will look for us soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat back on his heels, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath.\u00a0 She was right, but he ached with long unfilled needs.\u00a0 He waited until he could speak without stammering. But even then the questions came out in an emotional rush as he asked, \u201cMrs. De Bauer, Mari.\u00a0 What are you playing at here?\u00a0 I\u2019m an obscure student from a remote territory with very little connection to your world.\u00a0 What do you want from me?\u00a0 I may be young, but I am a man, not a toy like some of your sycophants.\u00a0 If you light a fire, expect to feel the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took his hand, turned it over, traced the life and heart lines with a fingernail.\u00a0 \u201cForgive my boldness, dear Adam, but are you very experienced with women?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a long hesitation.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d was the flat answer.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019m not a complete innocent.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made a few trips to Sacramento and even San Francisco, but at home . . . there is little . . . ah, opportunity.\u00a0 We don\u2019t dally with the Indian maidens for their sake as well as our own.\u00a0 There\u2019s almost nobody else \u2013 a few widely scattered, hard working wives, a well-used trollop or two in a road house \u2013 that\u2019s about it.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Do you require references?\u201d<\/p>\n

She stirred and raised soft fingers to trace the line of his mouth, stroked his eyelids, ruffled the thick fringe of black lashes.\u00a0 \u201cGently, dear boy,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cYour delightful person is the only reference I require.\u00a0 But, you must not under value your potential.\u00a0 I strongly suspect that you have a momentous future before you.\u00a0 The West will play a determining role in our country\u2019s future for many years to come.\u00a0 We need its space, its riches and resources, the men it will breed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink about it, Adam; the young men you will meet at my soir\u00e9es will, in twenty or twenty-five years, be the captains of industry, the policy makers in government, the lawyers and scientists who shake the world.\u00a0 Friendships you form now will allow you to meet them on their own terms in that future day when you find you need one another.<\/p>\n

With a knowing smile she continued, \u201cMore than that, women will always be attracted to you.\u00a0 I believe you sense that even now.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned his head, caught in a small vanity, and her smile widened when she saw his reaction.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be ashamed.\u00a0 It is a great gift that you should treasure and never abuse.\u00a0 I should like to think that I might play a small role in teaching you to both give and receive the delights a man and a woman can share.\u00a0 I can help you to understand the things women value, how to make them friends, companions and supporters rather than leave them hurt and angry.\u00a0 We all learn from birth to death.\u00a0 Someone taught you to walk and talk, to read and figure; you have passed these lessons on to your younger brothers, so you told me.\u201d\u00a0 Her gaze shifted to a far away place for the briefest of seconds, and her eyes warmed as she thought about the past. \u201cI learned about love from a caring and infinitely patient husband.\u00a0 He is gone now, and it would be selfish of me not to share this precious instruction.\u00a0\u00a0 In your time you will pass it on to others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t seek to entrap you, Adam.\u00a0 You have a long journey ahead, and you are not yet ready for permanent ties.\u00a0 I too value my freedom.\u00a0 If you go with fond memories of this summer and sometimes write to let me know where and how you are, it will suffice.\u201d\u00a0 She let her fingers trace the circles of his ear, trail down his throat and coil a curl of chest hair around a fingertip.\u00a0 \u201cDo we have an understanding?\u201d\u00a0 She searched the hazel eyes that were at first full of confusion but then gleamed with respect and admiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a rare and beautiful woman Mari De Bauer. I\u2019d be a damn fool to turn down such an opportunity. We have an understanding. Now, about that first lesson. . .\u201d Adam bent and found her mouth again. Within moments they heard people crashing through the woods calling their names.<\/p>\n

When the train from New York to Boston prepared to leave the station that early August morning, Adam boarded it a far wiser man than when he had disembarked in June. His hair was stylishly cut, and his elegant new suit was a perfect fit. He had made fast friends with whom he would correspond for decades and who would prove influential in the growth of the Ponderosa empire. He knew from whispered gossip that he was not merry Mari\u2019s first man, nor likely to be her last. But for a few never to be forgotten weeks she had been all his, and his alone. He had come to know much about women and to understand that it was a subject he would study with a great deal of interest and pleasure for the rest of his life. His shoulders were a little squarer, his chest a little fuller and there was a confident gleam in his eye that he would never lose.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Gwynne Logan,<\/em>
\nPaauilo, Hawaii<\/em>
\nOctober, 2002<\/em>
\n<\/u><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 An unconventional older woman; an exceptional young man \u2013 everybody has to learn from someone, and Adam is fortunate to find the perfect teacher.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T (6,245 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9737,"featured_media":11999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1005,23,690,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-ma-rated","category-prequels","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-690-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1736,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Fortune_Boston.jpg?fit=436%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13632,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13632","url_meta":{"origin":12858,"position":0},"title":"Lessons in the Art of Negotiations #2 – The Ophelia Theatre Presents… Private Dancer (by Eros)","author":"EROS","date":"January 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0The Ophelia Theatre Presents the very first 'Chippendale' dancers, featuring Adam and Joe Cartwright; who star in their own private dances later that night.\u00a0 Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand 10th Anniversary R-Rated Challenge (aka the 'Dirty Word' Challenge) Rating:\u00a0 MA\u00a0 (2,900 words) THIS STORY IS SEXUALLY EXPLICIT, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Adam-Joe.jpg?fit=223%2C222&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7614,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7614","url_meta":{"origin":12858,"position":1},"title":"Night Music (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Adam is surprised with a little night music. 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