{"id":14010,"date":"2007-03-20T14:41:11","date_gmt":"2007-03-20T18:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14010"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:11:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:11:34","slug":"the-runaway-bride-by-susan-g","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14010","title":{"rendered":"The Runaway Bride (by Susan G)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong>\u00a0 Joe claims he saw someone riding across a ridge on a moonlit night, but his family doesn\u2019t believe his story.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0\u00a0 (1,760 words)<\/p>\n

The Runaway Bride<\/strong><\/p>\n

The clock struck\u00a09 p.m. as the front door to the Ponderosa ranch house opened. Ben Cartwright tried to mask the relief he felt as he looked up from the book he was reading while seated in his favorite red chair near the fireplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry I\u2019m so late, Pa,\u201d called Joe Cartwright as he began to unbuckle his gunbelt. \u201cAfter I delivered the horses to the Hendersons, they insisted I stay for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright suddenly looked up from the checkers board he had been studying carefully. \u201cDid Mrs. Henderson give you some of her apple pie?\u201d he asked a bit wistfully from his seat in the far corner of the settee.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd some of the good cornbread she always makes?\u201d added Adam Cartwright, who sat across the checkers board in the blue chair near the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth,\u201d reported Joe with a smile. \u201cWhy do you think I accepted the invitation for supper?\u201d He placed his hat and jacket on the pegs near the front door and walked over to join the rest of his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t worried,\u201d Ben told his youngest son, lying only a little bit. \u201cThere\u2019s a full moon tonight so I knew you could see the trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of full moons,\u201d said Joe as he eased himself down on the settee in the corner opposite from Hoss, \u201cyou\u2019ll never guess who I saw tonight. The Runaway Bride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat!\u201d exclaimed Hoss. \u201cYou mean you saw her for sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure did,\u201d Joe answered soberly but his lips twitched as he tried not to smile. \u201cShe was riding across the top of Hawkins Ridge. I saw her plain as day, silhouetted against the full moon, long dress draped across the back of her horse and veil flying out behind her as she galloped across the ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t really believe that story, do you?\u201d Adam asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Molly Anderson did disappear on her wedding day to avoid having to marry old Joe Ferguson like her family wanted. No one has seen her since, except when she rides on the night of a full moon,\u201d replied Joe. \u201cThey said she died trying to get away and now when the moon is full, she tries to make her escape again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been seeing things in the moon for centuries,\u201d Adam observed. \u201cThe dark spots on the moon have given rise to stories about ancient messages, omens and mythical animals. Where do you think we get the phrase \u2018the man in the moon\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, dark spots don\u2019t move,\u201d countered Joe. \u201cWhat I saw rode across the ridge and then disappeared. It sure looked like some kind of ghost to me. Who else could it be other than the Runaway Bride?\u201d Joe turned his head a bit to take a peek at Hoss. \u00a0His brother was staring at him with an almost stunned look on his face. Joe struggled to keep a straight face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of hogwash,\u201d insisted Ben. \u201cMolly Anderson is probably settled in some town with a husband and family. The only people who see her riding at night are drunken cow hands.\u201d Ben put his hand up to stop the protest forming on Joe\u2019s slip. \u201cOr someone so tired from a long day in the saddle that his imagination has gotten the better of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re probably right,\u201d admitted Joe, finally breaking into a grin. \u201cBut I did see someone riding across Hawkins Ridge and it sure looked like a woman. Wonder who she was?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The next morning, Hoss and Joe drove the buckboard into Virginia City, intending to pick up supplies and the mail. They were surprised to find the town in an uproar, with knots of people standing on the street talking in urgent tones and men shouting to each other to get their horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the heck?\u201d said Hoss in a puzzled voice. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but I intend to find out,\u201d replied Joe. He jumped from the seat of the buckboard and hurried over to where three men were standing together, talking animatedly. \u201cHey, Charlie, what\u2019s going on?\u201d Joe called to one of the men.<\/p>\n

Charlie turned and shouted back, \u201cJoe! Glad you\u2019re here. You can join the search party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSearch party? Who\u2019s missing?\u201d Joe inquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cCindy Fuller,\u201d answered Charlie. \u201cShe was supposed to meet Andy at the church last night to go over their wedding plans but she never showed up. No one has seen her since yesterday afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother runaway bride?\u201d Joe stated in astonishment. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on in this town that none of the women want to get married?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ain\u2019t nothing like that,\u201d insisted Charlie. \u201cCindy and Andy, they wanted to get married. We figure something must have happened to Cindy. That\u2019s why we\u2019re organizing search parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

By now, Hoss had pulled the buckboard to a stop in front of the general store and then hurried over to join his brother. When Hoss repeated Joe\u2019s question about what was going on and heard Charlie\u2019s explanation, his eyes opened in surprise. \u201cCindy? That cute little gal that works in the dress stop? I thought she was seeing Jimmy Williams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was,\u201d answered Charlie, \u201cbut they broke up a couple of months ago. Andy stepped in and swooped her off her feet, I guess. They\u2019re planning to get married at the end of the month.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe listened to the exchange between Hoss and Charlie, his brow furrowed. He was sure he had seen a woman riding across Hawkins Ridge last night. Could that have been Cindy? He suddenly turned to his brother. \u201cListen, Hoss. You pick up the supplies and the mail. I\u2019m going to get a horse down at the livery stable and go looking for Cindy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Hoss agreed. \u201cBut where are you going to look?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to check something out,\u201d Joe replied vaguely. \u201cIt may be nothing. I\u2019ll see you at home later.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

As Joe rode slowly across the top of Hawkins Ridge, he kept his eyes cast down, looking for tracks among the soft grass and mud. He finally spotted some hoof prints and began to follow them. It wasn\u2019t long before the trail led him to a dilapidated shack nestled among the trees on the far side of the ridge. When he got closer to the shack, he could see a bay horse tied to nearby tree.<\/p>\n

Joe dismounted and tied his horse next to the bay. Then he walked slowly to the shack and rapped on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away!\u201d shouted a voice from inside. It was definitely a woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cCindy, it\u2019s Joe Cartwright. I\u2019m coming in,\u201d Joe called. He pushed the door open.<\/p>\n

Inside the shack, Cindy was sitting on a bed which looked like it could barely hold her weight. Her rumbled blue dress and the blankets piled in the corner showed she had slept on the decrepit bed last night. It crossed Joe\u2019s mind briefly that her long brown hair hanging loosely from her head resembled a veil around her face.<\/p>\n

Cindy\u2019s face was in her hands, and when she lifted her head to look at Joe, her red-rimmed eyes clearly showed she had been crying.\u201cGo away, Joe,\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot until you tell me what\u2019s going on,\u201d Joe answered. \u201cEveryone in Virginia City is looking for you. They think you\u2019re lost or been kidnapped or worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry about that,\u201d Cindy stated regretfully. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to cause any trouble. I just had to get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d asked Joe curiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I don\u2019t know what to do!\u201d howled Cindy. She took a deep breath to compose herself and then continued. \u201cI was all set to marry Andy, but when I started walking over to the church, I suddenly got this feeling that everything was wrong, all wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you love Andy?\u201d Joe asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. No. I don\u2019t know,\u201d Cindy answered with a sniff. \u201cAndy is smart, and he\u2019s kind, and he says he loves me. But…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what?\u201d prompted Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s not Jimmy!\u201d wailed Cindy. She burst into tears once more.<\/p>\n

Joe waited a minute, letting Cindy shed her tears, before saying in a soft voice, \u201cCindy, you can\u2019t marry a man while you\u2019re still carrying a flame for someone else. That\u2019s not fair to him or to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Cindy acknowledged in a low voice. \u201cI like Andy, I like him a lot. I don\u2019t want to hurt him. But I don\u2019t think I can marry him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you have to tell him that,\u201d Joe insisted. \u201cHe\u2019ll be hurt for awhile but he\u2019ll get over it. That\u2019s better for him — and for you — than going through with a marriage to someone you don\u2019t really love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I know,\u201d Cindy said meekly. She took a deep breath and seemed to come to some decision. \u201cI need to tell Andy I can\u2019t marry him.\u201d She bit her lip a bit and then looked up at the youngest Cartwright. \u201cJoe, will you ride back to Virginia City with me? I could use a little support. My conversation with Andy, well, it\u2019s not going to be a pleasant one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe agreed. He held out his hand to help Cindy get to her feet.<\/p>\n

As the two left the cabin and started toward their horses, Cindy suddenly stopped. \u201cHow did you find me, Joe?\u201d she asked curiously. \u201cI didn\u2019t think anyone knew where I had gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw you riding across Hawkins Ridge last night,\u201d Joe explained. \u201cYou were outlined by the full moon as you crossed the ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night?\u201d echoed Cindy in a puzzled voice. \u201cI wasn\u2019t on the ridge last night. I left town yesterday afternoon. It was still daylight when I crossed the ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment, Joe just stared at Cindy and said nothing. Then he shrugged his shoulders. \u201cMaybe it was just my imagination. I thought I saw you and came out here looking for you. I guess it was just luck that I stumbled across your tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cindy nodded, apparently satisfied with Joe\u2019s explanation. But as she started toward the horses, Joe stayed in place. He turned to look to the top of the ridge, seeking some clue which would explain what he had seen last night. But the ridge was almost bare, with only a few shrubs poking intermittently out of the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess runaway brides have to stick together,\u201d Joe muttered, shaking his head as he walked forward to join Cindy.<\/p>\n

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

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 Joe claims he saw someone riding across a ridge on a moonlit night, but his family doesn\u2019t believe his story.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0\u00a0 (1,760 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10338,"featured_media":8499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[23,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-halloween","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-29-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":999,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Pine-Trees-Mist-01a.jpg?fit=575%2C970&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6628,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6628","url_meta":{"origin":14010,"position":0},"title":"Forever – The Love of My Life – #3 (by Rider)","author":"Rider","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Joe and Alice think about their relationship on the eve of their wedding. 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