{"id":14352,"date":"2017-05-17T19:17:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T23:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14352"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:11","slug":"love-has-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14352","title":{"rendered":"Love Has Eyes (by DJK)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/strong>Adam didn’t lie to his father, but Marie wasn’t so sure that her stepson wouldn’t lie to her.<\/p>\n

word count: 1407<\/p>\n

rating\u00a0 PG for references to mature subjects and corporal punishment<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Love Has Eyes<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI swear it wasn\u2019t me!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t do it!\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t do that!\u201d\u00a0 The boy straightened his back and stared into his stepmother\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t expect he\u2019d own up to it!\u201d\u00a0 Anger made the man\u2019s declaration reverberate through the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Clemmons, if Adam says that he did not . . .\u201d Marie Cartwright began in a tightly controlled voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, he says he didn\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0 It was said with the vehemence of a curse.\u00a0 \u201cI saw him with my own eyes!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps you were mistaken.\u201d\u00a0 Marie spoke to Edgar Clemmons, but her eyes remained on Adam\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s the way of it.\u00a0 I see him riding off leaving that filth painted on my barn, but as long as he says it wasn\u2019t him. . . well, I know what I saw, and so will Ben when he returns.”\u00a0 \u00a0Edgar paused to focus his glare on Adam Cartwright, \u201cKnow this, boy, if I ever see you on my land again, you\u2019ll feel my leather on your back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Clemmons!\u201d \u00a0Marie\u2019s voice was sharp.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll not. . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had my say; I\u2019ll not be troubling you any longer.\u201d\u00a0 Edgar Clemmons jammed his hat onto his head and stalked from the house slamming the front door behind him.<\/p>\n

Marie and Adam both watched his accuser leave.\u00a0 As silence replaced the booming echo of the door, Adam moved toward the stairs.\u00a0 Marie reached out and caught his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, were you at the Clemmons place this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stiffening, Adam turned darkly burning eyes toward Marie.\u00a0 \u201cI told you I didn\u2019t do it. I swore it, but you don\u2019t believe me, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak Adam pulled away shouting, \u201cGo ahead!\u00a0 Believe him! I don\u2019t give a…\u201d\u00a0 His final expletive was lost in the sound of his boots on the stairs.\u00a0 The slamming of a door told Marie that Adam had once again retreated to his room.\u00a0 She sighed and walked slowly to sit in her rocker and stare into the fireplace.<\/p>\n

She saw her son\u2019s face in the flames, and the look it had had when he found out the Clemmons girl was not the angel her pansy eyes and golden curls had made her seem.\u00a0 There had been a great deal of pain in that face, yet there had been anger too.\u00a0 Celia Clemmons had hurt his heart, but she had dealt an even greater blow to Adam\u2019s pride.\u00a0 \u201cShe played me for a fool!\u201d\u00a0 Adam had spat the words at the ground before running into the house and burying himself in his room.\u00a0 That has been three nights ago, and this morning Adam had left the house before the sun rose.<\/p>\n

Mr. Clemmons was so sure.\u00a0 But Adam doesn\u2019t lie.\u00a0 He was gone before dawn, and Sport was lathered when he returned.\u00a0 He was angry at the girl but to write such a thing.\u00a0 If Ben. . .\u00a0<\/em> Marie bit her lower lip at the thought of Adam\u2019s fate should Ben believe that his son had ridden to the Clemmons ranch and painted a vulgarity about Celia Clemmons on the barn wall.\u00a0 Adam knows what his father would do.\u00a0 Most boys would lie to avoid that.\u00a0 But he doesn\u2019t lie, not to Ben.\u00a0 Would he lie to me? <\/em>The thoughts tumbled through Marie\u2019s mind as she rocked back and forth wavering over what to do. \u00a0 I could just leave it for Benjamin to.<\/em> . .\u00a0 She shook the thought from her mind; she would not go back to being less than the mother she had become to the boy.\u00a0 She pushed to her feet and mounted the stairs.\u00a0 She paused after knocking on the bedroom door but did not wait for an invitation to enter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u201d\u00a0 He was standing at the window staring out and did not turn at the sound of her voice.\u00a0 \u201cWe must talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa would believe me.\u201d\u00a0 Adam spoke to the window, but his voice was sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not lie to your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t lie to you either,\u201d his voice had grown younger, and the final words were a whisper, \u201cnot for a long time now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She crossed the room to place a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes you carefully avoid parts of the truth.\u201d She felt the shudder that went through his body.\u00a0 \u201cTell me, mon fils<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI, I went to have it out with Celia.\u00a0 I was going to talk to her in the barn when she did the milking.\u00a0 It was on the side of the barn when I got there.\u00a0 I heard someone coming out of the house, so I rode off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was you then who Mr. Clemmons saw?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, m\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 He turned toward her suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you believe I didn\u2019t do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked directly into his eyes and responded without hesitation, \u201cYes.\u00a0 Yes, Adam, I believe you did not do this thing.\u201d\u00a0 She placed a hand on each of his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cBut you must tell me what you know of who did.\u201d His eyes widened.\u00a0 \u201cTell me, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 The words had become an order.\u00a0 He pulled away from her touch and dropped his eyes to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see anyone doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Sam Culver riding off as I rode up.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up through his lashes.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t tell anyone. Please.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know; Captain Culver will. . . Please don\u2019t tell!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot promise that.\u201d\u00a0 She saw him stiffen again.\u00a0\u00a0 She stepped back and studied the fourteen-year-old.\u00a0 He appeared very much the little boy at that moment.\u00a0 \u201cYou have had no breakfast.\u00a0 Go down to the kitchen, and Hop Sing will give you some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve chores to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEat first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam took three steps toward the door and then stopped.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to tell Pa everything, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is my husband and your papa; to not tell him would be a deceit, and there is Mr. Clemmons who will speak of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know about Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I do not tell Benjamin, he will ask you.\u201d\u00a0 Marie saw the dejection in each line of his body.\u00a0 Stepping forward she wrapped her arms around her son.\u00a0 \u201cWe shall tell him together.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned into her embrace and buried his face in her shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI broke the rules when I went without permission,\u201d he muttered softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was wrong, and you must answer for it as Sam must answer for his wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true; his father had taught him that lesson.\u00a0 Adam accepted what must happen.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cYes, m\u2019am, but, well, Ma, Celia deserved it.\u00a0 She lied to the both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat, Adam, was not what the girl deserved, nor is Sam Culver the one who should administer punishments.\u00a0 Such an act, Adam Stoddard Cartwright, was a low and cowardly revenge.\u201d\u00a0 She placed her hand underneath his chin.\u00a0 \u201cYou understand that, do you not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but Captain Culver has an awful hard way with a strap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie bit her lip but answered, \u201cThis his son knew before he acted.\u00a0 We shall pray that only that which is deserved is administered.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no changing her mind.\u00a0 She\u2019s that stubborn<\/em>.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s hand darted upward and tugged his ear. \u201cWe better pray hard,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shall, and your father shall speak with the captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to me,\u201d Adam muttered to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is<\/em> the matter of your disobedience.\u201d\u00a0 A stern look settled on Marie\u2019s face.\u00a0 She saw the concern flicker in the boy\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 It was the same as that which lit young Hoss\u2019s eyes when he faced his father\u2019s correction.\u00a0 She moved quickly, and surprise eliminated any resistance.\u00a0 Catching Adam\u2019s arm, she turned his back to her hand and delivered four swats to her son\u2019s bottom and then released him.\u00a0 Adam turned to face her wide-eyed and rubbing the seat of his pants.\u00a0 \u201cWe shall tell Benjamin that your disobedience has been handled and is of no further concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, m\u2019am,\u201d Adam agreed after a moment and smiled shyly.\u00a0 Then he started once more toward the door but stopped again.\u00a0 He found her eyes before he asked, \u201cWhy did you believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She reached out and caressed his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYou are my son.\u00a0 Love has eyes to see the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a quick hug, Adam kissed Marie\u2019s cheek before he darted from the room.\u00a0 She touched the spot and tucked a rare and precious jewel away in her heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Family,\u00a0Marie Cartwright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Adam didn’t lie to his father, but Marie wasn’t so sure that her stepson wouldn’t lie to her.<\/p>\n

word count: 1407 Rating\u00a0 PG for references to mature subjects and corporal punishment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":5719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1005,23,1008,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-family","category-prequels","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}