{"id":2400,"date":"2009-11-29T10:51:17","date_gmt":"2009-11-29T15:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2026-07-29T12:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:07:10","slug":"a-note-for-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2400","title":{"rendered":"A Note for Santa (by Dodo)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/span>A Christmas WHI for First Born<\/p>\n

Word Count: 1709\u00a0\u00a0Rated:<\/span> K+<\/p>\n

A Note for Santa Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Note for Santa<\/a>
\nRegrets and Resolutions<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A Note For Santa<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sky was darkening into dusk when I looked over the rise towards the ranch. Smoke was curling from the chimney, light streaming through the windows and the Ponderosa Pines were still standing to attention in line behind the house. Everything was the same; it was as if time itself had stood still. Nothing had altered, nor changed; all was as I had imagined it would be, night after night since the day I\u2019d left without a backward glance, six months before.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a chilling wind and I shivered, wiping my gloved hand across my eyes; my vision blurred by a combination of tears and flakes of falling snow that had transformed the Ponderosa into a wondrous world of white. What could have made me leave such a heaven on earth? As I shook my head I gave a wry chuckle. Not so much what but whom. I could feel my eyes mist again as I remembered him; my brother Clay.<\/p>\n

The night he\u2019d left the ranch was still a fuzzy confusion in my mind. After all I\u2019d been badly beaten that day by a gang of aggrieved miners in town; keen to exact their revenge on my brother by taking it out on me. I\u2019d been in agony from the broken ribs and the bruises that covered my body. But the pain was nothing to the pain that had been in my heart when Pa told me Clay had gone for good; without saying goodbye.<\/p>\n

So with true Cartwright stubbornness I\u2019d dressed as quickly as was able then sneaked out without anyone hearing me. And I don\u2019t know to this day how I\u2019d managed to find my way to Clay\u2019s camp site that night. Of course at first he\u2019d insisted I return home; no one\u2019s life was safe around him and he certainly wasn\u2019t willing to risk mine.<\/p>\n

But for every reason he gave me to leave him, I matched his argument. \u201cJust give me a damn chance to get to know you a little more,\u201d I\u2019d insisted, yelling angrily. \u201cWe don\u2019t really know anything about each other and I for one don\u2019t intend to lose you now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clay\u2019s voice was low and etched deep with concern as he\u2019d tried his best to persuade me to change my mind. \u201cBut look at yourself Joe. You\u2019ve been injured\u2026practically killed! Just go back to the Ponderosa. You\u2019re better off without me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still I\u2019d shaken my head resolutely. \u201cMa would have wanted us to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment Clay had been lost for words. \u201cLook, tell you what I\u2019ll do Joe. I\u2019ll send word where I am in a few weeks time and if you\u2019re still keen to join me once you\u2019ve recovered I\u2019ll wait for you. How about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now one thing I can say for sure. I may be selfish at times, but I\u2019m certainly not all that stupid. I realised if I\u2019d headed off back home that night he would have hid his tracks real good and I would never have heard from him again. So as the sweat of fever poured off my forehead I refused to be swayed; my resolve unwavering. \u201cNo! I\u2019m not going back. I\u2019m staying with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only one thing mattered to me that night; such was my blinkered vision. I didn\u2019t want to lose Clay. And regardless of the consequences of my actions to Pa, Adam and Hoss, I stood my ground, my eyes never leaving his face as we stared at each other in the flickering light of the camp fire. Marie\u2019s sons exactly matched in temperament and bullheadedness, till finally with a deep sigh Clay unwillingly acquiesced, handing me a cup of coffee and shaking his head. \u201cI just hope you know what you\u2019re letting yourself in for little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

We got on well; me and Clay. Travelling from state to state; town to town; money made playing the cards tables of noisy saloons\u2026money spent on the whiskey\u2026the women who hung around the winners. It was everything I\u2019d expected. Fun and adventure with my Ma\u2019s firstborn.<\/p>\n

But after the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months I realised I\u2019d made a big mistake. Much as I\u2019d craved the excitement\u2026the lifestyle of a gambler\u2026I finally acknowledged this life wasn\u2019t for me. My heart and mind was constantly hundreds of miles away on the green meadows and pine filled forests of the Ponderosa with my Pa, Adam and Hoss.<\/p>\n

And though I tried to hide how I felt from Clay, he knew\u2026reckon he\u2019d known from the start. So there were no hard feelings towards him when I found his note in my hotel room one morning. More a sigh of relief. He\u2019d gone east on the stage, the note said, intended to take on the card sharps of New York on his own. But he wished me well\u2026said he loved me\u2026would never forget me. Just wanted me to return to where I truly belonged. And though I wept at his words, I accepted his decision as I cast his letter down and packed up my saddle bag. This time I had no intention of following him. This time I was going home.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Exhaustion from the days of travelling suddenly overwhelmed me as I swallowed hard and my nervous heart raced. I\u2019d been sat on the crest of the hill for over an hour; unable to make a move as I stared down at the familiar buildings; darkness now covering the land but the sky cleared and all around the icy landscape bathed with the soft glow of a full moon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d always acted impulsively, never stopping to think of the consequences of my actions, not considering anyone but myself. All these months away and not once had I thought of telling Pa or my brothers how I was\u2026where I was\u2026what I was doing. And now I was scared\u2026a coward! For the first time in my life I felt fear of my family in every bone and sinew. Dare I return to the place of my birth, my childhood and my adolescent years? Dare I face those I\u2019d held most dear for all of my life yet had deserted without warning, without a second thought?<\/p>\n

I sighed deeply. \u2018No turning back now Joe,\u2019 I murmured. \u2018You\u2019ve come this far.\u2019<\/p>\n

I urged my horse on and closer and although the yard was well lit and the house a flood of light, it was strangely quiet and deserted as I dismounted and then made my way towards the front door.<\/p>\n

Tentatively and cautiously I entered, fully expecting to hear the booming laughter of Hoss, the faint strumming of a guitar from Adam, the strong yet gentle tone of my father\u2019s voice. But no faces looked over towards their unannounced visitor. The whole house was empty and silent.<\/p>\n

For a moment I paused, puzzled as I tried to make sense of the view in front of me. A Christmas tree stood by the side of the stairs, decorated with the familiar ornaments that had adorned it since my earliest recollections. The table was set for four, and a mouth-watering smell of beef permeated from the kitchen. It was then the realisation dawned, for of all the days to return I\u2019d chosen to arrive on Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n

No wonder the place was deserted. At this moment in time my Pa and brothers would be happily completing their visits to the ranch hands and their families who lived in various cabins dotted around the Ponderosa; giving out well-deserved hampers of food and drink and Christmas bonuses.<\/p>\n

It was an evening I remembered well with fondness; there would be laughter, songs, much festive spirit. Would my father and brother\u2019s goodwill still flow when they returned and saw I\u2019d arrived back? After my behaviour I didn\u2019t deserve this family and I certainly didn\u2019t want to be the dark cloud that settled over their happy holiday. Maybe I should leave now before I was discovered?
\n.
\nMy mind was made up in an instant, and I half turned ready to leave for ever. However my eyes were suddenly held towards the fireplace where the fire roared and crackled and I could see three familiar brightly coloured knitted stockings that had been reverently hung on the mantelpiece every Christmas Eve since the death of my mother. She\u2019d made them months before she died, and each had an embroidered initial of the owner emblazoned on the front. And as I found myself pulled by an invisible thread towards them I noticed a small piece of paper sticking out of the stockings belonging to Adam and Hoss.<\/p>\n

Images of Christmas\u2019 past when I was very young and it was still magical flashed through my mind. A week before Christmas Pa would help me write a short note asking for any presents I would like and then let me leave it in the stocking for Father Christmas to read. That way, he told me with a serious expression, Father Christmas will know what to send you down the chimney. I had accepted his explanation without a second thought. After all, Pa never lied to me! And each year to my utter amazement and surprise my requests were granted.<\/p>\n

But as I grew older the time came when I realised it was my Pa who would tiptoe around early on Christmas morning and place my presents under the Christmas tree. So after that there were no more notes and the custom was forgotten. However it was a tradition Adam and Hoss never followed, being that much older than me, so my curiosity was now aroused and I bent forward and read Adam\u2019s note then the one Hoss had written. There was no mistake\u2026 it was their handwriting\u2026as clear as day.<\/p>\n

I sank to my knees in front of the hearth, gripping the notes tight in my hands, failing to hear the front door open and three gasps of delighted surprise as tears flooded over my cheeks and my shoulders shook with emotion while I read the simple requests over and over again.<\/p>\n

Dear Santa,<\/em>
\nAll we want for Christmas is our brother Joe. Please bring him home.<\/em><\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

Next Story in A Note for Santa Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regrets and Resolutions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 A Christmas WHI for First Born<\/p>\n

Word Count: 1709\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K+<\/p>\n

A Note for Santa Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13924,"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_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":[23,1007,27],"tags":[1098],"class_list":["post-2400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-whi","tag-christmas","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-27-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\/2016\/12\/St.-Nicholas.jpeg?fit=182%2C300&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400","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\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}