Part of the fourth story in the\u00a0 Destiny series<\/p>\n
Summary: <\/span>Adam and Mary Lynn travel to Boston to visit Nolan at college.\u00a0 Adam has a surprise planned that will affect every member of the Cartwright family.<\/p>\n Rated:<\/span> K+ (23,040 words)<\/p>\n Destiny Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n Blizzard of Destiny<\/a> <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Homecoming – Part 1<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Travel weary and dusty, Adam and Mary Lynn Cartwright stepped off the train in Boston in late November, 1880.\u00a0 Adam wanted Mary Lynn to take a seat in the train station while he saw to their baggage, but she made it known that she\u2019d been sitting plenty long enough, thank you, and she would rather stand up for a while.\u00a0 Smiling to himself, he let her do exactly that while he went off in search of their bags.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They were in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with their oldest son, Nolan, who was completing his first term at Harvard.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t seen him since sending him off to school in August, and they had missed him more than they had ever imagined.\u00a0 In fact, the entire Cartwright family was unanimous in that feeling.\u00a0 There was a calm, steadying, supportive nature about Nolan that they had all leaned on at one time or another.\u00a0 In many ways he was similar to his revered grandfather, Ben, who always seemed to know what to do or say, no matter what the situation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Young Caroline, his sister, had perhaps fared best during Nolan\u2019s absence.\u00a0 That was because in her angst at having to say good bye to him in August, the two of them had made a deal to think about each other every night just before eating dinner.\u00a0 Carrie did this religiously, sometimes before sitting down to eat, and sometimes right at the table, when she would be the last person to pick up a spoon or fork. For the eight-year-old, it was like the silver thread that kept their souls in contact with each other.\u00a0 She had also kept up a steady stream of letters to her brother and, as promised, in every letter he sent home to the family, there was a private one for Carrie.\u00a0 She always went immediately to a private place with these letters, and never spoke about them to anyone, but she was always happy and serene after receiving one.\u00a0 She kept them safely in a secret place, and there wasn\u2019t a soul in the house beside herself who knew the location of this hiding place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam took a deep breath as he waited for a porter to bring the bags.\u00a0 There was something invigorating about being back in this bustling city where he had attended college.\u00a0 It was both nostalgic and stimulating.\u00a0 He was looking forward to seeing the campus again, and also to comparing notes about scholastics with his son.\u00a0 And then, of course, there was the surprise.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t wait to reveal the surprise, but that would come later, and would affect everyone in the family, just as he had planned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn couldn\u2019t stop smiling.\u00a0 It was so hard to believe that she was at last in the same city as her son!\u00a0 She kept looking around as though he would walk up to her any moment, when she knew perfectly well that they would be meeting him once they were settled in their hotel.\u00a0 Every greeting she witnessed between travelers and their friends or families seemed to squeeze her heart.\u00a0 She would never have guessed that three-and-a-half months would crawl by so slowly.\u00a0 She remembered days when she looked over at his empty chair at dinner, opening her mouth to say something to him, only to close it mutely when he wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 And she had lost count of the number of times she had seen his identical twin brother, Logan, come down the stairs thinking it was Nolan instead.\u00a0 That had never happened when they were both at home; they were so different in every way except looks.\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just her, though.\u00a0 Everyone on the Ponderosa seemed to be stumbling over the fact that he was gone.\u00a0 Education is good<\/em>, she kept telling herself, education is good<\/em>.\u00a0 But she could hardly keep her feet still.\u00a0 In just a few hours she was going to be able to put her hands on her son and squeeze him.\u00a0 He would no doubt be embarrassed.\u00a0 So be it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam re-appeared at her side.\u00a0 The porter outside had hailed a hansom cab to take them to the Parker House.\u00a0 As they left the train station, a chill breeze hit them.\u00a0 Mary Lynn pulled her wool cloak more tightly around her and adjusted her hat.\u00a0 Adam handed her into the carriage and tipped the porter.\u00a0 After speaking with the driver, he sat back and put his arm around his wife, pulling her close to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, what do you think so far?\u201d\u00a0 He watched her with a twinkle in his eye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She clutched his jacket.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Adam, just think.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be seeing him so soon now!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He chuckled and bent his head to kiss her warmly.\u00a0 He still made her stomach thrill when he kissed her, and she was glad the cab was covered.\u00a0 She moved as close to him as she could get and together they marveled at the city that was Boston, with its multi-storied brick buildings, green lawns, and people moving about everywhere.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Virginia City, that much was certain.\u00a0 Adam said that he could smell the ocean salt in the breeze.\u00a0 Mary Lynn could smell a variety of smells, but none of them the ocean.\u00a0 Then again, Adam had spent a number of years here, so she believed him, but she spent the rest of the ride sniffing the air, to her husband\u2019s amusement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the cab pulled up to an impressive, giant brick building and stopped under an elegant portico, a uniformed doorman stepped forward to help them down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood afternoon, Sir, Madam.\u00a0 Welcome to the Parker House.\u201d\u00a0 This greeting was offered with a slight bow and a doff of the man\u2019s high topped hat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Within just a few moments they had been whisked into the lobby of the hotel, efficiently checked in and escorted to their suite on the seventh floor in a brushed brass open grill elevator.\u00a0 Riding in an elevator was a hobby of sorts for Adam, because although San Francisco and Sacramento buildings had them, Virginia City had just one, at the International House, and he was very interested in how they operated.\u00a0 Mary Lynn left Adam asking a dozen questions of the white gloved elevator operator while she followed the bell hop to their rooms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Cartwright suite turned out to be very plush.\u00a0 There were thick Aubusson carpets in a floral pattern, and a huge bed with large fluffy pillows and a thick crimson comforter.\u00a0 Large floor-to-ceiling windows let daylight into a well appointed sitting room, and most amazing of all was a full private bathroom with a water closet, sink, and built-in bathtub with running water that was heated by a small gas furnace adjacent to the tub.\u00a0 The bell hop busied himself unloading bags from a luggage cart while Mary Lynn eyed the tub with delicious thoughts about washing off all the travel grime in the hottest water she could stand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam appeared just in time for the bell hop to collect his tip.\u00a0 As Mary Lynn removed her hat and cape, he moved to one of the windows to observe the city.\u00a0 It had expanded greatly since he had lived in Boston.\u00a0 For as far as he could see in any direction there were homes and buildings.\u00a0 He knew they were a little more than two miles from Harvard, but even so he thought he could see Harvard Square from where he stood. Although many of the trees had already lost their leaves, there were still some that blazed orange and yellow. \u00a0He pulled Mary Lynn over to look at the view with him.\u00a0 She stood in his arms and he rested his chin on her head.\u00a0 He pointed out where Harvard was and she sighed, knowing that Nolan was almost within reach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She turned in his arms and they kissed again.\u00a0 She pulled him over to gawk at the bathroom.\u00a0 He had been studying the best way to bring running water to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He turned the knob that brought water flowing into the tub through a faucet, and then started the heater that would take a while to warm the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart, why don\u2019t you soak in a warm tub?\u00a0 It\u2019ll feel good after the long trip,\u201d he looked at her with one brow arched wickedly and a growing smile on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her eyes widened suddenly and she began to back up.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, no.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have time for this.\u00a0 Nolan will be here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAt six-thirty,\u201d he finished for her.\u00a0 \u201cThat gives us almost three hours to take a bath and be ready by the time he gets here.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we can manage.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI have to unpack,\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do it for you,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSave some water for me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan Cartwright was hurrying across campus, head down against the November wind and a stack of books under one arm.\u00a0 He had one more lecture to attend before he headed into the city to meet his parents for dinner.\u00a0 Brittle leaves covered the ground everywhere from the oyster shell paths to the expansive lawns.\u00a0 It was the last day of classes before the Thanksgiving recess, and already the students were beginning to thin out, heading off early for homes on the East Coast.\u00a0 With half a dozen things on his mind, Nolan was charging headlong toward his last class when he came up against an immoveable force.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey Cartwright, take it easy.\u00a0 Looks like the very devil is on your tail.\u201d\u00a0 Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and a voice he recognized was chuckling.\u00a0 He looked up to see his friend, Carter Anderson, whose dormitory room was next to his.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Carter.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t watching where I was going,\u201d Nolan stopped to take a breath.\u00a0 \u201cI have one more lecture and then I\u2019m going to meet my parents.\u00a0 They got in today from Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Carter whistled.\u00a0 \u201cI keep forgetting that\u2019s where you come from.\u00a0 That\u2019s one heck of a train ride.\u201d\u00a0 He and Nolan had talked at length about Nolan\u2019s home and Carter, who hailed from Connecticut, had a hard time envisioning the desert climate, snow peaked mountains, and wide open spaces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan smiled, and his remarkable resemblance to his father revealed itself, although Carter couldn\u2019t know that.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure is.\u00a0 It takes days, but it beats a stagecoach any day of the week.\u00a0 One summer you\u2019ll have to come home with me and I\u2019ll show you a little about cowboy life on a ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Carter, blonde haired and blue eyed, grinned at his dark haired buddy.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d be great.\u00a0 It would beat a summer of clerking in my father\u2019s law office,\u201d he grimaced.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The two friends parted company, agreeing to make sure they said their good byes before Carter left for home in the morning.\u00a0 They had met at the beginning of the fall term, both overwhelmed freshmen trying to orient themselves to college life.\u00a0 Having a buddy to learn the ropes with had proved to be a salvation for both of them, and their friendship had grown close since then.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan ran up the steps of the science building, scooted down the hall, and slipped into the classroom just as the professor was closing the door.\u00a0 He slid into a desk, pulled out paper for notes, and sat back, his arm aching from carrying the books all day.\u00a0 One more hour, he thought, one more hour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just before 6:30 that evening, Nolan\u2019s cab pulled up at the Parker House.\u00a0 The evening had grown distinctly cold and he appreciated the warmth of the lobby as he entered the building.\u00a0 He presented himself at the front desk and was directed to his parents\u2019 suite on the seventh floor.\u00a0 As he headed for the elevator, he found himself nervous as well as excited.\u00a0 What would they expect him to be like now, after almost a term away at school?\u00a0 His schedule kept him so busy that he hadn\u2019t had time to think too much about their visit, other than to make sure he got himself a good haircut and had his shirts cleaned.\u00a0 He\u2019d been able to keep his grades up, but attending Harvard required more effort than attending the schoolhouse in Virginia City.\u00a0 He spent a lot of time studying in his room and in the campus library just to keep up with assignments and exams.\u00a0 But still, he was keeping his head above water.\u00a0 He wondered what it had been like for his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the elevator reached the seventh floor, the operator opened the door.\u00a0 Nolan took a deep breath and walked into the hallway. Reaching the correct room, he knocked on the door, which was opened almost immediately and he felt himself pulled directly into his mother\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, Nolan!\u00a0 We\u2019ve missed you so much.\u00a0 Let me look at you,\u201d she stepped back, dabbing at tears in her eyes.\u00a0 She looked as lovely as ever, wearing a fitted dress of cranberry merino wool with a small train, her blonde hair pinned up into a twist, her cheeks flushed.\u00a0 She reached out and put her hands on his cheeks.\u00a0 She smelled good, too.\u00a0 Just the way he remembered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMary Lynn, let the boy come in,\u201d Adam said, leaning comfortably against the wall behind his wife, but smiling at his son over her head.\u00a0 Once this had been accomplished, Adam pulled his son into a quick bear hug.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you, son.\u00a0 How are your studies?\u00a0 From your letters, we gather you\u2019re bearing up well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan shrugged out of his coat and sat in the chair his father indicated.\u00a0 His parents sat on a small couch opposite him and both sat smiling at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He smiled back at them.\u00a0 They were a sight he had missed seeing the past few months.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m keeping up well.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite a bit more work than I expected, though.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I discovered too when I first got to Harvard, but I found that I got used to the pace.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan made a wry face.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes the pace can break your neck!\u201d \u00a0This brought a chuckle from his father.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you could both come, though,\u201d he added quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI think I would have been all alone on Thanksgiving at the rate everyone is leaving campus.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, your mother thought of it, and coming back to Boston sounded good to me,\u201d said Adam, putting his arm around his wife, who was just feasting her eyes on her oldest son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan sat forward.\u00a0 \u201cTell me about home.\u00a0 How is everyone, and what\u2019s going on right now?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is just fine, and they all wanted to come along with us,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cThey just finished round up and now they\u2019re busy battening down everything for winter.\u00a0 Logan said to tell you that if you were home he\u2019d put you in a saddle and make a cowboy out of you.\u00a0 He could use the help right now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre he and Ross still attached at the hip?\u201d\u00a0 Nolan smiled thinking about his twin and their youngest brother, who were virtually inseparable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou know they are,\u201d said Mary Lynn, \u201cand Logan is teaching Ross how to shoot.\u201d\u00a0 She shuddered thinking about it, even though all the Cartwright boys, and some of the girls, had begun learning how to handle guns at a young age.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMom, you know he\u2019ll be careful,\u201d Nolan said.\u00a0 He was right, of course.\u00a0 Gun safety always came first on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing broke his ankle when he was chopping some wood for the stove, so the Cartwright women are fetching and carrying for him for once.\u00a0 They\u2019ll all be making Thanksgiving dinner,\u201d Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cActually, I\u2019m glad we\u2019re here and not there right now.\u00a0 That will be one crazy day in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI beg your pardon,\u201d Mary Lynn interjected.\u00a0 \u201cWe are a well oiled team in the kitchen, if I do say so myself.\u00a0 But it will<\/em> be nice when Hop Sing can get around again,\u201d she finished with a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine.\u00a0 I think he misses you more than he lets on.\u00a0 He misses your regular chess games,\u201d Adam said of his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI miss him, too.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I could find someone here to play chess with, but there\u2019s just no time.\u00a0 Even my weekends are filled with studies, and it seems that what little free time I have, I sleep!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou do look a little thinner to me,\u201d his mother said, frowning at him.\u00a0 \u201cAre you getting enough to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one area that\u2019s not a problem, Mom.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty of food, and it\u2019s pretty good, too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I swore I wasn\u2019t going to say anything, but\u2026for what we\u2019re paying in tuition, the food better be good and plentiful,\u201d Adam said, and then mentally kicked himself for making such a typical father remark.\u00a0 He must be getting old, he thought.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking of food,\u201d Nolan began, \u201chow soon are we having dinner?\u00a0 It feels like lunch was a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, we can go downstairs any time you\u2019re ready,\u201d Mary Lynn said.\u00a0 \u201cThe restaurant here is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan was on his feet the next second. His stomach had been growling for the last fifteen minutes.\u00a0 His father got up and moved to put on a black suit jacket with an Ascot tie which his mother pinned with a stylish gold pin.\u00a0 Then she stood back looking at the two Cartwright men before her, both looking devilishly handsome in black suits with white shirts and black hair.\u00a0 They could almost pass for twins themselves.\u00a0 She always enjoyed going out with Adam and their twin sons because anywhere outside Virginia City they always caused heads to turn.\u00a0 Most people looked at least twice to make sure they weren\u2019t seeing double or even triple.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So it was that with a handsome man on each arm, Mary Lynn and her family were escorted to a table in the restaurant of the Parker House.\u00a0 It was a very fine restaurant, and as they selected their food and wine they were treated to a wonderful evening.\u00a0 There was even live music provided by a talented harpist.\u00a0 Nolan felt as though he was being cocooned in his parents\u2019 warmth and acceptance.\u00a0 He felt as though he was relaxing for the first time since he had arrived in Boston.\u00a0 The restaurant wasn\u2019t crowded the evening before Thanksgiving, so they lingered and talked about many subjects, but mostly family.\u00a0 Nolan wanted to know something about everyone at home, and when he was satisfied in that area, he turned to the animals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Pegasus doing?\u00a0 Does he miss me?\u00a0 Is someone exercising him for me?\u201d\u00a0 He was referring to his beloved horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just fine, son,\u201d Adam assured him.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I shouldn\u2019t tell you this, but I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s had time to miss you.\u00a0 Logan, Eli and Eric are doing an excellent job of keeping him exercised and entertained.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Nolan let out a sigh and sat back as triple layer chocolate cake was set before him.\u00a0 He was going to be stuffed, but he loved chocolate too much to let this pass by.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOoh, that looks divine,\u201d said Mary Lynn, who had foregone cake for tea.\u00a0 But she reached over with a fork nevertheless and tried a small bite.\u00a0 \u201cIt is<\/em> divine.\u00a0 Hop Sing would be envious.\u00a0 Try some, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 In the end, they all ended up sharing the delectable dessert.\u00a0 Nolan was happy; it felt so good to be with his parents. It was almost like being at home again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the last crumb of cake was gone, as well as the last drops of wine and tea, the Cartwrights made their way back to the seventh floor.\u00a0 Adam had asked at the desk for a chessboard, which had been delivered to the suite, and he and Nolan began a game together.\u00a0 Mary Lynn curled up in a chair and just watched happily.\u00a0 Her mind wandered back to her first days on the Ponderosa after she and Adam had just met after seeking refuge together for a week during a late spring blizzard.\u00a0 Once they had been able to travel safely back to the ranch, she remembered sitting in the great room of the ranch, by the huge stone fireplace, watching Joe and Hoss play checkers together.\u00a0 Joe had been cheating shamelessly on Hoss, who was losing badly.\u00a0 From her vantage point, however, she had quickly figured out Joe\u2019s mischievous strategy.\u00a0 She chuckled to herself remembering.\u00a0 She had tried to keep from laughing even then, but it was hard.\u00a0 Joe was being so obvious and Hoss finally gave up. Then it was her turn to play checkers with Joe, and things didn\u2019t go as smoothly for him, to his discontent.\u00a0 She loved them both dearly, she thought.\u00a0 It had been the beginning of a wonderful life with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 She had probably been pregnant even then with Nolan and Logan.\u00a0 She blushed thinking about it.\u00a0 She was sure she had fallen in love with Adam the very first time she saw him, almost frozen to death from riding for hours in the snowstorm. \u00a0He had always taken her breath away, and he still did.\u00a0 She blushed again, thinking about that afternoon and the wonderful, heated hotel bathtub.\u00a0 She sighed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam looked over at her.\u00a0 \u201cAre you getting tired, sweetheart?\u201d\u00a0 Then he winked at her.\u00a0 He winked!\u00a0 Sometimes she thought he only ever had one thing on his mind.\u00a0 Shame on him.\u00a0 He was acting just like a man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled at him coyly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, just reminiscing, that\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0 He had already turned back to the game, but there was a satisfied smile on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The chess game concluded with a victory for Nolan, but a rematch resulted in a win for Adam.\u00a0 Nolan stood and declared that it was time for him to get back to campus.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWould you like us to ride with you, son?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to see your room,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019ll be fine, Dad, but why don\u2019t you both come out tomorrow before dinner and you can see my room and walk around campus a little?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSounds good.\u00a0 How about eleven?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Bundle up, though.\u00a0 It could be mild, but you never know.\u00a0 You felt how chilly it was today,\u201d Nolan advised.\u00a0 He then hugged and kissed his mother and shook hands with his father before heading back to his room on campus.\u00a0 Adam gave him some extra money for a cab.\u00a0 As the door closed behind him, Mary Lynn came up to hug her husband.\u00a0 She put her head on his shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSeeing him again was like a tonic.\u00a0 I\u2019ve missed him so much!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a boy to be proud of.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been blessed, Mary Lynn, we really have.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She looked up at him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve been blessed many times over,\u201d she smoothed his hair with both hands and caressed his face.\u00a0 He took her hand and kissed it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s hurry and test that great big bed,\u201d he suggested with a smirk, pulling her toward it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I believe it\u2019s time for sleep<\/em> now,\u201d she scolded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see, we\u2019ll see,\u201d he said as he began to pull off his tie and unbutton his shirt.<\/p>\n Chapter 2<\/p>\n The next morning they slept late and woke up at 9:15 to the unfamiliar sounds of a busy city seven floors below.\u00a0 Mary Lynn stretched and slipped out of bed to pull the curtains aside at one of the windows to look down at the busy downtown.\u00a0 Adam came up behind her and put his arms around her, kissing her neck.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, look.\u00a0 Today is Thanksgiving and even still, there\u2019s all that traffic in the street and all those people who are out and about.\u00a0 And the sounds!\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised we even slept through all the street noise.\u201d\u00a0 She leaned back against him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget that Boston had a head start on Virginia City.\u00a0 About 100 years, in fact.\u00a0 The whole east coast was settled well before the rest of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think I like the quiet of the Ponderosa better,\u201d she murmured, holding onto his arms around her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMe too, even with all those kids and horses and cattle underfoot everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She laughed and turned to face him, discovering that he had not bothered to wear his nightshirt during the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam!\u00a0 Go get dressed.\u00a0 This is Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 No one can see me, except you, and you know what I look like.\u00a0 The turkeys aren\u2019t going to care.\u00a0 They\u2019ve already been sacrificed for our dinner.\u00a0 Care for a bath?\u201d\u00a0 He was obviously in a good mood.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She put her hands on her hips.\u00a0 \u201cGo get dressed.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be late to meet Nolan, and I\u2019d like to get some coffee downstairs before we leave.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, all right,\u201d he turned and headed for the bathroom like a disappointed kid who\u2019d lost his balloon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thirty minutes later they found themselves back in the restaurant where they had dined the evening before, sipping coffee and nibbling on pastries, mindful not to overeat due to the feasting that would occur late that afternoon. After only a short time, Adam said they should hire a cab to take them to Harvard Square.\u00a0 They finished their coffee and made their way to the front entrance where the uniformed doorman hailed them another hansom cab.\u00a0 The day was cool and breezy with a weak sun showing now and then between scudding clouds.\u00a0 The ride to campus took about 25 minutes.\u00a0 Adam told the driver the name of Nolan\u2019s dormitory building and they were dropped off within easy walking distance of it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soon they found themselves knocking on their son\u2019s door, and he opened it immediately.\u00a0 It was actually a little roomier than Adam remembered.\u00a0 It had the requisite bed and desk, but there was also a small sitting area, two bookcases and a fireplace.\u00a0 Nolan had books open on the desk as well as several sheets of paper he had written on from top to bottom.\u00a0 There was a small paned window that overlooked a brick pathway and courtyard with benches, a grass lawn and several large trees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you comfortable here, son?\u201d\u00a0 Adam watched his son carefully.\u00a0 He remembered that it had taken him a while to get used to living in one room after living for many years on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI am now,\u201d Nolan replied.\u00a0 \u201cMy friend, Carter Anderson, has the room next door and often I\u2019m there or he\u2019s here, so that expands the space a little, or at least it feels like it does.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAh yes, Carter Anderson.\u00a0 You wrote about him in a couple of your letters,\u201d Mary Lynn commented.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately he\u2019s already gone home to Connecticut, or I would introduce you.\u00a0 He\u2019s the closest friend I have here.\u00a0 We both met just after we arrived, and things were a little overwhelming.\u00a0 It helped to have someone to work it all out with.\u00a0 He loves hearing about the Ponderosa, and I told him I\u2019d like to bring him home with me one summer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u00a0 Whenever you want to,\u201d Adam said, and then moved over to one corner where a guitar stood.\u00a0 \u201cSo you bought one,\u201d he said, picking it up to admire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 About two weeks after I got here.\u00a0 My fingers were getting itchy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyone laughed at that since Nolan had grown up playing the guitar with his father.\u00a0 Since he couldn\u2019t take his own with him when he left for school, one of his going away gifts had been enough money to buy himself a new one once he got to Boston.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam put his foot up on the desk chair and began softly strumming the strings, humming in a low baritone.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s got good tone.\u00a0 You chose a good one, Nolan.\u00a0 And the inlaid wood is very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCarter went with me when I bought it.\u00a0 Sometimes a few of the other guys come in when I\u2019m playing.\u00a0 Some of them sing along, others just listen.\u00a0 It\u2019s a good way to relax for a while when I need to take a break from reading.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn took her son\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go outside so you can show us a little of the campus.\u00a0 I want to have a picture in my mind of where you spend your days.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They spent the next hour and a half strolling around the campus, with Nolan showing them where his classes were, and entertaining them with stories about his professors and some of their eccentricities.\u00a0 After making their way back to Nolan\u2019s dormitory, they were all chilled and also getting hungry.\u00a0 Adam suggested they make their way back to the Parker House to be ready and waiting when dinner was served.\u00a0 He got no argument from anyone because both his wife and son had been hoping that would be the plan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Several hours later they sat back at their table in the Parker House restaurant, full and sated. They had laughed and enjoyed each other\u2019s company, mostly talking about the family, and picturing them sitting down to their dinner thousands of miles away in Nevada.\u00a0 That had been bittersweet and nostalgic, but the meal had been outstanding.\u00a0 They all agreed they would never tell Hop Sing how much they enjoyed it.\u00a0 In addition to roast turkey, there was roast goose, prime rib of beef, veal, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, green beans with onions, every type of cheese that Nolan had ever heard of and some that he hadn\u2019t, wild rice with celery and onions, smoked herring in cream sauce, corn, asparagus, delicious she-crab soup and some delicious buttery rolls that had been created by the Parker House\u2019s own chefs.\u00a0 Nolan kept eating them; they were warm and melted in his mouth.\u00a0 Heavenly.\u00a0 And of course, there was nearly every type of dessert one could imagine, from traditional pumpkin and mincemeat pies to cakes, ice cream and puddings.\u00a0 Anyone who left that restaurant hungry that Thanksgiving day had only himself to blame, Adam said.\u00a0 They had toasted with champagne at the beginning, had sipped wine with dinner, and were now just finishing up coffee.\u00a0 Nolan was feeling his eyelids get heavy.\u00a0 A nap would certainly be divine just then, he thought.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNolan, I\u2019ve got something to tell you,\u201d Adam said seriously, looking up from his cup of coffee.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan looked up too, as did Mary Lynn since she had no idea what Adam had to say to their son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan watched his father carefully.\u00a0 The last time he had made an announcement like that a new baby was on the way.\u00a0 He was pretty sure that wasn\u2019t the case now; there hadn\u2019t been a new baby for a number of years.\u00a0 Adam was smiling, and Mary Lynn was looking back and forth between her husband and son with raised eyebrows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou know that we\u2019re spending a week here in Boston before we head back,\u201d Adam began.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan nodded, aware of his parents\u2019 travel plans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, it took some arranging, but when we leave for Nevada, you\u2019re coming with us,\u201d his father told him, taking his time about letting the secret out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan sat up straight and was aware that his mother did the same thing.\u00a0 \u201cComing with you?\u00a0 The term doesn\u2019t end until just before Christmas.\u00a0 Am I leaving Harvard?\u201d\u00a0 He was beginning to feel alarmed and he knew he was frowning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I don\u2019t know what\u2026?\u201d Mary Lynn started and then stopped when she saw Adam smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI talked with the school officials and with your professors, and they agreed that you could come home with us around December 1 and return to Boston right after New Year\u2019s for the new term.\u00a0 I even have your assignments so you can keep up while you\u2019re at home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan hadn\u2019t said anything; he was still trying to digest his father\u2019s news.\u00a0 Was he suggesting that his son wasn\u2019t handling college very well and needed to come home?\u00a0 If so, then this wasn\u2019t very good news.\u00a0 But his father was smiling at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really understand.\u00a0 I mean, it\u2019s a long way to go\u2026\u201d he drifted off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, but it\u2019s also a long time to stay here alone over Christmas if you stay until the end of the term,\u201d his father said.\u00a0 \u201cThis way, you get to come home for a month, we get to see more of you, and everyone on the Ponderosa will get one of the best Christmas surprises they\u2019ve ever had.\u00a0 I wrote to your professors in October about this idea.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t many students here who come from as far away as you do.\u00a0 They realized how much we would all benefit from having you home with us a little longer, and they said even then that you are an excellent student and would be able to keep up with your scholastic work.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll be back in Boston to start the next term on time.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sat back and looked at his son as if he had just handed him a sack of gold.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I had no idea you were planning this!\u201d\u00a0 Mary Lynn\u2019s hands were clasped together.\u00a0 She knew how much the entire Cartwright family had missed this young man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam was still smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI know that.\u00a0 I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the plan began to sink in, a slow smile began to spread across Nolan\u2019s face.\u00a0 If he stayed at school until Christmas, there wouldn\u2019t be enough time to go home and get back again in time for the new term in January.\u00a0 His father had thought the whole thing through carefully.\u00a0 This really was a surprise.\u00a0 He and his mother were receiving it now, and the rest of the family would receive it when they got off the stage in Virginia City.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t let myself think about it, but I\u2019ve really missed the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d see it again until summer,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Dad.\u00a0 This is a great surprise.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to see everyone,\u201d as the excitement continued to build, Nolan lifted his champagne glass and he and his parents toasted family and Thanksgiving and surprises and Christmas, all at once.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Early in the morning five days later, Nolan and his parents boarded the train headed west for the trip home.\u00a0 Nolan had attended a couple of days of classes, had introduced his parents to his professors, and also to an envious Carter Anderson.\u00a0 He had hurriedly packed one suitcase knowing he had plenty of clothes at home.\u00a0 He was more selective about the books he brought with him, and based them on the list of assignments he had to complete by the beginning of January.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They settled into their seats and the train began to roll.\u00a0 For the first thirty minutes or so Nolan watched the passing landscape, but finally sighed and reached into his book bag.\u00a0 Looking at his parents seated across from him, he explained that he might as well spend the confined travel time doing his assignments inasmuch as he knew without a doubt that once he reached the Ponderosa he wouldn\u2019t want to be cooped up behind a closed door studying.\u00a0 He was going to spend that<\/em> time in a much different way.\u00a0 They both nodded in agreement.\u00a0 They knew what his homecoming and visit would be like, and it was an excellent idea to get as much work out of the way now as possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the hours passed, Massachusetts rolled by and became New York, then hilly Pennsylvania, a stop in Cincinnati by Lake Erie, and then onto Chicago which had risen in majesty from its great fire in 1871.\u00a0 The Cartwrights knew that rail travel from Boston to Chicago was well equipped with full service dining cars, which they made use of.\u00a0 Past Chicago, however, passengers were lucky to buy a sandwich and an apple from a railroad employee passing through the cars with a food basket.\u00a0 Many passengers boarded with their own food.\u00a0 The further west the train traveled, the less reliable the food sources were.\u00a0 But Adam knew which stops had sufficient time that he could hurry into the nearby town to pick up food to take back to the train.\u00a0 Such was a stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska.\u00a0 These were the flat plains of the United States, and the crops had been harvested for the season, leaving only the vastness of the land for as far as the eye could see.\u00a0 They were following the Platte River now, and growing weary.\u00a0 They were all ready to be home in just one more day.\u00a0 Nolan thought that if he had to read another page in another textbook he would be just as happy to fling the book out the window.\u00a0 He had managed to write some essays despite the movement of the train.\u00a0 He knew he would have to recopy them, but at least the hard part was done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n During the last 24 hours of the trip, the train crossed the Rocky Mountains at the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming and then cut through northern Utah on its way to Nevada.\u00a0 They passed Promontory, Utah, the place where the historic golden spike had been driven when the Central Pacific Railroad, building east from Sacramento, met the Union Pacific Railroad which had built the transcontinental railroad west from Omaha.\u00a0 By the time the train pulled into Reno on the fifth day after leaving Boston, everyone was dusty and cranky.\u00a0 Nolan had been napping, his head nodding, when his mother had shaken his shoulder.\u00a0 They were in Reno.\u00a0 Almost home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan could feel his bones creak when he stood up.\u00a0 He felt as though he had been folded up in the seat for the past five days.\u00a0 His father had already left to make sure all their baggage was taken off the train.\u00a0 It was early afternoon, and they would still be able to catch a stagecoach to Virginia City yet that day.\u00a0 Adam had wired ahead at a recent stop to let the family know exactly when they would be arriving in Virginia City.\u00a0 Logan would be picking up his parents, Mary Lynn told Nolan, whose eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing his twin.\u00a0 It would be fun to see the surprise on his face when they saw each other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The stage wasn\u2019t due to leave for another hour, and wasn\u2019t even in town yet, but there was a nearby caf\u00e9 where the three Cartwrights went to have some food and wait.\u00a0 The caf\u00e9 was busy.\u00a0 Adam was able to find a table in the back of the caf\u00e9 and the three of them dropped into chairs.\u00a0 They were hungry and ready for a hot meal.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be a Hop Sing meal, but they were almost close enough that they could smell Hop Sing\u2019s cooking.\u00a0 If Hoss had been with them, he would have been able to manage it. That thought made them chuckle while they waited for hot stew and fresh bread.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At last they were on the stage and rolling steadily toward Virginia City.\u00a0 There were two other passengers in the coach, so the seating was a little tight.\u00a0 The sights were familiar now and conversation was limited beyond the initial pleasantries exchanged with the two other passengers.\u00a0 They were just waiting to reach home now.\u00a0 When the stage finally turned down Virginia City\u2019s main street, Nolan could see his mother mouth \u2018thank heaven\u2019 as she brushed dust off her traveling suit and retied her hat strings.\u00a0 When the wooden block of stairs was set in place underneath the door, the driver opened it to let everyone out.\u00a0 Adam indicated that the other passengers should disembark first.\u00a0 He had already seen Logan waiting for them and had waved an arm out the window.\u00a0 He turned and winked at Nolan, who winked back.\u00a0 He was more than ready to be done traveling and to see the rest of the family again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 3<\/p>\n Adam stepped down first and turned to help his wife out.\u00a0 Nolan heard them greet Logan and heard his brother ask after him.\u00a0 Then he saw his father gesture into the coach and tell Logan to see for himself.\u00a0 The next thing to happen was Logan\u2019s head and shoulders popping into the stage, and his look of astonishment at seeing his brother.\u00a0 He let loose a whoop and hauled Nolan out bodily, followed by a bear hug and each brother slapping the other\u2019s back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing<\/em> here?\u201d\u00a0 Logan held him at arm\u2019s length.\u00a0 \u201cThey didn\u2019t kick you out, did they?\u201d\u00a0 He sounded incredulous.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, they didn\u2019t, and even I\u2019m surprised that I\u2019m here.\u00a0 It\u2019s Dad\u2019s Christmas surprise for all of us.\u00a0 I get to stay for almost a month.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan whooped again and grinned at his parents who were enjoying watching the reunion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan draped an arm around his twin.\u00a0 \u201cHave I changed?\u201d\u00a0 He looked at his parents for a comparison.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d answered Adam with a smile, \u201cthe genes are still in place.\u00a0 Other than your clothes, you two are like a mirror hanging on the wall.\u201d\u00a0 At his son\u2019s slightly crestfallen look, Adam hastened to add, \u201cYour brain cells may be expanded as a result of your studiousness, but on the outside you\u2019re both the same.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was a high pitched squeal and the sound of footsteps running on the wooden walkway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI forgot to mention that Elizabeth\u2026\u201d Logan began, but decided to abandon his explanation as his sister hurtled into the family group and attached herself around Nolan\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing<\/em> here?!\u201d\u00a0 And with that Nolan squeezed her and realized that he would spend the rest of the day explaining his presence to dozens of people.\u00a0 Elizabeth broke away and wiped tears from her cheeks, looking from her brothers to her parents and back again.\u00a0 \u201cI had no idea, I mean, we didn\u2019t know\u2026Daddy, you knew about this, didn\u2019t you!\u201d\u00a0 She sounded like an outsider who had just figured out the punch line that everyone else already knew, but then she smiled and hugged her brother again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam smiled fondly at his daughter and pulled his wife against him.\u00a0 This was<\/em> going to be as much fun to watch as he had hoped.\u00a0 They were beginning to attract a crowd, primarily due to the decibel level of Elizabeth\u2019s voice, but the citizens of Virginia City always enjoyed seeing Adam Cartwright\u2019s children because there was such a strong family resemblance among them, even if they didn\u2019t happen to be identical twins.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan was shaking hands with friends from town as he asked his brother, \u201cDid you bring anyone else to town with you?\u201d\u00a0 Logan shook his head as he began hefting bags over to the wagon he had brought into town.\u00a0 His father joined him, and they spent a few minutes figuring out where everything would fit inasmuch as Logan had already loaded the wagon with supplies that Uncle Hoss had ordered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They were on their way home to the Ponderosa just in time to be there for dinner, with Adam driving, and the twins riding in the back, sitting on supply boxes.\u00a0 Nolan was taking in the scenery as though he was seeing it for the first time.\u00a0 He thought briefly about the commons area at Harvard and it seemed worlds away from this \u201cwild west\u201d setting.\u00a0 Soon, however, he and his brother were busy comparing notes about changes at the ranch, with Elizabeth taking an active role as she turned and practically hung over the back seat of the buck board.\u00a0 Mary Lynn smiled as she sat back and thought about how the noise level would multiply as soon as they reached the ranch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although they said nothing when they arrived home, the family radar was in good working order as the entire Cartwright family spilled outside to greet Nolan as if he were the prodigal son. Even Hop Sing hobbled out on his casted ankle to join the group as the young man was propelled from hug to hug like a spinning top.\u00a0 He mussed the hair of the littler ones, but some he grabbed, like Marianne, the littlest.\u00a0 She wound up being pressed in the middle of hugs, but she loved the gaiety of it and she knew she was safe in her brother\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Carrie flew at him much as Elizabeth had done in town, almost knocking him over, although he was surrounded by plenty of people to keep him upright.\u00a0 He bent over and gave her a special kiss.\u00a0 Soon he also had his brother Ross in his other arm and his aunts and uncles had to maneuver around the little ones to reach him.\u00a0 Adam stood off to the side with Mary Lynn, enjoying the sight of his whole family together again.\u00a0 Elizabeth took Marianne and Logan took Ross so Nolan had free arms to wrap around his Grandpa Ben in a bear hug.\u00a0 They beamed at each other, promising to engage in as many chess games as they could, and then Ben went to wring out of Adam how he had managed to arrange and keep this wonderful secret.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soon even some of the ranch hands were coming over to greet the young college student, and Hop Sing began to complain that if he known this was a special day, he would have planned a better dinner.\u00a0 Everyone was talking at once, and the younger boys were hopping about with excitement.\u00a0 They were all realizing that Nolan would be home for Christmas and that meant it would be a perfect celebration instead of a day when they all pretended it was perfect, but something important was missing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the hands took charge of the wagon and began to unload it after removing the luggage and putting it inside the house.\u00a0 Slowly, the family began drifting back into the house.\u00a0 It was dinnertime, but the travelers wanted to wash up and change clothes before they ate.\u00a0 Mary Lynn held Adam\u2019s arm as they followed their family inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I look at those two boys of ours, it\u2019s almost like seeing you for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThey do look like me, don\u2019t they?\u201d\u00a0 He squeezed her arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t get so much as a freckle from me,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not physically, but some of their finer qualities are definitely attributable to you,\u201d he assured her gallantly, finishing the same conversation they had had at least a thousand times. It wasn\u2019t as if Joe or Hoss didn\u2019t have children who strongly resembled them; they did, both physically and characteristically.\u00a0 But the fact that Adam\u2019s two oldest were identical twins seemed to set them apart for distinction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the family was at last gathered around the dinner table, Ben said a special grace expressing the joy of having Nolan home again for the Christmas season.\u00a0 There was a lot of chatter about what Nolan\u2019s life was like in Boston.\u00a0 The younger children, who didn\u2019t really have a concept of what college was, gazed wonderingly at their cousin\/brother as though he had returned from another planet.\u00a0 The older children had a sense of reverence for the fact that he had gone to live so far away for the purpose of education.\u00a0 The adults wanted to hear about Harvard and each class Nolan was taking.\u00a0 There were lots of questions about Boston, too, since the biggest cities they were familiar with were Sacramento and San Francisco.\u00a0 Even Hop Sing lingered at the table to hear the answers to the continuous questions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The family stayed at the table well past the dinner hour until the younger children grew tired or bored.\u00a0 Eventually they moved, as usual, to the great room by the big fire.\u00a0 Nolan found himself functioning as a hat tree for as many of the youngsters who could fit on his lap or the arms of his chair.\u00a0 He himself would have loved to make a quick trip to the stables to see how his horse, Pegasus, was doing.\u00a0 One thing he knew was that the following day they would be taking a long ride together.\u00a0 Conversation slowly turned to different topics.\u00a0 The men were discussing the family businesses and the women were planning the annual Ponderosa Christmas party.\u00a0 The older girls were discussing two things: young men and the dresses they would wear to the Christmas party.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A tug on Nolan\u2019s sleeve made him look down, expecting another question from a child.\u00a0 He was surprised to see his twin lounging on the floor next to his chair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWant to ride into town for a beer?\u201d\u00a0 Logan asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan hesitated.\u00a0 He was tempted because he\u2019d not only be able to spend time with his brother but ride Pegasus too.\u00a0 However, he was also dead tired.\u00a0 Finally he answered, \u201cI\u2019d like to, but I\u2019m bushed.\u00a0 Tomorrow?\u201d\u00a0 Logan smiled and nodded, squeezing his brother\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey, do I even have a bed to sleep in?\u201d Nolan addressed Logan, but was looking down at Ross, who was nodding off on his lap.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll bet anything this little rug rat appropriated my bed the first night I was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that sorta did happen just like you said, but he can sleep with Eli and Hunter.\u00a0 Eli will be able to handle him if he fusses.\u00a0 If you wait just a few more minutes, he\u2019ll be out cold anyway, and I\u2019ll just take him upstairs,\u201d Logan replied.\u00a0 He gestured to Eli, who made his way over, careful not to step on any siblings or cousins in the process.\u00a0 Hearing that Nolan would like to sleep in his own bed, Eli understood immediately.\u00a0 He assured his brothers that he would take care of Ross during the nights Nolan was home.\u00a0 Logan gave him a thumbs-up, which Eli returned.\u00a0 At 15, he was growing up nicely.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t a dead-on look-alike for his father as much as his older brothers were, but there was enough of a resemblance that people sometimes had to look hard to tell if they were addressing Eli or the older twins, especially now that Eli\u2019s height had recently shot up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t too long before the adults began shepherding their children off to bed.\u00a0 It was a weekday, after all, and there was work and school the next day.\u00a0 Elizabeth came over and took Marianne from Nolan, and Eli got the sleeping Ross.\u00a0 Carrie came over and squeezed Nolan all over again before heading toward the stairs.\u00a0 As she passed her parents, Adam reached out a hand and grabbed her blonde braid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u00a0 No hug for me, Miss Caroline?\u201d\u00a0 He pulled her back into his lap and kissed her cheek, tickling her with his beard stubble.\u00a0 She giggled, putting her arms around his neck and kissed him.\u00a0 Then she put her head on his shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTake me upstairs, Daddy.\u201d\u00a0 She used a wheedling voice she well knew always worked on her father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam groaned and complained, but he stood up and headed for the stairs while she hung onto him like a monkey with an ear-to-ear grin.\u00a0 Nolan waved goodnight to her.\u00a0 He looked at his mother and grandfather.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to be home,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThere are so many things I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, why don\u2019t we start with a good game of chess right now,\u201d Ben suggested.\u00a0 He had missed playing lively games with his oldest grandson, and he was pleased to see him get up and head for the chess table.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn yawned and headed upstairs, and Logan followed behind her.\u00a0 Ben and Nolan had the whole downstairs to themselves.\u00a0 Without saying a word, Ben poured two glasses of brandy.\u00a0 This was a first for Nolan, so he was taken aback to see the glass set before him as he was setting up the chess pieces.\u00a0 He looked up quickly at his grandfather, surprise showing on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone,\u201d Ben said, \u201cbut I think it\u2019s safe to do this now,\u201d and he winked at Nolan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The game wasn\u2019t a long one, and Ben won it.\u00a0 Nolan couldn\u2019t help stifle yawns and his fatigue, along with the brandy, didn\u2019t make him the best strategist.\u00a0 Ben chuckled, sitting back to gaze at the young man fondly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou remind me so much of your father.\u00a0 How I remember his college days in Boston.\u00a0 We missed him like fire, but it was a great experience for him.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t think we\u2019d see you until summer, but I\u2019m glad you\u2019ll be here for Christmas.\u00a0 Travel sure is a lot easier now than it was for your father.\u00a0 The transcontinental railroad has made it possible to make a formerly months-long trip in just days now.\u00a0 It\u2019s incredible to me, when I think of the long wagon trip we made from the east out here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan had heard the story many times, but it was one he never tired of.\u00a0 His father had been a young boy, Hoss had been born on that trip, and sadly, his mother had been killed in an Indian attack.\u00a0 He knew that his father had taken on some very grown up duties very quickly from that point on.\u00a0 His father had known three mothers, and each one had died.\u00a0 What tragedy for his grandfather to bear, he thought.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGrandpa, did you ever think you\u2019d have this houseful of people back then?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben laughed out loud.\u00a0 \u201cYou can bet I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Who would have guessed that a father and his three sons would turn into a houseful of 24 people?\u00a0 But I can tell you I have loved every minute of it, and every one of you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI love it too, Grandpa.\u00a0 I\u2019m really glad to be back here.\u00a0 I missed everyone.\u00a0 But I like school, too,\u201d he hastened to add.\u00a0 Then he yawned again and knew it was time to turn in.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for the brandy.\u00a0 I won\u2019t tell anyone.\u201d\u00a0 As he headed upstairs he left his grandfather reminiscing in his red leather chair with his pipe, watching the fire and smiling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following day brought a happy reunion between Nolan and his horse, Pegasus.\u00a0 He was in the barn right after breakfast with an apple and sugar cubes just in case the horse didn\u2019t recall him.\u00a0 He went directly to his stall and began talking to him, rubbing his nose.\u00a0 Pegasus whinnied and nodded his head up and down, stamping the floor with one foot.\u00a0 He remembered Nolan all right.\u00a0 His brothers and cousins had been taking good care of the horse, but Nolan took the time right then to groom him from head to toe, having a good long conversation the whole time.\u00a0 Once he was saddled, Nolan led him to the yard outside the stable.\u00a0 He knew that Logan and Eric were busy with ranch projects, although Logan probably would have abandoned his to ride with his brother.\u00a0 With a flash of inspiration, Nolan tethered Pegasus at the hitching post and went back into the house, calling for Elizabeth as he went.\u00a0 He found her in the kitchen with his mother and aunts.\u00a0 They were planning party menus, heads bent together.\u00a0 He felt awkward when they all stopped what they were doing to look at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was going to ask Little Bit to ride with me, but I can see you\u2019re all busy\u2026\u201d he trailed off, starting to back toward the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elizabeth\u2019s head came up and her eyes sparkled.\u00a0 She gave her mother a questioning look and was rewarded with a quick smiled and one word, \u201cGo.\u201d\u00a0 She flashed a bright smile and grabbed her brother\u2019s arm as they left the kitchen.\u00a0 She asked for five minutes to run upstairs to change into her riding habit and asked her brother to saddle her horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Minutes later they were riding side by side down the road away from the house.\u00a0 The weather was cold\u2014it was December after all, but they were dressed for it.\u00a0 There had been no snowfall as yet, but that could change any day now.\u00a0 Nolan was itching to let Pegasus have free rein and Elizabeth knew it.\u00a0 She could sense his excitement.\u00a0 Her horse, Trixie, was a good runner but would never beat Pegasus in a race, or Logan and Rocket either, for that matter.\u00a0 The boys could race each other; she and Trixie would follow discreetly behind.\u00a0 When they reached one of the Ponderosa pastures, Nolan looked at his sister and she gestured for him to take off.\u00a0 He gave her a grateful look as he bolted off with Pegasus.\u00a0 She urged Trixie into a run and they galloped off behind the \u201cboys.\u201d\u00a0 Trixie would stay the course and keep a steady pace, and Elizabeth was perfectly comfortable keeping body and soul together at a more sedate pace than breakneck speed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her brother stopped about two miles later, feeling exhilarated and rubbing Pegasus\u2019 neck.\u00a0 He saw his sister coming up a little way behind him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood boy, Peg,\u201d he said to the horse.\u00a0 He felt good, this felt good.\u00a0 He was home.\u00a0 It was his place, his people.\u00a0 He belonged.\u00a0 Elizabeth was laughing when she reached him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid you get it out of your system?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan laughed too.\u00a0 \u201cA lot of it, yes.\u00a0 I really missed riding Peg.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sun was out and it felt good, dissipating some of the chill in the air.\u00a0 They rode together talking for some time, letting the horses graze as they wished.\u00a0 Elizabeth talked a lot about doings in town and Christmas.\u00a0 They spent some time discussing gifts, since Nolan needed to hurry with his shopping.\u00a0 He had not had the time to think about it while he was at school.\u00a0 His sister gave him a few welcome suggestions, and then Nolan slid a glance over at her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd how is James?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJames?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, James.\u00a0 You remember, your fella.\u00a0 How is he?\u201d\u00a0 He was smiling at her coyness and he watched her turn pink.\u00a0 She had been seeing James Fenway for over a year, ever since he\u2019d graduated law school and joined his father in practice in Virginia City.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She cleared her throat.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s fine.\u00a0 He\u2019s so busy I don\u2019t see him as much as I\u2019d like to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe coming to the Christmas party?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, I hope so!\u201d\u00a0 And she reddened more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s good,\u201d he said mildly, \u201cjust checking.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, you!\u201d She pretended to fume and turned Trixie on a dime, racing away from him, knowing full well he would beat her home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the end of Nolan\u2019s first week home it was time to begin decorating the house for Christmas, which was a lot more work than it sounded like.\u00a0 There was the tree to cut, of course, and pine garlands for the staircase and the outside of the house.\u00a0 And bows.\u00a0 Big red bows that punctuated the greenery outside and in.\u00a0 The ladies always took care of the bows.\u00a0 Then there was decorating the tree, and that was a family event attended by punch and gingerbread.\u00a0 The weather had cooperated by covering the Ponderosa with six inches of heavy snow, which meant the sleigh could be brought out for the tree and garland hunt.\u00a0 The sleigh only held six\u2014and that was if everyone held their breath, but it was still fun to hear the sleigh bells jingle as the coach on rails made its way across the snow.\u00a0 Generally the younger children rode in the sleigh and the others took their horses.\u00a0 The older boys were responsible for finding and cutting down the tree.\u00a0 That included Nolan, Logan, Eli, Eric, and young Ben.\u00a0 Uncle Joe had started calling young Ben \u201cBen-too\u201d after a young man he had befriended years ago, Charlie-too.\u00a0 Charlie-too had been sworn to kill Joe\u2019s father after his own father had died.\u00a0 Joe had never been sure whether Charlie\u2019s name was Charlie-too or Charlie-two, but it didn\u2019t make much difference, and Ben-too didn\u2019t seem to object to the appendage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elizabeth, Susannah and Isabel supervised the bough cutting to make the garlands.\u00a0 They were attended by Gunner, Hunter and Little Joe (formerly Joey until he had insisted that it be discontinued).\u00a0 Some of the family wondered why he wasn\u2019t called Joe-too, but they didn\u2019t make an issue of it.\u00a0 The boys were slightly disdainful of their chore; they would rather be part of the tree party with the older boys. It had more panache.\u00a0 They resented having to do whatever the girls told them to do, and all it involved was clipping off boughs, and anyone could do that, even a girl. To increase the responsibility level of the task, they regulated how many boughs could be taken from a single tree, and a few trees had to be left intact \u00a0in between before another could be cut upon.\u00a0 This preserved the overall look of the forest.\u00a0 The girls didn\u2019t argue since they understood the family\u2019s view about conserving the trees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On this day Sarah, Marianne and Ross were riding in the sleigh, along with Carrie, James and Jon, who was driving it.\u00a0 It was the most fun of all to ride in the sleigh, because all you had to do was keep warm under the blankets and be excited about Christmas.\u00a0 Cutting the tree was real work, and gathering the boughs was downright tedious because so many were required.\u00a0 The sleigh could also go back home whenever its occupants tired or got too cold, although they usually departed after the cutting of the tree.\u00a0 The poor bough cutting party was always the last to finish, and they were generally annoyed with each other by the time they got home.\u00a0 Worse yet, the boughs still had to be wired together before they became garlands, but the adults helped with that part, thankfully.\u00a0 Hop Sing made sure there were warm cookies and hot chocolate at the ready as soon as the bough cutters came through the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the bough party did arrive, they found Hoss and Logan on ladders holding the huge tree upright, with Eli and Ben-too on the staircase assisting while Adam, Nolan and Eric were on the floor under the tree fitting it into its sturdy, six-footed wooden base.\u00a0 Mary Lynn, Erin and Amy stood watching from the dining room to get a perspective on the tree.\u00a0 They agreed it had a beautiful shape, but wondered if it shouldn\u2019t have been taller.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, this is the right height,\u201d Hoss told them.\u00a0 \u201cAny higher and it could tip.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAs it is, this one may be too big.\u00a0 I think we need to shave more off the trunk to get it to fit,\u201d Adam muttered from under the tree.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe was standing nearby with the necessary tools and soon he was at work narrowing the base of the tree.\u00a0 As it was being refit into the stand, James gathered up the shavings and threw them into the fireplace, where they snapped as they hit the flames.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow is that looking? My arm hurts from holding this thing,\u201d Logan complained from his post on the ladder.\u00a0 His Uncle Hoss shot him a look.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let go yet.\u00a0 Helpin\u2019 with the tree builds character.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI thought my character was finished and you were working on Hunter and James and Ross now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss rolled his eyes and Mary Lynn suppressed a smile when Erin nudged her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ross shot up from where he was sitting and dashed toward Logan.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll help ya by holding the ladder.\u00a0 You\u2019ll feel better.\u201d\u00a0 He braced his feet apart and gripped the ladder firmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan feigned a grimace.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, brother.\u00a0 I think I can hold on a while longer now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By then everyone in the room was rolling their eyes, but Ross was grinning from ear to ear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Under the tree, Nolan was grinning too.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t be anyplace else in the world right now except this room with these people. For a moment Adam took his eye off the tree trunk and met his son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 They smiled at each other, each feeling the same warmth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Dad,\u201d Nolan said quietly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome, son,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n Chapter 4<\/p>\n Once the tree was judged to be properly secured, work was started on wiring the boughs together.\u00a0 That required many hands, almost like a quilting bee.\u00a0 Everyone but the youngest children was put to work on it.\u00a0 Aunt Amy was supervising garland construction this year.\u00a0 She had a wire cutting station set up and three teams of assemblers.\u00a0 Mary Lynn and Erin selected the boughs and distributed them to each team.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan was helping Ross tie the wire securing two boughs together.\u00a0 Ross complained that the pine needles were sticking him.\u00a0 Logan explained that not only did needle sticks build character, but that it was also one way Santa knew how much a person cared about Christmas.\u00a0 As the adults stopped to stare at his announcement, he looked up and gave them a self-satisfied smirk.\u00a0 Adam recognized it as his own and burst out laughing.\u00a0 Mary Lynn tried to hush him, whispering that it would only encourage their son, but he told her it was way too late for that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bow committee had been busy while the tree cutters and bough gatherers were out hunting, and the dining room table was piled with perfect wide, red bows with long tails.\u00a0 Dinner time was nearing, and Hop Sing asked where the safest place was to move them to.\u00a0 Erin laughed and told him there was no such place in the house, but she undertook the task of moving them so the table could be set for dinner.\u00a0 Later Hoss would find them scattered throughout their bedroom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they ate dinner, they discussed the next day\u2019s event, decorating the tree.\u00a0 It was standing sturdy and proud next to the staircase, but it was bare, and there were boxes and boxes of ornaments that had been collected over the years.\u00a0 The following day was Sunday, and after church and lunch the decorating would begin.\u00a0 A team of the men would be working on the outside garlands, but most everyone else would be gilding the tree.\u00a0 Ladders would be in place so that all the decorations didn\u2019t wind up on the lower third of the tree where most of the family could reach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After dinner as the adults retired to the great room for their coffee, Logan, Eric and Nolan\u00a0 decided to head into Virginia City to have a beer.\u00a0 Nolan had never taken his brother up on his earlier offer, and tonight was a good time.\u00a0 A lot of people would be in town and they would likely run across friends.\u00a0 Eli, Ben-too and Little Joe looked on enviously as the older boys put on coats and gloves.\u00a0 They were waiting for the day they could be served in the saloons, but for now they would have to make do with hot cocoa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Out in the stable, it took only minutes for the boys to saddle their horses.\u00a0 Eric was prepared to watch his cousins\u2019 backs on the way to town because he expected them to engage in their usual madcap race.\u00a0 From the day they had gotten their horses, each had sworn they had the faster, sleeker mount, and spent countless hours trying to prove it to each other.\u00a0 Eric, having inherited practicality from both his parents, was happy with his large, strong horse, Samson, who couldn\u2019t beat Rocket or Pegasus in a race, but always came through no matter what was required of him.\u00a0 He had pulled Eric out of a tight spot or two in his time, and he was highly valued for his versatility among other traits, such as calmness and innate intelligence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three boys left the ranch together, but as soon as they hit the road, the twins looked at each other, and with no words spoken, took off like shots.\u00a0 Eric and Samson cantered behind them.\u00a0 At least they had the foresight to race on the roadside rather than right on the snow-covered road which undoubtedly had slippery spots in the dark. When Eric reached the Bucket O\u2019 Blood saloon, the twins were already drinking large mugs of beer, but at least they had one ready for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry about that, E old boy,\u201d Logan said as Eric slid into a chair at their table, \u201cbut you know we had to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eric took a gulp of his beer and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just glad you got the brew for me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m afraid that race was pent up and just waiting to happen,\u201d Nolan added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI grew up watching you two.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to explain it to me,\u201d Eric said easily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen was the last time we raced?\u201d\u00a0 Logan\u2019s face was scrunched up, thinking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe day before I left for school, of course,\u201d replied his brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMakes sense.\u201d\u00a0 Logan stuck up his arm and waved over a couple of young men they had gone to school with. \u201cMarty, Steve, sit down.\u00a0 Look who\u2019s home for the holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eventually seven young men were squeezed around the table, all former schoolmates enjoying each other\u2019s company and making small talk.\u00a0 Nolan found himself relishing the camaraderie and was relieved that no one seemed to care much that he attended Harvard.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t something different in that way; he was plain old Virginia City boy, Nolan Cartwright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With poker games going on all around them, they just talked about whatever came up, laughed loudly, and drank beer.\u00a0 Nolan stopped after two beers, as did Eric, but Logan kept going.\u00a0 Frankly, the more he drank, the funnier he got.\u00a0 Nolan exchanged a look with Eric, who understood his meaning immediately.\u00a0 Unless they got Logan out of the saloon and on the way home, he would be one miserable cowboy in church tomorrow.\u00a0 It was past midnight anyway and high time for them to be on their way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026so when Pete tripped on the walkway, he went straight into the mud, and because he was holding onto Roberta\u2019s arm so she wouldn\u2019t slip, she went right in with him, new dress and all!\u201d\u00a0 Logan threw his head back laughing as a loud guffaw rose up from the table.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re still<\/em> not speaking to each other!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey, Logan, we need to pull out now.\u00a0 It\u2019s late and you know we have the tree and all tomorrow,\u201d Nolan rose with Eric and they each took an arm.\u00a0 Surprisingly, Logan went willingly enough.\u00a0 They bid their buddies good night and paid for their drinks.\u00a0 Outside, Logan swung up on Rocket easily, still telling stories and laughing.\u00a0 However, the smaller audience was less encouraging to him than his table in the saloon and as the three set off toward home, he quieted down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they left town, though, he began to sing, which did<\/em> make Eric and Nolan laugh since he was off key and the words to his tunes were nonsensical. It was harmless enough, however, until he decided he wanted to race again.\u00a0 And when he did, he took off without warning, right down the middle of the road.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDang, Nolan, if Rocket hits a slick spot, they could both go flying,\u201d Eric muttered.\u00a0 He steered Samson off the road and kicked him into a run, shouting for Logan to stop.\u00a0 Nolan immediately followed suit.\u00a0 His brother knew better, but he\u2019d had at least four beers and he wasn\u2019t using good judgment at all on the dark road. Nolan took the opposite side of the road and urged Pegasus into a full gallop through the snow.\u00a0 He knew he had a better chance of catching his brother than Eric did.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fortunately the night was clear and there was a half moon, so some light illuminated the road.\u00a0 Nolan could see that he was gaining on his brother.\u00a0 He and Eric were both shouting at him to stop.\u00a0 They could hear him whoop as he urged Rocket on.\u00a0 Nolan thought he was within a minute or so of catching up with his brother, although he wasn\u2019t precisely sure what he would do when he did.\u00a0 That eventuality was removed from his concern when Eric\u2019s worst fear was realized.\u00a0 Without warning, Rocket hit an icy spot in the road and his feet when out from under him.\u00a0 Both he and Logan went down.\u00a0 A loud shriek came from the horse, and no sound at all from Logan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan cursed as he watched it happen.\u00a0 He halted Pegasus and leaped off to run to his brother.\u00a0 Eric arrived within seconds and went straight to Rocket, who was struggling to get up on his feet.\u00a0 Logan had been thrown into the snow off the road.\u00a0 He was lying on his back, his hat crushed under his head.\u00a0 His eyes were closed and he wasn\u2019t moving.\u00a0 Nolan called his name but received no answer.\u00a0 He pulled off his gloves and began to feel his brother\u2019s face and head for blood.\u00a0 Finding none, he checked arms and legs for broken bones and looked up briefly to find that Eric was doing the same thing for Rocket.\u00a0 Eric sent up a silent prayer for the horse to be all right.\u00a0 If Rocket had broken a leg, Logan would be inconsolable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLogan!\u00a0 Logan, can you hear me?\u00a0 Answer me, Logan,\u201d he urged, patting his brother\u2019s face with his hand.\u00a0 Still there was no response, but Nolan watched as Eric stood up and moved back to allow Rocket enough space to get up on his legs, which appeared to be holding him well enough.\u00a0 Talking to him softly, Eric bent again and ran his hands up and down each leg.\u00a0 He looked over at Nolan and nodded his head.\u00a0 The horse was agitated, but he appeared to be whole.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan gathered his brother against him as he knelt in the snow.\u00a0 He would try to keep him warm. \u00a0They were closer to Virginia City than home still, and he thought about sending Eric into town for the doctor.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a good way to move Logan in his present condition, and without a wagon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eric was adjusting Rocket\u2019s saddle and tightening the cinches, but he looked over at his cousin and suggested that he ride for the doctor.\u00a0 Nolan nodded his agreement and asked for the saddle blanket on Pegasus.\u00a0 He could use that to buffer the wind from his brother.\u00a0 Just as Eric was mounting to leave, Logan began to stir.\u00a0 He moaned, and moved a hand to his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLogan, can you hear me?\u00a0 Do you hurt anywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHead hurts.\u00a0 Wha\u2019 happen?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, you were an idiot and you raced Rocket down the road after you had too many beers.\u00a0 He slipped on ice and you both went down.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That information penetrated Logan\u2019s brain and he tried to sit up to see to his horse.\u00a0 That move was a mistake, however, because he groaned again and quickly dropped back against his brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRocket\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRocket\u2019s okay, and you\u2019re damn lucky,\u201d Nolan was starting to get mad.\u00a0 \u201cHe could easily have broken a leg, but you weren\u2019t even thinking.\u00a0 Show me where your head hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan\u2019s eyes closed, but he reached up again to touch his head.\u00a0 Nolan followed the hand to a place near his left temple where a knot was beginning to form.\u00a0 He looked at the depression in the snow where Logan had landed, and felt around the area he thought his brother\u2019s head had hit.\u00a0 Underneath the crushed hat was a medium size rock along the roadside.\u00a0 It was no doubt the culprit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan you move your arms and legs?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan did the minimum required to show that he could.\u00a0 Eric and Nolan discussed whether they should return to town or head home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWanna go home,\u201d Logan muttered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right, we\u2019ll try it, but you\u2019re riding with me, and we\u2019re going slowly.\u00a0 Rocket probably doesn\u2019t want to see you right now anyway.\u201d\u00a0 Nolan reached for his brother\u2019s hand and slapped the snow off it and tried to reshape it before he set it on his head gingerly.\u00a0 He knew that knot would be purple and painful before long.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both Eric and Nolan helped Logan to his feet, and just as they were about to hoist him onto Pegasus, Logan leaned over and threw up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cFeel better?\u201d\u00a0 They moved a few feet away from the mess, and on the second try they got him up on the horse.\u00a0 Nolan swung up behind him and took the reins.\u00a0 Eric mounted Samson and led Rocket, who did seem to be favoring one leg as they started out.\u00a0 When Nolan looked at him with raised brows, Eric reassured him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not broken.\u00a0 It could be a sprain.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take it easy and I\u2019ll see to him at home,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan, who was leaning heavily against his brother, opened one eye to take note of that exchange, but dropped his head down again after hearing his cousin\u2019s diagnosis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan kept an arm around his brother\u2019s waist all the way home, even though he seemed to be sitting steadily enough.\u00a0 It took forever to walk the horses slowly home in the frigid December night air, but at last they made it.\u00a0 The house was dark with the exception of one light burning in the great room, its light visible through the window.\u00a0 Nolan assumed care of his brother while Eric took the horses, and Nolan figured that Eric got the easier job.\u00a0 He finally got his brother awake enough to put one foot in front of the other, but he largely dragged him up to the front door.\u00a0 He swung it open and pulled Logan through the entry.\u00a0 Hauling him to the nearest chair he sensed a presence, and looked up to see his Aunt Erin standing in the kitchen doorway in her robe, her long braided hair over one shoulder and a cup of tea in one hand.\u00a0 Instant concern came over her face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBoys!\u00a0 What happened?\u00a0 Is it Logan?\u00a0 Is he all right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If he had to encounter anyone, Nolan guessed he was glad it was Aunt Erin.\u00a0 He looked at the floor for a few seconds before answering.\u00a0 \u201cHe drank too much and fell off his horse.\u00a0 Hit his head.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erin made a quick mother sound as she hurried over.\u00a0 Setting her tea down, she took the one lamp in hand and examined the bump after Nolan removed his brother\u2019s hat and indicated the knot, which was indeed purple, but not bleeding.\u00a0 Logan was limp and sleeping where he had been deposited.\u00a0 Erin made a face when she smelled the beer on his breath, and she stood up suddenly, remembering that her own son had also gone to town that night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Eric?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s putting the horses away, ma\u2019am, but he\u2019s all right.\u00a0 He only had two beers.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably looking after Rocket because he fell too, on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His aunt\u2019s eyes widened, knowing the implications of that statement.\u00a0 Then she gathered herself together.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make a poultice for Logan\u2019s head.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to be an unhappy person in the morning, and I don\u2019t think your parents will be too sympathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know, ma\u2019am, thank you, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nolan said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wait for Eric to come in and then we\u2019ll help Logan upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His aunt nodded and went off to prepare the poultice.\u00a0 The medicinal agent was ready before Eric was, but finally Logan was roused and his caretakers semi-dragged him up the stairs and into his room.\u00a0 Both boys took deep breaths when he was finally on top of his own bed.\u00a0 Nolan could handle things from there.\u00a0 He looked at his cousin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Eric, for everything.\u00a0 I really needed your help.\u00a0 Logan will thank you too when he regains his wits.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure thing,\u201d Eric was turning to head for his own bed.\u00a0 \u201cJust do one thing for me.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ever let me drink four beers like that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan laughed, but it was shaky.\u00a0 \u201cDeal,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Then he turned his attention to his brother.\u00a0 He lit a lamp so he could see and started removing the easiest things he could from his brother.\u00a0 Hat and boots first, then coat.\u00a0 He pulled off his pants, wet from the snow, and decided to stop there.\u00a0 He was just wrestling his brother under the bedclothes when there was a sound at the door and some additional light.\u00a0 He turned and found his father standing there in his nightshirt.\u00a0 His heart fell.\u00a0 He was hoping to avoid explaining this to his father.\u00a0 Let Logan do it in the morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHaving trouble, son?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan grimaced and recited the sequence of events rather rapidly, ending with the poultice Aunt Erin had made.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 1:30,\u201d was all Adam said as he moved toward the bed to help get his other son safely into bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know, but Logan was passed out for a while, and Rocket was down too so Eric was checking him out, and then we just came home real slow.\u201d\u00a0 Nolan really was getting tired of the whole escapade.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam sat by the side of the bed and gently felt the bump on his son\u2019s head.\u00a0 He gave a low whistle and reached for the poultice which was placed over the wound.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou said he had four beers?\u00a0 They\u2019ll probably come up,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey already did,\u201d Nolan replied dourly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, well then you\u2019re safe I guess.\u00a0 May I ask why you let him keep drinking?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan felt angry again, but pushed it back.\u00a0 \u201cWell we had a whole table of buddies there and he was already wound up and going, if you know my meaning. He made his own choices\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes.\u00a0 He was performing.\u00a0 Well you\u2019re both going to church tomorrow, and morning comes before you know it.\u201d\u00a0 He stood up, started for the door and then turned back.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t need me to tell you that family takes care of each other.\u201d\u00a0 He looked steadily at Nolan for several seconds before quietly leaving the room and closing the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan fumed.\u00a0 Rarely were he and his father at odds, and he wasn\u2019t used to being upbraided like that.\u00a0 Logan wasn\u2019t a kid, and he had made his own bed, as the saying went.\u00a0 And hadn\u2019t he held his brother all the way home and gotten him into bed?\u00a0 He had<\/em> taken care of him!\u00a0 Nolan shucked off his clothes, pulled on a nightshirt and crawled into bed, where he lay awake for a long time listening to his brother snore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Morning did come before both twins knew it.\u00a0 Ross announced it by bursting into the room and leaping onto Logan, where they unfortunately bumped heads. Logan shouted something incoherent and probably blasphemous in a very loud voice and Ross began to cry.\u00a0 Nolan groaned inwardly and lifted up his covers to allow Ross to climb in with him until his head felt better.\u00a0 Logan covered his head with his pillow and turned over.\u00a0 Nolan put his arm around Ross and tried to go back to sleep, but that was futile.\u00a0 The smell of breakfast was drifting up the stairs and through the open door.\u00a0 Ross recovered and began asking questions about Logan.\u00a0 Then, to make matters worse, Adam came into the room fully dressed for church.\u00a0 He told his oldest sons to get up; they only had 30 minutes to get dressed and eat before the family left for church.\u00a0 This caused Nolan to remember their previous encounter only a few hours earlier.\u00a0 Logan began to mumble something from under his pillow.\u00a0 He sounded pathetic.\u00a0 Ross, tears still shining in his eyes, sensed a game and began pulling at the pillow over his brother\u2019s head.\u00a0 Adam, unamused, took his youngest son\u2019s hand to leave the room, but gave Logan a swat on his backside before he did so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan rubbed his eyes for a long time and finally sat up.\u00a0 He knew he would be held responsible for Logan\u2019s promptness, so he pulled the covers off him and tossed some fresh clothes on his bed.\u00a0 He splashed water on his own face, combed his hair and dressed quickly because there had been no fire in the fireplace last night and the room was freezing.\u00a0 As his brother\u2019s keeper, he hauled Logan to his feet and propelled him to the dresser and washstand.\u00a0 Logan stood there with his head in his hands, moaning about his head.\u00a0 Nolan stuck a comb in his hand and told him to get busy.\u00a0 He retrieved the poultice while Logan made feeble attempts to ready himself.\u00a0 The knot on his temple was no bigger, but had turned an ugly purple.\u00a0 It was partly covered by his hair, but only partly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With ten minutes to spare, the twins made their way downstairs.\u00a0 The table was empty since everyone else was getting ready to leave.\u00a0 Nolan poured coffee for himself and his brother.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even look at the food, and he knew Logan wouldn\u2019t want to either. They both managed to get a cup of hot coffee inside them before the multitudes assembled at the door.\u00a0 Mary Lynn came and looked them over at the breakfast table, and she wasn\u2019t smiling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, come on, boys. We\u2019ll be late.\u00a0 Nolan, Eric saddled your horse for you, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMom,\u201d Nolan interrupted her.\u00a0 \u201cLogan needs to ride in the buggy.\u00a0 His head can\u2019t take anything else this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She reached out and moved his hair to examine the bruise, making a clucking sound with her tongue when she saw it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou were lucky, Logan.\u00a0 I was going to say that you can\u2019t ride Rocket anyway.\u00a0 He has a sprained leg, and you\u2019re lucky he\u2019s even alive.\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine what you were thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d Logan mumbled into his coffee cup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Under Nolan\u2019s supervision, Logan put on his coat and slapped his crumpled hat on his head.\u00a0 On his own steam, he walked out to the buggy and the family tried to avoid staring at his red rimmed eyes.\u00a0 As the buggy began to move, along with the sleigh, another buggy and numerous horses, Logan silently let his head slip into his hands.\u00a0 Nolan rode alongside his brother, and averted his own eyes when they passed the location of the accident.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The entire Cartwright family took up five pews in the church, which was already festooned with its holiday garlands.\u00a0 Nolan made sure he sat next to Logan, and Ross protectively sat on his other side, although Nolan would have preferred Eric.\u00a0 Logan kept his eyes closed throughout most of the service, but for each hymn, he stood with the help of his brother literally hoisting him up by one arm.\u00a0 Ross valiantly tried to help too by pushing up on his other elbow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLean against me,\u201d Nolan whispered as the congregation began to sing.\u00a0 And thus Logan survived church with the mother of all hangovers.\u00a0 He\u2019d had such a good time at the saloon, too, he thought, wondering why Eric and Nolan weren\u2019t as miserable as he was.<\/p>\n Chapter 5<\/p>\n Back at home, Hop Sing brewed a special tea which he promised would help Number One Son feel better.\u00a0 To Hop Sing, both Nolan and Logan were Number One Sons.\u00a0 Normally Logan eschewed tea, but he drank this, staring miserably at the fire, and by the time lunch was on the table, he had to admit he was beginning to feel better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The family was excited because this was the day the tree would be decorated.\u00a0 While Logan was nursing his tea, the rest of the family brought down box after box of Christmas decorations for the tree.\u00a0 After lunch, Adam, Hoss and Joe went outside to hang the garlands on the house.\u00a0 Eric and Nolan stood on the ladders near the tree and hung what was handed up to them exactly where they were instructed to put it. Nolan was just glad to be there because he had expected to be alone in his room at Harvard.\u00a0 Elizabeth and Isabel stood on the stairs at different levels hanging what they could from there.\u00a0 Eli and Ben-too were put to work hanging the inside garlands under the supervision of Aunt Amy.\u00a0 The bows would be attached later.\u00a0 Everyone else either hung decorations at lower levels of the tree or unwrapped them from the boxes they were packed in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There were beautiful painted ceramic angels, homemade cutout snowflakes made by the small hands of Adam, Hoss and Joe as boys.\u00a0 Out came wooden snowmen painted white and black, and a miniature hand-carved wooden sleigh.\u00a0 Some of the decorations were done in sterling silver, and others in crystal.\u00a0 The girls always exclaimed over the fancy ones every year as though they were seeing them for the first time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soon the smells of popcorn and gingerbread wafted from the kitchen.\u00a0 Susannah, Carrie, James and Jon were set to stringing garlands of popcorn and cranberries.\u00a0 Even Logan found he could manage to alternate popcorn and cranberries on heavy sewing thread by this point, but only with Ross\u2019 help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing brought out hot gingerbread and hot spiced apple cider for everyone as they worked.\u00a0 He stopped to admire the tree and pronounced it to be very suitable.\u00a0 Mary Lynn consulted with Erin and the older girls about spots that needed more coverage.\u00a0 Ben watched from his easy chair with his pipe.\u00a0 This was one of his favorite scenes: his family all together celebrating a cherished holiday.\u00a0 Adam, Hoss and Joe came in and went directly to the gingerbread and cider.\u00a0 Hoss asked why it was never hard cider, and Erin gave him a playful swat.\u00a0 Joe said they needed a woman to come outside to make sure that the garlands had the proper swag.\u00a0 Erin bundled up and went out to check, returning to report that they were perfect.\u00a0 Now the bows had to be wired to the garlands.\u00a0 The men headed back outside with bows, wire and Erin to point out where they should be placed.<\/p>\n Elizabeth supervised the placement of a spiral garland snaking up each of the banisters on the staircase.\u00a0 All the inside bows were then wired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was late in the afternoon by then and except for the popcorn and cranberry garlands, the tree was decorated, all the way up to a shimmering star at the top.\u00a0 Every last decoration had been placed on the tree.\u00a0 Amy suggested that it probably could use some bows strategically placed here and here, and her sisters-in-law agreed.\u00a0 While the girls began to make red bows that were much smaller than the large ones on the garlands, Nolan and Eric began placing the popcorn garlands around the tree.\u00a0 They patiently cooperated with pointers called out by their mothers, sisters and cousins about which branch to drape it over as it was hung and then rearranged several times over.\u00a0 They worked their way down the ladders, however, and soon were standing on the floor finishing the task.\u00a0 As it turned out, there was just enough of it to cover the lowest branches of the trees, and everyone let out a sigh of relief at this stroke of luck.\u00a0 By the time Hop Sing gave the dinner call, the girls had finished about 25 bows.\u00a0 They would put them on the tree after dinner, and hope they would be the final touch needed for a perfect Christmas tree. The very last detail was the placement of a quilted tree skirt done in red and green circles on a white background by Joe\u2019s mother, Marie, many years ago.\u00a0 It was a cherished heirloom used by the family every year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The outside team came in reporting a brisk wind was blowing in more snow, but that the wired-on bows were holding tight.\u00a0 They had even placed bows on the sleigh and buggies.\u00a0 Everyone sniffed the air, appreciating the scent of fresh pine in the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As dinner was being put out, Adam went over to Logan and examined the bruise on his temple, which made his son wince and pull away.\u00a0 His father gave him the same long, steady look Nolan had received the night before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet this be a lesson to you about watching how much you drink.\u00a0 If you were younger I would keep you off of Rocket for a couple of weeks, but that\u2019s going to happen anyway with the sprain on his leg.\u00a0 You\u2019re a very lucky young man to have your horse all in one piece today.\u00a0 And you\u2019re lucky your brother and your cousin were there to help you.\u201d\u00a0 With a quick glance at Nolan, Adam slipped out of his coat and walked to the door to hang it up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYessir,\u201d Logan replied, studying his boots closely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan was surprised to hear his father speak to Logan that way in front of the whole family. Usually he did that in private.\u00a0 He must still be pretty angry, he thought, and decided to steer clear of his father for a while.\u00a0 He glanced quickly at his grandfather and found him looking thoughtfully at his pipe.\u00a0 The rest of the family quickly began to busy themselves with other tasks to cover up the awkward moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLogan,\u201d Uncle Hoss said, \u201cafter dinner we\u2019ll go outside and take a good look at Rocket.\u00a0 Eric\u2019s done a fine job with his leg, but I want you to see it.\u00a0 You come too, Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Later, walking to the barn, they felt the impact of the wind as it blew snow in their faces.\u00a0 The normally fluffy flakes felt like little pinpricks against their faces, even though they walked head down against it.\u00a0 It was much more pleasant in the barn with the door shut firmly behind them.\u00a0 Hoss walked over to Rocket\u2019s stall and opened it to lead him out slowly.\u00a0 Logan stroked his nose and spoke to him softly, taking heart in the animal\u2019s recognition of him.\u00a0 They all crouched to look at his right foreleg, where the hock was swollen.\u00a0 It had been wrapped with damp strips of toweling to keep it cool.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even though Logan knew that this was normally an injury resulting in a full recovery, he felt a sweat break out on his face.\u00a0 The full impact of the accident hit him then.\u00a0 He had not seen Rocket on the ground; Eric had taken care of him.\u00a0 Logan looked up at his cousin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid he go completely down?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eric nodded, running his hand up and down the slender black leg.\u00a0 \u201cHe was in the road.\u00a0 You were thrown to the side.\u201d\u00a0 There was no criticism in his voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow long did it take him to get up?\u201d\u00a0 Logan was picturing it now in his mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe was moving right away.\u00a0 He tried a couple times, but I was in his way.\u00a0 Once I moved, he got himself up OK.\u00a0 I checked right away for broken bones.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan looked a little queasy.\u00a0 His horse meant the world to him.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Eric.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad I was too,\u201d and Eric smiled at his cousin.\u00a0 They all stood and gave Rocket some special attention.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, son, he\u2019ll be all right in a week or two,\u201d Uncle Hoss reassured his nephew.\u00a0 He knew the young man was feeling pretty guilty.\u00a0 He and Eric then left the barn, sensing that Logan would like to be alone with his horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For a long time Logan stood with his cheek right up against Rocket\u2019s neck, stroking it slowly.\u00a0 He knew he\u2019d done a stupid thing; he usually didn\u2019t drink that much.\u00a0 He apologized to the horse more than once and gave him some sugar cubes he\u2019d brought in his pocket.\u00a0 He was also smarting from the public chastisement his father had delivered in the house.\u00a0 He knew he deserved a talking to, but he also knew that he competently carried a large load in the running of the ranch.\u00a0 His father had made him feel as though he was as small as Ross.\u00a0 Just then the barn door opened again, and Nolan slipped in quickly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhew!\u00a0 There\u2019s a storm blowing up, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d he was brushing snow off his jacket as he came toward his brother.\u00a0 He inspected the horse and talked to him a little bit.\u00a0 The twins then looked somberly at each other before Nolan shrugged.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Dad lectured you in front of everyone.\u00a0 Last night after he helped me get you in bed, he blamed me for letting you drink as much as you did.\u00a0 I felt pretty bad, so I\u2019m sorry if I let you down.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan scowled.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t let me down.\u00a0 Who watches over me while you\u2019re at school?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan gave a humorless smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s what I thought too, but he seemed to think it was important.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan snorted and began to move Rocket back into his stall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhich horse will you use while Rocket heals?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan closed the stall door and looked at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cNot Sport, that\u2019s for sure!\u201d\u00a0 Then they both laughed, and with an arm around each other\u2019s shoulder they walked back out into the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The days leading up to Christmas brought a couple of significant snowfalls.\u00a0 Nolan helped with ranch chores part of the time, and spent the rest of the time working on his school assignments.\u00a0 He recopied the papers he\u2019d written on the train, and spent hours reading the textbooks he\u2019d brought with him.\u00a0 His brother used Pegasus when Nolan wasn\u2019t riding him, and nothing more had been said about the night accident on the road.\u00a0 Logan\u2019s bump resolved and was a fading shade of yellow after a week\u2019s time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Saturday before Christmas, James Fenway picked up Elizabeth in a two-seater sleigh for dinner at the International House.\u00a0 Adam and Mary Lynn welcomed him into the house while their daughter finished getting ready.\u00a0 They served brandy, and although they were cordial and liked the young man, he seemed nervous that evening.\u00a0 He was a good looking man, tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes, which contrasted with Elizabeth\u2019s almost black hair when they stood together, although her eyes were still the deep blue they had always been.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam, who was overseeing the Ponderosa\u2019s mining interests, knew that there had been some legal battles recently between some of the mine owners, and he asked James whether his firm had been involved in any of them.\u00a0 The Cartwright mines had thus far avoided those troubles, but Adam was deeply aware of them.\u00a0 James discussed them in general terms.\u00a0 Of course, he couldn\u2019t reveal any specific details of any cases he and his father were handling.\u00a0 Adam could tell he was familiar enough with the issues, however, so they were able to have a conversation about the problems confronting all the mines.\u00a0 James kept glancing toward the stairway, clearly waiting for Elizabeth to appear.\u00a0 She was usually prompt, and Mary Lynn wondered what was keeping her, but she smiled to herself as she watched James squirm.\u00a0 She remembered Adam\u2019s first meeting with her grandfather, Vance Nolan.\u00a0 Of course, the circumstances had been quite different, and Adam had been rewarded with a punch to the jaw for his trouble.\u00a0 Or maybe for his recklessness.\u00a0 She almost chuckled, but just at that moment Elizabeth appeared at the top of the stairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n James jumped to his feet and was graced by her beatific smile.\u00a0 She was lovely that night in a dark blue velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline and lace at the cuffs and neck.\u00a0 Her waist seemed impossibly small and the skirt was full.\u00a0 Susannah, who could work magic with long hair, had coiffed her sister with a series of rolls and ringlets on top of her head.\u00a0 She seemed to float down the stairs, where James met her.\u00a0 Mary Lynn felt Adam stiffen beside her, but she squeezed his hand before moving toward the couple with a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n James helped Elizabeth into her coat and Mary Lynn helped her tie on a festive winter bonnet that wouldn\u2019t crush her hair.\u00a0 James politely turned and thanked them for the brandy and said he would have their daughter home by eleven.\u00a0 They both said goodnight, and Adam watched from the door as James tucked a lap robe around his daughter in the sleigh.\u00a0 As they heard the bells ring when the sleigh began to move, he shut the door and turned around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s going to catch her death of cold.\u00a0 It\u2019s ridiculous to be out on a night like this,\u201d he complained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn took her husband\u2019s arm and rubbed his back, cajoling him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, all our party guests will be out on a night like this very soon when they come to our holiday party,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s different,\u201d he replied, sounding cranky.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She steered him over to the settee where they could sit together, and handed him his unfinished brandy.\u00a0 She had a feeling this was a special night for Elizabeth and James, and she suspected that Adam knew it too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow is it different?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be my daughter, that\u2019s how it\u2019s different,\u201d and he tipped his head back to finish off all the brandy at once.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour daughter has to grow up sometime, you know,\u201d Mary Lynn slipped her hand into his.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo she doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 She\u2019s perfectly fine the way she is.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think she\u2019ll be unhappy if she doesn\u2019t get married at some point?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He turned to look at her with a dour expression.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 She can have a very happy life without getting married.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe got married,\u201d Mary Lynn said sweetly.\u00a0 \u201cTwice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes widened then and he turned his whole body toward his wife.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think\u2026?\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t even finish the sentence and put a hand over his eyes, sighing deeply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His wife\u2019s laughter pealed in the room.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 But I do think that young man loves our daughter, and I think she loves him too.\u00a0 You\u2019re being a very ungracious father, dear, but I believe you can be forgiven for that since I think you\u2019ll come around nicely in time.\u201d\u00a0 She leaned over and kissed his cheek.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stared at the fire for the few minutes.\u00a0 He reached out to pull his wife close to him.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t quite yet finished voicing his grievances.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat young man never even asked me for her hand,\u201d he grumbled. \u201cThat\u2019s a sign of elitism.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have a talk with my sons tomorrow and tell them how to properly propose to a lady.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat will be fine, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that will help them in the future.\u00a0 For all we know, James will do a fine job proposing to a lady.\u00a0 He perhaps just forgot to propose to her father?\u201d\u00a0 And she was laughing again as she snuggled up against him.\u00a0 She would forego any mention of how he had \u201cproposed\u201d to her and of how stealthy they had been in arranging their own marriage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stubbornly sat by the fire until eleven waiting for Elizabeth. Mary Lynn had given up and gone to bed, as had the other adults who had joined them throughout the evening.\u00a0 Adam tensed when he heard the sleigh bells approaching, and when they stopped, there was a long delay before he heard his daughter\u2019s hand on the door handle.\u00a0 Exactly what were they doing out there?\u00a0 He had clenched his jaw and his hand was gripping the arm of the chair when the door flew open and a glowing Elizabeth rushed in pulling at the strings of her bonnet.\u00a0 She went directly to her father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh Daddy, look!\u00a0 James asked me to marry him!\u201d\u00a0 She held out her left hand and he saw a ring sparkling on her third finger.\u00a0 He took her hand and looked at the ring.\u00a0 A bezel set sapphire was flanked by diamonds, set into a slender yellow gold band.\u00a0 He grudgingly admitted to himself that Fenway had at least chosen a suitable ring.\u00a0 Maybe he wasn\u2019t such a big chump after all.\u00a0 He squeezed his daughter\u2019s hand<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, this is a surprise.\u00a0 Did you know he was going to ask you?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She sat on the arm of his chair and threw her head back, thinking.\u00a0 \u201cWell I thought he would sometime, but I didn\u2019t know he was going to do it tonight.\u00a0 And do you know what he did?\u00a0 After dinner he had the waiter bring over a covered silver dish as a \u2018sweet, compliments of Mr. Fenway.\u2019\u00a0 And then he left and brought back champagne, which James poured, and he told me to see if I liked the dessert, because if I didn\u2019t, he\u2019d order another one.\u00a0 So I lifted the lid of the dish and there was the ring sitting in the open box!\u00a0 I just stared at it and covered my mouth with my hands, I was so shocked.\u00a0 And then James got down on one knee right there in front of everyone and asked me to marry him!\u201d\u00a0 She blushed pink just retelling the story.\u00a0 \u201cAll I could do was nod, so he put the ring on my finger, and gave me some champagne, and everybody in the restaurant applauded!\u00a0 Can you imagine?\u201d\u00a0 She put her hands to her cheeks reliving the events in her mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd you do want to marry him?\u201d Adam asked her gently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She came quickly back to the moment and looked at him in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cShouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, he never asked for my permission to propose to you,\u201d Adam knew the steam was quickly running out of this waning complaint.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elizabeth sat up straight and she looked at him with a flash in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I never!\u00a0 If I had known that I would never have accepted this ring.\u00a0 Never mind that he loves me and can provide for me,\u201d she began working the ring off her finger.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to see if I can catch him to give this back to him,\u201d her tone was righteous as she jumped up and began striding to the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam sighed as he got to his feet and followed her.\u00a0 He noticed his wife sitting at the top of the stairs, chin in her hands, grinning at her daughter and husband.\u00a0 This was Elizabeth at her finest, and she was playing her father like a beautiful stringed instrument.\u00a0 Adam caught up to her just as her hand grasped the door handle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow sweetheart, there\u2019s no need to get upset.\u00a0 You know your mother and I like James very much.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that\u2026\u201d he stopped and groped for words, but he couldn\u2019t say them.\u00a0 Instead, he just stood by his daughter with his hands held out before her in supplication.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t like to see his babies grow up,\u201d Mary Lynn finished for him, getting up and coming down to hug her daughter.\u00a0 Defeated, Adam stood watching mother and daughter admiring the ring, one dark head against one blonde head, the story repeated all over again.\u00a0 He sighed, wondering how many times he would have to listen to it.\u00a0 In a family this big, at least a dozen times he feared, and the females would all want to hear it more than once.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His wife reached out an arm to draw him close so that she had him in one arm and Elizabeth in her other arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elizabeth looked up at him through her dark lashes.\u00a0 \u201cDaddy, if it really means that much to you, I\u2019m sure James will buy a ring for you, too.\u201d\u00a0 She bit her lip, waiting for his reaction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn tried not to laugh, but she was unsuccessful and had to turn her back, her shoulders shaking.\u00a0 Giving up, Adam sighed and held out his arms, drawing his daughter into an embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head.\u00a0\u00a0 He shut his eyes, remembering the rocky period in his life when she had been born, and the first time he looked at her, thinking how much she looked like a Cartwright. It made his eyes sting.\u00a0 He looked at his wife, who had turned back to them, and he knew they were thinking the same thing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 6<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations, honey.\u00a0 You and James are a perfect couple.\u00a0 I know you will be a beautiful bride.\u201d\u00a0 His voice caught on the last word and he just held her a little longer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary Lynn was hoping the wedding would be far enough in the future that Adam would have time to adjust to the idea and be stoic enough to graciously hand his daughter over to her husband-to-be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following day, breakfast was abuzz with talk of the engagement.\u00a0 Everyone was thrilled for Elizabeth, but Adam found that he was right.\u00a0 All of the male Cartwrights with perhaps the exception of Grandpa Ben were fully satisfied after hearing one telling of the engagement events of the previous night, and they began to drift away from the table.\u00a0 The female Cartwrights, on the other hand, could listen to it indefinitely and were riveted to the table. As a result the family walked into church during the singing of the first hymn.\u00a0 After church, the Fenways and the Cartwrights greeted each other warmly.\u00a0 They all agreed that they had an extra blessing to celebrate this Christmas.\u00a0 Elizabeth received kisses from James\u2019 parents, and Adam shook James\u2019 hand while Mary Lynn hugged him, asking how he had known Elizabeth\u2019s ring size.\u00a0 It turned out that he had taken her into the jeweler\u2019s to pick up something of his own that was being repaired, and had arranged for the jeweler to show her some other pieces of jewelry, including rings, and to note her proper ring size.\u00a0 They all parted knowing they would see each other the following Friday for the holiday party at the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christmas dawned cloudy and snowy a few days later with the youngest Cartwrights awakening the older ones with squeals as they discovered bulging stockings hanging from the mantel and wrapped packages beneath and surrounding the Christmas tree.\u00a0 They hopped up and down in excitement as the older members of the family shuffled downstairs in robes, stifling yawns and wondering how morning had come so soon.\u00a0 They had celebrated their traditional Christmas Eve with Ben reading not only the Night Before Christmas, but also the true story of Christmas, that of Jesus\u2019 birth in the manger, from the Bible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing roused them with hot coffee and hot cinnamon rolls, which the adults gratefully sipped at and nibbled on while the children attacked their stockings.\u00a0 It was quite a crowd in the great room, and this was a day that Ben always relished.\u00a0 Everyone he loved was in this room, he thought, and there could be no greater blessing.\u00a0 Nolan, thinking the same thing, met his grandfather\u2019s eye and they shared a smile.\u00a0 He was so happy to be here in this house rather than being alone in Boston or with a friend in a strange house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gifts began to be dragged out from under the tree, and in the ensuing madhouse, there were repeated warnings from parents for children to keep track of their own things, which were easily covered under cast off wrapping paper.\u00a0 Eric and Ben-too sat near the fire and accepted wads of paper that had been responsibly sifted through, and they were tossed in the fire to help reduce the clutter.\u00a0 The noise level increased steadily and gifts were opened, revealing everything from dolls and stuffed bears to lace and sweaters and new boots.\u00a0 There were leather bound books, earrings, ribbons, bonnets, gloves for boys and girls, jump ropes and baseballs.\u00a0 Each of the mothers received a string of pearls with matching drop earrings, which would no doubt debut at the upcoming party.\u00a0 There were silver coins and chocolate candies, guitars for children who didn\u2019t have one yet, and shiny belt buckles for almost everyone, custom designed in the shape of the Ponderosa tree brand.\u00a0 One large and bulky item remained unclaimed and tucked almost out of sight beyond the stairs.\u00a0 It was too big to fit under the tree and it was covered by several blankets.\u00a0 Ross demanded to know who it was for.\u00a0 Everyone looked at each other curiously, and as Ross was about to go make the discovery himself, his father held him back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWait Ross.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see who it\u2019s for,\u201d and Adam walked over to the covered surprise.\u00a0 He looked around the blankets, but found no note.\u00a0 He crouched down and peeked under the blankets, making sure his body blocked anyone\u2019s view of what lay underneath.\u00a0 He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, bemused.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, it appears to be for Logan, but it doesn\u2019t exactly say.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan\u2019s head popped up from where he\u2019d been changing his belt buckle to the new one.\u00a0 Slowly he stood up and with a questioning look at his father, started moving toward the object.\u00a0 This was no small feat inasmuch as he had to step over dozens of gifts and people.\u00a0 Everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch.\u00a0 Logan crouched next to the gift and removed one blanket, then another, and then another.\u00a0 What remained, placed over a wooden sawhorse, was a beautiful saddle in rich shade of tan leather.\u00a0 It had been polished to a high shine and boasted ornate scrollwork around its perimeter.\u00a0 He said nothing, but allowed his fingers to hover over the seat, and just barely brush it.\u00a0 His eyes were wide as he gazed at it.\u00a0 Then he almost did a double take.\u00a0 At the front of the saddle, just below the pommel, in place of scrollwork, was a word burned into the leather: \u201cROCKET.\u201d\u00a0 His intake of breath was audible as he traced the letters with his fingers.\u00a0\u00a0 He grasped the saddle with both hands, lifted it almost like a measure of its strength and value, and he looked at it underneath before replacing it. Then he walked all around it before looking up. He met his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Adam was watching him carefully with something close to a smile playing around his mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Logan told him softly.\u00a0 \u201cThis explains it all.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen a better saddle in my life.\u00a0 It\u2019s perfect.\u201d\u00a0 He looked like he wanted to cry, but Logan would never do that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell I should hope so,\u201d his grandfather announced.\u00a0 \u201cIt took your father and me forever to design it and have it made.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By this time the children were on their feet, crowding in to see the saddle.\u00a0 The adults had all seen it, but it had otherwise been kept a secret.\u00a0 The older boys were especially impressed by it.\u00a0 Nolan whistled when he got close to it, and Eric just shook his head back and forth.\u00a0 Nolan also now understood his father\u2019s anger at both him and his brother over the accident.\u00a0 What good was the saddle without the horse?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Logan moved over to his parents to thank them again.\u00a0 His mother hugged him and his father squeezed his shoulder.\u00a0 As soon as he could, Logan took the saddle out to the barn to try it out on its real owner, even though there would be no rides just yet. It was a perfect fit.\u00a0 He removed Rocket\u2019s old saddle from its place and replaced it with the new one.\u00a0 He turned at the sound of the barn door opening to see Nolan coming in.\u00a0 He was smiling, and together they admired the new saddle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow<\/em> I get it!\u201d\u00a0 Logan said again.\u00a0 \u201cI took a stupid chance with this horse\u2019s life and here was this saddle waiting for me.\u00a0 You can be sure that\u2019ll never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I couldn\u2019t understand why Dad was blaming me for how many beers you had, but it\u2019s all about the saddle.\u00a0 I guess we learned something, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we did.\u00a0 Well it\u2019s a good Christmas, brother.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got you here, and my horse and this great saddle.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAmen,\u201d said Nolan and the two went back to the house to enjoy Christmas with their family.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The holiday party a few days later was a rousing success.\u00a0 Friends and neighbors came in their holiday finery to celebrate and dance.\u00a0 Hop Sing and all the women and girls of the house had been cooking and baking since the last crumb of their Christmas feast had been cleaned up.\u00a0 This day there was an entirely new groaning board of delicious food and drink to sample.\u00a0 All the furniture had been moved back against the walls to make room for dancing.\u00a0 There were guitars, fiddles, a cello and the piano for music.\u00a0 The musicians had struck up their first tune with the arrival of the first guests, and they had been going strong ever since.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All the Cartwright men and boys were handsome in dark suits, and their dance partners were lovely in full formal gowns.\u00a0 Erin, Amy and Mary Lynn were each wearing their Christmas pearls.\u00a0 Elizabeth and James danced exclusively with each other, but spent plenty of time showing off the new engagement ring.\u00a0 Eli was thrilled that James Fenway\u2019s sister Meg, who was the same age as he and Susannah, was interested in dancing with him.\u00a0 Logan, who never spoke much about who he was interested in, found himself surrounded with pretty young ladies who all wanted to spin the dance floor with him.\u00a0 Mary Lynn told Adam they should count who he danced with more than once because they would learn who he was interested in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan was glad to see some of his boyhood friends, and found himself the object of feminine interest as well.\u00a0 He had almost as many girls chatting and dancing with him as his twin did.\u00a0 He was exotic to them now that he had the patina of the East Coast on him.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t really dated much, unless you counted town dances and church picnics.\u00a0 He had usually had his nose in a book.\u00a0 So he was happily surprised to find himself continually occupied on the dance floor.\u00a0 He saw Eric whirl past several times with his special girl, Emily, and he knew that Hoss and Erin were hoping for a happy announcement from them at some point in the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The tempo of the music picked up, but the dancers were up to the challenge.\u00a0 Joe and Amy, who loved to dance, showed amazing stamina, as did Grandpa Ben who was making a point of dancing with every unescorted woman and girl in the house, and doing a good job of it.\u00a0 His favorite dance of all was with his two youngest granddaughters, Sarah and Marianne\u2014both at the same time, to their delight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The party went on well into the night, with the last of the guests saying goodnight just before 2:00 a.m. with wishes of Happy New Year, which was just a couple of days away.\u00a0 Many tired Cartwrights slept late the following morning, and the whole day was slow and lazy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n New Year\u2019s Eve was always a relatively quiet celebration on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 A few close friends were invited for dinner with the sprawling Cartwright brood.\u00a0 Roy Coffee and Doc Martin always came.\u00a0 The new doctor in town, Dr. Avery Bennett, and his wife, Claudine came as well with their two boys who were about the same ages as Joe\u2019s boys.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s longtime attorney, John Granger and his wife, Ann also joined the group.\u00a0 And this year James Fenway appropriately came too.\u00a0 It was Hop Sing\u2019s third feast in a week, and he was looking forward to a week off in San Francisco with his own relatives beginning January 2.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conversation was lively around the table and everyone was relaxed.\u00a0 It had snowed again overnight, and during the day the children had engaged in a wicked snowball fight.\u00a0 They had divided themselves up into teams led by Gunner and Hunter.\u00a0 In the end, it was hard to tell who had won, but each side claimed victory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The adults talked a lot about the growth Virginia City was seeing, and how 1881 showed great promise for future progress.\u00a0 Another doctor was moving into town in the spring, and Dr. Bennett was looking forward to his arrival.\u00a0 Many new citizens required much of his time.\u00a0 Roy Coffee and Paul Martin reminisced about the changes they had seen over the years.\u00a0 Ben joined in that conversation, well remembering Virginia City as a muddy camp with a few log buildings and a lot of tents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the clock struck twelve, the entire party ushered in the New Year with champagne.\u00a0 Even most of the children got the tiniest of sips this one time only for the whole year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam winked at Logan when he announced that one glass of champagne would be enough for him and made a point of pushing his glass away. Nolan hastened to add that he had been watching, and his brother was telling the truth about his alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next day was Nolan\u2019s last day at home.\u00a0 He would leave for Boston on January 2.\u00a0 It was a quiet day spent appreciating his home and family.\u00a0 Hoss and Eric had decreed that Rocket\u2019s leg was sufficiently healed and that he and Logan could ride again.\u00a0 Logan eagerly saddled him using the new saddle and then sedately walked him around the corral for about ten minutes.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to take any chances. But Nolan took Pegasus out for a long ride alone, talking to him, explaining where he would be and what he would be doing until he returned in summertime.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A quiet dinner was enjoyed by all.\u00a0 With Hop Sing on vacation, the women and girls had planned their own meals and done all the cooking.\u00a0 The rest of the family declared they were almost as good as Hop Sing, and that they could hardly tell the difference.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan talked quietly with his parents, aunts and uncles in the evening, having packed his bag before dinner.\u00a0 He made a point of speaking individually with every one of his siblings and cousins.\u00a0 He felt quiet and happy.\u00a0 This departure was going to be less emotional that his last one for Boston.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next day, Adam alone took his son into Virginia City to catch the stage to Reno.\u00a0 The day was cold with blowing snow, so the rest of the family stayed home.\u00a0 Elizabeth had promised that the wedding would be scheduled for summer when he was home.\u00a0 His mother hugged him for a long time, until he broke away and kissed her cheek.\u00a0 He hugged his aunts and shook hands with his uncles and grandfather before joining his father in the buggy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The stage was on time, and Adam embraced his son just before he climbed into the stage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSafe travel, son.\u00a0 Have a good term.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI will, Dad.\u00a0 And thanks again for the surprise; it was great,\u201d Nolan grinned.\u00a0 As the stage departed, they both waved until they couldn\u2019t see each other anymore.\u00a0 Nolan leaned back.\u00a0\u00a0 Christmas was over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t too much to see through the train window except snow covering the landscape after the train left Reno.\u00a0 Nolan watched it for a while and then turned to his textbooks.\u00a0 When he got hungry, he was glad that his mother had sent him off with a sack of food that consisted primarily of leftover treats from their New Year\u2019s celebration.\u00a0 He accomplished a fair amount of reading, and then dozed late in the afternoon.\u00a0 In the late afternoon the train stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada. Nolan was fairly far back in the string of railroad cars, so it was hard for him to see, but he didn\u2019t think too many passengers boarded the train at this stop.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Several minutes later a young woman entered his car from the one before it.\u00a0 She was tall and pink cheeked, with long, curling warm brown hair.\u00a0 She carried a satchel and a hatbox.\u00a0 She seemed undecided about where to sit, and when the train started moving with a jolt, she almost lost her footing.\u00a0 She quickly grabbed the back of the nearest seat as her hatbox flew out of her grasp.\u00a0 Nolan moved quickly and caught it in midair as it sailed his way.\u00a0 Then he stood and reached out his hand to help steady her.\u00a0 There were only a few other passengers in that car, and she could have chosen to sit by herself with plenty of extra room, but Nolan smiled at her and gestured toward his seat, inviting her to sit across from him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you!\u201d\u00a0 She sounded breathless as she dropped into the bench seat opposite him.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be able to tell I haven\u2019t traveled much,\u201d her cheeks, which were pink from the cold, seemed to color even more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, neither have I, to tell the truth,\u201d Nolan admitted, looking at her dark brown eyes with curiosity.\u00a0 She held her satchel on her lap and wore a practical black wool coat with a matching hat.\u00a0 Then, catching himself staring at her, he moved to tuck her hatbox under the seat and held out his hand, offering to stow her satchel as well, which she surrendered. Next he offered his hand to her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI have the worst manners.\u00a0 My name is Nolan Cartwright.\u00a0 Glad to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took his hand and laughed lightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou have the best manners.\u00a0 I\u2019d be flat on my face right now if you hadn\u2019t caught me and my hatbox!\u00a0 I\u2019m Karen Gregory, and I\u2019m very<\/em> glad to meet you!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Karen got herself settled, Nolan made small talk.\u00a0 He found it a nice change to have more than a book to keep him company.\u00a0 He asked her were she was going, and she told him she was headed for New York to help an older sister who was about to have a baby and needed help with her older children, who were all quite young and energetic.\u00a0 As it turned out, the new baby would make a family of five children for her sister and her husband.\u00a0 Nolan smiled, sensing her excitement.\u00a0 She was excited to be traveling, to see her sister, and awed by her sister\u2019s growing family.\u00a0 He found himself telling her about his family, and when she finally realized that they all lived under one roof, her eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh my goodness!\u00a0 How do you manage it all?\u00a0 You all must have very patient mothers.\u201d\u00a0 Nolan admitted that they did, and explained how things generally worked around the ranch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Karen was very interested in the working of the Ponderosa, and they found themselves talking well into the evening.\u00a0 She noticed that as he talked about his home, Nolan leaned forward eagerly and his eyes shone.\u00a0 She thought he was extraordinarily handsome with his dark hair that curled slightly under his collar, his cleft chin, cheeks that dimpled when he smiled, and long-fingered hands that gestured animatedly when he talked.\u00a0 She watched him with a soft smile on her face.\u00a0 He told her the story about his brother\u2019s accident on the ice with his beloved horse, and the inscribed saddle that was his Christmas gift.\u00a0 She was biting her lip when he described holding his brother in the snow while his cousin examined the horse for injury.\u00a0 But moments later he had her laughing with stories of other Logan escapades.\u00a0 When she learned that they were twins she looked surprised.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut you don\u2019t seem anything like him,\u201d she exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cHe sounds like the court jester, and you seem quieter somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, we are different in many ways,\u201d Nolan acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cBut, if he were sitting next to me right now, you would not be able to tell us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re identical?\u201d\u00a0 She gasped when he nodded, imagining two such handsome men side by side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are identical to look at, but if you spent any time around us you would be able to tell us apart easily.\u00a0 He grew up wanting to be a cowboy, and I always had my nose in a book.\u00a0 I love to play chess, and he would never sit still long enough to learn how.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou like chess?\u00a0 I do too!\u00a0 How delightful.\u00a0 My father taught me how to play, but I don\u2019t find many people who enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI love it, and spend hours playing with my grandfather and my father.\u00a0 Too bad we don\u2019t have a board here.\u00a0 We could while away the long trip with some great games of strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That began a long conversation about chess openings and strategic moves that was interrupted only when Karen rummaged through her satchel and produced a box containing sandwiches and chocolate cookies, which she shared with Nolan.\u00a0 They talked through the night and fell asleep as dawn approached.\u00a0 They spent the next day dozing and talking until they felt they had known each other for years.\u00a0 Nolan gave Karen his address in Boston and she gave him her sister\u2019s address in New York.\u00a0 They agreed it would be fun to correspond as they both progressed in their new ventures.\u00a0 Nolan had told her he was going to school, but he underplayed where he was going and Karen didn\u2019t pursue it.\u00a0 He found again that he wanted to just be Nolan, not Nolan from Harvard.\u00a0 He found himself wanting to know more about this young lady, which was exactly what Karen Gregory was thinking about him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the early morning hours of January 4, 1881, as Karen and Nolan were sleeping in their respective seats, the Central Pacific train encountered heavy snow as it traveled through the Rocky Mountains crossing the Great Divide Basin near Wyoming.\u00a0 The locomotive was pulling twenty three cars, and the engineer ordered speed to be slowed down by half to avoid any problems with icy rails.\u00a0 He knew that one tricky spot ahead was a long trestle that crossed a deep yaw formed by several of the mountains.\u00a0 When the engine subsequently made first contact with the trestle, it had already slowed its speed even further.\u00a0 The crew operating the locomotive had no desire to tangle with this storm on this trestle among these mountains.\u00a0 Most of the passengers were sleeping, anyway, and would not notice the difference in speed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the train had almost completed the crossing, a high pitched squeal was heard in the rear, just before the caboose rammed into the car ahead of it, having encountered ice on the rails.\u00a0 This caused a natural chain reaction of collisions, as each car was driven into the car before it.\u00a0 This destabilization of the train, along with the ice and accompanying wind, rocked the train.\u00a0 The sudden motion awakened most of the sleeping passengers, including Nolan and Karen.\u00a0 They reached for each other\u2019s hands instinctively.\u00a0 Some people were shouting and screaming, but Nolan thought the train was starting to steady itself, and he tried to reassure Karen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What was happening, however, was much more terrifying than anyone could have imagined.\u00a0 The last two cars that remained on the trestle\u2014the two that had initially collided\u2014continued to rock and slide on the rapidly forming ice until they derailed.\u00a0 The caboose lost its purchase first and its back end left the track.\u00a0 For a few seconds it was held by the car ahead of it, but in the end its weight was too much and it slid over the trestle until it landed in the rocky canyon many yards below it, dragging its companion car with it.\u00a0 Both disappeared entirely in the murky dark.\u00a0 The next car in line had completed crossing the trestle, but was still too close to be out of harm\u2019s way.\u00a0 It was pulled onto its side and dragged partway off the track, where it rested for about a minute before it, too, was lost forever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another chain reaction of derailed cars began.\u00a0 Like dominoes, they overturned.\u00a0 Nolan and Karen were in car 17 of the 23 cars, and when it flopped to its side with the sound the breaking glass and twisting metal, they were thrown across the car and landed like rag dolls against what had been the upright windows opposite where they had earlier been sitting.\u00a0 All was dark and there was an eerie silence after two more cars fell to their sides.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Those in the front cars could hear the train\u2019s engine still running, but they could not yet fathom what had happened behind them.\u00a0 They knew it was of disastrous proportions, but they could not understand why they didn\u2019t hear the passengers calling for help.\u00a0 The crew was immediately sent out into the snow with lanterns and came back reporting bodies inside the cars, bodies in the snow, and people wandering in shock along the track.\u00a0 They estimated 55-60 people who needed medical attention, and some needed it immediately.\u00a0 The nearest town was Rock Springs, Wyoming, some 15 miles down the track.\u00a0 The engine was released from the rest of the train and was sent down the track to that town to report the accident and return with help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nolan lay for a time where he landed, forcing his brain to decide whether he had imagined the accident or if it was real.\u00a0 It was almost more than he could comprehend.\u00a0 Slowly rousing himself, he spent some time looking for Karen but couldn\u2019t find her. He called out her name repeatedly, only to be met with silence.\u00a0 He heard no voices at all.\u00a0 The only way out of the train was to climb out through the broken windows on the side where he had been sitting, not where he had landed.\u00a0 A fuzzy thought came to him that such an exit would be painful for the passengers with injuries, and there must be many.\u00a0 But really, there was no help for that.\u00a0 They would be trapped otherwise.\u00a0 He slowly worked his way up to a broken window and winnowed his way through it.\u00a0 Once standing outside, he walked across the side of the train until he found a place where he could climb down onto the ground.\u00a0 Jumping the last few feet, he felt a sharp pain in his leg and realized he had some bruises and maybe even some sprains.\u00a0 Like Rocket.\u00a0 That thought amused him. Better wrap his leg with cool compresses.\u00a0 He continued moving toward the front of the train, now missing its engine car.\u00a0 He saw that a bonfire had been lit on the tracks with some of the wood the train had been carrying.\u00a0 He headed there and consulted the conductor about coming back in daylight to try to find his textbooks.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care so much about his clothing, but he didn\u2019t want to lose the books and papers he had worked on over the holidays. The man started to answer him, but his attention was diverted by a man who was screaming.\u00a0 Nolan tried to see what was wrong, but too many people surrounded the man, whose screams persisted horribly.\u00a0 Nolan began to feel sleepy and moved away to find a place to sit in the snow not too far from the warmth of the bonfire.\u00a0 He could feel his eyelids grow heavy amid the havoc all around him.\u00a0 He dozed off, despite the harrowing screams.\u00a0 He woke up a few moments later, wet and shivering, holding his left leg.\u00a0 He felt confused.\u00a0 He must have fallen asleep in the snow.\u00a0 Someone was kneeling near him, attaching something to his leg.\u00a0 The screaming man was still in great pain, that much was evident to his ringing ears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBoy, try not to touch the bone.\u00a0 Keep your hands off it, it\u2019ll be better that way.\u201d\u00a0 A voice very close was speaking.\u00a0 Nolan thought how peculiar it was that he was still so sleepy at the same time he was shivering.\u00a0 A hand grasped his jaw and he felt some liquid trickling into his mouth. It was bitter and he choked on it going down.\u00a0 Shortly after that he realized someone had picked him up.\u00a0 He wondered why, but as he tried to reason the question, he began to spin in a dizzying grey fog that had a quality to it that was not unpleasant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf I don\u2019t get you taken care of soon I don\u2019t know what will happen to you,\u201d the voice said to him.\u00a0 The screaming began to recede, probably because whoever had picked him up was walking away from the man in such horrible pain.\u00a0 Nolan felt himself relax in the arms that held him, and as his head finally fell back, the screams were only a vague echo still roiling around inside it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On January 5, Adam Cartwright was in Virginia City doing errands and keeping an appointment with John Granger about some mine contracts.\u00a0 He had just entered John\u2019s office when Harvey Bridgely from the telegraph office ran through the street in his shirtsleeves and burst through the door of the law office.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, this came for you, sir.\u00a0 It\u2019s urgent.\u00a0 I thought you better see it right away,\u201d the young man was trying to catch his breath and his spectacles had steamed over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Harvey,\u201d Adam took some coins from his pocket and handed them to the telegraph operator.\u00a0 He smiled slightly, watching the young man quizzically as he backed his way out of the office and out into the cold.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shaking his head, Adam ripped open the telegram.\u00a0 It was from the Central Pacific Railroad.\u00a0 Adam frowned and began reading.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John Granger walked out to receive Adam in his office just in time to see his client\u2019s face drain of all color.\u00a0 He sat down hard, staring at a piece of paper in his hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John was shocked and questions began tumbling out.\u00a0 Adam covered his face with his hands and the paper fell to the floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh my God, I did this.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John picked up the small piece of paper and looked at it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTRAIN ACCIDENT JAN04\/81\u00a0 STOP \u00a0\u00a0ROCKY MTNS \u00a0\u00a0STOP\u00a0 83<\/p>\n CASUALTIES \u00a0\u00a0STOP \u00a0\u00a0NOLAN CARTWRIGHT MISSING \u00a0\u00a0STOP\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/strong><\/p>\n Next Story in the Destiny Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Homecoming Part 2<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part of the fourth story in the\u00a0 Destiny series<\/p>\n Summary: Adam and Mary Lynn travel to Boston to visit Nolan at college.\u00a0 Adam has a surprise planned that will affect every member of the Cartwright family.<\/p>\n Rated: K+ (23,040 words)<\/p>\n Destiny Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":1242,"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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[7,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza31.jpg?fit=573%2C389&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3435","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\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDesert Destiny<\/a>
\nDestiny Next Door<\/a>
\nBrothers<\/a>
\nNo More Birthday Parties, Thank you<\/a>
\nIt’s Just for Now<\/a>
\nThe Homecoming Part 1<\/a>
\nThe Homecoming Part 2<\/a>
\nLogan’s Bride<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nLogan’s Bride<\/a><\/p>\n