“I’ll tell you one thing,” Joe stated as he passed a plate of pork chops across the table to Hoss. “I’m sure looking forward to that dance next Saturday. I can’t remember a busier month.”<\/span><\/p>\n“I’m sorry,” Adam frowned in mock concentration as he placed a hand to his ear. “Did I hear you admit you’ve never had a busy month?”<\/p>\n
“Busier,” Joe repeated, “Bus-i-er. And if you’re implying that I don’t do my share around here\u2026”<\/p>\n
“Aw, come on, Joe,” Hoss interrupted amiably. “I’m sure Adam wasn’t saying any such thing. I mean, just yesterday, we saw you holding up the side of the livery while you were talking to little Amy Hotchkins.”<\/p>\n
“Ah, yes,” Adam mused thoughtfully. “Wasn’t that right after he was steadying the hitching post while talking to Melissa Switzer?”<\/p>\n
“Naw,” Hoss frowned as though in deep concentration. “I reckon Amy was before Melissa, but after that little Sawyer gal.”<\/p>\n
“Judith,” Joe muttered tersely. “Her name is Judith.”<\/p>\n
“That’s right,” Hoss exclaimed triumphantly. “Judith. I keep getting her mixed up with Judy Miller.”<\/p>\n
Joe looked angrily from Hoss to Adam and back again, only to catch the teasing looks on both their faces. Sheepishly, he relinquished his annoyance for reluctant admission. “OK, I get the point. But the dance is only a week away and I haven’t had a chance to decide who I’m going to take.”<\/p>\n
“I’m sure the female population of Virginia City waits with bated breath,” Adam replied with the trace of a smile.<\/p>\n
“That’s enough, boys,” Ben admonished casually. “You’ve all worked hard this past few weeks. You should be looking forward to a little socializing right about now.”<\/p>\n
“Well, I sure am,” Joe smiled. “I think I’ll ask Amy. What about you guys? Have you decided who you’re taking?”<\/p>\n
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Danielle Brewer is kinda sweet on me,” Hoss grinned boyishly. “But unlike you, little brother, I’ve already asked her.”<\/p>\n
“That’s great,” Joe beamed. Then, turning to the oldest of the three Cartwright boys, he added, “I guess that just leaves you, brother. Who’s the lucky lady?”<\/p>\n
Adam stirred his coffee for a moment, allowing the suspense to build to a sufficient level before answering. “Melinda Carlyle.”<\/p>\n
“You’re kidding!” Joe exclaimed, his eyebrows raised in obvious approval.<\/p>\n
“That new banker’s daughter?” Hoss interjected. “She sure is a pretty thing, Adam, but how in the blazes did you ever get her to agree to go with you? She hasn’t spoken but a word to most of the fellas in town since they got here.”<\/p>\n
“I guess most of the fellas in town just don’t know how to talk to her,” Adam countered with a small smile. “She’s really quite friendly once you get to know her.”<\/p>\n
“Is that a fact?” Joe mused, winking almost imperceptibly in Hoss’s direction. “I guess I had her pegged all wrong.” He allowed a slight pause before continuing. “I would have thought she was much too refined a lady for the likes of you, Adam.”<\/p>\n
All four joined in the laughter as Adam threw his napkin playfully at Joe.<\/p>\n
**********<\/span><\/p>\nThe dance was a rousing success with everyone enjoying a night of fun and laughter after the hard work that had been consuming their lives for the last month.<\/p>\n
“Thank you, Adam,” Melinda smiled as he walked her to the door. “I had a wonderful time.”<\/p>\n
“As did I,” Adam returned the smile. “Your company was most enjoyable.”<\/p>\n
She tilted her head to one side, studying his eyes for a moment before speaking her thoughts aloud. “You surprise me,” she smiled. “You don’t seem at all like the men I’ve met since leaving Boston.”<\/p>\n
“How so?” he asked casually.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know,” she shrugged slightly. “You’re so much more eloquent, like you’d be more at home in a sophisticated city than on a ranch.”<\/p>\n
“Geography doesn’t dictate the measure of a man,” he reminded her gently. “The Ponderosa is my home. It’s not necessarily who I am.”<\/p>\n
“Isn’t it?” she asked cryptically. “Could you ever really separate yourself from this way of life? From your family?”<\/p>\n
“Family is a state of mind,” he stated. “It’s something you feel, believe in. You don’t have to live in the same territory to maintain that.”<\/p>\n
“But yours is very important to you,” she replied, more as a statement than a question.<\/p>\n
“Yes,” he acknowledged. “But that wouldn’t change if I moved to San Francisco or Boston or Timbuktu for that matter.”<\/p>\n
“I’m glad,” she smiled. “That’s the way it should be.”<\/p>\n
“Speaking of the way things should be,” he stated cautiously. “Tomorrow is Sunday.”<\/p>\n
“You’re very clever,” she teased.<\/p>\n
“And now that the roundup is finished,” he continued, “I thought I might take the opportunity to ask a beautiful girl on a picnic.”<\/p>\n
“Anyone special in mind?” she asked coyly.<\/p>\n
“A certain banker’s daughter, maybe,” he played along. “That is, if she’ll agree to go.”<\/p>\n
“Sounds lovely,” she admitted, smiling warmly.<\/p>\n
“Then I’ll pick you up at 1,” he replied, taking her hand and kissing it gently. “Until tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
“Until tomorrow,” she repeated.<\/p>\n
After making sure she was safely inside, Adam returned to his horse, quietly humming a happy tune.<\/p>\n
The day dawned bright and sunny and Adam took only a minimal amount of ribbing from his brothers as he gathered up things for the picnic.<\/p>\n
As he and Melinda headed for the lake, they talked about books and music, finding that they had more in common than they’d realized.<\/p>\n
“You’re like a breath of fresh air,” he commented as they lounged on a large blanket, staring out at the water.<\/p>\n
“You don’t find many women who share your interests?” she replied casually.<\/p>\n
“Not many that I find as intriguing as I do you,” he admitted. “You’re both strong and delicate, quick to wit, but at the same time, compassionate, caring.”<\/p>\n
“And you’re intelligent and sensitive,” she returned the compliment. “But strong and decisive.”<\/p>\n
“We’d better be careful,” he teased. “We’re dangerously close to what would be considered a mutual admiration society.”<\/p>\n
“I don’t mind if you don’t,” she replied quietly, her gaze traveling from his eyes to his lips and back again.<\/p>\n
Without replying to her spoken words, he acted on the silent communication between them, lowering his head to hers in a long, lingering kiss.<\/p>\n
The spot beside the lake became theirs. Whenever the demands of daily living allowed, they would make their way to the one place where all that mattered was each other.<\/span><\/p>\n“I think I just may be falling in love with you, Miss Carlyle,” Adam murmured in her ear as she sat leaning against him with her feet dangling in the water.<\/p>\n
She turned her face upward to study his. “I certainly hope so, Mr. Cartwright,” she smiled fondly. As their lips met, they shared feelings that could only be conveyed by two people in love.<\/p>\n
The magical moment was interrupted by the sound of hoof beats approaching rapidly from the south. Squinting against the sun, Adam turned toward the lone rider, his pulse quickening as he realized who it was.<\/p>\n
“It’s Little Joe,” he breathed, instantly getting to his feet. The pace at which his brother raced toward him told him that something was wrong.<\/p>\n
“What is it?” he asked as Joe rode up to them.<\/p>\n
“The bank,” Joe replied grimly. “It’s been robbed.”<\/p>\n
“Father!” Melinda exclaimed, an element of panic in her voice.<\/p>\n
“He’s been shot,” Joe answered reluctantly. “The doctor sent me to get you.”<\/p>\n
“Do they have any idea who it was?” Adam asked as he helped Melinda into the buggy.<\/p>\n
“The Martin brothers,” Joe answered grimly. “There’s more, Adam. It’s Hoss.”<\/p>\n
“What about Hoss?” Adam asked, his voice low.<\/p>\n
“We were in town.” Joe explained. “When we heard someone shouting that the bank was being robbed, we went to see if he could help. Hoss saw Mr. Carlyle get hit and went to see if he was OK. One of them shot him as they were leaving the bank.” He paused for a moment. “It looks pretty bad, Adam.”<\/p>\n
“Let’s go,” Adam muttered as he hopped into the buggy and grabbed the reins.<\/p>\n
When they arrived in town, they found people hurrying to and from the doctor’s small office, while Sherriff Coffee attempted to organize a group of men in front of the jail.<\/span><\/p>\nIgnoring the latter, Adam, Joe and Melinda hurried to where Ben waited inside the doctor’s quarters.<\/p>\n
“How is he?” Adam asked, the moment they arrived.<\/p>\n
“It’s not good, son,” Ben admitted, his voice thick with concern. “The doctor is with him now.”<\/p>\n
“Where’s my father?” Melinda asked anxiously.<\/p>\n
“He’s in the other room,” Ben told her gently. “Your mother is with him.”<\/p>\n
As she tried to hurry to her father’s side, Ben stopped her with a firm, but gentle hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, Miss Carlyle,” he added. “There was nothing the doctor could do.”<\/p>\n
“No!” she screamed, wrenching free of Ben’s grasp and hurrying through the closed door to where her father lay. After a moment, she hurried from the room again, sobbing as she ran past the three men and out the door into the street.<\/p>\n
“Melinda!” her mother cried as she tried unsuccessfully to stop her.<\/p>\n
“You’d better go after her, son,” Ben suggested to Adam. “It will be a while before we can see Hoss.” He struggled with the remainder of his thoughts. “The doctor is still trying to get the bullet out.”<\/p>\n
With a solemn nod, Adam followed Melinda out of the office. He easily caught up to her and grabbed her arm as she ran through the street toward her house.<\/p>\n
“Melinda, I’m sorry,” he offered as he turned her to face him.<\/p>\n
“Let go of me!” she shrieked. “They’re not going to get away with this! You can’t stop me, Adam!”<\/p>\n
“Take it easy,” he advised, trying to calm her. “I know it hurts, but this isn’t the way\u2026”<\/p>\n
“They killed him,” she spat. “They’re nothing more than cowards\u2026 animals.”<\/p>\n
“And they’ll be punished for it,” Adam informed her firmly. “I promise you that.”<\/p>\n
“By whom?” she demanded angrily. “That so-called posse the sheriff is organizing?”<\/p>\n
“By the law,” he corrected.<\/p>\n
“Law?” she countered bitterly. “Law?? Law is a joke in this part of the country, Adam. Order goes to the man with the fastest gun. Justice is meted out with a rope and a tree.”<\/p>\n
“Sometimes,” he agreed, his anger matching that of her own. “But if we stoop to that sort of vengeance, we’re no better than the men who killed your father.”<\/p>\n
“And what about Hoss?” Melinda demanded. “If he dies, will you be so quick to follow the letter of your laws?”<\/p>\n
“They’re not my laws,” he snapped. “They’re for the protection of everyone. Whether or not Hoss dies, they will hang for what they’ve done.”<\/p>\n
“After a fair trial,” she scoffed incredulously.<\/p>\n
“That’s the way it’s done,” he answered grimly.<\/p>\n
She was silent for a moment, glaring at him before breaking into a mirthless laugh. “I should have known,” she muttered, shaking her head slowly. “All your talk about family and the measure of a man. All fancy words to hide the fact that you’re no more of a man than the rest of the pathetic cowhands I’ve met in this town.”<\/p>\n
Without thinking, he grabbed her by the arms and shook her slightly. “That’s my brother laying in there,” he hissed angrily through clenched teeth. “No matter how long it takes me, I’ll make sure the men responsible for this are brought to justice.”<\/p>\n
“Go ahead,” she sneered. “Go with your posse. Go and stand up for the rights of those murderers while I bury my father.”<\/p>\n
With that, she wrenched free of him and hurried once again toward her house. As Adam ran a hand through his hair in frustration, he saw Mrs. Carlyle standing a few feet away.<\/p>\n
“It’s all right, Adam,” she forced a smile. “Go back to your family. They need you right now. I’ll take care of Melinda.”<\/p>\n
After glancing in the direction in which she’d run, he nodded in defeat and turned back toward the doctor’s office.<\/p>\n
Once there, he found his father and younger brother still waiting for word. As he was about to ask about the progress, the door to the inner room opened and the doctor joined them, his brow dripping with both sweat and concern.<\/p>\n
“I was able to remove the bullet,” he informed them. “Now it’s up to him and God.”<\/p>\n
“Can we see him?” Ben asked.<\/p>\n
“For a moment,” the doctor nodded. “But I don’t expect he’ll be awake for some time yet.”<\/p>\n
“I understand. Thank you, doctor,” Ben replied as he hurried toward the room where his son lay.<\/p>\n
As the three of them looked down at the pale figure, they were silent, each harbouring their own thoughts. Only after Ben herded them reluctantly out of the room did Joe speak.<\/p>\n
“I’m going over to the Sheriff’s office,” he stated grimly. “The more men he has in that posse, the better the chances of catching them before they get too far.”<\/p>\n
“I’m going with you,” Adam stated, grabbing his hat from a chair in the outer office.<\/p>\n
Ben thought about the words for a moment. Though he didn’t like the idea of allowing the remainder of his sons to put themselves at risk, he knew well the feeling of having to do something. “Of course,” he finally nodded. “Be careful.”<\/p>\n
“We will,” Joe promised as they headed for the door.<\/p>\n
As they walked toward the livery for fresh horses, Joe reluctantly spoke. “I heard some of what she said,” he informed him quietly. “You know she’s wrong.”<\/span><\/p>\n“I don’t need you or Melinda Carlyle to tell me what’s right and wrong,” Adam snapped irritably.<\/p>\n
“I just meant\u2026”<\/p>\n
“I know what you meant,” Adam retorted bitterly. “And believe me, if I’d wanted counsel from my little brother, I would have asked for it.”<\/p>\n
“Look,” Joe demanded, stopping him with an angry hand on his arm. “Hoss is my brother, too.”<\/p>\n
Adam seemed to consider the words only a moment before shrugging Joe’s hand off his arm. “Let’s go,” he muttered miserably.<\/p>\n
It was the next day before the posse returned to Virginia City with four members of the Martin gang in tow. Adam and Joe went straight to the doctor’s office.<\/span><\/p>\n“How is he?” Adam asked as they hurried through the door.<\/p>\n
“No change,” Ben answered wearily. “The doctor says if he doesn’t wake up soon\u2026” He didn’t need to finish the statement.<\/p>\n
“We got them, Pa,” Joe informed the elder Cartwright. “All four of them.”<\/p>\n
“That’s good,” Ben nodded in relief. “At least we know they’ll stand trial for what they’ve done.”<\/p>\n
“I’m sure that will be a great sense of comfort to the Carlyles,” Adam muttered sarcastically. “And to Hoss.”<\/p>\n
“Adam,” Ben frowned. “Nothing can change what has already happened. The best we can do is trust in the justice system.”<\/p>\n
“And what if that’s not enough?” Adam demanded. “How many times have you seen a guilty man go free?”<\/p>\n
“That’s a risk we take as a civilized society,” Ben reminded him firmly.<\/p>\n
“Civilized?” Adam repeated incredulously. “You call this civilized? Where any man with a gun can come in and kill whomever he wants just to get his hands on money that he didn’t have to work for?”<\/p>\n
“No,” Ben admitted. “But the way we deal with those men is what determines what kind of men we are.”<\/p>\n
“Well, I’m tired of dealing with those men, Pa,” Adam stated bitterly. “I’m tired of waiting for judges and hoping that juries will be able to determine the truth from the lies. There’s only one guarantee that they’ll get what they deserve, and that’s if it’s taken care of before it ever gets to a courtroom.”<\/p>\n
“You don’t believe that,” Ben stated grimly.<\/p>\n
Adam was quiet for a moment. “Maybe I don’t,” he finally admitted in a low voice. “But right now, they’re sitting comfortably in jail and Hoss is fighting for his very life. Forgive me if I don’t find my beliefs all that comforting at the moment.”<\/p>\n
With that, he left the office, leaving Ben to shoot a concerned look in Joe’s direction.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know, Pa,” Joe sighed. “It’s like he’s angry at everyone. He won’t even speak to me.”<\/p>\n
“He’ll calm down,” Ben assured him, his calm voice belying his concern. “Adam’s got a good head on his shoulders.”<\/p>\n
“Yeah,” Joe nodded, “But he’s also got Melinda Carlyle demanding justice for her father’s death. She as much as called him a coward for not going after those men with a gun instead of a posse.”<\/p>\n
“We all want justice for our loved ones,” Ben stated quietly. “I’m sure once Melinda has a chance to calm down, she’ll think differently.”<\/p>\n
Adam knocked at the door of the Carlyle house and waited for someone to answer.<\/span><\/p>\n“Adam,” Mrs. Carlyle smiled as she stood aside to allow him entrance. “I didn’t realize you were back.”<\/p>\n
“We brought them in a few minutes ago,” he informed her. “There’ll be a trial as soon as the circuit judge can get here.”<\/p>\n
“That’s good news,” she nodded, forcing a small smile.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t get the chance to tell you how sorry I am for what happened,” he added. “Your husband was a good man.”<\/p>\n
“Yes, he was,” she agreed. “Thank you.”<\/p>\n
“Is Melinda here?” he asked. “I’d really like to talk to her if I may.”<\/p>\n
“Of course,” Mrs. Carlyle replied. “Have a seat and I’ll get her.”<\/p>\n
Adam waited until she left the room before walking slowly toward the window. Rather than take the offered seat, he chose to stand and look out at the people hurrying by. No matter what happened, life went on.<\/p>\n
“Hello, Adam,” Melinda said as she entered the room.<\/p>\n
“Hello,” Adam forced a smile. “I wanted to see you. I’m sorry about the way we left things yesterday. I was hoping \u2026”<\/p>\n
“That I might have changed my mind?” she asked tersely.<\/p>\n
“Well, that you might have had a chance to think things out a little more clearly,” he amended.<\/p>\n
“Did you get them?” she asked bluntly.<\/p>\n
“They’re in jail,” he answered. “They’ll stand trial as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n
“Then I guess you’re happy,” she shrugged. “Was there anything else, Adam?”<\/p>\n
He looked at her for a moment, taking in the mask of indifference she wore. “I guess not,” he finally replied in a quiet voice.<\/p>\n
Without another word, she went to the door and opened it for him. Twirling his hat distractedly in his hands, he struggled to think of something that he could say to make her see things differently. One look at her determined expression, however, told him that it would be a waste of his time. “Good afternoon, then,” he nodded.<\/p>\n
“Good day,” she returned curtly, closing the door behind him as he left.<\/p>\n
He stood on the porch for a moment, staring at the closed door as though trying to comprehend what had just transpired on the other side. Finally, with a weary sigh, he put on his hat and headed back for the doctor’s office.<\/p>\n
As he was about to enter, the sound of gunshots and shouting made him turn toward the other end of the street. Outside the sheriff’s office was a whirlwind of activity. Joe was immediately at his side.<\/span><\/p>\n“What’s going on?” he asked grimly.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know,” Adam admitted, “But I think we’d better go and find out.”<\/p>\n
As they neared the commotion, one of the men who’d been in the posse filled them in. “Toby Martin shot Roy and got away,” he exclaimed. “He headed for the livery.”<\/p>\n
“Stay here and make sure the rest of them are secured,” Adam instructed his younger brother. Without waiting for a response, he hurried in the direction of the livery, his gun drawn.<\/p>\n
“Toby!” he called as he neared the closed doors. “There’s no way you’re getting out of here alive. Throw out your gun.”<\/p>\n
“I’m not getting out of here alive regardless, Cartwright!” the man shouted. “If I let you take me back to that jail, they’re going to hang me anyway. Now, if you just step aside and let me be on my way, no one else will get hurt.”<\/p>\n
“You know they’ll come after you,” Adam reasoned. “Give it up now while you still have a chance.”<\/p>\n
“I already killed two men,” Toby countered. “What kind of a chance do you think I’m gonna get? I’m tellin’ ya, step aside or you’ll be next.”<\/p>\n
“You know I can’t do that,” Adam returned, slowly making his way toward the door.<\/p>\n
“Suit yourself!” the other man shouted as the doors burst open and he came riding out, gun blazing.<\/p>\n
Adam hit the ground, rolling and coming up with his gun aimed at the rider. With one shot, he hit him in the shoulder, knocking him from his mount and the gun from his hand.<\/p>\n
Breathing heavily, he got to his feet and went to check on the status of the man he’d shot.<\/p>\n
“Let’s go, Martin,” he ordered as he pulled the injured man to his feet. “There’s a jail cell waiting for you.”<\/p>\n
As the turned, he was surprised to see Melinda standing there, a gun in her hand. “Move away, Adam,” she instructed evenly.<\/span><\/p>\n“Put the gun down, Melinda,” he ordered. “You don’t want to do this.”<\/p>\n
“You’re right,” she smiled wryly. “What I wanted was a man who cared enough to do it for me.”<\/p>\n
“I care, Melinda,” he explained. “Too much to let you shoot a man in cold blood.”<\/p>\n
She cocked the gun. “I really don’t want to hurt you, Adam,” she explained. “Step out of the way.”<\/p>\n
“I’m not going anywhere,” he informed her. “If you shoot him like this, you’ll stand trial for murder.”<\/p>\n
“No judge would convict me,” she laughed mirthlessly. “He killed my father.”<\/p>\n
“And he’s going to pay for that,” he repeated. “Don’t make matters worse than they already are. Think about your mother. What’s this going to do to her?”<\/p>\n
“He’s got to die, Adam,” she replied, seemingly oblivious to his words.<\/p>\n
He could see the cold look in her eyes and knew that he’d have to try a different approach. “Give me the gun, Melinda,” he coaxed gently. “You’re understandably upset. Anyone would be in your situation.”<\/p>\n
“Yesterday I was upset,” she agreed. “Today, I just want to see justice done, the kind of justice I used to hear so many stories about. Isn’t that the way things are done out here?”<\/p>\n
“No,” he answered firmly.<\/p>\n
“I thought you loved me, Adam,” she lamented sadly. “I thought you really loved me.”<\/p>\n
“I do love you,” he answered quietly, not caring who heard the words. “And that’s why I can’t let you do this.”<\/p>\n
He took a step toward her and felt the man beside him recoil even before he heard the shot. As he looked in stunned amazement at the dead man at his feet, he tried hard to comprehend what had happened.<\/p>\n
“Melinda,” he breathed, looking at her in disbelief.<\/p>\n
“Now I know he’s paid,” she said grimly, staring at the man she’d killed with little emotion. Raising cold eyes to his, she added. “If you were half the man you claim to be, you would have done it yourself.”<\/p>\n
“What’s going on here?” a stern voice demanded.<\/p>\n
Adam could see the small crowd part as they made way for the deputy sheriff. The young man held no gun, was expecting no further trouble. Out of the corner of his eye, as though in slow motion, he saw her turn, her hand already raising the gun she still held.<\/p>\n
“Melinda! No!” he shouted.<\/p>\n
She fired once in the direction of the deputy, seemingly uncaring that innocent bystanders stood in her path. As she cocked the weapon once again, Adam drew his own gun. Time seemed to stand still as he took in the crowd, young boys, innocent women. A single shot rang through the air and it took a moment for anyone to realize exactly what had happened.<\/p>\n
He knelt by her side, lifting her head gently. “Melinda,” he whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n“Adam,” she gasped in shock and surprise.<\/p>\n
“You didn’t leave me a choice,” he murmured in response as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.<\/p>\n
“I couldn’t,” she gulped, trying unsuccessfully to force a smile. “You did the only thing you could do.” She grimaced as pain wracked her body. “Promise me one thing,” she whispered weakly.<\/p>\n
“Anything,” he replied.<\/p>\n
“Don’t ever blame yourself, Adam. The real measure of a man is being able to do what’s best, regardless of what it costs you.”<\/p>\n
“Why, Melinda?” he asked in pain and confusion.<\/p>\n
“I just wasn’t strong enough, Adam,” she replied slowly. “Forgive me.” With one final breath, she went limp in his arms.<\/span><\/p>\nDespite Ben’s best attempts, Adam refused to attend the funeral. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forgive himself for what had happened. Time and again he’d played it over in his mind, searching for a better course of action than the one he’d taken.<\/span><\/p>\nThat afternoon, when Ben returned from paying his respects to Mrs. Carlyle, he approached Adam as he sat alone by the lake. “There’s someone here who’d like to see you,” he stated gently. “I think you need to talk to her, son.”<\/span><\/p>\nAdam turned to see Mrs. Carlyle waiting in her buggy.<\/p>\n
“I’ll see you back at the house,” Ben said, placing an arm on his shoulder.<\/p>\n
After his father rode off, Adam helped Melinda’s mother down from the buggy. “I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.<\/p>\n
“Then allow me to start,” she offered kindly. “I wanted to thank you, Adam.”<\/p>\n
“Thank me?” he repeated, his voice hoarse with barely controlled emotion.<\/p>\n
“You didn’t know Melinda when we lived in Boston,” Mrs. Carlyle continued, walking toward the lake to stare out over the water.<\/p>\n
“She didn’t like to talk much about the past,” he acknowledged.<\/p>\n
“I know,” the woman smiled sadly. “It was hard for her to deal with.” Taking a deep breath, she began to shed some light on the events that had led up to Adam’s one true regret.<\/p>\n
“She had a brother,” she began, “a twin. They were more than close, they were best friends.”<\/span><\/p>\n“I didn’t know,” Adam offered quietly.<\/p>\n
“He was killed in a robbery when they were twelve. Melinda never really got over his death. We tried all the specialists, the new procedures, but nothing could fill the void he left in her life.”<\/p>\n
Adam swallowed hard, but didn’t speak as he waited for her to continue.<\/p>\n
“The man who killed him was never brought to trial because the only one who could identify him was Melinda. She’d completely blocked the memory from her mind. Often, she’d sit in the parlour and talk to Marcus as though he were still alive. In her mind, they’d never really been separated.”<\/p>\n
“I’m sorry,” he offered. “It must have been terribly difficult for all of you.”<\/p>\n
“As she grew older,” the woman continued. “We thought she’d come to accept what had happened. She no longer talked aloud to her brother, or about him for that matter. When she finished school, we thought a move to the west would give her a fresh start.” Turning to face Adam, she smiled sincerely. “You were the best thing that ever happened to her,” she informed him. “Despite all that’s happened, don’t ever doubt that.”<\/p>\n
“If only I’d known,” he lamented, his voice a mixture of pain and frustration. “I could have understood why she acted the way she did.”<\/p>\n
“Could you?” she asked. “You have brothers, Adam, but few understand the bond between twins. When Marcus died, a part of Melinda died too. The doctors said she felt guilty about being alive. Even after she stopped talking about him, she never really regained the joy in life that she’d once had.”<\/p>\n
“But there must have been another way,” he argued quietly. “If only there was something else I could have done.”<\/p>\n
“You did what you had to do,” she assured him without hesitation. “Her father’s death had threatened to send her spiralling back into that dark place where she’d already spent so much time. After being with you, seeing some of the joyous things life had to offer, she couldn’t bear to go back to that.”<\/p>\n
“But I would have helped her,” he replied, his voice catching in his throat.<\/p>\n
She took a step toward him and placed a hand on his arm. “You did help her,” she whispered. “If she’d killed someone on the street that day, maybe someone’s brother or father, she’d never again be the same girl you fell in love with. I don’t think she could control what she was feeling. I think it scared her. She was afraid of what it would do to you.”<\/p>\n
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, his voice barely audible.<\/p>\n
She took a small piece of paper from her bag. “I found this,” she smiled, placing it in his hand. “She loved you, Adam. Too much to draw you into her private world of darkness.”<\/p>\n
He took the note and opened it slowly. Seeing her handwriting brought a fresh stab of pain to his heart, but he forced himself to read the words through the tears that threatened to spill from beneath his long, dark lashes.<\/p>\n
My dearest Adam,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nIf you’re reading this, then I know that I’m in a better place. I tried to fight the darkness, Adam. Believe me, I tried, but I can feel it, clawing at the doorway of my mind. I know that at the very moment I let my guard down, it will engulf me, trapping me in a world of pain and suffering that you can’t imagine. I guess maybe it’s in all of us; maybe the secret is learning to lock it away forever. I thought I’d finally found a way to do that. You were the key, Adam, the key that could have locked that door forever. I’m only sorry that circumstances prevented us from being able to do that. It’s too late now, my love. I can feel it closing in on me, a wave of misery and pain that I thought I’d managed to barricade. No one knows the horror. It’s too frightening to put into words and too confusing for even the best of doctors to understand. Maybe someday they’ll have a way to deal with this darkness. Right now, all I can do is spare you the pain of having to live through it with me. I’m not certain how the end will come, but I know now that I’ll welcome it. I wish I’d been stronger for you, Adam. You deserve nothing but sunlight and happiness. Whatever happens, I hope you find that someday. Until then, I’ll watch over you with a love that brought me the only happiness I’ve known in a long time. For that, I’ll be forever grateful.<\/p>\n
With all my love,<\/p>\n
Melinda.<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes as he finished reading, trying unsuccessfully to hide the tears from the woman before him.<\/span><\/p>\n“It’s OK,” Mrs. Carlyle smiled through her own tears. “For the first time in twelve years, I know my daughter is at peace.”<\/p>\n
He nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. As he handed the note back to her, she shook her head, closing his hand tightly around the piece of paper. “I think she’d want you to keep it,” she said quietly. “You’re quite a man, Adam Cartwright. I’m glad my daughter had you in her life, if even for a short time.”<\/p>\n
With that, she hurried from the spot, getting into her buggy and turning once again toward town.<\/p>\n
Adam looked down at the note in his hand. As all the emotions of the last few days caught up with him, he wept openly. In relief for the fact that his brother would live; in sorrow for the woman he’d lost; but most importantly in gratitude for the love they’d shared, a love that he would hold in his heart for the rest of his days.<\/span><\/p>\nThe End.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summary:\u00a0 Adam’s principles are put to the test.