Summary: On a trip to San Francisco, Ben has a choice to make when the fire from an old flame is rekindled.<\/p>\n
Rating T\u00a0 Word count: 623<\/p>\n
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ADAH ISAACS MENKEN<\/strong><\/p>\n as<\/strong><\/p>\n MAZEPPA<\/strong><\/p>\n One Week Only<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Cartwright had read the playbill every night since his arrival in San Francisco five days ago, and each time he had convinced himself to walk away. But tonight he stood before it with ticket in hand, his good sense having finally succumbed to memories and desire.<\/p>\n She could have any man she wants. <\/i>That\u2019s what he\u2019d told Adam, and his oldest son\u2019s shamefaced reaction affirmed the truth, though they never discussed the subject further. In the messy aftermath of her visit to Viriginia City, Ben had let her go with a wish for her happiness and a smile that was mostly for show. His sons seemed relieved that their concerns were apparently misplaced, but there were things they did not know. One thing was certain; Adah Menken was the kind of woman a man never forgets. If nothing else, he had that in common with John C. Regan.<\/p>\n How could she love a man like that?<\/i> Hoss seemed satisfied with his answer, but Ben didn\u2019t understand it himself. If she had married him, he could have given her the world\u2014yet she chose to stand by a man who only knew how to take. There are many kinds of love, he supposed, and not all of them make sense. Sometimes it may boil down to a need between two people that only the other person can fill. That seemed to be the case with Adah and Regan, he reasoned. True or not, it was a small consolation for the heartache he kept hidden.<\/p>\n Regan was dead; that much was fact, confirmed by the newspaper account. The former heavy-weight champ had met his miserable end in a drunken brawl with a better man. It was no surprise to Ben.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t help but think of Adah, the friendship that had blossomed into something more over the years, the tender moments they had shared away from the eyes of the world.<\/p>\n As a widower still in the prime of life, he had enjoyed the company of a number of women, always respectfully and with restraint. Love wasn\u2019t word he used lightly. And yet he had applied it to Adah. There was something deeper than her beauty and charm that troubled the waters of his soul, and he could still feel the ripple effects.<\/p>\n Was it fate that brought them to the same city this week? Was it foolish to hope things could again be as they once were between them? Or was it better to leave the past behind?<\/p>\n Adah\u2019s image on the playbill gave him no clue to the answers. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. The ticket slipped from his fingers to the sidewalk as he walked away.<\/p>\n ~*~<\/p>\n A dozen red roses were delivered to Adah Menken\u2019s hotel room on the final evening of her San Francisco engagement. She read the card and smiled. \u201cThey\u2019re beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd very late. I expected them here before I arrived.\u201d His hands were on her shoulders, and he nuzzled her ear.<\/p>\n There were tears in her eyes when she turned to him. \u201cWould you have really left without seeing me?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled, tenderly. \u201cI\u2019m here, aren\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n She buried her face in his chest as his arms closed around her. \u201cOh, Ben\u2026 I\u2019m so glad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n END<\/p>\n Author’s Note:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is this a one night stand or the beginning of something grand?\u00a0 Time will tell.\u00a0 But I have a theory, in case you want to know.\u00a0The Best Little Bed and Breakfast in Nevada (by JC)<\/a><\/p>\n