Summary:\u00a0 Adam’s new love comes as a surprise to his family and hers.\u00a0 Can they win through against the odds?
\nRating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (13,600 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Gift of Love<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing set the plates on the dining room table with a bang.\u00a0 \u201cSuppa not wait, all d\u2019ied up.\u201d And with these few words he retreated to his kitchen.<\/p>\n Before any of the diners had time to comment the front door swung open and then banged shut.<\/p>\n Adam raised an eyebrow at his father and then turned his eyes to the entrance of his young brother.<\/p>\n Joe approached the table with some trepidation and Ben Cartwright let out a huge sigh.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, is it possible that just once you could be on time for supper,\u00a0 he said with a note of exasperation.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe hastily pulled out his chair and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cI got the mail,\u201d\u00a0 he offered in apology, handing off a small pile of envelopes to his father.<\/p>\n Ben grunted as he took the proffered mail.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 Is that all you have to say.\u00a0 You went for the mail before lunch, it\u2019s now past six.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe stage was late and I met up with Mitch and we went for a beer while we waited.\u201d\u00a0 Joe grinned, not at all put out by the disapproving looks of his family.<\/p>\n Ben leaned forward \u201cHow late. And how many beers,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n Joe moved back a little. \u201cOh, at least an hour, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 An\u2019 I guess maybe it was two or three beers.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grunted again.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you\u2019re here now and supper\u2019s getting cold.\u00a0 We can discuss the chores you missed later.\u201d<\/p>\n At his father\u2019s words, Hoss immediately began to pile meat and vegetables on to his plate.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m half starved,\u201d\u00a0 he said to no one in particular.\u00a0 Then he pointed his fork at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou jest remember that next time you\u2019re in town short shanks.\u00a0 I need my meals on time.\u201d<\/p>\n For a while all was quiet as each member of the family made short work of Hop Sing\u2019s fried chicken. Once he had finished eating Ben sifted through the mail, extracting two letters for Adam and handing them to him and dividing the rest into Ponderosa business and personal letters.<\/p>\n Adam was sipping his coffee as his father handed over the mail and he glanced at them and put them into his vest pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you gonna tell us who your letters are from then, big brother?\u201d\u00a0 Joe giggled and winked at Hoss. \u201cOne of \u2018em was a lady\u2019s handwriting, I\u2019d bet on it.\u00a0 And, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t know a lady if you saw one, little brother. Now if you\u2019ll excuse me I\u2019ll go upstairs and read my letters in privacy and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss watched his older brother until Adam reached the top of the stairs and then helped himself to what little remained of the apple pie that Hop Sing had served for dessert.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t push him little brother.\u00a0 He\u2019s been in a good mood for weeks.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want no changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cSure, but you gotta admit he didn\u2019t say it wasn\u2019t a lady.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why he\u2019s in a good mood.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss finally pushed back his chair and gave a satisfied sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThat was real good, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned at the Chinese cook as he cleared away the dishes.\u00a0 Then turning back to his little brother, \u201cI ain\u2019t about to ask him and you\u2019d better not either, if\u2019n you know what\u2019s good for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as he\u2019s happy, I don\u2019t care what made him that way.\u00a0 He\u2019s a darn sight easier to work with when he\u2019s in a good mood.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rose from his chair and made his way to the table by the stairs where he took up his brandy decanter and poured himself a generous measure before seating himself in his leather armchair.\u00a0 Joe and Hoss moved over to the sofa and Hoss began unpacking the checkers ready for a game.<\/p>\n Ben took a sip of his brandy and then looked at his youngest son.\u00a0 \u201cYou have chores to do before you start a game, Joseph.\u00a0 But first, perhaps you\u2019d like to tell me what kept you so long in town?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s expression made it clear that whatever had kept him was not likely to meet with approval.\u00a0 He cast around for some titbit of information that might justify his time but there was very little.\u00a0 \u201cRoy\u2019s gone over to Carson City for that murder trial and Clem\u2019s in charge.\u00a0 I kinda talked to him for a while.\u00a0 An\u2019 Mr Rossiter was in town buying up stuff for the party next week\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes. Jane\u2019s coming home isn\u2019t she?\u00a0 Is it really four years since she went back east to school, I suppose it must be,\u201d Ben mused.<\/p>\n Joe nodded impatiently. \u201cYeah, well he was buying up half the store.\u00a0 I asked him about Jane and all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother young lady for you to work your charm on, eh Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled at his youngest son.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, c\u2019mon, Pa.\u00a0 Jane\u2019s real plain, buckteeth, glasses and a topknot and a real pain with all her books and music and stuff.\u00a0 You know I never took a shine to her even when we were in school, she\u2019s way too young for me too.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed. \u201cShe\u2019s less than two years younger than you. You\u2019ve courted girls younger and she\u2019s a nice girl.\u00a0 Bill Rossiter tells me she wants to teach school when she comes home.\u00a0 Now that Abigail has married there is a place open and the school board is very interested in appointing a local girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well maybe like Miss Abigail she\u2019ll take a shine to Adam.\u00a0 Hey, come to think of it she was always hanging around him when we were kids.\u201d\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t help grinning, the discomfort his older brother had always felt when around Abigail Jones was only surpassed by his obvious embarrassment at little Jane Rossiter\u2019s hero worship.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that subject is best left alone after the trouble you two caused for Miss Abigail.\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to be stern.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Jane was just a little girl then and she is way too young for your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Joe.\u00a0 Don\u2019t go teasin\u2019 Adam about Jane.\u00a0 His good mood will be gone afore you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sipped at his brandy again.\u00a0 \u201cAnd changing the subject won\u2019t get you out of those chores.\u00a0 Now scat.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave Hoss a beseeching look.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t gonna have time for a game tonight, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sighed and pushed to his feet, \u201cC\u2019mon short shanks, I\u2019ll give you a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and picked up his jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s the very last time I help you do your chores,\u201d\u00a0 Hoss added.<\/p>\n Ben simply shook his head.\u00a0 How many times had he heard that?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alone in his room Adam stretched out on his bed and opened his letters.\u00a0 The first was from a favorite bookstore in San Francisco, telling him that they would dispatch the books he had ordered as soon as they were available.\u00a0 The second he held in his hand for a few moments and then slowly opened it, savoring every moment. Drawing out several sheets of cream-colored notepaper, he set the envelope carefully on the bed beside him.\u00a0 He took his time reading and then read it over again and finally picked short pieces to read a third time.\u00a0 Finally he folded it and put it back in its envelope.\u00a0 He got up and walked to his desk and opened the draw.\u00a0 He withdrew a bundle of similar envelopes and added this one too it.\u00a0 It was obvious from the well- worn package that the letters had been read many times.<\/p>\n Adam walked to the window and stared out at the night sky.\u00a0 He felt excited, happy, nervous, worried\u2026 well he really didn\u2019t know what he felt.\u00a0 He laughed to himself.\u00a0 He tried to remember if he\u2019d ever felt this way before.\u00a0 If he had, it had been a long time ago.\u00a0 Here he was at thirty-five feeling fifteen all over again.\u00a0 He studied his reflection in the glass.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a fool, Adam Cartwright,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t possibly know someone from just letters.\u00a0 You\u2019d be the first to condemn a man for writing for a mail order bride.\u201d\u00a0 He stared hard at the image, seeing himself as a middle-aged man, with receding hair and life\u2019s experiences etched on his face.\u00a0 He sure wasn\u2019t getting any younger.\u00a0 Pa had been married three times by thirty-five. \u201cYou have to meet to see if it all evaporates in the cold light of day and it will.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed, misting the windowpane.\u00a0 \u201cHow can you really know someone if you only know them by letters\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He stopped and turned to face the room; the room he had slept in for almost thirty years.\u00a0 It reflected his tastes, neat and tidy, with shelves of books, a drawing table for his various plans, whatever book he was currently reading on his bedside table, his carefully chosen pictures.\u00a0 It was a man\u2019s room where he could work and relax.\u00a0 He tried to rationalise his feelings but it was not possible.\u00a0 There was nothing rational about falling in love with a signature at the end of a letter, he didn\u2019t even have a picture of her or she of him.\u00a0 Maybe he was going crazy.\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 It was a nice crazy though.\u00a0 In a few days he would know.<\/p>\n Ben surveyed his three sons as they mounted up to ride to the Rossiter\u2019s party.\u00a0 They cleaned up pretty well. Hoss was complaining about his tie as always, while Joe had taken forever to get ready but it seemed it was worth it, he was satisfied with his appearance at last.\u00a0 Adam had been ready for ages and now sat patiently waiting with Sport for the ride down the valley to Bill Rossiter\u2019s ranch. The boys all seemed to be looking forward to this party.\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t been any large parties since Christmas and spring was a time for young people to enjoy themselves after the hard winter.\u00a0 Not that Ben didn\u2019t intend to enjoy himself too, but it was really for the younger members of the community.\u00a0 He glanced quickly at each son.\u00a0 Hoss was looking forward to the food, Joe to showing off to all the girls and Adam\u2026 if Ben hadn\u2019t known better, he\u2019d have said Adam was nervous.\u00a0 He let his gaze linger a bit longer on his eldest son.\u00a0 Adam was good at hiding his feelings but thirty-five years of practice had given Ben an advantage over casual acquaintances.\u00a0 Adam was never nervous in social situations, but tonight he was definitely on edge.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s nervousness grew as they approached the Rossiters\u2019 and Ben made a point of being alongside him when they dismounted by the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething worrying you, son?\u201d\u00a0 He said as casually as he could while they unsaddled and turned their horses into the corral with the other guest\u2019s mounts.\u00a0 Several buggies and wagons were already in the yard and their horses mingled with the mounts in the corral.<\/p>\n Adam looked over the gathered horses and avoided his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNo, of course not,\u201d he lied.<\/p>\n Ben wasn\u2019t fooled for a minute.\u00a0 He planned to keep an eye on his eldest son this evening.<\/p>\n Bill Rossiter came forward as soon as he saw the Cartwrights.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome Ben, boys.\u201d He smiled at them and held out his hand to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cFood is over by the barbecue.\u201d He grinned at Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd where is the college girl, Bill?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he looked around for Jane.<\/p>\n Rossiter turned and pointed to the porch, \u201cOver there.\u00a0 She and her friend Miriam are surrounded by all the young men.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got competition tonight Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe glanced toward the porch, he wasn\u2019t interested in Jane but her friend Miriam might be a different matter.\u00a0 The crowd of young men around the girls gave him no clue, so he set off in that direction, with Hoss hot on his heels, heading for the barbecue.<\/p>\n \u201cMiriam?\u201d\u00a0 Ben queried.\u00a0 \u201cIs she from around here?\u201d<\/p>\n Bill shook his head. \u201cNo, she\u2019s a friend of Jane\u2019s from college, come out here for a visit.\u00a0 She\u2019s from New York, never been out west before, brought enough luggage for an extended stay though.\u00a0 You\u2019d think she planned to live here.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed again.\u00a0 \u201cNice girl, quite a few years older than Jane and a bit reserved and bookish but she and Jane have become very good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n The three men wandered over to the refreshment table and Bill poured punch for them all.\u00a0 There were several others around the table including Hank and Abigail Myers.\u00a0 Mrs Myers swooped on Ben and Adam like a hawk that had found its prey.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, Mr Cartwright and Adam, the very men,\u201d\u00a0 she warbled.<\/p>\n \u201cGood evening, Abigail, Hank.\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled at the couple.<\/p>\n \u201cGood evening Mrs Myers, Hank.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, surely we know each other well enough for you to call me Abigail?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam inclined his head and acknowledged her. \u201cAbigail,\u201d\u00a0 he agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why are we \u2018the very men\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked politely.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you met Jane this evening?\u201d She didn\u2019t wait for an answer, but ploughed on answering her own question.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I thought not.\u00a0 I spoke to her about taking my place in school but she didn\u2019t seem very interested and I wanted to let you know; as members of the school board that is.\u00a0 I asked her friend Miriam too, since she says she hopes to stay in Virginia City, but it seems she has other plans.\u201d\u00a0 Abigail said the last as though it was a personal affront that the girl hadn\u2019t told her what those plans were.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure we shall be talking to Jane as a Board, Abigail, but if she\u2019s not interested then we can advertise, no need to worry on that score,\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied, but Abigail did not intend to let him go.\u00a0 She continued to give him her views on her replacement.\u00a0 Ben glanced at Adam for help in extricating them from the conversation but his son was staring at the porch.<\/p>\n The crowd of young men had parted and the two girls were now on view.\u00a0 For a moment Ben wondered which one was Jane, since both girls were very attractive.\u00a0 Obviously the ugly duckling of Joe\u2019s description had turned into a swan.\u00a0 Jane\u2019s hair was certainly not in a topknot, its dark loveliness shimmered around her shoulders and was set off by soft silvery green velvet ribbons. There were no glasses and her green dress accentuated a very attractive figure.\u00a0 Ben noted with a smile that his youngest son was paying her a great deal of attention.\u00a0 Beside this vision her friend Miriam could not compete although she too was a very pretty girl; her hair, not quite as dark as Jane\u2019s, was set in a similar fashion but this time the dress and ribbons were a delicate pale blue.<\/p>\n Adam was aware of nothing around him as he tried to match his mental image with the reality in front of him.\u00a0 Their eyes met, and there was understanding.\u00a0 The party was probably not the best time to become better acquainted, so he merely nodded but continued to stare.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026\u00a0 A..dam.\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried again<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u00a0 What were you saying?\u201d\u00a0 Adam suddenly came back to the company around him, earning himself a penetrating stare from his father.<\/p>\n \u201cAbigail was suggesting that the school board meet to talk to Jane as soon as possible; try to persuade her,\u201d\u00a0 Ben explained patiently.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026\u00a0 Yes, fine, but not tomorrow,\u201d\u00a0 he added hastily.<\/p>\n Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, of course not tomorrow, it\u2019s Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n He was tempted to touch his son\u2019s forehead to see if he had a fever. He was certainly acting most peculiarly tonight.<\/p>\n Abigail finally found another victim for her attention and Ben was left bemused.\u00a0 He had turned to find Adam but his son had gone.\u00a0 He finally spotted him dancing with Jane\u2019s friend and talking earnestly to her.\u00a0 At least he seemed to have relaxed a little, maybe there was nothing wrong after all.\u00a0 Ben enjoyed the rest of the evening and hardly saw his sons, except when he whirled past them as he was dancing.\u00a0 Joe certainly seemed to dominate Jane\u2019s dance card, though both Adam and Hoss had at least one dance with her and he saw Adam in the arms of Miriam more than once.\u00a0 Hoss as always did his duty and asked all the ladies who were sitting out on the porch and then settled himself with a plate of food with some of the other men who weren\u2019t dancing. Cute<\/p>\n \u201cJane sure has changed,\u201d\u00a0 Joe commented as they rode home.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t ya think so, Adam.\u00a0 She ain\u2019t that skinny kid who used to pester you no more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, she isn\u2019t,\u201d\u00a0 Adam said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThey are both very nice girls.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tried to read something into Adam\u2019s quiet comment but his son\u2019s expression was closed.\u00a0 \u201cYou seemed to be enjoying Miriam\u2019s company.\u00a0 What did you two talk about for so long?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam hid a smile; Pa was fishing.\u00a0 \u201cOh, this and that,\u201d he said airily, \u201cWe have mutual interests.\u201d\u00a0 He kept his thoughts to himself.\u00a0 It had been a good evening after a shaky start.\u00a0 Once he had taken in the fact that his dreams had not evaporated, in fact, they had been enhanced, he had enjoyed himself immensely.<\/p>\n Ben grunted, he knew his son well enough to stop his inquiries; they would lead nowhere.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Cartwright men usually rode to church so Ben was surprised when he came out of the house on Sunday morning to find the buggy polished and ready for use.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing somewhere, Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 he inquired of his youngest son.<\/p>\n Joe shook his head. \u201cAdam harnessed it. I am planning to ask Jane to go for a drive but apparently older brother has plans for the buggy.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019ll have to ask Mr Rossiter if I can borrow his.\u201d<\/p>\n At that moment, Adam emerged from the house, dressed ready for church.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Adam, you taking Miriam for a drive this afternoon?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked with a grin.<\/p>\n Adam gathered up the reins and climbed into the buggy, \u201cNo, little brother. I\u2019m showing Jane the Ponderosa, or at least the north west corner of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s jaw dropped, \u201cJane\u2026 but I thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t think little brother, it isn\u2019t what you do best.\u201d Adam took up the reins and started the buggy forward.<\/p>\n The other three followed in shock.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After church Adam handed Jane into the buggy under the watchful and slightly surprised eye of her father.\u00a0 His own father looked concerned and Little Joe was frankly glaring at him.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you tell your family?\u201d\u00a0 Jane asked as the buggy moved out of earshot of the group outside the church.<\/p>\n Adam grinned, \u201cAbsolutely nothing.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t figure there was much to tell at this point.\u00a0 What about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told Ma and Pa that I was going buggy riding.\u201d\u00a0 She giggled.\u00a0 \u201cI think they assumed it was with your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced at her, \u201cYou did seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in his arms yesterday evening.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane laughed, \u201cYes, about as much time as you spent with Miriam.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked across at her and joined in her laughter.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I found out a lot about you from Miriam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but not as much as I found out about you from Joe and your other friends and neighbors,\u201d\u00a0 she responded quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of it lies.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I do hope not.\u00a0 They were very complimentary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you feel now that you know what an old man I am?\u201d\u00a0 he asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.<\/p>\n She laid her slim hand on his arm. \u201cYou aren\u2019t much older than when I went away and still just as handsome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou certainly aren\u2019t the girl who went back east to college.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped the buggy and turned toward her.\u00a0 \u201cYou are a very beautiful young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n She blushed prettily.\u00a0 \u201cI guess college taught me to make the best of myself and not to hide behind my glasses.\u00a0 At school I was always teased for being a bookworm, back east at college all the students studied hard.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t the odd one out anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 He could identify with that feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d\u00a0 she said shyly.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, you can ask anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou promise to tell the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled. \u201cI swear to tell the truth, how\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 Then he saw how serious she was and changed his tone.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I\u2019ll tell you the truth, it wouldn\u2019t help to lie at this stage would it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you\u2026 I mean am I\u2026\u00a0 Now you\u2019ve seen me again do you still mean the things you said in your letters.\u201d<\/p>\n He took both her hands in his. \u201cJane, I fell in love with the girl who wrote to me.\u00a0 From the first shaky letters telling me how homesick she was to the long detailed letters about her courses and her studies to the wonderful romantic letters of the past year.\u00a0 Seeing you has only made those feelings stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d still love me if I wasn\u2019t pretty?\u201d\u00a0 she insisted.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t care for me when I pestered you before I left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI cared for you enough to encourage you to go to college.\u00a0 I cared for you enough to listen to your hopes and fears while you decided.\u00a0 But you were a child when you left, I never saw you as the woman you have become until you started writing those letters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n He bent forward and kissed her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\u00a0 He watched her for a moment then put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him.\u00a0 This time the kiss was a lover\u2019s kiss and as he broke away he said huskily, \u201cDo you believe me now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss and Joe were into one of their interminable games of checkers when Adam arrived home.\u00a0 Ben heard the door shut and came through from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee.\u00a0 He poured himself a cup and set the tray on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s winning?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked.<\/p>\n Hoss snorted. \u201cHe is, but I swear he cheats.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled and settled into the chair opposite his father and helped himself to coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you have a nice afternoon?\u201d\u00a0 Ben said casually.<\/p>\n Adam glanced up from his coffee. \u201cVery nice, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJane enjoyed it?\u201d\u00a0 Ben pried.\u00a0 Why was getting information from his eldest son like pulling teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cI think so.\u00a0 Of course she\u2019s been to the lake a hundred times but it was a beautiful day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA\u2026dam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Pa.\u00a0 You wanted to know something more?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s mouth lifted slightly at the corner as he tried not to smile.\u00a0 Pa had an insatiable curiosity where his sons were concerned.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe had suspended their game and were watching the play between father and brother with great interest.\u00a0 They both wanted to know about this mystery too.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course we do.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was exasperated. \u201cYou never mention Jane and then suddenly you go buggy riding with her.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to admit it\u2019s unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sipped his coffee as if what he was about to say was of no importance.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve known Jane since she was about six, what\u2019s so strange about taking a pretty girl for a ride on a lovely Sunday afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe could keep still no longer. \u201cI danced with her all evening and I was gonna ask her out, so how come she went with you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she talk about when you were dancing?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Joe was puzzled, then as if light dawned, \u201cCome to think about it she kept asking about you.\u00a0 What the hell is going on here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I know your brother can be mighty infuriating but there is no need for such language, especially on a Sunday.\u201d\u00a0 Ben turned a stern look on his youngest.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Pa, but you gotta admit he\u2019s been downright aggravating,\u201d Joe responded, still riled by his brother\u2019s apparent nonchalance.<\/p>\n Ben nodded his acceptance of the apology. \u201cJoe is right there, son,\u201d he appealed to Adam. \u201cYou have to agree it\u2019s not exactly clear.\u00a0 I always thought you saw Jane as a school friend of your brother and something of a nuisance.\u00a0 She was always around here asking you about books and the like and you were patient but hardly enjoyed her company.\u00a0 Now she comes back after four years with no contact and you hardly speak to her at the party and then take her buggy riding.\u00a0 You can\u2019t expect us not to be, well\u2026 curious.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam very deliberately set down his coffee cup.\u00a0 He debated on how much to tell them, would they laugh at him; probably, would they understand; almost certainly not.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jane went away she asked if she could write to me.\u00a0 I guess she wanted someone who would understand her desire for knowledge.\u00a0 I agreed and we\u2019ve been corresponding fairly regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe slapped his forehead as if he had known all along. \u201cOf course, the letters.\u00a0 I knew I\u2019d seen that writing before.\u00a0 You got lots of letters from New York, but I never imagined they were from Jane.\u00a0 So she just wanted to kinda tell you about her college stuff this afternoon then?\u00a0 That\u2019s fine.\u00a0 I mean I can go ask her to the dance Saturday, if that\u2019s all it was.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head. \u201cShe\u2019s going to the dance with me and every other dance or social occasion.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0He got to his feet and placed his coffee cup back on the tray.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you be so sure of yourself older brother,\u201d\u00a0 Joe challenged.<\/p>\n Adam had moved toward the stairs and as he reached the first step he turned. \u201cOh I\u2019m sure, little brother.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to marry her.\u201d He ran lightly up the stairs and the three left behind, with mouths hanging open, heard his door close.<\/p>\n Hoss was the first to recover.\u00a0 He had been intrigued but had figured Adam would have told him in time.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have his father\u2019s burning curiosity, nor did he go along with Joe\u2019s direct approach, all that generally did was get Adam riled.\u00a0 \u201cDid he say what I thought he said?\u201d\u00a0 He gulped, stunned that he hadn\u2019t had an inkling of what was coming. He\u2019d always thought he and Adam were pretty close.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he said it alright but it can\u2019t be true.\u00a0 He\u2019s just joshin\u2019 c\u2019os he knows I like her,\u201d\u00a0 Joe blustered.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t sound like joking to me,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n Ben had taken several deep breaths.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s words had shocked him.\u00a0 \u201cI think I need to have a long and serious talk with your older brother, before this gets out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inside his room Adam stood before the window and counted\u2026 \u201cone, two, three\u2026\u201d he\u2019d done this as a boy when Pa was mad at him, he usually got to about \u201cfifteen, sixteen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n There was a loud knock on the door and almost immediately it was opened.<\/p>\n Yep, Pa was nothing if not predictable. <\/em>He spun around on one heel and waited.<\/p>\n Ben physically and mentally girded himself for battle.<\/p>\n Adam nodded slowly. \u201cSo let\u2019s have it?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben was taken aback. \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d\u00a0 he demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been coming in here like that for over twenty years and it usually means you are about to deliver a lecture.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOr worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grunted and relaxed his combative stance a little.\u00a0 \u201cWell sometimes you deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is all this about\u2026 marriage?\u00a0 You barely know the girl, in a way you only met her yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pulled up the chair from his desk and waved his father into it.\u00a0 \u201cI feel happier when you are sitting down,\u201d he said with a wry smile.\u00a0 Once Ben was seated he began to pace.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 are you going to give me some explanation?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked after Adam had crossed the room twice.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve known Jane since she was a child.\u00a0 How long does a man have to know the woman he marries?\u00a0 You knew Marie for a much shorter time, Inger too.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben leaned forward and looked up at his son. \u201cI knew them as women not as children.\u00a0 Jane was barely eighteen when she went away and you never showed the slightest interest in her except to help her with her studies.\u00a0 There must be more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stopped pacing and stared unseeing out of the window. \u201cWe\u2019ve been writing to each other for four years, you learn a lot of from letters, written words can be more powerful than the spoken kind, because you consider them more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you telling me that you fell in love with a bunch of letters?\u201d Ben\u2019s tone was scathing.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know they weren\u2019t the outpourings of an infatuated young woman.\u00a0 Jane always followed you around, it was obvious she hero worshiped you as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I think I\u2019m old enough to know the difference.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was irritable as it often was when he felt his father was treating him like a boy.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid you believe the letters my mother wrote to you?\u00a0 You told me she was only seventeen when you began writing to each other.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and looked directly at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she was, and I was maybe two years older.\u00a0 I saw her every time my ship was in Boston. It\u2019s not quite the same is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, our letters began because Jane wanted someone to write to about her studies. They developed over four years, we didn\u2019t suddenly decide we loved each other, it came slowly.\u00a0 I know you think I am rushing into this but I\u2019m not, nor is Jane.\u00a0 Please try to understand.\u201d\u00a0 He walked to his father and crouched beside the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve waited a long time to find someone who understands me the way Jane does.\u00a0 Someone who shares my interests, my hopes, my dreams.\u201d\u00a0 He rose, embarrassed.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t usually bare his soul this way but he needed Pa to understand to give his blessing.\u00a0 Their relationship was special, they had relied on each other, trusted each other for all of Adam\u2019s thirty-five years. He needed that trust to continue.<\/p>\n Ben laid a hand on his son\u2019s shoulder,\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you\u2019re thirty-five, she\u2019s twenty-one, do you really think this can work.\u00a0 Its like\u2026 well its not much better than a mail-order bride and a child bride at that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam got to his feet pushing off his father\u2019s hand and trying to control his anger.\u00a0 \u201cShe is not a child and neither am I.\u00a0 I\u2019d like your blessing, but if I can\u2019t have it then it won\u2019t change our decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben got to his feet too, both men now intent on making the other understand. \u201cSon, she\u2019s fourteen years younger than you, she\u2019s infatuated with you, that\u2019s all it is.\u00a0 You\u2019re too old for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had been pacing again and he whirled on his father.\u00a0 \u201cYes, she\u2019s fourteen years younger than me.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t Marie fourteen years younger than you, or is my math faulty?\u00a0 In fact I was nearer in age to Marie than you were. Was Marie infatuated with you, were you too old for her?\u00a0 If you were I certainly didn\u2019t notice and neither did she.\u00a0 You made it work and so can we.\u00a0 Don\u2019t make problems we don\u2019t have, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had no answer.\u00a0 Adam was right, Marie had been fourteen years his junior and not much older than Jane and he had known her for a little over a week before proposing marriage. He didn\u2019t know what to say now so he threw up his hands in exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever I say, you\u2019ll go your own way, you always have.\u00a0 But I wish you\u2019d stop and think about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have thought, Pa and I know what I\u2019m doing.\u201d\u00a0 Ben shook his head as he turned and left the room.\u00a0 He banged the door shut behind him and still shaking his head went to his own room.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t face his younger sons\u2019 questions right now.<\/p>\n Adam sank down on to the bed and let out a long breath.\u00a0 It was going to be harder than he had expected to win Pa over.<\/p>\n Both had been raising their voices and below Hoss and Joe glanced worriedly at each other. \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhadda you think Hoss?\u00a0 I ain\u2019t heard them argue like that in a while.\u201d\u00a0 Joe glanced at the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s Adam\u2019s business who he marries. I kinda hoped he\u2019d talk to me about it, but it ain\u2019t for us to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeems Pa thinks he should have a say.\u201d\u00a0 Joe commented.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe he\u2019s been writing to Jane for four years and he never said a word.\u00a0 I know he keeps things to himself but this\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he wants us to know more, he\u2019ll tell us. You know Adam, if he don\u2019t wanna talk nuthin\u2019ll make him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss looked down at the checkers board and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou done moved \u2018em ain\u2019t ya?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pasted on what he thought was an innocent expression and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t touched \u2018em,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the next three weeks, Adam was never around.\u00a0 Once his work was finished he rode off to the Rossiter ranch.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe had no reason to complain; he never left them with chores to do, or asked for help in his work, but complain they did.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never here, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe moaned as once again only three Cartwrights sat down to supper.<\/p>\n Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHe gets his work done, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah, Pa, he does, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Hoss broke off, unable to say why he was upset with his older brother, but knowing he was.<\/p>\n \u201cThen there isn\u2019t much to complain about is there?\u201d\u00a0 Ben was no happier than his younger sons.\u00a0 He wanted Adam to talk.\u00a0 He knew of course that Adam would only talk when he was good and ready.<\/p>\n Later that evening it seemed that the time might have arrived.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe were into yet another game of checkers and as always Hoss was losing. Ben had poured himself a brandy and was watching the game but with his mind elsewhere. All three pricked up their ears when they heard hoof beats and then the barn door squealed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s home early.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss observed.<\/p>\n Joe looked at the door as if expecting Adam to appear immediately, when he didn\u2019t he gave a small giggle.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they\u2019ve fallen out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben admonished.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever the reason he\u2019s back, you keep your thoughts to yourself.\u00a0 He\u2019ll tell us in his own good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Now it was Hoss\u2019 turn to chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cTrouble is Pa, we might not be alive that long.\u201d<\/p>\n All three burst into laughter which stopped abruptly as footsteps echoed on the porch and the door swung open.<\/p>\n Adam threw his hat on the peg and shrugged out of his jacket.\u00a0 He bent to untie his holster and as he straightened up, his hand on the belt buckle, he became aware of three pairs of eyes on him.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, just this one cheating at checkers again.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss jerked a thumb at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re home\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Hoss caught his father\u2019s eye and stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, so it would seem,\u201d Adam replied with a slight smile.\u00a0 He moved to the sofa and peered at the checkers game, raised an eyebrow and then continued to his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAny coffee left?\u201d he asked indicating the pot and cups on the table.<\/p>\n Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMight be cooling a bit by now.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ask Hop Sing for a fresh pot.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to shout to the kitchen but before he could open his mouth, Hop Sing appeared a fresh pot in hand.<\/p>\n Hop Sing always seemed to know when he was needed.\u00a0 He poured coffee for all of them and was about to leave when Adam spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t go Hop Sing, your part of the family and this affects you too.\u201d<\/p>\n All eyes swiveled toward the occupant of the blue velvet chair.<\/p>\n Adam sipped at the fresh coffee and then looked up.\u00a0 His free hand went to his ear and he began to rub it.<\/p>\n Ben noted the gesture, something important was coming and Adam didn\u2019t expect it to be well received.\u00a0 The gesture was a habit his oldest son had acquired as a youth and it re-appeared when he was puzzled or worried.<\/p>\n Adam took a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cJane and I have decided on a date for the wedding.\u00a0 I have to go to San Francisco to renew our timber shipping contracts.\u00a0 We figured if we married on the Saturday before I leave, we could turn the trip into a honeymoon.\u00a0 Jane hasn\u2019t been to San Francisco since she was a child and we figured that we could visit galleries and go to concerts together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s only\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe broke off, shocked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just over three weeks after Christmas.\u00a0 Is that a problem?\u201d\u00a0 Adam spoke calmly but he was nervously twisting his hands around his coffee cup.<\/p>\n \u201cAny reason for the rush?\u00a0 A winter wedding means many of our friends won\u2019t be able to attend,\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve only known her six weeks\u2026\u201d\u00a0 he trailed off reminded of their conversation about Marie.<\/p>\n \u201cNo reason to wait.\u00a0 We love each other.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need a big wedding, just family and close friends. The train means travel even in winter is relatively easy and it\u2019ll be warmer in San Francisco for a honeymoon. I can afford to pay someone to finish off the house under my supervision.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked from one to the other waiting for the next challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean the house you were building for\u2026\u201d\u00a0 again Ben hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Laura?\u00a0 Yes, what other house do I own?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben would have preferred to speak to Adam alone, but his other sons had a right to know what was going on.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure this isn\u2019t the same thing; a wish to be married rather than a wish to be married to Jane?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned forward and placed his cup on the table.\u00a0 He remained bending forward but rested his arms on his knees.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t the same.\u00a0 I love Jane with all my heart.\u00a0 I would do anything to make her happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThen I have nothing more to say.\u00a0 It is your life and I can only wish you happiness.\u00a0 I hope you find it with Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam relaxed a little and leaned back in his chair. \u201cBut you don\u2019t think I will,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n Ben got to his feet and began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cIf you want me to be honest, no I don\u2019t.\u00a0 You say you love her and I have to believe that you believe you do.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps you do, I don\u2019t know, but I do know that a girl of her age who has been in an all girl\u2019s school with no experience of men cannot possibly know she is in love with the first person who pays her attention. Particularly when she has been infatuated with that man since the age of six.\u201d\u00a0 He turned on his heel and almost crashed into the table.\u00a0 \u201cThink Adam.\u00a0 How do you know she isn\u2019t still seeing you as the hero in her storybooks the way she used to before she went back east?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam got to his feet as if to challenge his father, then threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat and stomped up the stairs to his room.<\/p>\n Ben gave an exasperated sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI cannot get through to him that I only have his best interest at heart,\u201d\u00a0 he mumbled almost to himself.\u00a0 \u201cWhy does he have to be so stubborn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe because he is<\/em> in love with Jane,\u201d\u00a0 Hoss said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t about to talk to us when all we do is fight him.\u00a0 Not one of us said congratulations and that\u2019s kinda what a guy expects when he says he\u2019s getting married, \u2018specially when you\u2019re as old as Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s thoughts were much as Hoss had expressed them.\u00a0 He practically threw himself on the bed in temper.\u00a0 Why couldn\u2019t they understand.\u00a0 He loved Jane more than he had ever loved anyone.\u00a0 More than he had ever loved Laura and they had accepted her\u2026 okay, so Pa had expressed reservations, but then no one would ever be right in Pa\u2019s eyes. He wanted to keep them children forever.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as if Adam went around expressing undying love for women the way Joe was prone to do.\u00a0 They\u2019d all lost count of Joe\u2019s conquests and marriage plans. He thought back over the years, he had proposed marriage three times in his life before this and the women had left him.\u00a0 Laura, he had never really loved, not in the way a man should love the woman he marries.\u00a0 The others well, what the use in dwelling in the past? He had come close on a few other occasions too but something had always been wrong.\u00a0 This time it was right.\u00a0 Jane loved him and he loved her and there was nothing to stand in their way.<\/p>\n He got to his feet and crossed to his mirror and peered into it, rubbing his chin.\u00a0 Six weeks to get everything done.\u00a0 Jane was already arranging things, and her friend Miriam was a willing helper.\u00a0 Miriam had come out here to marry.\u00a0 Her fiance was currently in San Francisco but was due here any day now.\u00a0 Miriam had never met him, but they had corresponded and like Jane she was sure all would be well.\u00a0 He worked for John Piper at the Opera House and Adam knew him slightly from attending concerts and plays, but they had never been friends, he was more Little Joe\u2019s contemporary.\u00a0 Adam decided to have an early night, his eyes reflected tiredness and worry and he hoped a night of sleep would repair the damage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t go down too well, did it?\u201d\u00a0 Jane giggled when next they met.<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAbout as well as I expected.\u00a0 How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPapa thinks I\u2019ve taken leave of my senses and Mama is horrified that she has only a little less than two months to do everything,\u201d Jane replied.<\/p>\n They were spending a rare evening away from both families and could talk freely. Evenings spent in the Rossiters\u2019 parlor were very nice, Mr and Mrs Rossiter gave them time alone but the couple could never be sure when one or other of them would pop their head around the door.\u00a0 Tonight, Adam had got tickets for the Opera House; just for the two of them, even Miriam was not included.\u00a0 He had reserved a box and he planned that they would be as alone as he could make it.\u00a0 Afterwards he would take her to dinner and maybe if he could persuade her they could have a short ride out of town.\u00a0\u00a0 He had piled furs and blankets into the buggy as an extra insurance against the cold.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you mind that everyone thinks we are crazy?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked as he helped her into the buggy and tucked a fur wrap around her.<\/p>\n Jane stroked the soft beaver and looked up into his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t mind.\u00a0 If I stop and think about it, I wonder myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam climbed in beside her and took up the reins.\u00a0 He raised an eyebrow slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou are sure you want to marry me, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n She giggled again.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t look so worried, it makes you frown.\u00a0 Of course I am sure.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t believe that all my dreams are coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n He slipped an arm around her and pulled her to him as he drove.\u00a0 \u201cAll of them?\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, maybe not everyone, but most of them,\u201d she said seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cI promise to try my best to make all your dreams come true,\u201d he said softly. He pulled the buggy to a halt in front of the Opera House and helped her down.\u00a0 He was aware of the eyes of friends and neighbors following them as he took her arm to lead her into the auditorium and up the stairs to the box.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you enjoy opera,\u201d\u00a0 Adam said as he held out a chair for her.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about music but never specifically opera, but I thought you might like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane smoothed her dress and made herself comfortable before answering.\u00a0 \u201cI love all music.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you remember how I used to sing when you played your guitar?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThat was hardly opera.\u00a0 But yes, I do remember you had a very sweet voice.\u00a0 You still have,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know we haven\u2019t had a chance to sing together?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we must practice and you can sing with me at the Christmas concert and at our Christmas party.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane clapped her hands delightedly making several people look up at the box.\u00a0 \u201cOh I\u2019d love to.\u00a0 I sang in the choir at school and even performed a solo.\u00a0 Friends said I was quite good, so I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll let you down.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled at her childlike enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cYou couldn\u2019t ever let me down.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring my guitar over tomorrow night and we can practice.\u201d<\/p>\n They both went silent as the theatre darkened and the orchestra began the overture to \u2018The Barber of Seville\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t it wonderful?\u201d\u00a0 Jane chattered, excitedly as they left the theatre after the performance.\u00a0 \u201cThe girl who sang Rosina had such a lovely voice, I wish I could sing like that.\u00a0 It was like an angel singing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m pleased you enjoyed it so much.\u00a0 We must come again the next time the company is here.\u201d\u00a0 He handed her into the buggy.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve arranged dinner at the International.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned in closer, \u201cAlan has promised me a very secluded table.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane blushed prettily, \u201cNow why would we want that?\u201d<\/p>\n He climbed in beside her and cuddled up close.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I want to look into those beautiful brown eyes and the other diners might not appreciate my ignoring them and looking only at you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss and Joe were discussing which of them was going to draw the short straw and make the ride out to the herd in the morning after church.\u00a0 Ben listened with half an ear, smiling as Joe made all the arguments why it should be Hoss. The sharp rap at the door made them all jump.\u00a0 Ben and Hoss both looked at Joe, who sighed and got to his feet grumbling as he always did when answering the door.\u00a0 His perennial complaint was that he had been born the youngest and as such got all the menial tasks. He opened the door a crack and seeing Bill Rossiter on the porch threw it open wider and ushered him in.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEvening, Mr Rossiter, what brings you all the way over here?\u201d\u00a0 he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Rossiter acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cBen I need to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBoys would you check the stock for the night.\u201d\u00a0 It was an order not a request and both young men knew it; much as they would have liked to have stayed and listened to the conversation.<\/p>\n When the two older men were alone, Ben offered Rossiter a brandy.\u00a0 \u201cI take it this is about this marriage,\u201d he said handing Bill a glass.<\/p>\n Rossiter took the brandy snifter and sat down on the edge of the blue chair while Ben resumed his seat on the opposite side of the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I want it stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his brandy before responding.\u00a0 \u201cThat is hardly up to us, is it?\u00a0 They are both of age.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJane is barely twenty-one and your boy is acting like a schoolboy,\u201d\u00a0 Rossiter retorted.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she is twenty-one, Bill and whatever you may think of him, Adam is old enough to make his own decisions.\u00a0 He knows I\u2019m not happy about it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see what else I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossiter leaned forward in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll pay him to forget all about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben waved a dismissive hand. \u201cBill, Bill.\u00a0 You know Adam almost as well as I do and even if he needed money, which he doesn\u2019t, he could never be bought, especially for something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossiter seemed to slump in his chair and looked ten years older.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 I\u2019m so desperate I\u2019ll try anything.\u00a0 She\u2019s so full of romantic notions. I know my daughter just as you know your son.\u00a0 The more I oppose her the more stubborn she becomes.\u00a0 But I\u2019m convinced it is an infatuation just as it was when she was a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t be sure of that Bill.\u00a0 They have spent a lot of time together these past weeks.\u00a0 As my son reminded me, more than I spent with Marie before I married her.\u00a0 He genuinely seems to love her, even if you and I have trouble believing it.\u00a0 I think they will go their own way no matter what we say or do, and opposing them will only drive a wedge between us.\u00a0 Neither of us want to lose our children.\u201d<\/p>\n The two men talked for more than an hour until the door opened a crack and Hoss\u2019 voice asked if they might come in.<\/p>\n The interruption seemed to bring Rossiter to a decision.\u00a0 \u201cYes, come in Hoss, I\u2019m sorry I\u2019ve forced you and your brother to get so cold.\u00a0 Come by the fire.\u00a0 I\u2019m heading home anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss followed by Joe made a beeline for the stone fireplace and its burning logs.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to push ya out, Mr Rossiter, but you\u2019re right about it being cold out there.\u00a0 Snow comin\u2019 again too.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss held out his hands to the warmth and rubbed them together.<\/p>\n Bill Rossiter pushed to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cThen I really had better be going.\u00a0 Thanks for your hospitality and your advice, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure I agree or that I can avoid trying to stop this marriage but I know you are as concerned as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben got up and shook Rossiter\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cHave faith, Bill.\u00a0 They are sensible young people, it will turn out for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood staring at the door after his guest departed.\u00a0 Not sure if he believed what he had said but hoping his faith in his son was not misplaced.\u00a0 No one had cautioned him when he had proposed to Elizabeth, Inger or Marie and all of his marriages had been perfect.\u00a0 How could he accuse his son of being any less committed than he had been.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Adam and Jane emerged from the warmth of the restaurant, Jane shivered in the cold air.\u00a0 Adam immediately wrapped the beaver fur throw around her.\u00a0 He helped her into the buggy and then added a second fur, which he tucked around her.\u00a0 \u201cI was going to suggest a drive home around Washoe but maybe its too cold?\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at her and his face reflected his disappointment.<\/p>\n Jane giggled.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t look so miserable.\u00a0 Of course its not too cold, these furs are beautiful.\u201d\u00a0 She untucked one side and spread it over his knees.\u00a0 \u201cSee we can both keep warm.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took up the reins with one hand and slipped the other under the fur to grasp Jane\u2019s gloved hand.\u00a0 The trail from Virginia City to Washoe Lake was a dangerous one in winter, more than one wagon and stagecoach had gone over the edge into one of the ravines. Adam drove with care and concentration and they didn\u2019t talk much.\u00a0 Jane snuggled into him to keep warm and he enjoyed the closeness.<\/p>\n Once down in the valley between the Virginia Mountains and the Sierras it was warmer.\u00a0 The chill wind no longer crept inside the furs.\u00a0 Adam approached the end of the Lake and pulled the buggy to a halt.<\/p>\n \u201cOh look, isn\u2019t that beautiful.\u201d\u00a0 Jane pointed at the lake.<\/p>\n The water had frozen and snow had fallen on top of the ice, the crystals were sparkling in the moonlight.\u00a0 The trees around the lake were decked with snow and icicles hung down from the branches.\u00a0 She snuggled closer.<\/p>\n Adam looked down at her and smiled then putting a hand under her chin he lifted her face for a kiss.\u00a0 As they broke apart, he grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYour so cold we could freeze together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould that be so bad?\u201d\u00a0 she laughed.<\/p>\n He took up the reins again. \u201cI think I\u2019ll get you home before I\u2019m tempted.\u201d<\/p>\n They drove on for about a mile when the moonlight silhouetted a rider heading south east from the direction of the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder who\u2019s been visiting this late on a winter\u2019s night?\u201d\u00a0 Adam speculated.<\/p>\n Jane peered at the now retreating figure.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my father,\u201d she said abruptly.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure at this distance?\u201d\u00a0 Adam queried.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 The way he sits his saddle the outline is his, and who else would be visiting your family and then heading towards our ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think we can guess what the topic of conversation was likely to have been.\u00a0 I wonder what their next move will be?\u00a0 Your father isn\u2019t going to give up and my father might well support him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can\u2019t they just be happy for us?\u201d\u00a0 Jane said partly in anger and partly in sorrow.<\/p>\n Adam hugged her.\u00a0 \u201cBecause they care about us and think they know best.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell they don\u2019t,\u201d she said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cI know I want to be with you forever and nothing is going to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled at her, she sounded like a little girl again. \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear it,\u201d\u00a0 he said lightly.\u00a0 \u201cI know I want to share my life with you too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen its settled and they can\u2019t do anything to stop us.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned back thoughtful.\u00a0 The evening, which had been so perfect, had a slight tarnish on it now.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like going against his own father and Jane\u2019s too.\u00a0 He only knew he loved her and would do what was right for her above his own desires; desires which had grown with their closeness this evening.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The atmosphere at the Ponderosa and at Jane\u2019s home was as frosty as the world outside as Christmas approached. It was with some trepidation that Adam approached the festive season.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t going to be much of a celebration if he and Jane couldn\u2019t enjoy it together and neither family seemed well disposed toward them.\u00a0 The first hurdle was going to be the Christmas concert and carol service held at the church.\u00a0 He always took along his guitar and for as long as he could remember he had accompanied the carols with Mrs Myers at the piano and then sung along with his guitar and Slim Duncan\u2019s boys for the party afterwards. This year Jane was going to sing with him and they had practiced several duets and even a solo piece for her.\u00a0 He usually looked forward to this evening but this year he was unaccountably nervous.<\/p>\n He rode in through the fresh snow with his family and it seemed like old times.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe were joking with him and teasing and even Pa was smiling at their antics.\u00a0 Perhaps they had accepted the inevitable or perhaps they were just making the best of it but at least they were no longer disapproving.<\/p>\n On arriving at the church he headed for the area just below the altar where the piano was set up.\u00a0 Mrs Myers was already there fussing.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if there will be room for your friend to set up her cello.\u00a0 No one told me.\u00a0 I really can\u2019t be expected to accommodate such last minute changes,\u201d she was saying to Jane.<\/p>\n Jane had that long suffering look on her face that told Adam she was barely containing her temper.\u00a0 He knew the feeling, dealing with Abigail was always a trial and she was in full flow tonight.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs Myers, we couldn\u2019t tell you because we didn\u2019t know that Miriam\u2019s fianc\u00e9 was going to arrive with a brand new cello for her as a Christmas present.\u00a0 He only got into town on today\u2019s stage,\u201d\u00a0 Jane explained as if to a simpleton.<\/p>\n Adam didn\u2019t want to become involved in the argument, so he simply cleared his throat to let the ladies know he was there.<\/p>\n \u201cAh Adam,\u201d Abigail turned to him with a look of triumph on her face.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps you can tell Jane that we don\u2019t have room for a cello player.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tried to hide his smile. \u201cI\u2019m sure Miriam is very good, Abigail.\u00a0 If we move some of Slim\u2019s instruments to one side until after the carol service I\u2019m sure we can find room for her.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind sitting to one side.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail\u2019s color rose and she shrugged and walked back to her piano in a huff.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think she likes me very much,\u201d\u00a0 Jane whispered and then giggled.<\/p>\n Adam moved closer and whispered back, \u201cIt\u2019s because she used to be in love with me.\u201d He grinned at her, earning himself a light punch on his arm.<\/p>\n He held up his hands to defend himself from further blows.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s true, ask my brothers.\u00a0 Until she found Hank, she wanted to marry me.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane shook her head, disbelieving.\u00a0 \u201cCome on and I\u2019ll introduce you to Miriam\u2019s fianc\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMartin and I already know each other,\u201d he told her.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot well but as nodding acquaintances.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen come and help him put Miriam\u2019s cello in place,\u201d\u00a0 Jane insisted, dragging him away from Abigail with a frown.<\/p>\n Miriam was talking to a tall, slim man of about forty-five while her fianc\u00e9, Martin Cotton,<\/p>\n stood by smiling.\u00a0 She looked up as Jane and Adam approached.<\/p>\n \u201cGood evening, Adam.\u201d Martin Cotton spoke first.<\/p>\n \u201cGood evening, Martin.\u00a0 I hope your trip to San Francisco was a success,\u201d\u00a0 Adam replied shaking the man\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I know your return will be when there is such a lovely lady as Miriam waiting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin laughed.\u00a0 \u201cOh yes very much so.\u00a0 I believe you and Jane benefited from it a few weeks ago with the visit from the San Francisco Opera Company.\u00a0 Stephen here is the manager of the company.\u00a0 Oh and I hear you\u2019ve managed to out maneuver us and plan your wedding before ours.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled at Jane and pulled her close to him.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t let this one get away.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin turned to the older man,\u00a0 \u201cStephen, this is an acquaintance of mine, Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 For a rancher he knows an awful lot about the theater.\u00a0 Adam, Stephen Lacey.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam held out his hand to the older man.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to meet you Mr Lacey.\u00a0 Virginia City thanks you for bringing us such a wonderful company.\u00a0 Jane and I enjoyed it so much.\u201d<\/p>\n The man bowed in acknowledgement.\u00a0 \u201cThey are a good company but thank Martin, he invited us and\u2026\u201d he laughed, \u201cpaid our fees and expenses.\u00a0 We hope to come back again soon. Miriam tells me that you and Jane are honeymooning in San Francisco.\u00a0 Please let me give you tickets to our performances while you are there, as a wedding gift.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane clapped her hands in delight.\u00a0 \u201cOh isn\u2019t that wonderful, Adam.\u00a0 We can spend our evenings listening to music.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Martin and Stephen winked at Adam. \u201cThe performances finish by ten, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Stephen whispered, making Adam grin.<\/p>\n Adam took Jane\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if you will excuse us, gentlemen, I am going to take these two lovely ladies away to get ready for the service.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The service was always beautiful.\u00a0 The older members of the congregation read from both Matthew and Luke and told the Christmas story.\u00a0 The school children sang under Abigail\u2019s direction while she played the piano and then Adam and Jane took over and sang some lesser-known Christmas carols and songs.\u00a0 Adam, as always sang the spiritual that his father loved and then Jane took center stage and sang two quieter carols before finishing with \u2018O Come All Ye Faithful.\u2019\u00a0 Adam and Miriam were supposed to join in and accompany her after the first verse, but as her voice soared in the chorus the whole church fell silent.<\/p>\n Adam could hardly believe his ears.\u00a0 In their rehearsals they had not bothered to practice this one, it was so well known that they didn\u2019t need to.\u00a0 He was transported away from Virginia City to a concert hall.\u00a0 Jane\u2019s voice was pure magic.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until the final verse that Adam and Miriam recovered enough to finish the hymn with her.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was beautiful.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know you could sing like that,\u201d\u00a0 Adam told her when he and Jane were walking from the church to the hall for the party.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve heard me sing everyday for two weeks or more.\u201d\u00a0 Jane laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but never like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love singing and being there with all my friends around me, I suppose I just forgot I had an audience and let the music take over.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cI hope the music takes over for me when we sing at the party tonight.\u00a0 You\u2019ve made me feel very inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n She reached up and touched his face.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 You are always so confident and you have a wonderful voice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you two don\u2019t stop admiring each other you\u2019ll freeze out here.\u201d\u00a0 Joe let loose with a cackle as he passed them and ran lightly up the steps to the hall.<\/p>\n The evening passed quickly, Adam and Jane sang with Slim Duncan\u2019s band and then others took over and the two danced.\u00a0 Adam relinquished her briefly so that others could dance with her but his eyes followed her around the room.\u00a0 When the evening was over he drove her home and kissed her goodnight, conscious of the family arriving in the yard as he did so.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNever mind,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cTwo days to Christmas and then in three weeks time we\u2019ll be married and I\u2019ll have you all to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and Jane didn\u2019t see each other on Christmas Day, both feeling it more appropriate to spend their last Christmas as singles with their respective families.\u00a0 The plan had been for Jane to spend the next day at the Ponderosa but an overnight blizzard that was still raging next morning put paid to that idea and it was four days before Adam could make the ride to the Rossiters.\u00a0 He was half frozen and Mrs Rossiter ushered him in to the fire.<\/p>\n \u201cWarm yourself up, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let Jane know you are here,\u201d she said with a smile.<\/p>\n Adam held out his hands to the fire and wondered where Jane was; usually she rushed to meet him.\u00a0 If she was anywhere in the house she must have seen or heard him ride up.<\/p>\n A few minutes later Jane came down the stairs and greeted him.\u00a0 \u201cHello Adam, you shouldn\u2019t have ridden all this way in such terrible weather.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned forward to kiss her on the lips but she turned her head so that he simply brushed her cheek.\u00a0 He frowned and looked to see if Mrs Rossiter was still there, but she had left for the kitchen and they were alone.\u00a0 \u201cIs something wrong?\u00a0 The snow\u2019s stopped, it wasn\u2019t that bad a trip and anyway I\u2019d ride through a blizzard to see you.\u00a0 It\u2019s been almost a week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo nothing\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 I was surprised to see you that\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0 Jane seated herself by the fire and held out her hands to the flames.<\/p>\n Adam had the distinct impression that she was avoiding making eye contact with him.<\/p>\n He pulled up a stool and sat at her feet.\u00a0 \u201cThere most definitely is something wrong,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI know you too well for you to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou only think you know me,\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n He instinctively retreated from her, settling back on the stool.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean that.\u00a0 I\u2019m upset today, that\u2019s all, really it is,\u201d\u00a0 Jane apologized.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it the wedding?\u00a0 I know I\u2019m getting nervous.\u00a0 Joe says I\u2019m impossible to live with, but then he has always thought that.\u201d\u00a0 He tried a smile but she didn\u2019t reciprocate.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you would have heard me ride up, but I suppose the snow softens the noise of Sport\u2019s hoof beats. What were you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n She had gone back to staring at the fire.\u00a0 \u201cThinking,\u201d she said quietly, her voice cracking a little.<\/p>\n He put a hand out and cupped her chin, gently drawing her to face him.\u00a0 \u201cAbout us?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing just me being silly.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019m nervous too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure, my love?\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to force you into a marriage you don\u2019t want.\u201d\u00a0 His heart was beating far too fast.\u00a0 He loved her so much and he prayed she still felt the same way.<\/p>\n She sat up straight and put a hand to his cheek. \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about me. I\u2019m just very scared about becoming Mrs Adam Cartwright in two weeks.\u00a0 Your father and mine have invited half the territory.\u00a0 For parents who don\u2019t want us to get married they are certainly making it a big wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam relaxed a little.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe there will be another blizzard and we\u2019ll be the only ones there,\u201d he joked.\u00a0 \u201cAll I need is you, guests aren\u2019t important.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim package beautifully wrapped and with a blue ribbon bow.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t even given you your Christmas gift yet.\u00a0 There was never a right moment before Christmas and then with the storm\u2026\u201d He held it out to her.<\/p>\n She took it from him and tore off the ribbon and paper to reveal a leather box lined with velvet and nestling inside a gold chain with a simple locket.\u00a0 She lifted it from the box and opened the heart shaped locket, it contained a photograph of each of them and on the back of the locket, their initials entwined.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Adam its beautiful,\u201d she said breathlessly, then leaned forward and kissed him.<\/p>\n He took full advantage of the kiss pulling her into a warm embrace as he kissed her a second time.\u00a0 \u201cI was beginning to worry.\u201d He smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t imagine my life without you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 \u201cIn two weeks we\u2019ll be married and all my nerves will be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n He cuddled her to him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be away from everyone and San Francisco will be magic.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to show you my favorite galleries and restaurants and we can go to the Opera thanks to Stephen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I\u2019d want to do that,\u201d she cut in quickly.<\/p>\n Adam looked at her, startled.\u00a0 \u201cBut you loved it here at Piper\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you mind very much if we didn\u2019t go?\u201d She gave him such a pleading look that his heart melted.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can do whatever you want.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I could refuse you anything, especially on our honeymoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBefore you two start thinking too much about honeymoons, we have a wedding to organize.\u201d\u00a0 Mrs Rossiter had returned with coffee and cinnamon cookies, which she placed on the table.\u00a0 \u201cNow Adam have you decided on your best man?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve asked my brother, Hoss.\u00a0 We\u2019ve always been close and I hope Joe won\u2019t mind too much.\u201d<\/p>\n They continued talking wedding plans until it was time for Adam to leave.\u00a0 He promised to try to collect Jane for Sunday dinner and then they would probably only see each other once or twice more before the wedding.<\/p>\n As he went into the Rossiter\u2019s barn he was conscious of someone in the shadows.\u00a0 His hand went to his gun but before he had time to draw it the shadow spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t shoot me, Adam.\u00a0 I just need to talk to you.\u201d\u00a0 Miriam emerged into the fading afternoon light.<\/p>\n Adam relaxed his hand on the gun.\u00a0 \u201cMiriam, you surprised me.\u00a0 What are you doing out here in the cold?\u201d<\/p>\n Miriam moved closer to him. \u201cI need to talk to you about Jane, and I don\u2019t want her to hear.\u201d She glanced nervously toward the house. \u201cStephen has made\u2013\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cStephen,\u201d Adam said slowly and deeply. He looked at Miriam thoughtfully. \u201cWhat has he done?\u201d<\/p>\n Miriam hesitated and then explained quickly, \u201cHe\u2019s offered her a place with the Opera.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStephen!\u00a0 He\u2019s done what?\u201d\u00a0 Adam almost yelled back at her.\u00a0 \u201cThe Opera?\u00a0 But she never said a word about\u2026\u201d he stopped speaking, remembering Jane\u2019s strange comment about not attending the Opera when they were in San Francisco.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been worrying about it for days.\u00a0 She loves you but she wants to sing so much.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think she realized how much until Stephen made his offer.\u201d\u00a0 Miriam made a helpless gesture with her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cThen why didn\u2019t she tell me?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked, still puzzled and a little angry.<\/p>\n Miriam\u2019s voice softened. \u201cBecause she knows you love her and she doesn\u2019t want to hurt you.\u00a0 She won\u2019t tell you herself.\u00a0 She made me promise not to say anything\u2026\u00a0 but I thought you had a right to know.\u00a0 She wants this so badly, but only you can give it to her.\u201d\u00a0 She watched his expression.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not good enough to tell her to take the offer. I tried to tell her that marriage won\u2019t work if she isn\u2019t totally sure.\u00a0 But she won\u2019t call the wedding off.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s face was a mask. \u201cThank you for telling me Miriam, you are a good friend.\u00a0 I need to think this through.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t tell Jane you\u2019ve said anything.\u201d<\/p>\n He led Sport from the barn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The chestnut tossed its head and whinnied.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like standing out here in the cold when a nice warm barn with hot mash might be waiting.\u00a0 The man crouching at the water\u2019s edge seemed not to have heard and didn\u2019t move a muscle.\u00a0 He had been like that for almost an hour now.\u00a0 A few more minutes passed and the moon cast ghostly shadows on the grove of trees around them. Finally Adam rose and idly tossed a pebble into the water.\u00a0 He watched the ripples spread until they were gone then turned and mounted the chestnut and rode home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam looked up as the door to his room opened and Hoss peered around the door.\u00a0 \u201cI knocked but you musta bin miles away.\u00a0 Can I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam waved a hand to a chair.\u00a0 \u201cSure make yourself comfortable.\u00a0 What\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss pulled the chair up to the bed and surveyed his brother, who was lying on his back with his hands behind his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t said two words since you got back from the Rossiters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you can\u2019t contain your curiosity or is it Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Adam smiled but it didn\u2019t reach his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanna talk?\u201d\u00a0 He held up a broad hand.\u00a0 \u201cLet me guess, no you don\u2019t and I should mind my own business.\u00a0 Adam we always bin able to talk to each other.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019 is botherin\u2019 you real bad.\u00a0 I wanna help, so does Pa . . . and Joe would too if\u2019n you\u2019d let him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you all figured that you were the best one to get me to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss looked a bit embarrassed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, yeah, that\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.\u00a0 He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to know sooner or later, but I\u2019d be grateful if you\u2019d keep it to yourself for now.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam talking this easy was so unusual that Hoss was shocked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to call the wedding off,\u201d\u00a0 Adam stated baldly.<\/p>\n \u201cYer, what?\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 I mean\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stuttered, completely taken aback.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t told Jane yet.\u00a0 But the wedding is off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMind tellin\u2019 me why?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced up at his brother and saw only love and concern.\u00a0 \u201cI could tell you that I don\u2019t love Jane, but that wouldn\u2019t be true, although that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to tell her.\u201d\u00a0 He quietly told Hoss what Miriam had said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure it ain\u2019t just Miriam guessing at what Jane thinks?\u201d\u00a0 his brother asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI rode into Virginia City and spoke to Lacey.\u00a0 He made the offer and a darn good one.\u00a0 Jane gets music tuition and a voice coach, all her expenses paid and a salary as soon as she can join the company.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sat up and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s what she wants, how can I stop her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow dya\u2019 know she wants it?\u00a0 You only got Miriam\u2019s word for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 Things she said.\u00a0 She tried to convince me it was wedding nerves and in a way it is.\u00a0 She cares enough to want to spare me hurt but not enough to make a sound basis for marriage, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n He got up and began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cIf I talk to her about it she\u2019ll convince me that I\u2019m wrong because that is what I want to hear.\u00a0 I have to be the strong one.\u00a0 If I love her, and I do, then I have to let her go.\u00a0 Maybe someday she\u2019ll come back to me.\u00a0 If I keep her then I\u2019ll kill the love we have.\u00a0 She\u2019ll always wonder what it would have been like to be an opera singer.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss got to his feet and rested a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2019n you need me then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to face him, \u201cI know, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam rose early next morning. He wanted to be away from the house before the family could question him.\u00a0 He\u2019d made his decision and he knew that if he talked about it anymore he would weaken.\u00a0 He wasted some time checking over the herd on his way to the Rossiters but still arrived before they had finished breakfast.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Bill Rossiter greeted him with surprise as he swung down from his horse and looped the reins over the rail.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you out here this early?\u00a0 Jane wasn\u2019t expecting you until this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMorning Mr Rossiter, I wanted a word with Jane about the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossiter nodded but his slightly puzzled expression remained.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s in the kitchen with her mother.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to talk in private if that\u2019s alright with you, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n Rossiter slapped him on the back. \u201cSon, you will be married in a little over a week, I reckon I can trust you.\u201d He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I know I was against this marriage but I want you to know that I\u2019ve changed my mind.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t wish for a better son-in-law or Jane for a better husband.\u00a0 You\u2019re a fine young man and a credit to your Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam blushed.\u00a0 If only Rossiter knew what he was about to do. \u201cThank you, sir.\u00a0 I hope your opinion of me doesn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane was washing dishes, a flowered pinafore covered her workday blue dress and her hair was tied up with a scarf.\u00a0 Adam came into the kitchen behind her and his heart missed a beat, even dressed like this she looked beautiful.\u00a0 Mrs Rossiter saw him first and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodness gracious Adam, you gave me a start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning\u00a0 ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry if I startled you.\u00a0 Mr Rossiter said it was alright to come on in.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane spun around in horror when she heard his voice.\u00a0 \u201cAdam!\u201d\u00a0 She put her hands to her hair and then to her apron.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting you,\u201d she said, flustered and blushing.<\/p>\n He wished she didn\u2019t look so desirable when she blushed. It made his task a hundred times harder.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs Rossiter took her cue, nicely.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go start on the laundry, dear.\u00a0 Make Adam a fresh cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Jane busied herself with the coffee pot to hide her embarrassment.\u00a0 \u201cI know there is lots still to arrange but I thought you were coming over this afternoon.\u00a0 I would have changed out of this dress if\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He took the coffee pot from her and placed it on the stove.\u00a0 \u201cNever mind the coffee or the dress.\u00a0 I have something important to say and I need you to listen.\u201d\u00a0 He led her to a chair and waited until she was seated before pulling up another for himself. \u201cJane, there\u2019s no easy way to say this, so I\u2019ll be direct.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been thinking over what my father and your father have been saying and they are right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right about what?\u201d\u00a0 she interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cRight about us. You are too young for me.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had other women and I need an experienced woman, you are a child.\u201d The words hurt him as much as they hurt her.\u00a0 He saw her face crumple.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we said it didn\u2019t matter, that you would teach me. I don\u2019t care about before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Jane, it won\u2019t work. I\u2019m calling the wedding off.\u201d\u00a0 Even as he spoke so firmly his resolve wavered.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t see her way out and she wasn\u2019t going to make it easy for him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the arrangements are all made, my dress, our guests\u2026 it\u2019s only a week away.\u00a0 I thought you loved me, you said you did and I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n He could see tears in her eyes. Maybe Miriam was wrong and she did love him more than the music.\u00a0 He hesitated for a brief moment but he knew he was fooling himself.\u00a0 \u201cWe can cancel arrangements.\u00a0 It\u2019s for the best. You\u2019ll meet someone else, someone your own age.\u00a0 You need to meet more men before you decide on one.\u00a0 We\u2019ve rushed things and it isn\u2019t right,\u00a0 \u201d he said avoiding the question of his love for her.<\/p>\n As Jane burst into tears, her father came through the kitchen door.\u00a0 He went straight to his daughter.\u00a0 \u201cWhat on earth\u2026 what have you been saying to her, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam got to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry for upsetting her, but the wedding is off.\u00a0 You were right; it won\u2019t work.\u00a0 I\u2019ll cancel all the arrangements, Jane won\u2019t have to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossiter\u2019s mouth dropped open.\u00a0 He had come to terms with the wedding and now this man was spurning his daughter.\u00a0 All his fatherly instincts came into play.\u00a0 \u201cGet out of my house before I\u2026 How can you do this to her?\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you in hell before I let you humiliate my daughter in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked helplessly from sobbing daughter to angry father and did the only thing he could; he walked out and swung into Sport\u2019s saddle.\u00a0 He was hurting as much, if not more, than Jane but he couldn\u2019t let her see that.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t know how long he was riding or even where he was heading but eventually he found himself at the lake beside his stepmother\u2019s grave.\u00a0 He dismounted and hunkered down beside the headstone.\u00a0 \u201cI sure make a mess of my love life, don\u2019t I?\u201d\u00a0 he whispered, laying a hand on the stone.<\/p>\n Today should have been his wedding day.\u00a0 His family was avoiding him, and people in town shunned him, whispering behind his back.\u00a0 He had completed his chores early and taken a fishing pole and headed up to the lake.\u00a0 It was way too cold for fishing and he knew it but it gave him and excuse. He sat staring out at the water and hurting.\u00a0 This was where Hoss found him in the middle of the afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cThought you might need a hand,\u201d Hoss offered as he dropped onto the ground beside his older brother. \u201cYou ain\u2019t got too many fish there, but then its pretty cold and I guess they ain\u2019t bin jumping out into the basket.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated the empty wicker fish basket and the rod at Adam\u2019s side, the unbaited hook lying in the sand.<\/p>\n Adam didn\u2019t answer or look up.\u00a0 \u201cYou want I should leave you alone?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I\u2019m not very good company,\u201d\u00a0 Adam said quietly.<\/p>\n They sat side by side for a while in silence.\u00a0 Finally, Hoss cleared his throat and spoke.\u00a0 \u201cSaw Bill Rossiter today.\u00a0 He\u2019s a lot calmer and pretty apologetic.\u00a0 Said he understood.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cShe\u2019s gone then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeft yesterday.\u00a0 Bill said he hadn\u2019t known anything about the offer until she said she was going a few days ago.\u00a0 He gave me this for you.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss held out an envelope.<\/p>\n His brother took it and sighed as he saw the writing.\u00a0 He slipped a finger inside the flap and opened it, drawing out a sheet of paper with clear round hand writing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dearest Adam<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am so sorry.\u00a0 I have had time to think this week. Stephen told me you had been to see him.\u00a0 I know now that what you did was from love.\u00a0 You know me better than I know myself.\u00a0 You were right, I was in love with the idea of loving you.\u00a0 You have always been my hero and my mentor. I will always remember you with affection and perhaps someday you will come to the Opera and see the gift you have given so unselfishly.\u00a0 I hope you will find someone worthy of that unselfish love, she will indeed be a lucky woman.<\/em><\/p>\n With much thanks<\/em><\/p>\n Jane<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n He folded the letter and replaced it in the envelope then slipped it into his pocket.\u00a0 He picked up the fishing pole and got to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon brother, let\u2019s go home.\u00a0 We can ride into town and I\u2019ll buy you a few whiskeys at the Silver Dollar.\u00a0 The wedding may be cancelled but that\u2019s no reason not to have a guys night out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: Three years later.\u00a0 Adam was in the audience at the San Francisco Opera to hear Jane sing the aria from The Barber of Seville.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The End<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n