{"id":6525,"date":"2012-09-04T12:30:54","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T16:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6525"},"modified":"2026-07-22T11:46:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T15:46:44","slug":"one-step-closer-from-two-to-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6525","title":{"rendered":"One Step Closer #5 – From Two to Three a Family (by MissJudy)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Adam and his wife, Melinda, are living in England, and getting\u00a0ready to welcome their first child. After\u00a0a fall\u00a0on the stairs, Adam must face the fear of losing his wife and child,\u00a0and he\u00a0comes to terms with his own\u00a0lingering grief over his mother’s death.\u00a0We also see\u00a0the family back on the Ponderosa\u00a0waiting impatiently\u00a0for the arrival of a new Cartwright. The story\u00a0returns the young parents to the states where a number of surprises await – including a visit from some Nevadans, and one old foe\u00a0who leaves them reeling.<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a045,000<\/span><\/p>\n

One Step Closer Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Love’s Sake Only
\n<\/a>Til Death Do Us Part
\n<\/a>Two Hearts Broken
\n<\/a>In Search of Safety
\n<\/a>From Two to Three
\n<\/a>Changes in Fate<\/a><\/p>\n

Story Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

This is a continuation of my One Step Closer series, but can be read separately from the others. I will include a quick recap of events so far.<\/em><\/p>\n

From Two to Three by Missjudy<\/em><\/p>\n

Author’s Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

A quick catch-up so you\u2019ll know where this story is placed in\u00a0the \u00a0Bonanza timeline.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The events I this story take place 3-4 years after Adam left the Ponderosa\/Bonanza. There are four more stories in this series leading up to this one, but there is no need to read them before enjoying this one because they are all complete in their makeup. This brief recap will help, but isn’t necessary. Most\u00a0things are briefly explained in\u00a0the story.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

These are the other stories:<\/em><\/p>\n

One Step Closer<\/strong>: The first story shows Adam meeting an old love from college in Sacramento back when he was engaged to Laura. During their reunion, Adam realized that he still loved Melinda, and that she felt the same, but he saw no way out of his promise to Laura and Peggy. After his fall, the recovery, and a year of restlessness, he heads to Boston\u2014both because Abel had a stroke\u2014and to see if Melinda might still be there. He finds Abel doing well, and that Melinda has waited for him, knowing he wouldn\u2019t make the biggest mistake of his life by marrying someone else.<\/em><\/p>\n

One Step Closer \u2013 Til Death do Us Part:<\/strong>\u00a0The second of the series tells the story of Adam and Melinda\u2019s wedding and first night together. Of course nothing is ever easy for a Cartwright in love, and this time, Melinda is kidnapped when her brother-in-law sees Adam as having the resources to pay for his gambling debts. We meet Louis Castelletti in this story. He owns gambling houses and brothels in Boston, and figures he\u2019ll take Adam\u2019s ransom payment,\u00a0and still\u00a0use Melinda in his brothel. The story is complicated by a lingering illness that Adam deals with as he tries to find his fianc\u00e9e. The saving graces for him are the man he works for, Frank Wadsworth, and the fact that Ben was in Boston for the wedding. The three men manage to find Melinda and put Castelletti in prison.<\/em><\/p>\n

One Step Closer \u2013 Two Hearts Broken:<\/strong>\u00a0Louis Castelletti reappears after only nine months in prison with a new scheme to blow up a bank vault next door to a building he\u2019s purchased, and steal thousands of counterfeit bills and foreign currency being stored there. He forces Adam to help him build a tunnel between the two buildings.<\/em><\/p>\n

Castelletti wants revenge too, and sets out to destroy Adam before killing him, by planting rumors of shady business dealings and an affair with a woman: Lucia Castelletti, the man\u2019s daughter. Adam is aware of it all and yet can\u2019t get word to anyone without insuring their deaths. He manages to thwart the plans, and he and Melinda are rushed from town after a meeting with the newly formed United States Secret Service, represented by and Agents James West, and Artemis Gordon.<\/em><\/p>\n

One Step Closer \u2013 In Search of Safety<\/strong>: Even though the Castelletti was killed, Adam and Melinda head to the safest place Adam knows: the Ponderosa. While visiting his family, Adam has to overcome some difficulties with Little Joe, and deal with an unexpected visitor \u2013 Laura Dayton-Cartwright. Melinda contracts a deadly disease while there, and Adam faces the possibility that his wife may remain and invalid, even if she recovers. The story ends with their return to Boston, and then a journey to England, where they find out that a baby is on the way.<\/em><\/p>\n

That brings us to this story that begins at the point where Melinda is ready to give birth.<\/em><\/p>\n

Players in this story:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Margaret and Miranda Hayworth<\/strong>\u00a0are Melinda\u2019s mother and sister who come to England for the birth. It was Miranda\u2019s husband, Lloyd Samuels, who set up the kidnapping before Adam and Melinda\u2019s wedding. They are divorced now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sam Green<\/strong>: A physician who took care of Melinda and Adam after the kidnapping. They became good friends, and he ends up going to England as part of a physician exchange program, at the same time Adam and Melinda are there. He gained favor in the medical world after he and Paul Martin consulted through telegrams between Boston and Virginia City when Melinda was ill in Nevada.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frank and Marian Wadsworth<\/strong>: Frank is Adam\u2019s boss at the finest engineering firm in Boston. Adam was a roommate to Frankie Wadsworth while in college, and Frank and Marian love Adam as a son. Frank is a master of business and employs a crack security team to keeps his business and family safe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Abel and Sadie Stoddard<\/strong>: Of course Abel is Adam\u2019s grandfather. I have Abel marry his housekeeper, Sadie, right after Adam married Melinda. They\u2019d been sweet on each other for some time, but his returning health allowed him to pop the question.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wadsworth Manor in England<\/strong>: Since Adam was in London for work, Frank had the Cartwrights stay at the Wadsworth house there. Sam Green is staying there as well. The manor is maintained by a small group of servants, overseen by the head butler, Niles.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

One Step Closer –\u00a0<\/strong>From Two to Three a Family<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part One \u2013 New Places: New Faces<\/strong><\/p>\n

(London)<\/strong><\/p>\n

One<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Mother Daughter Reunion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melinda heard Adam\u2019s long yawn, indicating that he was waking up.<\/strong> She reached over to pat his cheek and asked, \u201cHey, love, can you take a look at the clock and tell me what time it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled over and kissed her before yawning again. \u201cThe clock\u2019s on your side of the bed, can\u2019t you roll over and look?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could\u2026but I\u2019m comfortable for the first time all night and would like to remain this way a few minutes longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pushed up on his elbow as he snickered, \u201cLet me peak over Mount Melinda and report the hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa\u2026ha,\u201d She pouted, but then retaliated. \u201cYou just wait until you get old and have a belly like this. Then I\u2019ll tease you about clearing Cartwright Rise anytime I need to reach past you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 7:15,\u201d He reported as he fell back onto his pillow. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late, but I\u2019m surprised Niles hasn\u2019t been knocking yet. And by the way; I don\u2019t intend to get a belly as I age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe you won\u2019t,\u201d she laughed as she poked his flat stomach. \u201cNiles knocked a while ago, but I didn\u2019t respond. You were sleeping soundly and the baby had finally stopped kicking, so I decided we should indulge in an extra few minutes of rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moved his hand across Melinda\u2019s very pregnant abdomen and felt a mighty kick ripple under his hand. He grinned as he always did when he felt his child move. \u201cI think your rest is over. He\u2019s awake again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my life these days. If the baby isn\u2019t elbowing me in the ribs, then my stomach is burning or I have to use the chamber pot. I\u2019ve heard that this is nature\u2019s way of preparing me for being up all night with a fussy infant.\u201d She drew her lips to the side as she thought. \u201cI wonder why men don\u2019t go through any of these parenthood training phenomena.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect it\u2019s because we\u2019d become whimpering babies ourselves if we had to endure what women do to have our children.\u201d He winked at her. \u201cI\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0there to get things started, if you\u2019ll recall,\u201d he gave a toothy smile as his eyebrows danced, \u201cand the rest of my job doesn\u2019t begin until after the baby is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just what job is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He mulled over his answer before replying. \u201cI shall provide for him\u2026you know\u2026make a living to keep him fed, wearing the latest baby fashions, and supplied with toys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm,\u201d She pondered. \u201cThat\u2019s noble, but what about changing diapers and staying up at night when she has colic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think men really are useless until a child is about three years old, and we can start teaching them to be devious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda sighed deeply as she touched his cheek. \u201cWell, I\u2019ll keep you around, even if your usefulness is limited. You are pretty cute, and maybe you\u2019ll lend a hand from time-to-time. After all, someone helped your father with Hoss and Joe.\u201d She grunted as she rolled toward her husband and took his hand. \u201cAdam\u2026you always talk about this baby as being a he. Will you be disappointed if he\u2019s a she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this conversation every morning,\u201d he slid closer to her and held her gently. \u201cI do think we\u2019ll have a boy. But since you come from a family of three girls, and mine has three boys, I figure it\u2019s pretty much even odds.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded and grinned. \u201cThat sounds right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I will be equally delighted with either. I don\u2019t know exactly what I\u2019ll do with a baby girl, since my experience has been with boys. But I promise that I\u2019ll adapt and make her the finest tomboy on the block.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were still holding each other and talking when there was a light tap on the door. Adam called, \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

The middle-aged butler opened the door a crack and announced, \u201cMrs. Cartwright\u2019s mother and sister have arrived, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat up and helped Melinda do the same before asking the man to come in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t supposed to be here until late this morning,\u201d Melinda said aloud. She recalled her mother\u2019s fear of taking a ship across the ocean, before asking warily, \u201cHow do they seem, Niles?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeem, Madam?\u201d he asked with a tilt of his head.<\/p>\n

Adam clarified. \u201cI think Mrs. Cartwright is wondering if they had a pleasant trip. Are they in a good spirits?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I see. Their spirits are remarkable, sir.\u201d Niles stepped closer to the bed. \u201cI set them to breakfast with Dr. Green, and they seemed most pleased about that. Mrs. Hayworth mentioned that their ship arrived sooner than expected, allowing them to catch an earlier train. They are happy to be here and ask that you not rush. One of the maids will help them unpack when they finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Niles,\u201d Melinda said sincerely, \u201cbut I\u2019ll dress quickly, and head downstairs. I\u2019m anxious to see them. That will leave you and Mr. Cartwright to get going. I\u2019m afraid I allowed us to sleep too long this morning, and now we\u2019re both behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Niles stepped from the room, she slipped into a loose fitting dress and slippers, getting Adam to help with the back buttons; took a look in the mirror, smoothing back some wisps that had escaped her heavy braid during the night, and pinched her cheeks to give them a pink glow, saying, \u201cThat\u2019ll have to do for now,\u201d before heading off to see Margaret and Miranda.<\/p>\n

Niles re-entered the bedroom once she exited. As she closed the door, she heard the butler ask which suit of clothes Mr. Cartwright wished him to put out. Melinda chuckled, knowing that Adam still hadn\u2019t adjusted to having another man help him with his daily routines. He\u2019d refused to hire his own \u201cman\u201d to dress him, so Niles went up each morning to assist with the little her husband allowed. She pictured her beloved biting his tongue to keep from telling the elegant, well-mannered man to mind his own business.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s job had brought the Cartwrights to England five months ago, and they\u2019d taken residence at Wadsworth Manor. The large London estate had been passed to Adam\u2019s boss, Frank Wadsworth, because he was the only living male heir of its previous owner. Since the large home and grounds were fully staffed, while seldom having anyone in residence, Frank had insisted that Adam and Melinda stay there for the year or two it took for Adam to complete his consulting work on a huge London harbor project.<\/p>\n

Melinda had been ill during the voyage to England, and had remained so even after they\u2019d settled into the London home. Adam\u2019s biggest fear had been that his wife had been experiencing a recurrence of the Cat Scratch Fever that had nearly taken her life when the couple had visited the Ponderosa a few months before the trip. It had come as a relief when their friend, and doctor, from Boston, Sam Green, had come to England to participate in a physician exchange program between Massachusetts General and London Hospital. Frank Wadsworth had heard of the trip and had told Sam to stay at the estate as well. The young doctor had diagnosed Melinda\u2019s \u201cillness\u201d the first night he\u2019d arrived, as being nothing more serious than a baby on the way. It had left the Cartwrights overjoyed, yet stunned. When Melinda had experienced problems conceiving during the first year of their marriage, they\u2019d decided not to worry about it, and had put the possibility so far from their minds that they had mistaken the normal signs of pregnancy for the symptoms of a serious malady.<\/p>\n

The months since receiving the \u201cblessed news\u201d had passed quickly. Adam was deeply involved in his work and becoming well versed in the engineering marvel being built, and Melinda was working with local teachers to acquaint herself with their teaching methods. Her goal was to begin writing a book during the time after the baby came that would examine the ways that American and London school systems could learn from one another, and adapt some of the best ideas from both.<\/p>\n

Their baby was due any day now, and Melinda had been looking forward to the arrival of her mother and sister. Becoming a new mother so far away from her family had made her more uneasy than she thought she\u2019d be, and this had prompted Adam to wire his mother-in-law, suggesting she make the trip to England for her grandchild\u2019s birth. Margaret had fussed about sailing at first, but had managed to put her fears aside when Miranda had agreed to come with her.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Melinda squealed with excitement when she saw the two women in the dining room, and rushed to greet them.<\/p>\n

Miranda was laughing so hard at barely being able to reach over her sister\u2019s expanded midsection that she went around behind her to give her a hug, explaining, \u201cAt least this way I can get close to you.\u201d She kissed her sister\u2019s cheek and turned Melinda over to her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you crying?\u201d Melinda asked as she took a napkin from the table to wipe her mother\u2019s tear-streaked face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy to see you, dear,\u201d the older woman sobbed. Taking her daughter\u2019s hands she gave Melinda a good looking over. \u201cYou look so beautiful. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen a lovelier expectant mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s the same thing you told our little sister, Marie, when she was expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret dismissed her daughter\u2019s comment with a wink and a wave. \u201cI did say that because it was true at the time. Now it\u2019s true of Melinda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Green watched the reunion from the far side of the table as he ate his breakfast. \u201cSeems like you three know each other,\u201d he teased. Focusing on Melinda, he asked, \u201cIs Adam about ready to come down? I\u2019m feeling outnumbered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s upstairs gritting his teeth over being \u2018dressed,\u2019\u201d Melinda replied with a laugh. \u201cYou just go on eating and we\u2019ll pretend you\u2019re not here while we begin to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women chattered while a maid brought Melinda a pot of tea, and biscuits with Jam. Their conversation was so intense that they didn\u2019t see Adam enter the room.<\/p>\n

Sam spoke loudly over their voices, \u201cCome on in, Adam. They\u2019re ignoring me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam greeted Margaret and Miranda, giving each a kiss on the cheek. He gave Melinda a light kiss on the lips, and then winked at the women as he asked Sam, \u201cWould you like me to kiss you too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA handshake will suffice, dear man,\u201d the doctor laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want you to feel left out, old chap. You said you were being ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda giggled. \u201cYou two sound like real Englishmen with your, \u2018dear man,\u2019 and \u2018old chap.\u2019 I noticed a bit of an accent in Melinda\u2019s voice too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not hard to let it fall into your speech pattern after being here a while,\u201d Melinda confessed. \u201cIf you\u2019ll remember, I picked up a slight drawl while at school in Tennessee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam and Sam worked at their breakfasts while listening to the details of Margaret and Miranda\u2019s voyage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe seas were rough, Margaret admitted, \u201cbut Miranda and I seemed to have iron stomachs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sure did,\u201d her daughter enjoined. \u201cIn fact we started to get a little conceited about it. We\u2019d walk past the row of seasick passengers hanging over the rails while talking about how wonderful the meal was.\u201d The young woman looked coyly at Sam. \u201cI think we could have used your fine doctoring skills aboard that vessel. The infirmary was overwhelmed with those in agony.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I have to work today,\u201d Adam told the women as he changed the subject when he noticed Sam blushing. \u201cI\u2019m thankful that you\u2019ve arrived safely, but since I didn\u2019t expect you until later, I scheduled a full day of meetings that can\u2019t be put off.\u201d He received Margaret\u2019s understanding nod, and grinned as he added, \u201cBut I\u2019m sure you ladies won\u2019t miss me.\u201d Turning toward Melinda, he cautioned, \u201cYou know what to do if anything happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam added his concern. \u201cI\u2019ve already told Niles that I\u2019ll be at the hospital all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda gave them both a withering look, and then explained to her family, \u201cMy husband and physician have developed a plan for when I go into labor. Adam tells the footmen which site he\u2019ll be at each day, and has taken the young man on a tour of all the possibilities so that he\u2019ll know where to go. And Sam gives Niles his daily schedule so they can send for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rose from the table, and announced, \u201cI need to get going.\u201d He gave Sam a knowing look as he addressed his wife, \u201cMay I see you privately, please?\u201d<\/p>\n

When the couple cleared the dining room, he drew Melinda to him and rubbed her back. \u201cSpeaking for both Sam and myself, please don\u2019t overdo it today. I know you\u2019re excited to have your family here, but I worry that you\u2019ll push yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up at him with an amused grin. \u201cYes, Mother. I\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t make fun of my concern.\u201d He held his wife at arm\u2019s length and looked directly at her. \u201cI know you. You will want to keep up with Miranda, and I worry that you\u2019ll tire yourself. Please promise that you\u2019ll be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda didn\u2019t answer. She reached for his face instead and kissed him\u2026deeply.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t,\u201d he whispered as he rested his forehead on hers. \u201cYou know what that kiss does to me. I also know that your motive in doing this is to make me lose focus on what I\u2019m saying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe that\u2019s not the only reason. I do like kissing you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her second kiss made him shudder. Adam sighed as he pulled back briefly and looked around to make sure they were still alone in the hall, and then chuckled as he pulled her close and returned her passionate kiss with one of his own. When he stepped away the second time, he gave her a half smile and said, \u201cDon\u2019t think I won\u2019t hold you to taking care of yourself.\u201d He breathed deeply as he tugged his jacket and straightened his shirt. \u201cPlease give my regards to Margaret and Miranda and tell them I\u2019ll see them tonight. And let Sam know I\u2019ll meet him out front in five minutes so we can get going.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to share the ride to work so the larger carriage is available for the Hayworth ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t be coming back into the dining room?\u201d She asked as a devilish smile played across her lips.<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, he pulled her in for one last kiss, and whispered, \u201cWe\u2019re getting to be an old married couple, and you\u2019re nine months pregnant, but you\u00a0still<\/em>\u00a0have the power to hoist my sail with a single kiss. So, no\u2026I won\u2019t be going back in there right now. I\u2019m going to grab my things and then walk in the garden until it\u2019s time to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Melinda entered the dining room alone, Margaret asked, \u201cIsn\u2019t Adam coming back to say goodbye?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda took her chair and swallowed a quick sip of tea while trying to compose herself. She fanned her face with her hand as she realized that Adam\u2019s kiss still had the power to set her sails fluttering too. Luckily, being pregnant gave her great cover for her flushed cheeks and breathlessness. After a few seconds, she smiled at her mother and said, \u201cHe sends his love, but something came up.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Once Sam had gone, Margaret gave her oldest daughter a worried look and asked, \u201cIs Adam upset with our coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not!\u201d Melinda laughed at her mother\u2019s concern \u201cHe\u2019s relieved that I\u2019ll have familiar faces around me and someone to ask all those motherhood questions. Besides, he\u2019s the one who invited you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true. It made me uneasy that he asked to see you alone and then left so abruptly. I don\u2019t want to cause any friction between you two at a time like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry; that was just my pre-scolding.\u201d Noting that both women were squinting at her, she explained further. \u201cSam and Adam are such mother hens. My husband got me alone to issue his insistence that I not overdo it today. I\u2019m pretty sure he and Sam talked about that happening once you two arrived, and they felt it necessary to address it.\u201d She thought about her mother\u2019s main concern and added, \u201cAdam didn\u2019t come back in here because he needed a few quiet moments before heading to work. It allows him to organize his thoughts and be ready to go when he arrives at the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see him wanting to do that. He is a very precise man.\u201d Margaret laid a hand on her daughter\u2019s arm. \u201cI\u2019m glad he\u2019s worried about you. Has he been that way throughout your condition?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been wonderful, Mother.\u201d Melinda breathed deeply as she closed her eyes and smiled with the remembrance of all that her husband had done since finding out that they were expecting. \u201cHe\u2019s been my rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow so?\u201d The question was posed by her sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019d bring a tray up to our room, and even fed me when I didn\u2019t want to eat. Then he\u2019d read to me until I fell asleep. Now that I\u2019m getting more nervous, he holds me, and promises that everything will go well. He rubs my back when it hurts and leaves love notes tucked into my books, so I\u2019ll find them while he\u2019s gone. I know he\u2019ll be a wonderful father\u2026even though he says that he doesn\u2019t know the first thing about babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret tilted her head as she remembered a conversation with Adam\u2019s father before Melinda\u2019s wedding. \u201cBen said that Adam helped him with the other two boys, even when they were babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he changed many a diaper and watched after his brothers. He\u2019s just teasing me about his ineptitude. I can\u2019t wait to see him with our child.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three women went silent for a moment until Margaret declared, \u201cI always knew that Adam would be a good husband and father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda and Melinda looked at each other and began to laugh. Miranda finally managed to choke out, \u201cI don\u2019t think you \u2018always\u2019 knew that, mother. I do remember a particularly uncomfortable dinner\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret cut her off, \u201cI may have been hard on him at first, but I always knew he was a good man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he is,\u201d Melinda replied dreamily. Bringing her attention to her sister, she grinned knowingly. \u201cThat\u2019s enough about me.\u201d She looked at her mother and back to Miranda. \u201cI think that my sister should have a lesson in how some things are done in an English household.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d her sister asked as she squirmed in her chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are very formal here. For instance, our mail, or \u2018post\u2019 arrives early in the morning. It\u2019s placed on the breakfast table for the master of the house to distribute. In this house, it\u2019s Adam\u2019s job. He doesn\u2019t pay attention to what\u2019s there, except when it\u2019s hard to miss the pastel envelopes, and highly-scented letters for Dr. Samuel Green\u2026written in a very familiar hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda blushed from pink to red, but offered nothing as her sister continued. \u201cAdam was very firm in telling me that I was not to question our housemate. He feels that whatever is going on with these odorous notes is off limits for our teasing or prying. \u00a0Sam has not been forthcoming about them\u2026even though he turns about the same color that you are now when he receives one. But now that you\u2019re here, I\u2019ll ask you. What\u2019s going on between you and our good Dr. Green?\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger sister turned crimson as she sputtered, \u201cI didn\u2019t realize that our correspondence would be public knowledge. I would have sent them in plain envelopes if I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda drummed her fingers on the table. \u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, but you didn\u2019t answer my question.\u00a0Why\u00a0<\/em>did you write them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda smiled shyly. \u201cI guess it doesn\u2019t matter if I tell you now. Sam and I were going to say something tonight at dinner\u2026so you\u2019ll have to act surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprised about what?\u201d Melinda prompted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember that I met Sam when he cared for you after you were kidnapped. We\u2019d chat when he stopped by to see you, and we got to be friendly. I had just been through the trauma of what my husband had done to all of us, and while I knew I didn\u2019t want to married to Lloyd Samuels anymore, it took a lot to get through the divorce. During that time, I started to volunteer at the hospital, and helped Sam when he worked at clinics in the city. Once my divorce was final, he asked me out to dinner. We were keeping company regularly by the time you and Adam got back from Nevada. Mother and Father were aware, but I thought it was too soon to let others know. He asked me to marry him just before he left for England, and we\u2019ve been carrying on our romance through letters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s mouth and eyes were open wide with Miranda\u2019s news. It took a moment to think through what she\u2019d heard, and then she blew her sister a kiss and wished her the best. \u201cI\u2019d come over there and hug, you, Manda,\u201d she giggled, \u201cbut it\u2019s too hard to stand up. I am so happy for both of you. Sam will make a wonderful husband\u2026and brother-in-law!\u201d<\/p>\n

Two \u2013 The Nevadan Update<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben and his sons sat down to breakfast just as the first pink of sunrise appeared in the east. Spring was making sporadic appearances in the Sierras, and that meant the Cartwrights had work to get done whenever the weather cooperated.<\/p>\n

They talked about what needed to be done as they loaded their plates with Hops Sing\u2019s bacon, eggs and hotcakes. Between bites, Hoss offered to do a check on creek levels and flooding in the bottom land. Ben nodded his agreement, and suggested that he and Joe to ride to a few of the higher pastures to do an eyeball-estimate of the herds. If they seemed smaller than expected, they\u2019d ride through to see if they found carcasses that would account for the reduced numbers. If not, they\u2019d have the hands scour the canyons and nearby fields to look for strays. He ended their planning session with his normal spring admonition. \u201cMake sure you watch for downed fences. There was a lot of snow and wind this winter so chances are there\u2019s plenty of damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two brothers exchanged a knowing look and rolled their eyes, as Joe spoke for both of them, \u201cYes, Pa, we always do,\u201d before moving the subject away from work. \u201cHey,\u201d he began as his forehead wrinkled in thought, \u201cisn\u2019t it almost time for Adam\u2019s baby to make an appearance?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben grunted, \u201cHmm, I think you might be right,\u201d and then retrieved his oldest son\u2019s correspondence from the desk. He scanned through the top letter as he took his place again at the table. \u201cYou\u2019re right Joe. He confirms late March in this one. But babies tend to come when they want to regardless of what doctors predict.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo da ya think we\u2019ll hear right when it happens?\u201d Hoss asked with a growing grin. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to be an uncle, but I suppose it might take a couple of weeks for us ta get the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe cut in, \u201cHe\u2019ll send a telegram, won\u2019t he, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pulled another letter from the stack he\u2019d brought over to the table. \u201cOf course he will, but this letter gives the entire rundown of what may or mayn\u2019t happen.\u201d He looked at his two younger sons and laughed. \u201cYou know Adam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhadaya mean?\u201d Hoss asked as he stuffed his mouth with the last of his syrupy hotcakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just read it to you,\u201d Ben laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s too hard to explain.\u201d He began reading:<\/p>\n

\u201cI will alert you to your grandchild\u2019s birth as soon as possible, Pa, but we can\u2019t always trust that the Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable will be functioning properly. Even if it is, I\u2019d wonder if a wire from London can make it to Virginia City without getting derailed somewhere along the line. To work around that, I\u2019ve arranged for Abel to send you a wire from Boston when he receives the news<\/em>.\u00a0It\u2019s better to hear twice than not at all<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cThat sounds like good thinking,\u201d and then laughed as he added, \u201cand typical planning on our older brother\u2019s part.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father chuckled. \u201cOh, I\u2019m not even close to being done yet. No stone is left unturned or plan unplanned, when Adam\u2019s in charge. His letter continues:\u00a0If a cable isn\u2019t possible, I will write to everyone. Since Abel will receive the notice long before your letter makes it across the country, he will telegraph you as soon as he gets his letter. But If all else fails, you\u2019ll receive your letter at some point.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

All three men laughed heartily, with Hoss adding, \u201cI\u2019m glad that Adam is so determined to overcome every roadblock. I bet if he could, he\u2019d make Melinda submit a schedule with an estimated time of arrival.\u201d He shook his head and grinned. \u201cBut havin\u2019 a baby oughtta get rid of some of that in old Adam. Young\u2019uns are pretty unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat they are, son.\u201d Ben refilled his cup and sipped at his coffee as he thought about the unpredictable nature of children and birth. As he and Elizabeth had neared Adam\u2019s birth, Ben had never considered that he might soon be raising an infant on his own. He closed his eyes in prayer that his son would never know how that felt. He continued to petition the Almighty for a healthy grandchild, and for the welfare of his daughter-in-law, before standing to declare, \u201cWell if we ever hope to return home, I suppose we\u2019ll need to get going first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

A New Day, A New Disaster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam pulled his wife near as they settled into bed. \u201cThank you,\u201d he whispered as he kissed her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking it easy today. It seems like you and the ladies got a lot accomplished, but you didn\u2019t overdo it. You looked rested and happy at dinner tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda wound her fingers in the curls of hair near his ear. \u201cWhat do you think of all the baby things we bought?\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m not an expert in baby gear, but the pram looks to be functional and handy, and the diapers are a necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right about that.\u201d She yawned and breathed deeply. \u201cIt was a fun day. Thank you for inviting Mother and Miranda to come.\u201d Her eye popped open as her sleepiness was pushed aside. \u201cWhat do you think of Sam and Miranda\u2019s announcement?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you say that? You told me that bringing up the topic of those letters was forbidden. Did you ask Sam about it after you said I couldn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not. One only had to note the frequency and the increasing amount of scent over the last four months to know it wasn\u2019t a passing fancy. I also noted the color in Sam\u2019s cheeks whenever you spoke of your sister. I think it\u2019s a good match, and I\u2019m happy for both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, darlin\u2019, so am I.\u201d she giggled. \u201cMiranda\u2019s right, you know. We have taken on the inflection of Londoners along with a little brogue thrown in for good measure.\u201d She snuggled up to Adam as best she could. \u201cWould you recite that poem for me\u2026you know the one about the fiery Irish woman?\u201d She looked up at him. \u201cIt\u2019s so soothing, and will drop me off in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kissed her head as he drew her nearer, and began reciting with his best Irish burr. \u201cI am a wand’ring minstrel man, And Love my only theme, I’ve stray’d beside the pleasant Bann, And eke the Shannon’s stream; I’ve piped and play’d to wife and maid By Barrow, Suir, and Nore, But never met a maiden yet Like Brighidin Ban Mo Store. My girl hath ringlets rich and rare, By Nature’s fingers wove – Loch-Carra’s swan is not so fair As is her breast of Love; And when she moves, in Sunday sheen, Beyond our cottage door, I’d scorn the high-born Saxon queen For Brighidin Ban Mo Store. It is not that thy smile is sweet, And soft thy voice of song – It is not that thou fleest to meet My comings lone and long; But that doth rest beneath thy breast A heart of purest core, Whose pulse is known to me alone, My Brighidin Ban Mo Store.\u201d1<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Breakfast went much as it had the previous day with the Hayworth women making their plans while Sam and Adam chewed in silence.<\/p>\n

Margaret broke free of the family conversation to inquire, \u201cMelinda mentioned that you\u2019ll be working again today, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded as he swallowed. \u201cI\u2019d like to get as much completed as possible before the baby comes. That way I\u2019ll be able to take a day or two off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good plan.\u201d His mother-in-law clapped her hands together as she smiled at the group. \u201cWe\u2019ve arranged to have carriage for a tour of London today, and Melinda will make sure we go near the area where you\u2019re working, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you stop? I\u2019d love to see you all, but it\u2019s a pretty rough site yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda answered, \u201cWe\u2019ll drive by but I don\u2019t want to keep you from your work. You\u2019ll get home sooner that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam rose and helped Miranda with her chair. Turning to Adam, he said, \u201cI\u2019ll see you outside in five minutes?\u201d Receiving Adam\u2019s nod, he bid farewell to Margaret and Melinda before leading his fianc\u00e9e out of the room.<\/p>\n

Margaret grinned. \u201cNow what do you suppose that\u2019s all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are officially engaged, now, so I suppose he wants to have a few minutes alone for a proper goodbye.\u201d Melinda turned to Adam and rolled her eyes. \u201cBut knowing the men in this house, I\u2019d also assume that it\u2019s Sam\u2019s turn to give the warning to make sure I don\u2019t tire myself, and take a nap before dinner.\u201d She laughed as her husband\u2019s cheeks turned pink. \u201cThat was a nice touch enlisting Miranda. Whose idea was it, yours or Sam\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood as his wife and mother-in-law stared at him with expectant grins. \u201cRemember, ladies; I had two brothers who constantly tried to get me to own up to things. I\u2019m an expert at deflection, and I ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 a thing.\u201d After giving them each a kiss, he stood in the doorway and saluted. \u201cCheerio, you two. Have a grand day, and I\u2019ll see you around six.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The cab carrying Adam home from work stopped on the street in front of Wadsworth Manor instead of using the semi-circle entranceway. The driver called down in a rich cockney accent, \u201cI can\u2019t get no closer, sir. There\u2019s not a way around them vehicles parked by the door. You\u2019ll have to walk the last bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam handed up the fare and exited, curious as to why there were rigs outside his residence. He began trotting to the house when he recognized them as being the Wadsworth carriage and buggy. The fact that they were there, ready for use didn\u2019t bode well to him.<\/p>\n

He was reaching for the latch when Niles opened the door, saying, \u201cGood evening, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d He looked anxiously at the butler while shedding his jacket and hat.<\/p>\n

The normally composed servant closed his eyes as a fraught expression veiled his face. Drawing a deep breath, he resumed his stately air and led the way to a set of closed doors. \u201cThey\u2019re waiting for you in the parlor, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam made a quick scan of the room\u2019s occupants as he entered, and saw Margaret and Sam huddled over a weeping Miranda. He wondered why his sister-in-law was so distraught, but he continued to peruse the room and stopped as he saw two men he didn\u2019t know, standing by the fireplace. Their conversation stopped abruptly as they noted his attention. His heart was pounding in his ears as he asked the same question he\u2019d asked Niles. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda rose and choked out between sobs, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam\u2026 It\u2019s\u2026my\u2026fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your fault?\u201d Adam asked as his hands tightened into fists at his side. When no answer was given, he boomed, \u201cSomeone tell me what\u2019s going on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret and Sam moved to stand on either side of him. His mother-in-law took his arm while Sam explained, \u201cMelinda had an accident earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eye locked on Miranda. \u201cWhat kind of accident?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman pushed the heels of her hands against her eyes as she tried to stop her tears. \u201cWe\u2019d been out most of the day.\u201d She gulped a breath before continuing, \u201cWhen we got back, Melinda said she had to rest, and was going up the steps when I called after her, saying she only had to rest because was getting old and fat. I was just teasing; she knew that. In fact, I think she was planning to make some smart reply when she turned around, and her foot slipped off the edge of the step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam paled. \u201cHow far did she fall?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tears came harder again. \u201cShe\u2026just\u2026she managed to sit so she didn\u2019t fall. But she landed hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2026\u201d Adam thundered. His voice trailed off as his mind continued to scream the words that his mouth would not.\u00a0How could you be so obtuse as to play childish games while Melinda was on the stairs? How dare you risk your sister\u2019s life to have a little fun!\u00a0<\/em>As his mind settled, he realized that everyone in the room was staring at him, waiting for him to complete his sentence. He released his anger in a breath as he finished, \u201c\u2026is she?\u201d His volume dropped to a near whisper as he voiced the second part of his fear. \u201cAnd the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the strangers spoke. \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Kingsley, Mr. Cartwright. Dr. Green sent for me to assess your wife\u2019s condition because my specialty is Obstetrics. Mrs. Cartwright and the child seemed unharmed, but since I couldn\u2019t be sure that there weren\u2019t other injuries to the mother,\u201d Dr. Kingsley gestured toward the man standing next to him, \u201cI sent for Dr. Benedict. He specializes in internal maladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Benedict moved forward to shake Adam\u2019s hand. \u201cI see no evidence of any sort of internal distress. Your wife\u2019s pulse is regular and strong. Her color is good; her breathing is normal, and aside from some bruising, discomfort, and stiffness, she\u2019s in good spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam led Adam to the sofa and told him to sit as Niles delivered a small glass of brandy. The young doctor stood over him as he handed him the drink. \u201cBreathe, Adam, and sip on this. You\u2019ve had a shock, and need to steady yourself or\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0<\/em>need a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand shook as he brought the glass to his lips. He heard a conversation begin between the doctors and Margaret, and he heard Miranda still sniffling somewhere in the room, but he felt as though he was detached from all that was going on around him. He said nothing as he stared straight ahead and considered how normal this day had been up until he\u2019d walked in the door. When Sam left him to comfort his fianc\u00e9e again, Adam rose and strode from the room.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

He\u2019d reached the bottom of the stairs before Sam caught up and grabbed him. \u201cAdam, wait!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look like you\u2019ve seen a ghost.\u201d Sam held tightly to his friend\u2019s arm. \u201cI know you need to see Melinda and confirm that she\u2019s fine, but I don\u2019t want you going up there looking so haunted. You can\u2019t let her see you this way or she\u2019ll think that the doctors weren\u2019t being truthful. So far she\u2019s taking this in stride, and frankly, I think she\u2019s more worried about\u00a0you<\/em>than herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat on the bottom step and groaned. \u201cThat doctor said that Melinda and the baby are fine, Sam. How can he know that for sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam dropped down next to him. \u201cKingsley and Benedict are the best in their fields. I was in the room during both examinations and what they told you is the truth. The baby\u2019s heartbeat was strong, and it was moving after the fall, just as it had been before it happened. I got home early today and it had just happened so I was able to do an immediate appraisal. Melinda\u2019s vital signs were good then, and have remained that way.\u201d He patted Adam on the back. \u201cMelinda is healthy and strong and she\u2019ll be fine. Expectant mothers are very resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of them are,\u201d Adam mumbled to himself. He looked over at Sam and tried to sound assured. \u201cI\u2019d like a few minutes alone. I promise I won\u2019t go up until I can smile without clenching my teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ghosts<\/strong><\/p>\n

I look like I\u2019ve seen a Ghost<\/em>. Adam considered Sam\u2019s appraisal as he sat alone on the hard marble steps where Melinda had fallen.\u00a0It\u2019s probably true; I do have a few of them.\u00a0<\/em>The spirit breathing into his heart at the moment was a woman he had never known. He wondered if her presence in his thoughts was an omen.<\/p>\n

He rose stiffly and started up the steps while trying to shake the feeling of doom that had settled on his shoulders. His father had never told him that his mother had fallen shortly before his birth. That information had come out much later from another source. As a child he\u2019d listened hungrily to his father\u2019s story about Elizabeth\u2019s loving gaze and tender words for her son before she was \u201ctaken by the angels.\u201d But as he\u2019d grown older, he\u2019d wanted to know more. His father had deflected the questions with the deftness of a bull fighter, saying that the past didn\u2019t matter because life always took its path, no matter how much we might wish otherwise.<\/p>\n

By the time he\u2019d gone to Boston, he\u2019d set those queries aside as he\u2019d begun to wonder more about his mother\u2019s life than about her death. A small etching of Elizabeth Stoddard-Cartwright and a few books were all he\u2019d ever had of the woman who\u2019d given him life. He\u2019d often envisioned what his mother would have been like, and those imaginings had often comforted him during long nights of illness or uncertainty.<\/p>\n

The first real information about Elizabeth\u2019s death had come out as he and Abel had chatted while making their way home from a pub when he\u2019d been in Boston for school. His grandfather had indulged in one pint too many during the evening, and had let his emotions get the better of him. The older man had had sat on a bench overlooking the harbor, and had blurted out, \u201cI killed her lad!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had chuckled at his grandfather\u2019s comment. \u201cWho did you kill, Grandfather?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had been taken off guard by Abel\u2019s avowal and had pressed him for more information. Even now he felt a pang of guilt as he remembered taking advantage of his grandfather\u2019s tipsy, maudlin state-of-mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe died having me, didn\u2019t she?\u201d he\u2019d prodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, lad, that\u2019s so. But it was I who started it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had sat next to Abel, knowing he should defer this conversation until his grandfather was in control. But he had always blamed himself for his mother\u2019s death, and had lived with the guilt for so long, that he had to know why Abel had been living with a similar self-conviction. \u201cMaybe you should tell me what happened?\u201d he\u2019d prompted.<\/p>\n

Abel had told him a story of betraying his son-in-law, and how the argument with Ben had brought Elizabeth down the stairs to see what was wrong. She\u2019d fallen near the bottom, and she\u2019d been confined to bed after that. His grandfather had lamented that if he\u2019d been a better man, his daughter would have lived.<\/p>\n

The odd fact was that the story had left Adam feeling no less guilty for his mother\u2019s death. If what Abel had said was true, then he could push the theory even further back to say that if she hadn\u2019t been carrying a child, the fall would have made no difference. He\u2019d concluded back then that his father\u2019s reluctance to talk about what happened probably stemmed from his own guilt in the matter.<\/p>\n

Adam reached the hallway outside his room as his thoughts returned to the foolishness between Miranda and Melinda that had landed them in the current situation. He wanted to blame someone, but the truth was that the two women had only acted like the loving sisters they were. They were always poking at each other just as he and his brothers did. There was no harm intended. He made the decision to stop trying to assign culpability. After all the years of guilt born by him, his father, and his grandfather, there was no still no change in the outcome. His mother had died, and he realized that he didn\u2019t want to start another circle of blame and remorse.<\/p>\n

He opened the door as he blew out his breath and forced a smile. The short trip up the stairs had helped him see that this was yet another test\u2026just as they\u2019d faced before, and were sure to face again. He raised his mind in prayer, begging for the safety of his wife and child.<\/p>\n

Melinda opened her eyes as he approached the bed, and he rushed the final few steps to her side as she reached out for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she whispered as she hugged him tightly.<\/p>\n

Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Promise<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam was still holding his wife, telling her about his day in an attempt to get both their minds off her fall, when there was a light rap at the door, followed by Niles opening it a crack to ask quietly if he could enter. \u201cThe physicians, along with the ladies are being served in the dining room, but I suspected Mr. Cartwright would prefer his meal up here with Mrs. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou assumed correctly,\u201d Adam responded as he rose from the bed and helped Melinda to sit up. He saw her grimace as he arranged pillows behind her back, and spoke softly into her ear. \u201cAre you really doing all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

A quick nod accompanied by a pained smile, communicated her willingness to try. \u201cI don\u2019t know how hungry I am, but some tea would be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two maids entered carrying trays that they placed on a bed table for Melinda and a small folding unit that Niles set up for Adam. The butler lifted the silver dome from Adam\u2019s plate while reciting the menu. \u201cRoast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, and glazed carrots for Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam saw his wife\u2019s doubtful look when hearing the fare, and gave her a quick smile. \u201cThat looks very good, Niles, but I think it might be a bit heavy\u2026\u201d He stopped short when Niles turned back and winked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for the lady,\u201d Niles lifted the other dome with a flourish, \u201cchicken broth, Bent\u2019s soda crackers, custard cream and shortbread biscuits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s pleased laughter filled the room. \u201cThis is wonderful! Are these really Bent\u2019s crackers\u2026from Massachusetts?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne and the same, Mrs. Cartwright,\u201d the butler assured.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the exact meal I always had when I was ill as a child. How did you know?\u201d Melinda noted the cat-who-ate-the-canary look on Niles\u2019 face and she laughed again. \u201cMy mother told you, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did indeed, Madam. Those are her crackers. I think she told the cook that she\u2019d brought them along to settle her stomach on the ship. After your\u2026accident, she brought them down and asked the cook to put together a meal she thought you would prefer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Cartwrights offered their thanks as Niles left them with instructions to pull the bell cord when they wished their trays removed.<\/p>\n

Melinda sipped at her broth and nibbled a cracker while watching her husband devour his meal. She gave him a lopsided smile when he looked up. \u201cHungry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStarving\u2026haven\u2019t eaten since breakfast.\u201d He finished the last of his dinner, moved the tray out of the way, and sat on the bed next to his wife. \u201cCan I bribe you into eating a little more? You\u2019ve barely touched anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had as much as I can handle right now. Let\u2019s just enjoy our time alone before the entourage from downstairs finishes their meal and heads up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. I imagine the fine doctors will want to head home once they check on you again.\u201d He removed the tray and helped Melinda lay back down.<\/p>\n

After she wiggled into a comfortable position, she reached up to touch Adam\u2019s face. \u201cYou do look better now that you\u2019ve had a little food. You were so pale when you came in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI admit that hearing you\u2019d fallen left me a little weak-kneed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really fall, if that helps strengthen your leg joints. When I started to lose my balance, I just sat. I bruised my dignity far more than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned. \u201cI\u2019m well acquainted with your, ah, dignity. It\u2019s outstanding, and gives me lustful thoughts, so I\u2019d hate to see it bruised in any way.\u201d\u00a0 After a wink, his face settled back to seriousness. \u201cStill, it had to be frightening for you. You must have been so worried for the baby after it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took his hands and brought them to her cheek. \u201cThat\u2019s why Sam called in the experts. I was terrified at first, but I believe what they told me. I\u2019m sore, but I don\u2019t feel worse than before. The baby is still kicking like those broncos I saw on the Ponderosa, and all seems well. In fact, Dr. Kingsley told me that women have tried for centuries to bring on their labor by jostling themselves inside wagons being driven on rough roads, jumping up and down, or repeatedly sitting down hard. But he said that in all but a few cases, babies come when they\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

Melinda poked her husband in the shoulder as a wry smile crossed her lips. \u201cWhy there\u2019s even a story in the Bible about just such an occurrence.\u201d Noting his sidelong glance, she finished her story. \u201cMary had to take a bumpy donkey ride from Nazareth to Bethlehem when she was \u2018far along with child\u2019 and even with all that, her son was born when he was due.\u201d<\/p>\n

He leaned to kiss her forehead. \u201cThen we\u2019ll assume our child will be born in due time as well.\u201d Although he tried to look encouraging, he fell short, and sighed as he saw Melinda frown.<\/p>\n

She took hold of his shirt and pulled him closer until they were nose to nose. \u201cI know that everything has gone so well that we may have forgotten that bad things can happen. I remember being in your mother\u2019s room with you when we went to get a traveling case that was stored in there. You told me that you\u2019d been born in that bed, and your mother had died there. I heard the pain in your voice as you told me that you\u2019d always felt at fault.\u201d She took a deep breath as she pulled him into an embrace and whispered into his ear, \u201cI don\u2019t intend to leave you or our baby. But\u2026if something does happen, my love, I want you to promise that you will feel no guilt, and above all, you must promise that you will never let our child feel responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wrapped his arms around her. \u201cThat\u2019s a big promise for something that won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe so, but I still need you to give it. You\u2019re an honorable man, so you will keep your promise. If something goes wrong\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing will go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t know that.\u201d She spoke softly as she kissed his cheek. \u201cAnd while I pray all will go fine, if it doesn\u2019t, tell our child that they were born out of a love so strong that there can be no regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n

A knock interrupted their conversation. \u201cI assume that the troops have arrived,\u201d he said as he tried to pull away.<\/p>\n

Melinda held firmly to his arms and looked directly into his eyes. \u201cPromise me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a promise I will make,\u201d he said firmly before smiling and touching her face lovingly. \u201cBut it\u2019s not one I\u2019ll have to keep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSit down and eat, Pa, you\u2019re pacing like a caged cat,\u201d Hoss commented as he took a bite from the thick slice of ham on his plate. \u201cHop Sing outdone himself on this breakfast, and you\u2019re missing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben returned to the table and made an attempt to join his sons in the morning meal. His heart wasn\u2019t in it; he was restless. \u201cWhat are you two doing today?\u201d he finally asked as he sipped from his coffee cup.<\/p>\n

Little Joe gave his itinerary first. \u201cI\u2019m going to pick up that plow we had at the blacksmith all winter. The road seems dry enough that I won\u2019t have trouble making it home with that heavy load. It\u2019ll take the better part of the day by the time we get it loaded and I head back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The father nodded. \u201cWe\u2019ll need that plow soon, so it\u2019s a good thought to pick it up now before we get another round of rain or snow. Check if we need any feed, and see if Hop Sing needs any supplies before you go. You might as well make the most of the trip.\u201d He turned to Hoss. \u201cHow about you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man swallowed his last bite of breakfast before answering. \u201cYou remember I told you that Clyde and his men counted the cattle in the west section last week, and they came up a couple hundred short?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going back today to search the canyons and look for downed fences where they might have gotten out and moved on a ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you find them, and a few calves as well. That\u2019s a lot of beef to lose.\u201d Ben stood and began pacing again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Pa?\u201d It was Joe\u2019s question this time. \u201cHoss is right. You\u2019re wearing a path in the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stopped in the middle of the room and stood in a typical Ben Cartwright pose\u2014an open stance with his hands on his hips\u2014and looked back at his sons. A shrug preceded a chuckle as he relaxed and leaned on the back of the settee. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know. There\u2019s nothing I can put a finger on that should make me uneasy, and yet I can\u2019t settle down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t have plans, why don\u2019t you ride into town with me?\u201d his youngest suggested.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face brightened. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s what exactly what I need. We\u2019ve all been tied to the ranch over the winter, and now with spring chores. And I have to see John at the bank and Simon at the land office.\u201d He looked at his middle son who had pushed away from the table, and was sitting with his elbows braced on his knees while staring down at the floor. He walked behind him; put his hands on the man\u2019s shoulders, and said, \u201cI suspect Clyde and his crew can find some stray cows without you, Hoss. Why don\u2019t we all grab a change of clothes and head into town. We\u2019ll get our business done during the day, and then invite Paul and Roy to join us for dinner at the International House. I saw a notice in the paper that there\u2019s a troupe performing at the theater, so I\u2019ll take that in, but what you two do this evening is your own business. We can meet for a nightcap, stay over, and then head home first thing in the morning. Does that sound good?\u201d<\/p>\n

The smiles radiating back from his boys were all the answer Ben needed. \u201cHop Sing,\u201d he shouted. The cook came running at the summons. \u201cWe\u2019re all going to town and won\u2019t be back until tomorrow, so you can take the day off too. You can even hitch a ride to town with us if you\u2019d like and visit those cousins of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had begun to climb the steps to gather his things when he stopped, and looked back. His toothy smile had been replaced by a look of melancholy.<\/p>\n

Little Joe asked, \u201cSomething wrong, Hoss? You decide you\u2019d rather stay home and track down critters after all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah. I was just rememberin\u2019 that spring when we all went to town just like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go to town every spring. Were you \u2018rememberin\u2019 one in particular?\u201d his brother prodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, the year that guy, Milbank, came through. It was a real sloppy year and I kept gettin\u2019 the wagon stuck, and the three of us brothers was fightin\u2019 all the time. We tussled over the pole stackin\u2019, and then had a brawl in the mud before you threw that log and hit the feller in the foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure remember,\u201d Ben offered. \u201cOld Jedediah sent each of you off to do a job for him while he recovered, and then made me work while he pompously spouted one adage after another.\u201d He laughed as he shook his head. \u201cAnd then you all came back after offering kindness to those you were supposed to evict, and the man looked like his head would explode. The sad part was that even though Jedediah professed all those sayings about hard work and success, he forgot one very important proverb: \u00a0A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.<\/em>\u201d2<\/p>\n

Hoss chewed his lip as he thought. \u201cYou\u2019re right, Pa. It didn\u2019t take much lookin\u2019 to see that them people didn\u2019t need nothin\u2019 more than an encouragin\u2019 word and a helpin\u2019 hand. I think maybe Mr. Milbank had spent so much time climbing towards being rich, that he forgot who he was climbing over to get there. I ended up with a puppy, Joe caught a fish, and Adam invested in a good family. Each of got far more back than the little we gave.\u201d He became quiet. \u201cCan\u2019t you still see Adam snuggling that little pup I done brought back with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure can. And pretty soon he\u2019ll be snuggling his own little pup over in England.\u201d Joe laughed. \u201cI\u2019m betting it will be a boy, but I guess he could be snuggling a little girl instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhichever it is, he\u2019ll be a good father,\u201d Hoss added. \u201cAll this talkin\u2019 about him makes me miss him somethin\u2019 fierce, but it\u2019s still fun to remember the good times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Little Joe nodded in unison, as Ben said, \u201cThat\u2019s the good thing about memories; they\u2019re always handy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Special Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drs. Kingsley, Benedict and Green took Adam into the hall after examining Melinda again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe baby is active and I can hear the heart beating strong and regularly. Any injury within the womb would have begun to cause distress to the child by this time, so I can say with certainty that all is well. \u201d<\/p>\n

The assurance from Dr. Kingsley brought a sigh of relief from both Adam and Sam. They turned to the other expert for his opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see no medical problems for your wife either. As Dr. Kingsley said, any evidence of internal damage would have manifested by now. The shock of the day has taken a toll on her though. She is exhausted. I\u2019d assume it is as much from worry as injury.\u201d Dr. Benedict handed Sam a small packet of white powder. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken to Dr. Kingsley, and we both agree that Mrs. Cartwright should take a sleeping preparation tonight. I\u2019m afraid that if she doesn\u2019t rest well, she will be worn out when it comes time to deliver. It won\u2019t harm the infant, and it will do her a world of good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see that she takes it once her mother and sister finish in there.\u201d Sam took Adam\u2019s shoulder, steering him toward the stairs. \u201cLet\u2019s leave the ladies do their work while we go have a little bracer before sending the fine doctors out into the chilly night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam cast a longing look at his bedroom door, but finally followed the others.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he mad at me?\u201d Miranda asked her sister as she and her mother helped Melinda bathe and change into a fresh nightgown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would he be?\u201d Melinda\u2019s eyebrow rose. \u201cYou didn\u2019t push me down the steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret tucked the covers around her daughter and smoothed some loose wisps of hair away from her forehead. \u201cYou didn\u2019t see his face when he walked in that room and found out what happened, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMother\u2019s right. He looked like he could have pulled out his pistol and shot someone.\u201d Miranda added dramatically.<\/p>\n

A tsk and head shake accompanied Margaret\u2019s disclaimer. \u201cI\u2019ll admit that he did look angry at first, but then it settled into a look of fear. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen a man look so sad\u2026or haunted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my Adam,\u201d Melinda smiled at her mother. \u201cYou already know that his mother died when he was born. What you don\u2019t know is that she fell on the steps shortly before his birth. I\u2019m sure his mind went back to the circumstances of Elizabeth\u2019s death when he heard I\u2019d had a similar accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my,\u201d Margaret said as she sniffed loudly to stifle the tears that threatened to escape. \u201cI imagine that for a moment he feared he might lose both of you. We all knew that the accident wasn\u2019t serious, but he didn\u2019t. He must have been in absolute torment.\u201d She smiled then, and leaned to kiss her daughter\u2019s cheek. \u201cIt took a long time for you and Adam to realize that you were meant to be together, Melinda, but he was certainly worth the wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sam went up to give Melinda the sleeping powder while Adam saw the doctors out, and then suggested that she be allowed to rest without anyone with her except Adam. He led his fianc\u00e9e and her mother to the door after their farewells.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know where to find me,\u201d Sam teased, before exiting. \u201cI\u2019m on the other end of the house. But if you holler really loud, I should be able to hear you. It echoes well in these hallways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll pull the bell if we need you.\u201d Melinda yawned. \u201cI\u2019m surprised that you and Adam haven\u2019t worked something out where the bell chord is directly attached to your big toe, Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor laughed. \u201cWhat makes you think we haven\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam sat on the bed while he and Melinda talked as the medicinal powder began to work. \u201cYou haven\u2019t forgotten your promise, have you?\u201d she asked as she began to experience blinks that lingered in the closed position.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, darlin\u2019, I haven\u2019t forgotten. It\u2019s been given and sealed.\u201d He brought her hands to his lips. \u201cAre you comfortable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnhuh,\u201d she said with a long, loud yawn. \u201cMy back still hurts; not all the time, but every few minutes it sort of cramps up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRest now. Let that potion work and you\u2019ll be sound asleep in no time.\u201d He leaned down to kiss her, and then moved a comfortable chair to the bedside. \u201cI\u2019m going to change clothes, and then read here for a while you sleep.<\/p>\n

Melinda watched as he shed his shirt and began to wash up. A sly smile formed as she roused out of her sleepiness for a moment. Her words were slurred as she said, \u201cYou\u2019re a fine cut of a man, Adam Cartwright. If I wasn\u2019t great with child and mostly asleep, I\u2019d come over there and raid your forward deck.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled low and deep as he slipped into his robe and sat in the chair next to her. She was already asleep when he said softly, \u201cBelieve me, darlin\u2019, if the circumstances weren\u2019t as they are\u2026 I\u2019d raise my flag of surrender and welcome you aboard.\u201d He adjusted the lamp to see better, grabbed spare pillows to prop the book up on his lap, and took her hand in his as he began to read.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?!\u201d Adam hollered as he pulled his arm away from Melinda and examined the deep, red, half-moons that her nails had etched in his arm. He\u2019d fallen asleep reading and had awakened when he\u2019d heard his wife cry out as she\u2019d grabbed his nearest limb. Fully awake now, he saw the grimace of pain distorting his wife\u2019s face. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d he asked as his panic rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaby\u2026\u201d She moaned as she bore down. Her face turned crimson as she finished, \u201cComing!\u201d<\/p>\n

He knelt at her side. \u201cYou\u2019re in labor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026yes!\u201d she finally said between breathy pants as her face returned to a more normal color. \u201cIt\u2019s coming\u2026now! Woke up in\u2026puddle\u2026in pain\u2026and have to push.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam jumped up. \u201cI\u2019ll get Sam.\u201d But she grabbed his hand in a steely grip. \u201cToo late. I rang bell. Niles can get…\u201d<\/p>\n

She bore down again as Adam stood helplessly, looking like he\u2019d been punched between the eyes. \u201cWhat should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTowels!\u201d she screamed as she took a breath and pushed again. \u201cBlankets to wrap,\u201d was delivered in a growl as she strained.<\/p>\n

He grabbed the stack of clean towels from the wash stand, extra sheets and blankets from the linen cupboard, and rushed back to Melinda\u2019s side. \u201cNow what?\u201d<\/p>\n

She was breathing rapidly to catch her breath between contractions. \u201cLook!\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes rounded as he raised his arms in desperation. \u201cLook where?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her teeth clenched and her face bore an angry glare as she had a respite from pushing. She pointed to the foot of the bed. The pitch of her voice rose to near-shrieking levels with the next directive. \u201cYou seemed to be pretty sure about \u2018where\u2019 when you bragged about being around at this child\u2019s conception.\u201d Melinda\u2019s eyes rolled back as she groaned and bore down again.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s, \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d was muffled by her moans of pain as she pushed. The cobwebs and uncertainty were gone now, and he quickly removed the covers and slid a clean sheet beneath her arching back and hips. His mouth hung open as he saw that Melinda\u2019s assessment had been correct; their baby was already well on its way into the world. There wasn\u2019t time to do anything more than drape a towel over his hands to form a sort of net to catch the child as it exited. Melinda took a deep breath and bore down one last time, sending their baby into Adam\u2019s waiting arms.<\/p>\n

He quickly wrapped the towels around the pink-skinned, slippery bundle, and willed the babe to breathe\u2014taking his own gulp of air as his child took a first breath, and then burst forth in a distinctive newborn\u2019s wail. Grabbing a blanket, he added that to the towels ensuring that the infant remain warm. He heard Melinda bearing down again, signaling that the final part of the birthing process had started. While she worked at that, he dried the baby\u2019s head\u2014marveling at the mass of dark curls.\u00a0 That\u2019s all he could see about the child so far. He\u2019d been so concerned with not dropping it that he\u2019d decided he could wait to inspect the distinguishing characteristics once the child was safely landed. He was about to do that when the doors to the room burst open as Sam rushed in and took over. The doctor entrance was followed by maids, still in their robes with their nighttime braids swinging against their backs, and Niles\u2014properly dressed as always, bearing a kettle of hot water and a stack of clean linens and towels. Margaret and Miranda were the last to arrive.<\/p>\n

Adam had stepped back when Sam moved in, and his mother-in-law touched his arm, directing him to see to Melinda, while she assisted Dr. Green with the remainder of the delivery.<\/p>\n

The new parents exchanged happy smiles as he said softly, \u201cThe baby is beautiful,\u201d before kissing her gently. One of the maids handed him a wet cloth that he used to dab away the perspiration on Melinda\u2019s face and neck.<\/p>\n

Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion but she fought to stay awake. \u201cDo we have a son or a daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n

His cheeks turned red as he confessed, \u201cI don\u2019t know. I just wanted to keep it warm, and when I wrapped it, its legs were pulled up and the cord was there\u2026and\u2026then Sam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She caressed his cheek lovingly as she had done since the first time they\u2019d met, and placed her finger across his lips. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it; someone will tell us shortly.\u201d She sighed and smiled. \u201cI know you were caught a little off guard, Adam, but isn\u2019t it wonderful that we were the only ones here for the birth. It seems like the perfect way to start our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did all the work. I just lassoed the little critter as it flew by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret laid a hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder telling him that he needed to leave so they could make Melinda comfortable.<\/p>\n

He looked up at her and said, \u201cI don\u2019t think she\u2019ll mind waiting a couple of minutes while we hold our baby first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s rapid nod and longing look made Margaret hurry to bring the little bundle to the bedside. She handed it carefully to Adam, and he kissed the child\u2019s cheek before nestling it in its mother\u2019s arms. Once she had a good hold, he peeled back the blanket and they both peeked in at the fuzzy, wrinkly-skinned baby.<\/p>\n

Tears were trickling down her cheeks as Melinda teased, \u201cYou said you\u2019d be happy with either a boy or a girl. Does that still hold true?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy that my face hurts from smiling so hard.\u201d The moment of family intimacy came to an end as Margaret leaned in and whispered in Adam\u2019s ear. \u00a0He pulled the blankets back around the baby as he told his wife, \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a minute, my love. Margaret has informed me that Niles is patiently waiting outside our door with the rest of the staff and they\u2019re anxious for a report. Apparently, it is an announcement that only the head of the house can make.\u201d He kissed his wife and child before exiting the room to address the assembly. \u201cThank you all for your quick response tonight, and for waiting up for the news. I\u2019m sure your prayers have been with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the babe well?\u201d the cook asked timidly.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite well, but I\u2019m sure Dr. Green will give us a confirmation of that shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWha\u2019 is it?\u201d inquired a young footman. \u201cLad or lassie?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled, thinking to himself that his jaw really was beginning to hurt from the facial expression. \u201cWe have a\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ben waved to his sons as he walked into the Bucket of Blood and made his way to their table. \u201cHave any luck at poker?\u201d he asked the two.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf by luck, you mean losing the money I was savin\u2019 for that new pistol, then my luck was outstandin\u2019.\u201d Hoss laughed and added, \u201cJoe did better, though. He just lost his shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t you the funny man tonight,\u201d Joe snarled before laughing too. \u201cHow was the show, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very entertaining. The jugglers did some amazing things, and the woman singer had a lovely\u2026voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe gave his father a poke as he sat down. \u201cYou sure that\u2019s all that was lovely about her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled rakishly as his cheeks turned pink. \u201cCan\u2019t blame a man for looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Martin had attended the show with Ben, but had made a quick detour home to check for emergency notes that might have been left hanging on his door, before rejoining the Cartwrights. He\u2019d entered the saloon along with Roy, who\u2019d arrived at the same time. They\u2019d all ordered a drink and were talking about their evening when they noticed Zeke, from telegraph office, looking into the saloon over the swinging doors. He saluted as he saw them, and came bounding over to their table.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you were in town, Mr. Cartwright, so I checked around until I found you.\u201d The man was grinning from ear-to-ear. \u201cI thought you\u2019d want to get this as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

While Ben fished in his pocket for a tip, he mused at how Zeke had the unique job of finding out all the news\u2014both good and bad\u2014before anyone else. He was an honorable man though, and held his tongue about the information he received over the wire. From Zeke\u2019s demeanor, Ben figured this telegram held happy news. After the exchange of paper for coin, Ben expected that the young man would return to the telegraph office, but when Zeke didn\u2019t leave, Ben knew exactly what news the telegram held.<\/p>\n

His hands trembled slightly as he opened the envelope and removed the sheet of paper inside. The room had quieted with Zeke\u2019s entrance into the saloon. Everyone knew that such communications brought important news, and they were waiting to find out how it would impact the Cartwright family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it about, Pa?\u201d Hoss prodded.<\/p>\n

The father\u2019s eyes moved across the message several times before he finally looked up. \u201cIt says:\u00a0Baby arrived today 2 A.M. Melinda well. Baby healthy.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d Joe\u2019s disappointment was shared as a sigh went up from the crowd. \u201cDid he really forget to tell us what they had?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eye\u2019s twinkled as he added, \u201cI must have forgotten to read that part\u2026 The last line says,\u00a0It\u2019s a boy!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

A whoop went up in the saloon as Ben called for a round to celebrate his new grandson. Not everyone in the room cared for the Cartwright family, but at that moment there were no enemies as Sam poured them each a free glass of good whisky.<\/p>\n

Once the clamor died down, Roy asked, \u201cAdam doesn\u2019t say what they named him in that wire?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul drained his shot glass, wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and asked, \u201cDid he ever mention possible names in his letters?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head. \u201cI always assumed that a daughter would be named Elizabeth, but I have no idea about a preference for a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Adam Junior?\u201d Roy offered.<\/p>\n

All three Cartwrights laughed loudly, as Hoss explained. \u201cOur older brother said he\u2019d never do that to his son. Said he\u2019d seen too many families where it got too confusin\u2019 with two people having the same name, and the child ended up being called, Junior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe added, \u201cYeah, Adam always cringed when he heard some mother yelling out for her boy that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s eyebrows moved toward the bridge of his nose. \u201cDid you feel the same way about that, Ben? I mean since you didn\u2019t name Adam, Ben Cartwright, Jr.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed deeply as he thought back to the day he\u2019d welcomed his own son. \u201cI had thought about naming him after me, but Elizabeth had been reading\u00a0Paradise Lost<\/em>\u00a0when Adam was born. She suggested the name, Adam, and it seemed like the right choice. Inger and Marie chose the names as well.\u201d His cheeks flushed with the remembrance, and the warming effect of the good alcohol. \u201cI guess I figured that since they\u2019d done most of the work, they should have first choice on what to call them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sheriff chuckled as he laid a silver coin on the table. \u201cAnyone care to join me in a friendly wager about the name? We each tell what we think it will be, and the winner takes the pot. I\u2019ll hold the money at the office until we find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nods of agreement preceded the procurement of coins and predictions.<\/p>\n

Joe went first. \u201cI\u2019m going with something fancy, like Byron, Austen, Socrates\u2026or some form of those authors Adam and Melinda are quoting all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSocrates Cartwright!\u201d Hoss laughed. \u201cThat would be somethin\u2019. I\u2019ll go with Abel, after his granddaddy,\u201d Hoss added as he tossed his coin to Roy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m with you on that, Hoss,\u201d Ben agreed. \u201cBut I agree with Little Joe about them wanting something a little more impressive. I\u2019ll say, Stoddard, instead of Abel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul slid his entry fee across the table. \u201cKnowing Adam, he\u2019ll want to honor someone, so I\u2019ll choose Benjamin, with Abel as a middle name.\u201d<\/p>\n

The others looked at the sheriff in expectation. Ben joked, \u201cThere\u2019s not much left to pick from, Roy. You should have gone sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy sent the others a devilish grin. \u201cYou all forgot one. I\u2019ll go with Adam Cartwright\u2026Junior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe snorted, with Hoss slapping Roy\u2019s back. \u201cDidn\u2019t ya hear what we said? Ain\u2019t no way he\u2019ll choose that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The grin returned. \u201cBut your Pa said that he let your mothers pick your names, so I suspect it doesn\u2019t matter what Adam wants. It all comes down to what Melinda wants, don\u2019t it? I heard all them stories about how long those two cared for each other before they finally got together, and I\u2019m betting she\u2019ll want her son to carry his father\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Wedding, a Baptism and Goodbyes<\/strong><\/p>\n

No one had returned to bed after the baby had made his impromptu arrival, but the pandemonium of the early morning hours at the Wadsworth estate in London had calmed, and the house had stilled as many of the occupants slipped away for an afternoon nap.<\/p>\n

Adam finished writing notes to his engineering company, explaining his absence for the next few days. He\u2019d sent telegrams to the families back in America soon after their baby arrived, and he leaned back in the desk chair, and smiled as he thought about them receiving the news. He knew that his father and brothers would celebrate in some way, but he was anxious to hear about where they were, and what they were doing when they got the news. He capped the ink and cleaned off the nib of the pen, before he stretched, and headed up to his wife and child.<\/p>\n

As he entered the darkened room, he could hear his son making the typical grunts and snorts of new babies. He made his way over to the small crib, and smiled as he saw the boy\u2019s arms and legs jerking as he tried to get his hand to his mouth.<\/p>\n

Melinda was sleeping soundly while the new nanny that Niles had added to the staff, kept watch. Adam spoke softly as he told her to take a break. Once she was gone, he pushed a chair over to the bed, returned to the small cradle to get his son, and sat at Melinda\u2019s side as he had done earlier. He propped the baby on a pillow and turned the lamp up a little to take a closer look.<\/p>\n

Adam spoke in a whisper. \u201cYou really are a cute one, little man.\u201d He removed one of the crocheted booties, rolled his thumb across the baby\u2019s tiny toes, and chuckled quietly. \u201cYou have some mighty long feet, son. Looks like that part of you takes after me.\u00a0 Luckily you look like your mother.\u201d After replacing the footwear, Adam placed his finger by his son\u2019s hand and watched as the child wrapped his hand around it in a strong grip and tried to get it to his mouth. A memory of Hoss and Little Joe doing the same thing flooded over him.<\/p>\n

Melinda awoke slowly and realized that Adam was singing softly, while their son hiccupped, squeaked, and snorted on the bed next to her. She opened one eye, enjoying the scene and finally reached for Adam\u2019s hand. \u201cIs he perfect?\u201d<\/p>\n

The singing stopped as he winked at his wife. \u201cI counted 8 fingers and 10 toes, so I think he\u2019s got everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better look again, mister. You\u2019re a couple short.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI forgot the thumbs. That makes 10 of each.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch better.\u201d Melinda moved her hand across their son\u2019s curls. \u201cHe looks just like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0better look again. I think he\u2019s lucky to resemble you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She chuckled quietly. \u201cI did all the work and our child is a miniature version of you\u2026and I think that\u2019s perfect.\u201d She pushed herself up in the bed and took the baby when Adam lifted him into her arms. \u201cThere\u2019s something important we need to decide on now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cWe can\u2019t call him, Baby, forever. What would his college roommate think if he shared space with someone named, Baby Boy Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda nodded. \u201cSomehow, that\u2019s not what worries me the most. I\u2019m thinking more about his baptism when they christen him as, Sweetie Pie.\u201d They both laughed, startling their son, who jerked as his eyes flew open. Melinda looked at her husband. \u201cYou already know what I want to name him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed and looked down at his child. \u201cI do\u2026but it might be a little stuffy, and I\u2019d much rather name him after the important people in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyebrows arched as she rolled her eyes. \u201cI understand that you want to honor the men who have made a difference in our lives, but he\u2019d fail in school if we do that.\u201d When Adam squinted and shook his head, she explained, \u201cBy the time he\u2019d get Benjamin William Abel Frank Hoss Joseph Cartwright printed at the top of his test paper, the exam period would be over and he wouldn\u2019t have answered a single question. The teachers would assume that he wasn\u2019t intelligent instead of realizing he was just over-named.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam responded with an eye roll of his own, and a grin. \u201cYou\u2019re sure you want to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely!\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

That evening, the staff and residents of Wadsworth Manor filled the sitting area of the Cartwright\u2019s suite for a brief celebration. Niles led his people in a toast to the health of the child, and Adam offered one of his own to thank everyone for their help. Just as Niles was about to dismiss the staff, Sam asked that everyone remain for an announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt grieves me to share this information,\u201d he said as he took Miranda\u2019s hand, \u201cbut I found out today that the physician who has been filling my position in Boston must return to England. Since it would take too long for them find a replacement, they\u2019ve called me home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned. \u201cHow soon do you have to go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go home with Miranda and Margaret in a couple of weeks. But we have a request of all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miranda broke into a huge smile. \u201cWe\u2019d like to marry before we leave, if you would all agree to having a wedding here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women of the household beamed as they began to giggle and whisper to one another. Niles turned his steady glare on them and they quieted. \u201cWe would be most happy to help in any way we can. It has been some time since this house has hosted a wedding,\u201d he turned toward Adam and Melinda, \u201cor a christening, and you can see that such an opportunity is already causing a stir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the household staff had gone, Miranda, Margaret and Melinda began chattering about wedding plans while Adam went to shake Sam\u2019s hand. \u201cI\u2019m sorry you have to leave, but we\u2019ll appreciate being at your wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam led the way to the hallway where the women\u2019s laughter and chatter was less noticeable. \u201cI knew Miranda would want to wait until you and Melinda got back to the states if we didn\u2019t do it now. We\u2019ll have another sort of ceremony and reception when we get back, but this way we\u2019ll be married for the trip home.\u201d The doctor grinned devilishly. \u201cThe thought of spending 12 days at sea with her so close and yet so far away, gave me the inspiration to suggest this compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like the perfect answer.\u201d Adam looked over his shoulder at the women in his bedroom. \u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be planning for some time, so why don\u2019t we go down for a while and break out the good scotch in Frank\u2019s study.\u201d<\/p>\n

Settled into the comfortable leather chairs with glasses of well-aged scotch, Adam said, \u201cI\u2019ve got a couple of questions for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMelinda was holding the baby when we left. Those women were loud enough that we could hear them in the hallway, and yet he slept right through it. Why is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNewborns sleep a lot.\u201d Sam swirled his glass and took a sip before adding, \u201cI wish babies could talk right away and tell us what they\u2019re thinking.\u00a0 But I figure that his needs are pretty simple now. Since he\u2019s full, his diaper is clean, and he\u2019s in his mother\u2019s arms, he doesn\u2019t have a care in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you want to know something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pursed his lips and sighed. \u201cIf I was talking with anyone else but you, I wouldn\u2019t ask this. I thought women usually went through hours of labor before giving birth. It seemed like this went so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it really did. Melinda complained that her back was cramping when I gave her the medication to make her sleep, but I assumed that was from her accident. I think she was in labor then. And while it can go on for hours or even days, other times it goes fast. And in this case, I think it was going on while Melinda slept.\u201d Sam laughed. \u201cIt made for a rather dramatic ending, didn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam raised his glass in a toast, \u201cHere\u2019s to quick deliveries, and the chance for me to make a contribution.\u201d They drained their glasses. \u201cI have one more request. We want my brother, Hoss, to be our godfather and Miranda to be the godmother. Since Hoss can\u2019t be here, would you fill in for him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam retrieved the bottle and poured them each another two fingers of the fine alcohol. He raised his glass in a toast. \u201cI\u2019d be honored.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Three weeks later, there was a christening in the garden chapel of Wadsworth Manor, followed immediately by a wedding. The staff put on a beautiful double event that was attended by the doctors and hospital staff that Sam had become acquainted with at work, and the friends that Adam and Melinda had made since their arrival.<\/p>\n

With the last guests were out the door and the house returned to normal, the two couples made their way down to the kitchen to offer their thanks. The group was gathered around the large table there, enjoying the bounty of leftovers from the party. The conversation stopped as they rose when Adam led the others into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, sit,\u201d he said with a smile as he motioned for them to take their seats. \u201cWe won\u2019t interrupt for long, but we wanted to let you know how much we appreciated this day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam added, \u201cIt was more than we would have expected and we will always remember your kindness and hard work on our behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda stepped forward. \u201cEverything was simply beautiful and the food was perfectly prepared and delicious. Thank you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles had remained standing and bowed slightly. \u201cWe appreciate hearing your compliments, but it is we who should thank you. This house has been quiet for so many years that having the opportunity to put on a celebration for two such wonderful events was a true pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wink between Miranda and her sister preceded her statement. \u201cI know this is probably not done, but we\u2019re Americans so we\u2019ll take liberties. Please don\u2019t hold it against us.\u201d With her warning completed, she and Melinda walked over and each gave Niles a peck on the cheek, causing him to blush.<\/p>\n

The four Americans then made their way around the table, shaking hands and offering personal thanks to each of the staff before leaving them to their meal.<\/p>\n

As they cleared the room, Adam snickered. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if that was allowable under the strict code of staff conduct, but I\u2019m sure Niles will tell me about it if wasn\u2019t. He\u2019ll say something like, \u2018Sir, while we appreciate the gesture, such fraternization between staff and guests is not usual.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what will you respond?\u201d Melinda asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell him to keep his British bees under his bowler and take it in stride. And then I\u2019ll promise never to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Hoss maneuvered Chubby closer to his father as they rode into town. \u201cI wonder how much longer we have to wait until we get a letter from Adam telling us the baby\u2019s name. It\u2019s nearly a month since we got the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine the mail has been delayed somewhere. I sent a wire, but as Adam had worried about, I think mine got lost somewhere on the way. I\u2019ll send another one if there\u2019s no letter today.\u201d Ben pulled Buck to the left to avoid bumping into his son. \u201cYou\u2019re pretty sure you got the baby\u2019s name right in our bet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am, but then you never know with Adam. He\u2019s surprised me more\u2019n once with what he\u2019s decided on after I was sure I had it all figured out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father and son were joined by the youngest Cartwright who\u2019d spurred Cochise to catch up. \u201cWhat are you two talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother is getting anxious to hear what Adam named his son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cSo am I. Maybe there\u2019ll be a letter today. We\u2019ll have time to check before the auction won\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould\u00a0 be.\u201d Ben gave his horse a nudge. \u201cAs long as we don\u2019t spend any more time out here gabbing like old ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three Cartwrights were heading into town for an auction. A few farms in the area had gone belly up in the previous year and the bank was selling out the property and implements, along with the livestock. Ben wasn\u2019t sure there\u2019d be anything of value in the offerings but had decided it would be a nice break from the constant work since the last time they\u2019d all been into town.<\/p>\n

Once they arrived in Virginia City, Hoss and Joe made their way to the auction grounds while Ben did a little business and checked for correspondence. One particular envelope caught his attention and he leaned against the counter as he scanned the contents. He broke into a smile and shook his head as he refolded the letter, returned it to the envelope, and headed out to join his sons.<\/p>\n

After a quick perusal of the equipment and livestock available, he asked, \u201cDid you two see anything worth sticking around to bid on?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head. \u201cAin\u2019t a thing here that\u2019s better\u2019n what we got, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree. Maybe we can just get some lunch and head on back. There\u2019s a few things I could get done at the ranch yet this afternoon,\u201d Little Joe suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds good. But first\u2026Hoss, go see if Paul can join us at the jail for a minute or two.\u201d Ben said, while grinning at his boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa got the letter, didn\u2019t ya?\u201d Hoss saw his father nod. \u201cIt\u2019s about time. I\u2019ll get Paul over there if I have to fling him over my shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later the group who\u2019d placed their bets on a name for the newest Cartwright was gathered in Roy\u2019s office. The sheriff pulled a tin box from a desk drawer and opened it to reveal the money they\u2019d each contributed to the pot. \u201cYou\u2019ll notice that these are the very same silver pieces we anted up for this little wager,\u201d he stated as he eyed each of those present. \u201cSo go ahead, Ben. What did Adam have to say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben read from the letter. \u201cDear Pa, Hoss and Little Joe,<\/p>\n

You\u2019d all be very proud of the newest member of our family. He\u2019s a big boy and cute as a bug\u2019s knee, as Hoss used to say. He arrived early in the morning and didn\u2019t wait for the fine doctors of England and America to assist, relying only on his mother and father to guide him into the world. I\u2019m proud enough to bust my buttons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Melinda had a scare after slipping on the staircase the day before he came, but everything went fine.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019re preparing for a wedding and a Baptism right now. Sam Green has been called back to Boston. You should have gotten the note I wrote about his engagement to Melinda\u2019s sister by now. He and Miranda have chosen to marry here before heading home.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have a favor to ask of Hoss. Would you be our son\u2019s godfather?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben stopped reading to look up at his middle son. The man was blushing. \u201cImagine that, I\u2019m gonna be my nephew\u2019s godfather. Aint\u2019 that something!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe sighed as his foot tapped impatiently. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s something alright, but we still don\u2019t know the name of this nephew of ours. Keep reading, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben resumed. \u201cI know you\u2019re all wondering what this young man\u2019s name is, and I know you\u2019ll laugh when you hear it. I wanted to name him after all of you, but Melinda had her own ideas on that. In the end, she decided that our son should be named Adam Cartwright Jr.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Laughter broke out in the room as Roy put the cashbox back into his desk, and then hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his vest. \u201cThat was easy money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben raised his hand and asked for quiet. \u201cThere\u2019s a little more.\u201d \u00a0He returned to the letter.\u00a0\u201cTo avoid the issue of this name turning into the Junior that I dislike so much, we\u2019re going to call him, AJ, for Adam Junior. Melinda convinced me that he could carry my name that way and still have one of his own. This would have been so much easier if he\u2019d been a girl\u2026but it suits him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben congratulated Roy on his victory and then slipped outside while the other men continued talking. His mind returned to the sentence in the letter where Adam had revealed Melinda\u2019s fall. He suspected his son had downplayed the event, yet he knew that it must have caused his eldest some moments of uncertainty. Even now he could remember the day that Elizabeth had stumbled on the steps. But as bad as that had seemed, the fall hadn\u2019t caused her death. The doctor had told him later that Elizabeth had suffered from an affliction that affected some expectant women, and if the fall truly had hastened the birth, it had saved Adam\u2019s life, since the usual outcome with the condition was that both mother and child perished. Ben sighed in sadness with these memories, but then pushed them aside, and smiled with joy and thanksgiving that all had gone well for his son and daughter-in-law.<\/p>\n

Ten<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Early Months of Master AJ<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melinda was experiencing the fullness associated with nursing a child, and went in search of her baby, knowing he\u2019d be hungry. She\u2019d been working on her manuscript for a few hours and was anxious to reclaim her infant from the nanny. Her trip to the nursery proved fruitless. The child was missing as usual. He was three months old now, smiled readily while babbling and cooing, and was a favorite with the household staff. When he wasn\u2019t with his parents or napping, Anna, his nanny, would take him to the kitchen. AJ loved being around the action and chatter, and the women of the house would include him in their conversations, making him kick and squeal with delight.<\/p>\n

But since Adam was already home from work, Melinda knew exactly where to look next for her missing son. \u201cWhere\u2019s my baby?\u201d She addressed the back of the office chair when she entered the study\u2014the place where Adam spent his time when he got home early.<\/p>\n

The chair swung around. \u201cWho are you looking for?\u201d he teased. \u201cThere\u2019s no baby in here, I assure you. It\u2019s just me and my associate, and we\u2019re going over the schematics for the next phase of the harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda shook her head as she laughed. \u201cAre you telling me that you\u2019re reading blueprint specifications to our son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed as he took the smiling AJ out of the crook of his crossed leg and sat him on his lap. \u201cHe seems to grasp the concepts quite well. And instead of board feet and piling depth, I substitute the terms ducklings and lambs to keep his interest. But I believe he\u2019s going to be a genius. In fact, he has helped me figure much of this out in the short time we\u2019ve been working together.\u201d He looked down at his son. \u201cI suppose that look on your mother\u2019s face means she\u2019s going to whisk you away for your dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda walked to the men in her life and leaned down to kiss AJ\u2019s head and then gave Adam a deep, long kiss that left him breathing hard.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes as she finished, and sighed. After a few more deep breaths, he added, \u201cPlease don\u2019t do that, Melinda. You know how much I want you, and I also know we have to wait until you\u2019re fully recovered. But when you kiss me like that, it leaves me\u2026compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. It isn\u2019t fair of me to tease you that way. And in case you haven\u2019t noticed, I need you too.\u201d She touched his cheek before removing AJ from his lap. \u201cBy the way,\u201d she said turning back as she neared the door. \u201cAfter I feed our little darlin\u2019, Anna will be taking him to his room for the night. I\u2019ve given the staff the evening off, so we\u2019ll have a cold supper in our suite instead of in the dining room. I\u2019ll let you know when I\u2019m ready.\u201d She smiled, noting that he\u2019d already returned to his drawings as he grunted, \u201cuhhuh.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s words had made it through the jumble of equations swirling in Adam\u2019s mind, but not enough to make him question her plans. After she was gone, the part about eating in their room hit him and he wondered if she was perhaps not feeling well. He shrugged, figuring he\u2019d find out at some point, and concentrated on the work in front of him. With his months of experience in the harbor under his belt, he\u2019d become adept at figuring out these plans, and had made the transition from being a greenhorn on the site to being the one others looked to for answers.<\/p>\n

He had no idea how much time had passed while he was engrossed in the pages of the plan, and was startled when the study doors opened and two maids rushed in with their buckets full of cleaning supplies.<\/p>\n

Niles followed them, clearing his throat to get Adam\u2019s attention. \u201cMr. Cartwright, you wife has sent word asking that you join her now in your suite. Your supper is waiting there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam eyed the butler with a puzzled expression. \u201cOh, that\u2019s right. She said something about spending the evening up there. Let me grab a few of these things to take along up to work on later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles nodded. \u201cWhatever you wish sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

The maids had already done a cursory dusting and were standing at the ready to straighten the mess he always left of his desk. Adam grinned at Niles. \u201cIt seems like people are in a hurry tonight. What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

The butler waved the girls back and replied. \u201cMrs. Cartwright has declared a holiday, giving us the night off, sir. She says we won\u2019t be needed once you\u2019ve gone upstairs, and,\u201d he eyed the two young women sternly, \u201cI think everyone\u2019s a little anxious to get to their respective activities as soon as their work is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled at the maids. \u201cAre there big plans in store for you two tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

They looked down at their feet, and swung their pails. \u201cWe\u2019ll be headin\u2019 to the pub with the others, sir,\u201d one finally answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds like fun.\u201d Adam thought again about something Melinda had said, and addressed Niles. \u201cI think Mrs. Cartwright said that Anna was keeping an eye on AJ tonight. Isn\u2019t she allowed to go out with the rest?\u201d His brows knit. \u201cThat hardly seems fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s all been arranged sir. Anna will be staying with Master Cartwright until the others are finished with evening chores, and then my wife and I will be taking over in the nursery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cThat seems most kind, Niles, but I\u2019m sure we can watch our son so that you can have the night off as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The butler shook his head and redressed Adam\u2019s concern. \u201cIt is our pleasure, I assure you. We were never blessed with children, and for my wife, caring for your son is purest delight. The pubs have lost their appeal to a couple our age, and we find it far more satisfying spending an evening here. If young mister Cartwright is in fine fettle, I may entice my wife into a game of two-handed whist while he gives us pointers.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam shoved the door to their room open using his foot, and entered with his pile of charts and text books heaped in his arms. After managing to shut the door with his hip, he deposited his trove on the desk in the corner, and then looked around the fragrance-filled room. It took only a second to realize he must have missed some important clue in the short conversations he\u2019d had with Melinda since arriving home. Several vases of colorful flowers were providing the sweetness in the air, and there was a small table, illuminated by candles, in the sitting area. A bucket of ice and champagne stood at attention next to it, and two crystal flutes sparkled in the flickering light.<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s not our anniversary.<\/em>\u00a0He assured himself as he did a quick recall of the calendar and breathed easier as he settled both the current date and the one in question in his mind.It\u2019s not for a couple of weeks yet<\/em>, he concluded. \u201cMelinda?\u201d he called, as he wondered why she wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the dressing room,\u201d drifted out through the open door at the far end of the suite. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you pour the champagne, and I\u2019ll be right out.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did as he was told and nearly dropped his glass when Melinda appeared a few seconds later wearing a form-fitting gown made of a satiny fabric. \u201cHe raised his glass in a toast. \u201cI\u2019m not sure what the occasion is, but may I say that I\u2019m enjoying it so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

She came over to him, took her glass from the table, and sipped before drawing him near for a kiss like the one she\u2019d given him earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes this mean what I think it does?\u201d he asked breathlessly as he set his glass down and took her face in his hands, bringing her lips to his for another kiss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the doctor today. He says I\u2019m fine now and\u2026\u201d her words became a throaty groan as Adam breathed into her ear while unpinning her hair, allowing it to flow freely around her face and down her back.<\/p>\n

He pushed the sleeves of the gown from her shoulders and the sheath slithered to the floor. \u201cI\u2019ve wanted you so much,\u201d he whispered as he lifted her and carried her to their bed. His lips and hands feathered across her body, leaving a kiss here, a caress there, teasing her passion back to life after so many weeks without intimacy. She responded with deep, contented moans and breathless gasps.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been so long,\u201d she purred as she arched her back in answer to his touch. When she could wait no longer, she began pulling at his shirt; yanking at buttons, trying to shed him of the barrier between them. \u201cHurry,\u201d she demanded as he stood to disrobe.<\/p>\n

Adam slipped his shirt over his head and lifted a leg to tug at his boot, realizing an instant too late that he should have sat to remove the tight-fitting footwear. His mighty pull threw him off balance sending him toppling like a felled tree. He listened closely to see if his fall might bring a flock of house staff upstairs to check on the situation, and breathed with relief when there was no knock at the door.\u00a0Luckily this place is built like a fortress<\/em>, he mused as he rubbed his hip and elbow where they had impacted with the floor. As he sat up he noticed his wife peering over the edge of the bed. Her eyes were round with concern, and yet he could tell that she was biting her upper lip, trying not to laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right?\u201d she asked, unable to stifle her chuckle any longer. \u201cI wondered what was happening when I saw your feet fly by and heard that clunk.\u201d The passion he had aroused in her had vanished with the accident. She quickly grabbed her robe from the chair by the bed, and set to helping her husband. He winced as he stood, and she ran her hand along his pants leg where he\u2019d fallen, feeling a distinct welt forming even through the fabric. \u201cI think you fell on something besides the floor,\u201d she said as she dug in his pocket and removed a large ring of house and work keys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that would explain why it felt like I landed on a mace.\u201d His grin was wry with a tinge of embarrassment. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I was so clumsy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She giggled. \u201cI don\u2019t think you were thinking too well at the time, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winked as he drew her close. \u201cI think you may be right about that. I\u2019m sorry I ruined your surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a kiss to get things headed in the right direction again, she told him, \u201cThe night is just beginning and I\u2019ve enjoyed every minute of it so far. And\u2026 unless you\u2019re too injured to try again, I think we\u2019ll do just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI injured my dignity the most,\u201d he confessed sheepishly.<\/p>\n

Melinda laughed. \u201cIf memory serves me, I did that once myself. And if I might borrow your thoughts from back then, I\u2019m very fond of your dignity, and once we get the rest of these clothes off you, I\u2019ll make sure it\u2019s in working order.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam and Melinda had indeed been able to resume where they\u2019d left off, and later, after a quick repast, had done it all over again. As they lay in each other\u2019s arms, the relaxed and satisfied husband was struck by a thought. \u201cWas I the only one who didn\u2019t know what was going on tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff had the night off, and you obviously had a little help getting our room prepared so beautifully. Even Niles seemed to roll his eyes just a bit when I said I was bringing work up for later.\u201d He turned onto his back and hit himself in the forehead. \u201cOf course he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

She rolled over and rose onto her elbow to look down into his eyes. \u201cNo one knew what I had in mind\u2026specifically. I simply told my maid that I wanted a romantic evening and she helped me set the scene. As far as Niles, you know nothing gets by him. He may be staid and proper, but deep down, I think our butler is a bit of a romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re probably right. He said that he and his wife were going to watch AJ tonight. I wonder how they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda was on her way to the dressing room as she called back over her shoulder. \u201cGet dressed and we\u2019ll go peek in on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are an indecisive woman!\u201d he hollered after her, knowing there was no one nearby to hear them. \u201cFirst you wanted my clothes off, and now you want them on. Is there no pleasing you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Five minutes later they were peering into the half-open door of the nursery, while trying not to be seen. Niles and his wife were sitting on opposite sides of a small table, each holding a fan of cards. Master Cartwright was propped up in a small, padded seat that one of the maids had rigged up to hold him until he could sit on his own.<\/p>\n

The couple in the doorway stood in silence, watching as the hand played out. When the cards in the older couple\u2019s hands had dwindled to one, Niles turned to the child who smiled back in response. \u201cWell, young AJ, should we trump Mrs. Stratham\u2019s card and take this final trick?\u201d AJ squealed happily, and Niles played the card. \u201cWe win again, lad! Our luck has been astounding tonight.\u201d he said triumphantly as he gathered the child onto his lap and bounced him gently.<\/p>\n

His wife laughed. \u201cWith both of you playing your hand, Niles, I don\u2019t stand a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles looked down at the infant. \u201cDid you hear that, young man? I think she\u2019s accusing us of cheating, but I swear that I\u2019m only doing what you\u2019re telling me to do. I have neither the brains nor the will to crush her at any other time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps I shall hold the child for the next hand and he\u2019ll bring\u00a0me<\/em>\u00a0luck.\u201d Niles\u2019 wife reached for the baby and gathered him to her as she kissed his head and then nestled him onto her ample lap. Once he was happily settled, she told her husband, \u201cNow deal\u2026and make sure\u00a0we<\/em>\u00a0get good cards this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam brought his finger to his lips, giving the universal sign for silence, and nodded his head back toward their own room.<\/p>\n

Once behind their closed doors, Melinda wiped away the tears that had escaped down her cheeks and said, \u201cThat was the sweetest scene. I really wanted to join them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur son is clearly enjoying his time with them, so I say we should finish the champagne and have some of the fruit and cake we didn\u2019t touch earlier.\u00a0 It\u2019s not even eight yet, and I have something I\u2019d like to tell you about before you get young Mr. Cartwright for his bedtime feeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cThis yellowish cake with the brown frosting is really good,\u201d Adam commented as he dropped the last crumbs from the plate into his mouth. \u201cIt reminds me of something that Hop Sing used to make back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda shook her head as she snorted. \u201cYellowish cake and brown frosting? That sounds unpalatable. It\u2019s sponge cake with browned-sugar icing, and it is the same one Hop Sing made. You may recall that he showed me how to do it when I was there, and I gave the cook here his recipe,\u201d she smiled demurely, \u201cto please you, my lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am well-pleased, my lady. Thank you.\u201d He pulled her nearer to him on the couch and nibbled at her neck. \u201cYou<\/em>\u00a0are the only thing tonight doth please me more.\u201d<\/p>\n

She snuggled up even closer and stroked his cheek. \u201cThou makest me blush, my lord.\u201d They both chuckled before Melinda asked, \u201cWhat was it you wanted to talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a letter from Frank today. He and Marian send their love, and told me about the projects they have going on now. Then he wrote about a ship building firm in Boston that wants to create an inner harbor like the one I\u2019m working on here. Of course the scope won\u2019t be as big, but there are enough natural inlets along the rivers that could adapt to a nice-sized shipyard. Frank\u2019s sending the maps and customer needs so I can work on a quote. If we\u2019d get the job, he thinks it would start in about eighteen months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA year and a half,\u201d Melinda said thoughtfully. \u201cHow soon does he want you back in Boston?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s leaving that up to me, but I think eighteen months should be enough time to make sure everything is on its way to completion here in London.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to think about going home. We\u2019re having a wonderful time in England, and yet I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what they\u2019re doing with our house, and to being with our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were in mid-kiss when there was a tap on the door accompanied by the demanding cry of a hungry infant in the background. \u201cSounds like our romantic evening is over.\u201d He gave his wife one quick last kiss and said, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyebrows rose in question.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the dinner and\u00a0activity<\/em>\u00a0tonight,\u201d he said as his eyes sparkled in the candlelight, \u201cand for that magnificent child waiting to be fed. But most of all, for loving me enough to wait for this granite-headed Yankee to figure out how much I needed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part 2 \u2013 Old Friends: Old Faces: Old Foes<\/strong><\/p>\n

One<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saying Goodbye<\/strong><\/p>\n

The time in London had flown by, and the Cartwrights had finalized their preparations to return home. They hadn\u2019t accumulated many things that needed to go to the States, and much of that had already been packed and sent ahead to make their personal logistics as easy as possible. The one thing that would make this trip infinitely more difficult was their 20-month-old son, AJ, a toddler with a mind of his own. He had the mobility to get where he wanted to go, and the stubbornness to keep at it until he accomplished his goals. Just the thought of keeping an eye on him aboard a ship made his parents shudder.<\/p>\n

With their departure just days away, Adam finished writing the last of his thank-you notes to the staff, and then looked outside to watch his son playing in the garden under the watchful eye of their nanny. He was amazed at how much this little miracle had grown while they\u2019d been at Wadsworth Manor. AJ had gotten his first tooth at three months and at a year had sported an entire set of baby teeth along with a winning smile. He spoke his first word, \u201cDada,\u201d at six months, and had a large vocabulary for his age. He was a parrot when it came to speech\u2014repeating every word he could handle\u2014and was able to associate most words with the objects or actions they represented.<\/p>\n

The proud father indulged in a pleased smile as he recalled more of his son\u2019s accomplishments. Adam Junior had gone from sitting up, to pulling himself up on anything near him, and then holding on, to sidestep around the edges of whatever supported him. By ten months, he could take a few unaided steps, and had given his father many-a-near-heart attack as he\u2019d launched himself from one piece of furniture to another. And at 11 months he was walking everywhere on his own. The smile broadened as he thought about how the staff had constructed barriers on the staircases to keep the little boy safe. These had certainly kept AJ from tumbling down the marble steps, but they had also made it harder for everyone else to go up and down. Even the staid Niles was heard to grouse on his bad arthritis days, as he climbed over the structures to make his way on the stairs.<\/p>\n

A soft, \u201cAhem,\u201d brought his attention back into the room. He turned to find Niles standing at the front of the desk. \u201cI have never gotten used to your unnerving way of knowing when I\u2019m ready for you,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be a good butler if I wasn\u2019t able to learn your manner of doing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I haven\u2019t been too difficult,\u201d was offered apologetically.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a self-sufficient man, Mr. Cartwright, but I feel that we adjusted to each other quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded as he motioned Niles to sit. \u201cThat we have, Niles. I hope you realize how much I\u2019ve appreciated all you\u2019ve done for me, and my family.\u201d He saw the man give a small smile, and he continued, \u201cI\u2019ve finished the notes, and would like you to help me with the amounts of the gratuities to include for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you wish, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men spent a short time going through the names, with Adam slipping the suggested amount of money into each of the envelopes that he and Melinda planned to hand out the at the conclusion of the party they were hosting for the staff the next night.<\/p>\n

With the stack of cards completed, Niles stood to leave. He lingered at his chair for a bit and finally said, \u201cI\u2019d ask that I might speak freely, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you\u2019ve always spoken freely, but please, say whatever\u2019s on your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The butler resumed his seat as he looked intently at the man he had served for two years. \u201cWhen Mr. Wadsworth wrote to us about a young family coming to stay at the estate, I admit that we all wondered what you would be like. The Wadsworths are from the States too, but they grew up in families steeped in English tradition. He described\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0as coming from a hard-working, self-made, and prosperous ranching family out \u2018West.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The butler blushed slightly as he added, \u201cWe\u2019d all heard about American cowboys. Some of the staff actually thought you\u2019d be prone to having gunfights in the street.\u201d He coughed as his embarrassment flashed in a deepening blush, and then vanished just as quickly. \u201cWhat we found was that while you and Mrs. Cartwright are more open about your thoughts; less inclined to accept help with your daily needs, and led a less formal life than we are used to providing, you are exceptional people that we have enjoyed serving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed openly. \u201cIs that a polite way of saying that we\u2019re unsophisticated?\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles straightened his back even more than usual. \u201cNot at all, Mr. Cartwright! You don\u2019t act like English aristocracy, but you are well-schooled in the ways of proper society. What I meant was that we had to drop our \u2018notions\u2019 as to what we thought you would be like, but also had to reduce our stuffiness a bit as we came to accept your simpler ways. Above all, we appreciated that you were always open to suggestion, and would have done almost anything to please\u00a0us<\/em>.\u00a0That<\/em>\u00a0isn\u2019t the \u2018English way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful to you and the others for welcoming us so warmly, and for never making us feel that we were as clueless as we sometimes felt.\u201d<\/p>\n

A nod from the butler preceded his final comments. \u201cMr. Wadsworth wrote that you were a man of honor. He said further that you were respectful and appreciative, and that this was true of Mrs. Cartwright too.\u201d The formal man looked down at his hands, and then raised his head again to meet Adam\u2019s gaze. \u201cEverything Mr. Wadsworth said was true. And since I take care of the household finances, Mr. Wadsworth let me know that the increase in our salaries, as well as the money for the added operating expenses of the house while you have been in residence, came from you, not him. I appreciated that because it proved to me that you wanted to be more than a guest in this house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niles rose, bowed slightly from the waist, and followed that with a brief smile. \u201cI speak for everyone, when I say that the staff has taken pleasure in your being here. We have never known the sound of an infant in these halls. Your son brought new life, and we have all watched him grow with great joy and anticipation. What I am trying to say, is that we\u2026that I\u2026shall miss you very much, and hope that you will return one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The going-away party proved to fun for everyone involved. Adam and Melinda had arranged for a caterer with American ties to bring in a meal of fried chicken, barbequed ribs and all the fixins\u2019, allowing the staff to get a taste of down-home country cooking, without worrying about preparing or serving it. After dinner, the Cartwrights entertained the group with American and English folk songs that Adam and Melinda sang while he played the guitar. He even added in a few of the camp songs from his cattle driving days, and with some prodding, he told stories about Nevada and the wide open spaces of the western United States. He elicited gasps as he told about the wide variations in weather in the Sierras, and the danger from the wild animals that prowled the canyons and prairies. The young men asked about gun fights, Indians, and sleeping under the stars, while one of the braver maids asked if all American ranchers were rich and handsome.<\/p>\n

AJ attended the party, dancing with the ladies, and running circles around the group as he clapped and giggled. But as the youngster began to tire, Adam brought the Cartwright participation in the festivities to a close.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father has told me many times that our memories are always there for us when we need them. Yet, the most remarkable thing about memories is that while you take them with you, you can also leave them behind. We will take our memories of England back to Boston with us, and will recall them often, and with fondness. We also hope that the memories we leave behind will make you smile now and again.\u201d He raised his glass. \u201cTo the wonderful people of Wadsworth Manor.\u201d After the toast concluded, he added, \u201cNow\u2026we\u2019re going to take our son up to bed, but as we say where I come from, y\u2019all go ahead and party \u2018til the cows come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The voyage home was difficult, but not because the seas were uncooperative. There were gentle swells and minor storms, causing no one in the Cartwright party any ill effects. The hard part was that the memories of England were so fresh that Melinda couldn\u2019t talk about them without dissolving into tears. They had met so many fine people that she\u2019d felt the loss deeply. The only thing that had kept her focused was looking forward to being with those she had missed from back home.<\/p>\n

AJ was a happy little boy on the ship. Adam and Melinda had convinced their nanny, Anna, to move to America with them for a couple of years until their son entered school. Having an extra set of eyes and hands to keep watch over the active youngster seemed a necessity if his mother was to continue to write and edit for the publishing company, and who better to do it than someone familiar.<\/p>\n

The journey was nearly over now. The ship had made good speed, and was scheduled to arrive in Boston on time, so Adam left the women in the cabin to finish packing while AJ napped, and made his way on deck to watch the Eastern coastline pass by. He was surprised at the emotion he was feeling. The call of home and hearth were strong sirens, and he found his heart beating faster in anticipation. Abel was doing well, considering his age, but Adam was anxious to see him. The older man had overseen the renovation of Adam and Melinda\u2019s house, and judging from his grandfather\u2019s letters, Adam expected a pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n

Adam had also arranged for Sadie, Abel\u2019s wife of a few years, to find a housekeeper for the new home. They didn\u2019t need live-in staff as they\u2019d had in England, having help would allow them to spend time with their son instead of doing household chores on evenings and weekends. He\u2019d learned from his father to anticipate the need for help rather than waiting until things were out of hand. He and Hoss had raised their eyebrows when his father had brought Hop Sing home, but the small Mandarin had proved to be a blessing many times over. \u00a0Hop Sing had brought order and stability to a family that had seldom had the time or the energy to cook right or do regular household tasks.<\/p>\n

Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Welcome Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the cabin in order, Melinda, AJ, and Anna joined Adam outside for final leg of the voyage into the harbor. They began to wave as they recognized faces in the crowd waiting to welcome the ship. Melinda\u2019s parents were near the front of the group, with Miranda and Sam Green standing just behind them. Both of those women broke into tears when Adam lifted AJ and pointed to them. Margaret blew kisses while Miranda bounced up and down as she held tightly to her husband\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

Melinda poked Adam\u2019s shoulder and pointed toward Frank and Marian Wadsworth, who were a little further back in the crowd. Marian\u2019s reaction was much the same as Margaret and Miranda\u2019s, as she began dabbing at her eyes.<\/p>\n

Adam scanned the remaining part of the crowd for Abel and Sadie, figuring he\u2019d spot his grandfather\u2019s distinctive beard. As he continued searching for the familiar faces, he spotted someone who brought a flicker of recognition. Before he could process who it was, his eyes locked on another figure\u2014a man standing much taller and broader than those around him. He focused on the squatty hat perched on the man\u2019s head, and followed it downward, smiling broadly as he recognized the face below the bowler. Waving wildly, he hollered, \u201cHoss!\u201d The name was swallowed by a blast of the ship\u2019s horn, and while waiting to try again, Adam looked to the left of his brother and found another surprise; his father was wedged between Hoss and Abel. \u201cWell I\u2019ll be!\u201d he hollered as he turned Melinda, and pointed to his family.<\/p>\n

The waving of the Cartwrights on board finally caught the attention of the ones on land. Hoss stared at his brother, observing the curly-haired youngster tucked tightly in Adam\u2019s arm, and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket that he used to flick across his cheeks before using it for its intended purpose, blowing his nose with enough force and volume to rival the ship\u2019s horn.<\/p>\n

The shipboard Cartwrights stayed at the rail as the first surge of passengers disembarked. They\u2019d decided to let the crowd ease before making their way to land, knowing the reunion would go more smoothly if they weren\u2019t in the mass of people trying to get to their loved ones.<\/p>\n

The Hayworths, Greens, Wadsworths, Cartwrights and Stoddards moved toward each other as the crowds around them waned, and when they were all together, Adam and his family completed their journey home.<\/p>\n

The group assembled on shore moved toward them with adoring smiles and outstretched arms, but the protective father held his hand up to keep them back, explaining, \u201cAJ\u2019s at the age where he\u2019s a little shy around people he doesn\u2019t know. How about we do introductions, and we\u2019ll see how it goes. If he isn\u2019t too frightened,\u201d Adam winked, \u201cI\u2019ll pass him around.\u201d He looked over at Melinda and teased, \u201cDoes it seem that this group isn\u2019t all that interested in the fact that\u00a0we\u2019ve<\/em>\u00a0returned home as well as our son?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed. \u201cI was thinking the same thing.\u201d Melinda put her arm around Anna\u2019s shoulder and ushered her forward. \u201cThis young woman was our nanny in England, and she agreed to come home with us. Her name is Anna Wesley. While you wait your turn with AJ, you can make Anna feel welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, taking Adam\u2019s arm, they made their way to her parents. \u201cAJ, this is Papa and Gran Hayworth.\u201d Melinda turned toward the rest of the group. \u201cThose are the names my parents decided they\u2019d like AJ to use. The rest of you can teach him to call you whatever you like.\u201d Margaret did move forward and placed a quick peck on her grandson\u2019s cheek as Melinda went on to introduce Uncle Sam and Aunt Miranda, before turning the introductions over to husband.<\/p>\n

They had spoken about what AJ would call Frank and Marian Wadsworth. \u201cMr. and Mrs. Wadsworth\u201d seemed too formal, and they\u2019d decided that Marian and Frank\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>truly family, and deserved to be called grandparents. Melinda had already informed her mother of this in a letter, and Adam knew that Ben and Abel would have no problem with it.<\/p>\n

With Grandma and Grandpa Wadsworth introduced, Adam moved on down the line. \u201cAJ, this is Great-Grandpa, and Great-Grandma Stoddard, Papa Cartwright, and Uncle Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ladies were waiting expectantly for their chance to hold the boy, but as Adam turned toward them, AJ reached back over his father\u2019s shoulder, and said, \u201cUnca Howrse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam handed his son to his brother with a big smile, and laughed as AJ took the bowler from his uncle\u2019s head, placed it on his own, saying, \u201cHat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a smart little feller. I didn\u2019t even know he\u2019d be able to say much yet,\u201d Hoss said shyly while tickling AJ\u2019s stomach to make him giggle.<\/p>\n

Melinda replied, \u201cHe started talking early and hasn\u2019t stopped. He knows a lot of words already, including, \u2018no\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019t want to.\u2019 He uses those liberally when he doesn\u2019t agree with what we want him to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

After the round of hugs and kisses wound down, Adam headed for home in a carriage with Frank and his family, while Melinda and AJ followed in one with the women.<\/p>\n

During the ride, Ben explained that he had conspired with Abel to surprise his son. \u201cYou may remember that after you visited the Ponderosa, I promised to bring everyone to Boston when you got home from England. I always intended to make good on that. Little Joe should be here too, but there was trouble with a timber contract just before we left, and your brother volunteered to deal with it, and visit you later. He figured the child\u2019s godfather should be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded. \u201cIt would have been great to have all of you here, but we\u2019ll arrange for him to come soon.\u201d Noting his father\u2019s sly look, he offered, \u201cI know you\u2019re wondering if we were surprised, and the answer is yes\u2014completely. I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes when I spotted that pint-sized hat sitting on that 10-gallon head in the crowd.\u201d He reached across the carriage and pushed his brother\u2019s knee. \u201cHaving you here makes coming home even better.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Melinda\u2019s carriage, the ladies managed to smother AJ with kisses that the youngster kept wiping from his cheeks. He started to fuss with the attention, but quickly regained his humor when Margaret pulled a toy wooden ship from her handbag. He was still busy sailing it from one person to another when the vehicle pulled up to the Cartwright house.<\/p>\n

Adam pulled AJ out of the carriage and propped the baby on his hip. He lent a hand to the others and finally took wife\u2019s hand, and led her to get the first look at their remodeled house. \u201cIt looks magnificent, Grandfather,\u201d he said as Abel came over to them. \u201cYou did a wonderful job; thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man puffed his chest out a little and rocked back on his heels while accepting the compliment. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have done such a good job if you hadn\u2019t left those detailed instructions. It practically built itself. And while I oversaw the construction, you\u2019ll need to thank Margaret and Sadie for the niceties you\u2019ll find inside. Those two left no avenue unexplored when it came to ensuring every modern convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group headed inside where Adam and Melinda moved from room to room, admiring the construction. The house was next door to Abel, and had been originally been owned by Melinda\u2019s aunt. Adam had met his future wife when she\u2019d been visiting there, while he\u2019d been staying with his grandfather during a school holiday. The house was willed to Melinda when her aunt passed away, but it was small, and in need of renovation. The couple had made the decision to have it redone while they were in England, and from what they could see, the work had transformed it into a roomy and comfortable home.<\/p>\n

Adam enjoyed watching his wife\u2019s happy reactions as she viewed each room. Much like the Ponderosa house that he\u2019d drawn up so many years ago, this construction had turned out exactly as he had envisioned it. Yet he knew it didn\u2019t matter what he thought; it all came down to the finished product winning the favor of its female occupant.<\/p>\n

The welcoming assembly gathered at Abel\u2019s after the tour to celebrate the family\u2019s return with a meal and belated birthday party for the newest Cartwright. AJ dove into the frosting of his cake with gusto, and giggled happily over his gifts\u2014with one in particular holding his attention.<\/p>\n

After the other guests left, Adam, Ben and Hoss got down on the floor to help AJ play with the ranch set the middle brother had carved for his nephew.<\/p>\n

Adam held Hoss\u2019s miniature version of the Ponderosa house up to the sunlight, and peeked through the windows. \u201cThis is quite a feat, Hoss. I knew there\u2019d be a tiny red settee and blue chairs inside.\u201d He picked up the replica of the barn next with its working doors and swing-away roof that allowed access to the stalls that were occupied by small horses resembling Chubby, Buck, Cochise and Sport. \u201cYou must have worked forever on all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed as Hoss smiled shyly. \u201cYour brother started whittling the day we got the letter about a baby being on the way. He figured that a boy or girl would appreciate playing with all the animals and buildings, and either one should get to know a little more about where their daddy came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ rummaged through the box containing the remaining pieces, pulled out a set of draft horses and held them up as he said, \u201cHowrsies!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pulled the child onto his lap. \u201cThis here\u2019s the horse your daddy rode when he lived at this house,\u201d he told the youngster as picked up the steed painted a reddish-brown with white socks. \u201cIts name is Sport. The ones you got in yer hand are work horses.\u201d Putting the two animals side-by-side, he continued, \u201cSee how much bigger and stronger the ones are that do all the wagon pullin\u2019?\u201d \u00a0He picked up a couple of the black, horned animals next. \u201cThese aren\u2019t horses. They\u2019s the steers yer daddy kept watch on, out under the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy pointed skyward and repeated, \u201cStawrs up thewr.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, they are, little man, and on the Ponderosa there\u2019s so many of them the sky looks like it\u2019s painted with silver speckles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cartwright men laughed as AJ struggled to repeat the words, silver speckles, and once the child was busy playing again, they caught up with quick details of the news from England and Nevada. AJ barely noticed when his father left him with his grandpa Ben, as he wanted to be called, and his uncle, to go next door to help Melinda, and spend a little more time examining the nooks and crannies of the house. When Adam returned a little later, he found his father snoring in the rocking chair with his grandson sound asleep on his lap.<\/p>\n

Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

Settling In<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam checked downstairs, making sure all was in order before heading up to bed on their first night home. He peeked in the room where his son was sleeping in the little bed with sides to keep him from rolling out. Abel had constructed it after receiving Adam\u2019s letter telling him that his great grandson was a master of climbing over the rails of his crib in England.<\/p>\n

He walked in quietly, and kissed the sleeping child\u2019s forehead. The saving grace to AJ\u2019s ability to crawl out of bed was that he wasn\u2019t able to open door knobs yet. As long as the roaming youngster couldn\u2019t get beyond his room he remained safe, and he usually made his way to Anna who would settle him back to sleep.<\/p>\n

The door connecting Anna\u2019s room to AJ\u2019s was open a crack, and since there was no light visible, Adam assumed that she was also asleep. He grinned as he thought about his younger brother\u2019s reaction to the attractive young nanny when they\u2019d been properly introduced at Abel\u2019s. The big man\u2019s cheeks had pinked a little as he gave Anna a shy smile the older brother knew meant Hoss was taken with her.<\/p>\n

Melinda had gone up to their new, large room earlier, and Adam could hear her snoring softly as he entered. He stripped off his shirt, tossing it over the chair he sat on to remove his boots, and then padded over to the window to gaze out at the moonlit sky. He\u2019d stargazed many times in London too, but it had never felt the same. The familiar constellations above, made him feel like he was really home.<\/p>\n

A dark awareness from earlier trickled through his consciousness, and he tried to decipher why it bothered him. He attempted again to identify the face he\u2019d seen just before spotting Hoss, yet all he could conjure was a woman\u2019s profile. Even now, a shiver of uncertainty disturbed his happy mood.<\/p>\n

He was so deep in thought that he jumped when Melinda put her arms around his waist from behind him and kissed his shoulder. He enfolded her hands in his and pushed other thoughts from his mind, as he let her kisses arouse feelings that he liked far more. \u201cI thought you were sleeping, my love, or I would have come right to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was dozing, but I heard you come in, and got curious about what you found so fascinating outside.\u201d She moved to his side and tucked herself under his arm. \u201cAre you glad to be back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than I thought I would be. When I looked from our bedroom window in London, I saw beautiful gardens and the roof of a fine stable. Looking out here, I see only a patch of lawn with Abel\u2019s house beyond it. But it brings me\u2026peace. The fact that my father and brother are staying there makes it even better.\u201d He tipped her face up and kissed her. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s because this home is ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

She giggled. \u201cOurs\u2026and the bank\u2019s I\u2019d presume. It must have been pricey to do all this work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so much as you\u2019d think. I cashed in some stocks I bought years back to help pay for it. Abel was so frugal, that the sum more than covered it.\u201d He saw her eyebrows near. \u201cI know you\u2019re wondering if we\u2019ll be running short of cash, but don\u2019t worry. That investment had run its course, so it was the time to sell it. And with the other investments we\u2019ve made, our salaries, and the money from Frank\u2019s endowment, we\u2019re well covered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d She moved her fingers through the curls of hair on his chest, making him breathe faster. \u201cAs long as there\u2019s a little money left, I think we\u2019re going to need some furniture. I can\u2019t believe how rearranging walls and room shapes, along with a few extra feet added on to the back of the house could create so much \u2018empty\u2019 space.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a deep breath to calm himself, and explained, \u201cMost houses from the time these were built were simply rooms stuck next to each and connected by doors. You remember the main room at the Ponderosa. It worked for just the four of us, but moving things around a little opened space for a big party and dance. That\u2019s what I tried to do here too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes sense, and everything looks wonderful\u2026except for the lack of places to sit down, and the tiny table that seems lost in the dining area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pulled her near for another kiss. \u201cGet what you need for Cartwright Manor.\u201d His eyes sparkled in the moonlight reflecting off the window glass. \u201cThere are two spare bedrooms on this floor. Should we get to work filling those?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laid her head on his chest for a moment and then looked up into his eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s been well over a year since AJ was born, and I\u2019m getting older, along with having the same problems conceiving that were there before. She smiled shyly as her cheeks turned a pale pink. \u201cAnd you know we \u2018work\u2019 at it almost every night\u2026and every time, you leave me breathless, wanting you even more.\u201d She paused a moment, before adding, \u201cI think we need to keep at this\u2014with no expectations, like we did before our son came along. That way we\u2019ll be happy if it happens, instead of frustrated if it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never been more beautiful than you are now, and I want you more than ever\u2026as you can probably tell.\u201d He winked. \u201cAnd I agree. We\u2019ll simply continue making love with enthusiasm and abandon, without worrying about anything else. \u201d He caressed her back, moving lower until he cupped her hips and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around him while he carried her to their bed. After setting her down, he knelt on one knee, and took her hands. \u201cI love you, Mrs. Cartwright. Welcome home.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam responded groggily to the knock on their bedroom door. He shook Melinda\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cNiles is knocking. We must have overslept.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda sat up, clutching the sheets around her and laughed softly, \u201cHave you forgotten where we are? There\u2019s no Niles here.\u201d She moved quickly from the bed to slip her nightgown over her head, and slid her arms into a robe. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d She asked, after mouthing to Adam that he should put something on as well.<\/p>\n

They heard a small voice through the door. \u201cMommy, Daddy, can I play wif Howrse?\u201d<\/p>\n

The mother ran to the door, opened it, and scooped her baby into her arms, just as Adam finished buckling his belt and shrugging his shirt onto his shoulders. \u201cGood morning, my sweetheart. Did you sleep well in your new bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna remained in the hall, and said apologetically. \u201cHe was so excited to see you, Ma\u2019am, that I couldn\u2019t stop him from knocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo worries. We should have been up long ago.\u201d She pulled AJ\u2019s shirt up and blew on his belly, making him giggle, before returning her attention to the nanny. \u201cHow was your first night here, Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost pleasant, Ma\u2019am. Young Mr. Cartwright slept through the night without waking once. He likes his new bed and I had to pull him from it this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam came over and took his son, giving him a gentle \u201cwhisker-rub\u201d on his cheek. \u201cIs that so, son? You like your new bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ nodded vigorously. \u201cI\u2019m a big boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving the child around until he was nose to nose with him, Adam asked, \u201cDid you say something about your uncle Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna blushed. \u201cHe\u2019s downstairs, sir, wondering if he might take his nephew and me for a walk. He says we\u2019re both new to Boston, so we might do well exploring together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds great!\u201d Melinda pursed her lips thoughtfully. \u201cAnna, now that we\u2019re in the states, you can call us Adam and Melinda or Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright if you prefer. It\u2019s less formal here, and no one will think you\u2019re being impertinent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that, ma\u2019am.\u201d Anna laughed. \u201cI mean, Mrs. Cartwright. AJ and I will leave now, but we\u2019ll not be gone long.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Hoss had AJ riding on his shoulders while holding his hands as they made their way along the walkway by the harbor. \u201cIt sure is purdy here,\u201d he commented to his walking partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPurdy?\u201d she asked. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss choked out, as he grimaced. \u201cIt\u2019s just my country way of talkin. I mean, it\u2019s pretty here. With them ships in the harbor and the birds flyin\u2019 overhead makin\u2019 a racket, I feel like in a living paintin\u2019. I\u2019ve been to San Francisco, and it\u2019s kind\u2019a like this, but here it\u2019s more peaceful\u2026serene-like, compared to there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is \u2018purdy,\u2019\u201d she teased. \u201cAnd, young Mr. Cartwright must find it tranquil since he\u2019s fallen sound asleep leaning on your hat.\u201d She reached up and slid AJ down into her arms, cradling him. \u201cNow I wish we\u2019d brought his pram. He\u2019s pretty heavy to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it, Anna. He ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 but a sprout for me. I\u2019m used to carryin\u2019 fence posts and baby calves.\u201d He settled AJ\u2019s head onto his shoulder and wrapped his sturdy arms around the boy\u2019s back to keep him lodged in place. \u201cWe can head back, since he\u2019ll probably sleep better at home. That\u2019ll still give us a few minutes to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou handle the boy very easily, Mr. Hoss. Do you have children back in Nevada?\u201d Anna thought that Adam\u2019s brother was single, but she wanted to confirm it as slyly as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, ma\u2019am, I ain\u2019t never been married. I helped with my younger brother when we was kids, and I take care of the little critters on the ranch. Being as big as I am, I guess I\u2019ve learned to be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll make a fine father someday.\u201d She smiled brightly at him and then looked ahead, grinning to herself, as they walked back to the house.<\/p>\n

Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben said that he and Hoss could stay 10 days, so Adam tried to figure out ways to get things done while including his family.<\/p>\n

On his first full-day home, Adam, Ben, Abel and Hoss accompanied him to Wadsworth Engineering to check in. It was nearly noon by the time they arrived, so they shanghaied Frank, and went out to lunch at the Palmer House Hotel. After a repast that included seafood and local lager, they ordered an entire Boston cream pie for dessert\u2014the signature dessert of the Palmer House, created by their French Chef. Adam had promised Hoss that he\u2019d take him to this particular restaurant if he ever visited Boston so he could compare the cake Hop Sing had made to welcome Adam and Melinda to the Ponderosa, with the original.<\/p>\n

Hoss was down to the crumbs of his third piece when Chef Sanzian came over to the table carrying a pastry box. \u201cI understand there\u2019s someone here who appreciates a good meal and a fine dessert,\u201d he said with a heavy French accent, as he nodded toward the largest Cartwright. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that this table has consumed an entire cake, so I thought I\u2019d give you another to take along with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019ll be,\u201d Hoss replied as he took the chocolate-topped treasure from the chef. \u201cI am plumb full with the outstandin\u2019 meal you made, but I think there\u2019s a few people back at the house that\u2019ll enjoy this dessert with me later. Thank you kindly.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the chef returned to the kitchen, Hoss leaned in and said quietly, \u201cThat man might have created this here concoction, but the truth is that our cook back at the Ponderosa made one that was even better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why\u2019d you eat so much of this one?\u201d his older brother asked with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never said this one wasn\u2019t good, brother\u2026or undeserving of appreciation. I just said that Hop Sing\u2019s was better.\u201d<\/p>\n

While they laughed at the big man\u2019s assessment, Frank signaled for a refill of their coffee cups, and then leaned over to speak to his young associate, \u201cI know your family is planning to head back to your grandfather\u2019s now, but I\u2019d appreciate it if you\u2019d to come back to the office with me, Adam. I have a few things I\u2019d like to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Frank\u2019s office was a cozy den of rich, dark woods, and comfortable leather chairs. With Adam settled into one of them, the owner of Wadsworth engineering shook his head and laughed. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind having that brother of yours leading our work crews. He\u2019s likable, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s as strong as three men.\u201d He shook his head again. \u201cYou and Hoss are both Ben\u2019s sons, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Adam replied with a questioning tone and a raised brow. \u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see your father in you, Adam. It\u2019s not that you and he look alike, as much as that you and Ben approach life with the same drive. Hoss is\u2026\u201d he stammered. \u201cI think he\u2019s more easygoing than the two of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother\u2019s personality is like his mother\u2019s. She was a beautiful, caring woman who opened her heart and home to a man who was passing through and needed help. Back then my father had nothing more to offer than a big dream, and a sick child. But Inger believed in him. Hoss has her sense of honor, and her willingness to give others a fair chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t think I was criticizing him, son.\u201d Frank responded, noting the protective set of Adam\u2019s face as he\u2019d spoken. \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s a force to be reckoned with, just as you are.\u201d He gave Adam a half-grin. \u201cBut I bet people don\u2019t see it coming. He probably disarms them with that simple charm of his, and then catches them off-guard when they realize what a strong-minded man he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed heartily as his tension eased. \u201cHoss\u2019s \u2018easygoing\u2019 ways come as a result of his years of being the biggest guy around. People were afraid of his size, and that bothered him. I think he grew to be very cautious about\u00a0seeming<\/em>\u00a0strong, yet that left him open to being taken advantage of. He\u2019s worked that out the best he can, and while he still trusts others, he doesn\u2019t let them walk over him anymore.\u201d He thought for a moment and amended his statement. \u201cWell that\u2019s true for everyone except Joe. Our youngest brother can get Hoss to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank smiled and nodded. \u201cBen said that Hoss is the animal expert?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa says the herd is in great shape because of Hoss\u2019s ideas. The man is always studying up on cattle and crops. His ideas saved our ranch more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to bring him out to see our horses. I\u2019d appreciate his opinion on a few things.\u201d Frank paused, and then chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m 5\u201910\u201d. That always made me the tall one in my circle of family and friends. Then I met you and Ben and realized that they grow them bigger in Nevada. And now after meeting your brother, I feel positively puny! I can\u2019t help wondering what that last brother of yours is like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shifted in his chair and crossed his legs as he grinned at his boss. \u201cLet\u2019s put it this way. You and Joe might not always agree on everything, but the two of you would see \u2018eye-to-eye.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wondered why Ben called him, Little Joe,\u201d Frank snorted. \u201cYet if he\u2019s like the rest of you Cartwrights, I\u2019d still look up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Frank. I appreciate your high opinion of us. And I\u2019ve never noticed that I\u2019m taller than you because I\u2019ve been looking up to you for many years now. That\u2019s never going to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The head of Wadsworth Engineering rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully before pulling the good bottle of scotch and two crystal tumblers from his bottom desk drawer. \u201cI think it\u2019s time for a toast.\u201d He handed one generously filled glass to his prot\u00e9g\u00e9e and raised his own in salute. \u201cTo the new face of Wadsworth Engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a sip, Adam eyed his friend, and asked, \u201cWhat \u2018new face\u2019 did we just drink to?\u201d<\/p>\n

He dodged Adam\u2019s question. \u201cI wanted to discuss something with you today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger man took a deep breath and prepared for the usual delay in getting the facts, knowing that Frank would draw out whatever he was proposing as long as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrankie is well-settled in San Francisco,\u201d he began. \u201cMy son says he has a freedom there that he wouldn\u2019t experience if he worked with me. I have to admit that he\u2019s grown Wadsworth Engineering into a firm to be reckoned with out there. And just as his youth and way of getting things done have proved highly successful in California, I find that my Wadsworth franchise in Boston is burgeoning because our customers come seeking the services of someone with similar qualities here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyebrows rose and then settled into a puzzled tilt. \u201cI\u2019m quite sure the customers all know who\u2019s in charge here.\u201d He became silent as he tried to understand Frank\u2019s import. \u201cIs one of the new men you hired recently creating this surge in business?\u201d After another pause he asked bluntly, \u201cFrank, are you trying to tell me that you don\u2019t need me at Wadsworth anymore?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank\u2019s laugh echoed to the high ceiling of the room. \u201cDon\u2019t need you anymore\u2026\u201d He laughed again, even louder. \u201cAdam,\u00a0you\u2019re<\/em>\u00a0the one everyone wants. I\u2019ve continued to put articles in the paper about your work in London, and I\u2019ve highlighted the projects you\u2019ve helped us with here, even while you were across the Atlantic. Our customers want your modern take on their ventures. I take credit for knowing when to promote a good product and producer, but I\u2019m rapidly becoming a figurehead for this company; you are its future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how much this company means to you. I don\u2019t want to interfere…\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank hit the polished wood of his desk with a solid smack from his open hand, before he rose and leaned forward to look directly at the man he called his \u201cother\u201d son. \u201cInterfere! I\u2019m happy as pie that things are going as they are. I wanted Wadsworth Engineering in Boston to succeed\u2026mostly to prove that I had what it took to turn a family heirloom into a relevant, thriving business again. I did that by hiring the best people possible through the years, and you\u2019ve proven to be the best of the best. You\u2019re never afraid to put yourself into a project and give it all you have. People respect that\u2026me most of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d Adam fumbled for words. \u201cWell, maybe thank you would be a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHold your thanks until you hear my proposal. You may want to withdraw them after that.\u201d He chuckled as he sat down again, and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. \u201cI want you to take over this office. Marian and I would like to move to England for a while. We realized how much we missed London when we\u2019d get your letters telling about the staff and the city. Another spur for me, is that the director at our firm there wants to retire, and I want that office to go after challenging projects like the one you just completed. But they\u2019re not capable of doing that. I\u2019ll have to clean out the engineers who think that what they\u2019ve done is enough to let them skate by for the rest of their careers. Then I\u2019ll bring some life back into that branch of Wadsworth.\u201d Frank waited for Adam to take this news in, and then added, \u201cThe only way I can see leaving Boston is if you\u2019re running this office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam felt his head spinning, and his jaw hung slack as he sat back to regain his focus. \u201cAre you sure about this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. I\u2019ll admit that I wondered if you\u2019d want to go home and run the Ponderosa someday, but then I figured out that you and your father are much like Frankie and me. We\u2019re all are driven men. Yet we all need our own projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s true,\u201d Adam said thoughtfully. \u201cPa\u2019s been able to delegate some of the ranch responsibilities to Hoss and Joe, and that\u2019s freed him up to take on new things. He\u2019s excited about that. It sounds like you\u2019ve come to the same conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man rose, and walked behind Adam, placing his hands on his shoulders. \u201cI\u00a0am<\/em>\u00a0looking forward to this. Ben and I have raised fine sons who will eclipse us in skill and business acumen. Knowing that keeps us taking on new challenges to keep from becoming irrelevant.\u201d He chuckled, and added, \u201cAnd yes, irrelevant means\u00a0old<\/em>, in case that\u2019s what you were thinking.\u201d After a few moments with nothing more said, Frank cleared his throat. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a few weeks to settle in, but then we\u2019ll get to work. You\u2019re the Executive Director of this firm now, son, and I\u2019ll expect you to keep Wadsworth and Cartwright as the names people think of first when they need an engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam asked his father to slow down as the group walked home from his grandfather\u2019s favorite pub where they\u2019d all had dinner. Hoss was up ahead with Anna, helping her corral AJ as he bounced happily between them, begging for them to swing him, while Melinda was talking with Abel and Sadie about the new housekeeper.<\/p>\n

During the meal, Adam had shared the news about his promotion, and as he\u2019d looked toward his father, he\u2019d seen sadness wash over Ben\u2019s face. Once they were far enough back that the other strollers couldn\u2019t overhear, the son ventured into the conversation he knew was necessary. \u201cI couldn\u2019t help noticing that you weren\u2019t quite as exuberant about my job as the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled as he laid an arm around his son\u2019s back while they continued walking. \u201cYou noticed that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I should have told you before breaking the news to everyone. We\u2019ve talked before about the probability that I wouldn\u2019t return to the Ponderosa, but I guess this makes it official.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy for you, but you\u2019re right, this does make it \u2018official.\u2019 It took me aback for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more, Pa.\u201d The two men stopped as Adam turned to his father. \u201cFrank gave me a letter from the Board at the Harvard School of Engineering. They\u2019ve asked me to become an adviser in developing an advanced degree program, and to help determine what new course options might be added to the current curriculum.<\/p>\n

Ben blew out a long breath. \u201cThat\u2019s got to make you feel pretty much like I did when I put that first house up on the ranch. It signified that my dream had become a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good description; how did you know I\u2019d feel that way?\u201d Adam asked as he tipped his head to the side. \u201cI don\u2019t think I ever mentioned how much I\u2019d like to become part of academia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to tell me.\u201d Ben grasped his son\u2019s arm. \u201cI suspected it from the first day you buried you nose in a book, and knew it for sure when got that far away look when you talked about going away to college. You need to follow this through now and see where it leads you, son, just as I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for understanding. We\u2019re alike, Pa; I want to leave a legacy too, but it\u2019ll be a little different.\u201d Adam smiled as Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

As they walked faster to catch up to the group, Ben looked over at his son. \u201cI\u2019m proud of you, Adam. I always have been, and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam was kept busy at work for the next few days, leaving his brother and father to find pastimes that suited them. By the fourth day, he\u2019d caught up on office work, and since he planned to spend the day doing site inspections, he asked his brother to ride along. As he drove the buggy through the Boston streets, he looked toward Hoss and grinned. \u201cFrom what Melinda told me, you\u2019ve spent most of the last few days with Anna and AJ. Are you getting a little sweet on her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned. \u201cI sure could be, exceptin\u2019 she wouldn\u2019t be interested in moving to Nevada, and I\u2019m not interested in livin\u2019 here\u2026or across an ocean.\u201d He blushed. \u201cI don\u2019t mean there\u2019s nothin\u2019 wrong with Boston. I just am not partial to being closed in, is all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo offense taken.\u201d He nudged his younger brother\u2019s shoulder, \u201cYou can get used to living in a city, or at least I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I could. But iffen it weren\u2019t for those problems, I could become real fond of that young lady. She\u2019s real good with my godson, and she\u2019s nice as anything.\u201d The big man hesitated, but then decided to give his opinion. \u201cAnna hasn\u2019t complained, Adam, but I\u2019ve talked enough with her to know that she ain\u2019t feelin\u2019 real easy about being here. She likes your family fierce, and appreciates that you treat her like one of you\u2014includin\u2019 her in everythin\u2019 and all\u2014but she\u2019s getting\u2019 homesick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMelinda and I noticed that too, but we want her to stick it out a while longer, and see how it goes. If she can\u2019t adjust, we\u2019ll get her back to London. We\u2019ll talk to her about it tonight. Maybe she can relax a little more if she knows she has options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded. \u201cThat seems fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

They made it to the first site\u2014a project that Adam had bid on from London\u2014and were walking the edge of the dock while checking the piling construction, when Hoss commented, \u201cYou know, the timberin\u2019 they\u2019re doing reminds me of the way we shore up the mines. Is that pretty much how it works?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew you were smart.\u201d Adam grabbed his brother\u2019s sleeve and led him onto the gangplank connecting the shore to the outer parts of the dry dock system. He pointed to the heavy timbers being used below. \u201cIn a mine, you have to support the ceiling from collapsing, but here we have to make sure the floor doesn\u2019t give way. The math is different for the two processes even though the reasoning is much the same: the support system has to protect the integrity of the space you\u2019re creating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get what you mean,\u201d Hoss said as he reached out to steady a long beam that the men below were trying to set.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fall,\u201d Adam grabbed him, as Hoss lost his balance for a moment. \u201cAnd don\u2019t get too helpful or the crew will draft you into working with them.\u201d He turned Hoss toward to face the open water. \u201cWhen shoring a mine, you have to factor in the movement of the ground and the shifting in the rock face that may occur within the vault. Most people think that a mountain doesn\u2019t move, but it does because the earth below the surface is not static. In a harbor, you may see the smooth surface of the water but what\u2019s below is always moving too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tossed a scrap of wood onto the water. \u201cWatch that\u2026 See how it quickly moves away from where it entered?\u201d Hoss nodded as his brother continued, \u201cIf this was a lake and the wood moved like that, I\u2019d assume it was due to wind. Water that\u2019s enclosed by land has some movement, but it\u2019s mostly from wind and the temperature changes that turn the water over. But here, that piece of wood is moving into the bay with the current of the Charles River and the outgoing tide. What gets confusing is that even though the wood is moving downstream now, at other times, it could move upstream in this area because the tide comes in, and exerts more force on the surface than the river\u2019s current. The tides rushing in and out are some of the most destructive forces we have to factor in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you even begin to figure all this out?\u201d Hoss asked as he chewed on his lip, and refined his question. \u201cWhat\u2019s the most important thing to know about all these \u2018forces\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s laugh blew out to sea on the offshore harbor breeze. \u201cThe biggest obstacle is that nothing stays put.\u201d He pointed to the wood he\u2019d used as his example. \u201cYou can barely see that even though I tossed it in no more than 30 seconds ago. The lesson is to always look ahead of where you are because that\u2019s where everything will move if it\u2019s not anchored well. There are men far smarter than I who\u2019ve figured out the equations. The hard part is getting all the variables correct. If you\u2019re off on anything, there can be disastrous consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGosh, that seems like a lot of responsibility. I\u2019m glad I just have to watch over them steers.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they headed back toward the buggy, Adam looked over at his brother and smiled. \u201cDon\u2019t ever sell yourself short, Hoss. You\u2019re not a genius like I am,\u201d he snorted at his own comment and poked his brother in the ribs. \u201cBut you have natural intelligence. Maybe you don\u2019t know the actual theories behind why you do what you do, but you figure things out on your own, and they\u2019re usually right on the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gone Missing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam was still laughing at a story his brother had told about Little Joe when he turned the buggy onto his street at the end of their day together. The laughter ended abruptly as he saw Frank running toward them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police came looking for you at the office,\u201d his boss hollered as he waved him over. \u201cI sent people out to find you, but they must have missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grabbed the reigns as Adam jumped from the buggy, and ran toward a knot of people standing in front of his house. His father, Melinda, and Abel were all talking at once to a police officer, while a small crowd of curious neighbors and passersby was forming around them. Adam could see the tortured looks on the faces of his family, and yet he couldn\u2019t imagine what could be so wrong as to warrant them. Various possibilities filtered through his mind: an accident\u2026maybe something had happened to Melinda\u2019s parents. His heart sank to the souls of his shoes as he neared them and he heard the officer shout over the clamor, \u201cI know you\u2019re all upset, but we\u2019re doing everything we can to find the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He elbowed his way through the onlookers and demanded, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? What boy are you trying to find?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda grabbed him and clung to his shoulders, as she sobbed, \u201cThank God you\u2019re here! AJ\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam tipped Melinda\u2019s tear-streaked face up, while saying as gently as possible, \u201cTell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her sobs and hiccupping, she said, \u201cAnna\u2026he was with Anna when he was taken.\u201d Melinda dissolved in tears again to the point where she couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n

While the policeman cleared the gawkers, Ben moved his son and daughter-in-law to a more private spot in the yard.<\/p>\n

Hoss had managed to secure the buggy and joined the others as his father started to explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we know is that Anna took the baby out for a walk around one this afternoon. She said they were a few blocks from home\u2014along a harbor section where there aren\u2019t many buildings\u2014when she noticed a black carriage pulled over ahead of her. A man was standing outside, talking to those still in the vehicle, and as she neared them, he turned toward her, tipped his hat, and commented on the lovely day. But once she passed by, he grabbed her from behind, and pulled her away from AJ\u2019s wagon. She said she fought him, but he slapped her, and finally put something over her nose and mouth that made her feel woozy. The last thing she saw before passing out, was a woman reach out of the coach to take AJ from the men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moaned as he absorbed the horror of what his father had told him. \u201cThese people\u2026when they took AJ\u2026he would have screamed bloody murder. Didn\u2019t anyone stop to help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnna said there wasn\u2019t anyone going by, and that it all happened fast. She thinks the woman put something over AJ\u2019s face too, and he got very quiet. That\u2019s all she can remember until she awoke at the bottom of a rocky incline where they must have tossed her when they left. She must have been out for a while since she didn\u2019t make it back until almost three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she now? I need to talk to her.\u201d Adam\u2019s words were followed by a swirling in his head and gut that should have knocked him to the ground. Amid all the other questions roiling in his brain, he wondered why he was still standing. There was no strength in his legs, and his words had been whispered with what little breath he could muster. He forced himself to take deep breaths, and finally figured out that he was standing only because his father and brother were holding him up. In fact, the two men were supporting both him and Melinda, who was still clinging to him as she wept quietly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had to take Anna to the hospital, Adam,\u201d Ben offered as he saw his son\u2019s color returning, and felt his weight shifting onto his own legs again. \u201cShe was badly bruised, and hit her head in the fall down the bank. She was dizzy, sick to her stomach, and having a hard time staying awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s face became red as a beet, as he vowed, \u201cWhen I find out who did this to Anna and AJ, I\u2019ll pound them to dust. Imagine anyone picking on a helpless woman and a little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank and Abel came over to see how things were going, but then headed back to the street to keep onlookers from gathering again. A police wagon pulled up, and a man stepped out, introducing himself as Chief Wilmot from the local precinct. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we all go inside and talk,\u201d he suggested as he made a sweeping motion with his arm, directing them toward the front porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told what happened while on the way over,\u201d he began once they were seated in the house. \u201cWe have men looking for your son, but the young lady wasn\u2019t able to note anything exceptional about the carriage, and the streets are full of black coaches carrying families.\u201d He turned toward Adam, Ben and Hoss to give his next opinion. \u201cI think you realize that those people aren\u2019t out driving around Boston waiting to be stopped by the police. By this time, they\u2019re holed up somewhere.\u201d Adam nodded solemnly, as Melinda bent forward and groaned as if she\u2019d been punched in the gut.<\/p>\n

Chief Wilmot continued, \u201cBut perhaps there\u2019s information you have that can help us narrow down our search.\u201d He paced in front of them while forming his first question. \u201cIs it possible that your nanny could have arranged a kidnapping?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s sat up as she regained her voice. \u201cAbsolutely not! Anna has been with us since AJ was born. She would never harm him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lure of money makes people do things they might not otherwise, Mrs. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam interjected, \u201cThat may be true, but Anna came with us from England and has only been in Boston a few days. There wouldn\u2019t have been time to plan it.\u201d He thought a moment. \u201cIs there a reason you think this is a kidnapping rather than anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector shook his head slowly. \u201cNothing has come in to indicate that, and yet I don\u2019t know what else it would be. You\u2019re a family of means, and I\u2019ve seen your name in the paper enough to know that you have a good job, and are a man of some influence in the city. I suspect that someone thinks you have enough assets to make a kidnapping worthwhile.\u201d The man cleared his throat uneasily. \u201cWhat we usually find is that kidnappings are done by someone the family knows. Is there anyone who might benefit from this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I can think of,\u201d Adam said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked in a different precinct a few years ago,\u201d Chief Wilmot leaned over to speak to directly to Adam. \u201cI was there the night you saved that federal bank from being looted. That was some hole you made. The officers never did figure out how you managed to live through it.\u201d3 The chief pursed his lips and squinted. \u201cIs it possible that someone from that failed robbery is behind the kidnapping?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank had entered the house a few minutes earlier, and gave his young engineer a knowing nod, and guarded look. \u201cI\u2019m Frank Wadsworth,\u201d he said as he shook the police chief\u2019s hand. \u201cI can speak to that. Since you were there that night, Chief, you know that Castelletti, the man who planned it, was killed by one of his men. The Secret Service agents who stepped in after the failed plot, suggested that the Cartwrights leave town for a while until the threat from Castelletti could be defused.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m aware of who you are, Mr. Wadsworth,\u201d the chief said with a brief smile. \u201cYour company has always been most generous to the police benevolent society, and I\u2019ve seen you around town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank continued, \u201cThen you may also be aware that my firm has an outstanding security team. My top people worked with the police and Secret Service for some time to ensure that Castelletti\u2019s influence died with him. From all indications, it was over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do remember hearing that,\u201d the chief replied and then sighed. \u201cYou\u2019re sure it couldn\u2019t be this Castelletti\u2019s people?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who did that investigation left my firm to join the Secret Service,\u201d Frank said, \u201cbut before the Cartwrights came home from England, I had my new man do a thorough check to see if anything turned up. There was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let\u2019s figure this as a kidnapping,\u201d the chief offered with surety. \u201cWe\u2019ll get a ransom note shortly.\u201d He hooked his thumbs in his coat pockets and said with the self-important tone of someone who feels he has complete control of a situation, \u201cI\u2019ll go out and disperse my officers. If someone is watching, they\u2019ll act more freely without the police standing around.\u201d Chief Wilmot turned towards Adam. \u201cI was told that your grandfather lives next door.\u201d Receiving Adam\u2019s nod, he continued, \u201cI\u2019ll have the men move away, and once it\u2019s dark, they can come back and set up operations over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded again. \u201cThat seems reasonable.\u201d He went to Hoss. \u201cWould you introduce the chief to Abel so they can make the arrangements? I think Grandfather stayed outside to keep others from lingering by the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s parents arrived just as the conversation with the chief ended. They comforted their daughter, as they prompted her to tell them what had happened. With Melinda in good hands, and Frank talking to Ben, Adam walked to the front windows. He saw Hoss, Chief Wilmot and Abel speaking together, before heading toward the house next door. The sun was setting quickly, bathing the world outside in gray shadows. AJ had been taken over four hours ago, and Adam knew that his child was frightened, and wouldn\u2019t understand what was happening. A gnawing pain hit his chest and stomach as he thought of his child crying, hungry, afraid\u2014and just stubborn enough not to do anything his kidnappers were telling him to do. One other fact hit him hard: his little boy was about to spend his first night away from his parents. He could only hope AJ would be so exhausted from the ordeal that he would sleep.<\/p>\n

It took every ounce of will for him to remove the images of his son from his mind, but he knew he had to if he wanted think clearly. As his thoughts settled, they returned to something that had been at the back of his mind since they\u2019d docked in Boston. What he finally recalled made his blood run cold, and solidified his suspicion that this was\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0a simple kidnapping. As he finished sorting things out, he became aware of what was going on around him again, including Melinda telling her parents it was her fault that AJ was gone.<\/p>\n

He walked to the couch, and interrupted the conversation. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Margaret, but I need to speak to your daughter.\u201d Taking his wife\u2019s hand, he led her to the quiet kitchen where he pulled her to him, and they took a moment to grieve privately for the first time.<\/p>\n

Adam whispered, \u201cIt isn\u2019t your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is,\u201d she responded as he voice cracked. \u201cI played with AJ all morning, but after lunch, I felt ill, and Anna said she\u2019d take him outside so I could rest. I fell asleep and didn\u2019t even know anything was wrong. How could I be such a horrible mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a good mother,\u201d he soothed. \u201cAnd if we\u2019re looking for people to blame, how about me? I took Hoss along with me today. He\u2019s been going with Anna every day until now. If he\u2019d been with her, no one could have gotten to AJ. And I saw the look in Frank\u2019s eyes. He thinks that someone got under his protective net and made it to us, and it\u2019s killing him.\u201d He laid the back of his hand against her forehead. \u201cYou don\u2019t have a fever; are you feeling better now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda waved her hand. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. All that\u2019s important is our baby. I can be sick once he\u2019s safe.\u201d She cupped Adam\u2019s cheek in her hand. \u201cI remember how ill you were when I was kidnapped. You never let it stop you, and this won\u2019t stop me either.\u201d She gave a half-hearted smile. \u201cNow, tell me what you were thinking when you were by the window. I glanced over and saw the look on your face.\u201d<\/p>\n

They held hands as they sat at the table, and Adam sighed before beginning. \u201cDoesn\u2019t something about Anna\u2019s account sound familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chloroform.\u201d she answered immediately. \u201cThat\u2019s what Castelletti\u2019s men used on me. But it can\u2019t be him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He bit his lip as he closed his eyes and then began, \u201cI saw someone in the crowd waiting for the ship when we arrived. It was a brief glimpse, yet it\u2019s been bothering me. It made no sense\u2026until this happened. When I could stop thinking about AJ being gone long enough to look at the details, it suddenly became clear who it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho was it?\u201d She gripped his hands tighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucia Castelletti.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe moved away after her father died, didn\u2019t she?\u201d The set of Adam\u2019s jaw gave her little reason to question his identification, and she voiced her growing fear. \u201cMaybe the better question is why is she back, and what she was doing at the dock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure, but I\u2019m leaning toward her taking AJ. You and I had a conversation about Lucia\u2019s motives after our last ordeal with her. You thought she\u2019d been kind to us, and that she had been a victim of her father\u2019s insanity, just as we were. On the other hand, after having spent two weeks with her, I was convinced that she was an actress playing the part of a na\u00efve daughter who had no clue of her father\u2019s intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember. You told me that she had discovered the truth about her father\u2019s intentions early enough to have put a stop to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cShe knew that Louis planned to kill me, and she did nothing until\u00a0<\/em>she realized his plan had failed. I figured she did that to exonerate herself and sway the outcome in her favor. I was grateful for her decision to help us as much as she did. But if she is behind this, then…\u201d His voice trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what?\u201d Melinda asked as her voice rose in pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I fear that her help came with a price, and our payment is due.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s eyes widened as she stood. \u201cShouldn\u2019t we tell the police?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet,\u201d he said as he glanced through the open door to the other room. \u201cI got a warning look from Frank when he was talking about Castelletti. I think he suspects this is more than a kidnapping too, and he didn\u2019t want us saying anything until he could have his men check it out. The police are good at what they do, but if Lucia has our son, we\u2019ll need people who can investigate quietly, and see clues that less-trained men would miss. Let\u2019s go talk to Frank and Pa, and then decide what to do.\u201d Adam stood, and pulled Melinda to him in a tight embrace. He had no idea why Lucia Castelletti would want their son, but if she was as much like her father as he feared she was, then it was either for leverage\u2026or revenge. One possibility would offer some hope, the other option made his stomach turn. \u00a0He took a deep breath and lied as best he could. \u201cWe will find AJ, Melinda. Believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leverage, Revenge\u2026or Something Else Entirely<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frank and Ben approached the kitchen just as Adam and Melinda were coming out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know this is something to do with the Castellettis.\u201d Frank said with urgency. \u201cWe just need to figure out which one, and why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich one\u2026is Lucia, but I don\u2019t know why.\u201d Adam led the group into the living area where Margaret and William could hear what they were talking about. As he finished his story of seeing the young woman at the harbor, there was a light knock at the back door, followed by the entry of two men who made their way through the kitchen to join the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. and Mrs. Cartwright,\u201d said the one dressed in black, as he smiled briefly and shook their hands. \u201cI\u2019m sorry that our reunion is marred by the taking of your son. But we have news you\u2019ll want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam introduced the two Secret Service agents to the group. \u201cJames West\u2026Artemis Gordon, this is my father, Ben Cartwright, and Melinda\u2019s parents, William and Margaret Hayworth. I think you know Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the group offered their welcome, the back door opened again. This time Hoss, Abel and Sadie entered.<\/p>\n

Agent West motioned for everyone to join him at the large table Melinda had purchased for the dining area. \u201cWe\u2019ve already met your grandparents and brother when we stopped over there after seeing a line of policemen sneaking into their back door.\u201d He sighed. \u201cThese local men have no idea how to handle a clandestine operation. If there was someone watching your homes, they\u2019d have seen it all just as we did. We told Chief Wilmot that the we were taking over this investigation and that we\u2019ll go over to the precinct house later to explain our plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artemis chuckled as he added, \u201cThey seemed relieved and nearly fled the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had many questions, but there was only one he wanted answered immediately. \u201cYou said you had information about our son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agent Gordon began the explanation. \u201cI\u2019m afraid this involves Miss Castelletti, again.\u201d Seeing the knowing looks returning to him from those around the table, he added, \u201cBut I see that doesn\u2019t surprise you. The Secret Service retained some doubts about her innocence in the matter of that failed bank job when we first worked with all of you. We knew she went to New Orleans, and the Service decided to get someone inside her operation to keep an eye on her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did she do down there?\u201d Frank asked.<\/p>\n

West looked at Adam. \u201cI know you\u2019re anxious to know what we found out, but please be patient a few minutes more while we lay the groundwork of what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam took Melinda\u2019s hand and nodded.<\/p>\n

Agent West continued, \u201cThe background we got on her was that she came from two powerful families in Sicily. Her father squandered his family\u2019s fortune trying to make a name here in the states, but her mother still had money. Lucia used that to purchase her own gambling establishments in New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artemis Gordon interjected, \u201cThe young woman learned from her father\u2019s mistakes, and set up some fine places that did a fair business at first. But Miss Castelletti was stubborn like her father, and didn\u2019t play well with others. She was soon in trouble with those who controlled most of the money-making franchises down south. They expected her to pay for police protection, and give gifts to those who ran the organized gambling and brothel businesses. She didn\u2019t, and before long, the police shut her down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that she sort of went crazy, and we heard from our inside man that she made threats about dynamiting the levees to flood the city if those in charge refused to let her reopen. Then she talked about hiring assassins to clear the south of the \u2018trash who controlled it,\u2019\u201d West added to the story, and then laughed sadly. \u201cI know it\u2019s only been a couple of years since we worked with you, but you wouldn\u2019t believe all the insane people we\u2019ve dealt with since then. If there\u2019s a nut with a scheme; we\u2019ve met \u2018em.\u201d He looked directly at Adam. \u201cOne of the things Miss Castelletti bragged about was that she knew a crack dynamiter who could pull off the levee plan. We figured she was talking about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes widened as he asked impatiently. \u201cDo you think she kidnapped our son to get me to help her breach the levees?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Other things happened instead,\u201d Agent West said shaking his head. \u201cShe could have just paid her fees and started up again, but we found out that she\u2019d exhausted her mother\u2019s money trying to make her establishments into show places; throwing good money after bad, just as her father had done, but in a different way, and in a far shorter time. Lucia\u2019s family solved that by arranging a marriage for her to a rich, old, Italian with some royal title. He came to New Orleans and married her a while back. She\u2019s Lucia Marino now and her new husband has been very generous to her, so her threats ended and we haven\u2019t really paid much attention. It should have been the perfect solution, but it wasn\u2019t quite that easy. Our man heard that Marino\u2019s fortune was contingent on her giving him a male heir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda moaned. \u201cI still don\u2019t see how this involves us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe informant said that Lucia claimed to be expecting when Marino left, but there was no child. No one was sure what she was planning. There was talk of her adopting or even buying a child. Neither of those came about, and then about 10 days ago, she packed up and headed to Boston. Agents here followed her from the train to that building her father bought when he tried to dynamite the bank next door. She managed to contact a couple of the men who had worked for Louis to give her a hand around the place, but other than renting a carriage, and going out from time to time, there was nothing odd about her actions. The Service planned to end all surveillance, but then today, they saw the men loading her trunks onto a wagon. She was out while this was going on, but returned for a short time, and then left again. One of our men followed the wagon and her buggy, while the other entered the building to investigate. He found something.\u201d West pulled a sheet of paper and a small box from an inside pocket of his jacket, and slid it across the table. \u201cArtemis and I were in Boston on a different assignment, but once this was found, they came to get us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held the note for Melinda to read at the same time and when finished, his jaw tightened as he opened the box and emptied the contents onto the table. Melinda began to cry silently as she saw the pile of silken curls, and then ran for the back door as she began to retch.<\/p>\n

Margaret touched Adam\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cI\u2019ll see to her,\u201d as she followed her daughter outside, while Frank voiced the question everyone was thinking. \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Biting his upper lip to regain his composure, Adam was finally able to say, \u201cIt\u2019s AJ\u2019s hair. She cut his hair off and sent it to us!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took the note from his son\u2019s clenched hand, and said, \u201cMay I read this aloud?\u201d Receiving Adam\u2019s nod he began:<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a clever man, Adam, so I know you will eventually figure out that your son is with me, and will come here looking for us. But after reading this, you will agree that this it was meant to be, and you will be happy that the child will have the life that I am able to give him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The years since you and I became friends have been a horrid trial for me. I exhausted my family\u2019s money in setting up a business in New Orleans, and had to submit to an arranged marriage to keep us from becoming destitute. At the time, I felt I could tolerate the situation because the man was old and would probably not live long. But I soon found out that my husband had a stipulation to his will, demanding that I produce an heir before I could receive a penny of his fortune. \u00a0I wish he was handsome and alive as you are, Adam, but he is a homely, decrepit man, who repulses me. He wanted me to go with him to Italy so he could see to his businesses there. To get out of it I lied, and said I was carrying his child, claiming it was not safe for me to travel. He was thrilled with the news, and left me with a goodly allowance to live comfortable while awaiting the birth. I have been writing to him for more than a year with wonderful stories about a son that doesn\u2019t exist. He is suspicious now, and threatens to sever my income unless I bring the boy to him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was nothing more to do, so I came to Boston in hopes that you could help me. I knew the saints were with me when I found out that you had been gone, but were expected back within days. I met your ship, hoping to speak to you immediately, but my plans changed when I saw the beautiful child in your arms. He is the right age, and has the right looks for my husband to believe that he is ours. In my head and heart, I heard the angels telling me that all would be well. Your child will be the salvation for my family.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0I should not have to remind you that it is only because I saved you and your wife from my father\u2019s fury that either of you lived to have this one. I felt you would offer him willingly when you came to know how cruel my life has been, but I didn\u2019t have time to convince anyone of the providence at work, so I took him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have altered his appearance a little, and am sending his curls as a testimony, and remembrance of your great gift to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

She\u2019s completely crazy!\u201d Margaret averred as she helped her daughter back to the table. She looked at the agents and asked, \u201cDid your men see our grandson with her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo ma\u2019am,\u201d West replied. \u201cThey didn\u2019t sense that anything was amiss, so they just watched the front of the building. We assume that she cut his hair and wrote this note when she returned for that short time. The carriage blocked the view of the building door, so they had no idea she had the boy, and from what we heard from the police, the child may have been \u2018asleep\u2019 during this time. The agent searched the building only after she abandoned it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have any idea where she is?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur man followed the wagon with her trunks to a ship that\u2019s sailing in the morning, but her carriage went a different direction. Knowing what we do now, I wish he\u2019d followed her, but at the time, he felt the luggage would tell them where she would end up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0she going?\u201d Melinda said quietly, as she fought not to cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ship is registered to a company from Lisbon,\u201d West answered. \u201cWe assume she plans to sail to Portugal and will make connections to Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are we going to check every hotel in Boston tonight, or is your plan to intercept her when she tries to board the ship? Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur best efforts will be spent finding her tomorrow,\u201d Gordon answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go over our plan with all of you in a bit, and then Arty and I\u2019ll head to the police to give them their assignments,\u201d West said as he stood. \u201cBut first, I think we should all have dinner. I smelled something wonderful cooking next door, and Sadie has promised that there\u2019s enough for everyone.\u201d West\u2019s voice was encouraging even as he saw the blank, sad looks of those staring back at him. \u201cI know none of you feels like eating, but there is nothing more to do right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadie took up Agent West\u2019s charge. \u201cC\u2019mon all of you,\u201d she said as she tugged Abel to his feet. \u201cEverything\u2019s ready and waiting. This young man is right. You\u2019ll all think better with some food in your bellies.\u201d She was out the door before anyone could disagree.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

When dinner and the planning session was over, Adam and Melinda went home to a house that had seemed so welcoming a few days earlier, but now echoed with the silence of a tomb. Neither of the worried parents had eaten much, and Melinda had begun to look so haggard and pale that Adam asked their families to excuse them for the remainder of the evening.<\/p>\n

Melinda walked silently to the sofa and sat, placing her hands in her lap. \u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d She looked up at Adam as tears began to spill down her cheeks again.<\/p>\n

\u201cPray, and try to rest.\u201d He sat next to her and pulled her close. \u201cI remember when we had to wait all night after Castelletti kidnapped you. Doing nothing was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was nodding as the front door opened and Sam Green walked in. \u201cSorry I couldn\u2019t come sooner,\u201d he said, moving toward them. \u201cIt was busy at the hospital, and I figured there wasn\u2019t much I could do to help here.\u201d He pulled a chair in front of the couch. \u201cI met Margaret and William when I arrived, and they filled me in.\u201d He bowed his head. \u201cThis is so sad. I don\u2019t have words to tell you how sorry I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam responded in a soft voice. \u201cThank you.\u201d He thought for a moment before asking, \u201cDid you see Anna at the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam sat up straighter and shook his head to clear his thoughts. \u201cThat\u2019s what I came over to tell you. She\u2019s fine, but she has to stay overnight. Of course she\u2019s distressed. Miranda had stopped by the hospital about the time Anna was brought in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Miranda next door?\u201d Adam interjected. \u201cShe\u2019s certainly welcome to come over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stayed at the hospital with Anna, thinking that would be the best way to help tonight. I guess she thought it would give you one less thing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda wiped her tears on the back of her hands and smiled. \u201cThat was thoughtful. I do appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree,\u201d Adam added. \u201cI was thinking I would go check on her soon, and I\u2019m grateful I won\u2019t have to now.\u201d He thought a moment and asked, \u201cMargaret told you who\u2019s behind this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor nodded. \u201cMiranda doesn\u2019t know yet, but I\u2019ll head back and tell her. It\u2019ll cause her great pain to know that this still stems from the dealings that started with her ex-husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not responsible for any of this,\u201d Melinda said strongly. \u201cAny blame falls directly on Lucia Castelletti, or whoever she is now. That entire family is crazy. Her father saw Adam as his main adversary, and she sees him as the answer to all her problems. It\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of being sick\u2026\u201d Adam\u2019s eyes hooded with concern. \u201cMelinda isn\u2019t feeling well. I\u2019m sure some of it is from the situation, but she said she was ill\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0this started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam tipped his head toward the door, saying, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go outside for a few minutes, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two of you are such mother hens,\u201d Melinda said sullenly. \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sam found his friend sitting on the porch steps when he exited the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d Adam asked as the doctor sat next to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s still exhausted from the trip home, but she\u2019s not sick\u2026ah\u2026I mean she doesn\u2019t have a serious illness.\u201d He heard Adam release a deep breath. \u201cMelinda told me what\u2019s going to happen tomorrow. Miranda and I\u2019ll be there to help. We don\u2019t know what Lucia looks like, but we can spot AJ, even without his curly hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men shook hands after they walked to Sam\u2019s buggy. \u201cThank you,\u201d Adam offered wearily before swatting the rear of the horse to get him moving.<\/p>\n

Sam glanced back as he drove away, and saw his friend leaning forward with his arm against the lamppost. He couldn\u2019t imagine the torture of mind and soul this man was experiencing again. Yet there was nothing he could do to ease Adam\u2019s pain. It bothered him that he\u2019d had to lie to him about Melinda\u2019s condition\u2014well, maybe he hadn\u2019t lied, but he\u2019d been less than truthful. Yet it had been her decision, based on her concern that her husband had enough to worry about for the time being.<\/p>\n

Seven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lessons in Water Dynamics<\/strong><\/p>\n

The group of actual and conscripted detectives met early at the Lisbon ocean-liner\u2019s office to do a quick run-through of their plan. Agent West had enlisted the shipping company\u2019s cooperation, getting them to block off a good portion of their main entrance. Passengers now had to funnel through a six foot gate to access the departure area. The local law was part of the operation too, but West insisted that they stay out of sight. He didn\u2019t want a police presence at the dock to spook Lucia, and send her running with the child.<\/p>\n

Those who could recognize Lucia would be stationed at the main gate. The others, who would only recognize AJ, would mingle with the passengers in the loading area in case their target managed to get in without being noticed. The women each had a bright parasol that they could twirl above their heads if they saw the child, while the men had red handkerchiefs they could raise as a signal.<\/p>\n

Adam warned the group not to approach Lucia if they saw the boy. \u201cIf AJ recognizes you, he\u2019ll kick up a fuss. I know it\u2019ll be hard to let her walk past you, but please do what Agents West and Gordon have instructed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid there\u2019s some odd news,\u201d West addressed the group when Adam finished. \u201cThere is no one named Castelletti or Maroni registered on this ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda groaned miserably. \u201cDoes that mean she\u2019s sending her luggage on this ship but may have left Boston on a different one, or that she might be headed to New York?\u201d Her voice rose as she tried to control her panic. \u201cWill we need to follow her to Italy before we get our son back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agent Gordon shook his head. \u201cLet\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. Many travelers use aliases, and pieces of her luggage were tagged for one of the cabins. I\u2019d say that\u2019s a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe might be more cunning than we suspect,\u201d Ben said with trepidation. \u201cMelinda may be right. This could all be a ruse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible,\u201d West replied honestly. \u201cBut I\u2019m convinced she\u2019ll be here today. It seems her time\u2019s run out to comply with her husband\u2019s demands, and judging from that note she left, she must not have known she was being watched. At this point, she\u2019s certain that her plan won\u2019t be discovered until it\u2019s too late for you to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the meeting completed, Artemis took Adam to another room, and worked a little diversionary magic by giving him heavy eyebrows and a full mustache as a disguise. Although Adam was the one who would most easily recognize Lucia, he was also the one she would know. The transformation was completed by donning a porter\u2019s coat and hat. When he emerged in costume, the others stared, and then laughed as their tension broke for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t recognize you if I passed you on the street, son,\u201d Ben said as he made a closer inspection of the facial hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s time to get into our positions,\u201d West called to the group. \u201cLucia Maroni may be able to get past one or two of us, but she\u2019ll never make it past all of us. Keep your eyes and ears open out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam leaned against the office doorjamb, watching his family walk out to the loading dock, while the conversation he\u2019d had with them the previous night settled into his recollection like a London fog.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d tended to Melinda after Sam had left, and had waited for her to fall into a fitful sleep before he\u2019d made his way outside to think more clearly. It hadn\u2019t surprised him to see Abel, Ben and Hoss sitting on the back porch of the house next door, and he\u2019d made his way over. The two older men had been puffing on their pipes, while Hoss had whittled\u2014his brother\u2019s favored pastime when his mind was unsettled. They\u2019d talked for a while after he\u2019d joined them, speculating on how the plan would work at the shipyard the next day, and why the Castelletti family continued to plague him.<\/p>\n

Hoss had shaken his head as he\u2019d said, \u201cThe strange thing is that this isn\u2019t your first go-round with a crazy person, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been instantly assailed with memories of Kane, Ross Marquette, and the others he met that\u2019d tested his sanity with their own personal inanity. After those images had passed, he\u2019d stepped into conversation he\u2019d known would raise his family\u2019s eyebrows. \u201cI know you\u2019ll all be there for Melinda and AJ should something go wrong tomorrow.\u201d That had been enough to stop the puffing and whittling as the others had uttered their assurances of an easy end to the situation. He\u2019d held his hand up to silence them. \u201cThis is the third time I\u2019ve faced the Castelletti family. The first two times, the odds against succeeding seemed far greater. Yet this time\u2026I\u2019m more uneasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because AJ is involved,\u201d his father had suggested. \u201cYou don\u2019t worry as much for yourself as you do when there\u2019s a child at risk. And this time there\u2019s nothing you can do but wait, and pray that she comes right to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had continued. \u201cIt seems that getting AJ back will be simple enough if everything falls into place as West and Gordon think it will. If something goes wrong\u2026my will is in the safe at work. Melinda and AJ will never want for money.\u201d He\u2019d stopped to consider how best to say his next thought. \u201cI doubt Melinda would leave Boston for good,\u201d He\u2019d looked directly at his father and Hoss. \u201cBut I want you to make sure that AJ gets out West whenever you can manage it, so he\u2019ll know the good people he comes from. That\u2019s important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry none, brother. I\u2019ll be there for him if the need arises,\u201d Hoss had vowed, and then continued in a more teasing tone. \u201cBut why don\u2019t you just plan on bringin\u2019 him out to Nevada yerself.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s attention was drawn back to the present as the first carriage pulled up. He hurried to the curb, assisted the occupants out, and ushered them toward the entrance. As he headed back to his post, he glanced over and saw that Artemis Gordon was similarly occupied while vehicles began to line up in the street.<\/p>\n

He breathed deeply to hold his anxiety in check as he helped dozens of passengers without seeing the one he was looking for. Adam\u2019s hope was that he\u2019d open a door, and find Lucia inside with AJ. He\u2019d offer to help with \u201cher\u201d child, and once the boy was in his arms, it would all be over\u2014easy as pie\u2014as Little Joe used to say.<\/p>\n

The \u201ceasy\u201d part began to fall apart as nervous passengers, impatient to get to the ship, left their transportation behind and started walking to the gate. Adam began to worry as the crush of people made it impossible to watch arriving vehicles and keep his eye on foot traffic. He glanced over at Artemis, who smiled as he stopped working, and walked over.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going quite as well as we envisioned,\u201d he stated, as he patted Adam on the shoulder. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t have to change the outcome. Your wife is inside watching from the windows. She can see the people on the sidewalk, and Jim is watching at the gate. And if all that fails, we have your families in the boarding area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded, and managed a crooked smile as he stepped up to the next carriage door.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Melinda was in the shipping office, positioned to get a clear view of those on foot. The rush of traffic had increased dramatically with the nearing of boarding time, and she was afraid to blink.<\/p>\n

While she knew the plan was for her to alert Agent West if she spotted Lucia, her motherly instinct ate away at that understanding when she spotted a woman approaching with a toddler in hand. The short hair did give her pause, but the uncertainty lasted only a moment, since there was no mistaking AJ\u2019s sturdy legs sticking out below his short pants, his toddling walk or his angry pout as he tried to pull away from Lucia\u2019s grasp.<\/p>\n

Melinda lost any intention of following the \u201cplan\u201d when Lucia stopped walking; dropped her parcels; yanked AJ toward her, and swatted him on the back of his bare legs. Melinda couldn\u2019t hear what was being said, but she could see AJ\u2019s surprised, weeping response, and Lucia\u2019s finger wagging in the child\u2019s face. Melinda ran to a door that opened onto the street and rushed out shouting at Lucia to, \u201cStop it!\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ looked up, and hollered, \u201cMommy!\u201d at the top of his lungs as he saw Melinda running toward him. Lucia saw her too. She left her purse and valise where she\u2019d set them, picked up the howling youngster, and ran in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

Adam and Artemis heard Melinda\u2019s shouts, and turned to see the two women take off running. A nod from one man to the other sent Adam after them, while Gordon ran to get reinforcements.<\/p>\n

He pulled off the mustache as he closed the distance on Melinda, knowing that his son might have trouble recognizing him if he didn\u2019t. Melinda was stopped when he reached her, bent over at the waist, clutching her abdomen. He slowed, but took off again when she motioned him onward, and groaned, \u201cJust a cramp; go!\u201d<\/p>\n

As he pursued her through the knots of people, he wondered what Lucia hoped to accomplish by fleeing. This area of Boston contained only docks and empty lots butting up to the river. He was even more stymied when she cleared the crowd and veered off to her left, heading toward a site that He and Hoss had inspected the previous day.<\/p>\n

His mind leapt ahead to being reunited with his child.\u00a0She\u2019s tiring,\u00a0<\/em>he reasoned as she slowed. It couldn\u2019t be easy running with AJ attached to her. The child was lean, but he was tall for his age, and he could make himself feel much heavier than he actually was when he wanted to. Adam knew his son was probably letting himself hang from Lucia\u2019s arm rather supporting his weight by straddling her hips. This tendency was a constant battle that he and Melinda encountered with their son, and it often resulted in their threats to make him walk instead of being carried. But today, Adam was thankful.\u00a0That\u2019s perfect, son<\/em>,\u00a0keep it up<\/em>. He was close enough now that he could hear AJ crying, \u201cDaddy,\u201d while Lucia pinched his cheeks and screamed at him to, \u201cBe quiet!\u201d<\/p>\n

The chase ended abruptly, but the ordeal continued when she turned toward Adam, and withdrew a small pistol from her dress pocket that she held to AJ\u2019s chest. \u201cDon\u2019t come any closer, Adam. I\u2019m not letting you take this child from me. He\u2019s my only hope, and if I can\u2019t have him, neither can you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His disgust with Lucia\u2019s inability to see reason tore at his mind, and it was hard to think straight with AJ so distraught. The child was crying \u201cMommy, Daddy\u201d at full volume, and Adam finally had to say kindly, but sternly, \u201cStop crying, son. You\u2019ll be with mommy and me real soon.\u201d He was relieved when AJ complied with the order, but Adam\u2019s heart ached as he saw the little boy\u2019s face drop into a mournful frown as he continued to mouth, \u201cMommy\u2026Daddy,\u201d in a silent litany.<\/p>\n

The rest of the rescuers closed in as Lucia shouted, \u201cStay back or I\u2019ll shoot the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda motioned the others to stop, but walked slowly to her husband\u2019s side and took his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t really want to hurt him, Lucia,\u201d she said soothingly. \u201cAdam and I know how awful things have been for you, but shooting our son won\u2019t make them better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you know of my troubles?\u201d Lucia snarled. \u201cYou can\u2019t even begin to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell us,\u201d Adam encouraged.<\/p>\n

She hiked AJ back onto her hip as she pressed the gun tighter to his tiny ribcage. \u201cI hated what my father did to our family. He went after every ridiculous scheme that came along, and lost everything. When you met him, he was at the bottom. He\u2019d come to America to make good after failing in Sicily, and was operating those squalid poker places and lice-infested brothels, thinking he was someone to honor and fear. But he was\u00a0nothing<\/em>.\u201d She spat the word as if ridding her mouth of something rancid. \u201cPeople laughed behind his back. After his death, I set out to make the Castelletti name respected again.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed deeply as she took a break from the story while a tear rolled down her cheek. \u201cBut I am truly my father\u2019s daughter, and lost everything I had too. It wasn\u2019t completely my fault, but the result was the same.\u201d AJ began to fidget.\u00a0 She responded by poking him hard with the gun, and snarling, \u201cBehave!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, darling,\u201d Melinda said calmly while battling her rage. \u201cYou be a good boy for the lady. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you.\u201d She breathed more easily when AJ buried his face in his hands and laid his head on Lucia\u2019s shoulder. \u201cGo on, Lucia,\u201d she encouraged. \u201cFinish your story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother forced me to marry Count Marino. He is old and disgusting. I still have nightmares of his rheumy eyes staring down at me during his fumbling attempts to father a child. It was like I was being smothered by a corpse. I lied about expecting a child so he\u2019d go home to Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how you managed,\u201d Melinda said comfortingly. \u201cYou said in the note that he demanded you give him an heir before you could inherit from his estate. But it seems like you\u2019ve endured enough at his hands to be worthy of all he has.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is so true!\u201d Lucia agreed as her eyes opened wide and her head wagged up and down. \u201cBut that\u2019s not the worst of it. I was reduced to trying despicable ways to conceive the child I couldn\u2019t have with him, and in irony, found that that my womb is just as dead as he is!\u201d She cackled loudly before continuing. \u201cWhen it became clear I couldn\u2019t have a baby in time, I tried adopting. The crones in charge would not allow me to have a child without my husband\u2019s permission, so then I offered to purchase a child from the brothel prostitutes who were expecting. But they all had girls, or children so ugly or deformed I couldn\u2019t possibly accept them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam heard Melinda inhale sharply, and squeezed her hand. He suggested, \u201cSince you fabricated a child, couldn\u2019t you simply lie about its death? That would gain you some time. You could head back, play the bereaved mother, and try again.\u201d<\/p>\n

She snarled, \u201cI told you I can\u2019t have a baby. How would that help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have AJ for some time after we were married, Lucia,\u201d Melinda said gently. \u201cSometimes it takes a while for it to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cackle returned. \u201cAnd what should I do until then? I can\u2019t stand the man touching me. How could I endure the months of attempts?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere may be another way,\u201d Adam broke in. \u201cThere are orphanages in Boston. We can vouch for you and help accomplish a quick adoption. It\u2019s not too late. You can wire your husband and say there\u2019s been a delay while we find a child of the right age and physical attributes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia became thoughtful, and then a hopeful smile turned the corners of her mouth. \u201cYou would do that for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course we would,\u201d Adam assured her. \u201cWe\u2019ll help however we can. We owe you that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lowered the gun, giving the police an opportunity to move toward her. \u201cYou\u2019re liars!\u201d she screamed as she understood the intent to capture her rather than to help. She raised the gun again and stepped backward onto the rotting dock. \u201cI told you all to stay back!\u201d An ugly sneer twisted her face as she stared at the couple in front of her. \u201cMy father was right about you, Adam! You will do anything to get what you want. I can\u2019t believe I fell for your sincerity again.\u201d She shook her head as she began to sob. \u201cI wish my father had succeeded in killing you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officers had stopped during Lucia\u2019s outburst, but resumed their progress, causing her to continue backing up onto the pier to keep her distance from them.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Hoss had arrived with the rest of the group that had come from the ship\u2019s berth, but when he\u2019d seen what was happening, he\u2019d made a sweep across the vacant lot to a spot downriver from the standoff.<\/p>\n

He realized that he and Adam had been at this parcel the day before, and remembered what his brother had said about the docks and piers being so unsound that they needed to be removed before anything else could be done. He also recalled Adam\u2019s lesson about how nothing in moving water stayed put without being secured. The river below him was moving fast, and he gaged that it was nearing low tide by observing the water marks on the rocks.<\/p>\n

The big man had no idea why he was so concerned with all of this, but something in his gut told him to find out. It didn\u2019t take long for him to understand.<\/p>\n

As he looked back to where Adam and Melinda were talking to Lucia, he noticed that three policemen were moving toward the woman who was holding his godson, forcing her retreat onto one of the decrepit piers. He had a moment of paralyzed terror when he saw her catch the heel of her shoe on a loose plank, and tumble backwards into the rushing river. AJ flew from her grasp as she fell, and landed in deeper water, immediately going under. He saw the child pop out a little upstream from him, before disappearing under the swirling surface again.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam could hear Melinda screaming as he rushed onto the pier Lucia had fallen from, and dove in. He was followed by Agents West and Gordon along with Sam Green and several police officers. The cold water shocked him as it penetrated his clothing, making him doubt that his son could survive the temperature for long. As he searched below and then surfaced, he saw the others popping up for air as well. What he didn\u2019t see was anyone coming up with AJ.<\/p>\n

He also saw the police dragging Lucia\u2019s body to shore. A glimpse of her as he\u2019d run past where she\u2019d fallen had been enough for him to know that she was dead. There were several broken pilings in this area and she\u2019d landed on one of them, probably snapping her spine.<\/p>\n

On land, Melinda was still trying to pull herself free from Frank, Ben and her father, while screaming at them that she had to search for her baby. The three men held tight as Ben tried to calm her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMelinda, you don\u2019t have the strength to fight that current, and your clothing would weigh you down like an anchor. Your father and I would jump in too if we thought we could help, but we don\u2019t want them having to rescue us instead of looking for our grandson. Stop fighting us, and we\u2019ll pray together.\u201d<\/p>\n

She ceased struggling and let her father embrace her while they watched the rescue efforts and beseeched heaven for a miracle. A wave of nausea rocked her as she saw them lift Lucia\u2019s twisted body up to the dock, and yet, other than being shocked at what had happened, she couldn\u2019t feel anything for the woman right now. Her focus locked on Adam, and she found herself holding her breath through each of his dives. During one of his quick bobs for air, she\u2019d seen him look toward her. He hadn\u2019t needed words; the misery on his face had told her everything she needed to know.<\/p>\n

Margaret and Miranda replaced the men at Melinda\u2019s side as they went to help pull the tiring swimmers back up to the dock.<\/p>\n

After 30 minutes of efforts, Chief Wilmot came over to her. \u201cMrs. Cartwright, I\u2019ll arrange for a boat to drag the river as soon as I can. I don\u2019t mean to be cruel, but no one saw the boy surface, and with the current they\u2019ve been battling, and the fact that the tide is about to change, those men out there are in danger of drowning too. I\u2019m going to call them in before we lose anyone.\u201d With his edict uttered, he made his way along the edge of the old dock, motioning and hollering at the men to come in.<\/p>\n

Melinda knew that the chief had meant that he didn\u2019t want to lose \u201canyone else.\u201d She knew that he had issued her son\u2019s death certificate with his words, yet she couldn\u2019t disagree with his decree. The last thing she wanted was more death. The possibility that AJ was gone was already more than she could bear without worrying about another family losing someone they loved. She shed loose of her mother and sister and made her way to the dock, standing watch as the men who\u2019d tried to find her son came in. The one person she didn\u2019t see was Adam, and she realized in panic that he hadn\u2019t surfaced for some time. She ran and grabbed her father-in-law\u2019s arm. \u201cBen! I saw Adam go down by that far pier a while ago, and he hasn\u2019t come back up.\u201d<\/p>\n

He patted her hand. \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s fine. The boys used to have breath-holding contests. Hoss was the champ, but Adam was a close second.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s been too long! At first I saw bubbles, but now there\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He needed no further convincing. It had been a long time since Ben Cartwright had gone swimming, but he stripped off his vest and boots as he yelled for Frank. He saw a coil of old rope wound around a rusty cleat and grabbed it, handing one end to Wadsworth. He wrapped his end of the rope around his hand several times to keep from floating away downriver, and dove down into the cold, murky depths.<\/p>\n

***
\nAdam had felt exhaustion setting in as he\u2019d gone to the surface the last time. He\u2019d seen Melinda watching, and had nodded to her before heading back down for another try. The sad truth was that if their son had gotten into open water, he was already gone, and they might never even find his body. He kept searching by clinging to the hope that the boy had gotten pulled down, and wedged in the legs of the piers. A child might survive a few minutes under water, but Adam knew that the search had been going on for some time now. The chill of the river and the strength of the current were taking their toll on him, and he blocked out his thoughts about what the same influences would have on his son as he continued working his way from piling to piling, looking\u2026hoping\u2026praying for a miracle.<\/p>\n

His heart beat faster as he saw something trapped in an underwater crib of rock and wood at the base of a footing, but he found only a bundle of netting\u2014probably lost from a fishing boat. As he tried to swim toward the surface again, a strong surge pushed him back down and his foot slipped into the tangled mass. His eyes opened wide in surprise as he realized that he was securely stuck in the bulk of the net that was encased in the underwater derelict surrounding it. The solution seemed simple: pull his foot out of his boot. But the forces of the current and tide kept jamming him back into the nest, and as a result of his efforts to kick free, both feet were now enmeshed, and he had no leverage.<\/p>\n

Why couldn\u2019t this have happened at the start of this dive<\/em>, Adam thought wryly even as panic began to trickle into his consciousness. He was nearly out of air, and his struggling had sapped most of what oxygen was left. There was enough for one more effort, and he slid his hands into the net, found the top of his left boot and pushed.<\/p>\n

The normally firm uppers of his boots had softened with water exposure, and instead of being able to use it to pry his foot out, the leather folded down on itself like a sea hag\u2019s wrinkles. He was trapped, and he thought angrily that becoming a city man had left him helpless. When he was on the ranch, he would never have been caught without a pocket knife. Yet here he was, drowning in the waters of the harbor that as an engineer, he had learned to master.\u00a0Ironic<\/em>, he thought as he tried to control the fear of death that was clutching at him.<\/p>\n

He kept telling himself not to breathe even though his lungs were burning with the need for air. \u00a0One breath was all it would take for the waters of the Charles to fill his lungs and end all hope of surviving. It took every ounce of will to remain calm as his vision began to darken. He finally closed his eyes and willed himself to stop fighting.<\/p>\n

The darkness brought peace. He experienced a sense of floating\u2014not as he was actually doing in the water\u2014but of soaring above the earth.\u00a0It\u2019s true<\/em>, he mused,\u00a0you do see your life flash by as you\u2019re about to die<\/em>. The big memories passed through quickly: his wedding to Melinda and their first night together; AJ\u2019s birth\u2014intermingled with their years in England. The sequence detoured as he remembered seeing Melinda for the first time at Abel\u2019s house when he was a student. His thoughts jumped forward many years to seeing her again in Sacramento, and his realization soon afterwards that he needed her. Abel, Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe, seemed interwoven into every facet of this recollection.<\/p>\n

As full darkness closed in, he saw someone beckoning to him. She was familiar; he\u2019d seen the same woman in his dreams when he was young.<\/p>\n

\u201cMother,\u201d he greeted her, as he felt her arms folding around him.<\/p>\n

She caressed his hair, and whispered loving words in his ear, telling him of the many things in his life that she had shared in. When he was finally ready to let go, she took his hand, and said, \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Adam, you can breathe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sam Green and James West had crawled onto the pier at the same time Ben dove in.<\/p>\n

West shouted to Melinda, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither man waited to hear more. They followed the rope down to find Ben working to release his son\u2019s lifeless body from the tangle, and set to work helping to unwind the thick net from Adam\u2019s feet. The tide was low enough that once he was freed, they brought him up; pulling him the last few feet to the pier, and lifted him to those above.<\/p>\n

Sam yelled at the police, \u201cBring a wagon over here, and clear the street. I\u2019ll do what I can on the way to the hospital.\u201d He grabbed Adam\u2019s wrist as they laid him on the ground, hoping for a pulse. Finding none, he ripped his friend\u2019s shirt open, and pressed his ear to Adam\u2019s chest, hoping he might hear what he couldn\u2019t feel.<\/p>\n

The others hovered quietly, while Melinda dropped to her husband\u2019s side and brought his wet, cold hand to her cheek. No one needed to tell her how serious this was. She could see that he wasn\u2019t breathing, and his color was a deathly white, contrasted with a deepening blue hue on his lips and fingertips. \u201cPlease, Adam\u2026\u201d she pled, not knowing what else to say. How could she tell him that their son was probably gone, and that if he died too, she wouldn\u2019t have the strength to go on? How could she speak her love or convey the loss that everyone around them was feeling? \u00a0She finally said, \u201cDon\u2019t leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam moved her out of the way as a wagon was driven into the field, and a group of men quickly transferred Adam\u2019s body onto it. When Melinda asked to come along, he told her gently, \u201cYou need to stay here until there\u2019s word of your son. I\u2019ll stay with Adam until you get to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

She breathed deeply, and as the wagon drove away, she asked, \u201cIs<\/em>\u00a0there any word about AJ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Several heads shook back and forth but no one gave voice to what seemed obvious.<\/p>\n

Frank had commandeered a blanket from a buggy, and had wrapped Ben in it as he\u2019d made it onto land. He hadn\u2019t gotten out of the water soon enough to see his son before he was taken away, but he knew that Adam hadn\u2019t moved or breathed when they\u2019d gotten him above water. As he looked around the group that was waiting for news of his grandson, it struck him that someone else was missing. He spoke loudly. \u201cDid Hoss go along to the hospital with his brother? I haven\u2019t seen him since we came over here from the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the policemen spoke up. \u201cThere was a big fella that came here with all of you who walked further down there while all the fuss was going on.\u201d He pointed toward where he\u2019d last seen the man he was describing, \u201cI saw him jump into the water over there after the boy fell in.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a rush as everyone headed to the spot where the officer had last spotted Hoss, but they saw nothing to indicate that he\u2019d been there. Ben groaned quietly as he envisioned what this day might end up costing him, and began shouting, \u201cHoss.\u201d Others took up the call as they walked along the river\u2019s edge, looking for any clue of what might have transpired.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The police chief had stayed with the officers examining Lucia\u2019s body when the others went looking for Hoss. He secured another wagon, and was giving instructions to the driver about where to take the body, when a policeman rode up on horseback.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you Chief Wilmot?\u201d the young officer inquired from atop his mount. Receiving the chief\u2019s nod, he said, \u201cThen I\u2019ve a message for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Wilmot replied in a surly tone. \u201cDon\u2019t waste my time. I have enough trouble here without waiting for you to tell me why you came.\u201d<\/p>\n

He leaned down and said, \u201cI was sent to tell you that we were are investigating a report about a man and child found in the river a mile or so downstream. We didn\u2019t see them, since they\u2019d been taken to the hospital by the time we arrived. But news of what happened here made us wonder if maybe they were involved in this incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilmot nodded as his tone softened. \u201cThank you. It does sound like the ones we\u2019re looking for.\u201d He sighed. \u201cAt least these poor folks will know what happened.\u201d He swatted the horse\u2019s rump as he said, \u201cOn your way, now. I\u2019ll tell the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The chief sent a man to Ben and Melinda asking that they return.<\/p>\n

Melinda hurried back, and asked breathlessly, \u201cHave you heard something?\u201d<\/p>\n

The chief bowed his head as he said, \u201cThis is certainly not how I hoped this would end, and I will conduct a full investigation into why my officers moved in too early.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d Ben said impatiently. \u201cAll we want now is the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA man and boy have been pulled from the water a mile from here. I assume they are the man you\u2019re looking for, and the Cartwright child. The bodies were taken to the hospital, so I think it best if we send you there to make identification. You can use my carriage so there\u2019ll be no further delay.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ben spent the first part of the ride to Massachusetts General staring down at the floor of the carriage. When he looked up, he found that Melinda was frozen in a trance-like stare that mirrored his. For him, the shock of not being able to save Adam, and then hearing about Hoss and AJ had created an emotional emptiness\u2014a numbness so complete that there wasn\u2019t any room left for grief.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even feel cold, although he was still wet from the rescue attempt. \u201cHow does something like this even happen?\u201d he asked aloud without expecting an answer.<\/p>\n

Melinda looked up, and tried to focus on his comment. \u201cDo you mean, how can you lose three people you love so much that living without them is too hard to contemplate?\u201d Hot tears finally found their way to her eyes as she leaned forward and choked out, \u201cOr do you mean how can we even breathe right now, or find the courage to face what\u2019s waiting for us at the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n

The grieving man moved to the bench next to his daughter-in-law \u201cWe do it together, Melinda.\u201d He gave her a crooked smile and squeezed her hand. \u201cI\u2019ll remind you to breathe when you look like you\u2019re about to pass out, and you do the same for me. And we\u2019ll hold each other up when we feel like toppling. Is that a deal?\u201d He saw that her face was contorted with grief, exposing the raw pain she could no longer keep inside. Yet she managed to pat his hand and nod. \u201cGood girl,\u201d he soothed as he held tightly to her hand while she leaned forward and wept.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sam met Ben and Melinda when they walked into the marble foyer of the hospital. \u201cAre the others on the way too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a few minutes behind us,\u201d Ben answered.<\/p>\n

The young doctor started over to the reception desk, and turned to explain, \u201cI\u2019ll leave word to have them remain in the lobby until you send for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll come out to get them a few at a time when Melinda is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam motioned them down the hall as he led the way. \u00a0He brushed up against Ben, and realized that he was still damp. \u201cI can get some dry clothes if you\u2019d like to change first. You must be half frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s voice was toneless as he answered. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of you, but I need to see my sons and grandson first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I figured.\u201d Sam patted Ben\u2019s back as they continued to walk, and grabbed a dry blanket as they passed a service cart, draping in around the older man. \u201cHoss and AJ were already here when I arrived with Adam,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt seemed simplest to put them all into one room near the main entrance since there was bound to be a small crowd coming.\u201d He turned a corner and stopped in front of the first room. \u201cThey\u2019re in here,\u201d he said as he opened the door and gestured for them to enter.<\/p>\n

There were two beds in the room that was dimmed by heavy curtains pulled across the windows. From the size of the mound in the bed to the right, Melinda knew it was Hoss. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, she saw that her son was tucked in next to Adam, with his head resting on his father\u2019s chest. \u201cIt seems so natural,\u201d she whispered. \u201cThey used to nap that way.\u201d Looking back at her father-in-law, she said, \u201cBen, I\u2019m going to need you now; I\u2019m having trouble breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wrapped his arm around her, and walked her to the bed as he spoke softly. \u201cThis is a good way to remember them, Melinda. Adam will protect AJ forever, just as he\u2019s done since the moment he was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s head bobbed up and down in agreement. She reached under the covers to hold AJ\u2019s hand, and leaned down to kiss his head. He smelled of the river, and his short hair felt bristly against her lips. Her strength gave way as she was hit squarely with the magnitude of her loss, and she collapsed to her knees, sobbing while still holding the boy\u2019s tiny fingers. When she felt her son\u2019s hand being pulled free from hers, she thought Ben or Sam was trying to separate them, and hissed, \u201cLet me be you two. I\u2019ll let go when I\u2019m ready to let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s voice cracked with emotion as he instructed, \u201cLook up, child. Sam and I aren\u2019t doing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gasped when she raised her head from the bedding that bore the dampness of her tears, and saw AJ\u2019s large hazel eyes observing her as he yawned loudly. Next to him, his father was rousing from sleep as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cMommy\u2019s crying,\u201d AJ observed as he looked up at his father. The child reached out to wipe his mother\u2019s cheek, and dried his hand on the sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat she is, little man,\u201d his father agreed. \u201cSomething tells me that your Mommy needs a big hug even though we\u2019re both pretty cozy right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ was on his feet in a flash and jumped into his mother\u2019s arms, nearly knocking her over from her kneeling position. \u201cMommy,\u201d he cried out as he held tight and snuggled into her neck. \u201cBad lady\u2026\u201d he said huskily as he started to cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, darling,\u201d she cooed as she held him tightly. \u201cThat bad lady won\u2019t ever come back. No one will ever take you from mommy and daddy again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise?\u201d he asked as he settled into his mother\u2019s embrace.<\/p>\n

Melinda had managed to stand with Ben\u2019s help, and she sat on the bed where AJ had been sleeping. Adam reached over to rub his son\u2019s back. \u201cWe both promise. You\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam tried to sit up, but was stopped by Sam, who cautioned him to stay where he was for a while yet. He rose up on his elbow instead, and kissed Melinda, wiping her tears away just as his son had a few minutes earlier. The wide-eyed, open mouthed looks lingering on his wife and father\u2019s faces made him inquire, \u201cWhy do you two look so surprised?\u201d He thought a moment and corrected his assessment. \u201cNo, that\u2019s not right. You both look shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam chimed in. \u201cI was wondering the same thing? You both seemed so bereft when you arrived, but I put it off to the confusion and strangeness of the day. But\u2026I\u2019m beginning to think it was true grief.\u201d He looked at Adam and back at Ben and Melinda. \u201cDid you think they were all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Melinda cut him off before he said the word she didn\u2019t want her son to hear. Looking down at AJ, she saw that the instinctual rocking motion she\u2019d been doing while holding him had allowed him to drift back to sleep. She asked for a blanket to cover him as she whispered, \u201cPoor, baby. He must be exhausted.\u201d Once he was bundled up, and she was assured that he was truly asleep, she continued her explanation. \u201cWhen you took Adam away, we were all sure he had drowned. He wasn\u2019t breathing; even I could see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes sense,\u201d the doctor agreed. \u201cBut what made you think AJ and Hoss were gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had gone over to his middle son to assure himself that he was indeed breathing even though Hoss remained sound asleep. He nodded to Melinda, and continued the explanation. \u201cThat inept police chief told us that their\u00a0bodies<\/em>\u00a0had been found downriver. Maybe he was given bad information, but I\u2019d bet he couldn\u2019t get things right even if they were carved in stone like the Ten Commandments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mound in the other bed began to stir and make smacking noises. Hoss sounded upset as he groused, \u201cWhat\u2019s a guy gotta do to get some rest around here?\u201d As he came around a little more and saw Ben standing over him, he added, \u201cOh, hi, Pa. I guess I forgot where I was for a minute.\u201d He looked over to see Melinda cradling her son, and his older brother smiling back at him. \u201cLooks like everyone made it out of that river in one piece. That takes a powerful weight off my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still at a loss to understand how it is that you\u2019re all alive,\u201d Melinda said quietly so as not to rouse her child, and then blushed at her comment. \u201cI am feeling most blessed that you are all well, but from what we heard and saw, none of you should be here. So someone please tell us what actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached around Melinda\u2019s waist and pulled her closer. \u201cI\u2019m in the same boat with you, honey,\u201d he said while finally managing to sit up without Sam\u2019s approval, and rested his head on her shoulder. \u201cI thought I was done for after getting stuck in a mess of nets. It happened when I was nearly out of breath. Sam told me that Pa dove in to get me, but he wasn\u2019t sure how he knew I was in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been watching you dive,\u201d Melinda told him, \u201cand it seemed that you hadn\u2019t come up for air in some time. I told Ben, and he went after you.\u201d She scooted toward the head of the bed to allow Adam to get more comfortable. \u201cYou were blue and lifeless when they brought you up, so I thought he was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winked, \u201cYou weren\u2019t the only one. I assumed that no one knew that I was down there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben asked, \u201cSo how did you survive, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older son pointed at the doctor in the room. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam scuffed his shoe on the floor, and looked sheepish as he confessed, \u201cI have no idea what I did, but don\u2019t tell anyone else; it\u2019ll ruin my reputation.\u201d He grinned and went to open the curtains to brighten the room. \u201cWhat you didn\u2019t know, Melinda, was that even though he wasn\u2019t breathing, Adam still had a weak heartbeat when I left with him. I thought I could save him if I could get him to breathe. After trying the usual things for someone who\u2019s been in the water\u2014rolling him over; pushing on his abdomen to expel the water he may have ingested; raising his arms above his head to expand his rib cage\u2014I finally resorted to giving him a hard slap on the back, and hollering at him to breathe.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cAnd he did. I never knew my words had such power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda saw her husband\u2019s pale cheeks color briefly after hearing Sam\u2019s explanation. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d she asked quietly as she leaned toward his ear.<\/p>\n

He smiled but said nothing. When he couldn\u2019t hold out against her questioning stare, he whispered, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, one mystery solved,\u201d Melinda said as she smiled at Sam. Turning her attention to Hoss, she asked, \u201cSo how did you and our son end up here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pushed himself up to sit in the bed. \u201cIt all really started back a bit.\u201d Seeing the confused looks being sent his way, he explained, \u201cWhen Adam and me was together yesterday, he gave me a lesson about currents and tides. In fact, we stopped at the same old docks we were at today, so I kind\u2019a knew it was a dangerous place. The one thing botherin\u2019 my mind when I saw what was happenin\u2019 with that crazy woman, was Adam\u2019s warning about how fast something moves away when it\u2019s hits the river.\u201d He nodded toward his older brother. \u201cAnd when I saw that she was so close to the edge of the dock, I got a gut feeling that somethin\u2019 was gonna go terrible wrong. I knew that if we all stayed where we was, no one could get in the river fast enough to help. So while you kept trying to talk sense into her, I hurried down the river a bit to check which way the water was movin\u2019. It didn\u2019t take long before I saw my godson flying into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then what happened?\u201d Ben prodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see what happened to the woman, but I knew AJ was out in the movin\u2019 water. I saw the little guy pop up once, so I knew about where he was headed, and I jumped out as far as I could get. And dang if he didn\u2019t bump right into me! He\u2019d swallowed some of the river and urped that up, and he weren\u2019t too happy about what was happening, but I got his head above water, and held on as we floated down river. I couldn\u2019t believe how fast we was moving, and was trying to figger out how to get to shore when I spied some guys fishin\u2019 from a boat, and hollered to them. They managed to pull us in\u2026er\u2026well they pulled AJ in, and I sort\u2019a held on to the back of the boat until we got to shallower water. I still can\u2019t say how it all worked, but I\u2019m powerful glad it did. I don\u2019t mean to sound silly or nothin\u2019 but I\u2019m thinkin\u2019 it was a kind of miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda cradled AJ as she rose and went to kiss her brother-in-law\u2019s cheek. \u201cI think you\u2019re our miracle, Hoss. You paid attention yesterday and figured out what to do today. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sent his brother a proud grin. \u201cI can\u2019t ever thank you enough, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw shucks,\u201d he replied as he smiled shyly. \u201cYou two already thanked me enough by making me yer little feller\u2019s godfather.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Following the reunions and celebration with the others who had thought the day had brought an unspeakable tragedy, and against Sam\u2019s best advice, Adam, AJ and Hoss went home, along with their entourage. As he had done once before when releasing a Cartwright patient from care before he should have been, the doctor sent a nurse to stay with them overnight. Anna was released and came home with them as well.<\/p>\n

Agents West and Gordon had stayed at the river to work with the police when everyone else had left, and it had taken some time to get all the facts in place and documented. They arrived at the Cartwright house just as the group was getting ready to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to stop and say goodbye,\u201d Agent West said after congratulating everyone for the successful operation. Seeing the expectant looks of those gathered in Adam and Melinda\u2019s living room, he explained further. \u201cI\u2019m sure you all know that Miss Castelletti died as a result of the fall, and the two men who helped her with the kidnapping were apprehended this morning. They admitted to taking the child, but they said she\u2019d told them that the Cartwrights had agreed to watch \u2018her\u2019 little boy until she got on her feet again after the problems in New Orleans. Of course they didn\u2019t know what she\u2019d been up to, and she convinced them that Adam was now saying that she\u2019d abandoned the child, and he refused to give him back. She claimed that American authorities would never give her custody over Adam and Melinda, so she needed to abduct him and get him safely to Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s preposterous,\u201d Margaret said as she bounced her grandson on her knee. \u201cWhy would anyone believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda answered, \u201cAdam has always said that she played her roles well. I\u2019m sure she was very convincing as the wronged mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they said too,\u201d Artemis agreed. \u201cThey watched your place a few days and decided to grab the boy when he was out with the nanny. They saw their opportunity when \u2018the big guy\u2019 wasn\u2019t with her. Once they had him, they helped Lucia move to a boarding house to await her departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it was nothing I done wrong?\u201d Anna asked shyly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all.\u201d West answered sincerely. \u201cThe men admitted that they had to manhandle you because you fought so hard to protect the boy. They\u2019ll be going away for some time again, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll never want to hear the names Castelletti or Cartwright again.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the stories of forethought and survival were shared with the agents, Artemis bowed as he smiled, and said, \u201cWe don\u2019t usually get to work with people like you, and may I say again that it has been a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam accompanied the two men out to their buggy. \u201cI\u2019m thankful you were near enough to help out. If it hadn\u2019t been for you, we wouldn\u2019t have figured out what Lucia was doing before she got away. We would never have stopped searching for our son, but I\u2019m grateful that\u2019s he\u2019s home with us tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

West and Gordon shook Adam\u2019s hand. \u201cYou\u2019re sure we can\u2019t entice you into joining us?\u201d West asked with a grin. Receiving Adam\u2019s loud, \u201cNo,\u201d he boarded the buggy and pointed down at his boot tip. \u201cI think this is something you might have found handy in the predicament you were in today, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d The agent made a movement with his left foot that activated a lever on his right boot tip, releasing a short, double-edged knife blade. \u201cIf you\u2019d had boots like mine you could have sawed your way out of the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was still shaking his head as the two agents drove away. He couldn\u2019t help wondering if he should think a little more about the Secret Service if it would mean getting gadgets like that.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The Cartwright household was ready for bed soon after their families left. The three \u201criver rats, as Hoss began referring to them, took hot baths to eliminate the stench, and Hoss decided he\u2019d stay at Adam\u2019s for the night to make it easier for the nurse to keep an eye on all of them.<\/p>\n

Sam had given them each a final exam, and found no ill effects other than surliness at having to endure another poking and prodding. He\u2019d left them with a warning to be on the lookout for a cough that could indicate a developing pneumonia, and the possibility of some uncomfortable stomach or intestinal distress from consuming river water.<\/p>\n

The nurse made a final check on each of her charges before declaring them all fit as fiddles for the night, and went to the other spare room, leaving instructions to call her if anything changed.<\/p>\n

Adam had slipped away after that to secure the house, and found Melinda and AJ tucked into bed when he got to his room. The little boy had been given the seldom-granted privilege of sleeping with his parents, and he was already deep in sleep.<\/p>\n

His wife giggled softly when Adam removed his robe. \u201cWe\u2019ve been married a few years now, and this is the first time I\u2019ve ever seen you in a long nightshirt. Is it even yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI borrowed one from Abel. I\u2019m still cold from my swim in the Charles.\u201d He crawled in next to his son and rubbed his hand across the child\u2019s short-cut hair. \u201cI have to admit he\u2019s mighty cute this way.\u201d He noted Melinda\u2019s sour look, and added, \u201cBut I\u2019m assuming you\u2019re not enamored with it.\u201d After leaning over to kiss her, he vowed, \u201cWe\u2019ll let it grow out, and trim it down again when he\u2019s a little older.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ will be heartbroken when Hoss and Ben leave in a couple of days,\u201d Melinda said sadly. \u201cHe\u2019s grown so fond of his godfather. It seems right that Hoss was the one to save him today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019ll miss them.\u201d He yawned and pulled the covers up around his neck. \u201cBut at least now that Anna knows she couldn\u2019t have done anything to prevent the kidnapping, she\u2019s decided to stay on a little longer and see how it goes. It would be harder still if she left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re shivering!\u201d Melinda got up and added a down comforter to the bed before slipping under the covers again. \u201cYou really are cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can think of a way to get warm,\u201d he teased as he reached across their son to hold her hand.<\/p>\n

Melinda smiled in the dark. \u201cWell, I suspect that having our son between us would make that an impossible solution. Besides, the other day when Sam was here, he said that we should stop trying to have another baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice was suddenly filled with concern. \u201cIs there something wrong, honey? Was your illness yesterday related to a serious condition?\u201d<\/p>\n

She brought his hand to her cheek. \u201cHe said we could stop trying because there\u2019s already a baby on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising up on his elbow, he looked down at his wife and chuckled with relief. \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her reply held a note of disappointment. \u201cI thought you\u2019d be more excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

He dropped to the bed and rolled onto his back, locking his hands behind his head. \u201cI\u2019m truly thrilled. It\u2019s just that when you told me about the baby, something ran through my mind from earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething happened while I was under water.\u201d He sighed before continuing. \u201cI did what I could to get loose, but in the end all I could do was to concentrate on not taking a breath, hoping that it would give me a few extra seconds to think about everyone I loved before I died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda got up and came around to Adam\u2019s side of the bed so she could hold him while he told her the story. She shuddered as she snuggled in next to him, and tucked her head in the curve of his neck. \u201cThinking you were going to die must have been a horrid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was\u2026and wasn\u2019t. Once I faced what was probably going to happen, I started to relax. I can recall some memories passing through my mind then, but as I blacked out, I sensed that someone was with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that when Ben got to you?\u201d she asked as she held him tighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t him. This was something in my mind\u2014an image of my mother.\u201d He chuckled softly. \u201cPa had a small portrait of her that was done when she was about 18, and that\u2019s how I\u2019ve always imagined her. She still looked that way today as she told me not to worry because AJ was safe with Hoss, and that you were expecting a baby girl\u2026her namesake, as she put it. She said I couldn\u2019t die yet, and then said that I had to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think she was really there with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember when you asked me what I was thinking after Sam told us what he did to me on the way to the hospital?\u201d He felt her head nod against his chest. \u201cWhen he said he\u2019d finally told me to \u2018breathe,\u2019 the rest of it made sense. It must have been Sam telling me about the baby and the other things while trying to wake me up. I suppose I was stuck somewhere between being unconscious and awake, and my mind added the details\u2026and the image of Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our minds seek a safe place when we\u2019re in vulnerable situations. It must have been comforting to imagine your mother there with you.\u201d The day\u2019s exhaustion had begun pulling Melinda into sleep, when her eyes flew open again. \u201cAdam\u2026did you know that AJ and Hoss were safe\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0you got to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUhhuh. I was still pretty groggy when I got there, but I asked to see them before I\u2019d let them do anything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s the thing about that darlin\u2019,\u201d she said as she touched his face. \u201cSam left with you before anyone even realized Hoss was missing, and we didn\u2019t find out until later still that AJ was with him.\u00a0 Even then we thought they both had drowned. Sam couldn\u2019t have told you what he didn\u2019t know himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ll be.\u201d He looked upward and smiled. \u201cI guess I\u2019ll have to wait until our baby is born to see if that part was accurate too.\u201d He turned and kissed his wife. \u201cI owe you my life, Melinda. Thank you for watching out for me today.\u201d Rolling onto his back, he scooped his son into the crook of his arm to scoot him over and make more room, causing the little boy to gurgle, \u201cDaddy, don\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere, buddy,\u201d he promised, as AJ laid his arm across his father\u2019s chest and snuggled close, before slipping back to sleep. In Adam\u2019s last wakeful minutes, he held his family tight and gave thanks again for all that had been restored to him.<\/p>\n

Melinda heard nasally, even breathing, indicating that her \u201cmen\u201d were both asleep. She reached over to stroke AJ\u2019s head and frowned, wondering how dreadful it was for her to resent not being there for his first haircut, when the day might have ended with her missing every \u201cfirst\u201d in her son\u2019s life. She quickly regained her perspective. \u201cYour daddy is right; you are so cute right now,\u201d she whispered, \u201cbut don\u2019t tell him I said that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sleep eluded her as she considered what Adam had told her. She didn\u2019t believe in \u201cghosts,\u201d but she did think it was possible for souls to connect when a loved one was in danger or pain. She had heard stories about people being helped through duress by someone who couldn\u2019t \u201creally\u201d have been there. Maybe it was just that a person\u2019s mind found solace and courage any way possible. In this case, some of what Adam heard must have been Sam telling him about the baby as he tried to get his patient to fight his way back to life. But that didn\u2019t explain the other information Adam had been given about AJ and Hoss.<\/p>\n

It left her thinking that there may have been forces at work that they couldn\u2019t comprehend\u2014a connection between people that existed in the mind and heart. She remembered that Ben had told her about a time when everyone thought that Adam had died in a stage wreck. He\u2019d said that he had known in his heart that his son was still alive, even when everything confirmed that he wasn\u2019t.4 Was it possible that Adam had experienced a similar knowledge in\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0heart that AJ and Hoss were together and safe?<\/p>\n

Melinda moved her hand across her still-flat stomach, wishing that she was far along enough to feel the movement of their baby. She grinned when she thought about the night before. Sam had told her what he thought was wrong with her, but she hadn\u2019t been able to enjoy the news because of the kidnapping. Now she could relax and be grateful and excited for this second blessing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you really our little Elizabeth?\u201d she whispered. \u201cIt seems that your grandmother has already decided that you are, and I can\u2019t wait to meet you. You\u2019re going to love your father and big brother. They\u2019ll spoil you and protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaching across Adam\u2019s chest, she gently took her son\u2019s hand. It was the perfect end to an imperfect day, and she prayed again in thanks. As she began to doze, she directed her final thoughts to a woman she would never know. She truly loved Elizabeth. After all, she had given Melinda the finest gift she\u2019d ever received: Adam Stoddard Cartwright.\u00a0If it was you with all of us today, Elizabeth,\u00a0<\/em>she thought as she drifted toward sleep, I know it\u2019s because you love your son and grandson as much as I do. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Seven months later)<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon AJ, I want you to meet someone,\u201d the two-and-a-half-year-old\u2019s father encouraged. \u201cShe can\u2019t wait to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ eyed his father skeptically. \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour sister\u2019s here, Buddy. She\u2019s mighty cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

The child left his Ponderosa play set in Abel\u2019s living room where he\u2019d been staying during the commotion going on at his house, and took his father\u2019s hand. He hopped and skipped across the yard and up the steps, but suddenly hesitated at the door to his parent\u2019s room, and looked up at Adam warily. \u201cShe\u2019s crying,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat she is, son, but babies do cry a lot at first. You did too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded and smiled down at his son. \u201cEvery chance you got.\u201d He knelt down to get eye-to-eye with AJ, and pulled him near. \u201cDoes her crying scare you a little?\u201d Judging from the child\u2019s pale face, and open-eyed stare, he knew the answer was yes. \u201cWe\u2019ll all need to get used to it, but it doesn\u2019t mean that there\u2019s anything wrong. Babies cry because they\u2019re hungry, or need their diaper changed, or sometimes just to remind everyone that they\u2019re here. Do you understand?\u201d The weak nod, accompanied by the same frightened stare, suggested to Adam that while his son may understand, he still wasn\u2019t happy about it. \u201cHow about we wait out here for a minute and see if Mommy can get her settled before we go in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy\u2019s sunny disposition returned with his father\u2019s suggestion. While they waited, he entertained his father with the story of the Ponderosa horses he\u2019d been playing with. \u201cThe paint is Uncalla Little Joe\u2019s howrse. He can jump right up on it without using the stiwwups. And Uncalla Howrse has a ballack howrse called Chubby, and it is, and so is Uncalla Howrse. And Gwanpa Ben rides a yellalow howrse that doesn\u2019t go so fast anymore cuz they are both old. And, Daddy, youwr howrse is Spowrt, but you do not ride him, cuz you live here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded and smiled at intervals, as the child continued on to explain what work horses were for, as always, marveling at his son\u2019s articulateness. He didn\u2019t catch every word, since AJ tended to put w\u2019s in front of his r\u2019s, making house, Hoss, and horse sound alike, and double pronounced l\u2019s, adding syllables to words like black and uncle, making them ballack and uncalla. When the crying inside the room subsided, he opened the door a crack and said, \u201cLet\u2019s go in now, son. They\u2019re anxious to see us.\u201d 5<\/p>\n

Melinda was sitting up in bed holding the infant, when her two men entered. She smiled widely, and reached out, encouraging AJ to join her. He scooted up next to her, and she pulled the blanket apart so he could see the baby. After giving him a minute to look things over, she asked, \u201cSo what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe looks old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you say that?\u201d Adam asked as he sat next to him on the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s wrinkally like Gramma Sadie, and Grampa Abel.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother chuckled. \u201cShe\u2019ll look less wrinkly in a couple of hours, honey. Do you think she\u2019s cute?\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ shrugged. \u201cI s\u2019pose, but she\u2019s fuzzy,\u201d he answered honestly, and then pointed at the top of her head. \u201cMommy, why\u2019s her head bumping?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda took his hand and moved it across the pulsing area on his sister\u2019s head. \u201cThat\u2019s called a soft spot, honey. Your head was just like that when you were born. It will get hard after a while, but until then we\u2019ll all be very careful with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo aside from the wrinkles, the fuzziness, her \u2018bumping\u2019 head, and the crying,\u201d Adam teased, \u201cdo you like her?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy\u2019s nose crinkled as his forehead puckered. \u201cI\u00a0love<\/em>\u00a0\u2018Lizbet, Daddy. She\u2019s my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave his wife a questioning look. They had intended to call this baby Elizabeth if it was a girl, but they had always just said, \u201cthe baby,\u201d instead of giving it a name. A son would have been Benjamin William, but they hadn\u2019t used that beforehand either. \u201cDid someone tell you your sister\u2019s name?\u201d he asked the youngster.<\/p>\n

\u201cGramma did,\u201d he answered quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadie probably mentioned it when she got back to the house after she knew we had a daughter,\u201d Adam offered as Melinda nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not that Gramma,\u201d AJ said while winding his sister\u2019s curls around his finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it Grandma Margaret?\u201d Melinda asked.<\/p>\n

His head shook from side to side. \u201cNope. My gramma in the water told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sent Melinda a bewildered look before asking, \u201cWhat grandma in the water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u00a0know,<\/em>\u201d AJ answered emphatically as he looked over his shoulder at his father. \u201cWhen that mean lady dropped me in the water, a nice lady pulled me back up. She said, \u2018I\u2019m your gramma, so don\u2019t be scared.\u2019\u201d6<\/p>\n

Adam tried to keep his voice casual as he asked, \u201cThis lady was in the water with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Daddy,\u201d the child scoffed. \u201cI was in the water. She was\u2026\u201d he looked puzzled, and finally shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told you about your sister?\u201d his mother prodded gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cUhhuh. She said I had to keep my mouth closed in the river, and to be a good big brother to \u2018Lizbeth when she got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u201d Melinda looked over at Adam who shook his head and raised his eyebrows. \u201cHow long was your grandma with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTil she pushed me into Uncalla Howrse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam felt his wife\u2019s stare, and looked over at her with a grin. \u201cI\u2019m not sayin\u2019 a thing,\u201d he vowed, as he leaned over to kiss AJ\u2019s head. He said softly to Melinda, \u201cWe\u2019ll never understand what actually happened that day, and the best way to acknowledge it is to love these two the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda leaned her head on Adam\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI think it\u2019s wonderful to have someone watching over all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their moment of heavenly connection was broken as AJ peaked beneath his sister\u2019s undershirt, and then looked up at his parents. \u201cGrampa Abel says babies come from the pumpkin patch, so is that funny thing on Lizbet\u2019s tummy, her stem?\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next Story in the One Step Closer Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Changes in Fate<\/a><\/p>\n

1 Brighidin Ban Mo Store by Edward Walsh, teacher and poet born in Londenderry, 1805, and died in Cork, 1850 Brighidin ban mo stor is in English ‘fair young bride’, or ‘Bridget my treasure’. The proper sound of this phrase is not easily found in English-speaking Irish. It is as if written, “Bree-dheen-bawn-mu-sthore”. The proper name Brighit, or Bride, signifies a ‘fiery dart’, and was the name of the goddess of poetry in the Pagan days of Ireland. (Information taken from http:\/\/oldirishpoems.com\/index.html)<\/em><\/p>\n

2 Proverb 15:4<\/em><\/p>\n

3 This happened in the Story:\u00a0One Step Closer \u2013 Two Hearts Broken, when Adam was forced to help a criminal blow a hole into the side of a federal bank from a tunnel they\u2019d built. Adam was able to see that there was an existing wall, not connected with the bank that he pretended to blow up. However, he set the charges to collapse the chamber and tunnel instead, and even managed to find a spot to keep from being killed in the blast and collapse.<\/em><\/p>\n

4 In my story, Sunny With a Chance of Rain, Ben believes Adam is alive even when all evidence points to him being dead.<\/em><\/p>\n

5 The character of AJ is a mix of two of my grandsons. They both spoke early and used full sentences by the time they were 18 months. The remarkable thing was that they knew what their words meant and could make convincing arguments, explain things well, and tell marvelous\u2014but totally untrue\u2014stories. It is the younger one who mouths, mommy\u2026daddy even after he stops crying when he\u2019s truly upset.<\/em><\/p>\n

6\u00a0The story of the grandma in the water is another take from real life. My grandson (not one from the story above) lost his other grandma when he was about 1. I was caring for him the night she died, and am convinced that she was with him around the time that she passed. As he got older, her would often tell his mother that \u201cGrandma\u201d had told him things that he knew\u2026but had other way of knowing. That phenomenon stopped as he got a little older, and I doubt he remembers any of it now.<\/em><\/p>\n

End Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

This is the final story of this group. I may do a few more about this family when the children are a little older and giving their parents a hard time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0Adam and his wife, Melinda, are living in England, and getting\u00a0ready to welcome their first child. After\u00a0a fall\u00a0on the stairs, Adam must face the fear of losing his wife and child,\u00a0and he\u00a0comes to terms with his own\u00a0lingering grief over his mother’s death.\u00a0We also see\u00a0the family back on the Ponderosa\u00a0waiting impatiently\u00a0for the arrival of a new Cartwright. The story\u00a0returns the young parents to the states where a number of surprises await – including a visit from some Nevadans, and one old foe\u00a0who leaves them reeling. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a045,000<\/p>\n

One Step Closer Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":5758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1005,7,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-a-u","category-drama","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adams-English-Scenic2.jpg?fit=450%2C436&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}