<\/p>\n
Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Two confrontations between Ben Cartwright and his eldest son.<\/span><\/p>\n Rated:<\/span> K+ Word\u00a0count:\u00a0<\/span> 1219<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seeing a Man<\/strong><\/p>\n Not a Boy<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou better heed me, boy!\u201d Ben Cartwright\u2019s bellow echoed off the rafters.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a boy.\u201d The declaration was delivered in a controlled and level voice.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re my son!\u201d Ben had leaned forward with his hands flat against his desk. His glower was white-hot and focused on his eldest.<\/p>\n \u201cI always will be.\u201d Adam kept his voice even but returned his father\u2019s glare. \u201cFor that reason and because you are my boss on this ranch and because I live in your house, I\u2019ll heed you, Pa, but I\u2019m not a boy, not anymore. I\u2019m a man.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben drew in a slow breath and studied the twenty-two-year-old standing on the other side of the desk. He was young, yes, but Adam had been doing a man\u2019s job every day for years before he had taken himself across a continent to be educated. He was responsible, reliable, and worthy of trust. He was dedicated and smart. He was respected by many men, some of whom were years his senior. Ben drew in another breath and admitted there was no measure by which his eldest was not a man.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes, you are. You are a man, one that I am very proud to call my son.\u201d Ben settled back into his chair. \u201cI need to remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n The tension drained from Adam\u2019s body, and he leaned his hip against the wood of the desk. Slowly a small smile curled his lips. \u201cI\u2019ll be glad to remind you if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised his eyebrows. That particular grin was not one of his favorites, but he returned a smile anyway. \u201cWhat you can remind me of, young man, is that we have business with Hiram Woods as soon as we can get into town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHiram Woods? What business do we have with him?\u201d Adam was clearly puzzled, and Ben produced a grin of his own.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been a partner in this ranch since we first arrived. Not an exactly equal partner but a partner, nevertheless. It\u2019s high time we had the legal paperwork to prove it.\u201d Ben watched Adam\u2019s reaction, and his grin changed to one of paternal pleasure.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I… I… thank you, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve earned it, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s dimples deepened as he heard his favorite appellation from his father\u2019s lips. \u201cI better get back to work then if I\u2019m going to keep you thinking that way.\u201d He turned and took a few steps toward the door before his father\u2019s voice stopped him.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben\u2019s voice was rich and gentle, \u201cdon\u2019t do away with every trace of the boy you were. He was very special to me, you know. Besides, you\u2019ll need him from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had turned to face his father once again. Unbidden a memory stirred of a fierce snowball fight that first winter when it had been just him, his pa, and a little Hoss. He had pelted his father with snowball after snowball, and his father had returned fire with a glee equal to his own.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I give you grandsons, you mean?\u201d Adam asked softly.<\/p>\n \u201cNot if but when. I expect three or four from you alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes but not until after he had turned away from his father again. \u201cYes, sir, Pa. Should I get right on that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam!\u201d Ben\u2019s roar echoed from the rafters as his son quickly exited closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n In the Storm<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The storm raging outside was powerful. The rain sluiced to the ground, and the tops of the tall pines whipped back and forth. The wind beat against the walls and rattled the windows, but Ben Cartwright had known full well the fury that nature\u2019s hand could conjure and had built his house to withstand the worst salvos that a tempest could throw. Yes, the storm raging against its walls was filled with fury, but the storm within the house held even more rage.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll not allow it! That\u2019s final!\u201d Ben\u2019s voice fought with the thunder. The thunder surrendered, but his son did not.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t asking permission. I don\u2019t need it!\u201d The words fired from Adam\u2019s mouth like steel buckshot.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s voice fell in volume but rose in intensity. \u201cYou would disobey me in this?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam drew in a deep breath. \u201cDisobey? I\u2019m not a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re my son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that should make me less than my own man?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben opened his mouth to speak but drew the unuttered words back into his mouth in an effort to rein in his anger. Very softly he stated, \u201cI\u2019ve never expected you to be any less than your own man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaven\u2019t you? Haven\u2019t you always expected me to be your obedient . . .\u201d Adam hesitated over the next word.<\/p>\n His father inserted his own, \u201cSon. The only obedience I have ever expected from you is that of a son.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam blew a long breath from his nose. \u201cAnd if this son decides he has to disobey you to be his own man?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben answered, \u201cI would hope that any son of mine would see how wrong it would be to. . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDisagree with you?\u201d Adam\u2019s brow arched upward. He turned on his heel and stalked toward the door only to be struck still with his hand on the knob by a crash of thunder and the reverberating crack of a splitting pine.<\/p>\n For a moment, Ben thought his son might walk out into the night despite the storm, but Adam had always maintained a thread of reasonableness through even his greatest fits of temper. He saw his son\u2019s hand fall from the door, but Adam did not turn.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam. Adam, son,\u201d Ben\u2019s voice filled the words with every nuance of the bond they had forged through his son\u2019s twenty-four years.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Adam turned to face his father, \u201cIt\u2019s not stubbornness or defiance or … Pa, I need to do this. I shall do it.\u201d He looked directly into his father\u2019s eyes. \u201cWill you forgive me?\u201d<\/p>\n Maybe I just needed to try, to know that I had tried to stop him.\u00a0 <\/i>Ben reached his hand out. \u201cI\u2019ve told you many times, Adam, that there is nothing, nothing I could not forgive you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes filmed, but his lips twisted into a wry grin. \u201cI\u2019ll have to pay the piper though, won\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs you\u2019ve reminded me, son, you\u2019re not a child anymore.\u201d Ben\u2019s hands settled on his hips.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head slowly. \u201cThat only means my punishment will be more subtle than a tanning.\u201d Then he shrugged in acceptance.<\/p>\n Ben acknowledged silently that his son would carry out his own decision. Resigned, Ben nodded but then smiled. \u201cAnd hopefully at least as effective.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam arms slipped across his chest, and his right hand tugged his left ear. \u201cI\u2019m sure it will.\u201d He sighed and walked to his favorite chair.<\/p>\n Outside the storm raged, but sheltered by the walls their hands had built, the Cartwrights settled in for a peaceful evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Summary:\u00a0Two confrontations between Ben Cartwright and his eldest son.<\/p>\n Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0 1219<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":3733,"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":[1016,23,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-pa","category-drama","category-prequels","wpcat-1016-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-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\/04\/ben-aam.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7639","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\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}