Okay, so I know I said that I wouldn't be posting the first chapter until the whole story is complete, but I kind of gave up on that idea when I heard from Islaboe yesterday. Thank you for the encouragement. I have written loads today to get nearer to completing this story, and have now decided to post the first chapter. I may not be able to post quite as often as I normally do, but I will do my best. It will depend on how much time I have as I am starting my aprenticeship in Horse Care on Monday, so being in full time work is going to be completely different - but I can't wait! Also, the reason why I haven't done quite as much writing as I had hoped is because I was ill for a bit, then I was in a play for a week, and then I went on a beach mission for a week. Busy stuff! So, now that life is quiet for a few days before work starts, I will try to write, write, WRITE! I hope you enjoy this story. As you will see, Louise is a bit older than she was in the last one, but it worked better for me that way. Hope you like this story. I've been planning this one since I wrote my very first one just under a year ago (wow, where does the time go?). Enjoy, folks!

My Alice Fair

Chapter 1 – My Lady Tomboy

Louise Cartwright raced her brother Little Joe across the Ponderosa. There was no telling that she was a girl at first glance, for she rode astride and dressed in shirt and pants with a Stetson flying behind her, kept on by stampede strings that were tied about her neck. Her face was dirty, her clothes were torn – there was nothing feminine about her at all. The only factor that hinted at her true sex were the two long, brown plaits that flapped about her head as she rode.

She yelled wildly as she galloped along, certain that she would win the race home. They never galloped into the yard, but always finished their races by a particular Ponderosa Pine that stood a little way before the house. After their mother Marie had died in an accident after riding into the yard at full speed, Ben had banned all cantering and galloping into the yard. Thus the Ponderosa Pine outside the yard marked the end of the race.

It was in sight now, so Louise urged her pony on faster.

"Come, Salt!" she said as she leaned close to her pony's ear. "Let's make Little Joe eat dust!"

And they did just that!

Not only was Salt a good natured pony – he was an extremely fast pony. In walk and trot he moved at a steady pace, but once Louise cantered and galloped him, he threw his head high and tore along at a speed that sent the world scurrying in a blur on either of side of her.

When they reached the pine, Louise brought Salt back to a gradual stop, and they waited for Joe to arrive on his horse.

"I beat ya!" the nine year old girl declared happily when her brother drew rein alongside her.

Joe ignored this comment. "Come on – they've worked hard. Let's cool them off."

Giving their horses longer reins, the two children squeezed their horses on. It wasn't long before they arrived on the yard, sweating, laughing and breathing heavily.

Hoss came out of the barn to greet them. "You two better get cleaned up. Pa's got comp'ny!"

"Company?" Louise groaned as she dismounted and led Salt into the barn. "For Pete's sake! Why does Pa have to be so hospitable?"

"Because it's the right way to be," Adam voice sounded from the doorway, making Louise jump and turn around. Adam's brow creased into a frown. "Where have you two been for so long? It's a hot day and those horses are covered in sweat. Not to mention yourselves!"

"Oh, Adam, stop being so fussy!" Louise declared as she pulled Salt's saddle off him and patted his back to get the blood circulating. "We'll sponge them off, and then change into some clean clothes."

"Well, you'd better hurry," Adam said. He looked at her filthy face and saw a cut on her cheek. Reaching out and holding her chin to keep her face still, he inspected it. "What did you do to yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, that's nothing. Salt rode me into a tree and almost left me in it – I just got a scratch from one of the twigs sticking out."

"He rode you into a tree?" Adam repeated with one of his eyebrows rising.

Louise laughed the occurrence away, knowing that Adam would probably tell her to ride more carefully. Phew! Who wanted to keep a constant check on everything in life? Not Louise. She wanted excitement and adventure.

Louise picked up a pail and sponge and walked over to Salt.

"Look here, Louise," Hoss said, "I'll do that for ya. You too, Joe! Pa won't be none too happy if you keep him waiting much longer. I'll sort out the horses, and you go get cleaned up."

"Oh, Hoss – we'll be stuck inside till Pa's guest goes – and you know how I hate being behind four walls. Come on – it won't take me too long. Just a few minutes longer for me to enjoy myself – and few more minutes for Pa and his distinguished guest to wait! Hey Adam, who is it anyway?"

"You know that's not the attitude, young lady. Thank Hoss and accept his offer, then fly like the wind and change into some clean clothes."

Louise rolled her eyes, but did as Adam said, handing Hoss the bucket.

"You want to help too, Adam?" she asked, throwing the wet sponge at him.

Adam glared at her as he wiped his shirt where the sponge had hit him, and called after her as she headed towards the house, "Make sure you put a dress on! To answer your question, Pa's guest is Alice Corby, and I'm quite sure that Pa would not be very happy if Alice saw you looking like that."

"Well, she's gonna see me looking like this, 'cause the sitting room is between me and my room. As if she thinks I'm gonna put on a stuffy dress in this heat just for her, she's got another thing coming!"

Joe quickly followed his sister towards the house, leaving Adam and Hoss to exchange a look.

"You know what, Adam?" Hoss asked. "That sister of ours sure has grown sassy over the years! She's got a smart mouth just like you!"

"Yes – but she doesn't know when to stop," Adam said dryly. "I sure hope she puts on a dress – for her sake, as well as Pa's."

Louise stormed up to the house.

"Why does Miss Alice have to come to our house all the time – with her frills and flounces and flirting? And Pa wants me to dress like her when she's here," Louise grumbled. "Well I'm not going to be something that I ain't just for some …" she opened the door and forced a sweet smile, "Why hello, Miss Alice, Pa."

"Louise, Joe, at last …" Ben said, looking up. A quick frown darted across his face when he saw their appearance.

Alice Corby was a woman in her mid-twenties, with auburn hair tied into a neat bun, and, as Louise had quite rightly predicted, a dress with lace and frills! She smiled from where she sat as Louise and Joe entered, and tried not to laugh when she noted Ben's frustration at his children's, most noticeably, Louise's appearance.

"I think you had better go upstairs and change before you join us," Ben said.

Louise nodded her head at Ben and then Alice, before running up the stairs. Joe followed her at a slower pace. She was pushing it with Ben, and Joe knew it. Louise knew that Ben did not like running in the house – and especially when they had company.

When they went round the corner at the top of the stairs, Joe grabbed Louise's arm and hissed, "You'd better watch yourself. Pa's as mad as a nest of yellow jackets! You'd better put on a dress, Louise."

"Oh, Joe, don't be silly. It's far too hot to have to wear a dress. It covers me up so I can't breathe!"

"Suit yourself," Joe said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's your hide."

Louise glared at him and went to her room, closing her door behind her. She knew Joe was right – though she hated to admit the fact – and reluctantly picked out a dress from her closet. It was her favourite dress – not because she liked wearing dresses, because she didn't much – but it was green, which was her favourite colour. What's more, she had to admit she looked nice in it. The pink one was ridiculous, and she had told Ben not to buy the white lace one because she would never wear it. She hated lace! It was frilly, and pretty and far too … too … girly.

"But I am a girl!" Louise thought in dismay. She huffed. "It would have been so much easier if I was boy! If Ma was still alive I'd probably see things different," she admitted to herself. "But I'm the only girl – and living in a house full of males a female just can't be … well, female. Well, not easily – and being a female sure ain't easy. I'd much rather be a boy! Boys get to do things that girls can't! Girls have to wear stupid clothes, sit elegantly, talk elegantly, act weak, and faint all the time. Ugh! I want to ride, be wild and free, and wear what I want to wear, act like I want to act, be strong, and just … just be myself!"

She had finished undressing now, and quickly pulled the dress on, struggling not to get sashes and frills in her mouth. Once she had put the dress on and done it up, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, an amazing transformation had taken place – except for her face and hair.

Louise poured some water into the basin on her dresser and splashed some water on her face. Then she dried her face on a towel and looked at her reflection again.

Pulling her messy braids out, Louise combed through her hair with her fingers. It looked nice down, especially when it tumbled past her shoulders. She smiled. She could almost see her mother in the mirror as she looked at herself. She was a lot like her mother when she dressed like a lady. A lot like her pictures.

Suddenly, Louise felt a sense of loss and loneliness.

"This isn't right," she told her reflection. "I should want to be like this all the time. Ma rode side saddle – I should, too. I should want to be like her. But I'm … I'm different. Am I different in the right way? I don't know how to be anything but what I am!"

Louise sighed. It was difficult, far too difficult, being the only girl in the family. At least she might have had a sister – but no! Instead she had three brothers.

Adam was somewhere between a brother and a father. He was so much older, and seemed almost bossy. Not in a mean way – just he felt the need to tell her what to do a little too much. At least, that was how Louise felt. But she loved Adam very much. She couldn't imagine life without him now! He had been home just over three years now – but it felt like longer. It was almost as if he had always been there.

As for Hoss, well, he never told her what to do quite like Adam. He would suggest things, and was always there to lend a helping hand or put in a word for her.

Joe was her childhood playmate – and because of that, she had grown up perhaps closest to him. He wasn't her favourite brother because she didn't have favourites. She loved all of her brothers equally. Besides, Joe could be annoying sometimes – and that caused the two of them to argue.

Louise had lost her shyness a long time ago – and something else had taken its place. The Cartwright temper! Adam had once told her that the Cartwright temper wasn't a bad thing, just so long as she didn't let it control her.

Louise was afraid that it did, though. There were times when she could be very calm – perhaps when someone else wasn't. But there were other times when she had a tendency to snap and be sassy and didn't always think before she spoke or acted.

Louise took a deep breath and let it out slowly before checking herself over in the mirror one more time and leaving her room. Joe was already downstairs, smiling his winning smile at Alice and chatting comfortably with her.

Louise sighed. She liked Alice, she really did. It was just … why did she have to visit so very much? And why did Ben want her to come? There was always a sparkle in his eyes when Alice was there that Louise didn't like.

Adam had noticed it too. Louise knew that he had. She had seen him studying Ben over the rim of his glass at meal times.

Why was Ben acting so strangely around Alice?

Louise hurried down the stairs, making sure that she didn't run. She didn't want to annoy Ben any more than she had.

"I'm sorry about that, Miss Alice," Louise said, smiling pleasantly as she sat down with the rest of the family.

"It must have been so hot when you were riding," Alice said understandingly. "I realize that you needed to change."

"But not into something hot and stuffy like this!" Louise thought. "Yes it was hot," she said, forcing another smile.

"Really – riding about in this heat – surely it would be better to stay at home in the shade?" Alice asked.

"But then I would be wasting the weather that we all long for in the winter," Louise said matter-of-factly. "What's the use in sitting in the shade when it's sunny, and longing for snow – and bundling up when it's snowy, and wanting sun?"

"Well, you look healthy for it," Alice said, patting Louise's arm. "Come now, Louise. Ben and I have been talking. We thought it would be a good idea if I came up here every Saturday to help you with your sewing – and you could have some female company."

Louise went ridged and pulled her arm away from Alice's touch. "But Saturdays and Sundays are my only free days. I … I couldn't. I don't want to spend Saturday sewing – I want to ride and go fishing and swimming! Who wants to sit in a house and do some dumb old samplers?"

"Louise!" Ben admonished. "Alice was being thoughtful and offering to give of her time for you."

Louise flushed and her eyes fell down to her lap, "I'm sorry, Miss Alice. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. But I'm more than happy with the company that my brothers and father offer. I like it to be me and just them." Her eyes darted up in time to see Adam raise an eyebrow and conceal a smile at her inference. "And although I am sure you enjoy sewing, it is not at all in my line."

"But Louise, dear, you need to learn to sew. Every lady knows how to sew!"

"Well, I'm sure every lady does," Louise said, standing up. "But as I'm not going to be a lady, I guess that don't bother me much. I'm going to work this ranch, just like my brothers – and no ranch hand needs to know how to sew in order to rope a steer or break a bronc!"

"Come, come, Louise, I know you don't mean this really," Alice said, trying to cover up her shock at Louise's words.

Ben watched on with a mixture of annoyance at his daughter's stubbornness, and gratefulness for Alice's interest in his daughter.

"Oh, but I do, Ma'am!" Louise said determinedly. "And while I appreciate you concerning yourself over me – I'm afraid I don't thank you for discussing with my Pa what I am doing with my time and life, when that is between me and my family!"

"Louise!" Ben said, standing up from his chair and grabbing his daughter's arm. "You apologize to Alice right now!"

Louise's eyes filled with tears, but she fought them back. Why did she feel like she was fighting everyone? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just …"

"It's alright, Louise. Maybe you're right – we should have waited until you were in the room. I just expressed an interest in you and wondered how you were learning the arts necessary for a woman to know without there being a woman in the house to teach you."

"I do fine without a woman in the house. My Pa and brothers teach me everything I need to know. Perhaps most girls would like to be stuck indoors and wear fancy clothes, and watch the men sweat and work in the sun – but not me. I've lived all my life alongside men, and I want to be like them. I want to work and sweat alongside my family, and wear clothes that I can get dirty in and not worry about being fancy and prim and proper. Most girls wouldn't like that – but I'm not like most girls. I never have been. I'm me!" and she pointed to herself. "And nobody can change who I am!"

Alice sighed and looked down at her lap as she smoothed out her skirt. Finally she looked up, "Ben, I don't think I can change your daughter's mind. My offer still stands if she does at all change her mind – but I understand that, as it is one of her few free days, she would prefer to do the things that she enjoys. I must go now – I don't want to impose upon you any longer."

She rose and said good-bye to the family. Ben walked out onto the porch with her.

"Thank-you for being so understanding, Alice! Don't think badly of Louise for what she said. She's just not used to being around women. It makes me feel like I've failed her somewhere along the way!"

"You are the perfect father for her, Ben, and don't you ever forget that. I could never think badly of Louise. She is a dear, and only needs a woman's guiding here and there."

"Louise is far too stubborn," Ben declared. "I will talk to her about it. She speaks her mind far too freely. I wish that her mother was still alive. What Louise needs more than anything else is a mother's guidance!"

"I'd be happy to fill in that position," Alice said, gazing into Ben's eyes. Her eyes opened wide when she realized what she had said, and she hurried to add, "As a friend, of course!"

Ben smiled, and his eyes sparkled with that same shine that Louise and Adam had picked up on of late.

"I appreciate that. Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?"

"Nonsense! I am fully capable of driving the buggy."

"Won't you stay for supper?"

"And leave Pa alone? No. I can't trust him not to blow up the kitchen in his attempts to cook for himself. I'd better hurry home before my house lights up as a beacon to light the way, and is burnt to a crisp by the time I arrive!"

Ben smiled and helped Alice into the buggy.

"Take care."

"I will – and you," Alice said, and then clicked the horses on.

Ben watched the buggy drive out of the yard, and then wandered thoughtfully into the house.

Hoss and Joe had started a game of checkers, and Adam was pretending to read a book whilst scrutinizing Louise over the top of it. The latter's face looked a mixture of anger, stubbornness and sadness.

Ben perched on the table in front of Louise and studied her for a moment, whilst she focused on the dining room table and chairs, trying not to look at Ben.

"Well?" Ben finally spoke.

Louise looked at him in a manner as if she hadn't realized that he was there. "Well, Pa?" she asked with forced cheerfulness.

"Well, why are you in such a mood?"

"I don't know," Louise answered truthfully as she turned away. "There's something strange going on – and I don't understand. I feel … confused."

"What's going on? What are you talking about?" Ben asked tenderly, taking her hand in his.

"I can't explain it – and I don't think I'll know until it happens."

"Could you try to explain it?"

"No," Louise said, shaking her head as she stared vacantly ahead of her. How could she explain to Ben that she was afraid that he was being too informal with Miss Alice – that by being that way he was somehow betraying her mother? She couldn't. It would hurt his feelings, for he would never want to betray Marie. Besides, she didn't understand why she felt that way anyway. Alice was only a family friend – there was nothing wrong with Ben being friendly to her. So why did it upset her so much?

"Alright," Ben said, patting her knee when he saw that he couldn't get anything else out of her. "I wasn't very happy with how you addressed Alice today – you were rude to her. Don't embarrass me like that again."

"Yes, sir," Louise said, without looking up. She knew that Hoss and Joe weren't studying the tiles on the checkerboard – they were listening to Ben's words. And Adam wasn't really reading that book – he had been keeping an eye on her ever since Alice had left. She hated it when everyone heard Ben reprimand her.

Louise sighed when she realized that it was her pride that was affected. Why was she such a stubborn, hot-headed, proud tomboy? She was probably a disappointment to her family! But this was the way of life that she had been brought up in, so why was Ben allowing some woman to step in and try and change things for her now?

Well, Louise wasn't going to change! She was who she was, and she liked being who she was. And nobody, not even a good friend of her father's, was going to change her!

Well, what do you think of Miss Alice? What do you think of Louise now that she's a bit older? I hope she's just as you imagined her to be as a nine year old. What do you think might be ahead for the family in the rest of the story? I will try to update as soon as possible - and the more reviews I get, the more I will be encouraged to write and post! *Evil laugh* (I'm awful for manipulating! Soz!) Please do review though. I long to hear from you, guys!