Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bonanza nor any of the orignial Cartwright characters. Only thing I can lay claim to is the story line and the 'extra characters'
A/N Because of a question I was asked via email I am including this note. The only stories that are 'connected' per say are "Mariah", "They Come in Three", "His Father's Son", "For Jacob's Sake" and this one "To Dance Again". No, "Mariah" is not mentioned in "His Father's Son". Her 'absence' is accounted for in "For Jacob's Sake". Also will I be doing anymore with "Mariah" or Adam/Jacob stories? There MIGHT be one more. There is such a thing as overkill. Also I put tragedy as part of the genre because one of the major "guest stars" per say dies...no I'm not saying who.
To Dance Again
Chapter One
Rain, rain and more rain. Little Jacob stood on a chair he'd pulled over to the window and was standing on it. It was the only way for him to see out of the window. He wished he'd hurry up and grow tall like his pa. He loved it when it rained and wanted to be able to watch it fall...without the chair.
Adam watched his son from the top of the stairs. He could hardly believe the lad was already ten years old and getting taller every time he turned around. Adam sighed as he recalled his son's question from just that morning. 'My cousins have a ma. Am I ever gonna have a ma again?"
How was he supposed to answer that one? How could he tell a small boy that it wasn't that easy? Heck, there were days he'd found himself a tad jealous that Hoss still had Melinda and he'd almost got up and left the day Little Joe and Miss Rosa got married. The child was too young to understand.
Little Jacob felt his father's gaze and turned his head. "Come down here pa, the rain is talking when it hits the window!"
Adam chuckled as he descended the steps then walked over to where his son stood gazing out the window. The raindrops hitting the roof sounded more like racket to him but his son had a vivid imagination. "And just what is it saying?"
Little Jacob tilted his head and closed his eyes. Adam had to hold in a laugh at the sight. "Dance, papa," Little Jacob opened up his eyes and grinned, "It's saying dance!"
SCENE ONE
Ben was sitting out on the porch looking through some legal papers when Little Jacob walked out the front door and walked over to 'his outdoor chair' and sat down. "Grandpa, may I ask ya something?"
"Of course," Ben put down the papers he'd been holding, "I always have time for you." He did too. More than once he'd set something 'important' just so Little Jacob could talk.
"I barely remember my ma," the young boy turned and looked up at his grandfather, "What was she really like? I mean, I remember she had dark brown hair and the nicest smile. I remember her singing to me, cooking in the kitchen and," he paused as tears started coming, "she had just begun to teach me to read when she and Adam Jr. got sick but what was she really like?"
Ben felt his heart go out to his grandson. Leaning a bit forward he asked, "Have you talked to your father about this?" It had been four years since Adam lost his wife and oldest son. Surely he was past his grief and able to talk about it now.
Little Jacob shrugged his shoulders, "Guess I should of asked him before I asked when I was gonna get a new ma. Except for when he watched the rain with me he's been keeping awfully busy."
Ben leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment, "Tell you what," he began speaking again, "What if I talk to your father about this and see if I can get him to talk to you. He really should be the one to do this."
"Okay only tell him I'm sorry," Little Jacob looked towards the house, "I never meant to upset him."
A part of Ben felt sorry for both his grandson and son; another part wanted to grab a hold of Adam and shake some sense into him. He knew how painful it could be to talk about someone you had loved and lost but, blasted it-sometimes it just had to be done!
Ben stood up, "You wait here. I'll be back."
Little Jacob couldn't help but grin. He just knew his pa would talk now. After all, his grandfather had a way with words and knew how to get people to listen to him!
SCENE TWO
Adam sat looking into the empty fireplace. His father had just finished talking to him and went back outside. He hated it when the man was right. Little Jacob did deserve to know more about his own mother. Slowly he stood up and headed outside.
"He's in the barn." Ben looked up from the table as Adam came into his view. He watched as his oldest headed for the barn. He did wish his son would find someone again-or at least go out more than he did. He sighed. It hadn't been his place to tell Adam what to do for years; guess he couldn't start now.
While Ben finished up the paper work he had Adam had made his way to the back of the barn. Little Jacob was sitting on a crate looking at nothing in particular. Adam pulled another crate over and sat down next to his son. "You need to stop blaming yourself when I find myself unable to talk about things."
"My head knows that," Little Jacob looked up at him, "but my heart ain't listening."
"Is not. Your heart is not listening." Adam corrected his son but smiled.
'Yea, whatever' Little Jacob thought but kept his mouth shut on the subject. He knew what would happen if he back talked his father, "Are you going to tell me 'bout ma?"
Adam stood up and walked over to the chest he'd brought with them from Australia. Little Jacob hurried over and watched as he opened the lid. After moving things around Adam pulled out a picture and handed it to Little Jacob.
Little Jacob smiled as he looked at the woman in the picture. Her hair was done up in a bun, the dress she wore was very beautiful and she stood in front of a building, "What's that building?"
Adam smiled, "Remember how I told you your mother taught school once? Well, that's the school she taught at. I actually met her there," for the first time in a long time Little Jacob saw his father really smile as Adam began began chuckling, "maybe I should say 'I bumped into her."
"Tell me about it, pa, please." Little's Jacob's eyes were pleading harder than his voice was.
Adam put his hand on the lad's shoulder and nodded towards the barn doors, "Let's go out there. It's too nice of a day to be telling stories in here."
In the barn, in the house or outside; what did it matter where the story was told? Little Jacob didn't care only he didn't argue either. If his pa was finally ready to talk he sure the sam hill wasn't going to stop him!