The ties that bind

**Ponderosa ranch 1875**

Yolanda Cartwright sat in the rocking chair on the front courtyard of the ponderosa ranch house while rocking her one year old baby girl, Marissa, and watching her other little girl, three year old Carrisa, playing in the yard.

Yolanda was all of 5'5" at 130lbs, and had reddish blond hair that when she wore it down it came to the middle of her back. Regardless of her small stature, she could stand up to anyone of the Cartwright men when she had to.

Like most afternoons Yolanda was out in that Rocking chair waiting for her wonderfully handsome husband to come riding into the yard and she would go to him and welcome him home with Marissa in her arms and Carrisa not far behind her. However this day was very special day because it was the day of their fourth anniversary of their marriage together, and he had said that he would be home early to take her to Carson City to one of the finest restaurants there to celebrate.

Yolanda and Adam Cartwright were married on the fourth of July at the Ponderosa. It was a grand event, that made Jo Cartwright very happy, because he had organized a wonderful display of fireworks to be set off between the ceremony and the reception party which would honour both occasions on that day, and Eric "Hoss" Cartwright was pleased with everything because Hop Sing and his cousins had made enough food for an army.

As for Ben Cartwright, he was so happy that finally at least on of his sons was married now and he looked forward to grandchildren now. He could only hope that his other two sons would soon be married also.

Since the day of the wedding Adam and Yolanda had been living at the house and Adam, with the help of his brothers, had put an addition onto the house and turned the adjoining bunkhouse that was next to the great room into a den and library where the children would also play on bad weather days. The addition was put on the side where the big fireplace was and that space was where Adam and Yolanda occupied most of their time together. Adam was in the process of designing his house by the lake, as his family grew the main house was getting crowded and it was time Adam had his own little ranch that would be part of the Ponderosa business. Adam wanted to call it "The A.T. Rocking horse ranch"

Adam was forty when he met Yolanda, when she and her family moved to Virginia City six years ago.

Yolanda had been thirty at the time. Her father and mother has set up a new restaurant in town which was one of the finer eating establishments in town, or you might say the finest in town. When Ben and his sons had gone into the dinning room there for a fine quiet dinner, Yolanda was the hostess there who showed them to their table. It was like an instant attraction between Adam and Yolanda. Adam had then even told his family as they all ate their meal..."One day I am going to marry that beautiful lady."

"Hoss had to say with a small smile..."Hey older brother, don't ya think you should find out fin she is already taken or not?"

"Well, that shouldn't be to hard. I'll just ask her if she wants to go out for dinner and the theater after."

"Ya Adam, that outa do it alright."

"Well, little brother, do you know a better way to do it? Please tell me. I'm all ears."

"Oh, N, no, Adam. I was just making a comment on your methods of asking the lady out."

"All right you three, enough now. We are in a fancy place, you don't discuss these kinds of things here."

As it turned out, Yolanda was having many thoughts of her own them about this tall, dark and handsome man with those mysterious eyes of his. She loved what she saw and she was going to marry that man some day.