Adam and Sam's wedding was the talk of Virginia City for weeks afterward. It had been extravagant but could in no way be construed as ostentatious. The nighttime ceremony had taken place in the town church, filled with flowers of every kind, and with lighted, scented candles placed strategically in every nook and cranny. The pews had been polished until the wood glowed with warmth, and there were velvet bows placed all around the altar. Even the outside of the church had been decorated with living fir and Ponderosa pine boughs. Even though the nuptials had taken place in March, the weather was still very cold at night and the snow often fell very gently making the scene quite picturesque. Drucilla would say that the whole thing looked like a find painting – good enough to hang on the walls of any high-class museum.
The ceremony itself was quite simple. Sam had no family and had decided against having any bridesmaids. Adam was in complete agreement and had chosen no groomsmen, though he would like to have had his father and brothers stand with him on this most-special occasion. But Ben had been pressed into service by Sam – she wanted him to walk her down the aisle. The patriarch of the Cartwright clan had considered this quite an honor and was proud to take Sam's arm. Hoss and Little Joe became ushers.
Every citizen of Virginia City had been invited to the wedding, and the church was filled to capacity. The late-arrivals hadn't minded standing outside or sitting in buggies or wagons in the cold night air because the door to the church was left open deliberately so they could see what was going on. Mrs. Elvin played the church organ and, at a signal from Little Joe, the music swelled. It was time for the bride to march to the altar.
Ben took Sam's arm and tucked it under his own. "Are you ready?" he whispered.
Sam looked at him with a smile. "I've been waiting for this moment all my life. Do I look all right? I want Adam to be proud."
Ben looked at her simple floor-length white dress and made a slight adjustment to her white veil. "You've never been more beautiful," he answered with a lump in his throat. He adjusted his suit coat one more time and smiled as Sam whispered, "You look so handsome. Maybe I should've married you!"
Ben whispered back. "Adam would have tied me up and left me at home!" Sam giggled. Ben chuckled.
They made their way up the aisle. Adam was standing alone, fighting the lump in his own throat. He had waited for so long to find the right woman to marry, and Sam was definitely the right woman.
Sam looked at Adam as she drew nearer. What a handsome man he is. He stands so straight and proud in his best suit. What broad shoulders he has! What a strong man he is – inside and out! He's going to make a wonderful husband and, God willing, a wonderful father!"
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Soon, Adam and Sam were standing side by side and half-listening to the preacher. But the man had their full attention as they said their vows. As they slipped matching gold rings on each other's fingers, the choir sang "Ave Maria" softly. It was a moment that brought tears to the eyes of Drucilla, Thelma, Henrietta and Doc Martin. Hankies came out of handbags and coat pockets as Adam lifted Sam's veil and kissed her very gently.
"I love you," he murmured, his eyes brimming with tears of happiness.
"I love you more," Sam answered, her lips quivering from emotion.
He was careful when he folded the veil behind her head to be sure it didn't wrinkle – one day a daughter might want to wear the same dress and veil!
With a laugh, Sam grabbed Adam's arm and they began to walk towards the open church door. Sam happened to catch Gretchen's eye and received a genuine smile. Gretchen and Ted would, undoubtedly, be the next couple to wed. Friedhelm Werner continued to be in good health, and Ilsa Werner (who had made much progress toward sanity) nodded her head. There was applause as the newlyweds made their way down the aisle and there was even more applause as they walked outside – how gratifying it was to see so many happy faces!
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The only place large enough to hold such a multitude of people was the town hall, and Hop Sing rushed there. In honor of this occasion, he had dressed in his formal, authentic Chinese clothing and would now be in charge of the food at the reception. He and twenty of his Chinese friends had been busy decorating earlier – basically the same things that were in the church. Hop Sing believed in continuity. And he and his trusted friends believed in cooking enough food to feed an army! But the one thing the Ponderosa cook was proudest of was his three-tiered cake with its icing and flowerets that he had taken so much time and patience to produce.
Adam and Sam, with smiles of happiness, received their guests. There were handshakes and kisses galore and then the guests were seated at long tables piled high with every food imaginable. Hop Sing and crew had provided well, and the tables were beautifully appointed with fine china, silver utensils, crystal, and damask napkins.
"Ben must've paid a fortune for this," Henrietta said as she gazed at the place settings.
"Well, Adam is his first-born son," Thelma snipped. "He would have spared no expense for this occasion!"
Henrietta dabbed at her wet cheeks. "It's just so…so…magical Don't Adam and Doctor Sam make the perfect couple?"
Several tables over, Ilsa spoke to Gretchen. "You could have had all this if you had managed to snag Adam."
"Hush, Mama!" Gretchen cautioned. "Somebody'll hear you and you'll have to go back into therapy again! Besides, Ted is a wonderful man and I'm so happy with him!"
Friedhelm had little to say so he wisely kept his mouth shut. He truly wanted his daughter to be happy, but he also wanted her to have the material things that the Cartwrights could provide. He liked Ted, but Ted wasn't wealthy and probably never would be. But Ted was a hard worker and it was obvious that the man was deeply in love with Gretchen.
Toasts to the newlyweds were made; people ate and drank until they thought they could hold no more. Then Hop Sing proudly rolled his masterpiece-cake into the middle of the room. Sam gasped with delighted surprise. Turning to Hop Sing, she spoke in Chinese and ascertained that the cook had, indeed, made the cake all by himself. She promptly hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks.
Ilsa and Gretchen, and a few others, shook their heads. It was still taboo for a white woman to kiss an Oriental man. It was obvious that either Sam had no sense of etiquette or she didn't care what people thought.
Sam translated her conversation to Adam who, with a pleased expression, clapped Hop Sing on the back and shook his hand. Hop Sing backed away from the cake and bowed formally.
With Adam's hand on top of Sam's, the cake was cut. It was as beautiful inside as it was outside. Each tier had different kinds of pie filling dividing the layers. Hop Sing had outdone himself! Sam fed a piece of the cake to Adam and he, in turn, fed a piece to Sam. Ilsa was upset that neither of them had smeared cake on the other one's face. "That would have been so funny," she said as she stared.
"Oh, Ilsa. Do hush!" Friedhelm snapped.
And then it was time to dance. As a slow waltz began, Adam swept Sam into his arms and led her into a magical waltz, once again – as had happened a long time ago – their bodies molded into each other. They moved together as if they were one body.
"Isn't this the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Henrietta sighed.
"Very…intimate," replied Thelma with a slight redness in her cheeks.
Sam signaled for everyone to join them on the dance floor, and Drucilla snatched Delmas up, dragging him out to dance. Delmas wasn't a good dancer, but Drucilla didn't care. She was just so happy to have a man and to be a part of the proceedings!
Adam relinquished his new bride to his father's arms. Ben was as good a dancer as his eldest son but he was careful not to hold Sam too close. "Are you happy?" he asked as they twirled around the floor.
"Deliriously," Sam answered. "You raised, in love, a little boy and gave to me a man."
Hoss and Little Joe each had a dance with Sam while Adam pushed and pulled Thelma and Henrietta around the floor. Fortunately, both Sam and Adam had an opportunity to dance with other people too. And, to Sam's delight, Doc Martin proved to glide easily across the dance floor.
"You will let me keep working with you, won't you?" Sam asked.
"You're much-needed here," Doc answered. "The help you've given to the Spanish-speaking and Chinese-speaking population has been invaluable. Everybody respects you and, I think, everybody adores you. I could leave town tomorrow and be comfortable that you could handle anything that happens."
Sam blushed at the compliment. "The only person I couldn't help was Ilsa. That's my one regret."
"But you found help for her," Doc said. "You did what you could do."
"But she keeps staring at me!" Sam said as they danced by the Werners.
"You're imagining things," Doc laughed. "This is your wedding day! Don't let anything spoil it."
Sam did as Doc had suggested and allowed herself to be swept away by happiness. And, when she and Adam decided to leave, Drucilla caught the bouquet and looked pointedly at Delmas.
"Uh-oh," Adam grinned. "I think Drucilla has caught herself a man!"
Sam and Adam hurried to the waiting buggy – Hoss had done his job in a timely fashion. Running through a hail of birdseed instead of rice, Adam practically threw Sam into the buggy and flicked the reins across the horse's back. Shoes, pots and pans clattered as the couple sped home.
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The house that Sam and Adam had imagined months before was now a reality. Building a house in the winter had been difficult but, with the help of so many townsfolk, it had gone up in record time. Nestled in the cover of Ponderosa pines, the house was secluded but close enough to reach town easily. Both a barn and corral had been built; there was a smokehouse, the beginnings of a bunkhouse, and there were several horses and a large herd of cattle (thanks to Ben). The winter had been kind, and few of anyone's herds had been lost. Under the light blanket of snow lay rich, fertile soil in which to plant a garden. Gretchen, true to her word, had helped Sam decorate the house – not too feminine and not too masculine. When the front door was opened, the rooms would beckon callers to sit down and be comfortable. And the small ranch had been named, not specifically by Sam or Adam, but by the people who had helped in the building of the house – they referred to this area as "The Pines."
Smoke from each chimney was gray against the night sky. Lamps were lit and shone their guiding light, making the house seem even more like home. Adam had stopped on his way to the church and started small fires in the fireplaces and lit the lamps. Just this morning, he had brought Fancy and Sport to their new home. He wanted everything to be "just right" when he brought home his new bride.
Asking Adam to stop the buggy as it emerged into the clearing, Sam's face was serene. "This is our home, Adam." She snuggled into the crook of Adam's arm.
"Our happiness and our future," came the answer with a whisper and a kiss.
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Adam performed the traditional carrying-of-the-wife-over-the-threshold, kissing Sam with every step he took. With the last kiss, Sam had a devilish smile as he sped out the door toward the barn. "Hurry back, husband!"
Then, while Adam was putting the horse and buggy safely into the barn, Sam, taking off her coat, re-investigated her new home. She had removed her veil and kicked off her shoes as she padded around the downstairs portion of the house. The fire in the stone fireplace hadn't quite warmed the room enough because Adam hadn't built a big fire. What a tragedy it would've been to come home to find the house burned down! But the room wasn't chilly, and Sam continued to look around. On the table was a bottle of champagne with exquisite crystal glasses – no doubt a gift from Ben. The kitchen had been well-stocked with all kinds of food, canned goods, and jars of jellies and preserves. As promised, there was a pump at the sink. No having to fetch water! New pots and pans were in place where they could be reached easily.
Sam felt that she was being watched and spun around abruptly. Adam was standing a few feet away from her – holding her shoes. He grinned as he took off his coat. "That's how I like my wife. Barefoot and…"
"Adam Cartwright! Don't you dare finish that old saying!"
Adam's laughter filled the house. Then he grabbed Sam's hand and led her into the dining room where he opened the bottle of champagne.
"I don't know if I should drink any more," Sam said. "I drank an awful lot at the reception."
"One more glass won't hurt you," Adam said with his lop-sided grin as he poured two glasses.
Sam noticed a basket on the table that she hadn't seen. Upon opening it, she found fruit and cheese. "Shall we eat some of this?" she asked, knowing that she was really too full but was coyly trying to put the inevitable off for a little longer. She drank a big swallow of champagne.
Adam shook his head. "Fruit and cheese is not what I want right now." There was that lop-sided grin again. In two strides, he took the half-finished champagne glass from his wife's hand and kissed her with such passion that it took away Sam's breath. She felt herself being picked up in familiar strong arms as she was carried across the living room with its dying fire. And she felt each step as Adam carried her upstairs. To the big bedroom with its fireplace and oversized bed. At each step, she kissed her new husband. She wasn't afraid.