The Better Angels of Our Nature
Book 5 of A HOUSE UNITED series
By Sarah Hendess
Virginia City and Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada Territory
May 1863
Ben Cartwright stared in horror as his sister-in-law Rachel swept toward the International House on the arm of Widow Hawkins. He had been apprehensive about Rachel's visit to begin with, and now he was downright terrified. But he had Josie's mother to think of, too, and he knew Hannah must be ravenous after her long stagecoach journey, so he offered her his arm and led her and the rest of his family toward the hotel. Josie ordered Pip to wait on the hotel's porch, and the Cartwrights stepped inside to find Rachel and Clementine still chattering away. Ben caught the maître d's attention and glumly requested a table for eight.
As they entered the dining room, Hoss offered Rachel his arm, which she happily accepted, and she patted his cheek in gratitude when he pulled out her chair for her. None of them wanting to be stuck with Widow Hawkins, Ben, Adam, and Little Joe jockeyed for position to assist the other three ladies. Little Joe very wisely stuck to Josie like glue, and she giggled as Joe made a low bow and a grand flourish with his hand as she sat. Ben and Adam stared wide-eyed at each other for a split second before simultaneously bolting for Hannah. Ben was a little closer to her, but Adam was at an angle and bumped his father out of the way with his hip.
"Let me get that for you, Aunt Hannah," he said as he drew Hannah's chair away from the table.
"Thank you, Adam," she said as she sank gracefully into her seat next to Josie. Adam smiled smugly at his father, who glowered back at him as he reluctantly helped Widow Hawkins with her chair.
"Oh, thank you, Ducky!" she proclaimed to the entire restaurant. "You are such a gentleman!"
Ben blushed deep crimson and sat down in the only remaining seat – right between Widow Hawkins and Rachel Stoddard. He tried to deflect the widow's attention from himself by catching Hannah's eye.
"So, Hannah, how was your trip?" he asked as the waiter handed out menus.
"Oh, it was so exciting!" she gushed. "I don't often get to travel far from home, what with Jacob being tied to his clinic. You should see how much Panama has grown, Ben! You'd hardly recognize it."
Rachel butted in before Ben could respond. "It was dreadful! Positively dreadful! Oh, the ship from Boston was nice enough, but Panama! Nasty, savage place. And do not get me started on San Francisco!"
"Don't worry, we won't," Little Joe muttered under his breath.
Fortunately, Rachel did not hear Little Joe and continued with her soliloquy uninterrupted. "Filthy, sinful city," she ranted. "They should have named it either 'Sodom' or 'Gomorrah'!"
"Oh, I couldn't agree more with you, dearie," Widow Hawkins commiserated. "Nothing but drunk sailors and loose women." She shook her head sadly. Ben rolled his eyes. The widow had not left Virginia City since its founding four years ago, and it had probably been at least a couple decades since she had seen San Francisco.
Adam decided to change the subject. "Aunt Hannah, did you see the railroad construction when you went through Sacramento?"
"I did! I remember you telling me about it in your last letter. How exciting! To think that in a few years we might be able to make this journey in days instead of weeks! It will be so civilized." She shot an impish look at her older sister that Rachel did not see but made Adam smile.
Josie grinned at her mother's little jab, though it was true that the excitement over the railroad was palpable. Last year, President Lincoln had signed the Pacific Railway Act, which provided governmental support for the construction of a transcontinental railroad between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Sacramento. The Central Pacific Railroad had begun construction in Sacramento just after the first of the year. Going was slow, however, due to the Civil War's enormous appetite for men and money, and everyone knew it would be many years before the track was completed and open for passengers, but it was exciting nonetheless.
"A railroad would be a real boon to the Ponderosa," Ben chimed in. "Our profits would skyrocket if we could take our cattle and timber and silver just a few miles to a railway station rather than drive them hundreds of miles to market like we do now."
They paused their conversation as the waiter took their orders. Adam smirked as he watched Rachel notice the waiter's deference to Ben, always referring to him as "sir" or "Mr. Cartwright."
"I am looking forward to seeing this ranch of yours, Benjamin," Rachel said, much to her brother-in-law's surprise. "I must say, once we reached California, it seemed everyone had heard of the Ponderosa."
"Why of course, they 'ave!" Widow Hawkins exclaimed. "The Ponderosa's the biggest ranch this side of the Rocky Mountains, it is! Our Benjamin's a regular emperor!" She beamed at Ben, who sank in his chair until Rachel jabbed him in the ribs to make him sit up straight once more.
"It is a wonder you have not found a woman willing to help you with the domestic aspects of such a large holding," Rachel said casually as she took a dainty sip from her wine glass.
"There's women willing, believe you me!" Widow Hawkins crowed as she nudged Ben in the ribs with her elbow. "Ain't no greater name to aspire to in this territory than 'Mrs. Cartwright'!"
Ben turned so purple in embarrassment that Josie briefly worried he might be having some sort of cardiac event. She dived in to rescue him.
"Looks like you're in luck, Mama!" she said with a grin. Hannah beamed back at her just as the food mercifully arrived, and Ben had an excuse to bow gracefully out of the conversation.
As they ate, Josie, Adam, Hannah, and Ben masterfully deflected the conversation from discussion of anyone's marital status. Adam engaged Rachel in an explanation of the type of work they did around the ranch that time of year – mostly separating the cattle they would take to market at the end of the summer from the ones they would keep – and Hannah asked Widow Hawkins about her boardinghouse. Eventually and inevitably, though, the conversation turned to the war. Hannah related what she and Rachel had heard about a potential battle in Virginia near a town called Chancellorsville, but there was no reliable information as of yet.
"Is Papa there?" Josie asked quietly.
Hannah took hold of her daughter's hand. "Yes," she replied. "He's still attached to the main army."
"How did he look when you saw him?" Josie knew Jacob had been given some leave over Christmas and had been able to return home for a few days.
"Tired," Hannah answered. "And thin. But he's healthy, thank heavens, and there's a lot of talk that the South can't hold out much longer. Maybe we will have him home for good by Christmas." She smiled encouragingly at Josie. "He was excited when I wired him to say that Rachel and I were coming to visit you. He sends his love and plans to come out here himself when the war is over."
"Oh, wouldn't that be exciting?!" Widow Hawkins cut in. "FIVE Cartwright men in Virginia City! Be still me beating 'eart!" She reached over and tweaked Ben's cheek, and he jumped. Rachel glared at him again.
Josie stifled a giggle but then grew serious as an alarming thought occurred to her. "Mama, you didn't tell Papa I was sick, did you?" she asked.
"No, darling. I considered it, for the same reason your uncle wired me, but I could not stand the thought of adding to his troubles. And somehow I just knew you would be all right." She brushed away a tear and leaned over to kiss her daughter's cheek.
"I had good nurses," Josie said, smiling at Adam, Hoss, and Ben.
"And we had a little help," Adam added, very wisely not mentioning that said help came from the local Indian tribe.
"I am sure you did," Rachel said approvingly. "If Mrs. Hawkins here is any indication of the kindness and generosity of the good people of Virginia City, I expect you had more help than you could possibly use."
Widow Hawkins beamed at the compliment and squeezed Rachel's hand. "Thank you, dearie. We do look out for one another around 'ere, though it's easy to be kind to such a doll as the good doctor. Gets it from her darling uncle, I expect!" She tweaked Ben's cheek again. Ben managed not to jump this time, but he snagged the waiter and requested the bill.
"Please be quick with it," he pleaded quietly to the man, who nodded and rushed off.
After Ben settled the bill, the men escorted the ladies from the restaurant. Each of his sons held onto the lady he had assisted previously, leaving Ben no choice but to offer his arm to Widow Hawkins once more.
Benjamin Cartwright was eternally grateful to the stagecoach depot manager for loading Hannah's and Rachel's luggage into the Cartwrights' buckboard while they were eating their lunch because it meant there was no delay in their departure from Virginia City and its boardinghouse matron. Rachel bid her new friend a fond farewell and insisted she visit the Ponderosa whenever she could. All of the Cartwrights were dismayed by this invitation but gallantly plastered smiles on their faces, and they were all relieved when at long last everyone was either in a wagon or on a horse and they could turn down the road toward home.
Josie nestled into the backseat of the surrey with her mother, who wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders and held her close. Ben was less than thrilled to sit in the front seat with Rachel, but as the head of the family, it would have been rude for him not to – a slight Rachel certainly would have pointed out. Pip trotted alongside the surrey, while Adam and Hoss rolled along behind them in the buckboard. Little Joe was more than happy to bring up the rear on Cochise and avoid having to participate in any conversations.
"So, Benjamin," Rachel began as they drove out of town, "how long does it take to reach your ranch?"
"It takes about two hours to reach the house," Ben explained, "but we'll cross onto Ponderosa land in about thirty minutes."
Rachel digested this for a moment. "Why not build the house closer to town, then? Why so far out?"
Ben chuckled. "Because there was no town when we built the house. We'd been in the house nine years by the time Virginia City was founded."
"Nine years with no town!" Rachel exclaimed in disbelief. "I can't even imagine!"
"It was longer than that, actually," Ben added. "We've been on this land for twenty-five years. We lived in a much smaller house until Adam came home from Harvard with his grand design." He grinned, remembering how amazed he had been the first time Adam showed him his plans for their house.
"I can't wait to see it!" Hannah piped up from the backseat. "I remember watching you begin construction the last time I was here."
"It's beautiful, Mama!" Josie gushed. "And wait until you see my clinic! Adam designed it, too."
"Waste of time, if you ask me," Rachel sniffed. "Going to all that trouble when you will be leaving as soon as this wretched war is over."
Josie bit her lower lip at this remark and saw Ben's shoulders twitch ever so slightly in the seat in front of her. She caught her mother's eye and gave her an uncomfortable little smile. Hannah understood immediately and was not surprised. It had been clear to her thirteen years ago that Josie preferred Nevada to Boston or Washington, and from the enthusiasm in Josie's letters over the past two years, Hannah had long suspected that her daughter would remain in the West with her cousins. Sad though she was that they would be separated by such a great distance, Hannah smiled at the thought of how amused her sister Elizabeth would have been had she known that Adam and Josie were taming the frontier together.
Josie spent the rest of the ride pointing out various landmarks and interesting sights to her mother, who had never come onto the Ponderosa from this direction. Hannah was thrilled by all of it, and even Rachel expressed interest when Ben reminded her that their property bordered Lake Tahoe.
"I'm sure Hoss would be delighted to take you on a buggy ride out there tomorrow," Ben said. "It's quite pretty this time of year."
As they approached Josie's clinic, Josie insisted they stop so she could show it to her mother right away. Ben cast a wary glance at Rachel.
"Oh, Josephine, I'm sure your mother and your aunt are tired after their long journey. You can show them the clinic tomorrow," he said. Rachel smiled at him approvingly.
"No!" Hannah protested, her voice registering disappointment. "Let's stop! I want to see my daughter's clinic."
Ben smirked as Rachel rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We better stop, then," he said cheerfully and reined the horses to a stop outside Josie's clinic.
Adam hustled over from the buckboard to help Josie and Hannah out of the surrey while Ben assisted Rachel. As soon as her feet were on the ground, Hannah stood back and surveyed the clinic, and a huge smile spread across her face.
"It's wonderful!" she breathed, squeezing Josie's hand.
Josie giggled. "Wait until you see the inside, Mama." She held fast to her mother's hand and led her up the porch and inside.
By the time Josie finished giving her mother the grand tour, Hannah had tears in her eyes. She turned to Adam and embraced him warmly.
"Thank you for doing this for her," she said.
Little Joe rolled his eyes. Hannah did not see him, but Adam did and chuckled. "I can't take all the credit," he admitted. "I drew up the designs, but I got shut up in the quarantine just as we were getting construction started. Little Joe and a number of men from town did the building."
Hannah turned to Little Joe and gave him a hug, too. "Thank you," she said as she affectionately smoothed back one of the young man's wild brown curls.
Little Joe unleashed his dazzling smile. "Anything for Josie," he said modestly.
Rachel, meanwhile, was examining Josie's desk and chair. She ran a discriminating hand across the desk's gleaming, polished top. "This craftsmanship is exquisite," she remarked and looked over at Adam. "You must have had this shipped in from New England. The Shakers, perhaps?"
Adam grinned. "No, ma'am," he answered. "I commissioned a friend of mine. He built all the furniture you see here just a couple hours' ride away on a neighboring ranch."
"A friend of yours, eh?" Josie asked, playfully poking Adam in the ribs.
Adam smiled fondly down at Josie. "Yeah, I guess so," he quipped wryly. He took Josie's hand in his, offered his free arm to Hannah, and led the ladies back outside. They loaded back into the wagons and drove the remaining quarter mile to the house.
Even Rachel was impressed by the house. As they came around the final curve and into the front yard, Josie heard her aunt's breath catch.
"My goodness!" Rachel exclaimed. "I never expected such a large house way out here."
Hannah beamed, unable to speak, too proud of her nephew to find any words.
Ben grinned. "I hired the best New England-trained architect I could find," he boasted with a wink at Adam.
"And I actually got to help build it!" Adam called from the buckboard.
Everyone laughed as the wagons rolled to a stop and Hop Sing came skittering out of the house. Ben helped the ladies out of the surrey as Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe unloaded the luggage from the buckboard.
"Mrs. Cartlight!" Hop Sing exclaimed, extending his hand to Hannah. "So good to see you again!"
"Lovely to see you, too, Hop Sing," Hannah replied graciously. "You're looking well."
"Yes, yes," Hop Sing said. "Mr. Cartlight grumpy but not all bad to work for."
Hannah laughed delightedly at this characterization of her brother-in-law, but Rachel stared at the cook, her nose wrinkled. She grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him aside.
"Benjamin," she whispered severely, "why is your housekeeper wearing his pajamas?"
Ben glanced over and took in Hop Sing's blue-silk pants, button-down shirt, and pillbox hat. "He's not in his pajamas, Rachel," Ben explained. "That's just how Chinamen dress."
"And you permit that heathen fashion in your home, do you?"
"It is my home," Ben reminded Rachel. "Besides, the boys and I don't seem to have suffered any ill effects."
Rachel glared over her shoulder at Little Joe, who was sitting on the trunk Hoss was trying to lift while Adam poked Hoss in the back of the knee with the toe of his boot. Hoss's knee buckled, and he stumbled forward a few steps as his hat tipped over his eyes. Blinded, Hoss swung a fist in Adam's general direction. Adam hopped neatly out of the way, and Hoss staggered forward, knocked into the horse trough, and toppled into the cloudy water with a colossal splash.
"Dadburnit, you two!" Hoss yelled as he spat out dingy water. Little Joe cackled so hard he fell off the trunk and into the dirt.
"Certainly, no ill effects at all," Rachel remarked drily.
Ben covered his eyes with one hand. "Adam, get your brother out of the horse trough!"
Adam dutifully extended a hand to Hoss, who instead of hoisting himself out of the horse trough, pulled his older brother in with him. Little Joe doubled over in fresh hysterics, his eyes streaming. Josie whooped right along with him, and even Hannah let loose with her dainty laugh.
"Oh my goodness, I have missed seeing the three of you together," Hannah said to Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe as the two older brothers emerged, soaked and dripping, from the horse trough. "You remind me of my sisters and me." She looked over at Rachel, whose expression radiated sheer contempt. "Well, you remind me of Elizabeth and me, anyway," Hannah added quietly so only her nephews and daughter could hear.
Adam and Hoss ran inside to change into dry clothes while Little Joe and Hop Sing finished taking the ladies' trunks into their rooms. After giving a brief show of the outside of the house, Ben led them inside, where Rachel's features rearranged themselves into a more agreeable expression. While the exposed logs gave the interior of the home a rugged feel, Rachel was impressed by the fine, ornate furniture. She nodded approvingly at the burgundy-striped settee and matching burgundy-leather armchair, as well as at the small felt-topped table that sat between the stairs and Ben's office alcove. When she reached the dining room, she actually referred to the table as "lovely," and Ben hoped that the day might yet be salvageable. He showed her into the downstairs guestroom where she would be staying and held his breath as she examined the pale blue bedspread Josie had selected for that room. Rachel gazed around at the rocking chair, night table, oil lamp, and dressing mirror in the room and nodded.
"This will do very nicely. Thank you, Benjamin," she said.
Ben exhaled.
After poking briefly into the kitchen, the tour resumed with the second floor. Hannah was delighted that she would be so near Josie, though she expressed regret that she was displacing Little Joe.
"Ain't no trouble, Aunt Hannah," Joe said, a bit bashfully. "You should be close to Josie and Adam. And I really don't mind the bunkhouse. The men are always up for a good game of poker." Joe regretted these words the instant they slipped out of his mouth. Rachel drew in an audible sharp breath, but thinking quickly, Hoss changed the subject.
"Wait until you see the washroom, Aunt Rachel!" he exclaimed. "Adam built us indoor plumbing that's downright ingenious!"
Though Rachel had had indoor plumbing installed in her own home some years ago, she was nevertheless impressed that the technology had made its way to the Nevada Territory and complimented Adam accordingly. By the time they reached Josie's bedroom at the end of the hall, Little Joe's indiscretion was forgotten, and Rachel complimented her niece on the décor.
"Thank you, Aunt Rachel, but actually, Uncle Ben decorated the room for me," Josie admitted.
Rachel's eyebrows shot up, and she turned to stare at her brother-in-law.
"I had help," Ben confessed. "Charlotte Larson in town. She and her husband are old friends, and she was very excited to help when I told her I needed to fix up this room for Josie."
"Charlotte Larson has good taste," Hannah said, nodding. She smiled warmly as she spotted the portrait of herself and Jacob on Josie's night table. She picked it up and brushed her fingertips across the glass over her husband's face. "This reminds me, sweetheart," she said to Josie, "I have something for you. It's in my trunk."
"We should let you get settled," Ben said. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour. If there's anything you need, please just ask."
"Thank you," Hannah and Rachel chimed in unison as Ben shuffled his sons out of Josie's bedroom.
"Well, Hannah, I am going downstairs to unpack. I will see you at supper," Rachel said and swept out of the room behind the men.
Josie followed her mother into Little Joe's room to help her unpack. Joe had moved the contents of his wardrobe temporarily into some free space in Adam's, so Hannah had plenty of room to hang up her clothes. Unlike her sister, Hannah had brought along a practical selection of day dresses rather than gowns, and Josie helped her hang these in the wardrobe. Halfway down in Hannah's trunk, Josie uncovered a small, flat package wrapped in brown paper.
"What's this, Mama?" she asked, picking it up and examining the wrapping.
"That's your gift," Hannah said with a smile. "Open it."
Josie sat on the bed and carefully unwrapped the little bundle. The paper fell away to reveal a recent portrait of her father dressed in his Army uniform. Josie's eyes welled up as she studied the familiar face she missed so dearly, and she barely noticed her mother sitting down on the bed next to her.
"He had this done when he was home over the holidays," Hannah said, gazing fondly at the portrait. "I thought you would like it."
"He looks so handsome," Josie sniffed as a renegade tear trickled down her cheek. "Oh, Mama, I miss him so much!" She dissolved into tears and collapsed into her mother's arms. Hannah fought back tears of her own and held her daughter as if her very life depended on it. "I dreamed of him when I was sick," Josie continued, her voice muffled by her mother's shoulder. "At one point, I could have sworn he was holding me. I could hear him telling me that he was there and everything would be all right. And I knew it would be because Papa wouldn't let anything happen to me." She broke down sobbing again.
"I miss him, too, darling," Hannah choked out around the hard lump in her throat. "But you are lucky, you know. You have the best possible substitute here with your Uncle Benjamin."
"Yeah," Josie agreed, pulling a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and dabbing at her nose. "Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe are all right, too, I guess."
Hannah laughed. "They'll do," she said, her eyes twinkling. "They must have taken good care of you while you were ill."
"Oh, they did. Poor Joe was shut out of the house during the quarantine, but Adam hardly left my side. As best I can remember, anyway. Adam said my mind went on its own little journey for about nine days."
Hannah shook her head as she fought back fresh tears. "How did you ever manage to catch typhus in the first place? I would have though you would be immune after all your work in Philadelphia."
Josie kept her mother captivated for the next ten minutes by telling her how she and Ben had found the little Indian boy and returned him to his village, where they discovered the people nearly wiped out by typhus. Hannah's eyes widened as Josie told her about treating Winnemucca's daughter and returning the following day with more quinine, then how Dr. Martin surmised that sometimes casual contact with typhus was not enough to secure immunity.
"It's a wonder you had any quinine left over for yourself," Hannah mused.
"I didn't," Josie said. "I still owe Dr. Martin a bottle, though the one he left didn't do me any good."
"If the quinine failed, how are we sitting here having this conversation?" Hannah asked in awe. She had seen her husband treat dozens of typhus patients with quinine, and in the few instances where it had failed, the patients had died.
"The Indians saved me," Josie said simply. She explained how Winnemucca had arrived with his medicine man and two warriors just after Dr. Martin had told the family that she most likely would not recover. "I don't remember much of the ritual they performed," Josie admitted. "You'd have to ask Adam or Uncle Ben for the details. All I remember is one of the Indians – I guess it was Chief Winnemucca – carrying me out of the house, and then I smelled burning sage. The next thing I remember is looking up at Adam. Then there's nothing until my fever broke that night."
Hannah was amazed by the story. "I wonder why the Indians' medicine worked for you when it couldn't save their own people," she mused.
Josie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Why did the quinine work for the Indians but not for me?"
"That's a good point," Hannah said, smiling. "Now, tell me about this young man of yours."
Josie blushed. She had mentioned Simon in some of her letters to her mother, but she had not gone so far as to reveal that they were courting. Hannah, however, seemed to have intuited this information through some sixth sense Josie supposed all mothers must have. She told Hannah about reuniting with Simon at the Fourth of July picnic when she first arrived in Nevada and his early attempts to court her.
"It's strange," Josie said thoughtfully. "I've always liked Simon as a friend, but nothing more. Not until that night last summer after we brought Adam home and he showed up with a pie. By the time Christmas rolled around…"
Hannah smiled nostalgically. "That happens sometimes," she said sagely. "I didn't like your father, not even as a friend, the first few times we met. I thought he was pompous and conceited."
Josie giggled.
"But then one day after your Aunt Elizabeth died and Ben and Adam left, your father showed up on our doorstep," Hannah continued. "He was still in college then at the University of Pennsylvania, but he came up to Boston all the way from Philadelphia. He knew he was too late to see Ben and meet Adam, but he wanted to come anyway to express his condolences in person. Rachel tried to turn him away, saying the last thing our family needed was another Cartwright interfering with our affairs, but your grandfather invited him inside for supper. Afterwards, your father and I took a walk along the docks to get away from Rachel, and when I looked at him that night, I saw an entirely different person than I had seen before. I saw the kindness and compassion in him, and I knew he was the man with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life." She sighed and gazed out the window toward the mountains rising up in the distance behind the house.
"Of course, I was much younger than you at the time," she added. "Goodness, Jacob and I were only sixteen years old! We weren't married for another four years because he was still finishing at the university and then going to medical school. I suppose that wouldn't be an issue for you and Simon."
"Oh, goodness, Mama! No one's talking about marriage yet! We've only been out on one buggy ride."
Hannah laughed. "Well, good. I trust Ben and Adam's judgment, but I would still like to meet the young man for myself."
"You'll get to," Josie said. "He's coming to supper tomorrow."
"Lovely! And speaking of supper, I suppose I should let you wash up."
Josie hugged her mother tightly and skipped out of the room, her father's portrait in her hand.
Hannah rose from the bed and wandered across the hall to Adam's room, where she could see through the open door that he was reading a book in his armchair next to the window. She knocked softly on the doorjamb, and he sprang to his feet and invited her in.
"Sorry to interrupt your reading," she apologized. "It's just such a treat to have you right across the hall again."
Adam grinned and hugged his aunt. "It's wonderful to have you here," he said. "I'm glad you like the house."
"It's magnificent!" Hannah exclaimed. She meant to compliment him on the house's orientation to the view of the mountains, but she was distracted by the small portraits on Adam's bureau. She crossed the room and picked up the one of her sister Elizabeth. "I haven't seen this portrait in more than thirty years," she sighed as she stared at the little picture. "My goodness, she would have been a few years younger than Josie when this was done."
Adam stepped behind Hannah and gazed at the portrait over her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so," he said thoughtfully. "Pa said this was done just before they were married. I guess she would have been about nineteen." The realization gave him pause. At twenty-two, Josie still seemed so young to him, yet his own mother had been three years younger at the time of her marriage and two years younger at the time of her death. Adam shuddered, remembering just how close Josie had come to joining her.
Hannah picked up the ferrotype that Adam, Little Joe, and Josie they had had done just before Josie began medical school four years earlier, held it alongside the portrait of Elizabeth, and smiled at the resemblance. "This sounds so silly," she said, "but as long as we have Josie, Elizabeth is still with us."
Adam smiled. "Is she a lot like her?" he asked, offering his aunt his vacated armchair.
Hannah set the portraits back on Adam's bureau and sat down in the chair as she considered this question. "A little bit," she said at last. "Elizabeth had a playful, childlike quality even as a young adult that I see in Josie sometimes. Though I think Josie could just as easily have inherited that from the Cartwright side." She nodded toward the sodden clothes Adam had draped over the back of a chair to dry after his dip in the horse trough. Adam grinned sheepishly, and Hannah continued, "Josie's personality is more like the Cartwright side. She has that Cartwright stubbornness."
Adam laughed. "Yes, she does," he agreed as he sat down on the edge of his bed facing Hannah. "The Stoddards have plenty of stubbornness, too, though. Aunt Rachel, for example." He grinned.
"Don't judge your aunt too harshly," Hannah said gently. "It was hard on her, being the oldest of the three of us. She was only sixteen when our mother died, and with Father spending most of the year at sea, caring for Elizabeth and me fell to her. Just at the time Rachel should have been stepping out on her own and courting and simply enjoying being a young woman in Boston, she was shouldered with the responsibility of mothering two younger sisters. I was only eight and Elizabeth only twelve. Rachel certainly does not regret taking over for our mother, but it limited her ability to live her own life."
Adam sat silently for several long moments as Hannah told him this story so similar to his own. Hannah smiled softly as she watched the realization wash over her nephew's face. She admired the long eyelashes that brushed his cheekbones when he closed his eyes and that naughty lock of hair that tried to creep over his brow even though he wore his black hair shorter now than he did when he was in college. She could not have loved him more if he had been her son instead of her sister's. She reached over to him and took one of his tanned, callused hands in both of her soft, pale ones.
"So the lesson to be learned," Hannah continued, "is to be sure you are living your own life. Don't tie yourself permanently to younger siblings who are old enough to care for themselves." She paused and caught Adam's eye. "Because eventually they will find your presence difficult to bear."
Adam laughed aloud. "I'll remember that."
Hannah smiled at him as she rose from her seat. She kissed his forehead and slipped out of the room, leaving her nephew to his book and his thoughts.
Despite Rachel's disapproval of Hop Sing's attire, dinner that evening went smoothly, and after coffee and brandy in the living room, everyone retired early. The following morning, Josie and Hoss procured a picnic lunch from Hop Sing and took Hannah and Rachel on a day-long tour of the ranch, beginning with Lake Tahoe. Though she complained about the heat – even in early May the weather was warming up quickly – Rachel seemed happy to sit in the front seat of the surrey next to Hoss as he showed her around the Ponderosa. She described the colossal lake as "positively breathtaking" and was delighted to eat lunch in the shade of a large oak tree near the shoreline. She even thought it was funny that Hop Sing had packed an extra roast beef sandwich just for Pip.
Little Joe spent the day breaking some new horses, while Ben and Adam reviewed the Ponderosa's financial ledgers and inventory and began planning their cattle drive to San Francisco at the end of July. They were just finishing up in the late afternoon when they heard the rest of the family return in the surrey. The ladies swept into the house, still chattering about the sights they had seen that day. Ben nearly fell over in surprise when Rachel complimented him on the grandness and beauty of the Ponderosa before she retired to her room to wash up and change for dinner. Josie and Hannah set off arm-in-arm up the stairs to do the same, leaving Ben and Adam alone once more.
Adam glanced out of the office window and smiled when he saw Simon Croft riding up on his palomino. The young man was wearing his best pants, shirt, and string tie and had slicked back his hair. Simon's shaggy hair seemed to have a mind of its own, and Adam marveled that he had been able to scrounge up enough hair tonic to keep it in check. He stepped out onto the porch to greet him.
"Hi, Simon!" Adam said, extending his hand.
Simon shook Adam's hand but did not make eye contact. He was too busy glancing around the yard and trying to peer past Adam into the house. "Hey, Adam," he muttered.
Adam wiped his hand on his pants leg; Simon's hand had been unusually sweaty when they shook. "Come on inside. The ladies just got in from a buggy ride, so they're washing up, but I don't expect we have long to wait before supper."
Simon followed Adam into the house, where he greeted Ben, who also took note of the young man's sweaty hand.
"You all right, Simon?" Ben asked. "You look a little pale."
"Oh, I'm all right, Mr. Cartwright," Simon said, reaching up a hand to push back his hair and then remembering he did not have to. With all the hair tonic he had applied before leaving the Lucky Star, Simon guessed it would be two or three years before he would have to brush his hair out of his eyes again. "Just a little nervous, I suppose."
Ben smiled warmly at him. He remembered all too well the anxiety of meeting a young lady's parents. "No need to be, son," he reassured him. "Josie's mother will love you."
"I don't think it's Aunt Hannah he's worried about, Pa," Adam suggested.
Ben thought about his for a moment. "Oh," he said. "Well, I wouldn't worry about Rachel, either. She's all bark and no bite. Would you like some coffee?"
Simon politely declined – he was jittery enough as it was – but took Adam up on his offer of a tall glass of water. Adam tried to make small talk, but Simon had to keep asking him to repeat himself, so Adam gave up and leaned back in the blue armchair while Simon perched on the settee and stared unblinkingly into the unlit fireplace. He did not even seem to notice when Little Joe arrived home and greeted him.
Fortunately, only a few minutes passed before they heard the sound of steps coming down the upstairs hallway toward the stairs. Simon and Adam both sprang to their feet, and Adam reached over in a gesture he had extended so often to his younger brothers and straightened Simon's tie.
"Adam, I'm gonna throw up," Simon moaned.
"Don't you dare!" Adam warned him, as if vomiting were a voluntary action. "Aunt Rachel's opinion doesn't matter, but that doesn't mean I want to have to deal with her if you empty your stomach all over her shoes."
Simon swallowed hard and gave Adam a weak nod just as Hannah and Josie reached the first floor.
"Simon!" Josie exclaimed, rushing over to him. Simon was momentarily distracted from his nerves as he gazed upon Josie, her hazel eyes sparkling, and her cheeks still flushed from the outdoors. He stared at her pink lips and had to resist kissing her in front of her mother. "I'm so glad you could join us tonight. Come, meet my mother!" She grabbed his hand and half-dragged him over to her mother near the stairs.
"Mama," Josie said formally, "I'd like you to meet Simon Croft. Simon, my mother, Hannah Cartwright." Simon's voice failed him, but Hannah saved him from embarrassment by extending her hand, which Simon automatically accepted and shook.
"Simon!" Hannah said, a warm smile spreading across her face as her hand clasped his. "It's wonderful to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."
"Mrs. Cartwright," Simon croaked. "Good things, I hope."
"All good," Hannah assured him, still beaming at the nervous young man with the deep brown eyes.
Simon relaxed enough to smile back and think that perhaps everyone had been right, and he had nothing to worry about in meeting Josie's mother. Then Rachel swept into the living room, dressed once more in an elaborate, high-necked gown worthy of Boston's high society.
"Aunt Rachel," Josie said, turning toward her aunt, "may I introduce Simon Croft. Simon, my aunt, Rachel Stoddard."
Simon looked over from Hannah to Rachel and was struck by how looks and personality went hand-in-hand. Hannah's soft up-do with tendrils of dark hair curling around her face complemented her warm, gracious smile and told the world that she was a kind, friendly woman. Rachel, however, looked hawkish. Her gray hair was swept back severely and pinned into a tight bun, and she maintained a pinched, judgmental expression. Simon reluctantly extended his hand to her and hoped she did not bite it off.
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said.
"The pleasure is mine," Rachel intoned without sounding the least bit pleased as she gazed upon the young man with the rough hands, simple clothes, and hair reeking of cheap, musky tonic. "Well, Benjamin, shall we sit for supper?"
Despite its vastness, the dining room table was a bit cozy with eight people around it, but they all managed to fit and were soon enjoying an excellent feast of roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and dinner rolls. Rachel was taken aback that she had to serve herself – she was used to her butler serving her and her dinner guests – but she complimented Hop Sing's excellent cooking all the same.
As they ate, Ben explained a bit more of the Ponderosa's operations to Hannah and Rachel, but halfway through the meal, Rachel tired of this topic and turned her attention back to Simon.
"So, Mr. Croft," she chirped.
Simon's head snapped up so violently Josie thought it a miracle he did not break his neck. "Ma'am?" he acknowledged.
Rachel pretended not to notice Simon's startled reaction and continued unabated. "What do you do for a living?"
Simon swallowed hard, and Josie reassuringly patted his knee under the table. "Oh, I, uh, I help my pa run our ranch. The Lucky Star."
Rachel looked up from the beef she was carving into dainty pieces. "A rancher, then?" she asked, a touch of disapproval creeping into her voice.
"Yes, ma'am," Simon replied. "Most men around here are either ranchers or miners."
"Actually, Aunt Rachel," Adam cut in before Rachel could respond, "Simon's the one who built all the furniture in Josie's clinic. Did a good deal of the construction on the building, too."
Rachel's eyebrows lifted in sudden interest. "Did you now?" she asked, genuinely impressed. Josie shot Adam a look of pure gratitude.
"Yes, ma'am," Simon answered. "Took a little while, what with my ranch duties, but I was pleased how it all turned out."
"You should be," Rachel told him. "That furniture is exquisite. Have you trained long as a furniture maker?"
This compliment was so unexpected that everyone at the table stared open-mouthed at Rachel for several long seconds before Simon could compose a response.
"No, ma'am," he sputtered. "I ain't – I mean, I haven't – really had any training to speak of. My grandfather taught me some woodwork when I was a youngster, but mostly I just taught myself out of the books he left me when he died."
"Most impressive," Rachel said genuinely. "Have you ever considered going into business for yourself?"
"N- no, ma'am," Simon stuttered again. "I suppose I haven't. Like I said, my ranch duties keep me awful busy."
"Well, if you ever change your mind, I hope you will let me know," Rachel said. "A furniture-making business will need some start-up capital, and it would please me very much to invest in such a talented young artisan as yourself."
Thinking his ears were playing tricks on him due to too much drink, Ben pushed his wine glass away. The dollop of mashed potatoes Hannah was lifting to her mouth fell off her spoon, and Adam's hand, which had been reaching for another dinner roll, froze in midair. Simon's mouth dropped open and he stared at Rachel, his jaw flopping up and down like a beached trout's. Josie kicked him sharply in the shin to snap him back to his senses.
"That's, that's, uh, that's very kind of you, thank you, ma'am," he stammered. "I'll certainly keep that in mind."
"I hope you will," Rachel said with a decisive nod. "It would be a shame to waste all that talent. Now, Benjamin, tell me about this party you are planning."
The conversation turned to plans for a party to be held in two weeks. Ben had not forgotten Adam's suggestion to hold a party to thank their friends and neighbors for all their support during Josie's illness, and the timing coincided nicely with Adam's upcoming birthday. As the others prattled on about music, decorations, and refreshments, Josie nudged her spoon subtly in Rachel's direction and shot Adam a glance that clearly said "I can't believe that just happened!"
Adam's eyes went wide and he spread his hands in a gesture that said "I know!" The cousins then had to look away from one another as giggles threatened to surface.
Hannah smiled as she watched the silent exchange between Adam and Josie. It had been far too long since she had witnessed them having an entire conversation with one another without ever speaking a word.
After dinner, Simon politely declined Ben's offer of brandy in the living room, saying it was getting late and he really should be heading home. He bid them all farewell, reserving his very best manners for Hannah and Rachel, before Josie walked him out to the porch.
"Did I do all right?" Simon asked once the front door had closed securely behind him and Josie.
"All right?!" Josie exclaimed. "Simon, that was positively amazing!"
Simon beamed. "Your mother's real nice. But I don't see why you and Adam have such a hard opinion of your Aunt Rachel. She looks stern, but she's a fine lady, if you ask me."
"I'm beginning to think that's not actually Aunt Rachel in there," Josie mused. "Either that or she's gone senile. I don't care, though. That went brilliantly! You were brilliant." She glanced toward the windows to ensure they were not being watched and gave Simon a quick kiss. He tried to draw her closer for more, but she pulled back. "I have to get back inside," she said, her voice thick with disappointment. "We don't want Aunt Rachel changing her opinion of you."
Simon grinned. "Goodnight, Josie," he said.
Josie bid him goodnight and slipped back into the house.