I've never written a sequel before since I usually like my stories to simply stand on their own, but the idea of writing a story about Anne Marie, Little Joe and Avonlea's daughter, has been mulling around in my mind ever since I finished "Back on the Horse," and I finally decided to just go through with it. If you haven't read my story "Back on the Horse," I highly recommend that you do before proceeding with this one. Even though it isn't necessary, there are a lot of references to Anne Marie's mother Avonlea that are fairly important to understand this story as a whole, particularly the beginning. Check out my profile to see any of my other work and please, if you go back and read "Back on the Horse," leave a review and let me know what you think as well as reviewing this story. I love reviews and they really help to keep the juices flowing, so if you read, please review! And now, without further ado, let's take a trip to the Ponderosa.

Blooming

Chapter 1

"Up we go!"

Adam Cartwright placed his hands on his niece's waist and lifted her from the buckboard.

"Uncle Adam!" she cried when her feet were firmly on the ground. "You shouldn't pick me up out of the buggy like that. I'm a lady."

"Oh?" Adam smirked then bowed at the waist as he swooped his hat low to the ground in a grand gesture of repentance. "I'm exceedingly sorry for offending you, my lady. I was only attempting to assist you in your descent from this rickety carriage. I would never forgive myself if you had tripped and sullied your new dress with dust."

The giggle and smile he received in response was worth any amount of embarrassment he could have suffered.

Anne Marie was a pretty little girl of six with an untamable mane of frizzy brown hair that sparkled with an auburn tint under the summer sun. Her cherry-colored cheeks were a result of being scrubbed too hard by her father and grandfather, but the shade only served to complement the snap in her brown eyes, so it mattered little that they habitually rubbed her skin raw every Saturday night. She was always dressed in the finest material and the brightest colors for Hop Sing felt that such a beautiful girl should never be seen in drab, dingy grays or mournful browns, and her family quite agreed. She was the apple of their eye, and she knew it. Every one of the Cartwright men was twisted around her finger so tightly it was a wonder she wasn't the most selfish child in Nevada Territory with the way they spoiled her. But though she constantly received all her heart could ever desire, Anne Marie was a sweet girl with a delicate heart that was often masked with a mischievous yet perfectly harmless grin inherited from her father.

"Ladies first," Adam said as he placed his hat on his head and stepped back to let Anne Marie walk into the mercantile before him.

She lifted her chin and graciously allowed him to trail her, but the moment her eyes caught sight of the shelves of candy along the back wall her performance ended. She rushed toward them, grabbing her uncle's hand and pulling him behind her.

"Oh, Uncle Adam!" she cried. "Can I have a lemon drop, please?"

Adam raised a suspicious eyebrow in response to her large, pitiful eyes. "You'll spoil your supper and then Hop Sing won't be too happy with me, now will he?"

"Just one won't spoil it," she argued.

"We'll see. Lemme talk to Bert first. Remember you promised to be a good girl if I took you with me? Now you can look, but don't touch."

Anne Marie sighed and nodded. Now she would have to wait while Adam talked with Bert and the two men loaded a dozen sacks of grain onto the buckboard. Hop Sing needed sugar too, and she knew they wouldn't come back without buying some cloth to be made into more dresses for her. She was growing like a weed, at least that's what her grandfather said. She didn't think growing like a weed sounded like a good thing; she would much rather grow like a flower. Her father called her his flower, and she liked that because she liked seeing the flowers bloom in springtime. When the snow started to melt she knew it wouldn't be long until the world was green again, and that was when the flowers grew. Their colors were so bright and full and beautiful. Her favorites were tulips because they came in so many colors. Roses only came in red, even though her grandfather said there were white and even yellow roses too. She wasn't sure if she believed him. After all, who'd ever heard of a yellow rose?

Anne Marie mulled about the store, trying to keep her eyes off the candy, which glittered in glass jars of all sizes upon the shelves. She turned her attention instead to the ladies' hats. She knew her head wasn't big enough for them yet, but she loved looking at them. Lily Patterson had a much larger selection in her dress shop, but these were enough to occupy her until Adam finished his business with Bert.

The door opened and Anne Marie looked up to see her uncle holding it for the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had dark, dark hair, almost black but not quite, fashioned in an elegant bun on the top of her head. The sun bounced off of it so brilliantly that Anne Marie thought it must be glowing. Her eyes were blue like her Uncle Hoss, yet somehow different. Uncle Hoss had soft eyes that let her know it was all right to cry if she needed to; this woman's eyes were sharper, but not unkind. More than anything they made Anne Marie curious. In contrast to her striking features, she wore a gray, pattern-less cotton dress with no ruffles or frills. In fact, if it weren't for her sparkling blue eyes and ebony hair that stood out against her milky skin, she wouldn't have turned a single head.

She nodded to Adam. "Thank you."

He lifted his fingers to the brim of his hat in acknowledgement.

A young girl followed in her wake, her little hands clutching the woman's skirts as they entered the store. She appeared to be about Anne Marie's age, perhaps a few months younger, and the spitting image of her mother, for there was no conceivable way the woman could be anything else.

"I'll be with ya in just a minute, Ma'am!" Bert shouted as he barreled past her with another bulging sack of grain.

"I'll get the rest, Bert. You shouldn't keep this lovely lady waiting," Adam countered, taking the sack from him.

The woman smiled. "Thank you again, Mr…"

"Cartwright, Ma'am – Adam Cartwright," he said with a nod.

"Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Cartwright. I'm Diana Cunningham, and this is my daughter Rachel." She placed a tender hand on the girl's back as she retreated further into her mother's skirts.

Adam smiled. "You're the new schoolteacher, aren't ya?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, we're certainly glad you're here. We've been in need of a teacher for several

months."

"I'm sure the children haven't been too upset." Diana smiled softly and Adam returned hers with one of his own.

"My niece is due to start in a year or so and I'm glad she'll have a proper educator. I was about to take over the school myself if they didn't fill the position soon."

"You're a teacher?" Diana looked at him in surprise as her eyes took in his frame and physique. His muscles were too toned and his skin too bronzed for anyone to ever suppose he spent his days in a dusty schoolhouse.

He chuckled. "I know enough to get by, I suppose, but my degree is in architecture. Of course I rarely get the chance to use it. The Ponderosa requires too much attention for my hobbies."

"I've heard of the Ponderosa."

"You won't find a person in the territory who hasn't heard of the Ponderosa, Ma'am; it's the largest ranch in Nevada."

"You must be very proud."

Adam nodded. "It's hard, honest work from sunup to sundown. I'm sure you can relate."

Diana giggled. "I believe I can, Mr. Cartwright, if you're comparing ranching to teaching."

"Few people realize the amount of effort it requires to be a schoolteacher, Mrs. Cunningham, but I can assure you I'm not one of them."

Her cheeks colored and she turned away, slightly embarrassed by his flattery, which she knew was not empty. There was something about his eyes that affirmed the honesty of his lips and she found it nearly impossible to doubt his words.

"Anne Marie!" Adam called suddenly, and the little girl, who had been avidly observing the entire scene, hurried to her uncle's side. "This is Mrs. Cunningham and her daughter Rachel. She'll be your schoolteacher next year."

She curtsied and said, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cunningham."

"Is this your niece, Mr. Cartwright?" Diana asked as Adam nodded. "She's a very lovely young lady."

Anne Marie grinned and looked up at her uncle who merely smirked.

Diana smiled too then bent at the waist to address the child. "I look forward to having you in my school, Anne Marie," she said.

The girl nodded wordlessly.

"It's been a pleasure, Mrs. Cunningham. C'mon, Anne Marie, we've gotta be gettin' home." Adam threw the last sack of grain onto the back of the buckboard and then helped his niece climb up into the buggy.

Bert hustled out of the store and handed him a paper bag and several yards of bright blue material for Anne Marie.

"Put it on our tab, Bert," he said.

The man nodded, and with that Adam climbed up into the buggy himself, clicked the reins, and the two rattled off down the road that led out of Virginia City toward the mountainous country where the Ponderosa waited to welcome them home.

Once they were well out of town and the road began to grow gradually smoother, Adam reached into the paper bag and pulled out a much smaller one. He handed it to Anne Marie, and peering inside she found two yellow lemon drops.

"Oh, Uncle Adam, thank you!" she cried.

Adam merely smiled, proud to be the one responsible for the gleam in her eyes.