One Step Closer - Unspeakable Acts Part 1

by MissjudyK

Adam's family heads to Nevada for a long summer vacation. He will face simple problems like fitting back into the family after some years apart, and the addition of new brother to Ben's household. But the trip takes a terror-filled turn when events happen that may send Adam's wife and children to the white picket-fenced cemetery on the Ponderosa.

2. Unspeakable Acts - Part 2

Unspeakable Acts -Part Two

Unexpected Turns

One

The second week of the Boston Cartwrights' stay had passed as quickly as the first, leaving Adam and Melinda to decide whether their children could handle staying at the Ponderosa while they made their short trip to San Francisco. They'd never been separated overnight, but AJ and Lizzy we so comfortable with their grandfather and uncles that they'd gone ahead with their plans.

They'd left the ranch at dawn to catch the morning stage for Reno, hoping to arrive in time for the mid-day train west, and were delighted to be the only passengers, at least to Goat Springs.

"This is nice." Adam stretched out as the stage pulled out of Virginia City. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "I think it went pretty well this morning. There were no tears or carrying-on when we left."

Melinda nodded. "Neither of them looked unhappy, much less cried."

He took her hand and kissed it. "I wasn't talking about our 'sprouts' crying, my love. I meant you."

"Very funny, Adam," she snarled in mock annoyance. "I saw that sad look cross your face when you turned back at the edge of the yard and realized they'd already gone inside with your family. You're as sentimental about being away from those two as I am." She laughed at his startled look and eventual nod of agreement, and then withdrew a notebook from her purse. "Let's go through our schedule to see if we've included everything."

When they finished discussing their plans, Melinda turned the conversation to their activity from the previous day. "I enjoyed spending yesterday afternoon with the Myers family." She covered her mouth to hide her grin.

"I think you enjoyed it a little too much." The statement was issued in a surly tone as Adam's cheeks turned pink.

"You should have told me about your near engagement to Abigail Myers…formerly…Jones." The grin widened, while she gave him a doe-eyed look. "I thought you'd told me about all your old romances."

"Can we change the subject?" Adam turned away, and then sighed as he turned back. "That's the kind of trouble I always got into when I cooperated with a scheme my brothers thought up." He sighed again. "I imagine Abigail explained how we came to know each other."

"She said you were kind to her when she and her mother settled in the area. You two were nearly the same age, and you both read and liked to talk about your favorite stories. She also mentioned that she'd taken her teaching exam, but since there was no school here, you got your father to pay her to tutor your brothers."

"She did a good job. I was happy when the town could finally afford a school."

Melinda chuckled. "It sounds like 'Little' Joe was a handful. He played the class clown and was always in trouble. She said you had to speak with her about his behavior when Ben was out of town. Other than that both your brothers did well scholastically."

Adam nodded. "Joe acted up most when Pa was away. This was after I'd gotten home from college, and had taken on more responsibilities in his absence. Sometimes I think Joe did it because he knew how uncomfortable it made me to talk to her."

"Why was that?" She smiled expectantly.

"Abigail would tell me about Joe, and then broach subjects that had nothing to do with his transgressions. There'd be a reference to an upcoming social, and hints that she was available for 'someone' to escort." The sad change of tone in his voice ended Melinda's grinning, and she reached for his hand. "I was the only one around here who appreciated Abigail's intellect. Men didn't know what to do with a woman who wouldn't bat her eyes, stated her own opinion, or let the man do all the talking. I think she assumed that my appreciation would turn into romantic feelings. It was an unfortunate jump to the wrong conclusion when I came courting for Hank. He breathed a deep sigh. "I was…surprised when you told me you'd met Abigail in town. I was even more surprised that she'd invited us over...and that you'd accepted."

"Abigail said she'd read my books about situational teaching when they were first published. She only realized you'd married the Melinda Hayworth from those books when talking to your father recently. I found her charming."

"You two got along well." A smile replaced his serious frown. "It was good to see what a sweet couple Abigail and Hank make and how well they're doing. We were all surprised when Hank first told us he had his heart set on marrying Abigail. But seeing them now, I understand that their differences complement each other." He laughed good-naturedly. "And yesterday was going so well…until Hank brought up their unusual courtship."

"He did have a good time telling me all the details," Melinda said as she chuckled. "And…despite your discomfort during that romantic fiasco, your efforts went towards a noble cause. Abigail and Hank's children, Sean and Elaine, got along so well with AJ and Lizzy. It was wonderful for them to have playmates their own ages."

He smiled as he wrapped his arm around his wife. "It was a nice day, despite a few embarrassing moments."

She thought a moment. "Did you tell your father about Abigail's offer to host our two for a day while we're gone?"

"I gave him her note, and he said he'd work something out." He raised his eyebrows as he observed his wife pull out a ball of yarn from her bag and begin working the four needles she used when knitting a circular pattern. "I don't suppose those are baby booties?"

"Mittens for next winter." She looked up at him and shook her head, before returning to her knitting.

He stretched and yawned. "I guess I could read, but…" He sent Melinda a wink. "Since we're the only ones in here and there's a lot of room to spread out, I'm thinking we might do something we haven't gotten to do lately."

"I was thinking the same thing. It's impossible to do it at the ranch without someone knocking on our bedroom door before we ever get started." She stowed her project. "In fact, I came prepared for just such an opportunity," she said as she yanked a compressed feather pillow from her travel bag and shook it back into shape. She reached in again, withdrawing a decorative pillow she'd taken from their bedroom at the Ponderosa.

"You are brilliant," Adam said with a sweeping bow from the waist up. He took the large pillow and wedged it between his head and the corner while stretching his legs diagonally across the floor of the coach. "All right, I'm ready for you".

Melinda removed her jacket and hat, placing them on the vacant seat, and then tucked the smaller pillow under her head on Adam's chest, slipping one arm behind him and draping the other across his lap.

Eventually the coach silenced, except for the team's huffing and pounding hooves, the whir of wheels, and soft snores from the napping couple.

Two

Ben had assigned AJ and Jamie to barn duty and sent Lizzy to help Hop Sing in the garden to keep them from thinking about their parents. Hoss and Joe had plans for everyone after lunch, but they'd gone to bring a couple of steers in from a near pasture to show at the Cattlemen's Association meeting coming up on Saturday.

With everyone occupied, Ben began entering figures into his ledger. However, the quiet outside made him curious, and he went to check. Once out of the house, he could hear Lizzy talking to Hop Sing in the garden, so he made his way to the barn. The boys were working in different stalls, but nothing indicated their quiet was anything more than concentration.

After Ben found out what Jamie had told AJ about no one caring about Adam's family, he'd taken his adopted son aside and clarified why he hadn't been told him much about the oldest Cartwright son. Jamie had accepted his explanation, and then confessed that hearing about the close relationship between Adam and AJ had poked at him and made him angry. He'd also said that although he was happy with things as they were, seeing AJ and Adam together had made him miss his father.

The admission hadn't shocked or offended Ben, and he'd reminded Jamie that he wasn't expected to forget his own father. The only caution he'd given was that hurting someone else never made your own situation feel better. The discussion had ended with Ben's promise that Jamie could ask his new family about anything he wasn't sure of.

Ben hadn't forced an apology. He'd told Jamie to talk to AJ when he worked it out in his own mind. He wasn't sure if they'd spoken yet, but he had seen Jamie relax into the Cartwright family in the past week.

With the chores progressing silently without problem between his son and grandson, he decided to leave them be, and made his way back to his paperwork.

Jamie stopped after pitching the last of the dirty straw from his stall onto the wheelbarrow, and leaned on the handle of the fork. "So what does AJ stand for?"

"It's a long story." AJ snickered. "My dad never liked it when people named their boys after themselves because they almost always ended up calling the kid, 'Junior'."

"I can't say I care for Junior either," Jamie offered. "But what's that got to do with those initials?"

"Mom wanted me named after my dad, and he couldn't refuse her. My actual name is Adam Stoddard Cartwright…Junior. Rather than have two Adam's in the house, they call me AJ—short for Adam Junior."

Jamie nodded. "Ain't it interesting when someone gives in to please another person?" Silence enveloped the boys again until the older boy added, "Sometimes I think I was meant to belong to this family. Your pa and Hoss never knew their mothers, and Joe's died when he was young." He paused and looked at his feet. "My mother died when I was two."

"I'm sorry. You probably know that my grandmother died when my dad was born, but her father lives with us in Boston. He tells us stories about Grandma Elizabeth. And even though my uncles lost their mothers, they had each other."

Jamie chuckled. "My mother's name was Elizabeth, and she was from Boston too. My father told me about her. Do you know that I have a grandfather in Boston too? I might'a been your neighbor if my granddad had gotten his way."

"What do you mean?"

"My ma and pa ran away together, and Grandpa had been looking for them for years. He had detectives following leads, and they found me just as Ben was going to adopt me. He came here to take me back East. He had big plans for my life, but by then I wanted to be a Cartwright and stay on the Ponderosa. It took a little getting used to, but he finally agreed that this would be the best life for me now. I write to him, and I'll go see him one day. Hey," He grinned as he pictured his next thought. "Maybe Pa, Hoss, Joe and I'll all head to Boston next summer. I can visit my grandfather while they spend time with your family."

AJ returned the grin. "That would be nice. I'd like you to visit us too."

The work continued as Jamie climbed to the loft and tossed down fresh hay. They got that into nets and mangers, and then sat on the tack boxes to take a break. The familiar chores and locale surrounding his blunder the previous week began weighing on Jamie's mind. "Pa told me why they never shared much about your family, and I'm sorry for the things I said. I guess I was nervous about meeting you all. And while I shouldn't criticize Pa, it might have been easier if they'd all just acted normally about having another son who's doggone smart and successful."

"I understand." AJ giggled. "We're an intimidating group when the eastern and western Cartwrights get together."

"That's how families should be." Jamie jumped off the box. "Let's get done and see what else Pa wants us to do. I suspect there're still a lot of beans hanging on the vines. Your sister does a lot more talking than picking."

Three

Melinda opened her eyes and looked around their room as she stretched. It had been late when they'd arrived last evening, and the lamplight had cloaked their suite at the Occidental Hotel in shadows. Daylight was bathing every corner now, revealing the exquisite details and décor. She remembered that if she ventured outside the soft nest of their bed, her toes would meet a plush carpet, and she'd only need to walk a few steps into their private bath. They'd stayed in some beautiful rooms before, but never anything this lavish. Yet it would meet their business needs over the next few days, and had already well-served their private needs.

After completing the trip that had begun at the crack of dawn, Melinda had expected to head for bed soon after they'd checked in last night. She smiled as she recalled walking into their suite and finding the iced champagne and light supper Adam had arranged with a telegram from their final train stop.

Everything in the room was organized. The clothing they'd left on their Pullman had been delivered to the hotel earlier, and had been hung in the closet or placed in drawers. Adam must have been just as tired as she was, but he pampered her; attending to her every need, and never letting her glass empty. They'd eaten, and continued drinking until they'd finished the champagne and then another bottle of Chablis with their meal. They'd been happily tipsy as they'd made love, and fallen asleep in each other's arms.

Today they were free to explore until late afternoon when Ruth Halversen would be joining them. If all went well concerning the book, they'd have dinner and attend a revue. When Adam had talked to Ruth previously, she had confessed to not appreciating classical music or dramatic theater, so he had found a show they could all enjoy.

Melinda had looked forward to meeting Ruth. Adam had told her about his Mountain of the Dead experience before they had married, so there'd been backstory to fill in when he told her about unexpectedly meeting Ruth in San Francisco. He'd told her about all of the women he'd cared for during their years apart. She hadn't expected that, but he'd said he'd rather be up front rather than trying to explain something if it came up later. Reading the rewritten manuscript had given her a lot to think about. It hadn't changed her trust in Adam's story, but she was now uneasy about today's introduction.

But that was a worry she could postpone, and she sighed in the joy of these few days together with her first and only love. Lifting the bedding, she took a long look at the man in bed with her. The heavy workload of the last two years, along with the outdoor chores he did at the estate, had made his body sleek and muscular. It was hairy too, but that made her smile. She'd often call him her grizzly bear as she'd cuddle up to him on cold nights.

Something poked her hand as she replaced the covers, and she extracted a feather from the woven fabric of the quilt. She grinned as she tickled Adam's nose with the escaped ticking. He was still sleeping soundly, but the irritant woke him enough to swat at his face. Once he settled back into rhythmic breathing, she tickled his ear. This time the swat came faster and harder.

She was about to use the feather in a more intimate area of his body when a sour, burning bubble of stomach acid raced up her throat, making her sit up and gag. "That's what I get for drinking and eating so late last night," she mumbled before racing to the bathroom. She'd been experiencing indigestion every few days lately, but she assumed it was the stress of travel and rush of preparation. Fortunately she'd remembered to a bicarbonate powder that she mixed into a glass of water. It helped but she was still feeling a little queasy when she went back to the bedroom.

Adam's eyes opened wide and his brows rose when he saw her. "Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked. "It sounded like you were getting sick."

She sat next to him on the bed. "Too much traveling, rich food, and wine yesterday. It's already passing and I'm looking forward to our getaway." She leaned to kiss him and ran her hands down his bare chest. "You are a most magnificent looking man, my dear."

"I'll say the same of you, my love, and while I'd like to see where this mutual admiration would take us, you still look a little pale. How about you relax in a hot bath, and I'll order tea, toast and soft boiled eggs to put your stomach on a more even keel. If you feel better after that, we'll head out and see the town."

Adam had seen his wife speak before packed auditoriums, both when she was trying to enlist support for the school she wanted to open, and years earlier in Sacramento when He'd snuck into one of her early seminars when she'd been promoting her teaching system. And as good as she was in those situations; no one could withstand her force of reason when arguing one-on-one. He often wished he could convince her to lead the sales department at his company.

But as this day ticked away and their meeting with Ruth approached, he noticed that Melinda was increasingly fidgety. She'd asked the time every five minutes in the last half-hour, and had become peevish when he'd lingered over a display of pipes, trying to choose one as a birthday gift for his father. He'd walked slowly, stopping often to check some thingamajig in a store window, while trying to be witty and engage her in determining what an item's unintended use could be. But her exaggerated sighs were getting too loud to be ignored. This wasn't like her, and yet he supposed it couldn't be easy to meet a woman from his past. Especially one with whom he'd shared intimate moments, even if not the intimacy contained in the rewritten manuscript. He'd hoped that delaying their return to their hotel suite would keep her mind from the impending visit. But when he glanced over and saw that that her uneasiness was becoming irritation , he took her arm, and led them on the most direct course to the hotel.

Melinda's pursed lips and death grip on the cord of her small purse indicated that there was to be no small-talk during the last few blocks of their walk, so Adam let his mind drift to the cause for his wife's discomfort. He took a deep breath, and released it slowly. The sigh was not frustration, but rather his deep remorse over the reason this proud and capable woman was in distress. He took another quick glance to his left and saw what he expected. Her facial expression was still locked in deep lines of apprehension.

Reassuring her would be futile, but he could let her know that he understood. They stopped at the corner as a large wagon turned onto the street in front of them. In the midst of the impatient rush around them, he reached for Melinda's hand. She resisted at first and then allowed him to grasp it tightly as he brought it to his lips. He leaned close to her ear, and said, "Remember that I will be at your side today and for all days to come. You never have to face anything alone." The lines around her mouth softened into a delicate smile as she brought their entwined hands to her cheek. When the wagon got on its way, he stepped into the street and pulled her along. "Come, my lady. If we hurry, we'll have time to relax."

Melinda removed her hat pin when she entered their suite and tossed the small straw headpiece onto the dresser as she walked into the bedroom. "This is such a lovely place," she called back to Adam in the sitting room. The bodice jacket of her two-piece dress was the next item shed before she sunk into the overstuffed chair and stretched out in an unladylike sprawl.

Adam hung his coat in the outer room, and smiled when he found Melinda dangling over the edges of her chair like a drunken sailor. "Ruth isn't due until four. Would you like a nap?"

"I'm sorry my behavior abbreviated our outing." She sighed. "I'm not even sure why I'm so uneasy. I've been corresponding with Ruth for a couple of years. She's always been sweet, thoughtful, and honest. I think the change in the book is part of it, but I'm feeling a little emotional about a lot of things lately."

"Don't apologize. We've been through a lot of changes in the last couple of years, and even though we planned this trip, the date seemed to arrive far faster than expected, making us rush to get everything ready. These few days for us are meant for relaxation and fun. We'll do what we please, when we please." He sat on the arm of the chair and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Besides, there aren't many wives who would embrace a woman who'd been part of their husband's past."

She chuckled, and slid deeper into the cushion. "I'm betting that right now she's just as nervous as I am."

Adam teased, "Might she think you're not good enough for me?"

"That's not it, my darling. She'll be wondering if I think she was good enough for you." She grinned up at him. "Since we have plenty of time, let's go in the other room and review the items in we want to discuss from her manuscript."

They'd already marked the document as they'd read it on the train, so it took little time to cover the salient points and formulate their questions.

"I want this to be a nice evening, Adam." Melinda had stretched out on the sofa, resting her head on his lap. "We both feel there's a simple explanation, but you'll know instantly if she's changed."

He ran his fingers down the curve of her face. "If she has, then you will return her revision, and there'll be no further contact."

She sat up and faced him. "I have no idea how to approach this, so I'm just going to say it."

His brows dove toward his nose. "That sounded ominous."

"I believe your account of those days. Yet," she lifted the manuscript, pointing to a particular tab, "this page says that the two of you 'became one' on the banks of a lake. You've told me that's a lie."

Adam lifted Melinda's chin. "But you want to make sure that there'll be no retraction."

"I want your assurance that you haven't pushed some memories to the back of your mind."

She looked away and he turned her face so she could see him. "It would take a lot of pushing to forget something like that." He smiled and pulled her onto his lap. "My thoughts weren't as clear as they should have been back then. But my intention was always to protect Ruth; to fill her with the wonder of all she'd been missing, and give her a push into the world again. What kind of man would I have been if I'd have used her naiveté and budding trust in others—men in particular—to take advantage of her for my satisfaction."

"I know you are an honorable man."

"The act of making love should come after a couple grows so strong together that they can't imagine life apart." He kissed her as he whispered. "Does that sound familiar?"

"It was that way for us," Melinda said before wrapping her arms around his neck.

He lifted her from the couch and carried her into the other room. "My darling, Melinda," he purred as he laid her gently on the bed. "I may have cared for other women during our time apart, but from the day I saw you again in Sacramento, I could only picture your face beneath me as I thought about making love. Yours was the only heart I wanted beating next to me as I slept; the only hand I could envision in mine, and the only woman I could imagine as the mother of my children. You were the part of me I thought I'd lost. The night you proposed, I felt my heart beat fully for the first time since I left you in Sacramento, and I could finally breathe again."2

Melinda glanced at the mantel clock as she sat up and stretched. "That was a wonderful respite from my apprehensions," she said as she leaned over and ran her finger down Adam's bare chest. "But Ruth will be here in an hour, so we'd better get ready."

He took her hand. "If you continue to do that, neither one of us will make it out of this bed in time." He joined her in stretching and then pulled her close. "Why don't you get started and I'll straighten things in here."

She'd made it to the closet, but stalled as she stared inside. With a quick glance back, she asked, "How should I dress for the revue?"

"We need dressy attire for dining in the grand salon of the hotel." He laughed. "I remember attending revues at saloons when we'd be on cattle drives. They were awful, but as long as there were pretty girls and enough liquor, the men didn't care about the lack of quality entertainment."

"I've been wanting to wear this one." She pulled a buttery beige dress out and held it to herself.

"That's the one you had made using part of your aunt's dress?"

"When I was young and stayed with my aunt, I'd sneak into her room, put on that dress and pretend I was going to some fancy ball. I was so excited when we found it in the attic of our house before we moved." She smoothed out the skirt to take a better look at the ornately stitched, wide satin panel that was inset 12-inches above the hem. "The seamstress was able to salvage that gorgeous embroidered section from the original dress. The fabric was faded, but she was able to find satin that matched up nicely. I think this color is even prettier than the original. The one thing the dressmaker couldn't save was the belt. It was about six inches wide, and embroidered with the same pattern as the section in the skirt. She substituted a sash made from a darker colored ribbon. It's not as striking this way, but it's still beautiful."

"I'm sure the effect will be just as lovely because of the woman wearing it," he said, before turning away to smile.

The hotel had stocked their room with a choice of aperitifs, and Melinda planned to indulge in something to calm her nerves when Ruth got there. Yet she wanted to be clearheaded now, so she busied herself plumping pillows and relocating the manuscript so it would be noticeable, while not obvious.

Adam gave his wife an approving once-over when he exited the bedroom. "The dress fits you perfectly." He tilted his head as he added, "You're right about that belt, though."

Melinda's cheeks pinked as a hurt look flashed across her face. "Well, if it looks that bad, I'll change."

He reared back for a moment, not expecting her angry response, but relaxed and laughed. "No need for that." He winked as he held out a flat, wrapped box. "I just thought this might work better."

She sat on the edge of the couch to remove the paper and open the lid. "Oh!" she gasped, as she lifted the item from inside. "How?" The gift remained in her hand as she sprang up and hugged her husband. "Were they able to save this after all?"

Adam took the belt from Melinda's hand, removed the sash from around her waist, and slipped the surprise into place. "I knew how much that dress meant to you, and asked your dressmaker to contact me with a gift idea for something to go with it. Lana sent a note to the office saying the belt couldn't be saved, but that it could be copied by a friend if I'd care to pay for that. They recreated the pattern on a sturdier fabric than the original, and once embroidered, Lana attached a backing so it could enclose a woven, whalebone form she made. She thinks it will hold its shape instead of folding over on itself as the original must have."

Melinda walked to the mirror and checked the new accessory, giving it her nod of approval. "It's a work of art, and completes the dress." She pulled him close when she returned, and stared up at him. "I'm sorry I overreacted. It seems I'm saying that a lot lately. But I'll be fine once this evening gets going."

The long kiss of thanks she was giving him ended abruptly when there was a knock.

"I'll get it," Adam said quietly, moving toward the door while Melinda picked up the wrapping paper and box, and carried them into the bedroom.

Ruth and Adam were across the room talking when Melinda stopped in the bedroom doorway on her way back. They weren't facing her, so she stayed in the shadow to observe. She knew Ruth to be in her mid-thirties, and from what Melinda could see of her profile, she looked her age in a good way. The woman she knew only through letters wasn't as tall as she'd imagined, yet her bearing made her appear taller. She was full-figured, nearly heavy through her torso and hips, and yet she wore it easily, and her light purple brocade dress suited her curves.

Melinda caught a glimpse of her own brown hair in the mirror above the fireplace, and did a mental comparison to the heavy golden braids crowning Ruth's head. It struck her that this was a woman Adam would have been attracted to even if they'd have met under different circumstances. Her carriage and manner spoke to strength of character, and as the other woman turned a little more toward her, Melinda realized how striking Ruth was. Her skin was flawless and her cheeks were tinted a peachy-rose from the sun. Ruth wore a hint of a smile; an expression that flattered her wide-set facial features and created an aura of innocence that instinctively made you want to protect her.

The feelings created by this first glimpse rushed at Melinda's heart, making her understand how close she must have come to losing Adam to this woman. She thanked God for whatever grace had sent them on their separate ways again without lingering regret for what might have been. She bit her lip and inhaled deeply before crossing the room. "You must be Ruth." She greeted the woman with a smile and outstretched hand.

The pleasantries of a first meeting proceeded as Ruth and Melinda sipped sherry and Adam nursed a scotch.

Ruth asked the expected questions about the couple's children, and inquired about Adam's father and brothers whom she'd met during their previous encounter. She told them about her father's passing and inheriting enough money to be free of financial worries. It had been a few months since they'd received a letter from her, so she finished a quick recap with the news of renting a small house, and working at St. Mary's Hospital.

"Have you thought of becoming a nurse?" Melinda asked.

"The nuns from the Sisters of Mercy allowed me to work with them so I'd learn the 'physiologic norms', as they called it. They knew of my background with the Bannock and Shoshone, and were willing to show me traditional medicine to enhance my 'other' methods of healing." She chuckled. "I think their goal was to indoctrinate me into 'real medicine', yet they were always kind, and in the end we learned a lot from each other. While I was at St. Mary's, I met a Chinese healer. Dr. Kim and I often spoke of our backgrounds with the ancient and herbal healing arts. I mentioned wanting to open a store that featured such alternatives, and he offered to lend his expertise."

Adam's brows dipped. "Is Dr. Kim an M.D.?"

"He and his sister, Yuan, came to the states as the wards of a missionary doctor to the Orient who had strong ties to a medical school back East. That school allowed Kim to attend medical classes, but he was not allowed to graduate and practice medicine. I call him Dr. Kim because he's as astute and trained as any other medical man I've met. Kim and Yuan work at the hospital with the Chinese who need treatment. They're are able to translate, and often those patients are very suspicious and unwilling to allow American doctors to examine them. Kim does the exam while another physician takes notes, and they come up with a plan of treatment. It's a very successful program, serving a great need."

"Have you moved ahead with your idea to open a store?" Melinda asked.

"We found a shop to rent and hope to open soon…if the city approves it. That's a big 'if'. I've heard that such approvals are secured only with cash, and I don't have enough money for bribes." Ruth smiled and eyed her hosts. "Now that you know of my latest venture, I'd like to hear more about your ventures."

Adam shot a look towards his wife after checking the time on his pocket watch. "Let's talk about that at dinner. We'd like to discuss something privately before heading downstairs."

Ruth's eyes came to rest on the manuscript. "I imagine you're referring to that." She nodded toward the document. "Our conversation has been extremely pleasant, but I've seen glances passing between you, and Melinda has repeatedly looked at that table."

A red blush crept up Melinda's neck until her cheeks were flushed to a deep rose. "I'm sorry I was so obvious. You are as wonderful in person as I imagined you'd be from your letters, and everything feels so normal between all of us that I hesitate bringing this up."

"What's wrong?" Ruth's voice rose with concern and her breathing quickened.

Adam nodded toward his wife. "Melinda and I read your rewrite on our way to Nevada, and," he looked directly at Ruth, "we were both surprised at the drastic changes."

She'd risen and begun pacing as Adam had spoken, and now stopped in front of the table, picking up the document. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, but I should explain. The revision was done by a woman writer recommended by to me by a friend. Francine had written articles for the Chronicle and edited other books, so I'd assumed she could easily make the corrections Melinda had suggested. We met several times after she read the original, and she asked a multitude of questions. I heard nothing for several months after that, and figured she'd decided not to do it. I sent a note saying that you were coming for this visit and I'd like to have the rewrite or get the original by then. She replied that she was nearly done."

"Were you aware that she'd sent it?" Melinda asked.

Ruth stopped in front of the couch where Melinda was sitting. "I was shocked and upset when the next note I received said she'd finished it and mailed it. I couldn't recall giving her your address. But with as well-known as you and Adam are, I'm sure it would have been delivered with: Adam Cartwright, Boston." She laughed bitterly. "I stopped at her apartment several times, but she never answered the door. I sent a note demanding to know why she'd done that, and she said it was so you'd be able to go through it before you visited." She shook her head. "That made sense."

Melinda pursed her lips. "Adam and I suspected it was something like that." Melinda motioned for Ruth to sit next to her on the couch.

"Is it written so poorly?" Ruth asked as she came over.

Adam sat on the edge of the coffee table where the manuscript had been. "The change is in the content. We've marked a few passages that show the essence of that." He took the book from her and opened it to the Forward, before handing it back.

Ruth's eyes widened as she scanned the paragraph noting the absence of a happy ending, but she withheld comment, and paged to the next tab. "Am I to understand that the first section is only thirty pages long now?" she said incredulously. "Did she rearrange the order?"

Melinda shook her head. "She didn't send the original, but the beautiful stories I remember about your early childhood are gone. It barely touches on why your father went for help, and excludes most of your account of learning and adapting to life with the Bannock. What she did was like someone using a dull scissors to hack apart a beautifully constructed tapestry. It's lifeless now, and so much is missing that the reader won't understand how you could have survived on your own." She patted Ruth's hand. "It gets worse. Go to the next bookmark."

Ruth skimmed over the page detailing her romantic coupling with Adam. The color rose in her cheeks and she stood abruptly, walked to the fireplace and threw the text into the empty grate. "This is garbage." Her eyes welled with tears as she balled her fists and crossed her arms. "She's twisted that time, making it seem like a playful picnic in the park between two teenagers. The beginning of the transformation I experienced is completely lost in the language of a romance novel." Ruth stomped her foot in anger as she tried to control her emotions. "How could she!" She grabbed her wrap and purse from the chair where she'd left them and moved toward the door. "I should go," she said as her voice cracked in a sob. She brought her hands up to cover her face as she failed to contain her tears.

Adam moved quickly, taking Ruth's shoulders. His voice was sincere and soothing. "We'd already decided it was a fabrication. Let's figure out what to do now, and then we'll put it aside and go out to celebrate old and new friendships."

"I should have known…," she sniffed as she moved her head side-to-side.

"Known what, Ruth?" Melinda asked.

She pulled a lacy handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. "I've already mentioned Francine's…inquisitions. The part that piqued her interest most was the few days with Adam. She asked questions about him, and eventually tried to put words in my mouth. She accused me of being too prudish to say what really happened. I assured her that it was Adam's kindness and encouragement that allowed me to walk away from him." She'd paced away, but returned to address Adam. "I tried to explain that I needed to be more than White Buffalo Woman or Adam Cartwright's woman. I had to find Ruth Halversen and be my own woman."

"But Francine couldn't accept that as a…happy ending," Adam offered.

She sighed and shook her head. "She insinuated that I was sugarcoating things so your wife wouldn't find out the truth." Her voice hitched again. "And that proved how much I really loved you, and how we belonged together. When I said none of that was true and wanted the original back, she agreed to do it my way, and apologized profusely for reading too much into it."

Melinda let go a ragged breath. "Then she did it her way and sent it off." A wry, lopsided smile broke on her face. "Did she know that 'Adam's wife' would be reading the revision?"

"I'd told her that you had done the original edit. I foolishly shared a little more information about the two of you when she acted happy that Adam had found a wonderful life."

Melinda smiled sourly. "What better way of her helping you face your supposed lies than by writing the 'real' version of your story and sending it directly to me. She'd expose Adam' lies, and hopefully ruin our marriage." Melinda laughed as she leaned over and hugged Ruth. "She thought I'd send him packing and he'd head straight to you."

Ruth looked from Melinda to Adam and started to laugh too. "I don't think it worked." They all laughed until Ruth's tears of anger became ones of shared irony. "So where do we go from here?

"We could publish it as a dime novel." Adam grinned

"You are still a tease, Adam Cartwright." Ruth gave him a scathing glance and laughed more. "I'll tell Fran that her version was…um…interesting, but that I've decided to axe the project."

Melinda's eye twinkled. "Do you have the original manuscript?"

"Fran still has it. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to make the corrections I suggested. It will take some time, but you'll be busy starting your store so you won't notice. But I want you in Boston next summer. You'll stay with us while we do the final edit, and then we'll get it published."

"You'd do this after reading that?" She nodded toward the hearth.

"I saw your reaction as you read those passages. Your face is a window to your soul, Ruth, and I saw how betrayed you felt. I'd be honored to make this right."

Adam excused himself to get his suit coat, and came back to find the women laughing. "You two look like you've swallowed a canary, and I'm betting I'm the bird."

"You're too suspicious, my love," Melinda said as she joined him and slipped her arm around his waist. "Although you're right this time. Ruth mentioned your beard and then told me she tossed a knife at your head after she caught you looking through her things to find her father's razor. She's going to teach me how to throw a carving knife when she visits Boston."

Four

Ben walked to the windows above his desk and peered out. He'd gotten in touch with Abigail Myers and offered to have her children spend Thursday at the Ponderosa, and in return, she would take Adam's two on Saturday while the Cartwrights attended the Cattlemen's meeting.

Sean and AJ had spent the morning riding, while Lizzy and Elaine had played inside. During Ben's trips through the living area he'd seen the girls acting our domestic scenes using the combined collection of their dolls. Hearing the sounds of young voices in the house and yard made him long for this to be a regular condition.

All four children had headed outside after lunch, and he'd heard them shouting and laughing as they'd played. But it had become unnervingly quiet, and he wondered what they were doing. He relaxed when he saw them by the barn, engaged in a game where it seemed all communication had to be accomplished with hand signals. He chuckled as he watched, and then sat down again, letting his mind slip to Hoss and Joe, and the quiet of bachelorhood that had become the norm in this house. He remained convinced that his youngest son would fall in love hard and fast one day. His marriage would soon follow.

It was different for his middle son. Ben had begun to wonder if Hoss had given up on marrying. Everyone liked Hoss, yet that hadn't kept him from becoming the topic of town gossip when Ben had adopted Jamie. The judgmental wagging tongues had speculated that Ben Cartwright had to find his own grandchild since Hoss seemed incapable of getting the job done.

It would do no good to push Hoss. Ben had seen the futility of romantic desperation when Adam had felt pressed into proposing to Laura. Thankfully that had ended before it had gotten any worse, and had forced Adam to follow his heart. There were times lately when Ben considered sending Hoss away for a while. Perhaps without the family wealth as a lure, or the shadows of his previous romantic failures hovering over him, Hoss would find a woman who'd accept him for his gentle spirit and homey ways.

His thoughts returned to the present when he heard wagon wheels grinding over the gravelly dirt in the yard. He checked the clock and realized it must be Hank coming for his children. After noting a final figure, he closed his ledger and went to greet his former ranch hand.

The two men talked as the children said goodbye. As Hank started the team forward, Ben reminded him, "I'll drop AJ and Lizzy off around 8 AM on Saturday. Hoss will pick them up around two."

Five

Adam and Melinda strolled hand-in-hand as they made their way from the restaurant to the theater. They'd had their separate meetings during the day, returning with just enough time to freshen up and dress for their dinner with Edwin Booth, the renowned actor, and Adam's friend from his college days.

"Edwin looks good, and his career seems back on track," Adam mused as they walked. "The last time I saw him was when he brought his show to Virginia City, about a year before…"1

"His brother shot President Lincoln?" Melinda supplied

He nodded. "Edwin's reputation tumbled after that, and he pulled back from public life. It didn't matter that he sided with the Union or that he disowned John after the assassination; he still bore guilt by association."

"That's over now, isn't it?"

Another nod. "He runs a successful theater in Philadelphia, and has been touring the States for about a year. I'm glad we'll see him reprise his classic role as Hamlet tonight."

Melinda moved closer, hugging his arm tightly. "It's been some time since we've seen a good Shakespearean performance." She grinned as she looked up at him. "I do have to ask if you'll be giving up your engineering profession for the stage. Edwin was quite adamant about you wasting your talent in the confines of an office."

A low chuckle rumbled from Adam's chest. "I did enjoy performing in college, although there wasn't much time for it. I met Edwin when I had a small speaking part in a production he starred in when it toured in Cambridge." He chuckled again. "I love the challenge of engineering. There's plenty of drama in the daily running of my…little empire." He wrapped his arm around Melinda's waist, pulled her close. "Enough about acting. Tell me about your day. We didn't have time to talk about that."

They each shared the high points of their meetings as they waited outside the theater. "Do you think Berkeley will go ahead with an engineering intern program like the one you do for Harvard?" Melinda asked.

"They seemed enthusiastic." He pulled her closer as the waiting crowd began to push toward the vestibule once the ushers opened the doors. "We don't have to rush. Our box seats will be easy to access once the others get inside." When the chattering quieted as the push of people eased, he asked, "What was the conclusion to your meeting? You hinted at something exciting."

Her smile grew. "Three members from the Order of St. Francis De Sales will come to Boston this fall. They're interested in my program and want to see how it works."

"That order is dedicated to educating the poor, so I can see their interest."

Melinda nodded vigorously. "They're up against the same roadblocks we've experienced. The priests agreed that even when they can convince parents to participate; their children fail because they have no basics and don't respond well to structured lessons and classroom discipline."

"They'll be excited when they see how you combat that."

"They want to meet you as well, and hope you can give them a tour of Harvard."

The world around the couple ceased as they embraced and shared a long kiss. "We are richly blessed," Adam whispered into Melinda's ear as they headed toward the doors.

One eye opened as Adam yawned. He'd been sleeping so soundly that he had to think about where he was. It was their last day in San Francisco, and he was looking forward to it, even as he looked forward to getting back to the Ponderosa and seeing his children. Last night's play had been superb, and they'd quoted lines enthusiastically as they walked to the hotel, intoxicated with the effects of a perfect day and evening. After a stop in the hotel salon for a drink, they'd headed to their room and collapsed in much needed sleep. He was feeling refreshed and playful this morning, and rolled over, pulling Melinda closer to kiss her neck.

She opened one eye to see that it was still early-morning dark, snuggled to his chest and pulled his arm around her. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I'm still tired. Don't despair; I'll make it worth your while to wait."

He rose onto his elbow to check the clock. "We have plenty of time, so another few minutes of shuteye might be good for both of us. But then…"

"Then, I shall make you glad that you're married to a woman who still has a few secrets up her sleeve."

His eyes popped open as he settled his head back on the pillow. "I look forward to it."

Six

Ben turned back at the top of the steps and called, "AJ…Elizabeth, hurry now. We have to leave for the Myers' house." His attention was drawn to the front door after hearing a tentative knock. He recognized one of Hank's ranch hands standing there, clutching at his hat and looking uncomfortable. Ben smiled at him. "I thought I was dropping off the children on the way to town, but it will work even better if you're here to get them."

The man at the door reached into his shirt pocket, and handed Ben a folded paper. "The missus sent this for you, sir. She said to say she's…um…oh yeah…most apologetic for having to cancel at this late hour."

Once Ben's eyebrows settled back into place, he unfolded the note. The corners of his mouth dove in a frown as he realized that plans for the day would need rearranging. He reached into his pants pocket and removed a dollar coin that he tried to give Hank's man.

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Cartwright, but Mr. Myers already give me a little extra for riding over."

"Mr. Myers has a good man in you…ah…"

"Lyle," the man furnished.

"Thank you, Lyle. Please tell the Myers that I hope their children are well soon." He scanned the note again once the man was on his way. It revealed that Abigail's children had come down with a rash and fever during the night, and she felt it best not to expose AJ and Lizzy. Two thoughts swirled in Ben's head. The first was how he might handle the loss of childcare, and the second was a tinge of worry since all four children had been together a day earlier. "Oh well," he mumbled under his breath. "Adam and Melinda will be home tomorrow; they can handle that."

He would have asked Hop Sing to stay with AJ and Lizzy, but since the children were going to be gone all day, he'd made plans to visit his family, and had already headed into town with Joe, Hoss, and the steers they were exhibiting. There was only one solution at this late hour. He walked to the door and hollered, "Jamie, come in the house. I need to talk to you."

"Can't you take them with you to the meeting or drop them with Hop Sing in town?" Jamie asked; his face settling into a pout after hearing Ben's plan. "I'm meeting Wes and Nate at the fishing hole in an hour. I don't have time to pack more food and get horses saddled, and Wes is bringing some cousins along. They're even older than we are, so AJ and Lizzy won't have any fun with us."

Ben's eyebrows had risen slowly, but steadily while listening to Jamie's response, even as he'd remained silent. When the boy began to bite his lip and shift his shoulders as though the skin had suddenly become too tight, Ben spoke in a quiet, but forceful voice. "You'd rather have me take them to a this cattle meeting—the one that even you're too young to attend—or find Hop Sing and have him give up his day off so that you're not inconvenienced?" He paused, not expecting a reply. "I can send Hoss home to watch them so that you can go fishing, even though he's going to be recognized at the luncheon for the work he's done in breeding the sturdier steers he's showing today. Then again I can skip the meeting even if it means that Hoss won't have his family there to cheer him on." Another quick pause. "Or you can do as I ask."

Jamie's face had reddened more with each suggestion. "I get it, Pa."

"I thought you might see the error of your ways," Ben teased. "The two of them are already dressed, and Hop Sing packed baked goods and lemonade for them to take to Abigail's. Knowing our cook, there's more than enough for all of you. Use that double saddle so they can ride together." He became thoughtful. "Hoss is going to head back early, so bring everyone here after lunch, drop AJ and Lizzy off, and then go on your way."

"I guess that'll work."

Ben noted Jamie's wrinkled forehead and pursed lips. "I thought you and AJ were getting along, so why does why does this seem such a distasteful proposition?"

"I'm sorry, Pa." Jamie's expression softened as he met Ben's stare. "I like those two," he motioned towards the steps with his head. He broke eye-contact as he looked towards his feet.

Ben breathed deeply. "So why do you look so unhappy?"

"I'm not sure. It's just that I could always tell when things were about to go bad when my pa and I were working in a town. I'd get this feeling in my gut that wouldn't leave, and that's what I've got right now."

Ben wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder. "It's probably just the shift in plans…unless there's something else you should be telling me."

Jamie bit his lips. "Wes said his cousins can be a little rough around the edges. I don't know what that means."

"You're talking about Wes Starke?" Jamie nodded. "Dan and Marigold Starke are good parents and reverent people. I don't think I've ever heard Dan cuss. They're regular church-goers and active with the school. It's possible that these cousins are little more rowdy, but it could also be that the Starkes would think that because they're so straight-laced." He chewed his cheek. "Work out a password with AJ and Lizzy just in case… Any one of you can use it as a sign you want to leave. And then honor that no matter what."

Jamie nodded again. "That's a good idea. We're just going to fish anyway. What could happen?" He grinned at his father. "Unless Lizzy shows us all up by catching the most."

"Stop grinning like that, Adam," Melinda said as she punched his arm. "People will think we've been up to something."

He turned her around to button her dress. "We have been up to something, my love, and I can't help it if it makes me very, very happy. We've been married nearly eleven years, and today, you did something that completely surprised me."

Melinda was blushing deeply when she faced him again. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You know…our plans are fluid today, so we could just stay in and you could surprise me again."

She grabbed his beard and pulled his face level with hers. "Stop it. You're beginning to make me feel like I've been a disappointing lover until today."

Adam pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "You have never disappointed me. Not once; not ever. Today was a marvelous and incredible gift, and you may surprise me again whenever you're comfortable doing so." He squeezed tighter. "Might you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

"Maybe," she mumbled into his coat. "You'll have to wait for tonight."

He reached for his wallet and handed Melinda her purse and parasol. "I'm going to look for birthday gifts for my family so I can leave them with Hop Sing instead of having to remember to mail them on time. Are you still going shopping for the kids?"

"I might find something for myself too." She grinned at him. "I promise it won't cost you more than an arm and a leg."

"Make sure you take them from opposite sides of my body so I don't tip over."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That would be interesting to see." She squinted as she bit her lip. "I'll be back here by two to change for the early concert. Then we'll have a dinner afterwards, and finish our trip with some fireworks."

"We can sleep on the train tomorrow if we're up late tonight." His brows rose. "Oh, we can't forget. Ruth is stopping with the original manuscript before we leave for the concert. I hope she didn't have trouble getting it."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her again," Melinda said as she straightened his tie. She's as interesting and honest as I thought she'd be. I'll enjoy working with her."

Seven

Jamie, AJ, and Lizzy got to the pond first and were getting their poles ready when the other four boys arrived.

Wes slid from his horse, hollering, "Hey, Jamie, are the fish biting?" He swung his arm to encourage the others to hurry. "These are my cousins, Gerry and Jeb," he said as he pointed at the appropriate teenager. "They're visiting from near Sacramento."

The two boys tapped their hats in greeting, and then Gerry pointed toward the water where Lizzy was trying to get her line in the water. "I thought it was supposed to be guys fishing, not mindin' some baby girl."

"She's a nice kid, and she won't bother us." Jamie stood a little taller as he defended his…the truth was he didn't know what to call her. She was the daughter of Ben's son. If he'd been born a Cartwright that would make her his niece but that didn't sound right. And he sure didn't think of himself as AJ's uncle.

Nate had made his way over to his friend and punched Jamie's shoulder. "That's not what you said when you first talked about them comin'."

Jamie glared at the other boy. "I didn't know them then." He turned to see where AJ was, motioned him over, and introduced him to the others.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," AJ said before going to help his sister.

"A pleasure to meet you," Jeb repeated in a falsetto while fanning his face and batting his eyes, before laughing. "Who does he think we are, the kings of California?"

Wes gave his cousin a dirty look. "The kid's from Boston. They're more formal out there."

"Enough talkin'," Jeb snarled. "Wes said this pond's got some good fish, so let's get to it."

As they walked back to get their poles, Jeb yanked his cousin nearer and growled. "Don't you never correct me in front of people again." He stuck his balled fist in Wes's face. "Or I'll punch yer nose clear back into yer skull."

The older boys found a place to fish away from AJ and Elizabeth, and Jamie felt comfortable with that arrangement. He stayed with the older boys to fish, but went back to check on the other two at intervals. Jeb and Gerry didn't join in the conversations except to accuse the others of tangling their lines each time they failed to land a catch. And when they didn't get bites, they blamed the rest of them for being too noisy.

As the morning moved on, the niggling in his gut started in again. Lizzy had kept herself entertained when she took a break from fishing, but he could tell she was getting restless. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he escorted her back toward AJ after he found her wandering farther away than he liked.

"Really, really, hungry," she replied with a big smile. "My tummy keeps thinking about those cookies in the basket on the blanket, and that lemonade cooling in the water."

"How can your stomach 'think' about such things," he teased, poking her in her midsection. "There ain't no brain in there." When he looked back to the lake, he realized that everyone had abandoned their poles in favor of walking around. "Why don't we eat now," he called as he took Lizzy's hand and led her to the blanket. "After that we'll head to the house."

As they ate their sandwiches, Gerry asked, "How many fish did everyone catch?"

Each of them gave an accounting with most of the boys having caught two or three. Jeb was the last to report. "I got me five, so I beat all a you."

Lizzy took a swig of lemonade to swallow her cookie. "I got ten."

"You did not," the older boy spat at her. "You just want to make fun of me."

"I did so." She ran to the bank and pulled her stringer from the water to count the fish. "I was wrong. There's eleven."

Wes saw the blush on his cousin's face, and spoke up before Jeb could. "What were you using for bait, Lizzy?"

"Bread balls," she replied as she returned to the blanket.

"What are bread balls?" Nate asked.

"Lizzy doesn't like to touch worms, so Uncle Hoss showed her how to squish bread around the hook instead," AJ told the others.

"Worms are wiggly and dirty." Lizzy giggled as she shivered. "And they poop on my hands when I put them on the hooks."

Jeb shook his head. "Out-fished by a lousy girl using bread. Ain't this a great day."

"You can have my fish," Lizzy offered. "I like catching them more than eating them anyway."

"You can keep yer stinkin' fish. I don't need nothin' from you, brat!" The older boy's face was beet red and his mouth had formed an ugly grimace as he'd spoken.

AJ jumped up and moved between his startled looking sister and the angry looking Jeb. "She was just being nice. There was no need to be mean or frighten her."

Jamie's fear rose as he watched AJ talk back to Jeb. The older boy towered over the younger as they stood facing each other. His heart was pounding in his throat as he took AJ's shoulder and eased him back a few steps. "Let's finish our lunch and go to the ranch. There's no harm in being bested by a girl. Maybe those fish thought she was cuter than the rest of us." He'd meant his words to be funny, but the effect was lost on Jeb. His anxiety rose even more when Lizzy pulled on his pocket and said that her tummy hurt and she thought she was going to throw up. He knelt and checked her forehead, finding it warm. "We'll head home real soon, sweetie."

While Jamie tended to Lizzy, Jeb moved forward and gave AJ a shove. "You don't talk that way to me, you Boston blubberhead."

"You moan about a six-year-old girl catching more fish, and you think I'm the stupid one?" AJ shot back.

Jeb's posture became menacing as he brought his fists to his chest. "Shut up before I knock your teeth out."

"I'm only talking; why are you threatening to hit me?" AJ closed his eyes for an instant and sighed. He was used to bullies. There was always one in his classes at school, and they singled out the youngest, brightest or most timid child. Since he was often the youngest and smartest in his grade, he was usually the one targeted; at least at the beginning of the year. His father had told him to stand up for himself the best he could, because what bullies loved most was creating fear.

"I said shut up." The pink in Jeb's cheek had become scarlet.

"You're a bully, and your behavior now doesn't surprise me. You locked in on me and my sister like a hawk spotting a field mouse as soon as you got here. You would have used some excuse to swoop down on us before the day was over."

Jeb told AJ to shut up again, but AJ wasn't listening anymore. "You know what I've figured out about bullies? You're the kids who can't keep up mentally, so you single out the people you know can't challenge you physically, and make them afraid. You being mean is as natural to you as it is for my sister to be generous, and it's how you keep the rest of us from seeing how small you really are."

The large boy lunged, ready to rip AJ apart. But AJ had figure out Jeb's next move before he'd ever made it. He side-stepped the larger, clumsier boy, and grabbed his arm as he passed, applying circular leverage. Jeb tumbled forward as his feet flew over his head.

The other boys scattered and Lizzy began crying. Jamie ran to pick her up while he hollered at AJ. "Hoss is home now." This was the phrase they'd agreed on as the code to use if anyone wanted to get out of there. He got up closer and shouted it again.

AJ was concentrating on his foe and managed to flip Jeb again when he lunged a second time. Unfortunately his singular focus made him forget that Jeb had an ally. When the bully rose the second time he nodded toward his brother and Gerry slipped in behind AJ to pin his arms.

Jamie set Lizzy down with a plea to be quiet and ran to help AJ, receiving a fist to the gut for his efforts. He struggled to stand and get his breath. "Stop it!" he screamed at the two roughing up AJ. "The kid is half your size and age. What do you prove by hurting him? We'll leave now, and you can go on your way."

Jeb looked over at Jamie. "He called me stupid. He's got to pay fer that."

"He was just defending his sister. Let him go. Be the bigger man here." Jamie turned his gaze to AJ and pled, "Tell him you're sorry, AJ. Lizzy's fine and we'll go home now. Hoss is there."

The wind left AJ's sails as he understood the seriousness of his situation. "I'm sorry," he said with sincerity. "I didn't like that you were disparaging Lizzy. That's all it was."

Jeb's eyes glazed over. "What is wrong with you kid? Yer usin' big words now to prove how stupid I am. You knew I wouldn't know what dis…dispar…gin' meant."

AJ tried not to grin, but he couldn't stop, and it dealt the final blow to Jeb's ego. "Hold him Gerry. No nine-year-old and his snot-nosed sister's gonna make a fool a me."

Wes was finally in motion. "Stop it, Jeb! These kids are Cartwrights and if you hurt them, the whole town's gonna come down on you like a landslide."

He thought a minute, and then smiled venomously. "Aw, we ain't gonna hurt them; just teach them a lesson." Jeb looked over at Jamie. "I'd teach you the same lesson, but my cousin says you's a good friend, and you ain't been half bad to us so far." His sick laugh rang out in the stillness that had fallen over the scene.

They'd been riding for some time already, with Jeb and Gerry leading the way. Jeb had the reins of AJ and Lizzy's horse. He'd tied AJ's hands to the pommel and Lizzy hands were secured to her portion of the saddle with a rope that was looped first around her brother's neck so he couldn't lean down to pull the handkerchief from his eyes. Lizzy was sniffling and kept chanting, "I don't like this, AJ," as she leaned forward onto his back. "And I don't feel so good, either."

AJ tried to soothe his sister. "They're just playing a game with us, Liz. It'll be over soon." He'd been surprised when Jeb had grabbed the little girl and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to use over her eyes. The brother who'd been holding him, had done the same thing to him then, and his world had gone gray. He couldn't understand why Jeb was angry with Lizzy. She couldn't help catching more fish, and she hadn't bragged about it. The bullies he'd faced at school had pushed him around too, until his father had taken him to a Chinese man who'd taught him how to dodge punches and use leverage. But while those actions usually stymied the school bullies, it had turned Jeb dangerous. Another thing he'd forgotten was that in Boston, there were adults to intervene if things had gone wrong. What hurt most was that he knew he'd misjudged the situation and now Lizzy was paying the price for it. She was scared sick. He was relieved to hear Jamie's voice behind him, but he also knew the two older boys were controlling things now. Jamie couldn't help them alone, and Jeb's cousins were too afraid to act.

Jamie's apprehension had grown with every minute they traveled. He finally hollered, "You two don't know the Ponderosa very well, and you're taking us farther from the house. If we don't get back by dinner, there's going to be a hunt and it won't go well for you."

Wes leaned over and shushed his friend. "I'm sorry about this," he offered apologetically. "I never would have come if I'd know those kids would be there. Jeb and Gerry's ma died a few years back, and their pa married a younger woman. I heard my folks talking, and they said that Uncle George was never a good father, but now that he's got a little girl with the new ma, he's got no regard for his boys. I saw my uncle smacking Jeb and Gerry around in the barn just before we left. They were itching for a fight when we got there today, just like that AJ said."

"Did they tell you what they're planning?" Jamie asked.

"Jeb just wants to scare them. He's riding them around with their eyes covered so they won't know if they're on the Ponderosa or in China, and then he'll make them stew a bit." He gave his friend a cautious look. "Play along, Jamie. Jeb snuck in the house before we left, and took his pa's pistol. It's in his saddlebag. I don't know that he wouldn't be stupid enough to shoot one of us in the foot it if he gets riled."

The trek ended when Jeb stopped at a beach entrance into Lake Tahoe where a small wooden boat was tucked in the brush. He grabbed the pistol from the saddle bag, and pointed at Jamie as he walked up to him. "You and my cousins are gonna get them two kids off that horse, stick them in that boat, and retie their hands and feet. You do this without tryin' anything sneaky, and we'll tie the boat out just enough to make them think they're floatin' free. Then we'll go down the shoreline and fish. We'll come back for them after I catch…say…eleven fish."

Nate and Wes helped get the younger Cartwrights off their horse and led them to the boat. Jamie leaned close to AJ's ear as he began redoing the knots on his hands. "Stay calm. I'll be back for you for you as soon as I can. Jeb's got a gun, so play along." He finished tying the ropes, making them look heavy and tight, while securing them with a simple tie. "It's a slip knot, AJ. Pull on the end once you don't hear us anymore and it'll come open. Explain it to Lizzy. I have to hurry with her or they'll get suspicious. Hide somewhere safe if you get loose, and don't come out until you see that I'm alone."

"Get over here," Jeb screamed when Jamie took too long tying Lizzy. "Hold him now," he yelled to his brother when Jamie stepped out of the boat. Gerry rushed over and pinned Jamie in a head lock while his brother checked the knots. "That looks good," he told Jaime. "I'm surprised you didn't tie them loose. You three might just make it out of this in one piece." With Jamie subdued, Jeb walked back to his horse and grabbed a sack that he carried to the boat.

Jeb looked over his shoulder at the others and laughed. "I'm giving you my leftover worms, little girl. They's a gift!" He said snidely before dumping his can of worms over Lizzy's head. He gave the boat a shove while letting out enough rope to float them into deeper water. "You two have fun now, ya hear."

Gerry pressed the gun deeper into Jamie's neck as he tried to wrest himself free when Lizzy started to scream. He gave up, figuring that if these two bullies ended up shooting him—even by accident—there'd be no reason not to shoot the rest of them. All he could hope for now was a chance to get away and head back to help. Jeb ordered everyone onto their horses, and Jamie's heart shriveled with the sound of Lizzy's tortured screams as they rode away.

This ride ended when they got to another clearing on the lake far enough from where they'd left the children that they couldn't see them, and Lizzy's screams had stopped so there was nothing to hear. Jeb ordered the others to fish while he leaned back on a tree and held them at gunpoint. "Let me know when you got a dozen or so."

AJ tried to calm his sister once they were alone. She had quieted at the start…until Jeb had said something about worms, followed by the sucking sound a can makes as it releases its contents. His hands were tied behind him, but he managed to use his shoulder to push the blindfold up enough to see what made him wish his eyes were still covered. Lizzy was screaming as the worms slithered under her bonnet into her thick hair or rolled down her face and dropped onto her lap. No reassurance could reach her; she had given in to terror.

The narrow boat rocked as the little girl stood and whipped her head and body side-to-side, trying to rid herself of the crawling tormenters. AJ shouted at her to sit down. He had been working at the knot securing the rope around his hands from the moment he'd heard the horses move away, and had found the end to pull. "Please sit still, Princess," he said again, using the nickname his father had coined. "I'll help you in a minute."

"There's worms everywhere, AJ!" she screamed as she sat down again. "They're crawling down my neck and inside my dress!"

He talked to her about her dolls, and getting back to the ranch to see what Hop Sing would have for supper, but nothing helped.

"Something's crawling in my ear, AJ! I gotta get these things off'a me," she screamed, as she stood and began to thrash again.

The knot around AJ's hands came free, and he was unwinding the coil from his wrists when Lizzy stepped too close to the outside of the boat and fell backwards over the side. Her scream as she hit the water continued along with splashing as she tried to stay afloat. AJ was working the knot around his ankles, desperate to free himself and help. He stood as that knot gave way, but slid on the pile of worms at his feet, hitting his head on the side of the boat as he tumbled overboard. The screams and thrashing ended as AJ sunk beneath the surface.

Eight

Melinda opened the door to their suite and gave Ruth a sturdy hug as she entered. "It's good to see you again."

"I don't have the manuscript yet," she confessed after returning the hug and the sentiment. "I stopped by the boarding house yesterday, but they said Francine wasn't home. I left a note for her, and Fran sent a messenger to my house early this morning saying she was busy all day but if I'd send a note back telling her which hotel you were at, she'd drop it off by 4:30. I left instructions at the desk that she must leave it with them and they shouldn't give her any information. They'll bring it up if it arrives before you leave for your concert."

Adam's left cheek rose as he thought about Ruth's information. "Why didn't she simply send the document to you? That would have saved time in her 'busy day'."

Ruth's smile dissolved into a look of worry. "She did write something about having separated it into folders with notes for the rewrite, and had to reassemble it."

"Did you tell her you won't be using her new version?" Melinda asked

"I didn't want to do that until after I had the original. I wrote that we needed it to check a few things that I might have had wrong in the first draft, and I'd talk to her later about corrections. I thought it best not get her upset while you were still here."

"But she made sure she'd deliver it in person," Adam said pointedly. "She does want to see us, and she's figured out that you're unhappy with what she wrote. I'm glad you withheld the room number."

Melinda was praising Ruth's planning when they heard a knock at the door. She gave her husband a peck on the check, and held out her hand. "Do you have change for the bellboy, Adam?" She exchanged the tip for the large envelope and handed it to Ruth when she closed the door again.

There wasn't time to open it before there was another knock. Melinda gave the others a curious look and then chuckled. "The boy must have forgotten something, or," she grinned back at her husband, "He counted the change, and came back for more."

There was no bellhop. A rotund woman was standing there, clad in a dour looking dress that fit like skin and was straining at the seams. Melinda had to restrain a grin at her thought that the woman looked square since she was nearly as wide as she was tall. Adding to Melinda's slightly open-mouthed stare was the fact that this woman's hair was a tangled mess, secured in a bun with pencils. The humor of this "guest's" appearance vanished as she began to feel uneasy. The stranger's eyes darted furtively as she tried to see into the room, and her mouth was screwed into a sour pucker. Melinda eased the door to a crack, and wedged her foot behind it as she asked, "May I help you?"

"Is Ruth Halversen here?"

Melinda's unease was clanging like a fire-bell in her brain. "Who are you?"

The other woman's eyes thinned to slits. "Don't bother denying she's here. I gave the envelope to the desk clerk as Ruth ordered, and then I hid behind a post and followed the bellboy when he brought it up."

Melinda yelped when her toes got pinned beneath the door as the woman gave it a mighty shove and bulled past her into the room.

The intruder stopped abruptly, staring open-mouth while looking around the suite. "I'd heard this hotel was lovely, but I had no idea it was this luxurious."

"You shouldn't have come up, Francine," Ruth said sternly as she approached. "There was no need to bother the Cartwrights."

Francine's eyes moved from Ruth to the man in the room. "You must be Adam." She gave him a good look from his head to his toes. "I can certainly understand Ruth's attraction to you." Her satisfied look made Adam flinch and cross his arms over his chest.

"Thank you for bringing the original," Ruth said with a softer tone. "I've already sent a check for your service."

"Ours is such a beautiful story," Fran said, directing her attention to Adam in a cow-eyed stare. Her lower lip began to quiver as turned to glare at Melinda. "You must be the wife! It's your fault this story didn't end the way it should have."

"It ended exactly as it should have," Melinda said soothingly. "Ruth has told you that." When Francine's stare began to feel like it was burning a hole in her forehead, she stood straighter and her tone became forceful. "You removed the best of Ruth's amazing story of survival, and turned it into a tale of unrequited love. Ruth wrote about the triumph of her spirit. You left her looking weak and helpless because she didn't end up with a man."

"I should have gotten Adam," Francine spat back.

Melinda wondered if Adam and Ruth had noticed the pronoun Fran had used. A quick glance at them confirmed that they had. "You mean Ruth, don't you?"

Francine's face crumbled as she shouted. "Adam should have come for me and we would have married. That's how it should have gone!" She pounded her fist on her leg. "The story would be perfect then."

Ruth tried again to calm the woman. "It wasn't meant to end that way, Fran." She went to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and walking her toward the door. "I was honest about the time with Adam. He spurred me to find Ruth again, but it was never to be forever." Ruth patted Francine's back. "I think you worked so hard on this, and became so involved that you wrote the story the way you wished it had been. I can understand that."

The sturdy woman stopped their progress and pulled away from Ruth. "No. I told the real story of how Adam and I fell in love, and how we came together that day. I should have been the one he married; the one who bore his children." Fran swung around to point at Melinda, and cried out, "Not…her!"

Adam had given Ruth a chance to deal with the situation, but it was clear that Francine was not going quietly. He quickly covered the distance between them, grabbing the sobbing woman by the wrist. "You are not wanted here, madam. Please do not approach Ruth again or contact me or my wife."

Large tears were sliding down her cheeks when she looked up beseechingly. "Please don't do this, Adam. I know you love me. It's not your fault that you're acting this way. It's because of her." She nodded toward Melinda. "Did she lay with you to get pregnant and force you to marry her?"

"That's enough!" Adam's hand tightened on her left arm until she squirmed with the pressure and began walking toward the door with him. "I'm taking her downstairs and will have the manager get the police to take her to the hospital," he told Ruth and Melinda. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"There's no need to do that." Francine's tears stopped instantly, and she pulled her dress into place with her free hand. After a deep sigh, she patted her hair and plastered a grotesque smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, Adam. I understand. Please don't make a fool of me. Just unhand me and I'll go."

After receiving a shrug of agreement from Ruth and Melinda, he released his grip and allowed her to walk to the door. He saw her digging in her purse, and assumed she was going after a handkerchief to dry her face. He pulled his from his pocket and tossed it to her, but she let it fall to the floor as she continued to hunt. A sparkle created by the chandelier's light reflecting off the barrel of the small silver gun in her hand was the only warning he got that he'd completely misread her depth of insanity. And in that mistake, he'd let her get too far away to reach before she could act. He froze as he formulated a lie to make Francine believe he had been her lover. It made his stomach turn, but he knew he could say anything until disarming her. "My dear, Francine, I do remember…," but she brought her finger to her lips.

"Don't say anything, dear." She smiled radiantly and blew him a kiss as she pointed the pistol at his heart. "There's only one thing standing between us and being together, and I'm about to take care of that, my love."

Adam assumed she was going to shoot him and then herself, but his heart stopped as he understood her true target. Melinda and Ruth had turned away from the door, and they had no idea what was about to happen. He shouted Melinda's name and dove toward her as the muzzle flame erupted from the Derringer that was directed towards her. Melinda eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened in a silent scream as the bullet struck. She remained standing for a moment, looking down at the spreading circle of red discoloring her dress, before collapsing next to where he'd landed. The bleeding intensified with her fall. It was drenching the belt he'd given her to match the heirloom dress she'd chosen to wear again, and was wicking down the pleats of the skirt.

Ruth groaned as she saw Melinda go down, and rushed at Francine. The second shot struck the mirror above the fireplace causing it to shatter—the falling glass creating a high-pitched dissonance. Using her height advantage she managed to push Francine to the wall. She grabbed the arm holding the pistol, bringing it down hard on her thigh, and snapped the woman's wrist like a dead twig.

The gun fell harmlessly to the floor, and instead of crying out in pain at the fracture, Francine started laughing maniacally. "See…" she screeched, "I told you there was one thing standing between us, Adam." The laugh returned as she added, "She's not standing anymore, is she?"

Ruth grabbed an ornamental vase from the table next to them and brought it down on the cackling woman's head. With Francine out cold, Ruth ran to assist Adam. The knit shawl she grabbed from the chair was lightweight but substantial in size, so Ruth folded it into a thick bandage and laid it over the bullet's entry point. "Hold that tight," she ordered Adam. "I'll run down and get a cab for us." She gave a quick nod to the lump by the wall. "And the police for her. I'll bring others back to help get Melinda downstairs."

"Will she make it?" the pale husband asked as he grabbed Ruth's arm.

She shrugged and shook her head, unable to voice her fear.

Adam hadn't needed to ask. He saw the blood coming from Melinda's abdominal area. Gut shot, was the vernacular term. He'd been shot like this once, and it had taken months to recover. Luckily that bullet hadn't punctured his intestines or he would have died an agonizing death once infection and gangrene had taken hold of his insides. He already knew that Melinda's fate had been sealed by whatever had happened as the bullet entered. The important thing now was keeping her alive until doctors could assess the damage.

Melinda had passed out initially, but she opened her eyes sleepily and reached for Adam's face. "That really happened?" she asked, grimacing. "It wasn't a bad dream?"

"I'm sorry," he said in agony. "I was sure she was going to shoot me or I would have acted sooner. I've never been sorrier about being wrong."

She caught her breath and her eyes widened as she acknowledged the searing pain consuming her insides. "It hurts so bad." She held his hand tightly. "I'm cold, Adam, and…dizzy." She paused for several deep breaths hoping to ease the agony. When that didn't work she began to speak as fast as she could, trying to get everything said before it was too late. "I love you…from the moment I met you. Our marriage…wouldn't change anything…even waiting for you." She inhaled sharply as deep pain began moving up toward her chest. She was desperate to finish. "Our children…love them. Help them remember….me…" Tears streaked down her cheeks as reached again to caress his cheek. She whispered, "Adam," before her hand dropped to her side.

He continued providing pressure on the wound, and used his free hand to check for a pulse. It was weak and rapid, but it provided hope. He couldn't wait for help. He scooped her into his arms and headed for the door.

Nine

Sheriff Coffee dismounted in front of the Cattlemen's Association, relieved to see Ben near the door talking with another rancher. His old friend glanced over and smiled, while continuing the conversation.

It wasn't until Ben felt a hand on his arm that he gave the sheriff a quizzical look. "Can I help you, Roy?"

"We need to speak privately, and it can't wait." Roy led Ben to a quiet spot. "Dan and Marigold Starke brought their boys to my office a short time ago with a story I had a hard time believin'."

Ben knew that Roy liked to drag a story out, and while he smiled wryly, thinking about what might be revealed, he felt an odd gnawing in his stomach. "Jamie was meeting the Starke boys to fish today. Did they get into trouble?"

"I truly wish it was that. The Starkes have relatives visiting, and the cousins went along on that fishin' trip. Them two are older and surly, but the Starkes didn't know just how bad they were. Wes and Nate said their cousins started picking on your grandchildren. Jeb, The older of the two, got mad that Lizzy caught more fish than him. AJ stood up for her and things went bad from there."

"Was AJ hurt? Should I get Paul out to the house?" Ben's voice sounded firm, but his knees suddenly felt wobbly.

Roy shook his head slowly. "The older boys decided to teach the youngsters a lesson. The Starke kids said their cousins blindfolded AJ and Elizabeth; tied them on their horse and took them to Lake Tahoe. There they stuck 'em in a boat, tied 'em up again, and pushed it out into the lake to scare those little ones real good."

Ben had paled, but now flushed with anger. "What sort of animals are these boys? And why didn't Jamie do something?"

"One of them pinned Jamie at first, and then held him at gunpoint by the lake. The Starke boys said Jamie did what he could by tying slip knots so AJ'd get free."

"I should get going. Those children are probably… They need me home. I'll get Joe."

Roy placed his hand on Ben's arm again. "Hold on. The children aren't at the house, Ben. That's why I came for you. The cousins forced Jamie to go off with them to let AJ and Lizzy stew, and when they went back, the boat was overturned in deep water, and the kids were gone. Wes and Nate don't think their cousins meant for anything bad to happen, but Jamie went wild and charged at Jeb; flustering him. He fumbled the gun he was holdin', and it went off, with a bullet catching Jamie in the arm."

Ben nearly buckled. "Is he all right?"

"A deep graze is what Wes said. Jeb and Gerry—them older boys—took off after that, and rode for the Starke's house. They didn't say nothin' was wrong when they got there, but the other family packed up quick and left. Wes and Nate stayed with Jamie to bandage his arm and look for AJ and Lizzy."

Joe exited the building, and made his way over, noticing his father's red face and clenched fists. "What's wrong, Pa?"

"I'll explain in a minute." Turning back to Roy, he asked, "Where are AJ and Lizzy?"

"Jamie, Wes, and Nate couldn't find them, so Jamie headed to the ranch for help, while the Starke boys went to get their folks. Their parents thought they should come into town first to tell me. I was heading to the Ponderosa when I saw Buck hitched out here." He screwed his face up before asking, "I think Adam and Melinda are still in San Francisco. Should we send a telegram before we leave?"

"What would we tell them?" He paused to think. "I'll send a message once we know more." He took a minute to gather his thoughts. "Joe, Roy and I are leaving now. Get our things, say our goodbyes and catch up to us."

"Do I understand right; Adam's kids are missing?" Receiving a nod from both men, he added, "Get going."

Ten

Nearly an hour had passed while they'd gotten Melinda to the hospital. Ruth was known at the facility, and she'd set to gathering a team of doctors as soon as they'd arrived. The small exam room filled quickly with hospital personnel, and Adam was asked to leave. Ruth left with him, and guided him to a waiting area.

"Can't you stay in there?" he asked.

"I found the finest people to care for her, Adam, and the police will need our statements." Her eyes welled with tears. "I'm so sorry," she moaned as she touched his arm and led him to a couch. "I brought that woman into your lives. Francine was always a little odd, but I never felt she was capable of…this."

He laid his hand atop hers. "This wouldn't have happened if I'd been more alert." The corner of Adam's lip rose in a broken smile and faded. "This isn't the first time I've encountered a crazy person, but my revulsion for this one made me miss her intent."

She angled herself on the couch to see him better. "I'd turned away when you took over, deciding the less audience she had, the better. I should have made sure she was out the door first."

Adam's throat tightened with the memory, leaving him unable to speak.

The two friends sat in silence, trying to comprehend how the only innocent person in that hotel room had paid the price for something that had started so long before. "There's enough guilt for both of us," Ruth whispered. "I should have listened to what my gut was telling me about Francine and told her to burn the manuscript."

The silence descended again, and they were both jumped when someone cleared their throat.

"Sorry to intrude into this desperate time," the man in the San Francisco Police uniform began. "I'm Sergeant Michael Rooney."

Adam stood to greet the officer. "We've been expecting you."

Rooney rolled back on his heels and hooked his thumbs in his pockets. "I was the officer who responded to the hotel and brought the woman who did the shootin' to the hospital. She's got a broken wrist and a bump on her head, but she was able to talk just fine. Mind you, her story was incoherent, so I thought it best to come get the truth from you. Was the woman we have in custody confused before the incident?"

"What has she said?" Adam inquired.

"She claims her name is Ruth, and she's the fiancé of Adam Cartwright. She's ramblin' far afield, exceptin in that she feels she was able to rid the world of the evil that was standin' against their happiness. I'm assumin' she's talkin' about the woman she shot?"

Adam laughed humorlessly. "Well, I'm Adam Cartwright." He nodded toward Ruth. "This is the real Ruth Halversen, and the evil woman…is my wife, Melinda Cartwright."

"Her real name is Francine Harris," Ruth provided. I hired her to edit a book I'd written. What she did was adopt my story into her life after changing it into a fantasy about Mr. Cartwright.

Adam continued, "My wife and I met Francine for the first time this evening."

Ruth invited the policeman to sit. "I know very little about her. I met Francine through a friend who taught with her at the Mulberry Academy. My book is about the years I spent living with the Bannock and then living on my own after the tribe was massacred." She briefly described how she'd helped Adam back then, and how they'd met again several years after their original meeting. "When I found out that Adam's wife worked in publishing, I asked him to give her my book. Melinda read it, and suggested I find a professional writer to help with corrections." She released a long breath. "Francine came highly recommended, but somewhere in 'helping' me, she became obsessed with those few days Adam and I spent together. From what we can figure," she looked to Adam for agreement, "she decided that this story should have ended with Adam and me getting married. In this delusion, Melinda was preventing that."

The officer shook his head and made a swirling motion near his temple as he whistled. "So Francine didn't like the way the real story went, and made one up?"

"It's more than that," Adam said. "She got so rooted in this story that she reinvented it, and then insinuated herself into it." He pursed his lips. "There's something missing. I wonder if Francine was rejected by a beau, and with Ruth's story, she got a chance to rewrite her own history."

"That might explain it, Mr. Cartwright," Sergeant Rooney offered. But I'm also guessin' she's been living a crazy drama for some time, and you just got the final act."

Ruth's eyes popped open as she remembered something. "After we got to the hospital, I sent a note to the person who introduced me to Francine, asking her to come. She might know more."

"That was a good idea," the officer said enthusiastically. "Hopefully she'll know some next-of-kin, although this Francine won't be goin' nowhere except the prison asylum for now. I'm sorry to sound indelicate, but the charges against her won't be brought until we find out what happens to the victim."

A strangled laugh prefaced Adam's outburst. "That victim whose future is uncertain, is an intelligent, loving woman, and a wonderful mother of two…in case you'd like to know."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cartwright," Officer Rooney said with sincerity. "I didna' mean to dishonor her. It is the truth of the matter though, and if I can pray for an ending, it will be the crypts of the loony bin for the perpetrator, and a long happy life for the…victim."

As Adam offered his own apology, a woman rushed into the room, stopped a moment to look around, and then walked directly to Ruth. "What's going on with Francine?" she asked in the breathlessness of hurry.

Ruth took a moment for introductions. "Becka Mounds, this is Adam Cartwright and Officer Rooney." She explained what had happened in the simplest way she could, and then asked, "Does Francine have any relatives?"

Becka chewed her cheek as she thought. "Her parents died before she came west to teach, and I never heard mention of siblings. Francine was a bright woman and talented writer, but not…um…an easy person to befriend." The cheek chewing resumed. "She really shot Mrs. Cartwright?"

Ruth nodded and then squinted at her friend. "You know something you're not comfortable saying."

Adam encouraged her. "We'd be grateful for anything you can add, even if it's speculative."

The woman dropped in a chair, seeming to fall under the weight of her knowledge. She shook her head as she began speaking. "I should have said something, Ruth. I'm sorry…I got busy and forgot about it. But I never thought…"

"Never thought what?" Ruth asked gently.

"That Francine would go this far."

"Tell us what you know," Adam prompted again. "We won't judge."

Becka looked up at the ceiling and began. "Francine was sweet to me when I was assigned to her school. She always worried that others were being recognized for achievements that really belonged to her. I wasn't seen as a threat so she favored me with her presence at lunch and meetings. I listened to her constant grumbling about how others were jealous of her intelligence. She invited me to dinner once, but I made sure I was unavailable." She shivered and her lips puckered as though biting a lemon. "The only personal thing I know was that she thought she was engaged. She was planning her wedding when I first got to the school. She bragged constantly, dropping this man's name into every conversation because he was some respected politician. One day when we went to the lounge for lunch, there was a newspaper on the table, opened to the Chronicle's society page. In bold print was the announcement of this man's marriage to a wealthy socialite. Someone had left it there for her to find and she was humiliated by it. But I also remember feeling a chill when she told me that he must have been tricked into marriage, and she'd have him back some day—one way or another. I figured it was the face-saving talk of a sad and embarrassed woman who'd given this man everything he'd wanted…if you get my meaning, and was then discarded. She was a good writer though and I thought she'd do well keeping occupied with Ruth's editing." She turned to Ruth. "I had no idea she was dangerous."

Sergeant Rooney looked at Adam and nodded. "Seems you was right about her past."

"Is there anything else?" Ruth asked.

"She was excited by your book. At first she'd talk about all you'd been through and how you had triumphed over the bad life you'd been given. But pretty soon her emphasis turned to only one thing: Adam Cartwright."

Ruth interrupted. "Did it seem that she was putting herself in my place?"

Becka took a deep breath. "In a way. She'd start talking about her fiancé' and the name would change to Adam, and her story got mixed in with yours. I was transferred to a different school for the next term, and didn't see her for some time. A few weeks ago, I stopped at the old school and I didn't recognize her! She'd never been thin or beautiful, but she dressed nicely and I considered her attractive in her own way. She'd put on so much since I'd seen her that her clothing seemed ready to burst. Her hair was a mess, and her coloring was off—almost sallow. She pulled me aside when she saw me, and said that Adam was coming for her. I told her she'd become too involved and should send the manuscript back."

Becka stopped to look at Ruth. "I hadn't seen you for a while either, but I assumed you were aware of this."

"You're not responsible," Ruth offered. "Her conversations with me drifted in and out of rationality, but she always managed to make it sound like it was all part of her creative process. She'd say she had to assume the role to know the emotions I had felt."

Officer Rooney was the first to stand. "I'll be needin' to get downstairs again. I'll investigate Francine a little further, but I doubt this woman will go to trial. I'll be needin' your information, ladies, since you seem to know the most about her. You'll probably be asked to give testimony at her commitment hearing." He shook Adam's hand. "Mr. Cartwright, I'll be back later to check on your wife and take a formal statement."

Ruth's friend left shortly after the officer was gone, leaving Ruth and Adam alone again.

"I wouldn't believe this was happening if I wasn't part of it." Ruth leaned back in the chair. "The human mind can discover the secrets of the universe or dive to depths of self-deception that allows them to act in unspeakable ways."

"A friend described it as passing through a dark gate?" Adam remarked as his experience with Ross Marquette passed through his mind.

Ruth nodded. "I suppose they aren't rational by the time it gets this far, but this darkness always seems to demand payment in blood. This time…"

"This time…Melinda has paid the price."

Ruth glanced at the clock and then out the window at the lengthening shadows. "They've been with her for some time. I'll go find out what's happening."

Eleven

Jamie, Hoss, and several of their men were preparing to ride out when Ben and Roy arrived at the house. Ben pointed at his youngest son and hollered, "In the house, Now!" He dismounted and was headed to the door when he called back for Hoss to follow.

"What happened?" Ben demanded when they got inside, and then inspected the blood-stained handkerchief tied around his youngest son's arm. His tone softened. "Do you need a doctor?"

Jamie shook his head and pulled his arm away. "It's just a graze. You must have heard what happened."

Ben released a relieved breath. "Wes and Nate's parents brought them to Roy. What I want to know from you is where AJ and Lizzy are."

Jamie's complexion paled to a pasty white, and he swayed briefly before taking a deep breath to settle his nerves. "I don't know."

"I heard they were in a boat on Tahoe. Didn't you see any sign of them when you went back?"

"Lizzy's boot was on the ground where it must have fallen from the saddlebags, but their horse was gone. I hoped they got free and rode for home. The horse did come back, but…."

Ben leaned forward onto the sturdy table behind the couch trying to steady the swirling in his head. "They're both good swimmers so they should have made it to shore even if the boat overturned. The Starkes told Roy that the boat was tied on shore?"

"It was, but…"

"Out with it, Jamie," Ben demanded. "We can't figure this out unless we have all the facts."

"Their hands and feet were tied. I used a slip knot and told AJ how to pull free, but if they fell in before he got it undone…"

He hadn't needed to finish. The look of anguish on Hoss and Ben's face was a testament to what they were imagining.

"Did you check the surrounding area?" Ben asked quietly.

"Sure! We didn't see any footprints come out of the lake. I looked along the edge of the lake and the woods, and called for them. They'd have answered if they'd have heard me. When they didn't, I figured it best to get help. Hoss is the best tracker around." The stricken look on Jamie's face matched that of his father and brother. "I should have tried to get away sooner, Pa. I thought those boys would tire of it soon enough, but I should have tried, even if they had shot me in the back. The way I feel now, I wish they had."

"Don't say that, son. I should have listened when you said you felt uneasy this morning."

Hoss remained silent through the exchange, but finally broke in. "Haven't we learned anything over the years, Pa? We ain't responsible for the bad acts of others. What's the point of thinkin' Jamie could a done more, or you should'a figured out somethin' would happen? You end up feelin' horrible over somethin' you couldn't stop or change. What we got to do now is go look for them youngens." His face crumbled as he held back his grief and anger. "The one thing that bothers me some is that they'd a been wet if they fell into the water. From what you said, it wasn't that long between leaving them and gettin' back, so there should'a been some wet spots from their drippin' clothes iffen they'd come to shore."

"What do you make of that, son?"

"Could be a couple'a things, Pa. AJ's a bright kid. If those two did get to shallower water, he wouldn't have come out where those older boys would see it. The other option is the one I don't wanna think about."

Ben was on his way to the door when he looked back. "C'mon boys. Let's find them."

Twelve

Ruth found Adam wearing a rut in the waiting-room tile with his pacing. "This is Doctor Spencer," she told him, indicating the man in the white coat standing next to her. He was with Melinda."

"How is she?" Adam asked without offering a greeting. "It's been so long, I'm…" Adam silenced as his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Let's sit down, Mr. Cartwright." He indicated a group of chairs at the side of the room, and then asked Ruth to put the "In Use" sign on the door. Dr. Spencer waited for Adam and Ruth to get seated. "When you checked in, Mr. Cartwright, you gave us permission to do what we thought best to save your wife. When we cut away the fabric and realized the wound was still bleeding, we took Mrs. Cartwright directly to surgery. One of my colleagues is finishing the operation as we speak."

Adam observed the pinched look around the doctor's eyes and the fact that he wasn't making direct eye contact. "I assume the news is not good," he said matter-of-factly.

A brief smile brightened the man's face as he took a deep breath. "I don't mean to seem dour. Ruth filled me in a little on the walk here about the situation. It's my reaction to such a horrible act that you're seeing, rather than the nature of the news I bear. Your wife has made it through surgery. That is only the beginning of her journey to recovery."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Ruth's wide-eyed stare punctuated her observation.

Dr. Spencer blew a breath while gathering his thoughts. "You're aware of how much blood your wife…"

"Melinda," Adam supplied.

The doctor smiled. "Melinda, it is. We got going so fast that I don't think we ever heard her first name. I knew she was related to the Nevadan Cartwrights, and that she is a good friend of Ruth's, but then I blocked out the surrounding conversation to concentrate. Anyway, my greatest fear was that the bullet nicked her intestine. That, along with the continuous oozing of blood prompted my decision to open the entry point immediately to see what we were dealing with. The projectile was small, but it was still travelling at impact." He smiled again as he looked to each of his listeners. "I noticed that there was a lot of damage to that belt she was wearing, but the web of boning in it saved her life. It slowed the entry enough that it didn't penetrate far and made the angle of entry shallower. On the other hand, fragments of that same boning entered the wound and had to be removed particle by particle and that took some time. The good news is that we found no unexpected fluids in the wound once it was opened."

Adam had a pretty good idea what he was talking about but his raised-cheek squint prompted Ruth to say, "They didn't find anything to indicate a punctured intestine."

"Good way of putting that." Dr. Spencer nodded and smiled at Ruth. "That bullet sheared many small arteries on the exterior of the peritoneum: that's the lining of the abdominal cavity, and it bled profusely. We cauterized those vessels, removed the slug and fragments, and closed the wound. That's the good news." He paused. "The less desirable news is that between the amount of blood we estimated had saturated the fabric of her dress, the compress you used, and in the sponges we used here, we think Melinda lost over a pint of blood."

"Is she likely to die from that rather than the gunshot?" Adam asked breathlessly.

"To lose that much blood in such a short time may have affected every organ in her body. Her kidneys and brain, even her limbs might have suffered hypoxia."

"But I could feel her pulse. If her heart was beating, why wouldn't her body get what it needed, even if it was less than normal?" Adam questioned further.

"The body is a marvelous machine, Mr. Cartwright. When being stressed, it circles the wagons around what's most important. The heart and lungs would be perfused while there would be less blood circulating as you get further from the core. Her brain would still get blood, but there might be areas that were insufficiently supplied. It's the same with everything that isn't vital for keeping the heart pumping."

"But if that isn't the case," Ruth began, "then she'll recover?"

"That's the first part. But there's a chance of infection. The surgery was performed in a very clean environment by top notch surgeons, not by a country doctor poking around with a dirty clamp and a scissors. We've done all we can to make her recovery possible."

"When will we know whether…?" Adam swallowed his question along with the lump in his throat.

"We'll wait for her to awaken and check her reflexes and brain function. If that goes well, we'll wait for fever. I assure you that we irrigated the wound with carbolic acid as Dr. Lister has prescribed, and we used it to clean our instruments, so the risk for infection is greatly reduced from even a few years ago. Time will tell. Melinda will be weak while her body produces blood at an increased rate to compensate for what was lost. The wound will heal easily; her strength will return more gradually as she rests and eats well."

"She'll have the best," Ruth said firmly. "When can Adam see her?"

Dr. Spencer stood and stretched. "They'll come for you once she's in a room." He reached to shake Adam's hand. "I'm sorry to meet you under such circumstances. I'll stop later, and we can talk more."

Adam walked to the door with the doctor. "Thank you. I…" What he couldn't say was that he wouldn't know what to do if she didn't recover. How would he tell his children that their mother had died? How would he face life without the person who was so much a part of him that to lose her would be to lose himself? He sighed deeply and continued out the door of the waiting room to walk the halls and release the nerves that were nipping at him like the stings of a thousand bees.

Thirteen

The Cartwrights, their hands, and neighbors who'd already heard of the missing children, combed the lakeshore where AJ and Lizzy had been last seen. Hoss had set up a search grid as soon as they'd arrived and made sure the other searchers weren't destroying any evidence of the children getting to shore.

Dan Starke had brought a seining net, and he and his sons had dragged the lake where the boat had overturned. But Tahoe was a cold, deep lake, and that operation had ended when the men had gotten too cold to continue without finding any clues.

There had been a moment of panicked silence, when someone thought they'd spotted a child's body caught in the brush at the edge of the lake. It had turned out to be the apron Lizzy had been wearing. While it had been an interesting find, it had been more odd than helpful.

Ben pulled his sons aside once the clothing item had been retrieved. "Would that apron have come off?" he asked his somber-faced sons.

"I s'pose," Hoss said before closing his eyes and envisioning how it could have happened. "The bow could'a come loose and the whole thing slipped off…if she was floating or turnin' over in the rollin' water." He went silent as the significance of that statement hit home.

Joe provided a more hopeful answer. "Maybe AJ helped her get it off when they were in the water. It would have been one less thing weighing her down."

By dusk, Ben knew he had to make some decisions. He gathered his family again. "I'm going to send these people home. We've covered the lakefront pretty well without results, so we'll assume they made it out and are probably a little lost. We can cover ground more effectively with our men." He looked over at the people talking in hushed voices as they awaited directions. "And the last thing I want this to become is a side-show for speculation and gossip."

His sons nodded their agreement as Ben continued. "Hoss, decide which men you want with you and start scouring the woods across from where we are. Joe, use the rest of them to ride a broad path on the way back to the house in case AJ and Lizzy are somewhere near that road. Jamie and I will ride into town to send a telegram to Adam." He sighed deeply. "At least there's a good moon tonight."

Jamie waited for his brothers to head out to their assignments before asking, "Why can't I help Hoss or Joe instead of going with you?"

"I want Paul to take a look at your arm. It's still oozing and that doesn't seem right. We'll wait there until we hear back from Adam."

Ben and Jamie had been riding for nearly a half-an-hour when Jamie released a groaning sigh. "I ain't never felt this way, Pa. Those times when people sent Pa and me packing scared me, but this is making my insides feel like they're on fire."

Ben glanced over, and nodded. His insides were burning too. In a short time he would be penning a note to tell his oldest son that his children were missing. He'd leave out the part where many presumed them to be drowned.

"Is there any chance they're alive?" Jamie asked as he looked straight ahead."

"They are until it's proven otherwise," Ben said with all the conviction he could muster. "That's how Cartwrights think."

Fourteen

Ruth was returning to Melinda's room with a pot of coffee and soup from the hospital dining room when she was stopped by an orderly who handed her a telegram addressed to Adam. She tucked it on the tray and walked the last way down the hall. Her progress halted at the doorway.

Melinda had been brought to this spacious, private room shortly after the doctor had spoken to them. Her eyes had fluttered open for a few seconds after being jostled in the transfer. She'd smiled at her husband and held on when he'd brought her hand to his lips. Her skin color seemed even paler than the bleached white sheets she was swaddled in, but she'd mouthed, "I love you," before her eyes had closed again.

"Not unexpected," the doctor said when he'd stopped in a few minutes later, noting her nearly comatose state. "She is weak, and complete rest is the only thing that will allow her body to heal." He'd also said it was an excellent sign that she'd recognized her husband, and there was evidence that her kidneys were working fine as well. Then he'd given them permission to wet her lips, and finally said that this would be a long process for all of them, so they should take care of themselves.

Ruth suspected that Adam was as exhausted as she. They'd done nothing but sit, yet the mental toll was weighing them down as surely as any physical exertion would have. She'd finally declared that they needed to keep up their strength, and since Melinda was snug for the moment, she'd gone for food. In her absence, Adam had positioned himself next to the bed, and was nestled as close to Melinda as he could be while remaining in his chair. Ruth leaned against the door frame waiting for Adam to move, but his head was on the pillow next to Melinda's, and she thought he had fallen asleep.

She hadn't known Melinda and Adam as a "couple" for long, yet Ruth had noticed how physically close they were from the moment she'd walked into their suite two days ago. They'd held hands while sitting on the couch and when they'd walked to the revue. Melinda touched his face or slipped her arms around his waist as she spoke to him. These gestures seemed so much a part of their behavior that she knew it wasn't something Melinda was doing to "mark her territory" in front of another woman. Proximity—this loving physical intimacy with each other—was as natural as breathing to this couple. It was beautiful, and she longed to feel such a connection with someone.

The raid on the Bannock and the desires of the men who'd forced themselves on her, had left her cringing at the mere thought of a man's touch. She'd kept Adam at emotional and physical arm's length when she'd met him. His sincerity and gentleness had allowed her to relax enough to permit him to pull her closer or to hold her head as he'd kissed her. She'd momentarily forgotten the shadows of those men looming over her; their foul, sour odor, and fetid breath making her gag as they'd argued over who'd get to "poke" her first. She'd even pushed the darkness away just enough to become romantically playful with Adam on their last day together. There were hopeful times in those hours together when she thought she might one day let her guard down completely or feel at ease when he touched her unexpectedly. She'd realized it would take patience on his part to reach that point, and in the end, it had been easier to ride away with Chato than to face that she might never come to love his touch.

Those men had called the Bannock savages, and had used that as an excuse to wipe out an entire hunting party of human beings. They'd taken away her Indian family…and her innocence. Killing them had ended the assault, but they'd managed to leave behind some sort of wall in her heart that seemed impossible to breach.

She shook her head to clear these thoughts when she heard Adam say, "I'm not asleep, if that's what you're thinking."

He lifted his head from the bed and smiled. "I can smell the coffee and sure could use a cup."

Ruth carried the tray to the rolling table, and removed the yellow envelope. "This came for you. I imagine it went to the hotel and they sent it over."

He inserted his finger under the flap and pulled it loose. "Thank you. Pa probably wants to confirm our return plans for tomorrow. It might be best if he'd bring the children over here in a few days. I'm sure Melinda will want to see them, and once she's recovered enough, we'll leave for home."

Ruth watched Adam's face collapse in a tortured look as he scanned the words, and she knew instinctively that this couldn't be the message he was expecting. He looked so stunned that she stepped behind him and read the telegram over his shoulder, gasping at its contents.

Children missing after outing (STOP) Search party looking (STOP) Request your immediate return (STOP) Will wait in VC for confirmation of plans (STOP)

He balled the paper inside his clenching fist. "Earlier, when I thought Melinda might die, I asked God whether this day could get any worse. I have my answer." His sigh became a soft moan. "I have to go, and yet I don't want to leave Melinda. She'll know something's horribly wrong if I'm not here when she wakes." He shook his head. "And if something has happened to the kids…."

Ruth touched Adam's shoulders from behind. "You're adding facts that aren't known. I'll stay with Melinda; you go to your children. She'll sleep for some time, and when she does wake I'll stall her until she's strong enough to handle the truth."

Adam reached back to grasp Ruth's hand. "Thank you." His strength seemed to rush from his body like water rupturing a dam, making him lean forward to stop the lightheadedness that looked like shooting waves of light, closing into blackness. He looked up when Ruth nudged his shoulder and handed him a cup of coffee.

"Drink this," she commanded. "I know you don't feel like it right now, but I want you to eat the soup. Then we'll talk through all that needs to be done to get you out of here."

End Part 2

Please proceed to Part 3 – The Toll of Loss

1 Edwin Booth came to Virginia City in The Actress episode.

2Melinda had refused Adam's first proposal when he'd graduated from college because it wasn't the right time for either of them to marry. She told him that when the time was right, she'd propose to him. Twelve-years later, she did.