I do not own Bonanza or any of the original characters. Thanks to my Beta Reader, though all mistakes are my own.

A/N Yes, I am very well aware Candy and Adam were not on the series at the same time, but he got put in here anyway. Yes, he's foreman,

A Place to Belong

Chapter Eight

Scene Fifteen

Brooke sat on a medium sized boulder overlooking the raging river in front of Adam and her. The clear blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, some shaped like balls, and others looked like animals. Adam sat next to her. Her mind was in a whirl. "You want court me?" She looked at Adam intently.

"I'd like to take you to a few dances, maybe one of the community plays," Adam corrected her, "we had a good time on the picnic. Who knows, we may find out we actually enjoy each other's company on a regular basis. If we do, it would turn to actual courtship."

She stood up and walked a few feet as she kept her eyes on the moving water. Brooke could hear "Grandma" Despain talking about the things she'd observed while watching Brooke. The old woman was right when she compared Brooke to one of the tall pine trees, sturdy and needing a home that did not move. Brooke turned and looked at Adam. Slowly she shook her head, "You good man, Adam. You honest man like father but different."

Adam did not like being confused, and he was confused. He stood up and walked over to Brooke, "Of course, I'm different. I'm my own person. Won't you give me a chance?" He really did like Brooke and wanted nothing more than to get to see her in a more serious light.

Star looked back at the river and pointed, "You like river. You strong, help everything you pass, but," she looked at him, "Your spirit, it moves. Someday you leave this Ponderosa," she waved her hand through the air, "You have different dream, good dream," she sighed, "different dream. I see your eyes. Your eyes dance you talk of dream, this place called Aus..tr.." she fought to remember the place he'd talked about.

Adam sighed and said, "Australia." He had talked a lot about the country and his dreams of going there someday.

Brooke nodded, "Future find you not here. Like river, you go. I not river," she lifted her hand and pressed it against his arm gently as she looked at Adam's crestfallen eyes, it hurt her and she found herself desperately wanting to make him understand, she did like and admire him. She'd even begun to understand the need for two people to court each other before marriage. "I not move. You need river woman, you find river woman. You be happy."

Adam couldn't help but smile at her, "For someone so young, you are very wise."

Brooke laughed, "I twenty-three, almost twenty-four. Not young like child." Adam led her back to their horses; he had work to do and dreams to plan.

Scene Sixteen

Ben sat in his chair, and Candy stood by the fireplace as Adam told them what Brooke had said, "You know what I hate?" Adam looked at his father and their foreman as he sat down in the chair closest to the stairs.

"What?" Ben looked at Adam, concern in his eyes.

"She's right," Adam turned the palms of his hands up, "Sooner or later, I will be living in Australia. As you know, I've started researching various mines and sending telegrams," Adam said as Star sat at the top of the stairs and slid down the steps; she'd been upstairs playing with her doll. Soon she was sitting on Adam's lap, but looking at Candy, "I also don't think Brooke is ever going to consent to be that far away from Star." Adam looked at the young child on his lap.

Ben's eyebrows turned down, he'd observed Brooke with Star and had come to the same conclusion some days before. "I'm not going anywhere," Candy began smiling from ear to ear, "I finally found a place I can honestly call home. If your father thinks he can put up with me around being around the ranch for years to come, I just may have a chance with her."

"You'll never know unless you try," Ben said as he stood up and headed for the door. He felt too uptight, too stressed out, he needed to take a ride; he needed time to think.

Brook stood in her bedroom looking out the opened window. The wind blew through the window; it felt good. Spring was almost over, and summer was getting ready to make its entrance. She saw Ben riding away. Her mind turned back to the day she saw the brave her uncle had sent for standing in front of her uncle's home. "This my place. How you ask me go?" Her pain filled eyes stared at her uncle. His answer rang in hears "Little Star white child. Not belong with us. My friend, Ben, he has three sons, no daughters. He need daughter. She need mother. No brave here want half-breed. You go. You be mother. You be Ben's woman."

"He good man, uncle," she spoke softly, "he not want me. He says he too old; he think I too young. I not know." She waited until Ben was out of sight then closed the window, walked out of the room and headed downstairs.

Once down stairs she found Candy reading a story to Star. She smiled, "Little Star keep brothers busy, she keep you busy. Thank you." She did appreciate it; their willingness to help with Star freed her up to do other things as well.

"It's not a problem," Candy smiled then took a chance, "Star wants a ride in the wagon and I need to go into town. Reckon, you have time to come with us? I mean, I can't get what I need and keep an eye on one very active child."

Brooke laughed, "She active, keep everyone busy," the child did to. Maybe that was why Hoss and Little Joe had made the trip to Placerville, to give themselves a break, "I go." She and Candy could not help but start chuckling when Star's eyes lit up and she let out a joyous cry, "I'm goin' to town!