I do NOT own Bonanza or any of the original Cartwright characters.

First scene in the chapter went longer than planned. Guess that's okay though, second scene insisted on being short.

His Wild Irish Rose

Chapter Ten

Scene Nineteen

Adam sat in his wheelchair looking into the fireplace watching the flames inside dance around. Pepper walked up and stood beside him, "Hop Sing cooks a fine Christmas dinner." She'd rather enjoyed the way Hop Sing had chased her out of the kitchen saying, "Miss Peppa, you nurse not cook!" Besides, she liked cooking; she loved living better.

"Yes, he does." Adam continued to stare into the fire.

Pepper pulled a chair over and sat down next to Adam. "What's wrong, Adam?" She looked at him, genuine concern in her eyes.

"Away in the manager no crib for his bed…" Ben, his sons, Little Joe's family, Candy, Dr. Ashby and Pepper had all gathered around Adam and sang Christmas Carols while Adam played his guitar.

"Look what grandpa gave me!" Joseph Jr. had practically flown ten feet in the air when he saw the small tool set Ben had given to him. His sister, Amanda, had been just as thrilled with her gift. Then Ben and the good doctor had slipped out the front door. Adam, curious to what was going on, had wheeled himself into the kitchen.

'I saw a bounty hunter I know on my way here," Dr. Ashby had been standing outside talking to Ben, both men were unaware Adam was on the other side of the kitchen door, and that the door had been slightly opened, "Mr. Blackhill is definitely near Virginia City. I just know he's after Adam, why is another story. It's not like killing Adam now is going to stop the law from looking for him. I'd be careful, if I were you. I don't think he'll care if he has to kill more than one of you to get to your son. I am going to try and talk Pepper into going back to Carson City with me. I don't want her in the line of fire per se. Maybe, your family should take a vacation until the law can catch him."

Ben had stood erect, appalled at the idea of running and answered, "We're not going to run away from a fight if it comes to that, and I doubt Adam would want to run either. He's not that kind. I thank you for the genuine concern and for not bringing this up in front of the others today."

Adam hadn't, until he'd heard the doctor talk about Pepper, realized how badly he wanted her in his life, but did he have the right to ask her to stay when the danger was so high? "Has your uncle talked to you yet?" Adam answered after what seemed like an eternity.

Pepper sighed. She had never found herself in a position where she had to make a choice between her uncle and someone she'd grown to care about deeply, no loved. "Aye, he just talked to me." she sat back in the chair, "Do ye want me ta leave with him tomorrow?" When she felt stressed her Irish accent was extremely strong; it was strong at that moment.

He turned and looked at her. "It's not a question of what I want," he did his best to hide the feelings that he'd developed for her, "it's a question of what is best for you. When Mr. Blackhill gets here, he'll not care who he has to go through to get to me. That is, if someone should be in the way."

Pepper shook her head and took a hold of his hands, "I am fully aware of the danger Mr. Blackhill presents, but ye be wrong if ye think it's not a question of what ye wants. Tisn't so." She slid off the chair and knelt by his side, "It's all about what ye wants. Tell me if ye be wishin' me to go or to stay." She didn't even try to keep how she felt for him out of her eyes.

Adam told himself he had no right to ask her to stay, not with the danger that was coming. "He might wind up killing you."

"Adam Cartwright," Pepper raised his hands to her chin, "call me forward or anything ye wants to, but I have go ta know where I stand with ye." She did too. As much as she'd fallen in love with him, she wasn't putting her life on hold for him either.

Adam sighed. She'd stood by him from day one. Okay, at first it was simply as his nurse, but somewhere along the way things had changed. Maybe, it had something to do with the way she'd plant her feet and push back when he pushed. Whatever the case was, he took a hold of her arms and pulled her to him, "I want you to go," he paused and added as he started kissing her, "and I want you to stay."

Scene Twenty

"Be patient," Peter had met up with an old friend of his, one Thomas Kyle. The men were now sitting outside the shack Peter had been using, and Thomas was doing his best to get his longtime friend to see the reasoning behind his thinking, "Hold off until after spring hits, and I'll go with you. Right now, you need to stop and think. With winter and all, his father and brothers will be around, but springtime will have everyone hopping and we'll have a better chance."

Peter stood up, he was cold and his coat was no longer doing much of a job, "Come on inside. We'll talk more about it in there." Once inside the shack Peter stoked the fire, and Thomas sat down next to the table thinking about the Cartwrights. It's not that he really liked the idea of going after any of the Cartwrights, even one in a wheelchair. He knew full well 'that family' was known to have the darnest luck, and Adam surviving Peter's bullet only cemented that fact in for him. Still, Peter was his friend.

Peter was mulling his friend's offer over. Winter time did have a way of keeping men on a ranch close to home; maybe, Thomas' idea wasn't a bad one. "Yer actually willin' to come with me if I wait until spring?" the extra help would come in handy.

Thomas gave him a glare, "I said I would." Thomas considered himself a man of his word and did not appreciate it, his word, being questioned.

Peter stood up and shut the door to the woodstove, "All right," he walked over to the table and sat down, "I'll wait. Hope Mr. Cartwright enjoys his last few months on earth." While Peter and Thomas were talking, Adam was talking to his father. Ben was working behind his desk.

Ben wasn't surprised by what his son was saying, just how fast he wanted it done in. "If the two of you love each other," Ben smiled, "I'm happy for you, but why not wait until Spring? Why the rush?" He knew better than to think there was a possibility his son and Pepper 'had' to get married; the woman would have sent Adam's wheelchair flying if he'd even suggested such a thing. That being the case, Ben was confused.

Adam wasn't going to go into all the reasons they had, so he just stuck with the one he figured his father would have the least amount of problem with, "Dr. Asby is needed in California in a few weeks and, like it or not, he won't be able to come back until the summer. We don't want to wait that long."

Ben might have argued with his son, but all he could remember was just how fast he and Marie had married. "All right son, I'd say we best get to planning that wedding then."