Adam followed the girls back out to the porch and sat down between Lizzie and Carolyn. He reached out and squeezed Carolyn's knee and gave her a gentle smile. He then leaned over and whispered into Lizzie's ear and she nodded.
"Well, Sally," Adam looked at Sally taking her place beside Hoss and her mother, "Lizzie and I think that since we have sung all of our favorites, you will get to choose the last song. What's your favorite?"
"You'll think it's dumb," Sally pouted.
"Sally, if I can play it, we'll sing it. Right everybody?" He glanced around at all the nodding adults on the porch, "just tell us what it is."
"Promise not to laugh?"
"Promise."
"Do you know Jingle Bells?" She asked shyly.
Adam really had to stifle a laugh, but he didn't want to embarrass Sally, so he quickly composed himself and said, "Know it? I used to sing it year around! You couldn't have picked a better song!" He then began to play it with gusto. With a laugh, everyone joined in.
After they finished the song, Ben said, "That was an excellent choice to end the evening, Sally. Thank you." He pointed at Sally and said, "Adam really did sing that song all year around and as loudly as he could." He winked at her.
Adam laughed and shrugged, then he stood and held out a hand to Lizzie, "And on that note, Lizzie will be saying good night."
"Papa…" Lizzie started, looking up at him hopefully.
"Lizzie…" Adam said in a deep voice and shook his head. "Time to say goodnight." He met her eye and nodded.
Lizzie sighed and began hugging each of her family members and then did a sort of half wave to Carolyn, Joshua and Ruth, wishing them a goodnight, before turning and going into the house with Adam coming after her.
Adam got Lizzie's nightgown down from the wardrobe and after handing it to her, her pulled down the covers on her bed and sat down to wait while she changed.
"Papa?" Lizzie asked as she came out from behind the screen. "Did Miss Carolyn tell you that she wanted me to call her Carolyn?"
"She did," Adam answered, nodding.
"Is that all right with you?" Lizzie asked, ducking her head.
"Of course it is, she's given you permission to be less formal with her and I hope that means you're starting to be friends."
"She helped me clear the table, I liked that!"
Adam laughed, "I'll bet you did. That was very kind of her, did you thank her?"
"I can't remember," Lizzie said honestly.
"Well, I'll cover for you," Adam smiled held up the covers for her to climb in, "I'll tell her you mentioned to me how much you appreciated the help and wanted her to know that. That will make her happy."
"All right," Lizzie said, climbing under the covers. "Papa?" Lizzie asked as she pulled the pillows up behind her to lean on, "Do you think you might marry Miss Carolyn?"
"Well, I'm just getting to know her, so I don't know," Adam said sincerely.
"If you did where would you live?"
"I think that's something that the three of us would have to decide together, since if we got married we'd all three be living together," Adam said seriously.
"I like living here, do you think we'd have to leave? I like living with Grandpa and Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe."
"A woman likes her own place, Lizzie. If I were to get married, we'd probably go back and live in the house you and I shared with your mother. We'd still see your uncles and grandpa pretty often."
"It wouldn't be the same!" Lizzie whined.
"No, it wouldn't be the same, but I think we are putting the cart before the horse. Carolyn and I are just getting to know each other. We won't be getting married anytime soon and if we do, all three of us will discuss where we want to live, you included."
"Papa, would Carolyn be my mother then?"
"That would be for you to decide, Lizzie. She might be your mother, or she might just be your really close friend." Adam reached out to stroke Lizzie's cheek and asked softly, "Do you want a mother?"
"Sometimes I can't remember Mama at all. Is that bad?" Lizzie asked bashfully. "I don't miss her 'cause I don't remember her."
"No, Lizzie, that's not bad. You were very young when she died. Maybe it's my job to remember her for both of us," Adam said wistfully.
Lizzie's eyes lost focus as she thought and Adam sat quietly and watched her think.
"Papa," she finally asked, "am I like her?"
"Yes, Lizzie in a lot of ways you are like her," he stood up and picked up the mirror from the chest of drawers and handed it to her "when I look at you I see her eyes and the way your nose turns just a little bit to the left is just like hers." He reached out and touched her nose gently. "She was kind and thoughtful like you, but you are much more outgoing than she was, you probably got that from your grandpa, because you're much more outgoing than me too. Your mama was very intelligent and I think you are blessed with intelligence from both your parents. You have the Cartwright temper and you got all of that from me; your mama hardly ever lost her temper and when she did, she would get quiet and thoughtful. She never yelled, not even when you decided to open all the freshly canned preserves by dropping them on the floor." Adam laughed. "Oh, she was furious at you, but she just picked you up, cleaned you up, put you in your crib and then spent the rest of the day cleaning up the mess you had made."
"Did I get in trouble with her?"
"No, you were so little you didn't know that you had done anything wrong. I think she was angry with herself too for not catching you before you had dropped all the jars on the floor. By the time I got home that night, she had the mess cleaned up and she was well on her way from anger to laughter about it all. You're like her in that way too, happy and optimistic, not a brooder like I can be sometimes." Adam's mind went back to the past and his face took on a sad expression.
"Papa, are you sad that she's dead?"
"Yes, Lizzie I'm sad, but just because she's gone, doesn't mean that we should just crawl into a hole and wait to die ourselves. She would want us to be happy and to carry on. I still miss her, but it isn't the same as when she first died. I find I miss her when I think about her, but it is kind of a happy/sad feeling. I'm happy I knew her and loved her, but it doesn't hurt as much and then I look at you and you make me happy." He reached out and took the mirror from her hands and said, "Now, how about Rapunzel tonight? Do you remember that she had a lovely singing voice too?"
Adam laid the mirror on the chest of drawers and picked up the fairy tale book that was lying beside it. He came back to the bed and slid in next to Lizzie, "There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child," he began.
By the time Adam finished the story, Lizzie was asleep and he quietly laid the book on the chest of drawers, put out the light and left. As he walked down the hallway, he saw the door to the guest room open and saw that Ruth was tucking Sally into bed. He leaned in the door jam and said, "I just wanted to say good night, Sally. I'm glad you came down to sing with us. Your mother was right, you do have a pretty voice."
"Well, that's quite a compliment, Sally, coming from a fine musician like Adam, what do you say to that?" Ruth looked at her daughter and raised her eyebrows.
"Thank you, Adam," Sally said promptly.
"You're welcome," he said and walked into the room. "Remember this day is over and we start fresh tomorrow, so sleep well." He reached past Ruth and squeezed Sally's hand. "See you in the morning," Adam said and smiled. "I'll send your grandpa up to say goodnight."
Adam walked down the stairs to the great room to where Joshua, Carolyn and Ben were talking quietly.
"Pardon me for interrupting, but Joshua, Sally is ready to say goodnight," he reached out to take Carolyn's hand, "and I'm hoping you and I, Carolyn, might take advantage of the moonlight. If you will excuse us, Pa." He said nodding at his father and drawing Carolyn to her feet.
Carolyn moved close to Adam and he put his arm around her waist, leading her to the front door and onto the porch.
"Lizzie wanted me to thank you for helping her with the dishes," he said taking her hand. "You were very kind to do that and she appreciated it."
"She's a dear, little girl, Adam. I want her to like me."
"Lizzie likes you," Adam said, "not as much as me," he said with a laugh, "but she likes you. I saw how kind and thoughtful you were towards her, Carolyn. I appreciate you understanding how important she is to me and where a woman will fit into that relationship."
"Adam, Lizzie is important to you, so she is important to me. I don't want her to ever feel that I am taking you from her."
"Thank you, I appreciate you taking her feelings into consideration. I saw how you took my father's arm so that I could escort Lizzie to the table and I saw how you sat on the edge of the bench so I could be near both you and Lizzie when we sang. That quiet thoughtfulness is something very attractive about you," Adam paused. "Would you like to take a walk in the moonlight?" He asked, leading her down the steps and out along the path.
"My mama warned me about taking strolls in the moonlight, Adam," she giggled and squeezed his hand with both of hers, leaning back and putting up a little resistance.
"Oh?" he teased, taking her other hand and pulling her towards him with a tug and catching her against his chest. "What exactly did she warn you about? Did she warn you that a man might make romantic overtures, like this?" He asked, bending his head down to kiss the back of each of her hands before turning them over to kiss her palms.
"Or did she warn you that he might, make advances like this?" He whispered, reaching over to push her hair behind her shoulder as he nuzzled her neck and ran kisses from her ear to her collarbone. Carolyn blushed and giggled as his beard tickled her neck. She bent her head toward his and caught his head between her shoulder and neck, pulling his lips in closer.
"Or did she tell you that a man might be so bold as to do this?" He backed her into a tree trunk and putting his arms on either side of her head, he placed his hands on the tree trunk, tilted his head, leaned in and brushed his lips against hers before taking a deep lingering kiss.
"Adam," she whispered, taking shallow breaths and putting her arms around his neck.
Adam didn't say anything as his lips held her bottom lip for the briefest of moments before he pulled away and came at her again for another demanding kiss, which she returned. Feeling her trembling legs moving against his knees, Adam put his arms around her waist and drew her in close for another kiss, parting his lips slightly and lingering just a bit longer, before pulling back with a smile.
"So, was your mother right to warn you?" He asked kissing her collarbone again.
