The snow started to fall the second week of November. It fell lightly for three days, the wind blowing it around and creating drifts that barely amounted to a few inches. Ben and his boys moved the remaining cattle to ranges closer to the ranch house, rode fence line and took a wagon out to the line cabins, filled with supplies, chopped wood and winter gear.
The promised grain, harvested from local farmers, had begun to fill the new Bowe warehouse, and Adam was released from his chores at home to spend a week installing the new ventilation fans. Set high under the peaks of the roof, each fan was attached to a hand crank directly below it, that could be operated manually, or attached to a steam pump that could be used to heat the storefront, and power the fans. The blades of the fans were made of tin, with iron rods, casings and grating.
The chain that connected the fans to the crank could be operated in both directions, either pulling air out of the warehouse, or in. The first operation of the fan was witnessed by most of the business owners in town, who began to consider its use in their own storage and shopping spaces. Adam expected he would be installing them all over town through the winter months.
The week of Thanksgiving, Ben and his sons left the ranch house a day before the holiday, riding out to the Tungsten's ranch on the first warm morning they'd had since October. When they arrived at the ranch house they saw that some construction had been done to expand the guest house on the property. The building now looked more like a bunk house than a one room cabin, and contained enough beds for Ben and his boys, plus a few hands.
When they were invited into the main house, Mrs. Rachel Tungsten explained that they would be hiring a few male hands in the spring. The new construction had been in preparation for that. Adam was quick to invite Sarah to go with him for a ride, and Ben happily sat talking with Rachel for a while. Jenny, Joe, Hoss and Becky took a buggy out to tour the ranch, both girls promising to be back in time to help prepare supper.
After supper the Cartwright men were welcomed to tour the money making part of the ranch.
"You mean you don't just sell the goats for meat, you also...milk them?" Ben asked.
"Goat's milk and goat cheese are hot commodities." Mrs. Tungsten said. "Most of what we make goes east to Chicago, St. Louis, New York. Some of it goes West to San Francisco. We could even sell our cheese in Europe if we could find a way to keep it from spoiling on the long trip."
"Do you milk and make cheese year round?" Adam asked.
"Oh yes."
"Does the cheese keep longer in the winter or the summer?" Adam asked.
"Winter of course. That cold cellar behind the house holds some of our stock, but there's a bigger cellar under the creamery."
"If ice wasn't so hard to come by, you could stuff a boxcar full of it, and all that cheese, and send it east on the transcontinental." Joe said.
"Joe, that ice'd melt before you got to Utah."
"You replace it all the time, Hoss. And you put it into a smaller room that you build into the boxcar. Then maybe you...you get one of those fans Adam put in down at Bowe's and blow the cold air into the rest of the boxcar."
"That might actually work." Adam said. "If we found the right materials to insulate the ice box from the steam you would need to run the fan, you would spend less time replacing the ice. Insulating the whole box car that way would save ice, too."
Ben stepped in close to Mrs. Tungsten and whispered, "Unless you want the rest of our visit to revolve solely around cheese preservation and ice boxes, might I suggest we move on to something else?"
Rachel raised a brow, then cleared her throat and said, "Who would like to join us in the main house for brandies?"
That evening the two eldest adults were eventually able to steer the conversation towards other things. Ben and Rachel were the first to turn in. Joe took Becky for a walk in the dooryard, Hoss sat with Jenny playing checkers in the drawing room, and Adam sat with Sarah by the fire.
"I guess we been protected by Pa for so long, sometimes with a shotgun, driving men off, that by the time we realized we didn't have any men around us, we were used to doing for ourselves."
"There's nothing wrong with being capable, and independent." Adam said.
"We thought we were. Until now. We just weren't prepared for someone like Earnest and Topaz."
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, pouring a measure of brandy into both of their glasses.
Sarah drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Most folks stay in Reno. If they come out here it's cause they got business with us. Nobody hardly means us harm. There just isn't any purpose in rustlin' billy goats, and we don't got acres of timber or silver mines. We have goats and the creamery and that's it."
Adam smiled, and laughed softly and was rewarded by Sarah's smile in return. When Sarah's smile started to fade, but she continued to hold his gaze Adam leaned towards her and kissed her. Sarah's chin came up to meet his lips and when he pulled away, she was blushing and smiling again.
"Was that the magic word?" She asked him. "Creamery."
"Magic word?"
"I've been waiting since September for you to kiss me, Adam."
Adam drew closer to her. "I was just waiting until the guns were out of reach." He said softly. His hand rose to brush against her cheek, cupping the back of her neck and guiding her into a second kiss. He felt her hand come up to cover his, felt her melt into him, and held her.
The romantic interlude lasted as long as it took for Joe and Becky to return. They broke apart at the first sound coming from the dooryard. Adam's lips had traces of Sarah's lipstick and Sarah was blushing fiercely but to the untrained eye they had been doing nothing more than talking. When Hoss and Jenny joined them, both yawning loudly, Adam declared it time for bed.
He and his brothers went out to the new bunkhouse, and Sarah and her sisters started for bed. Both sets of siblings had probing questions that went unanswered.
Thanksgiving morning dawned grey and cool. Snowflakes began to flutter around and the Tungsten women were already in the kitchen starting breakfast. When the men arrived they ate, then went out for a ride together.
By noon they returned to enjoy the first Thanksgiving Ben remembered where turkey or ham weren't on the menu. In their place were so many dishes brimming with vegetables and preserves, bread and of course, cheese, the meat was quickly forgotten for the variety of tastes to try. Ben had the feeling he and his sons would long be doing business with the Tungstens, even if other relationships didn't work out as planned.
That afternoon a random suggestion lead to a full on croquet tournament in the snow. Ben teamed up with Rachel, Adam with Sarah, Hoss with Jenny and Joe with Becky. Ben and Rachel won hands down, having steady hands and feeling no need to impress one another with trick shots or feats of strength. Adam and Sarah were a close second, working well together as a team, but for the moments when Adam would brush against Sarah and she would start blushing, or Sarah would bump into Adam and he would fall over himself trying to make it look casual. Hoss and Jenny were distracted the entire time by snow flake patterns, and the lines that the balls left in the snow, and every other thing but the game. And Joe and Becky had more fun driving their balls off the course entirely, than trying to win.
That evening, sipping mulled wine, and listening to Mrs. Tungsten play the piano, Ben felt whole again. For twenty-four hours or more he had been able to forget the violence and hate, the stress of the ranch, the looming danger from forces bigger and more powerful than he was. He had laughed with his family, enjoyed excellent food, listened to delightful music. All the hues that colored the painting of his life were there, bright and real. Ben found himself happy in the moment, and happy to be happy in the moment, even knowing it would end.
The day after Thanksgiving, Ben drove a buggy, and the others rode horses, into Reno. The ladies had shopping plans and needed some supplies, and his boys were happy to visit the city, proudly escorting a lady each. To drive suspicions away Sarah asked Hoss to guide her, Becky went with Adam and Jenny went with Joe.
The shops were brimming with reds and greens, as if the very next day was Christmas Eve. Things that smart, early shoppers might want to get for presents, were put on ready display in windows and on tables just opposite the doors. Barkers, knowing this would be a big shopping day, stood on the streets selling food and small trinkets, and the whole of Reno's downtown had a festive air to it.
It reminded Ben very much of the east and he found himself pontificating on his life with Adam's mother, his life on the sea, and even his earliest memories. Rachel was pleasant company. She was earnest and thrifty, both with her money and her conversation. She seemed to love the stories of places she'd never seen and Ben found himself growing fond of her. If no more than a friendly companion of the opposite sex, Ben was eternally grateful for the time to get to know Rachel. Before they left Reno, Ben ducked into a shop and bought something for her. When they returned to the ranch he presented his gift to Rachel when he was able to do so alone.
"I bought something that I want you to have. And before you say anything, I want to explain why I purchased it. You have given me so much joy in the past few days. My boys have loved the company of your girls, you've opened your home to us. I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend this holiday, and I wanted to give you something to say thank you for inviting us."
Ben presented the ladies watch that he had purchased. It was small, dangling from a chevron of leather with a pin at the back, meant to be pinned to the blouse of the lady wearing it. "I thought this would look handsome on your coat. I hope you'll accept it."
Rachel took it, smiling and quiet for a moment before she said. "Ben...you seem to have forgotten that you saved our lives. You've not only given me more time with my daughters, but you've now given me something to measure it by."
Ben laughed, pleased with her cleverness. "I'm glad that you like it, but it comes with a condition."
Rachel cocked her head and raised a brow in a way that was so delicate, Ben was jealous. "That you and your daughter's join us for Christmas and New Years."
Rachel took a breath then nodded. "We would be delighted."