"And there it is!" Adrien's anger filled her voice, "I knew there was something about the whole thing that wasn't getting said. It's the elephant that will forever be in the room."
"No, it's not," Michael interjected, "I got all the details from Adam and from Virginia City's Sherriff. In the eyes of the law, you were completely justified in what you did."
"I really don't care about the eyes of the law," Adrien answered, "What about the eyes of my family? Is that why my own uncle won't speak to me?"
"Yes," Emma said before Michael could answer, "He's wrong. He knows he's wrong, but he was so vocal about it when it happened. He's realized how wrong he is, but he doesn't want to eat his crow."
"Adrien, just leave it alone." Michael said, shaking his head.
"Oh, you know I'm not going to," she answered, "He's the closest thing I've ever had to a real dad, and he's just going to turn his back on me. He had to have some idea of what constantly went on in this house."
"He knew," Travis broke in from the silence, "I know he knew."
"He did," Michael confirmed, "He tried to do something about it by giving your Pa a good talking to every now and then, but he never listened. He's mainly just mad that nothing ever worked, and he's all alone now. Now that Emma and I have married and Ma is gone, he doesn't have anyone to gripe at."
"We could send him the twins," Simon joked.
"Well, he's going to get to gripe at me tomorrow. I'm going to have a talk with him," Adrien stated.
"Well, on that note," Michael began, "We're going to head home. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to spend the night at the jail tomorrow because my cousin did something she shouldn't have. I probably need to get plenty of rest."
They all said their goodbyes and Simon and Travis headed to their bedrooms.
"So where will I sleep?" Adam asked.
"You are in the room upstairs that no one uses. It used to be mine and then the twins were in there for a while."
They headed up the stairs.
"So if I am in your old room, where are you going to sleep?" Adam asked.
"My room has been in the attic for years," she replied, "It's open and great for practice. The attic spreads across most of the house, so it's pretty close to having my own studio."
"Oh, really!" Adam said. Adrien couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or interest in his voice. "I think I need to see this little attic studio of yours."
"Not tonight, dear," she answered.
They reached the top of the stairs and went down the hall to the door of Adrien's old room.
"Here is your room. I bet the boys put your things in here already."
She turned to go to the attic stairs but paused for a moment to look out the window at the end of the hallway.
"Adam," she whispered.
"What is it, darling?" he answered.
"Look."
He went over the window with her and looked out. He stood behind her with his arms around her waist. She started to lean her head back into his shoulder.
"I've always loved this view," she whispered, "That's Pike's Peak in the distance over there." She pointed to the highest peak in the view. "I love the way that this looks. It's prettier at sunset though. The mountains just stand as a giant block to the stars and the sunlight. It makes them look massive and protective."
"You never talk about the view at home this way," Adam mentioned as he tightened his arms around her. He planted a small kiss on her cheek. His breath on her neck gave her head that fuzzy feeling and made the muscles in her stomach tighten again.
"I don't talk about it because I can't find the words," Adrien answered, "I never thought I'd find something prettier than this. But the view at home is so much more beautiful."
"I didn't realize that you loved living on the Ponderosa that much."
"I love living on the Ponderosa, but I love the view from the house that you built for me. The one that you built for us to have a life in. It breaks my heart to know that it's gone."
"Adrien," Adam replied, "It's not completely gone, and there's nothing that says that we can't rebuild it eventually."
"I know," she sighed, "We will get there eventually." Adrien turned to face him and slid her arms around his neck. "I guess the part I love so much about it is that you cared enough to pick it out and build me a house in the prettiest place in Nevada."
He bent his head down and gave her a light kiss.
"Adrien, I have to be honest," Adam whispered, "I planned on putting a house there since I was a kid."
"Shhh… Don't ruin it," Adrien whispered, then leaned up to kiss him softly. She wanted meant for it to be short, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Adam's arms tightened around her again to pull her closer. Their kiss deepened.
"Darling, you make it so hard to say goodnight," he whispered.
"Then, you need to stop being so….so…absolutely wonderful." It was getting hard to think.
"I can't help it," Adam whispered in her ear, "Why don't we go upstairs and you can tell me how exactly I can help it."
"Not tonight," she answered, "It's our first night here. I'm tired. It's already late and I want a decent night's sleep."
She pulled away from him slightly, and her hands slid to his shoulders and then moved to his chest. It was so hard to not give in.
"Goodnight dear," she said as she took a deep breath to clear her head again.
"Goodnight Adrien."
"Momma," the girl asked, "where are we going?"
It was dark, and the woods they were in were frightening. The little girl looked around, and the trees seemed to reach up so far that they never ended.
"Momma, wait!" she called, as she realized she's stopped to look up. Her mother paused to let her catch up. The toddler in her arms stirred in his sleep.
"Come on, Sweetheart, we have to hurry," she called, "We have to get to Manitou by daylight." She grabbed the girl's hand and started to walk as quickly as she could and the girl keep up.
A gunshot rang out from behind them. Her mother screamed. The toddler fell to the ground and began to cry. Her mother fell to the ground over him. A red spot began to grow on her arm. She held onto it and cried.
"Momma! Momma!" the girl cried out as she ran to her, "Momma!"
Adam woke up late. The travel of the last 10 days had taken its toll on him. He quickly got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen. It amazed him that such a large family had such a small kitchen.
"It's about time you woke up!" Catherine called out when he got to the kitchen, "I thought you were going to sleep all day."
Adrien's sister was a sweet girl. Luckily, she didn't look much like her father either. She had very pretty brown hair and green eyes. The ability to look like you could see into a person's soul must have been a Cooper trait. Catherine, Simon, and Michael all seemed to be able to do it with the same ease as Adrien.
"I'm sorry," Adam replied, "I hope that I didn't disrupt things too much by sleeping in."
"Oh, no," Catherine added, "The way that these boys eat, I'm always cooking. There are some biscuits and sausage on top of the stove waiting on you. I think the gravy may be gone though. I think Arliss is hitting a growth spurt and it's his favorite."
"Thank you very much, Catherine," Adam answered, "I appreciate it." He went to the stove to help himself to what was left. "Do I need to leave some for Adrien?"
"No. She's been up for a while. She ate with the twins, Travis, and Simon. They went out to the corral for a while, and then she went back upstairs about an hour ago. Coffee?"
"Yes, please," Adam answered. He couldn't believe that she had gotten up before him. She was usually not very much of a morning person.
Catherine poured him some coffee and then made him a couple eggs without asking if he wanted them or not. She chattered as she worked.
"I'm so glad that you are here, Adam. I still can't believe that you and Adrien are finally going to tie the knot." She didn't stop long enough for Adam to reply. "It's good to see her happy. She's spent so much of her life trying to get away from everything, and still take care of us. She deserves to be happy."
"Well, I'm going to try to keep her that way." Adam replied.
"I know you are. It's so good she has you. The only thing that made her as happy as was Becca…." She trailed off. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up!"
"It's fine, Catherine," Adam replied, "I miss her too. I wish she was here." He looked down at the plate before him.
"She was so sweet," Catherine added, sitting down beside Adam at the table, "I loved taking care of her. She missed Adrien so much, but she filled this house with so much laughter. It was like she was what we all should have been if Pa hadn't messed up our lives so much."
"She was an amazing child. I may have been a little biased though," Adam replied as he finished off his breakfast.
"That's fine. That's the way that a girl's pa is supposed to be," Catherine answered as she giggled and grabbed his plate and took it to the sink. Adam could see how Catherine loved working in the kitchen. She seemed so happy here where she was uncomfortable in the big group in the sitting room the night before.
Shyness must be a Cooper trait too, he thought.
"Well, I'd better go find your sister," Adam said as he rose from the table, "You said she went upstairs?"
"Yes, she did. Most of the time, if she's not in the barn, she's there."
Adam headed up to the second floor and then took the steep stairs up to the attic. As he went up the stairs, he could hear lots of footsteps above him.
What is she doing in there? he thought. Then, as he got to the door he heard Adrien's voice humming quietly. Her door was open just a crack. Curiously, he peeked in to find the source of the footsteps.
What he saw made him feel like he had taken a step back in time. Adrien was upstairs alone. The footsteps all belonged to her.
She's dancing! he thought, overjoyed. She was wearing a light blue top with a dark blue corset and light blue tights with a dark blue skirt that stopped just a little bit above her knees. As she twirled, her skirt would flare out. The ribbons of her pink pointe shoes were covered by her dark blue knit legwarmers. Her beautiful black hair was braided and wound into a bun on top of her head. A few shorter stray strands had escaped and framed her face.
He watched as she hummed and danced. He didn't recognize the tune, but at this point he didn't care.
She's so beautiful, he thought as her steps took her to the other end of the attic, When she moves like this, she could steal any man's heart.
Entranced, Adam mindlessly opened the door and stepped further in as he watched her. He quietly stepped in and leaned up against the wall. She continued to move, and Adam continued to be hypnotized by her. His mind started going back to the days that he would find her practicing on her own like this. To him, she was more beautiful in those moments than she was when she was on stage.
A sudden gasp from Adrien broke his wonderland, and Adam regained focus in time to see her collapse onto the ground.
"Adrien!" he called as he ran to her, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered with her teeth gritted in obvious pain, "I thought I was alone. I found my shoes, and I was just messing around. It was actually was making my leg feel better."
"What happened?" he asked.
"My feet hurt. It's that old break. I don't know if it will ever truly heal, and you spooked me a little."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he added kissing her on the forehead, "I just heard the footsteps when I came up and when I saw you, I just lost myself."
"It's fine." She went to straighten her leg, and grimaced when she did.
"Adrien, are you sure that you are alright?"
"Yes," she answered, "I just need to stretch it, and take it easy. Help me up."
Adam stood and pulled Adrien up to her feet. She gingerly stood up and went over the barre that on the wall by the window. She raised the hurt leg and set her heel on the barre. She leaned forward to grab her toes and stretch the muscles. As she did, the sunlight flowed through the window and over Adrien. Adam calmly watched as she switched legs and did the same thing again. She winced a little as she leaned forward and put her weight on her knee. After she was done, she sat down on her bed and start to take off the slippers, wincing as she started folded her leg to untie it.
"Here darling," Adam said getting up off the floor and moving to the bed beside her, "let me do it." He stretched out her leg and grabbed her other ankle. With both of her feet in his lap, he rolled up her leg warmers and began to untie the ribbons.
"How often have we done this in the past?" he asked.
"Too many times," Adrien answered. Adam slowly removed the shoes. He shook his head to see that there were red spots on her toes and a place on one foot where the skin had come off. He started to carefully rub her feet while trying to avoid the places that were already sore.
"My callouses are gone," Adrien commented, "but it's not too bad. Another 30 minutes though would have really been too much."
"How do you not feel it?" he asked, "If I had a pair of boots rubbing me like this, I wouldn't be able to stand it."
"You don't feel it when you're in the moment," she answered, "We get lost in the music and the emotion and you forget everything else."
"I know," Adam replied, "I remember how your feet would look when you would start a new show, and even worse when you'd start practice from the off season. I never did see how you could do it and not hurt."
"Oh, I hurt. I just didn't say anything. I especially never said anything to you."
"I don't see why not. You let me see the state of things."
"You didn't understand. In a way, you still don't. Some things are just worth the pain. At least, you were always willing to rub my feet or get me ice water to soak them in. You would do that before you even tried to kiss me."
"Well, my hope was that in doing that, you'd let me kiss you. But even tore up, every part of you has always been beautiful." He picked her feet up and gently kissed the top of each. His fingers lightly traced the scar where the fracture had poked through a few years before. Inside he cursed himself for not being there and letting it happen.
"You flatter me too much, Adam."
"No, I don't. Flattery is something that I don't do." His hands slid down her heels and onto her calf muscle on one leg. Adrien took a deep breath. Her head started to feel fuzzy again. She let out a soft groan. The muscles in her stomach tensed. Her muscles were already sore from the little bit that she had done and his hands felt very, very good.
Oh, I should just lay back and enjoy this, she thought. He kissed the shin of the leg he was working on and moved to the other one.
"Adam," she said as she reached up to touch his cheek, "you're too good to me." That hand went to his shoulder, and with the other she grabbed his shirt to pull herself to him. She started to lose her balance and fall back onto the bed. Adam quickly grabbed her around the waist to steady her and kissed her lips. Her hands went to his neck and then into his hair. She lightly bit his bottom lip. His tongue started to explore her mouth. His arms felt so warm around her as his hands moved across her back. The muscles low in her stomach tightened again.
"Adrien!" Catherine was calling from downstairs. They both stopped dead in their tracks. Adam cursed softly under his breath.
"What?" she called down the stairs.
"Michael's surrey is coming up the drive. I think he has Uncle Horace with him," Catherine answered.
"Thanks," Adrien called back, "We'll be right down." She jumped off the bed. "I have to change. I need to talk to Uncle Horace, and I can't talk to him dressed like this."
She walked across the room to a large wardrobe as she reached behind her to untie and tighten the corset. She opened the wardrobe and grabbed blue shirt and a black riding skirt. She ducked behind the screen in the corner and quickly changed. She grabbed a pair of riding boots as she came back around.
"Are you going riding later?" Adam asked.
"Maybe. It's the first thing that I grabbed," she answered, a little breathless, "Come downstairs with me." She opened her door and ran down the attic stairs. She paused by Adam's room to slip on the boots. Adam followed.
As they got down to the sitting room, Michael's rig was pulling up to the house. Adrien looked out the window and saw that Catherine was correct. Uncle Horace was with Michael. She took a moment to make sure her hair was in place.
"I don't think you primp this much for me to come see you." Adam laughed.
"Adam, please. He's mad at me. I don't want to give him anything else to pick on."
They could hear Simon meet them in the yard, then they headed through the side door to the kitchen. Adrien listened carefully.
She's sure is a calculating little thing when she wants to be, Adam thought. He started to head for the kitchen door. It was getting close to lunch time, and whatever Catherine was cooking smelled wonderful.
She motioned for him to stop. She was still listening, like she was backstage waiting for a queue. The conversation in the kitchen was boisterous.
"Let's go." Adrien whispered and then she grabbed Adam's hand and went through the kitchen door.
"Uncle Horace!" Adrien called as sweetly as she could manage, "It's so sweet of you to come and visit." She walked over to give him a hug. The man deflected and held out his hand for her to shake it. Michael glared at his father. Adrien smiled and shook his hand. "And of course, Uncle, this is my fiancé, Adam Cartwright."
"It's good to meet you, sir," Adam said with a smile as he took Adrien's lead.
"Nice to meet you, Adam," Horace responded cordially.
"Thank you so much for bringing my order to the house," Catherine interjected, "I appreciate it so much Uncle Horace."
"It's no problem, Catherine," he replied, more warmth in his voice.
"And it's luck that you showed up this close to lunch time. It smells like Cat has made something special," Simon added, "You should stay and have lunch with us."
"That sounds great!" Michael answered.
"I don't think we can," his father answered, "I have to get back to the store."
"Pa, you can leave it long enough to have lunch with us." Michael chided.
"And besides, it's been 2 years since I've been back. We have some catching up to do," Adrien added. She smirked. She knew she had him backed into a corner.
"Come on, Uncle," Gabrielle piped up, "I helped make a blueberry pie."
"Oh….I guess we can stay," Horace lightly growled.
Lunch was cordial enough. Uncle Horace was entertained by the twins' antics with the girls and Michael, but he still wouldn't give Adrien more than one or two word answers anytime she asked a question. Adam couldn't understand why she was trying so hard to get his approval back.
As they got close to done, Simon and Michael began discussing the situation with the Cheyenne and supplies that weren't showing up for them from the army.
"Of course, things would be easier if the town would be more open to trading with them," Simon said giving a look at Uncle Horace.
"I'm not wastin' room in my store on those do-dads," Horace answered, "No one 'll buy any of 'em." The natural growl in his voice became a little more evident.
Adam could tell that his future wife was not the only one who had a bone to pick with Uncle Horace.
As everyone finished, the twins went out to the barn. Michael started talking about the horses with Simon.
"I think I need to get the dishes started," Catherine said as she got up from the table, "Gabby, Arliss, grab some plates and come help me." The two youngest Coopers got up, gathered some dishes, and followed Catherine into the kitchen. Catherine winked at her brother before she escaped into the kitchen with them.
"All right," Michael said, switching gears immediately, "now that it's just the adults, or at least those that are chronologically adults, are at the table, we need to have a talk with you Pa."
"And so you really brought me here to ambush me, didn't you?" Uncle Horace got up to leave.
"Sit down, Uncle!" Simon exclaimed, "you have been bitter about this for over a year now. So, now that Adrien is here to defend herself, we're going to hash it out."
"You know what I think," Horace stated as he sat back down, "There's no sense in talking about it now."
"Well, since everyone has set this up for me," Adrien started in, "I might as well take advantage of it. Uncle Horace, if you have an issue with me, you haven't told me. I haven't heard a word from you. I never even got an answer from you when Aunt Olive died!"
"Why don't we keep this conversation in the family?" Horace asked.
"What do you mean?" Travis asked.
"Well, you aren't one of us, and neither is he," Horace answered.
"I don't think you are the authority who gets to decide who is and who is not family," Michael answered.
"Travis is our brother," Simon added, "and Adam soon will be."
"On top of that, Adam was there when it happened," Travis interjected."
"So it's time for an answer, Uncle," Adrien continued, "What is the issue?"
"I don't think you killed him in self-defense. I think you killed him to get all of this," Horace answered.
Adam, Travis, Michael, and Simon all rose up from the table.
"Sit down, all of you!" Adrien commanded, "I will defend myself thank you very much."
She took a deep breath to clear her head and get her thoughts in order.
"So," she started, "you think that I murdered my father. Has Michael filled you in on what happened?"
"Yes," he answered.
"And you know that he was wanted for killing Lydia and for robbing the bank in Manitou."
"Pa, it was Lydia and Adrien that found the money from the bank robbery in the barn," Michael interjected.
"Yes, Lydia and I turned him in. It was the right thing to do. If I remember right, doing the right thing is a lesson I learned from my uncle."
"He made mistakes, but did you have to kill him?"
"If you just want to consider the immediate situation we were in. He kidnapped Becca. He broke into the house I was staying in to kill me, and when Adam came in without a clue of what was going on, he took a shot at him. Yes, I walked into the situation with a gun and a knife. I didn't want to use it. But I knew that he killed Lydia and he had tried to kill me too many times in my life before. I wasn't going in unarmed. He had a tell of when he was really going to shoot, and I knew it. When I saw his arm tense, I didn't think. I didn't aim. I reacted."
"She almost died defending me," Adam added, "It was a stupid move, but it was a courageous move."
"I didn't want to kill him." Adrien continued, "If I'd have had the time to think, I would have injured him so he would have had to stand trial. I didn't get that opportunity."
"And I know that you think she killed him to get the ranch, but Adrien has owned it for a long time now," Simon added.
Adam perked up. He had no idea that she owned the ranch.
Is this trip just going to leave me with a bunch of questions? Adam thought.
"Yes," Adrien answered, "I didn't make it public, but I'm sure it came out once he died. I bought the ranch after I had been in Boston for 2 years. Ethan had a mortgage on the ranch from a bank in Missouri. It had been foreclosed on and was up for auction. Because of the distance, they were going to oust everyone after its sale and there was nothing we could do, so I went to that auction and bought it. I thought it was safer for me to have it, then he couldn't use it as collateral anymore. Once he found out, he wasn't happy. It became another instance where he tried to kill me. He tried to strangle me that time."
Adam's mind started reeling. There were things that started happening to her around this time. He remembered her coming home with the marks on her neck, and the story she told him when she couldn't hide them from him. He started wondering about other instances as well…
Horace put his elbows on the table and his face in his hands.
"He borrowed money from you, didn't he?" Simon asked.
"Yes," Horace answered, "He said he needed to make the mortgage payment."
"Uncle, this place hasn't had a mortgage on it since I bought it. I won't borrow against this place. It's our home," Adrien told him. She paused a second before saying, "He lied to you. He knew he didn't own this place anymore. He found out not too long after it all happened. What he didn't know is that I was smart enough to have a will made out and filed. It's at Preston's office in Denver. If anything happened to me, this ranch's ownership is split between each of the rest of the kids, Michael and Preston included. Simon and Travis will have control Gabby and Arliss's portion until they are 18."
"That was smart," Horace whispered quietly. His head was still in his hands. Adrien got up and knelt at the front of the table beside her uncle. She put her hand on his arm.
"Uncle Horace, I think deep down you know what happened. I know it's hard. You've lost so much. Aunt Olive is gone. Michael and Preston are grown. We're all growing up too. Your brother is all you think you have left. But we are decent people, and a lot of that is due to you. Who was the first person to recognize us when the Cheyenne left me and Simon in town? Who was the person who sat with me for days to show me that I could trust you? Who was the person who bought my first pair of ballet shoes? Who was it that took me to the train for auditions? Who left Colorado for the first time in years to see my first performance when I was only in corps?"
She paused to give it a minute to sink in.
"I would never do anything to hurt you, unless I had to. I'm sorry, but I had to do what I did. I wasn't trying to make a land grab. I was trying to save the home that my brothers and sisters worked with me to build and make it what it is. I was trying to make you be proud of me for doing exactly what you taught me to do."
"Why didn't you talk to me before you did all this?" Horace asked.
"There wasn't time," she answered, "We were all in a bind. Lydia had sent me a wire. I didn't have the money to pay it in full, so I took the chance when it as sold at auction. It took almost every penny I had."
That's why she suddenly needed help with rent then, Adam suddenly realized.
"Horace, if this helps," Adam started in, "I was there when all this happened, and I was the one who had to tell her what she did. Finding out she killed him made Adrien so upset that the stitches holding her artery together broke and she nearly bled to death."
Horace looked up at him with a bewildered expression. It was obvious he did not know this part.
Adam continued on, " I've learned a lot more about everything at this table than I even knew when everything was going on. So, I know how you feel. I've known Adrien through most of the events we've discussed, and only knew about what I was present for. These kids are apparently very talented at keeping secrets."
"We've been well trained," Travis added.
"But," Adam continued, "Your niece is no mastermind. She is very dedicated to the few loves she has in her life, and her family is at the top of that list."
Adrien smiled broadly at him.
"We also didn't want to put more on you than you could handle anyway" Adrien added, she was still on her knees beside him. His hands were in his lap and his head hung low. "Preston was in law school at the time. Aunt Olive was sick. I knew you had enough on your plate." She reached back up to touch his arm. He looked down into her eyes. "It breaks my heart that you blame me. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to kill him, but I am not sorry for my own reaction."
"Pa, she'd have probably done the same thing if it was any of us that he was pointin' the gun at." Michael added, "That includes you."
Horace looked at Michael, and then back at Adrien. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Do you realize how many decent children you actually raised, Uncle?" Adrien quietly asked.
"But I let down my own brother," he quietly sobbed.
Adrien reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly kissed him on the cheek.
"That's what all of this really was about, wasn't it?" Adrien asked. He nodded in reply. "You never failed him. You never failed us. You stepped up when he was no where around. You saved this ranch when he saw it as something to risk."
She held onto him for a few more seconds.
"So, do we still have an issue?" she asked, "Or can I be forgiven?"
"Oh, Adrie…" he sighed, "You don't need forgiven. I'm just a fool old man."
"No, you are not," she replied, standing up, "You are my big-hearted uncle who has faith in people when no one else does. There's nothing wrong with that!"
He stood and hugged her, wiping the tears from his eyes. The rest of the family joined them. Adam stood back and watched in amazement at the way that they all came together to fight for one of them.
"Adam," Uncle Horace called. The group broke up a little to let them see each other. Uncle Horace held out his hand as he continued, "I'd like to give you a proper welcome to this family."
"I'm proud to be a part of it, sir." Adam said, shaking his hand.
"I know you two leave day after tomorrow, but if it's possible for you to come back as you head back west, I'd love to throw an engagement party for you here."
"I think we can make that work, sir." Adam replied winking at Adrien, "Thank you."
"I want to stay longer, but I really have to get back to the store, "Horace admitted, "I have party plans to make anyway."
Michael stepped out to bring his rig around and everyone said their goodbyes with many hugs. There was a sense of relief in the room now to replace the tension when lunch began.
After Horace and Michael left, Adrien and her brothers started to make plans for the rest of the day.
"I hate to burst your bubble everyone," Adam interjected, "But there are a lot of questions that have come up that I need to speak with my fiancé about, and that is not going to wait any longer."
"Adam, couldn't we talk in a bit…." Adrien started to ask.
"No," Adam answered frankly, "I've had to many questions come up in my own head during the conversation we just had. I don't want to be in the dark anymore. I trust you Adrien, but I think I need to know what is going on here. So, lets saddle up a couple horses and go for a ride. That way we can talk in private."
Adrien gave him a worried look.
"Don't worry, darling," he said in reply to that look, "I still love you. We're still getting married. But, a lot has gone on under my nose, and I want to know what I've missed."
She nodded in resignation.
"You're right," She said quietly, "Let's go to the barn,"
"Well, even if you think you've gotten out of it, you haven't, darling," Adam stated. They had saddled horses and had been riding for a couple hours. They had talked about a lot, but it was mainly as memories of things came back to her about places that they had passed.
"Let's stop here a minute and rest, and we will," Adrien suggested, "I'm too distracted if we keep moving. Too much comes flooding back."
"I can tell," Adam said, with a slight laugh.
"You did the same thing when I got to Virginia City," Adrien laughed as she dismounted her horse and started to climb up the side of a boulder, "Follow me."
He did. When he reached the top of the boulder, he found that it overlooked a beautiful stream and the bluffs in the distance looks red in the setting sun.
"This is my favorite place on the ranch, especially at sunset." she told him as she sat down on the boulder, "The view is just breathtaking."
"Do you love it as much as at home?" Adam asked as he sat down beside her.
"No," she answered, "Home is better." She leaned back to lay her head on his shoulder.
"So, when are we going to talk?" Adam asked.
"Now. What do you want to know?"
"Well, let's start with an easy one. I've noticed that your brother is extremely nice, but he has some interesting mannerisms and a very interesting choice in clothes. What's the story there?"
"A lot of that goes back to when we were really young. Simon doesn't stay in the house often. He goes back and forth between us and the Cheyenne. He's also the Indian agent for the area. He makes sure the Cheyenne are treated fairly. Yes, they have to stay on the reservation, but Simon makes sure that they have plenty to eat and he tries to make sure that the dog soldiers stay under control, but he's not as successful with that as he'd like to be, or as the agent supervisor would like him to be."
"Why does he dress the way he does?"
"He's never really left the Cheyenne. When we were little, he'd run away and try to go back to them every time he got the chance."
"Adrien, you've mentioned living with the Cheyenne before, but you've never told me about this. Honestly, most of your life is a mystery to me until I met you."
"That's because you grew up in such a loving and wonderful home," she answered, "and my family was so very well… messed up. I was afraid that it would drive you away."
"Adrien, it's not exactly like my family is without flaws. No one can be blamed for what their family does," Adam answered.
"But this isn't so much my family's, it's mine."
"What happened, Adrien?"
"My mother had enough of my father and his shenanigans. We didn't live on the ranch then. We lived on the outside of town. My grandparents had left the store and the ranch to my father, Uncle Horace, and Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake was the oldest. His family lived here. I'm sure you noticed that there was a big age difference between my father and his brothers. They were grown and I think Jake was married when my father was born."
Adam watched her as she looked out at the setting sun and continued talking.
"My father would always move from job to job and never come home. He would sometimes come home with money. Sometimes, he wouldn't. Uncle Horace made sure we ate. When my father came home with nothing, it was usually because he gambled it away, drank it, or both. He'd take it out on my mother. Once, he took it out on me. So, my mother decided to leave. She packed up everything that she could and packed it on a horse. Simon was almost 2. I was 4. He came home drunk as could be and she gave him another bottle of whiskey. He drank it and passed out. She tied him to the bed, put Simon and I on the horse with her, and took off. She was headed for Manitou, I think to catch the stage. We rode through the woods and the horse went lame. So we grabbed what we could and want as fast as we could on foot. The bad thing is that my father had gotten loose and was tracking the horse. Momma was carrying Simon, and I was just 4. I ran as fast as I could to keep up, but I slowed her down. He caught up with us, and he shot her in the arm. I fell when I heard the shot, and when I rolled over to get up and get to her, I just saw the barrel of his gun."
Adrien had tears running down her face as she spoke. Adam softly wiped them away.
"I thought he was going to kill me. He probably was going to kill me, but then out of nowhere, an arrow hit him in the stomach. A Cheyenne hunting party had been nearby and had heard the gunshot. They went to see what had happened and found Momma shot and my father with a gun to my head. He dropped his gun and ran away. I don't know how he got help or didn't bleed to death, but obviously, he lived. The warriors picked us all up and put us on their horses. All I knew about Indians was what Uncle Horace had told me, so I was scared out of my wits. They took us to their village. They fed us. The bullet had gone through Momma's arm, so they put medicine on it. They took us in and made us one of them. The medicine man, Running Bear, took my mother as his second wife. It didn't make his first wife happy, but they had no children, so we became their children. That made her happy. She renamed me "Pale Raven." Simon became "Laughing River." We lived there for 2 years. Then, a band of gypsies came through. The Cheyenne gave them food and water. While they were here, Momma fell in love with their leader's son. She didn't like being a second wife to an Indian man, and I didn't blame her. So, she left, but he didn't want us along, and according to the tribe, we were members of it first, and Running Bear was our father and had final say in if we stayed or went, but apparently, those gypsies went straight to the Apaches and made them mad. Since my mother was with them, they blamed the Cheyenne. The chief tried to parley, but they wouldn't hear it. They threatened to kill us since we were white children. Running Bear thought it was best to return us to town. I don't think that he thought my father was still alive, but he was. He left us in the street and told us to go find our relatives. I recognized the store, so I took Simon there, and waited until daylight. Aunt Olive found us the next morning when she opened the door. My father wasn't anywhere around then, so we lived with Uncle Horace. I sort of remembered how to speak English, but it was difficult. I could understand what was said to me, but I had a hard time finding my words to express myself in English, so I just didn't talk. Simon didn't know more than a few English words. It was a very tough transition for us. The Apache did go to war with the Cheyenne and they were angry when they couldn't find the white children. They burned down the ranch house and killed Uncle Jake and his wife. They tried to burn the town to the ground too. The town got in a rage and went after the Cheyenne too. That was the first time I spoke since coming back was that night. I had heard the battle cry and it wasn't Cheyenne. I tried to tell them. Enough people listened to at least stop an outright massacre of the tribe. The Army came in a few days later and got the Apache under control. Sadly, almost 20 years later, and the town still won't trust the Cheyenne. It wasn't even their fault either."
She stopped like she was in a trance and looked off into the distance.
"Adrien, this explains many of the things that have bewildered me for years. I didn't even know that you spoke the Cheyenne language. That has probably been a desired skill at some points."
"It has, but Simon speaks the language too. He's also learned Apache over the years. I picked up some since our chief picked up an Apache girl who was cast out of her tribe. We renamed her Snow Bird. She stayed in our teepee. We called it the outcast teepee. She was probably 10 when they took her in, and I was almost 5. Well, I think I was 5. I lost all sense of normal time when we were there. I've tried to piece it all back together since. Do you think you're marrying a crazy woman yet?"
"No, not at all," Adam replied as he slid closer to her, "I feel the exact opposite actually. You never cease to amaze me."
"So, when your father came back he was married again? Yes, the twins had been born too. Eliza was already dead. I never met her. The twins were so little that they never really knew her either. They don't have a picture of her, and as little of a father as they had. I think they feel lost and separate from us."
"So, why didn't you tell me all of this years ago?" Adam asked, "besides the scaring me off part, I know that's not all of it."
"Adam, I was starting over. I had my entire life ahead of me. I didn't want my past to define me anymore. I wanted to make myself into something and prove that I was more than that messed up little pale squaw that the town at home saw. I was in charge of my own destiny and I didn't want it to hold me back. I had very different dreams until I met you."
The last part cut Adam a little bit, but he let it go, "You told me about those dreams a long time ago, and I remember them well. You were going to retire from the ballet when you were 30 after being the principal dancer the entire time, and then you were going to travel the country doing choreography for every ballet company in the nation."
"You do realize that there aren't that many in the nation, right?"
"There are more than when we had this conversation the first time. I've heard the south east wants some culture to go with all that cotton these days."
"You might want to be careful about those comments, dear," Adrien chided "We're headed to Virginia."
"I'll behave myself," he answered, "so, when all this started, you buying the ranch, I mean, were we..." he broke off.
"Where we what?" Adrien asked.
"I don't know what to call it…courting?"
"We never courted, Adam. We went in head over heels."
"Yes. Yes, we did," he answered, "But before I get off topic, when did you buy the ranch exactly?"
"We hadn't been together long. I don't remember exactly when it started. Lydia got the letter from the bank that they were going to be evicted. She didn't have the money. No one knew where my father was, as usual. But the ranch was something that's been in the family a long time. I didn't want to lose it. And if you'll remember, that was the year that I was in the touring company. We were going to St. Louis anyway. So I found the date of the auction and stayed behind. I had every penny to my name with me in cash, and I prayed that I had enough. It was close, but I did it. I had to wire you for the money to get home though. Do you remember?"
"Yes, I do. You said that you were sick and the company had to leave without you. You didn't plan on needing much money but spent it all on the doctor."
"Sorry. I didn't know what to do exactly and again, I didn't want to drag you into my mess."
"But you knew that you could ask me for help."
"Yes, I did know that. I figured that you missed me anyway."
"You'd been gone for two months! I was stuck in class and couldn't follow you. Of course, I missed you!"
Adrien giggled, and Adam pulled her into his lap and kissed her cheek.
"What happened when your father found out you bought the place out from under him?"
"You found out when I told Uncle Horace. He tried to strangle me," she answered.
"I want to hear your side of it," Adam implored.
"All right. It was that following March. I don't know how my father found out, but he found out. He confronted me as I was heading home from rehearsal one afternoon. I don't think he'd really thought things through. He was drunk and probably had been for days. I left out the door that lead into the alley. You know how I did that so that I wouldn't have to deal with Jennings and a couple of his stage cronies."
"Yes, I knew and I didn't like that you did it," Adam answered.
"Well, you were right. He must have been watching the theatre for a while because he knew what I did and when. He ambushed me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground and his hands were on my throat. I couldn't breathe. He said that he wasn't going to let me live for taking his land. The door from the theatre opened and the very stagehands I was avoiding were who came to my rescue. They grabbed my father and threw him against the wall. It dazed him and they helped me up. He wasn't completely unconscious. He kept saying how I took his land and his ranch. I told him that killing me wouldn't do any good. I'd already mailed my will to Preston and he would never see that ranch again. I ran home as fast as I could."
"I do remember that day. By the time I made it home, the bruises were quite prominent. You wouldn't tell me a thing either. No one else knew what happened. If you had just told me then it could have saved us a lot of trouble."
"I know. I was trying to protect you. You saw what my father was capable of against his own flesh and blood. I wasn't going to risk you."
"I wish you would have let me protect you and to think 2 weeks later, you were …" Suddenly, he put everything together. "Adrien, you don't think that whoever did everything to you was hired by your father do you?"
"I've always been sure of it. They were supposed to kill me when they got done. They told me I was going to die. I tried to fight them off and made enough of a ruckus that they had to run. I was just thankful that someone found me eventually."
Adam pulled her closer. He remembered that day that she went missing and how scared he was for her. He had been figuring out some things from things that Adrien said in her sleep, but there was never enough to give him a full picture of what was going on. He hated that he didn't know enough to protect her then.
"That summer that I went home, when I was pregnant with Becca, I only went because Lydia wired and asked me to. She'd heard things and found things in the barn and didn't know what to do. I went and had Michael come to the ranch and told him everything. Absolutely everything. We searched the house and the barn. We found more money in the barn, and that connected him with the rumors about the bank in Manitou and the robbery that happened in Denver. Then, Lydia died that Christmas. We all knew exactly what happened, so he was wanted for that as well. He had to be on the run for quite some time."
"What happened to the rest of your stepmothers?"
"I think he killed them. We have no proof of what happened to anyone besides Lydia though. The rest were ruled as freak accidents. It's a sad and terrible history. I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Are you done with grilling me about it now?"
"Yes, darling, I am," Adam answered as he held Adrien tightly, "I love you, and just so you aren't scared, your past will not get in the way of our marriage."
"But does it change how you feel about me?"
"Well, of course, it does," Adam answered. He felt every muscle in her body.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Adrien, you are a strong and beautiful woman who has been through so much. Knowing what you've been through and knowing that you still have a heart, knowing that you still can love anyone at all. It makes me love you even more that I already did."
He felt her relax and pulled her back to his chest. She laid her head back on his shoulder and they watched the sun set over the mountains.