Hey y'all thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry y'all have trouble understanding Jace. If it helps Ah means I. Also Jace is smarter then she looks

"My son" Adam whispered again. Hope weld up in Jace's heart only to be dashed on the cruel shores of reality when Adam opened his mouth again and said, "Jace that can't be. I mean Jason is a sweet boy and all, but I won't let you foist your mistake off on me."

Jace stared at him in… well not really shock. Nothing really shocked Jace anymore; she just amazed he had the gall say that. Part of her wanted to rip him to pieces and feed him to her dogs. (Another part wanted to rip his clothes off and have at him, but that part was graciously ignored.) Instead Jace took a deep breath and figuratively ripped his head off.

"You jack ass." Jace wanted to scream it but there was a little boy in the next room who was not supposed to learn words like that yet. "Jason is not and never was a mistake. Tha' little boy was the bes' thing that ever happened t' me. Damn it Adam, he's your son. How can you deny that? Did you fergit our magic night by the lake?" Jace's words dripped pent up rage and the sarcasm that stems from such rage.

Adam started "That night was very special, Jace, but…"

"But what, Adam?" Jace demanded." Can't admit you had an illegitimate son with a girl your Pa despises. Pharaoh Cartwright is it, king of denial." Her tone softened a bit, "You're the only man Ah ever made love to, Adam. And if that's not enough, Jason looks just like you. Fer heaven's sake, sometimes he acts like you when he don't git 'is way."

"If he's my son, why didn't you tell me before?" Adam demanded, in a most condescending tone.

Jace wanted to slap him. "Ah didn' know when Ah left and if ya haven't noticed Adam there's been a war on. It's not like Ah could just send ya a letter. Besides Ah was too busy tryin' t' keep yer son and me alive. Do you know what that boy has been through? Hell, What Ah've been through tryin' t' keep 'im safe." Suddenly though not so unexpectedly for Jace, She burst out crying. It had been a really bad day.

Adam took her in his arms and said, "It's alright Jace. You're safe now, that's never going to happen again."

Her head on his shoulder Jace managed to get out, "Yer damn strait" between sobs. Abruptly she pushed away, "Ah can't do this. Not now."

"What do you mean you can't do this?" Adam asked, looking surprised.

"This, us. Ah can't be us not right now." Jace said, backing away from Adam.

Adam stood there looking hurt.

"Ah just can't do this now. Jason is your son and Ahm goin' t' bed." Jace said completely turning away from him and walking to the same room she had put Jason to bed.

As Jace walked out she said without even looking at Adam, "Oh Ah should tell ya the ruf leaks." And as she could hear him shout in surprise as the water dripped on his head.

Jace lay down on her bed beside her snoring son. She thought of the night's events and sobbed. She hurt. Deep down inside, she hurt. He had hurt her by claiming she would lie to him about something as important as Jason. That boy was her reason for getting up each morning. Taking care of him kept her going. He looked like a little Adam and he was just as sharp. His only differences were his big hazel eyes (just like his Paw Paw's) and his kind heart (All his own). Jason was blessing made up like a little boy with a mischievous smile and nightmares.

It took awhile, but finally Jace got her crying under control. She kept thinking, What if Jason wakes up? I can't let him see me like this. Usually, at times like these (i.e. she had a really bad day and just wanted to cry) she would go out into the main room and read Walt Whitman or write a little poetry of her own, but today… today Adam was still out there (she could here him rambling around looking for something). She could not handle him again, at least not until morning.

Adam Cartwright, that name in and of it self stirred passion of all kinds. She wanted to kill him and make love to him at the same time. You're gonna have to marry him you know, Girl. A little voice said in the back of her head. Jace sighed. Maybe it would be different this time. It had to be.

In all fairness, her hasty departure from the Ponderosa had not been Adam's fault. If Ben Cartwright had not lied to Adam about her intentions, she would have married Adam and lived happily ever after. Or whatever. Unfortunately Jace was almost everything Ben did not want in a daughter-in-law. She was smart and independent. She could and did shoot faster and straighter than Little Joe (as shown by the four dead men she had left behind her) and she would not, could not bend to people who considered themselves her social betters. Jace cursed like a sailor, wore pants, rode like a man and possibly worst of all she was a devout catholic Mexican/Bohemian who did not see any sense in being "civilized". It did not seem to Jace that Ben Cartwright had any trouble telling Adam that she was a gold digger, too.

Jace sighed. She was not even sure she still wanted to marry Adam. What if… The what-ifs chased each other around in her mind. Jace felt like a dizzy armadillo at the bottom of a water trough. Going round and round until finally, she ran out of air and drowned.

Jace needed advice and she needed it bad. Her mother was dead and her sister lived in New Mexico. So she did what generations of Catholic women did in situations like this (though she doubted they ever faced a problem quite the same), she picked up her rosary and asked for help from the one person who had all the answers.

Please R&R I'll have the next Chapter up as soon as I have time to write it. if you get the time, please read Earthbound. It takes place before this story. Love y'all