Chapter 5: Crystal
A/N: I don't own any of the characters or stories of Bonanza.
Ruth
My dress swished around my legs. No culottes that night; I was actually trying. I had washed my hair earlier, letting it dry and curl naturally. My face was clear and clean. My one flowered shirt was tucked into the top of my skirt. The skirt fell to the floor, much longer than my usual skirts. I had shined and polished my boots. Lancer wasn't coming with me, otherwise he would have been shined and polished too.
Joe was coming to pick me up in a buggy at five in the afternoon. He was due any minute. As a last precaution, I tucked my little pistol into my bag. I had just pulled the drawstring of the bag shut when someone knocked on my door. I smiled, walking to the door and opening it. And there he was, in his green corduroy jacket, leaning against the door frame, hand on his hip, feet crossed, hat tilted way down over his face; he cut a pretty picture.
"Are you ready, Ruth? The boys are rarin' to meet you," he said with a grin. I offered my hand to him, and he took it and raised it to his lips, keeping his eyes on me. I smiled, feeling my cheeks heat up. I brought his arm to my side and tucked my elbow under his.
"Yes, I am, thank you. I'm excited for tonight too," I replied, trying to keep myself composed. He grinned back and we walked down the stairs and out of the hotel, where a freshly cleaned buggy was waiting, behind a big boned, perfectly proportioned, bay mare.
I couldn't contain my excitement over this horse. She was just too beautiful. I pulled away from Joe and hurried over to the horse, approaching her from her side, where she could see me, even with her blinders. I offered my hand to her, and she sniffed it, breathing my scent in and then snuffing it out all over my hand. I could feel her hairs on my skin, and it made me tingle. I looked her over, and it suddenly dawned on me that Joe had chosen her to pull us just for my pleasure.
I turned around and saw him there, grinning, his smile giving him dimples, his eyes squinting because of his laugh. And I smiled back at him.
I stepped up into the buggy, Joe walked around to the other side, hopped up, and took the reins. With a snap of leather we were off. The ride was smooth, as the horse was a good buggy horse and the buggy was good itself. I smiled the whole time. There was no need for talk, as the bumping of our shoulders against each other sufficed for words.
When we arrived at the Ponderosa, the large log cabin was lit up, warm light streaming out of every window, welcoming me. As soon as the buggy pulled up, the big oak door was opened wide and three men walked out, smiling. Joe tied up the reins and ran around the back of the buggy, stumbling over himself to help me out, even though I was already halfway out. I took his offered hand and gathered up my skirts, stepping gingerly out of the buggy.
The three men came up to us, and they each in turn introduced themselves.
Adam Cartwright, the dark haired, dark eyed eldest, was charming. He took my offered hand and kissed it delicately, smiling up at me.
Hoss was a bit more nervous, but kind. I could tell he had a good soul. When I offered my hand to him, he took it and squeezed it, enveloping it with both his big hands, making me feel very protected.
Benjamin Cartwright, the white haired patriarch, smiled warmly at me, the smile reaching all the way to his eyes. I could see Joe's smile in his.
"Welcome to the Ponderosa," he said to me, as I curtsied, and when I offered my hand to him he took it, returning my pressure with a gentle shake.
"Thank you, sir, from what I've seen of it, I've already fallen in love with it," I smiled back. He laughed, the sound filling the whole courtyard.
"People tend to do that. Come inside, Hop Sing will be mad at us if we dally and make the food cold." He offered me his arm and I took it, and we all went inside, except Hoss, who put the beautiful horse away.
A big fireplace greeted me, roaring with fire, even though it wasn't dark or cold yet. But the fire lent the whole great room a cozy, familial glow that made me smile in return. To the right of the fireplace, a beautiful sight met my eyes: an arsenal of guns. My appreciation was apparently evident on my face.
"Has Joe brought a fellow firearm enthusiast into the house without preparing us beforehand?" Ben asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Dinner is READY, Mista Cartlight, all my good food go to waste if you don't eat it now!" Hop Sing had prepared a feast and it was ready.
"Well, I guess the arms display will have to wait until after dinner, Miss Armenta. Hop Sing has been cooking for da-" Ben was interrupted by Joe quickly taking my arm and leading me to the table with a nervous laugh.
"Now don't bore her with our day-to-day life, Pa." He seemed nervous, which in turn made me laugh. It was going to be an entertaining evening.
Joe
Pa nearly ruined it with his mischievous tongue. I saw the twinkle of mischief that was in his eyes, when he said that he hadn't been prepared, and he almost said something outright when he addressed Hop Sing's preparations. It was true; I had cleaned all the guns, the great room, and had constantly bothered Hop Sing about the dinner. He had kicked me out of the kitchen in those past few days even more times than he usually kicked Hoss out of the kitchen in a week.
Even after all those preparations, I was still nervous. More nervous than I was when entering into the ring with a bronc to be broken. That was nothing compared to that moment. My necktie itched and I fought the urge to rip it off and throw it across the room.
Ruth, the cause of both my nerves and extreme joy, sat at the table like she was born to the spot. Laughing, her eyes sparkled, and her hair shone in the low lamp light. The golden chain she wore at her neck moved like drops of water around her neck, and it intrigued me further as to what it held. She conversed easily with my brothers and father, as they did with her, and the atmosphere was light and happy. Eventually, my nerves eased and joy overcame me. Here I was, sitting looking at the woman destined to be with me, and she was not only loved by my family but she also seemed to truly enjoy their company.
When it seemed as though everyone was done with dinner, Ruth got up to help Hop Sing with the clearing of the table. Hop Sing smiled widely at her.
"Me like you, Missy. You would stay if were my choice," he declared, laughing, and made her sit down and give him the dishes she had gathered up. Ruth blushed a lovely shade of pink. Pa raised his glass in agreement.
"Hear, hear! To Miss Armenta staying!" He said, and Adam and Hoss joined in with great cheers of approval. Ruth raised her glass and clinked it with theirs, and when I had clinked mine with my brothers' and fathers', she touched hers to mine, and leaned close to me.
"I do hope I will stay," she whispered and drank her wine, her blue eyes shining as bright as the crystal she drank from. I smiled, and the rest of the night passed in a blur, Ruth at the center of it.
Ruth
We ate a delicious dessert, Hop Sing cleaned up, this time allowing me to help, and then we all moved to the living room. I sat in one of the huge armchairs, engulfed in the softness of it, but feeling as safe as though I were in my mother's arms. We played a few games of chess, and talked about many things, the topic eventually coming to the subject of saddles and harnesses, and what styles were the best for different kinds of work.
I personally favored the vaquero saddle, a style that remained, especially in California, from the Mexican Hacendados, the men that had received the Spanish land grants. The Cartwrights had heard of these saddles, but of course preferred the typical Western saddle, with a lower horn and cantle. The only reason I liked the saddles of the rancheros was because I had grown up riding in them; before my father started drinking heavily, he worked as a hand on a ranch, and he was taught to prefer the vaquero saddle by the caballeros that used its themselves. The higher horn allowed for the lariats to stay securely in their place, and the higher cantle helped the rider to sit more securely and more forward instead of in a relaxed pose that the western saddles allowed. I explained all this to them, and they listened attentively.
It soon came time to leave, however, as the moon was high in the sky and the stars had begun to twinkle. Adam offered to show me the saddles that they used while Joe hitched up the buggy. I bid farewell to Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing, thanking them all, with my cheeks glowing from their hospitality. They all asked me to come again. Adam offered me his arm while Joe rushed out the door ahead of us. We walked out into the cold, Adam carrying a lantern, and the big oak door closed with a solid clunk behind me. The big barn was dark, but when Adam hung the lantern on a peg, it cast a soft glow around the vacant stall that was filled with tack.
"Miss Armenta-" I interrupted him.
"Please, call me Ruth. I feel indebted to all of you for the lovely evening, the least you can do is call me by my first name," I smiled at him in the darkness. He returned my smile.
"Ruth. I know you want to see the tack we have, but I also know you will have other chances to do so. I want to tell you that Joseph rarely brings the women he is interested in home. This is his fortress, his stronghold, but also his weakness, just as it is my father's fortress and weakness, just as it is all of ours. Bringing you here was not just a dinner invitation. Please bear that in mind when considering the matters of your heart, for your heart now holds his. Goodnight, Ruth," and with that, he nodded and left, just as Joe was coming in to get me. We rode to the hotel in the swaying buggy pulled by the beautiful bay, Joe whistling into the crisp night air.
Joe
I pulled up to the hotel and jumped out, running around the back of the buggy to help Ruth out. She had been quiet during the ride back, but it was a good quiet, and I could tell that she was happy. I offered her my hand, and she took it, gathering her skirts and stepping down. She didn't let go of my hand when her feet were solidly on the floor. Instead, she pulled me close, and then hugged me.
The moonlight was shining in her eyes when she stepped away, her cheeks glowing in competition with those deep blue eyes. I couldn't resist any longer.
I kissed her, my heart leaping into my mouth when I did so and then almost dying when she kissed me back. She held me tight, and I held her tighter. It was a beautiful kiss, a kiss that set me to tingling all over, setting my senses afire. I didn't want it to stop. I could have kissed her for the rest of my life.
But it ended. She pulled away and her eyes shone with all the lights of the stars and the moon reflected in them. Ruth kissed me on the cheek and then picked up her skirts and ran away, up the stairs of the hotel and through the door. I stood there for a bit until the mare snuffed at me and I was shocked out of my trance. I turned around and walked to the buggy, got in, and the whole drive home all I could think of was Ruth, my Ruth.