A Summer Rain

It had been a long, hot day working on the Ponderosa and Adam's shirt was stuck to his back. His feet in his boots felt as if they were as hot as a match head and he could hardly wait to get home and pull the boots off and stand in the horse trough. It had been a string of hot days, one after another and the heat had drained him.

He and his brothers had gone their different ways about a mile back; Hoss and Joe to the Ponderosa ranch house and Adam to the small house he had built for him and Zoe and Micah. Adam smiled to himself, forgetting his physical misery for a moment as he thought of the plans he had drawn up on expanding the house. Adam had shown them to Zoe last night and she had approved; Adam had originally designed the house with an eye for expansion. He had explained to Zoe about going up and out to the side; he couldn't extend the house to the rear because he had built the house with the larger covered porch in the back; there were two sets of French doors leading out to the porch that ran the length of the house. The view from the porch was a magnificent vista; there was a drop that kept the view from being blocked by the trees. From the porch, one could see Lake Tahoe and the mountain ranges surrounding it and in the evenings, the stars shone brightly in the heavens.

Almost every night when the weather was obliging, he and Zoe would sit in the wooden rocking chairs and talk before heading to bed and once Micah was born, it was usually Adam who held the robust child and rocked him to sleep after Zoe had fed him. And Adam would look down at his sleeping son who had his coloring and a nimbus of wispy dark curls and his heart would swell with love. Zoe said that Micah had his father's sweet mouth, like a cupid's mouth, and Adam laughed and said no, he had his mother's mouth.

"No, Adam, he's you. That must be how you looked as a baby," Zoe had once said and although Adam denied that he could ever have been so beautiful, Zoe told him that she found him the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

There were six rocking chairs, one for each Cartwright because when Adam's father and brothers visited or came to dinner, they could all sit on the long back porch and drink their coffee and the peace of nature would surround them. And that was how Adam viewed his home, as a sanctuary of calm and peace, mainly because Zoe was there. And now there was Micah as well.

A slight breeze stirred and Adam welcomed it. He looked up and although the sun was still shining brightly in the west, small drops of a summer rain began to fall. The gentle drops were as warm as a bath but they began to step up and Adam removed his hat to let the rain wash over his face. Zoe called rain like this a sun shower.

Adam rode up to his house and he smiled at what he saw. He dismounted and let his horse walk loose and it trotted into the stable; they were both home now.

Adam stood in the yard, his arms crossed high on his chest, and grinned. Zoe was holding eight month old Micah and dancing around the yard. The laughing child had his tiny hands out, enjoying the rain after the hot day, and he'd blink whenever any of the drops fell near his eyes as he looked heavenward. Zoe was laughing at the child's obvious delight.

"Come join us, Adam." Zoe called. And when the child saw his father, he reached out his arms and Zoe had to shift her grip on him so that she wouldn't drop him.

Adam hurried over and took the boy in his arms, kissing the head of his child, his son. "What are you two doing out here in the rain?" he asked, smiling still at the happy picture of his wife and child.

"Oh, it's such a warm rain. I just wanted Micah to be in it, to experience it." Zoe turned her gaze up to the sky and the drops of rain fell onto her face and rolled down her neck. Her dress stuck to her and Adam was filled with desire and love.

Adam held his son and asked him if he liked the rain and the child giggled and patted Adam's face. Adam turned round and round, spinning the two of them, and Micah laughed delightedly and Zoe couldn't help but smile at her husband who laughed as well at the delight of his child.

"Look, Adam. Look, Micah," Zoe said pointing, "a rainbow."

Adam looked where Zoe was pointing and there was an arch of colors, a rainbow stretching across the sky. "Look, Micah." Adam pointed, holding the boy firmly with one arm. "See the colors? See the rainbow? Look." Adam held the child's arm and pointed it in the direction of the rainbow and the child laughed delightedly but only looked at his father; he had no interest in anything but this large man who was so good and kind to him and who always smiled and lifted him up and held him above the world.

Adam put out his arm to his wife and Zoe was enveloped in his arms as well and Adam kissed his wife and then they both kissed their child who was in the middle of their embrace.

"I love you, Mrs. Cartwright. You've granted my wish for all the treasures of the world. You're both my rainbow and the gold at the end."

"Oh, Adam," Zoe said and gave him another quick kiss. "I have dinner all ready and waiting for you but first, we all need to go in and change into dry clothes and you need to take care of your horse. I have to be the practical one. You can be the romantic." And Zoe left Adam and Micah in the front yard.

"Do you like the rain, Micah?" The child smiled at him and touched Adam's mouth, watching him speak. "Can you say rain?"

"Papa," the child said. "Papa."

Adam laughed. "Yes, I'm Papa. Where's momma? Hmm? Where did momma go?" The child leaned backward in his father's arms and pointed to the house. "Momma house."

"That's right. Momma went into the house. And who do we love more than anyone else in the whole world?"

"Momma." Micah looked at his father.

Adam took one of the child's small hands and kissed it tenderly. "Yes, we love Momma. And I love both of you." And Adam held the child closely until Micah began to struggle to be free. Adam kissed him on one of his plump cheeks. "Let's go get into some dry clothes, boy. You momma will have a fit if dinner is ruined." Adam bounced the child slightly in his arms and Micah laughed in delight. "Smells like pot roast. Well, pot roast for me. Just the breast for you, boy, but one day, you'll have a good steak—but not until you get more teeth." And Adam walked with his son into the house calling to his wife that they were coming in now.

TBC