Hearts and Flowers

Adam had never brought a girl flowers before—not ever, unless a posey he bought for a girl when he was at Harvard counted. But this was a huge bouquet of flowers that Adam held in his hand as he knocked on the Bartlett's door. He felt foolish. In his thirty years, he had only asked two women to marry him and there were no fathers involved from whom he needed permission. But here he was, following his own father's advice and preparing to ask a girl's father for his permission and his blessings to marry his daughter.

"But, Pa, that's such an outdated custom," Adam had argued. "Zoe said yes and she's the only one who counts.

"Good manners are never outdated," Ben said, "and it'll start out your relationship with your prospective father-in-law on the right foot. If I had a daughter, I'd expect it—I'd require it."

Adam shook his head; his father was so behind the times and didn't realize that customs had changed; women had more of a say now as to their future and Zoe was going to turn 20 soon and could do as she chose.

Adam shook his head. "Maybe Zoe and I should run away—elope to San Francisco and do away with all this silliness. I mean really, Pa, asking permission, having the banns read, engagement parties and the wedding—it's all a waste. Actually, I don't even see the need of a marriage ceremony—if a man and a woman declare their fidelity to one another then it's the same thing."

"It may be silliness, may be foolish to you, Adam, but customs are important if you're going to live in society. And what does Zoe say about your 'opinion'?" Ben watched Adam's face and saw his son flush with obvious embarrassment.

"Um…she…well, she said that she…it doesn't matter what she said, Pa. I'll do as you think I should-I'll ask her father for her hand. Does that satisfy you? I'll jump through all the hoops like a trained circus animal, go through all the expected behaviors. I'll even get down on one knee to propose to her. I get the feeling that these required steps are meant as proof of love and dedication—you'd have to want to marry someone awful bad to do all of that. Oh, maybe I should offer a string of horses to her father and a few milk cows in exchange for his daughter's hand." Adam wanted to end the conversation; he didn't want to share with his father what Zoe had said, how she had looked in the moonlight, her face pale and smooth, her eyes adoring, and told him that she loved him so very much that she would lay with him without any marriage, that she wanted him, needed him more than air and water and food—he alone sustained her. And Adam had held her and kissed her but didn't take her. He loved her too much. He wanted to marry her, for their union to be sanctified by God but he couldn't tell his father the depth of his emotions for Zoe. If he tried, Adam knew his voice would quaver and he might even tear up—she moved him in such a way as he had never before experienced.

So Adam had gathered flowers from Mrs. Gander's huge garden, tried to pay her but she refused. Anything she could do to help young love blossom, she would do. She insisted on putting a ribbon and bow around the bunch of daises and yellow roses and as Adam was about to ride away, Mrs. Gander asked Adam if the flowers were for Zoe Bartlett. Everyone knew, Mrs. Gander said, that Adam was sweet on her and she was such a pretty girl. Adam told her that they were for Zoe and then hurried to ride away. He wondered how much fuel for gossip he had just provided.

Zoe opened the front door and smiled when she saw Adam.

"Is your Pa home?" he asked. He felt foolish and awkward again.

"Yes, I made him wait up. He wanted to go to bed early but I told him that you were coming by to talk to him; he didn't seem happy. Come in, Adam."

"Oh, Zoe, here." Adam handed her the flowers. Zoe took them and smiled and tiptoed to kiss him.

"Thank you, Adam. They're beautiful." She slipped her arm through his and led him into the parlor where her father sat smoking a pipe. "Pa, Adam's here."

"Mr. Bartlett," Adam nodded and then took off his hat and handed it to Zoe. She hung it on the hat rack and then made the excuse of going to put the flowers in water.

"Sit down, Adam. Zoe told me that you were coming by to see me." Adam sat down, sitting gingerly on the edge of the chair and Zoe came in with the vase of flowers and sat them on the mantle.

"Aren't the flowers beautiful, Pa?" Zoe began to sit down but her father asked her to leave the room; he and Adam had business to discuss—privately, he said. Zoe looked at Adam who just raised his brows in resignation and Zoe slowly left the room.

"Zoe's been going around the house happy all day. Then she told me that you were coming over to talk to me so let's cut to the chase; you want to marry Zoe and you've come to settle it with me first."

"Yes," Adam said. "I love Zoe and want to marry her and I'm willing to go through you in order to do so."

"How do you mean that, Adam? Are you going to run through me if I say no, if I say that I don't give my permission for you to marry Zoe?"

"Talk straight, Mr. Bartlett. Do you give your permission or not? I want to marry Zoe and I believe she wants to marry me."

"I know Zoe wants to marry you but I have my doubts about you, Adam."

"What doubts? I told you that I love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'll be good to her and the best husband I can be."

"How old are you, Adam?"

"I'm thirty. Is that it? You think I'm too old for her?"

"No, that's not it. If you were younger, that would be an issue. You're an established man from an established family. You're set to inherit a vast fortune—1/3 of the Ponderosa. Any father would be thrilled to have you want to marry his daughter."

"Then what is it?" Adam needed to know exactly what Mr. Bartlett's objections were; Adam might be able to explain them away or change something. For the first time, Adam feared that Zoe would be denied to him.

"You've had too many romances, you've had experiences and Zoe is, well, naïve. I don't think that you're a good match. It's hard for a man like you to settle down with one woman and if you and Zoe married and you had a wandering eye, if you ever hurt my child, I'd kill you. Plain and simple. I'd take a double 00 shotgun and blow a hole through your middle."

"As unpleasant as that sounds," Adam said, "I still want to marry Zoe. You're making an assumption about me based on nothing but talk and rumor. I have known a few women and I've patronized certain sporting houses here in town and elsewhere, but I was younger and had no intention of ever marrying. Then I met Zoe and she turned my world on its head."

Mr. Bartlett sat and thought. "Before she died, Mrs. Bartlett wanted to see Zoe married and Zoe almost married the Fields boy. You know the one, the tall blond."

"Yes, Zoe told me about him."

"She did, now? Have you told her about the women in your past?"

"No."

"Well, Zoe backed out right before the banns were to be read—broke his heart. Zoe cried for two days, not because she was hurt but because she hurt him but her mother died thinking Zoe was going to be married, died with a lie between them. Zoe wanted to give her mother her last wish but couldn't. She told me that the idea of life with a man she didn't love was more than she could bear and she knew her mother wouldn't really want that. I told her that I understood. But I don't think she'll be happy with you, Adam."

Adam looked down at his folded hands; he didn't know what else to say. Adam hadn't expected Mr. Bartlett to reject him.

"I think that I'll be very happy, Pa." Zoe's voice floated into the tense silence between the two men. Adam stood up. "Pa, I'm going to marry Adam and I hope that you'll be happy for me. It doesn't matter what you say…I will marry him. I'm determined. Damned determined."

Adam slightly grinned. Zoe did love him for certain. She walked over and stood in front of Adam and he felt like a small child as she protected him.

"Now, instead of threatening my husband-to-be with a shotgun, give him your permission and your blessings. I don't want to go against you, Pa, but I will. I will marry Adam and I will be happy." Her mouth was firm, her jaw set. And then her face softened. "Please, Pa. I love you. And I love him and I don't want to be caught between the two of you."

Mr. Bartlett broke down and Zoe went to him and kneeled beside his chair. "Oh, Papa, please be happy. Adam is the most wonderful man I've ever known—except for you."

Mr. Bartlett looked at his beautiful daughter and suddenly he laughed. "Oh, Zoe. You still know how to get around your old man, don't you? You always could. So you love him, child?"

"Yes, I love him."

Mr. Bartlett sighed deeply. Then he spoke to Adam and Zoe turned her face to him as well. "Adam, I give my daughter's hand to you. You have my permission and my blessings to marry Zoe. But what I said about that double 00 shotgun—it still goes."

And Adam grinned. He put out his arms and Zoe rushed to his embrace. Adam realized then what a momentous event this was—no more romantic ideals—this was his life and he was running toward happiness to embrace it as quickly as he could.

TBC