Chapter 4

11 days had passed since Lizzie use personal declaration of conformity. Her parents were delighted to see her change in attitude and behaviour. Chores were done quickly and without complaint, conversations contained a sunnier disposition, and assistance given two younger siblings. Feeling they had finally gotten through to their daughter, Evelyn and Adam could relax a bit more. They became excited planning for her birthday, which was the day after tomorrow.

Evelyn had planned a meal of Lizzie is favorites: roasted chicken with turnips and biscuits, and Apple-Cinnamon cake. Adam had done some shopping in town then returned to the role he knew best - being the boss. He recruited the boys to put special effort into tidying up the house that space, a task to which they all grumbled about. Being forced to do women's work was perceived as cruel and unusual punishment, especially for Luke. The girls, however, were happy to be assigned to decorations detail. Glue, scissors, ribbon and coloured tissue paper littered the great room as the three sisters busied themselves to produce the best ambiance the Ponderosa had ever seen.

When Lizzie awoke that Friday morning she was confident that all her hard work was finally going to pay off. She was now 15 years old – a certified woman – who was about to get all her heart desired.

Lizzie's birthday started off with many hugs and well-wishes from her family and a yummy breakfast of eggs and bacon. School was even better than she had anticipated as well. Friends gave her small gifts and pleasant greetings. Even little Miss Uppity, Bryony Lawrence (cousin to the infamous Violet Drummond) said 'happy birthday' with a partial smile on her face. La piece de resistance, however, came when Wyatt Fuller approached her at recess. She was talking with her two friends, Shanda Dee and Sally, just outside the schoolhouse doors when he came up to the group and with a red face asked if he could speak with Lizzie in private. Lizzie nodded her head, as her two friends gave a slight, and the young pair walked away.

They walked beside each other to a secluded spot of the school yard – a large Modesto ash which held a wooden swing off one of its branches. Lizzie sat down on the swing and began to sway back and forth as Wyatt leaned awkwardly against the tree.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Lizzie asked timidly.

"I just wanted to give you something."

"Really?"

"Corse I do. It is your birthday, after all."

Lizzie stopped the swaying swing. She tried not to show her excitement but did a pitiful job. She was grinning from ear to ear and began fiddling with her hair. Wyatt wasn't doing much better. His face was still red and he fumbled with something in his vest pocket. Eventually he managed to take out a two-inch sized square package that was wrapped in royal blue broadcloth and tied with a bright yellow ribbon. Wyatt handed the small gift to Lizzie then stepped back to see her reaction. Lizzie suppressed a squeal of delight when she unwrapped the cloth to see a reddish-purple leather bracelet. The pieces of leather were cut into several thin strips and woven in a fishtail pattern. Two light purple coloured, wooden beads hung at the each end to finish off the design. "Oh Wyatt," Lizzie beamed, "it's absolutely beautiful! How did you know purple is my favourite colour?"

Wyatt seemed to shows of relief due to Lizzie's reaction. He had never given a girl anything before, other than his sister Elsie, and it had caused him some anxiety. Knowing that Lizzie loved the gift now gave him the boost of confidence he sorely needed. "I heard you and Shanda Dee talking about those dresses at Miss Finny's shop a while back. Figured if you liked a purple dress you'd like something else purple too."

"Why, Wyatt Fuller, since when did you start spying on people?" Lizzie teased.

"It ain't spying if'n you overhear someone. 'Sides, I was on my way to the livery to pick up something for my pa when I passed you two," Wyatt said more sharply than he should have. In truth he had been spying but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone, let alone a girl.

"I was only teasing, Wyatt. It was so kind of you to make me a gift in my favourite colour," Lizzie smiled then slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, hoping to make amends.

Wyatt turned red, yet again. "Ah, shucks, Lizzie, I knew that. So are you doing anything special for your birthday after school?"

Lizzie wasn't sure how to take his question. Was he just being polite or trying to get information from her for a possible secret rendezvous tonight? She shook her head slightly in order to bring herself back to reality. She was overthinking things way too much. "My family has a little something planned for me this evening. Just dinner with my relatives, nothing too fancy. I don't think I've ever had an actually party before, not with friends, anyways. I wish I could but my pa is pretty particular about parties, especially where it concerns me."

"Why is that?" Wyatt inquired. "It isn't because of that silly dance two years ago, is it?"

Lizzie was taken back a little at first. She was embarrassed that he had remembered the Spring Social debacle. But now she felt much admiration for the boy in front of her. Wyatt was on her side. He thought her pa was being irrational as well. Her admiration quickly faded though when Lizzie wondered if he was actually calling her silly. Oh, why did life have to be so confusing?

"Lizzie?" Wyatt said puzzled, bringing Lizzie out of her trance.

"Oh, sorry. Yes, it is because of the Spring Social. He thinks I'm still too young to do anything and wants to keep track of my every move. He's being positively medieval!"

"I'm sure things'll change now that you're older," Wyatt tried to assure her. "There's the church bizarre coming up in a month. It's gonna have games, a basket lunch auction, and Tommy Wilcox said he heard his pa talking to Mr. Guthrie about possible fireworks. You can't miss that. You're gonna be there, right?"

"I don't think so, Wyatt. Pa says I can't go to any more socials, or anything else for that matter, until I'm sixteen. That's ages away!"

"So what do you plan on doing about it?"

"I don't rightly know," Lizzie said honestly. "It's not fair that he is being so unreasonable, especially with it being my birthday. I may need to take matters into my own hands."

"Matters into your…CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

The ringing school bell interrupted Wyatt's question, calling the end to recess. "We better get going so Miss Miller doesn't keep us after school," Lizzie said starting to walk towards the schoolhouse. Wyatt quickly followed, still confused by the girl's statement. "The last thing I need is to be in trouble at school on my birthday."

"Lizzie, what did you mean about taking matters into your own hands? Do you have an idea about getting your pa to loosen the reins he has on you?"

"Not yet," she sighed, "but I will soon."

"Well whatever you come up with it's got to be better than how you're being treated now," Wyatt said, hoping she would see that he was on her side.

Lizzie's cheeks started to blush. "Thank you for the bracelet, Wyatt," she said softly.

"You're welcome," he replied with a big smile on his face.

As they approached the steps of the schoolhouse, a small group of girls, including Shanda Dee and Maisy, quickly gathered together. They were obviously waiting to talk to Lizzie. Feeling rather uncomfortable, Wyatt said a haste goodbye to Lizzie and hurried into the school, thus avoiding a bunch of prattling females.

"Tell us everything!" Shanda Dee demanded.

"It's private," Lizzie whispered.

"Lizzie Cartwright, you better start talking!" Maisy said.

Before Lizzie could answer Miss Miller appeared at the schoolhouse doors. "Girls, enough visiting. Recess is over and it's time to get back to your lessons. All of you inside straight away." Disappointed, the girls obeyed their teacher and went inside. They would now have to wait until after school to get any information from Lizzie.

The ride home was filled with questions, giggles, and shrieks of delight, much to the chagrin of the boys in Lizzie's family. When one of the shrieks spooked one of the horses, Nathan – Hoss' son – and Luke had had enough. While Nate jumped from the wagon to calm the horse down, Luke threatened to tell the adults if they didn't quit their carrying-on. Not wanting to put a damper on the day's festivities, the girls heeded Luke's warning and settled down for the remainder of the ride.

The birthday party started the moment the children rode into the Ponderosa's front yard. Adam and Evelyn came out of the house to greet them. "Well, how is the birthday girl doing today?" Adam inquired. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"She had a great day, Pa," Mary giggled.

Lizzie shot her little sister a dirty look then turned to look at her father. "It was a lovely day, Pa, but it's nice to be home now. Will Grandpa and Grandma be coming tonight?" she asked, hoping to stop any questions Adam may have for Mary.

"Yes, they'll be along shortly with your Uncle Jamie."

"When will my folks be here, Uncle Adam," Nate asked as he began to unhitch one of the horses from the wagon.

"They're already inside the house, Nate. Your ma is helping prepare tonight's meal."

"Are my ma and pa here too, Uncle Adam?" inquired Joe's oldest, EJ.

"Not yet, EJ. They should be here in the next thirty minutes or so."

Adam proceeded to help the girls and smaller children out of the buckboard, saving the birthday girl for last. "So your day was a pleasant one, I'm glad for you, Lizzie."

"Thanks, Pa," she said as Adam lifted her out of the wagon. When he placed her on the ground he noticed the purple-tinged bracelet on her wrist. Adam took a hold of her hand and examined the piece of braided leather. "That's a pretty little thing," he remarked.

Lizzie's heart began to race. If her father found out Wyatt had given the bracelet to her, her next birthday would be spent in a convent! "Um…Sally gave it to me for my birthday today at school," she lied.

"Sally Quinn made this?"

"Yessir. She's a very talented person, Pa. She reads all sorts of books about making all sorts of things. She can sew too, Pa. She makes all her dresses and can embroider really well." Lizzie's nervousness had her laying on the details pretty thick.

Adam cocked one of his eyebrows as to indicate his suspicion. It was unlike Lizzie to be so forthcoming with information. He was going to inquire further but decided not to. Her talkative nature was most likely due to the excitement of the day. "I'm sure she's very talented," he smiled. "Why don't you go upstairs and freshen up for your party?"

Lizzie sighed a sigh of relief. Maisy's storytelling tutelage had served her well, for now. She nodded her head and hurried into the house, up the stairs and into her room. Lizzie washed her face, changed into a light cotton, green dress, brushed her hair and tied it with a matching green ribbon then went and kneeled down beside her bed. Reaching underneath it, she pulled out a roughly constructed wooden box. Opening the lid, she took out a deep brown, leather-bound notebook. Taking the book with her, Lizzie walked over to the desk she and her sisters shared and sat down. She took a pencil out of the desk's drawer, opened her diary and began to write all about her time with Wyatt.

At five o'clock, Lizzie went downstairs for dinner with her family. After they all ate everyone gathered in the great room to talk, laugh, and watch as Lizzie opened her many gifts. Books, writing tablets, flowers, candy, and a delicate pink shall were just some of the items she received with much gratefulness, but when she saw her father bring out a large white box wrapped with a wide, lavender ribbon Lizzie's heart skipped a beat. Adam set the box down in front of his daughter, a huge grin on his face. "For you, my sweet Lizzie Lou!"

This was it! Her hard work was about to pay off. She untied the ribbon and gently took the lid off the gift.

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TBC…Sorry it's taking so long to post. I've had a few personal setbacks and a busy job to attend to. Thanks for all the continued support! I hope you liked the chapter. I made it a bit longer due to requests. Cheers everyone!

Skarlett