Bonanza - Book 3 -" Wish I May, Wish I Might..."

Untitled Part 1

Adam stretched leisurely , as the bright sunrise shone through his bedroom window.

" Five more minutes..." he thought to himself, as he closed his eyes again, and rolled over. He felt a sudden small finger, as it pried up one eyelid. Sarah was kneeling beside his bed, in her nightgown, one elbow resting on the bed covers, and her little smiling face gazed into his. " Mornin', Pa. Are you awake?!" Adam groaned. " I am now, I guess. What is it, Sarah ?" She practically bubbled over. " When do we get to tell Grampa Ben and Hoss and Joe we're getting married ?!" Adam closed his eyes for a moment. Ah, yes - that proposal, in Beth's room, just the night before. Unbeknownst to Sarah it was, of course, his second proposal to Beth, that day, and he just smiled.

" Well, Sarah, that is sort of my job. There's a lot to discuss with your Grampa, and a lot to organize. Arranging the wedding, where we're gonna live, and all that. I'll talk to him about it right after breakfast. Now, why don't you go get dressed ? And close the door on your way out, please, Sarah..." She just grinned from ear to ear " Okay, Pa. See you downstairs !" She ran out of the room, slamming the door as she left. Adam grinned as he sat up, and swung his legs over the side of his bed. " Kids !" He pulled on his black jeans, and walked to his shaving stand. He smiled at the man in the mirror, as he wielded his razor blade across his face. It WAS a good day....

The family was already seated around the dining room table, and Hop Sing was just serving up breakfast ,when he sauntered down the stairs a few minutes later. " Mornin', everyone". Adam walked to his place and sat down, with a big smile, as he did so. Ben smiled at his son, and pretty much knew the answer to his question, before he even asked it. " So, son, what's new?" Adam smiled at Sarah, before he answered that question. "Well, Pa. The most beautiful woman in the world has agreed to be my wife." The other three Cartwright men stood, as one, and rushed to Adam's place at the table - slapping him on the back, and shaking his hand. "That's wonderful news, son". Hoss almost looked misty eyed. " That's great, Adam. Congratulations !" Joe smiled broadly. "Well, you always were the 'romantic one', big brother. Frankly, if you hadn't asked her, I might have just asked her myself. I'm really happy for you !"Adam grinned, and winked, at his younger brother. " Good thing I DIDN'T wait that 'extra' week or two to ask her, hey, Joe ? With your record, you'd have 'beaten me to the punch'." Everyone laughed at that comment, even Joe.

Adam lingered after the meal, and shared a second cup of coffee with his Pa after Hoss, Joe and Sarah had left the table, to begin their chores. Ben smiled at his eldest son. " Beth seems to be such a warm, wonderful woman. I'm really happy for you, son." Adam glanced down for a moment, then looked into his Pa's eyes. "Yes. She is, Pa. For all the women I've dated, since I lost her, all those years ago, there was only one thing wrong with each of them - they weren't 'Beth'." Adam smiled slowly, and shrugged, and his Pa understood. " Pa, we've agreed we want to get married really soon - right after the round-up, if possible. And right here in the house, if it's alright with you. Neither of us want a big wedding, just kind of small, and intimate. You see, she was married, for seven years - did the whole 'big wedding' thing. Both of us just want to get on with our life, together..."Ben smiled at his son, again, and nodded. "Of course you can, Adam. It would make me so proud to host my eldest son's wedding."

Adam smiled at his Pa again.

" Thanks, Pa. There's one other thing. You've always told us we could pick where to build a 'marital home', on the ranch, whenever any of us got married. Well, I showed Beth 'Bourne's Meadow', just yesterday, and she loved it. It's where we want to build our home- hopefully, mostly before the 'snow flies.' " Ben raised his eyebrows for a moment, and a sudden warmth shone from his eyes. " That's the perfect location, Adam. If we'd owned that piece of land, years ago, it would have been my first choice, too !" Adam sighed, and smiled. " Far as 'sectioning off a piece of the Ponderosa', Pa. I know that was always an option, when one of us got married, but I think that I'd prefer to keep it just the way it is. ALL of us working, for the common good. The Ponderosa will always be its strongest, if we keep it 'whole', and don't cut her into pieces...."