The New Hand, Part Thirty

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Josephine smiled at Ben Cartwright and continued to tell one of her theatre stories with great animation. She was seated opposite him in the great room of the Ponderosa, with Little Joe to her right and Avigail to her left.

She hadn’t considered the fact that there would be an attractive gentleman of her own age on the ranch. Oh, Adam had mentioned his father, but she’d been so caught up in puzzling out the relationship between Adam and her son that she hadn’t paid much heed.

Her eyes shifted to Avigail. A plain girl, poor thing, and that vicious scar didn’t help matters. Still, she was intelligent and well-spoken. Josephine could understand why her son had formed a friendship with her—and why he wanted to give her the protection of his name.

She would do well for David, Josephine decided. She would never allow him to patronize her or ride roughshod over her. She would keep a good house and, if David were willing to adopt, she would make a good mother.

A far better mother than Josephine herself had been, she thought wryly. Josephine had no illusions on that score. Still, she had done the best she could for David, keeping him by her side even if it meant that he grew up in the shocking and scandalous world of the theatre. His father didn’t want him, so her only other choice would have been to send him off to a boarding school—and she couldn’t bring herself to do that.

His education had been skewered, to say the least. It wasn’t easy to keep him in a school when they were constantly traveling. But he picked up what he could here and there. He also played endless games of chess with various cast and crewmembers and he certainly learned his share of Shakespeare.

What a pity he didn’t want a life on the stage! He belonged among people who wouldn’t judge him for his romantic inclinations. But she couldn’t force his hand, so she put the matter out of her mind—at least for the time being.

Right now she had Ben Cartwright to think of, she reminded herself as she flashed the widower her most charming smile. He was sure to keep her stay in Virginia City interesting.

LINK TO PART THIRTY-ONE