Whisper my name softly in the morning
When the sun rises and the day's abourning
Hold my heart in thy gentle hands
Give to me all that thou hast
And I shall give it back to thee
Kiss my lips and I shall call thee mine
So whisper my name come the morning…..
 

Whisper my name softly in the night
Then hold me til the morning light.
Be the rock that holds my anchor,
My shelter from Life's every storm.
Then I shall sweetly kiss thy lips
And roam from thee nevermore.
Just whisper my name softly in the night…

    "What if she says 'no'?" Joe worried with the ends of his tie.

    Adam chuckled as he playfully slapped at his brother's fidgeting hands. "I hardly think she will, Joe. I mean, let's face facts here a second. You have been married to her for quite a little while now."

    "Yeah, but maybe this wasn't such a good idea to begin with," Joe moaned.

    "I think it was an excellent idea, Joseph. Besides, I for one, have always wished you would have done it this way to begin with," Ben tried to soothe the obviously edgy son beneath his hand.

    "You should see all the people downstairs, Joe," Jamie piped up, slipping into the room. "You ain't nervous, are you? I mean, you are married to her anyway. Nothing is gonna change that!"

    The look Joe shot his younger sibling was far from kind. Moving away from his father, he sank onto the bed then flopped back to stare at the ceiling. What had started out as an interesting little thought had ballooned on him. He figured that his first mistake had been asking his father what he thought of the idea in the first place. It was like Ben had taken control of things after that and Joe had been powerless to stop it. Now, everyone but Honor was involved. And she was the one who mattered to Joe the most.

    It had started when the family had attended the wedding of a good friend. The church had been packed with people that winter afternoon. Festooned with pine, ribbons and candles, the church had been beautiful. The service, although an ordinary wedding, had brought tears to the eyes of many of the women in attendance. And that included one Honor Cartwright. On the way home, Joe knew now he had made the fatal error. He had asked her why women always cried at weddings.

    "I don't know why. Maybe because women remember what their own weddings were like. They remember that bright glowing moment when their knight in shining armor told the world that he loved her."

    Joe had flicked the reins over the sleigh horses, urging them home over the frozen snow-covered road that cold January afternoon. "Knight in shining armor?"

    "Well, every little girl dreams that she is really a princess and that her wedding day will be like a fairy tale. And all men in fairy tales, at least the good men, are knights in shining armor, come to carry the princess away to his castle."

    "Oh, I guess that makes me your knight, huh?" Joe teased and nudged her, his wink a suggestion. She slapped at him playfully but her expression after a few moments grew wistful and it seemed to Joe that she drifted away from him.

    Joe put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her tight to his side. "Are you sorry then that you didn't get a big fancy wedding?" he asked, remembering their own elopement and the darkened parlor of the justice of the peace as he and Honor had exchanged their vows with only the justice's wife as a witness.

    She snuggled closer to him and sighed just once. "No, not at all. I mean, I got the knight and the castle, didn't I?"

    But there was something in the way she said it that took hold of Joe and wouldn't let go. The sound of her voice saying that rattled around in his head for the better part of a week, worrying him. Then he had asked her late one night what she wanted for Valentine's Day. She had curled closer to him in bed and blew in his ear so he never got a straight answer to his question. Finally he put the two together. When the idea came to him, he had smiled and on the way home from feeding the outlying stock, he formulated his plan. But it had finally included everyone in the family because he quickly realized that he needed their help to pull it off.

    The whole thing was deceptively simple. The Cartwrights would host a Valentine's Day party and dance. There would be lots of people invited, gay music and the house decorated to beat the winter doldrums back. At least that was what Honor was told it would be. In actuality, Joe had planned for the two of them to be re-married, renewing their vows, the preacher had called it. When he had first voiced the idea to his father, Joe had thought Ben was going to burst with joy.

    "I think it is an excellent idea, Joseph. I wasn't pleased when you eloped the first time. Kind of felt like I had been denied a great pleasure. And considering the rough time you two have had lately, I think that a wedding, a marriage ceremony with a preacher and all, well, that would go a long ways towards setting things right between you. But you have to do it right, son. I mean the whole way."

    "I can't go the whole way without her knowing about it beforehand, Pa. And I want it to be a surprise-like." Joe had plopped onto the hearth, grateful that his wife was out of the house that afternoon so she couldn't possibly overhear this discussion. She had a maddening way of finding things out.

    "You just leave things to me, son," Ben had positively beamed.

    "Pa, there is no way we can keep a real wedding a secret from the bride, for lands sake! There's usually a little thing at least called a wedding dress! And from the way things went with Cathy and Jamie getting hitched last spring-"

    Ben had leaned over and patted his son's thigh. "You have one thing and one thing only to do between now and February 14th," he cautioned and continued when Joe raised an eyebrow in his direction, "buy her a wedding ring."

    "She has one!"

    "Buy her another one. Like I said, if you are going to give this woman you love the wedding day that she should have had, you have to do it right. A wedding ring, son."

    And so, in a short month, secret invitations had been sent out. Fortunately, poor weather had kept Honor at the ranch so she never caught wind of anything from anyone in town. And the whispered conversations that she happened upon between her husband and other members of the family that were hastily stopped, she figured actually had more to do with whatever the gift was Joe was planning for her for Valentines Day. She had offered to help Hop Sing with the cooking but had been politely told that he and a few of his cousins would take care of everything. The only thing she had been allowed to help with was the decorating that was done the morning of the party. She and Cathy, Jaime's wife, had used the garlands of pine Cathy and Anne had prepared to wrap the stair banister. Candy had brought Anne and their new daughter Ruth to the house just as they finished. Then he had brought in the candelabras that Honor recognized from the church. Her puzzlement had been allayed when Candy had explained that they figured they would need a lot of light and the preacher had suggested them. Honor never wondered why they were placed on either side of the hearth up on the stonework, but they were and then gracefully draped with pine and ribbons like the stairway.

    By mid-afternoon, the large open area had been transformed. As Honor looked at it all, she breathed deeply and smelled the fresh pine scent. A little daydreaming and she could see herself dancing the night away in the candlelit elegance. She shook herself. There was no time for daydreaming. The family would all be gathering shortly for a light meal and a small party before their other guests would arrive. This was when she figured Joe would spring his gift on her and she intended to be ready. But first, she had to get dressed.

    She slipped into her bedroom and stood for a moment looking out the french doors into the private garden just outside. The snow, white and heavy, made the view breath-taking. Behind her, she heard the door open but she knew from the footsteps that it was Joe coming up behind her.

    "Penny for your thoughts," he whispered, his arms wrapping themselves around her. He pulled her back to rest against him and nuzzled her soft hair.

    "If you knew what I was thinking, you'd give me more than a penny," she teased and turning, snuggled closer to him. She could feel the results her suggestive words were having on him and she smiled. But it surprised her when he pushed her back from his responsive body.

    "We have company coming in less than an hour. Need to be getting dressed, don't you?"

    She took a deep breath and let it go slowly. He was right, of course, but it was a new tack for him to step away from the offer she had placed before him. Usually, there would be a quick tumble on their big bed then hastily dress and go on about their day. But he was right: they needed to be dressed and ready for company.

    "All right. What do you think I should wear? The blue dress or the green one?"

    Joe's answer of 'whatever' threw her for a loop. He had opinions on what she wore and he would normally voice them. Why was today's answer so non-committal?

    "Maybe I'll just wear a feed sack!" she griped.

    Joe had snagged his best suit out of his wardrobe the day before and spirited it to an upstairs bedroom so he went about changing into just a clean shirt and dark trousers, hoping she wouldn't fuss. Indeed, he thought, I just gave her something to occupy herself with for a while. "And you would look lovely in that feed sack, my dear. Oh, I do believe I hear Adam and that new lady friend of his- what's her name?"

    "Athena Dawson. Joe, peek out there and see what she's wearing, would you? I don't want to look like we dressed alike," and Honor began to rummage through her own closet full of gowns.

    There is no way that's gonna happen today, sweetheart, Joe thought but giving his wife's rear end a playful smack, remarked that he didn't think Athena would be caught dead in a feed sack. He ducked out the door just in time to miss the shoe Honor threw in his direction.

    Adam and Athena had just given one of Hop Sing's cousins their wraps and accepted a glass of brandy each when Joe stepped into the room.

    "There he is!" Adam called and Joe winced at the loudness. "Are we all set?" he asked, noting Joe's lack of appropriate suitcoat and tie.

    "Pa says so," Joe replied and poured himself a little brandy. He was beginning to get nervous and thought a little of the amber liquid would quell the jitters in his stomach.

    "I want you to know, Joe, that I think this is such a wonderful idea. So romantic. Tell me, are you going to propose to her again too?" Athena asked, her throaty voice reminding Joe of the purr of a cat.

    "Yes, he is," Ben answered. He had just come down the stairs himself.

    "I, uh, hadn't, uh, counted on doing that, Pa." Joe gulped his brandy.

    Ben's gaze lowered as he pinned Joe with it. "Remember what I said about going the whole way with it? Well, it may have been a long while ago for me, but I do recall that you first have to ask a lady to marry you."

    "That's the way it usually is, old buddy," Candy piped up from his seat on the settee. He quickly handed his tiny baby girl to a smiling Anne then stood up.

    With his father slightly behind him, Adam to his right and Candy now dead in front of him, Joe felt trapped and began to edge to his left.

    "You have to ask her, Joe," Adam insisted, with a wink and a nod to their father.

    "You mean right here?" Joe stammered, feeling his father drape an arm across his shoulders and cutting off his last escape route. "I hadn't planned on that. Besides, I just bought a wedding ring. I didn't get an engagement-"

    Ben fished in his jacket pocket and held in his fingers before his son's face the one thing he knew Joe wouldn't have remembered. "It belonged to your mother. It now needs to belong to your wife."

    Joe took the emerald and diamond ring from his father. He knew it had been his mother's. He had seen it many times in the jewelry box his father kept. Although long ago, he had given Honor the wedding ring his mother had worn, he had never considered giving her another piece of his mother's collection. Joe honestly considered that it would always belong to his father, not himself nor his wife.

    "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice a little above a whisper as he turned and looked into his father's dark eyes.

    "Yes, but on one condition. You ask her, the same way you did years ago, just before you slip it on her finger."

    He had to gulp. It was just as though it was yesterday that Joe remembered asking the fiery redhead to marry him. And if his father had known that they had been stretched out in bed together at the time, he doubted that Ben would have made the request he just had. If there was one thing that his father had tried to instill in his sons was the fact that you didn't sample the dish before the meal. Joe and Honor had "sampled the dish" lots of times before making the decision to sit down and eat.

    "All right, if it will make the lot of you feel better, seeing me humbled like that," and the rest of what he said was lost in the laughing and cheering of the assembled family.

    "What's all the commotion out here? Much more and you'll wake the boys from their nap!" Honor said, entering in on the tail end of it.

    "Nothing, sweetheart," Joe crooned and she saw him slip something into his shirt pocket.

    "Oh, it's more than 'nothing'," Ben teased and made a big show of pulling out his pocketwatch. "By my watch, we have about an hour before our guests all start arriving. You ladies think that you can get ready in that length of time?"

    Around her, Honor saw Anne's smile broaden and Cathy giggled behind an upturned hand. Even Athena smiled and nodded. Looking suspiciously like a cat that had swallowed a canary, Joe took her hand and led Honor to the blue velvet chair.

    "You remember that this is Valentines Day, right? And you never told me what you wanted so I had to get creative, sweetheart," Joe was saying as she sat down. Honor glanced around her, feeling very suddenly like the center of attention.

    "You once told me that you never missed having a real wedding. But you also said that it was every little girl's dream to have the fairy tale come true, at least for a little while. Well, today, Honor, my love, I want you to have that fairy tale come true. Everybody here has been in on this little surprise and has worked real hard helping make this come true for you. Today's party isn't a Valentines party. It's our wedding day."

    Honor pressed her hand over her shaking lips as tears sprang to her eyes. "We're already married, Joe," she murmured.

    "Legally, yes. But we never did it in front of family and friends the way it's supposed to be, Honor. The way the little girl in you imagined years ago. So, please?" he pleaded and she couldn't have turned him down for all the silver in the Comstock.

    "I don't have a dress-" she started.

    "If you missed the fact that Cathy and Anne have been working their fingers to the bone over the last weeks to make you one, it must have been an accident," Candy spoke up.

    Once again, she could feel everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her to say the word. But the only eyes that counted were the green ones she looked up into. So clear and naked was the desire there that she had to agree.

    "Okay, I guess."

    The small group erupted with applause but it quickly faded when Ben cleared his throat.

    "All right, Joseph, get on with it," he urged.

    Joe looked to the ceiling and rolled his eyes. He felt Adam's hand on his shoulder and it was pushing him down. Looking over his shoulder, he asked "What? You mean on one knee? The whole she-bang?"

    Adam didn't answer. He just kept pushing.

    Sheepishly, Joe chuckled and threw both hands in the air in resignation. "Okay then, here goes nothing." He dropped to one knee and Honor realized what was about to happen. Apparently the family had made it clear that they wanted the whole romance laid out for them this day. Well, she thought, considering how the first proposal had gone, she could handle a little fairy tale proposal.

    "Honor," he spoke, a smile playing across his handsome face, Joe's eyes were alight with delight and desire as he gazed at her, "will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife? Wait, let me rephrase that! Honor, would you marry me again? That wasn't right either!" The tittering and repressed mirth wasn't helping Joe at all. "Honor, I guess what I am asking is if you will -"

    She pressed her fingers across his lips to silence him and the family stopped their laughing as well, feeling the mood change so quickly. "Yes, Joe, I will be your wife for now and for always." Honor leaned forward and kissed him, putting fact to words. The silence was only broken when their lips parted.

    "Give her the engagement ring, Joseph!" Honor heard her father-in-law fuss and she stood shaking slightly as Joe slipped the emerald and diamond ring onto her finger, nestling it against the plain gold wedding band she already wore.

    "All right, ladies, we have a bride to prepare!" Athena called out and stepping up, took Honor's elbow. "You men find something else to do to!"
 

  The gown laid out on the bed was beautiful. Tentatively, Honor fingered the heavy satin then ran a finger over the lace at the neckline.

    "How did you get this made so quickly?" she breathed.

    Cathy poked her from behind. "We didn't make it from scratch. Mr. Ben dug it out for us. We just did a little nipping and tucking on it."

    Anne pushed the stunned bride to the dressing table. "And a little letting out in the bodice. Apparently the last lady to wear it wasn't as well endowed as thee."

    Honor went cold all over. She recognized the dress then. She had seen it before. They all had. It was worn in an old tin-type of Marie Cartwright.

    "Are you okay?" Cathy asked, seeing the blanched Honor reflected in the mirror.

    The other three women exchanged sober looks. Athena gestured for Anne and Cathy to step aside.

    "I don't know a lot about this family," Athena began, reaching out and touching Honor for the first time. "But they seem to take a great deal of pride in their family history.  And I think you know that too. Mr. Cartwright must hold you in pretty high esteem for him to hand this dress over to you to wear today. He loved the last woman who wore it and I think by him letting you have it now, he wants to tell you how much he loves you too. When I got married years ago, I wore my mother's wedding dress. It was to honor her and my father's love that I did it. Do the same for Mr. Cartwright."

    "It's just a little eerie," Honor said, her voice quivering. "But you're right. It is important, family history. Family traditions, too. But still a little eerie."

    "Well, lets see if we got those alterations right," Cathy piped up.

    The alterations were right. As Honor looked at her reflection in the mirror, she was surprised by what looked back at her. They had changed the neckline, edging it with lace so that her bodice and throat seemed to be framed by it. The long cuffs on the sleeves fit firmly around her wrists, a myriad of tiny ivory buttons holding them closed. The fullness of skirt had been pulled back to form a more fashionable bustle and train than the original gown had had. And the pale ivory satin, slightly yellowed by time, gave Honor's skin a more golden glow than normal.

    As Anne settled the lace veil and headpiece into place, Athena whistled then laughed. That sparked all of them into a fit of giggles.

    "I don't think you have a thing to worry about, Honor. I don't think Marie Cartwright ever looked half as good as you do in that dress," Cathy taunted.

    "I think that's because there is more of Honor in that dress!" Anne allowed.

    Their gentle teasing halted with a soft knock on the door. Athena opened it just a crack and saw the Cartwright progenitor waiting outside, a bemused smile on his face.

    "No menfolk allowed, sir," she warned but when Ben lowered his head, lifted a brow at her and pursed his lips, she backed away. "Except for fathers that is."

    When he walked on into the room and Honor stood to face him, Ben nearly lost his breath. She was beautiful, more than any bride he had ever seen, he was sure.

    "A long time ago, I chastised your husband when he made the comment that you were the most beautiful woman in the world. I told him he was wrong, that his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. At least to me she was." Ben took both Honor's hands in his. "Right now though and she might be running a close second to you, my dear daughter. If you other ladies will excuse us, I would like to have a word with Honor. Alone."

    When the room was empty except for Ben and Honor, he pulled her over and sat on the side of the bed with her beside him. "I wish that you and Joseph had done this years ago."

    "Well, don't tell anyone, but I wish we had too," she admitted, her head cocking to one side as she smiled demurely. "But the fact that we didn't have this big fancy wedding doesn't mean we have been any less married, any less committed to each other. We love one another, Father Ben. Sometimes we get tangled up in things and we forget it but that's only for a little while."

    "I know that very well, remember? I was here and saw what happened. But I also know that you have kept your promise to me. I know you've told him and showed him every day since then that you love him. Today, well, today, you show and tell the world all over again. And I wanted to say thank you for it. You'll never know how happy this makes me, this wedding of yours today."

    "It certainly is the first surprise wedding I have ever been to! How you managed to pull this off, I am at a complete loss to say. But I would probably have balked at the idea if I had time to think about it. I mean, really? A wedding?"

    "Call it a renewal of your vows, then, if it helps you, Honor. But in a little while, I want you to be the blushing bride just like it was the first time. A little play acting, maybe for an old man?" cajoled Ben, squeezing her hands in his.

    "No, I don't need to act like I love Joe because I do. And he was right, that little girl in me wanted the fairy tale wedding all along. But I got the knight in shining armor. No, not Joe. He's my prince. You, Father Ben, you are my knight. How many times over the years have you come to my rescue? Thank you." She pressed a kiss to his cheek and saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes as she did. "Are you going to give me away?"

    "That was the plan, but if you would rather do that on your own, I don't think anyone would mind."

    "I would. Please, Sir Benjamin Cartwright, the Lady Honor Cartwright wishes you to attend her at her hour of need. If only because my knees are shaking so badly I don't think I could manage on my own!"

    "Nerves seem to be running amok here today. You should see the state your husband is in!" Ben quipped, pleased that she wanted his help again. "But first I have a little gift for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box that he pressed into her hands.

    Honor opened it slowly. There, nestled in black velvet was an emerald pendant. It caught the lamplight as she picked it up and it seemed to be a single green tear, suspended in space for the chain was so delicate it nearly disappeared from sight.

    "Unlike the ring Joe gave you earlier and the dress you are wearing, this was not his mother's. Back when I first met you, I knew you were right for my son. I knew that some day you would become my daughter in law, that we would be sitting here just like we are now, just before you would exchange vows of love and devotion with my son. So, on a trip to San Francisco, I ordered this to be made for you. It was my intention to give it to you as a wedding gift. I got cheated out doing just that until now." Honor saw his hands were shaking as he took the necklace from her and undid the clasp. She turned and lifted the veil and felt him encircle her neck with it. When he had finished, he smoothed her veil back into place.

    "Now then, that's finally done. But there is a wedding we need to get to that is more than a few years too late already. I'm going to go make sure everyone is in place and when I come back, you better have those eyes dried and be ready," Ben admonished.
    He stopped with his hand on the knob and turned back to look at her. Yes, he thought, Marie would be proud of her.
 
 

    …The great room downstairs was full to overflowing. Joe hesitated at the top of the stairs to steady his nerves. He felt Adam's hand in the center of his back and it was almost like telling him that he couldn't back out now. He half turned to his brother and best man and caught a glimpse of Anne scurrying into a room down the hallway. The ripple of feminine laughter also caught his ear and he smiled. He tugged once on the cuff of his shirt and with Adam and Jamie in his wake, walked down the stairs.

    He made his way through the crowd of friends and their families, shaking hands and bantering with them as he did. Finally he stopped beside the fireplace and Adam and Jamie took up their places beside him and the Reverend Saunders.

    Ben positioned himself at the foot of the stairs and cleared his throat loudly. It was as though a heavy curtain dropped over the audience there, snuffing out all talk. Everyone turned as one and looked up to the top of the stairs. Cathy stood there, in her hands a small sprig of pine tied with a white ribbon. Slowly, lifting her pale green dress just a tiny bit, she came down the stairs. Before she reached the landing, Anne was following her.

    Joe had not turned to look when everyone else had fallen silent. Instead he had kept his eyes pinned to the fire behind the reverend, trying to still his jitters. Then a collective gasp went through everyone and instinctively he turned to see what they saw.

    There she stood at the top of the stairs and his father was going up to meet her. In her hand, she carried a bouquet of pine sprigs, white ribbons and single white rose. The ivory satin dress caught and reflected the light, giving Honor the near appearance of an angel ascending from Heaven as she floated down the steps on his father's arm.

    "Stay put," came Adam's murmured warning but Joe knew he couldn't have moved, rooted where he was.

    The standing crowd parted silently before them as Ben led Honor to stand before the hearth. Just before she would be beside Joe, Ben stopped her and lifted her veil. He leaned down and kissed her cheek then replaced the veil. Taking her hand in his once again, he extended it towards his son. I am giving her to you, the motion said, then he stepped back.

    Together, Joe and Honor, hand in hand, faced the Reverend Saunders, each feeling the other's nervousness and smiling in childish delight.

The reverend cleared his throat for attention. "I am truly pleased to be here this afternoon. After all, I wasn't invited the first time these two tied the knot but then again, I understand that goes for most of us here in this room!" A gentle laugh circled the room. "As such, and seeing that the last time was just for legal, not religious reasons, I am going to preside over this ceremony just like the other time had never happened." The reverend drew himself up as tall as he could and opened his worn Bible. Then, in his best voice began," Dearly Beloved, we are assembled here in the presence of God, to join Joseph and Honor in holy marriage; which is instituted of God, regulated by His commandments, and to be held in honor among all men. Let us therefore reverently remember that God has established and sanctified marriage, for the welfare and happiness of mankind. Joseph, Honor," he dropped his voice to address the two standing before him," no other human ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than these you are about to assume. You are entering into the holy estate which is the deepest mystery of experience, and which is the very sacrament of divine love. As such I ask you, Joseph, will you have Honor to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony; will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others keep yourself only for her so long as you both shall

live?"

    Joe found a knot in his throat as he looked down into the familiar blue eyes of the woman who had shared his love and life for the last ten years. All he could think about was how beautiful she was and how close he had come to destroying their lives. Then he found his voice and managed in a strong whisper, "I will. Always."

    "And will you, Honor, will you have Joseph to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony; will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for him so long as you both shall live?"

There was no hesitation as her "I will," resounded through the gathering.

"Joseph," the reverend addressed him and Joe had pull his eyes away from Honor's shining face, "what token do you give of the vows you have made?"

"My heart and this ring," Joe answered, turning to get the ring Adam was handing him. With fumbling fingers, he handed it to the reverend.

    "Bless this ring, O Lord, that he who gives it and she who wears it may

abide in Thy peace, and continue in Thy favor, unto their life's end. Amen," the reverend prayed and held aloft the ring as he did so. "Honor, what token do you give of the vows you have made?"

    Honor stood horrified for a single moment then Anne nudged her and pressed something into her hand. She could feel that it was a ring but a glance down showed her that Joe had the ring on she had given him years before. Their first night back together, she had placed it on his finger and unlike before, he had left it there. Even when he had gone out to work, now he still wore it. She had no idea where the one she now held had come from but she handed it to the reverend. "My heart and this ring," she echoed Joe's words. In the background she thought she heard the fussing of a child and nearly added "and two little boys."

    Again the reverend held the ring aloft and intoned the same prayer over it. Then he returned the rings and gestured for them to place them where they belonged, Joe first.

    "Honor, I give you this ring as a pledge of the sincerity of my vows" and as he slipped the ring on her finger, kissed it.

She followed his lead, slipping the gold band to lay next to the other he wore and proclaiming her devotion to him.

Reverend Saunders was beaming with delight, watching the two lovers before him. He almost forgot where he was in the ceremony and would have stood there just watching if Adam hadn't cleared his throat to bring the clergyman back. "The Soul of marriage is a trusting place where two people can come together from the struggles of the world and feel safe, accepted, and loved. May you Joseph and you, Honor, always rest in that place. So, forasmuch as Joseph and Honor have come together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and by the authority invested in me as a clergyman of God, I declare that Joseph and Honor are now Husband and Wife, according to the ordinance of God, and the law of the State of Nevada. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen! Join your hands please. Whom therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace, both now and in the life everlasting. Amen. You may now kiss the bride."

    With the veil lifted away, Joe could see the tears on Honor's face. He leaned down as though to kiss her but whispered instead "Please tell me those are tears of joy." When she replied softly that they were, he completed his kiss. The two of them put everything they had into that kiss, all the joy and love they could muster, all the hope and longing they could find. Joe was wishing there was no one else there but the two of them but knew different and decided to break it off when he heard his father clearing his throat. An embarrassed chuckle went through the audience when Honor gave him wink that promised more later.

    The good Reverend Saunders turned the two of them to face the gathering. Joe took one look at his father and thought he had never seen him as happy as he was right then. He felt, rather than saw that Adam and Jamie had slipped away to stand with their own ladies. Honor slipped her hand into his again and he could feel the warmth spread up and over him as she did.

    "And now it is my happy privilege to congratulate and introduce to you Mister and Missus--or is it Mister and Doctoress?" the reverend fumbled.

    With a regal lift of her head Honor answered his query. "It is Mister and Missus Joseph Cartwright. Today, I am a wife, not a doctor."

    And that started the party going full out. There was an attempt at a receiving line of sorts but it was thwarted completely when their littlest one, AJ demanded some attention from his mother. That wound up bringing both of their sons into the party to be passed around from family member to family member but their grandfather seemed to have them most of the time. The new baby, Candy and Anne's little girl Ruth, blissfully slept through the entire ordeal even though she was made over as well.

    Now shed of his dark coat and his tie hanging loose, Joe managed to slip to Adam's side while Athena was away.

    "When you gonna have one of these flings, big brother?" Joe asked, sipping his punch. "You better be soon or that long legged dark filly of yours is gonna run for greener pasture."

    "You mean Athena? Let me remind you that she is still in mourning for her dead husband," Adam cautioned. In the back of his mind all afternoon, as he had watched the goings on around him, he had wondered just that to himself. How long should he wait for Athena's mourning to come to an end? Should he go ahead and ask her to marry him? There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would say yes to his proposal should his timing be right.

    "Don't wait too long. I don't want to have to use a cane to follow you up the aisle. That is assuming you would want me as your best man."

    With a crooked smile, Adam faced his brother. "After what you pulled off today, I can't think of anyone else I would rather have at my side. That way if the lady backed out, you could talk some stranger into taking her place!"

    Handing Adam his now empty cup, Joe chortled. "That lady," and he dipped his head in the direction of the oncoming Athena, "ain't gonna change her mind. Now if you will excuse me, I do believe that the new Mrs. Cartwright and I need to be leaving. You and Jamie have gotten the sleigh hitched up, haven't you?"

    "No, that was Jamie and Candy's job to do."

    As the music finished playing, Honor gracefully stepped from her brother-in-law Jamie's embrace. She thought she had danced at least one dance with every male there with the exception of Adam. At first Honor thought that it was by mutual consent. Not long ago, the ugly monster jealousy had struck a near disastrous triangle between Honor, Joe and Adam. She had done what she could to put an end to it and wasn't sure even now if some tendril of doubt didn't still float on that brackish water. But then she had caught a glimpse of Athena and Adam as they had waltzed by her. No, Honor breathed a sigh of relief, it was obvious that Adam had eyes only for the dark haired woman.

    The musicians called for a break and while no one wanted to quit dancing, had to give in to the request. It was then that Joe slipped up beside Honor and told her they had to be leaving soon.

    "Leaving? What for?" she asked, her voice carrying further than she wished it had. It seemed like everyone in the rooms turned in their direction.

Joe wisely turned his back to the crowd."It's called a honeymoon," he explained.

"But the boys-" she started to protest.

"Will be well taken care of until we get back. Got more nannies here than a herd of goats if you hadn't noticed." Joe finished, keeping his voice low.

"But I haven't packed any clothes!" Joe flinched as her voice carried.

"Sweetheart," he crooned loud enough that those standing close by could hear, "You are not going to need any for about the first three days."

People clear across the room saw Honor blush.

It was pushing midnight when Joe and Honor finally pulled up in the sleigh in front of the International House. Their leave-taking had wound up taking a little longer than Joe had originally figured but he wouldn't have begrudged any of the merriment. Except maybe the thrown rice. He figured he would be shaking it out of his hair for at least a week if not longer. But now, he halted the horses and prepared to jump down. A young boy appeared out of thin air and took hold of the horses, prepared to take them and the sleigh to the livery stable. Behind Joe the double doors of the hotel opened wide into bright light and with a gallant sweep of his hand, he helped Honor down then up onto the walkway.

"The honeymoon suite is ready for you, Mr. Cartwright," announced the night clerk as he closed the doors behind them. "And the establishment has added something that might help you celebrate this momentous occasion." He led them down the short hallway and taking a key from a pocket, opened the door with a flourish.

"Hold it," Joe warned, "We have to do this right." He scooped Honor into his arms before she could step into the room herself.

The night clerk wisely dropped the key on the side table just inside the door and closed the door behind him. He already had gotten his tip from Adam Cartwright and had been promised another five dollars if no one bothered the newlyweds for at least twenty-four hours. He intended to get that extra tip.

She lay curled into his side, her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady beating of his heart. It wouldn't be long until they both succumbed to sleep. The tumultuous day had been followed by a lovemaking so intense that Honor had felt drained by it. Now, basking in the glow it had left them both with, she called his name just once to make sure he was still awake. He stirred and pulled her closer.

"I just wanted to say thank you for a very remarkable Valentines Day. I don't think I will ever forget this gift."

"Good, " he said, resting his chin on the top of her head, "because I couldn't think of anything that could even possibly come close to topping it."

Honor let her fingers trace across the plane of his chest. "Well, I think I could but you are going to have to wait for it."

Joe sniffed and moaned. "You know I don't wait very well. How long do I have to wait?"

"It'll show up long about August," she murmured then decided to say nothing else.

"August? That's months from now! How come that long?" Joe reared back and tried to see her face but it was turned away so he couldn't see the smile there.

"Well, most babies take nine months and seeings how we started this one just a few months ago--" She felt him shifting underneath her then he tilted her head back and kissed her deeply.

"Just do me a favor this time," he finally got out. "Let's not do twins again."

"Deal," she agreed.

    About the time he figured she would be falling asleep, Joe shifted her a little and murmured her name. She took a deep breath and gave him a sleepy 'hmm?'

    "I know this is kind of silly," and he stopped to gather his nerve before he plunged on, "but right now, do you miss the boys?" Joe looked down just in time to see her turn her face up to his.

    "Yes," she admitted, letting the word slowly slip from her. "Would you mind if we cut our honeymoon short?"

    Joe played a great pretense of being both surprised and shocked that she would suggest something like that. But having been married for so long already had given her insight other new brides wouldn't have had. Honor shoved him playfully.

    "Okay, okay," he conceded. "First thing in the morning, we'll go home."

    She stuck her lower lip out in a pout and narrowed one eye.

    "This is supposed to be our honeymoon for gosh sakes, woman! You are supposed to be enjoying this time with your new husband!"

    Honor reared up, balancing herself on two stiff arms.

    "I didn't hear the preacher say the word obey when we were exchanging vows," she challenged.

    Joe smiled at her and propped himself up on one elbow to place a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "No, but he did say to cherish you, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Love Honor, and cherish her."

Honor laughed at the play on words, and the suggestive waggle of the eyebrows that went with them. "After all," he added. "Fairy tales never end before the stroke of midnight."

Rolling to her side, trapping her more than willing husband beneath her, Honor looked him in the eyes, seeing the smile there and something much deeper. Love that shone so strong and pure that it took her breath away. As their lips met, she resolved to show him once again just how much his gift had meant to her.

After all, he was right. Tomorrow would be soon enough to return to reality.
 
 
 

    He closed the book of sonnets, his finger marking his progress through the pages. There was only one problem that late evening. Adam Cartwright had been no closer to finding his answer in the poetry than he had in the persons he had spoken to. As he gazed at the fire in the hearth at his feet, he thought back over his predicament.

    The first time, granted, he had been way too emotional. In the heated rush of coming home from a long absence, he had asked Athena to marry him. With her held tight to his chest, he had whispered the question into her ear. Her eyes, deep green pools that gazed back at him, sparkled merrily but she had not given him an answer.

And that had started his search. How could he ask Athena Dawson to marry him so that she would say 'yes'?

Logically, he told himself. Go at it logically. Figure out just what a woman like her wants and offer it to her.  He had watched her for two evenings and then on a Saturday afternoon as they had strolled through Virginia City's busy streets. He noted the things that caught her attention: a book of love sonnets, a delicate necklace in the window of the jeweler's store; a small baby held in the mother's arms. Armed with his new insight, he had brushed up on his poetry, bought the necklace and taken the lady into his arms. With the words of another's romancing on his lips, he had encircled her neck with the chain of silver then made love to her with wild abandon. Exhausted after his efforts, he had pulled her to him and asked her again the marry him. Athena had chuckled then snuggled closer to him and fallen blissfully asleep.

His next step was timorously made, but if a man couldn't ask his father for help, who could he? That Sunday afternoon, Ben Cartwright had raised his brows so high that they nearly disappeared into his silver hair.

"How did I ask your mother to marry me?" Ben repeated Adam's question then squared his shoulders and looked again at his eldest son.

"I'm old enough, Pa," Adam had responded to his father's silence, feeling that perhaps his father was trying to word his answer too carefully.

"I simply got down on one knee in her father's parlor, and asked her to marry me. It was as simple as that."

"And Inger?" Adam pressed, feeling that it couldn't be that simple or Athena would already be picking out a wedding dress.

Ben's face twisted. "That was a little more complicated."

"And Marie?"

Ben swallowed hard. "That was a whole lot more complicated."

Adam waited for more information but his father was clearly not in the informing mood. That and Joe came traipsing in, his arms full of wood for the fire.

"What was a whole lot more complicated?" Joe asked, letting the wood tumble into the box there by his father's chair.

"Seems Adam is having trouble deciding on how to ask Athena to marry him," Ben explained, much to Adam's chagrin. He had really hoped to keep it a more private matter.

Joe laughed, not only at the look on his brother's face but also for his brother's predicament. Having to get help with a proposal was obviously a galling position.

"Well, what about it, Romeo?" Adam snapped and watched as Joe backed up a few steps and put his hands up defensively. "How did you convince Honor?"

The smile that danced across Joe's face told Adam nothing useful. The eyebrows wiggling also gave Adam nothing to use. "There wasn't any convincing to be done, big brother. She just kind of melted right into my arms." Again the enigmatic smile. Adam didn't have to know that it had cost Joe thirty dollars for the best bridal suite in Sacramento, another twenty for a bottle of champagne and a tip to the bellhop for no one to disturb them for at least twenty-four hours. It had taken every last one of those hours but the woman had finally relented and before the next twenty-four hours were up and she could change her mind, Joe had stood her up before a justice of the peace. He couldn't exactly say that she had been forced into it. Far from it but she had been "worn down" into it, if Joe had told the truth.

Adam tried to picture Athena simply swooning into his embrace and saying 'yes' the way he imagined Honor had with his brother. It didn't work. Athena, while an intensely passionate woman, was far more reserved than the flamboyant Honor.

"Probably the last thing she would do is melt. She isn't a swooning sort of woman, Joe," he explained and sat down on the settee.

"Maybe what you need to do is take her someplace real romantic-like," Jamie chimed in. While Adam had been considering the possibility of Athena draped lovingly over his arms, warm, pliant and saying yes, his youngest brother had slipped into the conversation.

"Like where?" Joe chirped and Adam hid his face in his hand, embarrassed that his love life was now the object of a family discussion.

"Tahoe, over by the north shore. You know that little cove-" Jamie brightly enthused.

"Tried that," Adam admitted lowly. He felt three pairs of eyes on him. "Picnic lunch, bottle of wine, the works."

Joe and Jamie both flinched.

"I know! Take her up to the line shack at Big Meadows. Lovely view of that valley and early in the morning, with the dew all shimmery on the trees and all-" Joe waxed lyrical until Ben cleared his throat. Just the sound of that throat clearing said he didn't wish to know that his son was spending the night with the lady before the nuptials. "But then, that cabin isn't in very good shape to take a lady to," Joe finished lamely.

"Don't tell me there is another line shack that needs fixing!" Candy expounded, coming into the discussion the same way he did the house: with a blast of chilly air behind him.

"No," Joe clarified, "Adam's love life."

Adam groaned, wishing he had never opened this can of worms. He started to rise but found Candy sitting on the arm of the settee beside him. Candy laid a companionable arm across Adam's shoulders, holding him reluctantly in place.

"What's the matter?" Candy asked, truly solicitous.

"Adam can't seem to get -" Ben started.

"Pa, please!" Adam pleaded but it was obvious that the family, at least the male members, were bound and determined that afternoon to come up with a solution.

"I hear the Chinese have some aphrodisiacs that are real powerful in that way. I imagine Hop Sing could get you fixed up!" Candy beamed, completely misunderstanding the problem.

"Adam can't seem to find the way to convince Athena to say 'yes'," Ben finished, his glare pinned to Candy's shirtfront.

"Oh," the ranch foreman oozed out and took his arm from across Adam's shoulders then mumbled an apology. Adam glared up at him from under a heavily furrowed brow.

"Maybe you need a woman's perspective," Jamie offered. Everyone but Adam seemed to think it was a good idea and before he could stop them, Honor was pulled into the conversation from the kitchen. She stood there as did all of the men while Adam told her what they wanted her opinion on. Her lips twitching in poorly concealed mirth, she listened.

"Well?" Ben asked, nudging her as she sat on the arm of his chair.

"Don't look for what she wants, Adam. Look for what she needs then offer it to her. No strings attached, no conditions, nothing. Just offer it to her."

"I don't understand," Adam said. "What does a woman need?"

Honor took a deep breath and let it go before she answered. "Every woman needs something different from the man in her life. Find out what it is, give it to her and Athena will be yours forever." With a coy look over one shoulder as she left the room and the men behind her, Honor winked at her husband.
 

For the next ten days, Adam worried over what he had and hadn't learned. Bit by little bit, he was coming to the conclusion that Honor was right: every woman was different and the women who shared and had shared his family's lives were all very different from one another. But it still left him without a clue as to how to convince Athena Dawson to change her name to Athena Cartwright.

"Adam," her soft southern voice pulled him from his thoughts. With one hand drifting down his arm, she knelt beside his chair there before the fireplace. She handed him a snifter of brandy then settled there on the floor. The stage that had brought them back from a delightful mid-winter trip to Sacramento had let them off there at Zephyr Cove. Rather than continue on that night, they had impulsively decided to stay at the Tahoe lakeside inn. What with winter coming on, the hostelry was nearly deserted but the innkeeper was a long time friend of the Cartwrights and he cheerfully put Adam and Athena up in his best room.

"Penny for your thoughts," she sighed.

Sipping his brandy, he stroked her hair, so black it seemed to swallow the fire's glow. "If you knew what I was thinking, you'd give me a lot more than a penny!" he teased.

"Oh really?" she teased in return and ran her hand up his leg, sure she knew what was on his mind. He captured her hand and held it flat to his thigh with a finger waving under her nose and a tsk tsk.

That was when it struck him. He knew without a doubt in his mind what she needed and he heard Honor's admonition that should he find what it was and give it to her, Athena would be his for all time. Tonight, he thought, tonight I will give her what she needs.

He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them delicately. "Tired?" he asked softly.

"Not too terribly so," and looking down into her upturned face, Adam saw it again.

He lifted her to her feet as he rose himself. With a gentle hand, he brushed back the little tendrils of dark hair that framed her face then gently kissed her brow. When she pressed her hands to his chest, her fingers reaching for shirt buttons, she found his hand there already.

"Let me," he whispered into her ear, his breath warm as he nibbled her earlobe. He eased her hands behind her and held them with one of his. He trailed a string of small kisses down the side of her throat as she arched her head back and allowed him access there.

Adam skimmed his free fingers over her exposed flesh then slowly eased open the buttons down the front of her dress. He let his fingers dawdle, brushing soft warm flesh. She moaned deep in her throat and pressed her body into his. He dipped his head and caught the ribbon that tied her chemise closed.

"Here," she offered and tried to release her hands to open the garment. He held firm and looked up at her bemused face.

"No, tonight, I do it all. You do nothing but relax and enjoy it."

One fine eyebrow arched as she studied his face in the firelight. "Do I-" she started to ask but his lips crushed hers, demanding silence.

With his mouth covering hers, his tongue probing deeply, his fingers again returned to their work and freed the chemise. Still kissing her, he slid his hand within her garments, cupping and holding the breast on that side. His thumb rubbed across her nipple and he wanted to chuckle. Already, he could feel those delicate little buds were erect and demanding his more personal attention. He turned his lips from hers to that impertinent little nub and gently licking and teasing it, felt it harden even more, matching the one under his other hand.

Athena, her body arched into his, simply moaned with pleasure. Unable to gain the use of her own hands, she could do nothing but enjoy what he was doing. Twice she breathlessly called out his name but he ignored her. He pushed and prodded at her clothing until her blouse and chemise fell to the floor together. That momentarily gave her both hands to use and use them she did, running them through his hair, down his back and gently scoring her nails down his chest before he captured her hands again.

"What did I say about tonight?" he asked, his eyes glinting with mirth as he held her again.

"That I was just supposed to relax and enjoy it but-"

"No buts!" he commanded and grabbing up her derriere in his hands finished with "unless it's this one!"

She laughed and the low music of it gave him pleasure. "Okay, then," she teased, "ravish me!" To show her acceptance, she leaned back over his restraining arm. He gently lowered her to the floor, pushing aside the hassock he had rested his feet on moments ago. Slowly, with patience and tenderness, he disrobed her. His lips never left her flesh, slipping from her neck, leaving a blazing trail to her belly. He even playfully nibbled on her toes as he stroked one leg and then the other, his fingers barely brushing her inner thighs. Again and again, she started to reach for him but he would push aside her hands, holding them gently but firmly.

He took only a moment out and hastily removed his own clothes then he was back to her, kissing her, touching her and now letting his body lightly touch hers. Flesh to warm flesh, she longed for him to release her hands and let her touch him in the same intimate way he was touching her. Finally, with her breath coming in moaning gasps, he parted her thighs and slowly eased himself into her. It was as though a dam burst within her and she arched her hips to receive him. But still maddeningly slow, he rocked back and forth until he finally lost all semblance of control. It was like nothing he had experienced as time and again, he felt her rising and plunging beneath him and he within her. Finally, completely spent, he collapsed beside her and felt her turn and curl into his embrace.

The fire was nearly out when he arose and, gathering her into his arms, carried her to the bed. There, beneath the silken coverlets and cool sheets, she again came into his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder as he lay watching the snow gently fall to the surface of Tahoe.

"Athena," he called softly into the stillness of the night. "I love you."

She said nothing but rubbed her cheek over his chest then slept deeply.
 

Adam didn't awaken at first light as he usually did. When he did finally drag one eye open, he found himself alone in the room. Hastily, he pulled on his clothing and went down the stairs into the inn's main dining area, in search of her. Athena was not there.

"The lady," the proprietor answered his unasked question, "is out along the lakeshore. She went out at first light. I hope there is no problem."

"No," Adam gave the man what he hoped would be taken for a sincere smile but he was far from being sure. Last night, he thought again, last night he had been so sure that he knew what Athena needed and he had tried to give it to her. Now, with this uncanny turn of events, he wasn't so sure. He sprinted out through the freshly fallen snow to the edge of Tahoe and looked in both directions. There he saw her, slowly walking back towards him, her long dark cape dragging in the loose powder. Something in him told him to wait for her to come to him so he stepped back to the rocks piled there along the shore and leaned against them. As he watched, she made her way to him, the sun glinting off her long dark hair. When she finally reached him, he could see her cheeks were reddened by the cold and she chafed her hands together to warm them.

"Here," he urged and took her hands within his own to warm them, pulling her close to him.

"Did you mean that last night?" she asked, not looking into his face but down at their hands.

"Did I mean what?" Adam mentally stumbled, trying to remember all that had happened the night before. Then it occurred to him what she was asking. "That I love you? Yes, Athena. I love you." He held his breath, praying for that to be the key he had left unturned that would open the lock to her heart. For many heartbeats, all he could see of her was the top of her head. Had he made a mistake? What was it that he had seen last night if not the need she had to be simply and totally loved? Had he bared his soul just for this woman to rip it out? Was she toying with him for her own cruel and sadistic amusement?

"Yes," she whispered and looked up finally into his dark eyes to see the confusion there.

"Yes?" he reiterated, again at a total loss.

"I'll marry you."