Summary: A new young lady in town can barely tolerate the overly confident Logan Cartwright, but circumstances keep bringing them together. This is the sixth and last story in my Adam/Hoss/Joe “Destiny” series.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Bonanza or any of its characters. This story is for entertainment purposes only.
belauger@msn.com

Logan’s Bride

When he first saw her in the dry goods store in Virginia City, he wasn’t especially impressed. She was pretty enough. Most girls were though, and there was no shortage as far as he was concerned. After all, he was Logan. Cartwright, but never mind that. He didn’t even need that part to get attention. He had always gotten by on his first name alone. Everyone knew him. And loved him. Especially the girls. He had his pick of any girl in town, and he knew them all over the age of sixteen. His father said he got that from his Uncle Joe, the unrivaled ladies’ man. Joe Cartwright was a charming man, all right, but next to Logan…well, was there really any comparison?

She was almost finished wrapping up his purchases when he decided to take some candy home to the kids. He would bring a little bit of everything, because they all had their favorites. Chocolate drops for sure, because they were Ross’ favorite, and Nolan’s, too. Nolan was visiting from San Francisco with his wife, Karen. A Harvard banker, that’s what his brother was, whooee. Give Logan a good old cowboy any day. Uncle Hoss understood that well enough. Give him land and trees and living things and he was happy. Add looks that girls swooned over, and then you had it all. He smirked as he looked over the candy. He couldn’t help himself. He had perfected the smirk. Well, no, that wasn’t exactly right. His father, Adam, had perfected the smirk. Logan was a very close second. Nolan, his twin, didn’t smirk. He was too nice. But that was all right. Logan made an exception for anything where Nolan was concerned. He was so nice you just had to like him, and everybody did. Logan was even happy he was a Harvard banker, even though the thought of it was suffocating.

“Mr. Cartwright, here you go,” she was giving him her polite dismissal smile.

“Hey, Peggy,” he smiled as he sidled back over to the counter. “How about a sack of candy for the kids at home?” His chin sat in his hand as he leaned on the counter, beaming engagingly at her.

She gave only the slightest of sighs as she moved over to the glass canisters of candy and picked up the scoop along with a waxed bag. He followed her, pointing out what he wanted, which was almost everything.

“What’s your real name, Peggy? Is it Pegasus? My brother has a horse named Peg, but his real name is Pegasus,” he gave her a grin that showed his dimples.

She gave him a look that said dolt as she reached for another bag. But she replied sweetly, “Why yes, my name is Pegasus. I’m immortal. Haven’t you seen my constellation, or perhaps you found my feather?”

He frowned at that and gave her a suspicious look. She was speaking in tongues. But that was a fleeting thought he let go of. He pointed to the chocolate drops.

“More of those, please. Well, Peggy Sue, how do you like Virginia City?”

“I like it fine,” she said in a non-committal tone. Her family had recently purchased the dry goods store from its former owner, who had retired. Her family had moved to Nevada all the way from Minnesota.

“Do you like to mine for silver? Or fish?” He was practically leaning over her shoulder pointing at different candies.

“I’ve never mined for silver or fish. How many of these do you want, anyway? How many people are you planning to give all this to?” She could not keep the exasperation out of her voice.

He looked a little hurt as she turned to him with the third bag in her hand. “Well, there’s fourteen, plus me. And the grown ups might want some, too.”

“You’re not one of the grown ups?”

“Well, now that you mention it, I am one of the grown ups. I didn’t use to be.”

“Oh, well that explains it,” she suppressed a smile.

“Explains what?” Then he gave her a look and pulled at a long dark curl that hung over her shoulder. “Now you’re just messin’ with me.”

She put the bags of candy on a scale. “Who’s messing with whom?” She said archly, and quickly wrapped the candy and placed it on top of the other packages, which she delivered into his arms. “Good day, Mr. Cartwright.”

“Bye, Peggy Sue. You let me know whenever you feel like mining for fish.”

Outside the store, Logan began stuffing the packages into his saddle bags. He stopped to unwrap the candy package and poured himself a handful. His mother would probably give him what-for about the candy, and if she didn’t, Hop Sing or his nephew, Han Lee, would. Han Lee had joined Hop Sing as a helper two years ago and he was almost as good a cook as his uncle was.

Selecting a chocolate drop, Logan offered it to Rocket, his prized black horse, who took it eagerly. Hoss would holler at him if he saw that, but Rocket would never tell. Logan untethered the horse and went in search of Eric, who was picking up an order of Ponderosa lumber at the saw mill. When he met up with his cousin, the order had been loaded on the wagon, and they both started back to the ranch. Logan handed over some candy while they were riding. Eric was thoughtful enough to drop a few pieces in his pocket for his wife, Emily. They had married two years earlier and now had a baby daughter, Olivia. This event had put Erin and Hoss, the parents of three sons, over the moon with delight, and they were ready at a moment’s notice to babysit.

“Hey, E,” Logan said affectionately to his cousin as they rode along. “Have you met Peggy, the new girl at the dry goods store?”

“I’ve seen her there, and I’ve met her parents and brother. Don’t tell me you’re after her too?” Eric was doing his best to look appalled.

“What?! You make that sound like a bad thing. I can’t help it if women find me irresistible!” Logan protested as Eric broke out in laughter. “Well, did you know her real name is Pegasus, just like Nolan’s horse?”

“Oh, Logan, that’s baloney. You didn’t pull that stunt on her, did you?”

“Well, her real name is Peggy Sue, close enough.”

“I heard her mother call her Marguerite.”

Now it was Logan’s turn to look appalled. “Who would do that to a little baby? I’m going to call her Peggy Sue. It’s normal,” he sounded almost righteous. “No wonder she acts like she sucks lemons.”

“Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, she’s all prissy and if her nose was any farther up in the air it would catch flies.”

Eric reached out and smacked his cousin on the leg. For the rest of the ride home, they talked ranch business. When they arrived at the Ponderosa, they found Nolan and Karen having lemonade on the porch with Ben, Adam and Mary Lynn. On hearing their arrival, Hoss came out of the barn looking like a thundercloud; they were late and he’d been waiting on them. Logan quickly passed a whole bag of candy to Eric. That should do the trick for Uncle Hoss, he thought. He wanted to sit down and have lemonade too, but decided he’d best not risk it. Anyway, lemonade reminded him of Peggy Sue. He made a face and shivered.

“Now what’s going on with him?” Adam mused as he watched his son scrunch up his face.

“You never know, Dad. Remember, it’s Logan,” Nolan chuckled as he reached for Karen’s hand. This was their first visit to the Ponderosa since their wedding less than a year ago. They had met on a train headed east that derailed in the Rocky Mountains. They had pretty much fallen in love on the train, but the accident separated them; Karen with a broken arm and Nolan with serious injuries. He had been missing for almost a month before he was found in the care of a doctor living alone in the mountains. He had missed his second term at Harvard while recovering, and Karen had spent a year and a half with her older sister in New York helping with a houseful of young children, including a newborn. When they were finally reunited, their relationship picked up where it had started, and they married after Nolan graduated.

“Adam, that boy is a handful, even though he’s indispensable around here,” Ben said to his son as he also watched Logan.

“I don’t know who he gets it from,” Adam sighed. “I’ve certainly always been a calm and stable influence in the family. Maybe it’s the same thing Joe had, or it could be a stray line in Mary Lynn’s family background,” he winked at his wife, who shot him a warning look.

“Hey, Nolan!” Logan was unloading lumber with Eric. “I met a girl in the dry goods store who’s named after your horse. I couldn’t believe it.”

Eric rolled his eyes and Nolan looked back at his brother as though he had grown a second head. “Pegasus?”

“Yeah. Well, Peggy Sue. Close enough.”

“Ignore him,” Eric advised.

“Oh, the poor girl,” Mary Lynn murmured. “If he takes a shine to her, she’ll never live it down.”

“That’s my boy,” Adam said, smirking.

Nolan looked at his wife. “Remember when I told you we only looked alike?” She laughed in response, nodding her head.

“What he needs,” Ben commented, “is some nice girl to lasso him and get him settled down.” The others murmured and nodded their agreement.

There was one naysayer. “I don’t know, Grandpa,” Nolan said. “It’s a bit of a scary thought.”

Ben chuckled, and then changed the subject. “Does everyone have a date for Saturday night’s dance?” He was referring to the town social that was capped off with a dance in a few days.

“Well, everyone right here is spoken for, except you, Pa,” Adam said. “But, among our kids, everyone from Hunter up is looking forward to it. They all have dates. All of Joe’s kids are set, and so are Gunner and Ben-too. We don’t pass up a good dance if we can help it. It’s a matter of family honor.”

“Dear,” Mary Lynn told him gently, “you’re going to have to share your dances with Marianne. She thinks it’s quite unfair that she’s not old enough to have a date yet.”

Adam smiled. “I think I can manage that task.” He turned to assess the progress of the unloading being done by Logan and Eric. “Who did Logan ask to the dance?”

His wife shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s so secretive about that, but he’s dated just about every girl from here to California.”

“He got that from Joe. Didn’t he propose to every girl in three counties at one time or another?” Adam was looking at his father, who nodded his head at the memory.

“I think he did, Adam, so help me. Nolan, has Logan told you who he’s taking?”

“No, but I didn’t ask him. He’s always got that situation under control well in advance, so I don’t worry. And he’s so used to being swarmed by girls, he doesn’t give it a second thought. What is it about him anyway?”

Adam laughed. “They swarmed you, too, but you usually had your nose in a book.” Nolan got a nostalgic look on his face, which he removed quickly when it looked like Karen was going swat his leg.

“Hey Logan,” Nolan called out. “Who’re you taking to the dance on Saturday?”

“Petunia,” he answered and he and Eric hefted a load of boards out of the wagon.

That started Hoss laughing as he walked over to get a glass of lemonade. “Petunia! That’s Elizabeth and James’ mule. They got her for Skip to ride. I can just see Logan dancing with a donkey!” Skip was Nolan’s sister’s three year old son.

***

Back in Virginia City, Peggy Barnes was still waiting on customers in her parents’ dry goods store. Her feet hurt and her back ached. She really wanted to sit down, but she kept smiling and wrapping packages. Her father and brother were also working in the store. Business was brisk today, so that was good, but Peggy couldn’t work up too much enthusiasm. Ever since she had arrived in Virginia City, she was waiting to be impressed by something. She missed Minnesota with its beautiful lakes and acres of forested wilderness. Mostly she missed her friends…and Daniel. She would give anything to be back there with Daniel Hendrickson right now.

When she had told him her family was moving, to Nevada of all places, they had discussed getting married right away. They were both 20. But Daniel was an apprenticed blacksmith, and he just didn’t make enough money yet to support a wife. Peggy didn’t care. She said she would work, but Daniel was firmly against that. He was very traditional. So now here she was in the middle of nowhere after an endless journey that had been dangerous, but not exciting. Hardly. She had felt like she would lose her mind if they didn’t reach civilization soon. So here she was, in “civilization.” If you called it that.

Her father was happy here. The store was busy and he loved the mountains. But to Peggy it seemed like all she did was work. And she had to be nice to everyone. Not that she wouldn’t be, of course, but some people were just too much, like that Cartwright man. He was just too much. Insufferable and pompous, that’s what he was. Someone ought to give him a mirror so he could carry it with him wherever he went to admire himself.

“Is my real name Pegasus?” She was muttering to herself as she turned to straighten a shelf behind her. What kind of a stupid question was that, she thought. For that matter, what kind of stupid name was Logan, which is what she heard his name was. It seemed he came from a huge family, too. She had seen them all in church. Last Sunday she had been particularly shocked to see him there with another man who looked exactly like him! For crying out loud, had the Lord seen fit to put two of them on this planet? The people of Virginia City must have been awful sinners to have deserved that, she thought ungraciously.

Her younger brother, Rick, on the other hand, thought the Cartwrights were wonderful. Soon after moving here he had made friends in school with several Cartwright boys who were right around his own age, and he was completely besotted with Susannah Cartwright, who was going to Saturday’s dance with him. Oh, why couldn’t Daniel come here and do a blacksmith’s apprenticeship?

“Peggy,” her father said her name and nodded to the counter where a customer was waiting with a bolt of cloth.

She turned immediately with a smile on her face. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting. How many yards would you like?” She used her best professional store clerk’s voice, feeling her toes pinch. The day couldn’t end soon enough.

End of Chapter 1

On Saturday, the Cartwrights set out for the social at different times during the day. Many left after lunch, and they were all gone by late afternoon. Nolan and Karen were riding in the carriage with his parents. On their way downstairs, they passed by Logan’s room, which he shared with their youngest brother, Ross. Nolan peeked in to find his brother in a handsome dark suit with a tie, and very carefully combed hair. He was patting something very fragrant on his face and neck.

“My, but you smell nice,” Nolan told him. “Petunia is going to be awfully appreciative you went to this much trouble for her,” he smiled, coming up behind his brother in the mirror.

“Mind your own business,” Logan responded. “You already found your woman. I’m still working on getting mine.”

Nolan guffawed. “Like you’re taking a serious risk! Just ask the girls to take a number, brother.”

“Laugh all you want, Banker Boy, but we’re twenty-five now. The clock’s ticking.”

Nolan laughed again, patted his brother on the back, and left the room, calling back that he’d see him at the dance. He took Karen’s arm in the hall, and they went downstairs together. Well, they’d see who Logan was taking to the dance once they got there, he thought.

It was a beautiful day for the social, with a warm breeze and sunny skies. There were horse races, baseball games, a fashion show, pie and cake contests, and a shooting range, among other things. And before the dance, a huge potluck supper was served. It was a day of relaxing fun and visiting with neighbors.

The Fenways sat with the Cartwrights and played endlessly with Skip while Elizabeth and James Fenway looked on fondly. Hoss proudly carried his granddaughter, Olivia, everywhere he went, which gave Eric and Emily a little time to themselves. Nolan kept an eye out for Logan, and finally spotted him in the kissing booth! Oh, for Pete’s sake, he thought. His brother had pulled a switcheroo on the standard kissing booth concept, but there was quite a line of girls waiting their turn. He nudged his mother and pointed to the booth. Her eyes went wide, and then she collapsed against Adam, laughing. When Adam had gotten an eyeful, he just closed his eyes, moaning, “Oh, no.”

Soon Joe and Amy were doubled over, laughing at the sight. It was too much. But it was working. The church was definitely going to add to its coffers that day. When Hoss caught sight of it, his laugh could be heard for blocks throughout the town. Erin had to take Olivia away from him; she was afraid he’d drop her in his laughing fit.

“So who will he dance with?” Karen asked Nolan.

“Everybody,” her husband replied. “Just watch. He’ll dance with everyone.”

Peggy Barnes was helping with fashion show, and when she heard the raucous laughter coming from near the church, she walked over to see what was going on. When she saw, she had to stop herself from throwing her arms up in disgust. Did nothing stop that man? He certainly looked pleased with himself, and the girls were getting their money’s worth, too. She turned away, hoping to avoid him for the rest of the day.

When the line at the booth finally dissipated a couple of hours later, Logan went to the saloon. When he walked in, he received a standing ovation, to which he bowed, pleased with himself, and then bought a cold beer for everyone in the house. He sat for a while with some buddies, and then went in search of his family. It was almost time for the potluck, and he had worked up an appetite kissing all those pretty girls. On his way, he passed the area where the fashion show had just finished. Several people were cleaning up, including someone he recognized. He walked over as she was pulling down some posters, spun her around, and kissed her soundly on the mouth. He did it so suddenly she didn’t have time to react.

When he let her go, he grinned. “No charge for you, Peggy Sue,” he said, and then he was gone.

She felt her face go red. Her hand was itching to slap his face, but he was gone, darn it all. The ladies around her were laughing and making jokes about him. Oh, that Logan. Isn’t he a character? He was a clown, she decided. But one with curiously warm, soft, lips, she remembered hotly.

Soon it was time to eat, and the lines at the loaded food tables were extra long. The ladies of the church society were serving, and Peggy’s mother had volunteered her daughter’s services, along with her own. Peggy was serving helpings of hot baked beans, thinking begrudgingly that no matter what she did in Virginia City, it involved some kind of work. Couldn’t someone else spoon out these blasted beans? Then along came a string of Cartwrights, endless, she thought, but she served them all with a sweet smile on her face. Until, that is, the two look-alikes came along. Then her eyes narrowed. Which one was the pompous, arrogant, womanizer? One seemed to have a woman with him and he was holding two plates. He also had a nice smile; he wasn’t the one, most likely. The other one had eyes that twinkled and he almost swaggered. He was the one. Her mind was working furiously on a way to get at him for that kiss.

The “nice” brother was the first to reach her, and as she scooped out beans for the two plates he held, she accidentally dribbled some on one of his hands. The beans were hot, and she heard a quick hiss of breath as he felt the heat. Instantly she dropped the spoon into the bowl and grabbed a napkin to wipe his hand. In her haste, the spoon splattered some of the sauce onto his face, poor soul. She was making a mess of everything. The woman with him grabbed the napkin and wiped the spatters off his face. The whole episode took about five seconds, but she was apologizing effusively.

“I’m so sorry…” was all she got out before Logan was hollering at her.

“Hey, Pegasus! My brother almost died in a train crash. Are you trying to kill him again or what?”

Peggy stood very still then. Logan’s brother and the woman with him had moved on down the food line, none the worse for wear. Her jaw jutted out and her eyes were narrow slits.

“No, I wasn’t trying to kill him. It’s you I would like to kill,” she said in a syrupy voice as she grabbed his hand and slapped a spoonful of beans into it. With that, she turned and walked away from the serving table, untying her apron and throwing it on the ground as she went, heading for home. Behind her she heard him howl and simultaneously heard her mother’s shocked voice.

“Marguerite! Come back here!”

But Marguerite kept walking, and was just crossing the street when a jerk on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. She turned to see Logan’s angry eyes looking into hers as he used her discarded apron to wipe off his hand.

“Are you certifiably insane, Marguerite?” He shoved her apron at her.

She closed her eyes and counted quickly to ten. “You…irritate me.”

“Me??” He put his hands against his chest. The innocent, she thought sarcastically.

“Yes, you do.”

“You want to know how I feel about you?”

“No. Spare your breath for someone who actually wants to listen to you,” and she turned to resume her way home, but once again he stopped her.

“Look what you did to me,” he demanded, holding out his hand, which had an angry red palm. “I won’t be able to work for weeks.”

“Poor baby,” she responded. “Suck on some candy, you’ll feel better.”

“You’re a lemon-sucking, bitter, angry, spinster girl.”

She gasped and spun around. “What did you say to me?”

He looked as though was he doing a quick re-play in his brain. “You must suck on lemons so make you so sour.”

“Well, I do envy you there, Cartwright. When you’re in love with yourself, I’m sure you’re always happy.”

His brows had risen as he looked at her, speechless for once, and that was the moment her mother caught up with them. Mrs. Barnes fixed Peggy with a scowl and took Logan’s arm, drawing him toward the store to see to his hand. She unlocked the door and sent Peggy for a bowl of cold water and bandages. The Cartwrights were good customers; what had her daughter been thinking?

Peggy returned with a bowl of water, which landed on the counter so hard the water sloshed, and a roll of bandages. Mrs. Barnes gently placed Logan’s hand in the water, asking him if it hurt very much.

“No, ma’am,” he answered politely. “I believe I provoked your daughter, ma’am.”

Mrs. Barnes dismissed that remark with a wave of her hand. “Posh. She’s been mooning around here ever since we arrived. Wishes she was back in Minnesota. Tell me more about your brother, Mr. Cartwright. I heard you say he was injured in a train accident.”

So Logan launched into the train story, which he was good at telling, and good at stretching out. Mrs. Barnes was clucking sympathetically and shaking her head while Peggy was in the back of the store, where the family lived, fuming. That crafty varmint was making her mother feel sorry for him. Oohh!

“Here, Mr. Cartwright, dry your hand while I get some burn ointment.” Mrs. Barnes came into the back of the store and gave Peggy another look. “How could you, Marguerite! I saw what you did. The Cartwrights are very good customers of ours!”

“Mama, you don’t know how irritating he can be. He just walks around as though everyone should throw gold coins at his feet!”

“Oh, posh. He’s the handsome son of an important family. And he was very polite to me. Would it hurt you to be friendly for once?”

“Nice? I’m nice all the time. Nice is my middle name. That’s all I do,” she grumped, feeling her eyes begin to sting.

“Well, why don’t you try it on Mr. Cartwright? Go out there, and put some of this ointment on his hand and bandage it up. And apologize to him before he leaves, Miss,” Mrs. Barnes instructed.

Peggy stalked out into the store and stopped in front of Logan. “Give me your hand,” she said flatly.

He quickly put both hands behind his back. “I don’t think I should. I don’t know what kind of weapon you might have to attack me with.”

“Oh, please. It’s burn ointment. Look,” she held out the tube.

“It could be acid,” he countered.

“If it was acid, I’d make you stick out your tongue.”

“Now you’re scaring me. I don’t know why you’re so mean to me. All I’ve ever done is converse with you politely.”

“And manhandle me for a kiss.”

He smiled at her. “That was a nice kiss, too. One of the best all day.” His eyes were twinkling.

She reached behind him and grabbed his arm. “Just give me your hand so I can take care of it.” She put the ointment on the burn and then wrapped it with the white bandage strips and taped it securely.

“There,” she let go of his hand. “I’m sorry I did that to you. I’m sure I’m the new villain in town now,” she scowled.

“Only if you don’t dance with me tonight,” he smirked, watching her mouth fall open. “But if you do, I’m sure no one will hold anything against you.”

“That’s blackmail! I don’t want to go to the dance. I just want this whole day to be over.”

“Okay, I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll come and get you when it’s your turn to dance with me. You can stay home the rest of the time.”

Closing her eyes again and praying for strength, she guided him to the door. “All right. You come back when you want to dance. Now go eat.”

“Bye, Miss Peggy Sue. See you later.” She watched out the window as he sauntered back to the potluck, black hat pushed back on his head.

Logan was so hungry by the time he got back to the church he got himself a plate piled as high with food as he could safely carry. When he found his family, he plopped himself down on the ground, and began to inhale the food.

“Logan, we heard about your hand. Are you all right?” His mother was frowning as she looked at the white bandage.

“Oh, yeah. It’s nothing,” he said with a mouthful of food.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have tussled with that young lady,” Adam observed wryly.

“Who, Peggy Sue? She’s all right. She just sucks lemons, that’s her problem. Needs a little sugar. I can handle her. Mmm, this is good food. Don’t tell Han Lee I said so.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have yelled at her about me,” Nolan suggested. “I’m not hurt.”

“I’ll fix it,” Logan said. “Gonna dance with her tonight. I’m getting more food,” and he was up and back to the serving tables.

Mary Lynn nudged Adam, “Keep your eye on that girl. This one will be interesting.”

At the same time, Karen was whispering to Nolan, “She’s the one, sweetheart. Just keep watching. She hates him right now, but there’s a surefire wedding in their future.”

“What?? That makes no sense. You didn’t hate me when you met me, did you?”

“Of course not. But Logan’s different. He’s cocky. He’ll get under a girl’s skin.”

“So why do they all line up and faint when he comes around?”

“Oh, silly, those are the garden variety pretty girls who like how he looks. They would bore him to death in a week. He needs someone to challenge him, and she’s just the one. You watch. We’ll be making another trip back here for a wedding before long.”

When the dance started, Logan was glad he had fortified himself with food. Once the music started, he got on the dance floor and didn’t leave it. He danced with old flames, new flames, the grandmothers and mothers of the girls he knew, his sisters, his mother, his aunts, and one (only one) with his sister-in-law, Karen. Nolan got all the other dances with Karen. Girls who had kissed him earlier at the booth fawned over him while dancing. He just smiled and paid them outrageous compliments. Many of them were expecting moonlight walks and more kisses with him, and were disappointed to find that they were not forthcoming. When the musicians took a break, Logan slipped out the door and walked over to the dry goods store. He knocked on the glass door. He saw light in the back and heard footsteps.

Peggy opened the door and slipped outside. Logan couldn’t see her very well in the dark, but he knew she had changed clothes because her dress rustled when she walked. He could also tell that she had pinned her dark hair on top of her head.

“I should tell your father when I’ll being you home,” he told her.

“My parents are still at the social. They haven’t come back yet,” she responded.

He offered her his arm, and with a slight hesitation, she took it. When they reached the dance hall, Logan saw that she was wearing a satin dress of unrelieved navy blue. It had a fitted waist and a full skirt. It had short semi-puffed sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. She wore no jewelry at all. But all the same, she was stunning. She had left one or two curls hanging from the artful pile on her head.

Logan stood stupefied and looked at her silently for a minute, which made her nervous. Maybe she had done something wrong. She started looking at the other girls to see how they were dressed, but saw too much variation to reach a conclusion.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Peggy Sue,” he said with a straight face. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” She had never seen him look so serious. He led her to the floor and they began to dance. She was highly aware of his arm around her waist, and felt uncomfortable being so close to him. But he was being a gentleman, and they were simply dancing. She didn’t know where to look. If she stared straight ahead, she looked at his tie. If she met his hazel eyes, she wasn’t sure when to look away. He wasn’t saying anything at all. She almost wished he would crack a stupid joke. She realized that he had a cleft chin and that even though he had shaved before leaving home his face was already showing a dark shadow. Like his father. Like his brother. She decided to look at the other dancers. She saw her brother, Rick, whirling around the floor with Logan’s sister, Susannah, in his arms. They were smiling and talking. Peggy could tell that Susannah was related to Logan. Another young man passed them by with a girl in a pink swirl and he, too, looked like Logan. She asked about him, and Logan told her that it was Eli, his younger brother and also Susannah’s twin.

“Two sets of twins? And you all look alike?” She laughed with surprise.

“No,” he said. “Carrie doesn’t look like us. She’s prettier; she looks like Mom.” He pointed out his other siblings and cousins. His sister, Elizabeth, danced by with her husband James, and she waved. Logan reached out and tugged at her hair. When the music stopped, Logan brought Peggy over to meet his parents.

“Mom, Dad, this is Peggy Sue Barnes. Peggy these are my parents.”

“It’s Marguerite, really, but everyone calls me Peggy,” she explained, ignoring the pained expression Logan took on.

“You don’t look like a Marguerite. You look like a Peggy Sue,” he insisted.

“Logan,” Mary Lynn said, with a hand on her son’s arm. “Marguerite is a very pretty name.”

“I don’t use it very often, but it was my grandmother’s name.”

Elizabeth, Susannah, Eli and Nolan began gathering around to meet Peggy. She found herself trying to sort out all the faces and the names. Then she met his grandfather, Ben. Everyone in town knew Ben Cartwright. He shook Peggy’s hand and asked how she liked Nevada compared to Minnesota. She admitted to being homesick, and he commiserated with her. It would take some time, he said. Eventually Logan led Peggy away to get some punch.

“That girl is absolutely beautiful,” Mary Lynn said to Adam. “I don’t know what Logan meant about lemons.”

“Well, she was uprooted from the only home she knew and brought halfway across the country, and maybe she’s a more serious type than Logan is. You know how he can be,” Adam was, as usual, being eminently logical.

Karen was talking to Elizabeth about Peggy, too. “Look around the room. The other girls have their claws out. But Peggy has no competition. Logan doesn’t know it yet, but he’s been bagged. Peggy might not know it, either.”

Elizabeth looked at Karen in surprise, and then over to Peggy and Logan. Looking around the room, she laughed. “You might be right, Karen. You just might be right. Oh, my!” She clapped her hands.

Logan brought Peggy over to meet Nolan and Karen a few minutes later. Peggy apologized again for spattering Nolan earlier in the day, although she mentioned nothing about Logan’s hand. Nolan was sweet and assured her he was just fine.

“Nolan, this is the girl with the same name as your horse,” Logan said with some anticipation.

“Logan!” Karen said in surprise.

Nolan looked at Peggy and smiled, “So, your name is Pegasus too? It’s a great name, don’t you think?”

“It’s a wonderful, mythological name,” Peggy agreed with a smile. “I especially like being a constellation in the sky, and I have always loved feathers.”

Nolan and Karen laughed, and once again, Logan looked at Peggy like she had spoken a foreign language. The music started up again just then.

“Come on, Marguerite,” Logan said, grabbing her hand and pulling her away for another dance.

“Well, at least Marguerite is better than calling her Pegasus,” Karen remarked dryly to her husband’s chuckle.

Logan didn’t let go of Peggy all evening, except once, when her father cut in. Peggy introduced them, and as soon as the dance was over, Mr. Barnes brought Peggy back to Logan. When the dance was finally over, Logan took Peggy’s hand and they went outside together. He gave her his arm again as they walked to the store. This time they walked behind the store, where there was a small yard with a gliding swing under a grape arbor. They sat in the swing for a while, Logan holding onto Peggy’s hand. It was his bandaged hand, and she felt guilty.

“I’m sorry I hurt your hand. I’m afraid I have a temper. It gets me in trouble. I hope you’ll be able to work.”

“I’ll be fine. I was giving you a hard time.” He was silent for a short time. “You know, Peggy Sue, I couldn’t believe how you looked tonight in that blue dress with your hair all done up. I’ve never seen anyone prettier.”

“Why, thank you, Logan. It’s really my only good dress.”

“Well, keep it, always. It’s beautiful.”

“I should go in now,” she said.

His hand tightened around hers, holding her back. She looked at him in the dark.

“Peggy, do you want to go mining for fish with me?”

She laughed. “Sure. I’ll mine for fish with you. I can only go on a Sunday or possibly late some afternoon if I can slip away from the store.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” he said.

“So it is. All right. Pick me up at one o’clock.”

They stood then and oddly, Peggy felt rooted in place. She needed to turn and walk to the back door. But she waited too long, and felt Logan wrap his arms around her. His head bent down and he kissed her with the same warm, soft lips that had kissed her earlier, only longer now, and with more feeling. She felt herself clutching the sleeves of his jacket and kissing him back. When they separated, she took a step back, surprised at herself.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said breathlessly, and then she turned and ran up the path to the door and into the house.

Logan stood looking after her, catching his breath. He didn’t know exactly what was happening. He just knew that no girl had ever kissed him like that before.

End of Chapter 2

The next day at one o’clock, Logan was knocking on the back door of the store. He was in a good mood and looking forward to an afternoon of fishing with Peggy. For her part, Peggy had been thinking for hours about the kiss the night before, and she wondered if seeing Logan so soon again would be awkward. She quickly found out that he was the same old Logan again. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or annoyed.

The first thing he did when she came to the door was take her hand and bow.

“Miss Peggy Sue, I do declare that you are more beautiful today than you were yesterday,” and he topped that off with a kiss to the back of her hand.

She gave him a look that told him he was overdoing it, but he simply smiled at her, and poked his head through the door to greet her parents, who seemed pleased to see him. Oh no, they like him, Peggy thought.

Keeping hold of her hand, they walked out front where he had left the buggy. He handed her up into it and then hopped up himself, sitting close to her. With a light shake on the reins and a click of his tongue, the horse was on its way. They rode for quite a while; Peggy wasn’t sure where he was taking her, so she asked him.

“To a very special place with special fish. My favorite place to mine for fish. You’ll like it.”

“How do you know that?”

He looked at her, “Everyone likes it. If you tell me you hate it, you’ll be making history.”

“How many girls have you taken fishing there?”

“Well, let’s see, there’s Marianne, Isabel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Susannah…” his eyes were twinkling, but she didn’t see it, nor did she make the connection.

“So this is your first-date place?”

He wore a frown. “Well, no, not really.”

“Well, that’s an awful lot of girls,” she said, feeling like just the next one in a long line of his conquests.

“I s’pose so, but my family’s big. Between my sisters and cousins, that’s about it. You’re the first date I’m taking there.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” She tossed her hair back, realizing she been had. She turned to look at him, and found him grinning as he watched the road ahead.

She concentrated on watching the scenery around her. They were driving through an area with towering pine trees and low hills. The sun dappled the ground between the trees. She caught sight of a deer with a fawn in the distance. It was really very lovely. As he rounded a bend in the road, a beautiful blue lake came into view before her.

“Oh my, that’s beautiful!”

“That’s Lake Tahoe. Haven’t you ever seen it before? It’s the same color blue as your eyes.”

She just stared at it. “No, I’ve never seen it before. I’ve heard of it, of course. Is that where we’re fishing?”

“It is, but not until we reach my favorite place, right up ahead.”

He stopped the buggy on a slight rise under the shade of a stand of pines. He helped Peggy down and reached for the fishing poles and supplies he had brought with him. Taking her hand again, they walked toward the water. On a rock outcropping, he spread a blanket, and invited her to sit. He sat next to her and handed her a pole. They were in the sun, a few feet above the water, with the lake stretching out before them.

“Where are we?”

“On the Ponderosa, the ranch,” he answered.

“This is part of your family’s ranch?” She sounded incredulous. “The lake?”

“Mmmhmm,” he answered, rummaging through a bag next to him. He extracted a worm and held it out to her. “Are you afraid of worms?”

She gave him a condescending look and held out her hand. “Of course not,” she accepted the worm and handily baited the hook on her pole.

“Are you afraid of snakes?” This came as he baited his own hook.

“Depends,” she said, casting her line into the water skillfully, a fact that did not escape his notice.

“On what?”

“On whether they rattle or hiss,” she laughed.

“Well, good for you. Most girls are afraid of worms, let alone snakes. I got me a brave one here,” his arm went around her shoulder lightly.

She stiffened slightly but tried not to show it as he cast his line. He removed it as he leaned back on his elbow.

“I saw you in church this morning,” he said. “I was almost right behind you, but my brother wouldn’t let me pull your hair.”

She made a sound of exasperation. “Sometimes you are so juvenile!”

He feigned hurt. “Not me, ma’am. When I was thirteen, I killed a man.”

She gasped. “You killed a man?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t mean to kill him, and he had kidnapped my bother, Eli, and my cousin, Joey, so he was a criminal.”

Peggy gave him such a strange look that he launched into the kidnapping story, which led him into the story of how he had raised his brother, Ross. Peggy listened, fascinated by his antics and laughing when he described his horror as his mother handed over his one year old brother into his safekeeping.

“I can’t believe you did all that,” she gasped, and then came to attention as she felt her line being pulled. “I got one, Logan!”

It was a big one and he helped her pull it in. It was a large trout.

“This must be a five-pounder. Good catch, Peggy,” there was admiration in his voice. Not all girls would be such good sports.

“In Minnesota there are lakes everywhere, so it’s almost unpatriotic if you don’t fish. In a way it’s a lot like it is here. Hills and trees and lakes. It’s beautiful.”

“Like the Ponderosa,” he said, almost to himself. He jumped up then and walked back to the buggy, bringing back a basket in which Han Lee had packed snacks for them. “Here, eat,” he said taking out a sandwich and wolfing it down. While she watched him in amazement, he nudged the basket toward her and turned back to his pole. “You tell me about Peggy Sue now,” he said.

Now she felt awkward. She was self-conscious, but she told him about the small town she grew up in and about her family. She told him about Daniel, but left out many of the details. He asked her how she liked working in the store. She was quiet too long to fool him, so she said nothing. When she sneaked a sideways look at him, he was watching her with a frown.

“What do you like to do?”

“Well, I like to sew, and I like to ride horses.”

“Did you make the dress you wore last night?”

“Yes.”

“You made that? Do you know what my sisters would give for a dress like that? Heck, you should open up a shop. You’d be rich in no time.” He was leaning back, but he still watched her carefully. “Do you get to ride much?”

“I did in Minnesota, but now that we live in town and I’m helping in the store, I’ve hardly had a chance. I would love to be able to get out and just let a good horse run.”

“There are hundreds of places to ride on the Ponderosa. And if you don’t have a horse now, we have dozens. Maybe Nolan would even let you ride Pegasus,” he looked pleased with himself, putting special emphasis on the word. “Would you like that?” He noticed that she looked as though new life had been breathed into her. “Anytime you want, you just let me know,” he promised.

She sighed, looking out over the water. “Now that would be wonderful. It would get my blood moving again.”

“I’ve never cared for slow-blooded girls,” he said mildly, and then dodged when she would have jabbed him in the side with her finger. His line began to pull then and he reeled in another trout, though smaller than Peggy’s.

“Ha! Mine’s bigger than yours!” She gloated as he unhooked his fish. She rummaged through the food basket and came up with a piece of cheese and started nibbling on it. She leaned back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her. She was surprised when all of a sudden she felt his hand in her hair. He was letting it sift through his fingers. What should she do?

“Your hair is so pretty and soft.”

“And fishy.”

“Huh?”

“Now it’s fishy from your fish hands,” she remarked.

“Oh, yeah?” The next thing she knew he’d grabbed his trout and twisted it into her hair.

She shrieked and tried to pull it out, but his grip was firm.

“Take it out!”

“Say Uncle,” he demanded.

“Never!”

“Okay, then, enjoy the fish.”

She was starting to be mad at him when she felt another tug on her line. She forgot the fish he still held in her hair as she pulled in her second trout, smaller than the first, but still very respectable. As she drew it up, holding it for him to see, it accidentally flopped right into his face, which left him wet and wide-eyed. Peggy started giggling as she unhooked the fish, and instead of setting it with her other fish, she wiped his cheek with it.

“Now let go of my hair,” she said.

“Say Uncle,” he repeated.

“You want to kiss the fish again?”

“Yeah, sure, bring it on.”

She slapped the wet fish against his cheek lightly and felt his grip in her hair tighten. She was getting ready to slather him with her fish again when it slipped out of her hand, arced into the air and back into the lake,

Surprised, she leaned over to watch it, and his arm came across her shoulders sharply to stop her from going over the edge of the rock herself. He pulled her back with enough force that she landed on her back, and would have hit her head, except that the fish he had twisted in her hair cushioned her head against any blow. She lay there for an instant, surprised at the turn of events, and he looked at her with dismay, thinking she might be hurt.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, get that fish out of my hair,” she exclaimed

Spurred into action, he quickly unwound it and held it up over her.

“Why would you want to wear a fish in your hair? I’ve never known a girl like you,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.

Her own eyes narrowed, and as she tried to think of a stinging reply, he leaned forward and she watched his face coming closer to hers, doing nothing to stop him. For the third time in two days he kissed her. He pulled back, looking at her, and then kissed her again. She could smell the fish on his face and started to laugh. He pulled back again, and this time the look on his face was not happy. Oh, he bleeds, she thought.

“You smell like a fish,” she explained.

“Oh I do, do I?” He pulled her up by her arms. Then he reached for her face and kissed her again; then gave her his cheek to kiss. “How’s that for fishy?”

“Too much,” she said. “You should use cologne like other men.”

“I do. It’s a sport cologne. Eau de Trout. Women love it.”

“Ick,” she said.

“I don’t complain when I kiss your fishy hands,” he pointed out as he took a hand and kissed it as he had earlier when he picked her up. He got an idea then. “Follow me,” he said, still holding her hand. They walked around the fishing rock and down to the shore of the lake, where they rinsed the fish smell from their hands and faces.

“Would you like me to de-fish your hair since I misbehaved to begin with?”

Peggy bit her lip. “How would I explain my wet hair to my parents?” She looked doubtful.

“Easy. You won’t have wet hair. Here, sit on the sand.” He actually filled his hat with water and poured it over her hair, holding it out so her dress stayed dry. When he had rinsed it enough, he squeezed it with his hands to remove the excess water, and then they walked back to the fishing rock, while he held her hair out behind her. He used the blanket to dry her hair more, and then they sat under the warm sun while he combed her hair with his fingers. It was soft and he liked the feel of it. For Peggy, the feeling was incredibly sensual. She had never really felt anything like it before. And for Logan to be the person doing it was almost an oxymoron. Part of her wanted to giggle, and another part just wanted to sit indefinitely letting him weave her hair between his fingers.

He started singing. “I want you, Peggy Sue, you’re a love so rare and true, oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue. Well I love you girl, and I need you, Peggy Sue,”(1) his voice was distinctly off key, whatever the melody was supposed to be.

She was laughing again. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Entertaining you. It would sound better if I had my guitar with me. You wanna sing with me?”

“Uh, no thanks, but you go right ahead if you want to,” she said politely.

After about fifteen minutes of finger combing and hokey, made-up songs, he declared her hair dry. She was almost disappointed. She turned to thank him, and her heart almost skipped a beat. She chastised herself for being so silly. She was acting like all the other girls. Yes, he was handsome. Very. But he didn’t need any encouragement. He already knew that. Mentally, she shook herself.

“Thank you, Logan. Thanks for taking me fishing, too. I enjoyed getting out, and the lake is beautiful. What are we going to do with the fish?”

“Eat ‘em, of course! You take them home with you. Those two will feed your family dinner, but I’d need a dozen five-pounders to feed mine.”

“Well, thanks. That’s nice of you. My parents will enjoy them.”

Logan was picking up the blanket and the basket. It was time to go back. Peggy carried the two fishing poles. Once everything was packed in the buggy, Logan helped her in and climbed in himself. He didn’t start moving right away. He turned to face her, and the impish little boy was nowhere to be seen.

“I like you, Peggy Sue. You’re different from the other girls. You’re real. You make me want to…” he didn’t finish as he leaned into her again, touching her lips with his. She was starting to like the feel of his kisses. She put her hands on his face. When they stopped, they both just looked at each other.

“You smell like sunshine,” he said. Then, with his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands. “Will you listen to me? I’ve never said that to anyone. Don’t tell my family I said that…please?”

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes.”

“All right, then. I won’t tell anyone.”

She was rewarded with his full grin. “See? That’s what I like about you. You’re for real. Hiya!” He prodded the horse into action. As the buggy rolled along, he gestured to a pasture. “You want to ride Pegasus some day soon?”

“Will your brother mind?”

“Nolan? Nah. He’s the nicest person on earth. He might even give him to you since you both have the same name. You just tell me when and it’s done.”

“Why don’t I send you a message during the week if I can leave the store early? Otherwise, maybe I could get away Saturday afternoon, Sunday for sure.”

“Sounds good. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

They were pretty quiet on the way back to town, but Logan did reach out and pull Peggy’s hand close to him. When he walked her to her parents’ door, holding the two trout, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for fish mining with me,” he winked at her. “See you soon. Don’t wait too long.” She watched him walk away, hands in his pockets, whistling off key. Cocky, she thought. But nice.

End of Chapter 3

On Monday business in the store was hectic. Back to business as usual, Peggy thought as she moved from one customer to the next. Both her parents and her brother were also working busily. Her father was happy. A busy store brought in good income. Peggy was thinking about Logan’s offer to go riding. She did have her own horse in a small barn behind the store, but she certainly hadn’t been riding much since she’d arrived in Virginia City. There was a lot of open space, but if she went riding, she wouldn’t be sure if she was on someone’s private property. .

In the afternoon, two girls came into the store. Peggy recognized them from the dance. One was Logan’s sister and the other was his cousin. She remembered Susannah especially, since she’d been Rick’s date at the dance. Peggy suspected that she’d come into the store to see him. She smiled and stepped out from behind the counter to greet them.

“Hi, Susannah, how are you?” Peggy smiled at both girls.

“Hi, Peggy. Do you remember my cousin, Isabel? Did you have a good time at the dance?”

“I did indeed. I haven’t danced that much in a long time. Did you both enjoy it?”

Their dark heads nodded vigorously. Isabel inquired enviously about Peggy’s dress, and when she learned Peggy had made it, she was very impressed.

“Do you think you could make one like that for me sometime? Exactly the same pattern. It was so beautiful on you. I’d like to have one in pink, though.”

“I’d love to have one in green,” Susannah said dreamily.

“Well, sure, if you really want me to. I love to sew, and it would be easy to fit my pattern for each of you.”

They promised to ask their mothers when they got home. Susannah began discreetly looking around for Rick, and Peggy knew what she was really in the store for. Leaning toward Logan’s sister, she whispered, “I’ll get Rick for you if you’ll tell Logan that I can go riding on Thursday afternoon at three. Tell him I’ll ride to the Ponderosa.”

Susannah smiled and nodded eagerly. Shortly she and Rick were talking quietly together while Isabel browsed in the store. Peggy went back to waiting on customers to cover for Rick. Things might just be getting interesting here in Virginia City, she thought.

After three long, routine days in the store, Thursday finally arrived. Her parents had agreed to let Peggy leave early in order to get to the Ponderosa by three. She ran quickly upstairs to change into her riding outfit, stopping to pull her hair behind her head with a clip. In the barn she quickly saddled the mare, Maybelle, and got out on the road as quickly as possible. She met the wagonload of Cartwright children returning home from school along the way, and rode with them the rest of the way. Chatting with this lively group, she learned that school was about to be out for the summer, and that was all they could talk about. She remembered Logan’s youngest sister, Marianne, who was 10 and her cousin Sarah,11. Ross was getting big at 12, and Peggy smiled thinking about the stories she’d heard about the two brothers, “attached at the hip” as Nolan put it.

They were a noisy group as they rode into the yard of the Ponderosa. Peggy had never seen the house before, but it was huge and beautiful. She could only imagine what it looked like inside. And she wondered how this large family all lived in it together. As the boys took care of the wagon and the horse pulling it, Ross told Peggy he would let Logan know she was there. Dismounting, she tethered Maybelle to the hitching post outside the house near the porch. In a few minutes she saw Logan come out of the barn leading a large black horse.

“Hey there, Peggy Sue. It’s a good day for a ride. You sure look nice today,” he gave her his big smile.

“That’s not Pegasus, is it?” There was distinct hesitation in her voice.

“No, this is Rocket. He’s all mine. We’ve been together a long time, haven’t we, boy?” And with that, Logan planted a kiss on Rocket’s nose. Peggy smiled. He took her hand and pulled her along. “Come with me and I’ll show you Pegasus. You can decide if you want to ride him, but he’s very well mannered. Fast, though, he’s fast.”

“But Rocket is faster, right?”

“Oh, of course. Rocket is the fastest. No horse can beat him. Nolan has tried with Peg, and he only wins if Rocket’s under the weather.”

“Of course,” Peggy murmured with a small smile.

Entering the barn, the first thing she noticed was the number of fine looking horses kept in large stalls. As they walked through, Logan pointed out different mounts, told her their names, and who they belonged to. He stopped in front of a sleek chestnut. He reached out to stroke his face and neck.

“This is Pegasus. He’s a Morgan. Isn’t he beautiful?”

“He certainly is,” Peggy said in genuine admiration. “He’s pretty big, too.”

“He and Rocket are the same size, but Peg is pretty gentle. Rocket’s a Morgan, too.”

“I supposed you and Nolan got them at the same time?”

“Yeah, for our twelfth birthday. We were pretty excited. We had placid mares until then. Best birthday we ever had,” he said, recalling how they had run around in delight.

“Well, he’s so beautiful, I’d be crazy not to try him,” Peggy said. She’d been riding her whole life, only not on horses as pretty as this one.

“Good choice,” Logan said as he tossed a blanket on and hefted the saddle up and onto the horse. He slipped the bridle in place, and led the horse out of the barn. “Nolan already said you could ride him so we’re good,” he told her.

With Pegasus standing by Maybelle at the hitching post, Peggy could see how much bigger he was. Still, she wanted to ride him. She spent a few moments getting to know him, talking to him softly and telling him what they were going to do.

“You’re good with horses, I can already tell. Can you mount him? If you can’t, I’ll give you a boost,” Logan offered.

Determinedly, Peggy put a foot in the stirrup, and after a couple of bounces, she got herself up and into the saddle. She gave Logan a triumphant smile, and he gave her a thumbs up. Logan mounted up and headed off in a direction that was different from the one Peggy had arrived from.

He moved out into a pasture that ran beside a rode behind the barn. “There are a lot of good, flat riding pastures back this way,” he told her. For a while they rode slowly and companionably.

“What do you think? Logan asked as he looked over at her.

“I love him,” Peggy said. “He’s easy to ride and he’s comfortable.”

“Wanna race?” He gave her a distinctly devilish look. “I might even let you win.”

“Now?? No, not just yet. Let me work up to it, please,” there was just a trace of alarm in her voice.

“Okay,” he said, and broke into a trot. Not to be outdone, Peggy followed suit, finding that she could maintain the pace quite well. She just knew what he was going to do, though. Sooner or later he was going to let Rocket have his lead and take off, and Peggy didn’t know what Pegasus would do in response.

For quite a while Logan seemed content to trot along. It seemed there was endless land to the Ponderosa, some of it wild, some of it beautiful, some flat, some hilly, some rocky. When she asked, he told her it was at least 1,000 square acres. She couldn’t begin to fathom the size, but given the amount of land they had crossed so far, she believed him.

As he pulled ahead of her, she saw that he had urged Rocket into a canter. She waited to see what Pegasus would do. Nothing; he kept on at the same pace. Good boy, she thought, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Logan stopped when he realized he had gotten well ahead of Peggy. She kicked Pegasus into a canter to catch up, and she was comfortable with that pace, too. It had been several months since she had ridden, so she wanted to take things easy until got her “sea legs” back.

“Good for you,” Logan praised her. “You’re a regular pro on horseback. Peg there thinks you’re Nolan.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Well, it is, sorta. In a way.”

“Oh, well then, thanks, sort of.”

He laughed and started moving again. They were side by side, riding easily. He pointed out a large boulder ahead. “When we reach that rock we’re going to race. Half a mile from the first boulder, there’s another one. We’ll go around it and the first one back to the start wins,” his eyes challenged her.

“Not until I have a chance to feel this horse out at that speed. You wait here,” Peggy told him and kicked Pegasus into a full gallop. “Go, boy! Ya!” He took off like a shot and at first she was holding on for her life, bouncing uncontrollably in the saddle. Then she leaned forward and picked up the horse’s rhythm. She held her arms correctly and the reins loosely. She went past the boulder and beyond, making a wide turn and coming back to where Logan waited, making a graceful stop.

He looked at her admiringly. “Well, that didn’t take long, did it?”

They lined up at the boulder and Logan counted down from five. When he called go they both galloped off. He was race ready and he moved fast. Rocket shot ahead of Pegasus right away, but Peggy found that by urging him, she could move up to Logan’s side. He was really riding low, and he and his horse made a good team. When she saw the second boulder ahead, she realized they would both want the inner track going around it because that would probably determine who won the race. They began to maneuver for position, with only a few seconds to determine it.

At the last moment, Logan abandoned that battle and turned Rocket in a tight pivot on the outside track. Peggy, expecting him to challenge her for the inside track, also made a hard turn. Later she would have a hard time knowing whether to chalk it up to inexperience with the animal or an extended period of time out of the saddle, but as Pegasus rounded the boulder, he was close enough that Peggy’s leg scraped the tall rock. Although the horse kept his footing, Peggy’s balance was thrown off. She let out an involuntary yelp and grabbed the pommel of the saddle as she felt herself sliding to the side. She tried to prevent a fall by placing her weight in the outside stirrup, but that really only made matters worse. Before she knew it, she had landed on the dusty ground on her back, the air knocked out of her. Pegasus continued on for a short distance before stopping. He, too, knew that something was wrong.

Logan pulled up sharply when he heard Peggy’s cry and the thud of her landing flat on the ground. He turned instantly and rode back, jumping off Rocket before he even stopped moving.

He wanted to pull Peggy up right away, but he knew that could be the worst thing to do. He needed to find out the extent of her injuries. He knelt by her head and spoke to her.

“Peggy, can you hear me? Are you hurt?” His voice sounded urgent and laced with panic.

Trying to catch her breath, she was wheezing and gulping at air. Her chest was heaving and she started coughing from the dust that had been churned into the air. She propped herself up on one elbow, and turned to cough more. That showed Logan that her back and neck weren’t broken, and her arms seemed functional. He began to pat her back to help her cough and catch her breath. At least he thought he was patting her back. He was actually pounding it with his fist. She reached up with her free hand and waved it at him, until he realized what he was doing. Then he gathered her into his arms and sat on the ground with her on his lap, rocking lightly.

When she had caught her breath, he felt her head for bumps, and made her move her legs and ankles. He made her tell him her name and what day it was, and the names of the horses. Mentally he was berating himself. When would he learn not to be so impulsive? He should have known better than to race with her. She had told him she hadn’t ridden for a while. He looked at the leg that had scraped against the boulder. Her boot had definitely taken a beating, and she had a nice pair of brown leather riding boots. A part of her leg had been scraped and was bleeding. Fortunately, her boot had protected most of her skin, but she would probably have a good bruise. He took off his neckerchief and cleaned away most of the blood, and then tied it around her leg as a temporary bandage.

She seemed content to rest quietly in his arms. Wanting to make sure she didn’t have a head injury that was making her sleepy, he asked her more questions about how she felt. She reassured him that she had taken the brunt of the fall on her back and rear. After fifteen minutes he asked her if she would try standing. That would tell him what condition her leg and ankle were in.

With his help, Peggy stood up slowly, balancing herself with one hand on the boulder and the other on Logan. Fully upright, she gingerly placed weight on her foot, which accepted it without complaint. She took a few tentative steps by herself and bent her knees.

She gave him a smile that was slightly shaky. “I think I’m all right. I think Pegasus is all right, too.”

“Peggy, I’m sorry. Racing was a stupid idea. I should have given you more time to get used to riding again. I don’t know why I do things like that,” he gave the dirt a vicious kick to punctuate the last remark

She put her hand out to touch his arm. This was a very serious Logan, one who expressed misgivings about a character flaw. Immediately she realized she liked the jocular Logan better. He was standing, legs apart, hands on his hips, staring at the ground. When he felt her hand, he reached our and pulled her against him. Her head was against his chest and his chin was on her head.

“Peggy Sue, I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been seriously hurt.” After that, there was a shocked silence as though he had just realized what he said. Peggy said nothing, waiting, her arms around his waist. He pulled back to look at her face. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” he said very quietly, and they both realized he had just figured that out.

Suddenly embarrassed, he whistled for Rocket, and both horses returned. He mounted Rocket and then reached down to pull Peggy up with him. Then he pulled Pegasus over close and helped her slide over into his saddle. He didn’t want her putting excessive weight on her leg. He held onto Peg’s reins and they returned to the Ponderosa at a very sedate walking pace.

The family had already started dinner by the time Logan and Peggy returned. Logan lifted Peggy down from Pegasus and carried her over to a seat on the porch while he hitched both horses. Then he hurried into the bunkhouse to get the first aid kit that was kept there. He rinsed his neckerchief at the pump and then cleaned her scrape carefully and wrapped bandage strips around it. It was a repeat of her wrapping his hand at the social the prior weekend. Hoss, having heard them ride up and wondering why Logan hadn’t come in, came outside to see what was going on. When he learned that Peggy had fallen, he insisted on checking her leg. Carefully he removed her boot and gently checked her ankle and calf. Soon there were more Cartwrights on the porch, and Peggy was embarrassed to have them all watch Hoss check her bare foot and leg.

“I think it’s all right. You’ll have a bruise, but nothing’s broken. You’re a lucky young lady,” Hoss sat back and fixed Logan with a look.

Mary Lynn was bent over Peggy, assuring herself that she was indeed all right. Adam was scolding Logan for racing, while Nolan planted himself next to Logan for moral support. Karen watched this all unfold with interest. She knew her prediction was right, especially when she saw Logan help Peggy pull her sock and boot on.

Mary Lynn insisted that the very least they could do for Peggy was feed her dinner after her accident. Peggy found herself ushered into the house in the center of a swarm of Cartwrights. She was seated in Logan’s place while he was sent to the kitchen for another plate. He came back and sat next to Peggy and his buddy brother, Ross. Karen was on Peggy’s other side. Peggy found a Cartwright meal a bit overwhelming. It was noisy, as several conversations took place at the same time, and platters of food were in continual motion around the table. Karen explained a little background about each of the conversations so Peggy wouldn’t be completely in the dark. Peggy was impressed that Nolan didn’t even ask about Pegasus. He trusted his brother to let him know if there was a problem.

She joined the family for after-dinner coffee, and that’s when Nolan asked her how she had liked riding Pegasus. She told him she loved it. It felt good to be back in a saddle, and she liked how the horse handled. Nolan invited her to ride him whenever she wanted to, since he was now living in San Francisco. He was so sweet, and so different from Logan! Not that Logan couldn’t be sweet, she told herself. He had shown her that he could. Nolan just lacked the braggadocio that Logan specialized in. Logan’s aunts were also very nice and asked her how she was enjoying Nevada. She could truthfully respond with more enthusiasm now than a week ago when Ben had asked her the same question.

Susannah and Isabel wanted to talk more about the dresses, which their mothers seemed to know about now. Peggy told them how long it took her to make a dress, and how they could arrange fittings. Shyly, Susannah offered to fix Peggy’s hair for her if she ever had a special place to go. She evidently had a special talent with hair and happily served as the family hairdresser. While that girl talk was taking place, Ross was begging Logan to take him swimming. Logan said he would take him as soon as he got a haircut. While Ross made a face about this, Peggy gave Logan a surprised look. Then she remembered that he had all but raised his brother, so he was taking advantage of some leverage to get one chore done before he paid out a favor. And Ross did need a haircut, too, she thought.

Peggy then made her excuses and told the Cartwrights that she should be leaving because her parents would be wondering what had kept her so long. They all thanked her for staying for dinner and expressed their relief that she had not been injured earlier. Logan got up and said he’d ride with her home. They left to a chorus of good-byes. What a nice family, she thought. So different from her earlier, exasperated assessment.

Logan helped her up on Maybelle and they rode quietly into town, not talking much. When they reached the barn behind the store in town, Logan unsaddled Maybelle and brushed her down while Peggy sat and watched. When he was done, they walked toward the back door. Logan stopped halfway up the path and turned to Peggy. He held out his arms and she moved naturally into them. He held her close and then kissed her. She leaned against him, kissing back. When they broke apart, they both sighed, and then laughed. He kissed her cheek.

“Good-bye for now, Peggy Sue. I’ll see you soon.”

*** End of Chapter 4

Bonnie Harrison, who lived in town, had been on several dates with Logan Cartwright. She knew other girls had too, but she considered herself to be his girl, and therefore she hadn’t been pleased to see him in the company of Peggy Barnes three times in one week. First they had danced together too much at the town social. Then the next day she saw them riding out of town in Logan’s buggy (the one he’d taken her out in!) And several days after that she’d spied them both riding into town after dark on horseback. She had just happened to be brushing her hair by her bedroom window when she spotted them. Who knows how many other outings she had missed? And Peggy was a girl who clerked in her parents’ store, too! Bonnie was a girl who didn’t have to work. She considered herself a more appropriate companion for a Cartwright. When she had complained about this to her sister, Ellen, she had replied that Logan was well known for going out with lots of girls, and advised Bonnie not to fret over it.

But Bonnie wasn’t going to forget or stop fretting over it. She had plans for Logan Cartwright, and she didn’t intend to be brushed aside. She tapped her foot in her yellow, lace trimmed dress, thinking about what she should do. One idea came to her rather quickly. A smile spread across her face as she grabbed her parasol and gloves and headed out the door. She walked two blocks to the dry goods store, causing the bell to jingle as she pulled the door open. Good, Peggy was on duty. Smiling prettily, Bonnie patted the hat on her head and approached Peggy, who was unpacking a box of candles.

Asking for a spool of thread she didn’t need, Bonnie struck up a conversation with Peggy. She complimented her on the fashion show at the town social. Of course, Bonnie had volunteered to model in it, and she was sure that was one of the reasons it had gone so well. Peggy was friendly, as she was with all customers, but she didn’t particularly find Bonnie Harrison to her liking. She found Bonnie to be a bit shallow and superior, a combination of characteristics that didn’t go well together, she thought. Bonnie paid for the thread, said goodbye and started to leave. After taking two steps toward the door, she stopped suddenly and turned back to Peggy.

“Oh, Peggy, if you happen to see Logan Cartwright in here today, will you give him a message for me?”

“Well, he doesn’t come in all that often, but if I see him I’ll be happy to give him a message.”

“Thank you,” Bonnie dimpled. “Will you remind him that we moved our date tomorrow from 7:00 to 5:00? Sometimes he just has his head in the clouds! Thanks, Peggy. Bye-bye.” Bonnie twirled her parasol as she walked out into the sun, smiling broadly.

Peggy narrowed her eyes, watching Bonnie’s retreating yellow figure. That girl didn’t ring true to her, but if she saw Logan, she would deliver the message. Why not? She didn’t own Logan, not after a week, even if he had kissed her on four separate occasions. They had no understanding between them. She returned to unpacking the box of candles, using extra energy. When she was finished there, she decided, she would unpack the newly arrived crate of canned goods, too.

By two that afternoon, Peggy was exhausted from working off her “Bonnie energy.” She hadn’t stopped for lunch, and she asked her father if she could take a break. He agreed, and she went into the family kitchen, collapsing on one of the chairs by the table. There was an apple in a bowl on the table, and she took it, absently taking a bite out of it. She examined her feelings about Logan. In spite of her initial annoyance with him, she had enjoyed herself on each of her outings with him. He had surprised her when he had said he didn’t know what he would do without her. He’d said that after the riding accident last week. Maybe he was just shaken by it. It had been hard to tell. Finished with the apple, she walked out to the barn and fed the core to Maybelle, rubbing her neck. She stood by the mare, daydreaming, until she heard her mother calling her. Heading back into the house, she found her mother waiting in the kitchen.

“Marguerite, you have a special visitor in the store. Hurry and see.” Mrs. Barnes was smiling.

A special visitor? Had Logan come to see her? Peggy walked out into the store and stopped short. Standing in the middle of the store with a joyous smile was Daniel.

When Peggy remembered to breathe again, she moved forward, her hands extended to him. He reached out and grabbed her hands, too, and bent forward to kiss her cheek.

“Are you surprised to see me?”

“Surprised? Daniel, yes, absolutely. I had no idea you were coming! In fact, I didn’t know if we would ever see each other again,” Peggy responded. She looked back and forth between her parents, trying to ascertain if they had known about Daniel’s arrival in advance, but their expressions did not indicate this. Peggy took his arm and drew him behind the counter into the family living quarters behind the store. They sat at the kitchen table, looking at each other.

Daniel’s warm brown eyes glowed with happiness. He had missed Peggy more than he thought he ever would, and had decided spontaneously to leave Minnesota to be with her in Nevada. He reached across the table and took her hands again.

“Peggy, I couldn’t stand being away from you. We never should have parted the way we did, but on the other hand, it made me feel how empty I was without you. I don’t ever want to be apart from you again. You look so good to me, so pretty,” he said softly squeezing her hands. His curly brown hair had grown longer and now hung just past his collar. His freckled skin had grown darker from the sun, and his shoulders seemed wider than she remembered, but he was Daniel, the same man she had been pining for all these weeks.

“How did you travel here, Daniel?”

“By train and then stage. My bags are still at the stage office; I need to go collect them. I just couldn’t wait to see you first.”

“Well, let’s go together. Have you had anything to eat?”

“To tell the truth, I’m starving,” he replied, putting his hand on his stomach.

“Well, there’s a big pot of stew on the stove for dinner, but I don’t think it’s quite ready yet. Let’s get your bags and then go down the street to a very nice café where I’m sure we can get something good inside you,” Peggy stood and once again their hands were clasped.

Under the circumstances, her parents weren’t surprised to see her leaving the store in the middle of the afternoon, and she and Daniel walked down the street, arm in arm. Peggy was happy to see him, but a part of her felt numb, unsure exactly how to react. She had known Daniel most of her life, and they had planned on marrying; until, that is, the Barnes family left Minnesota for Nevada. And Peggy had hated Nevada, at least at the beginning. She hadn’t seemed to hate it so much the past month or so. Logan Cartwright had been in her life quite a bit during that time. Was that it? Was it Logan? He had kissed her a number of times. He had told her he didn’t know what he would do without her. Had he meant it, or was it just something one said in the aftermath of a close call? He hadn’t said he loved her, nor had she expected him to. They had no commitment to each other. She had only known him a month.

Now with Daniel, she had discussed marriage. Daniel had declared his love for her and she had done likewise. They had been on a clear path to a lifetime together before it had been abruptly interrupted. What was supposed to happen now? She didn’t know. She couldn’t know, so she would wait and see what unfolded. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she hadn’t immediately dropped all thoughts of Logan the moment she saw Daniel in the store. She did love Daniel, didn’t she?

They reached the stage office, and Daniel picked up the two bags he had left there, and they quickly walked back to the store to leave them there where they would be safe. Suddenly Peggy realized she didn’t even know where Daniel was staying or for how long. There were many things they needed to discuss.

When they arrived at the café, Daniel ordered a full meal and Peggy just had lemonade. At first she just let him eat until he had filled himself enough to stave off the hunger pangs. When he slowed down a little, he sat back and smiled at her. He was ready to talk.

“How is business at the store?”

“It’s very busy. In fact, I’m surprised how many people come in and out each day. But of course, it makes Papa very happy. It takes all four of us to work it.”

“It’s pretty here with the mountains. It’s different from Minnesota, though, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Peggy agreed, “although there are places that actually remind me of Minnesota. It’s funny. I sure was homesick the first few weeks I was here, though,” she said. “I missed you an awful lot,” she said softly.

“Well, here I am, Peggy. I missed you something awful, too.”

“Daniel, are you planning to stay here or are you just here for a visit?” This was the question Peggy needed to know the answer to.

“Peggy, I came here for you. I love you. I’m either staying here to marry you and live or I’m going to marry you and take you back to Minnesota.” Daniel’s brown eyes looked clearly and directly into her own. “We’re not going to be separated again.”

A dozen questions were racing through her mind. “Do you know what kind of work you’re going to do? Can you apprentice to a blacksmith here? Remember, I told you I could work. For that matter, I am working right now!”

He frowned slightly. “I’m not sure about work yet. And you know I’d rather not have my wife work.”

Suddenly Peggy became animated. “You know, I’ve made some new friends who admired my party dress and they want me to make the same dress for them. It’s made me start to think that maybe I could open my own dress shop. Wouldn’t that be exciting?” Her eyes were shining as she spoke about this prospect.

“Well, that is certainly flattering to your talent with a needle and thread, but that would definitely be putting you to work,” he remarked carefully

Peggy decided to leave that topic alone for the time being. Instead, she asked him where he was staying. As she suspected, he didn’t know. He guessed he would try the hotel. She knew he didn’t have a lot of money. The hotel or boardinghouse would use up whatever money he had quickly. She knew he could probably stay with her family, but she also knew that it wasn’t her place to offer that option to him. Her parents would have to do it. It wouldn’t be proper otherwise, and they might not want to offer up that degree of closeness to their daughter at all, especially if marriage was in the offing.

When he had finished all his food, Peggy suggested that they go back to the store. Her parents would certainly have advice to offer Daniel at dinner that evening. Even though Daniel was reaching in his pocket for money to pay for the food, Peggy quickly left enough money on the table. She didn’t want him to spend anything he didn’t have to at this point, with so many issues undecided.

As they left the café, Daniel stood and looked up and down Virginia City’s main street, which had a healthy number of people moving on the walkways and in the street. Then he turned to Peggy, put his hands on her shoulders and smiled.

“You don’t know how happy I am to be with you again, Peggy,” and then he drew her into his arms, wrapping them around her in an embrace. Surprised, she hugged him back. He certainly was her good, lifelong friend. As she stood there outside the café holding Daniel, Peggy found herself looking directly at Bonnie Harrison, who was amorously kissing Logan Cartwright right on the mouth across the street just beyond the saloon. She didn’t seem to mind that people had to maneuver around them. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. He seemed to have been caught by surprise inasmuch as his arms were thrown out on each side, and his hat had fallen off.

Peggy stared, unbelieving. When they broke apart, Bonnie stood talking to Logan, stroking his cheek and smiling at him adoringly. He took a step back to pick up his hat, and as he turned to do so, he looked directly across the street at Peggy standing in Daniel’s arms. For what seemed like an eternity, Peggy and Logan stared at each other. For Peggy it felt like being frozen in a nightmare. She saw pain in Logan’s eyes, and she knew that she let her gaze drop to the ground. When Daniel took his arms away, he kissed her cheek and offered her his arm. Peggy took it and they began to walk back toward the dry goods store, but not before she saw Bonnie’s triumphant smile as she grabbed Logan’s arm and clung to it as she dragged him in the opposite direction. Peggy almost felt like dying, and she didn’t dare look back, but she could have sworn she felt Logan’s gaze penetrating her back as she retreated with Daniel.

That evening around the dinner table, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes invited Daniel to stay with them while he scouted out job possibilities around town. He could share Rick’s room until he knew what he would be doing. Peggy kept a smile pasted on her face, and she engaged in her fair share of conversation, but behind that mask she continually saw Logan’s face and the look in his eyes as he watched her being held in Daniel’s arms. She had a sick feeling in her stomach, and her face felt as though it was burning with shame. No one seemed to notice this, however, and for that she was grateful.

By the end of that week, Daniel had discovered that the local blacksmith already had all the help he needed, in addition to an apprentice who had been with him two years already. He had been to businesses up and down Virginia City’s streets inquiring about employment. The livery stable had an opening for someone to clean stalls. One of the saloons needed someone to do cleaning. The hotel needed a general handy man. None of those jobs paid enough for Daniel to support a wife.

Once again Peggy brought up the idea of opening a dress shop. Her father pointed out that the store sold ready-made dresses from a catalog, as well as fabric by the yard. If his daughter opened a dress shop, she would in effect be competing with her own family. Peggy pondered this and wondered whether her dress shop might not augment the dry goods store instead of competing with it. Privately, she asked her father if Daniel might not work in the store in her place. That would allow her to work in her own shop, and would also give her mother some much deserved time off. Her father agreed to consider that option.

That Sunday when the Barnes family went to church, Daniel accompanied them. When the Cartwrights filed in, Peggy noticed that Logan carefully looked straight ahead. She didn’t see Nolan or Karen anywhere; they must have returned to San Francisco. Isabel made a point of waving to Peggy, and Susannah smiled at Rick, who smiled back.

At the picnic that always followed church services whenever weather allowed, Peggy made an effort to introduce Daniel to as many of the town folk as she could. Arm in arm, they strolled about the picnic area, and she always introduced him as “my good friend from Minnesota.” At one point they encountered Hoss and Erin Cartwright, with Hoss proudly carrying granddaughter Olivia, as was becoming the usual sight every Sunday. Peggy was relieved when they warmly greeted her, and also when they seemed to be perfectly happy to meet Daniel. They stood chatting for a few minutes, with Hoss good naturedly offering Daniel a few employment suggestions to explore.

After the picnic lunches had been consumed, a lively baseball game got underway. Several families and couples strolled over to watch. From a distance, Peggy saw Logan heading toward the baseball diamond, squiring an attractive girl on each arm. She felt a tight squeeze around her heart, and it didn’t help any to see that one of the girls was Bonnie Harrison. When Rick hurried over and urged Daniel to join the game, Peggy agreed that he should go. Rather than risk running into Logan, however, she returned to her parents’ company under the shade of a tall tree.

As shouts and cheers rose from the direction of the game, Peggy saw Isabel and Susannah approaching her. They were smiling, and excitedly told her that they both had permission to have Peggy make them each an exact copy of her navy satin party dress. Happily, Peggy agreed, and realized she was going to have to figure out how much to charge for her services. Her business, it seemed, had begun. She asked the girls to come to the store on Tuesday of the next week so she could take their measurements. She realized she would also have to order some swatches of material so that they could see exactly what color their dresses would be. Peggy began to feel fresh enthusiasm bubble up within her. She had been feeling strangely flat ever since Daniel’s arrival, even though she acknowledged he was one of her best friends in the world. With a start she also realized that once he had been her whole world, too. Was he still?

For his part, ever since the day Logan had driven Nolan and Karen into Virginia City to catch the stage that would take them to the train that would bring them home to San Francisco, he had displayed a very touchy temperament. One moment he would be the easygoing, lighthearted young man that everyone knew so well, but he had also started surprising them by becoming suddenly sullen and surly. The latter was a Logan that no one on the Ponderosa knew, and they were unable to connect it with any event other than taking his brother and sister-in-law into town to catch the stage. Adam had even taken him aside to ask him what was wrong, but Logan had denied any troubles and had extracted himself from his father’s company as quickly as he could. He had, on the other hand, also engaged in a sudden spate of courting activity with the girls in town. He was “on the town” many a night, often with a different girl each time, but most frequently with Bonnie Harrison. He came home late and was often hung over the following morning. Hoss had taken note of this, but hadn’t said anything yet. If the pattern continued, he would first talk to his nephew directly, but if necessary, he would talk to his own brother about his son’s behavior.

At the appointed time on Tuesday, Isabel and Susannah arrived at the dry goods store in Virginia City to get their measurements taken for the dresses. Peggy took them upstairs to her bedroom, where they got the proceedings underway, along with a fair amount of giggling and gossip. Peggy compared their sizes to her own pattern, calculating how she would have to alter it for each girl. She explained that she had already ordered swatches of fabric, and that as soon as it arrived, she would ride out to the Ponderosa so they could pick the exact color they wanted. At the same time, she would also be able to make final adjustments to the individual patterns she was planning to cut for each girl. When they were finished, Isabel innocently asked her about Daniel.

“Peggy, who’s that handsome man you were with at the picnic on Sunday?”

“That’s Daniel Henderson. He’s from Minnesota, too. We grew up together, and he’s trying to see if he can find a job here. He was a blacksmith’s apprentice in Minnesota, but there’s no need for one here, unfortunately.”

“Are you two serious?” Isabel seemed a bit anxious. “I mean, I think my brother, Logan, likes you a lot.”

Peggy tried to be nonchalant. “Well, we had talked about getting married at one time, but that all changed when my family moved here.”

“Has he ever been a ranch hand? We almost always need a good ranch hand,” Isabel continued.

“No, he’s never done anything like that but he’s handy and he’s always been around horses, if that helps,” Peggy answered.

“It might. I’ll ask Uncle Hoss. I certainly wish Logan would take you out again, Peggy. He’s spending all his time these days with that uppity Bonnie Harrison.”

“Isabel!” Susannah sounded shocked and she poked her cousin in the side.

“Well, it’s true,” Isabel asserted. “He’s been acting awfully strange, and if you ask me, he’s spending entirely too much time with girls he ought to keep away from.”

Peggy kept herself busy with pins and pattern while this dialogue took place between the girls. She felt her cheeks grow hot, however. She put an end to the discomfort by telling the Cartwright girls she thought the fabric swatches would be in the following week. As they left through the store, Daniel was coming in from the saw mill, where he had found temporary work helping cut a large load of Ponderosa timber. Peggy introduced the girls to him. Isabel struck up an immediate conversation, while Susannah drifted away to talk to Rick. Peggy moved back behind the counter and began straightening up the merchandise. Isabel, with her curly dark hair and long eyelashes, was definitely flirting with Daniel, who was smiling and enjoying the attention. Peggy sighed. She felt frustrated and she didn’t even know exactly why.

The following Saturday afternoon, Peggy was helping her father take inventory while her brother had the afternoon off to take Susannah out for a buggy ride. Mr. Barnes was standing on a ladder counting tins of tea on high shelf while Peggy recorded numbers on a pad of paper. She was concentrating on her task when she heard a man clear his throat behind her. She jumped slightly, having thought the shop was empty. She turned to look directly at Logan Cartwright with Bonnie on his arm. He was looking at her steadily with his hazel eyes while Bonnie gave her an outright smirk.

“Miss Peggy Sue,” Logan acknowledged, touching the brim of his black hat. “Do you think I could get some candy for my girl here?”

“Of course,” Peggy said in her practiced store clerk voice, putting down her paper and moving over to where the glass jars of candy sat in one of the store’s front windows. “What would you like?”

Bonnie took her sweet time deciding what she wanted to stuff herself with, giving Peggy more than enough time to feel a knife twist inside her. Between giggles and coyness, the victorious girl eventually managed to make her selections. Peggy weighed the candy and told Logan the charge, which he paid. She almost pulled away from the touch of his fingers when he dropped the coins into her hand.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said solemnly as they turned to leave. Then he stopped and turned back to her. “We haven’t seen you lately at the Ponderosa, Peggy Sue. Remember, Nolan said you could ride Pegasus any time you want.” Then he turned again, and this time they left the store, while Bonnie’s laughter pealed about Peggy Sue riding Pegasus. How amusing. Peggy stood clutching the counter until her knuckles were white, feeling as though she had been slapped. Not once had Logan smiled. Why on earth would he think she would come to the Ponderosa to go riding on his brother’s horse? Feeling sick inside, she turned back to taking inventory with her father, who by then had moved on to cigars.

End of Chapter 5

By Thursday of the next week the fabric swatches had arrived. Peggy arranged with her parents to have time off in the afternoon to ride out to the Ponderosa to show them to Isabel and Susannah. She saddled Maybelle and put the carefully wrapped swatches, along with the patterns the other sewing supplies she might need, into the saddlebags she took along with her. Maybelle was a good, reliable mare, but she was a far cry from the majesty of Pegasus and Rocket. Oh well, she thought. There was little she could do about that. She certainly didn’t plan to ride out to the Ponderosa just for the purpose of riding Pegasus. When she arrived at the ranch house and knocked on the door, Amy Cartwright, Isabel’s mother, opened the door. Fortunately, Peggy had not encountered anyone male outside in the yard or near the barn.

“Well hello, Peggy. Please come in. I can’t tell you how excited the girls are to pick out the colors for their dresses.”

Carrie, Susannah’s younger sister, led her upstairs to Isabel’s room, where both girls were waiting. Carrie even helped Peggy carry some of her supplies. After knocking at the door, Susannah opened it with a mouthful of hairpins. She beckoned them in with her hand and gestured to the bed for Peggy to sit.

“Susannah’s doing Isabel’s hair. She does everyone’s hair and makes it beautiful, especially my mom. She’s teaching me to do it too, so I can do her hair,” Carrie explained to Peggy.

“Well, that does make sense, doesn’t it? It looks like she’s fast, too,” Peggy replied, watching Susannah’s hands fly. “Do you enjoy it?” The last question was directed at Carrie, who nodded vigorously.

“I can do my own hair, but it’s much easier if someone can do it for me and walk all around to see the back,” Susannah said, patting her cousin’s hair and tucking stray hairs into place. “There, how’s that?” The question was for everyone in the room.

“Beautiful,” came from Isabel. Carrie breathed an “oohhh” and glided over for a closer look.

“Is this for a special occasion?” Peggy asked Susannah.

“No, we’re just practicing. I can do your hair sometime if you’d like.”

“My hair is so straight. I’m afraid nothing much can be done with it. All of the Cartwrights seem to have wonderful curls and waves in their hair.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. My mother’s hair is straight and I can do all sorts of things with it. I can even make it curly for you,” Susannah assured her. “Well, come on, Izzy, let’s see what Peggy brought. This is so exciting! We can’t wait to see the colors.”

Peggy took out the satin color swatches and both girls were immediately enamored with them. There were multiple shades of every color in the rainbow. Carrie stood nearby and craned her neck to get a good look at what the older girls were poring over.

“Oh my, this is the color I want,” Isabel said, indicating a shade of bright pink.

“Not me. Here’s what I want,” Susannah said, showing Peggy a swatch of apple green.

“Those are both lovely,” Peggy agreed. “But may I make a suggestion?” When she had both girls’ attention, she proceeded. “Isabel, with your fair skin, a paler shade of pink would be more flattering. You’d be the belle of the ball. And Susannah, if I could suggest it, with your dark hair you would be stunning in a deep emerald green. Everyone at a dance would know the moment you stepped into the room.” Both girls looked up, intrigued. Peggy urged them over to the bureau with its large oval mirror. She had Isabel sit down and held up two shades of pink near her face.

“Izzy, do you see that? Peggy’s right. The pale pink is much more flattering for you, especially with your hair up like it is,” Susannah gushed. She turned and looked at Peggy. “I never thought about color shades like that before,” she admitted.

“I think you’re right, I like it better,” Isabel agreed. Then the girls changed seats and Peggy made the same demonstration for Susannah with two shades of green. Susannah gasped at the difference the deep green color made.

“You are so right, Peggy. I’m glad you spoke up! We would both have dresses that wouldn’t be as perfect as they could be, and all because of color.”

“What about me? What color would be good for me?” This came from blonde headed Carrie.

“Well, Miss, because of your blonde hair, you’re lucky that can wear just about any color you want and look fabulous,” Peggy told her, tweaking her nose. “A sunny yellow, navy blue, purple, pink, you pick.” Carrie was thrilled with this news, and tucked it carefully into her memory to be used in the future.

Peggy carefully noted the numbers that corresponded to the selected colors for the older girls, and then got out the patterns. She needed to see how well the pattern fit each girl. She had cut them based on measurements only and now had to refine them. That process took longer, and after a while Carrie grew bored and left the room. She wandered outside and found her brother and cousin in the barn, wiping down their horses after a long day checking the upper pastures. Carrie idly walked toward them.

Eric smiled at her, and Logan pulled one of her braids.

“Watcha doin’, Carrie-Belle?”

“Nothing,” she said, scooping up a handful of sweet feed for each horse. “Peggy is measuring Isabel and Susannah for dresses, and it’s kind of boring. But the colors are pretty. Did you know that one color you wear can make you prettier than another color does?”

Eric chuckled and told her that no color could make her any prettier than she already was, which made her dimple. Logan, however, had gone still. Peggy was in the house. What if he ran into her? What would he say? “Hi Peggy, why were you hugging that man in Virginia City?” Or should he just pretend not to see her and say nothing? He thought about dancing with her, about mining for fish with her, about riding with her, kissing her. All of those times had been fun. A lot more fun that spending time with any other girl he knew. And he wanted more. But all of a sudden, there she had been, in the arms of someone else. He must not have meant anything to her. Logan cursed under his breath.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Eric asked.

“Nah,” Logan gave up and kicked at the straw under his feet with the toe of his boot.

Eric headed home to Emily and Olivia, and Carrie wandered back into the house. Logan stayed in the barn doing odd chores. He wasn’t going to come out until the horse at the hitching post was gone. Hoss came in with a lame horse and began working with her leg in one of the stalls. Half an hour later Logan heard the front door shut and the sound of girls laughing together. He moved near the door and watched while Peggy walked out with his sister and cousin. Peggy put some thin parcels in her saddle bags. There was some more conversation and laughter between the three, and then Peggy mounted up and with a wave, headed in the direction of the road to town. Logan stood in place, staring at his feet until his uncle’s deep voice startled him. He had forgotten Hoss was there.

“Somethin’ happen between you two?”

“Huh? No, nothin’,” he muttered.

“Don’t look like nothin’ to me. Why don’t you just talk to her?” His uncle’s voice was not unkind.

Logan looked at him with a frown. “No point,” he said. “Too late,” and he slowly moved out of the barn and headed toward the house, walking right across the same spot Peggy had just been standing on.

***

That evening after dinner, Daniel asked Peggy to take a walk with him. They held hands as they strolled, and as the sun went down they could see the stars twinkling in the darkening sky. Daniel told her about working at the sawmill, which he liked. She told him that her father had decided that he could work in the dry goods store if she opened a dress shop.

“I really don’t want you to work, Peggy,” Daniel said.

“But Daniel, a dress shop is something I want to do,” Peggy insisted. “It would make me happy and I would be contributing to our income.”

Daniel stopped and turned to face Peggy. He put his hands on her face and kissed her. It wasn’t the first time they had kissed, but Peggy was noticing it for the first time. She was acutely aware that it wasn’t Logan’s dark head bending down to kiss her. It wasn’t Logan’s lips that touched hers softly. This was Daniel, and he was pressing too hard. She liked Daniel, but she was kissing the wrong lips. She turned her head away, but rested her head on his shoulder to disguise the feelings that were cascading over her. Daniel turned his face into her hair.

“Peggy, I want to marry you. Tell me you’ll marry me.”

She stood up straight, looking at him. “But Daniel, we still don’t know what we’re going to do to make a living,” her voice sounded breathless, but she attributed it to the panic she felt rising inside her.

“I don’t care, Peggy. I’ll work in the store. You can have your shop. I don’t care anymore. I just want to be with you,” he pressed his lips against hers again, enfolding her in an embrace that felt constraining.

She endured the kiss as long as she could and then she turned her face just slightly so that his lips were against her cheek. She moaned his name, “Oh, Logan.”

When he stiffened, she did as well. They stood silently, both realizing what she had said. Peggy felt as though she was standing across the street looking at herself with Daniel, a strange curiosity. Daniel’s hands moved to her arms and he took a step back.

“Logan? Peggy did you say Logan? Cartwright? Did you mean that?” The sound of his voice begged her to tell him it was an awful mistake. The problem was, she didn’t know.

She reached for his hands. “Did I say that, Daniel? I don’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.” It was the truth, at least.

“Were you and Logan seeing each other?”

“Once or twice we did, before you came, but all we did was go fishing and riding together.” Now that wasn’t quite the truth.

He let out a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say. I just asked you to marry me. I didn’t expect to find out that you were seeing another man.”

“Daniel! I wasn’t seeing another man. I just met Logan and we did two things together and I’m making dresses for his sister and his cousin. Please, don’t make more of this that it is. Logan sees lots of girls, believe me.”

After a moment, Daniel looked at her squarely. “I love you, Peggy. I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”

Peggy felt her heart sink, knowing she could not answer the question. She was saved from having to, however, by a chorus of voices that rose from the direction of the main street, specifically, the saloon. Loud cheering at this time of night meant only one thing: a fight.

“Maybe we should walk over that way, Daniel,” Peggy said tentatively. “The saloon is only three doors down from the store. Maybe we should just make sure everything is all right.”

Daniel frowned. His instinct was to keep Peggy away from a fight, which could easily get out of control. And her parents could certainly watch their own store. They did begin to walk slowly in the direction of the saloon, however. On the wooden walkway approaching it, its door suddenly swung open, discharging a tall, lean cowboy, who landed on the ground and stayed there. As both Peggy and Daniel stopped to watch, the bartender came to the entrance and loudly announced to the still figure that he should not return until his behavior improved.

Peggy bit her lip. Something about the unconscious cowboy looked familiar. She took a few steps closer until she could identify him positively. Logan. She let her eyes close momentarily. How much worse was this evening going to get? Slowly she moved toward him, and saw that he was beginning to stir. When she was close enough, she knelt in the street next to him.

“Logan? Are you all right? Can you hear me?” His lip was bleeding and he was roughed up, but he seemed otherwise intact.

His eyes opened, squinted, and then focused on her. His hand came up to wipe his lip and cover his eyes.

“Peggy Sue? Jou come back to me? I din think you would.”

“Logan, how much have you been drinking? Is anyone with you?” Her voice had become stern.

“Juz you.”

Peggy looked up and behind her, to where Daniel was standing. His very bearing was angry and intolerant.

“Daniel, will you help me? We have to get him back to the Ponderosa, and he can’t ride by himself. Please go home and get the buggy.”

“Why can’t we just let him sleep it off here? He’s obviously drunk. Let him reap what he sows.”

“Daniel, no. His family would want him at home.”

“Well, you’re not going to ride alone with him and I don’t feel like doing him any favors.”

Peggy pressed her lips together and got her arms under Logan’s arms. She tried to pull him into a standing position, but she couldn’t do it. Disgusted, Daniel came over, got on the other side and helped prop him up.

“Logan, you have to walk now. Just a little way,” Peggy told him firmly. He heard her and made a half-hearted effort to comply. Peggy pointed out Logan’s black horse to Daniel, telling him he would have to come back to retrieve the animal after Logan was settled. Daniel took due notice, and once again almost snorted in disgust. What kind of hopeless rich boy was this? Fancy horse, drunk rider. Shaking his head, he pulled at Cartwright’s shoulder more harshly than he needed to, and was rewarded with a sharp look from Peggy in return.

Reaching the store, Peggy decided to take Logan behind the house rather than inside, so she and Daniel walked him into the barn and deposited him on a row of hay bales, where he promptly collapsed as though all his bones were rubber. Fed up, Daniel went back to retrieve Rocket, and once the horse was safely in the barn, he went into the house. He certainly wasn’t going to sit up with this sorry excuse of a recipient for Peggy’s affection. Peggy promised that she would only sit with him until he could ride home safely by himself, and was embarrassed when Daniel barely acknowledged her comment as he walked away.

Sighing, she sat down next to Logan, and he promptly snuggled close to her, his sleeping head on her shoulder. Wearily contemplating the confusion of the evening with Daniel and Logan, Peggy stared at a fixed point on the far wall of the barn. She rested her cheek on Logan’s head, and after coming up with no reasonable answer to give Daniel, she closed her eyes, and dozed off.

***

She woke up when Logan moved, having no idea how long they had slept, except that it was still dark outside. They looked at each other and Logan put his hand on her lap, palm up. She placed her hand on his and their fingers laced together. He sat straighter and turned toward her, bringing his face to hers. She allowed this, and when he touched his lips to hers, they were the right lips, and when he pressed harder, she did not turn her face away. She didn’t know how long they kissed, but she knew she was a willing participant, not just an unwilling recipient.

“Peggy Sue Marguerite Barnes, I love you,” he said into her hair. He pulled back in surprise when she giggled. “You would laugh at my declaration of love?” He feigned hurt, one hand against his heart.

“No, no. You just completely mangled my name.”

“Oh,” he thought about that for a moment. “Well, what is your name then?”

“Marguerite Jeanine Barnes, quite a mouthful,” she said wryly.

“Peggy Jean? You’re not a Peggy Jean. Can’t I just call you Peggy Sue?”

“Yes, you may call me Peggy Sue.”

“Good, because I love Peggy Sue.” He kissed her again.

This time she placed her hand against his chest and pushed lightly. “Logan, what about tonight? What happened? And what happened when I saw you kissing Bonnie Harrison right on Main Street, and the next thing I knew you were squiring her and God knows who else all over town? How does all that make you love me right now?”

He faced her squarely and put a hand on each arm, right by her shoulders. “Peggy, I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you in the store, and then after the dance and fishing and riding, I knew I loved you. Don’t you remember when you fell off Pegasus and I told you I didn’t know what I would do without you?” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “Well, that was me saying that I love you, and I would have told you better than that, except the next time I saw you, you were on Main Street in another man’s arms! You might as well have come over and kicked me in the gut. And as far as Bonnie goes, she’s a pest. What you saw on Main Street happened right after I took Nolan and Karen into town to catch the stage on their way home to San Francisco. I was going to have a beer in the saloon, and out of nowhere, she walked up to me and planted that smacker on me. I don’t even like her,” he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand recalling it. “But, when she let me go and I reached for my hat, there you were, across the street, holding onto another man for dear life. That guy…Daniel…like a kick in the gut right after a kick in the face from Bonnie.”

“So why have you been keeping company with Bonnie and what about the fight tonight?”

“After I saw you with Daniel, I stopped caring about everything else. And Bonnie just told me to come and pick her up for this and that and something else. So I did, but it didn’t matter to me, because Bonnie isn’t you, she’s just a pest walking all over me. When we both came into your store for candy, I just wanted you to feel bad because I felt so bad. I’m sorry about that. And tonight? Well, I saw you today at the ranch, with my sister and my cousin. I didn’t want to see you because it made me think of what I lost, which is why I came to the saloon to get drunk tonight. And I picked a fight. With the wrong person, for no good reason. Shoulda had Eric with me, he keeps me outta trouble.” He stopped and leaned back against the barn wall, with his eyes closed. “How did it get so messed up just from me loving you?”

“Daniel came here, that’s how,” Peggy told him softly, taking his hand back. She explained the entire story of herself and Daniel in Minnesota, how much she had missed him, and how surprised she was to see him just when she was getting to know Logan Cartwright and finding out how he really wasn’t the pest she had thought him to be. She told him about the dress shop and also that he couldn’t have been thrown out of the saloon at a better time tonight because Daniel had just asked her to marry him and she didn’t know how to answer.

Logan heard this out silently, watching Peggy, holding her hand. He asked her what she wanted to do.

She smiled sadly. “I would have married him in a heartbeat before I met you and danced with you. I can’t marry him now. I love him, but not in the marrying way. And I don’t know how to tell him, because I don’t want to hurt my friend,” she closed her eyes, but not before a tear slipped out of one eye and tracked down her cheek. Logan’s hand reached out and caught it.

“Why don’t you tell him that you got two proposals tonight, and you are going to work on your dress shop while you think them over?”

She looked up at him quickly. “But I don’t want to marry him,” she said simply.

“Well, Peggy Sue, even I know that you can’t just tell him no and then turn around and marry me. That is, if you want to marry me. If you do, we could run away right now and get married. Do you want to do that? That way, I could just tell him I made you do it, and there wouldn’t be anything he could do about it because by then you would love me so much you wouldn’t want to leave me.”

She was laughing after this ridiculous dissertation, and her hands were on his face and they were kissing again. His arms went around her and hers went around his neck.

He broke off briefly. “Do you want to get married right now, Peggy Sue? Because if you do, the sheriff can marry us, and I know the way there.”

She kissed him and put her head on his shoulder, her face against his neck. “Our families might not be too happy about that, Logan.”

“Well, we could get married again, for them. There’s some murky story about my parents having two weddings and my mother rescuing my father from a blizzard, but no one will talk much about it. But it’s been done before; one quick wedding and one wedding for the people.”

“One ‘Wedding for the People,’ Prince Logan?” Peggy was picturing him wearing a crown and a robe. “What was Nolan’s and Karen’s wedding like?”

“Well, like most Cartwright weddings, it was at the Ponderosa, with a lot of people and flowers and music and food and dancing.”

“That’s what I want,” Peggy said softly.

“You can only have that if you marry a Cartwright.”

“All right. I’ll marry a Cartwright.”

He pulled her onto his lap and was kissing her again, just as the first rays of the new day were piercing the sky, and this was exactly how Daniel found them.

The barn door opened abruptly and Daniel stood there with a lantern. His face looked like a stone mask when he saw Peggy kissing Logan.

“Peggy, your mother is worried about you; you should go inside. I’ll let you tell her that you spent the night in the barn with Cartwright. And based on that event, by the way, I withdraw my proposal. I’ll be leaving for Minnesota as soon as I can pack.” With that announcement, Daniel turned on his heel, shut the barn door and left them alone.

Peggy, still on Logan’s lap, promptly burst into tears and instead of kissing her, he rubbed her back in consolation.

*** End of Chapter 6

In the end, however, Daniel stayed. When Logan and Peggy were married three months later on the Ponderosa, Daniel was officially courting Isabel Cartwright and was working with her father, Joe, and his sons in the Ponderosa timber operations. At Peggy’s wedding, most of the Cartwright girls who served as attendants wore “Peggy’s dress” in the color that best suited them, resulting in a rainbow of lovely Cartwrights. Peggy, of course, had the white satin version. Susannah had carefully taken hours doing her hair in an elaborate curled style atop her head around which a gossamer veil was attached.

Walking down the staircase on her father’s arm, Peggy saw Logan, with Nolan and Ross standing proudly at his side, waiting for her. She would not have been able to tell the difference between the twins if Logan had not been grinning so broadly, and wearing cowboy boots. Their mother, Mary Lynn, dabbed at her eyes, and Adam had his arm proudly around her.

During the service, Karen Cartwright quietly nudged her husband and whispered, “What did I tell you? Here we are, back for Logan’s wedding to Peggy. I just knew it!” Nolan could only smile and keep his attention on the service, because he held the all-important ring.

Peggy had even been able to set up a store-front in town for her dress shop. When questioning Logan regarding his feelings about having his wife operating a business in town, his reply had been, “Sweetheart, you do whatever makes you happy.” So Peggy’s Gowns now occupied a placed on Main Street not far from her parents’ dry goods store.

Ben Cartwright stood to the side of the crowded room, surveying his family and friends. He would never have guessed that he and his three sons alone would ever amount to the size of this large, loving family. His grandchildren were even giving him great-grandchildren now, and if he didn’t mistake the signs, Nolan and Karen would be making an announcement any time now. Tears glistened in his eyes as he realized that, with the exception of his dear wives, everyone he loved in the world was gathered right in that room at that moment.

When the final kiss of the ceremony marked the beginning of the couple’s married life, a cheer rose from the crowd.

“I wasn’t sure Logan would find her,” Mary Lynn confessed to Adam. “He’s such a character, Lord knows. He certainly has given us a run for our money.”

Adam arm tightened around her. “All it takes is the right woman. And a little blizzard never hurts, either,” he added with a wink as he bent his head to kiss the mother of the groom.

THE END

Notes: (1) It is a matter of record that the song “Peggy Sue” was first written in Virginia City, Nevada in the 1880’s. Source: WACKOPEDIA, The Free Enpsychopedia.

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