A Love for Rose

By: Deanna

Special thank you to EllenDBF for her help in writing this story!

Looking out her bedroom window, watching her beloved ride down the path to the main road, Rose was overwhelmed with happiness. In six months she would be Mrs. Eric Cartwright. She could hardly believe that it was really going to happen. She dreamily remembered the look in his face asked her to be his wife. Spinning around her room, she landed in her pink velvet chair. She closed her eyes and recalled the first day they met.

It was a warm late winter Sunday morning. Rose was seated at the church organ playing the prelude as people were filling into the Virginia City Community Church. Rose had come to Virginia City with her brother, Dervin, when he accepted the invitation to be the new pastor. He needed her to help him get things set up and she needed to start a new life after her fiancé ran out on her the week before the wedding. She could not bear the shame any longer, so she decided to come with her brother to Virginia City.

The Cartwright men entered the church and greeted their neighbors and friends. Hoss looked up and saw a raven-haired lady sitting at the organ. She took his breath away when she looked up and smiled at him. Adam leaned in and whispered into Hoss’s ear, “See what you missed when you were away fixing the fence line? Don’t even think about it, Little Brother, I saw her first.” Adam smiled and sat down in their family pew near the front of the church. Hoss’s heart sank. He knew that if Adam had his eye on her, there was no chance that someone as pretty as this girl would ever look twice at him.

When Rose sat in her pew during the service, she couldn’t keep her mind off the strong, gentle-looking man who sat with the Cartwrights. She had met Mr. Cartwright and his two sons the day before, when they helped unload the wagon that arrived with some of her and Dervin’s belongings. Mr. Cartwright seemed a very kind man. He reminded her of her father who had passed away three years ago. Sitting next to Mr. Cartwright was Joe, a nice young man but she had already heard about his wild streak. Next to Joe sat Adam. Adam was a very handsome man. She liked talking with him but he reminded her of Henry, her former fiancé, and she just couldn’t bear being reminded of those recent events in her life. She was told that there was another son, Hoss, and she guessed that the man seated with them was he. She was looking forward to meeting him after church.

When the services were over, Rose was at the organ packing up her sheet music, when Mr. Cartwright walked up to her and said, “Miss Pickard, your music playing was inspiring today. We have not had someone playing that old organ for many years. I forgot how much it added to the services.”

“Why thank you, Mr. Cartwright. It is a very nice organ. I was delighted to learn that the church had one so nice”, Rose said, smiling at Hoss.

Ben Cartwright noticed the look on both their faces and quickly began introductions. “Miss Pickard, this is my middle son, Hoss. Hoss, this is Miss Rose Pickard, the Reverend Pickard’s sister.”

Hoss was drowning in the depth of Rose’s dark brown eyes, when his father quickly tapped his leg with the edge of his boot and brought Hoss back to the conversation. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Pickard. May I carry your bag to your surrey?”

“Thank you, Hoss, and it’s very nice to meet you as well.” She hoped her quick answer did not give away the fact that she could sense her heart beating faster than normal. When their hands brushed against each other, it was like a bolt of lightning shooting through the both of them. They quickly turned from each other and began to walk toward the door.

Dervin Pickard stood at the door, greeting his congregation as they left. He was receiving warm wishes from all as they walked out. Ben Cartwright and his sons walked up to him. “Reverend Pickard, I would like to introduce my middle son, Hoss.” The two men shook hands and exchanged greetings. Ben continued, “I’d also like to remind you of the reception we’re hosting tonight at the Ponderosa.”

Dervin smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Cartwright. Rose and I are looking forward to it. It’s very kind of you to have a reception for us tonight.” He shook hands with both Adam and Joe. “I hope to return the favor when Rose’s piano arrives. She is a wonderful cook and, as you heard, plays very well.”

The rest of the day on the Ponderosa was filled with activity. Ladies from the church came to the house delivering their home-cooked recipes for the reception. The dining table was almost full even before Hop Sing set out the food that he was preparing. Every chair in the house was on the first floor. When the house was all set, each of the men went to their room to get themselves ready. When Ben came downstairs, he heard a knock at the front door. He opened the door, and a lovely vision of pink silk and the aroma of roses greeted him. “Reverend Pickard and Miss Rose! Welcome! Won’t you please come in and have a cup of punch?” Ben took Dervin’s hat and escorted them inside. “The guests will be here shortly. Miss Rose, you’re truly a vision.”

When Hoss heard Rose’s name, he walked out of his room and down the stairs. He stopped on the landing when he saw her. He could not believe what he saw standing before him. Rose was the most beautiful dream that he had ever seen. When their eyes met, he just stood there, wondering if that look in her eyes was meant for him. Rose’s heart began to race when she saw Hoss walking down the stairs. He looked so handsome in his black suit, white shirt, and black string tie. When she looked into his eyes, she became breathless. The look in his eye made her feel lightheaded. She sat down on the settee that was right behind her, hoping that he could not notice how nervous she was.

When Hoss broke his gaze at Rose, he found himself standing next to Adam on the landing. Once again his heart fell, for he knew that the look in Rose’s eyes must have been meant for his older brother. Rose watched them descend the stairs together and walk toward her. She was almost sure Hoss could hear her heart beating wildly as he came nearer. When they were standing in front of her, Adam reached his hand out to her, saying “Rose, you are a vision to behold.”

“Thank you, Adam”, giving a sweet smile to him. She looked at Hoss questioningly. “Miss Rose, you do look very pretty this afternoon. Excuse me please.” Hoss had to get away from Rose and Adam. At the very thought of her, Hoss wanted to jump on Chubb and ride as fast and as far as he could. He knew that he couldn’t, so he went to the far corner of the room and joined his father and the Reverend Pickard. Adam looked down at Rose and saw a look of disappointment come across her face. Rose’s wistful look spoke volumes to him and he suddenly understood his brother’s actions. He realized at that point that there was no chance for him and the lovely Rose. Guests were arriving by now, and Adam left Rose in the company of the ladies who had started to gather around her. He went over to Hoss, with his curiosity getting the better of him. “Why did you leave our conversation so quickly, Hoss? I think Rose would like to visit with you.”

“Adam, I saw the way she looked at you as we walked down the stairs. She doesn’t want to talk to me” Hoss said. He turned away from Adam and his eyes fell on Rose, talking with the guests.

Adam placed his hand on Hoss’s shoulder and asked, “Are you sure, Little Brother, that she was looking at me?” He turned to leave Hoss and went over to pour himself a glass of punch. Hoss watched Adam walk away. With every ounce of his being, he hoped what Adam was suggesting was true.

The afternoon quickly passed. Adam cornered Little Joe and told him of his plan to help Rose and Hoss. “Joe, we should do something to help give Hoss a little push toward Rose. Have you noticed how they keep looking at each other, hoping the other doesn’t see? I have a plan that I think might work so they will see that they care for each other.” They walked away from the crowd to discuss his plan.

Adam walked up to Rose and began to talk to her about their shared interests in music, art, and poetry. While they were talking, Joe went over to Hoss and asked, “Hoss, have you talked with Miss Rose tonight?”

“Yea, Joe, I have.” Hoss looked in Rose’s direction with pain in his eyes, watching her talk with Adam.

Joe continued, “I know you have feelings for her. Go and talk to her. You may be surprised at what you might learn.”

Hoss had his doubts, but he followed Joe’s suggestion anyway. Adam looked up and saw Hoss walking toward them. Rose looked at Hoss and instantly smiled. This was something that Hoss could not miss. Her smile was directed at him! He smiled back and his heart leaped within his chest.

Adam softly cleared his throat, smiling. “Hoss, did you know that Miss Rose’s family had stables back in Virginia? She’s experienced in caring for horses.” Turning to Rose, he said, ‘Hoss is our resident animal expert. We’ve often referred to him as having an extraordinary gift. Actually, we don’t know what we’d do without him! Well, it looks like you two have a lot in common. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave the two of you to talk.” Adam gripped Hoss’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as he left. Hoss knew it was a message that Adam was encouraging him.

Hoss and Rose talked for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Never before had he met a girl that he could talk so freely about animals, his family, and most of all, his lifelong dreams on the Ponderosa. When the evening came to a close, Hoss walked Rose to her surrey where her brother was waiting for her. Hesitating a little, he looked at her and asked, “Miss Rose, could I call on you tomorrow afternoon, say around 2:00?”

“Oh please do, Hoss,” Rose almost said too quickly, “I would enjoy that very much.” He helped her up into the surrey next to her brother and with that, they drove away.

That night Hoss had difficulty focusing on any of his evening chores. The checker game with Joe didn’t seem to interest him at all. “Hoss, it’s your turn”, Joe shouted at him, returning his thoughts to the game at hand.

“Joe, dadburnit, why are you yelling? I know it’s my turn.”

“Then play!” Joe said, impatiently.

“I was thinking, Little Brother”, as he moved the checker piece and found himself the victim of a triple jump and the end of the game. With that, Hoss rose from the chair and said his “Good night” to his father and brothers.

Joe’s raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother. “Hoss, it’s still early. Why are you going to bed?”

“I’m tired, Joe. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, so I’m gonna turn in.”

Looking up from his reading, Ben spoke up. “Joseph, leave your brother alone. If he wants to go to bed, then let him.”

When Hoss got into the quiet of his room, his mind began to focus on Rose. He was lost in thought. He could still smell her soft rosewater scent, the warmth of her hands on his arms when he helped her into the surrey, and her soft voice accepting his request to come calling.

He got into bed and tried to sleep, but it would not come. Only visions of Rose filled his thoughts. He knew that it would be a long night ahead. Tomorrow afternoon would not come too soon.

In the morning, Hoss came downstairs to breakfast with a joyous heart. Even though he didn’t sleep well last night, he was up and ready to get the day going. When he sat down at the table, he picked up the platter that held the eggs and took about half of what he normally would take.

“Son, are you feeling well this morning?” Ben asked with concern.

“Sure, Pa. Why do you ask?” Hoss said happily.

“Well Son, you are not eating your normal breakfast this morning.”

“I’m just in a hurry to get to work so I can take off early this afternoon. I’m meeting Miss Rose at two and taking her to see the lake.”

Ben looked thoughtfully at Hoss. This was the happiest that Ben had seen his son in quite awhile. He should have known that this would include Rose Pickard.

When Hoss came in for lunch, the bath that he had asked Hop Sing to make ready for him was waiting. A clean set of clothes was on his bed. He ate about half of his lunch, to the dismay of Hop Sing and his family. He cleaned up, dressed in his fresh clothes and went to the barn to hitch the surrey. He had just enough time to meet Rose.

On the way to town, Hoss stopped at the hothouse and bought a rose. He pulled up in front of Rose’s house and walked to the door. When he knocked, the Reverend Pickard opened the door and invited him into the parlor to wait for Rose.

“Don’t worry, Reverend. I will have your sister home before dark” Hoss said with a smile. That smile broadened when he looked at the staircase and saw Rose walking down the stairs wearing a green and white day dress. Hoss’s expression made Rose laugh when she reached the floor.

“I must be the luckiest man alive!” Hoss thought to himself. Why, she took his breath away! This was something he was going to enjoy getting used to. He walked her to the surrey. When he helped her into the surrey, that new feeling like a bolt of lightning went through their bodies. “Another thing I will have to get used to”, he thought to himself.

He looked at Rose. “I want to show you the lake. It’s very pretty with all the flowers in bloom this time of year.”

Hoss couldn’t remember when the trip out to the lake had been more enjoyable. The two of them talked about Virginia, the trip west, and how much she liked Nevada, which made Hoss smile.

When they came to the lake, it was her turn to become breathless. It was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. “Oh Hoss, it’s too beautiful for words. I have never seen anything this beautiful in my life.”

“I have” Hoss whispered.

Not sure that she heard what he had said, she looked at him and smiled. In her heart of hearts she knew that she could fall madly and deeply in love with this strong, yet gentle man. They walked around the lake for a while and found a tree to sit under. Hoss took her hand and helped her to sit. He sat down next to her and they watched two fish jumping in the lake. A cool breeze swept over the lake and sent a chill onto Rose. She shivered.

“I’m sorry, Rose” apologized Hoss. “It’s much too cool to be sitting out here. If you want to go, we will.”

“No, I love it here. I’ll be fine.” She decided she’d rather get a chill than leave his side.

He could smell her rosy scent as she leaned in close to him. He placed his arm around her. She snuggled in closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. They spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view and talking about everything under the sun, it seemed. With his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder, they snuggled close. She loved his smell. A clean, wood and leather manly smell that intoxicated her.

When they were getting ready to leave, Hoss stood and helped Rose up. They were standing very close. They both looked into each other’s eyes. Hoss leaned down and began to kiss her. It was sweet and tender at first, but when she showed no resistance, the kiss deepened for both of them. Hoss was first to come to his senses. Gently pushing himself from her, his voice sounded a bit deeper. “Rose, I am so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Oh Hoss, there is nothing to forgive” she whispered. “I wanted to kiss you as much or maybe more than you wanted to kiss me. Hoss…I’m falling in love with you.”

Hoss looked at her with a mixture of shock and relief. He looked into her eyes. “Rose, I have loved you from the first moment I saw you in church.”

Rose tenderly touched his face with great love in her eyes. Hoss took her hand, raised it to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on it.

The rest of the year found Hoss and Rose spending every moment that they could together. Everyone in town was anticipating an announcement soon. One day Hoss came into the house and, seeing his father seated at the great desk going over some papers, walked over to speak to him. “Pa, I need to talk with you about Rose.”

Ben looked up at his son. He had been expecting this talk for some time now. He knew that Hoss had been considering his future with Rose. “Do you love her, Son?”

Hoss beamed. “Yes Sir, more than I could ever love anyone. I can’t, and don’t want to, imagine my life without her.”

“And how does Rose feel?” Ben asked.

“I believe she feels the same”, Hoss answered.

Ben was more than satisfied. He leaned over toward the safe and pulled out a box. “Son, I’ve kept this for you, knowing that this day would come.” Hoss opened the small box that contained a simple gold band.

“It was your mother’s. I know it’s very plain, but it was given with as much love as any grand diamond could have been given. Now Son, go with my blessing and all of the love that was between your mother and me and talk to your young lady.” Speechless, Hoss hugged his father and left the house, headed for his Lady Rose.

As he and Chubb arrived at her house, he could hear that Rose was giving a piano lesson. He quietly went to the out building that served as the Reverend Pickard’s study and knocked on the door. The reverend opened the door and exclaimed “Hoss! This is a pleasant surprise. Rose is in the house finishing up her lessons.”

“I heard them when I rode up. But it’s you that I would like to talk to.”

Dervin could hear the nervousness in the voice of the big man standing before him. He had a feeling that there was going to be a significant change in his little family very soon. “Come on in and have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Thank you” he answered, hoping that holding the cup in his hand might help to calm his nerves. “Reverend, I’ve been courting your sister, and, well, I wanted to come and talk with you to ask for your blessing and permission to ask for her hand in marriage” There! He had said it. Now he could breathe again.

Dervin rose from behind his desk and tried not to smile. He breathed out a heavy breath, took off his glasses, and sat on the edge of his desk. “Hoss, do you love my sister? Now, before you get defensive on me, hear me out. As you know, Rose was engaged to be married to a young man back in Virginia. He claimed that he loved her, but because of some…indiscretions…Rose was left alone with a broken heart. I know that you care for her, but do you love her more than the very air that you breathe?”

“Dervin, she IS the air that I breathe! I will do anything and everything in my power to make her happy.”

Unable to watch Hoss agonize any longer, he said “Yes. You have my permission and blessing to ask Rose to marry you. But if you hurt her in any way, My brothers and I will find you and make you wish that you never knew us.”

Hoss looked surprised at Dervin. He’d never heard a preacher talk like that and wasn’t quite sure how to take the remark, until a broad smile appeared on Dervin’s face. He stood up to give Hoss a strong handshake. “Welcome to the family, Hoss.”

Hoss left the Reverend’s study feeling like his feet weren’t touching the ground. “Now to talk to Rose” he said to himself. He walked up to the front porch and sat in the rocker. He smiled as he heard her voice giving instruction to her student, Mary Johnson. He began to dream about what he was going to say to Rose, when Mrs. Johnson stepped up onto the porch.

“Good afternoon, Hoss”, Mary’s mother smiled.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Johnson. How are you? I believe Mary has just completed her lesson.” He said this just as Rose opened the door.

“Hoss! This is a wonderful surprise!” The higher pitch in her voice gave evidence to the unexpected visit. She looked at Mary. “Remember to practice your scales this week.” Turning to Mary’s mother, she said, “Mary’s lesson went very well today. She’s a bright student, Rachel. Have a wonderful rest of the week, and I look forward to seeing you both on Sunday.”

When Rose walked up to Hoss and looked him in the eyes, a sudden feeling of fear gripped her heart. Something was wrong, and she had to find out what it was.

“Hoss, is something wrong?”

Hoss took a deep breath, looked at her and said, “I need to talk to you. Let’s take a walk.”

She took his hand and began to think back to the last few days. Had she done something wrong? She must have. She had never seen Hoss act like this. They reached the creek that ran close to her house. They sat down on a nearby fallen tree.

“Hoss, did I…” He placed a finger on her mouth. “Please Rose, I have to say this now, or I may not ever say it.”

“Here it comes…” she thought, “He must be trying to end our relationship." How was she going to breathe, live, without being near him?

Hoss took Rose’s hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes as he began to talk. “Rose, I have truly lived for the past year…” He took a long, deep breath and began again. “What I am trying to say is I love you, Rose. You are everything to me, and I don’t want to live another day without you. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

Upon hearing those most precious words being said to her, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She leaned over into his arms and kissed him with a desire that she had forgotten she possessed. "Yes, oh yes, My Beloved! I love you more than words could ever tell!"

Hoss stood up, picked her up, drew her close, and gave her a kiss that was full of the love that was in his heart and left her breathless. Her heart felt like it had been set free from a cage. One day she would tell him all about the feeling that she felt that day.

She came out of her daydream when she heard a knock at her door. “Sister, are you alright? You’ve been very quiet. Come! Supper is ready. We must write a letter to Mother, telling her about your wonderful news. It will take some time for them to get out here, and you know that Mother will want to be here to help you plan every little detail!” Dervin laughed lightheartedly.

Rose stood up and told Dervin that she would be downstairs in a bit. She wanted to freshen up before Hoss returned with his family. They were going to share the good news with them tonight; the news that would soon change her name to Mrs. Eric Cartwright!

RETURN TO LIBRARY