LOST AND FOUND

Part One: Heaven

A state or place of compete happiness

Mr. And Mrs. John Larson

respectfully request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Rebecca Muldrew

to

Joseph Francis Cartwright

Son of Mr. Benjamin Cartwright and the late Marie Cartwright

on Saturday evening, the eighteenth of September

Eighteen Hundred and sixty -two

At seven o’clock in the evening

Ponderosa Ranch

Virginia City, Nevada Territory

Rebecca was ecstatic to see that the invitations were finished. She had gone to Mrs. Potter that morning in hopes of simply seeing how they looked. She was surprised to find all of the invitations had been written and addressed. Rebecca returned home, reading and rereading the invitation. It was hard for her to believe it was actually true. She and Joe would soon be husband and wife. She said it out loud, “Mrs. Joseph Cartwright.” She ran the title over in her head. No, she thought, it would be Rebecca Cartwright, wife of Joe Cartwright. She liked that much better.

Rebecca was lost in a daydream of the wedding when there was a knock at the door. She tore herself away from her thoughts and answered it. Standing there was her fiancee.

“Joe! What a surprise. I didn’t think I’d get to see you until Friday evening.” She said, as she jumped into his arms.

“Are you kidding? I couldn’t wait that long. I told Pa I would pick up the supplies, but I think he knew my real reason for wanting to come into town.” Joe said, giving Rebecca a big smile and a squeeze. “Are you gonna ask me in, or are we gonna give Mrs. Woods across the street more to gossip about?”

“Let her talk, Joe.” Rebecca moved aside for Joe to enter. “My mama is in the kitchen, so come on in.” He removed his hat, as he crossed the threshold. Rebecca knew that although Joe and she were engaged, her parents still expected her to have a chaperone if Joe was in the house.

“Hey, Mrs. Woods,” Rebecca called across the street. “Beautiful day isn’t it? Joe and I are going to go in and talk now.” Rebecca shut the door, and both she and Joe laughed heartily.

“Rebecca, I can’t believe you. Sometimes you make me look like a saint.” Joe shook his head smiling.

“Now I wouldn’t say that!” Rebecca then called to her mother, “Mother, Joe’s here.”

Mrs. Larson came into the living room from the kitchen. “Well hello, Little Joe. How’s your Pa and brothers?”

“They’re just fine, Mrs. Larson. How are you?” Joe was always nervous talking to Rebecca’s mother. He felt maybe she knew some of the less than “gentlemanly thoughts” he had about her daughter. He stood fumbling with his hat in his hands. At that moment, Rebecca took the hat to hang up on the hat tree, leaving Joe more uncomfortable without his ready made distraction.

“Oh, I’m doin’ good, Joe. Can you stay for supper tonight?” Mrs. Larson asked, as she noticed his nervousness. She had seen his confidence with her daughter, but he seemed much younger when he talked to her or her husband. She found his manner endearing.

“Oh, can ya, Joe?” Rebecca excitedly asked.

“No Rebecca, I can’t. I gotta get supplies back to the ranch, but maybe we could go for a ride before I head back?” Joe offered.

“Well Mama? Can I?” Rebecca asked, not taking her eyes off of her fiancee.

“Sure. You two have fun and be careful. Rebecca, supper is promptly at six.”

“I know Mama. I’ll be back.”

“Don’t you worry Mrs. Larson. I’ll have her back in plenty of time.” Joe said, wanting to show he was responsible.

“Oh, I trust you Joe. You kids have a good time.”

The Larson’s could not be happier about the engagement of Joe to their daughter. The Cartwright’s had been family friends for years, and they had known Joe since he was a little boy. For a long time Mrs. Larson had known that her daughter was in love with Little Joe. She would watch how Rebecca looked at Joe when he was not looking at her. Now she saw how Joe looked at her daughter. It was just as obvious that Joe loved her daughter deeply.

Mrs. Larson allowed Joe and Rebecca more privacy than most mothers would approve of, but she felt the two should be enjoying themselves right now. She knew Joe was brought up in a good family and respected her daughter. She had heard the rumors and talk about Joe, but she found it rather amusing and without merit. He never had done anything to shame a girl.. He just liked to flirt a lot. And Mrs. Larson also knew her daughter. Little Joe Cartwright had met his match as far as Rebecca being able to stand toe-to -toe with him.

Mrs. Larson walked back into the kitchen and returned to her baking.

Joe and Rebecca were on the way out the door when Rebecca stopped. “Oh, Joe I almost forgot. Before we go, look, we got the invitations back from Mrs. Potter.”

“Let me see.”

Rebecca proudly handed the invitation to Joe. He read it over and found his heart skipping a beat. It wasn’t because he was afraid. It was because he could not believe that he was actually going to get to make Rebecca his bride. Joe had felt more peace and happiness over the last six month than he had ever experienced. He knew it was because of her, and how he was when he was with her. “Lets bring this along with us.” Joe said, but added in a whispered, “Lets find some time alone.”

“Good idea.” Rebecca whispered back, and they walked out the door.

As they walked down the path from the house to the road, Joe apologized. “Sorry all I’ve got is the buckboard. It rides rough, but that just means you have to hold on to me tight.”

“Oh and isn’t that a tragedy!” She flirted back.

”Sure is. ” Joe said taking her by her waist to help her up onto the buckboard. But before he lifted her, he turned her towards him, their eyes locked, and he held her there for a minute. So much went unsaid in words, but so much was said by his look. Then Joe gently helped Rebecca up and into the wagon and followed behind her. He gathered the reins and signaled the horses to move forward.

Joe and Rebecca had their favorite place to go to when they wanted to be alone. Rebecca knew a lot of the people in town would frown upon her being alone with Joe, but she really did not care what they thought. She did not though, want to embarrass her parents. The more she thought about it, the more she found it funny that when everyone knew Joe and Rebecca were friends, no one thought twice about the two of them doing things together. Now that everyone knew they were courting and now engaged, she felt like she was watched every minute she was with him. She had shared this with Joe, and he laughed and had told her he had felt the same way.

In order to remove themselves from prying eyes and to be able talk freely, Joe and Rebecca had found their own place to go when they were fortunate enough to be alone, although those times were rare. They had chosen a small, quiet meadow on the Ponderosa that had a grove of tall trees and a pond. The meadow was special to them because they had played there many times as children. It had been in that meadow that Joe had kissed Rebecca when they were only ten. They had chosen the place again to be a place where they could kiss.

It was to this place that Joe drove the buckboard. During the drive to the meadow, Rebecca asked Joe to start to teach her how to drive a team of horses. He patiently began showing her how he did it, and she enthusiastically watched. It was in doing things such as this, that Joe found himself the happiest. He had never been as comfortable with a girl as he was with Rebecca. And her genuine interest in him and the things he did, made him feel important.

In the beginning of their romantic relationship, it had been uncomfortable between them. There had been the initial awkwardness of redefining who they were with each other. Quickly though, they were able to return to the rhythm of their friendship, and the love between them grew naturally.

Joe pulled the horses to a stop and dismounted the wagon He walked around and reached for Rebecca, put his arms around her waist and gently helped her down. They held hands and walked lazily over to the grove of trees and sat down.

“Rebecca, can I see that invitation again?” Joe asked. Rebecca handed it to him and watched him reread it. Joe looked over the invitation and broke out laughing. “Muldrew? Your middle name is actually Muldrew? Where’d your folks get that one from?”

“Stop it.” She said laughing herself and playfully hitting him on the shoulder.

“No, no, this is good.” Joe continued to laugh. “What exactly is a Muldrew?” Joe was laughing so hard it was hard to talk and he fell over on his side. “I thought my middle name was bad.”

“Would you quit it!” Rebecca was also laughing harder. “Muldrew is my mother’s maiden name.”

“Too bad her maiden name wasn’t Ann or Sue, huh?” Joe quipped. “Hey, and anyway, how come our middle names are even on here? From the looks of it, I don’t think either one of us would benefit from this type of advertisin’.”

“Joe weren’t you listening when I told you I’d gotten that manners book from Carson City when I got the material for my dress? In the book it says that this is the way wedding invitations are supposed to be written.”

Joe had heard a lot about the manners book since Rebecca had gotten it. He did not understand why there was so much that had to be done about a wedding, and why it had to be done a certain way. He did not care if they got married in the saloon, just as long as she married him. But Joe was wanting Rebecca to have the wedding she had dreamed of since she was a little girl, so he humored her.

“If that is the way its supposed to be, then by all means, lets do it.” Joe responded. “Does your manners book say anything about me kissing you right now?”

“As a matter of fact it does.”

“Oh, it does now? What does it say?”

“It says that young, handsome, deep green-eyed, dark curly-haired, smooth-talking men are not to be trusted. They even have lecherous thoughts.”

“Oh it does, does it?” Joe said moving in close to her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

“It also says that those type men I just described are about the best kissers in the territory.” She said, smiling at him. Joe kissed her deeply and she responded in kind.

“I love you so much, Joe.” Rebecca said, as they broke their embrace.

“I love you too.” Joe said and laid down comfortably on his side, propping himself up on one elbow.

“ Joe, are you still having those nightmares?” Rebecca asked.

Joe had confided in her that he was having nightmares from his ordeal with Katherine LaGrande. He had not discussed what Katherine had said and done to him with anyone except Rebecca. He really did not like to think about it, but he had found that talking to Rebecca made the dreams occur less often.

“Yeah, but not as often. I had one night before last. It seems that they’re worse when I’m really tired, and I was exhausted that night.”

“I worry about you. Its been over six months since that happened.” She looked at him, the concern showing on her face.

“Rebecca, you don’t need to worry. LaGrande is dead, and I’ve mended up just fine.”

“Joe, I know you so well, and I know that you keep things on your mind for a long time.” She looked at him with worry in her eyes.

“I don’t think of it much any other time. I just can’t control what I dream about, I guess.”

“What other things do you dream about, Joe?”

“I’m not tellin’,” He teased.

“Oh come on Joe, tell me.”

“Nope.” He said, putting a long strand of grass in his mouth and chewing the end.

“You ever dream about me?” She asked him while she carelessly played with his hair.

“Oh, yeah!” Joe said a little too enthusiastically.

The way Joe answered caught her attention. “So tell me.”

“Uh uh.” Joe was embarrassed at the way his answer had popped out.

“Please?” She begged.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“A fella’s gotta have some secrets. Anyway doesn’t your manners book say something about bein’ too nosy?” Joe said attempting to change the subject.

“I’m not being nosy, I’m just gettin’ to know my husband.”

Joe liked the sound of that and smiled. “You know, Bec,” Joe had called her Bec before they had fallen in love. They had been childhood friends, and he had treated her like one of his male friends until she had saved his life. She had told him later that she had liked to be called Rebecca, more so than Bec. Joe had taken to calling her Rebecca, but every so often he slipped and called her Bec. Rebecca found his occasional slips to be sweet. “I was thinkin’ over what happened to me with that woman, and you know what is strange about it? She was talkin’ all this about love, and how much she loved me, but in the whole thing I found real love... and that’s you.”

“Joe that’s sweet.”

“No it’s true. I’ve been so happy these past months. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not about to thank her, but it’s just odd.”

“Joe until you kissed me that day, I doubted I would’ve ever been here with you.”

Joe thought about that day and then began to think about the past six months...

After being injured, Joe spent many days just sitting around the ranch letting his body heal. He had been violently attacked by the mad woman, and his body took time to mend. That required him to live a much more sedate life than he was used to. It was after Rebecca visited him, and he had kissed her, that he found himself unable to go very long without thinking of her. He was amazed that she was so beautiful. He had seen her so many times before that day, but on that day, he actually noticed her. Since he had kissed her, he spent time wondering when he could see her again.

The two had know each other since they were both seven and attended school together. Joe had attended the school since age six, and Rebecca was new to town, her family having just moved from St. Louis. Joe had a knack for being disruptive in class and was always being moved from one seat to another by a desperate teacher attempting to find some place for him that would keep him out of trouble. Many of his disruptions came from the mere fact that Joe was a very active little boy, and found sitting in a seat for very long as being equated with torture. It was during one of these frequent moves that Joe was put behind a little girl with long brunette braids, Rebecca Larson. She towered over Joe, and he had a hard time seeing around her. It was not that she was necessarily so tall, it was that he was so small. Throughout his childhood he had been much smaller than the rest of the children his age. Joe did not seem to let this slow him down because for the most part, he saw himself in his mind as the same size as his fellow classmates. It was when someone reminded him this was not the case that Joe became very angry and a fight would often result.

The time of Joe and Rebecca’s official meeting was a hot spring day, and Joe was bored in class, as usual. He was glad to hide behind someone, but found that just sitting there was not fun either. That was when he had gotten the idea to try and put the little girl’s hair in his inkwell without her noticing. He had been successful at keeping his victim unaware, and in his confidence he then attempted to write his name on his paper with his makeshift pen. At that time, Rebecca felt the tugging on her hair and pulled her braid back around to her front. The ink on her hair flew onto the clothes of the girl in front of Rebecca. There was a small commotion, and the little girl whose dress was ruined glared at Rebecca.

Later, during recess, the girl with the damaged clothing had gathered some of her friends and began to pick on Rebecca. Joe saw this happening and noticed the look on Rebecca’s face. It was a cross between anger and fear. Joe felt bad about what he had done, saw she was out numbered, and stepped in. He took on the group of girls on Rebecca’s behalf. The result of his intervention was a black eye for Joe. Rebecca then punched the girl who had punched Joe and put her in the dirt. It was then that he and Rebecca became fast friends. Joe had found it neat that a girl could punch so good.

It took a while for Joe to live down the fact he had been punched by a girl, but he felt good that his Pa told him he had done the right thing in defending Rebecca, and not hitting the girl back. However, he was reprimanded for having put Rebecca in the situation in the first place. It was from this encounter that their long-term friendship and then courtship began.

Ben had been witness to the kiss Joe had given Rebecca after being was attacked. He noticed his son had been oblivious to the fact that both his father and Rebecca’s father, John had been standing near by. Since that time, Ben had noticed Joe was talking about Rebecca a lot. He found himself thinking he would be very happy if Joe fell for that particular young lady. She was a fine girl. The only girl Ben thought he had seen who could handle his wild son. The other girls Joe had shown some interest in seemed to be lacking that quality. His father knew whomever Joe chose as his wife, she had to be a woman who was strong and full of life. He knew Rebecca to be both.

Joe was restless. He was not used to staying in one place for very long, and it was getting to him. He had done as his Pa had said and had taken it easy as long as he thought he could. He still hurt at times, but he did not want it to slow him down. He was missing his friends, and he could not believe that he was missing doing work around the ranch. Most of all he was missing seeing Bec. He was trying to figure a way to get to see her when his Pa spoke. “Joe, would you like to ride into town with me today?”

Joe was taken aback. His Pa was actually asking him if he wanted to go to town? “Yeah, sure Pa. What’d you have to do?”

“Oh, some banking and I need to meet with the Cattleman’s Association.”

“Um, do you think I could have some time to see a couple of my friends?”

“Yeah, I could probably spare the time.” Ben smiled. He thought he knew who Joe really wanted to see.

Ben noticed that Joe lit up. “Oh good Pa. I’d like to see... um everyone.”

“Do you feel strong enough to ride Cochise, or should we take a buggy?” Ben looked at his son with concern.

“No Pa, I’m feelin’ pretty good. I’d rather have Cochise to get around in town.” Actually it was uncomfortable to ride, and Joe had not done much since he was hurt, but he wanted to have the freedom of having his own horse in town.

“Well, we’ll take it easy on the ride in. Lets saddle up.”

Ben and Joe rode side by side across the Ponderosa towards town. As they rode, Ben noticed his son trying to quicken the pace. He tended to worry about Joe more so than his other two, because he felt his son did not worry enough. “Son, hold her back some.” Ben said, referring to Cochise. “You don’t need to do a whole lot of bouncing around.”

Joe had grown used to his father fussing over him, but he really did not want to draw out the ride. He kept thinking of going to Bec’s house, and that caused him to give Cochise more reign, resulting in Cochise picking up the pace. He had though, been feeling pain in his back from the ride and knew his father was probably right. It just seemed that it was taking too long.

When they entered town, Joe was quick to ask, “Well Pa, can I take off and meet you some place later?”

Ben had to smile at his son’s eagerness. “Sure Joe. How ‘bout in the International House at say, oh five o’clock. I’ll buy you supper.”

“Sounds good, Pa.”

Joe went to ride off, but his father’s words stopped him. “Joseph, you behave yourself.”

“I will, I will.” And with that, Joe rode off in a gallop.

Ben watched his son ride off. He shook his head and wondered if his son ever slowed down.

Joe headed straight to Bec’s house. As he rode he found himself starting to get nervous. That was a new feeling for him in regards to Bec and to girls in general. Before, he’d never thought twice about going to her house and seeing what she was up to. But now he had so many thoughts about her that had changed his feelings, and he was not sure he could talk to her. Joe thought to himself. “Now there’s a first. I can’t come up with something to say to a girl.”

Joe had a talent for flirting with girls that was legendary. He seemed to be able to read each one and tell them what he knew they wanted to hear. He had enjoyed kissing and flirting with different girls, and he had to admit he liked the attention. Though this time, he knew it was very different. He would never had these feelings he had inside of him regarding a girl, and he knew he had to tell her.

He arrived at the Larson home without a good idea as to how he was going to talk to Bec. He did not have much of a chance to think after he dismounted, because she came around the corner at that moment. “Hey Joe!” Rebecca called out. She had a big smile on her face, so happy to see him again.

“Uh, hey Bec. How are you?” He looked at her, and his heart skipped a beat. She was dressed in her usual work clothes, not all done up like she had been when she visited him at the ranch, but he saw her in the same light he had seen her that day. He realized that he would have a different reaction to the sight of Rebecca Larson from now on.

“I’m just fine. More importantly how are you? Here, come over and lets sit down.” Rebecca said motioning towards the porch.

“Oh, okay.” Joe couldn’t believe it was so hard to talk. He moved to the porch and sat next to her. “I’m doin’ fine, thanks to you and Pa.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay Joe. That whole ordeal was so scary. “

“Yeah it was.” Joe was not wanting to think about what had happened to him. He quickly changed the subject. “So, tell me what’s new around here.”

Rebecca began to update Joe on the events around town. Joe looked into her eyes as she talked, but found that he only half heard her. He kept thinking of how good her hair had smelled and the kiss they shared.

“Joe? Hello Joe?” Rebecca questioned.

“Huh, …oh, what’d you say?”

“Where were you?”

“Um, just thinkin’ about stuff.”

“Like what?”

“It’s nothing” Joe said blushing.

“What’s with you? You don’t seem yourself. This is the quietest I have ever heard you.”

“Well uh, its just, uh”

“Spit it out, Joe. Why are you so nervous?”

Should he tell her? He wondered to himself. What should he say? He took a deep breath. “Bec, um, Rebecca I uh, I’ve been thinkin’...”