Summary: Part seven of The Cherry Tree Saga –
Word Count: 1750
The Cherry Tree Saga
Mim’s house was a small yellow one-story house tucked away behind the newer, more imposing mansions, rising up the hill overlooking Virginia City. It was set on a three-acre parcel of property with a barn and some small out buildings to the rear. It was less than a mile walk down the hill to the schoolhouse and the offices of the Enterprise.
Adam was very familiar with the little house having spent many hours there over the years. Hank Wallace had tutored him in mathematics at the dining room table before he went to college and the Cartwrights were always Mim’s welcome guests for Sunday dinners.
Adam had mixed feelings about his visiting Kate with no one else around, trying to push to the back of his mind his own nervousness and the problems that were looming around his growing relationship with Kate. His father and Joe had each written him in San Francisco about the difficulties she was having and both had asked him to help her. All his work was done in San Francisco and before he headed back to Boston, he decided to go home to the Ponderosa for a visit.
All of a sudden Adam Cartwright realized his mind was on Kate Wallace all the time. And he wasn’t just thinking of her as Joe’s friend or Mim’s niece. Traveling all over the world for Stoddard and Bruce suddenly seemed very unappealing and burdensome.
He tried to appear nonchalant as he approached the house, but cast a wary glance around as he pushed open the gate, hoping there was no one around to remark on his visit and add to the gossip that was already beginning to circulate. Mrs. Butler and her hen parties were still quite chatty about Joe’s “rudeness” months earlier. A divorced woman in Virginia City was scandalous enough and Adam certainly was not going to do anything to cause Kate to be a target of more gossip. He also confused about how he found himself thinking about her and being alone with her made it even more complicated.
To add to his discomfort, Adam knew that he had to tell her what the lawyer, Levi Victor had found out about Striker. He was not looking forward to telling her the bad news.
“Kate, I got the information from our lawyer in San Francisco this morning. You remember we introduced you to Levi Victor? He said all the papers are filed with Judge Kane and hopefully your divorce will come through pretty soon.”
”How long Adam? This is taking so long.” She poured steaming coffee into his cup and sat down next to him at her kitchen table.
”He said about another month or so. But Kate, he said they checked out all those accounts you had…”
Adam stopped for a minute. He was unsure how to proceed with the rest of the information Victor had sent. He spread out a folder of official looking papers across the kitchen table, banks statements, legal forms, letters on cream colored linen stock written in a fine hand.
“I had asked him to check all those accounts with the money and stocks your father had left you. Katie. Its all gone. Striker closed them all out before he left you. All the money is gone.”
Kate shook her head, her eyes wide in disbelief .She opened her mouth and no words came out. She moved the papers around as if she could find some error or dollar bills mixed among the documents. She put her hand to her mouth and stared at the papers.
She gasped and said “All gone? All of it Adam? There has to be a mistake. That was all of the money my father had from working for the mining company for years and selling my parent’s house.” her voice dropped off. “How could that happen ?”
“Al was your husband and what ever you have was his. Do you remember signing any papers for him?”
“I…I don’t know sometimes he asked me to sign papers. But he said they were just routine household things, the lease and such and he knew what he was doing. “
She could see Al’s icy black gaze in her minds eye even now and tried to scowl back at the image, as if this would scare it away. Al Striker was like a dark cloud hanging over her.
“Adam, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying your husband had huge gambling debts and bad business ventures of his own that have gone sour and he has used your funds to keep going. There may even be more but we can’t tell right now.”
“More what?”
”More things that might not be so legal. Maybe some criminal charges against him, outstanding warrants and the like. Victor is looking into it, Kate.
Katie’s stomach felt like it was being ripped apart, and quietly she asked, “Criminal charges? Could he have gone to jail? What money do I have left?”
“Well, not much in San Francisco I am afraid to say. Most likely nothing at all. We arranged for the rest of your furniture and household goods to be shipped back here but there is not much of anything else left. You do have whatever Mim left for you here in Virginia City. The house and the paper, but not much more“
She stared at him trying to decide what to do next.
”You can sell the paper and that will give you some money.”
“How could Al do this?” She stood up from the table and put the coffee pot back on to the stove.
An uncomfortable silence filled the little kitchen. Adam looked at her as she made himself busy at the stove. He neatly restacked all the papers and put them back into the folder.
Kate still had her back to him. He stood up and walked behind her. Adam reached out and gently holding her arm he turned her to him. Her hazel eyes of tears and she was trying hard to control the disappointment she felt at being used and deceived.
Adam said thoughtfully, “I don’t know, sometimes people get into difficulty and they see an easy way out and they just don’t think about the consequences.”
She yanked her arm from his hand.” dam, don’t make excuses for that skunk. How could he steal the money I needed to take care of his son?” She screamed with frustration. She slammed the half filled blue enameled coffee pot down on the iron stove with a crash. The lid flew off and clattered to the floor. Coffee splashed on the stove and it hissed when it hit the hot iron.
“Damn him.” She hollered bagging the coffee pot again. “Damn that son of a bitch. Its not enough that he walks out but he has to take everything with him.”
Adam stood up from the table and walked over to Kate. For a small woman who looked like she would be blown over by a stiff wind, she cursed like a sailor on the Barberry Coast.
Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks and he raised his hand to wipe them away with his thumb. He held out his other arm and she fell against his chest and cried until there was only a feeling of emptiness left.
Adam put his chin against her soft brown hair and said, “I’ll help you, you’re not alone.” She was very small in his arms.
Her voice muffled against his black shirt he heard her ask, ” Damn him, Adam. When is it going to quit? I made one rash judgment in falling in love with a skunk and it looks like I am going to pay for this for the rest of my life. How could I have been so damn stupid?”
Adam pulled her close and stroked her honey brown hair.” Darlin’ you’re not stupid. You are one of the smartest people I know. Kate you made the best decision you could with the information you had at that time…you may never be able to forgive Striker but you have to forgive yourself. You just made a bad decision in marrying the guy but you didn’t know any of the other things that made him behave like he did. But don’t think he didn’t love you, because I’m sure he did. I saw you together that time in San Francisco when Sam was just a baby. But it was just not the way you or your boy deserves to be loved.“
Adam remembered the first time he consoled her at the dance when she was not more than thirteen or fourteen. She cried in his arms then too over nasty guys who had broken her heart for and instant, standing next to him, she didn’t look much older than she did that on the porch crying that no one wanted to dance with her.
“Do you have a handkerchief ? “ Kate asked him sniffling. “I got the front of your shirt all wet from my crying.”
Adam took his hand away from her hair and pulled a big white linen handkerchief from his pocket. She took it and said “You’re right, Adam.”
He nodded “Time you learned I always am.” He grinned at her.
“Little Joe always said you thought you were right all the time and it made him crazy. I can deal with crazy, Adam Cartwright.” She smiled up at him. “I think I may be halfway there already.”
Stepping closer Adam put his arms around her. She sighed and felt her relax against his chest He held her more tightly. “We’ll work this out, Katie, don’t you worry, I won’t let anything hurt you or Sam ever, I promise.” He whispered against her hair and kissed her head.
Quickly she brushed aside a stray tear as she tried even harder to reassure him with a smile.“I love you Adam Cartwright” she whispered. “But I won’t sell the paper. I need to be able to take care of Sam no matter what happens. And Mim didn’t work for twenty years holding the Enterprise together for me to sell it. This house too, Adam. This is all I have and I am not giving it up.”
“You always were mule stubborn.”
Continue on to The Cherry Tree Saga Part 8
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