On a nice summer day Adam Cartwright had taken his twins Mitch and Pam along to Virginia City. The Chinese cook Hop Sing had given along a large shopping list.
“Daddy, when we are in town, do we get an ice cream then?”, asked Mitch.
“If you behave yourselves nicely”, his father replied.
“Strange. We always do that, don’t we?”, was the question of Pam.
Adam sighed deep and looked at his children.
“Most of the time yes. But sometimes…..”, he replied.
“Daddy is just scared that we will become just like Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe. But we are just not like that”, reacted Mitch.
He looked at his twin sister. She thought the same thing. Adam knew enough and kept silent.
In town Sally Baxton went to the General Store. Exactly at that moment Adam stopped the wagon in front of the door. The twins stopped their ponies and dismounted. Somehow Adam and Sally looked at each other and the sparkle flew over to each other. The twins noticed that and decided to give the grown-ups a helping hand.
“Daddy, we must do shopping before the shop is closed”, said Pam.
“Shall I read the list?”, asked Mitch.
“Oh no! No way. You know what happens then”, Adam answered directly.
“What happens then?”, Sally asked curious.
“Then we take a supply for a whole orphanage along. My son Mitch, that lad there, turns the numbers around. His sister Pam fortunately doesn’t do that but she can be sneaky too”, replied Adam.
Mitch and Pam didn’t know where they had to look.
“I am Sally Baxton”, said Sally.
“Pleased to meet you Adam Cartwright”, Adam said while he came off the wagon.
They couldn’t keep their eyes off each other.
“Do you feel like having dinner at my place tonight?”, Sally asked finally.
Adam nodded smiling.
“That offer doesn’t apply for us, does it?”, asked Mitch.
“Of course it is. I cook far too much for myself alone”, replied Sally.
The twins were satisfied.
“Don’t you have a wife to look after those two together?”, asked Sally.
“No, she was killed about one year and a half ago together with their sister, aunt and cousin. Since then I look after them myself. It is tough but I get a lot for it in return. And I can fall back upon my father and younger brothers”, Adam told.
Sally looked at the children and said, “They are quite quick-witted anyway.”
“Too quick-witted sometimes. Come on kids. Shopping time!”, Adam called.
After all the shopping had been done Sally suggested, “Adam, if you take my shopping home I take care of the evening meal. Maybe Pam and Mitch would like to help me.”
“Pleasure”, the kids said at the same time.
“Alright then. You listen to Miss Baxton and stay by her”, Adam said serious to the twins.
They nodded. Adam knew that he could trust his twins.
By the house of Sally droeg Adam carried her groceries inside.
“Adam, what are you such a real gentleman. Just bring the groceries inside for a young, lonely woman like me”, said Sally said admiring.
“Soon he gets his poetry book and he goes to perform something”, Pam said giggling.
“It is in his saddlebag on Sport. And he is at home”, her brother remarked.
They yelled it out of fun. Sally could appreciate it but Adam of course didn’t. The grownups went outside.
“Are they always like that?”, Sally asked by the wagon.
“Most of the time. But I wouldn’t and couldn’t miss them anymore to. I am going to bring this home and come the back as soon as possible”, said Adam.
“Do hurry up. Or there might be nothing left anymore”, Sally said teasing.
“On my way”, was the answer of Adam.
He climbed upon the wagon and rode back to the ranch.
Sally watched him go until he was out of sight. The young woman was already smitten with the eldest Cartwright boy. It was the other way around too.
On the way Adam thought, ‘I never let this gal go anymore. She is fond of the twins and the other way around. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.’
At the Ponderosa Hoss and Little Joe were busy. They saw their brother Adam coming with the groceries but without the twins.
“Adam, where are the kids?”, asked Hoss.
“With Miss Baxton. I go to have dinner tonight and the twins too”, answered his brother.
Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other laughing.
“Our brother is in love. She must be very special to leave the twins there”, said Little Joe.
“She certainly is. Excuse me gentlemen. She waits for me”, reacted Adam.
He stopped the wagon and jumped from the box. He carried the groceries inside where his father Ben Cartwright was.
“Hello pa”, Adam said notable cheerful.
“Hello Adam. Nice that you come home with the groceries. Where are my beloved grandchildren?”, the owner of the Ponderosa Ranch asked.
“Your grandchildren? Can you describe them?”, Adam asked teasing but very serious.
“Mitch is a bit short and carries a walk brace around his left leg. His sister is Pam and is a bit taller than he is. Besides they look very much like you”, Ben explained.
“Oh those two. I have bad news for you”, said Adam.
“And that is?”, Ben asked worried.
“I have traded them in for the groceries”, was the answer.
But yet before Ben literally exploded came the explanation of Adam.
“Pa, don’t worry because the kids are with Miss Sally Baxton. We met each other at the General Store. By the twins she invited me and them for the evening at her place. So I left them at hers. I go away soon. Pa, Sally is really a dear of a woman. She is so enormous attractive and lovely. The kids already like her too”, said Adam.
“After what you have said Miss Sally is just as sweet and lovely as Mary”, said Ben.
Adam nodded.
“Let her come soon here for a dinner”, said Ben.
Adam quickly took a bath and left an hour later for Virginia City.
Meanwhile Sally and the twins got to know each other better. While baking a cake that happened.
“How old are you?”, asked Sally.
“Eleven. We are born on December 25 1862 but our grandparents had separated us at birth. Mitch grew up with daddy and I with mamma. How old are you?”, asked Pam.
“I am 36”, said Sally
“Daddy is already 44”, reacted Mitch.
He looked at her for a second and then at his sister who nodded.
“Will you become our second mother?”, asked Mitch.
Sally looked up from this question.
“I do want that but it also depends on your father”, she answered.
“Do you like animals? We have a lot of animals at home. Mainly horses and cows. But as pets a shepherd dog Cody and Lucky. That is a cat”, said Pam.
Sally answered, “Of course I love animals.”
“Cody often plays along with us when we play ball. We hit the ball away and he gets it. Later I am going to play baseball instead of working at the Ponderosa. The Ponderosa is the name of the ranch where we live. Grandpa is the boss and can be very stern sometimes. But not to us”, Mitch told.
“I already thought that. No wonder that your father says that he has it tough with raising you two”, reacted Sally.
“Daddy is away quite often but then grandpa looks after us. Together with Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe”, said Pam.
Mitch saw how Sally made the cake.
“Mamma always baked a cake too. With Christmas a mocha cake”, he said suddenly.
“Do you miss her?”, Sally asked worried.
The twins nodded.
“I can’t replace her and don’t want to that too. But if it works out between your father and me I look after you as you were mine. I always wanted to have children”, said Sally.
She was already fond of the kids and noticed that they liked her too.
When Adam had come Sally said teasing, “Your kids have told me everything about you.”
“Hm. Surely only bad things?”, he asked worried.
Sally nodded smiling.
“I was only teasing you. They have helped me well and are in the garden”, she said.
“You are already invited by my father for a dinner. I said to him that I have traded the twins for the groceries”, said Adam.
“I accept it. Mitch asked me already if I would become their second mother. I said that I want to that but that it also depends on you. They still miss their mother”, said Sally said seriously.
“I have resolved myself to spend my life with you. Together with the twins”, replied Adam.
“I do want to build it up slowly and go live together in a hurry”, she said.
Adam nodded. He took her into his arms and started to kiss her passionately. But yet before they could go on Mitch and Pam came in.
“Darn, they are clammy”, Mitch said with discourage in his voice.
Adam and Sally didn’t know where they had to look.
“Nice children I have”, Adam sighed.
The evening meal tasted everyone very well. Sally noticed that the twins were raised well by Adam.
“Daddy, she cooks just as delicious as Hop Sing”, said Pam said at a certain moment.
“Who is Hop Sing?”, Sally asked curious.
“He is our Chinese cook and takes also care of the lock, stock and barrel in the house. The kids are fond of him and the other way around. They are the only ones who may come into the kitchen”, replied Adam.
“So there are no women except Pam at the ranch?”, asked Sally.
“No, they can’t stand it there very much long”, was the answer of Adam.
“Or otherwise they will leave on their own when they see Uncle Joe”, said Mitch.
“That too of course”, his father reacted.
The dinner was so cozy that Adam and the twins stayed the night. When Adam and Sally were alone they could talk further.
“Your kids said that you are away a lot for business”, she said.
“That’s true but if there is something I am there for them. But enough about those two. I want to know more about you”, said Adam.
“I come from San Francisco where my parents and younger sisters are still living. They demanded that I married the son of a banker so I left to live here. I do want a baby but ten with a man who loves me and whom I love. Like you, Adam Cartwright”, Sally told.
“I love you too. You are really special. Like you deal with the kids. And I know for sure that our baby will be super special. Your beauty and my intelligence: a fine combination”, reacted Adam.
He looked at her smiling so that Sally couldn’t resist her boyfriend.
“They will say that we rush matters to hard but I will not let you go anymore. Stay by me and I will look after you, the twins and our children”, said Sally.
A passionate kiss was the answer of Adam.
The decision of Adam and Sally to build up a life together was well received by especially Mitch and Pam. But also by the brothers and father of Adam. Sally got received with open arms.