Adam heard Ben's voice calling his name and thought he was dreaming. Slowly, he realized that he wasn't home and Ben was knocking on the door to his room. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and called, "Come in, Pa."

Ben opened the door and slowly entered the room. "I hated to disturb you but it's nearly 7:00. There are arrangements to complete this morning and the funeral this afternoon. I thought you might want to get some breakfast and get started."

Adam noticed that Ben was looking around the room. "Yes, I should have been up by now. Thanks, Pa."

"This room brings back so many memories." He picked up the picture of Elizabeth on the nightstand and traced her cheek with his index finger, smiling. Looking up at Adam again, "You were born right here."

Adam was sure he was blushing from the memories his father must have been reliving. "Grandfather told me."

"Of course he did." He put the picture back on the nightstand. "I'll be downstairs. Mrs Cook has breakfast ready." With that, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Adam dressed and joined his father for breakfast. While they ate, they talked about the day's plans and, of course, the ranch. Ben had been able to acquire more property after selling some timber. The new property yielded enough additional timber to pay for more prime stock and the herds were growing nicely. Hoss and Little Joe were more than capable of handling most chores and they could now hire hands to help with the ranch. Adam was happy that so much progress had been made but sad that he hadn't been a part of the changes. He changed the subject back to the day's plans. They finished breakfast and walked to the cemetery to make sure the grave was ready, then to the church to finish going over the service with the pastor. Adam stopped at a small florist shop and ordered flowers to be delivered to the church. That took until noon, so they returned to the captain's house for lunch and to get ready for the funeral service.

The service was well-attended by most of the people who had stopped to see Adam the day before. A few had not seen Ben yet and were surprised to see him there. They shook hands and accepted hugs and condolences. Adam felt the support of his father and Mrs Newson and Mrs Cook, who'd accompanied the men to the church. At the beginning of the service, the pastor asked Adam to come up and sing Captain Stoddard's favorite hymn – if he felt able to. Adam agreed and was accompanied on the piano by the pastor's daughter, who had become one of Adam's many friends while he'd lived in Boston. Afterward, Adam sat with Ben. The pastor began the service with a prayer then spoke of Captain Stoddard as a generous and caring man who supported many causes. He also spoke of his service to the church and how he seldom missed a service. Other mourners were asked to stand and say a few words. One by one, they told of how they'd met Captain Stoddard and how he'd helped them. Mrs Cook and Mrs Newson told about what a fine gentleman and employer he was.

Ben stood then. "As you know, Captain Stoddard was my father-in-law and my son's grandfather. I met the captain when I was a young boy. I served as his cabin boy, and, eventually, his first mate. I never met a finer or a more fair man. He became like a father to me and encouraged me to fulfill a dream that Elizabeth and I had about settling a new territory, even knowing that he wouldn't see his only grandchild grow up. I will be forever grateful for that and even more grateful that my son was able to spend his grandfather's last few years here with him." Ben sat down then, and looked at Adam, questioningly.

Adam stood and turned toward the mourners. "I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend Grandfather's last few years with him. I'd gotten letters from Grandfather all my life but we'd never met so I was nervous about coming here. I was welcomed into my grandfather's home, and his heart, right away. I never had to prove myself or try to impress him. He encouraged me to try everything, and I've discovered things about myself I never knew and probably never would have if I hadn't come here. He made me feel like I belong here. I will always appreciate the things Grandfather has done for me and will always love him."

They sang hymns and the pastor said another prayer before they proceeded to the cemetery. After the burial service, Adam noticed that Ben stopped at Elizabeth's grave. He sat on a bench that Adam's grandfather had built. Adam spoke with the pastor a few minutes and watched the last of the mourners leave, then walked to the bench and sat beside Ben. Ben looked up at Adam. "You did a good job with the service, Son. You've also done a good job keeping everything going while your grandfather was too ill to do it. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Pa. I've had four years to learn it." Adam smiled.

" Adam, I'd like to ask you a question." Ben looked deeply into the eyes of his son. "Are you planning to come back home to the Ponderosa?"

Adam started to look away, then thought better of it. Looking back into his father's eyes, he hesitated before he spoke. "If you'd asked me that a few months ago, I'd have had a hard time answering it. Since I got here, my plans have always included going back to the Ponderosa. But, then, my life got so busy and I felt so needed here. With the store and teaching and helping Grandfather, I was sure I wanted to stay here the rest of my life."

Ben was getting worried. "And now?"

Adam ran his fingers through his hair the way he does when he's thinking. "And now, I have nothing left here. I plan to sign the house over to Mrs Newson and Mrs Cook, who've invested practically their whole lives here. I'll set up a small trust for household expenses. I plan to sign over the shop to Mr Boatman, who's spent nearly 25 years there. There won't be anything to keep me here and I have plans to rebuild the ranch house to add a second floor with lots of bedrooms. We might even add indoor facilities."

Ben hadn't realized he'd held his breath until he let it out in relief. "Glad to hear it son. I have to admit that I was afraid of losing you to the big city."

Adam grinned. "You know I like the city but I'd like to try ranch life again. I need to see how big Little Joe had gotten. He's still little enough to be called Little Joe, isn't he?"

"Yes, I don't think he's outgrown you yet." Ben stood. "Let's get back to the house and visit. I've been here the better part of two days and we haven't properly caught up yet. We'll walk tomorrow and visit with your mother and grandfather. I'd like to visit the shop too. Right now, I'm tired and just a little hungry. That Mrs Cook knows her way around a kitchen." Adam had stood and Ben put his arm around his shoulders and guided him away from the cemetery and toward the house.