A Different Christmas

by JoeC

It was Christmas Eve, and he was still miles away from home.

For the past few days, Joe Cartwright had been negotiating a contract for a new delivery of telegraph masts for Fort Churchill. Negotiations dragged on, and Joe was worried he might not be home for Christmas. Only in the final minutes did both parties agree on the price.

To reach the stagecoach station, Joe needed to run because he was late. When he came around the corner he saw people standing at the coach.

“Ma’am.  Gentlemen.” Joe tipped his hat. 

Four men and a woman answered his greeting. After the five passengers climbed into the stagecoach, Joe realized there was no seat for him. One of the men brought a second seat because he was very corpulent. Joe made himself as comfortable as he could at the bottom of the carriage. He pulled the collar of his winter coat up to the brim of his hat. Like Joe, the other passengers were also cold from the winter chill.

On the way, the people put the roller blinds of the carriage down because snowflakes kept flying into the interior. The woman pulled a scarf over her head so that only her eyes peeked out. A slight tremor indicated to Joe that she was wearing clothing unsuitable for driving in the cold countryside. Joe would have loved to give her his coat, but that would have meant him freezing to death.

Hour after hour, the carriage moved away from the fort in the direction of Carson City. On their way through the hilly landscape, they passed a small telegraph outpost. Here the driver watered the horses, and the passengers could go outside and walk around to warm up.

Joe went to the lady.  “Ma’am, my name is Joseph Cartwright.” Joe tipped his hat and gave his nicest smile.

“Hello Mr. Cartwright, my name is Charlotte Jordan.”

“Sorry you’re feeling the cold, but there’s not much we can do to keep warm, I’m afraid.”

“You are right, Mr. Cartwright.” Charlotte agreed with Joe.

He wanted to offer his first name, but the driver was shouting to get on the stage. The three men went in, but the fourth had problems to get onboard.  It took one of the men inside pulling and Joe on the outside pushing.

The stage was on its way again. The route became more difficult. Joe noticed a few times how the wheels slipped on small ice surfaces. The driver had so far, been able to avoid all impassable obstacles. Two times the side of the stage, where Joe was sitting, was pushed against ledges and bushes.

“Driver, driver, you have to slow down.” Joe’s warning was lost in all the noises.

Another tilt of the carriage to Joe’s side caused the door to pop open. Joe fell backward out of the Carriage. The woman who tried to hold on to him also flew out.

The corpulent man was also thrown in the direction of the open door, but he stuck fast!

Ahead of them, a sharp bend appeared. Unable to stop, the stagecoach drove into the abyss. The screams of the passengers and the horses were deafening.

 ____________________________________________________

“Pa, do you think Joe will get home today?”

Ben was standing by the open fire, deep in thought, so he didn’t hear Hoss’ remark.

Adam stood next to Hoss and saw their father hadn’t heard. “Pa?” he repeated. “Do you think Joe is coming today?”

Ben turned around and looked into the eyes of his sons.

“I hope he’ll make it to dinner tonight. After all, it’s Christmas Eve.”

“Are you worried?”

“A little, the weather has changed, and because of the snow and cold, I fear, he’ll be stuck in Carson City tonight. If he’s not there by tomorrow morning, we’ll ride out to meet him.”

____________________________________________________

“Damn it, what’s going on here?”

Joe was lying face down on the ground, and there were bushes all around him. It took him a few minutes to remember everything.  Joe stood slowly up. His clothes were torn in places, and scratches were scattered over his body and face. Still dazed, he remembered that a young woman had fallen out of the stagecoach with him.

“Ma’am, where are you?” Joe shouted. When he heard a voice, he went in that direction.  “Are you hurt, ma’am? “

“Help me out of here. I’m under this bush, and stop calling me, ma’am.”

First, Joe saw only the feet and stockings. After a while, the woman stood in front of Joe, and she had some rips in her clothes. In addition, like Joe, she had small scratches on her neck and face.

“Are you all right, Ma’am?

“All well, Mr. Cartwright, I’m fine. I’m mad because this is the second accident with a stagecoach since traveling to Carson, and stop calling me, ma’am!”

It took both a few minutes to straighten their clothes.  Then Joe heard a horse screaming in pain.    

“I’m going down the ravine to put that animal out of its misery and look after the other passengers.”  

A shot echoed up the hill. Minutes later, Charlotte Jordan saw Joe crawling up the hill with some things in his hands. 

“How about the other passengers? Did anyone survive?” The young woman looked worried.

“No, they are all dead.”   

For a minute, Joe and Charlotte went quiet. Both were thinking of the men in the stagecoach, and a shudder went down their spines.

“Miss Jordan, we have no time to stay here. Carson isn’t far away, but the cold weather can be dangerous for us.”

Joe put the clothes, he brought up with him, in front of Charlotte’s feet and urged her to put them on.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Mr. Cartwright, I’m already dressed.”

“You are a real sunshine, Lady, and I like your sense of humor.     Now, put them on.”

“These are men’s clothes. Why should I wear them?”

“If you don’t, you will freeze to death.”

Charlotte looked at Joe with big eyes and she knew this cowboy was right.  A pair of trousers with suspenders, a sweater, a coat, three pairs of socks, and men boots were quickly put on.

“Please excuse my smart mouth. I always talk first and think later.  Shouldn’t we head for the military post?” 

“Carson City is closer.  We must hurry because we need to be there before dark. It will become very cold tonight.”

With every step that Joe and Charlotte took, the woman became calmer.

“Can you still walk?”

“I find it difficult to walk in these boots. Do you know how heavy men’s boots are?”  Charlotte gave Joe a challenging look, and the next moment she realized that her question was plain stupid.  “Oh, that was stupid to ask.” 

“You think?”  Joe’s grin grew very wide, and Charlotte had to laugh too.

“Let’s start over again. My name is Miss Charlotte Jordan, and you can call me Charly.”

“Hello Charly, my name is Joseph Cartwright, and you can call me Joe.”

__________________________________________________

Two hours later, they arrived Carson City and went straight to the sheriff. There they told him everything, and the sheriff told them he’d organize some men to collect the bodies the following morning. 

“If I have any questions, where can I contact you?”

Charlotte said that she was going to see her sister. Joe wanted to get a hotel room until tomorrow and then ride to the Ponderosa.

First, Joe escorted Charly to her sister’s house. She was working, but Charly knew where the key to the house was. It was difficult for both to say goodbye. Joe took Charly’s hand and gave her a light kiss.

“It was nice to meet you, even if the circumstances were rather tragic.”

“Thanks, for your help.”

“We’ll definitely see each other again. I’m often in Carson City.”

“I really hope so, after all we have a common experience, and you now know where I will be living.”

Joe grinned and gave Charly a big hug. Then he headed in the direction of the hotel.

Joe bought new clothes on the way to the St. Charles Hotel. When he arrived at his room, Joe first took a hot bath. The water washed around his naked body. The comforting warmth let Joe’s muscles relax, and a slight moan escaped his slightly parted lips.

After the bath, Joe ordered two big steaks and all the fixings. He was very hungry, but he also realized that it was the first time in his life that he was alone on Christmas Eve. A longing for his family overcame him. Christmas at home was always something special. The moment of sadness passed when the waiter brought the copious meal.

Before Joe could eat the first bite another knock on the door sounded. He thought it was the waiter, and Joe called him in. First, a champagne bottle appeared behind the door, then a box of chocolates. 

A female voice said softly, “Merry Christmas.”

Joe got up from the table and went to the door.

“Charly?”

“Yes. I thought because you are alone on Christmas Eve and my sister must work, we could spend the evening together.” Joe closed the door and conjured up a smile.

“So, you’re Santa Claus then?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m more of the female version of Santa Claus.”

A resounding laugh filled the room.

Joe had ordered so much food that Charlotte could eat with him.

After dinner, Joe opened the bottle of champagne. He handed Charlotte a glass, and both toasted to a special Christmas Eve. After two more glasses, she took the box of chocolates and put one of these delicacies in her mouth. As she did so, she approached Joe. The chocolate held between her red lips, Joe approached, and his lips touched hers. The shared praline was just the beginning of Charlotte’s love game. She opened slowly, button by button, Joe’s shirt. Joe quickly overcame his astonishment that a woman would take the lead, but he got involved in her game. Kiss after kiss followed and her lips traveled down Joe’s body. A groan escaped Joe, and he looked down at the woman. Her red lips shone seductively as she reached for the waistband of Joe’s pants. With delicate fingers, Charlotte opened the buttons. Joe’s excitement rose to extremes. Before he could take her hands in his, she pushed Joe onto the bed.

“It’s unfair, Charlotte, I’m completely naked in front of you, and you’re still wearing all your clothes. Let me help you.” A big grin appeared on Joe’s face.

“You won’t do that, my dear Joe. I’ll undress myself, and you can watch.”

Charlotte stood in front of the bed and began to take off her clothes very, very slowly. The excitement that Joe felt was almost unbearable.  Her slow movements increased Joe’s desire to take Charlotte into his arms. Now, she was sitting on Joe and was moving her pelvis back and forth. Joe closed his eyes to take in the erotic movements of this beautiful woman. Making love with this woman was something very special. She took the time to touch Joe’s body. When she licked his nipple with her tongue, Joe closed his eyes to take in the erotic moment. After a while, Joe straightened up and pulled Charlotte’s face towards him. Intense kisses paired with light movements were the highest form of lovemaking for Joe.

A few hours later, Joe and Charlotte lay exhausted in bed.   

Joe looked directly into Charlotte’s eyes.  “You are a wonderful woman, you know?”

“Thank you, and you are a delightful lover.”

“What will you do after Christmas?”

“I’m going to go work with my sister at Ormsby’s Casino. We’re going to save our money and open our own casino in San Francisco or Los Angeles.”  Joe looked surprised by Charlotte’s statement.  “I can see in your eyes you don’t think much of our plans?”

Joe could hear the hurt in Charlotte’s voice and added, “I think you could do anything and become a good businesswoman. I like that you know what you want. I am glad that we met and that you came to see me. Charlotte, you made my Christmas Eve a very special experience. “

With one move, Joe pulled Charlotte back into his arms.

___________________________________________________

Joe woke up all alone in his bed. Charly having returned to her sister’s house. He looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. Joe got up from bed with a swing when a knock disturbed the silent room. Joe pulled on his pants and opened the door.

A big “hello” filled the room as his family entered.

“Oh, I see our little brother spent the night in a warm bed.”

Ben and Hoss agreed with Adam’s comment.

“How are you, Joseph? We saw the sheriff and he told us about the accident. Good to see you’re safe and sound, son.

“I’m fine, Pa.”

Joe told them about the accident and how he and Charly survived. 

Joe put a few things in his saddlebag and told his family they could ride home now.

“Did you have a Christmas party in your room?” Adam saw the dirty dishes on the table.

“Oh that, no, no party. Only Charly and me.  We celebrated our luck at having survived. Neither of us wanted to be alone on Christmas Eve.

“I’m happy you weren’t alone on that special evening. Come on, Hop Sing will be waiting for us.”

All four left the room and Joe’s look turned back to the bed. A big grin appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice, “Yes, really a very special Christmas.”

The End

December 2021

Thanks to my Beta June

  http://parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/fort-churchill-history

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/nevada/stc.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormsby_House