Mariette DuPont stood staring down at her father's grave. Ben and Marie Cartwright were on either side of her. "Come, ma cherie, it is time to leave." Marie took the young girl's hand, and led her away to the Cartwright's buggy. Ben lifted the child into the back of the buggy, and Marie climbed up beside her. She put her arm around Mariette, and pulled her close. Ben climbed into the front and slapped the back of the horse with the reins as they headed towards the Ponderosa.

Mariette noticed the direction they took. "Aren't you taking me home?"

"Oui, ma cherie, we are taking you home with us." Marie tried to reassure her.

"But my home is the Lazy R, not the Ponderosa, Mr. Cartwright." Mariette was surprised she had to point it out to him.

Ben stopped the buggy and turned around. "Sweetheart, your father and I were friends for a long time, and he and I decided that if anything happened to either one of us, the other one would raise his children. You will come home with me and become part of my family now."

Mariette stared at him for a few seconds, and then began sobbing. Marie held her close, and nodded to Ben to drive on. By the time they reached the Ponderosa, Mariette had cried herself to sleep. Marie eased her down to Ben who carried her inside.

Hop Sing saw them coming and opened the door. Marie went ahead of Ben to Mariette's bedroom. It was across from the baby's room, near Ben and Marie, so that Marie could hear her if she called out in the night. Marie turned down the covers, and Ben laid Mariette down on the bed. Marie nodded for him to go as she began to unbutton Mariette's shoes.

Ben went to the room he and Marie shared, and changed clothes before going back downstairs. As he passed Mariette's door, he saw that Marie had closed it. Adam, Hoss, and Joe were waiting for him in the great room. "Hello, boys." As he looked at them, he thought of a father who would no longer be able to hold his child, and he put his arms around Adam and Hoss.

Normally shy of displays of affection, Adam recognized his father's need and returned his hug. "How was it, Pa?" he asked.

"Sad, as you may imagine." Ben released his older sons and sat down in his leather chair. Two year old Joe climbed up in his lap. Ben cuddled him. "Were you good for Adam today, little man?"

Joe smiled sweetly at him and nodded. "Me dood."

Ben laughed. "You're a rascal." He looked up at Adam. "How did things go here today, son?"

Adam sat down across from him. "Pretty well, I guess. How's Mariette?"

Ben shook his head. "She's very upset. She's lost her father, and her home. Marie and I didn't realize that she didn't understand that she was going to live here with us. She cried herself to sleep on the way home. Marie's upstairs with her now."

Eight year old Hoss sat down on the coffee table. "Why wouldn't she want to live here at the Ponderosa, Pa? It's beautiful here, and you and Mama and Adam and Joe are here. I can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else."

Ben smiled at his son. "Hoss, can you think of how you would feel if this family, this home, were all you had ever known, and they were suddenly taken away from you?"

Hoss flinched and stared at his father who nodded. "That's what's happened to Mariette. She's going to need a lot of love and understanding. You're the same age, son, so I'm going to look to you to do things with her, to make her feel wanted and welcome here. She's going to be your sister."

Adam objected. "But she isn't our sister."

Ben turned to him. "She may not have been born your sister, Adam, but she'll be raised as your sister, so you might as well think of her that way. Suppose I'd been the one to be gored by that bull, Jake DuPont would be over here to see about you boys and Marie. He'd be treating the three of you like his sons, teaching you how to do things, making sure you were safe, and had enough to eat."

Hoss stared at him wide-eyed. "Would Mama be his new wife?"

Ben chuckled. "He'd watch out for Mama, but she wouldn't be his wife."

"I would take care of our family," Adam said. "We wouldn't need Mr. DuPont."

Ben looked at him. "You've had too much responsibility for a long time, Adam, and there's a lot you can do, but you would need the help and strength of a grown man like Jake." He shook his head. "All this is moot. Jake was killed, not me. Mariette is here, and she's mourning her father. Will the three of you do your best to make her feel welcome and a little less sad?"

"Yes, Pa," Hoss said right away.

Joe nodded his little head, and Adam said, "Sure."

There was a noise on the stairs and they looked up as Marie came down. They all stood as she entered, and she motioned for them to sit as she sank down on the settee. Joe hopped off Ben's lap and went to Marie. He climbed up in her lap and she cuddled him close.

"How's Mariette?" Ben asked. "Is she still asleep?"

"Yes, oh, Ben, she is so very unhappy. I have never seen a child weep as she did on the way home today." Marie looked worried.

"Things have changed for her and not in a good way. The boys and I have been talking about how they will have a sister in Mariette." Ben studied Marie. The day's events had been sad, but she looked unusually tired tonight. He decided to see if Hop Sing had a girl cousin who might like to work at the Ponderosa to help Marie, especially since she had the added responsibility of a sad little girl.