Repent at Leisure (by Questfan)

Chapter Eighteen

Dan Mitchell had been a marshall for the territories for over twenty years and he’d seen all manner of prisoner cross his path in that time. A rare few he’d felt sorry for, but not the current one they had been charged with escorting back to prison. As he settled down for the first watch of the night, he looked across at the man they had securely tied to a tree. He knew the man’s story as it had been splashed all over the wires and news for weeks as he went on a revenge-fueled killing spree. Johnston had escaped from the prison and taken out two guards in the process. Another prisoner who had apparently escaped with him had been found at the foot of a rocky ravine only two days after their escape. His neck was broken and nobody cared too much if it was from the fall or other means, but the bruising around his neck suggested foul play. A short, blunt report had been filed and the prisoner had been buried alongside many others who were just as unwanted. Justice, such as it was, had been served for one of them. The other was yet to be dealt with.

As Mitchell watched the man, he couldn’t see him working at the ropes behind his back. Earlier in the day their prisoner had faked a fall as he got down from his horse and managed to palm a rock with a jagged edge. Prison had taught him a range of skills and stealth and deception had been finely honed. On the outside, he’d relied on strength of force and a gun, but on the inside it required a little more finesse to stay alive. As they rode closer to the prison, he had become more desperate, but the marshalls had both kept such a close watch that he had not found a chance to do much of anything.

Mitchell sat and pushed his hat back and made a show of polishing his gun while keeping a close eye on things. Across the way from him, his partner was rolled up in his bedroll, already snoring. It had been a long road from Reno to Riversbend and on to the prison, but they figured this should be their last night on the trail. If they pushed things the next day, they could be enjoying a hot meal for supper instead of trail grub.

It would be over four hours later before he got up and walked towards the treeline. Too many cups of coffee were making themselves felt and he couldn’t ignore them any longer. It was almost time for a change of shift and he could settle down for a sleep once he got back. He debated waking his partner first, but decided he could do with a few more minutes of sleep since a few hours a night was never enough. He appeared to be taking care of business, but when he was done, something raised the hackles on the back of his neck. He’d call it twenty years of experience that gave him an intuition, but whatever it was, he had been grateful for it on more than one occasion. He carefully made his way around the back end of the rock and came out above where his prisoner was still tied up and apparently sleeping. Kent took what seemed like a moment of inattention to take one last tug at the frayed rope and wrenched it free with a desperate tug. He rubbed at his wrists as he tried to rub bloodflow back into his hands and he crouched at the foot of the tree, looking for the marshall who hadn’t come back yet.

Dan watched as the man began to creep across towards the fire, getting closer to his partner. The sound of snoring had long since ceased and he held his breath, knowing that Mac was probably awake under that blanket. The man had an uncanny knack of waking just before the shift change no matter what time it was or where they were. Dan could see Kent reach down and lift up a rock and he started shouting.

“Hold it right there, Johnston!” A shot ricocheted off the rocks as he fired a warning and the prisoner made a dash for the cleft in the rock. He hated returning dead prisoners as it felt like he had failed to do his job somehow. Mac rolled sideways out of the bedroll with his gun in his hand and aimed it towards the noise.

“I’m not going back to that stinking hellhole!” Johnston growled as he backed towards the treeline while hugging the rocks. It wasn’t an unusual sentiment for those who had tasted freedom and Dan kicked himself for his lapse. Another shot threw up dust near Kent’s feet and he shuffled back further. With both men having their weapons trained on him, he knew it was the end of the line if he put up a fight, but if he made it back to the prison, it was definitely the end of the line. He could make out the edge of the rock and took one last look at the two men in front of him.

“Hold it! The next shot won’t miss!”

Kent threw himself sideways and sprinted for the relative safety of the darkness as another shot shattered the rock where his head had just been. He knew the area was littered with caves and if he could stick to the rocks, he couldn’t be tracked come daylight.

Mac charged left as Dan clambered up over the rocks in an unspoken dance that both had learned from long years on the road together. They did not always need words to convey what they were thinking to the other. As he scrambled higher, Dan caught movement in the trees and he raised his pistol and fired twice. A grunt of pain was the only response and he shouted out for his partner.

“Mac? Where are ya?”

“Down here, you great galoot! With our dead prisoner. Who taught you to shoot, Dan? You just about put a slug in me!”

Dan swallowed down a sarcastic comment and climbed down towards where he had fired. Moments later he caught up with Mac and noted their prisoner was indeed dead. The moonlight was enough to show a bloodstain spreading down the man’s back, but he leaned down to check anyway. His fingers grasped at the man’s neck and found no pulse beneath his fingertips.

“Good shooting.” Mac’s comment was typical of his friend. Only moments earlier he had been critical, but now he was smiling. “Just saved the cost of a trial and a noose. Those witnesses won’t be needed after all.”

Dan stood up and pointed back through the trees. “Yeah, I s’pose. Help me get him back there, will ya?”

Between the two of them, they dragged the body back up towards the rocks and dumped it on the ground. The morning would be soon enough to tie him in a blanket and drape him over his horse’s saddle for the long ride back to the prison. As Dan looked up into the pre-dawn sky he sighed deeply. It wasn’t his preferred way to finish the job, but he couldn’t muster an ounce of sympathy for the man who lay dead at his feet. Instead he turned to find some more wood to stoke up the fire and put on a pot of coffee as any thought of sleep was well and truly done for the night.


Joe was chafing under the constant questions surrounding his leg and his appetite and his sleep patterns and he wanted nothing more than to saddle up his pony and take off over the meadows. His father smiled behind his back as his son was well and truly on the mend if he was up to complaining. It had only been a couple of days and Paul had not yet authorised the boy to leave the house and he knew just how torturous that was. Joe was always outdoors somewhere, climbing or running or racing his pony with his friends. The fish were waiting in the pond and his son’s irritation at being cooped up was well known.

“Well then I guess you are ready to return to school then, Son.”

Adam kept a straight face, but Hoss had to walk back towards the kitchen to stop himself from laughing. Joe was stuck between a rock and hard place. If he said he was fully recovered, he would be on his way to school in the morning. If he baulked, he would be confined to the house for at least another day.

Joe’s face was comical and his father took pity on him and stepped closer. “I guess not. Now Joseph, you heard what Doctor Martin said. That leg needs complete rest and none of the things you have in mind is restful.”

“But, Pa! Hoss said he’s taking Derek and Matthew out today and I just figured that I could …” His voice trailed away as his father’s face grew stern again.

“You just figure on staying put on that couch and getting better. Is that understood, young man?”

“Yes, Pa.”Joe sighed despondently as he knew it wasn’t worth fighting any longer.

“Joe, we ain’t gonna be gone too long. I just figured we could go for a quick look-see since the boys ain’t never seen the Ponderosa in the daylight. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Joe resigned himself to his imprisonment as the trio left the house and reluctantly picked up the dime novel he’d been reading the night before. He had no idea that his father had an ulterior motive to remove the two boys from the house and was surprised when he heard a horse ride up not long after and a knock at the door. It was a good thing he was already sitting down as he may have fallen down when he got a glimpse of their visitor. Roy Coffee strode across the room and quickly settled himself on the edge of the table, barely a foot away from where Joe was propped up on a pillow.

“Hello there, young fella! Good to see you back home in one piece.” Roy found himself struggling to stay calm as he stared at the boy he had feared was dead. Ben’s boys felt like his own sons and he had berated himself many times over for allowing Joe to be in the jail at all when Kent had ridden in. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time and it had backfired spectacularly.

Joe’s voice stayed stuck in his throat as tears filled his eyes. His last sight of the sheriff had him convinced the man was dead and even though he’d been assured otherwise, it was comforting to see the man in the flesh. He reached a hand out and Roy grasped at it and wrapped his gnarled, worn fingers around it.

“It’s alright, boy. Everything’s gonna be alright.”

Hop Sing bustled in with a tray of coffee and set to pouring cups for everybody. Joe still hadn’t spoken and Adam watched him from across the room as his emotions played out across his face. Joe never could keep a secret when it came to his feelings.

“I hear I busted your nose. Sorry ’bout that.”

“S’okay. It’s almost stopped hurting.” Joe touched at the tip of his nose and Roy smiled to see the last vestiges of bruising were fading.

Roy looked at the boy in front of him and debated sharing the news he had with his father first. Instead, he decided that Joe was old enough to hear it and hopefully it would help him.

“I got a wire this morning. From the prison.”

Joe shot upright and winced as his leg protested the sudden movement.

“He escaped again?” The whispered fear echoed around the room and Ben moved up behind his son and laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“He tried on the way there and got hisself shot dead. The two marshalls delivered his body to the prison last night.”

Joe sagged back against the pillow and swallowed hard. He couldn’t think of what to say in response. Was he glad? Angry that the man had escaped a hanging? All he did know was he was confused at his own thoughts.

Adam turned towards the fireplace and tried to calm his own runaway thoughts.

You aren’t God, Son.”

His father’s wisdom echoed in his mind and he nodded to himself. It seemed that justice really did come after all.

Somehow the conversation rolled on to more mundane things as Hop Sing poured more coffee and Joe settled back against his pillow once again. By the time Ben and Roy headed for the yard, Joe looked exhausted. Adam slid onto the table and watched as Joe fiddled with the blanket edge.

“You okay?”

Joe looked up and frowned. “I don’t know.”

Adam waited to see if there was any more coming and he could see Hop Sing hovering at the edge of the kitchen.

“Adam … is it … is it wrong that I’m glad he’s dead?” Joe’s distress was almost palpable and Adam leaned closer.

“I’d say it’s pretty normal. The man tried to kill you, twice.”

Joe nodded as he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

“Joe … I wanted him dead too. Back in Riversbend, I went over to the jail after you’d been shot and I wanted to …” Adam licked at his lip as he considered the primal thoughts that had fought so hard with his usual rational mind. He hadn’t told anybody just how close he’d come to doing something monumentally stupid.

Joe stared at him since Adam was the one with the coolest head in the family.

“What stopped you?”

Adam smiled at his brother, hoping he could make him understand. “Pa.”

Joe frowned at him, trying to put the pieces together of a story he couldn’t remember. “Pa?”

“He taught us all that vengeance isn’t ours and I think the sheriff helped me see that too. I had to leave it to the law and I guess things have a funny way of working out sometimes.”

Joe still wasn’t sure of how he felt, but it somehow helped to know that Mister Rational wasn’t quite so calm and collected after all.

“Adam.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry….for all of it. I never meant to make things such a mess.”

“I know that, Joe. But I hope you learned something in all of this.”

Joe hung his head and resumed picking at the edge of the blanket. Adam cleared his throat and Joe slowly looked back up again.

“Joe, you’re a Cartwright. And that name carries a lot of weight with it. Pa taught us all a moral code and you’ve obviously caught on to that or you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to help. But there’s more to it than that, Joe. That name carries something else as well. Cartwrights stick together, no matter what!”

Joe felt his insides churning as he watched his brother’s face.

“I know that you tried to talk to us and I’m so sorry we didn’t hear you. I’ve told you already and I hope you believe me – there is nothing that you could do that would make me stop loving you. I found your note in my drawer and nothing could make me hate you either.”

Joe gulped as he recalled what he had written on a day that seemed a lifetime ago. Desperation had driven the decision, but in the light of hindsight, it looked so very different.

“Joe, you have to promise me something.”

“What?”

“That you will never take off anywhere again. I don’t care what the problem is, this family sticks together. You hear me?”

“That’s very true, young man.”

Adam had seen his father come in, but Joe jumped at his father’s voice.

Ben moved around to seat himself in the nearest chair. “Adam’s right, Joseph. We are all sorry we missed what was really going on and I’m proud of you for protecting your friends, but don’t you ever do anything like that again.” His tone softened as he looked at his son’s face. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”


Ben pushed open the office door and strode out into the corridor. The expectant faces that greeted him were soon smiling as he nodded in confirmation.

“Judge Bates said yes?’

Ben ruffled his youngest son’s hair as he stepped towards him. “Yes, Joseph, he said yes!”

Joe turned back and grinned at the two boys who sat huddled together with their arms interlinked. “You get to stay with us. You don’t havta go back to Walter ever again!”

Ben slid into the seat that Joe had vacated and smiled at the boys. “Well, the judge has granted me temporary custody of you both. That means we have some time to make some decisions for you while we find you a new family. One that you both approve of.”

Matthew stared at him as the words sunk in. It was almost unbelievable what he was hearing and he looked to Derek for confirmation. As his brother nodded at him, a slow grin spread across his face. It was the first real one they had seen.

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Author: Questfan

24 thoughts on “Repent at Leisure (by Questfan)

  1. This was a wonderfully detailed, yet tragically intense read. Many times these situations don’t turn out for the better, so I’m glad to see this story have a pleasant ending. Well done Cartwrights on being brave and standing up for what is right and just!

  2. What a wonderful, compelling story! It has tension, action, emotional depth and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. You did such justice to Joe’s character – indeed, all the Cartwrights. I will read this story again, I know.

    1. Thank you for such a lovely comment. I loved writing this story and I still have a possible sequel on hold. I just need time to write it!

  3. This is one of the most compeling stories I’ve read on this website. WOW! There’s one section here, with Mitch, that I especially love. It was also wonderful to see Joe being Joe and taking charge of a situation, thinking it out, and following through. You had me crying all through this. The story moved without the tons of exposition that makes a lot of fanfiction drag. You told the story more through action and that’s good writing.

    1. Thank you so much! I love Mitch and Joe together and they just seemed a natural fit for this story. I hope you have stopped crying by now, but I’m glad I could evoke such emotion in a reader.

  4. Thank you bringing us this roller coaster of a story. Goodness, what they all had to go through, especially Joe! ?. Keep the stories coming, questfan!!

    1. It did feel a bit like a rollercoaster, but that was because Joe was running things and he kept changing the plan on me. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

    1. Thank you for taking another read through as it’s so long. I’ve been kicking around the bits of a sequel, but it’s not quite gelling yet. Hopefully I might get some inspiration soon.

  5. This was quite a saga, Questfan! My heart ached for Matthew and Derek at their awful predicament, and poor Joe, caught in the middle of trying to help them and protect his father (according to his limited understanding of the law). I’ve always had a special feeling for Mitch and love to see him in any story, and Abigail comes across well here as a sympathetic character. As I’ve said before, you write a great Roy Coffee. Lots of drama and angst all around as misunderstandings give rise to doubt and guilt — and no one does guilt better than the Cartwrights, especially Joe. I enjoyed the ride. 🙂

    1. Thank you. I’m glad you made it through the saga. It certainly got longer and more detailed than I planned originally, but Joe’s plans just kept changing! I hope to write a sequel to this some time when I can pull all the boys into line.

  6. What a great ending! And what a story! So many threads coming together …

    Poor kiddos. And Joe and Mitch, wanting to help but not knowing enough to do it right. And the other Cs…there’s always another question behind the first, and it’s not always possible to ferret these things out. But so glad all ended well! Thanks for writing!

    1. I’m glad you made it through the mess. Yes, it took on a life of its own and Joe just kept finding the harder he tried, the worse it got!

  7. Must just take a moment partway through (the jail incident just happened and they realized Joe didn’t go back home) to say, my what a mess … ?

  8. Wonderful story, Q! You did a great job with making the C’s more human, and more emotional without over doing it. Great job!

  9. It took me about 3 days to go through the entire journey of the Cartwrights , Derick and Matthew. Very well written with many twists and turns. I love the ending. It shows to be just what Derick and Matthew deserve and need in their life.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the journey with all of the boys. It took on a life of its own and kept going well past where I thought it would. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts.

  10. fantastic story, you did a really great job of tying into the characters. Such good advice at the end as well, I never thought about photographing my hotel rooms. I will in future. Please continue with your writing I really did enjoy your story

    1. Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I have an idea for a sequel in San Francisco that hasn’t come together yet. The end bit I was sent by a friend who works in that area so very glad that people are paying attention to it. Thanks again.

  11. Quite a tale, Questfan. The Cs – especially the youngest of the bunch – do what comes naturally to them and with everyone’s help, the future doesn’t look so bleak. Nicely done.

    1. Thank you for the kind comment. I think Joe was impulsive, but he did think about things – even if his conclusions weren’t always right! Glad you enjoyed it.

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