Summary:   Hoss is at his lowest ebb when he unexpectedly receives wise words of comfort.   (Written in response to the September Chaps and Spurs Literary Challenge)

Rated: K+  Word Count: 2160

                                                  The Learning Curve

It was the end of a fine but autumnally chilled blue-sky day as Hoss walked slowly across the yard from the house, hands rammed deep in his pockets and his eyes staring dejectedly onto the dirt floor.  He paused for a moment and hopefully listened; willing the thud of galloping hooves to be heard in the distance.   But apart from mumbled voices coming from the bunkhouse there was no sound, so he let out a deep heartfelt sigh of disappointment then opened the door to the barn and went inside.

Immediately to his right stood his father’s horse; Buck turning its head and regarding him as Hoss ran his hand gently over the buckskin’s withers and rump.  Then he moved on to his own mount.

“Chubb old buddy, I don’t know what to do for the best,” he said; his blue eyes dulled with sadness as he gave an affectionate pat; the black horse in turn quietly neighing as if offering the big man a sympathetic ear.   “But something has to be done.  There must be a way… ”

It was then to Hoss’ surprise and unease his private musings were interrupted as a distinct rattling of leather harness in the far end stall unexpectedly caught his attention.  Not expecting anyone to be in the barn and ever mindful of the threat of horse thieves in the area Hoss stared into the shadows, his eyes narrowing and his hand automatically hovering over his hip.   However to his utter dismay he suddenly realised he’d left his gun belt on the credenza so with a silent curse Hoss took hold of the nearest thing to hand; a pitchfork.

“Who’s there?” he called heroically in his loudest and most fearsome voice as he pointed and swung the three-pronged implement menacingly from side to side.   “Come on out with your hands up otherwise I’m comin’ in shooting to get ya!”

Taken in by the implied threat of being gunned down there was then an audible cry of alarm and scuffling of feet as a slightly built figure quickly arose out of the gloom and stared over with a terrified expression and his arms raised in surrender. “Don’t shoot!  It’s me Mr Hoss!  It’s me…Jed…Jed McCallum. Remember Mr Adam hired me last week?”

Hoss took a deep breath, instantly recognising the youth who’d shown up at the ranch days before.  “Jed?  Dadburnit!  What in tarnation are you doing hiding in the back and scaring a man half to death like that?  Good job I wasn’t wearing my firearm or you could have gotten yourself killed.  Ain’t you got no sense boy?” he cried as he lowered the pitchfork and rested it back on the side of the barn.

Seventeen years old…and only just judging by his baby face and lack of tell-tale stubble on his chin…Jed had been an only child, brought up for most of his life in Chambersberg Missouri by loving and caring parents.  However while travelling west to the promised land of California, Jed’s mother and father had unexpectedly died of the fever, leaving their son alone to fend for himself.  And so to make enough money to survive the young man had been seeking out employment wherever and whenever he could over the past months, unused to the working and sometimes dangerous ways of any ranch, least of all the Ponderosa.  He took a nervous gulp as he made towards his scowling boss.

“Gee…I’m real sorry Mr Hoss.  I’ve just been cleaning up the tack all day…like what you told me to do this morning.  I didn’t mean no harm.  You ain’t gonna fire me…are you?”

Regarding the young man ruefully and noting the look of shock and dismay in his hazel-green eyes, for a moment Hoss couldn’t speak or move.  Along with his curly brown hair Jed looked so much like…reminded him so much of….

Hoss shook his head as if to cast away such thoughts and a friendly smile slowly appeared on his broad weathered face.  “No I ain’t gonna fire you Jed,” he said, well aware of the young mans need for work.  “And it’s me who should be apologisin’.  You’re right. You were only doing what you’d been told to do and I didn’t have no call to fly off the handle like that.  I should have remembered you was in here and I’m sorry.  It’s just I’ve gotten a lot on my mind at the moment.”

Accepting the explanation and apology without comment Jed turned to resume his chores but straight away Hoss stopped him with a wave of the hand.  “It’s getting late Jed and judging by the smell comin’ from the bunkhouse supper is ready. Why don’t you finish for tonight and go on over and get yourself some food.”

Feeling his stomach rumble as if on cue Jed nodded happily and made to go outside, but he hesitated when out the corner of his eye he noticed Hoss sit down on a bale of straw with a deep sigh, then stare blankly as if in a daze.  Jed stepped back and nervously cleared his throat.  “I know it ain’t my place to ask seeing as I’m new around here,” he said with a slight degree of trepidation.   “But is everything all right?”

Hoss raised his gaze and as their eyes met he gave a faint distracted nod.  “Sure.  Everything’s fine Jed.”   However as he looked away he couldn’t help but shake his head despairingly.  “No.  It ain’t all right.  It ain’t all right at all.”

Surprised by the heart-rending revelation Jed moved closer and joined Hoss on the makeshift seat. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I heard what you said when you came into the barn.  Can I help in any way Mr Hoss?”

Hoss remained silent for a moment but then gave out a deep sigh.  “It’s my brother.  I just don’t know what to do about him Jed…I really don’t.  And it’s tearing at my insides something terrible and no mistake.”

Jed gave a puzzled look.  “Your brother?  But Mr Adam was taking a herd of cows over to Placerville today with some of the hands and he looked fine then.  Has something happened to him?”

Hoss shook his head and bit his lower lip hard.  “No Jed…I don’t mean Adam…I mean my younger brother…Little Joe.”

As he noticed a never before seen pain flitter across Hoss’ face, Jed ran a hand through his hair and frowned uncertainly. “Little Joe?  I didn’t know you had another brother.  I don’t think I’ve ever met him, have I?”

“No…no…of course you ain’t,” Hoss replied after a moments thought.   “I forgot…Little Joe left the ranch before you got here. Only a month ago yet it feels like years….”

Hoss settled back unable to continue, clasping his hands tightly together and staring unhappily down at his boots.  For a moment Jed was at a loss as to what else to say then wishing to press him to keep on talking suddenly blurted out. “Want to tell me about it Mr Hoss?  My Pa always said I was a good listener and a trouble shared is a trouble halved!”

Hoss was silent for a moment then gave a single nod. “Don’t suppose I’m being a traitor disclosing family confidences,” he admitted dryly in a cheerless tone.  “I’m betting half of Nevada already knows what’s been going on around here anyhow.”

Trying to contain his built-up emotions Hoss shuffled uncomfortably on his seat.    “Little Joe…well he ain’t much older than you I reckon.  Has the look of you too,” he admitted as he gave Jed a quick sideways glance.  “Anyway, much as we love him he’s always been the most hot-headed and argumentative little cuss you’d ever come across, and a few weeks ago he and my Pa had a big row.”

“Have they fought before?”

For a moment Hoss’ eyes glazed at the memory. “Sure they have…since Joe was old enough to talk!” he admitted with a wry chuckle.  “Yet any argument was always over and done with before you knew it.  But this one…well this row was the fiercest I’ve ever known them have, and neither would back down.  Then before I knew what was happening Pa was telling Joe to leave the ranch for a while to cool down and think about what he wanted to do with his life.  And though I don’t think Pa really expected or wanted Joe to agree and take off…he did.”

Tears glistened in Hoss’ eyes at the memory as he paused for a moment.  “I can still see Joe stood in the doorway, looking at us all and saying if he didn’t return within the month then we’d know he never would. And if there’s one thing you can say about my little brother…he don’t give out no idle threats or promises.”

Jed nodded, finally understanding the reasons for Hoss’ gloom.  “Didn’t you try to find Joe?”

“Oh me and Adam wanted to.  We told Pa we’d go track him down the next day and drag him back home so that we could all talk some sense into him,” Hoss confessed.  “But Pa just sat there and shook his head, saying we weren’t to interfere and to let Joe decide his future on his own, away from us all.  And ever since Pa’s been as though there’s a part of him missing; hardly eating, unable to sleep and on tenterhooks every hour of the day…me and Adam having to dance around him like we was on egg-shells ‘cause he’s been so worried that Joe won’t come back.”

“And how long before Joe’s supposed to return?” asked Jed, half guessing the answer.

“Today…today is the last day.  If he ain’t back today then he ain’t comin’ back at all…I just know it.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Jed stared at Hoss’ unhappy face with concern. “But you all love each other…right?” he finally asked.

Widening his eyes with astonishment at such a question Hoss gave Jed a meaningful look.  “Love each other?  Why there ain’t a family who love each other more,” he declared with absolute authority.  “And that’s the God’s honest truth.”

“Then everything is gonna be okay.  Joe will come back…I’m sure of it.”

Hoss raised his eyebrows questioningly.  “What makes you think that?”

“It’s like my Pa used to say,” Jed responded knowingly.  “Fatherhood is a continual learning curve and sometimes you have to give your children a load of slack and sometimes you have to rein them in, all the while just hoping they take the correct fork in the road of life.”

“Amen to that,” Hoss whispered under his breath as Jed continued.

“I’d say Mr Cartwright was doing just that; letting Little Joe have some slack away from you all to make him realise who and what is really important in his life and where he truly belongs.  So I reckon if your brother loves you all as much as you say and he knows you love him, well he’ll be back.  I guarantee it.”

There was silence for a moment as Hoss stared at the floor and digested Jed’s words.  “For a young ‘en you sure talk a load of sense and I wish I could believe you were right,” he murmured softly.  “But I really don’t…”

Suddenly Hoss lifted his head with a start. Way in the distance there was a sound…such a glorious sound that as it gradually grew louder Hoss stood up; his body stiffening and his heart thudding loud in his chest.  Quickly he moved to the barn door, Jed following closely behind and the pair of them standing together, staring as if transfixed as a figure pulled up his pinto and dismounted at the hitching rail then slowly walked towards the house.

“Is that Little Joe?” Jed whispered excitedly.

Hoss expelled a short breath of relief.  “Yeah…that’s Little Joe.”

Suddenly the front door opened and a grey haired man stood silhouetted in the glow of lamplight, unmistakable; Ben Cartwright and his youngest son immediately falling into each others arms before disappearing into the house, the door closing firmly behind them.

Feeling as though a great weight was suddenly lifted from his shoulders, Hoss forced back a desire to rush over and join them; instead content to allow his father and brother privacy for a short while.

“Looks like my Pa was right after all about that learning curve theory,” Jed grinned proudly with a hint of triumph in his voice.

Wiping a hand across his eyes Hoss nodded and also smiled as he clamped a hand gently down on Jed’s shoulder and the pair of them headed towards the bunkhouse.  “Yeah Jed.  I reckon he was.”

The End