Wadesville was the closest place from the ranch for miles around. For the past six days, the Cartwrights had been staying at the rancher’s home, since he had insisted that they bunk at his place. Only twice, including now, had they entered this small town, which was a one-hour horseback ride to. The first time was yesterday morning, when Ben had offered to pick up some supplies for the rancher, getting them at the only general store there.

Today, Ben had headed off to the bank to get the money that would be used to buy the horses they had picked out. He had the money deposited there for safe keeping until he made his purchases. While he did that, his three sons headed to the saloon down the street for a quick drink, where he would meet them once he was done at the bank. When he arrived there, however, there was a long line, and Ben realized that it would be a little while longer before he would meet up with his sons.

The brothers soon reached the hitching post closest to the building with a sign that simply read in gold color, ‘Saloon.’ As they dismounted from their horses, a large cloud above began to cover the bright, early afternoon sun, casting a shadow over the small town.

Joe was the first to speak as they hitched up their horses. “On a warm day like this, there would be nothing better than a cold beer.”

“That is if they serve cold beer, little brother,” mentioned Hoss.

Joe sighed a little, realizing that Hoss might be right. The last time they were out of town for business, the saloon they had visited served beer that was so warm, it was as though it had been under the sun all day. Joe swallowed at the though, and he found himself hoping that this saloon wouldn’t be a repeat of last time.

At least it wouldn’t be summer time for another month.

One more day. Joe found himself thinking the same words he thought of just moments again. Then we’ll be heading back.

The trip to Wadesville hasn’t exactly been the most eventful since the Cartwright’s arrival. One of the reasons the youngest Cartwright went on these trips was to explore the towns they were in. He liked to see what they had to offer, and to see, perhaps even meet, the young women who roamed those towns.

However, Wadesville offered very little to explore. The town only made up of a few blocks, small enough that Joe was quite sure that everyone there knew each other by name, let alone noticing any strangers who came by. The people barely even looked at the Cartwrights, hardly ever greeting them. And for Joe, any of the young, pretty girls he did see already seemed to be hitched with another man.

As a matter of fact, now that Joe thought about it, there seemed to be more men than women in the town.

“Let’s try not to stay too long.” Adam’s deep voice broke through Joe’s thoughts. “Just long enough to wait for Pa, have a beer or two, then head back.”

As Adam talked, Joe sensed the boredom in his voice. He figured that his oldest brother was also not enjoying his time in this town. Joe wouldn’t be surprised if he was right. Already, Hoss had expressed his eagerness to return to the Ponderosa.

“It’s not like I appreciate ol’ Hemming’s hospitality,” Hoss had said four nights ago, referring to the rancher they were buying horses from. “But dadburnit, he’s a bad cook.”

Joe had found himself smiling after hearing that. To Hoss, almost no one cooked a good meal as well as their cook, Hop Sing. The Cartwrights were all used to the Chinese man’s culinary skills, so to try other people’s cooking would sometimes catch them by surprise, mostly for the worst. Hemming wasn’t that bad of a cook, in Joe’s opinion, but he did miss Hop Sing’s meals just as much as Hoss did.

It was funny… this was supposed to be a seven-day trip, yet Joe felt as though they were here for weeks.

Hoss’ voice broke through Joe’s thoughts this time. “Why the rush, big brother?” he asked, referring to Adam’s last comment.

Joe decided to join in. “Yeah, older brother… why the rush? You weren’t planning to meet a pretty gal behind our backs now, were you?” He smiled playfully, making his green eyes beam.

Adam stared at his brothers with his light brown eyes for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. “Do you really want to spend any more time in this town than you want to?” He continued staring at his two brothers, and Joe noticed a hint of a smirk forming on his face. The youngest Cartwright found himself chuckling at this, realizing that he was right about his oldest brother’s feelings about being here.

“Let’s go have that beer already,” said Hoss as he began walking towards the saloon. “I’m darn thirsty.”

Agreeing with him, Joe and Adam began following Hoss. Pushing the swinging doors, they entered the saloon. It was an average sized place with about a dozen tables. The main bar was placed in the back, the lone bartender, a short dark-haired man, cleaning out one of the countless glass cups with a cloth.

The bartender looked up to see the Cartwrights walk in. He nodded to them, acknowledging their presence. “Three beers,” Adam said to him as the three began to sit down.

Joe began to notice the saloon more. There was a piano, but no pianist. The only customers there were four men about four tables away talking amongst themselves, three card players in the opposite back corner, and the card dealer who was watching over the game.

“A bit quiet for a saloon,” Hoss said after a few moments. “Even at this time back in Virginia City, it was more rowdy than this.”

It was then that the bartender came over with their beers. He had heard Hoss’ words as he was walking towards the table. “That’s Wadesville for you,” he said. “Maybe about every month or so, something interesting does happen, but it’s mostly criminal trials.”

“What keeps you here?” Adam asked curiously.

The bartender shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I like to think of this place as peaceful compare to many other places around this territory. By the way, if you gentlemen are expecting any of our saloon girls, I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait until about five o’clock. We have two ladies working for us, Jeannie and Maureen, but neither of them are able to come in until that time.”

Joe hadn’t noticed until just now… there were no saloon girls in sight. That was a first for him. Even in other small towns, there was at least one girl lurking in even the only saloon there, so he found this very strange.

Then again, with the lack of customers at this hour, even on a Saturday, it was no surprise that Wadesville’s only saloon girls didn’t come in until the evening, when there is usually more business.

“What brings you here?” the bartender asked.

Joe smirked, knowing that the bartender was making conversation. Of course he would, he thought. He must get very bored at this hour.

“We just bought some horses from Hemming’s ranch,” Joe answered. “We’ve been here almost a week now, and we’ll be leaving on Monday. We’re from Virginia City.”

“You’re a long way from home,” the bartender said. “My name is Chad. If you gentlemen would like more beer, let me know.”

“Thank you,” Adam said as he paid Chad for their current beer.

Suddenly, a loud shriek was heard from the back corner. The noise startled everyone the room, and the Cartwrights quickly turned their heads to look for the source of the noise. They found themselves staring once they realized that the shriek came from one of the card players. This gave Joe the chance to get a better look at the people at the card table.

The card dealer, an man who looked to be in his forties, wore a white shirt underneath a black vest, closed by it’s buttons, and matching pants and shoes. He stared at the people around him with no emotion on his face. It was obvious that he had been dealing cards for quite a while.

The card players contained two men, both dressed in jeans and different colored plaid shirts, stared in disbelief at the fourth occupant of the table… a girl about Joe’s age. A large smile played on her face as she began collecting the money that was on the table.

“It’s about time I won this poker game!” she called out. “Guess today’s my lucky day.”

“Yeah,” one of the men at the table said in annoyance. “It was only lucky.” He began getting up from his chair.

The smile disappeared from the girl’s face as the man began walking away. “Where are you going?” she said, sounding disappointed. “This is just beginning to be fun.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Walking through the desert with no water is more fun than this.” He soon reached the swinging doors and exited the saloon.

The girl shook her head before looking back at the other man. “Do you still want to play, Johnny?”

“Nah, I’m done for now,” Johnny replied. “I just blew half my pay for the week, and I’m going to need the rest. Maybe next week.” He then got up with his beer in hand, and walked over to the bar table.

Hoss turned his head to Chad. “Who is she?” he asked. It was a question that Chad was used to from all visitors. Few weren’t used to a properly dressed girl in a place like this.

“That’s Rachel Coddington,” Chad said, keeping his voice low so that she didn’t hear. “She comes in every Saturday around this time to play poker with anyone. I always keep an eye on her and make sure she leaves by mid-afternoon. After all, she is the mayor’s daughter.”

The Cartwrights looked up at Chad. “Does her father know she comes here?” Adam asked.

“He does,” Chad answered. “He doesn’t like it of course, but a busy man can’t always stop her.”

“I don’t blame her for comin’ here,” Hoss said. “In a place like Wadesville, she must get bored half to death.”

“She is kind of cute though, don’t you think?” Joe suddenly said.

Adam found himself rolling his eyes in amusement. It was almost typical to hear his brother say anything like that about any new girl they see.

“Chad!” Johnny called out. “Another beer!”

“If you three want more beer, let me know,” Chad said before leaving to attend to Johnny.

Nearly at the same time, the Cartwrights sipped their beer. Not as cold as Joe hoped, but it was at least cool enough to make him grateful that it’s not completely warm.

“Hey you three,” Rachel’s voice called out. Adam, Hoss, and Joe turned to where Rachel sat. She stared at them with her dark brown eyes. “Do you want to play?” she asked.

The Cartwrights gave Rachel a friendly smile. Adam spoke for the three of them. “No thanks,” he replied.

“I’ll play,” a deep voice said from behind. A tall man with a brown beard walked casually over to the table Rachel was sitting at. He was one of the four men who were sitting a few tables away from the Cartwrights.

The smile returned on Rachel’s face. “That’s wonderful.” She was just beginning to take out some of the money she had just collected from her last game. “Let’s start playing before my new luck runs out.”

“Under one condition,” the man said, his voice suddenly void of emotion. This caused the Cartwrights to keep an eye on him, all three now getting a weird feeling about this stranger.

It was then that the clicking sound of a gun’s hammer being pulled back was heard… three to be exact. The Cartwrights turned their heads, their eyes meeting the other three men in the room, all with their guns pointed at them.

“Take your guns out and put them on the table,” one of them demanded. “And don’t pull any tricks.”

It wasn’t the first time that the Cartwrights found themselves caught in a situation like this. It was almost a routine. Knowing that it was best to listen now and deal with them later, the Cartwrights slowly stood up, removing their guns from their holsters before placing them on the table.

“Now, get behind the bar,” the same man demanded, and the three followed orders, their calm eyes never leaving him. He then looked over at Johnny and Chad, both who already had their hands up. Chad was already behind the bar, so he pointed his gun at Johnny. “You too.” With hesitation, he followed the gunman’s orders.

The tall stranger, obviously the leader, pulled his gun out and pointed it at Rachel. The fear was already etched on her face. “W… what do you want from us?” she asked, her voice quivering.

The stranger tipped his brown hat back a bit, revealing his hazel eyes. “Just like you, I want to play a game. A high stakes game.” He stared at her more intently. “The bet is for your life.”

***

It was a half hour before Ben was able to get out of the bank. With the large amount of cash placed safely away in his wallet, he stepped outside, feeling the afternoon sun on his face. He stretched his arms out a bit, feeling glad to be out of the bank.

Now he would meet his sons over at the saloon. He remembered hearing Adam asking a stranger where the place was located, and the man had said it was down at the end of the street on a corner. He looked over in that direction, seeing that the street ended not too far from here.

The sky above was partly cloudy. As Ben unhitched his horse Buck, a cloud had maneuvered over the bright sun, casting a shadow over Wadesville. Ben looked up at the sky, suddenly getting a little feeling that he couldn’t explain. He had these feelings before, and was once told that it was something called ‘fatherly instincts.’

Ben shrugged the feeling off, thinking he was being ridiculous. For all I know, he thought. Little Joe could be getting himself in trouble again in another poker game.

Ben began riding down the street on his horse. He was starting to think that he could be correct in his last thoughts. The silver-haired man began to expect himself to walk into the saloon and see at least Joe in a brawl. His youngest son seemed to find himself in more brawls than his brothers due to his short temper.

Even so, he knew that his youngest had a big heart. Ben knew that Joe loved his family, and would go as far putting himself in harms way to protect them. All four of them did.

As he got closer to the end of the street, Ben noticed a small crowd gathering around, staring over at a sight across the street. Ben looked at that direction, his eyes laying on a blue, two story building that read ‘Saloon.’ Nearby, he noticed his sons’ horses tied at a hitching post. He was just beginning to ride over to that spot when someone walked near him.

“If you plan to get a drink at the saloon, you’re going to have to wait,” the person said. Ben gently pulled on the reins, whispering a ‘whoa’ to stop his horse from walking. He then looked at the person, a tall man dressed all in brown, except for a blue plaid shirt underneath his coat. A silver star badge with ‘Sheriff’ engraved on it was pinned on the left of that coat.

“What’s the matter, Sheriff?” Ben asked.

The Sheriff shifted his feet a little, slowly placing his hands on his hips. “There’s a hold up in the saloon. Just started about twenty minutes ago. Unfortunately, there are a few hostages inside. I suggest you run along…”

Ben stopped listening to the sheriff as he continued speaking. He briefly looked at his surroundings, hoping that his sons were around. He frowned, feeling his heart sink when he couldn’t find them. He had no doubt that Adam, Hoss, and Joe were amongst the hostages inside. In a town that they barely knew, where else could they have gone to?

Quickly, Ben dismounted from his horse. He then stared back at the Sheriff. “My sons are in there, and I am not leaving until they come out unharmed.”

The Sheriff was just beginning to open his mouth to reply when another voice from behind him spoke. “Let him stay, Hansen.”

Both Ben and Sheriff Hansen turned to the voice, noticing a man dressed in a semi-casual black jacket with matching slacks. Underneath his jacket was a gray, buttoned vest, which covered most of the white shirt underneath. He was perhaps a few years older than Ben with silver hair and a mustache. His dark eyes showed only worry.

The new stranger looked at Ben. “I am a father too, also worried about the safety of my child. My daughter is one of the hostages.”

Ben nodded to him, understanding how the man was feeling right now. He then asked, “Does anyone have any idea why there’s a hold up?” He then shook his head a little. “A saloon of all places?”

“We’ve only gathered a few information,” Hansen stated. He looked over at the man with them. “This is Henry Coddington, the Mayor of Wadesville. We believe that the bandits are holding his daughter and the other hostages for ransom money. We also have one witness who was just getting near the saloon as the hold up began. He was only able to briefly look over the doors, not wanting to stick around of course. He had noticed Rachel in there, along with Chad, the bartender, and a friend of his named Johnny. He also noticed three other men, all with their hands in the air, but he said that he never saw them before. He was only able to describe one of them to me, a big man with a tall hat.”

Hoss.

“My sons…” Ben whispered. He took a deep, slow breath as he turned his head towards the saloon. “How much do they want?”

“They haven’t named their price yet,” Henry said. “Hansen and I have only arrived here about ten minutes ago.”

“I was only able to talk to one of the bandits briefly,” Hansen said. “He only said that there was three other with him, and that they were currently negotiating their demands. He gave us the warning that if we tried anything, he would kill all the hostages. This is all we know at the moment. Right now, we wait for their demands before we decide on how to put an end to this.”

Ben nodded, still staring over at the saloon. With the lives of his sons and three others at stake, he wished that he could quickly find a way to get them all out unharmed. One of the things he hated was to stand around and wait for something to happen., especially at a time like this.

Ben turned his head to Henry. “I’ll help anyway I can.”

“Thank you,” Henry replied.

Ben turned back towards the saloon, knowing that the wait was going to be a dreadful one.

***

Back in the saloon, the four bandits had spread themselves out through the saloon. They had the Cartwrights, Chad, Johnny, and the card dealer tied up by their wrists, their hands behind them, and were all placed in a line leaning against the bar table. Rachel was tied up in a chair, and the bandits had placed her in the middle of the room.

The hostages had learned about fifteen minutes ago that the leader of the bandits was Nate Edwards, the tall man with the beard. Johnny had uttered his name before he was told by Nate to keep quiet before they killed him. The room had been silent since.

Nate was the only one standing by the windows, their curtains closed, but only one window slightly opened enough to hear anything outside. Two of his men stood on either side of the hostages by the bar. His third man stood next to Rachel. All four had their guns drawn out.

The silence seemed to go on for what seemed like an eternity before the bandit nearest to Rachel spoke. “Why didn’t you tell them our demands yet?” he asked with a bit of irritation in his voice.

Nate sighed a bit. “We have plenty of time, Sam. There’s no need to rush this just yet.”

“You want my Pa’s money! Why else would you be here?” Rachel yelled out in anger.

Sam found himself rolling his eyes. “Thank you for stating the obvious, Princess.”

Rachel fumed over Sam’s sarcastic reply. “With my status, you won’t get away with any of this as easily as you think!”

Sam’s patience suddenly grew thin. Before Rachel had time to say anything else, the bandit pulled back at’s Rachel’s dark hair, his tight grip causing her to let out a small yelp.

“You’re status will be ‘dead’ if you don’t shut you mouth!” Sam yelled out.

Silence filled the room for a moment as Nate turned to the scene in the middle of the room. He briefly stared at Sam with no emotions in his eyes. Sam slowly let go of Rachel’s hair soon after.

Nate moved his eyes to Rachel then, his eyes turning into curiosity. “Let me ask you something… what’s a gal like you doing in a place like this?”

Rachel glared at him. “It’s none of your business.”

Already without patience, Sam grabbed Rachel’s hair again, this time pulling back harder, causing her to shriek. He then placed the barrel of his gun to her head. A terrified look appeared on Rachel’s face upon feeling the cold metal against her temple.

“I said to keep your mouth shut!”

Behind them, the men were furious by the way Sam was treating Rachel, but it was Joe’s nose that was flaring. “Leave her alone!” he suddenly demanded as though it was instinct.

Immediately, the other two bandits pointed their guns at Joe. Joe looked up at the two men, his lips now in a tight line.

“Leave him be,” Nate said to them. The two men to drew their guns away from him. He then looked at Sam. “Let her go. The last thing we need for you to do is kill her.”

Sam’s nose flared in anger for a moment. He looked down at Rachel, the fear still written on her face. He then obeyed order, released his grip on her, and pulling the gun away. Nate knew that after that experience, Rachel wouldn’t be talking, at least for a while.

“It’s time to get business going,” Nate suddenly announced. Everyone in the room watched as he pulled up the shade that covered the only open window.

“Sheriff!” Nate called out. A brief pause lingered before they heard another man’s voice from outside call back in reply.

“We’re ready to list our demands!” Nate looked back at the other three bandits as though he was giving them one last chance to list what they want before he made his announcement. When none of them said anything, Nate turned his head back to the window.

“We’re listening!” they heard the Sheriff say.

Nate continued. “We want a wagon with a horse, and a twenty-four hour head start. We also want money from Coddington in exchange for the hostages’ lives!”

“How much?” Sheriff Hansen asked.

There was a brief pause before Nate answered. “Five hundred thousand!”

The eyes of all the hostages’ widened in shock over the amount asked, and Rachel herself looked as though she was about to faint. The Cartwrights had heard of ransoms for ten thousand, thirty thousand, even only two thousand, but five hundred thousand?

The realization dawned in on every hostage in the room. For the bandits to want this much money, they had very good reason to do so, a reason they may most likely never find out even if they were saved after this was over.

“That’s preposterous!” they heard another man yell out.

Nate continued, ignoring the other voice. “You have until sunset to meet our demands! If they are not met by then, all the hostages in the room will be dead!” He then moved away from the window, pulling the shade down.

Sunset was about four hours away, and the hostages all wondered in their minds if the demands would be met in time.

Sam and the other two bandits seemed to be amused and delighted by the situation upon looking in their eyes, as Adam noticed. He then looked over at Nate and saw something different. Nate’s face seemed to look worn and tired, and Adam swore that there was even a hint of anger. For someone who may receive a hefty amount of money today, Nate didn’t look as delighted as the other three.

It became obvious to Adam then that there was something different about Nate. It was as though this situation involved more than just money for him…

***

‘Five hundred thousand dollars?!’ Ben thought in shock. It was indeed a lot of money, and he knew just by looking at Henry Coddington’s pale face that he thought the same thing.

After some silence, Henry managed to swallow a lump that suddenly developed in his throat. “This is absurd.”

“Do you even have that kind of money, Mr. Coddington?” Sheriff Hansen asked.

Henry took a deep, slow breath before turning his head to Hansen and Ben. “I do… it’s almost every penny I have… sure, I’ll have some left over if I hand it over, but it’s not enough for me to run this town.” His eyebrows arched. “… It’s well known here in Wadesville that my daughter goes to play cards in the saloon every Saturday. These bandits… they have to have known that she was here when they could’ve done this any time of the week. Someone had to have tipped them, telling them how much money I had in my name. It could’ve been anyone, but that’s not important right now… not until Rachel is safe.”

Ben nodded to him, agreeing with him over how important Henry’s last sentence was. He and his sons have been in situations like this before, and he knew that he would go as far as giving up the Ponderosa. Ben had put his heart and soul on building that ranch, and if losing the Ponderosa meant saving the lives of his sons, then so be it.

As he looked on at the saloon, Ben heard Hansen order one of his deputies to bring water to Henry as he helped him sit down on the boardwalk. Ben’s mind began to wander off from the present as he began to feel dread and worry for his sons.

Questions ran through his head… were his sons all right? Were any of them hurt? How long will this go on before it’s over?

A while ago, Hansen had sent out another his deputies to retrieve a wagon and a horse, two of the demands from the bandits. Wadesville was quite a small town, and Ben wondered if even a spare horse was available at this very minute.

Hansen’s voice cut in then. “Henry, I’m very sorry that your daughter got caught up in his situation. Unfortunately, you may have to give them money if we don’t come up with a solid plan.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that… that’ll be the last resort,” Henry sighed, his voice slightly shaking. He then looked up. “Ben? Have you figured any plans?”

Ben blinked a couple of times as he hadn’t expect to be spoken to right away. He shook his head a little. “I wish I did, Henry.” Ben then thought of something as he continued staring at the saloon. “Is there a backdoor to this place? Perhaps the deputies could go around back-”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t,” Hansen replied. “The only way out is the front door.”

Ben sighed before turning to Henry and Hansen. “I’d do anything to save my sons, even give up my ranch. I’m confident that we’ll come up with something before the sun sets.”

Hansen stared at Ben with interest. “A ranch? Where at?”

“Near Virginia City, Nevada Territory.”

Hansen nodded. “What’s a man like you doing out here in Wadesville.”

Ben turned his head back towards the saloon, his worry for his sons back in his mind. “Business, but does that matter now?”

Silence fell between the three men afterwards.

***

In the saloon, the only noise present was the chatter between Sam and the other two bandits. The hostages in the room had learned that the other two were named Charlie and Tim. Nate continued staring at the window, his six shooter in hand, and seemed to more care about what was going on outside.

Sam, Charlie, and Tim had moved themselves to one of the tables right next to the tied-up Rachel, each one with a glass of beer in front of them. As they talked, their mood seemed cheerful for now.

For a while, the three discussed some of the saloon girls they met in the last town they’ve been in, mostly laughing over the stories they told. Eventually, Charlie changed the subject. “Say… with all the money that we’re getting…” His eyes lit up as he grinned. “Heck, I wouldn’t even know what to do with all that money!”

“Me neither,” agreed Tim. “I’d probably buy myself enough beer to last me a year.” He looked at Sam. “What about you, Sam? What are you gonna do with that money?”

Sam seemed to look thoughtfully at his beer for a moment before he smirked. “The idea of buy enough beer for a year sounds nice… but I would really like to get me one of those mail order brides.” He then turned over to Rachel. “I’d like to get one as pretty as this one.”

Sam reached his hand over to Rachel. He barely brushed his dirty fingers against her cheek before she quickly pulled away. The three bandits laughed at her reaction, and Rachel could only narrow her eyes at them with anger in retaliation.

Hoss’ nose flared upon seeing this. He spoke only low enough so that only his brothers (each one on either side of him) heard him. “It disgusts me what a man will do just for money.”

“And what they will do with it once they have their hands on it,” Joe agreed. Briefly he looked at Rachel. Her tears from a while ago still stained her face, and he noted that she hadn’t said a word since Sam had put his gun to her head.

Which reminded him… Nate, the leader of his pack, had been quiet most of this time, mainly looking out the window. ‘For a man who’s leading this whole thing, he sure doesn’t speak much,’ the youngest Cartwright thought.

Joe turned his head to his left toward his brothers. Hoss looked at him as well, and Joe noted Adam observing the scene in front of him. Next to Adam, he noticed Johnny, the other customer, and Earl, the card dealer, both also observing the scene. The two looked weary, but they seemed to do well in staying calm.

Joe then turned to his right, his green eyes on Chad the bartender. He noted the pale look on the chubby man’s face, and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Joe would have to keep watch on him. He knew from the couple of hours that he’s known Chad that he was a decent fellow, and knew that he only meant well. Even so, his nervousness may cause this situation to grow worse if he makes the wrong move.

“Try to stay calm,” Joe told him.

Chad found himself barely swallowing. For a while, he found it hard to breathe normally. “It’s funny… I’ve broken up brawls and kicked out many drunks… but here I am in a hold up and I’m as nervous as a hunted jackrabbit. I’ve never been in a hold up in all my life.”

Chad’s nervousness seemed to make him talk louder than he wanted. Sam, Charlie, and Tim had stopped their conversation, and even Nate had turned his attention to him.

Charlie pointed his gun at Chad. “Didn’t we tell ya to keep ya mouth shut?”

“Leave him alone, Charlie,” Nate said as he walked away from the window. “Why don’t you go keep a look out for a while.”

Charlie took a quick drink before standing up. “Fine,” he replied as he walked over to where Nate had been.

Nate walked over to the hostages, stopping in front of Chad. Chad’s breath seemed to shorten even more, unsure of what was about to happen next.

“Stand up and sit down at a table,” Nate demanded. Without hesitation, Chad did as he was told. He got himself up, then moved over to the closest chair about two tables away from the other three bandits.

Nate went behind the bar table and grabbed one of the whiskey bottles. He then returned to the table where Chad was at before removing the cork on the bottle. “Drink some of this. It’ll calm you down.”

The other hostages were surprised by the gesture. They watched as Nate offered the whiskey to Chad, who took the bottle in his tied up hands. Once he got a hold of it, Nate let go, and Chad took a small swig before gently placing it down on the table.

“Well don’t go wasting that now,” Tim said. “We’d like to have some of that too.”

Nate looked annoyed. “That beer you have is enough for now! We don’t need you getting stinkin’ drunk! Besides, I have a new plan.”

Sam, Charlie, and Tim looked at Nate with interest. “What would that be?” asked Sam.

Nate looked at the hostages. “I don’t think it’s necessary to keep everyone here. I’m willing to let two of them go.”

The three bandits stared at him in surprise. “You’re kidding us, right?” asked Tim. “What’s the point?”

“The point is that when we planned this, we were after one thing,” he briefly looked at Rachel. “We never discussed what to do with any one else who gets involved, only to keep them hostage as well.”

“I told you we should have talked about it before we did this,” mentioned Sam.

Nate ignored him. “Here’s what we’ll do… we’ll only release two hostages, and keep the others.”

“If we’re going to do that,” said Tim. “Let’s let the big guy loose.” He stared at Hoss. “Who knows what he’ll do if these guys somehow were able to get out of those ropes.”

Hoss narrowed his blue eyes at the bandits. “You can untie me, but I ain’t leaving without my brothers.”

Nate turned his attention to him. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Hoss Cartwright.” He nodded he head to each side as he continued speaking. “These are my brothers, Adam and Joe.”

Nate rubbed his bearded chin with his fingers. “Cartwright… from the Ponderosa?”

Hoss nodded in reply. Nate only remembered the name because he had once stayed a night in Virginia City about a year ago. During his stay, he had mostly heard about the Cartwrights and their large ranch just nearby. Nate had forgotten all about it until now.

From there, Nate made his decision as he looked over at Johnny and Earl. “You two are free to go.”

Johnny and Earl looked up in surprise. There was some relief in their faces, but at the same time, there seemed to also be some reluctance.

Nate quickly pointed a gun at them. “Go before I change my mind,” he said as he pulled Earl up to his feet. Johnny got himself up as well. “I’m going to let you out with your hands tied. Let the sheriff cut them off for you when you get out.”

Nate pushed the two forward until he was behind them. Charlie chuckled as he watched. “Consider yourselves lucky. If you had stayed, I’m sure you would be dead like the others once the sun sets.”

His words were ignored. As the three passed Rachel, she looked up at Johnny. He returned the gesture, stopping just in front of her.

“Don’t worry, Rachel,” he said to her. “Everything will be fine.”

“Get moving,” Nate demanded, his gun on Johnny’s back. The young man followed orders, and the three walked towards the double doors.

***

Ben wasn’t sure how long the silence lasted before he heard the click of the gun’s hammer being pulled back. The noise caught his attentioned and he instinctively turned his head. Sheriff Hansen held his gun to chest level, his dark eyes focused on the scene in front of him.

“What’s going on?” Ben asked.

“There’s movement at the window,” Hansen informed him.

Henry Coddington heard the statement and, like Ben, looked over at the window to the very right of the building. A hand held back the shade slightly.

“Sheriff!” a deep voice called out from it. It was the same voice that made the list of demands earlier. Which reminded Ben… the deputy sent out to retrieve the wagon and two horses hasn’t arrived yet. How long ago has it been since he was sent out?

“I hear you!” Hansen called out, keeping his hand firm on his gun.

“We are releasing two hostages! Both are alive and unharmed!”

A sense of relief seemed to come over everyone who was witnessing the situation from outside the saloon. However, even with the two hostages being released, there were still more to worry about.

“However,” the voice from inside the saloon continued. “If you or anyone else tries anything to get in here, these two and everyone else inside will be killed!”

Hansen was quiet for a moment before answering. “Send them out!”

Briefly, Ben had held hope… hope that at least one of the hostages was his sons. However, that hope quickly faded as two strangers, both with their hands tied in front of them, emerged from the saloon. As soon as they were far enough from the doors, one of Hansen’s other deputies began to lead them over to him.

“Earl and I are fine, Sheriff,” the younger of the two said as the deputy began using a knife to cut the rope off from his wrists.

“Good to know, Johnny,” Hansen replied.

“How are the others?” Ben asked right away.

Johnny turned his head to Ben. “For now, everyone’s okay. Tied up, but okay.”

“And my Rachel?” questioned a concerned Henry.

“She’s fine right now.”

“What can you tell us?” Hansen asked seriously.

Earl spoke up. “Well, there are five hostages in there… Rachel, Chad the Bartender, and three brothers called The Cartwrights.”

“And the bandits?”

Johnny continued for Earl. “There’s four of them. I don’t much about three of them, only that their names are Sam, Tim, and Charlie. But I know the leader from my travels… his name is Nate Edwards.”

The awkward silence that immediately followed did not come unnoticed to Ben. Hansen became unusually silent. As for Henry, he had been quite pale since this all started, but now he seemed paler than before. For a moment, Ben thought that the Mayor of Wadesville was going to pass out right then and there.

The silence became unbearable then, so Ben spoke. “Sheriff… can’t we try to make other negotiations with the bandits?”

Hansen immediately shook his head firmly. “You heard what they said… a wagon, two horses, and five hundred thousand dollars.” His voice seemed voice of emotion or concern. “One should know by now that once criminals make up their minds about what they want, especially if they’ve planned it for so long, they’re not going to back down on it at this point. From my experiences as Sheriff, negotiations only cause more trouble than necessary. All we can do is follow through their orders. Once it’s done, we’ll move in to arrest them. I have my deputies close to the saloon incase one of the bandits try to escape.”

Although Ben understood Hansen’s point, it still let him frustrated. He wanted more to be done to insure the capture of the bandits and the safety of his sons and the two other hostages.

Briefly, Ben thought about his friend Roy Coffee, the Sheriff of Virginia City. He knew that his long time friend was good with trying to compromise with criminals, even if it does leave him frustrated at times. How would Roy have handled this if he was here?

As he thought of this, Ben noticed Henry again. He looked more sick than before. “Are you all right?” he asked.

The worried man seemed to swallow a lump in his throat. “I… I’ll be a-all right,” he stuttered.

Hansen turned to him then. “Henry… the sun will be setting in less than an hour and thirty minutes. I suggest that you get the money that the bandits requested.”

Henry looked astonished by the request, looking like he was ready to collapse. Ben stared at Hansen. He was beginning to question the way Hansen was handling the situation. Not only was he trying to come up with other ways to meet the bandits’ demands, but his comments and request was distressing the man who’s only daughter’s life was currently at stake.

“Sheriff,” Ben began, his voice stern. “Are you sure there isn’t any other way?”

He then noticed Henry raising a shaky hand before Hansen had the chance to reply. “There’s no other way, Ben. Thank you for your concern. However… I’ve come to realize that, with little time left, there is no other way around it. I’m confident that Hansen and his deputies will do their jobs in capturing the bandits and returning the money… if they don’t spend it.”

Ben noted the grim tone in Henry’s voice, and didn’t like it one bit. It was as though he had suddenly given up on everything he’s lived for. He had mentioned before that, without the money, he couldn’t continue running Wadesville.

“I’ll be heading to the bank, and I’d like to go alone,” Henry said. He began walking in the direction of the bank. As he passed Ben, he spoke once more. “Please make sure that my Rachel is okay… if it all ends before I make it back.”

Ben could only watch as Henry walked towards the street that lead to the bank, the same bank he was in only a few hours before, the very same bank where he last spoke to his sons.

Ben frowned as he looked up towards the sky, it’s color as blue as the lake, and the edges a yellow color from the sun. The clouds in the distant gave off a mostly purple color with a touch of pink.

The older man began to pray and hope, for not only his son’s sake, but for the bartender, Rachel, and her father.

***

For some time, the saloon had been mostly quiet. Sam, Charlie, and Tim would some times talk loudly amongst themselves as though no one else was in the room. Each other them were drinking a beer at the table just next to the hostages. At the next table over, Chad sat at one of the chairs, his eyes staring down at the wooden floor. By the window, Nate paced himself around, stilling keeping his eye out on the world outside. Rachel was still quiet since her life was threatened a few hours ago. The blank look on her face indicated that she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t here being held up for ransom.

As the three bandits at the table engaged in conversation, a thought came to Hoss. Wanted to share it, he spoke low enough just for Adam and Joe to hear. “How do you figure Pa is feeling right now… with all three of us in here?”

It was one of those questions that had an easy answer, but Hoss felt the need to ask anyway. The reply came from Adam. “He’s most likely negotiating a plan with the sheriff… and that’s if the sheriff is doing his job.”

Hoss noted the tone in his older brother’s voice. He couldn’t describe it precisely, but it was the type of tone where he knew that Adam was in one of his deep thoughts. It came as no surprise to the middle Cartwright.

“What are you thinking in that head of yours?” Hoss asked outright without much thought.

Adam observed the scene in front of them for a moment before answering. “I just find it interesting that of all the places where we get caught in a hold up, it had to be a saloon.”

The corner of Hoss’ lips curled up in a half smile. “Usually when we get in trouble at a saloon, it’s ‘cause of a brawl,” he said. Adam had to smile at that comment, knowing how true it was.

“I would go for a brawl over this anytime,” Joe chimed in.

Adam thought about Hoss’ last question to him and decided to proceed with what he’s been thinking since the demands were announced. “When you look at the bandits, it’s quite interesting. With the amount of money at stake, I think that the bandits had good reason for this holdup.”

The older Cartwright nodded his heads to his right. “Those three at the table… they’re very eager to get their hands on the money. It’s almost all they’ve been talking about since this whole thing started. However, I look at Nate. He’s the one leading this, yet he is not as eager as the others. If my hunch is correct, the three are in it for the cash. However, Nate is in it for something else… his eyes give it away.”

“What do you reckon it could be?” Hoss asked.

Adam could only shrug. “That’s something I can’t determine.”

The Cartwrights were soon interrupted by the sounds of heavy footsteps. They looked up over to the source of the sound and noticed Nate walking over to them. Joe briefly looked over to his right, noting that Chad and the three bandits had looked up at him as well.

Nate stopped just a few feet in front of the Cartwrights. “Just so you know,” he began. “There is only a half hour before sundown. I’m just beginning to doubt that the demands will be met on time.”

For the first time in hours, a female voice broke in. “Please… it was always me you wanted,” she pleaded. “They have nothing to do with this. Please, let them go.”

Sam looked over at the young woman, a smirk on his face. “Won’t be that easy, girly.”

Rachel’s eyes widened as she turned her head to Sam. “But you let Johnny and Earl go!” she reminded him.

Irritated, Sam quickly raised his gun to her, pulling back the hammer with his thumb. “But that doesn’t mean we have to let them all go.”

“Put the gun down, Sam,” Nate demanded without turning around. “The next time you raise that gun to her, I’ll kill you for disobeying orders.” Sam muttered something that couldn’t be heard clearly before moving his gun away from Rachel’s direction.

It was then that they heard a noise from outside the saloon and just down the street. Everyone in the room looked towards the direction of the door. The sounds of a pair horses galloping down the street was no mistake. The noise was accompanied by something rolling.

“Sounds like the wagon’s here,” Tim announced.

“About time,” Nate muttered as he walked over towards the window. He peaked out the window and looked down the street. It turned out Tim was correct. The wagon and horse team were coming towards the saloon.

Nate turned his head back towards the Cartwrights, Rachel, and Chad. “Consider yourselves lucky for now.”

As Nate looked back out the window, Hoss turned his eyes to Adam. “You sure about your thoughts on Nate?” he whispered to him.

Adam stared over at Nate. “We’ll have to see and find out.”

***

Ben felt a bit of relief upon seeing the wagon and horse team coming down the street. He watched silently as the driver pulled up and stopping just in front of the saloon. The position was in perfect view for the bandits to see clearly.

Now the only matter left was the money. He found himself searching around for Henry. It’s been over a half hour since he left to get the money. Where was he?

That’s when he heard the voice of one of the bandits. “Have you got the money?” he called out.

Sheriff Hansen, who was standing next to Ben, called out in reply, “We’re still working on it!” He then lowered his voice enough just for Ben to hear. “Henry better get here soon.”

Ben turned his head to Hansen, irritated by what he just said. The tone of his voice was as though Henry’s absence was more of a nuisance.

Ben was just about to say something to him, but it was then that she spotted Henry turning a corner and began making his way back over to them. The Mayor of Wadesville held two black brief cases in each hand.

Noting that Henry was walking slow, Ben decided to walk over to him, meeting half way.

Henry let out a small sigh once Ben reached him. “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t want to be, but an idea came to me on my way to the bank.”

Ben’s dark eyes seemed to lit up with hope. “You have? Tell me.”

Henry looked down at the suitcases again before returning his gaze to Ben. “Well, before I entered the bank, I saw the undertaker on his porch reading the newspaper. An idea came to me then. I only took out two thousand dollars from the bank, then quickly returned home. I keep an old collection of newspapers since the day Wadesville became a town. My butler and I cut up the papers to look like bills. We had them tied together before placing them in the suitcase. I used the money I took out from the bank and placed them on top of them. I don’t know how it will work, but I figured that the bandits wouldn’t really go through the suitcase until after they get out of here. This way, not only will Rachel and the others will be released alive, but they will believe, for a while, that they received the five hundred thousand.”

Ben frowned a bit after hearing this. He knew that Henry would do anything to see that his daughter was safe… but if he can’t help but wonder what would happen if his hunch about the bandits not looking through the brief cases right away was wrong. What would happen then?

It wasn’t the brightest idea, but with little time left before sunset, there was no other way around it now.

“It’s risky,” Ben said. “But we don’t have much time now. Let’s just hope that the bandits don’t look through the brief cases before they release the hostages.”

At that moment, Sheriff Hansen joined them.

“I have the money, Sheriff,” Henry said.

Hansen took one of the brief cases. He looked at Henry for a moment as he turned the case upward. The sheriff opened the brief case and looked inside for a moment before closing it again.

Ben could only stare at him, unsure of what to think. It was as though Hansen didn’t believe that the money was in there as Henry had said. Ben realized then that he was liking the sheriff less and less as each minute passed.

Hansen looked over at one of the deputies who stood nearby. “Bring these to the wagon,” he asked. The deputy took the cases and walked them over to the wagon. Hansen waited until the deputy placed them in the wagon and stepped away.

“Nate!” the lawman called out. “We have your wagon with the horses and the five hundred thousand dollars! We have met your demands!”

The silence that followed felt like an eternity as they awaited for a reply.

***

Inside the saloon, everyone listened as the announcement of the demands being met were heard. Sam, Charlie, and Tim looked at each other during that time. Once it was quiet, they turned their heads to Nate as though they were awaiting orders.

Nate motioned for them to get over to where he was. The bandits stood up on cue. One of the chairs was pushed a bit too far back to where it was less than a foot away from Joe. Unknown to anyone including his brothers, the younger Cartwright managed to get his hands free from the ropes about fifteen minutes ago, thanks to the sharp corner of the bar stand. He had spent the majority of the hold up trying to cut himself free. He was grateful that he managed to do so on time.

Keeping his hands behind him, Joe found himself staring at the chair, and an idea came to his mind… he just had to wait for the right time.

“Should we get ourselves out of here now?” Charlie asked.

Nate shook his head before Charlie finished his question. “Not yet. I want to make sure that our demands are met completely.” He looked over at Sam. “Check the wagon.”

Sam placed his gun in his hollister. “Sure thing. I’m getting tired of being coped up in here anyway.”

Nate turned his attention back outside. “Sheriff!” he called out.

The sheriff’s reply came right away. “Yeah?”

“I’m sending out one of my men to inspect the wagon! If something happens to him, the hostages will die!”

A pause lingered before another call came. “Send him out!”

Nate nodded to Sam, signaling him to make his move. Sam nodded back before opening the door and stepping outside, placing.

Sam took a moment to scan the walkway before exiting the saloon. Slowly, he walked over to the wagon. He wasn’t worried about the crowd that gathered across the street, including the sheriff. The eerie silence was what actually made him uncomfortable.

Across the road, Ben looked on at the lone bandit. An uneasy feeling started to come over him. He felt as though something was about to happen. He only hoped that his feeling turned out to be nothing.

As Sam reached the wagon, his instinctively took out his gun slowly from it’s Hollister. Ben figured that the bandit do so. However, it never expected the loud, echoing sound of a gunshot to be heard.

Long after this would be over, Ben would later learn that one of the deputies, an inexperienced one, had took this as a threat and thought that he was going to shoot someone on the street.

Before the sound faded, Sam’s body froze as the bullet entered from his back and through his chest. A small cry escaped his lips before he fell to the ground, his life draining from him quickly.

The onlookers immediately panicked, getting themselves away from the scene knowing that a shootout was about to take place. Remembering Nate’s words moments before, Ben pulled out his own gun. He only took two steps towards the saloon before Hansen pulled him away.

“Get back!” he demanded. “Behind the water trough!”

“You heard what Nate said!” Ben yelled out frantically. “They would kill the hostages if something had happened to-”

“I know, but we don’t need any one else killed!”

Ben clenched his teeth in frustration. “If something happens to my sons, so help me-”

Before he could finish, more gunshots were heard…

“Sam!” Charlie yelled out as he watched Sam die before him. In retaliation, he charged over to the Cartwrights. Anger flashed in his eyes.

“Looks like your luck ran out,” Charlie said bitterly as he began to raise his gun towards Adam.

It was Joe’s chance. While Charlie wasn’t looking, Joe quickly swung his hands forward before catching the chair with his hands. While jumping up, he pushed the chair forward, the force of it knocking Charlie sideways before crashing into some chairs and a table, his gun going off in the air.

While that happened, Hoss finally had the chance to use his strength to break himself free from the ropes, which took him a few seconds to do. The youngest Cartwright witnessed his brother’s arms pull apart from behind once the rope snapped.

Joe had to smile. “I always knew your strength was good for something other than lifting hay stacks,” he joked.

Hoss listened as he quickly untied Adam’s wrists. “With all that silence we’ve been hearin’ all afternoon, I sure didn’t mind-”

The gunshots coming from both inside and out cut Hoss mid-sentence. The Cartwrights saw that Charlie was slowly starting to get up from the floor, his gun a few feet away. Nate and Tim were focused on defending themselves from the shooters outside.

Joe looked around and saw that Chad had already moved himself behind the bar counter, his hands still tied. He then saw Rachel, who not only was scared out of her wits from the sounds of gunshots, but she was very close to the bullets’ paths.

Quickly, Joe grabbed the chair Rachel was still tied up to, not having time to untie her right now. She screamed at one point as a bullet whizzed by her and hit the bar counter. Joe stared at the spot briefly… his head had been there moments ago.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he managed to get Rachel safely behind the counter just as Hoss and Adam were standing up. “I’ll have you and Chad untied in a little while,” Joe promised her before leaving to join his brothers.

Charlie was just beginning to reach for his gun. Not wanting to give him a chance, Joe dived forward, knocking him back before that happened.

As they began their brawl, Adam and Hoss lunged forwards towards Nate and Tim. Adam managed to knock Tim into the wall, the surprise attack forcing Tim to lose his grip on his gun.

Hoss wasn’t as lucky as his brothers however. Nate had heard him coming and once he was close, he elbowed Hoss right in the ribs.

The attack stunned Hoss for a moment, noting that Nate was nearly as strong as he was. However, when he saw Nate turning to him, Hoss backhanded the gun out of Nate’s grip. Nate had not expect Hoss to make a move so quickly after beind elbowed.

Behind the counter, Rachel and Chad could only watch as the Cartwrights took on the three remaining bandits. The sound of gunshots were gone, now replaced with fists hitting flesh, glass and furniture breaking, and grunts and cries from the six men who were brawling in the saloon. To Chad, it was like watching the usual saloon fights, but the bartender knew better.

It wasn’t long before Adam and Joe were able to knock Tim and Charlie out cold, both nearly at the same time. However, the fight between Hoss and Nate continued a bit longer. Both strong men, they left behind the most damage not only in the saloon, but also on each other. Hoss knew he was guaranteed to have quite a few bruises by morning… that is if he makes it through this alive.

For a moment after getting up, each one glared at their opponent, waiting for the other to make their next move as they tried to catch their breaths. Hoss and Nate eventually end up tackling each other at the same time. After a moment, Nate managed to overpower Hoss, knocking him back with a hard shove, but not before Hoss grabbed his jacket and took Nate along with him.

While on the floor, Nate spotted a gun just a foot away. He reached for it just as Hoss pushed him off of him. Hoss was only able to sit himself up before he found himself staring into the barrel of the gun that was now pointing towards his face. His eyes widened upon hearing the sound of the hammer being pulled back.

At the sound, Adam and Joe turned their attention to where and Hoss and Nate were. Their hearts froze upon seeing Nate holding a gun to their brother’s face. They both held their breaths, preparing themselves for the worst.

However, time passed and nothing happened… then enough of it passed before Hoss realized that Nate was hesitating. He looked up at the tall, bearded man, expecting to see no emotions in his eyes. However, Hoss managed to see the grim and bitterness in his eyes, the one that Adam had pointed out just earlier.

Hoss soon was able to relax as Nate pulled the gun away, and he could hear the sigh of relief from his brothers. He sighed of relief too, not realizing that he had been holding his own breath.

Even if his life was spared, he couldn’t help but wonder. Hoss looked up at Nate. “What made you decide not to kill me?” he asked.

Nate looked out at the window, noting that it was much darker outside now. “First off, I don’t like shooting unarmed men.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Joe stated bitterly. “You were so eager to have us all killed.”

“Believe it or not,” Nate continued. “I never intended to have any of you killed. That was a way to make sure our demands were met.”

“Your one friend almost killed me,” Adam reminded looking down at Charlie.

Nate sighed a little upon learning this. “That fool… he knew beforehand that wasn’t part of the plan. Then again, he and Sam were brothers.”

The Cartwrights understood then, knowing that they may have been just as irrational if one of them were to die in front of their eyes. But why Charlie chose to turn his guns on the Cartwrights instead was something they couldn’t understand.

“I’m only here to kill one person.” Nate looked out the window again. “Henry Coddington, the Mayor of this forsaken town.”

The name caught Rachel’s attention. “What do you want with my father?” she asked alarmed.

Nate glared at Rachel. “Has your father ever told you how he came to build this town?”

Rachel pondered over this for a moment, trying to recollect memories of stories her father had told her over the years. “He wanted to make a peaceful town where everyone can be happy,” she finally said.

Nate narrowed his eyes. “Did he ever tell you that Wadesville was once a ranch? The ranch that once belonged to my father?”

The new information caught everyone in the room by surprise. To Adam, it was starting to make sense. He watched as Nate turned his head to stare out the window. Meanwhile, Joe went over to the bar counter to help untie Rachel and Chad.

“It happened twenty years ago,” Nate proceeded. “It was just me and my father for quite a while at that time… I can hardly remember my mother before she died. He wanted to do something with his life. So when he received money from an uncle who passed away, he decided to start a ranch, right here where you stand now.

“He worked hard from sun up to sundown, hardly ever taking a break. I helped around of course, even quitting school just to help bring in the money.

“One day, when I was about ten years old, Henry Coddington showed up. A rich man who most likely never worked a single day in his life at the time, he wanted to buy land, and was very interested in my father’s property and the area around it. Henry wanted it, but my father was too proud of his land. He wouldn’t give it up for all the money in the world.

“For a while, Henry pestered him for the land. One day, Pa had enough. I had been working on the fields when I heard them arguing. As I got closer, Pa pulled his gun. I knew he wouldn’t shoot Henry… he only used his gun in an emergency or self defense. However, Henry took this as a threat, so he pulled his own gun out and shot my father to death, right in front of my eyes. I had been to frightened to face him then, but I still wish that I did to this day.

“My father didn’t leave a will behind, and I had no other relatives. As you can imagine, I lived in an orphanage until I was eighteen. As for the land, Henry used his money to buy off the land and built this town. He never acknowledged the presence of the son of the man he had killed over this land. That should have been my land, not his.

“So to make this short… Wadesville was built upon greed, blood, and no remorse for the young man who had the right to this land. I know now that I can never get this land back. However, if I had the chance to kill Henry Coddington, I’ll find my peace, and my father’s soul can finally rest.”

The absence of noise followed once Nate finished his story. Everyone in the room was lost for words, unsure of what to think of it.

It was Rachel who broke the silence. “You’re lying!” she exclaimed while choking back tears. “My father is a good, respectable man! He would never have done such a terrible thing!”

“Maybe now he wouldn’t,” Nate answered. “But even if he’s changed, it still doesn’t make up for what he did. The only way he could pay me back is with his own life.”

Hoss finally had to step in after doing nothing but shake his head. “Look Nate… I’m sorry that your Pa had to die for all this. But lemme ask you something… are you sure that you will find that peace when it’s over? What happens after?”

“I don’t care what happens,” Nate said. “All I care about is seeing Henry dead.”

Hoss shook his head again. “Nate… if you kill Henry, I guarantee you that you won’t receive that satisfaction you’re looking for. If I remember right, when a man goes through with something like that, he ain’t never satisfied. He becomes more bitter than he was before.”

Nate lifts his gun then, no longer wanting to hear Hoss. “Get yourselves on your feet and in front of me. You’re all now feel. However, don’t try anything.”

All five hostages obeyed and proceeded towards the door. Joe sighed to himself as he walked forward. They may have their freedom now, but something tells him that this situation was far from over…

***

Long after the bullets were fired, the smell of gun powered still lingered in the air, but all was quiet. Ben peered over at the water trough he had taken cover behind during the shootout. Everyone who was on the streets seemed to be unharmed since they, too, have taken cover like he has. The only damages that the bullets seemed to have left behind were holes in the windows and walls across the street from the saloon. The trough that Ben kneeled behind had a single hole and water was now leaking through it.

Ben had straightened himself up once he realized that there would be no more shooting. He heard Sheriff Hansen yell out something to the bandits, but Ben’s mind was focused on other matters.

His heart sank as he remembered what one of the bandits had said to them moments ago… he swore that the hostages would be killed if something happened to one of his men while he inspected the wagon and briefcases.

With the man lying dead from the bullet that began the shootout in the first place, Ben began to fear the worst. Was the shootout enough of a distraction for the bandits that they have yet to go through with their promise? Or did it give at least one of the bandits a chance to get the job done?

As Ben pondered through this in his mind, a soft creaking sound was heard from the saloon across the road from him. Ben looked up towards the sound, and was surprised to see the front door slowly opening. As a precaution, he lifted his gun in front of him, pointing towards the opening door.

About a quarter way open, the door stopped. No sounds was made for a moment until someone from the saloon spoke. “Pa? Sheriff?”

The female voice that called out from the saloon was almost music to everyone’s ears. Henry and Hansen looked at each other for a moment before Hansen nodded to Henry. Henry faced the saloon again.

“Rachel? Is that you?” he asked aloud.

“Yes!” Rachel called in replied. “We’re all okay in here!”

Hearing those words, Ben exhaled in relief, knowing that his sons were safe now. Henry continued. “What happened in here?”

“The other two bandits are unconscious. We have the other coming out with us.”

“Come on out then!” Hansen called out.

The door opened wider and Ben saw a woman in a red dress walk out of the saloon. Then, a man Ben guessed was the bartender followed Rachel. He soon felt a weight he didn’t know he had lift off his shoulder as he spotted Adam, Hoss, and Joe coming out after the bartender. Then, as Rachel ran over to her father, a tall man in a long brown coat stepped out.

Hansen pulled out his gun upon seeing him. “Toss the gun, Nate!” he ordered.

Ben looked at Hansen oddly as Nate did as he was told. Ben just had to ask. “Sheriff… there were three men who were holding the hostages… how do you know this one is Nate?”

Before Hansen could answer, Nate spoke. “Before you arrest me, Sheriff, there’s something I want done.” He looked at Henry, who had an arm around his daughter after sharing an embrace. “Do you remember the name Edwards?”

Henry swallowed. He had prepared for this ever since learning that Nate was one of the bandits. “You’re Jeb’s son,” he replied.

“Then I believe you know what I am here for,” Nate continued. “I’ve wanted to face you for a long time. I was only a boy when you killed my father and took this land to make this town… a town in which your daughter claims was to make people happy. You can’t live a lie, Coddington. You know this town was built upon blood and greed.”

“It was never about greed,” Henry replied. “All I wanted was a piece of land to build this place, and I found this land the best place to begin.”

“Maybe,” Nate said. “But don’t you forget, it took a single bullet to get your wish.”

“So it is true, isn’t it Pa?” Rachel cut in suddenly.

Henry briefly turned his attention to his only daughter, his heart breaking upon seeing the frightened look on her face. He knew that Nate Edwards would arrive in Wadesville one of these days… he just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

As Ben looked on, he was shocked upon learning the main possibly reason for this holdup… it was all about how Wadesville came to be. He then turned his head to the sound of footsteps to his right. His three sons had stopped walking once Nate and Henry began to exchange words, but were now moving again towards their father. Ben slowly met them halfway.

Ben placed one hand on Joe’s shoulder, the other on Hoss’, then looked straight at Adam. “You boys all right?” he asked with concern.

A small smile appeared on Joe’s face. “We’re fine, Pa,” he said in reply.

Henry’s voice cut in then. “Yes Rachel… it’s all true. This land once belonged to Nate and his father.”

Henry then retold the story to her, to Ben, to Sheriff Hansen. To the former hostages, it was almost a repeat of what Nate had told them, only that Henry believed Nate’s father tried to pull a gun on him, and he shot him in self defense.

“And since Nate was too young with no other relatives to claim the land,” Henry continued. “It was auctioned off, and I took the opportunity. I never thought about the boy’s feelings, and I was only thinking of myself, and my own vision. I realized my actions after Rachel was born and my wife died. I have been selfish in my actions.” He looked at Nate. “If I could give you back the land, I could.”

“Too much time has passed,” Nate said. “And I still cannot forgive you for your actions, even if you have changed. My father worked to the bone to make that land. The building of this town has destroyed his hard work. For years, I felt that it has dishonored his memory… and I still feel that way. All of the years of hard work seemed to disappear within moments.”

Nate tipped his hat forward a bit. “Coddington… after losing my father to your bullet, and losing his land which should have belonged to me, the only way you can repay the damages is with your life. I wish to have a duel, right here and now.”

Henry knew this was inevitable. He nodded to Nate. “I accept.”

Rachel immediately began yelling. “No, Pa! You can’t do this! Don‘t accept it, you’ll die!”

Henry unbuttoned his black jacket, his loaded derringer already placed underneath in it‘s inner pocket. “Don’t try to stop me, dear. I knew this day would come. I knew, after twenty years, he would return to Wadesville… to his land… and come after me for what I’ve done here. It was always a big chip on my shoulder, once I realized what I’ve done to Nate.” He let out a shuddered sigh. “In a way, I’m glad this day has finally arrived.”

Then, without hesitating any longer, Henry moved forward, and Rachel found herself frozen in her place. Learning the truth of Wadesville and now the possibility of losing her father was too much to bare.

Nate stepped down from the stars leading to the saloon, slowly picking up the gun he threw. Knowing this would be a fair and legal duel, Hansen lowered his gun, but still kept his finger on the trigger just incase.

A thought came to Ben. “Nate!” he called out. Nate stopped in his tracks and looked over at Ben, waiting for what he had to say. Once he got his attention, Ben continued. “Why did it take you all these years to come back?”

Nate shrugged a little. “I’ve been around… just went to jail a few times after I left the orphanage.”

A grim silence seemed to follow then as Nate and Henry began to take their spots on the street. Those watching got themselves out of the way, not wanting to be caught in the bullets’ paths.

As this did, Adam happened to look over at Rachel, noting her emotionless face as she looked on at the scene before her.

Standing only a couple of feet from her, Adam spoke. “Now that you know the truth… you have to realize that you can’t pretend that what you learned tonight didn’t happen. His actions from the past lead up to this moment.”

Rachel’s stern but emotional voice cut him off. “I’m aware of that. But…” she quickly took a deep breath. “Even if he did build this town on blood and greed… even if he didn’t acknowledge a son’s feelings and did what he did anyway, I still love him. And… I know he loves me too, even if I act like a spoiled child.” She smiled a little. “I know he only meant well when he built his land, but at least he knew what he did was a mistake, even if he realized it too late.”

The silence came again. As Nate and Henry got themselves mentally ready for the duel, Ben found himself looking up at the sky once again. The sun was just beginning to finish setting in the west. The color of the sky itself was one Ben rarely saw as he noted it’s purple hue, and the distant, parted clouds scattered around it. It was a rare beauty, but one Ben couldn’t enjoy right now as he turned his head back to the scene on the street.

Before anyone knew it, Nate and Henry drew this guns out at the same time, both able to get this guns to point at one another. However, only one trigger was pulled… the only belonging to Nate.

The bullet hit Henry, who immediately froze for a moment as the pain began to spread. He dropped his derringer to the ground before falling forward in pain.

“Pa!” Rachel called out after Henry collapsed. She ran over to her father, bending down to him. “Pa! Oh no, he’s hurt!”

The Cartwrights joined Rachel, checking up on Henry, who moaned in pain.

Henry managed to slowly raise his head up to see his daughter’s face. “I’m all right, dear,” he finally said reassuringly.

Ben noted the wound then. He examined it for a moment without touching the area, noticing that it was an exit wound. “He’s right, Rachel,” he said. “He was shot in the shoulder. We’ll have the doctor examine it just to be sure nothing shattered.”

Nate placed his gun back in it’s holster as the Cartwrights and Rachel helped Henry back on his feet, his face etched with pain from his shoulder. Now that it was over, they looked at Nate, wondering what he’ll do next.

Nate noticed the group staring at him. “Looks like I missed,” he said. Although said without emotion, Nate turned his head to Hoss and nodded at him. Hoss exhaled in a bit of relief, realizing that Nate thought about what he said earlier inside the saloon. Hoss nodded back at him, glad to know that he changed his mind about killing Henry, perhaps realizing that there was no satisfaction to killing, even for vengeance.

“Sheriff,” Nate said, carefully eying Hansen. “I’m done. I wish to turn myself in.”

Hansen nodded at him. “I could. However…” He suddenly pointed his gun at Nate. “You seem to have forgotten our deal.”

Hansen’s statement caught the attention of everyone in ear-shot. With the gun pointing at Nate, the Cartwrights knew that he had no chance to get his gun out without being shot.

“It’s over, Sheriff,” Nate said to him. “I don’t want to be part of this anymore.”

“No, Nate… it’s not over. We had a deal. You and the boys were supposed to get the money, and have it delivered to me, and we were all going to split it.”

Hansen’s sudden revelation finally began to make sense for Ben, and he mentally cursed at himself for not noticing the signs… his impatience with Henry, his lack of planning to rescue the hostages, checking the briefcases before placing them in the wagon, and knowing Nate’s name when he came out of the saloon. It all added up now… Nate and his boys may have gone through with the actual holdup, but it was Hansen who planned the whole thing!

“And also remember,” Hansen continued, a maniacal grin forming on his face. “If you failed… you would die.”

Nate only stared at Hansen, who turned to the Cartwrights and the Coddingtons. “You see… now that you know I planned all this, I guess I might as well tell you the rest! I hired Nate and his boys to do this job for me. They were to hold Rachel and anyone else in the saloon for ransom. A saloon… clever, isn’t it? That is where Rachel goes every week, right? Once the money was retrieved, we were supposed to all meet up and split the money.

“However… I was actually going to keep it all to myself, and kill Nate and the boys for it. I was then going to hide the money for a while, and make it look like I had hunted them down myself, making me the hero. The deputies and I were then going to ‘search’ for the money, but never find it. Once the excitement settles down, I was going to take the money and leave this stinkin’ town.”

Nate finally spoke up. “Even if you did succeed, I never planned to meet up with you. I never cared about the money. I only cared to face Henry after all these years.”

“Maybe,” Hansen continued. “But I would’ve hunted you down anyway. And once I saw you, I would’ve killed you on sight. Then I would‘ve had my hero status, and received the glory I’ve always deserved! I‘ve been nothing but a sheriff in a town where hardly anything happens! It was about time that I truly lived up to my occupation.”

“Now it’s time to forget it,” Nate suddenly suggested. “You’re plans have been ruined. It’s over and done. I’m going to turn myself in, with or without you.”

Nate began to turn and walk away then. Adam realized that Nate had made a mistake as Hansen raised his gun even more towards him, now with his back turned.

“Nate!” Adam called out in order to catch his attention. Nate turned around just in time to see Hansen beginning to pull the trigger.

Adam managed to push Nate out of the way just as the gun went off. The bullet barely whizzed past the two men. In retaliation, Adam raised his own gun and fired. The new bullet managed to hit Hansen in the chest, the force of it causing him to stumble back a bit before he collapsed to the ground. Once down, he no longer moved.

The group stared at Hansen for a moment. In the light of what happened in the last few minutes, they were still digesting everything in their minds. They were only just beginning to understand the story of Nate, Henry, and Wadesville. With the new information about Hansen’s involvement and his reason, it was hard to understand why he would choose to do this… just to look like a hero?

With the mastermind of the holdup now dead, Joe found himself sighing a bit. When he, his brothers, Rachel, and Chad we free to leave the saloon, he knew that the situation was long from finished. Now, it seemed like it truly was over.

Adam sighed as well. “It seems like, with the Sheriff, the supposed greed that Wadesville was built upon grew with it’s citizens.”

Ben let out a long exhale, glad that it was all over now. He once again looked up at the sky as he thanked God for his sons’ safety. The sun had finished setting, and the purple hue that was there moments ago was now being replaced with it’s normal dark blue color.

***

One year later…

“Hey Joe… isn’t Wadesville just up ahead?” Hoss asked his younger brother as they rode their horses across and open field.

Hearing Hoss, Joe scanned the field, looking as far as his eyes could see. About five miles away, he noticed some buildings up ahead.

“You know, Hoss,” he said. “I think you may be right.”

“Never thought we’d be anywhere near here again,” Hoss spoke. “After all that’s happened last year.”

Joe nodded in agreement. The brothers continued riding quiet for another minute or two before Hoss opened his mouth again. “Say brother… I know our water supply is okay for the next day, but I was figuring… could we stop by and fill up, just incase we run into trouble?”

Joe stared at Hoss, a single eyebrow raised. “Is that your idea of stopping by Wadesville?”

“Not really,” Hoss answered. “But since we are going there now, I reckon it wouldn’t hurt to see how the Coddington’s are doing.”

“If they’re still there,” Joe said with a small shrug.

Now it was Hoss’ turn to look at Joe oddly. “Now why do you reckon that?”

“Well,” Joe began to reply. “I was just thinking about what Adam said after we got back home after our time in Wadesville. He said Henry had this vision of creating a town where people can be happy. Before we were even involved in the hold-up, we Cartwrights all agreed that the people of that town were bored half to death… they were far from happy.”

“Something might’ve happen that prevented Henry from reaching his goal,” Hoss wondered.

“Adam had an idea,” Joe continued. He let out a small sigh. “He thinks Henry realized his mistake a couple of years after taking the land. He most likely realized that he couldn’t live his vision, not with the guilt hanging over his shoulder. It would be like living a lie. Although he continued to run the town, he didn’t provide anything to make the town excited to be living there. Wadesville pretty much became the town where nothing happens.”

Hoss nodded. He and his family had discussed this the day they returned home a year ago, but it was never discussed again until now. Joe’s words were more like a reminder to him.

“Hoss,” Joe began to say. “When we get there… let’s not stop at the saloon.”

Hoss smiled a little. He was amused by the fact that Joe didn’t want to stop by a saloon for once. At the same time, he understood the reason. “Sure, little brother. We’ll just get some water, maybe say hello to the Coddingtons, and leave.”

As the brothers continued riding towards Wadesville, Hoss thought about what happened immediately following the events at the saloon. The Cartwrights had stayed for another week in Wadesville. Though it was much to their dismay, it was for a good reason… to attend the trial of the bandits involved in the holdup.

Charlie and Tim were sentenced to ten years in prison. Hoss remembered Charlie swearing to avenge his brother Sam’s death once he got out, one way or the other.

As for Nate, he received ten years in prison. It would’ve been fifteen had he not volunteered to turn himself in. He had also admitted to have been involved in a stage coach robbery in California, the only other crime he hadn’t served time for.

As for the Coddingtons, and everyone else involved, the Cartwrights had not heard from them since. They had offered Rachel and Henry to come visit the Ponderosa anytime they wanted to, but they have yet to accept the invitation.

After a while of riding, Joe and Hoss finally reached the edge of Wadesville. The silence around it was expected.

However, once they reached the streets, the signs of abandonment were there. Many of the buildings had ‘closed’ and ‘out of business’ signs pinned in front of the doors and windows. A rocking chair on a nearby porch creaked as the wind pushed it back and forth. Up ahead, a pair of tumble weeds rolled back and forth.

Silently, Hoss and Joe rode through the empty town until they found a water trough with a water pipe by it. They slowly dismounted their horses.

Hoss looked at the building that was once the bank. “I reckon the folks here didn’t want to stick around here any longer.”

Joe nodded. “Doesn’t seem like that long ago either. Do you think it might have something to do with last year?”

“Maybe,” Hoss said as he reached for the pipe’s handle. “Or maybe the folks didn’t want to stick around any longer and left.” He pressed down on it a few times, and was surprised to see water spew out of it. “Yup… hasn’t been that long since everyone split.”

As Hoss filled their canteens, Joe looked up into the bright, blue sky. He remembered his Pa mentioning the sky being purple during the duel between Nate and Henry. Joe found it interesting when he first heard, since it was a rare part of nature, which seemed to have coincidentally take place during the duel… or was is a sign from nature as Hop Sing had put it?

He wondered if they would see another purple sky tonight, but Joe was sure he would forget to look up just after sunset, which was when it happened.

“I guess it’s one of those things we’ll never know,” Joe finally said after a long pause. “I only wish the best for the Coddingtons.”

Hoss nodded in agreement. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The Cartwrights mounted on their horses after hanging their canteens on the horn of the saddles.

As they rode, Joe spotted the very saloon he and his brothers were held hostage last year. The front door slightly swayed with the wind, showing a bit of darkness inside from the lack of light from the lamps inside.

Joe knew it would the last time he would see that saloon, let alone the now-ghost town of Wadesville. Quietly, he and Hoss rode out back to the field, forever leaving behind what was once a quiet, boring little town which held grim memories of blood, greed, and regrets.

The End