Summary:  This is number twelve in the Traci series.  A question Adam and Traci have to face is having lost one child, there is the possibility of losing another as their son begins to assert some independence.  They must tread a fine line between responsible parenting and smothering, and don’t do that very well at first.
Rating:  PG   Word count:  7,923

Traci series
First Love, and Tragedy (by BettyHT)
A Triangle (by BettyHT)
Another Angle (By BettyHT)
A New Angle (by BettyHT)
A Trust Broken and Fixed (by BettyHT)
I Still Love You (by BettyHT)
The Black Egg (by BettyHT)
Another Guise (by BettyHT)
Runaways (by BettyHT)
A Boy and His Horse (by BettyHT)+
Frogs and Other Stuff (by BettyHT)
An Island (by BettyHT)

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An Island

Chapter 1

“Adam, you and me used to go out on this lake, just the two of us and we were on a raft. There’s three of them and they got a boat.”

“We didn’t go out with a storm on the horizon because we knew our raft would capsize in the first big wave. It made us wary. That damn boat made them overconfident.”

“Or maybe they was just having so much fun they didn’t notice.”

“Does it matter. They’re missing.”

“But they still have the boat. I’m thinking they probably rode it aground somewhere and are camping and waiting for us to find them.”

“It’s a rowboat that was barely big enough for those three boys. You think it could ride out a storm?”

“No, but I think as soon as the waves came up, they’d head on in, and the boat should have been able to handle that. With LJ and Eric hauling at the oars, they could fight the waves for a bit.”

Adam’s son was the youngest and smallest of the three. He was strong and a good swimmer. But Adam’s fear was pounding inside relentlessly. Mounting up, he started to ride south along the shore. Joe and Hoss followed knowing that their fear and pain was bad, but Adam had already lost a son. He was torn up inside already at the possibility of losing another. After an hour of searching, some of their worst fears were realized. They found the shattered remains of the wooden rowboat in the cove. Battered by the waves and boulders, it didn’t look like much of boat any longer. The two oars were still intact and laying in the sand. The boat must have been repeatedly slammed against the large boulders until it had broken in two and then those pieces had been further banged about.

Dropping to his knees, Adam picked up one piece of wood and then another. Hoss put a hand on his shoulder as he looked around for any sign of his son or the other two boys. There was nothing.

“Listen, Adam, we gotta keep looking. If the boat came in here, this is the direction they got blown. C’mon, brother, help us look. We need you to keep looking with us.”

With tears obscuring his vision, Adam stood and nearly staggered to his horse to follow his brothers. He paused though to wipe his eyes. He had a cold and his eyes were already sensitive so then he wiped them again as the smoke was slightly irritating. Jerking his head around, he stared out at the lake to see a small line of smoke rising from the little island that jutted out of the lake about two hundred yards from shore.

“Hoss! Joe! Get back here.”

When Hoss and Joe rode back to where they had found the boat, they saw Adam standing in the water and staring out over the lake. At first they had no idea why he was doing that until Hoss smelled the smoke and saw the little streamer going up into the blue sky. He pointed it out to Joe.

“They’re alive. Oh my God, Hoss, they’re alive.”

“Lordy, how we gonna get to them.”

“I can swim that far.”

“I don’t doubt that, Adam, but our boys can’t. How will that help?”

“We’ll build a raft. We can start with the parts of the rowboat and get more wood from home. I’ll tow the raft out there. I can hang onto it to rest as needed. Then when I get there, Matthew and I can swim and again hang on as needed and the other two can ride the raft and paddle with their feet and hands.”

“Damn, older brother, you’re good at planning. All right, we’ll get started. By now, maybe they saw us here. I hope there ain’t none of them hurt.”

“I’ll start messaging as soon as I can find a mirror or we’ll have to start a fire.”

Hoss fired three shots and soon Ben and others were there. Adam asked for a mirror which no one had, but one man had a large piece of polished silver for a belt buckle. He offered that.

“Thank you. That should work.”

With the buckle, Adam began sending Morse code via light flashes. He waited hoping that Matthew had been able to see and read his message and had something with which to answer him. It took some time and the message was short. It made Adam smile though.

“None hurt. Cold. Hungry”

Men had been sent to the ranch to get wood and supplies. The others worked with Adam and his brothers to assemble rafts. When the rafts were ready to be secured, Ben arrived back with the mothers of the boys and food for everyone. When the rafts were ready to go, Adam began to strip down and told the ladies not to look. Ben suggested that perhaps Adam keep his underdrawers on.

“I’m not wearing any, Pa. Even if I was, I wouldn’t. They would slow me down. I need to be free to swim because that’s a long way to go. Now when we come in, Matthew won’t be wearing anything either, and I would appreciate it if the ladies would remember that and one of the men would have a blanket ready for him.”

Traci had a response for that. “I’ll have blankets ready for both of you. I don’t want you prancing around in front of everyone either. Now go get our boys.”

There were a few snickers at that which broke some of the tension. They all knew it was going to be a tense wait. They watched as Adam swam and then rested, swam and rested. He couldn’t afford to let himself be exhausted because he had to get to the island and then get back. It would be easier on the way back with the boys helping, but he would have used up quite a bit of his energy by that time too. He had warned them he would stay on the island for a time and share the food with the boys before they ventured out on the trip to shore. It made sense, but it meant that everyone on shore had so much longer to wait too. It was almost two hours later before they saw activity at the island.

When Adam had arrived, he wanted to grab his son and crush him to him, kiss his cheeks,, and cry that he was all right. He couldn’t do any of that so he simply put a hand on Matthew’s arm and held on tight. He took the small sack he had on the raft and handed it to the boys. It’s a small amount of food for the four of us. We’re going into the water so we don’t want to have too much. I know you’re hungry, but there’s more on shore when we get there.”

“We’re going on that?”

LJ looked about as nervous as Adam had ever seen him so he told the boys the whole plan. He said they wouldn’t talk about how they got on the island or anything about that until they were safe. They ate and Adam was more specific as to what each of them had to do and how it would all work. They got to ask questions so they understood the plan as well as anyone. Once they were sure they understood the pan

“All right, now Eric hold the rope while LJ gets secured on the raft.”

They had discussed how well each of them could swim and Adam learned that LJ wasn’t good at all. He wanted to understate that, but his cousins were brutally honest. Adam stared at his nephew.

“If you fall off the raft and can’t manage to swim back, one of us has to try to save you. It could cost all of us our lives. Is your pride worth that?”

“All right. I can barely swim ten yards.”

“Ten feet is more like it.”

LJ glared at Eric who looked rather defiant himself. Adam guessed there was more to it than this dispute so he needed to ask about that because they had to get that settled before they set off for shore. Cooperation and teamwork were needed, and this resentment between the two was a problem in need of resolution. In fact, there was tension between Eric and Matthew too although it was not as pronounced.

“What is the problem here between you two older boys?”

Both boys started talking at once so Adam raised a hand suggesting then that LJ go first.

“All I did yesterday was say I thought we could ride out the storm here before we tried to get to shore.”

Eric cut in then with his version.

“If we had headed to shore right away, we could have saved everyone a lot of trouble.”

Most likely there was no way to get those two to agree so Adam turned to Matthew.

“Who do you think was right?”

“Both of them could have been correct in their assessment based on their abilities. Eric is strong and maybe he could have gotten us to shore or very close to it. But LJ can’t swim as we have already determined. Based on his abilities, waiting out the storm was a better alternative. There is not right answer. However for the three of us, the likelihood of all three of us surviving was better by staying on the island. That was why I did not object to LJ’s proposal and Eric was upset with me because he thought I should back his leadership.”

“Did you explain all of this to Eric yesterday?”

“I tried. He wasn’t interested in talking with me.”

“All right. Matthew, do you have anything to say about the plan I’ve told you for today?”

“No, Father, it sounds like an excellent plan.”

“LJ, any problems with the plan?”

“No, Uncle Adam. I like it.”

“Eric, do you have any issues with what I want you to do?”

“No, sir. I don’t.”

Then Eric realized what Adam had demonstrated. He dropped his head and his cheeks colored. Adam put a hand on his shoulder.

“We all keep learning as we go. Eric, let me tell you something. Learning never stops if you’re smart.”

“Yes, sir. Let’s get this raft back to shore then.”

Once LJ felt secure on the raft, Eric climbed on. Adam told them to move around until they had the raft balanced well. Then he had Matthew tie a rope around his middle and move into the water to swim beside the raft on one side where he would help pull the raft. Adam would work on the other side. The two boys on the raft would use their feet and hands to paddle along as well as they could. It was cumbersome but as they neared shore, other men were there to swim along and take over so Adam and Matthew could swim in together. Matthew untied the rope from his waist, and was glad to give up the job he had been assigned. Traci met the two with blankets but had to hold Matthew upright as she wrapped a blanket around him. Ben was there quickly to help and got Matthew bundled up with a cup of hot soup in his hands as fast as could be done. Ben made sure Adam had the same before going to where the other boys were being brought in too. Soon they got the same treatment and were huddled by a fire hugged by their mothers and fathers.

The question everyone was waiting to have answered was why the boys ended up stranded on the island. It was a simple explanation. They found the small sandy beach there more comfortable for fishing than the small rowboat. Their backs were to the prevailing winds with the large sun-warmed boulders to lean on which meant they were warmer, but meant too that they never saw the storm approaching. By the time it was getting darker and the waves started to kick up, it was too late. That was how Eric explained it to everyone leaving out any mention of their dispute and LJ’s inability to swim. It wasn’t long after he told the story that all the families and the searchers headed to their homes. All they needed to do was to get everyone back into dry clothing which didn’t take long.

Watching his sons with their rescued sons, Ben was relieved. However he had one concern. As Eric was talking with Hoss and LJ with Joe, it seemed Adam and Traci were being quiet with Matthew as if they weren’t sure what to day to him. Ben had watched Adam and Traci as well as the others during this ordeal which had started the previous afternoon when the storm hit and the boys were not yet home. Adam and Traci had been the ones with the most extreme dire thoughts. While the others thought the boys together would find a way to keep each other safe, it seemed Adam and Traci could only think of more ways in which they could be harmed. Neither Adam nor Traci had slept much at all. Even today after the rescue, the strain was still all too apparent. Having lost their first son, their fear that they might lose a second child was nearly overwhelming to them. Ben worried over the impact it would have on their relationship with Matthew. He didn’t have to wait long to see what it would be.

 

Chapter 2

The arguments started in a few days as Matthew got over his embarrassment at having to be rescued. He asked to be able to do things with his cousins and his friends and was refused every time. The first confrontation had ended rather mildly but with a promise that Ben guessed was going to be difficult to keep.

“Father, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe are taking Eric and LJ up to a meadow where Uncle Hoss claimed they will teach them to catch ducks without a firearm of any kind.”

“When are they going?”

“On Saturday. Uncle Hoss said to prepare for roast duck for Sunday dinner.”

“This is a risky proposition. LJ can’t swim, and Eric is a beginner. My brothers will likely find that it’s easier to promise than to deliver.”

“Why would they go swimming if the purpose of their trip is to catch ducks?”

“Matthew, to catch the ducks, they build a floating blind, hide behind it, and wade or swim within reach of swimming ducks. Then they would grab the legs of ducks and pull them under drowning them. They’re going to have enough trouble keeping their sons safe that I doubt they will have much time to catch ducks, and they will have no time to watch out for you. I’m too busy to go so you can’t go this time.”

“But I can swim well. No one would have to watch out for me.”

“Like no one had to watch out for you at the lake?”

Matthew was caught with no answer for that one but still angry. He thought his father was being unreasonable and didn’t know how to react to this attitude.

“You’re young and inexperienced. You have more confidence than ability at this point. There will be other adventures when I can go with you, but this isn’t one of them.”

Unable to come up with a logical response he could deliver with any degree of respect, Matthew left the house quietly. Ben had witnessed the whole exchange and kept quiet, but he knew what that quiet exit meant. Matthew was much like his father. Now Little Joe would have slammed the door on the way out when he was furious and Hoss usually stomped away. When Adam was the most upset, he got very quiet. Matthew seemed to be exhibiting the same trait as his father. If that was true, there was going to be an explosion at some point because all that powerful emotion couldn’t be contained forever. Ben knew that from experience with his eldest son.

During the Saturday duck expedition, Matthew was home fuming and giving his parents, especially his father, the silent treatment responding only to questions and answering only with the required amount of words to remain respectful. They noticed, but said nothing clearly understanding why he would be upset but resolute too in their conviction that Adam’s decision had been correct.

The situation heated up though the following weekend when Matthew wanted to go fishing with his cousins. Such a request had never previously been denied, but circumstances had changed.

“I’ll talk to your mother, and I’ll let you know.”

“Why can’t I go?”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t go.”

“Yes, you did. Whenever you say you’ll talk to mother, it means no. She’s the one who’s supposed to be the mother hen, but now you act like you’re a mother too.”

“Matthew, you are treading very close to the line here.”

“Father, what happened? You used to have fun with me. Now you won’t even let me have fun.”

“You can have fun. You have to find safe ways to do it.”

“There’s no boat at the lake any more. We’ll sit on shore and fish.”

“And there are rocky hillsides to climb, and deep water to dive into. There are all sorts of hazards, and there should be someone there to watch over you. I am so tied up in work right now that I can’t, but when I get some time, then I will.”

“By then, I’ll be so old I’ll have my own sons to treat this way.”

It was said relatively softly and wasn’t meant for Adam to hear, but he did as his son left the house. Ben heard it too as he came in. Guessing there had been another issue between father and son, he went to his desk to open letters and didn’t bother Adam. He knew Adam would talk when and if he was ready to discuss it. Now wasn’t the time.

The time for discussing it came a couple of weeks later, but the discussion was with Traci first. Again it started because Hoss and Joe had planned an outing with their sons. Hoss had asked Adam to go but he was still too busy. So Matthew tried what he expected to be a failure.

“Can I go with Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe then? They’re leaving today. They can watch over me, and I’ll be careful. You know I will.”

“Matthew, this is similar to other conversations we have had. My brothers are responsible for their sons first. I need to be there to protect you in any dangerous environment. I can’t. This month has been especially difficult with work to do. In another month, I should have much more time.”

“By then, there’ll be something else. You only look for the bad side. You’re such an old croaker.”

Stunned by the criticism and by the use of slang, Adam had no answer at first. Then he was irritated.

“So you’re learning the lingo out here. Well, I am not all about doom and gloom. What I do see is reality. I see a boy who would like to grow to be a man but is not there yet. You keep talking to me like you are, and you will find out soon enough which you are.”

“Should I go out and start doing the extra chores now, or wait until the boss decides it’s time for me to pay the penalty for being honest.”

“In this process of learning the lingo, did you happen to learn what it means to hobble your lip? If so, I suggest you do it now.”

Turning on his heel, Matthew quietly exited the house. A short time later, the sound of an ax hitting wood could be heard. Packing up the papers he needed for his meeting, Adam went to the barn, saddled his horse, and left. Traci and Ben were left alone in the great room.

“He’s only trying to keep our son safe.”

“I tried to do the same as a father. You can’t do it, though. Neither of you can do it. There will be dangers out there. Your heart will pound, and your head will ache, and nothing you do will ever help. I know. I have stood by as my sons faced terrible dangers, and I feared for their lives. Yet, I had to let them live even at the risk of dying. I know you already paid a horrible price for being parents once, but nothing says you will pay again. This method of protection with Matthew will only cause anger and resentment. Ask Adam how he felt when I told him no. Ask him what he did in response. It’s what will happen eventually with Matthew.”

“I guess Adam and I should talk. It’s so difficult. When we thought we lost him at the lake, I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Walking to his daughter-in-law, Ben hugged her and let her cry. He guessed she had been holding that in for weeks and said so.

“Adam hasn’t expressed his feelings about what happened, has he? He’s holding it all in too?” Even in his arms, he could feel her nod. “The two of you need to talk. You need to get this worked out so you don’t damage your relationship with your son. It is so much better than what I ever had with Adam. I hate to see you lose it.”

“You think we will?”

“I see anger and resentment building up in Matthew. I have some idea where that will lead, and if Adam is completely honest with you, he will tell you he knows too. I punished too often when I should have listened. I made rules and restrictions when I should have set goals and how to achieve those. Matthew is on his way to becoming a man and needs a map of how to get there not obstacles. I am telling you all of this not as criticism but as admission of failure. I learned what I did wrong with Adam and that made me a better father. He grew into a fine man not so much because of me but despite me. I did better with my younger sons.”

“Thank you. I’ll talk with Adam.”

“You’re not on an island here.  We’re all available to help.”

At dinner, Matthew was sullen and at the conclusion of the meal, asked if he could be excused to go to his bedroom to turn in early for the night. Adam and Traci assumed he simply didn’t want to be in their company, but he had asked politely enough so they agreed to his request. It gave them time to talk, and they did invite Ben to join the conversation. He repeated what he had told Traci which helped Adam in his decision.

“I really shouldn’t go with deadlines coming up. But I think it’s time to slow down this rush a little and take some time for the family. I’ll wrap up these commitments and then set up some excursions with Matthew and with my brothers and their sons too if there are opportunities to do so.”

“Please don’t forget your father in your planning. I would enjoy being invited along whenever you feel it’s appropriate.”

Smiling at how his father was trying not to step on any toes, Adam responded with an all-encompassing invitation to be on all the excursions if he wished.

“You can choose based on how your old bones may react to what we’re doing.”

“Traci, there you see that is the way he talks to me when I am being so reasonable.”

Although Ben tried to look stern, he couldn’t hold it, and all three chuckled at the light-hearted turn the conversation had taken. By the time they headed to their beds, they thought they had resolved the situation satisfactorily. They had no idea that Matthew was on his way following his uncles and cousins trying to catch up even in the dark.

When Matthew didn’t come down to breakfast and Hop Sing complained of items missing in his kitchen, Adam rushed to the barn to find that his son’s horse was gone. Traci had gone to Matthew’s room but found it empty of course.

“It doesn’t look like he slept in his bed at all.”

“He went upstairs early last night before the sun went down. I’m sure he was all set to go by then, and he probably rode out when we thought he went to bed.”

“Adam, he couldn’t have caught up to them so he was alone last night, and Hoss said there was a cat roaming that area. I heard him tell the boys that Joe would ride in the lead and Hoss at the back with the boys between them because of that. Matthew is alone.”

“I’ll go. I’ll find him.”

There were furious preparations, and Adam rode out in less than a half-hour. He was worried about his son even to the point of being scared of what might have happened, but angry too that his son had taken this action and frightened his mother so much. In his mind, there was going to have to be a significant reckoning at the end of this one. He tracked Matthew quite easily and found where he had spent the night when it got too dark to ride. At least he had picked a good defensive position. From the looks of it, he must not have slept at all. The ashes indicated a fire had burned there for most of the night so someone had to keep feeding it. He didn’t see any marks that showed where anyone had laid down so most likely he had sat on a stone or log keeping careful watch. At that point, Adam wondered if Matthew had a firearm with him. If he did, the bigger question was how he had managed that. He rather hoped he had though because he didn’t like the idea of his young son out here without any protection.

About the time Adam found Matthew’s camp, Matthew found his uncles and his cousins. Instead of smiles, he got an angry reception.

“Matthew, what in Sam hell are you doing out here alone? Are you crazy?”

“I came to join you. I have a rifle for protection.”

“Lordy, boy, Joe is right. You done a real loony thing coming out here by yourself. Now how did you get here so fast this morning?”

“I left last night.”

“You what? Damn. Boy, didn’t you hear us talking about that cat that’s up in this area? You could have been his meal. Joe, we’re going to have to keep a close eye today. That cat might have been trailing him. We know he’s wounded. We saw the tracks and it shows he’s got a bad paw. He’s going to be looking for easy prey.”

“Hoss, maybe we better head back. By now, Adam is probably on his way to find Matthew.”

“Yeah, one good thing came out of all of this. It got Adam out of the house and all those papers his nose has been stuck in.”

Matthew got worried though. “If the cat sees him alone, will it attack him?”

“I hope not, Matthew.” Except Hoss was worried that if Adam was following Matthew’s trail he might run into that cat.

The group heard a gunshot in the distance. All were quiet and still but there was nothing more.

“What do you think, Joe. Would that have been from our upper pastures?”

“Could have been. The way sound bounces around up here, it’s hard to tell.”

“Well c’mon boys, let’s get this camp cleaned up. We’re heading back home. We’ll try this again sometime when there aren’t any complications like a wounded cat.”

As Hoss and Joe directed the packing up of the gear at their camp, Adam was following his son’s trail. He had not seen any sign of his brothers and nephews and wondered if Matthew was getting himself lost. He had traveled in a direct line though so the other conclusion was that he knew where they were going and wanted to get there as quickly as he could. It was warm, and Adam raised his forearm to wipe sweat from his face not seeing the dark form rise up on the ridge just above the trail. Sport smelled the cat though and reared up which saved his master’s life. The cat had leaped at Adam intending to bite him in the back of the neck and kill him. The cat missed but raked his claws along Adam’s head and shoulder and down his back. Sport rearing and the violent attack unseated Adam. He was stunned by the landing and unable to move for a moment. Again Sport saved him charging the cat and making him retreat. It was long enough for Adam to draw his pistol and fire once. In his shocked and stunned state, he didn’t know if he hit the cat or not, but it ran off. Unfortunately, so did Sport overcome by all that had happened.

 

Chapter 3

Retrieving his hat, Adam put it on to stop blood from coming down his face and possibly getting in his eyes. It hurt to have his hat on, but he guessed dying would be much worse. He wanted to stand, but even the thought of it was enough to cause dizziness. Movement was by sliding on his butt or crawling on his hands and knees. When he got so tired he was feeling nauseated, he slid across to the base of the rock ridge and leaned against it. Taking stock of his predicament was disheartening. He wanted to fire off three shots to let anyone on the ranch who might hear know he was in trouble and needed help. Unfortunately, his extra ammunition was in the pocket of the coat hung behind the saddle of the horse that had left him.

“Sport, I can only hope you come back instead of running all the way home.”

After firing once, if he fired three times for help, he would have one left. That was another reason not to use the distress signal. One was not going to be enough if he was attacked. With a pistol and a moving target, four might not be enough. Moving slowly when he felt able, Adam began collecting wood for a small fire. He guessed it might be some time before he could expect help. The rock ridge above him sloped outward so he was safe form attack from above and behind. He was going to need a fire for warmth and for protection from an attack from the front. There was going to be a major problem for him in trying to stay awake because under the circumstances, falling asleep could be fatal. But he was already feeling the effects of the attack and one was a great desire to lay down to rest. He had no water and no food, but he could keep busy whenever he was able collecting wood for the fire. It was a couple of hours before he realized the tin of matches was also in the pocket of his coat. He was going to have to try to start a fire using some rather primitive means as he had no flint either. With a sigh, he added one more item to his mental list of things to do.

There were a lot of things Adam needed and didn’t have. What Adam did have was time so he began shredding dried leaves and then pulled lint from his pants and shirt using a sharpened rock. He was going to need an excellent primer because any spark he managed to get was going to be small.

Concentrating on building a fire helped him keep his mind from the pain of his wounds which he guessed were infected. Typically wounds made by claws of a cat were. There was nothing he could do about that so he worked at what he could do. By the afternoon, he realized he was ready to try to start a fire. That was good because the sun would set behind him which meant it would get dark quickly at sunset. He began the laborious process of trying to get sparks from ordinary stones he had found that he thought might work. The cat had not come back, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. They liked to attack by surprise so he had to stay vigilant.

Miles away, Adam’s brothers, his nephews, and his son were on the last stretch toward the ranch house. It was then that LJ saw something moving in the trees and pointed it out to his father. The young man had a keen eye for horses and thought he saw Adam’s horse in the trees.

“That would be awful strange. Hoss, what do you think?”

“I think it’s odd we didn’t see Adam today, and now LJ thinks he saw his horse over in those trees. We better go take a look.” Before going though, Hoss had a reminder for the three younger members of the group. “You boys remember the rule: you three stay together, and me and Joe will ride together to check things out. Keep your rifles handy.”

Riding into the trees, Chubb and Cochise whinnied to their friend. It was clear it was Sport even before the men saw him. He shied from them briefly and both could see why as soon as they led him out into the light. With scratches on his rear quarters and some blood spots on Adam’s coat tied behind the saddle, their worst thoughts seemed to be coming true.

“Joe, that shot we heard this morning.”
“Yeah, but why didn’t we see him on the way. Where could he be?”

Hoss turned to Matthew with a terrible suspicion forming.
“Matthew, which way did you take up to the meadow where we were camped?”

“I rode over the high ridge like we always do. Father always said it was the shortest way to go.”

“Damn!”

The boys were shocked by the vehemence of Joe’s exclamation. Then Hoss explained.

“We didn’t go that way because it’s the area where that cat has been seen the most, up on that ridge. We went the long way around like we did today. If you went that way, Adam must have followed you. We never said anything to him about the cat being up that way because we didn’t think he was riding out this way. Lordy, we gotta go back there, Joe.”

“What about the boys?”

“We gotta send them home. We gotta trust they can get there safely on their own.”

“Pa, maybe we oughta all come with you. That cat would likely be scared of five of us, wouldn’t it, and that way we could have all the supplies too.”

Both Joe and Hoss were afraid of what they might find, but Eric had made good points, and they could hardly argue with him.

“All right, but do whatever we tell you to do, and stick close together no matter what. Lives could depend on that.”

“Hoss, the sun could be nearly down by the time we get to the top of that ridge.”

“I know, but we can camp then at that outcropping. We’ll have to have two awake at all times keeping watch, but we can stay safe enough. We gotta find Adam though. He can’t be up there alone in the dark.”

Despite his best efforts, Adam had fallen asleep. Working so hard to collect wood and start a fire, he had slumped against the rock wall unable to stay awake any longer. His body betrayed him, but at least there was a rock wall behind him and a fire in front of him. He awoke perhaps twenty minutes later to face a snarling mountain lion with blood smeared along one side and a grossly swollen back leg. Even in his state, Adam quickly analyzed the situation. The cat was frustrated by the fire. It wanted to attack but not willing to cross that fire threshold to do so. He had hit it in that attack that morning creasing it along the side in what was probably a painful and certainly a bloody wound. That back leg of the cat was badly infected and probably hindered its every action which was why it was going after easier prey than the usual. However he didn’t want to be that prey. Raising his pistol slowly, he prepared to shoot, but something spooked the snarling animal which ran off down the trail and disappeared back into the brush.

Down that trail, Hoss and Joe had heard the snarls and had gotten the boys to dismount, hold the horses and get their rifles ready. He and Joe grabbed theirs and prepared to head up the trail. As they ran forward, they smelled smoke and guessed it had to be Adam and prayed he was all right. Bursting into the clearing by the rock ridge, they were relieved to see him alive even if bloodied. Adam though immediately had one concern.

“Where are the boys?”

Pointing back down the trail, Joe answered. “We left them with the horses.”

“That cat just ran off that way.” Adam could see their indecision. “Go, he won’t come for me here.”

The two men began to run and ran faster when they heard the rifle shots. Joe was able to outdistance Hoss by quite a bit which wasn’t wise under the circumstances, but he wasn’t thinking. Sliding to a halt by the boys who were frantically trying to keep the horses from running away, Joe helped them pull the horses back under control and soon Hoss was there to help.

“What the hell happened?” Joe didn’t want to wait for an explanation.

“We shot the cat.” Was LJ’s short answer.

“What?” Joe and Hoss asked that in chorus.

The boys pointed and not more than fifteen feet away, the cat lay dead. They looked back at the boys and waited. Matthew was crying so LJ hugged him, and Eric explained.

“Matthew said he smelled something bad, and it had to be the cat. We asked how he knew that, and he said Uncle Adam had told him how cats can smell bad when they’re close. That’s when we got scared and looked all around but couldn’t see anything so Matthew got up on a horse to look around, and he pointed to a spot and said he was there. We still couldn’t really see him so he told us where to shoot, and we did. It was the cat. He was that close and we never saw him. Pa, I’m sorry I was scared, but I couldn’t help it. I think we were all scared.”

“Listen, you were smart to be scared. Now, let’s head on up the hill. Yes, Matthew, your father is up there. He’s hurt, but he’s alive.”

Hoss and Eric took the cat and tossed it as far down the hillside as they could so it wouldn’t draw any more predators to them. Then they followed the others to where Adam had a fire going. Matthew was scared, contrite, concerned, and ready to do whatever he had to do. Joe had the boys get a bedroll ready and soon he had Adam laying down so he could take a good look at what injuries he had. They got more wood, built up the fire, and heated water. Hoss was apologetic.

“Adam, we’re going to have to clean out those cuts with soapy water. It’s all we got. When we get you home, you know you’re going to have to have them cleaned out again. It’s going to hurt like hell.”

“I know. Just do it.”

“The good news is that you aren’t bleeding much so we don’t have to wrap you up in a bunch of bandages. We’ll let them dry and scab over and then put you in a clean shirt so you can sleep.”

I’m thirsty. Can I have some water first? My stomach might object to me taking anything later.”

Knowing that meant Adam knew the ordeal he faced, Hoss gave him water but admonished him not to take too much. Then it was time to take off his brother’s hat and shirt and begin the cleaning process. Matthew offered to help, but the tears in his eyes made it difficult at times so Hoss was patient letting Joe do most of the assisting while LJ and Eric did their best to stay away even if they were curious. The groans were difficult to hear especially from the uncle they thought would never cry out like that too. When it was over, Adam was exhausted as expected.

“Lay there on your belly just a bit. I’ll get you a clean shirt as soon as things dry off some. Then we’ll get you all wrapped up for the night.”

Even though Adam said nothing, Hoss assumed he heard. He and Joe got the boys to organize the camp for the night and got a meal cooking. They had two fires because they assumed Adam might be chilled. Once they got him in a bedroll and wrapped up, they planned to let one fire die down. That was until the boys asked if they could have both fires all night. Spooked by all that had happened, they felt safer with the two fires burning. They agreed too that they would take turns keeping watch. Matthew was the most tired so he got the third watch with LJ and Eric handling the first two. Of course, Joe and Hoss slept lightly keeping watch on their boys.

In the morning, Hoss, Eric, and Matthew took charge of Adam and getting him home while Joe and LJ rode ahead to try to get a wagon to come out to meet them. The assumption was that Adam would tire and not be able to make the whole ride home even with help. That was about how it worked out too. The surprise was to see who was in the wagon with Hop Sing and Traci sitting on the seat as Joe rode a fresh horse and guided them to where the others were coming in. Joe was leading several horses too.

When they met, Traci rushed to Adam who slid gratefully but not so gracefully from the saddle. With Hoss’ help, Traci got him to the wagon and in the back on a mattress.

“He’s added to his collection of scars, but these are shallow and some are even hidden under his hair.”

Ignoring Hoss, Adam started to pull open his shirt as he saw Hop Sing opening a bag and expected soothing salve or something to ease the discomfort. What he got though as soon as Hop Sing saw the angry redness around the wounds was another painful cleaning of them before he got any soothing salve. Then they were ready to head for home.

Hoss, Eric, and Matthew rode the fresh horses Joe had brought and led the way. Joe drove the wagon happy to be out of the saddle for a short time. In the back, Hop Sing and Traci tended to Adam who lay on his side with his head on his wife’s lap. Content then except for being hungry. He thought he would have to wait on that issue until Hop Sing pulled out another basket presenting him with a biscuit with preserves. Munching away, he asked if there was coffee and got a shake of the head from Hop Sing.

“Thank you for everything. I was teasing about the coffee. I am feeling so much better.”

“Good, then perhaps you can tell Hop Sing and I what the hell happened up there.” “I was so intent on finding Matthew, I made a mistake.” Adam told her everything then and left out no details. “I never got a chance to tell him anything about what we discussed. I suppose it will be a while now before that can happen.”

“Did you discuss at all his disobedience?”

“No, by the time I saw him, I was otherwise preoccupied.”

“Yes, so we have that to handle yet as well.”

“We do. It may be a day or two before I’m up to the task.”

“He can wait. Giving him some time to think about all of it may be good.”

Listening to all of it, Joe began to have second thoughts about spanking as his major means of discipline. He knew Matthew had been hanging back a bit so he could hear what his parents said. At first, he hadn’t been too concerned, but now Joe could tell how upset he was and likely would be suffering for the next couple of days until Adam felt well enough to take on a serious discussion with him. When they reached the main house, that opinion was reinforced as Matthew did everything he could to help. That pattern continued for several days until it was time for his talk with his father.

There were three main outcomes of that discussion. Matthew was on restrictions for a month with additional chores assigned to do and apologies to be made. Adam told him though that at the end of the month, they would make an excursion into the mountains to do some hunting. Last, Adam said he and Traci understood that they were being overprotective and would try to curb those impulses, but that Matthew had to come to them and talk to them if he felt he was being smothered by them in any regard.

“You have to respect our judgment too. Even though we were being overprotective, you should not have been on that trip without your father. It put too much strain on your uncles. It was unfair to them because you didn’t accept the advice of those who know more about these things. You have the right to ask questions, but you do not have the right to tell us we do not know what we know. We’re not islands. We’re like one big land all connected to each other. We depend on each other and help each other, and that includes trusting what we hear from each other.”

“I can ask questions about anything though?”

“Yes, of course.”

“All right. Then I have a question. LJ and Eric are liking girls. I do rather like the idea too but I don’t know anything about that kind of thing. I was wondering. Can I like girls when I’m young like LJ and Eric or do I have to wait until I’m old like you were before you liked Mother?”

From the next room, Adam heard Traci begin laughing. He guessed more of the family was going to hear this story.

“Listen, it’s complicated. I think it might be a good topic of conversation when we’re on that trip to the mountains, just the two of us.”

“I like that idea.”

“Now go do your chores before your mother hurts her ribs laughing.”

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Family