Summary: the brothers break through the usual limits to have spring adventures and forget winter doldrums by visiting those they met in Springtime.
Rating: PG  Word count: 9,940

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Break the Bonds of Winter

Chapter 1

Winter is smothering. Blankets are always piled high on the bed. It still makes me shiver uncomfortably when I first turn in for the night. In the morning, I can pull my clothing in to warm it up before I dress, but it doesn’t help that much. Coats, mufflers, gloves, and heavy boots make me feel like a bear and still, the cold gets to me when I have to go outside for any length of time. Snow covers everything. Snow on the roofs is the worst. It means putting up ladders and climbing up there to push it down so the roof doesn’t collapse. The snow collects moisture and gets heavier and heavier if you leave it there. My brother Hoss is too heavy for the job and my father always likes to use his excuses of age and arthritis about that time. With only the light winter crew, that means most often, that job is done by me or Joe. Joe is more adventurous and of course, got hurt doing it so for the rest of the winter, the job was mine. It didn’t do anything to improve my attitude especially, after that last snowstorm. Joe was still laid up with his leg in a splint. Hoss was supposed to make sure I had a ladder to use to get down from the roof and clear snow away from doorways after I pushed it off the roof. He got distracted though by calls from the barn and went to investigate. The first problem was that I was stuck up on that roof with the wind blowing hard for an extra hour. In a foul mood, I didn’t even answer Hoss when he hailed me.

“Hey, you must be done if you kin just sit around up there. I’ll get the ladder set up again.”

Making my way to the ladder and down took all my energy. By the time I got to the ground, I didn’t have enough left to pop him one on the chin. As I leaned against a tree, he was all smiles apparently unaware that my eyes were attempting to burn holes in his back as he looked at the results of my work.

“You done a right fine job up there. I’ll take the ladder back to the barn and start working on clearing away the snow from the doorways.”

As anyone could guess, he got distracted again and didn’t return. I could climb those mountains or snow or dig my own path into the house. I dug a path. At least it warmed me a little until I set the shovel down and the wind got to me again. I pushed to get into the house only to have my temper rise again.

Joe was relaxing in a chair with a hot chocolate and gave me a big smile. I know he couldn’t help it, but I resented it anyway. He glanced at the small pitcher on the tray in front of him, and by his look, I knew it was empty. There was no more hot chocolate to drink.

But Pa was the big offender in my eyes. He passed me on the way to the washroom.

“Hop Sing has drawn a nice hot bath for me to ease my aching back and knees. He can do the same for you when I’m done. You look like you could use one.”

Then he was gone around the corner and out of sight before my eyes could melt him like lava burns up trees and buildings as it flows to the sea. Wisely, Joe said nothing. The kid is getting smarter. I stripped off my wet coat and gloves. Tugged off those damn heavy boots. Then I trudged up the stairs as I heard Hop Sing begin to complain about the mess I had made. When I turned to stare at him, he abruptly halted his harangue. He’s not getting smarter. He’s always been that smart. He saw an angry cougar and decided not to poke it.

If I could have gone to town and stayed there, I would have. Instead, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and crawled into bed shivering until I was finally able to get warm again. I stayed there until it was time for dinner. Dressing in some of my warmest and softest clothing, I headed to the dining table where my family was already assembled. They must have already talked about the situation because not a word was said as I filled a plate with food and walked to sit by the fireplace pulling my chair as close as I could. After dinner, they came over and all three apologized saying it would never happen again. I was as gracious as my mood allowed which wasn’t much. Luckily it was the last snowfall of the season.

 

Chapter 2

Spring set everything free. I could take off my shirt to pound metal heated red hot in the forge to make something. I could sweat and breathe the fresh air with the sweet smell of new growth. The world is clean, alive, and vibrant again. It makes me want to mount up on Sport, give him his head to run like the wind. So I did with no plan as to where to go and what to do. All I did was pack some clothes and grab some basic supplies from the kitchen. Joe asked if I was going somewhere, and I cheekily agreed that I was. When I mounted up on Sport, I gave my best yell to free my lungs and my throat of all that was stuck in there the long winter through. I saw my father look up from where he sat on the porch. I waved as I left. I doubt he knew I wouldn’t be back for over a month. How could he? I didn’t know that either as I planned a much shorter excursion.

In town, I stopped at the bank to get some money and at the general store for a few special items.

“Adam, you have a family we don’t know about? Hair ribbons and toys makes me think you have a family somewhere.”

“Maybe I do. Pack up a bag of assorted candy too please.”

“And I didn’t think you smoked a pipe. This isn’t your father’s usual tobacco.”

“It’s not for him.”

“Going somewhere?”

“Maybe I am.”

With those answers, I knew the gossips would have a good time. When Pa came to town, he was going to have quite a time answering questions. I got some satisfaction knowing that. In fact, I found it quite humorous. He was always so concerned with the Cartwright name. Let him explain this when he had no information. I could picture him when he was confronted by the questions and as uncomfortable as he would be. He would know that any answer he gave would not be satisfactory and only add to the gossip. That made me smile more. I still resented his behavior toward me when I told everyone that Bill Enders had murdered Toby. He had even wanted me to fight Bill when Bill had tried to goad me into a gunfight. He would have rather had me die than have people think his son might be afraid to fight. That still rankled. So this was a small payback for that. There was a lot of payback in what I was doing. I was going to go visit where I was appreciated or at least I hoped that would be the case. If not, I might just keep riding. That was the mood I was in, and it was going to take some healing to change what was in my heart.

Over the next two days, I took a leisurely pace appreciating the beauty around me. I camped in nice spots and slept in letting nature wake me in the morning with the songs of birds. After taking care of Sport, I made myself a nice breakfast with enough extra for my lunch. I stopped at any good-looking spots along the way to make sure I wasn’t pushing Sport too hard and usually picked an especially nice view for my lunch break. On the third day, I pushed a little harder knowing I could reach my destination by the dinner hour. Spending it with the family had a great appeal to me, and I hoped it wasn’t going to be a disappointment. As I rode up and saw Ted who got a worried look when he saw me, my heart dropped.

“Adam Cartwright, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I sent the money. I thought you would have it by now and know we were doing all right. I’m sending the payments regular like.”

Then I knew why he was worried. It was a relief.

“The visit isn’t about the money, Ted. I wanted to visit you and your family. I didn’t even check the mail. I needed a place to go, and you and your family came to mind. I hope it’s not an imposition. This time I brought supplies so I won’t be a burden.”

His frown turned upside down as Ray came running to see me, and I saw Barbara peeking around the corner of the porch. I waved to her as I dismounted. When Ray got there, I shook his hand as any young man would like.

“Ray, you’re looking good. I have to get a few things from Sport, but then I would appreciate it if you would get him some water and let him graze a bit.”

“Really? You trust me with Sport?”

“Just don’t try to ride him. He won’t like that if I’m not around. We can have you try that when I can be there to let him know it’s all right..”

“Really? That would be swell. Thanks, Mister Cartwright.”

“It’s Adam if it’s all right with your parents.”

“Well, Mama has that southern upbringing, Adam. She’s gonna insist on the Mister, but maybe we could settle on Ray and Barbara calling you Mister Adam.”

Ted’s wife arrived to greet me then with the shy Barbara. I gave the two sacks of supplies to Missus Hackett and she handed them to Ted to carry. They were rather heavy. I put out my hand to Barbara who shyly took it.

“You get prettier every time I see you. You and your mother certainly make this place more beautiful. Ted doesn’t need a flower garden here with two roses blooming year-round.”

Ted sighed as Missus Hackett smiled and Barbara blushed. It was time to go inside. I brought my bag of surprises with me knowing they were all curious as to what was in there. First I let the ladies take out the supplies I had brought. There was a ham, a slab of bacon, cans of peaches, a bag of sugar, and a chunk of chocolate. When I saw their looks of astonishment, I smiled.

“Those are some of my favorites, and I hoped you would like them too.”

Missus Hackett came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I hadn’t even gotten to the real gifts yet.

“Those are just supplies I hope we can share. Next up are gifts I brought. You all gave me a gift last time that you may not even realize you gave. I felt renewed when I left here. So I have gifts for you now.”

What I wanted more than anything was to see more smiles. I needed to see them so I opened the sack to begin distributing the things I had brought. Ray came in about that time so it was perfect. It was fitting that the first item was the tobacco for Ted. His smile was accompanied by a nod that recognized that I would remember what he had missed so much. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. We understood each other so well. When that happens, words aren’t necessary.

Next up were the children who weren’t so young anymore. I had realized that and brought a jackknife as well as a checkers game, a tabletop ring toss game, and a yoyo. I handed the hair ribbons to Missus Hackett knowing she would share with her daughter. There was a small bottle well-padded in the bottom of the bag. I pulled it out last without revealing what it was and handed it to Ted. He seemed to know what it was by the grin he had. Ray and Barbara were so busy they didn’t notice, but Missus Hackett did.

“Not until the children are in bed.”

“Of course, Mama. I’ll go outside and try some of this new tobacco though as you fix up our dinner though if you don’t mind. Children, now help your Mama with dinner.”

So far, it had been all I had hoped to get. Smiling faces, a clean and neat farm with plowed fields ready for planting, and a healthy family dressed in nice clothing. Things had to be going well for the Hacketts, and I had something to do with that. It felt good. We took seats on the porch and looked out over the farm.

“Adam, I got a question for you to ponder. I’m wondering if you would mind if I put off paying you the next installments on what I owe you? Not that I wouldn’t pay you, of course, only that I wait a year or so to do it.”

Things had been looking so good, but my mood slumped with the question. I hated to ask the next thing.

“Ted, why? Things look good around here. Has there been a problem?”

“No, no, I didn’t mean to suggest a problem. You see, we’re not far from town, and we got a garden and a few chickens and such. Whenever we can, we bring extra to town and always sell whatever we got. I was wondering if maybe we should expand some on that and have a steady income all through the spring and summer into fall. That would help things a lot and we would have money even if the crops weren’t the best, and we would have a boom time if the crops are good.”

He must have seen the relief on my face.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to worry you none. I should have said that different. It’s just that me and Mama been talking about it so much I forgot that you wouldn’t know about that of course. We get floods along the creek every spring. That soil is real rich. I don’t dare plant crops there cause a flash flood could take them out, but some vegetables for market that we harvest right along wouldn’t be such a problem. Mama says she thinks root crops like carrots or even potatoes would make it right through a flooding anyway. Most often those storms come in the late summer which wouldn’t be good for grain crops but garden crops could be harvested by then too.”

“You have been thinking about this and planning.”

“We were going to write to you and see what you thought.”

“But you sent the payment first.”

“We wanted to show you we was in good faith. We keep our word. One thing anybody can say about Ted Hackett is that he keeps any promise he makes.”

“I wish we could tap that bottle now, but I know what we’ll be toasting later.”

“So that means you like our ideas?”

“I do, and if you don’t mind, I’ll stay here and get things started with you. You told me the last time I was here that spring was a time for beginning things not ending them. I agree, and that’s what I want to do.”

We were called into dinner then. Ham, eggs, and biscuits made for a delicious meal. Missus Hackett apologized for not having a dessert. I pointed to the kitchen area. She frowned a bit but followed my lead.

“Do you have a mortar?”

“Yes.”

“I need it to grind some of the sugar into powder. You’ll need to put some butter in a bowl. About a tablespoon for each of us should do. When that’s done, cut a chunk of chocolate for each of us and put it in a small pan and set it on the stove where it’s still warm from when you fixed dinner.”

Not sure why I wanted her to do those things, but she followed my instructions. When she had that done, I had her put biscuits on five plates and split them. By then, I guessed I had enough powdered sugar. I put it all in the bowl with the butter.

“You need to cream that together. When it is mixed, taste it to see if it tastes good.”

She took a taste after blending and her smile let me know she liked the result.

“That’s buttercream. Spread some in the middle of each biscuit and then put them together again and drizzle melted chocolate over the top. It will make a wonderful dessert without using up all the special ingredients I brought.”

During dessert, Ted disclosed our conversation about the truck farming plan. I could see that Ted’s wife wasn’t as comfortable with the idea as he was. I waited for the children to go off to their rooms before I asked what was bothering her. She was reluctant to answer, but Ted encouraged her to be honest.

“Adam has been straight with us. We have to be the same with him.”

“If we go to town every day, the wagon won’t hold up. We are going to need a new one. Our team is the same way. Pulling plows in the field and then hauling a wagon to town is going to be too much for them. We only have the four of us, and two are children. I don’t see how we can get all the work done.”

“I’ll go to town with you. I think we can work something out there too. There are Chinese in town. Many of them are good farmers. We might get one or two to work for a very reasonable rate. Do you have fish in that creek of yours?”

“Yeah, quite a few, but I don’t have much time to fish for them.”

“We’ll find a way to take care of that too.”

“What about the wagon and the horses?”

“We’ll see what’s available in town. Maybe we can make a deal.”

That night, Adam slept well, but Ted was too excited to sleep. In the morning, he had coffee as the sun came up and was anxious for Adam to walk out of the barn. When he did, Ted had coffee for him. Two hours later, they headed for town where Ted got a lesson in superior negotiating.

“I see you have a freight wagon out back. Is it available for rent?”

“Maybe although I would rather sell it.”

“Would you rent it for exclusive rights to buy eggs, vegetables, some fruit, and eventually some chicken and pork as well as fresh fish from the Hacketts who would bring those things in Monday through Friday and sometimes Saturday?”

“That’s crazy. Why would I do that?”

“Because your customers would flock in here to buy those things and you could sell to the restaurants in town too.”

“I could still do that if you paid for the use of the wagon.”

“Not if we went across the street to your competitor and made him a similar offer and he accepted.”

The shopkeeper paused at that. It was as if they could see the calculator in his head adding up the numbers. The wagon wasn’t bringing in any income sitting there and would cost him nothing if it was being used by Ted. All that fresh produce and meat would be very profitable though and certainly increase his income substantially with no investment on his part. There was no reason he could see to pass up the deal.

“All right. You have a deal. I’ll buy all the produce and meat you bring in and you can use my wagon as long as you don’t sell to anyone else.”

“It’s a deal as long as the Hacketts need to use your wagon.”

That made the shopkeeper pause.

“Why wouldn’t he need to use my wagon?”

“When he makes enough money, he’ll want to buy his own wagon, of course.”

“Now, wait a minute. I think we need to talk more.”

“Oh, do you have more to offer?”

“Well, now, maybe I do. Ah, how about he gives me exclusive rights for ten years and I give him that freight wagon?”

“Oh, that wagon isn’t worth that much. How about two years?”

“Five years then and that’s my final offer.”

“It shouldn’t be. Ted won’t accept that. He might accept three years. Ted would you accept three years? I know it’s a long time, but you could save up for a very good wagon and team that way.”

Adam had turned back toward Ted and winked. The two made a good team. Ted stammered a bit as if he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to do that, but prodded by Adam, he nodded.

“I need him to say yes and shake on it.”

Ted did that and walked out of the store with Adam.

“How are we going to get both wagons home?”

“We’re going to the livery stable next. It won’t be so easy, but let’s see what we can do.”

There were two large horses in the corral at the livery stable. Adam guessed they were hard to sell because they would eat too much based on the amount of use they would be to most people. His brother Hoss would find such a horse valuable, but most men would prefer a smaller horse. However, for Ted’s purposes, these horses could be converted to draft horses. The freight wagon wasn’t that large and the loads wouldn’t be heavy. He started out asking about other more desirable horses for sale and then as they talked, he joked about the two large horses.

“Dang waste of feed they are. If I hadn’t paid good money for them, I’d set them free just to be rid of them. They’ve eaten up more in feed than I paid for them. Darn cowboys probably knew I wouldn’t be able to sell them. They came in here late at night when I didn’t get to see them horses as well as I should have.”

“How much did you pay for them?”

“Only paid them twenty each. That should have got me to wondering too. They took my first offer without any argument. Usually even the most down-on-his-luck cowhand will push me to fifty or so.”

“I wouldn’t buy them, but I think my friend, Ted, here would take them off your hands for twenty each.”

“Nah, I’d have to get fifty each for them.”

“You only paid twenty and they’re costing you money all the time. It’s only going to get worse. He would be doing you a favor buying them.”

“Mister, you got a smooth tongue. All right, twenty-five each, and that’s a steal, and you know it.”

When Ted drove the freight wagon into the yard of his farm, his wife stood in shock and then had to ask him what he had paid. He grinned.

“Fifty dollars was the price.”

“For each? Ted we don’t have one hundred fifty to spare.”

“Nope, Adam taught me a lot about negotiating today. The wagon was free and the horses were twenty-five a piece. We have to sell all we bring in to Taylor.”

“But we always sell everything to Taylor anyway. I can’t abide that Lawson, and the way he treats women. The whole town feels sorry for his mother and his wife.”

“We know that, but Taylor doesn’t know that. I don’t think Adam knew that either, but he’ll be happy to learn it.”

“Is there somebody in the back of that wagon?”

“Yeah, there is. Did you know Adam knows some of that Chinese jabber? He got us a Chinese woman who is going to work in the gardens. When they get really going, there’s another one who is going to come work here. He’s going to fix up a place in the barn for them. They’ll work for two dollars a week, all the greens that they can get from the garden, and the right to set fish traps in the creek. She brought some of them fish traps with her.”

“What will they eat?”

“She’s got some noodles, and she’ll get stuff from the garden and have fish.”

“I don’t know how to say anything in Chinese.”

“I don’t either, but Adam said he’d teach us some and teach her some English until we could all talk enough to each other to get along. Mama, our dream is coming true.”

Adam walked over then hoping that all the changes were acceptable to Ted’s wife. She grabbed him in a hug and kissed his cheek. A whisper caused him to smile.

“If I didn’t love my husband so much, I’d want to marry you. You are the best. Thank you.”

Spring had brought to Adam what he needed so much. Affirmation and appreciation as well as the opportunity for beginning new things. He had work left to do, but it was the kind of thing he enjoyed doing. It was weeks later over a dinner of roasted fish stuffed with seasoned greens that he decided he ought to make some plans for going home. The others noticed how quiet he was at that dinner.

 

Chapter 3

On the Ponderosa, weeks earlier, talk at the dinner table had been about Adam and where he might have gone. He had been absent for almost two weeks which was longer than any of them had expected. Gossip in town let everyone know what he had taken with him. Contrary to the busybodies, his father and brothers knew he didn’t have a secret family anywhere so it was likely he was visiting a family. Who and where were unanswered though. “Anybody think maybe it could be that family he helped when he was supposed to evict them for old Milbank?”

“Hoss, that’s a good idea, but it doesn’t help us even if it’s true. Jedidiah Milbank isn’t exactly on speaking terms with any of us, and I don’t remember the name of that family or where they were settled.”

“I wasn’t thinking on following him. I was thinking I might like to visit that couple I met that same spring. I been wondering what happened with Paul and Annie. You know, they were gonna have a baby. It wouldn’t take but a few days to travel there, find out how they’re doing, and head on back here.”

“Adam is already gone, and we don’t know when he’ll be back. You can’t expect Joe to shoulder all the responsibility.”

“Pa, I can handle it. We’re still waiting for the pastures to dry out some before we move cattle. In fact, when Hoss gets back, I’d like to go find that gentleman I met that spring too. Parley taught me some great things, and we caught some fish that were beauties. He’s the closest of the three. How about it? Hoss goes now and I go when he gets back? It’s only fair, isn’t it? Adam took off without even asking.”

Although Ben wanted to argue against those points, he couldn’t do it in good conscience or think of reasons to disagree at least not fast enough to counter Joe’s argument. He had to concede. His younger sons whooped and hollered before they headed up to Hoss’ room to make plans. All Ben could do when they returned was try to make sure Hoss wasn’t going to extend the trip too long.

“Now you said no more than two days to get there and two days back so with a visit, you could return in five days. Is that right?”

“Could be, but she’s a mighty fine cook, Pa. It might be six or seven days. I don’t think I’ll bring back a puppy this time though. Not after what happened to the puppy I brought back last time.”

“Now, Hoss, that little boy fell in love with that puppy. He had a broken leg and his mother said he hadn’t smiled in a month. How could I say no when she asked if they could keep the puppy?”

“But Pa, that was my puppy.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t say no.”

“Well, it near broke my heart when I got back that day and my puppy was gone. Never even got to say goodbye. I knew you don’t like having dogs around.”

Joe knew he had to change the subject.

“Wonder if Adam will bring anything back with him this time. As long as he’s been gone, maybe it will be a wife.”

“Yeah, Pa, wouldn’t that be something?”

“I only wish he’d get back so I could stop worrying.”

That concern was alleviated the next day when Joe rode with Hoss to town. Hoss wanted to bring gifts with him and Joe decided to help him with the shopping. When they were in town, Joe stopped to see if there was mail and found a letter from Adam addressed to the family so he opened it. It was short, but it helped Hoss who didn’t have to worry while he traveled. He knew Adam was all right and that their father would be relieved if a bit perturbed that Adam planned to be gone for a couple more weeks.

“Adam sounds kind of, I don’t know, almost like he likes it better there than he likes it here, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does sound that way. I wonder why.”

“Why would living with strangers be better than being home? Joe, we better do some thinking on that one. I think the answer might be real important to the future of this family.”

“Aw, they probably say nice things to him and like all his ideas.”

When Joe said it in jest, Hoss stared at his younger brother until Joe thought about what he had said. Thinking back over the past few months, it seemed like perhaps that had been a problem. Adam had done a lot while Joe was hurt, and Joe couldn’t recall saying much in the way of thanking him or how much he had appreciated it. Hoss knew he had let Adam bear a lot of that load because many of the things Joe did were easier for Adam to do than for him, but he didn’t pick up any of Adam’s work so it mean Adam was doing the work of two. He hadn’t really thought about that either until that moment. Both remembered how upset Adam had been after that last snowstorm and what their father had said.

“I’m sure it wasn’t only what happened today. This has been building up for some time over a lot of things.”

At the time, they had not thought too much about what that had meant, but now they were worried.

“Hoss, you’re right. Maybe we ought to think about how we treat our older brother.”

“If it ain’t too late.”

But like many things, that conversation was mostly forgotten as Hoss headed out to see Paul and Annie hoping they had a healthy baby. He knew how often things could go wrong and had not heard from them as he had hoped he would. When he rode close to their place, he was relieved to see small clothing on the line. Obviously, a child lived there. He rode in with a smile on his face, and when he saw Annie, the smile was broader. She was going to have another one by the look of her.

“Hoss Cartwright, I am so happy to see you. Oh, my, I know we should have written to you. I am so sorry. It seems like yesterday you were here, but I know it wasn’t. Come on in. You have to meet our son, and Paul will be happy to see you too.”

As Annie walked to the house, Hoss noted how slowly she walked. He offered an arm, and she took it with a look that was all gratitude and relief. He helped her up the step into the house and wondered how she got any work done at all as weak as she seemed. Once inside, Paul stood and greeted him but quickly took note of his wife’s condition.

“Hoss, I think I need to get Annie in to lie down. I’ll be right out. Please have a seat.”

There was another woman in the room who waited until Paul closed the bedroom door before she spoke.

“He’s very good to my sister. Have you met Eric?”

Surprised at the name, Hoss turned to see a blond, blue-eyed toddler who smiled at him. Hoss returned the smile. The lady scooped up the little boy then though and he snuggled into her embrace.

“He usually naps about now. I will be right back.”

In a moment, she was back pulling the other bedroom door closed. Hoss had heard her tell Eric that he should close his eyes and sleep.

“He may not sleep with the excitement of a visitor. We don’t get many out here, but he minds well so he will at least get some rest. Paul called you Hoss. I’ve heard them speak of you so I feel like I know you somewhat already. I’m Dorothy, Annie’s sister, but everyone calls me Dottie. I guess Dorothy sounds too fancy for someone like me.”

“Dorothy sounds right pretty to me. Dottie is kind of cute too though. Now did I hear right that the little guy is Eric?”

“Yes, they named him after you although they couldn’t call him Hoss, but they did remember that you introduced yourself at one point explaining that your official name was Eric and that was what was on the legal paperwork. Although Eric is his middle name. His first name is Paul after his father, but it would be too confusing to have two by the same name in the house, so we call him by his middle name.”

“So he’s even more like me with a given name but called by another.”

“Yes, I guess that’s so.”

“Dottie, I had the feeling you was going to say more about Annie earlier but didn’t because of Eric.”

“Yes, I almost did, but I never know how much he’s going to understand. Annie is going to have twins probably. I came here to help out. I’ll stay after the babies are born. She needs me. You must have noticed how weak she is.”

Because Hoss had seen the ring on her finger, he asked the obvious question.

“What about your family? Aren’t they going to miss you?”

“My husband and sons died in a cholera outbreak in California over a year ago. We lived in a small farming town and no one knew what to do at first.”

“But you didn’t get sick?”

“Ate the same food, drank the same water, and took care of my husband and my sons but never got it. I felt awful, but that was the exhaustion and the grief. I never got sick. I still wear my ring. I guess I just can’t bear the thought of taking it off. Annie said I ought to start wearing it on my other hand though. I think that I might do that one of these days.”

“There’s only two bedrooms. Where do you stay?”

“I have to share Eric’s room. When the babies arrive, it’s going to be very crowded here.”

Looking around, Hoss decided he had time to do something about that.

“Now, it’s my older brother who knows the most about building things, but I worked with him enough that I’m sure I could work on adding a bedroom or two to this house. They might not be the biggest, but I could darn sure make them nice and warm and cozy.”

“Oh, Hoss, that would be wonderful. Paul doesn’t have time for that with running the farm and all.”

“If Paul agrees to this, do you think you could work with me? I mean, I’m going to need somebody to help at times, and like you said, Paul is too busy and Annie is too weak.”

“Oh, I’ll give you all the help you need if Paul agrees.”

“If Paul agrees to what?”

Paul had come back into the room and was curious as to the subject of the conversation. He liked the idea but had reservations.

“Hoss, that’s a big expense right when I don’t know what extra money I’m going to need because of the babies.”

“Well, how about I extend that loan to you and add on a little. That rancher who offered you three hundred dollars to make your farm a feeding station for his cattle. I noticed you’re not using some of the land that’s kinda hilly for plowing. How about planting some alfafa and such and offering that to him for say three hundred dollars if he fences if off from your crop fields? And I want to make a gift of a bunch of it for my namesake. I never did give a gift when he was born.”

“You don’t have to do that. But that is a good idea about the extra land we don’t use.”

“I know, but about the rest, I want to, and I wouldn’t mind staying here a couple of weeks.”

Any thought of heading home after a short visit was gone. Hoss had plans not only for working on the house but working on building something up with Dottie too if she was willing. He hoped she was. He liked her already and thought there might be the spark there for something bigger to fire. Although he didn’t know it, Dottie felt the same way and told Annie later after dinner. Annie told Paul. They all knew, but Hoss didn’t until he and Dottie had worked together for a week.

“There we got two rooms all framed up, sided, roofed with the seams all battened up. It shouldn’t take too long to put in the inside walls and then the rest will be up to you to paint and decorate. I’ll have to be heading home. I’m already later than I said I would be.”

Dottie had helped Hoss as much as she could. She brought shingles and nails up the ladder when he was doing the roof. She held batten in place when he covered the seams. Every day she brought lunch at noon and refreshments to him as he worked. Even though she had a lot of other work to do, she spent quite a bit of time with Hoss. When he talked of leaving, her heart sank.

“Hoss, I wish you didn’t have to go.”

Those were the words Hoss had been longing to hear. Reaching for her hands, he pulled her close to him.

“I don’t want to go either. I want to stay here, hold you, and kiss you. May I kiss you?”

“After all that, you darn well better kiss me.”

Pulling her into an embrace, Hoss kissed her softly and gently touching her cheek with his hand and keeping it all very chaste.

“After all that, that was our kiss?”

“It’s what a first kiss ought to be, don’t you think? Besides, Paul and Annie was looking out the window at us. Now would you like to take a little walk with me. I think you might find I got a bit more kissing I can do.”

When they got back to the house, Annie looked a bit worried because it had been over an hour. Dottie chuckled.

“Oh, don’t do an impression of our Mama. It was all only kissing and talking. We made some plans.”

“Plans?”

“You need me here, and Hoss has to get home soon. He’s going to stay another couple of days to work on the rooms. Then he’s going to come visit as often as he can until you’re up on your feet and able to handle the children. That’s when the official courting will begin.”

“Courting? Oh, Dottie, I’m so happy. Hoss, thank you. Oh, I guess congratulations are more in order.”

Then Annie bent over and Paul had to help her to sit.

“This may be it, Paul. I think I felt them move. It isn’t just the pain. They moved or one did. I feel like one is pushing down.”

Dottie moved to her side.

“Have you been having pain?”

“Since yesterday, but it’s happened several times in the past week. This is the first time it moved from my back to where the babies are.”

For the rest of the day, Hoss worked with Paul on the walls in the two new rooms as Dottie stayed with Annie. Paul had Eric as his helper though not much help, he liked the idea and it kept him busy. One of the neighbor ladies had come over when she saw the black smoke which was the signal she was needed. She helped as the midwife. When night came, the two men made do for themselves and Eric before spending the night in Eric’s room.

In the morning, there were two little blond, blue-eyed girls to greet their father, brother, and Hoss. Rose Mary and Glory Jean were small but by their cries, were quite healthy. The midwife advised the family to keep the little ones warm at all times until they gained some weight. Otherwise she didn’t foresee any problems.

That night, Dottie fixed a big dinner for a celebration. Everyone noted how quiet Hoss was. He knew he had run out of reasons that he should stay and would have to head home in the morning.

 

Chapter 4

Although Ben Cartwright should have known it was hopeless, he argued with Little Joe anyway.

“No, no, no, absolutely not. Adam is gone, and Hoss is way overdue. It is no time for you to be gallivanting off somewhere too.”

“Pa, based on Adam’s letter, he will be back any day now. You know Hoss will be home soon too. Besides, haven’t you told everyone who will listen that this is your ranch and you planted every blade of grass and built it up by yourself into what it is? Yet you can’t watch over it for a few days without one or more of us here to help?”

Used to Adam using his own words against him, Ben was surprised when Joe did it and unable to come up with a response. Having to admit he was wrong in what he said or admit he couldn’t do it himself were both unacceptable. He fumed.

“Now, both Adam and Hoss went to visit families and that’s why they got delayed. You know how you have taught us to help those who need our help. But you see, I’m going to visit Parley. He isn’t a family, and all he was doing was fishing. We’ll catch some fish. We’ll do a little talking about spring and such, and then I’ll come back home. It will probably take that long for Hoss and Adam to tell the stories of everything they did.”

The Little Joe played his ace in the hole. He used that puppy dog look his father almost never could resist. It worked again.

“All right. I can hardly say no to you after your brothers have taken weeks. But roundup starts in two weeks. Be home in a week so we can make preparations.”

“Of course, Pa. You know I will.”

Little Joe grinned at his father’s grumpy mumbled response to that. At least, he was going to go. He could already picture the fish and leaning back against a log eating a nice fish dinner. It was the best way to relax after all the work he had been doing. Well, he hadn’t actually been doing that much. It was still too muddy to do much, but he wasn’t going to admit that to his brothers when they finally returned. Oh, no, he was going to do his best to make them feel guilty over how long they had left him with all the work. He had another grin thinking about that. He may have been grinning for the whole day it took to ride to the little cabin where he expected to find Parley. When he got there, it was very quiet, but it was like that on his first visit too.

“Hey, Parley, where are you? It’s Joe, Joe Cartwright. I came for a visit and to catch some of those beauties with you again.”

There was no answer no matter how many times Joe hailed Parley. He went inside the cabin then and found dust on everything. No one had been there for months. He cleaned up the place enough to stay for a night, and brought his supplies inside. Hoping to have a fish dinner, he headed to the shore and did manage to catch one. Cochise had been with him grazing and drinking so he was cared for. Joe went back to the cabin and made a line for Cochise before he built a little fire to cook his fish. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as eating one caught with a friend. The next morning, he planned to ride to town to see if he could find out what happened.

In town, the news was about as bad as Joe feared. Parley had died. Visiting the grave in the graveyard next to the small church, Joe was surprised to be visited by a young man who resembled Parley physically but not at all otherwise.

“You knew my father?”

“Only briefly but he made a big impression on me.”

“Were you the one he met out by that cabin?”

“Yes, if he talked about that, it was probably me.”

“Then you’re the reason he bought that worthless piece of land from Milbank. We thought the railroad wanted part of it, but they changed the route so now it’s all worthless.”

“It’s a beautiful piece of land.”

“For what?”

“You should come out and take a look at it.”

“I’ve seen it.”

“Maybe I could show it to you like Parley showed it to me.”

Inwardly, Joe was smiling hoping that a few things had not been disturbed. They had not. The young man agreed when Joe said he thought Parley had left a treasure out there. When they walked around, the young man stepped into that bear trap just like Joe had done years earlier and hung upside down in that tree the same way.

“What the hell? Get me down this instant.”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Grant. Now let me down.”

“But you don’t know my name. We’re not exactly on speaking terms yet.”

“Well, what’s your name then?”

“There you go. Although you could have asked more politely.”

“Could you please tell me your name?”

“That’s better. It’s Joe Cartwright.”

“Now will you get me down?”

“What?”

“Now will you please get me down?”

“I don’t know that you’re ready yet. I think you need a bit more blood rushing into your head. You need to appreciate what’s around you. There’s treasure here and you don’t see it.”

“Treasure? What treasure?”

“The beautiful blue sky with all those soft white clouds and the sun shining. Look at that.”

“How can I look at that hanging upside down like this?”

“You aren’t trying hard enough. Look up at the sky, son. Look up at the sky. You had your mind on little things. Look up at the sky! Ah, I don’t see how anybody can trade this beautiful blue sky and warm sun for a mess of greenbacks and silver. All you are thinking about is grubby money not beautiful things.”

“All right, all right, I’m looking at the sky. It’s beautiful. Anything else.”

“Yes, you need to think about the Bible and the good messages in there. You know, folks don’t read the Bible like they used to. I still do.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Son, you move too fast. You gotta learn to relax so’s you can think about what you’re doing.”

“I’m not your son. We’re probably close to the same age. Why do you keep saying son?”

“Because I’m talking like Parley did to me. We did a lot of chinning up when I first met him. He gave me a treasure, and I’m trying to give it to you. You’re fighting it. Son, you move too fast. You gotta learn to relax so’s you can think about what you’re doing.”

“What will it take for you to let me down?”

“Oh, a little list of things I did with Parley that I want you to do with me.”

“I’ll do it. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

“There you go taking a chance on life. That’s a start.”

Once Grant was down, he stood a bit defiant.

“What if I lied so you would let me down?”

“I have a pistol and you don’t.”

“You wouldn’t shoot me over this, would you?”

“Want to take that chance? I mean I could shoot a toe off and that would be about all I would need to do.”

That took all the fight out of him. They spent the rest of the day fishing, the evening eating the fish, and the evening talking. Grant was still stubborn about a lot of things, but he did admit he had liked the fishing and eating the fish cooked over the campfire. Joe offered to ride with him back to town to make sure he got there safely.

“The moon is bright enough and the road is wide enough. I can do it myself. So you’re letting me go? I could bring the sheriff back here.”

“And tell him what? I made you fish with me and then we ate the fish and talked. I don’t know that he would believe you, and if he did, what would he charge me with?”

“You hung me in a tree!”

“Parley made that trap. I let you out of it.”

“You wouldn’t let me leave. You threatened me with your pistol.”

“I did? Did I ever put my hand on my pistol?”

“No, but you made me think you would use it if you had to.”

“I’m sure the sheriff would be amused by that.”

And Grant knew if he told the story, there would be laughter. He had gotten a better idea about his father from Joe, and he had a pleasant afternoon and evening. There wasn’t much else to say.

“Thank you. I’ll be leaving now. I think I got the treasure you wanted me to find.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you never lose it. I almost did, but coming back here gave me another chance at owning it. It’s one of those treasures. There’s no limit to the number of people who can have it. Sometimes we don’t see the valuable things that are the closest to us.”

The two shook hands and Grant left. Joe slept well that night and headed home in the morning as the only brother to keep to the time frame he had promised or planned.

Note: some of the dialogue between Joe and Grant is taken from the conversation between Parley and Joe in Springtime.

Chapter 5

When Joe rode into the yard of the Ponderosa and led Cochise into the barn, he was surprised to see that the stalls for his brothers’ horses were still empty. He had thought they would be home by then. As he groomed Cochise though, Adam came through the doors looking fit and far happier than when he had left. He was a bit guarded when he saw Joe especially when Joe dropped the brush and approached him. Then Joe shocked him with a hug.

“I missed you. I was so afraid you might leave. Don’t go. I love you, and I want you to stay here.”

“I have no plans to leave.”

Joe was happy about that without realizing that Adam had not said he wasn’t leaving. “What have you been doing?”

“I went to see Parley. He had died, but I met his son, and we talked.”

Joe’s grin let Adam know there had been a lot more to that talk, but he guessed it might be best to have the whole family together to hear the story. He noticed Hoss wasn’t home.

“Where is our middle brother?”

“We thought you might have gone to see the Hacketts.”

“I did.”

“Hoss got the idea then to go see that couple he met that same spring you met the Hacketts and I met Parley.”

“I guess we’re all going to have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah, I guess we will. Pa was a bit upset that you were gone so long.”

“He may have to get used to it.”

Joe didn’t like the ominous tone of that at all but wisely didn’t pursue it at all. Instead, he entertained his oldest brother with his exploits with Grant mostly concentrating on the ‘bear trap’ that Parley had used on him and obviously reset. It had worked too even months after his death. Adam had to chuckle at the stories not having heard all the details of that first encounter because Joe had been a bit embarrassed then to tell the whole story concentrating instead on the fishing exploits. They were in a good mood as they left the barn to head to the house when Hoss rode in. He had a huge grin for them so all three brothers were in a similar mood. Then their father came out of the house making all three cringe at what they expected might come next.

“You are all home. Hop Sing told me you would be and fixed this huge dinner. I thought he was crazy, but here you are. I should know better than to question that wizard in our kitchen. So come on in as soon as you get that horse stabled. I can’t wait to hear all your stories.”

When Ben turned to head back into the house, he had a huge grin knowing what he had done. His sons turned and stared at each other not knowing what to think. Finally, Adam pointed to the barn. All they could do was take care of Hoss’ horse and then head to the house. In the barn though, Adam got another pleasant surprise.

“Adam, I helped you with a lot of building projects, and I learned a lot from you. I hope I learn a lot more. It sure felt good to help Paul and Annie put two more rooms on their house. Now they’re small rooms, but I wouldn’t have known what to do without you showing me how. And I know what you mean about building now. It sure feels good to look at something you made with your hands and know it will be there for a long spell.”

“Wait, two rooms. Hoss, they had a baby, and now twins. Did they plan for each of them to have their own room?”

“No, Joe, Annie’s sister is there too. She needs her own room too. She’s a special kind of lady.”

Joe was going to ask a question, but Adam simply put a hand on Hoss’ shoulder and squeezed.

“Congratulations. I hope it works out for the two of you.”

“But he didn’t say anything about the two of them.”

“Joe, he didn’t have to say it.”

“Oh, I guess not.”

All was fine except Joe still envied how Adam and Hoss could communicate without saying a word. He hoped to have that with his brothers too. Then he remembered something Parley had said about going too fast. Maybe he missed something because he was jumping ahead. He looked at Hoss and saw how his face was a little pink and he seemed almost embarrassed. Then he knew how Adam had known. He needed to take his time and pay attention more.

Once they got inside the house, the smells drew them immediately to the dining table where the promised feast was laid out. Grace was said and then it was quiet for a time as plates were filled and appetites satisfied. Soon after there was laughter as Joe started the stories with the ‘bear trap’ and then told the rest of his tale. Adam could see that Hoss was a bit reluctant so he told the story of being with the Hacketts and the changes there. Then there was no more delaying. It was Hoss’ turn, and he began with the biggest news of all.

“I’m going to be needing more time off this year. You see, I’ll be going back to Paul and Annie’s on a regular basis or as often as I can. Annie’s sister Dorothy is there. Most call her Dottie, and we hit it off. We have made plans. I’ll be courting her as soon as Annie says she can handle things on her own.”

Ben was about to say something when he got a look from Adam that was both fierce and direct. It told him not to say anything. He was sure of that. Hoss saw it too and looked to his father who turned to his middle son.

“Congratulations, Hoss. I look forward to having a daughter in the family.”

He raised his glass then in a toast and so did his sons. That opened the door for Hoss to tell the rest of the story about his time away. Ben had to admit that all three sons had gained quite a bit from their spring excursions. After Hoss and Joe went to bed though, Adam hung back guessing his father had some things to say to him.

“I didn’t appreciate that look you gave me at dinner.”

“You were about to offer some advice to Hoss, weren’t you?”

“As a father, I have that right.”

“No, Hoss is a man and he has the right to make his own decisions. We should not be casting any doubt on what he chooses to do. We should have learned that by now.”

“We?”

“Yes, I failed in that category too, but I am trying not to do it again.”

“What about you? Have you decided on what you are going to do?”

“No, I haven’t. This trip helped clarify some things but not all. I do know that if I leave, it isn’t because of family. I am beginning to realize that ranch life may not offer me all that I need. I will have to see if I can reconcile what I want with what I have. But I’m not leaving now. There’s a lot to do here yet.”

“Spring is a time to begin things, to do new things. Maybe we’re heading in the right direction now. We broke free of some old bonds.”

Ben poured two brandies and offered one to his son. They sat by the fire in companionable silence contemplating the future. Ben was relieved by Adam’s statements. The family would be together for another year.