Rating:  PG
Word Count:  168,941

Home is the Sailor Series:  The saga continues after the conclusion of the Captain Cartwright series.

Home is the Sailor
The Iron Horsemen
There will Always be Rainbows
The Pledge
No Greater Love
Kismet
The Gap…
A New Direction – Changes
Equinox
The Cattle Station
Love Thyself Least

 

 

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Chapter 1

The two men could have chosen to hire a buggy for the trip out but they had brought their own horses and now stood at the railway station in Carson City for them to be led from the holding truck.

They glanced around them and then looked at one another, nodded and smiled before stepping forward to take the horses reins from the young man who was gazing around in search of their owners

“We’ll take those” Ben Cartwright said and flipped the youth a coin while he led Cinnamon away from the train which was still spitting steam and grit into the sky making the horse skittish, tripping on their feet, anxious to get away from the gleaming metal monsters

Roy took the reins of his horse from Ben and together, almost in synchronisation, they mounted into their saddles, lowered their hats and with a nudge of their heels got the horses walking their way out into the main thoroughfare.

They were two old men refusing to acknowledge just how old they were and as a result were younger than some men half their age. They edged their horses through the traffic while their carpet bags bounced in time to the animals stride. They didn’t speak because there was nothing to say, and they preferred to save their breath until they needed it. Their eyes were alive in their tanned lined faces, watching the crowds, the wagons, the horses, and occasional coach.

Neither man looked to the left as they passed the hospital in which Ben had been a patient the previous year, but both looked at the big building referred to as The Mint and nodded their approval. Only fitting that the states capital should house such an edifice, it was just ironic that the state capital city was the smallest in America.

Their wrists were still supple, still firm as were their fingers as they held the reins and controlled the animals, leaving the town behind and now loping towards the river. The horses caught the fresher air in their nostrils, could smell the water in the air, so they lengthened their stride and eagerly splashed into the waters that divided that section of land from the Ponderosa on the other side. Ben glanced up as they rode across via the ford, he noticed the signs declaring they were approaching Cartwright territory, warnings that trespassers would be persecuted and gave a slight shrug of the shoulders knowing that such things had not been necessary in Virginia City because the Ponderosa had existed before the town, but due to Cartwright neglect whether the Carson City folk appreciated that fact or not, it had never been enforced for them to take particular note.

It was spring and there was a lightness in the air, the leaves were fat and full on the branches of the trees they were approaching, the sky was blue with the smallest hint of cloud on the horizon and as the horses scrabbled their way back onto dry land the two men felt a sense of well being flood through them, making them both more than glad to have taken the chance to leave Virginia City behind and enjoy time in the cabin that was nestled in the woods

It was not too far from the river, but so cannily tucked away that it was not obvious to strangers. At the door a woman stood, her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the sun as she sought out the visitors for whom she had prepared the cabin. Mrs Laws smiled as she saw them and raised a hand, her white apron fluttered in the slight breeze. A welcoming sight, her buggy awaited her to return her to town once the two men had settled in.

This was the first time Ben had been to the cabin since the day he had been shot and left for dead there. But it was a very different place now, not the ramshackle shack he had previously known, but a pleasant home, somewhere welcoming and far more attractive.

As they dismounted the smell of fresh bread and food cooking wafted from the open doorway, a column of smoke curled from the chimney, and Mrs Laws stood nodding and smiling, shaking their hands as they made their way through the door.

“Now, I’ve aired the bedding, and the food will be ready for you to eat any time you wish for, and there’s plenty of wood stacked in the lean-to behind. My husband brought hay and oats for the horses and -” she paused, trying to recall any further instructions but nothing came so she just smiled and shrugged “Well, you know where I am should you need anything.”

Both men thanked her and wished she would just go and leave them to settle. She dithered a while longer, remembered to mention this and that, before finally tying the strings of her bonnet beneath her chin and turning to go. Now it was Ben who stopped her

“Mrs Laws – do you see anything of young Dr Chandler?” he had removed his hat, it dangled from his hand on his hip, and his dark eyes looked at her kindly,

“You mean Dr Hal Chandler?” she nodded and glanced over Ben’s shoulder at Roy before looking back at Ben, “That was a nasty business and no mistake, poor Dr Chandler. Not wishing to speak ill of the dead but – “ she paused drew in a breath and decided it was probably better to say nothing, she looked down at the ground instead for a moment before looking back up at him “He’s doing well, keeping busy. But he looks like a young man who has lost his youth, if you know what I mean. Carries his woes upon his back like a sackful of rocks. Poor man, such a tragedy.”

Ben nodded and thanked her, half turned to get back into the house in order to prevent any further conversation on the subject, but she stopped him, her hand on his arm “They hang him this week, don’t they? That man who killed Mrs Chandler and all those others…isn’t that right?”

Ben nodded “Yes, Mrs Laws, that’s right.”

She dropped her hand and walked away, shaking her head, keeping her thoughts, thankfully to herself. Ben watched her mount into the buggy, and carefully turn the vehicle around, waved a hand in farewell.

“I’ll see to the horses,” he called into the cabin, and without waiting for Roy’s response made his way from the other man.

They had not wanted to be in town when Philip Manser was hanged. It had taken too long anyway, so many lawyers wanting a piece of the action, flooding into Virginia City  from so many different states. Once they had known Manser was in custody it had been a free for all and there was a time when Nate Carney, the Sheriff, would have happily turned the man over to which ever law man grabbed at him first. No one had realised how extensive, how far into the past his crimes reached. It had taken weeks, months, for lawyers representing bereaved families to agree that as the most recent crimes had been committed  while he was in Virginia City, then his trial would be held there….. and it had turned into a circus.

So Roy and Ben had chosen to slip away from the craziness going on in their town, and taken it upon themselves to enjoy the peace and quiet of unspoiled countryside. Spring time, no better season to be rejuvenated, to leave behind the horrors of the previous year, to feel the blood warm and surging through their veins once again.

It was only going to be for a few days, just enough time for two old men to pretend they were young again, to go fishing, to enjoy some hunting, to sit in the springtime sun and read a book, to swap yarns, to recall old times .. …………………….

The tall man at the counter of the Bucket of Blood saloon leaned against the edge and tapped a coin on its surface. The place was packed tight with bodies, people who were strangers to town who had come to witness the execution of a man they did not know except via the vivid writings of journalists like Daniel deQuille. Willard Cooper and Evans Tewkson. The smell of their bodies made the man wrinkle his nose but he still remained where he was, patiently waiting to be served.

Solomon the bar keep shook his head and raised his eyebrows, “The place has gone crazy,” he said “Reminds me of the time Timothy O’Brien came in and shouted about his Bonanza and everyone went wild, happy to spend his money on drinks for every one..and every one got drinks too, they were flooding through the door.” he paused and leaned one elbow on the counter, winked at the other man “Usual, Captain?”

“The usual, Sol.”

“Jury wasn’t out for long, was it?”

“No, not long at all.” Adam Cartwright put down the money and collected two glasses of beer. He frowned as he turned and realised how tightly hemmed in he was, Solomon tapped him on the shoulder “Reckon it’ll be worse than that time when they hanged Julia Bullette’s murderer….”

Adam nodded, and pushed forward only to find himself stopped by several bodies in front of him, and several to the side of him..he was about to retreat back to the counter when Hoss appeared at the edge of the crowd and within minutes by use of elbows and brute force made a safe passage through for his brother and the beers.

“Shucks,” he exclaimed, “should have gone straight home.”

Adam nodded, pulled out a chair and squeezed himself into it. He looked thoughtfully around him and then looked at Hoss, but his brother did not want to comment on the trial, on the things that had been said, the tears of witnesses, of family members who had recently discovered what had happened to their missing loved ones and had finally found the one who was responsible for their grief.,

Adam pulled the beer towards him as the table rocked when someone had knocked into it. He raised the drink to his lips and drank deeply, then set the glass back down. Everything he had heard was bad enough, everything that they had seen was miserable to the extreme, but what made him angry, like a small red hot ball in the pit of his stomach, was Philip Manser, sitting day by day throughout his trial and saying nothing apart from confirming who he was at the beginning of the proceedings. There was no defence because he offered none, gave none, his every look and glance a taunt of contempt for the whole proceeding.

Was Manser mad? Or was he just plain evil? One thing for sure was that he had been found guilty of all charges, and was going to hang at noon the following day. He had stood there, silent, his eyes half hooded, staring into who knew what, his lips curved across his teeth in a supercilious smile.

“Adam Cartwright?”

Adam sighed and turned his head to try and locate the speaker. A young man pushed his way towards the table and looked at Adam with an earnestness in his eyes that made Adam feel uncomfortable, but he nodded “I’m Adam Cartwright – who wants to know?”

The newcomer removed his hat revealing a shock of sandy coloured hair, his eyes were brown, dark like honey, well shaped. His face was lean, his nose narrow and his lips well formed. He cleared his throat, and leaned forward slightly, behind him someone pushed against him and the table jostled so that the beer in the glasses slopped up and over the rim. In a quiet, deep voice he apologised, and withdrew from his pocket a letter.

“For you, Mr Cartwright.”

Adam raised his eyebrows, looked at the writing, which was unfamiliar and frowned. He looked again at the other man “And who are you?”

“Ethan T. Burns, Mr Cartwright.” he stood still, straightened his shoulders and stared directly into Adam’s eyes, and for a second their eyes locked, then he nodded “I’m staying at the International. Should you wish to have a private word at all.”

Adam nodded, slipped the envelope into his pocket and returned to his beer. For a moment Ethan T Burns stood there, looked at him, then after a curt nod of the head, turned and pushed his way through the crowd.

Hoss emptied his glass, then nodded, reached for his hat “I’m heading for home, you coming?”

Adam nodded, and stood up, looked around for the sandy haired youth but upon not seeing him rolled his shoulders in a slight shrug. “Home.” he said, and placed a hand on his brothers broad back, “You can lead the way….”

Hoss chuckled “Thought you’d say that -” and with Adam coming right behind him, Hoss elbowed his way through the crowd, out into the evening air.

From his window in the hotel Ethan T Burns looked down upon the two brothers and watched as they made their way to their horses, mounted them and slowly edged their way through the crowds until they were out of view. Then he dropped the curtain and slumped down upon the bed.

For some reason he had expected some reaction from the older man, but there had been nothing..nothing at all.

Chapter 2

Ben tore the bread into chunks and set them down beside his plate. The food Mrs Laws had provided for them was not up to Hop Sings standard but it was certainly enjoyable. One could only wonder why Mr Laws looked like a man whose skin clung to his bones without any flesh between them, but such questions were not on the minds of either man as they ate.

“I’m glad to get out of town -” Roy mumbled, “Out of that court room.”

“I would have avoided it like the plague if it hadn’t been that I was a witness – “ Ben scowled and dipped bread into the gravy “I’ve never experienced a court room like that, not even that time when _” he paused to put the bread into his mouth and chew. He chewed slowly like a man with a lot on his mind, staring at the far wall. He shook his head again, “I’d hate to be in town tomorrow, when they hang him.”

“It was so quiet, weren’t it?” Roy wiped his plate clean with a chunk of bread and then sat with it in his hand as he frowned down at the empty plate as though surprised to see that he had eaten it all, “Not a sound, eerie is the word, ain’t it?”

“It won’t be like that when they take him out to the gallows.”

“No, it won’t -” Roy sighed and ate the bread, moving it round and round in his mouth, “It’ll be chaos. Like that time John Millain was hanged for murdering Julia Bullette. It was nothing short of a carnival….crazy….thousands there ..”

“Sam Clemens wrote up a report on it, he was there – all those thousands waiting to watch a man hang”

“Well, Miss Bullette was much loved -” Roy paused and reached out for more bread, he spread yellow butter on it and then bit into it. He thought it better to say no more about Julia Bullette as he recalled the sad story of Joe’s romance with her. He frowned “Joe recovered from it pretty well, didn’t he? I mean – from his imprisonment – by that McArthur !”

Ben released his breath, thought of his son and nodded “Yes, he has. I think it has taken Mary Ann a little longer though, it frightened her – “ he frowned “A lot has happened during the time of their marriage and I don’t think that she has ever really been able to come to terms with the way things can change here, like on the spin of coin, so suddenly -”

“– so violently” Roy added.

Ben leaned back in his chair and tilted it onto its back legs, he smiled slowly “We’re getting morbid, like two old men with nothing better to do than chew over bad news. The days still young, lets go down to the river and fish. Could be biting y’know?”

Roy nodded “I thought I saw some pie -”

“Good idea – I did too – lets eat the pie and then go fishing…”

………………..

The children had been kept home from school. There were so many strangers in town due to the trial of Philip Mansen that it had been thought too dangerous for children to be wandering the streets . So the school had closed in order to protect the vulnerable. Some of the ‘vulnerable’ chose the time to create their own mayhem, running in and out of the crowds, bumping into people, taking the opportunity of the crowds to snatch up candy from the stores, whistling with their thumbs through their braces or hands in their back pockets, as they jostled people out of the way, scared the horses by running right under their noses, jumping out of alley ways and shrieking at the women who added their shrieks to their own.

Davy Riley thought it all great fun- a slightly hysterical mood had settled on him as he watched the crowds, especially when the trial had been under way. The man who had so terrified him that day when he had hidden in the empty house, would never be able to terrify him again…except in his dreams. It was there that the shadow of the fear still had power to torment him. The way Manser had uttered the name David – would still penetrate Davy’s night time hours. He was hoping that he would be able to squeeze his way through the crowd to see Manser hang.

Edward Evans was grateful for the time away from school. The day Manser had been found guilty and sentence pronounced, Edwards wife, Mary, gave birth to a little girl. Because of the impending birth Jimmy C Evans had been allowed to run riot in town with his friends, after going to the surgery and asking Dr Martin to get to the house first. Jimmy was not inclined to run riot even if given permission to do so. He made his way to the library which Miss Tyndale had insisted on keeping open despite the mayhem, and there he had found a book,a quiet corner and settled down to read. Sometime during the afternoon Miss Tyndale had provided him with a glass of milk and some cookies. He was quite content.

Ethan T Burns edged his way through the crowds and was brought to a halt outside a building which bore the legend “Virginia City Hospice”. He watched as two women unlocked the door and stepped inside, then closed the door behind them. Like many other buildings in town it was not open for business.

The saloons were doing a roaring trade however, it was a fight to reach the counter even at the cheapest and mangiest of them. He chose not to bother but made his way to Del Monico’s in order to eat a decent meal in peace. The Management had security at the doors in order to ensure that their customers were of an acceptable standard and Ethan was much obliged to discover that he was deemed suitable.

He ordered his meal and sat in deep thought, wondering if Adam Cartwright had read the letter yet. He further wondered what would happen when he did…

……….

Reuben had conscientiously completed his school work and been given permission to ride Max up to Uncle Joe’s so that he could tend to Karim, the young horse born from Adam’s mount, Kami. He had loved that animal from the moment he had first set eyes on it, but then, so again, had Sofia. But Karim had grown as all creatures do, four legged as well as two, and Joe had put him to good use putting him to stud. It was Joe’s ambition to open a stud farm. Ben, however, was not totally in favour of ‘hayburners’ so it was a case of being patient and trying to wear the old man down to his way of thinking.

Sofia, not such a conscientious student as her brother did enjoy her piano lessons and had ridden alongside Reuben to Uncle Joe’s in order to have her music lesson which Aunt Mary Ann still taught her. Mary Ann was a patient teacher but had admitted to Olivia that her student was a natural, and since learning to read music the lessons were pure delight.

It still irked Sofia that Reuben had made a favourite of Karim, suspecting ulterior motives and convinced that he was going to persuade his father and Uncle to allow him to have Karim as his very own mount. Of course, it did not help that Buster was so much older, so much fatter and also, sadly, that much slower. Her protests fell upon deaf ears however, Reuben was full of thoughts of his own.

“Why weren’t we going to school today, Reuben?”

“Pa explained – “

“I know.”

“Then why ask?”

“Because I didn’t understand.”

Reuben sighed and glanced down at his sister who was scowling as she rode alongside him, he frowned now, and realised that he would have to talk to his father about getting Sofia a new pony. Perhaps Nathaniel could adopt Buster.

“What didn’t you understand?” he asked in a more patient tone of voice

“Oh – well – that something horrible was happening in town.” she frowned “But there has been something horrible happening for a long time. That bad man who hurt Nettie Groom was on trial.”

“You do know what that means, don’t you?”

“Yes” she nodded and paused “Not really.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because the trial is over now and they found him guilty.”

“But we knew that anyway, that’s why they put him in jail.”

“Well – he won’t be in jail much longer because they’re going to hang him tomorrow.”

“Hang him?” Sofia frowned, and sighed “Then he’ll be dead.”

“Yes. And quite right too, he was a very bad man.”

Sofia nodded, she knew that because anyone who would hurt Nettie and ‘nice’ girls like that would have to be bad.

“Why couldn’t we go into school today?”

“Because there are too many people in town, and Ma said it would be dangerous – and anyway they closed the school.”

“Why?”

“Oh Sofia, don’t you ever listen!”

With a groan Reuben urged Max to go faster, just a little bit, just enough to put him ahead of his sister because he knew that Buster had a maximum speed and would not beyond it. With a grin of satisfaction he gained and maintained his lead all the way to Uncle Joe’s.

……..

As the day began to draw to a close Nate Carney and his deputies locked the jail house securely and loaded their rifles. The mood of the people in town was at fever pitch and it was at times like this, the night before a hanging, that mob rule was more likely to break out. It would just take the wrong word, the wrong man, and it would be like lighting a match to a fuse leading to a keg of dynamite.

They were all tense, nerves strung out. Each day the trial had taken place with more and more witnesses giving their testimony the quieter the court room had become and the more nervous they had grown. The mood of the people was hard to judge at times but although Nate hoped that the townsfolk of Virginia City would be more reasonable and keep calm, there were enough people from outside who were an unknown quantity to the law men. There were family members of victims who had travelled miles to stand as witnesses against Manser and their mood was not conciliatory.

As they had listened to each witness speak of their loss, their grief, their hatred spilled over. There was not one voice who spoke of compassion or mercy, rather the fact that the man on trial had denied their daughters, or sisters, mercy only fuelled their anger and hatred. Dr Hal Chandler had left to return to Carson City after he had given his testimony, a different man to the one who had come to town months earlier to identify his dead wife. The hatred he had felt for Manser had given him a strength of personality that had been missing, it had become a core within him. Yet he had not wanted to stay for the man’s execution.

Mr Groom, Nettie’s father, had been given pride of place in the court room. His wife and daughter had made only one appearance and that had been when Nettie had to give evidence. She had done well, spoken up strongly and described her ordeal with conviction but at the end she had collapsed and been carried out of the Court Room to be attended to by Dr Martin.

But Mr Groom did not miss a moment of the trail. He took his seat every morning in the front row right behind the Prosecution, and there he stayed with his eyes boring into Manser’s body. Nate had a feeling that if there was going to be trouble, then Mr Groom would likely be the trigger to it. As a result of his suspicions he had two men watching Mr Grooms every movement with instructions that one of them would come immediately to the Sheriff and warn him that trouble was heading their way.

Chapter 3

The two brothers parted company at the junction where the road forked to the track leading to Adam’s home. Hoss continued onwards for the mile that would take him to the original Ponderosa homestead, the building he always thought of as home.

Adam approached his home with thoughts of the day crowding out his mind. The noise and turmoil of blood avenging crowds sickened him. He thought of David McArthur, of Manser…and then he thought of all the witnesses that had come forward detailing their losses. It had been frighteningly amazing at just how many people had demanded justice, had appeared from all over the country to testify against this man.

Adam dismounted and led the horse into the stables, muttering words to the animal as he removed the saddle, the bridle and saddle blanket. Sport nodded his big head, nudged Adam in the shoulder as thought to say ‘Enough of the sweet talk, lead me to the hay-bag’

The resolute coldness on Mr Grooms face as he had sat through each day of the trial had brought a chill to everyone who was present. Despite all those who had lost loved ones to Manser, there was none there who had looked so cold, so vengeful as Mr Groom. The little man who had always been discounted of no importance now seemed to be the polar opposite of Manser – both of them in the court room, silent, cold, unapproachable. It brought a shiver to the spine just thinking about them,

Adam turned at the sound of footsteps running towards the stable, and smiled as he turned for he knew his daughter would be there, standing in the doorway, the smile lighting up her face, shining in her eyes.

“Daddy, you were a long time coming home -” her voice had the gurgle of laughter in it as she ran from the door and into his arms, burying her face into his body and hugging him close.

“Things to do, Princess.” he replied and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, then took a hand in his to lead her into the house, and as she skipped beside him, telling him about the story she had written for the teacher at school he felt a tightening in his chest, and the question tumbled into his mind – what if there were more monsters like Manser, out there! How could he protect his children from them and keep them safe, especially his little girl, skipping innocently by his side.

…….

Joe Cartwright had declined having a drink with his brothers in the saloon earlier, he had, he told them, an appointment to keep. He didn’t tell them with whom, and they didn’t ask. Since his incarceration Joe had returned to them a haunted man. He had assured them all constantly that he was fine, and physically he was, John Martin had assured them of that fact. But it was not so fine emotionally. All the fears and all the nightmares that he had endured in that underground room, fuelled by the drugs David McArthur had fed him, lingered in his head. He still had nightmares. He still dreaded the fact that one day he would wake up and the days, weeks, he had enjoyed with his wife and family just another hallucination and he was, in fact, still there, locked to the chains in that room.

It was worse that the amnesia he had from the time of the Tombs debacle, and from which he still suffered. It was worse than anything he could imagine, or explain to Mary Ann when she assured him he was safe, he was loved, he was home.

Now he stood at the wrought iron gate of the burial place in Virginia City. He held his hat in his hand and waited, his eyes roving from grave to grave, headstone to headstone. He had known some of these people, known them when they had been full of life, laughing alongside him at the saloon, or serving him over the counter at the Mercantile. The guitar left at Ed Payson’s grave had long ago vanished, a bunch of flowers still appeared every so often on the grave of the Marshall who had temporarily replaced Roy and caused a massacre of innocents, whose nephew had been buried in Boot Hill.

As his thoughts lingered over the names, and memory put faces and voices to some, the sound of his name being spoken, softly, behind him caused him to turn.

Nettie Groom smiled and nodded at him, “This is the quietest place in the whole of town at the moment.”

“Yes, I doubt if the same will be said tomorrow.”

“He won’t be buried here though will he?”

Joe shook his head, “No, I doubt that very much.”

“Shall we walk – and sit at the bench.”

He nodded and stepped beside her as she led the way through the graves to where the bench had been placed for the living to rest awhile and contemplate their losses. She sat down, the hem of the skirts of her black dress pooling at their feet.

She was not the skittish giggly girl from all those months ago now. She had the edge of maturity brought about by grief on her face, and she held that grief in the pools of her eyes. She sat in silence for a while and then sighed, looked at him “I’m so sorry for what happened to you.”

“I got in the way. That’s all.” simply stated because that was a fact, the truth of the matter.

“He didn’t want to kill you”

“I know.”

She lapsed into silence again and her eyes fixed upon an area of the graveyard, Joe knew that it was where David McArthur had been buried. She released a breath, a sigh, then opened her purse, and after a pause of a few seconds withdrew a letter.

“David wrote this to me – Mr Appleby found it in his room when they were clearing David’s things out. I thought if you read it you would understand – “ she frowned, a small furrow of lines on her brow, she lowered her eyes “I’d like you to understand him, because that is all he ever wanted from us – wasn’t it?”

Joe nodded, remembering the times David had cried “No one understands -”

“He wasn’t a monster, not like – “ and Joe involuntarily placed a hand over hers, and gave them a little squeeze, “Thank you for understanding, I mean, for coming here and for being prepared to read this letter and not be judgemental.”

“Have your parents read it?”

“No” she gave a tight cold laugh, and shook her head “They would not read anything from David, they have forbidden me to mention his name.”

Joe opened the letter and hauled in a deep breath, looked at her as she glanced at him before turning away, staring over where David McArthur slept in peace now under the soil.

“Dear Nettie

I need to write this letter to you and I hope that you can forgive me, please, and care enough about me to read it. Please – do not judge me too harshly. I need to write down and explain, as best I can, about who I am, who I really am. I am not a monster, I am not a murderer – will you believe me? Please say that you will, that you do.

I was a boy living in this area some years back, and I lived some way out of town with my parents, the McArthurs. I didn’t come into town to school, it was too far and my father taught me all I needed to know. He was a good man, gentle. Had a wonderful way with horses. He was well thought of too, a good God fearing man with a love for the Bible

So I was a lonely child, but nevertheless I was a happy one. I think people would say I was carefree. Then one day a trapper came by and we got talking, and my Pa liked him, they got on well, and so when Pa was working through the day I would go with Gabriel to where he was building his house. It was a sod house, built under the ground. We worked together and he taught me about plants and animals, and I was happy.

Well, good times are never meant to last are they? Pa died and within a few weeks my Ma was taking me far away. I missed Pa but this was exciting , an adventure. When we reached our destination she told me that my Pa was not my real father after all, and that my real Pa would be taking care of me now.

I was confused, I missed Pa more than anything now, I missed Gabe as well. I had never been in a large town before, people so closely packed together, buildings crammed one against another. He had sent a carriage for us, it was grand, very different to the old wagon we had at home. I began to feel that my whole life was about to be erased, and if I did not hold onto the memories of Pa and Gabe, of the land I loved, then this new life would swallow me up and David McArthur would cease to exist.

The house was bigger than any other, and there were people everywhere, Ma said they were servants. But I couldn’t understand how one man could want so many people to be his servants. She was excited, happy and told me we would never want for anything again.

Nettie, that was the day I realised that all that I wanted I would never ever have in my life – never! I watched her walk away into a room, following a servant and I was left to stand there alone in the hall, holding my cap, my possessions in a bag on the floor, and I kept telling myself to run, to get away from there.

I’m sorry this letter is so long, I wanted you to know that there was a time when the David you knew, the real David, was that little boy from long ago. The your kindness and prettiness coaxed him out from the shell that Gil Sutherland had become.

I met my father – my real father – and the moment he took my hand in his and spoke to me I recoiled. It was like feeling a force of nature that repels one, instinct I suppose. Ma explained to him that I missed McArthur, I was shy, timid by nature, to overlook my reaction but he wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on me, looking into my very being, and then he smiled and gripped my hand so tightly I would have cried out had not pride prevented me. He just smiled but his eyes did not….

After that I spiralled down into a nightmare. Days, nights, weeks and years of torment, of dread and fear. He said so often that he had never wanted children, but now that he had me, he found it enthralling to have someone so young to mould in his image! Can you imagine that being said so often as he would stare at me with those cold dead eyes? I could never be in his image but that didn’t stop him from trying. I don’t know where my mother went, he told me she had left me to return to her family, but as time went by and I got to know him better – well, you will know what kind of man he is by now

I became like a machine, a man without a mind of my own, manipulated and moulded into doing what he wanted, when he wanted. I swear to you, Nettie, I never killed anyone, never. But I am guilty of what they would call aiding and abetting, of being his tool. And then I met you and you sparked life back into my heart, and David McArthur came back to life, even though it was only when we were together.

Oh I need to end this letter now, before I reveal to much of his evil, and cause you more distress and perhaps even disbelief that such things could happen but – dear Nettie, I had never loved anyone before, and I thought that I would never find anyone whom I could love. I try to convince myself that when you said you loved me that you meant it, it gives me some hope of redemption.

David McArthur

Joe re-read the letter again and then slowly folded it back into the envelope and handed it to Nettie. He noticed the moisture in her eyes and hoped that she was not going to weep, her heart ache was too deep for him to help her and he felt at a loss

“What are you going to do, Nettie?”

His voice broke through to her and helped her push aside the gush of emotion that had threatened to , once again, engulf her. She sighed and stared down at the white square of paper in her hands before she slipped it back into her purse.

“I’m leaving here. I’m going to get a Teacher’s Certificate and become a school teacher somewhere further out west. I’ll never marry, I loved David too much ..” she paused, raised a finger to wipe away a tear that threatened to fall from her eyes, then inhaled a deep breath “Pa has lived for this day, he is so full of hate and anger but he wants to leave here too. When that – monster – is dead and buried then we’ll go.”

“And your mother?” Joe asked kindly, remembering the grief stricken woman from all those weeks ago, weeping into the flowers he and Mary Ann had taken to her

“Oh she’s happy to leave. She’s not well, this has broken her so I guess I will have to look after her as well.” she smiled bleakly and shrugged “Guess that’s my duty after all.”

Joe nodded and took her hand in his, shook it gently “I wish you well, Nettie.”

“Thank you, Joe.”

They turned to leave the cemetery, he opened the little wicket gate for her to pass through and then watched as she walked away, leaving him with memories of his own

Chapter 4

Nate Carney listened to the sounds of the crowds beyond his office and bowed his head. It had been a long and arduous few months from the time they had brought Philip Manser to prison.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Mark Watts was standing, hands on hips, waiting for orders. Nate felt sick of giving orders. Fletcher had gone, he could not stand the pressure of walking on egg shells because the atmosphere created by their prisoner permeated everything. Even though he just sat there, reading his books of which there seemed an endless supply, the way he looked and the way of his just existing wore them all down.

“He’s gone now, boss.” Mark said quietly.

And now, the day after, the crowds were leaving, dwindling away as their focus had been removed. No one wanted to go near the grave. They wanted to bundle up their grief along with their luggage and return home, and those who had lost loved ones over the years felt satisfied that justice had been carried out at last.

He was about to say something when the door opened and a young man stepped inside, removed his hat and glanced from one to the other, from Nate to Mark and then back again to Nate.

“Sheriff?” he raised his eyebrows and nodded “Sheriff Carney?”

“Yes – “ Nate nodded, and stepped back towards his desk, paused and extended his hand “Nate Carney. My Deputy, Mark Watts”

The young man took the Sheriff’s hand and shook it in a firm grip, not overlong which Nate appreciated. He always felt that when a man holds onto your hand too long they have some form of desperation going on which could result in trouble.

“A man by the name of Daniel deQuille pointed me in this direction, Sheriff. Said you were short on men.”

“You applying?”

“I am, sir.”

Nate gave him a long look, then gestured to a chair by the desk “Sit yourself down. Coffee?”

“Would be welcome. Thanks”

Nate glanced at Mark who promptly checked on the coffee situation. For a moment the Sheriff and the applicant sat facing off over the desk to the accompaniment of clinking cups, the smell of coffee

Nate pulled out a folder in which he had filed away various application forms, one he now peeled off and handed over. As Mark put down the cups Nate handed over a pen, and then leaned back into his chair,

“You ride into town to see the hanging?”

“No, sir. I just rode in and found most everybody else had arrived here for a hanging. Not something I particularly enjoy so stayed in my hotel room.”

Nate nodded, noting that the stranger had referred to a hotel room, not a room in a Boarding House. He flicked a look over to Mark who nodded, cradled his mug against his chest and leaned against the rifle rack. Nate, recalling his manners, now introduced Mark which led them to learn that the newcomers name was Ethan T. Burns.

“You been a deputy before, Mr Burns?”

“One time, sir, for about eighteen months.”

“Whereabouts?”

“A small town called Lubbock.” he raised his eyes and looked into Nate’s face, “I got references I can show you.”

Nate nodded, and waited for them to be produced and handed over. As Ethan T Burns filled in the form Nate read through the references, noted down the name of the Sheriff at the time and some details and then handed the letter back.

“I know Lubbock,.” Mark said quietly, “I was there some time back. About ten years ago.”

“I doubt it was much different to when I left it last year.” came the dry response. “I was born there and raised until about six years old. Drifted back out of curiosity about three years ago.”

Mark nodded, and watched as Ethan signed the form with a flourish and pushed the paper over to Nate, who glanced over it and then slipped it into the folder.

“Are you prepared to start right away?” Nate asked, with just a hint of a smile on his lips

“Ain’t got nothing else to do, Sheriff.” a smile, pleasant and setting off dimples in his cheeks, and crinkling up his eyes, confirmed that Ethan was happy to oblige.

Nate foraged around in a drawer and produced the deputy’s badge which he edged over to him,

“You intend to stay at the hotel?”

“No, Sheriff, I need to find something cheaper and more permanent.”

Mark stepped forward “I can help you out there, if you want to collect your gear from the hotel I’ll take you to a decent clean boarding house that will be pleased to have you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that…” another smile, a flash of dimples and twinkling eyes.

Nate stood up, “Before you go, there’s a small matter of swearing you in first…”

…………………

Ben and Roy had slept well. Probably slept in longer than normal but neither of them were going to complain about that as it was a long time since they had done so. Roy was usually up and about before his house keeper came to make his breakfast. Ben was up early from habit, from the fact that Hop Sing liked the family around the table, because the children clattered and chattered enough to wake the dead and finally because he needed to organise the days routine for work.

The emerged from their rooms scratching their chests, scratching their heads, yawning and bleary eyed. Ben nodded to his companion and made his way to the stove, began to feed it with kindling and wood. Roy wandered over to the door and opened it wide, fresh spring air drifted in to dispel the muggy heat of the cabin. He stood there some minutes staring out at the woodland ahead, to listen to the birds singing. Then he yawned again, it was going to be a good morning.

They had not gone fishing the previous day after all, the pie Mrs Laws had made had been too tempting and like children let loose in a candy store, the two old men took advantage of the available food, coffee and warm fire.

Ben came and stood by his side, handed him a steaming cup of coffee and sighed “Good place this.”

“Yep, can’t argue with that…”

“I used to come here with Marie, when Joe was knee high to a grass hopper. Then – afterwards – it became too far out, and I got to be too busy.” he frowned “Adam got this cabin looking real good, compared to how it had been…left to fall into ruination.”

“He should have opened up his own architects business, he’d have done well.”

Ben nodded in agreement, sipped more coffee “Well, that’s all water under the bridge now.”

He walked away from the cabin and leaned against the corral fence, enjoyed the warm air against his face, the smell of sweet things, damp soil, flowers…”He’ll be dead now.”

“What?” Roy stepped forward “Who you talking about?”

“Manser.”

“Huh! Should have been strung up years ago. Evil pure evil.” Roy scowled down at the coffee as though he mere mention of the man’s name had changed the taste

Ben nodded agreement, sighed deeply and drank his cup dry. Then he stood up and shook himself, forced a smile “Time to eat.”

“Couldn’t agree more..”

“Eggs,. Bacon ?”

“I like mine crisp”

“What man doesn’t -”

They were chuckling together as they stepped into the cabin. They left the door open, it was too good a day to shut it out.

………………

As it was the weekend the children did not go to school After the chores had been completed Sofia and Reuben were left to their devices. Nathaniel hung about in the hope that he could join in with whatever they chose to do so that meant he was drifting from one to the other of them. Sofia decided she wanted to go and play with her cousins, Hannah and Hope. The distance between the houses was just over a mile, and with the weather fine and balmy Olivia said that she could walk so long as she took care to keep to the track and not wander off. Olivia always said this knowing like many mothers that if it was not said, and something did happen, the reassurance was there in the back of their minds that a warning had been given.

Reuben chose to climb into the hay loft with some cheese and an apple and enjoy a book. He was reading “The Dog Crusoe and his Master” by R.M Ballantyne. It had been printed in 1877 and Adam had asked Miss Tyndale to order it for him as he knew the boy would find it exciting. In a wry way Adam wanted his son to see what life had been like at a time before trains crossed the prairies, a time when he had been a boy himself

“I want to come too.” Nathaniel wailed as he ran after Sofia who turned round to face him, hands on hips and her face screwed up in irritation.

“Well, you can’t.”

“Can too”

“It’s too far for you to walk -”

“I can walk.”

“It’s too far Nathaniel, and I’m not going to carry you so you can forget that -”

“No carry, I walk -”

“You can’t come. And anyway you don’t like Erik!”

Nathaniel heaved a sigh . True enough he didn’t see eye to eye with Erik. It was just one of those things, he and his cousin did not get on at all. He stepped back a pace and although his bottom lip quivered he didn’t make a fuss. He watched her turn and run off, her hair bouncing on her shoulders, her legs striding out as though to tell him ‘See, what big strides I take compared to yours”

He turned and ran to the stables, very carefully he began to mount the ladder. It was hard going because the distance between each rung was too wide for his little legs, even though his legs were longer than some his age. He peeked over the top rung and saw Reuben snuggled in the hay, chomping on an apple. Reuben glanced up and frowned, he had only got to Chapter 2 and was already captivated, he shook his head “Go away, Nathaniel. You can’t read – “

“Can -”

“No, you can’t.”

Nathaniel bowed his head, thought of his own books, blinked his eyes rapidly and decided to go down to find one and then return, with his own supply of apples and cheese. He carefully felt for the next rung with his foot, and then the other rung and then suddenly there were no rungs, his foot hovered, waggled about, he panicked and gave a cry.

Reuben heard a thud and a wail and then silence.

………………….

Chen Ho Lee carried the little boy into the sitting room and settled him carefully down on the settee. Reuben hovered, his eyes big in his face as he gaze anxiously down at his little brother, as he looked at his mother and saw the fear on her face, the way the colour had drained away.

She knelt beside her little boy and held his hand in hers, telling him he would be all right, it was just a bump. It would be all right Chen hurried to his herbs and lotions, he was every bit as proficient as Hop Sing in this respect. Living so far from town it was necessary that a well stocked medical box was available for immediate use in an emergency, or when colds and fevers struck.

The little boy remained very still, very pale with clammy skin. Olivia looked up at Chen, her eyes moist with tears, “Should we send for a Doctor, Chen?”

Reuben’s heart sunk, he looked from one adult to the other, “I’ll saddle Max. I’ll go and get Dr Martin.”

Chen felt the boys pulse, felt the clammy skin and noted the boys shallow breathing He nodded, and Olivia looked at Rueben “Take care, don’t take any risks….”

“Ill take the short cut, Ma.” and then he turned and ran from the room, guilt overwhelming him, misery threatening to create tears.

He was just so glad that his father was busy at the timber yards and ignorant of what had happened, he could not face the atmosphere at home were Adam to see what had happened. He knew for sure he would get the blame, he just knew it.

……

Sofia ran, skipped, hopped and walked …she saw a baby rabbit and chased it into the long grass alongside the roadway. It was too smart for her so she watched its little white tail bob away and scuttle down a rabbit hole. She sighed and returned to the road. She could already see the smoke rising from the chimney at the Ponderosa ranch house. Another ten minutes and she would be there, and with a contented smile on her face she broke into a run, her little feet pounding against the dirt track sending dust billowing in little puffs as she went, she gave a little swirl which sent her petticoats drifting around her legs.

Hannah and Hope were in the yard when she arrived, the smiles on their faces proof of the pleasure they felt at her arrival. Hope ran towards here “Where’s Nathaniel?”

Hope was six months older than her cousin Nathaniel, but loved him as a brother. Probably more than she loved her own brother, although she had not realised it Erik was always there after all, he was ‘no one special, just Erik’ but Nathaniel was different, her soul mate.

“He couldn’t come.” Sofia replied matter of factly.

“Oh!” Hope’s mouth drooped, then she smiled and gave Sofia a hug “Well, you are here -”

“Mommy said I could walk here on my own…” Sofia preened herself a little.

“Well, it’s not so very far,” Hannah replied and smiled, her blue eyes gleaming “Come and play, Sofia. Come and play…”

“Where’s Erik?” Sofia asked as the three of them joined hands and ran across the yard, the skirts of their dresses swirling and their hair ribbons a splash of colour among their curls.

“Erik’s indoors with Ma.” Hannah said with a shrug

“He has a cold…” Hope added

Sofia nodded, smiled –

Hank and Ezra, two of the Cartwrights loyal old ranch hands watched the children, smiled at nothing in particular. Neither of them had children of their own, and the sight of the three girls touched them in a sentimental way, the sound of their chatter and laughter music to their ears.

Chapter 5

Joe dismounted and paused a moment to look around him in order to locate his brothers. It had been a pleasant ride through the Ponderosa timberland. The smell of pine sap, the breeze drifting with the warmth of spring, the sight of shy flowers peeking through the thick duff of fallen leaves that deadened the sound of the horses hooves all combined to settle his mind.

It had been a turbulent few months for Joe. In his life time he had faced dangers and situations that would have crushed a more resilient spirit, many times over in fact. Jimmy Chan had discussed it with him one evening when Joe had sought him out for some reassurance that he was not going mad. The nightmares, the fear of the dark that seemed so childish, the irritability he experienced were all part of what Jimmy had said was having his ‘humours unbalanced.” The whole body acted like one organism and when one part got knocked out of kilter, then the whole rhythm of life was out of balance. When it affected the mind it affected the emotions, and combined together that offset everything else.

Listening to Jimmy at the time, it all made perfect sense but now he was not so sure. All he knew was that at the present time, Manser had messed up his life. He forced his mind away from the subject that was becoming more than a little monotonous and noticed that Hoss’ horse was outside the shack where the comforting smell of food wafted. Well, he smiled, it was a long ride from the Ponderosa and Hoss’ stomach would have long forgotten its first breakfast. He was not surprised that Hoss would have headed straight to where he could get fed.

Adams horse was nodding over the rail outside the office. McManus, the foreman of the Timber yard, had built a good sturdy office on the site and it was towards this building that Joe took himself. He pushed open the door and closed it carefully behind him, not before Adam had turned to look his way and nod a welcome and McManus had looked up from the paperwork in front of him and after acknowledging Joe resumed his work.

“How’s things here?” Joe asked, feeling rather like a spare wheel and not sure what to do now that he had arrived. He pulled out a chair and dragged it towards his brother,

“Good.” McManus replied “Things had tailed off before winter set in, but we have a number of contracts coming in now.”

“The winter did us a favour,” Adam grinned and leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other and his hat balanced on his knee “Lots of old buildings came down in the gales and snows, now their owners are clamouring for timber to rebuild.”

“Old man Boone wouldn’t be one of them, would he?” Joe grinned as Adam nodded, “Wondered if he would be one of our clients, every time I saw him and asked how his old stables were doing he would tell me they’d last a hundred years.”

“Huh, he used to say I was only asking because I wanted to get an order for Ponderosa wood from him.” Adam grinned again, dimples deep in his cheeks and eyes twinkling.

“He was always tight with his money.” Joe stretched his shoulders, and watched as McManus slid over some papers for them to look over.

“What about our order for the timber, Mac?” Adam asked as his eyes scanned over the paper work “Have you been able to keep up with deliveries?”

“All well and good, Adam.” McManus’ deep voice was soft, sometimes one had to lean forward to hear him talk, although when he was out working with the lumberjacks one shout from him would echo for miles. “”There’s a regular wagon load going out every day. Mid-way they pass the wagon coming back from the site to reload so everything’s going real smooth” he opened a drawer and pulled out a folder which he passed over to the two brothers.

The cattle station was becoming a reality if the amount of timber was anything to go by. Adam and Joe leaned over and checked over each item. Good Ponderosa pine cut down the previous year so that it had had time to dry out, was now being planed, cut into planks, smoothed down and loaded up to form the walls, floors of the new building. Taking newly cut wood presented a problem as it would twist and warp as the wood dried out.

Adam checked the amounts, the figures and nodded approval. “It’ll take a time, Mac.”

“I reckoned so -”

“I don’t want to use any timber close to the site. It’s not sustainable woodland, once the trees are cut down they wouldn’t be replaced as the acreage is small.”

“I did wonder why you wouldn’t use the wood there but when I saw it for myself -”

“Ah, took a wander did you?” Joe grinned and winked, Mac nodded

“Jest curious. It’s a pretty place, but cutting down any wood for building – no,” he shook his head, “It would ruin it. I reckon enough wood land has been cut down thereabouts without that being taken down as well.”

Both of the brothers nodded in agreement. The woodland which stretched from the cabin near the river, and close to Carson City, consisted of a variety of different trees, there were some coniferous trees like the Atlas Cedar, Sitka Spruce, and red pine but most were deciduous and provided elegance, and there were some apple and plum trees that blossomed each year.. Given time Mac would have told them the name of every tree that existed in that section of forestry.

They talked a little more while Adam added some figures to the list, rechecked through with his usual efficiency during which time Joe got to his feet and walked over to the window and leaned forward a little to look out. He grinned as he saw Hoss strolling out of the other cabin and stand, looking around him for sight of his brothers.

“Looks like Hoss has had enough to eat now.” he chuckled and turned back to see Adam closing the file and returning it to Mac “Y’know, Adam, I wouldn’t mind taking a wagon load of timber out to the station one of these days. Jest to see how it’s coming along.”

Adam gave a slight shrug and rose to his feet, retrieving his hat as he did so and placing it carefully on to his head, he nodded “Sure – check in with Mac and see where he can fit you into the schedule”

Joe looked at Mac “Any spare places? Hoss will come along with me -”

“Hey, you two planning to get out of the spring round up this year?” Adam said in a semi serious tone of voice.

“I doubt if we’ll manage to do that -” Joe sighed, shrugged and looked over at Mac who was grinning, and getting to his feet from behind his desk

“Old Moss Hughes wouldn’t mind having a break come Friday -”

“Friday? Mmm, that’ll take up the whole weekend, not sure the Boss at home would be too pleased if I was away the whole weekend. She reckons we don’t have enough time together as it is ….” he frowned, glanced over at Adam in the hope he would not pick up on the comment and start asking questions.

But Adam understood only too well what Joe had meant. It takes time to heal, he knew that so turned to the door, and just said he would go and check on Hoss and leave Joe to make his own arrangements.

Hoss saw Adam and raised a hand, “Hey, I was wondering where you was…”

“I’d not gone far from where you left me, Hoss.”

“I see little brother has joined us -”

“He has” Adam grinned and wondered whether or not to mention the little jaunt that Joe was arranging for their big brother. “He won’t be long, just fixing something up with Mac.”

“Everything going well?”

Adam nodded and walked over to where an axe was leaning against a pile of timber. “Time to do some work, Hoss. That’s what we came here for, remember?”

“Jest had to check on some of the boys in thar -” Hoss mumbled jerking his thumb in the direction of the ‘cafe’ and grinning.

“I’m sure they were more than pleased to see you. Hope you left them with something to eat for their lunch.”

“Hey, of course I did – “ Hoss replied with a chuckle in his voice “Ol’ Purdy still cooks a real fine breakfast. Dont’ tell Hop Sing I said so…”

…………………….

Portia Lee Whitmore was more than pleased with her new lodger. He had shaken her hand warmly, expressed appreciation for the room she had shown him and listened attentively as she had explained the rules of the house. She was black, a widow, and still an attractive young woman. She rented out her rooms at a fair rate, kept everything clean, and maintained good order throughout. Anyone who showed they were unwilling to abide by her rules were given notice to quit, sometimes they were just handed their luggage back and shown the door.

Usually she summed up her new tenants by how they greeted her and the firmness of their handshake. Sometimes she would say politely “I’m so sorry, but we’re just full, no vacancies -” even if the place was half empty. Just based on the look in their eyes! She had learned the hard way how to read trouble before it came to her door.

A young couple worked for or with her, no one was quite sure which, but they were strong and healthy and happy to do the fetching and carrying and cooking. Portia had never learned to cook the kind of meals her tenants would prefer.

The room she had shown Ethan was on the second floor. It was large, airy and did not make him feel hemmed in at all. There was a bed, a night stand, a bureau and wardrobe for his clothes. A fireplace for cold winter evenings, and close by a window there was a desk and comfortable chair. In an alcove created by the fire place was a book shelf laden with enough books to keep any reader happy for at least six months.

“I hope you like it,” she had said and smiled at him. Ethan had smiled back, she had one of those smiles that elicited a return from her tenants, and so he assured her he was well pleased with it. “The evening meal is at 8.”

“I’m – I can’t always guarantee being here at that time, depends on what shifts the Sheriff gives me.”

“Ah of course. Then I shall leave you some supper – in the dining room.”

He nodded, one rule in the house then – no food to be eaten in ones own room. That was no hardship. He had taken his key, and been told that his room would be cleaned regularly, would he object to someone entering his room when he was not in the building.

The door had closed and he was alone, had put his belongings on the floor to be sorted out later. Then he went to the window and looked out at the view. He overlooked the back of the school and into the yard where the children played. That meant it would be noisy at times, quiet at others. He let the curtain drop and turned to survey the room. So far, so good.

Chapter 6

Reuben had not ridden far when he saw a familiar buggy jouncing along the track heading for the Ponderosa ranches. His young heart leapt with relief when he saw the smiling countenances of Paul and Bridie who had raised their hands to wave to him.

Reuben appreciated the fact that Paul was no longer a practising Doctor but that didn’t mean that Paul had forgotten how to treat people who had fallen down ladders or out of hay lofts did it?

Olivia was seated beside her little boy, stroking back black curls that were stuck to a sweaty brow, when Paul, Bridie and Reuben came into the house. She immediately felt as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders as Paul strode in, discarded his coat and approached the settee.

“Reuben told me what happened.” he said quietly, and patted her arm which indicated that he wanted her to move out of the way so he could check on the child.

Bridie stepped forward and put her arms around Olivia, giving her a warm matronly hug and smile

“Let’s go and make some coffee – “ she said and ushered her out of the room in the manner of a sheep dog herding a recalcitrant lamb to the pen.

Reuben came and stood beside Paul and leaned forward, hands on knees and watching carefully as Paul examined Nathaniel who still remained very still, although he sighed every so often as though somewhere in a dark hole he was not entirely unhappy

“Is he going to be alright, Dr Paul?”

“I’m sure he will be.” Paul lifted the boys’ eyelids and then lowered them again, he felt for temperature, pulse, and then ran his hands down the boys torso, his arms and then his legs. “Hmmn”

“What does that mean -”

“What? What does what mean?”

“When you said Hummm like that just now.”

“It means I think I found something that needs attending to.”

“Is it serious?”

“I doubt it.”

“What is it then?”

“A greenstick fracture of the arm by the look of it…” Paul held the boy gently in his arms and drew him close into his chest in order for his fingers to prod and poke down the child’s spine, his ribs and then he carefully settled Nathaniel back onto the pillows. “No other damage apart from the bump on his head -”

“And the greenstick thing you said -”

“Yes, the greenstick fracture of the arm. Move out of the way, Reuben, give me room to breathe -” Paul muttered good naturedly and carefully used his elbow to nudge Reuben away.

“What’s a greenstick fracture?”

“Well,” Paul leaned back and looked Nathaniel up and down with knowledgeable old eyes, used to seeing all manner of injuries over the years to old and young alike, he nodded and then looked at Reuben who was still leaning forward, hands on his knees, determined not to miss a thing “The bones of a child of this age don’t break like an adults would, it tends to bend, sometimes crack, but it doesn’t break.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes, depends on the age of the child and the severity of the fall. Nathaniel doesn’t seem to be in much pain. I’m more concerned about the bump to his head and that he’s been out cold for so long.”

Olivia returned to the room at this point, her eyes showing her anxiety, wide and moist, blinking furiously to stop tears. Reuben stood up and nodded “He’s alright, Ma, Uncle Paul said he has a greenstick fracture -”

She nodded as though she understood perfectly, and she did having had two brothers who had often fallen out of hay lofts, off horses, and generally broken limbs during their childhood. She set down the tray and was about to speak when Nathaniel opened his eyes, started at Paul and whimpered for his Mommy.

“Thank goodness you were near by, Paul.” Olivia whispered as she hurried to her little boys side, and drew him into her arms “Hush now, baby, it’s alright, you’re alright.”

“Head hurts.” the child whimpered and two tears plopped onto his cheeks and dribbled down to his chin

“I’m sure Cheng will have something that will help take the pain away.” Paul smiled, and stood up, “Now I’m no longer a practising Doctor I leave my bag behind, just in case I get tempted to use what I’ve got there, which would, of course, be illegal.”

He tapped his chin with his spectacles, folded within his hand, and looked at the child speculatively, “I’ll get Jimmy to come by, just to check whether or not his arm needs a splint, I don’t think it is serious enough to need a cast.”

Olivia nodded and gently stroked Nathaniel’s head, wiped away the tears and hugged him close.

Reuben came and stood beside her, “Ma, I think I’ll be a Doctor when I grow up.”

She nodded, closed her eyes and said nothing for a moment. Nathaniel’s arms wrapped around her neck, his head upon her breast. Paul felt his temperature and nodded,

“Don’t let him go to sleep, keep him as active as possible.” he advised and then smiled at Bridie, “Now then, woman, how about that cup of coffee you were out there preparing for us?”

…………………………

Hoss paused for a moment which caused a slight hiatus at the other end of the saw as Joe, in mid-lunge as he pushed the saw across the vast trunk of tree, lost his momentum and fell forward.

“Dang it, Hoss. Concentrate will ya!”

“Sorry, Joe” Hoss wiped his brow, it had been some time since he had been to the timber yards and got involved with the physical options available – sawing, chopping, lopping off branches, and so forth. “Forgot how hot work this is, don’t you think we should go in and get something to drink.”

“You jest had your second breakfast! What do you want now? Lunch?”

Hoss raised a hand, palm outward in an attempt to halt Joe’s tirade of words. He coughed, spat in his hands and rubbed them together and then gripped the saw, pushing so hard that Joe was once again nearly knocked off his feet but for the opposite reason.

There was a lot of work in the timber yard. The steady rhythm of axes biting into wood, the warning yell to herald the toppling of some majestic pine, the jingle of horse’s harness and the scrape of wood against the earth as the huge timbers were dragged to the work shop where the bark would be planed off, then planks sliced neatly down the length of the wood until ready to be stacked along with more planks to dry out. The whirr of the machinery as it cut down each length grated on a man’s nerves for a while, ,but soon faded into the background along with all the other sounds.

Adam was wielding an axe along with several other men, his sleeves rolled up to his biceps, sweat already visible as a dark wet streak down the centre of his shirt. As he swung the axe and felt it bite into the wood Adam thought again about the events of the past few months. How unsettled the town had become, how glad he was not to have been in town on the day of the hanging.

He pulled to free the axe from the wood into which it had been thrust, and then in a smooth movement swung his arms up and brought the axe down again. Whenever he came to work in the timber yards he always reproved himself for neglecting the work.. He enjoyed it, and always promised himself that he would make it a more regular visit, that he would stay over for longer.

“Some water?” Foo Ling smiled, nodded and held out a dipper full of clear water from the bucket he had hauled from the well in the yard. “You need some water now?”

“Thanks, Foo Ling.” he took the dipper and swallowed the water, clean and cool. He nodded and emptied it before returning it to the other man who nodded, and walked onto the next man.

It occurred to Adam that had this been the middle of summer he would probably be grateful to be elsewhere, or perhaps, just stay in the office and tot up the ledgers. But it was springtime, and it was pleasant weather, and when it did rain it was soft and warm. The smells of the wood were all around him, and although he knew his muscles would be screaming by the time he left he felt a sense of content steal over him.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and stopped in mid-swing, turned to find Hoss standing behind him

“Why’d you do that? I could have done you some harm you crazy idiot!”

“You bin working up here some hours now. It’s time to eat.” Hoss said and nodded up at the sun, just visible above the skyline “C;mon before you pass out from hunger.”

“I’m hardly likely to do that -”

“Yeah, well, I am, and if I don’t take you with me then Joe will accuse me of malingering. So, c’mon, quite your jawing.”

Adam nodded, and looked at his work, the other men were downing tools and nodding and grinning, it had been a good morning. They had achieved a lot. . One man paused “Reckon she’s ready to go down…” he yelled and gave the mighty pine a shove.

Everyone stopped where they were as the tree swayed , and creaked, and groaned. The branches quivered, the freshly budded leaves shivered, and with a mighty sigh and splintering sound she was down. “Thar she goes..” a man yelled

The neighbouring trees bowed to her passing, some smaller ones snapped as she crashed down upon them, and then a great whoomphf as she crashed onto the earth and those smaller than her, who were in her path, were crushed along with her.

Adam and every man there felt their pulses beating in their ears, thudding at the thrill of it all, the sounds and the sight of the falling tree caught them up for the moment of her passage earthwards.

“Definitely time to eat now.” Hoss said and slapped his brother on the shoulder..

“More planks for the cattle station.” Joe quipped as he loped up to walk alongside his brothers to the cabin where the food was being prepared.

“How much more do you think we’ll need, Adam?”

“More than we have at present. Pa and Roy are going to check it out and they’ll be able to provide a closer estimate.” Adam pulled off his gloves, and stuffed them in his back pocket, alongside him Hoss and Joe were doing the same.

Joe grinned and stood still, not caring that he caused a slight ‘log jam’ by doing so as other hungry men came up behind him and had to pause, negotiate a way around him passing by with scowls as he just stood there, inhaling the smells of food.

“Y’know, coming here like this always reminds me of The Square Meal Cafe, sure wish Annie O’Toole had not married that Swede.”

“Yeah, she sure could cook… “ Hoss sighed nostalgically and then grinned “Even taught Hop Sing a thing or too.”

“Yeah, she sure did -” Adam nodded and strode to the trestle table nearest to them, they straddled the bench seat and waited for the food to be brought to them by the staff. Adam was not surprised to see Foo Ling among them.

Hoss leaned down towards his plate and inhaled the steaming mess of food that had been ladled out for him, the crunchy warm bread was piled high on platters on the table close to their elbows.

“Heaven” he sighed and rubbed his hands together “Sheer heaven.”

No one was likely to disagree with him. Heads were bowed, and for a while there was no sound but that of hungry contented men eating.

Chapter 7

Reuben stood in the study with his hands behind his back and his face blank. This was it! This was when Big Brother was about to get a scolding, perhaps even a tanning. He stared around the room, and sighed heavily. He quite liked this room, it had a different feel to it from the others in the house. He loved the wall lined with books – his father had books about all manner of things, there was the book Michael Michaelson had sent him some time back and although Reuben had peeked once, he had not understood a single word. But he did know that his Pa had tutored the author to prepare him for college and now, he was heading for world wide renown.

Another book he had peeked at was handwritten, an account of adventures at sea by Captains Daniel O’Brien and Adam Cartwright. Reuben had peeked into that one too, but the handwriting was like chicken scratch and he had decided to leave it for another day, or perhaps, another year.

He sighed, and bowed his head. It was, he determined, always his fault. No one else ever got the blame for anything in this house. Sofia would cry and sob, turn on the girlie charm and Pa would just shake his head and sometimes even end up laughing. Pa never laughed when it came to Reuben’s turn to be hauled over the coals

Adam’s firm tread could be heard approaching the room now, and Reuben clenched his hands and sweated. The door opened and Adam stepped inside, glanced at Reuben and frowned, he paused a moment, pinched the bridge of his nose and half closed his eyes, he sighed. Reuben bowed his head lower.

“Well, Reuben -” Adam moved to the desk and sat down on the big leather chair, a similar style to his own fathers. He looked at the boy and frowned, leaned forward with his elbows on the desk and a pen between his fingers which he observed for some seconds. Then he flicked a look at the boy again

A flashback in time – he could see himself standing in front of Ben, older than Reuben by some years but having to face the same situation – an irritating little brother who just couldn’t keep out of trouble and he, the eldest, was responsible for every bump, bruise, break that the kid ended up with, even if miles from where Big Brother happened to be at the time.

He nodded “Sit down, Reuben”

He gentled his voice. He was tired, his body ached, he was hungry, he had yet to eat, and he still had not washed himself clean of the smell of sweat and wood . He cleared his throat and nodded

“So, son, what happened ?”

Reuben sighed, ‘here we go again’ he told himself, and he drew in his breath and explained what had happened. “I was expecting him to join me, I saw his head and then he started going back down and he missed his footing – I guess – I thought becos he had got up alright, he would be able to get down alright, but he didn’t”

“No -” Adam nodded, and thought of the little boy who was up in bed glorying in the fact that he had so much attention, waving his arm around so everyone could see it and sympathise and tell him what a brave little boy he was. He looked over at Reuben sitting ram rod straight and facing him across the desk. “Well, I guess in future when you go into the hayloft you had best take up the ladder with you. He’ll only try again and next time could do himself some more serious damage.”

Reuben nodded, thought that was a good idea and waited for the sword to fall. Adam leaned back in his chair, the fingers of one hand twisting the pen round and round,

“Your Ma tells me you want to become a Doctor.”

Reuben blushed, was nothing sacred in this house? He nodded “Yes, sir, I would.”

“Going to sea no longer appeals, huh?”

Reuben looked over at the wall where his father’s medals were displayed. He knew that Adam had lost a lot of blood in the gaining of those medals, he had seen the scars, knew when Adams leg was paining him because he limped more heavily. He lowered his eyes, he had decided a while back no medals were worth it, but Doctoring and saving lives – he nodded and looked at his father who was observing him with a slight grin on his face

“I guess I ain’t got any sea water in my veins after all, Pa.”

“No, I guess not.” Adam rubbed his chin and raised his eyebrows “Well,, why should you have -” the intimation was clear, Robert had not been at sea in his life, and Reuben, Roberts’ son, had more sense than to want to go. He leaned forward again, “It will take a lot of hard work, Reuben. College for some years -”

“Yes, sir.” Reuben frowned, he had not thought about it to that degree, and yet why not? For such a worthy cause?

“I’ll help all I can, help you with your studies, get you into college.” he stood up, and Reuben did also, they stood side by side and Adam placed a gentle hand on the boys shoulder “I’m proud of you, Reuben, never forget that -”

“Huh – er – thanks Pa.”

“I guess that means Jimmy won’t be going to sea either?”

“I don’t know sir, we haven’t talked about it in a while.”

Adam chuckled, that warm chuckle that indicated that all was right in his world, and if that was the case, then all was right in Reuben’s as well.

It was later that evening as Olivia and Adam sat together sharing the last of the warmth from the small fire, she with her head on his shoulder and he with his arm around her waist, that they talked in quiet tones about Reuben’s plans for the future. They laughed a little, kissed a lot, and after a while settled into that pleasant togetherness where no word needed to be said, nothing needed to be done, just sitting in closeness, as they were, was all that mattered.

“You are happy, aren’t you, Livvy?”

“Yes, probably more so than I should be…” she sighed and glanced over at him “Why do you ask?”

“No particular reason, I just want you to be happy is all.”

“Is all?” she teased and raised her head to kiss him

“I leave you alone so much during the day – sometimes for weeks – it isn’t much by way of company for you.”

“Hester and Mary-Ann are not far, dear.”

“You haven’t had any visitors recently?” something in his voice made her feel that this was not just a casual enquiry, she sat up away from him and frowned

“No, why, should I have had ?”

“I just – wondered -”

“Why?”

“No reason” he said and pulled her towards him, to hold her closer.

He had forgotten the letter. He had even forgotten about the stranger who had passed the letter over to him. It had only been now, during this pleasant moment of solitude with his wife that it had come to mind at all.

She kissed him, leaning into his body as she did so, a smile on her lips which he could feel upon his own as their lips touched. His hand gently caressed her face. It seemed inevitable that at that moment Nathaniel’s voice drifted towards them, and they both turned to see the little boy standing on the stairs blinking like an owl and moaning as he held his injured arm towards them.

Olivia sighed, so did her husband, but he watched her with an indulgent smile as she got up to go to her son’s side, murmuring comforting words to him as she scooped him up into her arms and carried him up to his room.

Adam paused a moment, stared into the dying embers of the fire which rather symbolised his own feelings at that time, then remembered about the letter.

It was still in his pocket where he had pushed it down when it had been handed to him. Crumpled now, he removed it from the envelope and smoothed it out as he walked slowly over to where he had been seated with Olivia. It bore the date October 1878, so the young man had obviously not been in any hurry to deliver it.

Dear Adam, or should I, after such a lapse of time, address my letter as Dear Mr Cartwright?

It has been many years since we met, and I have noticed various references to you in the news sheets, your adventures during your years at sea, and your retirement. It seems life has been good to you even though turbulent.

After that time when my life seemed to revolve around Tom Burns, and when I met you, I thought that I would just fade away into the background, just another body existing in this little town in the middle of nowhere. But fate or fortune turned things around in a strange way .

I received a letter from Jason Edwards,shortly after their trial asking me to visit them in jail before sentencing was carried out. I think there was an appeal for clemency for Valerie but it was quashed as the Judge said she was obviously the stronger personality of the two and no doubt responsible for Toms false imprisonment and subsequent death. That was further proven when the two men she hired to kill Tom, but who failed, (you may recall them) were found and gave written statements that she and not Jason Edwards had hired them. Of course, you may already have known all that..

I met Valerie in the prison. It was hard because I still bore so much hate towards her and I was also confused as to why she wanted to see me. For a while she just stood there, staring at me before she sat down at the table and asked me very politely to sit down. There were two wardens in the room watching and listening.

She was still very attractive but hard, cold and her eyes were dead, there was nothing in them at all. She just stared at me for a while and so I was forced to ask her why she wanted to see me. Well, first she said how she knew I must have loved Tom because of how hard I worked at trying to prove his innocence. I was not ashamed. I said that although I had known him only a short while I believed him, that he was innocent, and yes, that I had loved him. I told her that during the times he spoke to me and she was mentioned he had told me how much he trusted her, loved her.

Her face never changed but her eyes did, she had tears in them and she just stared ahead at the wall before she agreed, she told me that even when he saw her with the gun in her hand, he could not believe she had committed the crime for which he had spent five years He couldn’t believe she would kill him…poor Tom, his heart must have been broken when he realised she was going to pull that trigger.

Then she told me why she had asked me to come..because of how I felt for Tom. She told me that they had a son…he was just an infant when Tom went to prison, he only knows what she has told him about his father, he was then six years old.

So, I became the foster parent to Tom’s son, his son and Valerie’s. She had arranged it all, all the legal things, the house sold, wanted me to take him away from Lubbock, somewhere no one would know about Tom or her …

Tom’s son! It was as though he were speaking to me from the grave even if it were through the one who was the cause of his death. How could I refuse? I took Ethan to my home town, far away in Missouri It was to be a wonderful time, to raise Tom’s son as my own.

Ethan does not resemble his father very much, he is his mother’s son in that respect. Just an infant when Tom was arrested, and a child when his father was killed, his mother arrested. A bewildered, confused little boy.

Ethan has had a good education, he has been to college, and he took a law course. He is a qualified lawyer but chooses not to follow that route. Should he ever come your way – and perhaps he will as I have talked to him about you often enough – please look out for him and keep him safe. I am no longer able to do so, Adam, but I love him as dearly as I loved his father…

Sincerely

Ann

He was still reading it when Olivia returned to the room. She didn’t question him as to whom the letter was from, or what it was about, but seeing him standing there reading it instead of being seated comfortably made her wonder if the letter were more serious than most. She said nothing but sat down, and waited, leaning against the cushions and savouring the moment.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I had a doppelgänger?”

He was sitting down by her side now, the letter still in his hands, and she smiled at him and shook her head, “No, what happened?”

So he leaned back against the cushions, so that she could place her head upon his shoulder, and as he told her the story about Tom Burns, of Ann the saloon girl, Valerie the wife who killed her husband, she could read the letter that he still held in his hand. When he had finished speaking she pointed to the letter “And this is Ann the saloon girl?”

“Yes.”

“Why does she say that she can no longer help him, this Ethan -”

“I don’t know, Perhaps he doesn’t want to be bothered with her any more, he’s moved on, wants to make a career for himself.

“But she says he doesn’t want to practice law, so he doesn’t have a career.”

“Maybe he wants an independent life away from her.” he shrugged “I don’t know, I never saw her again after I rode out of that town.”

“But from what you said, you were involved in getting Tom’s murderer arrested – weren’t you?”

He shrugged “Yes, I guess so. But I went to sea not long after that, if there were any letters or anything relating to the matter I never received them. I gave my statement to the sheriff, and that was the end of it – so far as I was concerned anyway.”

She frowned, and with a sigh moved away from him, stood up and walked over to the hearth to look down at the ashes that still glowed red.

“Was he very much like you?”

“Too much so.” he replied brusquely “It was one of the most disconcerting feelings in my life to look down at what could have been my dead body, disfigured though it was by several bullet holes. Ann did say that after a while she could see the differences and once she recognised them I ceased to be ‘Tom Burns’.”

“She must have loved him a lot.”

“She did …within minutes of meeting him ..”

She smiled slowly, nodded “I can understand how she would, if he looked even a little like you…”

He grinned and stood up, walked to her side and took her in his arms, “Really?”

“Really”

The letter drifted to the floor, they took no notice, they had other things on their minds, things more important than a letter from a ghost.

Note: The last woman to be hanged was Mary Holmes for the robbery and murder of her employer. April 29^th 1937

Chapter 8

Before the weather had set in too badly over winter, Adam and Joe had spent time together at the cabin. Adam wanted to share time to help his brother heal by providing some kind of haven, with someone to whom he could talk and share his time in a way he would not be able to with his wife. With Mary Ann he would have held back a lot of things, because he loved her, and some things would hurt her, distress her. But with Adam he was able to unburden so much, he could lose his temper, throw things, scream shout, kick and strike out, because sometimes a mind needs to empty itself of feelings only through physical actions.

So Adam listened, he shouted back when necessary, he hit back too. And then when the calm set in, would hug his brother close and they would talk over old times, laugh at some long ago memory, try and remember the names of old girl friends, the ones that were just driving through their lives and never stayed long.

Eventually they had set to work blazing a track through the woodland to the site of the cattle station. A track that would shorten the journey by enough miles so that it could be undertaken in less than a day. It was hard work, it meant back tracking on themselves, getting lost at times and wasting time trying to find where they were on their makeshift map. But eventually they had a good trail blazed, and just before the real heavy snows came they made their way home.

This was the track that Ben and Roy now followed. Meandering through the spring time greenery of the woods, enjoying the sound of birdsong, loping along at ease with themselves and with nature. It was a good satisfying feeling.

When it rained it was light, pattering down upon the newly unfurled leaves and reminding Ben of the days when he travelled by wagon across the Missouri plains with Inger and Adam, and the rain would fall softly upon the tarpaulin cover of the wagon. Not that it rained much, or often across the plains, and the memory of that made Ben smile too.

“Any idea where we are now?” Roy asked for about the tenth time since they had left the cabin. He was worse than a child.

“Sure, we’ve not much longer to go now.” Bens face crinkled in a smile, and he nodded to himself, “Be good to see how much work has been done.”

“Do you think this idea will work?”

“Can’t see why not.” Ben pursed his lips, and frowned slightly, “Hoss reckons the cattle will do well here, had the grass and soil analysed and confirmed to be good quality, not been used since who knows how long…well fertilised…well watered. The cattle will get fat, then they’ll be taken to the cattle trucks and travel by rail to the market.”

“Progress huh?”

“That’s the word!” Ben leaned back in the saddle, his smile broadened, even though his rear end was aching. “For once working in our favour.”

“Lot of progress being made all over. San Francisco with its electric lights, won’t be long before it comes to Virginia City. Don’t know if I go along with that ..it’s not natural. Folk are going to go blind, mark my words.”.

“How are they going to go blind when they’ll be able to see things more clearly than ever? I don’t see no hardship in being able to read a book when its dark outside but like daylight inside…”

“Pshchew, those sons of yours have turned your head.”

Ben said nothing, just smiled and then reined in his horse and inclined his head “Hear that?”

Roy narrowed his eyes and craned his head like a tortoise peeking from his shell, “Sounds like a hive of industry just ahead.”

They grinned at each other like two schoolboys who had completed their assignment, wouldn’t teacher be pleased?

The woodlands ended abruptly, behind them were the trees and before them the meadow stretching out further than the eye could see, and all around them the sound of men at work, shouting, laughing, cursing…there was hammering, and sawing, and sounds of planks being placed with a thud upon the ground.

They turned the horses in the direction of the sounds and rode through the newly growing grass until they were able to see the building ahead of them…and both men stopped their horses to stare at it, and allow their eyes to take in everything!

Ben could remember when he was a child being taken to the boat builders yards to see the great boats being built, to see their bare ribs settled in the cradle as the skilled craftsmen worked on them. From the bare ribs grew a hull, a bulwark, the decks and cabins…and he had seen and watched with awe in his young eyes. The smell of the wood shavings and the scent of the timbers would wrap around him and he would stand there, a small boy, eyes round and closed as he breathed in the smell. It was intoxicating.

The older he grew the more involved he would become in the work being carried out in the boatyards. He would coax one of the men to hand over an instrument, teaching him to use it, watching the wood change shape, seeing the rough wood become something more than just a plank. He would smooth it lovingly, running his hand down and over what would become part of a whole, part of a ship that would sail and which, he always hoped, would be a ship he would sail on.

He would later take as much care in building his ranch house, running his hand over the bannister rail, across the floor, making sure so splinters would harm tiny feet, or snag a pretty gown. And he would stand in the doorway, framed by it as he would look upon another room, and imagine who would share it with him.

He had a sense of that feeling now as he looked at the bones of the building before him…just a skeletal frame through which he could see the view beyond, the mountains, the snow upon their craggy heads still holding fast, and he could see the trees and the meadow. He turned to Roy

“It’s going to be a grand place.”

“Adam certainly has a good eye -”

“It makes economic sense too. Did you ever hear of Joseph McCoy?*”

“No, who’s he?”

“In 1867 he built up the first cow town, Abiline. He filled it with stock pens so that ranchers could drive their cattle there and then get them on the cattle trains to where cities and towns were crying out for meat! Others followed his example, and when we found this meadow so close to the railroad in Carson City it seemed sensible to make use of it. Good meadow grass, fat cattle, and a railroad, what more could a rancher need.”

They nudged their horses forward, guiding them around the piles of timber, the stacks of cut out shingles all ready for the roofing even though there were still no trusses upon which to put them. A man with a pencil stuck behind his ear and papers in one hand watched them approach, his eyes narrowed and suspicious

“What can I do for you gentlemen?”

“I’m Ben Cartwright,” he jerked his head towards his companion “Roy Coffee”

The man nodded and put the paper down upon a makeshift table top, placed a rock on each corner to weight it down and then approached them, wiping his hands on the back of his pants

“I’m Roy Cobb.” he offered his hand up to them and both men shook it, “I’m foreman here. You’re Adam’s Pa?”

“That’s right.”

Cobb nodded, and waited for them to dismount. Then he nodded over to the building

“That’s the main house. What do you think so far?”

“Impressive” Ben smiled, nodded and watched Cobb carefully, the man was looking at the upright timbers, the cross beams and the joists with that same look on his face that he knew would have been on his own all those years ago when he watched the ships being built, or more recently, when he stepped back to look at the ranch house he was building . He recognised a man who loved his work and as a result he knew this was a man whom he could trust.

Cobb led them to the table top and pointed to the drawing that was the result of hours of labour on Adam’s part. “We’re keeping to the drawing – it’s straightforward enough but it’ll be a thing of beauty when its finished, I guarantee you that…..your son should have been an architect. Mr Cartwright.”

“So we always told him,” Ben said quietly and smiled as he looked at the drawing of the house, the stables, the corrals, the bunk houses.

“How long before it’s completed?” Roy, always pragmatic, asked his eyes straying for the drawing to the actual building.

“Well, if we keep up to schedule and have no problems should be finished before summer.”

“Are you anticipating any problems?” Ben asked and feeling a slight apprehension, a feeling akin to when seeing a blue sky, sunshine and then suddenly a dark little cloud hovers into sight

“Not so far.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ben scowled slightly

“You ever hear of a man called Malahide?”

“Maybe…”

Cobb drew in his breath and coughed, like many men who had lived for years inhaling wood dust it had settled on his lungs, he coughed, spat and shook his head “Malahide runs a ranch which borders onto your land. It’s a big spread -” Cobb smiled slightly “ Breeds good cattle. One time there was talk that he would let his cattle enjoy your pasture land …that was only talk of course, no one could prove it.”

“And do you think we’ll have problems with Mr Malahide?”

“Well, maybe not, he’s a fair enough man but even fair minded men can get a bit tetchy when they see someone coming along behind them to sneak off their bit of cake. See, he’s always used the railroad to ship his cattle to market. He has the first bid, if you like, and he may just not like having the Cartwrights stepping onto his toes.”

Chapter 9

Roy prodded the camp fire with a stick and once it had flared back to life he tossed the stick into the flames. He turned to his companion and frowned “I can hear what you’re thinking from here.”

“Oh, and what is it that I’m thinking.” Ben replied and cradled the mug of coffee closer to his chest.

The journey back to the cabin had forced them into making camp in the woods. They could have journeyed on but as soon as it started to darken they agreed to make camp. They neither of them admitted to the other that they were tired. That the journey from the cabin to the building site, the walk about the buildings, marking out where the stables would be, and where the bunkhouses would be located, all took time. They had eaten with those men who were staying on site, although quite a few returned to town so that they could spend some time with their families. It made both men realise that there was still some distance from town to the location of the cattle station. It made Ben wonder about the feasibility of it all.

“You’re wondering about this fella Malahide.”

“I was -” Ben nodded and found a boulder sturdy enough to take his bulk when he sat down. “I guess it would be neighbourly to pay him a call. Introduce ourselves.”

“Well, mebbe.” Roy poured out more coffee and then found an equally sturdy rock to perch on, “But I don’t like the feel of it.”

“What’s there to dislike? He knows the borders, so long as we keep to ours and they keep to theirs, why should he cause any trouble.?”

“Guess put like that it makes sense, just that anything involving Cartwrights seems to lead to some kind of trouble sooner than later.”

“In that case the sooner we meet the man the better.”

Roy frowned but had the good sense to say nothing more on the subject.

The following day dawned with a light drizzle which by mid-day had turned to bright sunshine and a warm breeze. Both men put any thought of Malahide to one side, but strolled down to the river, settled by the bank and cast out their lines. It was soon enough to discard jackets, roll up their sleeves and lean back onto the grass and stare up into the blue sky. If the fish were biting they were keeping awful quiet about it.

……

Mary Ann observed her husband thoughtfully as she poured him coffee and then sat down at the table. She pulled her chair closer and sat very still with her hands clasped in her lap. Joe sighed and shook his head

“Look, I’ll only be gone a few days. Hoss will be with me. There’s nothing that can go wrong, sweetheart.”

“Joe, that doesn’t reassure me one bit. When you and Hoss are together, anything can happen. What were you thinking of -”

“I was thinking of getting things back to normal, doing my job, checking out the timber for the cattle station. I can’t stay close to home for ever more.” he paused with the cup midway to his mouth, looked at her anxious face and put the cup back down onto its saucer. He reached out and took her hand in his, raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them “I know you’re anxious, but I need to do something like this trip, just to prove to myself that what happened – well – just that what happened doesn’t have a hold on me. “

“You still have nightmares….” she whispered with her head lowered as though she could not meet his eyes.

“I know. But not as many as I did, nor as bad…I mean…I don’t remember them very vividly now ..” he gripped her fingers between his own, and suppressed a shiver that trickled down his back, “If I have one while I’m with Hoss he’ll no doubt hit me in the jaw and put me right back to sleep.”

“Don’t joke – it’s nothing to laugh about.”

“I’m not laughing, darling.”

No, there was nothing to laugh about after all. The nightmares were still too real, all the fears that had been so intolerable during his incarceration, all the darkness and shadows and whispers that surrounded him still loomed large in his dreams. Gil or David – his presence still haunted him. He released her hand, and picked up his cup, swallowed some coffee

“I’ve arranged to go now, it won’t be until Friday. Pa will be home on Tuesday and give us some information about the build, and things in general,” he paused and frowned “The cabin will be empty, you could catch the train with the children and spend a few days there, see the woodlands in springtime, you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

Yes, she would, but she was not prepared to give in so easily. She just frowned and shrugged, sighed. She stood up and bustled over to the sink where she placed the dirty dishes. From the other room came the sound of Daniel’s voice, bossy as ever, dictating terms to his little sister who had started to cry. Mary Ann put down the cloth and muttered that she needed to see what was going on with the children.

Joe watched her go, admired her figure as usual, watched the way her hair bounced on her shoulders, the dark curls down her back. His greatest fear had been losing her, the worst nightmare had been the thought that the past months had been part of an hallucination, that he would wake up and find himself back in that dark hole. Time could be measured in years in a dream, in an hallucination, and when awake from it…only minutes or hours would have passed. He shivered at the thought and gripped hold of the table as though to reassure himself that that was solid enough, so it must be real – mustn’t it?

He left the table and walked to the other room where Mary Ann was scolding Daniel for not sharing,and putting a finger to his lips to quieten him when he started to answer back in protect. Daniel was four years old now, he was the eldest of the three children born to the Cartwrights in 1876, very soon it would be Hope’s turn to be four and, bringing up the rear in November, it would be Nathaniel. Daniel had taken on the role of the first born of the three, therefore he was, in his mind, The Boss. Nathaniel being the last of the ’76 born, and with his fathers flair of being granite headed, had decided he would not accept Daniel as The Boss. It was something that would level out in time of course, but currently it was an existing problem

Here at home Daniel only had his sister to boss about, and being eighteen months younger to him Constance was, in his eyes, just a baby and – boring. Constance being her father’s daughter had inherited his stubbornness and refused to submit to Daniel’s domination. Battles were now a daily part of life.

“I’ll take him for a ride -” Joe suggested

“No,that would be giving him a treat and he doesn’t deserve a treat when he has been bullying his sister.” Mary Ann replied as she picked Constance up and patted her back gently.

Joe nodded and looked at Daniel who had turned to him for help. Finding none, Daniel did what most four year olds would do in the circumstances, he stamped his foot on the floor and bawled. Constance, a very gentle sweet natured child, seeing her brother upset now opened her mouth and bawled as well. Joe stepped forward, and raised a hand “That’s enough, both of you.” he forced his brow into a frown although his main desire was to laugh at the two of them “Now then – Daniel, over there in that corner and Constance – come here, baby.” and stretching out his arms he awaited his little girl to run over and enfold herself in his embrace.

Daniel looked shocked, dismayed, distraught but had the good sense to keep his bottom lip buttoned and his mouth shut!

…………….

Hoss strolled around the main room with his hands in the back pockets of his pants. He looked like a man who had lost a dollar and found a nickel. He glanced to the left of him and saw Hannah and Hope playing happily with their dolls house. He looked to the right and found Erik contentedly building a brick tower, his eyes round as marbles as he looked at how high he had built those bricks

Hoss had an insane desire to kick it over. Time was,( and not so long ago it seemed to him), that whenever he built a house of cards, or a tower of bricks, then his little brother would come along and breathe on them, or kick them over ‘Oh sorry Hoss…t’was an accident’ and laugh as he ran off to avoid getting a hefty thump!

“You alright, Erik?” he asked, and squatted down in front of the little boy to place another brick on top of the tower. A red one. The tower wobbled, Erik’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, and both of them watched as the tower swayed back and forth, back and forth.

Hoss sighed as the whole thing finally crashed down, sending bricks everywhere. Erik scowled a little, pouted and then set about the task of gathering up his bricks so that he could build another one. Hoss stood up, and started prowling around the room again.

“What is the matter with you, Hoss Cartwright!”

Hester’s voice was sharp enough to get the attention of everyone in the room, even Hop Sing who had followed her into the room stopped to look at Hoss who stood as though pinned to the wall by one of Hester’s hair pins.

“I feel kinda restless, like I shouldn’t be here.”

“Where else should you be?” Hester shook her head and made her way to the table, the cloth over her arm was shaken out and then spread over the glossy surface much like a snow fall as it folded and flowed over the contours of the large table.

“I miss Pa.”

“For goodness sake, Hoss. We don’t often get the time here without Ben -” she paused, sighed, true enough Ben was a large personality, a big man, loud voice. He made his presence felt even when he was just sitting in his armchair puffing on his pipe. “Your Pa’s fine, he’s enjoying his time away with Roy. The pair of them are no doubt enjoying a relaxing time just fishing, and all that sort of thing.”

She smoothed out the creases on the cloth and smiled to herself, later on Adam and Olivia would be here with the children and also Joe and Mary Ann with their two …a pleasant family gathering. She sighed and smiled, then walked over to Hoss and slipped her arm through his and hugged him into herself, “Why not just sit down and have a cup of coffee.”

“Doggone it, Hester, I’ve had so much coffee I’m beginning to feel like a -” he paused as he saw four pairs of eyes surveying him with curiosity.

Hannah tried to imagine what her Pa would be feeling like, a coffee pot perhaps and she wondered just how full he would be now. She sighed and nudged her sister and they returned to their game.

“Hester, did I mention to you about going to the cattle station with Joe ?”

“You did.” she carefully carried over a bowl of newly cut flowers, spring flowers always looked so clean and fresh and colourful.

“Next Friday?”

“That’s right. You’re taking a wagonload of timber to the station with Joe.”

“I just wondered if that was alright with you?”

She plucked out a cornflower and brought it over to her husband. Very gently she placed it in his button hole, and then smiled, stood on tip toe and kissed his cheek “Of course, it’s alright by me. If it helps Joe get out of the – “ she shrugged not knowing what words to use “well, if it helps in any way, then why should I object.”

“We may be gone a few days….”

“I know that, you told me already.”

“I think Joe’s trying to prove he’s alright now, no ghosts haunting him, that kind of thing…” Hoss hugged her close, and rubbed his cheek against hers, inhaling her smell

“No such things as ghosts, Hoss.” she smiled and stepped back, “But if it helps Joe, then so be it.”

Hoss nodded, released her and watched as she went to talk to Hop Sing. He glanced around him, Erik with his bricks, the girls with their dolls house – he felt suddenly adrift, where was Pa when he needed him!!

Chapter 10

Buford Malahide did not move from his seat as he watched the two horsemen approaching his ranch house. He sat in a large and comfortable chair with a blanket softening the edges. The only movement he made was to reach out a long arm and take from behind the chair a long barrelled rifle which he swung up easily and lay across his lap.

His eyes narrowed as he waited for the two men to get closer, They were approaching the house from the road leading from town, and they were not young men. The closer they came the more obvious their age although they wore gun belts and rode in a manner that indicated they were men used to being in the saddle which would indicate they were also quite comfortable in using the guns nestling in their holsters.

Buford Malahide noticed how his own men were stepping out from the shadows of the stables, and other out buildings, standing in small groups or singly, watching the two men come nearer. It was not that they were unused to having visitors, it was just that visitors usually came invited! These two men were strangers and they were not smiling.

The men stood with their hands either on their holsters, resting easy, or hanging loose by their sides. Some were armed and some were not. They all stood emitting their own hostility as though they were a pack of guard dogs waiting for the master to unleash them, waiting for the master to tell them to ‘go for the kill’.

But Malahide just sat in his large comfortable chair and nursed his rifle while his blue eyes narrowed and watched as the two men finally arrived at the hitching post. Perhaps they sensed the hostility, or noticed the fact that they were not welcome because they did not dismount, walk easily towards the owner of the ranch. They kept to their saddles and they kept their hands well away from the rifles that hung from their saddles, and the guns in their holsters.

“Mr Malahide?” Ben’s voice was deep as always, the fact he had had to swallow a lot of dust made no difference to its pitch, and the fact that he was not likely to be offered coffee or anything else to cut the dust from his throat did not either.

“Who are you?” Malahide asked and stretched one leg out, as though he wanted to ease it in order to be more comfortable.

“I’m Ben Cartwright from the Ponderosa.” he indicated Roy with a nod of the head in his direction “Roy Coffee from Virginia City.”

“Mmm” Malahide frowned and then sighed, “Took a while for you to get round to doing something with this corner of the Ponderosa, Mr Cartwright.”

“It did. I’m hoping to make up for lost time now.”

“So I heard.” Malahide’s eyes swept over the two men, “Planning a cattle station I believe?”

“That’s right. I thought I should introduce myself as I’ve never met you, and thought it better we got acquainted sooner rather than later.”

Malahide nodded and turned to catch the attention of one of his men, he nodded over to him and that was enough for all the men there to return to their work. They moved away quietly back into the shadows. One man, the one Malahide had nodded over to, now walked towards the three men, long strides that gave him a swagger, and a bounce at each footfall. He was chewing on a cigar, unlit, and his face was expressionless.

Once he reached the verandah he walked past Roy and Ben, ignored them, and approached Malahide, standing beside him, as he turned to face the two horsemen.

“My son.” Malahide said curtly, “Jake Malahide”

Ben and Roy acknowledged the younger man with a nod of the head, their eyes moving from his face down to where he gripped his gunbelt with both hands, chewing on the cigar, his eyes dark like black holes in a not unattractive face. They returned to observe Buford who still did not seem inclined to offer any hospitality. Ben shrugged

“I thought it a courtesy to introduce myself now, Mr Malahide, after all we are both in the cattle business and I didn’t want you to feel that I was in any way intruding on your particular enterprises.”

“You won’t.” Malahide murmured, “But I take it that you will be using the cattle cars to transport your cattle to the various markets?”

“Of course -”

“In which case that could cause problems – there are only so many trains transporting cattle – my cattle – to market, and I doubt there will be more available for your disposal. It could amount to a conflict of interests.”

“I don’t see why that should be the case. In Virginia City the neighbouring ranchers to the Ponderosa add their herds to ours to take them on the treks to various markets. Safety in numbers and -”

“That won’t apply here. Your presence is not welcome, Mr Cartwright. You should have taken the opportunity to build up your cattle station sooner when we were still novices at the game ourselves. We’re not novices any more, we’ve made up the rules, and we’ve learned from mistakes. I suggest you forget about your cattle station hereabouts and take your cattle to market in your usual way – “

“Doesn’t sound particularly neighbourly, Mr Malahide.” Ben leaned forward resting his hands on the pommel of his saddle and watching Jake who had moved a slight distance from his father.

“Just protecting my interests, Mr Cartwright. I believe you did much the same at one time, kept folk from stepping over your boundary lines, rumour has it you even had a little war of your own to keep it altogether in the earlier days.”

”That’s so, hopefully those days are over now, we have the Cattlemans Association to ensure =”

“Mr Cartwright, I think I made myself clear or do I have to repeat myself? I have made the rules here, and folk abide by them. There’s no room for more cattle.”

“There’s always room for more cattle,” Roy ventured to say, tired of listening to the man saying things he had heard countless times before in the past.

“And who are you exactly?” Jake sneered taking a step forward and one hand now resting on the handle of his gun

“Roy Coffee, ex-sheriff of Virginia City.”

“Sure,” Buford nodded “I heard of you, you were a good sheriff in your time I believe. Well, having been a lawman, you’ll be able to explain to your friend the legalities of the situation…”

“Legalities? What legalities?” Roy demanded to know, straightening his back and glaring at both men just as he would have done years back when he was facing down some crook or other.

Ben cleared his throat “Look, Mr Malahide, I have good grazing ground just waiting for my cattle to come and fatten up there, and I intend to use the trains to transport them to market…and there’s nothing you can say or do that will stop that happening. This is known as free enterprise, and my rights are as legal as your own.”

Malahide stood up now, the rifle in one hand and his blue eyes darker as he glared at them both,

“That sounds very much like fighting talk to me, Cartwright.”

“Wasn’t intended to be, believe me. I only wanted to do the neighbourly thing and introduce myself and discuss matters over with you.” he touched the brim of his hat and nodded “I’ve done most of that, so I’ll bid you good day”

No one else said a word. Buford sat down again and scowled, Jake glared at both men and watched as they turned their horses and began the journey back along the road to town. He stepped forward, but Buford put a hand out to stop him, shook his head and leaned back into the chair, rocking it slightly back and forth as though the comforting motion helped him think and assess the discussion he had just had with his soon to be nearest competitor.

……………..

School routine carried on as normal now that the great trial and execution was over. Children arrived in their little crowds and proceeded to be swallowed up through the main entrance doors. Their chatter, clatter and so forth suddenly shut out as the doors slammed shut.

In his room Ethan Burns rolled over and pulled the covers over his body and a pillow over his head. He had had a long night shift, partnering up with Mark Watts, checking buildings, going down alleyways, hauling out drunks to the cells, making sure saloons and honky tonks were closed down. The town was a labyrinth of streets and alleys, as soon as one ended another began. He hadn’t walked so much for a long time.

The noise of the childrens’ arrival to school along with the school bell tolling had roused him from sleep almost, it seemed, as soon as he had hit the bed. Surely he could get some hours sleep now?

Portia Whitmore had left him a meal which was meant to be for supper, not for breakfast. He had looked at it, but pushed it aside and just dragged himself to bed. He knew that eventually he would slip into the routine of life, of different shifts. He closed his eyes and to the sounds of the town waking up and getting on with its business he drifted back to sleep.

………….

Sofia wanted to know all about the baby, this baby girl that was Jimmy C Evans’ little sister.

“What’s her name? Is she pretty? Are you pleased?”

Jimmy had just yawned as he went up the stairs, one body hemmed in on all sides by so many others. Ahead of him was Davy Riley, face screwed up in a scowl as he dragged his boots along the stairs, behind him was Tommy Conway still eating some candy, mouth sticky and pink. Beside him was Sofia and Reuben. He shook his head and shrugged,

“It’s just a baby.” he muttered

“No it isn’t – it’s your little sister.” Sofia said and shook her head “I think you should be very happy”

“Oh yeah, like you would be with it crying all night and day -” Jimmy said out of the corner of his mouth and then clamping his lips tight.

“What’s her name? She must have a name by now? Does she have a name?”

“Yeah, she’s called Jessica. Is that enough now? No more questions, huh?” and he shrugged again, shoulders up to his ears, and his good natured face pink with embarrassment. Fancy having to talk about a baby at his age!

“Jessica! That’s a nice name for a baby. I reckon they’ll call her Jessie. Jessie Evans. Is that the only name she has? Some people have more than one name you know….” and prattling on Sofia finally drew breath as she came to the door to her class room and Jimmy had disappeared in the throng heading to his class.

Reuben slapped his friend on the back, and grinned “Ignore her, she’s just a girl.”

Jimmy sighed and shook his head “She’ll probably want to know more at recess…..”

“No she won’t…we’ll stay clear of her anyway.”

Jimmy slumped into his chair, and folded his arms on the desk top, slowly sunk his head down and closed his eyes “I’m so tired, that baby never stops yowling.”

“I remember – Nathaniel was the same – “ Reuben sat down beside his friend and grinned, he was about to tell his friend all about his little brother’s latest escapade when Mr Thompson entered the room, snapped the door shut behind him and glared at each of them

“Right – now you have had extra time away from school, I expect you to be extra bright today…. books out, let’s start the morning as we intend to go on…..”

Chapter 11

The two men eased their horses into a gentle lope, dust billowing around the animals hooves as they made their way out of the environs of the ranch house. Neither looked back nor turned their heads in any direction, although their eyes moved in the way most plainsmen had learned to use them for maximum effect with minimum effort.

They rode from under the Flying M carved into sturdy wood spanning the track between two thick posts, they rode a little further before Roy said without turning his head

“Well, that was good”

“You think so.”

“Said so didn’t I?”

They jounced along a little more in silence before Roy said “At least you met the guy now, a mean little runt if you ask my opinion. Probably relies on his boy to do his dirty work.”

Ben frowned, pursed his lips a little and sighed “Thank you.”

Roy just nodded. Both men knew Roy was right and it gave Ben a sinking feeling that his optimism had been flattened down to ground level. They said nothing more but made their way towards Carson City where Ben had planned for them both to have a pleasant meal in the best restaurant in town. He was not too sure now if his stomach could take it…

A while later Roy ventured to ask Ben if he thought Adam knew about the Malahides to which Ben gave some thought for a few seconds before he shook his head

“He would have mentioned them had he known about them….” and that closed the subject for then.

“Do you think he’ll cause problems?” Roy said eventually

Ben moved in the saddle to ease his back, then shrugged “I don’t want to think so, Roy. “

………………

Davy Riley kicked a pebble against the wall of the school yard and watched it bounce back, he kicked it again. Since the hanging of Manser, which he had elbowed himself into a position to watch as close up as possible, he was having worse nightmares than ever. His imagination had run riot from the time Manser had intruded upon his life, ‘Monster Manser’ Davy called it. So many nights he had woken screaming and yelling, and now reality had distorted what he had to handle – more than once he had longed, wished, that he never gone to the execution. Sometimes he had even prayed for the nightmares to stop – but they didn’t!

He hated his life. He hated being such a scrawny lanky kid. He hated being the Undertakers son. His mother pushed him out of the house every morning to get him to school but more and more times he would just arrive for registration and then as soon as possible he would leave. He had taken to going to the areas in town where the low lifes hang out. He collected their discarded cigarettes and cigars, he drank what alcohol dregs were left in their bottles.

He was ten years old and his life was unravelling. He prowled around the school yard and watched as Reuben, Jimmy and Tommy sauntered around, laughing, talking, and it really annoyed him. They had been a gang, hadn’t they? Now they didn’t want him, now they avoided him. Or so he assumed.

“There’s Davy-” Tommy said “He ain’t looking so good.”

“He doesn’t seem to want to talk any more,” Reuben murmured “And he smells.”

“Yeah -” Tommy, son of a very fastidious couple, shook his head, “He sure does.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Reuben asked, darting a glance over to where Davy now leaned against the wall, arms folded and his face screwed into a tight ball of resentment. “Do you see him after school?”

“Are you kidding?” Tommy lowered his voice, shook his head then looked over at Jimmy “Do you see him at all?”

“No, my folks wouldn’t want me to go see him, not now.” Jimmy replied

They paused, grouped closer together, and glanced over at Davy who, realising they were talking about him pushed himself off the wall, and swaggered over to them chin up and shoulders squared

“What are you talking about?”

“We – er – we were wondering how you are, Davy.” Reuben stammered, “We’re worrying about you, because – um – because you don’t seem to want to be around with us any more…”

“And you bunk off from school so much.” Tommy said hesitantly, stepping closer to Jimmy in case Davy took a swing at him

Davy shrugged, spat onto the ground, then shrugged again “The place is a dump”

“It isn’t – “ Reuben declared “It’s the best school for miles.”

“Oh well, you would say that, wouldn’t you, Mr High and Mighty Reuben Cartwright!”

Reuben lowered his head, he didn’t want to argue with Davy. They all knew that Davy had been the wild one of the group, but he had been ‘fun’, he had been innovative, and his mischief had been appreciated by the other boys who had always been more serious minded, reflected perhaps by their closer family relationships.

“Come on, Davy. We miss having you around.” Tommy mumbled but even he could hear in his voice a lack of sincerity

Reuben stepped forward, his face registered concern for his friend, and he put out his hand to rest it gently upon Davy’s shoulder “Come on, Davy. Why not just tell us what’s wrong so’s we can help out.”

Davy gulped. He didn’t want to say anything, he wanted to leave them alone, run from his past and become his own person. He wanted to be ‘in charge of his life’ and as Reuben’s hand came to settle upon his shoulder Davy stepped back, clenched his fist and swung it hard.

Reuben was not sure what had happened. He saw Davy’s face, he realised that his friends face was not the amicable cheery face he had known for years, but mean, spiteful and the pale eyes were ringed with red, blood shot. He looked utterly alien and when his fist caught Reuben in the face the other boy fell, straight down, blood streaming, his eyes glassy. Tommy and Jimmy yelled, a muddle of voices, yelling at Davy, calling him names, yelling for the teacher, anyone, Reuben needed help.

And Davy did what he thought was best – he turned and ran.

………………

Hoss Cartwright dismounted from Chubb and strolled over to where his two brothers were unreeling some barbed wire. Both stopped, Joe put his hand on his hips and shook his head, and Adam wiped his brow with the back of his hand and frowned

“Took your time, didnt you?” Joe muttered

“Sorry, I got caught by Mrs and Mr Garston, shucks, do they talk! Still they were telling me that the Grooms have gone from town now. They left this morning.”

“Where to?” Joe pulled out a bandana and wiped around the back of his neck, sighed and thought of Nettie

“Memphis. Back to where his family come from….”

“Mmm, never thought they came from Memphis.” Joe muttered and wondered if they would ever hear of that family again. Nettie had grown up in Virginia City, she would not know what life was like in Memphis, different life, different temperatures, and awful humidity.

“Anyway – got a telegram from Pa. Came through just as I was about to leave town. Eddie caught me in time to hand it over.” he pulled it from his back pocket and passed it over to Adam and watched as Joe huddled closer in order to read the message over Adam’s shoulder.

Adam wiped across his brow again, cleared his throat. “Seems Pa has met our neighbour – Buford Malahide.”

“Did you know about him?” Joe asked, narrowing his eye “I can’t recall hearing anything about a Buford Malahide”

“Nor me….but then I wasn’t asking around “ Hoss shrugged, and looked at Adam who was reading the telegram and keeping suspiciously quiet.

“I heard about him.” Adam said, and sighed “Just that he was a very prosperous rancher, bred good steers, owns a good amount of territory around Carson City’s boundaries.”

“Is that all?” Hoss looked at Joe, then back at Adam “Nothing to be concerned about….”

“Not that I know of….” Adam replied, and rubbed his jaw with out looking at either of them “No, I didn’t hear anything about him that could cause Pa to be worried about, although, I never actually got to meet the man.”

“Yeah, seems like Pa has …seems like Pa is more than a mite worried about Mr Buford Malahide” Joe growled, and shook his head “How come there always has to be some thing goes wrong with our plans.”

No one says anything about things going wrong with our plans, Joe.” Hoss said quietly, always worried about anything that could tip Joe into a depressed mood

Adam slapped his youngest brother on the shoulder and grinned “Pa will sort it out, don’t fret none. Nothing to worry about.”

He stuffed the telegram in his back pocket and wished that Eddie had missed Hoss, had been unable to hand over the telegram and that they could have avoided this discussion altogether….although he fully realised it would have come to the surface at some time

Chapter 12

Reuben lay flat on his back, gasping for breath and sounds fading in and out. He had to close his eyes because everything was spinning round and round so fast it made him feel sick. He was aware of movement all around him and then everything went black.

Davy did not stop and no one stopped him either. He ran out of the school gates and into C Street/ The children had just parted from him, leaving him a pathway through which he could flee. No one wanted to touch him, No one wanted to give him any support. They may respect a rebel, cheer him on, even gang up with him. But children instinctively knew when another had turned into a force beyond their control, a being that cared nothing about restraint, about friendship. any more.

Davy ran through the town, weaving in and around people walking along minding their own business. Perhaps there were some who wondered why the Undertaker’s son was not at school. Perhaps some wondered who the wild eyed lad was as they stepped aside to prevent being knocked over or shoved into the doorway of some store or other. No one stopped him though. He ran on, wild and angry and confused.

He finally found solace in a back alley and dived under the cover of some boxes that had been piled up at some time or other but forgotten and neglected so that they were fallen into a heap. He burrowed down and sat there, his arms around his legs, his knees hugging against his chest.

Mr Evans carried Reuben into the building and waited for the Doctor to arrive. No one had told Sofia that her brother had been hurt, so she was quite happily skipping along with the other girls, chanting some words to a skipping tune that was the current favourite that day. Hannah stood close by clapping her hands, singing along with the others. Lilith was holding one end of the rope, smiling and laughing. The little girls skipping with their skirts bouncing about their knees.

Dr John Martin leaned over Reuben and smiled as the boy opened his eyes, blinked and stared up at the familiar face. John nodded and his smile broadened

“You’re alright, Reuben…nothing broken.”

Reuben blinked, unsure as to whether that was reassuring or not. “My head hurts…”

“It will do for a while. You banged it on the ground when you fell. You’ll need to rest just for a while. Mr Evans is going to give you some pills to take, that will help.”

“Davy hit me…”

“So I understand.” John nodded and sat back, he held Reuben’s wrist and checked the pulse, which was now slowing down to a more regular pace. He nodded again “Your nose isn’t broken, but you will have two black eyes and your nose will feel painful for some while. Here -” he handed Reuben a handkerchief “Give it a good blow…”

Reuben did as he was told and was rewarded with pains shooting like jagged glass up into his skull, bursting like shooting stars behind his eyes. He sunk back against the pillows and closed his eyes again while John took back the handkerchief, and dropped it into the nearby bin. Clearing his nose of blood and snot would ease the pain – eventually.

He stood up and faced the teacher, smiled “He’ll be alright, just let him rest for while.”

Edward nodded and followed the Doctor out of the room, John smiled “How’s your wife?”

“Very well, thank you.”

“And the baby?”

“She has strong lungs.” Edward replied with a grimace although his eyes were twinkling. His daughter – he was so proud of her that his heart could burst. He thought he was the only man to experience such painful joy, and didn’t really want to be proven wrong.

…………………………

“So you know this Malahide then? Why didn’t you tell us?” Joe insisted, his voice dropping into that habitual whine of complaint that irritated his eldest brother so much

“I didn’t tell you because it didn’t seem important.”

“You have met him then?” Hoss asked, looking from Joe to Adam and thinking of Ben’s telegram and wondering why his Pa thought it was important to tell them but Adam had not.

“No, I have not met him. I heard about them during some time when in Carson City and asked about them and was told they owned a ranch just out side town.” he shrugged, intimating, ‘so what?’ and turning to pick up some wire cutters.

“Is that all? “ Hoss enquired, still thinking about that telegram

“I had other things on my mind at the time -” Adam’s voice dripped ice, Joe glanced at Hoss who shrugged, Joe pressed on regardless

“Like what things?”

Adam sighed and straightened his shoulders, he gave Joe a long cold look and shrugged before placing his hands on his hips “Well, first of all, Pa got shot in the cabin…”

“You knew about Malahide that far back along?” Joe whined

“Yes – so would you have done had you been listening to town gossip. I heard about him via one of the nurses in the hospital.” he bowed his head as though he had to concentrate now in order to give his brothers the answers that would satisfy them and shut them up. “Then of course I heard about them when we were at the cabin and found those clothes, the connection to the murders, which I thought was more important than paying a neighbourly visit on Malahide. I thought it best for Pa to do that – as he is the senior member of the family!” his voice dipped into cool cynicism and his eyes darted from one brother to the other. “Satisfied?”

They grumbled beneath their breath, shrugged and picked up their tools. Gloves were pulled and work recommenced. After a while Joe paused “You don’t think they’ll cause any trouble do you?”

“Why should they? We’re in the same line of business arn’t we?”

“Yeah, that’s why I wondered if they would be causing us problems.”

“Well,if they do, we’ll switch from cattle ranching to raising horses, would that suit you better?”

“It sure would” Joe chuckled, “Trouble is the senior member of the family may not agree…..”

“The senior member of the family may not have any choice.” Adam snapped, “Now stop your jawing and get on with some work.”

Joe smirked, he would so love a stud farm. Lots of little Karims trotting around the place..he was just such a beauty of a horse. He would be on the way to making a fortune. He began to whistle as he worked, Hoss was happy because his brothers were happy except that in that matter he was wrong, Adam was now worrying about his father’s telegram and the consequences of having Mr Malahide as their neighbour.

……………………

“You can’t see the Manager without an appointment”

“So you know who I am?”

“Don’t care who you are, you don’t have an appointment so you can’t see the Manager.”

The officious little man waved his clipboard in front of the two men glowering at him on the platform the train station and tried to stare them out. He was not successful instead he went rather red in the face and stared down at his feet. Ben cleared his throat

“I’m Ben Cartwright, from the Ponderosa….”

“Ah -” the station master shrugged, nodded and looked at his clip board “But -”

“No but’s. Just step to one side -” Ben growled and pushed his way forward, closely followed by Roy who in his official capacity as Sheriff had often had to push little men like the station master to one side.

They left him blustering on the platform and made their way to the building with the pretentious green door and the label Manager, and pushed it open.

The Depot Manager glared long and hard at Ben, then turned his attention to Roy. He remained seated, but leaned back in his chair and with his head to one said asked them exactly who they were and what did they think they were doing ‘barging in to his office without an appointment.’

Ben removed his hat, behind him Roy did likewise, but their faces didn’t fold into smiles, instead they eyed the official with features stern enough to make the man squirm, very slightly, is his very smart leather chair.

“I’m Ben Cartwright – from the Ponderosa” he raised his eyebrows, “Roy Coffee, ex-sheriff of Virginia City.”

“Oh .. am I being arrested?” he attempted a smile, a shrug and glanced at each one of them, “Right, Ben Cartwright, from the Ponderosa, if I recall rightly arn’t you building a cattle station on your land”

“Correct.”

“A cattle station – implies cattle – so what do you want to see me about, I’m not a rancher!”

Ben hauled in a deep breath, looked at Roy and shrugged, “Look, Mr Brandon, you actually are the man I need to talk to you about cattle…”

Brandon tapped the pen on the desk, scowled and shook his head “Say what’s on your mind.”

“I want to use your railway line to get my cattle to market..I believe that you do this for Mr Malahide?”

“Ah -” Brandon nodded, and after a second of silence he pulled open a drawer on the desk, produced a cigar which he placed in his mouth, chewed it, moved it from one corner of his mouth to the other, and then rummaged around for a folder which he placed with a thud upon the desk. “Yes?”

“I believe the cattle arrive here abouts, then get moved in to the cattle trucks and then get transported to the various markets – that is correct isn’t it?” he narrowed his lips, then his eyes, “That is what happens with Mr Malahide and the other ranchers isnt it?”

“What other ranchers?”

“I was given to understand that there are other ranches in this locality?”

“Not that many, and those, other than Malahides, send their cattle to market in the traditional manner.” he opened the folder and flicked through several pages, then stabbed a thick finger at one page “Mr Malahide has priority use of the trucks. That’s the agreement.”

“Good, that’s the agreement with him, but I want to make an agreement for my cattle to use the cattle pens, and then the trucks…..”

Brandon shrugged “Look, it’s something you need to discuss with Malahide.”

“You’re the Manager here, surely it’s in your domain to arrange such things…or does Malahide have the only voice around here.”

Brandon stared down at the file, blinked, and chomped on the cigar a little more, before looking at Ben, then flicking his eyes at Roy “Malahide is a share holder.”

“So?”

“So what he says – “ he paused and shrugged “The other ranchers around here understand the rules, Mr Cartwright. You’ll just have to adjust your thinking, after all, you took your while coming here. That lands been around for a mighty long time and you never used it before…had you done so …I’m sure my predecessor would have accommodated you.”

“So you’re saying that I can’t use the railway to get my cattle to the markets….”

“Look, I don’t make the rules around here but it’s logical – we only have so many trucks and so many pens, and Mr Malahide has priority on the use of them.”

Ben’s lips thinned and he shook his head, scowled at the man who now began to rummage around for some matches, “Mr Brandon, you’re saying that I will not be able to use this service for my cattle.”

“Plain and simple, Mr Cartwright…that’s how it is….”

Ben nodded, turned to Roy and shrugged. Then turned his back on Brandon and walked purposely to the door, he put his hand on the handle “We’ll discuss this another time, Brandon.”

“Sure, sure … make an appointment next time.”

Ben and Roy left him, slammed the door behind them and without saying a word to each other made their way to their waiting horses.

Chapter 13

“Here., take a swig of this, boy…soon make you feel better”

A rough hand shook Davy’s shoulder and for a moment the boy thought he had fallen asleep at home in his bed, that his father was waking him up for school. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, then frowned. The smell coming from the direction of the voice was not pleasant, and he wrinkled his nose, shook his head and straightened himself up.

The man seated next to him was not old, but he looked worn down, his hair and beard were greasy, hanging about his face like weary ribbons, and his face was pitted with grime. He grinned and exposed a mouth full of broken teeth, while at the same time he waved a bottle under Davy’s nose.

Davy shook his head, and struggled to shake off the lethargy that engulfed him making it difficult for him to stand up, walk away. The man’s hand gripped his upper arm with strong fingers, the eyes blood shot and red rimmed, stared into Davy’s face

“Should be in school shouldn’t ya?”

“What’s that to you?” Davy scowled and tried to shrug the man’s hand from his arm but the grip only tightened.

“Wal, if you ain’t at school, why’re you here?”

“Because I don’t want to be in school, that’s why?” Davy shrugged, the grip on his arm tightened as though the man realised his prey wanted to get away

“Wal, why not come with me? We could travel some together…I lost my friend a while back, been lonesome ever since. He was only a kid too, like you, but he was good company. We could be good company together. No school, that’s for sure.” he grinned, the smell of whiskey and halitosis wafted towards Davy, the boy turned his head and blinked “We could ride out of here, have adventures…”

“I don’t think I want any adventures with you.”

“Well, that’s not gratitude is it? You not being at school, hiding under the stairs here, waiting for the day to end no doubt so you can be up to no good..” he grinned and released his grip on the boys arm, then rolled his body away from him He swigged from the bottle long and deep, then upon emptying it he tossed it against the wall opposite.

Man and boy watched as it smashed into pieces and fell to the ground.

“I got a wagon, on my way to a little settlement south of here – you want to come ?”

Davy shook his head. He stared at the broken bottle, the shards glinting as they caught the last rays of the days sun. He thought of Reuben and how he, Davy, had run out of the school and no one, not one person, tried to stop him. He thought of his parents who, upon hearing about what he had done, would have given him ‘discipline’ – his mother would have lashed out with her tongue and his father would have locked him in the room with the coffins, some of which could be occupied. He frowned, perhaps a trip to a small place further away would not be such a bad idea. He didn’t have to stay around with this drunk either, he could run off and start living his own life.

“I don’t have any money” he said lamely, wondering if that would be the decider, if the man wanted money then he would walk away and Davy would have to take his discipline and handle life in Virginia City until he was too old to have adventures.

“No worries, we can always get money.” and his companion grinned again,nodded his shaggy head, “C’mon, let’s go.”

Davy scrambled to his feet and stared back over his shoulder at the streets that had been home for so long, all his life long really. He shrugged and looked at the man who was now striding away, looking confidently over at a wagon and horse. The boy shrugged, and without another glance backwards followed his new found companion across the road. Within minutes they were seated together on the bench seat of a ricketty wagon heading out of town. If anyone noticed, if anyone wondered why Davy Riley the Undertaker’s boy was riding out of town with a rather disreputable looking man, no one said or did anything to stop him going.

……………..

Olivia stood up so abruptly as the sound of her daughter crying that two balls of wall that were in her lap bounced free and rolled across the floor. Her knitting slipped from the needles and several stitches lost themselves among the pattern she had been creating in the little sweater she was knitting for Nathaniel. Her daughters sobs heralded bad news and she was already half way across the room when Sofia appeared and ran towards her, arms outstretched for the longed for reassuring hug.

“Where’s Reuben?” Olivia wanted to know as soon as she had the girl wrapped in her arms and hugging closed towards her “What’s happened?”

“That Davy Riley -” Sofia stuttered, blinked fast and allowed several tears to drip from her eyes onto her cheeks. Nathaniel watched enthralled at his sisters dramatic performance his mouth open wide enough to catch flies. “That Davy Riley hit Reuben and Reuben fell down and banged his head and the Doctor said he was to stay in town because it would be too painful for him to come home so he is staying in town with Bridie …and there was blood all over his face, Mommy.” and she sobbed heartily for long enough for Olivia to absorb the news and react to it. Which she did, by hugging Sofia closer and demanding to know why and what had happened to cause Davy to hit Reuben

“Nothing happened.” Sofia said, shaking her head, “Reuben was just talking to him and then Davy hit him.” she frowned “The Doctor said that his nose was not broken, but it would be painful and he would have black eyes.”

“Oh my goodness….” Olivia exclaimed and stepped away from her daughter, hand to her chest and wondering what to do. Should she go into town, should she see Bridie, should she confront Mrs Riley and demand that Davy be punished …”And – is Reuben alright? I mean, apart from his black eyes and hurt nose?”

“He was alright, Mommy. He said -” she paused and rummaged about in her pocket and removed a scrap of paper “He said to give you this.”

Olivia opened the paper and smoothed it out, sighed as she recognised her son’s handwriting and read the scribbled note that told her not to worry, that he was alright and staying at Bridie’s and the Doctor said he did not have concussion…which was written twice and spelt differently both times.

“He said he would be home tomorrow, Mommy. The Doctor will be giving him medicine so that it would not be so painful.”

Olivia nodded, her eyes still fixed on her son’s scrawled note. After a moment or two she turned to her daughter “What was wrong with Davy Riley though? Why did he hit Reuben like that?”

“He just did , Mommy. Jimmy says that Davy has been – kind of strange – for some time now. He doesn’t want to be friends with anyone any more.”

Olivia shook her head and was about to speak when the tugging on her apron drew her attention to her other son who held up the two balls of wool, rescued from the corners to which they had fled. His face showed the concern he felt for his brother, so Olivia leaned down and kissed him gently, thanked him and placed them carefully back into the basket.

She decided the matter of Davy Riley and Reuben would be better left in her husband’s hands, and with this thought in mind she told Sofia to get some milk and settle down to her homework.

…………………

It was not unusual for Davy Riley to be late home. He would usually swagger in some hours after school ended, hands in his pockets and whistling. He always came home just in time for his supper so when he remained absent long after supper had been eaten by Mr Riley and herself, then Mrs Riley became worried.

Mr Riley was not so worried and had gone to the saloon for his evenings ‘recreation’ telling her that the boy would return in his own time. Women, he thought, worried too much about nothing, not that Davy was nothing, but for some time now Mr Riley had felt that Davy was not ‘himself’ and so taking off as he had for the evening should be taken with a pinch of salt !

Daniel deQuille was nursing his glass of something non-alcoholic and watched Mr Riley as he sauntered into the Bucket of Blood and leaned on the counter, tapping it with his money to get the bar keepers attention. Being short of news Daniel got to his feet and sauntered over to lean against the counter himself, his arm nudging against that of the Undertaker

“How are things back home, Riley?”

“Back home? What do you mean?”

“Everything alright, is it?”

“Of course it is.”

“What about your boy? He’s not been alright for a while, has he?”

“What are you getting at? Davy’s as right as rain!”

“Any reason why he would attack a boy at school and run off – not to be seen since!” Daniel added that last phrase for good measure, he had no idea that Davy had not been seen by anyone in town since leaving the school but he was pleased to see the reaction from Riley, who nearly forgot to order his beer when the bar keep demanded to know what he wanted.

“What’s this about my boy attacking someone? Davy wouldn’t do that …it’s a lie..”

“Sadly not, Mr Riley.” a voice from behind them boomed, “Your boy hit a lad and knocked him flat, then ran off from school early this morning.”

“Says who?” Riley demanded to know, swinging around to face the speaker who turned out to be one of the teachers from the school. “What are you talking about?”

Mr Thompson shrugged “Just telling you what happened. Your son attacked Reuben Cartwright in the yard at school this morning and ran off. He did not return!” he uttered the last four words in such an ominous tone that it made listeners wonder what it was that was so important for Davy to return for – something more than Maths perhaps?

Riley said nothing but turned back to the counter, raised the glass to his lips and drank it fast, then he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and left the saloon. Daniel followed immediately

“Didn’t you know that Davy had hit Reuben Cartwright? Hasn’t he told you?”

“No, he hasn’t!” Riley retorted angrily and strode away, hoping to shake the journalist off but Daniel followed him closely

“Has he come home?”

Riley sighed, his shoulders slumped, and he stopped walking, “No, he hasn’t – not yet, when he does I’ll give him a proper tanning….”

“Don’t you think you should just ask him why it happened? From what I’ve heard your boy has n’t been right in the head since the Manser situation -”

“Stop making something out of nothing, deQuille – just stop!”

Daniel stopped. He stood there and watched as Mr Riley hurried to his home, a worried little man about to take bad news to his wife and worry her more than she was already. Daniel thought of the child, this Davy Riley, and remembered him as a happy lad always ready for some mischief or other. The kind of boy that may have inspired Sam Clemens to create a story around him..perhaps.

Chapter 14

Adam Cartwright arrived home dusty, dirty and smelly and the last thing he needed was to be confronted by some domestic drama. As soon as he had stepped through the door, however, Sofia was there, wide eyed and tragic looking. One of her best performances was that of a drama diva and here she was, right there as he struggled to remove his jacket.

“Pa, Reuben had to stay in town…” she declared keeping true to her chosen role, “He’s been confused.”

Adam frowned, looked at his daughter who was now wringing her hands in imitation of Lady MacBeth and blinking her eyes. “Confused?”

She nodded “Yes, and his eyes are black and blue.”

Adam nodded, sighed and smiled over at Olivia who was now approaching from the other room. She smiled back and upon getting nearer leaned in to kiss him. “Sofia has told you the news then?”

“Yes -” he smiled and kissed her, slowly, “But I’m confused….” he glanced at Sofia and winked but she shook her head, not understanding the tease

Olivia slipped her hand into his, odd how even now, after several years of marriage, she still had that same feeling she always had during their courting days. The butterflies in the stomach, the touch of his hand causing electricity to trickle up her arm, the way her heart would flutter and sometimes get stuck in her throat.

“Reuben got into a fight…”

“No, no mommy -” Sofia protested, “It wasn’t a fight, Davy Riley just hit him for no reason,” she scowled and shook her head “Jimmy said Reuben just wanted to let Davy know they were worried about him and Davy just thumped Reuben in the nose.”

“You saw this?” Adam enquired, dark eyes lingering on the little girls face but she shook her head again, blonde curls bounced on her shoulders

“No, I just heard about it afterwards. If I had been there I would have hit Davy Riley, and kicked him too.”

“Mm.mm” Adam nodded, looked at her thoughtfully and was about to speak when Nathaniel piped up with a “Me an’ all”

The little boy ran to his father and was duly swung up into Adam’s arms, “And how are you, Spike?”

Nathaniel sighed deeply and bowed his head to settle it upon his father’s shoulder, “Reuben hurt. Not home.”

“So why is he not home?” Adam asked his wife as he followed her into the kitchen with Nathaniel in his arms and Sofia trailing behind him

“John felt it better that he stayed in town. The jolting on the journey home could have caused pain as well as – “ she shrugged “ he thinks Reuben may have a slight concussion. Doesn’t want to take any risks.”

Adam nodded, settled Nathaniel down onto the ground “Understandable. I’ll go and see him tomorrow when I go to get Pa.”

“Oh of course, he’s home tomorrow….” Olivia turned away to check on the food “Supper won’t be long.”

“I’ll go and wash up….” Adam murmured and dropped a little kiss on the nape of her neck, just where a curl had settled .

…………………….

Mrs Riley was a sharp faced woman, as flat as a board, and merely 5 foot in height. She ruled over her household with a rod of iron, so when Davy had not arrived for supper she rolled up her sleeves and set out to find him. Her search revealed nothing and so as the night descended and darkness caused lamps to be lit and little beacons of light to glow like orange halo’s in the town, she made her way to the sheriffs office.

Mark Watts and Ethan Burns were the deputies on duty and enjoying a game of checkers when the door burst open and Mrs Riley stepped into the room. The door slammed behind her which was not intended but did reflect her mood. She approached the desk, her sharp nose quivering and her thin lips a mere gash in her pale face

Mark stood up immediately and Ethan followed more slowly, he was still unsure of who was who in town, and this woman was one he had not yet met. He nodded in a friendly manner while Mark asked Mrs Riley what was the problem.

“My boy – Davy – he’s missing from home.” she glanced from one face to the other, frowned, “He always gets home for supper and – and he doesn’t like being out when it is dark, not now, not since – since that man – “ she stammered to a halt and her eyes fastened on them both as though that would convince them of her anxiety about her son.

“When did you see him last, Mrs Riley?” Mark asked very officially, pulling a report form from the drawer desk, and grabbing a pen

“After he breakfasted….went to school.” she sunk down onto the chair that Ethan had pulled out for her. A long grey looking handkerchief was pulled from somewhere up her sleeve and she dabbed at her face “They said – in the saloon – that he hit a boy but – “ she bowed her head, wanting to defend her son but knowing in her heart of hearts that Davy was unpredictable, and it was just possible that it was true.

“And what was he wearing?”

Her head shot up “Wearing? What’s that to do with anything? You need to get out there and find him, wherever he is…find him before it’s too late …where’s the sheriff? He’d have more sense than to just sit there and ask silly questions…he’d be out there looking for him. If Roy were sheriff he would be out there I can guarantee it.”

Mark sighed and leaned back in the old leather chair that Roy Coffee had leaned back upon many a time, he shook his head “Roy isnt Sheriff now though, Mrs Riley. You have to make do with us.”

Ethan looked from Mark to Mrs Riley who was noisily blowing her nose now, “We need to know what he was wearing so we can describe him to people …I know -” he held up a hand to stop whatever she was about to say next “I know everyone will say they saw Davy because they know him, but they could have seen him yesterday, or last week. They need to know what Davy wore – whatever – so that they can picture him exactly,+ if they did see him at all today.”

“Well, should have said – “ Mrs Riley snapped and shook her head, tightened her lips into a little bud of concentration, brow furrowed, and then described what Davy was wearing when she saw him leaving the house that morning, even down to the brown woollen socks, hole in the heel.

“We’ll start a house to house search immediately” Mark said, as he signed off at the bottom of the form. “If anyone has seen him I’m sure they will let us know.”

“I’ve been at my wits end….” and her sharp features softened as she burst into tears “He just ain’t been right since that hanging either, nightmares he has, awful nightmares. He’s scared t he man will come out of his grave and get him.”

“Signs of a lively imagination.” Ethan said quietly, “Perhaps he’ll become an author one day”

She shook her head, blew her nose again and managed to hoist herself out of the chair, before leaving the room. Mark stood up and pushed himself away from the desk, “Davy’s always in trouble, but -” he paused and remembered the boy on the day they had found him terrified in the empty house, just the presence of Manser and the sound of his voice had reduced the child to what he had become now. “I think we will need others to help here. We’ll work opposite sides of the streets, check the alley ways, under the stairs and empty buildings too….although I don’t think we’ll find him in any of them…we’ll concentrate on the main streets in town first. And check the saloons, just possible someone there may recall seeing him.”

………………….

The wagon lurched along, and the two – man and boy – sat on the bench seat and said nothing for some time. Davy tried to assume the air of someone who didn’t really care, wasn’t really worried about being driven away from home by a complete stranger. He sighed once or twice when a thought passed his mind, but he brushed it aside. Someone had said once that an adventure started at the first step…

“My name’s Davy – Davy Riley.”

“Good to meet you, Davy Riley.” he kept staring forward, almost as though he had forgotten he had a passenger. “Why weren’t you at school?”

“Don’t like it.”

“What about your folks? You got folks ain’t’cha? You ain’t no orphan are ya?”

“No. But they won’t care”

“Won’t come looking for you then?”

“Nah.”

They sat in silence, the horse trotted onwards, the wagon jolted over rocks and boulders strewn on the track. Davy frowned “So what’s your name then?”

“George. Folk call me George because my full name is Georgeson.” he rubbed his mouth with his hand, as though wanting to rub out the words as soon as they had left his lips. He shrugged “Long time back my folk came from a small place in Scotland, and my name means George’s son, but there’ve been a lot of sons and a lot of Georges since the first man of that name was born.”

“Is Scotland a long way from here? Is that where we’re going?”

George gave a shout of a laugh, the smell of the whiskey drifted past Davy’s nose “Nah, Scotland is another country way out and away from here, we would need more than this old wagon and horse to get there.”

“Would you have to get on a ship?”

“Oh aye, you would.” he flicked the reins to remind the horse that just because he was talking it was not a signal for it to stop walking.

“Have you ever been on a ship?”

“Ask a lot of questions don’t you?”

Davy frowned, and turned away. The sky was darkening now, he could hear the rush of water close by, so he knew that they were near the river. He tried to remember hearing about a settlement further south of town. “I found some dead people once around here.”

“Oh – dead were they ?”

“That’s what I said.” Davy allowed a small smile to flicker across his lips, memories of the gang, Tommy falling down that hole. What a fright that had caused, all those dead bodies. “They’d been dead hundreds of years.”

George frowned, narrowed his eyes and glared over at the boy. “Indians?”

“No, Spanish soldiers. You ever seen a Spanish soldier – dead?”

“Nope, not seen one alive either come to that.” George leaned forward and spat, “Are you joshing me, boy?”

“No, it was in the papers and we had our picture took.” he frowned “Was a long time ago though…years and years.”

“Shucks, you must be a lot older than I thought for, if’n it was that long ago you must have been at least two years of age.”

Davy shook his head and wished he had said nothing. The man obviously didn’t believe him. He decided to say nothing more.

…………………

Reuben heard the knock on the door and Tilly’s pleasant voice with the odd accent answering the deep tones from the man who had knocked. A little while later he heard Paul Martin’s voice, a muddle of different voices floating up the stairs.

He smiled to himself. It was warm and cosy here, snuggled deep in a feather bed, and soon he knew that Bridie or Tilly would be coming up with warm milk and a slice of cake. He had managed to eat a far sized meal for someone who was suffering, but he still had room for that cake.

It was Paul’s footsteps on the stairs that made him wonder if he was ever going to get any though, Paul did not really approve of boys having cake just before it was time to sleep

The door opened and Paul stepped inside the room. He nodded over to Reuben and then pulled out a chair to sit beside the boys bed. He turned up the flame in the lamp and sighed, rested both hands on both knees and looked intently at the lad who was looking with similar intent at him.

“Your young friend, Davy Riley, has disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“So it seems. That new Deputy has just been to ask if we had seen him at all.”

“I wonder where he’s gone.”

Paul shook his head and raised a hand to rub at his chin, “He’s been a very confused, frightened lad since that matter with Nettie …”

Paul had the notion that it was always better to refer to the ‘matter of Nettie’ rather than to the matter of that madman who abducted young women and hunted them down and had even intended to shoot the boy’s Uncle. He thought putting into words the events would be a more unpleasant reminder and bring up memories the boy would not find bearable just before bedtime

“We were worried about him.” Reuben agreed, he did not nod, that caused too much pain in his head and down his nose. “He has changed a lot, he was not fun any more.”

“People do change when they’re scared.”

“But he had no reason to be scared, that man didn’t hurt him, didn’t even see him or touch him.”

“Mmm, sometimes fear can create pain in the mind worse than being given a tanning, or being hurt in some way.”

Reuben thought about that, he tried to remember if he had ever been that frightened of anything or anyone. Perhaps when Sam Downing had been at the school, and had shot people in the school yard, including him. But then that was not the same thing as what ailed Davy. Paul was standing up now and putting the chair back into place

“They’re conducting a house to house search for him. No doubt he’ll be found before morning.”

Reuben watched the old man as he left the room and closed the door behind him. He thought of Davy, remembered the look on the boys face as he had swung his fist at him. .

He settled back against the pillows with his mind on Davy. If he had been feeling well, if he had been able to get up from this bed then he would have got the gang together and they would have organised his own search, they would have found Davy and they would have brought him home and made him feel part of the gang and then everything would have been alright, just like it used to be.

Chapter 15

The last evening in Carson City was spent by Ben and Roy by a visit to the theatre….a rather grand building which was able to accommodate most of the town. This particular evening it was rather sparsely attended. The ‘packed house’ that most Theatre management would prefer to see took place on the Fridays and Saturdays, Sundays were still a fifty fifty affair as many townsfolk adhered to the rules of the Sabbath and refrained from such frivolity. Having said that most of these would be recovering from the excesses of the previous evenings and in no fit state to attend anyway

Roy and Ben sat in the box and were able to look down upon the stage and enjoy the performance. Despite it being a weekday performance the Theatre Company were enthusiastic and well rehearsed. The songs were sung with such professionalism that the applause was more than well deserved, a young woman sang the solo airs with a grace and clarity of tone that touched the heart. Both men were more than pleased to have taken the decision to attend the theatre rather than share the evening together in the cabin in the woods.

After the performance they went to Del Monico’s where the food was expensive but impressive. They were mid way through the main course when Ben looked up from his plate to see Jake Malahide stroll into the restaurant with the soloist artiste clinging to his arm. As the couple walked to the table that the Maitre d’ had directed them, the young man’s eyes swept over the clientele and came to rest upon Ben and Roy.

It was a cold appraising look, eyes narrowed and a nerve in his jaw twitched as he compressed his lips, but he did not acknowledge them, just continued on to his table. Ben watched him as he pulled out a chair for the lady to be seated and then took a seat himself. Once they were settled Jake glanced over in Ben’s direction and their eyes met. For a second Ben was tempted to speak, to say something by way of accepting the man’s presence, but Jake could not maintain eye contact and turned away.

Neither Ben nor Roy were inclined to stay longer than necessary now, instead of lingering over the coffee they got up and left as soon as the bill had been paid.

………………….

The wagon seemed to squeak a lot and Davy wondered if there was a loose wheel but George continued on without a glance backwards. It occurred to Davy that his stomach was mighty empty. He wondered if George would stop to make camp and prepare a meal, or if this settlement would appear any time soon. Once or twice he had glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the lights of the town had long faded. Just fleetingly he felt a twinge of panic and shrunk a little on his seat which was now cutting into his legs.

“Is it far, this settlement, is it far?” it annoyed him to hear his own voice, squeakier than usual. Was that what fear or panic can do?

“Dunno.” came the blunt reply.

“Have you been there before? Don’t you know the way?”

George sighed “You ask a lot of questions, don’t you? Look, I ain’t never been to this place, I jest heard about it so thought I’d go and check it out. That’s what I do, just travel and check things out. Means I’m not tied to no place, nor no person.”

“So you don’t know how far away this place is then?”

George merely shrugged. Davy sighed and thought of his Ma and Pa. He wondered if they were missing him by now and if they were missing him, what would they do? He glanced upwards and watched as the night sky darkened, the stars popped out, a vast canopy of white lights dotted into various formations and shapes which he knew were given long names and which he had been told, by Reuben, helped sailors navigate the seas. He stared upwards and wondered how that happened, then he got dizzy from looking up for so long he shook his head and stretched his shoulders a little and glanced over his shoulder again. There were really some odd sounds coming from the back of the wagon. He glanced at George who was sitting like a rock, staring ahead of him, eyes fixed on the grey shape of his horse.

“I think you have a wheel coming loose.”

“No, it’s fine”

“There are some odd noises back there….you sure it isn’t a loose wheel?”

“Quite sure. We’ll make camp hereabouts….there’s running water close by” George muttered and pulled on the reins.

In seemed to Davy a bit late to make camp. It was getting dark already, it meant having to make up a fire in the dark, stumbling over things and having to fumble about before they could boil water or make a meal. He thought it would be better to say nothing.

George pulled the horse up and jumped down onto the ground and looked around him. He stretched his arms wide, as though sitting on the wagon had been just about the most strenuous undertaking a man could do. The moon was bright, and shone down benignly, so that Davy’s worries about making camp seemed to have had no substance at all. George walked to the back of the wagon and began to rummage about and then looked over at Davy

“Hungry, boy?”

Davy nodded, at which George told him to start gathering up some wood for the fire and not to take too much time over it. There was plenty of loose wood around, it took little time or effort to gather it together and build up a fire which George lit. A sack was set down by the wood, and from it he produced a kettle, skillet and some food.

“Go fill the kettle, lad.” he handed it over to Davy who looked around him, and realised he would have to walk to the river to get the water. He looked up at the sky, the moon was still shining down, very bright, no clouds. Feeling confident that he would not be tripping over his feet nor fall into the river Davy hurried along to carry out his mission.

As he passed the wagon some noises made him pause. It sounded – strange. Surely George had not kidnapped someone? As Davy made his way to the river his mind trawled over the many horror stories of which George could have been guilty. By the time he had filled the kettle and was making his way back he was beginning to feel weak at the knees, a little sick in the stomach.

He had just reached the wagon and trying to think of a way of escaping, of bolting back to town, when movement from the wagon caused him to pause, then to step back in fright as a pair of dark eyes suddenly glared at him and a mouth full of teeth yawned wide and closed with a snap.

He nearly fell over, had it not been for George standing right behind him he would have landed flat on his back and the water from the kettle would have been all over him.

“Ah, met my old friend, have you?”

“Friend?” Davy stammered and slanted his eyes back to the wagon.

Now he felt a bit of a fool. The grinning face of a black and white dog, tongue lolling out and obviously happy to see George greeted him George stepped forward and began to fondle the dog around the ears, a big smile on his face almost as soppy as the one the dog had on hers.

“Come and meet Maisie. She’s been busy this day…haven’t you, girl?” George put a hand on Davy’s shoulder and pulled him closer, “Have a look inside, boy.”

Davy cautiously stepped closer, he had never been overly fond of dogs and hoped that Maisie would not take that personally, she may have been smiling, or grinning,but her teeth looked mighty sharp.

He peered into the back of the wagon and then looked closer to where something was wriggling and moving about under a hessian sack. As he looked a little nose protruded and then another…in fact there were three little bodies there, all sniffing and squeaking and demanding supper .

“She’s had pups?” Davy observed with his eyes open wide “Three pups.”

“Started early this morning….never makes a fuss about it, just gets on with it, don’t you, girl?” George stroked the dogs ears, and then dropped a kiss on the top of the dogs head’. Davy had never seen a man so soppy over a dog before, but he looked down at the wriggling little bodies and watched as they moved slowly closer to their mother.

Three puppies…no wonder Maisie was looking so happy and she looked at him, licked his hand, and then settled down to feed her brood. Davy had never seen that happen before, he just stood there for a moment and George had to nudge him and remind him they had to eat too..so he followed the man over to where a small fire was burning. “She didn’t bark at all, did she?”

“No, she never does, likes to get on with the business …” George squatted down and placed more wood onto the fire. He had gathered up quite a bit while Davy had been on his errand to the river.

“She didn’t bark at me either…” Davy said proudly.

“She knows you’re my friend, that’s why.” George replied without a hint of self consciousness.

“She won’t bite me then?”

“Not unless you do something stupid….” George muttered, and rummaged about in the sack to produce sausage, bread, eggs.

The sky remained clear, the stars beamed down, the moon shone a silvery brightness everywhere so that shadows swayed and moved, but caused no fear, everything looked, to Davy’s eyes, full of wonderment and – even – beauty.

…………..

In the cabin Roy and Ben sat before the fire, their feet toasting and a glass of bourbon resting on their stomachs, their fingers encircled around the glass. They had not mentioned about the Malahides on the journey back, but both knew that the other man had them in mind.

Ben coughed and cleared his throat, then tossed back a gulp of the whiskey. Roy just nursed his glass a little longer before sighing, “That Jake – don’t trust him.”

Ben nodded in agreement. He sipped more whiskey and watched Roy who continued to stare into the flames of the fire “I reckon he’s already thinking of what trouble he can cause you”

Ben nodded again. Roy gulped down some of the whiskey, pursed his lips and then gulped down some more. “You could always back down, you know?”

“Back down? From what?”

“Well, from having the cattle station there…would save a lot of trouble I reckon…”

“I won’t back down, Roy. Nor will the boys.”

“That was what I was afraid of….could get yourself into another situation like you had with the Bishops, over the Truckee.”

Ben shook his head now and smiled “That was years ago, Roy. What made you think of that?”

“Just that it has that look about it….old man Bishop was not like Malahide, he was just a normal pleasant man who wanted what he thought he was due, and he got himself in a situation that went out of control. So did you…”

“How come?”

“Well, more talking around a table may have calmed things down a mite, saved some lives.”

“Maybe you’re right at that, Roy, although we tried all of that, with lawyers too…”

“Lawyers on both sides with an eye on their percentage…the longer the feud went on for the more money they made. I don’t trust lawyers…”

“I’ve come to agree with you there, Roy, but litigation isn’t my strong point, and back then we had to use whom we had…”

“What I’m trying to say is, that Malahide isn’t like Bishop…he looks mean, and devious, and plain evil.”

“In other words he looks what he is….”

Roy sighed, nodded and tossed back his whiskey “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

.Ben reached for the bottle and finding it empty, drank the dregs of his own drink, before getting to his feet and stretching. “Well, let’s sleep on it. We’ll work our way around this little matter of the Malahides and our cattle station…sometime tomorrow when I get the chance to talk to the boys.”

Chapter 16

The buggy was jouncing along the track at a pleasantly fair speed. Mistral knew the way to town and always liked it when Adam had the reins, giving her just enough slack to move along faster than usual. Sofia knew they would arrive at school ten minutes sooner than when they were in the wagon with Ezra or Hank taking them into town. She was not at all worried that they were going so much faster, she knew they were in safe hands with her Pa at the reins.

Adam listened to the girls as they chattered and giggled together behind him Hannah’s voice still had that little girls’ shrillness, Rosie however had inherited Candy’s deeper tones and Sofia was either too high pitched and giggly or too low a whisper. He smiled to himself as the thought struck him that in a few years, just a few years, the little girls would be young women, perhaps discussing the future together in serious tones, or giggling over the beaus they were taking their pick over or maybe considering the serious step of marriage. Time just moved too fast, sometimes relentlessly fast.

The town was bustling when he drove the buggy into C Street and pulled up outside the school. Mr Evans saw him and raised a hand in salute, and Adam was mindful that the man had just become a father so as he clambered down from his seat he called out a congratulations which caused Mr Evans to blush and adopt that rather dazed look of many new fathers at such times. The girls clambered down, grabbed their belongings, ran into the school squealing their goodbyes, although Sofia did pause enough to give her Pa a quick kiss on the cheek.

He watched them drift into the mingle of girls and boys and then raised a hand to greet Lilith who was hurrying to catch up. “Am I late?” she called out to him, as aware of the Cartwright time keeping as Sofia

“No, we’re early.” Adam replied with a smile and watched as she nodded, cast him a lingering smile and hurried into the melee

Evans approached the rancher and nodded a good morning “Have you seen Reuben yet? How is he?”

“Just going to see him now.” Adam replied and raised his eyebrows “I hear Davy Riley was the boy who hit him?”

“A troubled lad. Poor boy.” Evans frowned, the genuine concern showed in his eyes. He was a good teacher, he sincerely cared for his students, there was none of that false attention that some teachers put on when speaking to a parent about a particular child of whom they may have only vague memories, Edward Evans knew each and every one of them, He made it a matter of personal interest to know any problems his boys or girls could be having “I mean, Davy Riley of course.”

“I heard “ Adam nodded

“A Deputy came round last evening..seems Davy has disappeared from town.”

“Disappeared? How does a boy of his years just disappear?”

“It happens, sadly. But I didn’t think Davy would run off, he seemed troubled, I grant you that, but not enough to run away”

“Was it that situation with Manser?”

“It was! “ Evans nodded and then paused as the school bell began to toll, he turned and left Adam with a brief word of farewell and hurried to the entrance to the building, shepherding two students along the way

Adam sighed and stepped back into the buggy. His thoughts drifted as he made his way to Ridleys livery, where Mr Anderson was busy feeding the horses over which he had responsibility. He paused in hanging a fresh hay bag on the nail in a stall where a handsome black horse was kept, and walked towards Adam who was now entering the building with a slight smile on his face. He nodded to the younger man “Morning, Adam”

“Came to pay what I owe you, Anderson. I think Max may have to stay here again overnight, so I’ll pay up to tomorrow for his keep.”

“Had to see to his right hind shoe, Adam. It was wearing loose.”

Adam frowned, a black mark against Reuben for not checking and he shook his head as he pulled out his wallet. Money changed hands and Mr Anderson nodded as he put it in the box and scribbled something in a ledger

“Hear from Amanda at all?” Adam asked as he stuffed the wallet into his back pocket

“Too busy with her new concerns to bother with us any more.” Anderson grinned “Last I heard she was doing well stirring up trouble with the Government about this female movement of hers.”

“Sounds about right -” Adam grinned and returned to the buggy, remounted and now made his slow progress to the Martins house.

Tilly had the door open before he had clambered down from the seat, and stood there with a smile on her face. “Mrs Martins at the hospice, Mr Adam. It’s been fairly busy this past week since the hanging and all….”

“I daresay,” Adam nodded as if he fully understood the vagaries of what affected the commercial affairs of the Hospice, “How is Reuben?”

“Upstairs in bed. Has a headache. Would you like a cup of coffee Mr Adam?”

“Thank you, that would be fine.” Adam stepped into the house and removed his hat by which time the door was shut behind him and she was scurrying away to the kitchen to make coffee and find some cake. She firmly believed that coffee without cake or a cookie was a criminal offence.

Paul came from the parlour and smiled “Come to see our patient?”

“How is he, Paul?”

“He had a slight fever last night. Nothing broken though, has two lovely black eyes this morning and a headache. I think he narrowly avoided a concussion when his head hit the ground, but otherwise he should be up and about by tomorrow.”

Adam nodded, much as he had expected. He was led the way to Reuben’s room by Paul, who continued discussing Reuben’s symptoms all the way up the stairs until he finally pushed open the door “Visitor for you, Reuben”

The boy struggled into a sitting position and blinked like an owl. He had fallen asleep after eating his breakfast and had lost track of time but when he saw his Pa stepping into the room he immediately woke up, his eyes brightened and a smile, so like Olivia’s that it touched Adam’s heart, lit up his face.

“Hi Pa – did Sofia tell you what happened?”

“She did” Adam pulled out a chair and sat down “How are you feeling?”

“Aw, I’m alright I guess. Had a headache earlier but since breakfast it seems to have gone a bit now.”

Adam leaned forward to look anxiously into the boys face. Certainly both eyes were rather red, and the flesh around them was bruised and puffy, the nose was swollen, it seemed to fill the poor boys face causing his speech to be slurred as though he suffered a severe cold. Adam nodded and sat back in the chair

“Guess it could have been worse.”

“That’s what Dr Martin said…” Reuben mumbled “I wasn’t in a fight, Pa. Davy just lammed me for nothing.”

“What were you doing to make him act like that…”

“Nothing – “ Reuben shrugged “He was looking – well – he was looking all kinda sorry for himself as usual, so I went to ask him if there was anything we could do to help, me and the gang sort of thing, and he just hit me.”

“And then what happened?”

“I hit the ground – it sure hurt, I think I blacked out – can’t remember much now.”

“And Davy?”

“He ran off, seems he ran away because the Deputy came to ask Mr Paul if he knew anything or had any idea where Davy may have gone.”

“Hmm, do you have any idea yourself?”

Reuben frowned and shook his head “The kids told me the other day that Davy was going to some places he shouldn’t – he came to school smelling of liquor the other morning. Got into trouble with Mr Thompson and didn’t seem to care anyway.” Reuben shrugged again, looked at his father thoughtfully “He will be alright, won’t he?”

“Depends where he’s gone and who with -”

“Shucks, I sure hope he’ll be alright.”

Adam said nothing to that, his dark eyes hooded as he gave some thought to where a troubled young lad would go, what would he do, and would he actually just go with anybody who drifted by. To his mind it seemed inconceivable considering the experience Davy had had with Manser and for a moment they both remained silent. It was Reuben who spoke first, asking how Nathaniel was now, was his arm healing, and was Granpa coming home today and if he was, would he come and visit too?

……….

Deputy Ethan Burns was on the opposite side of the street as Adam stepped out of the Martins’ house. Ethan watched as the older man glanced up and down the street before deciding to walk and leave the horse and buggy.

It was the first time Ethan had seen the man in daylight and he watched as he walked,the confident stride of a man who appeared to be afraid of nothing or no one. He turned and crossed the road, and keeping several paces behind Adam, followed him down the street. Broad of shoulder, and tall, no excess fat, all muscle but even so he was well built. Ethan judged him to be over 6 feet in height, and what weight he carried was due to muscle. He widened his stride in order to catch up with the rancher, a woman stepped out of a store and blocked his path, by the time they had performed the normal little dance when such things occurred the rancher had disappeared.

Ethan scowled and shrugged, the chance was gone, but perhaps if he carried on walking he would find his man again further along. He had passed the entrance to the Mercantile and was wondering if perhaps he should leave it for another time, perhaps even write and make an appointment, when he felt a tap on his shoulder and a deep voice said “You weren’t following me by any chance, were you?”

He was, so no point in denying it, but it irritated him that Adam had noticed so that now, here he was, at a disadvantage. Adam stepped further onto the pavement and looked Ethan up and down, narrowed his eyes “Any particular reason?”

Ethan scowled again, bowed his head then looked up into the other man’s face, he cleared his throat “You read Ann’s letter yet?”

“I have.” Adam nodded, placed his hands on his hips and looked into the younger mans face with as much attention as Ethan was giving him

“She said to give it to you after she had died…”

“She never mentioned that she was ill in her letter.”

Ethan nodded, frowned “Well, she was seriously ill for some time before she died.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Mr Burns. From what she wrote you were raised like her son…is that right?”

Ethan’s mouth twitched into the semblance of a smile, he nodded. His eyes seemed to be taking in every inch of Adam’s face, studying it, analysing it, storing away the memory. Adam raised his eyebrows in his customary manner and pouted slightly, he narrowed his eyes and nodded

“I guess you want to talk -”

“Yes, I do.”

Adam sighed and rubbed the back of his neck , then observed Ethan again, “Well, I have things to do this morning. Why not come over to the Ponderosa this evening, have supper with us and we can talk for as long as it takes…”

Ethan thought for a moment, frowned “I have night duties …”

“I’ll ask Nate to release you this evening…”

“Then I’d be grateful. Mr Cartwright.” he nodded curtly and hurried away before his face betrayed his emotion.

Emotion…he shook his head, he had not expected to feel this way, looking at the face of this man so like his father. Ann had said they were so alike they could have been twins, until you really got to know them as she did when the differences were more obvious. But now – he replayed the few moments he had spent with Adam, the way the man looked, the expressions on his face, the tone of his voice. Had his father been so like that, had he seen the father he never knew ..or rather, would his father have raised his eyebrows like that, or twitched his lips in that way or just looked like Adam Cartwright so much…really? Was it possible?

He rubbed fingers across his mouth as though he could remove any vestige of his feelings. He had work to do, a little boy was missing from home, it was his job to find him. Clearing his throat he started walking back to the sheriff’s office …

Chapter 17

The train chugged its way into the station spitting out steam and smoke and soot over any and all those who were foolish enough to be so eager to greet the passengers that they came to the edge of the platform. Adam had long learned his lesson and stayed back closer to the ticket office where he chatted to the official seeking sanctuary in the dark cloistered room.

Once the train had come to a halt and less likelihood of having cinders and soot raining down upon him, Adam made his way towards the train which now stood stationary albeit still emitting various noises that would once upon a time have frightened the horses. He stood with his hands in his jacket pockets and waited patiently for his father and Roy to emerge through the steam that hissed in clouds from the undercarriage, catching out the unwary so that they skipped and jumped in fright as they passed by.

He sighed, releasing his breath slowly as his father and Roy emerged through the clouds. Both men were smiling, swinging their carpet bags in their hands like two schoolboys just let loose for their summer holidays. Ben’s eyes twinkled upon the sight of his son, and Roy’s smile widened as Adam stepped forward to greet them both.

Hands were shaken, they all spoke at the same time, laughed self consciously and then lapsed into silence. Adam leaned down and picked up his father’s bag in one hand and Roy’s in the other, they stepped in line beside him.

Where are your brothers?” Ben asked and Adam glanced over both shoulders as though suddenly aware that Joe and Hoss had not accompanied him, then he shrugged

“Work. They’re taking some lumber to the cattle station on Friday -”

“That means they’ll be away for a few days then?”

Adam nodded, his ears had picked up a hint of peevishness from his father, and he frowned. Nodded to the ticket collector who had emerged from his office to carry out his duties. Ben and Roy handed over their tickets and nodded at him as well. They pushed open the picket gate that led to the steps leading down to where the buggy awaited them.

“So? Had a relaxing time did you? Did some fishing?” Adam said, aiming the question at Roy who nodded enthusiastically and spent a few moments telling Adam about the fish they had caught and enjoyed eating .

Adam tossed the bags into the back of the buggy and stepped aside for the two men to clamber inside. Then he got up onto the seat and took up the reins, the horse trundled forward,

“We went to the theatre last evening,” Roy volunteered, “Some mighty fine dancing and singing…haven’t seen so many legs in a long time.”

Adam frowned and cleared his throat, nodded and decided not to ask too many questions. Roy had led a solitary and rather cloistered life, he had been married to his work as a layman and seldom had had the time or even wanted the time to ‘waste’ in a theatre watching ‘so many legs’. It had obviously not been a cultural evenings entertainment.

“So?” Ben inclined a little to the left, almost leaning into Adam so that the younger man had to adjust his seating in order to keep control of the reins, “Why are Joe and Hoss going to the cattle station?”

“Mac’s a man down to haul timber there…”

Ben frowned “How come?”

Adam shrugged, gave a slight grimace and kept his eyes fixed between the horses ears which afforded him a fine view of the road. He steered the horse to the left and finally drew up outside Roy’s home. He had to get down from the buggy in order to let Roy ease his way out, then grabbed for his bag which he handed over to him. They shook hands again, Roy then turned and pushed open the gate to the path that led to his home. The door opened before he had even got halfway up the path, Mrs Boyd had obviously been expecting her employer and now stood at the threshold with a smile on her face and hands folded neatly in the lap of her apron.

Adam and Ben exchanged a knowing smile, seemed like their old friend was going to get a warm welcome home. They settled back into the leather seats of the buggy and the horse set off, weaving in and out of the traffic, towards the road that led to the Ponderosa. Neither spoke for a while and it was Ben who asked his son if anything ‘worth knowing’ had taken place while he had been away, so Adam told him what little he thought would interest him, which was not much, before they lapsed into silence again.

“I saw the cattle station while I was there…coming along very well… the men you’ve employed are a good good team…”

“I thought so…Henry recommended quite a few.” Adam leaned forward, still staring ahead of him.

“I met Malahide”

“I gathered you had.”

“You got my telegram then?”

“I did.”

“You never mentioned him in any discussions we had about getting a cattle station built there…only a few miles from his borders.”

“Really? I thought it was quite a distance from his borders.”

“So you met him then/”

“No. I didn’t meet Mr Turnball, nor Mr Halliday either. They own land near our borders too…close to Malahide’s as well. Run small herds of cattle. Halliday is raising a breed from stock from the Highlands of Scotland, reckons they’re stronger.”

“Oh. You met him then?”

“No, just heard about him. I never had time for socialising with them whenever I’ve been there…” Adam slanted his eyes towards his father and noted the grim line of his mouth, and the narrowed eyes. He scratched his face, and waited.

“I think Malahide could be trouble.” Ben said and it sounded as though each word came through clenched teeth

“Oh, really?”

“He certainly made Roy and I feel very unwelcome when we were at his place….his son looks a real snake.”

Adam nodded “Well, he’ll just have to swallow it, won’t he? “

“Swallow what?”

“Having Cartwrights on his door step. It’s all down to pride, Pa. Once he knows we’re serious about raising cattle there he’ll step down from his high horse and try to negotiate terms.”

“He’s already laid down some terms, his pal at the railway yard told me quite bluntly that we would not be able to use the cattle trucks…Mr Malahide has them all.”

“All of them?” Adam turned to Ben, frowned, then nodded “Mm, I suppose if he’s been the only rancher using them, guess Mr Bristow would think so, although he never intimated that to me.”

“Brandon!”

“Who?”

“Wesley Brandon…he was the man I saw, the Railway Depot Manager or whatever he liked to label himself.”

Adam frowned again, shook his head a little “It was someone called Bristow whom I saw, a man of middle years, gray haired already, about 5’8” “

“Brandon must have replaced him…”

Adam nodded and flicked the reins to get the horse moving faster. Ben cleared his throat, “There’s a sharp bend -”

“I know it…”

The buggy rounded the bend perfectly, Ben relaxed a little and Adam smiled to himself. He told his father about Reuben having been smacked in the nose by Davy Riley, and conversation drifted into family matters leaving Ben feeling rather dissatisfied as he had been stoking up fire to give his son a tongue lashing …but he had fallen at the first hurdle and sat there gripping the side of the buggy as though at any moment his son would drive them to oblivion and beyond.

….

Tommy Carstairs and Jimmy C Evans crowded into the room where Reuben lay in the bed, crisp white linen pillowcases and bed coverlets, and his black eyes as a sharp contrast. They waited until Tilly’s footsteps could be heard retreating down the stairs before pulling up the chairs closer to the bed and observing Reuben admiringly

“They thought you had concussion” Tommy said as a slight frown creased the smooth brow beneath a mop of mousy blond curls

“That’s why I’m still here…” Reuben sighed and leaned into the pillows dramatically

“Does it hurt?” Jimmy asked

“My nose is still sore. Do I sound odd?”

“Yeah, like you got a bad cold …” Jimmy grinned

“Any sign of Davy yet?” the victim of Davy’s assault now asked, his voice, thick and odd though it was, conveying his concerns for the other boy but Jimmy and Tommy both shook their heads.

“The sheriff has search teams looking for him.” Jimmy sighed “I reckon he’s half way to ‘Frisco, ready to run away to sea.”

“Like a cabin boy?” Reuben muttered, and shrugged “He never liked that idea…”

“Well, perhaps he does now.” Jimmy glanced at Tommy as though for support, perhaps Davy had mentioned his love for the sea to him, but Tommy just shook his head and shrugged as well.

A squeak on the floorboards announced the presence of someone outside and then the door opened and Tilly came in balancing a tray in her hands. Cake and milk….the cake was always welcome, the milk not so much. They all three thanked her politely and waited for the door to close

“If I were well enough I’d go looking for him myself…” Reuben frowned.

“We went looking for him at lunch time,” Jimmy said, reaching for a slab of the cake

“We didn’t know really where to look but we went to where there were some empty houses. “ Tommy ventured to say, “But then we thought perhaps that was the wrong place to look seeing how he was in an empty house when – well – you know…..”

They nodded, they knew alright, it was in an empty house that Davy had his first terrifying encounter with Manser. “Where else did you look?” Reuben asked but the boys just looked at each other and shook their heads

“We only had the lunch break….” Jimmy said

“Not enough time for a real search, anyway, the Deputies and townsfolk are looking all over for him. They even got posters printed with his face on ’em -” Tommy bit into cake – delicious!

“Yeah, like the wanted posters only asking “Have you seen this boy!” Jimmy nodded and felt momentarily guilty for enjoying the cake while their friend Davy was suffering, injured perhaps, or even dead.

“I guess his folk are real upset.” Reuben said quietly, thinking of how Adam and Olivia, his parents, would be acting were he to go missing. He remembered that time a while back when Sofia had …and he shivered involuntarily at the memory.

“Mr Riley doesn’t seem too bothered, business as usual for him, but Mrs Riley, well, she’s carrying on just terrible Getting a lot of attention though, folk are there all the time..casseroles and hams and food pouring in through the door.” Tommy volunteered the information eagerly and grinned “My Ma said it was a veritable feast there…”

Jimmy and Reuben looked at him contemplatively and wondered just how many cakes and so forth their friend had consumed during Mrs Carstairs comforting visit to the grieving mother. They nibbled the cake and sipped the milk in silence.

“Soon as I’m better and able to get out of this bed, we’ll have to organise some kind of search party of our own.” he asserted and the other two boys nodded solemnly, licked icing from their fingers and prepared to go, promising another visit as soon as time allowed.

Reuben settled back in bed and pondered on just where his old friend would have gone, and how safe he was at that moment in time.

Chapter 18

The man and the boy had made camp again, having followed the line of the river they stayed close to the water and settled for the evening. Maisie joined them, running around their feet, happy to be free from her demanding puppies. Davy collected kindling and wood and felt happier than he had been since way back, in fact, he could not remember being so happy. Maisie liked him too, licking his hands and face whenever she had the chance to do so.

George did not drink so much either. Davy had wondered if he was going to be spending time with a drunk which had concerned him at first, but the bottles had stayed in the back of the wagon along with the other provisions. They had settled into a comfortable silence too, chatting every so often, relaxed in each others company, listening to the clopping of the horses hooves upon the hard impacted ground, and the birds overhead. Just enjoying the scenery and the clean refreshing air.

With the fire lit George began to prepare their supper. It was not much, the remnants of what he had got from town, and as he said, he had not been hunting yet, but would do so in the morning then they would have some meat. It was fair enough, Davy did not mind the rather stale bread and smelly cheese. There was enough of it to fill his stomach and with that he was content. George made coffee and then glanced over at his companion

“Your Pa let you drink coffee yet, only I ain’t got no milk”

“Sure, he don’t mind” Davy lied with a slight swagger and shrug

“Right…here you are then, it ain’t strong, I’m running low, should have got some when we were in town” he rubbed his chin, as though surprised that he had forgotten such an important item.

He squatted down to pour the dark brown liquid into the cups, and for a moment Davy wondered if the man would now start on the liquor. He hoped not, he knew from experience that alcohol make people unpredictable. Maisie came and settled down beside him, her head resting upon his knee, dark amber eyes looking up into his face with such open trust that the boy involuntarily looked down, and began to stroke around the dogs soft ears.

He had never experienced this before, the trust of an animal, of anyone…whatever he had managed to get had been bullied, cajoled, shouted for while pushing others to one side. He had not felt such a surge of feeling tingle through him before either, except those of fear, misery, horror. Now that was changed as within himself the barriers melted and all the fears that had amassed over the years seemed to trickle away. Maisie’s tail beat the ground, a slow staccato rhythm, and the little boy knew real love for the first time flow towards him.

He fell asleep later with the fire warming him, and the canopy of stars overhead looking down at him. He heard the horse cropping grass before it settled down to sleep with a sigh. All was calm.

George made up a cigarette and smoked it, every so often taking a long sip of whiskey from the bottle by his side. Then he also settled down to sleep the night away.

………………………

Ethan T Burns arrived at the Ponderosa just as Olivia was placing a glass bowl of spring flowers on the table. She turned towards the door as he entered the room, Cheng Ho Lee taking his hat and coat and putting them in the appropriate place, along with his gun belt.

“Mr Burns? How pleasant to meet you…I am glad you came” and she smiled, which made the rather typical greeting a hostess would make to her guest sound far more sincere and warm.

Having made sure the bowl of flowers were not likely to topple over when she left them, she walked over to him and shook his hand, her smile in her eyes, making him feel the genuineness of her welcome.

“Adam won’t be long, he’s just getting the children settled for the night.” she gestured to a comfortable chair and waited for him to settle himself in it. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee ? Or some wine?”

“Coffee please, ma’am. It’s quite a trek from town to get here…I think I swallowed most of the road”

“Coffee it is then, I’ll not be but a moment.”

He watched as she turned and made her way to another room, he assumed it to be the kitchen, and then settled back into the cushions and released a sigh. Then he looked up, and then around him, and took stock of the room itself, its furnishings and various things in it that would give a room personality. He noted the piano and assumed, wrongly, that the lady of the house was the one with musical talent. He admired the numerous books neatly lined up on the shelves of an imposing book case along one wall and wondered if they had all been read and by whom. There were ornaments that reflected both a masculine as well as a feminine touch, some looked foreign and he wondered if they were treasures Adam had brought home from his trips abroad.

He was relaxing and feeling his eyes close when he heard footsteps from behind him and promptly stood up and turned to greet the master of the house as Adam made his way down the stairs, paused to take note of his guest, and then make his way towards him. The smile on Adams face was genuine although Ethan noticed the wariness in the dark eyes that confronted him now. They shook hands and then Adam nodded towards the chair, indicating that the visitor should sit down.

“Glad you came….”

“Thank you.”

Adam sat down and stretched out his legs in the armchair opposite Ethan, “Hope you’re hungry. Olivia and Cheng between them have rustled up a good supper. If you find yourself here too late to get back to town this evening the spare room has been fixed for you to stay overnight. I cleared it with your Boss…” he grinned and nodded so that Ethan could only swallow words and nod in return “Any news on the boy – Davy?”

“No sign of him yet.” Ethan replied, Olivia entered the room with the coffee fixings on a tray. Behind her Cheng set about arranging the table for the meal. Olivia smiled at him as she put the tray down and began pouring coffee into the rather dainty cups.

“Well, I should imagine that Davy will be long gone by now…he’s a spirited lad, and I would not be surprised if he were miles from town by now.”

“On foot?” Ethan expressed surprise and some doubt about that, accepted his cup and saucer and smiled his thanks

“Not necessarily. Davy is very – enterprising!” Adam took his cup and saucer from his wife and smiled at her, their eyes held, she smiled back before taking a seat on the settee.

“How enterprising?” Ethan asked and sipped the coffee, he nodded approval, a subconscious dip of the head, whatever type of coffee it was it tasted delicious.

“Davy would think nothing of hitching a lift from some one with a wagon or buggy, probably with out them even knowing he was having a free ride on the tail gate…” Adam drank his coffee and leaned over to pour himself another, he glanced at Ethan who nodded so Adam poured more into his cup also.

“He was involved in a disagreement with your son, Reuben…” he sipped his coffee, and then glanced up to look at the rancher who nodded

“Apparently -”

“And he has been on edge for some time…”

“I believe so”

“Since that Manser situation?”

“So I’m told.” Adam looked up over the rim of his cup then resumed drinking his coffee.

Olivia leaned forward and put her cup and saucer on to the tray,

“Have you settled into town now, Mr Burns?”

“Yes, thank you. I’ve lodging with Miss Lee Whitmore.”

“Ah, Portia…then you will be well cared for, she is a very kind person, and very thoughtful. She works at the hospice occasionally when she has time.”

“Oh -” he nodded, cleared his throat “I don’t really know much about her…”

“Well, you have only been here a short while. It’s good that you found employment so soon, have you been a deputy before?”

“Yes …for a few years. In Lubock…” he slanted his eyes in Adam’s direction but there was no indication that the other man recognised the name, or was even particularly interested.

Sounds of dishes and smells of food distracted them from further conversation. All three stood up, and Olivia led the way to the table, her husband close behind her, his hand hovering close to her back. As he pulled out the chair for her to sit down she looked up at him, and the smile they shared was enough to convince Ethan Burns that this couple were deeply in love. Almost embarrassed at the thought that he was the ‘odd man out’ among the three of them he took his seat at the table and decided to keep his eyes on the food rather than his hosts.

It was a pleasant few hours, eating drinking and chatting like new friends everywhere..teasing out the areas that were too personal, laughing at old stories of misadventures in the past. When finally there was no room for any more food to be ingested, Adam stood up, and smiled “Shall we have some coffee in my study, Ethan?”

Ethan glanced at Olivia as though it needed her permission for him to leave the table and follow her husband to the other room, but she casually turned her attention away, folding her napkin and leaving the table saying that she would prepare the coffee and Cheng would bring it in later for them.

He watched her go into the other room and then turned to follow his host into the study. The clock struck the hour, 11 p.m. It seemed more than likely that he would be sharing breakfast in the morning with them ..

Adam moved the big leather chair from behind the desk so that it looked less like an inquisition by some official and more like a chat between two men getting to know one another better. He cleared his throat, “A strange situation, Ann being asked to raise you – you had no other relatives who could have done so?”

“No – well, yes, I had relatives, my mothers sister and her husband.” he flinched, a semblance of a shrug, and grimaced “My mother left me with them when I was two years old, at the time my father was sentenced to prison for embezzlement. There were times she took me back, for a few weeks perhaps, but when it came to my being educated she sent me to them as she felt I would get a better education than the one I would get in Lubock. She said it was to spare my feelings, that a child should not be exposed to the ridicule of his peers because of his fathers crimes.”

Adam said nothing, but observed the young man with that half hooded gaze that was so deceptive. He had already felt that Ethan wanted to talk, wanted to pour out years of everything that he had battened down over time. He waited, tapping his mouth gently with his fingers.

Silence always forced conversation, and someone anxious to talk can not stay quiet for long. Ethan leaned forward, his head bowed, his hands clasped in his lap.

“My mother spent most of her time with me talking about my father, berating him, telling me how corrupt he was, how manipulative and deceiving. He was the lowest of men, she made no secret that she hated him. She said the same to my Aunt and her husband, and of course, with my father in jail, he had no defence, no one to stand up for him, to champion his cause. As a result my Aunt and Uncle became more and more distant as time passed – it was not a home, just some kind of private institution where I could remain out of my mother’s sight.”

Still Adam said nothing, he nodded at times as though to affirm that he was listening, that he was taking on board the things Ethan was saying, the points he was making…when Cheng came in with more coffee and left the tray on the desk, he stood up, poured out the liquid and handed Ethan a cup. He then resumed his seat and leaned back, cup in hand, the steam from the coffee rising up and obscuring his face momentarily

“I didn’t understand what was going on at the time of my fathers leaving prison, except that my Aunt and Uncle took to whispering and just casting looks over at me as though I were some kind of evil. Newspapers were hidden away, in case I read the head lines or any news about him, my father. And then suddenly things changed and became even stranger, they went away together to visit my mother, they said, but they didn’t come back, instead Ann came. She took me away to another town, to where she had been raised, in Missouri. I must have been quite a challenge for her, I’d built up barriers over the years, I didn’t trust anyone… . . not for a long time.” he sipped the coffee and then drank it quickly, before setting the empty cup back on the tray. “But she loved me. And love has a way of healing hurts, especially in a young child. Better still she explained about my father, talked to me about him, described him..not just how he looked -” and this time he did look rather intently at Adam, “ but how he was as a person. I saw and got to know my father for the first time, through Ann.”

Adam nodded, then looked at the coffee and raised his eyebrows, Ethan shook his head, if he were to drink any more he would just about burst.

Adam sighed, and looked at Ethan thoughtfully, the younger man looked back at him his eyes seeming to search every line, every feature with a scrutiny Adam had not undergone in a long time.

“Are you really that much like my father?”

Adam pursed his lips, and gave a slight shrug “I don’t know, I never – met – him …alive that is, and I’m afraid a bullet and some time in a shallow grave -” he paused, “ but enough like him for people to mistake him for me. Even Ann….” he smiled at the memory of that first meeting, then shook his head, not his finest hour “I can tell you he was shorter than I, his hair not as dark, thinner, no doubt due to prison rations for years, and I would admit to him looking more like my brother than my own brothers do….” he shrugged slightly, gave a half smile “they say everyone has a doppelgänger somewhere. I’m sorry I had to meet him in those circumstances, it was too cruel …”

“Ann used to say that, too. She had so hoped that she would find him alive, she had fancy dreams of a future with him…” he swallowed and bowed his head so that the sight of the moisture in his eyes could not be seen “Sometimes she would look at me so intently, trying to find where I looked like him, trying to keep him alive in her memory through me but I’m afraid I disappointed her.” he gave a wry smile

“She said in her letter you went to college to study law…”

“Yes, I wanted to be in a position where innocent men would never be criminalised again..but then I learned that justice …” his voice trailed away and he gulped, “I think I will have some more coffee after all, if you don’t mind.”

“Perhaps a small glass of whiskey would be better?”

Ethan gave a slight smile and nodded and watched as Adam left his chair and went to the desk, where he poured whiskey into two glasses and brought them over to his guest before sitting down again.

“So you realised that way wouldn’t work?”

Ethan nodded, “I wanted to be a Defence Lawyer, but after I qualified … and realised that justice could be bought if you have enough money, I got out ..left..and then I decided that the best way to stop the innocent being criminalised was to become a deputy somewhere…so I chose to go to Lubock. Ann didn’t want me to go, to leave her. She was ill by then, although she never said so – “

“She told you not to give me the letter until she was dead….”

“Yes, she posted it to me, enclosed in a letter explaining about her health…I never saw her ..again ..” he drew in his breath “It was interesting being in Lubock, working with people with whom I would have gone to school, living among people who had known my father….respected him, thought highly of him. . . even a few ladies who told me they had been besotted with him, that he was easy to love…” he smiled and dashed a smile over at Adam and then swallowed half the glass of whiskey in one gulp.

“So why did you come to Virginia City?”

“Ann wanted me to bring you the letter. She spoke about you a lot.”

Adam frowned and swallowed the last of his whiskey, he stared intently at the glass and then shook his head “I’m not like your father, Ethan…”

“Ann said that…she told me you were different, much different….don’t worry, Mr Cartwright, I’m not looking for a surrogate father. I just wanted to come and meet you, to thank you for trying to find my father – alive – you and Ann together.”

“One of my regrets in life was that we found him too late, Ethan.”

“Yeah, Ann said that too…” he smiled, his face creased into dimples and for an instant he looked enough like Tom Burns for Ann, had she been there, to have seen the ghost of the man she had loved.

“Well, it’s too late for you to take the ride home, you’re more than welcome -”

“No, it’s alright, Mr Cartwright, I’ll enjoy a ride home under the stars, it’s the best time to clear one’s head and to ponder over – things.”

Adam nodded, he understood that all too well, after all, how often had he walked a deck at this time and watched the stars over head, and thought of his family back home. He stood up and extended his hand, which Ethan took and shook warmly

“You’ll always be welcome here, Ethan. Come any time…”

“Thank you, Mr Cartwright…”

Adam shook his head “Enough of that, call me Adam….”

Chapter 19

Davy Riley woke up to the smell of food cooking. Just for a moment he thought he was back home and his mother was cooking breakfast but then a cold nose nuzzled into his ear and he jumped alert as he remembered…he was not at home, he was out in the wild, he had a friend and – a dog.

Maisie looked at him as though she were laughing, tongue lolling and eyes bright. Now that she had done her duty by rousing him from sleep she bounced away, into the wagon and settled down to feed her pups. George grinned over at him, “Morning, young man.”

Davy nodded, blinked and rubbed his eyes. The sun was shining in a blue sky, a breeze was causing the grasses to drift in its wake, the river was calm as it passed along by. He rubbed his eyes again, and realised that he had not woken during the night screaming, fearful, from a nightmare, he had not spent time shivering under the bedclothes, frightened to open his eyes – just in case!

“Hungry?” George said and tilted the contents of the pan onto a plate “Don’t give Maisie any bacon, it isn’t good for her.”

“Thanks Mr George”

He grabbed at the plate and fork, looked up at George “Did I wake you up at all during the night?”

“Why? Should you have done/”

“I wasn’t shouting out anything or – or -”

“You snored a bit ..” George grinned and resumed a seat on a rock, balancing his meal on his knees, “Now come on, eat up.”

Davy released his breath and looked at the food, picked up his fork with the intention of doing serious damage to what was on the plate. He was free, the demon no longer haunted him here. No nightmares, just a good nights sleep. If he hadn’t been afraid that George would think he was a baby, Davy could have cried.

………………….

Hoss Cartwright was in the yard grooming Chubb when his brothers rode in and dismounted beside him. In a low voice and using hand signals perfected over the years Hoss conveyed to his brothers that their Father was not in the best of moods, in fact, he was smouldering.

“Why? What’s wrong with him?” Joe scowled, the last thing he needed was an irate parent snarling at him, he had not slept well, and was feeling on edge as it was…he glanced at his eldest brother “Do you have any idea about what’s wrong with him?”

Adam shrugged and tried to look thoughtful although at the back of his mind he had a vague glimmer of what or who the problem could be, he glanced at Hoss “Any indication as to what is the problem?”

Hoss shook his head, shrugged and was about to speak when the August Parent himself suddenly appeared on the porch, framed by the door, hands on hips and dark eyes glaring at each one of themselves

“Morning Pa” Joe nodded over to Ben, raised a hand in salute “Enjoy your – er – vacation?”

Adam merely looked down his nose at his father and raised his eyebrows, he prepared himself for whatever was to come and stood by his horse, flicking the reins back and forth between his fingers.

Ben stepped down to the yard and approached them, he stood at a little distance and then nodded,

“I did enjoy my vacation, Joseph. Roy and I went fishing, riding, checking things out, admiring the view and even did a quick inspection of the building .. “ he flicked his eyes to Adam, and then to Hoss “I understand you two,” he jabbed a finger at Hoss and Joe “intend to haul some lumber over to the site on Friday.”

“Yep, thought we would help Mac out and see how it’s getting on.” Joe said quickly, his lips smiling but his eyes anxious.

“Well, perhaps -” Ben hauled in a deep breath “perhaps it may be a good idea to go visit the neighbours while you’re there. The Malahides for instance…”

“Aaah,” Joe nodded, “I thought you’d already been -”

“Roy and I did go and introduce ourselves, and for some reason we were not well received…”

“Maybe we won’t be either -” Hoss said rather cautiously

“Somehow I don’t think you will be.” Ben retorted so that both Hoss and Joe glanced at one another, raised their eyebrows and wondered exactly what Ben was driving at.

“Umm, and the other neighbours? Adam told us there were two other ranchers in close proximity and -” Joe swallowed noticing from his brothers blank expression that he had strayed onto a subject better left unmentioned

“Ah yes, Mr Turnball and -” he glanced at Adam who muttered “Halliday” so that Ben nodded and said “Yes, Mr Halliday. They have the right to know we are on their doorstep, so to speak…”

“Pa -” Adam cleared his throat, a slight frown but otherwise looking unconcerned “Mr Halliday is not a rancher in the sense that Mr Malahide is….he’s experimenting with a new breed of cattle, Highland cattle from Scotland. And Mr Turnball is not a rancher either, he’s more of a dairy farmer, so it’s only Malahide -”

“Only Malahide -” Ben’s voice dripped ice “Only Malahide!” he nodded and his hands went on his hips again and he leaned slightly forward, his usual stance when about to ‘lose it’ “Malahide practically ran us off his ranch, his son looks likely to burn that building down as soon as it’s got the roof on, he has no intention of playing the good neighbour. So – I’m telling you boys – go check him out and make sure he knows that for one – Cartwrights arn’t to be trifled with, and for two – if he tried to make trouble over those cattle trucks he can think again and for three – “ he paused

“Yeah – for three, Pa?” Joe nudged and blinked his hazel eyes like an innocent new born

“For three – you’ll know what to say when you get there! Just make sure that any trouble he starts, we’ll finish.”

The three brothers nodded, and just stood there looking at their father until Ben growled something under his breath and turned to go back inside for his second cup of coffee.. They looked at one another, Hoss shrugged, Joe stared down at the ground and Adam rubbed the back of his neck.

“Reckon it could be as bad as he thinks?” Hoss asked Adam who shrugged and shook his head,

“I don’t know. I never met the man, had too much to do when I was down there to go visiting.”

Joe sighed “Perhaps we should have a horse stud farm instead of a cattle ranch, now I personally think that would be a really good alternative…” his voice drifted off as he watched his brothers walk towards the house, and he forced his feet to follow them.

Adam removed his hat as he went inside and smiled over at Hester who looked askance at him, shook her head and raised her eyes to heaven. The three of them made their way to where Ben sat at his desk, staring down at the ledgers as thought the numbers penned there were about to burst into flames

“Pa, about Malahide -” behind his back Hoss and Joe looked at one another and winced, talk about stepping into the lions den “Recall when you had the opportunity to run as Governor of this wonderful new territory of ours….”

Ben leaned back, gave his son a long lingering look as though suspicious of what was about to be said next “What about it?”

“Well, you ran a good campaign, remember?”

“I did – and I do – so what’s on your mind?”

“One of your ‘political allies’ at the time is now President of the Railroad that runs Malahides cattle to his various markets. Seems about the right time to renew your friendship, don’t you think?” he paused and looked at his father who was visibly relaxing, who looked thoughtful but obviously liking what he was hearing “And not only that, you – and I – have quite a few shares in the railway stock if I recall rightly. Probably combined we could out number Malahide and Mr Bristow – or Brandson whoever it happens to be – may have to compromise his stand a mite.”

Ben leaned forward, picked up a pen, toyed with it between his fingers and smiled “I hadn’t thought about that -”

“Didn’t think you had, Pa, but knew you’d get there in the end…” Adam replied with a daring touch of bravado.

Ben’s eyes narrowed, he was about to snap out a sharp rebuke but thought better of it, he nodded and smiled “I’ll get onto to it rightaway..”

Hoss nodded “Good idea, Pa.”

“Don’t let the grass grow under your feet, Pa.” Joe chipped in

Hester appeared, she looked from one to the other and said brightly “Anyone having coffee this morning, I’ve just made some fresh -”

………………

Reuben woke up and stretched, blinked his eyes open and smiled as he saw his mother standing at the foot of the bed. She must have been in the room some minutes because she was looking out of the window, and not at him. At the sound of his voice though she turned and smiled, approached the bed and sat down

“I came about five minutes ago, but you were still sound asleep. How are you feeling, dear?”

She took hold of his hand and squeezed his fingers, of course being a boy of nearly eleven he didn’t let her hold on for too long, he smiled though, happy to see her

“My head doesn’t hurt so much now”

“That’s good. Paul said you should be feeling much better today, so I’m glad you haven’t got the headache You’ve got lovely black eyes though.”

“I know…” he sighed as though not proud of his trophies, “I don’t understand why I have black eyes when Davy punched me in the nose.” he scowled and looked puzzled, then smiled “I can talk properly now…do I sound normal Ma?”

“You do, sweetheart.” and she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead

He wriggled slightly, and she smiled, knowing too well that her little boy who had loved cuddles so much was now growing up, he sighed “Ma, have they found Davy yet?”

Olivia shook her head “I don’t know, Reuben, I haven’t seen anyone to ask.”

“I hope he’s alright, Ma. I feel bad that maybe it was my fault -”

“I don’t think you should feel guilty about Davy, dear, he’s been a troubled boy for a while – and – he’s always been rather wild. You know that, don’t you?”

He nodded, and sighed “I guess….”

“Do you think you would like to come home later?”

“Yeah, I think so….” he smiled and then shyly put out a hand, resting it upon hers “Are you at the hospice today?”

“Yes, I’ll come back for you after I get the girls from school.”

She stood up, dropped another kiss on the top of his head and gave him the benefit of her smiles before she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

….

It was a fine day, the sky was blue, the sun was sliding in and out of small white clouds, making the windows of the properties in Virginia City gleam and sparkle. Storekeepers came out to sweep away the dust from the previous days toil, housewives left their homes, baskets over their arms ready to do their early morning shopping, Bridie Martin unlocked the doors to the hospice and stood there, waiting, smiling as she saw Olivia Cartwright walking hurriedly towards her.

Chapter 20

Mary Ann Cartwright closed her journal and slipped it into the drawer of her desk. She had not read through some of the entries she had penned during that terrible time when Joe had ‘disappeared’ because she had poured out her heart and soul in misery during those days, and it did not make for good reading. She knew that she would not read those weeks of words for many years to come, not until the memory had faded and she could then feel as though they were the angst ridden feelings of a stranger.

So why write them? She sighed and thought of all the journals she had written over the course of the years, and wondered again why she had used so much time and ink writing down her thoughts and feelings. Perhaps authors felt the same way as they spun words into stories, sitting at their desks with their fingers blackened with ink staring at a blank page and wondering…what will I put down next, what can this character do this time ..

She bowed her head and put a trembling hand to her brow, and thought of the day ahead… then stood up and smoothed down her skirts. Daniel was calling for her attention, and she knew that Constance would not be long behind her brother.

She had written down the fact that she wished Joe had a 9 to 5 job, that he worked in town and would come home safely at the end of the day. Yet even as she had written that she had known it could never happen. Something in Joe would die, and she had had to ask herself if that was really what she had wanted. It was just that she was dreading the coming few days when Joe would ride off with Hoss and into who knew what mess ..what trouble…they would find between them. Because when Joe and Hoss were together …well, somehow or other, things happened. She shuddered at the memory of some of their adventures together in the past, and some in the not so distant past either.

One thing she had decided was that she would not chase up Joe’s suggestion of going to the cabin with the children. Although she loved the place and was enamoured of the woodlands she could only imagine herself there with Joe, without him with her she felt as though cleaved in two. It also meant that Joe would not linger at the cattle station but return home sooner, she knew that would suit Hester as well who often commented that without Hoss by her side she felt like a one winged bird.

………..

Once Ben had succeeded in sending the three men on their way to work, he returned to his desk and considered what to say in his letter to the President of the Railway Company . He felt annoyed with himself that contact had been allowed to lapse over the years, but life had been busy for him, and no doubt for the Union Pacific Railway Head of Company. Ben scratched his chin, perhaps the man he had known was dead by now..in which case were he to write to him, as deceased, then his letter would be disregarded as coming from an ignorant fool who had not taken the time to keep fully up to date on modern life.

He got up and opened the safe, the door of which clanged open. He promptly began to rummage around and after a while found the necessary documents. He scowled, of course he should have remembered all this himself, he should not have needed Adam to prompt him, but – he sighed and shook his head – he still suffered from that shooting a while back, still had lapses, and he put this down as one of them.

He returned to the desk and spread out the documents in front of him…certificates of shares that he had paid out for back in 1874 when Jay Gould* had incorporated the Union Pacific with the Kansas Pacific Railway*. Now memories flooded back into his mind and he sat for a while just staring at the shares, while he drifted back in time to when he had been on first name terms with Gould.

There had been the time when he had thought to run as Governor of the new territory and that was when he had first met Jay Gould and his partner James Fisk. A more plausible pair of rogues it was hard to imagine, and even now Ben congratulated himself for not falling prey to one of their schemes. He had been in contact with Gould over the years, but not recently. He knew that Fisk had been shot in 1872 by his long time mistress’ new lover, * but that had not held Gould back and the combining of the Pacific Union with the Kansas Pacific had resulted in benefits to homesteaders and ranchers alike, taking their produce to far flung parts of the States.

He picked up his pen and dipped it into the inkwell. The blank sheet of paper confronted him and he paused to consider what to do next…surely if Gould had died he would have known, he would have read about it. He cleared his throat, nothing ventured, nothing gained he told himself, and promptly began his letter.

Hester collected up her children – Hope and Erik – and made her way to see Mary Ann where the children would play peaceably together and she and her dear friend would catch up on the latest news. With Olivia in town for the day Hester knew that the matter of Hoss and Joe’s trip to the Cattle Station would be high on the agenda for discussion. She duly armed herself with things to say, because she knew only too well the sensitivities of her younger friend.

Hester did not take the buggy, why waste time when they all had two legs and could easily manage the mile plus walk to the other house. True she knew that she would have to carry Erik part way, but the older he became the further along the track he would walk before demanding attention. She closed the door behind them, having called out goodbye to Ben and Hop Sing, straightened Erik’s collar and nodded her approval, with a smile and a nod of her golden red head Hester strode away, her two children gambolling like little lambs close to her skirts.

………………..

Derwent Jessop was riding at a steady lope towards the Ponderosa ranches when he noticed the three brothers riding almost parallel in the direction he had been going. He gave a shout and raised a hand in the hope of drawing their attention to him, and after shouting and waving several more times he was relieved to notice them pause their horses and turn in his direction.

He walked his horse towards them with a slight smile on his face. Was a time when a Jessop on their land meant guns drawn and shots fired. Was a time when hostilities were taken for granted, a matter of life and death, and all because of his wretch of a cousin causing so much harm with the Bishops over the Truckee Strip.

No point in dwelling on that now, he smiled widely as the three men drew their horses up beside him, leaned forward to shake his hand

“Good to see you, Derwent, Everything going well with you?” Hoss asked affably.

“Got a problem – “ Derwent replied hoping he didn’t sound too brusque so that they didn’t get the wrong idea, he didn’t want them to think he was accusing them of anything after all, so he looked at Adam and Joe who were still smiling waiting for him to speak

“What kind of problem?” Joe asked now, leaning back in the saddle and looking at Derwent thoughtfully,

“Everything all right with Luke and Marcy?” Adam glanced over Jessops’ shoulder as though he expected to see Luke riding up behind his friend and neighbour

“They’re fine and well, Adam. Building up a good herd. Thing is -” he sighed “it’s the stream. It’s drying up and I wondered if we could check it out together to see what’s going on.”

“Just your section, Derwent ?” Hoss narrowed his eyes, thinking about that stream and the trouble it had caused in the past.

Back along the stream had been a point of contention between the Jessops and Cartwrights. Derwents father, a man as mean as his nephew, had claimed it ran through their land, but Ben had the paper work to prove it did no such thing. Not so long ago when it seemed another feud was about to break out between the two families, a solution had been resolved, one that suited everyone. The stream had been a rich source of water for Cartwright cattle ever since they had first grazed on that patch of land but not so far away the Jessops land was dry during summer, but became like a bog when the stream overflowed during winter.

By diverting the stream so that it flowed through Jessops land without affecting the water on the Ponderosa side, the problem had been solved. Fed by the snow melt from the mountains that filled the subterranean lakes the stream had continued to provide water for both Ponderosa and Jessops cattle. It had been back breaking work to dig out the channel for the newly formed stream but well worth every effort.

The four men turned their horses in the direction of the stream just a few miles away, each of them sure there was an easy solution to the problem as the stream had never ran dry, and should at that time be running at full capacity

Talk turned to the cattle station, Derwent asking what plans they had for it, who was going to over see it, and was everything going smoothly.

“It’s fine, ‘cept Pa thinks he found a hornets nest….” Hoss muttered in that off hand don’t take me too seriously tone of voice

“What’s that?”

“Who more like…” Hoss nodded “A man called Malahide.”

Jessop nodded “I heard about him, you need to watch your back with him. He’s a mean cuss alright.”

“How’d you get to know him?” Joe now wanted to know, after all Derwent never went anywhere, never had gone anywhere either in all the years they had known him

“My brother rode with Jake Malahide for a while, causing trouble down Virginia way…I heard a lot about Jake and his family. They’re poison.”

“Good thing we’ve built the cattle station some miles from their borders then.” Joe quipped and grinned his easy going grin

“Doubt if that will make a mite of different with old man Malahide. He’s been king pin there for a whole lotta time…and with Jake riding shot gun, well, just expect trouble.”

“That guarantee’d” Adam asked with his dark eyes half hooded and his mouth grim

“Maybe they may have calmed down a bit, in which case all well and good. Just be prepared…”

The four men made their way to where the stream, which often resembled a small river, was burbling its way over the rocks and boulders, clean and clear and flowing through some of the best and most lush arable land on the Ponderosa. Had they been farmers instead of ranchers the crops grown here would have provided a rich yield annually and made them affluent. The cattle grazing there were fat and sleek, many showing evidence of a bumper crop of calves to birth soon which would keep them busy for a while to come

But the stream that made its way down towards the Jessops land was a mere apology of its former glory and each man there looked at one another with some concern, if this stream dried up what did it say about the other water courses elsewhere upon which their cattle were dependent.

“That’s strange, shouldn’t be like this at this time of year.” Hoss muttered.

“Let’s ride further along, may be due to some obstruction….there were high winds during the winter and we haven’t checked this area for some time.” Joe suggested

It was a suggestion all three were more than willing to follow, and they turned their horses in the direction of the streams source, riding through the green grasses and early spring flowers as they made their way, although none paid heed to the beauty around them as their minds concentrated on the matter on hand.

Chapter 21

For some reason George had chosen not to continue on to the settlement. He sat by the fire rolling his cigarettes and smoking them leisurely, while Davy ran back and forwards looking at the puppies, picking them up, putting them down and then asking George when he expected to move on. In the light of this new day Davy could see that George was not such a young man as he had supposed. He could see streaks of grey in his hair and his cheeks were hollow while his eyes had dark pouches beneath them. Perhaps living the life of a wanderer did not suit him as much as he said and Davy began to have his first doubts about continuing the journey with him.

“Are we going to use the wagon today, Mr George?” “Do you want me to harness the horse, Mr George, I can do that….” “Is the settlement very far from here, Mr George.”

‘Mr George finally got tired of the questions and stirred himself to stand up and stretch. He looked up at the sky and then at the boy

“Looks like it’s going to stay a fine dry sunny day, boy. Now, we have a good fire going here, Maisie can feed her pups without being bumped over every lump in the road the dang horse will find, and there are fish in the river just waiting on us to catch them. So how about some fishing….”

It was not really a question,it was a statement because George was striding towards the wagon and rummaging around among some sacks and buckets and a myriad of other things until he produced two fishing rods, he handed one to Davy and nodded towards the river, “Fresh fish cooked over the fire….nothing better, ‘specially when caught by oneself.”

Davy could remember Reuben saying the same thing, boasting about the fresh fish he and his Pa would catch when they were on their hunting trips. For a moment, as he trailed behind George, Davy wondered how Reuben was, and whether or not the boy still thought of him as a friend. He shrugged, well it hardly mattered now, whatever Reuben thought of him was of no consequence because Davy had already made up his mind that he would never be going back to Virginia City, never.

……..

‘Ham’ Rubenstein was just one of the town’s drunks. There were plenty of them, since the mining businesses were closing down, and folk were leaving town for the next bonanza being talked about there were a great number of unemployed men who scraped a living by doing odd jobs or – even worse – by begging and then going to the saloons and spending it all on drink. Ham was one of them. He worked hard when he was given work to do, and he was reliable and punctual, and he tried to keep clean, but all the same he was more often than not seen huddled beneath the stairs of some building cradling a bottle of some rot gut in his arms as precious to him as a new born babe to a woman.

He presented himself to the Sheriff at about the time Davy was sitting down by the river with rod in hand, hoping to catch at least one fish. On the Ponderosa the Cartwrights and Jessop were riding along the banks of the stream, hoping they would find the source of the problems that were causing it to have dried up. Nate and Mark were checking over Wanted posters, and muttering to one another about the business of the day. They paused immediately the door opened and turned to look at Ham, who stood ,framed, with the sun blazing down behind him. He was, in fact, a dazzling sight!

Nate struggled to remember the man’s name, but Mark recalled arresting the man several times and addressed him as “Mr Rubenstein – what can we do for you?”

The man hesitated, then removed his battered hat and stepped further into the room, glancing from the sheriff to the deputy as though uncertain as to whether or not this was a wise move on his part. Mark nodded towards the stove “Coffee?”

Rubenstein nodded and gratefully sat down, placed his hat in his lap and folded his hands on its brim. He was ready to take flight at any time.

“What brings you here, Mr Rubenstein?” Nate asked, his slow deep drawl indicating his sincere interest in the man

‘Ham’ Rubenstein was grateful for the courtesy accorded to him by the Sheriff, addressing him by his surname was something the man prized, rather than being called by the name they taunted him with in town. He took the coffee gratefully, and wrapped his fingers around the cup.

“I hear you’re looking for a boy – the undertaker’s son?”

“We are – have you seen him in town?” Nate replied instantly, leaning forward across the desk as though this missing boy was the most important thing in his life at that moment

“Davy his name?”

They nodded, and Rubenstein swallowed some coffee. There was no sugar in it but then that would have been a luxury for him anyway. He drank some more then put the cup on the desk.

“He was a sad child, used to come and sit along with us at night, just sit there, and drink whatever was handed over to him. Didn’t seem to want to talk any, just would sit staring into the fire if we had one, just for a few hours every night.”

“And what else, Mr Rubenstein, did you see him the day he left town?”

“I saw him Monday – he was curled up under the stairway leading up top the apartment above the fancy ladies fashion store.” for a moment his eyes drifted as though he were looking deeper into the scene, deeper into the recesses of memories and times when he was younger and life was better. He sighed and shrugged “I was going to go and see what was wrong with him, after all I knew he was s’posed to be in school.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He flicked his eyes to Mark, then shrugged again, “A man saw him and went to see if he was alright. A stranger.”

“A stranger? You never saw him before then?” Mark perched on the corner of the desk, looking at the other man, eyes narrowed.

“I knew it was Davy, recognised the clothes he was wearing. I would have come sooner but only just heard that he was missing so came right here to tell you what I seen.”

“We’re very grateful for that, Mr Rubenstein,” Nate replied with a nod of the head as though to emphasise the fact “Did this man talk to Davy?”

“I watched for a while, just to make sure he wasn’t meaning no harm … but he sat down beside the boy and they got to talking. I left them to it…..” he looked at the two law men, wondering if they would blame him for leaving the boy with this stranger.

“What did he look like – this stranger?” Nate asked immediately

Rubenstein screwed up his eyes and pondered the question, then gave as good a description as he could of Georgeson. Mark and Nate glanced at one another, it could have been anybody in town, stranger or not. Nate thought for a moment then picked up the wad of recently received Wanted posters “Would you look through those, Mr Rubenstein, and see if your stranger fits any of these men .”

“I ain’t lying you know…” Rubenstein said defensively, and shrunk back in the chair, but Nate raised a hand to placate his fears so that he took the pile of posters and began to slowly look at them.

Time ticked by and Rubenstein was unhurried, another cup of coffee was placed by his elbow. Nate began to write up a report of what Rubenstein had told them. Mark wandered off to take coffee to one of the inmates in the cell.

Finally Rubenstein pushed the posters away and shook his head. Nate sighed “Well it was just a long shot anyway. You didn’t see the stranger or Davy after that…”

“No, not at all.” Rubenstein stood up, “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you more…”

“You told us plenty, Mr Rubenstein…if I could just have your full name….” Nate smiled and waited, pen poised.

“My family were theatre folk….” Rubenstein muttered “I had a sister called Ophelia, another called Desdemona…” he paused as Mark cleared his throat, “They called me Hamlet…rather unfortunate really…”

“Unusual, Mr Rubenstein….” Nate smiled out of courtesy and wrote Hamlet alongside Rubenstein.

“For a Jew – “ Rubenstein shook his head “No, unfortunate because most people nowadays call me ‘Ham’”

The two law men watched him leave the room, pause at the doorway and turn around “Thank you.”

…………

Amy Tombs smiled at Mark as he stepped into her office. She was always rather homely, but marriage suited her and she was blooming. Being a proficient businesswoman had also given her a polish that had been lacking in her rather timid character previously. She asked him to sit and then asked him if it was something important he needed to discuss with her

“It’s about this missing boy, Ma’am, David Riley.”

She nodded gravely, the name meant nothing to her, but if the boy were missing then it was obviously a matter of concern. “How can I help?”

“He was seen on Monday hereabouts….under the stairway to the apartment above the store in fact.”

“Oh. Well.” she paused and frowned “Do you want to see if he is hiding up there? It is empty just now the last tenant moved out a little while ago….”

He stood up, nodded and so she led him to the stairs that Mr Downing, a previous tenant, had had built in to save him having to go outside to get to his living quarters. They went inside and Mark looked around and nodded again, he walked around and opened doors, stared into empty rooms – empty of human beings but not of furniture – and then sighed. No sign of Davy or a stranger.

“We would have heard him if he had hidden up here.” Amy said as she relocked the door.

“You didn’t notice anyone outside at all…Davy or a stranger…”

“I didn’t but then I’m either in the office or work room during the day. I’ll ask the girls.”

She cleared her throat and clapped her hands and got the attention of the four ladies who served the public in the store. They turned obediently to look at her and the deputy, and listened to her attentively. One woman put her hand up as though she were at school again,and keen to answer the teacher “I did see someone under the stairway – I had to go to to the Mercantile during lunch break and saw a boy there. I would have asked him what he was doing but was in a hurry and when I got back here he was gone, same as the wagon…”

“What wagon?” Mark asked immediately

“There was a wagon close by, with a dog in it…it snapped and snarled at me which was another reason why I didn’t hang around but came right inside, Then I never thought any more about it….”

Another hand went up, rather timidly this time, “I saw a man – a stranger – “ she paused and glanced at another woman “You remember, Hortense, it was when Mrs Clifton had dropped her box of – items -” she paused as though identifying the items would have been immodest “ and I went to pick them up and as I turned to come back inside I saw a man getting into a wagon – and it had a dog inside”

“You didn’t see a boy with him?”

She shook her head, then the four of them looked at one another as though each had to say something to collaborate the story. But there was nothing more to be said. He nodded and thanked them, thanked Amy and bade them goodbye

When he returned to the office Ethan Burns was already there, about to start his shift. When Mark had related what he had learned from the ladies at ‘Amy’s Ladies Fashions’ Ethan recalled that Adam Cartwright had mentioned the fact that the boy would have left town…driven out by a vehicle of some kind. He didn’t mention it however, feeling that perhaps he should have done earlier, but then – they should have realised themselves anyway, shouldn’t they?

Chapter 22

The four men rode at a casual and comfortable lope, their horses strong legs carrying them forward across the now rockier terrain. The stream was still flowing but not with the usual ferocity of a spring time thaw when the frozen waters in the mountains would swell the streams and rivers which were fed from the underground lakes and pools

Derwent spent a little time in conversation with Joe, asking him how things had gone with him since he had disappeared and sympathising because he would have gone crazy. Joe had agreed, said he had thought he was crazy at the time and even for a while afterwards. It reminded him that Derwent had been one of those whom Adam had mentioned joining the search parties so he thanked the young man for his time and trouble which made Derwent wish he had been even more diligent

Fact was most believed Joe would never have been found, not alive anyway. Folk in the search party had started drifting back to their own lives and families long before the final clues had been made that had led the Cartwrights to Joe’s hiding place, so he shrugged Joe’s thanks off and muttered something akin to ‘Most tried to do what good neighbours should have done….’

Joe continued to ride alongside Jessop while his thoughts turned to another Jessop from long ago, when a cruel savage action had killed his then love of his life. Little Amy Bishop…shy, naïve little Amy who just could not understand why there had to be killing and shooting over a bit of land when both her father and Ben Cartwright had had so much already. As they jogged along Joe recalled the times he had spent with her, she had been like a child, so innocent, so young. And had he ever been that young himself? He sighed, she had been right though, the killing had been senseless, and her death the most senseless of all.

It had been Amy’s death that had turned Derwent Jessop into the man he was now, a pacifist, never known to have worn a gun since the day Amy had been killed. It was as though he has seen the true face of his cousin, of his brother and father, and had vowed never to be anything like them, never.

It had crossed Adam’s mind – for he had also drifted back in time – that had Derwent Jessop been anything like his family there would have been guns drawn and shots fired along with accusations of the water having been cut off deliberately by the Cartwrights. They would have taken no heed that the water flowing on their land was there out of benevolence on the Cartwrights part. When old man Jessop had been about to create another war because he claimed the land through which the stream flowed had belonged to them, it had been their idea to divert it onto Jessop land. Anything for peace. Anything to stop needless killing again.

So they all three had total confidence in Derwent’s anxiety about the stream, and hoped that the cause of it was through natural causes rather than human. More boulders and rocks, gravel loose beneath the horse’s feet so that they slipped at times as they climbed the incline to the area where the stream emerged from the cliffs.

Inwardly all four of them breathed a sigh of relief…no human agency had created this dam, nature in its fury during one of the storms of winter had brought down a tree, and loose boulders along with it, The tree and the boulders had formed an inadequate dam. One through which water flowed but not to the capacity of which it was capable. They drew in their horses and dismounted, drawing their horses along to the waters edge so that they could drink their fill.

“Looks like we got ourselves some work here -” Hoss declared and tipped back his hat, scratched his head.

“We need some saws …some shovels…some man power…” Joe sighed and squatted on his haunches, snatched up a blade or two of grass and stuck them in his mouth to chew on

“Would take too long, we need a block and tackle, some chains…get it lifted up and swung over to the river bank.” Adam said with all the authority of being an engineer and knowing what he was talking about.

“At least we know the problem…” Derwent muttered and frowned “I could get some men up here today, we could start clearing the boulders at least.”

They nodded, the idea made sense after all the land was closer to Jessops boundary, the cause of the disagreement all those years ago. Adam glanced up at the sky “By the time we get back for the tools we need to remove that tree, it’ll be dark….”

Hoss decided to pull off his boots and socks and wade into the water. He paddled around the tree, noticing its girth, the size of the roots and branches and scratched his head again

“We could try to shift it now, use our ropes, then get the horses to take the weight. Seems the tree came down first, and the rocks and mess came down and was stopped from travelling on by the trees bulk.”

Adam frowned, then nodded “We can but try – even if it just shifts to the side a little. Those branches are big, Hoss. That’s some tree…”

“Yeah, some age to it.” Joe said looking at the thickness of the branches.

“They need sawing off first…” Jessop volunteered to say knowing from experience how the Cartwright brothers could get into a disagreement about anything if they put their minds to it.

Hoss spat into the palms of his hands and rubbed them together, “Let’s try shifting it anyhows, better than just wasting time talking about it…”

“What if I ride back and get some men and tools to saw through those branches while you do that..” Derwent suggested

The brothers nodded agreement and while Derwent turned his horse round to return back to his ranch, they removed their boots and socks and waded into the water, lariats in their hands, searching for the best areas in which to cast their ropes.

Chubb II, Navejo and Sport moved away from the rivers edge as though they suspected what was about to come…but they stood side by side resolutely, loyal as always, heads bowed and staring at the ground rather than watching three grown men ‘frolicking about’ in the water.

………….

George had been right about the fish. Davy had been thrilled when he caught his first one, not a very big one to be true but the second one was a good size. Together with George’s catch they had made a good mid day meal of them. Maisie had come and shared it with them, sitting close to Davy, snapping up the food that the boy had tossed to her.

Now his stomach was full to bursting, and he went to the wagon and checked on the puppies with Maisie by his side. She jumped into the wagon and settled down for them to suckle, closed her eyes and went to sleep. He watched them for a while and once or twice leaned over the side of the wagon to scratch behind her ears. Then he returned to the fire where George was rolling a cigarette.

“I wish I had a dog.” he said as he settled down on the grass, “My Pa wouldn’t let me have a dog, nor a cat either. We needed to have a cat ‘cos there were lots of mice down there, what with the bodies and all…”

“Yeah, you said your Pa was an undertaker. Not a profession I would want , no sir…” he put the loose tobacco back into a pouch, then stuck the cigarette in his mouth and picked out a burning twig to light it. After a few puffs he narrowed his eyes through the smoke and shook his head “A strange profession if you ask me.”

“Pa said someone had to do it.” Davy sighed and stared into the flames “What did you do, before you went to wandering around.”

George sighed and stared out into the distance as though the journey down memory lane was a longer one that he had expected. “I told ya, I went to sea -” .

“Were you a kid then?”

“I was twelve, my Ma was a widow, struggling to survive with six kids, so I thought I would ease her burden and go to sea, send her the money I earned. It was hard, harder than I thought for, but once the first two or three years were over it got a lot easier. By then I was old enough and with enough experience to bully the new boys that came on board. Then I got to take my Midshipmans exam…first step up the ladder ..I even got a cabin amidships. That’s why we were called Midshipmen, see, ‘cos we had berths mid ship.” he grinned and spat some tobacco out of his mouth.

“I remember my friend bringing in a model ship. It was called the Shenandoah. He was real proud of it.” Davy sighed, that was when things were going well, he had friends, a gang …he gulped….not now though he reminded himself.

“Shendandoah huh? Yeah, I recall seeing her berthed at times.” he frowned, “I left the sea when I was about 20. Maybe I should have stayed…got caught up in the war between states….I was working in a shipyard then, I made ships instead of sailed in ’em. Got to be a qualified shipwright.”

“Did you like it, building ships?”

“It was a good job..but that war put an end to that when the shipping yard got burned down. Since then I just travelled around and did work when and where I could.” he looked sharply at Davy who was listening attentively, “Don’t you like living in the town with your folks? No doubt they’ll be missing you by now.”

“Mebbe…but they won’t miss me, not really. And I don’t like school. Ain;t nothing to miss, not really.”

“You sure about that, Davy?”

He nodded, sighed and plucked up some more grass which he twirled around his fingers “Did you like school, Mr George?”

“Nope…another reason why I quit home.” he bowed his head, and drew hard on the cigarette as though he didn’t want to talk any more so Davy kept quiet and just sat there, staring into the fire.

…………………..

Jimmy, Phil and Tommy crowded around Reuben, enjoying some of Tilly’s cake and lemonade. The subject of their discussion was of course, their missing comrade, Davy Riley. It seemed that was all they could talk about, wondering and wishing and hoping.

“Mrs Riley don’t seem so bothered about him now. She ain’t crying and bawling and carrying on like she had been at first.” Phil said, cramming his mouth with the last crumb of cake on his plate.”My Ma said that she just enjoyed all the fuss, all the food folk were bringing her…”

They nodded, wise in the ways of the adult world, and feeling sorry for Davy having a Ma like Mrs Riley.

“I heard that the Sheriff has formed a posse and they’re riding out of town looking for him.” Tommy looked at the plates, all empty, not a crumb left on them…he sighed, “They wanted my Pa to go with them, but he had too much work to do.”

The other three boys wondered what amount of work a man running a music shop would have that prevented him from joining a posse in search of a missing boy but no one said anything. They just looked at one another and raised their eyebrows or rolled their eyes. Tommy was too busy looking at the empty plate to notice.

“Do you think we could go looking for him? I mean, he could be back in the caves where we found the dead people…” Jimmy looked at them, but their faces were blank “You could pretend to feel ill and not want to go back home with your Ma, Reuben, and then we could sneak out tonight and go looking for him. Your horse is still in the livery and -”

“My Pa wouldn’t let me.” Tommy said as he reached for more cake and placed it reverently on his plate. “He’d tan my hide if he knew”

“Why would he know unless you told him” Reuben asked and then felt guilty because he would not want to do anything behind his father’s back so why should he expect Tommy to be different

“It won’t work…” Phil, ever cautious, said quietly, “We have to get to school, and if we all happen to be ill the same day then they’ll get suspicious.”

There were nods of agreement, all of them, although they would not admit it, felt relief at not having to undertake the risk of searching for Davy.

“What if he’s dead already?” Jimmy said quietly as he also reached for some more cake.

“No, he isn’t dead, hiding perhaps but not dead.” Reuben replied staunchly and shook his head, it would be inconceivable for Davy to be dead…he looked at his three companions, all three nodded in agreement. There was too much life in Davy for him to be dead, although inwardly they all admitted to themselves that a lot of that life had been missing recently.

The clock struck the hour and the boys got to their feet, “Will you be back at school tomorrow?” Jimmy asked Reuben

“I hope so.” he grinned, “If Pa says so….”

“What if Doc Martin says you can’t and you have to stay here?” Philip said as he turned to leave the room, but to that Reuben only shrugged and shook his head, how would he know? He was not a Doctor, he was just a kid!

Chapter 23

The two law men left the office and headed for their horses. Nate had decided to leave Mark in charge of anything that could happen in town, he had come to respect Marks reliability and his affability with the townsfolk. He had a personality that remained unruffled no matter what problem presented itself.

They paused as they reached the horses and Nate turned to look at his new Deputy, and smiled, “Well, Deputy, what do you suggest we do now?”

Ethan cleared his throat, he knew perfectly well that Nate knew exactly what to do and was testing him out. He wished that he was a little bit taller as the sheriff towered over him, he glanced over his shoulder, ran a hand through his hair before replacing his hat.

“Follow the tracks of vehicles leaving town, until we hit upon a single set of wheels heading away from any homestead.”

“Mmm…” Nate narrowed his eyes and nodded, “You don’t think he could have jumped onto a passing wagon and headed to some nearby homestead or ranch?”

“Why’d he do that if he were running away….”

“What makes you think he’s running away?”

Ethan released his breath “Well, he hasn’t come back, has he?”

“What about the Ponderosa…head out of town and it isn’t long before you come onto their land. There’s a lot of it….”

“So I hear. “ Ethan smiled slowly and shrugged “But I think he would have relied on this stranger to know that, or -” he grimaced “perhaps not, we’ll find out when we follow the tracks”

Nate smiled and nodded “True enough…let’s go see if we can find this young man and bring him home.”

………………

“Wait!” Adam held up a hand to follow his order and his two brothers turned to glare at him

“What for?” Hoss demanded, hands on hips and scowling, just like his father.

“This isn’t going to work…that’s what for….” Adam frowned and stepped back a few paces “Look at the tree for Pete’s sake….”

“We’ve been looking at the darn thing for the past hour.” Joe snapped, and tossed his hat to the ground, although he did turn to observe the tree again with more doubt on his face than enthusiasm.

“Look, the roots are huge…” Adam pointed out and his brothers nodded, “And the branches are spanning the stream full width…”

“Yeah…so?” Hoss narrowed his eyes and looked at the tree again. “The roots arn’t in the stream all we got to do is haul some ropes over the main branches…” he paused and frowned, “Shucks, I see what you mean.”

“We need to get those branches chopped off before we can move it.” Joe sighed and swung his lariat, back and forth while he pursed his lips and thought about the problem.

“We need to wait for Derwent and some men…” Hoss nodded and looked at Adam for approval

“And a block and tackle to sift the trunk once the lesser branches are cut off, and the main branches cut back “

“Shucks, that will mean coming back tomorrow …” Hoss pushed his hat to the back of his head, and scowled “That’ll put us back another days work, Pa won’t be happy.”

“We can’t leave it all to Derwent and his men -” Adam pointed out, “We have some responsibility here.”

His brothers nodded and sighed, Hoss scratched his head having removed his hat, and Joe rubbed his chin. “So – what do you suggest? That we stand around play nursemaid to this lump of wood?”

“No, we start removing those rocks and boulders” Adam pointed to the pile up of the rocks, some were large, some not so large, but in the main they were damming up behind and around the trees branches causing their own damming process. “That will make the way clearer for the men to get to the tree, and it may also help the water to flow through easier…” he stepped into the water and waded around the mass of rocks and nodded “It’s actually pinning some of the branches down…”

“Let’s get to it then, “ Hoss said and rubbed his hands together again, nudged Joe and together they stepped back into the water.

For an hour they picked out rocks that each of them would have no difficulty in handling. They hauled them up, and carried them to an area where they could cause no further damage. After an hour they faced the bigger rocks and now formed a chain passing them from one to the other …Hoss carried them over as he could bear the weight easier.

The water was getting shallower as the water began to flow more freely passing through the branches of the fallen tree, emerging beyond it and burbling its way downwards, already showing a marked difference.

“Well now,” Adam paused and looked up the sky, then at the remaining rocks, “Reckon on Derwent getting here any time soon?”

“Another thirty minutes should do it.” Joe replied wiping around his neck with a limp bandanna. He ached round his arms and shoulders and there was a noticeable niggle in his lower back. Hauling rocks was not his idea of a good days work… or rather an enjoyable one.

“Only these six to go…” Adam made a rather theatrical gesture towards the large boulders that stuck up like teeth from the water. He pushed one and it didn’t move an inch.

“It’ll take the three of us -” Joe muttered, “Hoss, you reckon you can shift these loose so we can haul them out.”

Hoss spat into the palm of his hands and rubbed them together, squared his shoulders and approached the nearest boulder. He pushed it and it moved, and he grinned triumphantly at his elder brother as though reminding Adam of just how puny he was in comparison to himself. He pushed and he shoved a bit more , the boulder rocked back and forth and finally shifted.

Joe and Adam cheered, Joe applauded for good measure. They both stepped back and allowed Hoss to push and shove the boulder, Joe slapped him on the back as he passed by and Adam cheered him on. He reached the bank and hauled the boulder up and over and rolled it successfully to where the others had been piled up. The he straightened up and wiped his hands on the back of his pants.

“Well done, brother.” Adam said as Hoss returned to the stream and joined them in the water

“Only another five to go…” Joe said and put a hand on the next boulder along, giving it a gentle shove, one that wouldn’t have moved a pebble

Hoss nodded, bent his knees and put his hands onto the boulder and pushed. It moved, rocked, slipped back into position, so he shoved it again, and again. His brothers stepped back and Joe grinned, nudged Adam “Amazing isn’t he?”

“A machine couldn’t do it better.” Adam agreed

“Perhaps when he’s done with the boulders he can try shifting the tree….” Joe suggested with a grin and a wink

“Mmm, could try I guess.” Adam folded his arms across his chest, nodded and watched as Hoss strained and pushed and shoved. “Do you think we should give him a hand?”

“Nah, he’s doing fine, we’ll only get in the way.”

“Mmm, reckon so.”

The last boulder stood firm despite all of Hoss’ huffing and puffing, so when he stood up and wiped his face with his handkerchief, and stretched his back his two brothers came forward rubbing hands together, stretching out their shoulders and nodding as though they knew all about shifting this obstinate lump of rock.

Together they leaned into the boulder, and together they pushed and heaved and shoved, it shifted a little. Adam stepped back and exhaled a deep breath “We need a lever.-”

“Good idea – “ Joe nodded and looked around for something they could use for such a task.

Several sturdy branches that had broken off during the trees collapse into the stream were found, and by placing them in strategic positions around the base of the rock, the three brothers strained and pushed and shoved until finally the boulder moved along, settled like a tooth settling into a a socket left by a previous tooth. “Shucks,” Hoss said and spat into the water.

“Try some more….” Adam suggested and put his back into it.

“Heave, Hoss, come on, don’t leave it all to us…” Joe yelled as he hauled down on the branch which promptly snapped in half.

Half an hour later the boulder was finally resting against its fellows and the three Cartwrights stood together to survey them. “Dang, that took some doing,” Joe muttered examining a blister on his hand.

Hoss raised his eyebrows and shook his head, then stepped backwards, tripped over some obscure branch and began to fall. The branches of the tree had – as Adam mentioned earlier – reached out beyond the banks of the stream and he and Joe watched in bemusement as Hoss fell through some minor branches to land entangled among the branches.

A flow of words streamed out of Hoss’ mouth not fit for ladies ears, Joe doubled up with laughter and Adam shook his head as he leaned forward to proffer his hand to his hapless brother “Hoss, this is not the time to be fooling around.”

It took no more than a minute for Hoss to have yanked his brothers hand and hauled him forward, off his feet and into the tree. “Now who’s fooling around -” he quipped as he struggled to disentangle himself while Joe was almost rolling on the ground with laughter as he watched both his brothers fighting back branches and limbs of the tree to get back onto solid ground…although that was not the only thought running through Hoss’ head at that particular moment as he glared at his youngest brother and thought of various ways of reprisal…recognising the look in his brothers eyes stopped Joe from laughing, he took to his heels and ran for it, leapt into Navejo’s saddle and yelled “See you back home….”

Adam brushed himself down and shook his head, picked up his hat and dusted it against his leg. He looked at Hoss who looked at him and was about to say something when they heard the sound of horses. Derwent and six of his men were making their way towards them, a wagon among them in which he had brought all the necessary tools to move the tree ..the only obstacle now left to get the waters flowing freely again.

Chapter 24

Joe was some distance from the site of the stream by the time Jessop and his men had arrived. He didn’t turn from cantering on towards the main home where he assumed his father would still be labouring over his letter to Gould.

The memory of Hoss hauling at those stones caused a chuckle of course, along with admiration too. He and Adam had never been a match against Hoss, not even when they were together – one against two. His big brother – he smiled again with pride – he was just great!

Ben came from the stables just as Joe cantered into the yard. He stood there looking bemusedly around him and put his head to one side “If I recall rightly three of you rode out, how come you’re the only one home? Are your brothers still working hard on those water holes….?”

Joe shrugged “No, I just got from there, didn’t manage to do them all on my own….”

“What do you mean? It shouldn’t have taken the three of you the whole day to clear them out…”

Joe frowned and was sorely tempted to ask his dear parent when was the last time he checked out the water holes, let alone cleared any of them out! He bit his tongue and followed Ben into the house while he explained the events of the day, meeting Derwent, shifting the rock, showed his father the blisters he got as a result and then going on to check out the water holes…

“So where are your brothers?” Ben scowled as he stepped into the house, ruffled Erik’s hair as the boy bounded up to him like an oversized puppy, “Still at the stream clearing that log with Jessop?”

“I guess so,” Joe picked up an apple as he passed the table, and sat down on the settee where Erik joined him, rather sticky from whatever it was he had been playing with, but Joe was used to sticky kids by then and just put an arm around the boy to give him a hug

“Well, guess it serves two purposes getting it cleared, Derwent may be a totally different person to his father and other kin -” he frowned, and sat down on the chair opposite to Joe, narrowed his eyes to survey the man, and the child, “I got that letter sent off to Gould. Ezra took it into town earlier..”

“Ah – “ Joe nodded approvingly, and bit into the apple, Erik sidled away and ran to get an apple for himself then decided to join his sister Hope, at play in another room. The sound of Hester talking to Hop Sing trickled into the room like background music, “Do you think he’ll remember you?”

Ben looked at Joe as though he couldn’t believe what he had just heard, as if anyone could forget Ben Cartwright! He squared his shoulders and rubbed his chin “You still going to the cattle station with Hoss on Friday?”

“Yeah -” Joe chomped on the apple, smacked his lips, took another bite

“I’ve been thinking about that -”

“Well, we promised to help Mac as he’s a man short, and I don’t like to break promises, besides, I’m curious to see how the place is shaping up.”

Ben sighed “Look, Joe, as you’re so determined to go -”

“Yep, I am, so what do you want me to do – or not ?” Joe looked his father in the eye and Ben shrugged, grimaced before he said anything further

“I don’t want you going anywhere near the Malahides…in fact, don’t even let your shadow go over the boundary line into their territory.”

“Oh!” Joe took the last bite of the apple and then tossed the core into the fire, he shook his head “Why not? I thought it would be polite to go introduce ourselves..”

“I’ve already done that, the courtesy call…as good neighbours should …and there is no reason for you to go make the same mistake. Malahide doesn’t like having close neighbours – particularly from the Ponderosa.” he paused and rubbed the back of his neck, frowned, “I don’t want trouble , Joe. I don’t want you particularly involved in any trouble, do you hear?”

“Why should there be any trouble, Pa? Seems to me you don’t trust me – or Hoss – is that it?” he strove to look pained, but he understood exactly what Ben was saying, just that sometimes he enjoyed teasing the old man.

“Joe, trusting you to find trouble is exactly what I do have total confidence in, your ability to get into it up to your neck has been an achievement I have seen develop more and more as you grow older. I thought by now, you would have out grown your traits as a youth, but no, it hasn’t, so I’m telling you again, avoid the Malahides. At least until I hear a reply from Jay Gould.”

“I see. You want to make sure you can play your trump card when you next encounter him?” Joe nodded, leaning forward slightly, “Well, guess that makes sense.”

“Good, I’m glad something does.” Ben replied and grinned slightly, “And if there is any trouble, Joe, make sure its of his making, not yours”

Joe stood up, nodded “Sure Pa, and I’ll keep Hoss in check too.”

Ben chuckled and got to his feet, then slapped the younger man on the back, “You do that…”

By the time Hester emerged from the kitchen with a tray laden with coffee jug, cups etc Joe had gone, and Ben was resuming his seat in his chair.

………………..

Reuben was ready and waiting by the time Olivia arrived to collect him. He was pleased to be going home now, and feeling much better as he ran down to the gate towards the buggy. Bridie followed, walking not running, and stood by the gate. When the Cartwright wives worked at the hospice during the week Bridie would work just the morning and then return home, Paul had ordered her to ‘slow down’ and it was true, she was getting older and the days at the hospice were beginning to take their toll. Now, with him retired, and at home more, she found it a pleasure to share the time with him more and with townsfolk less…

“Hi Ma, Hi Sofia. Where are the others?”

“Ezra came into town on errands and picked them up”

“I could have gone home on Max …”

“No, you could not. Your Pa has paid for stabling for Max tonight, you can ride home on him tomorrow after school.”

Reuben knew that when his mother mentioned Adam’s involvement in anything there was little point in saying another word. He nodded and clambered into the buggy and settled himself beside Sofia. “How was school today, Sofia?”

“Same as always -” she replied waving to Bridie as the buggy lurched forward. “Jimmy Edwards was going to come and see you later, he said they had a plan to go and find Davy”

“Did he say what it was?”

“No, said it was not -” she frowned, obviously a big word she could not quite roll around her tongue and get out of her mouth “Tommy Carstairs said that it was too dangerous anyway. I think they decided not to go ahead.”

She waved to Lilith who was stepping through the gateway to her home, Reuben listened to their shrill girly voices as they called out their goodbyes, then asked Sofia why the others had stopped going ahead with their plan without even seeing him to discuss it. She sighed, and shook her head

“Well, who wants Davy back anyway? He’s a horrible boy and he’s unkind too…”

“Sofia,” Olivia’s voice, cautionary and she turned to look at her daughter and shook her head “Don’t talk like that about anyone, I don’t want you becoming an unkind person as well…”

“No, Mommy” Sofia said and looked away from Reuben and stared ahead, between the horses ears.

“The Sheriff and his Deputy have gone to look for him anyway, so Davy may well be back at school soon.” Olivia looked at Reuben who nodded but frowned “What’s that face for, young man?”

“I wanted to find him…”

“So you could thump him back for giving you those black eyes?” Sofia exclaimed her eyes wide with excitement at the thought.

“No, of course not” her brother denied heatedly, “Just to show there were no bad feelings.”

Sofia looked at her brother as though she couldn’t understand where he was coming from. Then shook her head.”What’s the point of that, he’ll only hit you again.”

“No, he won’t.” came the loyal response and Reuben turned his head away and watched as the track gave way to open land, the wide views of the Ponderosa as they left town. “Will Pa be home when we get back?”

“I’m not sure, Reuben, your grandfather wanted them to clear out the water holes today…its quite a long job.” she frowned, and not one that Adam enjoyed doing either.

“Oh, I was hoping he would be home ….” he sighed and leaned back, and like his sister stared at the track ahead “What’s for dinner, Ma?”

“You’ll have to wait and see…” came the immediate reply after which no one said another word until they were nearly home.

……………….

Davy Riley looked up at the sky and then glanced over at George. It seemed to him that this journey to the new settlement was going to take forever, as George had made no attempt to get moving. It was obvious that another night at the banks of this river was going to be their resting place again.

He had cuddled the puppies; he had played tag and tossed a stick for Maisie; he had sat on the back of the horse and ridden it back and forth; he had even fished a little more and caught two that George declared good enough for supper. He wondered if they would be having fish for breakfast as well.

“Mr George ?”

The man turned to him and nodded, he was smoking another cigarette, puffing out smoke through his nostrils and mouth admirably. He was a regular chimney pot. Davy was not sure if he liked cigarettes so much, but didn’t like to ask questions.

“Mr George do you believe in ghosts?”

“Do you?” George replied without even turning his head to look at the boy

“I don’t know – “ Davy said quietly, and he sat down beside the traveller on the grassy mound near their fire “There was this man -”

“The man you told me about, the one causing you those bad dreams?”

“Yes. Him…” Davy frowned and picked up some grass which he twisted between his fingers a little bit.

“Seems to me he was a problem to you before he was hanged…and he wasn’t haunting you then, was he?”

“No, I guess not.”

“So why worry about him now he’s dead?”

“Because it’s when folk are dead that they become ghosts – ain’t that right?”

“Some folk think so… “

He exhaled and his features were obscured as his face became enveloped with the smoke, Davy waited.

“Well, when he was alive I had nightmares about him, he made me ill…”

“How come?”

“He – he was not a good man, and there was something horrible about him and it scared me…”

“Mmm, so really it was your fear of him that brought about the dreams, weren’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but they were because of him.”

George nodded as if he understood and took several puffs as he thought about the boy and his fears.

“So, he’s dead now and you’re still scared of him?”

“If he’s a ghost he could haunt me…couldn’t he?”

George allowed a little smile to play around his mouth “You’re still scared of him…”

Davy frowned, shrugged and tossed the grass into the air. He watched it fall back onto the ground, and then looked at George

“Only if he’s a ghost.”

“And if he is, why should he pick on you to haunt? Sounds to me he has a wide choice of folks he could do that to if he wanted..if he were a ghost.”

Davy sighed and shook his head, he slid his eyes in the direction of George who was squinting through the smoke and staring into the far beyond.

“Look, Davy, folk will fill your head with stories trying to scare you. Get scared enough you start to doubt everything, and you also start to believe in anything. There aren’t no ghosts, not the kind folk like to believe in and talk about, but there are fears, and memories that get stuck in your head and can haunt you, get you scared so that you have nightmares and dread waking up in case its all real. That man – he was wicked, I heard what they said about him in town. But he’s dead now, and he can’t hurt you, or anyone else for that matter. But if you keep thinking about him, and building up memories then you’ll have the dreams because -” he shrugged “because your brain won’t let go of the fear, and that’s what will haunt you.”

“So – he’s not a ghost.”

“Only in your head, boy.” and George smiled and ruffled Davy’s hair. “Let’s go swim?”

Chapter 25

Adam returned home to the sound of Sofia’s piano practice, and as he removed his hat and jacket he listened for music was important to him and the fact that Sofia had taken to the piano so readily pleased him mightily. He was smiling to himself as he noticed one or two wrong notes when Olivia opened the door and stepped into the porch. As always her smile lit up her face and brought a glow to his heart and a butterfly fluttering in his stomach.

“I’m sorry I’m late -” he murmured as he took her hand in his and leaned forward to kiss her “Something came up…”

“Nathaniel’s in bed, but Reuben and Sofia will be glad to see you.”

“Ah,Reuben’s home …that’s good…how is he feeling?”

“Much better” and she kissed him again because his response and concern for her son touched her, it was spontaneous and warm and it made her appreciate yet again that her son and Adam had formed such a close bond.

Perhaps it was because memories of his own father were fading for Reuben and memories of the years with Adam as his father had supplanted those of Robert, but even so, Adam’s interest in Reuben was as natural as the concern he would show for Nathaniel, and she began to wonder if she were the only one, now, who dwelt on such details.

In the other room Reuben listened to the murmur of voices, then to the momentary silence which he knew meant they were doing that hugging and kissing stuff. He didn’t roll his eyes about that any more, after all, he was no longer a little kid, but he still didn’t really understand why it seemed so necessary.

Sofia paused in her playing “Daddy’s home.”

He watched her scramble down from the stool, and hurry to the door just as Adam stepped inside the room. Reuben sighed, typical of his sister, having to get the first bit of attention from Pa, but he smiled when, as Adam stooped to pick the girl up – big girl though she was now – his eyes went straight to Reuben and the smile was just for him. Reuben glowed and smiled back, “Hi Pa -I’m home.”

“So I see – “ he walked over to Reuben, Sofia still clinging to his neck and hanging on tightly as though determined not to give an inch. Usually this first tactile contact was Nathaniel so she wanted to make the most of her little brother’s absence.

Now Adam did set Sofia down, and came close to Reuben who was seated in the arm chair, they smiled at one another as though co-conspirators to some mischief. Adam leaned closer and looked at Reuben’s face “Looks good, son.”

“I don’t see double now either.”

“No headache?”

“No … “

“Well, that’s good.”

The inspection complete he straightened up, apologised for being late, commended Sofia for her music sufficiently for her to preen herself, and then went to wash up.

A little later as they sat together and ate their supper he told them about the stream, about Hoss and how strong he was, so that the children thought their Uncle was like Samson bringing down the Baal temple … Sofia especially loved the stories about Uncle Hoss, while Reuben preferred those about Uncle Joe and he was not disappointed when his father told him how Joe had disappeared as soon as the hard work – by Hoss – had been completed. They all laughed at that, it was just so typical.

“Did the tree get moved, Daddy?” Sofia asked, “Did Uncle Hoss move it?”

“We all helped get it shifted. Derwent and his men had brought all the necessary tools so it did not take long for the branches to be sawn off, then a block and tackle took the strain of the trunk, lifted it clear out of the stream and swung it over to a good safe distance away.”

“Was Uncle Hoss alright, Daddy…he didn’t get hurt?”

“No, not even a blister. Uncle Joe insisted his blister was needing medical attention of course.” he smiled as he thought of his youngest brother riding away and leaving them both to deal with Derwent, the tree and the stream. “No, the stream is flowing freely now, good, clean and fresh, straight from the mountains

He looked around him, at the boy and the girl, at his wife, and felt a sense of content settle upon him. It was not often Adam Cartwright allowed himself to feel this way, life had taught him that what one gained, often one lost double fold. He wondered if Ben’s losses had contributed to that philosophy, after all, it had been he, Adam, who had had to pick up the pieces and help put his father back together again each time.

“Pa, do you think Davy will be back at school tomorrow?” Reuben looked at his father earnestly, so much so that it was obvious the answer meant a lot to him, so Adam pursed his lips and frowned

“Doubt it, son.”

“Do you think he’s dead?”

“No, I don’t think so, Davy is a clever lad, he may be reckless but he is not stupid.”

Sofia scowled “He’s a horrible boy….I hope he never comes back to school.”

Adam looked at her thoughtfully, shook his head “Sofia, he’s just different from some, but much the same as others, why pick on him as being – as you say – horrible.”

She blushed, feeling that she had been reprimanded when she had actually hoped for Adam to take her side and agree with her, she shook her head now, unsure about what to say.

“Remember Billy?” Olivia said quietly, “He was – so far as Reuben was concerned – a horrible boy too, but -” she looked at them both, could see the memories of Billy Webb returning, “once you knew why he acted as he did, you became good friends, didn’t you, Reuben?”

Reuben nodded, recalled to mind that he owed Billy a letter and would tell him all about the fight with Davy and his black eyes in his reply which he would write soon as he could. Sofia could just about remember the little boy who had sat by her side and shared her books and been so gentle with her, she blinked and concentrated on counting how many peas were still on the plate.

“The sheriff and one of the deputies have gone to look for Davy, they will bring him back to town no doubt, and he will get back to school as soon as possible…I’m sure everything will be fine.” she smiled at them all, “Sofia, when you have finished day dreaming….”

Later Sofia played a little piece of music while Reuben sat beside Adam and just relaxed, while Olivia smiled, knitted her latest garment, what looked like a sweater to fit Nathaniel, but in what she called ‘a pickle colour’. Adam had doubts about Nathaniel liking it, but Olivia assured him that their little boy would love it! Well;, as we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder….

……………

Hoss Cartwright swung his son in the air, tossed him high and caught him, and enjoyed the shrieks and giggles that came as a result. Erik loved this ritual and always waited in nervous anticipation for his father’s arrival home. Hope and Hannah were already seated at the table and looked at one another, raised their eyebrows, they were both far too grown up now to take part in such frivolity.

Ben emerged from the study area, looking thoughtful. He nodded over at Hoss and muttered that Joe had been earlier and told them about the stream and the Jessops. “He cleaned out some of the water holes – himself.”

Hoss rolled his eyes and shrugged, then smiled over at Hester who was putting a plate of food on the table “Sorry I’m late.”

“You’re not much later than usual.” she replied and kissed his cheek, then his lips “Best wash up first.”

He looked over the table, food steaming, smelling great. He winked at the girls, who giggled back. Then he excused himself and went to wash his hands and clean up his face and hopefully pass his wife’s expectations. Ben was seated at the table listening to Hannah telling some tale about school and some book she was reading, Hope was listening attentively. Erik was fidgeting, sure sign that he needed to go for a pee

Hoss leaned towards the towel, went to take it from its peg and – the pain shot through his back, down his legs and he froze, immobilised, unable to move. He gulped, swallowed, groaned and leaned forwards trying to find a posture that wouldn’t inflict more pain but give a little relief.

He heard his wife calling him…a little later his wife telling him the food was getting cold…then the door opened and she stood there, concern on her face, eyes wide “Hoss? What’s wrong?”

“Dang it -” he gasped, “My back – kin hardly move for the pain- shucks – darn it -”

………….

Neither Ethan nor Nate had mastered the art of small talk, so they rode along in amicable silence as they followed the direction to which the solitary wagon wheels led them. As evening approached Nate was the one to decide when to make camp, as it was more than obvious that there would be no chance of meeting the stranger and the wagon now.

As they settled by the fire, the carcase of some poor creature slowly roasting over the flames Nate attempted to draw out some of Ethan’s personal history. But after half an hour he knew only a little of what he had known before: he had no idea of any connection with Adam Cartwright, nor why Ethan had chosen his career over that of a more lucrative one as a lawyer. He only knew that Ethanhad been born in Lubock, had studied law and opted out. At the same time, Ethan knew even less about Nate, except that he had been Sheriff in Virginia City for several years now, and that the law was his life, following in the footsteps of his own father and Roy Coffee.

It was not an uncomfortable silence however, they spoke when they needed to and in that space of time bonded as good friends. And as good friends know, enjoying silence with a friend was one of the greatest compliments of friendship.

They picked the meat from the bones and chewed their food,swallowed it down with coffee steaming hot from the flames….Nate threw a bone into the fire

“What kind of man takes a child from his family…” Nate mused, his eyes half closed as he nursed his mug of coffee against his chest

“Well, seems he didn’t take the boy from his family, so much.” Ethan replied, “The boy had ran out of school and was sulking somewhere in town…seems close by the Ladies store…”

“Spoken like a lawyer…” Nate smiled and remained silent for a while, “Davy Riley is a boy full of nervous energy. If there is trouble with the kids in town, he’d be the ring leader of it all…”

“I guess he would find it hard to settle in school then. He’d be bored, restless.”

“About sums the boy up.”

They became silent again, finishing the meat and emptying the coffee pot. Nate got up and prepared his bedding, Ethan did the same

“You settled alright in your lodgings?” Nate asked as he pulled off his boots and tossed them to one side

“Yes, sir. Miss Portia takes good care of her lodgers.”

“Miss Portia Lee Whitmore?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Ethan pulled a blanket over his shoulders “She’s a mighty fine lady.”

“She is that -” Nate agreed, yawned and closed his eyes. “Mighty fine…..”

Chapter 26

When a mighty tree topples it leaves a large swathe of emptiness in its path, some chaos and mayhem ensue as birds and small creatures who thought their nests were safe and secure fled, and then tentatively returned to see what chance there was to take up residence once again. So it was on the Ponderosa when Hoss Cartwright failed to make his morning entrance for breakfast but remained prone in his bed.

Hester announced to Ben, rather tearfully, that her husband had had a restless night, every movement had brought him pain. Hop Sing rattled on in Cantonese with a spattering of American English that Hoss was now under his care, but for now the big man had to stay where he was, Erik cried and wailed, Hope sobbed and Hannah went to school on the wagon with Ezra silent and morose.

Ben presided over a very quiet and subdued breakfast which Hop Sing provided in a singularly slap dash manner. His mind was totally focussed on how to help his dear Mr Hoss to get back on his feet as soon as possible. Ben had already sent a message to Jimmy Chan, via Ezra, without Hop Sings knowledge, to come to assist as soon as possible.

Erik had stopped bawling by the time Adam and Joe arrived to discuss the days work schedule, although they both knew already that the lack of work on the water holes the previous day would have to be dealt with. Adam had assured his brother before coming into the house that he had already thought up a plan to avoid it and with such assurance they entered into the house.

Joe was grinning as he tossed his hat onto the customary peg, while Adam removed his hat and twirled it round and round between his fingers…”Where’s Hoss?” he asked immediately, the empty chair at the other end of the table looming too large to be avoided.

Ben threw down his napkin, shook his head “Hoss has injured his back.”

Hester said quietly as she put her hand over Erik’s mouth to stop him blubbing “He’s unable to get out of bed, he can’t move, he’s in such pain….”

“Darn, when did this happen?” Joe glanced from one to the other, trying to recall the condition his brother was in the last time he saw him. “He was fine when I saw him yesterday” as indeed Hoss was, shoving rocks and wading through the cold stream

“What happened to him? He seemed perfectly well – at least mobile – when we left the stream and got that sorted out.” Adam frowned, glanced over at Joe, tugged at his ear lobe and began to feel a niggle of guilt.

“Did he fall off his horse on the way home?” Joe ventured to ask, thinking it was better to keep a safe distance between himself and Hester who was looking rather fierce with her blue eyes glaring at him

“No, he walked in on his own two legs -” Ben said before Hester managed to get a word out, “Then he went in to wash up, and next thing – “ Ben shook his head and looked over at Hester who had sat down again and was staring at the coffee pot “he’s in a lot of pain. Ive sent for -” he paused and glanced around for sight of Hop Sing, “I thought Jimmy Chan would know what to do better than anyone else…”

Hope opened her eyes wide “Hop Sing can make Pa better….”

“Yes, dear, I’m sure he can …” Ben muttered and concentrated on pouring coffee into his cup, he suddenly paused as though something had occurred to him and he turned to look more closely at Joe “That will mean your trip to the cattle station will have to be put off until Hoss is able to go with you.”

“It can’t -” Joe scowled, “Mac hasn’t the men available…”

“Then he’ll have to wait.. there are other orders that need to be completed apart from that personal one, Joe.”

“But I promised…”

“You’ll have to forego your promise then, Joe. It can’t be helped, Hoss is in no state to go trundling over the countryside on a wagon full of lumber.”

Joe scowled, was about to say something when he realised that his other brother was keeping very quiet, he turned….”Adam could take Hoss’ place. He could come along …”

Adam opened his mouth, closed it again as he tried to think of some reason why he could not go along with Joe. He looked at Ben and then at Hester. As it was he had made no hard or fast plans for the weekend, just had been looking forward to spending time with the family after the chores and any outstanding work had been completed. Ben frowned and weighed up his options. Keeping promises was important to him, it was a Cartwright ethos, to keep one’s word. He glanced at Adam who was trying not to get eye contact and decided that in actual fact Joe would no doubt be safer under his eldest brothers watchful eye.

“Well, as you have nothing better to do, Adam…” he nodded, “Best make arrangements to go along with Joe.”

“I don’t know, Pa, I was just thinking….”

“You’ve obviously not got too much planned for the weekend” Ben leaned back in the chair and sipped coffee, two birds with one stone, he felt quite proud of himself “If you had something arranged you would not have taken so long to think about it…”

Adam scowled deeper than Joe had done, clamped his mouth shut and said nothing but stared down at the floor so hard the colours in the rug seemed to blend in together.

“Right, now that that matter has been sorted out, let’s discuss today’s schedule….”

Adams mind blanked for a moment as he recalled the reason why he had gone to sea so long ago….if it were not for Olivia and the children he would be sorely tempted to sign up for a twenty year contract!

………………

Breakfast had been eaten after which George rested. He leaned against a boulder and smoked his morning cigarette, poured himself more coffee and opened a book He enjoyed reading a chapter first thing in the morning. ‘Reading’ he had told Davy the previous day, ‘is the gateway to all knowledge. It means even an ignorant fella like me can learn a lot of things about any subject under the sun.”

“So no need to go to school then?” Davy had immediately said but George had shaken his head and told him that school was essential.

“See, I can read a lot, because I did have some schooling…but doesn’t mean I understand everything I read. School helps a fella understand more … “

Davy had ended that conversation and left him to it. Now though he had waited for George to start on the next step of the journey but when the man just followed the same routine as the previous day, Davy found himself getting irritated.

“Why ain’t we going on to the settlement.” he asked, hands on hips and scowling “I can harness up the horse if’n you want?”

George had lowered his book and looked at the boy thoughtfully, frowned slightly “Why are you in such an infernal hurry to get moving? This is going to be another fine day, we’ve a great place to rest up -”

“But I’m tired of resting up….” Davy had protested

“Go play tag with Maisie…” George had replied and puffed at his cigarette as if he had not a care in the world.

Davy looked back over his shoulder at the man…cigarette dangling from one corner of his mouth, unshaven, smoke obscuring his face and the book open in his hands. He clambered up into the wagon and sat down with the pups while Maisie jumped up beside him, and submitted herself to the demands of her young.

Davy looked up at the sky and true enough there was not a single cloud there, the sun shone, birds could be heard trilling their heads off, and the river burbled its way over the rocks and boulders. It was going to be, as George said, another fine day. He leaned back against the wooden sides of the wagon and felt the sun warm, washing over him. This was still better than sitting in a stuffy class room listening to Mr Edwards drone on about things Davy had no interest in whatsoever.

He was still in the wagon, with the puppies crawling over him, Maisie by his side when he was aware of horses approaching. Maisie had got up off her haunches, ears pricked forwards as she glanced first at him, then above the side of the wagon …she growled low in her throat and alert now, she took a leap and was running towards George, her hackles raised, as she then turned to face the intruders.

Davy peered above the rim and watched as the two horsemen approached. He recognised Nate right away and saw the badge flash as the sun gleamed momentarily upon it. George was getting to his feet, but upon noticing the badges the men wore he did not reach for his rifle, just stood up and tossed the remains of his cigarette into the flames of the fire. He put a hand on his dogs head, stroked it gently and just said “Sit!” Maisie immediately quietened down, her eyes fixed on the two men as they dismounted from their horses and approached George.

“You haven’t got very far since leaving town.” Nate said in his friendliest tone of voice

“I weren’t in no hurry.” George replied and smiled, his eyes glanced at the two men, and he nodded “I was expecting company sooner than later.”

“You were?” Nate returned the smile and nodded, “Why so?”

“It’s about the boy?”

Nate nodded, and looked over at the wagon just in time to see Davy’s unruly mop of hair disappear from his hide out.

“Care to tell us what happened?”

George nodded “You want to have a coffee, must have been a while since you broke camp?”

Both men nodded agreement and within minutes all three were seated on various rocks with cups of coffee in their hands while George narrated what had happened with Davy.

“I could tell he was in a bad way. Not in that he was beaten up or anything, nothing like that, just that he was – kinda miserable.”

“Lots of kids are miserable, Mr Georgeson.” Nate said quietly, “A lot of boys resent being sent to school, want to kick against the system.”

“It was more than that…” George replied quickly, “He’d lost that something essential to his life, the positives that keeps a boy on the straight and narrow. He came willingly, wanted to come so I thought a day or two would do no harm, maybe more good than anything.”

They were quiet and George pulled out his makings for another cigarette. Nate and Ethan noticed that his hands were not shaking, his demeanour was not one of a man racked with guilt or fear because the law had caught up with him, he obviously felt that he had nothing to fear. They watched him make his cigarette and they drank their coffee.

“Kidnapping is a serious offence, Mr Georgeson.” Nate mentioned as though having to remind the three of them while they were there.

“I never kidnapped the boy.” George lit the cigarette and inhaled “He came along for a ride that’s all, and soon as I felt he was doing well enough, with the help of Maisie here…” he patted the dog as her head turned to him upon hearing her name, “I thought I would wait up here to see if anyone was interested enough in the boy to come get him and take him back. Bin here long enough ….” he paused and frowned, sucked in smoke and then blew it out again

“His folks were worried ….” Nate murmured and was surprised at the thin smile he got in return as George shrugged,

“From what the boy said about his home life, I would be surprised if they were that worried.”

“Even so, they are his parents, he is their responsibility.”

“Yeah, well ….”

It was at this point that Ethan got up and began to walk towards the wagon. Maisie, thinking of her pups and perhaps following her instincts to protect the vulnerable, sloped off alongside him, her eyes darting from him to the wagon.

Davy was suddenly aware of the man, he looked up from handling the three puppies in his lap, to find Ethan looking down at him, kindly brown eyes and dimples in his cheeks as he smiled

“Hi, Davy – I’m Ethan.”

Davy moved fast, jumping over the side of the wagon, running towards George, screaming “Don’t let them take me, Mr George, don’t let them take me.”

Maisie was barking, running alongside the boy who flung his arms around George’s legs and wrapped them tightly around him “Please, Mr George, please…..”

Tears were streaming down his face now, and he was ashamed to be blubbing like a girl, but this was not what he wanted, not what he wanted at all. He clung to George, begging, sobbing

“Davy,” Nate was on his feet, leaning down to put a hand on the boys shoulder, Maisie snarled and bared her teeth “Davy, Mr Georgeson can’t take you with him now, you need to come with me.”

Davy swung round, his face resolute, his eyes wide and blazing “I don’t want to, I don’t want to go with you. I want to stay with George and Maisie.” he turned again to George, face uplifted towards him “Please, Mr George….let me stay with you.”

It was obvious George was struggling with his emotions, but he shook his head and put his hand on the boys shoulder “I can’t take you with me, Davy…you have to go home, your parents need you home.”

Davy shook his head “I don’t want to go back to them, I hate them, they hate me….they don’t care about me, not really. I don’t want to be an Undertaker like Pa, I don’t want to …”

Nate stepped forward and looked at George, nodded, winked and then said sternly “Davy, if you don’t come with us now, I shall have to arrest Mr Georgeson for kidnapping It’s a very serious charge, he’ll go to prison – is that what you want?”

“He didn’t do that, he didn’t kidnap me…I came because I wanted to come, I didn’t want to stay there no more.” Davy let his hands drop, then he wiped away the tears and stepped closer to George, “I want to stay here….”

“Then I’ll have to arrest Mr Georgeson.” Nate said and looked at the other man who bowed his head and sighed as though he couldn’t think of a worse place to be than a jail, “Not sure what will happen to the dog.”

Davy’s tears dried up, horror replaced his misery, disbelief followed as he looked at Maisie who was looking up at him as though he was the only person in the world who could save her from a fate worse than death. He dropped to one knee and now wrapped his arms around the dogs neck, smelling her warm fur, feeling it against his face, holding her tight.

“Oh Maisie…” he whispered.

George lowered himself onto his haunches and looked at the boy, then placed a hand on his head, “Listen, son, I’ll tell you what we’ll do…”

“What?” Davy whispered, holding more tightly to the dog than ever in case this was a trick.

“If the sheriff here agrees not to arrest me, and you go back with them, then I’ll come back this way in a years time and bring one of the pups for you. For you to keep as your very own. You just go and pick out the one you want and I promise I’ll bring him along next year.”

Maisie licked the boys cheek, licked away the salt tears from his face, pushed a wet cold nose into his ear. Davy held on., he was not going to give in that easily. The three men stood close by, forming a semi circle around him, waiting for him to speak.

“You won’t arrest Mr George?” Davy almost whispered to them as he detached himself from the dog.

“No. Not if you swear you went along with him willing.”

“I did…I was not kidnapped.” he wiped his face with one hand, dashed away tears

“Then I guess we had better get you back home.” Nate said quietly and stepped back for the boy to join them, to join Ethan and himself.

Davy nodded and stepped forward, then paused, turned “You promise…”

“I swear, next year I’ll come back with one of Maisie’s pups…”

“I don’t know which one I like best, you can choose…” he bowed his head, this felt like a defeat, giving in too easily to the enemy, but what else could he do, he had no choice in the matter.

“I’ll not forget.” George said and extended his hand so that they would shake on it and seal the deal, like real men.

Nate put his hand on Davy’s shoulder and led him away, lifted him up into the saddle of his horse and mounted up behind him.

As they rode away Davy peered around and past the Sheriff’s body, saw George and Maisie standing watching them ride away. He blinked back tears,

“Bye Mr George. Bye Maisie….”

The dog barked, ran forward then stopped at George’s command to ‘Stay!’ … she flattened herself onto her belly and rested her head upon her paws, watching as the two horsemen took the boy away.

Chapter 27

For some while the two horsemen, with Davy in the saddle with Nate, rode in silence. There was nothing they could think of saying as the scene with George, the dog and the boy replayed itself over and over in their minds. Davy sat as still as possible, with his head down, chin resting on his thin chest, every so often the only movement was when he wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

He understood it all now. George had not been a good friend after all, he had deliberately been hanging about that camp in order for someone to come by and take him back to town. George didn’t want to have to take Davy to the settlement, or ride along with him at all. It had all been a lie, and a pretence. Davy gave a shudder, George had been no friend at all.

He wiped away the last tears and resolved not to cry again over someone who was not worth it, someone who cheated on their friends was not worth crying over. He set his mouth and stared ahead of him, and resolved that the first chance he got he would make a run for it. He looked about him, at the barrenness of the land, plenty of rocks and boulders, he could hide behind them easily. But then the sheriff had the longest legs in the world and would be on him like an eagle on a rabbit. So – his eyes glanced over at the river, he could run there, just jump in and even if he drowned he would be free of them, all those liars, those people who said they were his friends. In fact, he would be free of them all, and the best thing would be the look on his Pa’s face when they took his body in to be buried.

“Let’s take a short break….” Nate said and drew up the horse. For a moment he paused and then leaned down towards Davy “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, I’d advise you not to…”

Davy said nothing, but allowed the big law man to drag him out of the saddle and set him down on the ground, “Go do what you need to do…plenty of rocks around here…”

Davy’s eyes roamed around the view, plenty of rocks indeed, and the river was a long distance away, he would never reach it in time. He glanced over at the Deputy who was watching him carefully, his dark eyes so thoughtful and deep that Davy wondered if the man were reading his thoughts, had got into his head somehow.

He went behind a boulder and ‘did what he had to do’,. He thought of Maisie, and how much he had loved that dog. No point in thinking about her now, he would never see her, or George or those puppies again. George had lied, no doubt about it.

A sound close by – and he froze immediately as he buttoned up his pants. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the snake slithering towards him, he heard the sound of the rattle and drew in his breath as the snake reared up ready to strike.

The breeze from the bullet as it passed his ear was felt before the sound of its discharge and he saw the snake split in half, its remains splattered on the rocks around him. But he still stood frozen, staring at the snake’s remains

Ethan stepped beside him and stood, silent for a while before asking Davy if he wanted the rattle for a keepsake, but the boy shook his head and turned away, walked back to where the horses were waiting to continue their journey.

………………..

“Parcel for you, Miz Cartwright..” Ezra stood in the doorway of the house, holding a package in his arms, a broad grin over his face “Eddie thought for sure you would want it right away.”

Olivia recognised the handwriting on the labels stuck firmly to the paper, and clapped her hands together much as Sofia would had it been her and presented with her favourite cake or cookie

“Oh thank you, Ezra..thank you.”

“How’s Reuben now, Miz Cartwright?”

“He’s doing very well, thank you. He will be back to school tomorrow morning. Did you bring Max back with you?”

“I surely did, he’s in the stable now eating his head off…you’d think the livery starved ’em!” he chuckled, Max’ reputation as a glutton was well known at Ridleys Livery, there was no way he would starve.

“Reuben should be well able to ride into school in the morning. ..we thought it better for him to have this one more day off school.” she smiled and watched the old man return to the stables, then went inside to check through her package.

As she had expected, dear Margarita* had not disappointed as skeins of wool appeared. Different colours, bright and dazzling to the eye, some dull and more muted, but all so soft and appealing to the eye. Nathaniel came and knelt beside her on the floor, insisting he would help and consequently thrusting his arms into the box to pull out all the different coloured wools…some already formed into balls of wool which she would be able to use right away, others to be wound from the skein which meant persuading Sofia to sit still with her arms apart and the skeins between her hands while Olivia carefully tweaked the strand to form a ball.

She found the letter at the bottom and sat down to read it while the floor was littered with all the different colours at her feet.

“My dear friend,” Margarita wrote, and Olivia smiled, they had not met since her wedding day, but Margarita had never failed to send her a supply of wool from the sheep her husband reared on their land. She sighed and leaned back into the cushions. A letter from a dear friend…so she ignored Nathaniel tossing balls of wool around the room, or kicking them into various pieces of furniture while she shared her friends thoughts for just a few moments of relaxation

“My dear friend, Olivia,

How are you all, how is Adam and how are all the children? Do you still number just the three? I am now due to give birth to my fifth, and I hope this time it is a daughter. I would love a little girl for whom I can knit many pretty garments as I am sure you knit for your daughter.

You will see that I have been busy since my last parcel to you…as soon as the first flowers appear I walk through the fields and woodlands to pick them and see how they can be used for dyes for the wool. Some of my attempts have not been so good, but over the years I know now which ones produce the best colours.

I have planted many flowers from seed and this has been such a great help in providing me with dye for the wool. Any coneflowers like Echinacea, Rudbeckia and Ratibida can be grown here, so I have had the pleasure of beautiful flowers not only to look at but to use…they produce a lovely green dye bath when the entire flower head is boiled with water. I had to use the leaves and stems of the Rudbeckia though for the beautiful apple green colour.

Do you do this yourself? Foraging for plants is pleasurable as well as productive…I have tried all sorts of things these past few years…even red onion skins are very good, I only used a little water for these, the reddish purple wool is from them, I hope all the smell has gone now…oh yes, sadly, bad smells!!

Do you like the forest green colour? That comes from the pine tree needles …you will be able to produce so much of this dye from your Ponderosa pines, Olivia. I love this colour more than any of the others, it reminds me of your tree laden mountains.

Oh you see how much I love to talk about this ? I have filled my letter telling you something you already know all about…forgive me, dear friend. There is little else to tell you, the children grow, and have their little aches and pains, their sniffles and so forth, I never thought I would be a good mother but for some reason they all love me dearly, so I must be doing something right.

I must close now so I can parcel up my present to you…..from your friend Margarita.”

……………

Davy sat in front of Ethan now, and had more room to relax in. Ethan was thinner than Nate, and leaned back further in the saddle to allow the boy room for the boy. They had ridden some distance before Ethan spoke and told the boy how distressed his mother was at his disappearance

“She didn’t mean it…she just likes to put on to get attention.”

He wished he hadn’t spoken, but the words came out involuntarily. He told himself not to say another word, but heard himself saying “They don’t care…I bet my Pa was in the saloon drunk every night.”

“He is anyway, isn’t he?”

Davy recognised a touch of humour in the words, and nodded, the back of his head rubbing against the man’s chest. “Yeah, so no change then -”

“He closed the shop to go looking for you…the other Undertakers did a fair bit of trade as a result.”

“Pah, I bet that hurt….” he frowned “He’ll clobber me good and hard, blame me for that…”

“No, he won’t -”

“He will. He’ll probably make me spend a night in the workshop in the coffins…”

“Is that what he usually does….”

“When he’s mad at me.”

“Do you often make him mad then?”

“No – I mean – seems like I do. Sometimes I spend more times sleeping in a coffin than I do in my own bed.”

Ethan didn’t answer to that, he was thinking of what kind of man would do that to a boy…perhaps it was the result of alcohol. Perhaps for other reasons…

“Bet your Pa never made you sleep in a coffin!” Davy snarled

“My Pa was not an Undertaker.”

“What was he then?”

Ethan was silent a little longer. What could he say? Admit to the fact that his father had spent most of Ethan’s childhood in prison…as an embezzler? Someone who had defrauded his bank, his customers.

“I never knew my Pa.”

Davy said nothing to that, he knew there were lots of kids at school who didn’t know their fathers, sometimes because their fathers didn’t want to know them, had run out on the mothers, some had died, some just weren’t the marrying kind and didn’t want kids anyway. He thought about that for a while, than glanced up over his shoulder and looked up at the man , not the best vantage point but he could see that Ethan was young, and had strong features…in fact, from the few times he had bothered to look at the man since his arrival at George’s camp, Davy quite liked the look of the man

“Your friend George did the right thing, you know.” Ethan’s voice was deep, slow, not exactly a drawl, but slow enough to make each word count.

“He lied to me. He said he was going to take me to the new settlement…” Davy scowled “He’s probably lying to me about coming back with a puppy as well…just to keep me sweet so’s I’d not kick up a fuss.”

“You don’t like people very much do you?” Ethan murmured as he leaned forward so that the words brushed past Davy’s ear

“Most of ’em lie. Like he did….”

“He didn’t lie, Davy. Maybe when he said he would take you to the new settlement he meant it…so he was telling you the truth. Just that as the days wore on he realised you needed to be home, at school, living a life that will shape you into the man you will become….”

“You talk stupid jest like him…” Davy exclaimed, “Put me down, I don’t want to listen to you no more, put me down now.”

Ethan just tightened his hold on the reins, so that his arms held the boy closer, leaving him no wriggle room. After a while Davy stopped his squirming and wriggling, and slumped down, his shoulders low, his head bent, his chin on his chest.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Sometimes it isn’t what we want that matters, Davy, it’s what we need…and right now you need to be home, and you need your friends.”

“I ain’t got no friends”

“I was under the impression you had some very good friends at school. Didn’t you and your gang find some Conquistadores at one time? In a cave if I recall rightly ?”

“Yeah, Tommy Conway fell down a hole…he broke his leg …said Reuben had caused it …” he clamped his mouth shut, he was talking too much, saying too much, he bowed his head lower

“Sure wish I had a gang to have gone around with when I was a kid…must be great fun having friends looking out for you. Having adventures…” he sounded rather wistful, which intrigued the boy who rather foolishly assumed all adults had a wonderful childhood, then something would happen and they all ended up crusty, bad tempered, mean minded and greedy old folk who never could remember what it was like to be a kid.

“Didn’t you have any friends?”

“No”

“Why not? Were you a mean kid then, a bully..?”

“No .”

What could he say…well, it was like this, my Pa was in prison for years because he was accused of a crime, my mother tried to kill him and eventually did, and then she was arrested and hanged. No one wanted to play around with a kid whose folks had that kind of reputation, apart from which the woman who raised him made sure he had as little contact with others as possible. Perhaps she had been right….but Ethan knew in his heart all he had ever wanted to be was a normal little boy, like Davy Riley

Chapter 28

The lights were glowing from the windows as Adam rode into the yard of his home. He dismounted and slowly led the horse into the stable. His weaker leg ached, sometimes that happened after too much physical work. It was not always noticeable but irritated him when it was, he didn’t like to go into the house limping like some arthritic old man. He chided himself, and told himself that was pride, he was not arthritic and he was not old.

But the look of concern on Olivia’s face, quickly disguised, always gave him a pang of disquiet. It made him feel guilty for causing her any anxiety at all, although, of course, he knew it was because of her love for him, for which he was more than grateful.

By the time he had attended to his horse his leg was feeling stronger so he was more than happy to be striding into the house, and even happier when he heard the sound of laughter. His children’s laughter. It was like music to his ears.

Sofia had the inner door open before he had removed his gun belt. The remains of a smile still beaming on her face and once again he was struck by the thought that she was growing up, and would one day be a beautiful young woman. As expected she flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around her neck, so that he had to bear her weight and carry her into the next room. He could smell the warmth of her body and her hair, chalk from the school room and soap from her quick wash prior to supper.

“How was your day, Princess?”

“I got a gold star on my maths!”

“Really? Your teacher in a generous mood, huh?”

“She looked very happy, Daddy. She said I was a star pupil…”

Nathaniel launched himself at his father, so Adam had to release Sofia to pick up the little boy. He hugged him close “How are you, Spike? How’s that arm?”

“Hurted-ed” Nathaniel sighed and waved the injured arm aloft “Played with lots of wool, big bouncy balls.”

Olivia laughed and came to take the boy away, “Margarita sent me a box of wool. Go – shoo – get ready for supper now….” she tapped Nathaniel on his bottom and after watching him scuttle away she turned to her husband “You look tired.”

“I feel it-” he admitted and leaned in for a kiss, then a little hug so that he could breathe in her smell, the perfume she wore, her hair, her body

They lingered a little by the door before he looked around him, frowned “Where’s Reuben?”

“I’m here, Pa” Reuben said and smiled as he stood by the study, “I was checking up on some details from the encyclopaedia”

“Oh what about?” Adam smiled at his wife and approached the boy, pleased at the interest he was showing to some subject.

“I wanted to find out when steam ships really got to be used more than ships with sails…you served in both, didn’t you Pa?”

“I did .. wasn’t too happy at serving on board the iron clads as they were first called. I couldn’t handle the thought of the men below decks -”

“You mean the stokers and trimmers -”

Adam smiled indulgently, and nodded, “We’ll talk about it later, let’s get ready for supper. Ma’s waiting…”

He put his arm around his son’s shoulders and hugged him, before releasing him to get washed up and presentable for the table. Olivia smiled at him “Hester came earlier…” she nodded at the look on Adam’s face “She told me about Hoss’ back. Seems he won’t be able to go with Joe after all.”

Adam sighed, there goes the element of surprise, the casual lead up to explain that there will be no family weekend instead he was ‘under orders’ to accompany his little brother to the cattle station. He nodded, kissed her cheek as he passed her by to get to the wash room. The smile she gave him in return was smug, no other word for it – smug!

………………..

The lights were glowing from the windows as Joe entered the yard. He dismounted and gazed up at the house, half in shadow,and the orange glow of the lights beaming like so many beacons. He felt a joy and relief touch his heart at the thought of his little wife and children waiting for him inside. He was well blessed.

As he led the horse into the stable he thought over the difference in his life since he had married. Oh he knew he had had a reputation, even he could not recall how many women he had promised to marry, or even how many he had actually become engaged to in the past. He shook his head, now here he was a very happily married man.

Hank came out of the back of the tack room, and nodded over to him “I’ll see to the horse for ya, Mr Joe.”

“Thanks, Hank.”

“Sorry to hear that Mr Hoss has hurt his back. Always seemed he was indestructible…once you get a problem with your back, it never leaves ya’ know? I kin recall when I first damaged my back, lawks, the pain was something else…never gone, ya know?”

“I am sorry, Hank. If you’re finding work here too heavy -”

“No sirree, no need to think along them lines…it’s bad at times, but not that bad…poor Ol’ Mr Hoss.” and he led the horse into the stall shaking his head and muttering to himself.

As he walked to the house Joe tried to work out just how long it had been since they first employed Hank. There were six ranch hands called Hank on the Ponderosa, scattered between the three houses, doing various duties and he sometimes got them muddled up, except for Hank Myers of course, easily identified because a lot of the ranch hands referred to him as Mr Jones on account of his wife being Abigail Jones and a force to be reckoned with…not to his face though.

He opened the door to the smell of food cooking and immediately his mouth watered. His favourite steak and onion gravy. No doubt creamed potatoes too, He was smiling as he entered the main room, and sighed contentedly.

Constance saw him and ran over, her skirts swishing around her chubby little legs. She was the Ponderosa baby although Erik ‘arrived’ later, but in Joe’s eyes she was perfection and as she reached him he caught her up and swung her high, just as Hoss had swung Erik the previous day. No back pain resulted this time though as he hugged his little girl close.

Daniel’s voice floated across to them “Supper time, daddy, supper time…” and Joe laughed and nuzzled into Constance’s neck and made her laugh and giggle.

Mary Ann was setting the table, plates, cutlery, glassware …everything shone .., the napkins were folded pristine white. Lee Sing (Li Sing in actuality but he had never objected to the Americanism) smiled over at his master and nodded, he placed a carafe of water carefully on the table

“Supper won’t be long, Joe…” she smiled at him, then came towards him and kissed him “Hoss has hurt his back”

A statement … Joe paused …she was waiting for him to say something so he cleared his throat and nodded, kissed her again.

“Ben said he had hoped you would cancel going to Carson City.” she linked her arm through his, Constance was now seated in her chair.

She always referred to Pa as Ben when she was not too happy about his ‘requests’, so Joe knew full well that she knew Adam had been co-coerced to go along with him. He nodded again,

“S’right. Not much I could do about it, sweet heart. Mac needs someone to take that lumber to the station, and I promised that Hoss and I would take it. Adam wasn’t too happy at the idea but what can I do?” he shrugged, looked appealingly at her, sighed “I can’t break a promise.”

“Couldn’t Hank or Ezra go instead?”

“Pa said that Adam was to come with me…I mean ..go with me.” he frowned “I’ll just go wash up and come back We can talk about it later on …”

She frowned, that little horseshoe appearing in the centre of her forehead, then she nodded and smiled “It’s alright, Joe, I understand.”

He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled as he made his escape to the wash room. Mary Ann was like the sea, forever changing colour, ebbing and flowing…but it seemed that on this occasion she had ‘flowed’ in the right direction.

Anyway, what did it matter, it was only a wagonful of lumber, only a few days absence. What could go wrong?

The lights from a myriad windows beamed down upon the side walks and C Road in Virginia City. Davy felt as though each one of them was reminding him that he was back home, back where he should be – according to the law. He cringed back against Ethan’s chest and felt a shiver trickle down his back, like wet water doused upon hot flesh.

Nate dismounted outside the Sheriff’s office and looked over at Ethan, and at the boy whose white face loomed out of the shadows at him. He nodded

“You take the boy home, Ethan. I want to catch up with what’s been going on here while we’ve been gone.”

Ethan nodded and turned the horse’s head in the direction of Riley’s building. There were lights shining from the windows there too, and they seemed to be no welcoming beams of joy and delight to Davy. If he could have melded into Ethan’s body and disappeared altogether he would have been only too happy!

Ethan stopped the horse and paused. Both he and the boy sat in the saddle, looking at the house.

“Well, Davy, you’re home.” the Deputy said quietly.

“I don’t want to be here….”

“I know. But the fact is that they are your parents and at this point of time you owe them – “

“What do you mean? You mean I have to work for him…in that funeral place?”

“No – what I mean is that you are their responsibility of care, they provide for you. They feed you and clothe you, don’t they?” he frowned as the boy looked over his shoulder and up at him “You owe them some gratitude, appreciation at least.”

“What’s to be grateful for….” Davy grumbled as Ethan dismounted and stood beside the horse.

“Well, perhaps you could start thinking of your Ma…she’s a good cook from what I’m told, and she keeps you clean and tidy, and -”

“Sure, sure, she’s a Saint ain’t she!! Never stops my Pa my giving me a tanning though….”

Ethan thumbed his hat back a little and looked at the boy thoughtfully, “I don’t want to be coming looking for you again, Davy.”

“I know -” Davy scowled, lowered his head and stared down at the ground “Thanks.”

Ethan said nothing, but placed his hand on the boys’ shoulder and walked with him to the door, he looked down at the boy “Do you want to knock or shall I?”

Davy didn’t move so Ethan gave the door a heavy rapping. They watched as the light from a lamp wobbled its way towards the door, through the plate glass window they recognised the shape of Mrs Riley who pulled the door open, stared at Ethan, looked down at Davy and promptly burst into tears.

That was not what Davy was expecting. Ethan caught the lamp just before it fell from Mrs Rileys hand, as she leaned in towards them and wrapped her arms around her son…sobbing his name, tears dripping down the collar of his shirt and down his neck, so that he was obliged to lift his arms and hug her in return.

It was a good feeling.

“Is Mr Riley home?” Ethan asked and understood the mumbled words to mean that Riley was in the workshop.

“I’ll go and tell him Davy is home.”

But she was already shepherding the boy into the house, arm around his shoulders, holding him close. She didn’t hear a word

Mr Riley glanced up as the door to the workshop opened up, and seeing the Deputy he nodded and jerked his head to indicate that the man could come inside.

There were coffins everywhere. Cheap pine boxes some of them. Ornate walnut and mahogany with silk linings some others. Riley was carefully stitching the lining of one of them, white satin this time.

“I just brought Davy home”.

Riley nodded, but continued stitching.

“He wasn’t too happy about returning …”

“He’s been surly ever since that time Manser found him in the empty house…got worse when the man was hanged ..insisted on going to see him, told him not to but Davy being Davy thought he knew best.”

Ethan just nodded, removed his hat and glanced around “Lot of wood here, Mr Riley. Could be a fire trap”

“Hasn’t happened yet.”

“Mmm, it could happen though. Anyone caught here – in this room, or let’s say – using one of those smart coffins as a bed – wouldn’t survive.”

Riley raised his eyes and met those of the younger man. They stared, but Riley was the first to lower his eyes, to continue with his stitching. “Don’t know what you mean by that….”

“Well, just in case – “ Ethan replaced his hat slowly, “I’ll make sure that the place is safe when I am on my rounds…especially my night rounds. I’ll get the other deputies to do the same. You get what I mean, Mr Riley?”

Riley coughed, rubbed his nose and nodded. He understood perfectly what the Deputy meant,

Chapter 29

The room was bathed in the golden glow from several lamps and a small fire flickered lazy flames across the room. Sitting opposite one another were two men, a father and a son. They were staring down at a chess board, and from the direction of the pieces it appeared that the older man was about to move

He had taught his son from the time the boy could walk and talk, so now they played on equal terms. There were times the younger man believed his father gave away the game, left himself wide open to defeat, except that was not really in the nature of the man himself.

Buford Malahide never gave in to anyone . Whether a game of chess or getting a section of land or grabbing at some stray (perhaps) cattle and rebranding them…when Buford saw what he wanted he did not ask, he went out to get it, by any means possible.

His son sighed and made a move, it was too quick, too defeatist and he had not thought out a different way by which he could have snatched the game from his father. Buford flicked the piece over and claimed it while he muttered “Check mate….you weren’t even trying.”

“I had other things on my mind.” Jake replied and shrugged, it was only a game of chess and with a scowl on his face he stood up and walked to the bureau where the tantalis was …he poured himself some brandy and his father – whisky.

Buford collected the pieces and very carefully placed them in the box made especially for them. Rosewood and sandalwood skillfully crafted together so that each ivory piece could nestle within a blue velvet shroud. He closed the lid just as Jake returned to the table and set down the glass of whisky in front of him. For a while there was nothing but the sound of the fire hissing in the hearth, a flame in a lamp flickered and cast shadows over a corner of the room. Buford picked up the box and along with the chess board set them down upon a small table beside his chair, close to his elbow. The low table was now bare except for their glasses. Jake gulped his down and momentarily closed his eyes as though relishing the taste, stood up and walked over to the decanters and refilled the glass. He glanced over at his father who had barely touched his own.

Once Jake had resumed his seat opposite Buford the older man commented that his son was getting too fond of the ‘stuff’, reminded him it was expensive and shouldn’t be swallowed down like water. Jake only scowled and shrugged, at times he would have thrown out a bit of banter like when did you take such care of the house keeping but not tonight, there was something about Buford this evening that caused Jake to be more careful and he bit down on his words and nodded

“Sure, I know…” and tried to make his words sound conciliatory

Buford picked up his glass and rolled it round his fingers, he drank a little and then looked over at his son, holding the glass against his chest as he did so

“What news about the prospective cattle station?”

“Prospective?” Jake snorted a laugh, “It is not prospective, Pa. It’s nearly built ..only the outbuildings to work on now, the footings for them are complete already.”

“How many men have we working on the site?”

“Two – they’re good men.”

“You sure about that? Two men and -”

“I know what you’re going to say, Pa. There’s only so many accidents that can happen and appear normal on a building site. Too many and folk start getting suspicious and the last thing we need are the Cartwrights getting suspicious.” he leaned forward, cradling the glass of brandy between his hands, rolling it round and round slowly “The wages are good, so when the accidents happened there were always men ready to take the place of the injured. The foreman doesn’t suspect a thing…but it could if there were too many more incidents.”

Buford leaned back and narrowed his eyes, he stared out into the far corners of the room and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment “These two men, reliable are they?”

“Yes. They’re getting paid enough to be reliable…”

Buford nodded. He sipped more whiskey and looked at his son with something behind his eyes that Jake noticed, a sharpness of a kind that always made the younger man shiver down to his boots. He lowered his head and drank more brandy. He could never stare his father out but one day he would..and with that resolve he glanced up again but Buford had lost interest in games he had leaned back in the chair and was staring into the fire

“No word from the Cartwrights? No sign of them coming back?”

“Not since the old man and his pal turned up hereabouts. They weren’t too happy at the reception they got at the rail depot either…” Jake emptied his glass and set it down on the table.

“That old man and his pal as you so lightly referred to him were two of the most formidable men in the territory at one time.” Buford frowned, stared into the amber liquid still in his glass “Doesn’t pay to underestimate them”

“I’m not….but having said that, they haven’t come back, have they? It was good thinking to replace the previous depot Manager with Brandon, he’s another reliable man.”

“Let’s hope so….”

“Well, he said all the right things to Cartwright when they went there didn’t he?”

“Saying and doing are two different things…” Buford muttered, then he shrugged and tossed back his head, as though he wanted to dismiss the subject from his mind. Jake knew well enough to say nothing more, for the time being at least.

……………….

The school bell was tolling and Davy Riley opened his eyes and frowned. School – and he was still in bed? Perhaps his folk had got so used to him being away that they forgot he was home. He was about to swing his legs over the side of the bed when his mother entered the room with a tray in her hands. Breakfast. He frowned and watched as she drew up a small table to the bedside,and set the tray down. She flapped her hands at him as a signal that his legs could return to his bed, along with the rest of him of course.

“Dr Martin said it might be a good idea for you to take the day off school. Get everything out of your system with a couple days of rest.”

“I don’t need no rest, I ain’t no cissy girl…”

She moved the tray closer as she nodded agreement “I know, son, but it’s best to do as the Doc says.”

He was tempted now, the breakfast was his favourite, only provided on special occasions, so he guessed that in her mind this was a special occasion in which case why disillusion her. He settled back in to bed. Mrs Riley brought the tray over onto his lap and smiled contentedly at him, she even brushed aside some hair that had flopped over his brow, and she did so very gently, so that he looked up at her and saw that her eyes were moist.

…………….

Reuben walked into the school yard and was immediately surrounded by fellow pupils. There were slaps on his back, and shouted greetings that could have made a less sober lad quite full of himself. He took it nonchalantly, shrugged, did not swagger about but nodded and passed through. Jimmy ran up, a grin wide enough to split his face in half as he greeted his friend and admired the bruises around Reuben’s eyes.

“Should have seen them the other day…” Reuben said proudly. and beamed with satisfaction.

Lilith came running up with her books swinging by one hand and looked at Reuben thoughtfully, then nodded with professional interest, after all, one day she would be a doctor…”They look as though they’ve healed very well. How about your nose?”

“That’s alright, thanks.” and he blushed, just a little bit

Tommy appeared from out of the crowd and pushed a bag of candy into Reuben’s hand, and then suggested that Reuben shared them out later during the break. He smiled at Sofia who turned her nose up at him, but peeked into the little brown packet to see what she could pick out first.

Annie and Betsy Sales came to join them so that Reuben felt quite hemmed in by the crowd and Sofia was pushed out to the edge . Annie Sales gave Reuben a bag of candy, a bigger one than Tommys which made some wonder if Tommy had already been dipping into the bag he gave his friend. She glanced around at the gathered throng and said very clearly

“My Pa says that Davy Riley is home now.”

“Really?” Jimmy exclaimed “Will he be coming into school today?”

“My Pa says that Davy has to stay home for the rest of the week, because he has – “ she frowned and realised she had forgotten, and she had gone over it and over it all the way from home to school in order to be word perfect. Betsy stood on tip toe and whispered “he has gone through a traumanic experience.”

“Traumanic?” Reuben said and frowned, that didn’t sound right, but even so it sounded very serious

“He has to recover …” Annie tossed her head, the ringlets bounced, her glasses got steamed up.

“Doctor says he’s in shock.” Betsy added which subdued them all.

“I wonder what happened to him….” Jimmy said quietly

“Do you think he had some kind of accident..and was lying injured somewhere and no one knew” Tommy speculated and felt guilty. He looked at the bag of candy he had given Reuben and wondered if he had given it to the wrong boy

Reuben sighed and bowed his head, poor Davy…then he looked up and nudged Jimmy and signed over to him to join him somewhere away from the crowd. Once that had been accomplished, and they had found a little corner to themselves, Reuben outlined the plan for lunchtime activities, Jimmy blinked and frowned

“Mrs Riley may no let us in to see him, but we can just give him a bag of candy, can’t we?” Reuben said looking at his friend earnestly

“She can be a bit of a dragon…..” Jimmy cautioned but gave his big smile and nodded “Ah, why not. I’d like for someone to visit me with a bag of candy if I had had a traumanic experience.”

That was settled then. Reuben turned to the school house, mounted the steps to the big door and felt that the day had begun well, it could only get better.

Chapter 30

“Where are you going?”

Reuben and Jimmy paused and turned as the shrill question hovered above them, piecing through the groups of children at play or lounging around in the school yard. Sofia was breathless from running after her brother and now she planted herself in front of him, legs apart, hands on hips and chin raised to the sky.

“It’s none of your business, Sofia…go back and play with the girls.” Reuben answered in not as kindly a tone as he should have used. Gentle coaxing would have worked far better but now the little girl stepped forward with her eyes wide open and colour mounting her cheeks,

“Does Mr Edwards know you’re leaving school? Where are you going?”

Jimmy sighed and looked at Reuben before looking thoughtfully at Sofia, “We’re going to see a sick friend…”

“What sick friend?” Sofia demanded to know although realisation was already dawning, it was clear in her eyes and the way she looked at her brother

“Go away, Sofia.” Reuben said and shook his head at her, before turning his back on his sister and walking through the school gates into C Street

“Are you going to see that Davy?”

“What if we are?” Reuben turned again to look at her, he scowled and clamped his lips together, Jimmy gripped tighter hold on the bag of candy

“He isn’t your friend, he hit you and gave you those black eyes and he’s hateful and horrible.” she was stumbling over her words with irritation…..how dumb could her brother be!!

“He is our friend, isn’t he, Jim?” Jimmy nodded and kept quiet, stepping a little further into the street as though to distance himself from them both

Hannah ran up, looked at Jimmy and Reuben before grabbing hold of Sofia by the hand and giving it an impatient tug. Sofia looked down at her cousin, looked back at Reuben and tossed her head, before following Hannah back into the yard where a group of girls were playing a skipping rope game. Jimmy looked at Reuben and shook his head “Are all sisters like that?”

“I don’t know, she’s the only one I’ve got thankfully.”

Reuben didn’t fail to notice the look of admiration on Jimmy’s face as he looked back at Sofia’s retreating figure. Obviously the flame of love still burned bright in that little boys heart.

Mrs Riley opened the door slowly, and when she saw Reuben and Jimmy gazing expectantly up into her face she did a quick double take and asked why they weren’t at school

“We’ve got lunch break…” Reuben explained

“We’ve come to see Davy…” Jimmy blurted out

“We heard he was home….” Reuben mustered up his best smile although his confidence was faltering

“Thought he would like visitors to cheer him up…” Jimmy stepped back a pace, his confidence was shot!

“We bought candy…” Reuben offered up the bag of candy as though it would be the best means possible of crossing over the threshold and get pass this formidable woman.

Mrs Riley nodded and opened the door wider “Only five minutes – “ her voice echoed behind them as they scampered up the stairs to Davy’s room.

Davy had heard their voices and was sitting up in bed, eyes wide and round as though prepared for anything after all he had not left his friends in the best of circumstances. Had they decided to get their revenge as quickly as they possible could, or had they come to sue for peace. He held his breath as the door handle moved and the door itself inched open

All three boys inhaled deep breaths and then exhaled at the same time. Davy could tell immediately that there was going to be no trouble, their grins and wide eyes spoke words more significant than speech would provide. Jimmy held the bag of candy aloft and despite it now being severely crumpled he bore it as though it were a trophy won in some hard fought battle.

“Got you some candy….” he declared and hurried over to the bedside to hand it over to the boy in the bed.

“Only got five minutes … I reckon your Ma will eat us alive if we stay longer.” Reuben grinned and looked Davy in the eye, to affirm the fact that he was holding no grudges.

Davy nodded and mumbled his thanks, then looked at Reuben and nodded “Real sorry about thumping you the other day….”

“That’s alright – “ Reuben replied and as though in an after thought added “Did me a good turn really, I missed the Math test …”

“Oh why?” Davy asked innocently as he dipped a hand into the bag and pulled out a rather garish coloured piece of candy.

“Black eyes, concussion – they wouldn’t let me come to school ’til they thought I was alright.”

Davy looked up and frowned “Wow, was that my fault.”

“You pack quite a punch, Davy.” Reuben said and laughed, helped himself to a candy and enjoyed the sight of Davy grinning and Jimmy rummaging about in the bag for a candy less garish in colour, and probably flavour, than the one Davy was chomping on

“So where did you go? What happened? Where were you?” the two visitors demanded to know, and Davy leaned back on the pillows and sighed, he was elevated to hero status again, all was well

……………

Reuben was more than glad to have Max to ride home on as the thought of sharing the buggy with his sister and cousins was more than he could handle. He was more than delighted to have Davy back to normal now, to have had the first hand account of his adventures with George and to hear about the dog, and the puppies. When he and Jimmy had left the Rileys house they both agreed that Davy was back to normal, back to how he was, that spirit still existed and had only been slightly diminished by what had happened with Manser.

Reuben was home before Ezra arrived and dropped Sofia off home. He ran into the house and called for his Ma, who came hurrying from the back room looking anxious, worried in case her boy was in trouble or unwell. Instead she found him tossing his school books onto the arm chair and hurrying into the kitchen to grab some milk, a smile on his face and his eyes beaming

“Davy’s back home.” he declared as she rushed into the room in time to see him pick up his glass “Jim and I went to see him and he’s just fine “

“What does just fine actually mean?” Olivia asked as she watched Reuben drink the milk as though it was the first time he had ever tasted it.

“Well, you know -” Reuben shrugged, and finished his milk, then rushed out again, leaving Olivia staring at the empty glass and wondering what was going on in her sons’ head. Chen smiled,

“Boy happy his friend home safely…”

Olivia nodded, smiled and with a light laugh in her voice added “And back to normal…whatever that means!”

………………..

Ben Cartwright stood up and walked around his desk to enter the main body of the room as his sons were heard riding into the yard. By the time they were coming into the house Ben was standing with his hands on his hips, legs astride and eyes dark and narrowed. Both his sons paused momentarily, and then continued forward until they came to a stop a few paces from Ben

“Anything wrong, Pa?” Joe asked tentatively, glancing over his father’s shoulder to see if any other member of the family were in view

“Just wondering if you had decided not to go to Carson City – “

“Why? “ Adam immediately demanded to know, “What’s the problem?”

“I mean – even if there is a problem?” Joe said, looking hopeful, trying to look innocent

Ben heaved in a deep breath, exhaled and lowered his head, “Mac came by, wanted to know if you two were still taking the lumber -”

“Any reason why we won’t?” Joe snapped

“I’ve not finished speaking yet, Joseph.” Ben growled and shook his head, “No, I suppose not, just that Mac mentioned that some thing – some things – had happened that made him feel uncomfortable. One of the men who -” he paused and beckoned to the settee so that they could sit in comfort, “One of the men who took the lumber last week found the road blocked, couldn’t get the wagon through, had the sense to look for a different passage and got the load delivered, but when he returned he found the track cleared. No sign of any obstacle…”

“Well, so? Someone came by and saw it, moved it – why should it worry Mac?” Adam now asked, looking pensively at the far wall and wishing he were back home, not having this problem on his shoulders.

“Because a few days later when the next haul went to the station, the foreman Mr Cobb, mentioned that equipment was being stolen, vandalism – and one man was injured under suspicious circumstances…” he frowned more darkly “I don’t understand why Cobb didn’t mention any of those to us when we were there…”

“Maybe he hasn’t got a suspicious mind, Pa.” Joe replied rather more glibly than was probably wise, for Ben narrowed his eyes at him in a way that would, at one time, have shut him up

“Maybe he thought -” Adam began and then stopped, drew in a deep breath and shrugged “So what do you want us to do?”

“Mac’s relying on you taking the lumber through,” Ben stated and both men nodded like the little China statues with the nodding heads “But I don’t want you going anywhere near anyone and stirring up trouble. You go, deliver the lumber and come on back….”

Adam shrugged “If that’s all you want us to do….”

“Just don’t rattle a stick in a nest of snakes -” Ben said and rubbed the back of his head, a sure sign that he was ‘rattled’ himself.

“Mac may have been exaggerating, Pa.” Adam muttered and got to his feet, “We’ll get to the bottom of this -”

“That’s exactly what I don’t want you doing – “

“Mm mm” the two men looked at one another and then glanced at Ben, shrugged, Joe got to his feet and turned towards the door.

“How is Hoss now?” Adam asked in a conciliatory manner and Ben finally relaxed, looked more the concerned father, and informed them that Hoss was doing well, dosed up with medicine and body oil rubs and cared for, fussed over and pampered, as as they would have expected.

They smiled indulgently, nodded and left the house, with Ben standing in the doorway watching them, his face still creased with concern.

Joe and Adam remounted, walked their horses out of the yard in silence, both thinking along the same lines…at the junction Joe turned to Adam, nodded “See you in the morning, then.”

Adam merely nodded, jerked his horses head around and then made his way homewards.

Chapter 31

Shadows from the trees cast familiar shapes across the room but for once Ben did not find them of comfort. He was restless and uneasy so sleep seemed to slip away at every toss and turn he made on the big bed. When he did finally succeed in falling into some sleep he had such a strange dream that he woke up, and found himself sitting bolt upright with fists clenched and a fierce feeling of fury spinning around his stomach.

For a moment he sat there, head hanging chin resting on his chest while he got control over his breathing. Minutes ticked by and sounded like so many little men shuffling through the room with clogs on their feet. Finally he hauled in a deep breath and gave himself a shake, both physically and mentally. It was just a dream, he told himself, just a dream.

Memories and dreams intermingled as he sat there in the bed before deciding that he would be unable to get any more sleep so would probably be better off getting up, shake off the cobwebs and get a drink. Something that would not only settle the stomach but calm the mind as well.

He pulled on his dressing gown, a midnight blue woollen affair with a darker blue collar that Hester had bought for him. She said the burgundy garment had gone past repair and he had to suffer the indignity of seeing Hop Sing take it out and burn it. Ah well, such is life – what’s a dressing gown matter in the grand scheme of things.

A glass of brandy nestled in his hands now and he sat by a small fire to keep the chill at bay. A lamp glowed at his elbow. He leaned back and closed his eyes – what had that dream been about that had been so disturbing.

It was only when he had emptied his glass that the memory trickled back…the memory of two faces, father and son, staring at him, mouthing threats. He recalled in his dream seeing his sons, each one of them, not as they were now but as they had been in the years past…when he had been able to sit Joe on his knee and teach him seamen’s knots, and showed Hoss how to throw horse shoes and Adam, to navigate by the stars. He had kept them safe then, through all the years but just lately he was wondering, worrying, about just how safe they were now.

Malahide. That was the problem or rather – they were the problem. Ever since he had made that visit to their ranch and been forced to leave as though he and Roy had been uninvited salesmen the memory of those men had haunted him. There had been evil there, in their eyes. Ben had felt it as real as the glass he now held in his hands.

He realised also that he had been a fool, a fool not to have used that land before instead of ignoring it. What had been the point of having so much land if it was just lying there unused, left to its own devices, a temptation to others to reach out and grab as so many had done in the past. Perhaps Malahide had never thought of that area of land as worth having, perhaps it was only when Adam had thought to have a cattle station there that the land had tempted Malahide or may be it was just that the thought of sharing the cattle trucks with the Ponderosa herd annoyed him, loss of profits meant a lot to a man like Malahide.

Ben closed his eyes and tried to put his thoughts in order, but now another thought crept into his mind….this trip that Adam and Joe were going on, how safe would they be? Would Malahide think to harm them? The thought caused Ben to sit up again, stare across the room at the far off walls and think about what could happen if anything, any harm to his sons, took place.

He rose to his feet and returned to the decanters, poured himself some more brandy and made his way to his bed, glass in hand, brow furrowed. He would tell Adam and Joe not to go, to assign the task to Ezra or Hank…he sighed and shook his head as conscience smote him, it was hardly fair to send two men into the danger that he was imagining would befall his sons.

He set the glass down on the night stand and removed his dressing gown, slipped between the covers and settled back into the comfort of his bed. Within minutes he was asleep, the brandy untouched, the flame flickering low in the lamp.

…………….

“Do you really have to go away again, Daddy?” Sofia paused in drinking her milk, a white moustache adorning her upper lip and her eyes large in her face.

Nathaniel looked anxiously at his father, then at his mother. He pouted, his lower lip stuck out and his brows knitted together “Not going ‘way daddy?”

“Afraid so, but it won’t be long.” Adam reached for some bread and broke it into two halves, he smiled over at Olivia “At least it won’t be for as long as it would be if I were going on the cattle drive this month….”

“I’m going on the cattle drive when I’m a bit older…” Reuben declared, and stabbed at the food on his plate with a fervour that would have delighted his Uncle Hoss.

Olivia sighed, and the thought of her little boy going on a cattle drive, even if years in the future, concerned her greatly. She looked up at her husband who gave her a wink of the eye, a nod of the head, he understood her concerns only too well.

Sofia could see that her question had been derailed and gave a little hic-cup of irritation, before turning once again to her father “Will you be here when we get back from school, Daddy?”

Adam sighed and raised his eyebrows, then shook his head “Afraid not, Princess, Uncle Joe and I have a ways to go, and it will take a few days before we get back.” he looked again at Olivia, as though he felt the need to send her reassuring messages of love, confidence, all would be well.

“Sofia, finish your breakfast and hurry now, or you’ll be late for school” Olivia said quietly, and turned to attend to Nathaniel who was getting the fidgets, a sure sign he had eaten enough and wanted to get busy, lots to do, always lots to do.

Sofia sighed and looked down at the food on her plate which she moved around slowly, she finished her milk and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before looking up at her father with wet eyes and a trembling mouth

“I miss you when you arn’t here, Daddy”

“I miss you too.” he said and stood up, “I miss all of you, but -”

“I know.” She whispered, the words trembling as she spoke “You have to go because that’s what Grandpa told you to do….”

Adam chuckled at that, and tweaked one of her curls, “Actually not so, I’m going because Uncle Hoss can’t go -”

“Because he hurt his back?” Sofia looked up at him, and then slipped off her chair and walking up to him she wrapped her arms around him, held him slightly “I love you, Daddy”

Not to be out done, Nathaniel hurried over to give his father a hug, pushing Sofia out of the way so that there was a little tug of war around the vicinity of Adam’s legs. He stooped down and picked Nathaniel up and swung him over to one of the chairs into which he was rather placed rather like some unwanted package, and then Olivia pushed Sofia’s lunch pail and books into her arms and told her to hurry up, Reuben stood by the door and waited. Once mayhem had settled down he looked over Sofia’s head and caught Adam’s eyes, smiled

“See you when you get back, Pa.”

“Sure you will, make sure you do your chores …Sofia, look after your pony. C’mon Spike, come and see your brother and sister off to school….”

He took the boys hand and together they followed Sofia and Reuben to the doorway, watched as they made their way to the wagon, and saw Sofia up along with Hannah, while Reuben mounted into the saddle and rode out of the yard on Max. Once out of sight Adam turned to Olivia while Nathaniel disappeared to play, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist,

“Don’t forget that Orawitz will be bringing the pony this afternoon…” he kissed her lips gently

“I won’t. Sofia will be so pleased and surprised, she thought she was going to be stuck with Buster for the rest of her life.” she kissed him, his cheeks, his throat, his lips.

“I know…Nathaniel can take care of Buster from now on. The old chap has a few more years in him yet.” he tenderly ran his fingers along the contours of her face, her high cheekbones, her lips, her nose..then leaned down to kiss her again “I have to go, you know I’ll miss you…”

She hung onto him even more tightly than even Sofia would have done had she been given the chance. “You will be back Monday?”

“Evening time, so don’t worry …”

They parted, and she stepped back a few paces. Nathaniel appeared from behind the water trough where he had been making mud balls, but being muddy didn’t stop him running over to his father and putting his arms up to be swung into the air and down again and up once more so that his tummy felt like lots of butterflies were fighting lots of bees

He ran over to Olivia and stood by her side while she watched her husband mount his horse, raise a hand in salute and then turn to make his way out of the yard to the sound of his son calling out his farewells

“Bye, Daddy…Bye….”

Joe was waiting at the junction on the track leading to the main Ponderosa ranch, where Hoss lay a pampered patient and Ben had stood at the doorway to have some last words with his sons, only to find his youngest available for the list of instructions from him.

Joe nodded a greeting to his eldest brother and Adam turned his horse back the way he had come, so that they were soon riding past the turning to his house and along the track which would lead to the turn off that would eventually lead to the timber yard.

“Pa’s worried about this trip.” Joe said eventually, he pulled his hat a little lower as though to give his words some emphasis.

“I know, but he has no need to be…”

“According to him we could be heading for trouble. He didn’t like Malahide’s attitude and – well – perhaps he is letting his imagination run along with him but he reckons Malahide is behind those things that happened ..” he paused and looked sideways to view Adam’s expression, there was none, so he cleared his throat “You know, the blocked road, things happening at the site…that kind of thing”

“I’m sure we can deal with a blocked road and things always happen on a building site, it’s the nature of the work.”

“You ain’t worried?”

“Are you?”

Adam turned a little in the saddle to face his brother who just grinned and shook his head, then shrugged “No, as you say, we can deal with a blocked road …”

“S’right, so we can….”

Their horses picked up an easy canter, one that would not tire them out, their was a light breeze that drifted down from the pine laden mountains bringing the scent of the trees with it. There was a freshness to the smell, a reminder of how good life was and how many blessings they each possessed. They smiled at one another, nodded their heads and allowed the horses to canter on..

Chapter 32

By the time the brothers reached the timber yard the wagon was already loaded and the horses waiting to be harnessed. There were going to be four horses taking the load and all four looked at the brothers as though demanding a pay rise.

Mac pulled off his gloves and nodded over to the two men as they dismounted, “You coming in and having something to eat before your trip?”

“Good idea,” Joe replied with an enthusiasm usually heard from Hoss , and they trailed in behind Mac, acknowledging greetings from the men who were already seated at the trestle tables eating together.

They took some seats and removed their hats, then looked at Mac “Pa says there’s been some kind of trouble getting the wagons through?” Adam said quietly, and his dark eyes lingered on the other mans craggy face with some respect, no one knew timber as well as McManus did, he was the best in the business,.

“So I heard…the men came back with the last load and told me that the road had been blocked, and that your site foreman had told him about a few things happening there.” he frowned, and rubbed his jaw with a calloused hand, “He didn’t seem too concerned, said things went missing and accidents happened, he mentioned it because my boys had told him about what happened with the track being blocked.”

“And then cleared?” Joe added

“Yeah, that struck them as odd, although it meant they had a clear road ahead, but why go to the bother of blocking it and then removing it .. seems a waste of time if you’re trying to put the frighteners on folk.”

“Is that what you think this is? Someone trying to put the frighteners on us?” Adam asked and then leaned back for the cook to set down the plates of food on the table.

Once the man had gone and they were alone once more, Mac nodded “Something don’t smell right . If I were you best be on your guard.”

Adam and Joe looked at one another, shrugged and looked at their plates, then grabbed some bread and began to eat. No one spoke for a while as they enjoyed the meal, and finally pushed the empty plates away and waited for the coffee to come. Dark, hot and steaming…the cook paused as he poured the coffee into their cups, and asked about Hoss, about the families, reminisced about the time when there were no children on the Ponderosa, when he had first got to be a paid up member of the team. They chatted for some while, before drinking their coffee, then thanking their host, and the cook, and strolling out into the yard.

Mac followed them out, nodded over to the wagon with the horses now harnessed and ready to go.

“You taking your own horses as well..”

“Yeah, in case we need them.” Joe replied as he slipped his hat over his unruly mop of hair, he glanced at Adam who was already shaking Mac by the hand, “See you in a few days, Mac”

“Just take care…”

The waved a hand, without turning back and after tying the reins of their horses to the back axle of the wagon, both Cartwrights clambered up onto the bench seat. Adam waited for Joe to take up the reins and sat back, tipped his hat forward and closed his eyes. A little sleep would help pass the time, this was Joe’s idea, so Joe could do the driving ….

Mr Orawitz was a quiet kindly man who had recently suffered the loss of his wife and little daughter when the influenza hit Virginia City during the wintertime. He was a wealthy man but like many a man of riches he was brought to the realisation that wealth meant nothing when the most precious beings in his world were taken from him. No money could bring them back. Once he had reeled back from the abyss of despair he decided to sell up and move on to pastures new. He was heading for Chicago and his visit to the Ponderosa was among the last that he would undertake.

The Palomino pony had been his daughters. She had cherished it and loved it, and it was now, with a heavy heart that he rode into the yard of Adam and Olivia’s house with the little pony’s reins tied to the back axle of his buggy.

Nathaniel was first to see him, running out from behind the stables and stopping short as the buggy came to a halt and Mr Orawitz looked down at him from his leather covered seat,

“Well, young man, don’t just stand there, go get your mother – or father – “

The brusque voice from the severe looking man who was looking down his nose at the little boy did not go down very well with Nathaniel, he scowled and turned to run to the house, vowing that his biggest mud pie would be reserved for this rather unpleasant man. Such are the judgements of children who lacked the understanding of how grief can affect the kindest of hearts.

Olivia came to her sons summons and approached the man in the buggy with a smile, twisting a curl of hair behind her ear as she did so

“Good morning, Mr Orawitz. Adam told me to expect you…” she extended her hand which Mr Orawitz shook gently before he clambered down from his seat “Would you like to come in for something to drink?”

“Thank you but no, I have to get back for an appointment with my Bank Manager. I’ve just come to deliver the – the pony.” he gulped and Olivia was very conscious of the break in the man’s voice, aware of the mountain of grief the man carried with him like a huge boulder on his shoulders.

She smiled and nodded, and followed him to the back of the buggy where he carefully and somewhat slowly untethered the reins. The pony nodded as though he understood what was happening and was promising to be on his best behaviour

“Oh he is beautiful, I mean handsome.” Olivia said quietly, raising her hand to gently stroke the animals neck her hand hidden by the thick pale creamy mane

“The best I could get her, my little girl – Virginia. She loved her pony, went out on him every possible chance she had…though she only had him a year before – “ he paused and mentally shook away the words “All his tack is here too…saddle, bridle, harness…everything, and his blanket…Virginia sewed his name in the corner.”

He went to the buggy again and opened the trunk to show everything was there, just as he had said, and Olivia picked up the pale blue blanket with the name neatly sewn in the corner – ‘Paddy’

“Thank you, Mr Orawitz – Sofia will so love him.”

“He’s a gentle beast, never given any trouble, and has plenty of stamina.” he raised a hand and stroked down the pony’s long bony nose, then patted him gently before smiling at Olivia “I saw your daughter once or twice, she was in Virginia’s class, although they were never close friends I believe, but my daughter liked her very much, she told me that Sofia Cartwright had spirit.”

“Perhaps, sometimes, too much.” Olivia sighed and stepped back to allow Mr Orawitz room to lift everything out of the vehicle and place down carefully over the corral bars. Then he paused and nodded “Well, that’s done. I had better get off or I’ll be late…”

He shook her hand again and smiled at Nathaniel, “I’m leaving for Chicago soon, not decided a time yet” he paused, his eyes wet, “A new start….”

“I do wish you well, Mr Orawitz”

“Thank you, you’re very kind.” he looked at her then, as though wanting to remember her face for later, nodded and tipped his hat to her, before taking his seat in the buggy “I hope Sofia enjoys Paddy as much as my Ginny did….”

“I’m sure she will, Mr Orawitz.” she paused “Thank you.”

He didn’t say any more, just tipped his hat again, took up the reins and rumbled the buggy out of the yard. Nathaniel was so enthralled by the sight of Paddy he had forgotten about his mud pies, but just stood by the pony’s side, stroking the animals golden blonde coat gently

Olivia came and stood beside him, smiled down at him “Beautiful, isn’t he?”

“Mine not Sofie’s..” he puffed out his chest, and stood as tall as he could, “Not have Buster…”

“Buster is a lovely pony, perfect for you.” she ruffled his hair and then leaned towards the pony and stroked his nose “Hi there, Paddy…welcome to the Ponderosa.”

Nathaniel glowered, “No, not Buster .. don’t want Buster.”

Olivia said nothing, trust Adam to be away from home when war was about to break out…. then she had an idea and leaned down to whisper something in his ear which brought a grin to his face, and dimples to his cheeks. The wisdom of Solomon …a compromise….

………….

At the time the brothers were leaving the lumber camp Mrs Riley was opening the door to three little boys, Tommy, Jimmy and Reuben each bearing a huge smile and waiting impatiently for admittance

“Is Davy alright? Can we see him ?” Tommy asked almost hopping from one foot to the other.

Mrs Riley said nothing and stepped to one side, and allowed the ‘flood’ to sweep past her and surge up the stairs to Davy’s room, where the boy was standing by a desk under the window, and turned with a beaming smile of his own …

“No sweets this time, Davy” Jimmy said and bounced down on the bed.

“That’s alright, I’m not interested in candy, just good to see you – “ and Davy felt the colour mantle his neck and creep over his face.

“When you coming back to school, Davy?” Tommy wanted to know, settling down onto a stool and looking wide eyes around the room as though somehow or other, it had rearranged itself during Davy’s absence.

“Monday, of course. Would have been back today but Ma said not to, you know how Ma’s are…” and he shrugged, happy in the thought that his Ma cared, and no longer hid the fact from him.

The other three boys nodded in agreement, some more vigorously than others….and shared a smile, nudged one another.

“Can’t stop long, Davy. “ Reuben said “Just brought you some school work from Mr Edwards. He said for you to look through it before you come back …”

Jimmy nodded “Yeah, he wrote something and put it inside for you to read. “

“Probably lines…or a date for detention…” Tommy grinned

Davy nodded, smiled again…he looked at each one of them, and felt proud. His gang! They had not deserted him despite the odds, they had been loyal. He felt his throat tighten, he could not speak, just nodded and nodded until it became embarrassing.

Chapter 33

Nathaniel was beside himself with excitement while he waited for his brother and sister to return from school. He made mud pies for a while behind the water trough. He went into the stable and clambered up the rails of the stalls and perched on the top so that he could just slide over and onto the pony’s broad back. He cuddled its neck and whispered in its ear. Then he would run out into the yard and wait a while, just in case the wagon bearing his sister was trundling down into the yard.

He was with Cheng in the kitchen drinking milk and eating a cookie when he heard the wagon. He jumped up, slopping the milk onto the table and ran out of the room, swerved around his mother and ran out of the front door screaming “Sofie, Sofie.”

Olivia shook her head, and followed him out as he ran into the yard practically dancing on the spot as Ezra hauled on the reins and Sofia sat on the bench seat looking at her little brother in amazement. Olivia came out and said “Where’s Reuben” at the same time as Nathaniel yelled “Sofie, surprise surprise.”

Sofia stepped down from the wagon and thanked Ezra as she always did unless in a very particular hurry and looked at her little brother with some disdain, while she approached her mother looking like the confused little girl that she was…she looked from one to the other ..and when Nathaniel began to tug at her hand she shook him off with a scowl, then turned to Olivia

“Reuben is on the way, he’s walking Max because he has a loose shoe, Max not Reuben…” she grinned, thinking that sounded really smart.

“Sofie, Sofie. Come see. Come see.” Nathaniel pulled and pulled first on her hand, then at her skirts, so that the little girl shook her head at him “I’m tired, Nathaniel, and I want some milk and a cookie. You’ve been home all day, doing nothing but playing but I have had to work, at school, and let me tell you, you will not like it”

Nathaniel was stilled. He stood there uncertain and unsure. Why was Sofia not excited to come and see what this wonderful surprise was, why was she so – grumpy!

Olivia came and put her hands on his shoulders and when he looked up at her, mystified, she looked down at him and smiled, winked just like Pa would have done before she looked at her daughter

“Nathaniel wanted to show you what your father has got for you…but if you arn’t interested and too busy to look then …” she shrugged and rolled her eyes which meant to Sofia that if she did not move quickly and show interest she was going to lose out on something..and something that Pa had got for her, and something that was – she turned and looked at the stables …Nathaniel clapped his hands “Come see….” he cried once again and ran towards the building as fast as his legs could take him.

Sofia put her lunch pail and her books down carefully, then looked at Olivia and tried to read her face but her mother was just standing still, hands folded together and looking just as usual although there was a twinkle in her eyes. Now Sofia realised the significance of the stables, the promise of something she had hoped for and longed for so long that she could barely breathe. She turned and ran, and followed her brother into the musty, warm, fusty building, to where he was standing looking so proud at the stall where the pony stood.

She paused and stood there momentarily, it was not Karim, the little foal she had loved when it had first arrived some years ago, that had now grown into a full grown horse but still was loved by her. But this pony, with its liquid eyes, golden cream body, strong legs, flowing mane and tail, was – well – it was beautiful. She could not move, she blinked her eyes, several times, and approached it quietly as though sudden movement would scare it away like a a puff of smoke.

“Is it really mine?” she whispered as she sensed Olivia close behind her.

“Yes, his name is Paddy. Do you like him?”

“He’s – he’s the best looking pony in the world.” Sofia breathed, and walked up to the animal, placed a gentle hand on its neck and stroked him,

“You can give him an apple “ Nathaniel said as he pushed a rosy red one into her hand and she smiled at him, thanked him and offered it to Paddy who looked at her, and then accepted the apple with gentle soft lips, the hairs on its chin tickled her fingers, and she laughed

“I think he likes me….” she said as though that was a miracle.

“Me too, he like me too.” Nathaniel cried, and clapped his hands in delight.

“Pa thought it was time you had gave Buster up as you are growing so tall, Sofia. This pony is still quite young, and his last rider only had him for a short while, so you must look after him …treat him well.”

“Oh I will, mommy, I will.” she cried as she wrapped her arms around the pony’s neck and hugged him close.

Paddy was well used to being hugged by a little girl and just tossed his head very gently . “Does Reuben know he was coming…”

“No, it was meant to be a surprise for you.”

“What will happen to Buster….?” she turned to the stall where Buster was watching with dark eyes, brooding eyes, as though he was not sure what was going on but had realised that his popularity with Sofia, always on a descending scale, had now plummeted to zero.

“Nathaniel will have Buster for a while, he’s growing old so Pa will be looking out for a new pony for him.”

Sofia nodded, then picked up an apple from the bucket of them and handed it to Buster, and stroked his nose, “Thank you, Buster. You have been such a dear old friend and I’m sorry I didn’t always look after you so well as I should.”

Buster nodded, and took the apple from her fingers so quickly that she had no time to feel soft lips or otherwise, just a graze of teeth….

“Who did Paddy belong to before, Mommy”

“Virginia Orawitz. I think she was in your class….” Olivia came and stood beside her, so that they were standing together, admiring the pony, while Nathaniel tried to push his way between them to enable himself a look.

“I remember her, but she was not very friendly.” Sofia said quietly and thought of the girl, not very pretty, but always immaculately dressed because her parents could afford to get the very best for her, from the big stores back East.

Olivia said nothing and placed a gentle hand on her daughters’ shoulder before the sound of Reuben calling for her caused her to turn away and walk out side.

“Max got a loose shoe. I had to walk him…” Reuben said, looking very hot and bothered, “I’m real thirsty Ma…”

Now it was Sofia who ran out of the stable crying “Come and see, come and see, Reuben.” with Nathaniel close on her heels, crying out “Come see, come see, Reuben.”

“I’m too tied, too hot and too hungry…I’ve had to walk miles…” Reuben protested and wearily turned away and into the house.

Sofia and Nathaniel looked at one another, but they didn’t follow their brother they just turned and ran back into the stable…

………………….

The four horses cantered along at a steady pace, they knew the route now and slowed when going round the corners, and sped up when they needed so that Joe found it very easy to just sit on the bench with his feet up and the reins in his hands, whistling tunelessly under his breath and feeling the breeze on his face.

The only thing that irritated Joe just now was the fact that his brother was stretched out beside him with his hat over his face, snoring. It seemed to Joe that it was not a real snore, in fact it sounded very theatrical so once or twice he would see a good boulder ahead and guide the horses so that the wagon wheel would go over it and bounce, maybe several times. His brother moved only due to gravity. The snoring continued. Joe decided to leave him be and began to think over the previous evening with his dear wife.

The memory of his last night with Mary Ann made him feel nostalgic, and then he began to feel dreamy and romantic. The grip on the reins loosened as he went into some kind of haze, a little bubble of happiness. The horses slowed as they approached the next curve in the track

“Why are we slowing down?”

Adam’s voice seemed to boom beside him, and Joe was startled enough to almost drop the reins but he bit his tongue and put on an air of nonchalance as he shrugged.

“You were snoring….”

“Nonsense, how could anyone sleep and snore with you in control of this wagon…it would be tantamount to putting my life in the hands of a hooligan.”

“Are you saying I’m a hooligan?”

“No, I wasn’t saying you were a hooligan.” Adam flexed his back, stretched a little in order to get some kinks out of his spine, he looked around him “We’ve not got very far!”

“The horses know the best speed to go at – stop complaining.” Joe scowled, he would not have had this bother with Hoss, the snoring, well, perhaps he would have had to endure that, but criticism about his driving, no. Hoss was far more amenable and would have just relaxed, probably eaten something that Hop Sing or Hester would have provided for him to eat along the way.

They settled into silence, watching as the landscape changed and trees began to emerge, shadowing the track now. The horses were slowing and Adam nodded “Alright, I think we could stop here, make camp “

Joe took a swift glance around him, and agreed that it was an ideal place to stop. The horses obviously thought so and were already veering off the track to where previous wagons had taken the route to where the team could graze and the men could rest up, make a fire, eat and spend the night.

“I reckon the horses could take the lumber by themselves…” Joe grinned, and allowed the horses to take the path familiar to them.

“We’ll make up time in the morning, have an early start.” Adam replied and when the wagon stopped, again more to do with the horses than Joe’s control over the reins, he stood up and stepped down from the wagon onto firm ground.

It was the ideal spot, he untied their horses from the rear of the wagon and led them to where they could graze, and while he did that Joe was unharnessing the team, and then took rope from beneath the wagon seat to use in making up a picket line…

“Seems to have been where the wagon usually stops over,” he pointed to the signs of previous fires, as he passed the blackened remains as he led the horses to where they could graze.

In less than an hour they were settled, fire burning and food cooking. Shadows had lengthened and night was drawing in. They leaned back against the rocks cradling mugs of hot coffee against their chests, watching the flames dance in the slightest of breezes.

“Do you think we should have a watch…just in case…” Joe muttered

“Probably be wise….”

“I’ll take first shift then…as you’re so tired and need your sleep, brother.”

Adam nodded, his mind drifted as he thought of the plans he had had for the weekend, he wondered how Sofia had reacted to the new pony. He’d have preferred to have been there than sharing this trip with Joe, and so he sat in silence, drank his coffee and waited for time to tick by before he could huddle down for some sleep.

Then Joe started talking…and Adam sighed, leaned forward and refilled his cup, settled his thoughts and prepared himself to listen.

Chapter 34

It was during the supper that Sofia brought up the subject of the little girl who had owned Paddy, the girl called Virginia Orawitz, she said quietly how Virginia didn’t come to school any more. Olivia nodded and wondered whether discussing death over the supper table was really a good idea. She was not one to avoid talking about serious matters with her children, she wanted them to ask their questions about any subject that caused them any concern, she wanted Adam or herself to be the ones who gave the honest answers. But there was also a time and a place, so she just nodded and changed the subject.

Winter time was a bad season in that area, some winters were so severe that t hey were snowed in for weeks, and some winters were not so severe but then they had howling winds and rain. And it was always cold. Although the snows at times prevented the children getting into school, it achieved the dual purpose of protecting them from the illnesses that the winter chills would bring to a more populated area. Thus although a goodly number of the town’s inhabitants suffered from the influenza, pneumonia, and various other winter ailments they had a small measure of protection due to their location.

There were the constant hazards of living in such far away places, even with the trains now running there was never a guarantee that they would run on time. If the snows were very heavy in some area of the route then the train could be delayed for days, and in some areas, even weeks. That put remote towns in the danger of running out of supplies, including medicinal.

Children did not notice what adults would, they did not know the kind of questions to ask when a child did not arrive at school, when there was a vacant chair at a desk. Perhaps another child had come along and taken that chair? Perhaps it had just never occurred to Sofia to ask where Virginia had gone because she had simply not been a friendly enough little girl.

That thought particularly saddened Olivia. The thought that one little girl had disappeared from the class room and not be liked enough to have been missed. She dabbed her mouth with the napkin now, and looked over at Sofia,

“Did Virginia have many friends in school, Sofia?”

Her daughter finished chewing the last of her food and swallowed it down. She looked at her mother thoughtfully as she tried to remember Virginia and who her friends were, then she shook her head “I don’t know.”

Reuben decided to speak up, he could remember the girl now, and told his mother that Virginia Orawitz had been a snob. Such a description brought a frown on Olivia’s face and a slight scolding that it was not kind to refer to anyone like that, but Reuben shrugged and said it was true, Virginia had very few friends because she thought no one else was as good as she was, which to his mind meant she was a snob.

Sofia quickly came to her brother’s defence saying that she had overheard two girls talking about Virginia and they had referred to her as a snob and when she, Sofia, had asked what the word had meant they had laughed at her and ran off.

“I see, well, please don’t use the word again.” Olivia said quietly and darted an anxious look at Nathaniel in case he had decided that the word had a particular ring to it that appealed to him. Were that the case he would have been using it at every possible opportunity.

Later as Sofia dressed for her bed, and Olivia was gently brushing out the snarls and tangles in her daughter’s hair she took the conversation back to Virginia by asking Sofia what she had thought about her new pony. A look of rapture swept over Sofia’s face, and her eyes widened with pleasure

“Oh Mommy, Paddy is the most beautiful pony in the whole world. Can I ride him to school tomorrow?”

“No.”

“But Reuben rides Max every day….” the bottom lip trembled, the eyes went moist and she hung her head in dismay

“Reuben is that much older and that much more experienced, Sofia. Anyway, it is something that you and your father will have to discuss between you.” she sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside her. Once Sofia was seated she put her arm around her waist and drew her closer, Sofia relaxed and nestled her head upon her mother’s shoulder,

“Sofia, I wanted to tell you about Virginia ..” she paused as Sofia sighed, obviously she did not want to discuss the girl again, Olivia caught at a curl of hair and began to wind it around her finger in a distracted manner, “Remember there were a lot of people sick with the influenza during the winter?”

“Yes, Ezra got it, didn’t he?”

“He did, thankfully he was kept safe and got well because he had Hop Sing to look after him.”

“He had a lot of raspberry cordial.” Sofia yawned

Olivia said nothing to that, if Sofia preferred to think of it as raspberry cordial so be it, should it be her turn to taste it some time later she would put up less of a fight at the first dose anyway

“Well, sadly the people in town did not have Hop Sing looking after them, and a lot of medicine did not get to town which meant quite a few people got sick -”

Sofia tensed a little, perhaps she sensed what was coming but she waited patiently, in expectation

“Virginia and her mother got the influenza and sadly died – that is why Mr Orawitz sold the pony because there was no little girl to ride it any more.”

Sofia said nothing, she could feel the beat of her mother’s heart beneath her ear, feel the soft touch of Olivia’s hair stroking her hair. When one was dead all that stopped, nothing mattered any more. She was more than grateful that she had such a lovely pony now, but the thought that Virginia had died stopped her thinking any further than that…the enormity of death, if she ever thought about it at all, scared her. Her Daddy, before Adam, was dead, and she knew she would never see him, ever.

“Mr Orawitz must be very sad.” she whispered because it seemed to her quite wrong to talk normally when discussing such a subject.

“Yes, he is, very sad.”

“And was Virginia very sick?”

“Yes, she was.”

Sofia closed her eyes a moment. It seemed unfair that a boy who had just run away and caused people a lot of worry could get visitors and treats of candy and so forth when a little girl who was really sick had got nothing, and no one had even mentioned it. It was just as though someone had taken the chair away from her desk and she just ceased to be ….poor Mr Orawitz.

……………….

“You know,” Joe started as he sat beside his brother, leaning against a boulder, looking into the flames of their fire, “You never talk much about being away from home.”

“How’d you mean? Seems to me we seem to be constantly riding away from home for some reason or another.”

“You know what I mean – when you left home and went to sea that time.”

“’That time’ was years ago now, Joe”

“Exactly. But you never talk about it, never not once.”

“What’s there to say?” Adam shrugged, and looked down into his mug to see if any coffee remained.

“Well, I’d like to know.”

“Why?”

“Does there have to be a reason?”

“With you, Joseph, there is always a reason…true, sometimes I would rather not know the reason, but usually have found it wiser to know because forewarned is forearmed…” he paused and slanted his eyes at his brother who was sitting so close to him that their shoulders rubbed against each other.

“Doesn’t have to be a reason, just being curious, is all?”

“After all this time?”

“So you said already.”

Joe shrugged and leaned towards the coffee pot. He poured more of the steaming liquid into both their mugs and then leaned back against the rock.

“Fact is you don’t talk about those years when you were away at sea…” he paused as he felt his brother shrug his shoulders again, “I just thought this would be a good time to talk about some of your adventures….share a little bit of your experience.”

“My experiences at sea will be no use to you …”

“How would you know?”

“Look..I was on a ship, a ship is bigger than a boat, sometimes the sea was calm, sometimes it was bumpy and sometimes it was plain nightmarish…those times I prefer not to think about….” he paused “or be reminded of…”

Joe sighed and shook his head, he ran fingers through his wild mane and leaned back, pressing him spine into the rock. It somehow relieved tension in his shoulders

“Yeah, so, back to my original question, before you realised being on a ship was either boring or nightmarish….how did it feel leaving the Ponderosa for the first – no, sorry – second time in your life and being independent of Pa.”

There, he had said it, independent of Pa. That was a big sentence because it carried a ton of weight behind each word. Adam leaned forward, he held the mug between his hands which dangled between his knees, he gulped down some of the liquid and swallowed

“Well, ain’t’cha going to say something?” Joe prompted, and gave his brother’s elbow a nudge

“What I’m thinking is why the interest – now.?”

Joe shrugged, pulled his face into an expression of innocence, sighed “Well, you never talked about it and now is as good a time as any to say something…”

“About how I felt being away from Pa and the Ponderosa?”

“Yeah – “ Joe’s voice cracked, went a little shrill and Adam shook his head, threw the last of the coffee into the ground,.

“So – you’re thinking that perhaps this is as good a time as any to move out, huh?” he avoided smiling, didn’t even grin, just stared into the flames of the brave little fire

“How’d you mean?” Joe narrowed his eyes, scowled a little and buried his nose in the mug to drink more coffee

“Well, the cattle station needs a manager, someone to run things and it’s some distance from – Pa – and offers some independence, not much, but some…sides which, perhaps you would prefer to change it from a cattle station to a stud farm…that’s what you hanker after, ain’t it?”

He turned, dark brown eyes just catching the gleam of the fires flames, and Joe gulped. He shrugged and looked away, “Guess I’ll go check on the horses.”

Adam grinned and shook his head, little brother was always so obvious. He wondered if Joe would ever realise just how much, and how easily, others could read him. He gave a slight pout of the lips

“Well, to be honest, Joe…for a while it felt good, freedom is always exhilarating until realisation dawns that all I did was exchange one form of dominance with another…and wished I had never left. “ he paused and stretched out his legs “But taking on the cattle station – stud farm – whatever you want – would be a whole lot easier than being answerable to an arrogant Captain, who is king of his kingdom, and stuck with a crew of men for months on end with no way of getting off at the next way station, because there just isn’t one out there -”

Chapter 35

By the time their children were up and enjoying breakfast, and Hoss had tentatively made his way downstairs to join his family for the first meal of the day, Adam and Joe had harnessed the horses and were well on their way

The track that the wagons had created with their constant passing too and fro was substantial, and with the drier weather would eventually become a hard packed roadway. Although travelling by train was quicker, and in many ways more comfortable, both of them agreed that should it be necessary having a road between the properties would be advantageous.

“This must be where the track was blocked ….” Adam said as he drew up the horses to a halt.

“Let’s go take a look-see,” Joe muttered and jumped down from the wagon seat , he paused, stood and looked around him.

“You know”, Adam unscrewed the water canteen as he came to stand beside his brother, “this is about the only place they could have blocked the track, the boulders here peter out further along, its all clear views, river and a few trees from thereon.”

“Yeah, that’s true enough.” Joe took the canteen from his brother and gulped down some of the water, he walked forward and both of them scanned the track carefully, looked up at the enormous boulders and rocks

“You can see where the boulders were pushed aside later…” Adam pointed to a jumble of rocks and scree that lay to the far side of the track, “Seems an odd thing to do….unless they were wanting to use the track themselves at some time.”

“There’s a mess of prints hereabouts, but could be our men when they first came across the obstacles, to see if there was any way of passing….”

“Or the men who cleared it afterwards….”

Adam removed his hat, passed his hand over his head and down the nape of his neck, while Joe put his hands on his hips and turned left and right as though by doing so he could notice something he had missed earlier.

“Maybe they realised that blocking the track was just an inconvenience, I mean there’s so much room for the wagon to pass around – which they did -” he pointed to where the grass had been flattened to allow the wagon passage on that earlier trip

“Maybe they just wanted to put us on notice…that they could do things, even stupid things like this, but -”

“-it could all escalate you mean?”

“No doubt we’ll find out.”

“You reckon on paying the Malahide’s a visit?”

“Well, we were told not to, remember.?”

They both grinned, then took another moment or two to look around, and then shaking their heads they returned to the wagon, clambered on board and set the horses onwards.

“Pa doesn’t want a stud farm.” Joe said when the silence had gone on a little longer and the heat of the sun was beginning to penetrate.

“Mmm, you know how he feels about hay-burners.”

“Sure, but he seems to have accepted Kami?” Joe glanced at his brother whose horse, Kamille, had been a gift from an old friend, a beautiful animal totally unfit for cattle round-ups and whose son, Karim, had already sired several beautiful horses

“Yeah, well, Kami is not being fed and cared for in his stables is she?” Adam grinned and gave a curt nod of the head which meant that’s an end to the subject.

“Her blood lines purer than Karim’s – father unknown if you recall – but I could sure get some great horses through Kami.”

“I’m sure. Subject closed, Joe.”

“Shucks, you’re as bad as Pa.” Joe scowled, and sighed.

The land around them was how pastureland in spring time should look, wild flowers adding colour here and there giving promise of more to come, grass growing green and tender, drifting under a warm southerly breeze. The blue waters of the river, though more like a stream at this point, reflected the blue skies to perfection. Joe cleared his throat,

“A generation ago this would have been an amazing place for the Shoshone, or Bannocks to make camp. It would be their spring camp, when things are growing and hunting was good, winter fasting was over…”

Adam nodded, twitched a shoulder, kept his eyes fixed on the track ahead. Joe leaned back a little, closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun wash over his face. Back along a few years he had experienced the spring camp of the Cheyenne who had nursed him back to health, where he had met his beautiful Little Moon, and lost her. He didn’t dwell on the memories of her return to his life, that was put aside, that was not the Little Moon he had fallen in love with…no, in his memories she was young, beautiful and loved him.

Adam cast an anxious look at his brother, sometimes they all had memories that went too far back, were too painful, carefully locked away. But his brothers referral to spring camps, to the Shoshone… rather indicated that his thoughts were dwelling on another time, a time when Joe had had to make a choice, had almost cut the bonds to the Ponderosa because of his love for a young Cheyenne girl and her people.

Perhaps Joe’s love of horses had grown stronger during that time for the Cheyenne and Sioux were amazing horsemen, known as the Princes of the Plains, masters of the animals they loved. Joe would have soaked all that up, and they in turn would have loved him for it.

“What’s on your mind?” he eventually asked leaning forward as though to emphasise that he had all the time in the world, the horses knew where they were going, he just needed to let them know who was in control every so often by a twitch of the reins.

“It reminded me of the time I met Little Moon, Black Kettle (Motovoto) – this land I mean – it reminded me of the time I’d go down to the stream with her, it was – a special place.”

“A special time, Joe.” he said softly and Joe nodded,

“Yeah…it was.”

Silence again, and Adam said nothing to disrupt Joe’s thoughts now. They reached a bend in the track and Adam turned the team away onto the grass towards the stream so that the horses could drink and have some refreshment. He unclipped the harnesses and untied the reins of their own horses so that they could roam free. He leaned against the wagon side and stared ahead of him, thoughts of his own crowding his mind…

Same time period as Joe, he had taken prolonged leave in order to look for his ‘lost’ brother at his father’s request. It had nearly killed him in the process, he had the scars to prove it. But he had met Custer for the first time, met an old sea friend who had tried to kill him, met the great Indian Chief Roman Nose and others. And then he and Hoss had found Joe…poor tormented love lorn Joe.

Too many memories. He shook his head in an attempt to throw them away, and turned to get out the food and water. It didn’t pay to get morose over memories, there were too many lurking in the shadows of his mind ready to jump out and paralyse him by their horrors. He whistled, getting Joe’s attention, “Time to eat.”

Joe nodded, and strolled over to join him, smiled “I met Mary Ann then as well…funny little thing she had been….cute.”

“And brave…she had to go through a lot during that journey.”*

There now, he had opened another trapdoor into which they both fell, memories crowding out the desire to speak, to share thoughts. They ate their food mechanically, drank it down with water and remained silent.

………………

The three children had tended to their horses. Adam had fashioned a broad stool upon which Nathaniel could stand to reach Busters neck, because Sofia had been such a lazy little girl that she had neglected poor Buster and Nathaniel had happily taken over the duty of grooming the fat old thing. Reuben had helped of course, always willing to show his brother how to curry tangles out of the mane and tail of the little pony, checking the ‘frogs’ in the pony’s hooves, and hooking out any trapped mud or debris there.

But now Sofia has her new horse, her lovely horse and she was early up and eager to groom Paddy. She chattered happily with her brothers, hugged and stroked her horse. By the time breakfast was ready she was feeling relaxed and happy. When the meal was over she had her music practice, because later she would be seeing her Aunt Mary Ann and she would have her hours lesson with her.

There was the whole day stretching out ahead of her, and there was one thing she had to do in particular, one thing she had set her heart and mind on doing

“Mommy, is Ezra going into town today?”

“I don’t think so.” Olivia turned from kneading bread to look at her daughter who was standing in the doorway, “Arn’t you practising your music?”

“I am – just thought to ask, because I wanted to know.”

“Well, perhaps after you have finished your music practice you can go out and ask Ezra.” Olivia turned and took a handful of flour from the sack which Cheng had stacked away in the small cupboard where it would stay dry. She sprinkled some over the dough and reminded herself to put more flour into the proper utensil for it, but she couldn’t find it earlier and being impatient to get on with her baking had left the search for later.

“I wanted to go in to town because I have an errand …”

Olivia sighed, at this rate the bread would never be ready in time for supper let alone lunch

“What errand is this?”

“Oh – just an errand.” Sofia said with her voice trailing away behind her as she turned and went back to the other room.

Within minutes Olivia could hear her daughter on the keyboard, exercises for fingers, up and down the scales… she set herself back to her own task, kneading and stretching and folding the dough and then putting the cloth over the bowl.

Reuben had already saddled Max and ridden to Joe’s house. When his Uncle was away Reuben’s self appointed task was to care for Karim. He had loved that horse from the first time he had seen him, a nervous long legged colt nuzzling up against his mother. That had been some years ago now, but the bond between Karim and the boy was still there, and although Reuben liked Max that horse was just a working relationship, nothing more. How Max felt about this no one would know of course, unless horses do talk to each other and Max let Karim know that he did not like being rated second best to him.

He had been surprised that his sister had not protested about his being able to ride out on Max, he had been quite prepared to remind her that she was three years younger than himself, and that she would have to wait until Pa got back before knowing if she would be able to ride off places on her own horse.

Reuben had actually been quite surprised at how eagerly the girl had taken to grooming her horse that morning. But it was a lovely beast no doubt about it, not so many hands high as Max, not as strong and sturdy, but a handsome animal all the same. Poor Buster, how he must be feeling now, his nose properly put out of joint.

As soon as he dismounted and put Max’s reins over the hitching rail he hurried to the corral, and there Karim’s ear pricked up, and with a nod of his handsome head, trotted over to where Reuben stood, apple in one hand,and his other hand extended to stroke the gleaming black coat of the animal nudging him now for attention …or perhaps the apple.

• **Captain Cartwright 2 To Fly with Eagles * Invictus

Chapter 36

Ezra had been a ranch hand on the Ponderosa for more years than he could count. At an age when most men would consider retirement he stepped back from more active work and contented himself by doing odd jobs around the ranch houses. That involved taking the children to and from school, or collecting mail from town when the Cartwrights were unable to do so. He also mucked out the stables and tended to the horses when Hank was not around to boss him. He had a few years seniority to this particular Hank who worked mainly at Joe’s and had a ‘billet’ made up for himself in the hayloft of the stable there.,

In many ways Ezra had never forgiven himself for the time he had failed in his duties regarding Reuben and Sofia. That terrible time when the two children had got lost in the blizzards because he had missed them by going for a drink in the saloon. He was often reminded, when he dwelt on the subject, that he had been told by someone who claimed to be a friend of the children that they had already been collected from school. But it still rankled, even though not one of the Cartwrights had ever caused him any trouble over it, but had closed the book, so to say, and assured him to forget it.

So it was that he had rather a soft spot in his heart for Reuben and his sister, and when he came round the corner of the stable to be confronted by Miss Sofia he was rather startled. It was a Saturday after all, a day when he was entitled to go about his own business.

Sofia stood with her hands in the pockets of her faded old dungarees, the shoulder strap of which had slipped and the other secured by a pin….Olivia obviously had expected her daughter to have taken care of that long ago, needless to say, that had been ignored.

“Ezra…you go into town on a Saturday sometimes don’t you?” she said without any preamble, and all in one breath

“I do, Miss Sofia.” he nodded, and watched her carefully. This was mighty suspicion, she had never confronted him like this on any day of the week, polite and nice enough but never engaged him in conversation. He got more chat from the horses and Nathaniel than from Miss Sofia

“Well, I was thinking….” she paused so that he could see that she was indeed ‘thinking’ “that perhaps maybe I could come in with you this afternoon….”

“Wal,” he scratched his head, and shrugged “that depends on what Mrs Cartwright has to say, doesn’t it?”

“But you’ll be going on the wagon, won;t you?”

“Shucks, no, I ain’t got no use for going on the wagon today. I was jest going to ride in on my horse.”

Sofia wilted, she knew that Olivia would not allow her into town, not on Paddy, even with Ezra. She had hoped that had Ezra said he would be on the wagon as usual then just perhaps Olivia would give her permission to go along with him. She was stumped at the first hurdle.

She stood there a moment with her brow crinkled as she considered this latest problem and then turned away, paused “You arn’t going now, are you?”

“About an hour, Miss.”

She nodded and almost ran into the house where the door slammed behind her and Olivia, now knitting that pickle coloured sweater, glanced up with a shake of the head “Sofia, ladies do not slam doors, and slow down…look at the state of you…where did you find that relic?”

Sofia was puzzled, what relic? What exactly was a relic anyway? She shook her head and was about to speak when Olivia stood up and walked to her, tweaked at the straps of the dungarees, and shook her head, “This isn’t fit for wearing, Sofia. Why did you change from your dress?”

“I was -”

“And Aunty Mary Ann will be here soon for your lesson, so you need to get upstairs and change back into what you were wearing. That thing needs to be – “ she looked at the pin attached to the strap and shook her head, “Sometimes I wonder …” and sighed.

Sofa took it all in her stride, she was growing up, she understood – mostly – what was meant when her mother shook her head, sighed, frowned, pursed her lips. She bowed her head

“I was just thinking perhaps I could go into town with Ezra…”

“Why? When?”

“Today, but he’s riding in on his old horse, and he goes awful slow, mommy …I could go with him on Paddy and be as safe as could be…”

“Sofia -” Olivia drew in a deep breath, and put a hand on Sofia’s shoulder “Just go up stairs and do as I told you. Get changed into your dress and forget all about going into town today…certainly not on Paddy”

“But if Ezra went on the wagon…”

“Please, Sofia, just do as you’re told. .. and hurry up, your Aunt will be here shortly and wonder why you are not practising your scales…”

Sofia sulked, head bowed, “If it was Reuben you’d let him go…”

“But you are not Reuben…and so you cannot go…that’s enough now…upstairs, get changed, now!”

It took her less than ten minutes to get dressed, after which she ran downstairs, snatched up something from the table and ran out into the yard, just as Ezra was leading his horse out of the stable

“Ezra, Ezra…wait …”

He waited, and stood beside his horse, patting its neck as though in apology for the delay to their trip out. He smiled as she came nearer carrying an envelope in her hands which she held towards him “Could you please deliver this letter for me…and explain that I wanted to give it to him myself but my mommy wouldn’t let me come into town even with you, Ezra.”

He took the envelope, looked at the name and nodded, then tucked it away in his jacket pocket which was, Sofia noticed, huge! She worried about the letter jostling in among all sorts of things in that pocket and hoped he would not lose it. But he smiled his cheery smile and waved a hand at her, before mounting into the saddle and turning the horse in the direction of town

By the time Mary Ann arrived with her children in the buggy, Sofia was at the piano diligently fingering the scales on the keyboard.

….. ..

Adam pulled out the watch from his pocket and glanced down at the time, looked up at the sky and appeared to be checking that the time on the watch agreed with the signs in the heavens, He then slipped it back into his pocket

“Should be there in two hours.”

“Good. I’m getting numb sitting on this here plank.”

“Well, you can always get down and ride ahead on Navejo”

“No, that’s alright, it’s been good spending this time like this, just you and me, talking over old times.” Joe grinned, and tilted his hat back a little “You know, it’s been quite a trek but I’ve enjoyed it, it’s helped me a lot.”

“Really? Well, that’s good…I think..” Adam grinned and cast his eyes down at his brother who stretched out his legs and shrugged

“One of the things about what happened, you know, with Manser and David …it was weeks before I lost the fear of waking up and realising that the day, week, month even that I had just enjoyed with being home….was just a hallucination Can’t tell you how often I dreamed such vivid dreams in that hole they kept me in, and couldn’t tell if it had been real when I woke up.”

“So how has this trip helped you..”

“Because it’s taken me away from home, again! Helped me face some fears that don’t matter now…” he frowned, perhaps his brother would understand if he left it at that, all fear is irrational, but that doesn’t make it less real, does it?

“Adam nodded, flicked the reins to get the horses to move faster… he glanced around him, smiled, and nodded over to the stream, “If we took the left turning hereabouts we’ll get to the cabin….carry on though for the cattle station…”

“Hmm.” Joe glanced lazily around him and nodded, “Sure is rich land hereabouts.”

“That’s what Hoss and I thought, which made us think of Ponderosa beef grazing all over this land…”

“No one would ever think of you as being a seaman any more, Adam, not the way you talk about a bunch of cows.”

Adam chuckled and shook his head “Well, comes an age when one has to settle for what one has, Joe, and compared to some, we have a lot to be grateful for….

His brother nodded and leaned forward, hands dangled between his legs as he looked around him, “Sure is pretty. I can just see Karim’s colts grazing among these here grasses …”

They shared a smile, then returned to surveying the road ahead. Really not much further to go, Adam started whistling a tune, and Joe allowed himself to relax, the motion of the wagon causing his body to sway one way then the other.

“Hey, Adam, if I recall rightly, you rode a camel ..”

“So did you, if I recall rightly!”

“Shucks, yeah, that was embarrassing…..” Joe grimaced, memories of that time along did not sit well with him, “That was mostly Hoss’ fault.”

“Of course.”

“So – where were you when you hitched up on a camel? Egypt?”

“If you already know, why ask.”

“Just curious. This old wagon made me think of it, you can get sea sick on a camel, you know.”

“I heard tell…”

“You didn’t though..”

“No, only time I was seasick was during the first week or so when I was at sea, on the Redoubt. Fine ship, terrible Captain. I was more than glad when it sunk during a hurricane in the Bahama’s.”

“Wow, I don’t even know where that is….”

“Well, it isn’t in Tennessee ….” Adam grinned and pulled the horses up to a halt. “I need to stretch my legs, Joe.”

“Sure thing, me too…..”

The horses settled into cropping at the grass that was growing thickly all around them, Adam reached for the canteen and drank water as he walked, then they paused standing shoulder to shoulder and staring over at the vast expanse of meadowland before them,

“You serious about considering moving all this way from – home?” Adam asked quietly

“It’s not that far…”

“Mary Ann think the same?”

“Sometimes,” Joe gulped down water, wiped his chin on the back of his hand where some had missed his mouth.”Sometimes not…”

“You need to be really sure, Joe. She could be pretty lonesome here on her own…”

Joe said nothing, but tightened his mouth. He could see his pipe dream drifting away like the smoke Ben puffed out from his pipe of an evening…

Chapter 37

The cattle station could not have been built in a better location. Trees surrounded it on the one side and open meadowland on the other. To the rear the river could be seen snaking through the rich grass strewn acreage. In front of the building, at this point of time, were wagons, piles of timber, stonework, all the paraphernalia of a building site. Horses grazed languidly, cropping at the grasses, standing close to one another, nudging their bodies as they passed.

There were few men at work, this was a Saturday after all and most men preferred to take the two days off work, some to join their families, some to fritter away the weeks pay at the saloons and whorehouses in town. The few men still on site paused to watch as the wagon approached, then continued with their work.

It was 4 pm and those working were already considering ending their tasks and heading for town. Roy Cobb the foreman descended the ladder, wiped his hands on an old rag and nodded a greeting to the two men seated on the wagon.

“Good to see. If you could give us a hand unloading the wagon then we can all break off for the rest of the weekend” he said as he approached the brothers, hand extended to be shaken, “Roy Cobb at your service.” he smiled at Joe, whom he had not met before.

“Joe Cartwright.” the younger man replied as he jumped down from the wagon seat and shook the proffered hand. “Sure, we’ll be more than pleased to unload…”

“Take the wagon over there -” Cobb pointed and raised a hand in salute to Adam who nodded, tipped his hat and flicked the reins to get the horses moving again.

A chuck wagon was on site, a necessity when a project was this far from town and amenities were lacking. The older man who was responsible for food and drink now made a fresh pot of coffee and set out mugs, a fresh batch of doughnuts were piled on a platter.

“Best have a drink first, cut the dust…” Roy suggested as the wagon came to a halt by the mountain of timber to which their wagon load would be added.

Joe nodded, pleasant though the ride had been through the grasses and wild flowers, it had been a dry ride and he was glad to take advantage of the steaming coffee being offered. By the time he had reached the wagon several men had clambered down ladders, cast off their gloves and were grabbing at the doughnuts and coffee, standing together and watching as Adam now strolled over to join his brother and foreman

He paused mid-way to turn and look at the building, then turned slightly to take in the view of the outbuildings, all unfinished and in various stages of completion. He said nothing but joined Joe at the chuck wagon, taking the mug of coffee offered and nodding his thanks.

“Adam. Joe….these are some of the boys, Randy Oppenheimer, Brand Talbot, Jayson Kline and Terry Jefferson.” Roy smiled pleasantly, “Boys, these are the guys paying your wages, Adam and Joe Cartwright.”

Hands were shaken, after the initial appraisal they continued with their coffee and doughnuts. One man, Randy asked if he could finish up before going home and excused himself, it was not long before the dull thud of a hammer was heard from inside the building. Roy turned to Adam and Joe

“Got a good team on this project. They work hard.” he gulped some coffee and glanced over Joe’s shoulder to look at the buildings behind him, Joe turned accordingly to look at what Roy was staring at with obvious pride. “What do you think ? Looking good wouldn’t you say?”

“Smaller than I expected.” Joe said thoughtfully as he nibbled on a doughnut.

“It was meant for a Manager and perhaps his wife, Joe. Not for a family, nor to accommodate anyone with ideas of grandeur.” Adam responded shortly, and scowled.

“Grandeur? Where did that come from?” Joe chuckled, and swallowed the last of the doughnut along with a gulp of coffee.

“It’s a great building,” Roy said defensively, and nodded over to the outbuildings that were just above ground level, “Plenty of stabling, and barns, and the house may be smaller than you think, Mr Cartwright, but it’s perfect for what it is needed which reminds me, Mr Cartwright,” he now turned to Adam, “I’ve already had four requests from men in town who would like to be considered as the Manager of this here cattle station. I got their names somewhere…” he dipped his hands into his pockets, and finally produced a tattered piece of paper with a list of names “I promised I’d pass them on.”

Adam cast his eyes down the list and nodded, smiled and thanked Roy, before nudging Joe and reminding him they had work to do. They pulled on their gloves and returned to the wagon and began to haul timber. Roy watched them for a moment or two before returning to the job he had been working on before their arrival. Brand Talbot strolled up, smacking a hammer into the palm of his hand, and nodded over to the brothers “So – they’re the Cartwrights?”

“Two of them.” Roy replied, “Good men, hard workers.”

“Didn’t expect them to come by and get their hands dirty….”

“How’d you expect the Ponderosa came into existence, Talbot? They’ve known hard work from the day they could walk.”

“Can see you have a lot for respect for them, Boss?”

“They earn respect, apart from which they pay well.”

Talbot nodded and smiled “They do at that, no grumbles here I can tell you.”

“That’s good to know, now get back to work….”

Roy watched the man return to the ladder and clamber up the rungs, before returning to his own task. He had no complaints about any of the men, he had a good tight hard working bunch, and as he thought about them he relaxed and began to whistle tunelessly accompanied by the tapping of his hammer.

“I thought you would have designed the place to be a bit bigger than that, Adam.” Joe chided as he pulled lengths of timber from the back of the wagon

“Didn’t expect you to want to move in, Joe.” Adam caught the end of the lengths of timber and helped Joe carry it along to the stacks piled nearby.

“I expected it to be like the ranch house….”

“Why?”

“Well, you designed all three to follow the same pattern, so just naturally thought you would do the same here.”

Adam paused, turned to look at the building and shrugged “You don’t like it?”

“I didn’t say that, just that it’s different, and smaller….”

“Not good enough for the owner of a horse stud farm then?” Adam chuckled

“I ain’t saying that either….” Joe grinned and together they strolled to the wagon to off load more timber. “How long before it’ll be finished?”

“There’s no rush…Candy and Hoss will be taking the cattle for the spring round up in a few weeks, the cattle that stay back can then be rounded up and brought here, by which time the place should be ready.”

“We could round ’em up and bring them here next week, get them trucked out by rail…”

“No, not yet. Let Pa get it sorted out first so we have everything in place before we tackle the Malahides.”

“You expecting trouble from them…”

“We’re all expecting trouble from them…come on, Joe, quite jawing and lets get this unloaded. Then we can get into town and get something to eat…I know a very good restaurant in town, and the hotel has soft beds.”

“We could get to the cabin…”

“It would take longer to get to the cabin, and it’s too late to get everything organised. I’m too tired to have to bother with that, come on, Joe, stop wasting time.” he began to pull out some lengths of timber and smiled “Before we leave I want a word with Cobb, and a good look around the buildings …inside and out.”

“Sure, suits me…” Joe replied and tugged his hat a little lower to shade his eyes from any loose sawdust still lingering on the planks.

……………

Mr Orawitz was drinking a glass of bourbon, it was early for him, but since his wife died he had stopped keeping regular habits. Sometimes breakfast was at noontime, and dinner was closer to midnight. He had a housekeeper and she was a good cook, but despaired of him, she made up his meals and left them plated up , he could eat them as and when he wished for all she cared. He did remember to pay her though.

He was leaning against the door frame of the open front door, looking at the weeds sprouting in the yard that his wife had tended so carefully. The sight of them made him angry, the fact that they grew and she was not there to pull them out, and keep the place tidy and pretty like she once did…he shook his head, didn’t seem fair, didn’t make sense.

A horseman rolled along the drive and approached the house, dismounted, looked around them as thought surprised to see themselves in this strange unexpected place. Orawitz pushed himself away from the door frame and stood erect, who knew who this person was… and what news he had to bring him

“Morning, Mr Orawitz” Ezra raised a hand, tipped the brim of his hat and then began to ferret around in his pocket, from which he finally produced an envelope and handed to the other man. “I got this to give you, Mr Orawitz?”

The other man frowned and approached Ezra before taking hold of the envelope and scowling up at the old man who was blinking his eyes and looking about him as though bemused at what he was seeing.

Orawitz turned the envelope over and over leaving Ezra with the opinion that perhaps the man had indulged in a liquid breakfast, and lunch with snacks of bourbon in between. “For me?” Orawitz said and frowned, nodded and then very brusquely turned his back on Ezra and re-entered the house.

Ezra watched for a moment or two just in case the old man tottered out and collapsed at the bottom of the steps to his porch, but it seemed he managed quite well, staggering up them and into the house and closing the door. There was nothing else for Ezra to do but remount his horse and turn its head back into C Street

Orawitz found his way to the comfortable living area and after patting himself down as the easiest way of finding his spectacles, located them and perched them on the tip of his nose. He turned the envelope over and over between his fingers, and then with a sigh carefully opened it.

There were two pieces of paper contained within…a picture of a horse, and he recognised it at once, even though it was a childish attempt to draw Paddy. Even so it was very well done. He held it up at arms length to get it more into view and smiled slowly. Paddy! How happy Virginia had been when she had first seen that horse. The happy memories, assisted by so much liquid libation during the day, brought tears that trickled down his face. He had cried so many tears now that the tears knew their own way down the paths of the wrinkles until they dripped from his jaw, but he didn’t brush them away.

Sometimes he did not even notice them. They came and they went, it was part of his life now. Like breathing. Like drinking. At that thought he got to his feet and walked over to the credenza, and poured more of the golden liquor into a glass.

What was he doing?

He looked around the room and made his way to the front door which he opened, leaned against the door frame and stared out at the weeds growing amongst his wife’s flowers. She would not have been happy seeing them. He sipped his drink and frowned as a sense of deja vu swept over him…he had already been here, done this, hadn’t he?

He re-entered the house, the door swinging back and forth as he went, no point in closing it he would be back there soon. Once in the living room he looked around him, saw the envelope and remembered the drawing…Paddy of course. He toppled almost gracefully back into his chair and rearranged his legs so that he could sit comfortably. The glass he set down on the small table close by, surprised to see another half full glass already there.

Had he had visitors?

Of course, yes, the man who had brought the letter. He leaned back in the chair, and sighed, well, if he had not wanted his drink then it would not go wasted and he reached out for it, while his other hand held the letter.

He emptied one glass and thought he would read the letter before emptying the other….he patted himself down in order to locate his glasses then remembered he already had them perched on his nose. He had forgotten because everything he looked at was rather blurred. Perhaps he needed to get some new glasses.

He looked at the picture of Paddy and smiled, the letter remained unread, as he stared at the picture and remembered his little girl, the way she had wrapped her arms around the pony’s neck and hugged it.

The tears fell once more. He emptied the other glass. He fell asleep, snoring. The letter and picture drifted to the floor … there would be another day, another hour…another glass, or two….

Chapter 38

The wagon was unloaded, the wood neatly stacked along with the rest of the timber. Adam and Joe pulled off their gloves and nodded over to Cobb who returned the salutation before walking over towards them.

“Should not need many more wagonloads now, Mr Cartwright.” he looked at Adam as he spoke, “Don’t suppose you had any trouble along the way, did you?”

Adam and Joe exchanged a look, before turning their attention to what Cobb had said, Adam shook his head “No, nothing at all…”

“Mmm, curious that, guess they ran out of steam or something…” he ran a hand round the back of his neck, a frown darkened his features “Thought for sure they were building up to something..”

“They? Who exactly do you mean?” Joe asked his eyes observing the men who were obviously finishing work for the day as they clambered down ladders and put tools away.

“No knowing seeing how they never left any clue as to who they be,” came the answer, and Cobb now rubbed his jaw as though somehow that would inspire him to provide answers to the two men.

The man called Brand Talbot walked by, nodded at the two brothers and addressed Cobb “We’re packing up for now, Mr Cobb. Be back on Monday…”

“Fair enough, don’t spend all your pay packet this evening….”

Brand laughed, showing a good set of teeth, the skin crinkled around his eyes, “Make sure I don’t…more’n can be said for Jayson here…”

Jayson Kline just nodded, short of a sense of humour as he didn’t even smile at the joke levelled at him. He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the pocket of his jacket, before tipping his hat to Cobb, and walking on to his horse.

Cobb and the Cartwrights watched them and the other men either mount their horses or clamber up on a wagon that was soon wending its way from the building site. Cobb watched them go before turning to the two men still standing by his side

“You heard about some of the things happening here? That why you came instead of the usual boys?”

“No,” Joe shook his head, “We knew Mac was short handed so offered to bring this order along, but we did hear that some odd things were happening here on site.”

Cobb nodded “It’s not unusual for things to go missing on a building site, especially if the men working on it aren’t part of a team already. When there’s a team working together, that’s what they do, they work together and don’t cause any trouble. But when the men we hire are just drifters, or men needing work who don’t know one end of a hammer to the next…sometimes there’s problems.”

He turned aside now and led the way to the chuck wagon where the cook was making fresh coffee and preparing what looked like ham and eggs. “Cookie and I usually stay on site. So we eat now, and then settle down for the evening. Saves hiring a night watch.”

“That’s – commendable.” Adam said slowly, “Do you anticipate trouble that requires a night guard.”

“Look, Mr Cartwright, this place is some way out of town, isolated you’d say. There’s a lot of valuable items lying around, and it ain’t the most popular building site in the area either…”

“What makes you say that/” Joe immediately snapped, his hazel eyes sparking green

“There’s talk that you’ll undercut the price of beef by bringing in your own, some folks don’t like that ..”

“I can only think of one person who would….” Adam drawled slowly

“One’s enough…but if they pay enough people to say the same thing, then it builds up tension. Could be that one evening those same folk decide to do more than talk, decide to come visit this site and check it out for themselves…”

Adam and Joe looked at one another, then looked over at the building that was now bathed in the glow of evening light. “What kind of incidents have been happening here, Cobb? Anything that could cause you to feel really concerned that there is trouble brewing..”

Again Cobb rubbed the back of his neck, “Things going missing, causing bad feelings, then there are fights. It happens at times, but – after the track was blocked that time I began to notice that there was a kind of atmosphere around the place. Then the other day several horses went lame, the ones due to take the wagon back to Mac’s. Next day the wagon had its wheels broken..no one admitted to seeing anyone doing it…then there was the fire..” he paused and jerked his head to indicate that they followed him.

He stopped in front of what was a substantial barn, except that part was missing, burned away, with the charred timbers to prove it. “Where we kept the tools and heavier tackle…that’s why cookie and I stay overnight now, in case they whoever they may be should return and burn down the house…”

“You tell the sheriff?” Joe asked while Adam went inside the building and looked around although there was little to see, shadows, and dark corners while outside the day light was fading.

“Of course, but he reckoned, after talking to a few of the boys, that it was just one of those things that could happen on a building site, just carelessness, an accident. Of course he’s right,. It could well be just that …”

“But you don;t think it is?” Joe prompted

“No, I got a gut feeling – but that don’t count for much with the law.”

Joe nodded in agreement, “How far are we from Malahide’s borders?”

“Twelve mile, maybe less…”

“You seen anything of him or his men?”

“Nary a sign.”

Adam stepped out from the barn’s interior now and nodded, he extended his hand “Thank you for your hard work, Mr Cobb. We appreciate it…”

Cobb shook Adam’s hand and then turned to shake Joe’s. He nodded “Thank you, I take my work seriously, don’t like my reputation getting yanked by any two bit vandal.”

The brothers left him then. They checked out their horses, saddled up and rode away in the direction of town. “Do you think he’s right to be worried?” Joe asked quietly

“Well, when you’ve been working with a group of men for a few weeks -” Adam paused and glanced back over his shoulder. In the dim light he could just see Cobb and the cook seated together by the wagon, mugs of coffee steaming in their hands. He nodded “But as he said, the law doesn’t often take into account a man’s gut feeling about things …”

………………..

“But, mommy, when does Ezra get back?”

Sofia stood in the doorway of Nathaniel’s bedroom with a fixed expression of agonised impatience on her pretty face. Her lips were pressed together and her eyes were dark under a scowling brow. She had her hands clasped behind her back but there was no disguising the fact that Ezra was suddenly more significant at this point of time than at any other in her short life

Olivia sighed, tapped Nathaniel on the nose with a stern look of her own on her face, and a slight shake of the head. That meant ‘no nonsense’ and the message was understood because her little son stopped wriggling and squirming, he just lay there under the covers and tried to look sweet and innocent.

“Sofia, I don’t know when Ezra will be back from town. This is his private time, and he has the right to come and go when he wants.” she leaned down and kissed Nathaniel on the brow, smiled and then stood up. “Sleep now, Nathaniel. Be a good boy now….”

Sofia stepped aside to let her mother pass, then looked around to see if Reuben was anywhere close by, but her brother was in the wash room, going through his evening ritual before bed. She stepped in line with her mother as they went down the stairs,

“I just wanted to ask him something…”

“No doubt, but it will have to wait until the morning…”

“But, mommy ..”

Olivia paused half way down the stairs and turned to look at her daughter, “Sofia, it is not fair of you to keep pestering poor Ezra, whatever it is you want to talk to him about, can wait until morning.”

Sofia sighed, bowed her head and said nothing. She trailed behind her mother and once they had reached the floor she ran ahead into the kitchen..”Chen?”

The man paused in his task, nodded and smiled “You want hot chocolate?”

“Yes please….”

He smiled and nodded, he knew these children well, the milk was already on the stove, and he picked out the cup she used for her night time drink

“Chen, do you know when Ezra gets back from town on Saturdays?”

He shook his head “Sometimes late, sometime not until Sunday morning…”

“Sunday morning?” she shook her head and wondered what on earth could keep a man in town all night. She sighed, “He isn’t back yet, is he?”

“Not yet” he smiled and continued to prepare her hot chocolate, and picked out another cup for Reuben. The cups stood side by side on the table, and Sofia stared at them as she concentrated on the fact that she would have to wait until the morning to speak to Ezra. Out all night! In town! She shook her head. How could he stay out all night when she needed to speak to him …now!

Olivia came into the room and smiled at Chen, behind her came Reuben, tousled hair and glowing skin. He took his ablutions seriously!

“Ezra isn’t home until the morning.” Sofia pouted and watched as the hot chocolate was poured into the cup and stirred.

“So?” Reuben shrugged and picked up his cup, sniffed the sweet smell and looked at his sister, “It’s his night off.”

“But -”

“Anyway, it’s none of your business what time he gets back…” Reuben shrugged, “So long as he does …” he sipped his drink “get back, I mean..” he grinned as though he had cracked a great joke!

“Tomorrow morning -” Olivia said, her hands clasped together in front of her as though about to make a very serious announcement “We’re going to see Marcy, and Luke and the twins….we’ve not seen them for far too long.” she smiled as though she had bestowed upon them the best gift of the year, “So we need to get up early..Sofia, go and wash, and get ready for bed.”

Sofia sighed, her shoulders slumped

“But -”

“Hurry up now.” Olivia gave her a long hard look and shook her head, a clear sign she was not going to put up with any nonsense from this daughter of hers, and after a long sigh Sofia tossed her head and flounced out of the room.

Olivia and Reuben looked at one another, rolled their eyes in mutual support and sympathy. There was no point in saying anything, they were well used to her tantrums by now.

Chapter 39

The scream ripped through the shadows and punctured through the windows of the hotel room in which the Cartwright brothers were preparing to bed down. Another scream followed by coarse laughter, a man’s voice and then the woman shouting that she did not want to go home, she did not want to return to ‘that place’ and then a cry of ‘Help, help me.”

The long window of their room opened onto a balcony that skirted the front of the hotel, and it took no time for the two brothers to throw the window open and stand together looking down at the scene of two men wrestling with a young woman.

Initially they had expected to see some saloon girl fighting off unwanted attention from some men, that was usually and often the case at that particular time of night. But this woman was well dressed, she was clinging to the rail of the buggy that had obviously brought her into town, she was well dressed, modestly so too.

The light from the room cast a shaft of light across the road, the three characters in the drama were quite clear to see and as they raised their faces to see what or who was intruding on the action they saw the two brothers, looking down at them, the younger one with a gun in his hand.

“This is none of your business…” one man yelled, his hand locked fast around the woman’s upper arm, “get inside and close the window or -”

“Or?” Adam prompted, looking at each one of them carefully.

“Or you’re likely to be getting hurt.”

Adam and Joe looked at one another, Joe shrugged and Adam put his head to one side as though he needed to observe them a little more carefully.

“Just leave her alone, Mister…” Joe said, “Or you’ll be the one getting hurt.”

A shake of the head, and a laugh followed that comment “Look, there’s no need for any of this nonsense, this woman happens to be my wife, and I happen to want her to go home….”

Joe and Adam looked at the woman who was no longer struggling but standing by the buggy, her head hanging low, all the fight gone out of her.

“Is that right, Ma’am? He your husband?” Joe asked, lowering his gun as he spoke

She only nodded, and the man claiming to be her husband laughed again, shrugged “You know how women are, they get these fancies…” he turned to her, “Now get in the buggy, and get back home…”

She turned now towards the buggy and stepped inside, the reins gripped in one hand. Then she turned and looked up at the two men watching from the balcony

“If you see the Cartwrights, tell them there’s going to be trouble …” she flinched back as her husband raised a hand “Tell them – at the site -” and then the blow landed with such force that she reeled back with a sobbing cry, hand to her face

“I told you to get home, you stupid woman….” and the fist was raised a second time only for the other man to put a hand on his arm and whisper something into his ear.

Several people had emerged from the nearby saloon, some were venturing to approach the buggy, although slowly as though they knew the men they were having to deal with, from another direction the Sheriff’s office door had opened and the sheriff was striding out to see what was happening.

“Get back home…” the husband hissed “I’ll deal with you later….”

“Just wait…” Adam said, he didn’t shout, he did not need to as the air was still and sound carried well enough for the men below to hear quite clearly what he was to say, “I’m Adam Cartwright and this is my brother, Joe. I’d like to hear what the lady has to say….so I’d advise you to step well away from her and allow her to come into the hotel where she can speak plain face to face.”

“She ain’t going to do no such thing, Cartwright. She’s my wife and she does what she gets told.”

“Well, much as I hate to come between a man and his wife, I think it really depends on her, doesn’t it?” Adam’s deep voice was like ice, he raised his eyes and noticed the sheriff, a man he knew from past experiences, “Sheriff, seems we have a problem here…”

The sheriff nodded, “There’s always a problem with these two.” he lowered his rifle, “Step away, Jake, and calm down. If your wife has anything to say to these gentlemen then let her say it, unless you have something to hide?”

Jake Malahide stepped to one side, “You’re making a big mistake, sheriff.”

“Other men bigger than you have said the same, they ain’t around any more…but I’m still here.” he looked at the woman who was standing by the buggy looking terrified, as though she was only now realising the difficulty she had placed herself in by coming to town in the first place. “You wanting to go home, Ma’am, or -” he jerked his head towards the hotel.

She nodded, and without a word straightened her back, turned to Jake “That’s the last time you lay a hand on me, Jake,I swear it.”

He sneered, about to say something and thought better of it. He watched as she walked, head held high, into the hotel. The doors closed sharply behind her. The sheriff aimed his rifle at the two men who had both stepped forward as though to follow her but he shook his head “You either get back home to your daddy, Jake, or take yourselves back to the saloon. As of now your wife is under my protection.”

Once again Jake stepped forward, teeth barred in a snarl and once again his companion hauled him back and cautioned him, even placing a hand on the other mans chest to calm him down. The sheriff watched them both for a moment before stepping into the hotel, but he stood at the door with his rifle poised as though he expected both men to follow him inside.

“You’ll regret this, Sheriff” the voice floated through the silent air, seemed to hover for a moment in time and slither away into nothingness.

Adam and Joe were in the front foyer of the hotel’s reception by the time Sheriff Ford was happy to step away from the door. He nodded over to Adam “Seems trouble follows you about, Mr Cartwright.”

“Seems so, not of our doing though….”

“Doesn’t need to be when it involves the Malahides.” the sheriff shrugged and looked at the young woman who had sunk down onto the plush velvet seats provided by the hotel for waiting guests. “How are you, Ma’am? Do you need a Doctor at all?”

“No, it’s alright, it sounded worse than it is….” she gave a slightly twisted smile “I’m used to Jake’s fists by now.”

Even so the bruise now evident across her cheek bone looked ugly and all three men showed their concern for her in their faces but she didn’t falter but remained seated, her hands in the lap of her skirts as she looked up at the two brothers and addressed her words to them

“I over heard them talking, Jake and his father -” she paused, and frowned “You probably know that my father in law dislikes having a cattle station built in the area, rivals to his empire I guess you would call it…he got Jake to hire some men to delay the building as much as possible, you probably know that as well….” she must have realised she was drifting from the main point of her being there, raised hand to her cheek momentarily, “When they heard that two of the Cartwrights had actually come across to the site , they decided they would make it really worth your while..” she paused and looked at them, noticed how they had stepped back, tensed as though ready for some kind of revelation that would send them running to the door so she nodded “They know Roy Cobb and the cook stay on site, they’re suspicious of the things going wrong. So they thought they would really stir it up tonight and burn the whole place down….”

She had been right in her supposition, both men turned towards the door …the sheriff remained to ask her if she were really sure of her facts “I came here as fast as I could, as soon as I knew Jake had left. He was going to send some men to do the job, he doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, not for this kind of job. Anyway he wanted to be here so he had an alibi should there be questions asked…”

The sheriff nodded “Any idea when this was supposed to happen?”

“In about an hours time, Jake may call off his men now that you know – he may accuse me of trying to cause trouble, inventing things – he could do anything really.” she shrugged, as though tired of the whole thing “My marriage was a business merger, Sheriff, there is no love match nothing like that …I think Jake and I hated each other almost the first time we met but my father owed money to Buford, he had the reputation and the big name and Buford wanted to buy into that…” she paused, her voice trailed off and she swayed a little, put her hand to her head.

It took a moment for Ford to realise the woman was crying, tears dripping down her face and when he leaned in to reassure her that she was quite safe, she shook her head, buried her face in her cupped hands and sobbed “They’ll kill me, they’ll kill me.” she shook her head “You don’t know what they’re like, they’re mad the pair of them…mad…”

………………

The two men remained seated on their horses looking down at the site where the partially built house and stables stood in dark shadows. Two men were seated by a fire, a rudimentary table set up between them and a game of checkers being played. From where they were positioned they could hear the comments made between them, chuckles and exclamations…

“I don’t want to hurt Cobb,” one of the men said as he covered his face with his bandana, “He’s been fair and decent – and Cookie too, we just set fire to the buildings and timber, right?”

“You know what the boss said, and if Cobb or Cookie get in the way then too bad, they should look where they’re going.”

“I don’t like it, though. It’s not like before, those little jobs for the boss, but not this….not if it comes to killing.”

“Look, idiot, if there is any killing to be done, if you keep on whinging, the first one to get a bullet will be you…understood?”

The first man nodded, bowed his head and wondered how he had ever managed to get so involved in such a mess as this one.

“I aint never killed no one before….” he whispered

“You do what the boss says…otherwise …” the threat did not have to be spelled out, Jayson Kline swallowed bile, shook his head and whispered something under his breath, Brand Talbot nodded, and in a growl of a voice hissed “Right, we got that understood have we?”

“Sure -”

“We got paid good money for doing this job, so let’s get on with it…”

………………..

The brothers rode their horses as hard as they possibly could, knowing that irregardless of their efforts they would never reach the building site within the time the young woman had mentioned. An hour can be swift in its passing when everything matters, sometimes just too swift.

More than anything both of them were thinking of Cobb and Cookie….men who had chosen to stay behind to protect the project, not just for the money, but for loyalty and for the pride they had in their workmanship. Whatever it was that would be driving them to stay overnight in such an isolated area, so the same qualities were now driving Adam and Joe to offer what protection, what help they could…if they had the time to do so, if they were able to get there in time.

Chapter 40

Roy Cobb stood up and stretched, then looked around him at the encroaching shadows that seemed to grow longer as the minutes ticked by. He was an honest man, and until his wife died some years previously had been a happy man. Now he found solace in his work, and his friends. He had never realised just how many friends he had until Grace had died, but then decent men with large hearts attract good friends and for that he was grateful

When Adam Cartwright had approached him to oversee the building of the cattle station he had felt an enormous gratitude for the confidence the man had placed in him. At the time he was about as down as a man could feel, no wife, no family and no prospects. Suddenly the door was wide open again, and for that chance that Adam had provided, he was more than prepared to handle what ever Malahide or anyone else would throw at them

Cookie was an old friend, and had worked with him off and on through the years. He had ridden the highs and plunged down to the lows with Roy, and never complained. He was an older man by some years, and had felt a fatherly affection for Roy’s wife, grieving as a father when she died, forging yet another bond with Roy Cobb as a result.

He put away the checkers board and ambled over to the chuck wagon in order to make sure all was secure and safe before they bedded down for the night. With the building more or less water tight now they had taken to sleeping in one of the partitioned off rooms, and he had just leaned down to pick up his blankets when the first bullet was fired.

“Roy – some idiots taking pot shots at us.”

“Keep your head down, stay in the shadows…doggone it….”

Several more shots rang out, whining as they ricochetted from the targets they hit.

Roy’s first thought was to douse the fire, why give whoever it was the opportunity of light, and grabbing his rifle with one hand he hurriedly struck out at the water in the coffee pot, hoping it would do something towards killing the flames. Cookie saw what he intended to do and threw over a bucket of water which caused some hissing and spitting, but at the same time exposed him to a barrage of bullets.

“Git down, you doggone fool.” Roy yelled and fired his rifle in the direction of the gunfire.

There were plenty of places to duck behind, timber piled up, the buildings close by, even the chuck wagon provided cover of some sort…it was just the exposure as they ran from one to the other, and bullets winging close, close enough for them to feel the breeze of their passing.

Now came the sound of horses as the two gunmen came galloping into the open, firing rifles as they rode their horses in circles round and round where the two men were pinned down behind a stack of wood. One leaned down as he passed the fire and pulled up a smouldering piece of wood, as he urged the horse on the embers sparked afresh in the draught created by the movement, and within a few moments new flames burst alight and alive.

Gunfire from Roy and Cookie was rapid, they exchanged bullet for bullet knowing that although they were pinned down, there were only two combatants…so long as the ammunition lasted they would be alright.

Jayson Kline continued firing haphazardly at the two men who seemed far more determined to kill him off than he was to harm them. He had no heart in the job, wished now he had not taken the money and could forget the whole deal. He saw Brand Talbot turn his horse towards the buildings and watched as the other man tossed the burning piece of wood through the doorway. It crossed his mind that Talbot was an idiot if he thought that was all it would take, one piece of burning wood to burn down a building.

He had lost momentum, the rhythm of his firing at the two men had gone haywire, and then he ran out of bullets. Whispering curses under his breath he fumbled for more bullets, at the same time turning his horses head aside and as he did a bullet slapped into his back, sending him reeling, and as his horse galloped away from the gunfire carrying the injured man along with it, Jayson came to accept that he would have been far better off just saying no …

Adam and Joe could hear the gunfire as they approached the cattle station, they readied their own guns, prepared for battle as their horses continued to eat up the distance until they finally burst through the trees and found the two men stamping out the flames from the firebrand that Talbot had tossed into the building. One man lay injured or dying on the ground, of the other there was no sign.

They dismounted and approached Roy, who was now kneeling beside Jayson, trying to staunch the blood from the wound and save the wretched man his life. He looked up as Adam approached, and nodded wearily,

“Guess it would have to come down to this in the end, although I’m surprised it was only two men.” Roy muttered as he stepped away from Jayson and got to is feet. He shook his head “No hope for him, the bullet got him in the back and passed right through -”

Cookie came and stood beside them, he shook his head “Young Jayson Kline, thought for sure he was a good honest lad…wouldn’t have thought him fool enough to get caught up in this.”

Roy rubbed his head and looked around him, then looked at Adam “What brought you here?”

“We heard that Malahide had plans to burn down the buildings and knowing you were here….” Adam frowned, and turned to Joe who was walking towards them, “Any damage?”

“Nothing. If that was their plan to burn down the place with a bit of fire wood they were more stupid than most.”

“The main thing is that you’re both safe….” Adam glanced at both men, who nodded affirmation that they were quite safe.

“We expected it would come down to this eventually,” Roy repeated as he stepped away from the now dead man at his feet. “Malahide’s son, Jake -”

“We saw him this evening,” Joe muttered, “saw how he treated his wife too…”

“Yeah, well, you got a hint of what he’s capable of then, a snake with two heads that one….his Pa is bad enough,but Jake, something wrong with him, something missing if you know what I mean.”

Joe sighed, it seemed in this world there were a whole lot of folk with something missing…it also seemed as though most of them had it in for the Cartwrights because there sure seemed to be a lot of strange things happening and his mind drifted back to the Tombs affair, part of which he still had no memory. Hoss kept telling him that was a good thing, and thinking about it now he agreed and just wished that the memories he had of David McArthur would disappear as well.

Cookie draped a blanket over the still form of the dead man, and then said what only a good cook would in the circumstances “Reckon we could all do with a drink…”

He wasn’t thinking of coffee….

…………………..

Mr Orawitz opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was sprawled on his back on his bed with no idea how he came to be there. He could see that the shadows had amassed in the corners of the room and were creeping towards him. He hauled himself upright and sat there, head down, chin resting on his chest, until the room stopped spinning.

He couldn’t recall this happening so often before, just lately he seemed to find himself in various rooms, in which all of them had spinning ceilings and floors that didn’t stay solid underfoot. He stared down at his feet now, he was wearing slippers and wondered how he had come to be wearing them. He couldn’t recall exchanging his good leather shoes for slippers.

After a while everything slowed down, and he was able to lift his head without the feeling that it would roll off his shoulders. He did feel sick though, and heaved in some deep breaths. He needed some water to drink so hauled himself up onto his feet and made his way out of the bedroom to the kitchen area.

Shadows were longer and darker here so he had to light the lamps, which he did in a fashion, surprised to see how shaky his hands were and the flame bouncing up and down so that it took a little longer to actually manage to hit on the wick.

He poured himself some water in a tall glass, and then he found some stale bread with what looked like cheese – well, a cheese sandwich would go well with a glass of water and he sat down at the table and began to eat, gulp down water, eat some more.

What was he doing before he went to sleep?

Did he have a visitor?

A man came with a letter -except it was not a letter, just a drawing of a horse. Why send him a drawing of a horse?

He finished his sandwich and brushed off crumbs from his shirt front. He finished his glass of water. He reached for one of the lamps and brought it towards him, he wanted to know what this picture meant and so far as he could recall, he had left it in the sitting room.

He placed the lamp onto a small low table in the sitting room, the fire was cold, waiting for him to light it should he need to do so. He looked around him and shook his head, there were a lot of papers strewn around the room, piled on the tables, on the chairs, all over the floor.

How had the place got into this kind of mess?

If his wife were alive she would yell blue murder at the mess here!

How was he expected to find one letter among all this paperwork?

He found a chair and sat down, perplexed. Where had all these papers come from? What was he supposed to do with it all.?

He would have to ask Claire in the morning when she came in to make breakfast and clean the place, although from the looks of it she did not do much a job in here. The place was a mess! He’d have to have strong words with her in the morning.

He picked up the lamp and made his way back to his bedroom. Why would someone send him a picture of a horse?

…………………………

Sheriff Ford was not really sure what to do about Mrs Malahide. He knew he couldn’t leave her sobbing in the foyer of the hotel, at the same time he didn’t want to risk taking her out side where Jake could have any one of his men lined up to take a pot shot at her, and him too for that matter.

Seeing the Manager nervously hopping about from one foot to the other he called him over “Have you a back entrance?”

He knew the hotel had one, after all one of his tasks was to check doors during his night rounds, what he really wanted to know was if the door was unlocked and accessible for a quick exit.

The Manager led him through the kitchen to where the door opened to a back alley, shrouded in darkness, no windows overlooking the alley. They nodded at one another and taking the woman by the elbow he led her out into what he hoped would be comparative safety.

“Just follow me.” he whispered and nodded ahead of him, indicating that was the way they would be going

She followed so closely to him that he could smell her perfume and once when he stepped back he actually stepped onto the hem of her dress. Where could he take here where she would be safe from Jake?

Keeping close to the shadows he led her to the sheriff’s office, and after quickly opening the door and pushing her inside he closed it sharply and leaned against it. Jake Malahide and his father were a formidable pair, it crossed his mind why Mrs Malahide would have risked so much by coming into town now.

Mrs Malahide sat down and took some deep breaths, she wiped her face clear of tears, and shook her head, apologised in a soft voice and asked for a glass of water.

Chapter 41

“What was he like?”

Roy Cobb sighed as he looked down at the face of the young man lying on the ground at their feet. Adam had lifted the corner of the blanket from the dead man’s face and stood there with a contemplative look on his face, as though he felt the weight of the misery the death of this man could cause if there was family to mourn him.

“Oh -” Roy shook his head, rubbed his face with his work worn hands, “He was a good kid. Known him since he was knee high to a grass hopper. His father’s on the team here, brilliant carpenter, dotes on the boy, as does his wife. I thought Jayson would be -” he paused and shook his head as though he couldn’t come to grips with the fact that this promising youth had died, maybe by his gun.

Adam placed a reassuring hand on Cobb’s shoulder, “He chose to do what he did, Roy. None of it your fault.”

“I don’t know, Adam, I should have noticed there was something wrong somewhere…”

“Surely his father should have noticed. Not your responsibility.”

“Amos is a good man, hard worker, best carpenter one could wish for, but I had noticed that he was rather cool towards his boy lately. The other day they were having some kind of dispute between them, private like you know? But Amos seemed to have kept his distance from Jayson after that, and would not tell me what was wrong. I did ask, didn’t want any personal problems affecting the work.”

“He rode in with another man, aiming to burn the place down -”

Roy nodded, and glanced over his shoulder at the buildings, darker shadows within the shadows. Adam replaced the blanket over Jayson’s face “Any idea who the other person would have been?”

“At a guess I would say it was Brand Talbot…”

“I met him earlier, he was working here -”

“Yes, a good worker, although he’s not a local man, I did not know him until he approached me and asked me for a job. He was quiet, kept himself to himself mostly. I never saw him and Jayson together.”

“But could you definitely identify the other man as this Talbot ?”

“I didn’t see him clearly, there was a familiarity about him, but it I were to swear in court then it would come down to reasonable doubt.”

Adam nodded, rubbed his chin, and pursed his lips “Seems odd, if this attack were to be as serious as Mrs Malahide suggested I would have expected more than two men to have ridden in…” he shrugged “Seems clumsy, not thought out very well….”

Roy frowned, then nodded “I see what you mean – amateurs?”

“Well if they intended to cause the fire that we were anticipating it would have taken a stick of dynamite to have brought the place down…”

“Scare tactics, is that all this was?”

“If that was all it was, it cost this young man his life.” Adam sighed and walked away, with Roy Cobb following closely “We’ll take him into town in the morning. Explain to the sheriff what has happened here….”

Cobb nodded, said nothing but walked to the fire which Joe had built up into a fine blaze. Both cookie and Joe were under their blankets, snoring lightly. There were not many hours left in the night to catch up on sleep, so it wasn’t long before Adam and Roy were doing likewise. After a while it was not easy to know which of the five recumbent bodies was the dead one.

………….

Sheriff Ford had not slept easily and was in his office just as the sun kissed the rooftops of the buildings of Carson City. The two deputies who had been on duty during the night took their leave, having handed in their reports of the nights events. There were two drunken brawlers in the cells sleeping off their heavy drinking, no damage done except to each other as a result of their fight. Other than that there had been nothing to report.

Ford sat at his desk and began to think over the duties he had to perform that morning, two deputies arrived mumbling their greetings, pausing at the desk to ask for their instructions for the day. Ford liked to make it appear that he ran things along the strict lines and procedures set down by Marshall Howard, his boss, but best not to judge a book by its cover.

It was an hour later when Adam and Joe rode into town, the body draped over the saddle of Jayson’s horse. It was Sunday, church bells were ringing and people on the way to worship glanced over at them as though on this particular day bringing a dead body into town was a sin.

Ford looked up as the door opened, and sighed . “Anything happen?”

“Sadly so, Ford.” Adam turned his head in the direction of the door and led the way outside, he was not surprised that there was a small cluster of people now standing close to the horse, some whispering and muttering among themselves. From the way they looked he knew that they knew who was under that blanket. He looked at Ford “Jayson Kline.”

Ford looked shocked, swallowed the lump in his throat, shook his head “No? But how?”

“He and another man attacked the cattle station, seems they intended to kill Cobb and the cook, and burn down the buildings, it was all – rather ill planned, the other man got away.”

“Come inside and tell me everything.” Ford looked at the crowd, yelled at them to get back to their homes and respect a man’s privacy, and as he spoke one the deputies came out. He was to take the body to the undertaker and to notify the family.

The two brothers entered the sheriffs office, and sat down on the chairs in front of the rather imposing desk.

“Best tell me everything…” Ford started and glanced up at them “Anything wrong?”

Joe shrugged “Just wondering where you put Mrs Malahide? Is she alright?”

Ford leaned back into his chair, and looked thoughtful, “Well, funny thing that…”

“What?” Joe raised his eyebrows, “What’s so funny?”

“Jake came here, contrite and ashamed, grovelling …wanted to apologise to her. I brought her here thinking she would be safer here than anywhere else but seems -”

“Yeah?” Joe prompted, leaning slightly forward as though this was the most important statement he would ever hear

“Seems she decided she had been over dramatic, made too much of something and perhaps she had misheard some details. She apologised, he apologised – “ he shrugged “and then they apologised to me and assured me it was all a misunderstanding -”

“But it wasn’t -” Joe said briskly, he looked at Adam who was staring thoughtfully at the map on the wall behind Ford’s head “I mean it wasn’t a misunderstanding because the station was attacked, there was an attempt to burn it down, and there is a dead man….”

“I well know that, Mr Cartwright.” Ford ran his hand over his head, his face looked confused, anxious, “As it was, they were billing and coo-ing, and who was I to come between husband and wife. They went off together in the buggy…”

Before they could say another word the door was flung open, crashing against the wall due to the force of the action, and all three turned to confront the man who stepped into the room. He glared wild eyed at them, from one to the other as though trying to work out which of the three was responsible for the death of his son. Ford stood up, as did the two brothers,

“I’m so sorry, Amos.” he said “Really sorry.”

Amos Kline forced back tears although his eyes glistened moistly. He nodded “Who did it? Who killed my son? Was it one of you two?”

“You had best sit down, Amos Adam and Joe here were just about to tell me what happened, so you might as well hear it as well.” he paused, cleared his throat, “How’s Harriet?”

Amos shook his head, it pained him too much to mention his wife and how she had reacted when she had been told about her son, he didn’t want to revisit that scene, not yet. It would have to be confronted later, when he could tell her what had happened, give her some kind of explanation. He pulled out a chair and lowered himself down, bowed his head

“Go on then. Tell me how my boy ended up dead!”

…………………….

Jake Malahide stroked the soft cheek of his wife as she lay in the bed beside him, he smiled down at her and then leaned down to kiss her lips

“I’m sorry I hit you so hard…” he said quietly, almost tenderly, “I’m afraid you’re going to have quite a bruise there…” he gently touched where her cheek bone was swollen and red, then leaned down to kiss it.

“Well, what does it matter.” she smiled up at him, a pretty woman who could at times appear gentle,sweet, beautiful, but was at this moment smiling with a self satisfaction that hardened the line of her profile, thinned her lips “Perhaps we should leave here and take up acting as a career…”

He smiled, his lips pulling away from his teeth as though smiles were not often nor comfortable on his face, his eyes glittered “Now, you don’t seriously mean that…”

“Oh Jake, as if -” she stretched like a cat and then smiled at him as she moved to sit up, and then leave the bed. She reached for her silk dressing gown and slid her arms into the sleeves, pulled it close around her “I don’t think your father would be too pleased if we up and left -”

“True enough, he’d probably shoot us both.” he lay there on his side, head propped up by one arm, elbow in one of the pillows, he watched her as she moved across the room to the window “Julia, you know -”

“Someone’s coming…looks like that Talbot from the building site.” she leaned closer, her brow almost touching the glass “He’s alone.”

Jake scowled “He shouldn’t be coming here…I told him we’d meet up later in the day, at the usual place.”

He rolled out of the bed, and grabbed some clothes. By the time he was pulling on his boots Talbot was banging loudly on the door of the house demanding admittance.

Buford Malahide was in his study, paused and raised his head. He sniffed the air like a predatory lion sensing the turbulence in the atmosphere around him, sensing trouble and danger. He slowly stood up, pushed the chair to one side and strode out of the room.

His son was descending the stairs just as he opened the door to the man on the other side, all three stood, stared at one another and froze in a strange tableau before Buford barked “What’s the meaning of this?”

Talbot removed his hat, glanced at Buford and then nodded over to Jake who now stood beside his father, Jake looked at Buford “I’ll handle this, Pa.”

“No, you won’t ….” Buford snarled, he whipped his eyes from his son to glare at the other man instead “Come on in, follow me.”

Talbot cleared his throat, clutched his hat against his chest and did as he was told, casting an anxious glance at Jake as he did so. Half way down the stairs Julia Malahide hovered in her soft pink silk dressing gown, looking like a wraith as her eyes followed the direction of the three men. With barely a sound she made her way down the rest of the stairway, crossed the hall and stood outside the door to the study, close to where the door met the frame, and where she could hear more clearly what was being said.

Chapter 42

The sound of a drawer opening and closing. Buford muttering something and she assumed he was saying that was the other half of the agreed payment. It was Jake’s voice that penetrated through the door as he asked “Where’s the other one – the kid who was riding with you?”

Julia listened as the sorry tale came out, Talbot’s words coming in a rush, tripping over himself at times. “We didn’t expect Cobb and the cook to be there keeping a night watch….Jayson wasn’t sure about going in, he didn’t want to be shooting at them”

“Didn’t stop them shooting at him…” Burford’s voice was sharp, and Talbot muttered something that Julia didn’t here.

“That’s Amos Kline’s boy, isn’t it?” Jake now asked, his voice softer, losing its sharpness and Julia could hear footsteps, someone was pacing up and down the room, she assumed it was Jake, he was always highly strung and hearing about the boys’ death would have affected him. He was, at times, soft like that!

“Yeah, that’s right…Amos Kline’s the best carpenter we – they- have on the job.”

Buford spoke now, his voice heavy, she could imagine him leaning in his chair, eyes like glass, staring at the other man “I know Amos, he’s a good honest man, and his wife Harriet was a friend of my wife’s…” the drawer squeaked as it was opened again, a soft thud, something had landed on the desk, and she could imagine it being money. “Give this to them, it’ll help pay for the funeral.”

“How’d I explain that…” Talbot stuttered

“As I say, Harriet was a good friend of my wife’s, and Amos – I respect him, known him for years.”

Footsteps coming towards the door. Julia gathered up her gown and hurried to the stairs, was half way up to her room when the door opened and Talbot strode out, his face bland, a square slab of no feeling. She wondered, fleetingly, if the money he had been given for the Klines would ever reach them – somehow she doubted it very much.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The brothers left Ford to deal with the emotional fall out from Kline. As discreetly as possible they left the building and then made their way to the hotel where they had left their personal belongings in their room the previous evening. The Manager greeted them with a nod of the head and a question as to whether or not they wished to retain their room, all the time looking over their shoulders as though some fearful apparition was about to appear and lunge at him

“We’ll collect our things and pay the bill, thank you” Joe muttered

“It was a strange thing, wasn’t it?” the Manager muttered, shaking his head now and blinking his eyes behind the thick lenses of his glasses

“What was?” Joe asked, narrow eyed and frowning

“That whole thing, with Mrs Malahide? Never known Jake Malahide raise a hand against his wife before, not in public anyway. Always seemed a tight couple, if you know what I mean.”

“Well, we don’t really know -” Joe began as Adam began to wander towards the stairs

“Seemed terrified of him, begging the sheriff to protect her and then next thing you know she’s riding off in the buggy with him, like nothing has happened…”

“Well, I guess couples have their way of dealing with things…if you could get the bill ready for payment?”

The Manager nodded and rubbed his hands together as he returned to his side of the counter and checked some figures “Don’t rightly know how to charge you seeing how you never -”

“Doesn’t matter…just let me know how much we owe” Joe was getting impatient, and he glanced over at the stairs but there was no sign of Adam now.

There was not really much to pack up, hats that they had left in the hurry to get to the station, and Adam was just buckling up his own saddle bag when Joe stepped into the room. He nodded and raised an eyebrow, to which Joe muttered he had cleared the bill and started to collect up his gear

“He’s right you know…” Adam muttered, and shrugged “There’s certainly something odd about the whole thing last night…the hysterics, the accusations …”

“Well it worked, didn’t it? Scared the living daylights out of me, I was expecting to find the whole cattle station burned to the ground by the time we got there…”

“Except it wasn’t, it was just two men shooting the place up, and a feeble attempt to create a fire. So makes you wonder what purpose there was behind it all, doesn’t it?”

“Sure, now you mention it, I guess so -” Joe sat down on the bed, the springs creaked. He sighed “But what was t he point of it all anyway? I mean, Roy and Cookie had it all under control, one man dead, the other disappeared….”

“Why such a scene though? It sure brought the Malahides to our attention – but for what reason?”

“Perhaps she doesn’t get on with her father in law, perhaps she hates her husband, perhaps she genuinely wanted to warn us that there was a threat to the cattle station.”

“No, something more involved than that…” Adam picked up his hat and put it on, sliding it to the back of his head and forward, he shrugged “Let’s go for a drink and talk this over.”

“It’s Sunday, Adam,, the saloons don’t open until this afternoon -”

“We’ll go chat to the sheriff then…”

Joe sighed and shrugged, picked up his hat and slapped it down on his head picked up his saddle bags and followed his brother out of the room.

……………

Ford looked up and nodded as the two brothers re-entered his office, a slight grin drifted over his face

“Wondered if you’d be back.” he sat down behind his desk and nodded to the two chairs they had recently vacated. “Got some questions ?”

“We have…”

“Fire away….” he stretched out long legs and folded his arms behind his head, his eyes shrewd as he glanced from one man to the other

“Mrs Malahide -”

“Ah yes, and what about her?”

“Anything you can tell me about her?”

“Such as?”

“Background – “

Ford leaned forward and clasped his hands together, placing them on the desk

“Julia Malahide married Jake about three years ago. No children. Her father was a wealthy industrialist from Philadelphia, became quite a prominent businessman here. Now, she claimed last evening that the marriage was a kind of business merger, but whenever she and Jake were seen together that weren’t the impression anyone would have got …”

“So she’s lying?”

“Reckon so, or else she’s preparing some fall back scheme…”

Joe leaned forward “How do you mean?”

“Well, the Malahide’s have more or less had things all their own way hereabouts, although you Cartwrights owned the land up to his borders, you never really did anything about it until very recently and suddenly you’re emerging as a threat to what they’ve taken for granted…” he pursed his lips and looked thoughtful “Perhaps she knows more than she says, perhaps something is happening about which we know nothing but which will affect the Malahide’s future prospects. I reckon Mrs Malahide likes her comforts, and is already taking a long range view of what might happen, and preparing a way out.”

Joe glanced at Adam, then flicked a look at the sheriff “On the basis of one hysterical scene?”

“Look, she acted as though she anticipated being killed on the spot when her husband found her after that ‘one hysterical scene’ but it was nothing like that at all. It just left me thinking that the whole thing had been neatly rehearsed, and performed to get you two out of town…and for reasons I stated already.”

Adam tapped his mouth with his forefinger, narrowed his eyes “You got me thinking that there’s a whole lot more going on, Sheriff. The whole thing kinda looked – “ he raised his eyebrows, and shook his head “Just the whole thing is – odd!”

Odd! Joe frowned, odd didn’t qualify in his book, after what the sheriff had said, he was totally confused. He glanced from one to the other of them “If she is – as you say, sheriff – looking ahead to the future -” he paused and then shook his head “I can’t see that – “

“What can’t you see?” Ford asked, frowning as though he was not used to having his theories dismissed so airily

“Why? You have to ask yourself why? I mean – she has hysterics because she’s worried about what she knew was going to happen, made peace with her husband and we – thankfully – can relax because it was not as bad as she had feared -”

‘A man died last night, Joe.” Adam said quietly

“Yeah, I know. He made the wrong choice and should have stayed home instead, but that was his decision.” he frowned again now and scratched the back of his neck, “Look, what did you mean about her looking to the future – and all that you said – “

“Joe, like I said she knows more about what is going on in that household than any of us. Last night was as your brother just said, it was odd. Why the performance? Perhaps it was a warning, a legitimate warning and she over reacted and made it sound worse than it was, or perhaps she had planned it that way so that should anything worse happen and the Malahide’s came out the poorer, she can say ‘Well, I did warn you..I knew this would happen. .I told you so…”

“Aw, come on, sheriff, why’d she do a thing like that -?”

“Because Julia Malahide is cut from the same cloth as her father, he always planned ahead – he always made you think one way and act accordingly, and then stand back laughing when you fell flat on your face. I know -” he raised his hands as though in a gesture of defeat “I know I have no proof, that it all may be a genuine gesture and if I’m wrong I apologise, but Mrs Malahide – “ he shook his head “She and Jake together – “ he raised his eyes and looked at them both, noting the reaction to his words from both men, Adam curious, Joe anxious

“So what do you advise, sheriff?” Adam asked quietly, his dark eyes looking into the man’s honest features,

“When are you planning on leaving town?”

“On this afternoons train…” Joe replied and looked at Adam who nodded but still had his eyes on the sheriff.

“Well, far be it from me to get you to change your plans, and as I said before I don’t know – just speculating based on my gut….” he stood up and walked over to the pot bellied stove where a kettle was spitting boiling water “Coffee?”

They waited for the mugs to be filled and brought over to the desk, set down in front of them. Ford settled back into his chair, nodded “As I said it’s just a gut feeling…like a storms brewing. Sometimes you get a small shower, a bigger shower, it lulls, and then – the storm breaks – sometimes it’s worse than you can ever imagine, sometimes it just peters out into nothing. But in this case I reckon the Malahide’s are heading towards a big ‘un.”

He leaned forward and frowned, tapped his finger on the desk “Last night was some kind of showcase, can’t explain it any better than that…next time it’ll be the real thing and she’ll look innocent and say ‘I warned you -‘” he shook his head and then gulped down some of the coffee, looked at them both as they stared like awed children at an adult who had just read them a ghost story of the worse kind “As I said it’s just a gut feeling, but my gut ain’t been wrong yet.”

Some minutes later the two brothers were standing on the side walk watching people pass too and fro. Joe looked at Adam,

“What’s your gut feeling about all this then?”

“I think -” Adam replied, pulling his hat slightly lower over his eyes “ that we should go back to the station and make sure Roy and the cook are safe.”

“Can’t we eat first?”

“You’re beginning to sound like another brother of mine….” Adam sighed and then shrugged, and nodded “Lead the way….”

Chapter 43

“I take it we won’t be taking the train to Virginia City today after all?” Joe murmured as he loaded his fork with food and then rather inelegantly shoved it into his mouth

“Well, you can if you wish,Joe, but I think there are good reasons for us to stay here just now. We didn’t say we would be back today – so we’re not expected back until tomorrow anyway.”

Joe swallowed the food, cleared his throat “Had thought it would be a pleasant surprise for the girls…and the kids”

“Mmm, well, go ahead if you wish.” Adam raised a dark eyebrow, and after giving his brother a rather sharp look, turned his attention to his food

“So – what is it that you think needs us to keep us here…..apart from going to check on Roy?”

Adam said nothing for a moment, he cut and sliced up his meat, stared at it thoughtfully then said “I think we should seek Mr Kline and his wife, pay our condolences…after all he and his son were employed by us….” he put the food into his mouth and chewed, “then go and see Roy. Make sure things are as they should be there…”

“And if they arn’t?”

“Well, we won’t know unless we go to find out…”

“And then – ?”

“Depends on what happens between then and now…”

“Oh, so no predictions as to what could be going on …”

“I just don’t understand what’s going on with that woman.” he sighed and pushed the plate away, “It seems all wrong somehow…”

“Well, she warned us about the attack…and suffered as a result.”

“Yeah, but then went like a lamb back …”

“Look, if she is scared of her husband, what other way could she go back? She’s frightened, so she backs down and will probably try to convince him she was doing it for his own good…something like that anyway.” he frowned “Arn’t you going to eat that?”

“No…” Adam frowned and shook his head, food had lost its appeal for him, not so for Joe who lunged in with his fork. “I’ll go see the Klines, you carry on eating….see you later…”

Both brothers were making their way to the Klines home when Ford saw them from across the main road and hailed for them to stop, he had something to tell them. They waited for him to join them and once he had reached them he nodded, raised his eyebrows and said that the Undertaker, Mr Laws, had been to see him, in connection with Jayson Kline.

He hauled in his breath and opened his hand. In his palm were nestled several bullets . . Adam and Joe stared at them for a few minutes then raised their eyes to look at the sheriff who simply said

“Well? What do you see?”

“Bullets.” Joe replied rather more dismissively that Ford would obviously have liked as he looked decidedly aggrieved.

“Yes, bullets. Mr Laws has removed them from the body -” he lowered his voice and put out a hand to more or less gather them into a huddle around the corner where they could talk without the benefit of curious bystanders

Adam looked at them more closely, then nodded. Joe did likewise. They waited for Ford to say more, “Three of those bullets was not the one that killed him!”

“So?” Joe said slowly, as though this information was nothing new, and he was questioning the drama that Ford was making from it.

Ford nodded as though he could understand that he was talking to a couple of idiots, and cleared his throat, he picked up one “This is from the cooks rifle it came out of Jaysons’ thigh. Painful but not lethal.”

“Ah – yes – “ Adam nodded as though he was beginning to see what the sheriff was indicating.

“These two came from Cobbs Colt.35 revolver….one from the shoulder, and one from the arm…not pleasant, but neither would have killed Jayson. He may have fallen from his horse of course, and broken his neck, but he didn’t.”

Joe picked up the remaining bullet between finger and thumb “You don’t know who fired this one…”

“No, I don’t. Not yet. That bullet, gentlemen, came from his back. This is the killer shot.” he glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one was nearby who could have overheard him, “Whoever was riding with Jayson -” he paused and looked at them with that significance that implied a lot.

“No idea yet who that could have been?” Joe asked

“Not yet. I was on my way to see Amos, see if he would know anyone Jayson would have got involved with enough to have gone on this harebrained stunt of theirs….”

Adam nodded “We were about to go there ourselves. Both men worked on the cattle station for us, and -”

“Of course,” Ford interrupted and rubbed the back of his ear contemplatively “”Well, this could work out better than I thought.” he clenched his fist around the four bullets , and looked at them both “As you were on you way to seeing them then I’ll leave you to get on….” he stepped back a pace then said in an off hand manner that was almost too obvious “Of course if anything is said that could be helpful to this investigation I would suggest you call by and let me know…”

“Of course,” Adam replied with an emphatic nod of the head, “That goes without saying..”

Ford shook their hands and then did a smart about turn to get back to his office, A visit to the Klines would take place later, once he had had privy to any information the Cartwrights could give him. Both Adam and Joe released a sigh, looked at one another and then continued on their way to the Kline’s home, an apartment of four such in a small building tucked away from the main street.

Amos Kline opened the door to their knocking, and looked them up and down. Unsure of who exactly they were after all he had been employed on the Cartwrights behalf by Roy Cobb and had not met the brothers personally.

“You were in the sheriff’s office just now….” he said in a husky voice that indicated the emotion he was undergoing , as did the red rimmed eyes and blotched skin of his face

“We were, Mr Kline. Adam Cartwright – my brother, Joseph. We came to offer our condolences, and see if there was anything at all that we could do to help.”

“Help? How can you help? Can you resurrect my son from the dead? Can you bring him home to his mother?” his tone of voice was not aggressive, it was more the tone of a man resigned to what had happened and yet still not believing that it had, not to his son, not to them

He stepped back to allow them admittance to his home, a modest and clean dwelling. Light from outside shone brightly into the room from the large windows. Both men removed their hats as they entered and paused on the threshold as they noted the two women seated before them.

“My wife, Harriet, and my sister, Rose.”

Neither woman spoke, although they both turned to look at the visitors and nod, their eyes full of grief and tears. Neither Adam nor Joe were sure if their presence had even registered with them as they remained seated, arms entwined, tears shared as they streamed down their faces. Jayson had obviously been well loved.

“In here-” Amos said indicating a small room to the left of the hallway, and into this they made their way, feeling that they were an inconvenience, that their presence was both unwanted and unhelpful

“Mr Kline -”

“Amos -” the man muttered and indicated some chairs into which they both sat, aware of the grieving mans eyes staring at them. “I appreciate your coming…that’s right, I recall now, you came to the station with the wagonload of wood yesterday…seems so long ago now, so much has happened.”

He pulled out a chair away from the desk, and sat down. With his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped he leaned towards them

“My boy, Jayson. He was a good boy, a hard worker…a very good carpenter. You’ll be proud of the work he did on that place, you won’t find a fault with it.” he paused and stared down at the rug upon which all three pairs of boots were firmly placed “He didn’t really want to be a carpenter until he realised how good he was at it. Made me proud -” he wiped tears from his eyes, wiped his nose on his sleeve like a small kid would have done, he sighed with all the sorrow of a broken heart, “He was a good son.”

“Do you know why he was there last night? Did he mention anything to you at all?” Joe asked rather tentatively.

“No,” he looked up quickly, then bowed his head as though he could not meet their gaze, because he could not give them the answer they wanted. “I thought he would be out with his friends…probably at the saloon. We’re strict about drinking you know…” he paused then, and frowned “Jayson had begun to feel we were unfair, too restrictive so we were letting him feel his way so to speak. After all, he’s a grown man now, its just that while he lived under our roof he should respect the house rules. That’s only right, isn’t it?”

The two brothers nodded after all who were they to argue, they were still obeying ‘house rules’ even since leaving the main house. Adam sighed “So you don’t know who these friends of Jayson’s were..,maybe one in particular he would have shared this particular – “

“No, I don’t..he never said. Got secretive for some time now, changed.” he forced the words out as though the change in his son had hurt, but he had buried the pain and now wanted to spit it all out to these strangers in the hope they could provide answers, explain why their Jayson had become almost alien to them over the past while.

“Was he friendly just with the men from the station, men he was working along with…” Joe prompted, feeling as though he were wading through mud in trying to get the man to open up.

“He had friends from all over. He got on well with the Malahides, Jake and his wife..I told him to be careful, they were trouble…”

“Why did you feel that way about them?” Joe asked now, leaning forward, his knees almost touching that of the other man, who now seemed to be drifting away as grief or memories enveloped him.

“Malahides? Oh they were trouble..thought they were more important than they really are, I guess most towns get men like them, new towns creates new opportunities and if you are in the right place at the right time…like they were…and you Cartwrights never showing no interest in your own land for so long…” he glanced at them apologetically as though they may have thought he was speaking out of turn.

“And did Jayson feel the same way about them?” Joe said gently

“No, he thought Mrs Malahide was beautiful, wouldn’t be surprised if he fancied himself in love with her…she flirted with all the men, cheap, not fitting …” he sighed and shook his head ,”I remember one person he was friendly with, mostly because he was – “ he paused as thought he needed to get his facts straight “he was real friendly with Jake Malahide. I saw them once together in a saloon, laughing together they were…Jayson was drunk and I had come to haul him home. ..got the impression they were laughing at him”

“Did that annoy you?” Adam asked quietly, his dark eyes fixed on the other man

“No, not at the time, I was more annoyed at Jayson…getting drunk like that….”

“Who was this man, Amos. The one so friendly with Jake Malahide?”

Amos frowned and narrowed his eyes, after a while he nodded and said “Talbot – he was known as Brand Talbot, not his given name, just thought it made him sound tough I suppose. His real name is Ben Talbot. I told Jayson to steer clear of him, but he just laughed . Have to admit Talbot is good at his work otherwise Roy would never have hired him, but he was – is – trouble.”

Adam nodded, a cue to get up and leave. Joe and he both got to their feet, Amos followed their lead and shook their hands “Amos,” Adam said, “If you need anything, anything at all…”

“Sure, sure. I know…but we’re alright, and I’ll not waste time, I’ll get back to work as soon as I can, make that a fine building for you. Jayson would like that too, he was proud of his work on it.”

They shook hands again, as though a final sealing of a pact. Then he led them from the room and out of the house. As the door closed on them Joe nodded

“Well, at least we got a name.”

“We’ll leave it to Ford to follow up, it’s his job after all, not ours.”

Joe nodded, glanced over his shoulder where the brief shadow at the window indicated that Amos or his wife had been watching them as the left the premises. “Let’s go see him then…..”

Chapter 44

Ford listened patiently, looked meaningfully at his deputies and after thanking them, shook their hands and assured them there was nothing more for them to do. Thank you and goodbye!

The two men strolled casually down the main street of the territory’s state Capital city…then paused to look around them. Adam sighed and Joe, a long time listener of Adams sighs, had an idea that this particular one was directed at him. He looked slantwise at his brother and raised his eyebrows

“What?”

Adam shrugged and raised his eyebrows “Just a thought crossed my mind, brother.”

“Oh, what kind of thought?”

“Just that somehow in the most unlikeliest of places and circumstances, you always find trouble, and trouble for you, means trouble for me – or Hoss – “

“Oh, and what kind of trouble have I found for you this time…and leave Hoss outa it, he’s not here.”

Adam nodded over at the saloon, which despite being a Sunday, had the doors open in welcome. He smiled “Seems there’s no Temperance Movement here yet…”

The bar keep nodded and placed two beefy hands flat on the counter. One could tell it was Sunday, there were no girls in their gaudy dresses circulating around the tables, the atmosphere was muted and some men were seated nursing glasses of beer and playing crib, or chess.

“Only beer served today, it’s Sunday.” and as though to emphasise the fact the church bells began to chime.

“Two beers then -” Adam replied placing his two hands flat on the counter.

“Cartwrights arn’t you?” the bar keep said as he poured out the beer and pushed the glasses towards the two brothers “Remember you from a previous visit of yours…”

“Hmm, we come and go.” Adam muttered and after putting the money down he took the glasses and walked to the table where Joe had already settled down.

They sat in a far corner with a good view of the door. Adam stretched out his legs and took a deep gulp of the beer before setting the glass back down on the table

“Well, Joe…still wanting to get back home?”

“Yep.” Joe wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and glanced at the clock on the wall, “Should be able to catch the next train if we drink this fast enough”

“Well, look, I think there is something bigger going on here…there are too many loose ends, questions -”

“Adam, you always see questions where there are none, and you’re always looking for loose ends when none exist.”

Adam nodded and frowned, drank some more beer “Well, then, you had better get that drink finished and go. Wouldn’t want you to miss your train.”

Joe’s face fell, he shook his head and stared steadily at his brother but Adam’s face didn’t change, so he shrugged “Alright, lay it out for me…”

“Sometimes it is just a feeling -”

“Something you share with the sheriff then…”

“Look, Joe, the sheriff has nothing to do with this. Think of what Amos Kline told us…his son may or may not have had an attraction for Mrs Malahide, whom we note is an attractive woman who is not all she seems on the surface -” he paused “what did that attack on the station achieve last night? One death and that was a young man who I do not believe intended to burn down the buildings.” he paused “Shot in the back by the other man who was obviously not bothered about burning down the buildings…;like I said before the whole thing was just too casual and I think that meant the only person who was meant to be killed was Jayson Kline.”

“In which case let the sheriff deal with it…”

“But why would Mrs Malahide make such a drama out of it all…what was the point unless she wanted to draw attention to it, which she did, except that it was not anything more than what it was, an almost stupid prank that ended in Jayson’s death.”

“Right -” Joe drained his glass and set it down on the table with a thump “That’s all it was, a prank that went wrong” he reached for his hat “Leave it to the sheriff to sort out.”

“What? You’re leaving?”

“I said I would ….”

Adam shrugged “See you tomorrow then…”

Joe’s shoulders slumped and he shook his head “Adam …just leave it, won’t you?”

“Tell Olivia I’ll be back tomorrow as arranged. Tell her something came up….”

Joe leaned forward, concern on his face “You won’t do anything stupid will you? Like visiting the Malahide’s?”

Adam smiled slowly, and narrowed his eyes “Now as if I would do that? Pa expressly said not to…” his voice trailed off as the door opened and a young man entered, removed his hat and headed for the bar “Well, this could be interesting….”

“Why?”

“Because that’s Brand Talbot – “ Adam said quietly, he turned in his seat to get a better view of the young man who was now pulling a wallet from his pocket, “Strange…”

“Why?”

“Oh, just that this is the last place I would have thought to see him. I’d have been high tailing it to some place else if I had just killed a friend of mine.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t know his bullet killed Jayson.” Joe said in a mumbled whisper as he resumed his seat to watch Talbot.

They said nothing more but watched as Talbot pulled out his money and set it own on the counter, then grabbed the glass. The bar keep leaned forward, frowned

“You come into a fortune then, Brand?”

Talbot flushed red, it crept up over the collar of his jacket and face, he fumbled with his wallet, dropped some money on the floor and had to stoop to pick it up. “No…why’d you say that?”

“You ain’t usually so flush is all…”

A man from another table turned round, “Hey, hear there was some excitement last night at that place you’re working at …on the Ponderosa”

“Oh, where’d you hear that?” Brand stammered, grabbing at his glass

“Pete’s sake, saw them bring young Jayson’s body in….he was a friend of yours, weren’t he?”

“Yes, yes he was…”

“Seems he got shot for nothing then.”

“What d’you mean?”

“Wal, for Pete’s sake, why go on a jaunt like that? What was the point of it all..”

Talbot scowled, pushed his glass away causing the beer to slop “You’re just an old woman, why don’t you go poke your nose some place else.”

The men at the table grinned at one another and turned to their game, but Talbot was now on edge, he looked at his glass of beer, was unsure whether or not to drink it, then turned and walked off, quickly. The doors swung shut. The man accused of being an old woman shook his head and leaned towards his companions “Never ever did have the brains he was born with…”

Adam picked up his hat and stood up, Joe relaxed and slipped his hat onto his head and followed his brother out of the saloon. Outside on the pavement they stood awhile and watched as Ford left his office and accompanied by his deputy walked towards Brand Talbot who was mounting his horse.

“Can we go now?” Joe whispered

Adam said nothing, he watched Talbot attempt to leave on his horse, and get rather unceremoniously hauled from it. After a brief altercation he was almost frog marched into the sheriff’s office.

“Right, I’ve seen enough. I’m leaving..the next train leaves in half an hour…”

“Tell Olivia I’ll see her tomorrow…enjoy your trip.” Adam put on his hat, squared his shoulders and left his brother standing on the side walk.

……………….

Mrs Claire Finlayson liked to make a good meal for Mr Orawitz on a Sunday. She did not do much work for the old man, because he wouldn’t let her, he preferred her to sit and chat, to tell him how things were in town, how his old friends were handling life and, in some cases, death.

She put the plate of food on the table and began to clear about the papers that were littered everywhere. She was used to seeing papers scattered about, so did not take too much notice of the mess. Just cleared a space on the table so he could eat his meal

He came into the room and looked around him, then at Claire, to whom he nodded and greeted with a smile of sorts “Ah, food…how delightful.”

He had papers in his hand and as he sat down he placed them down beside, “I got this – yesterday”

“Oh how interesting” she replied in a voice that implied no interest whatsoever.

“Why would he send me a picture of a horse?”

“A horse…”

He put the drawing down beside the plate and picked up his fork. He ate carefully and made sure there were no spills, it would never do to splash gravy everywhere…

Claire continued to move things around and finally came upon the envelope from which the drawing had been taken, “There’s a letter in here for you, Mr Orawitz”

“Oh dear – is it a bill?”

“No, not at all…” she replied and pulled the letter out of the envelope to pass to him

“Mmm., is it from the Town Council?” he was at war with the Town Council, had been for years and refused to read any letters from them, consequently never realised that what ever problem had existed in the past had long been resolved. He had told himself it wouldn’t matter anyway, he would be in Chicago soon

“It looks like a letter from a child!”

“A child? I don’t write letters to children.” he stuffed some chicken into his mouth, and munched

“No but she has written to you…”

“Read it then…” he cut up a potato and put that into his mouth as well.

Claire cleared her throat “Dear Mr Arrowitz, I hope you like the drawing of the horse which my Daddy bought for me. I am sorry that I got Paddy because your little girl is not here any more. I know you miss her that is why you let me have Paddy instead. Thank you so much. I love him. I shall look after him for you, and Virginia. My name is Sofia Cartwright.”

Mr Orawitz put down his fork, and took the letter from Claire’s hand, he looked down and read the scrawled letter, and with a deep sigh placed it down on the table. His hand was trembling. A tear dropped from his eyes and travelled down his face…

Chapter 45

The brothers stood on the pavement and waited some minutes more before Joe finally shrugged and turned to Adam with a frown “So – what do you intend we do now?”

Adam had the foresight not to smile or look smug at his younger brothers’ enquiry, instead he just gave a curt nod in the direction of the sheriff’s office “Let’s go see what’s going on…after all, we have charges to bring against that young man.”

Joe pouted slightly, before turning his feet towards the building that housed the sheriff’s office and jail. He sighed

“I would have gone, you know -”

“Sure, I know”

“There’s no real point in staying here after all.”

“I think there is…”

“You and this gut feeling you have….” he put his hands in his pockets, and matched his stride to that of his brothers ,”Wonder what happened to Marshall Howard.”

“Court case in Placerville.”

“He was pretty helpful when Pa got shot that time…”

“Well, I guess so – “ Adam replied and pushed open the door to the building.

Ford was counting out money, the bills falling to the desk like leaves from a tree. His deputy was checking a gun, obviously to try and gauge whether or not it had been fired recently. They both looked up as the Cartwrights walked into the room.

Brand Talbot sat in a chair opposite the desk staring blankly at the wall behind the sheriff, his mouth tight shut as though he had mentally stapled his lips together. He didn’t shift in his seat as the two newcomers made their way into the room.

“We’re charging Talbot, gentlemen, for murder, attempted murder and arson. Hopefully that will fit your agenda too?” Ford said crisply, perhaps irritated at their intrusion as it was obvious that was how he felt their presence to be.

“Has he admitted anything?” Joe asked, as he stepped closer to the prisoner

“No. Refuses to speak…apart from a string of obscenities.”

Adam looked at Ford and saw the defensiveness in his eyes, it was obvious that to the Sheriff’s way of thinking this was his investigation and he would have preferred for them to be gone. He nodded

“We’ll leave you to it, but we’ll be back to bring charges of our own…..”

Ford relaxed, nodded and even allowed a small smile “Give me an hour….”

Adam glanced at Talbot again and raised his eyebrows, he was not too sure an hour would be enough but accepted what he had been told , turned and ushered Joe from the building.

“That was a waste of time…” Joe muttered

“Not really. Talbot knows we’re here, knows we’re onto him….” he paused and looked across the road at two men who were dismounting from their horses “Interesting.”

“Wonder where they’re going…”

They stepped away some paces from the building and onto the road, appearing, they hoped, like normal uninterested pedestrians as the Malahide’s made their way to the sheriff’s office. The two men paid no attention to them, stern of face and tight lipped, they pushed the door open and strode inside.

“Reckon they’re there to bail him out?” Joe said in an undertone

“Wouldn’t be at all surprised.”

“That will confirm his link with them though…so far as Ford knows Talbot was employed by us to work on the station..”

“Yes, true enough.”

“Doesn’t make sense to post bail for Talbot then….”

Adam sighed deeply and shook his head “Nothing about this makes any sense, Joe.”

“Anyway we can get to hear what’s going on?” Joe asked innocently and glanced sideways to the alley that ran back along the building.

Adam shook his head, then looked at the window at the front of the building and quietly approached leaned against the wall and tried to hear what was being said but there was nothing, not even a mumbled jumble of words.

“Guess we’ll just have to wait…” he looked up at the clock “Well, three quarters of an hour yet so let’s go get a drink.”

……………….

They nursed their glasses of beer throughout the ticking moments of their enforced wait, their eyes trying not to look at t he clock too often. More customers trickled into the saloon and took their seats around the tables. There was mention of the Klines in quiet conversations, heads shaken and heads nodded. From all appearances the Klines were well respected in the community which made the Cartwrights wonder yet again why the lad had got so involved in a venture that led to his death.

When they left the saloon the Malahides horses had gone and whether that was a good or bad sign neither of them ventured to mention to the other. They opened the door to the sheriff’s office to find Ford and his deputy talking animatedly together, both looking red faced and aggressive. The looks they cast at Adam and Joe were not exactly friendly.

Wondered when you’d be back.” Ford muttered and slumped back into his chair behind the big desk.

“You gave us an hour….” Joe snapped back as he removed his hat.

“Where’s your prisoner?” Adam now asked keeping his face as neutral as possible

Both law men glared at one another and then turned their faces to the Cartwrights. The deputy walked away to examine the rack of rifles as though he had never seen them before in his life. Ford rubbed his brow, then his jaw and shook his head

“Malahides gave him an alibi….” he said quietly, and pushed some papers into a pile as though that was more important than anything else at that moment He could not hide the fact that he found the Cartwrights presence more than a little irritating.

“But the money Talbot was flashing around…” Joe almost snarled and got a flash of hot temper directed at him from Fords bulbous eyes

“Mr Malahide senior said they had given it to Talbot to give to Amos Kline towards any expenses. Jake confirmed that, said that Jayson was a friend of his and Amos Kline had been a friend of his fathers. And -” he leaned forward and picked up a pen as though it were a life saver “as for the gun, both Malahides produced their guns, put them down and as you can guess, same calibre as Talbots, as I was reminded, most men carry that gun so it could have been anyone of them who shot Jayson.”

“But it isn’t anyone of them -” Joe said thumbing in direction of the window and the outside population, “who was friends with Jayson, who would have ridden with him -” he scowled “And what about Mrs Malahide? What about her shooting her mouth off like she did…”

Ford leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach, he looked at Joe with all the patience of a father who had had just about enough of a demanding insistent child. Time to brush him off.

“Apparently Mrs Malahide had had too much to drink, she and Jake had quarrelled. They knew you were in town, and she wanted to cause trouble..”

Joe shook his head “No, that doesn’t work, she shouted the odds about something that happened…..maybe not as dramatically as she implied ..but enough to send us racing there and finding young Jayson – “ he paused and looked at his brother “You’re being awful quiet, ain’t you got anything to say?”

“You’re doing alright as you are, Joe.” Adam replied although his face was blank and his eyes fixed on the sheriff, “What alibi did they give Talbot?”

“Apparently Talbot was at the Malahide’s – he went there after he left work on the building, to tell them that the Cartwright brothers were here. That was what sparked the whole thing off, the Malahides shout a lot, threaten a lot, and in the whole shebang Mrs M decides to ride into town and warn you of trouble. She had had too much to drink…and you know what happened as a result..”

“And Talbot stayed with Mr Malahide Senior all evening?”

“He did…according to Mr Malahide.” he sighed and pushed the papers back placing the pen on top “Talbot admitted to being paid by Malahide to mess up the building project, when I suggested that could imply setting fire to it, he denied it vehemently. Said he didn’t do that and wouldn’t do that…Mr Malahide had not instructed him and he had no idea why Jayson was there or who was with him. Both Malahides insisted they knew nothing about anyone else with a grudge against you, who would have persuaded young Jayson to go out that evening.”

“Well, at least he admits he has a grudge against us…” Joe muttered

“Yeah well, he’s been in control of the beef market here for a while now, sees you as a threat.”

Adam nodded and tilted his head towards the door, a sign to his brother that they could leave now, he thanked the sheriff and turned to go, paused “So do I take it that the building and our men will be safe from future attacks, Sheriff?”

Ford nodded and shrugged “I don’t have the man power to police it too much, Cartwright, it’s some distance from town and there are things here that it is my duty to attend to.” he picked up the pen again, began rolling it between his fingers “But the Malahides know we have been made aware of any trouble and if they are responsible then they’ll show their hand eventually.”

“I think they already have…” Adam muttered as he headed for the door but as there was no comment coming from the sheriff the brothers said no more, and were soon closing the door behind them and on the side walk

“Well, that’s that…” Joe said, he looked at his brother “Train? Home?”

Adam frowned and shrugged “Look, Joe, Ford has not been much help here….and I still think we should stay. Perhaps we should go see Malahide, check all that garbage they handed out to Ford for ourselves..maybe even see Mrs Malahide.”

“Well, I don’t know..” Joe bit on his thumb, an indication that he was giving it deep thought. “Look, Adam, it was just Jayson and another kid showing off…”

“And it killed him”

“Lots of stupid kids die from doing stupid things…” Joe muttered, and sighed and choosing to ignore the look his brother threw at him

Chapter 46

The two brothers stood side by side on the platform of the station. They did not speak but watched as people grouped together waiting for the train to announce its arrival. Eventually Joe turned to Adam and asked him if he had really decided to stay rather than return home with him

“Just a few loose ends to tie up, Joe.”

Joe shook his head, Adam shrugged and together they lapsed back into silence. The train came bearing down upon the station, people involuntarily stepped back from the edge of the platform as though it would suck them beneath its wheels if they stayed where they were. Joe sighed and shook his head again,

“There’s no need for you to stay, Adam. Leave it to the sheriff to deal with…”

“I know what you’re saying, Joe, and no doubt you’re right.” Adam removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, before shaking his head “There’s just something here that doesn’t seem right and I don’t have confidence in the sheriff to pick up on it.”

“Well, you should, that’s why he’s the sheriff…” Joe didn’t add what he was thinking but it was in the tone of his voice ‘that’s why he is the sheriff and you are not…’

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Joe.” Adam smiled and nodded towards the train “Best get on board if you’re going.”

“I don’t know how Olivia puts up with you…” Joe mumbled, then turned to face him “Look, be careful won’t you? Don’t go and see Malahide…apart from the fact that Pa would be fuming if you did, I just don’t want you to take any risks with him. He’s unpredictable…so is his son.”

“And what about his daughter in law?”.Adam raised an eyebrow, and his dark eyes twinkled then he shrugged and his face fell into blandness again “Take care of yourself, Joe”

They shook hands and then parted company. Only once did Joe hesitate as he approached the train, and glanced over his shoulder as though doubtful as to whether to proceed or not. Then the train whistled and he hurried onwards, soon enveloped in steam and cinders.

Adam waited with his hands in his pockets, he watched the windows of the carriages until his brother’s unruly mop of hair appeared at one, and then he was grinning over to him. Adam raised a hand and nodded.

He stood there until the train began to shunt its way out of the station, Joe waved and watched until his brother became a small black mark on the train station from which the train was leaving behind. Then suddenly they were out in open country and the sight of Adam was no longer visible.

Adam settled his hat more firmly on his head and turned to leave the station. It was true what Joe had said, how did Olivia put up with him. Constant absences from home almost on a voluntary basis was not the best way to keeping romance alive in a marriage. The consolation this time was that Olivia would not be expecting him home until the following day anyway, so that gave him 24 hours to gather up any loose threads and weave them to a solution.

The problem was – where to start?

………………………

Olivia was more than happy to close the door to her home and lead her little ‘chicks’ into the main room where Chen was already preparing their milk before bed. She sighed and smiled at the sight of them – Reuben hurrying to rescue a book he had been reading so that he could catch up on where he had ‘left off”, Sofia pirouetting around the room already lost in a world of princesses and ballerina’s and Nathaniel jumping into the corner of the big arm chair and curling up, thumb in mouth, ready to get to bed.

She untied her bonnet and removed her outer coat. It had been warm and pleasant to drive to and from Luke and Marcy’s but the coat protected her dress from the dust. It had been a splendid day. The children had behaved well..Reuben had helped Luke in the yard with chores and Nathaniel had played amicably with the twins. Sofia had attached herself to Marcy and Olivia, and had disappeared once the conversation had become too boring for her.

Olivia knew where Sofia would let her feet wander…away to the little graves where both her grandmothers slept, and the little baby that had merely breathed a moment if that…and later she had proven her surmise correct when going there later, with Marcy, and seeing the little bunches of wild flowers at the foot of each gravestone.

Dear Marcy, she had not changed, well, perhaps just a little. She was less shy and timid, she laughed more, cooked even better and was the most content happy little person Olivia had ever known.

The twins had grown of course, they spoke now, and could walk and run and chased Nathaniel until he was worn out. But it had been such a perfect day.

Now she stood and looked around her at the room she loved…at the big book case that wrapped around one wall and turned a corner into another. In the corner it created was the piano…and it was here that Sofia had settled now, having pirouetted herself to exhaustion she now began to play some little tune that must have been running through her head as she had danced about the room.

The room had been too warm for a fire, and the empty hearth yawned dark and empty but still an attractive feature of the room, the big comfortable furniture was welcoming as it formed a circle around the fire and sought to embrace all who stepped onto the colourful rugs. Sometimes Olivia felt she was like Alice in Wonderland just waiting for the big settee to say “Come on, sit awhile, have a drink, settle down and leave your troubles behind you.”

She sighed now, and turned her attention to her little boy, snoring slightly, sound asleep. How like his father he was, how much like Adam. She brushed aside a curl of black hair and kissed his brow, then lifted him up into her arms and carried him across the room and up the stairs.

She wondered how Joe and Adam had got on at the cattle station. As she mounted the stairs, the child a heavier weight in her arms at each step, she thought of the distance between them that evening, and that there would be an empty space beside her in the big bed once again.

She settled the boy into his bed, removed his shoes and then carefully covered him with the blankets. Kissed him once more and quietly left the room.

She wondered where Adam was now, with Joe no doubt in some saloon, or maybe at the cattle station – she sighed, they were still nowhere near deciding who was going to manage the place. Would it be one of them, and if so, what would that involve? Who would be better at managing a cattle station, and the isolation, and the responsibility!

She heard Reuben calling to her, asking some random question – thoughts of the cattle station drifted away as she turned to her son with a smile, and a preparedness to be able to answer his questions or at least, make a brave attempt to do so.

……………

The saloon was not so empty now, and the bar keep was kept busy supplying his customers with drinks…still only beer. No women in their short skimpy dresses trawling around the tables, this was still the Sabbath after all. Some decencies had to be observed.

Adam took his glass of beer, paid for it and leaned against the counter. Through the mirror he could see behind him the reflection of all those seated at the tables, men laughing together over some joke, or scowling as they concentrated on the cards in their hands, gambling obviously not prohibited ! Some men in suits and well polished boots were discussing something in great earnest, Adam wondered if it would become a full blown row, but doubted if there would be fists thrown, some insults perhaps.

He swallowed the last of his beer and wondered if he should have returned on the train with Joe, after all, drinking beer in a saloon was not solving anything. A waste of time. He was not sure how to make better use of his time and bit his lip, scowled a little down at the counter

“Another beer, sir?”

He shook his head and turned to leave. As he did so a hand gripped his shoulder and he immediately tensed, his hand dropped to his holster, the handle of his gun touched his fingers

“Mr Cartwright – I need to talk to you.”

Brand Talbot stared at him, his eyes blinked rapidly, as though he had walked out of the dark into a bright light, his face was pale. He nodded once

“Really – I need to talk to you.”

“Best do so outside..”

“I reckon here would be better. Safety in crowds .”

“If you say so.”

He turned to the bar keep and asked for two beers, and led the way to the table furthest from the door. He nodded as he sat down, removed his hat, placed it on the table

“Well, speak plain, what’s on your mind?”

Talbot licked dry lips, glanced around him, eyes stared at the door “They said I was the shooter, killed Jayson -”

“Seems the evidence was wrong, you’re here aren’t you? Not in a cell.” he picked up his glass and raised it to his lips.

Talbot stared at the beer in his glass, then tentatively picked up the glass, shadowing Adams movement as he sipped the beer. “I just wanted to clear it with you….Jayson was my friend. I wouldn’t kill him, I couldn’t …even though …” he paused and gulped down more beer, wrapped his fingers around the glass and stared down at the rest of the liquid within the glass “Look, I – I didn’t want to be involved in all this, but at the time it seemed like just a joke -”

“What did ?”

“That attack on the cattle station…it was not really meant to be serious, or end up killing anyone.”

“Then what was it meant to be …”

“A warning..that was all. It was just meant to be a warning….”

“A warning….I presume from the Malahides?”

“Yes…” now he glanced around him, his nerves obviously in shreds which surprised Adam who had thought the young man as hard as the proverbial nail. “The Malahides wanted to use that land you know …thought you would leave it ….” he scowled and shook his head “I just didn’t think it would end up like that..”

Adam said nothing to that but leaned further back in the chair, stretched out his legs and looked rather quizzically at the young man seated opposite. For a moment there was silence before he asked, very quietly, just how exactly did he think it would end up…

Talbot frowned and shrugged “Just a bit of gun fire that’s all..”

“People get killed with just a bit of gun fire, Mr Talbot. The two men you were shooting at for example….what if they had been killed? You and Kline would both be facing a murder charge…”

“Oh I told Jayson to just fire over their heads…” he paused “I didn’t rate them as being great shots themselves, didn’t seem to be much risk ..”

Adam shook his head and wondered if the man had any sense in his head at all, he took some more beer, paused and then asked Talbot just how much had the Malahide’s paid them for doing the job. Talbot shrugged and looked shame faced

“Well, it was good enough, they gave me money to give Jayson’s folks – that was his share of the deal after all, that’s where I had the extra money, see…”

“No,” Adam sighed, and shook his head “No,Mr Talbot, I don’t see. I don’t see why you have come to tell me this story, nor what you intend to gain from it.” he leaned forward “Last nights attack on the cattle station, according to you, was just a joke, a kind of warning from the Malahides. It may or may not have resulted in someone being killed, but someone did, turned out to be your friend Jayson..”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t me who killed him!”

“Then who was it, Mr Talbot. Who wanted to kill Jayson Kline and rig up this sham of an attack to do so….”

Talbot shook his head, stared at the now empty glass and said nothing. Adam frowned “Did you tell the sheriff this?”

“No, didn’t get no chance to do so, the Malahide’s came and bailed me out.”

“And provided you with an alibi which you have just tossed aside by admitting you were at the cattle station. Mr Brand this doesn’t make sense and just how does Mrs Malahide come into all this? Her theatrics in town, supposedly warning of the raid on the cattle station…”

Talbot shrugged “Dunno, dunno nothing about that…you’d have to ask her.”

Adam nodded “Good idea, that’s exactly what I intend to do …”

He picked up his hat and stood up, paused and looked down at the other man who remain hunched over his glass

“In a way you’ve provided more questions than answers, so don’t go anywhere, Mr Talbot, I may need to talk to you again.”

Brand Talbot squared his shoulders and shook his head, but remained silent. No one took any notice of the tall man walking away and out of the saloon, and Talbot just sat at the table, nursing an empty glass and wondering if he had said just a little bit too much.

Chapter 47

Shadows were lengthening now and Adam stepped back into those in order to think over what had just taken place. He leaned against the wall of the building and crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head as he tried to make sense of what had just taken place.

He had not figured on Brand Talbot wanting to talk to him now, nor at any other time come to that, it just had not fitted into the picture at all. Why go in and admit the raid, when shortly before the Malahides had provided him with a strong alibi. What was the point?. Brash, loud mouthed, ego driven, but certainly not a man who was talking like a man who was suddenly realised that he was out of his depth. Perhaps this little adventure had turned out to be more involved, more complex than even he had thought possible.

He was so deep in thought that he almost missed seeing Brand as he came out of the saloon. It was only as the man paused, looked around and took a little time to think over what to do next that Adam realised he was there, and as Brand had not noticed him perhaps this was the chance to find out a little more about this enigmatic young man.

He was the only lead Adam had, the only link to everything that had happened and perhaps, just perhaps, if he could find out a little more something would eventually fall in place and make some sense.

Once Brand had set off from the saloon and was walking down past the sheriff’s office Adam pushed himself from the wall and followed. He kept a good distance, stayed close to the shadows, ducked into alleys if Talbot paused as though suspicious of a ‘tail’ on him. But it was not long before Adam recognised the area that they were walking into, an area he had not long visited himself.

A sturdy old tree grew not far from the house to which Brand was walking and behind this Adam took shelter. It provided abundant coverage and from there he was able to watch as Brand pushed open the little picket gate and walked up the front door. Brand hesitated a while, may be plucking up some courage before he knocked on the door.

He knocked again, louder this time and was rewarded when the door opened and Amos Kline stood in front of him. From his vantage point Adam leaned forward in order to see and hear everything

“Mr Kline?”

There was hesitancy in his voice, a nervousness that was evident in the way he swept off his hat

“I’m Ben Talbot.”

“I know who you are – worked alongside us long enough – what do you want -” Amos paused, his eyes narrowed and his lips thinned “I thought the sheriff had arrested you for Jayson’s murder.”

“Honestly Mr Kline…” a shake of the head, hands spread out away from his body in a conciliatory gesture “The sheriff only wanted to ask some questions and – and I was not under arrest for nothing ‘cos I didn’t do nothing.”

“You expect me to believe that? You were the one talked Jayson into that hare brained idea – you were the only one who could have killed him. Don’t tell me you didn’t do anything. I don’t believe it.”

Talbot said nothing and then put his hand to his jacket, and pulled out his wallet from which he extracted some money.

“What’s that? Blood money?”

“No, Mr Kline. It’s from Mr Malahide – he said he was an old friend of yours, said I was to give this to you towards – towards costs – for – you know – for Jayson.”

Kline drew back a step as though he had expected Talbot to hit him, but even from the distance Adam was standing he could see the different emotions that flickered across the man’s face, then his hand shot out and he hit away Talbots hand holding the money sending it scattered over the door step. “Take it – keep it – tell Malahide I don’t want his thirty silver coins for my sons death – blood money – that’s what it is” he stepped closed to Talbot now until their noses were almost touching “And you get off my property now before I kill you -”

“Mr Kline – Amos – I never -”

“Get away from here, now….” he didn’t shout, he didn’t raise his voice, but it was cold, and dripped with hate. When Talbot turned to leave Amos Kline spat onto the path where the young man had been standing and then slammed the door shut.

The money remained where it had fallen.

Talbot closed the gate behind him and for a moment stood still, just staring ahead of him and out at nothing. Finally he replaced his hat and began to make his way back into the centre of town, back to the saloons. Adam left the shadows of the tree and followed behind him.

As they neared the saloon a group of men seemed to burst through the doors, shouting, laughing and showing all the signs of having had too much good company and bad beer. Adam had to step back against the nearest building to let them pass him by or risk being knocked into the road. They didn’t notice him, but went their way laughing loudly

Adam watched them for a moment to make sure there was no threat to them, and when he looked back to where Talbot had been there was no sign of him. The foregone conclusion was that Talbot had gone back into the saloon and without another thought Adam pushed open the batwing doors and stepped into the smoky environs and into noise and laughter.

As he stood there and looked around he could see immediately that Talbot was not there, the room may have been noisy and smoky but it was not at its fullest capacity, and it was easy to see everyone there at a glance. One or two men looked over at him, before resuming what they were doing. The bar keep asked him if he wanted anything, but he shook his head and turned, so that he was back on the side walk among the lengthening shadows and no idea of where Brand Talbot could have gone.

It crossed his mind that the younger man had realised he was being followed and had slipped down an alley to avoid him as the group of men spilled out of the saloon. But when Adam walked to the corner there was no alley. The saloon adjoined another building.

Then had Talbot just joined with the group, hidden himself in plain sight as the saying goes? Adam gave a slight shake of the head, he had noticed five men in the group, and only five men went carousing down the street, Talbot was not one of them.

But no one disappears just like that, it is impossible. He looked thoughtfully at the adjoining building and approached it cautiously, cupping his hands against the glass in the window he peered inside. The glooming of the evening made it difficult to see inside, shadows were dark and long. He could make out various items but there was no one to be seen. He stepped back and walked to the door, tried the handle and was not surprised to find it locked, after all, it was Sunday.

After rattling the handle as though that would do any good he gave up on pursuing that idea but strolled slowly down pass all the buildings trying the handles, peering through the windows until he came to the gap between buildings – an alleyway. He kept his fingers close to the handle of his gun as he walked cautiously down and found nothing. The alley forked to run along the backs of the buildings he had just passed, on the other side the back of the stores that continued on from there.

So if Talbot had come this way it was already too late to find him Adam bit down on his bottom lip, hissed an exasperated breath of annoyance and shook his head. There was only one way Talbot could have disappeared and only one time he had such a opportunity but that meant the bar keep had lied… he turned and retraced his footsteps back to the saloon.

The bar keep was cleaning a glass, while his eyes were fixed on the customers that were seated at various table, making sure that a potential argument over some matter was not going to blossom into a full scale brawl. Noting when some customers glasses were emptying and they would soon be coming up for a refill. This was not the saloon where Brand had confronted Adam earlier, so Adam was quick to note that this particular bar keep was supplying his customers with more than beer and coffee and lemonade

He approached the bar and immediately the bar keep nodded, put the glass down and put his hands flat on the counter.

“Brand Talbot? You seen him?”

“You came in earlier didn’t you?”

“I did…”

,”You didn’t see him then, did you?”

“I did not.” Adam raised his eyes upwards, along the stairs to the various doors that led off from the landing “Not to say he wasn’t here though. Upstairs perhaps?”

“Well, he wasn’t -” the man’s fingers twitched, he was either nervous or longing to pour Adam a glass of beer. “And he isn’t….” he leaned forward as though this act of confidentiality would inspire Adam to believe every word he said “Brand Talbot doesn’t frequent this saloon. He never has and so far as I know, he never will.”

“Why so? What’s wrong with your rot gut that makes it any worse than anywhere else in town?”

A smile slowly spread across the bar keeps face, although it didn’t reach his eyes “I won’t take that remark personally, seeing as you’re a stranger in town….” he shrugged and straightened his shoulders, “But had a falling out with him some years back, and he don’t pass the door since.”

Adam frowned, and glanced around the room again, several of the men were watching them curiously as though the conversation was more interesting than what they were occupied with , but when Adams eyes swept over them they quickly turned away and resumed what they had been doing. He nodded curtly, thanked the bar keep and left the saloon.

His one lead had dried up! The sky was darkening now, across the road a shaft of light suddenly spread out across the street as the sheriff opened the door to his office. Adam paused but a moment and made his way across the road.

……………..

The tall thin man dressed in a guards uniform of the railway company glared at the man standing in front of him. When that emergency chain had been yanked and the train had screeched to a halt all manner of things had happened. People had been jerked from their seats and collided with the backs of the seat in front of them, or had fallen into the aisles as luggage from above had rained down upon them.

Some luggage had opened sending all manner of items drifting over passengers, rolling down the aisles, tripping people up as they struggled to get to their feet and back into their seats.

In the ‘box car’ at the back packing boxes and trunks and packages had skittered across the floor, crashing into boxes and packages and trunks that had been piled on the other side of the cabin. Horses and other animals that had been brought on board had lost their footing, slipping here and there across the straw laden flooring.

Enough said…it was just chaos which was why there was a warning not to pull the cord unless in an emergency.

Joseph Cartwright was trying to explain to the Train Conductor and Guard that he had an emergency and that he needed, desperately, to get off the train. The Conductor pulled a notepad and pencil from his pocket, and began to write down details while the Guard demanded money. Voices were raised. Passengers yelled protests, expletives turned the air blue or at least a shade of lavender. Some babies started crying and that caused some children to start bawling.

Joe pulled out his wallet, counted out the money and snatched the receipt he was given out of the Guards hand.

“My horse is in the back ….”

“Then best you get it out quick because we aim to set off soon as you get off this train.” the Guard yelled

The Conductor did his best to escort Joe through the body of the train, from one cabin to the next to the one at the back where Joe untethered Navajo, and finally stepped down from the train. Of course not knowing exactly whereabouts the train had come to a halt it was inevitable that as he stepped down expecting terra firma his feet went from under him and both Navajo and he were sent tumbling some distance before coming to land on, thankfully, flat land. It was boulder strewn however, all the way down had been and by the time motion had stopped Joe Cartwright was sprawled out on his back, arms out flung at his sides, bleeding from various cuts and bruises that he had gathered on the way down.

Navajo, unimpressed, regained his feet, shook himself all over and stood there…somewhat bemused and dazed … until he saw his master some feet away so ambled over to give him a nudge.

The train was already gathering speed on the track, the sound of its passing fading away into the darkening sky.

Chapter 48

Sheriff Ford released a long hiss of a sigh, and then shook his head “Mr Cartwright? Back again?”

Adam said nothing, but pulled out a chair opposite the desk and sat down. He placed his hat on his lap and folded his hands on its crown, then stared thoughtfully at the law man. Ford raised his eyebrows

“Thought you were going back to Virginia City.” he paused “Like, this evening…”

Adam shrugged “Change of plan”

“Oh, so where’s your brother?”

“On the train, going back to Virginia City.”

Ford frowned “So – why are you still here?”

“Well,” Adam leaned forward slightly, a frown, a pout “I just had an interesting talk with Mr Talbot.”

“So? He’s free, he can go talk to anyone he wants -” Ford replied although something in his eyes had shifted, a little indication that he sensed something unpleasant was about to drop in his lap

“You said that Burford Malahide gave Talbot an alibi …they had been together all evening at the Malahides ranch. There had been some discussion about the cattle station we were building, but nothing came of it. According to what you told us, Mrs Malahide did not get the full story and out of -” he shrugged “some sense of right wanted to warn us, Jake of course was in town and took her back….after she had spent some time with you …”

“True enough. She told me some confidential things about – life – next thing you know she’s going back home with Jake. But -” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully with thick fingers and then shrugged “All I know now is that two men shot up the cattle station, and Jayson was killed. I’m working on finding out who the killer is…” he paused and frowned “But you just said you’ve had a conversation with Talbot….”

“I did.” Adam nodded “So I want to charge Buford Malahide -”

“What? You can’t do that….” Ford’s face suddenly developed a grey colour, his mouth flapped open and his eyes blinked nervously

“On the basis of Talbots conversation I want to charge Malahide with trespass, attempting to kill two of my employees, with the murder of Jayson Kline.” he paused “And attempted arson…”

“You’ve no proof….Talbot can’t have told you anything that would lead you to even thinking about that kind of thing because – because Mr Malahide categorically stated that Talbot was with him all evening. Jake and Mrs Malahide were in town. And – I can’t go charging Burford Malahide with those accusations. They’re ridiculous.”

Adam shifted slightly in his chair, then leaned forward again “A man was shot, in the back. That’s murder. My two employees could have been killed…the station burned down….”

“I know all that. . . I am investigating the situation”

“Start by going to the Malahides and charging Buford Malahide…”

Ford leaned back and looked wary, his eyes darted towards where his deputy was standing, leaning against he corner of a desk. He jerked his head towards the cells, a big enough hint for anyone to get the message that what was going on was not for them to listen to. Adam saw the deputy leave and then looked back at Ford

“Talbot took some money from Malahide to Amos Kline, you’ll find it scattered across Kline’s doorstep where it was thrown…..blood money Amos called it. Perhaps he knows more about this than you think -”

“Talbot -”

“Talbot rides a skewbald, easily identifiable, my two men already told me one of the riders was on a skewbald. They assumed he was the shooter because he rode so close behind Jayson.” he paused once again “So probably best to find out where Buford was last evening. If he and Talbot were together it was unlikely to be at the ranch -”

Ford looked at Adam as though he was looking at something he had just brought into the room on the bottom of his boot. He shook his head “No, I don’t buy that….”

“Talbot was at the cattle station last evening, not with Malahide – not then anyway, not at the time that matters. He admits that, he and Jayson were both paid to do it, some kind of juvenile warning, but it back fired, big time. If Malahide is prepared to give Talbot an alibi….”

“He swore that Talbot was with him – most of the evening.”

“How did he hear about Jayson ? He had to hear about it sometime during the evening to know the boy was killed and to give Talbot the money to give to Amos.”

Ford raised a hand to his head and stared down at the papers on this desk “You’re confusing me -”

“Well, you’re not the only one confused, Sheriff, so am I! One thing for sure, no one can be in two places at the same time…that’s right, isn’t it?”

“Sure – yes, of course – what are you getting at?”

“Talbot told me he was with Jayson at the cattle station, Malahide told you he was at the ranch with him – so who was where and when? That skewbald was at the cattle station for sure, and eye witnesses to prove it.!”

Ford remained staring down at the papers for some moments before raising his eyes to stare at Adam “Mr Cartwright, I know you had a good working relationship with Marshall Howard, and I had hoped for the same between us but I have to ask you to step back from this investigation and leave it to the law. Let me handle it….” he paused, stared harder “Stay away from the Malahide’s”

Adam sighed and stood up, hat in one hand and returned stare for stare, “Very well, if you go and charge him in the morning as I requested….”

“If the facts back up your accusations -”

Adam leaned forward slightly, his half hooded eyes stared into the law man’s face “Sheriff, I do not accuse anyone unless I have the facts and if they are not sufficient for you then I shall go out there and find some more to back them up.”

He slipped his hat onto his head, and walked out of the building, closing the door very gently on the way out.

He looked up at the sky and saw stars, myriads of them….

…………….

Joe Cartwright opened his eyes and saw stars. He closed his eyes again and waited a few heart beats in time before he risked opening his eyes again….the moon drifted into view, the stars he was staring up at were those placed in the heavens by the hand of the Almighty, not the kind of stars one saw due to concussion due to tumbling down scree covered slopes. He moved his head gingerly to the left and saw Navajo cropping grass….he closed his eyes again.

It all seemed vaguely familiar. Something in his memory stirred and slipped away. He felt as though he was falling asleep except for the nagging sensation in the back of his mind that he had to get up and do something, something urgent.

What was so urgent? Drifting on the night breeze came the sound of a train fading into the distance. A train …he squeezed his eyes tighter and put his hand to his head. No blood, just pain. That was good enough, could have been a lot worse. He sighed and forced himself to sit up, and as he did so his horse looked at him and nodded his head as though to say “About time!”

It didn’t take him long to find his hat which he rammed onto his head. The gun was still secure in its holster. He approached his horse and mounted into the saddle, then turned its head in the direction of Carson City.

“Let’s go find Adam, c’mon” he whispered and Navajo, ears pricked forwards, launched into an immediate lope towards town.

It was not difficult to follow the tracks of the train, the moon shone reasonably clearly, his head did not ache as much as it could have done. As usual Joe felt optimistic about finding his brother, no problem, after all, where could his brother have gone in the little time they had been parted?

………………….

Adam led his horse to the livery and pushed open the doors to the musky interior of the stables, where the horses dozed, fidgeted, chewed on the hay-bags, or various other activities that horses crowded into stalls do at night. Old Beanie had not changed much over the course of time, he came forward and nodded at the tall rancher,

“Adam Cartwright, isn’t it?”

“It is -” Adam extended his hand and shook the calloused hand of the old man, “How are you?”

“Doing well, thanks. Heard about the shenanigans at your cattle station, young Jayson, “ he shook his head “that’s just sad, too sad.”

Adam nodded, and glanced along the stalls, at the far stall he could see the rump of a skewbald and once Beanie had finished rambling about Jayson and Amos and the clan of Kline, pointed to the rear of the building “”The skewbald, who does that belong to?”

“Talbot, Benjamin Talbot – likes to be known as Brand, thinks it makes him a bigger man!” he chuckled “It doesn’t, but -” he shrugged, “Good friends with young Jayson, and Jake…”

“Jake? As in Malahide?”

“Yep, often together, ‘though Jake ain’t about so much since he married.”

“Where about does Talbot live? In town?”

“Sure, he lives with his older brother -” he nodded in the general direction of the Main Street and gave Adam clear directions as to where the Talbot brothers could be found. “His brother is a nasty piece of work, if he’s been drinking expect a warmer than usual welcome.”

Adam tipped his hat and led his horse in the direction indicated, passing the saloon, and the stores until he came to the address indicated. He paused a while, sitting in the saddle and observing the building, noting the one window where the shadow of someone passed back and forth. Someone was home…whether it was Brand Talbot or the brother …he sighed, and glanced around him once again, and wondered how the man had slipped out of sight so effectively earlier to reach this building.

He slipped out of the saddle and approached the door, tried the handle which rattled, but was obviously locked. He stepped back, and then gave the door a thump, several thumps, and then waited.

…………………..

Navajo was a good strong horse, and Joe more than appreciated the turn of speed as the distance was being eaten up. Still so far to go. He wondered how long and how far he had travelled on that train, how many miles separated him from his brother while at the same time he wondered just why he had such a feeling of urgency to reach him.

He didn’t dwell on the questions that Adam may or may not have about the Malahides, or about the cattle station raid. He did not ask himself what concerns his brother had about the woman, or about the Klines. He only had this gnawing anxiety that pushed him onwards..

Chapter 49

Adam was about to thump the door once more when it opened and a tall young man stood before him. A young man with close enough resemblance to Ben Talbot to identify him as the brother, and by the more haggard lines on his face the older of the two.

“I need to speak to your brother -” Adam said and stepped forward only to be prevented from gaining further egress by the man’s hand being thrust at his chest

“And who exactly are you?”

“Cartwright, Adam Cartwright…”

“From the Ponderosa?”

“The same….”

A brief moment while Talbot considered his options but then he stepped aside and waved Adam into the house, closing the door firmly behind him. “Upstairs -” he said with a wave of the hand and waited for Adam to get ahead of him .

Brand Talbot was seated in what passed as his bedroom. The rumpled bed and the clothes cast here and there like so much litter created a not too pleasant smell, but this was not the time for niceties. He glanced at Adam and scowled,

“What do you want?”

“To finish our conversation…..” Adam replied and stepped further into the room for the shadows were long, and Talbot was in a dark corner of the room. “Some more questions -”

“I can’t tell you anything more….”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Look, I already done told you too much as it is….” Talbot paused and nervously plucked at his bottom lip, his eyes twitching back and forth.

The older brother moved forward and stood between them, like a referee in a bare knuckle fight. He shook his head at his brother and then looked at Adam, his eyes moved taking in the man standing there. He nodded

“What did you want to know?”

“Malahide told the sheriff you were with him all evening…but I have two witnesses, and your own words to prove that was not possible. Part of the evening, perhaps, after Jayson Kline was killed…”

Brand shuddered “I didn’t kill him. He was my friend….”

“But why -”

Steps on the stair way and Adam paused, then glanced at both brothers but before he was able to say another word Sheriff Ford stepped into the room. His eyes raked all three men from top to toe, then he glared particularly at Adam

“I told you to quit interfering with this enquiry. Brand Talbot is my witness, and if there are any questions to be asked, I’ll be asking them. If you don’t want to be arrested you had best get yourself out of here and out of this -”

“You seem to forget, Sheriff, that I’m legally an interested party as murder was committed on my property, and an attempt of arson, which -”

“I said get out of here, Cartwright.”

Adam pursed his lips, frowned and then with a sigh nodded. He looked over at Brand, then at the other man who was looking anxiously at all three men who were crowding the small room.

Adam was surprised to find himself followed down the stairs and initially thought that Ford’s deputy was on the premises as well, but when he turned at the door, the man who opened it and stood behind him was the older brother who nodded and extended his hand “I’m known as Duke Talbot ….” he paused, “I’m trying to keep my younger brother out of trouble…”

“My sympathies …have a similar problem.” Adam replied, trying to give the man attention while trying to catch any conversation that could drift from the upper room.

Duke Talbot gave a slight smile, a shrug “Saw you both together earlier. He’s not here then?”

“No, not here.” Adam pursed his lips and stepped onto the street, he was about to step forward when Talbot put his hand on his arms to restrain him. He looked at the mans hand, then at the man and raised his eye brows “You have something to say?”

“Sure – let’s walk on a little ways.”

Duke set the pace, striding out with the air of a man who didn’t care if Adam followed him or not, but Adam did, setting his pace to that of the other man. Once they had gone some distance from the Talbots property Duke dodged into the shadows of an alleyway prompting Adam to immediately place a cautious hand on the gun at his hip.

“No need for that, Mr Cartwright. I ain’t gonna cause you no harm……”

“Can’t be too careful….” Adam replied as he glanced over his shoulder and then back at Talbot, “You had something to say?”

“Something I overheard that you may be interested in….” his face never changed, his eyes simply bore into Adams face, “Are you – interested?”

“Depends on what it is and how much it costs…”

“Costs nothing. I want my brother kept out of this trouble, he’s in enough as it is…..” he frowned slightly and then nodded as though he had reached a decision “He didn’t do it, you know. He didn’t kill Jayson Kline, they were good friends…..and yes, I know he was there, fool that he is, but …”

“Go on, you may as well carry on now, you know.” Adam nudged, after a lull of some seconds had passed.

He was aware of sounds on the street, the saloons were closing, people were spilling out, some drunk, some not, reeling or wending their way to their homes. Duke Talbot nodded, frowned and cleared his throat

“Jake Malahide paid them to go on that – whatever you like to call it – a charade – but it paid well. Brand said he couldn’t believe how much money they gave him…but then Jayson got killed and it just became blood money, didn’t it?”

Silence again. Adam wondered if the man had problems understanding how Kline got shot, if he was doubting his brother’s innocence now. Perhaps this conversation was a way of clearing the matter in his own mind, and that Adam Cartwright would somehow unravel the knots for him. Duke Talbot drew in his breath and restarted

“I overheard the Malahides – when they came out of bailing Ben they were talking together, going to get their horses you know, didn’t see me -” he looked at Adam directly now as though this was the whole point of the conversation “they were saying that last nights event was just a rehearsal for the real thing.”

“Ah!” Adam nodded and lowered his head to contemplate the dark shadows at his feet “And did they say when the real thing was going to take place?”

“This evening….that’s why I want Ben to stay where he is, here with me…and if necessary in the jail” he narrowed his eyes “You get my meaning…”

“I do.” Adam paused “Thanks for letting me know…..”

“Cartwright, be careful – they’re an evil pair.”

Adam nodded and said nothing, just turned and walked away. He reached his horse and was instantly in the saddle….should he have gone for the sheriff, for some form of back up? He hadn’t given it a thought, he just knew he had to get to the cattle station … come what may!

Beanie was about to close the large doors to the livery when he saw the horseman walking his horse along the main street of Carson City. The face was familiar but even so he decided not to draw attention to himself by calling out to the stranger just in case he was wrong. He stayed close to the doors though, and within reach of the rifle that was propped against the wall.

He inched closer to the rifle as the horseman now directed his horse towards the livery. It seemed to Beanie that the man was definitely the person he had assumed it to be and raised a hand in salute

“You Joe Cartwright?”

“Yes, sir it is….” Joe gave a slight grin and brought Navajo to a halt. “You haven’t seen another Cartwright wandering loose around town lately have you ?”

“As it happens I done jest that, no more than a few hours since….”

“Any idea where he is now?”

“Wal, I gave him directions to the Talbots place…he wanted to talk some more to Brand Talbot. I guess it was about that business at that thar cattle station you Cartwrights are building and the trouble that was there -”

“I guess so.” Joe dismounted and led the horse to the stalls, “Haven’t got a fresh mount I could borrow while I’m in town. I’ve ridden my horse real hard, he deserves a rest and supper of your best oats, Mr Beanie.”

“That he’ll get an no mistake…” Beanie took Navajo’s reins and led the horse into the steaming murk of the stables, he nodded over to a handsome looking black horse who was eyeing them suspiciously, “You can take him. He’s fast on his feet, young and fiesty.”

“Jest how I like ’em…” Joe grinned “So if you can tell me where the Talbots live, I can go join my brother there and come back for the horse ..”

Beanie nodded, and gave Joe the same directions he had given Adam not so long previously. He watched as the younger Cartwright made his way from the livery down the main street and shook his head as he concentrated on unbuckling Navajo’s harness “Sure some strange goings on here, that’s for sure….” he muttered, but Navajo was too interested in the hay to acknowledge the comment.

Joe sauntered slowly down the street, confident of seeing his brother within minutes and thinking that the ride from the train, the trauma of rolling down that slope, the bumps and bruises he had collected along the way…what a waste, he could have been home by now and with that thought in mind he rapped on the door of the Talbots property.

He was standing there some moments, tapping his feet, looking around and watching the moon glide behind the clouds when the door finally opened and a man he did not recognise confronted him. Duke Talbot blinked, rubbed his head and tried to take in the fact that there was someone standing on his doorstep when most folk were asleep – including him, a few moments earlier.

“Whaaat you want?”

Joe removed his hat and tried to look as though it was perfectly in order to appear randomly at such a late hour, he smiled “Er – I was told my brother was here….”

“No.”

“This is where Brand Talbot lives?”

“Yes, but he’s my brother….”

“Ah, I see, so you’re Brand Talbot’s brother?”

“I said that -”

“Yes, I mean …” Joe cleared his throat, “What I mean is – “

“Wait there.” Duke put up a hand as though to ward off some evil apparition and disappeared, his voice came echoing down the hall “Ben – someone here to see you”

Another voice echoed eerily down the stairs “Is it the law?”

Duke reappeared and looked at Joe “Are you the law?”

“No…I’m Joe Cartwright. I came here to find my brother -”

“Ah – you mean – your brother, Adam Cartwright.”

“Yes, my brother, Adam Cartwright.”

Duke nodded and stepped aside, “Come in…”

“Is Adam here?” Joe asked as he stepped into the building, feeling rather claustrophobic and suddenly realising that he also felt very hungry and rather tired.

“No, he left here some time back along….” Duke turned and yelled up the stairs “What time did Cartwright leave here?”

The voice from above yelled back “At least two hours ago…”

Duke turned to Joe and nodded “Two hours ago….”

“Two hours? Where’s he gone?”

Duke ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to put some order to his curls, he nodded as though the question needed serious consideration. Joe wondered if the man had been drinking although he could not smell alcohol on the man’s breath at all. “Cattle station…that place you’re building…”

“What? Again?” Joe stepped through the doorway, out back into the street “Why?”

“Because Malahides plan to burn it down….”

Joe paused, looked at him, “Burn it down?”

“Yeah, I heard them – they said the previous raid was not the real thing…”

“Did you tell the sheriff about this?”

Duke raised his eye brows “I told your brother…..” and with that he closed the door.

Joe heard the bolts going across, raised a fist to knock but then realised there was no point … he paused a moment to think about what Talbot had said, and then the reality set in, and the fact that Adam could be riding into danger, and he was already two hours ahead of him …..

By the time he reached the livery stable and was in the saddle of the black horse Joe had worked out the sums….whatever was going to happen, was taking place now….all he could do was get there as soon as he could and pick up the pieces, not literally he hoped, not literally.

Chapter 50

A flash of something white caught out of the corner of his eye and a yell that drifted towards him as the horse careered forwards prevented Joe from crashing into the man who had stepped in his pathway. Up to that moment of time Joe had been unaware of anything except the wind in his face and the resultant water streaming from his eyes obscuring his vision but that brief flash of white was sufficient for him to pull hard on the reins of his horse bringing it up into a rearing halt.

“Thank the Lord you stopped when you did…” a voice drifted towards him and from the gloom of shadows surrounding him Sheriff Ford limped forward

Joe didn’t dismount, he felt that to do so would lose him time, but it was obvious that the man was hurt and for a moment he tussled with the decision as to what to do…”What are you doing here…I nearly rode into you …I could have killed you.”

Ford reached out a hand and placed it on the animals neck, leaned into it for some support, and now Joe could see blood on the man’s face, one eye completely closed, the man was in obvious distress and pain.

“TheTalbots told me what was planned – “ he paused and shook his head, he raised a hand and touched his brow as though he had to put pressure to his temple to remember the exact wording “what they suspect could be happening tonight at the cattle station. I came out to catch up with your brother to stop him -”

“Where is he?” Joe demanded as he tried to force his eyes to see into the shadows around them “Is he here? Did he -”

“I couldn’t catch him, my horse stumbled, threw me – I ended up in a gully, was out cold for a while and it took me some time to climb out – “ he wiped angrily at the blood on his face, smearing it as he did so, “Look, my horse – broke its neck – I need to get back to town.”

“I need to get on, find my brother.” Joe yelled down at him, nerves frayed, his body tingling with the buzz of adrenalin, his horse caught the scent of urgency and strained against the reins, eager to move on

“And I need to get back, Cartwright. Can’t I just double up and -”

“I can’t, sheriff…I have to go help my brother ..”

“You can’t just leave me here, I’m injured…I – I need help”

“I’m sorry, I have to -”

“TheTalbots could be lying, it could be nothing but a wild goose chase -”

“Then why are you here then, why did you come chasing after my brother?”

Ford could not find an answer but dropped his hand, and stepped away, he staggered slightly and Joe felt a qualm of pity for the man, but what was he to do? To take him back to town now would lose time, he was already losing minutes every second he stayed arguing with the man. He shook his head “I have to go, see my brother’s safe -”

He was in the act of urging the horse onwards when the sheriff grabbed at his arm, and as Joe looked down to shake his arm free he found himself looking down at the sheriff’s gun just inches from his face “Get off that horse,Cartwright. Get off it now…”

“You can’t be serious….” Joe exclaimed, “Don’t you realise -”

“Only too well, but I’m ordering you, as Sheriff of this county that you dismount and give me your horse.” he waved the gun slightly, a further hint that it was time for Joe to do what he was told.

It was the horse that decided it had had enough waiting around, he raised his head and shook it, as though to free himself of the restraint on the reins Joe was gripping so tightly. The animals large head swung up and then down at such an angle that it hit the sheriff on the shoulder, sending the man sprawling backwards, falling against the rocks from which he had emerged minutes earlier.

“I’ll come back for you.” Joe yelled as the horse leapt forward, but his words were blown away indistinct as the horse charged forward and began to gallop down the track, pass the rocks and the boulders, pass the scree laden land that soared up and created more shadows, more dangers for the horse and rider to negotiate.

There was no time to think now about the injured law man standing in the middle of the track hurling abuse at him, Joe had only one thought in mind and that was to reach his brother. May be it would be a case of nothing happening and then they would laugh, drink along with Cobb and the cook, agree that they would catch the train and leave the matter behind them. No doubt Ben would have something to say about it all, in which case he could deal with the matter. Joe ached too much from his rather humiliating tumble from the train to worry about anything now. Just find his brother and then get back to town….hopefully avoiding a few hours in the cells.

The horse kicked up dust and stones as it pounded along the track. Every so often the clouds would part and the moon would peek down as though bemused at the sight of the rider going full pelt down the track, and then it would slide behind the cover of the clouds again and shadows would leap out at the horseman as he continued his wild dash to wards the cattle station.

The sounds of gunfire suddenly erupted and rippled through the night, disturbing what had been only the sound of the thudding of his horses hooves upon the hard packed ground. Gunfire ..and yet such a distance away…he wished he were closer, he wished he knew the land better so that he would know of a short cut, he wished that he were still on that train…

Now his heart beats echoed in his ear drums, the sound of the horses breathing was loud and harsh, his own breathing came as gasps…and still the sound of guns rattled ahead of him urging him onwards.

………………..

The two horsemen pulled up immediately they noticed the man standing in the middle of the track. Their horses skittered nervously having gone from a full pelt run to a sudden rein jerking halt. It was Brand Talbot who yelled several curses at the man who was waving a white handkerchief which had protected him from being trampled down.

Ford limped forward “Dang it, Talbot, what are you doing here -”

“Was about to ask you the same thing…” Duke snarled

“Git down from that horse and give it to me…” Fords hand reached up to grab at the reins but Duke moved the horse away so that the Sheriff stumbled “My horse fell, broke its neck – I need to get back to town, I think I broke my arm.”

Duke looked over at his brother who scowled, then he looked down at the Sheriff who was now grey faced and looking about to collapse. As it was his legs were buckling and it was Brand who slid from the saddle to stop the Sheriff from falling to the ground

“Looks like he’s hurt bad, Duke.” he glanced up at his brother, and then back to the Sheriff who was struggling to keep his senses now, “Guess I had better get him to town.”

“Right, I’ll help you -” Dukes reply was laced with irritation, but he joined his brother and together they succeeded in getting the sheriff into the saddle, Brand mounted up behind him so that his arms, as he held the reins, would support the other man and prevent him from falling from the saddle.

“You gonna be alright?” Brand asked now as he watched his brother remount, “You gonna go ahead to the cattle station?”

“Someone’s got to help them two idiots -” Talbot replied with a slight shrug of the shoulders, “Jest have to hope we – I – ain’t too late.”

“I’ll see you later – back in town then -”

“Yeah, sure, and Brand, be careful.”

Brand nodded, was about to say something but then remained silent as he turned his horse around and sent his horse cantering back in the direction of town. Duke watched him go and then yanked at the reins, dug his heels in to the horses flanks and set it back careering towards the direction Joe had taken less than fifteen minutes earlier.

The moon was fitful, teasing in the way it slipped in between the clouds and then peeked through them shedding light, creating shadows, making the journey nightmarish for both Joe and Duke as their horses ate up the miles. Duke was slowly gaining on Joe who was oblivious of the help that was hastening towards him.

As the sounds of the gunfire echoed around them, both riders lowered their heads as though to gain some extra seconds in order to reach their destination all the sooner. Louder and louder came the sounds, echoing through the hills, echoing in their heads and making the blood in their veins throb with the sounds.

Chapter 51

A night raid was always a risk. Although the darkness could be a friend it could also be a curse. Stealth was more easily employed and often more successful as shadows aided to a person blending into invisibility.

As Adam made his way from boulder to rock to bare ground, he thought of what would be the better course of action for him to take. He had initially thought of galloping into the fray with guns blazing, but dismissed this as counter productive and an action where he would be the loser. He could be shot in the cross fire, killed by a friend as much as by an enemy. So he had dismounted, left the horse and taken to the high ground, grateful that the area where the cattle station project had been located was surrounded by sloping rock strewn hills, small copses of trees.

He could see that there had been an attempt by Cobb or the Cook to put out the fire, steam was still rising like a light grey plume into the night sky. Lamps had been extinguished … he wondered if they had been preparing for sleep when the attack came, but it had been a wise move to put out the lamps, they would have been advantageous in more ways than one…providing light of course, but also as close to a hand held grenade to hurl into the building and set it ablaze.

The flash of gun fire, exposing the location of a shooter so briefly that one had to be swift in aiming, firing and hoping for a hit of some kind. How many were there? Adam had managed to count seven but in all probability it could be more, hidden better, at a different angle.

Roy, Cookie and it seemed like another person had used their heads by taking cover behind the mound of timber that was now acting as a barricade. The returning gunfire was spasmodic, indicating that they were aware of having to be careful with the ammunition they had, they had to try at least to make every bullet count.

Adam crouched low, his eyes scanned here, there….behind a boulder, behind the wagons, wherever the flash of gunfire he located a man, and now he aimed at some foolhardy idiot who had decided he was safe enough to run from cover to gain a more advantageous position. He was caught mid-way from one to the other and was soon sprawled upon the ground.

Shadows lengthened and still the shooting continued. Adam inched closer, rifle in one hand, pistol in the other. So far no one had realised he was there, so concentrated were each man there on the task they had come to achieve.

The moon burst out from behind the clouds, silver light played across the site, exposing the hidden men, playing over the almost completed building, the stacks of timber, the shingles, the wagons. There was various pieces of equipment left scattered about, wagon wheels, harnesses, saddles…and pushing against the corral fences were the horses, pushing and straining and moving back and forth nervously as gun fire played around them.

Capricious as ever on this particular night the moon slid once more behind the clouds, but Adam had made good use of the moments he’d been provided as he made his way from rock to tree until he could lower himself closer to the building. He had winged another gun man so now they were becoming aware of another player in the game, some of them looking around nervously wondering how many were there, up in the hills hidden among the trees and the rocks.

It was not difficult to make his way around the various obstacles between the hillside, the building and the corral. The darkness was no longer total but even so he was able to keep to the shadows as he inched along the corral bars, he slipped his pistol into its holster and ran his fingers over the top bar, located the gate, and then carefully unfastened it and pushed it slightly open..not enough for any one to notice but just enough for the horses to be able to break through.

It took less than a minute. If he had not moved to the side and pressed against the bars of the corral he would have been trampled beneath the horses’ hooves as they thrust forward, whinnying shrilly as though exulting in their freedom, crashing down the gates, hurtling forward and knocking down anything – anyone – in their path.

It had a good effect in that it sent the men scattering from their hiding places, although it obscured them from Cobb, Cookie and the unknown man who kept their fire, unable to see their ambushers, afraid to fire in case it harmed the horses who were now circling around and creating their own mayhem .

Adam seized the opportunity to duck into the area where the three men were crouched, guns raised, rifles close to hand “Don’t shoot – it’s me, Adam Cartwright.”

“Cartwright – was you set the horses loose?” Cookie exclaimed, stepping back to admit the other man, “Good thinking – “

“”Was you firing down on them from the hill -?” Cobb said and reached out a hand to shake Adams vigorously, “Not sure how many there are, but your help made a difference…hopefully still will do.” he paused “Amos Kline – meet -”

“We’ve met already.” Kline said in a voice that was deeper than normal, he stepped forward “I usually come out on a Sunday evening, so’s I can get a good start on the building in the morning. No need to change my habits because – “ he paused “because Jayson won’t be with me tomorrow.”

No one spoke, there seemed nothing one could say. Beyond their little enclave there was still the ruckus of the horses, some gun shots fired into the air.

“Any one else coming ?” Cookie asked hopefully, “We’re low on ammunition, won’t be able to hold them off for much longer.”

“It’s Jake Malahide and his no good friends….” Amos said now “I recognised him earlier…”

“What about his father? Is he here too?” Adam asked as he reloaded his gun and realised the truth of what they had said, ammunition was low, if the other men were determined to keep shooting then the four of them had little chance.

“Oh yes, Buford’s there, heard him shouting orders earlier…he wouldn’t want to miss this chance of putting an end to this..”

“An end to what?” Adam frowned, shook his head and repeated what he said “An end of what?”

“Your threat to his little empire, of course.” Cobb replied and Amos nodded in agreement.

Adam pursed his lips and looked out at the building sitting so perfectly just yards away from them. Between it and where they were standing perhaps six or eight men were prepared to kill them if necessary. There were,however, four of them so perhaps not so badly matched, and they did have good cover behind the stack of timber which formed a good barricade. But there were no guarantees that they would not come out of this without some injuries, perhaps deaths. It needed more to win this battle. He moved to wards the opening, glanced up at the sky, noting that the black was beginning to develop the purple of encroaching dawn.

“Malahide? Buford Malahide? Are you out there -” he paused, some of the horses had returned to the corral, some still restlessly wheeling around the compound. “Adam Cartwright from the Ponderosa.” he removed his hat and stepped forward “Don’t you think it’s time we talked before someone else got killed?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Cartwright.” a disembodied voice drifted towards them,

“I think there is…for a start you’re on Ponderosa land, and -” several shots winged his way, chipping wood from the timber by which he was standing “legally that’s trespass. Apart from which you -” more gunfire whined about them,a bullet brushed past his cheek, he could feel the drift of it against his skin.

“Look, Malahide, there is no point in continuing with this – it’s best you go back and leave this whole thing as you see fit. Personally I think we should talk….now would be better than later!”

There came the sound of running feet, shuffling from one position to another, hiding behind shadows and just as Adam was about to speak more gunfire and then, a spark of something that flew through the air thrown by a man who had ran towards the building, keeping low, keeping to the dark corners created by the wagon, by the equipment. Amos fired and the man fell but whatever he had held in his hand had already taken flight

“You’re too late, Cartwright, there’s nothing to talk about….” and before the sentence could be finished there was a loud whooomf,

“The man’s mad -” Amos growled, and raised his rifle to his shoulder, firing indiscriminately into the shadows which were being consumed by the flare of the flames as the dynamite exploded.

Roy Cobb gave a groan, as he watched the building upon which he had spent so many hours working on over the weeks erupt in to pieces much as a toy house when tossed in the air and allowed to fall, crash, upon the ground.

Planks of timber from joists and floor boards, seemed to sail into the air, hover before crashing down to join the remains still grounded but being consumed by the flames. Jake Malahide struck a match and ignited another fuse, once it was aflame he tossed that into the chaos and then, laughing, ran to his horse. All the men that had ridden in with Malahide were now clutching at the trailing reins of the horses, throwing themselves into the saddle and galloping away from the damage they had achieved.

A horseman rode directly up to where Adam stood and brandished his rifle at him “Go away, Cartwright, tell your father you arn’t wanted here….try rebuilding and it’ll burn just as easily as this one -”

He turned his horse’s head with a jerk of his hand on the reins, but before the horse had succeeded in moving anywhere Amos Kline had launched himself at him with such abandonment that he, the rider and the horse were sent sprawling. The horse steadied itself onto its feet, shook its head and ran off while Amos and Jake Malahide rolled over and over in the dirt, exchanging punches along with curses.

Sparks were flying skywards, burning pieces of timber rained down upon them, the building could have been somewhat contained had it only been the result of the first stick of dynamite, but the second had ignited another area and was now burning fiercely. It was frightening just how quickly the fire had taken hold and how rapidly the flames were eating everything in its path. Adam and Roy ran forward and grabbed at the two men, hauling at their arms to pull them apart. The wind created by the fires sent the blazing flames swirling skywards with a roaring sound that was not only deafening but was also horrifying.

Now the two men, Amos and Jake were resisting Roy and Adam, fighting squirming and kicking to get free. “He killed my son….” Amos bellowed continually, his voice barely distinct above the roar of the fire.

Timbers crashed inwards, with huge whooshing sounds, sparks flew high igniting and creating other fires in the compound so that Cookie and Roy ran about with anything they could lay their hands on to extinguish them, while Adam struggled to force the two men apart. He succeeded in landing a punch in Jakes’ face that sent the man sprawling onto his back but before Amos could leap upon him Adam stood between them, between Amos with his fists clenched and Jake squirming on the ground cursing and swearing to ‘kill them all.’

“Enough now.” Adam said several times over, he put a hand on Amos’ arm “We’ve work to do here, Amos….leave him be.”

There was a creaking sound, groaning and hissing as the front of the burning property began to sway, back and forth, creating sparks as it moved. Amos grabbed at Adams arm now, and pushed him to one side, Jake scrabbled to his feet and attempted to get away, hands seeking some means to haul himself to his feet, feet slipping away in the dust and dirt around him.

The whole burning mass of wall fell forwards with a slow terrible majesty…it teetered before finally crashing down onto the ground and splintering into a million burning white, orange and red flames.

Chapter 52

It was a nightmare. Not just anyone’s nightmare but the one that haunted Adams dreams even now. Seeing the maelstrom before him, feeling the hot blasts of fire stinging his skin, making the clothes he was wearing smoke from the heat. He felt as though he were on fire and the desire to scream was so strong, welling up in his throat, filling his head, so that he clamped his lips together, clenched his teeth – anything rather than allow the desire to scream erupt from his throat. He was scrambling now on all all fours, feet pushing away in the dirt, his hands clawing for something to hold onto, anything to move as far as he could from the fire and from his memories.

The great silk banner with the red dragon swirling down in flames and falling upon Jiang Peng as the yurt had exploded into flame, the lamps falling like stars to the ground and exploding as they landed, spilling cascades of burning oil upon the silks and satins that were strewn everywhere, and he burning with no where to go, no where to hide. And then – nothing….but pain.

Now added to the burning furnace around him were the screams and cries of the horses as they milled around the compound seeking a way to escape the fire. Their hooves swirling up the dust from the ground; they turned one way, blocking the escape route for the men. Now they turned in the other direction so that the men stood there in a huddle, dithering from one foot to the other as they tried to find a passage through to safety

‘This is not real, this is not China and this can’t be happening…not again…’ he kept telling himself, words upon words upon words, while noise filled the world around him with a myriad sounds. He felt his legs shaking, and then –

Cold water hit him in the chest, splashed up into his face and as he gasped for air another bucketful was thrown over him so that he had to raise a hand and signal enough was enough….

Roy Cobb lay unconscious close by, with Cookie pouring water over the inert body, while Amos stood back, the bucket in his hand. nodding at Adam as though to assure him that he was going to be alright.

“Your clothes were smoking…” Amos said, “they look a bit singed!”

Adam nodded, said nothing but looked around at the four men …Amos grunted words, inhalation of heat and smoke had affected his larynx “We’re alright, Roy got knocked on the head with some timber that came flying over, but he’ll be alright. Cookie has some blisters and slight burns but nothing to worry about…”

“And you? Are you alright?”

“I’m alright, Mr Cartwright.” Amos nodded again, extended a hand to help Adam to his feet, “How about yourself?”

Adam wiped his face free from water, and sweat, his clothes were uncomfortably hot, and he carefully peeled off the jacket and tossed it to the ground. That made it easier to breathe…he picked up the bucket and dipped the ladle in, drawing out enough water to drink, slowly, letting it trickle down his throat, cooling and refreshing. He gave a slight smile to Amos “Waters sweet…”

“It is – first thing we did was dig out the well, and best tasting water in the whole county I reckon.” Amos took the ladle from Adam and drank some himself, then looked over at Roy who was stirring now, rubbing the back of his head and trying to get to his feet. “Looks like he could be using some.”

Adam nodded and straightened his back. He put both hands to his face and for a moment just stood there, far enough from the fire not to feel the intensity of the heat any more, but close enough to know that the cattle station was being devoured hungrily by the flames. He wiped away more of the water from his eyes and blinked, forced himself to turn and look at the building . He sensed a movement close by him and turned to see Roy, grim faced, sweating, blood mingling with the drops of sweat trickling down to his neck and throat, soaking his clothes.

“Well, Mr Cartwright…won’t be much left when that’s finished burning itself out.”

Adam couldn’t bring himself to speak, he just nodded agreement and for a few moments the two men stood together, shoulder to shoulder and watched the building burn, timbers fell in upon themselves, flooring collapsed into showers of sparks re-igniting the flames that had begun to slumber.

“I don’t understand,” Roy said quietly, “I don’t understand why anyone would do that, what was the point.”

Adam nodded slowly, what was the point? He couldn’t explain it himself, and turned away when a memory stirred and he looked around him “Malahide?”

“What about him?”

“Jake Malahide…”

“Shucks, you’re right…he was here, with us, when the whole thing went up ….”

“That means he’s still here…” Adam stepped away from Roy, “He must be here – somewhere…”

Amos and Cookie joined them, asked what the problem was, and then grew silent when they realised the enormity of who was missing…Jake Malahide…somewhere among all this but whether he was dead or alive …Cookie put forward the thought that the men, even Buford himself, must have returned and collected him, taken him from the whole mess before the second explosion but Adam did not think so….

“Reckon the horses trampled on him…they were fair panicked.” Roy suggested, looking over at the whole compound that seemed to resemble nothing like the area in which he had been working for so many weeks.

“No, he’s somewhere hereabouts….” Adam said, “Somewhere …”

They didn’t bother to throw buckets of water at the building now, what water they had was used to put out the secondary fires caused by the burning debris. They yelled for Jake, rummaged around areas where he could have hidden away and been safe.

It was Cookie who found him. True, he was more dead than alive, but he had succeeded in finding some form of shelter, crawling into it as the flames soared around him. They carefully lifted him free from where some timbers had fallen around him, and carried him to the furthest area away from the heat and flames.

Areas of his clothing had burned through, there were little puffs of smoke and steam here and there where the fabric still burned, Water was poured carefully over him, his head was raised so that he could drink some, it was gently poured over his face and head, over the area where the hair had burned away exposing his skull.

“He needs to be with his family” Adam said quietly, and stood up, “Cookie, have you some blankets? We need to make him comfortable, one of the wagons…”

“I’ll find the horses…” Amos said, the plight of the younger man quelling any anger and resentment he had previously felt. He knew, when he gave himself to think about it later, that he would be thinking of how Buford Malahide would be feeling when he saw his son…something they would have in common, the grief that came with the loss of a son.

……………………….

The feisty black horse that Joe had been given by Beanie had reared up in fright when the earth had been shaken beneath his feet when the explosions had ripped through their world. Duke’s horse bucked, shied away, ran around in circles until he had succeeded in getting it under control.

“What d’you reckon happened?” Joe yelled as he settled the horse and moved closer to Duke’s side

“Reckon guns weren’t enough…that was dynamite.” came the immediate response.

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” Joe groaned and turned his horse back towards the cattle station.

It seemed as though the horses were moving with leaden hooves, both men ached from the effort of urging the horses onwards, from the tension created by the sounds ahead of themselves. The nearer they got the louder the sounds, and of course the heat from the fire. Horses that had galloped free from the compound were now huddled together, some grazing, some heads raised as though prepared to run again should danger present itself.

The sight of the burning ruins brought Joe to a stand still, the horse and he were statue still, unable to move. He just sat in the saddle staring at what had only recently been such a splendid building. Then a terrible thought came to mind and he wheeled the horse round to where he could see Amos and Roy, along with Cookie they were still patrolling the perimeter of the blaze, removing the danger of the little fires that still burst out here and there.

“Where’s my brother, where’s Adam.” his voice was sharp, the words cut his throat as though he had swallowed razors. “Where is he?”

Roy Cobb came towards the two men, waited for Joe to slip from the saddle before assuring him that his brother was safe “He ain’t harmed none, a bit singed here and there like we all are…it was mighty fierce when it started – they used explosives!!”

“We heard -” Joe replied, his voice quietening a fraction. “But where is Adam?”

“He took the wagon, Jake Malahide – got left behind and – well – he don’t look too good. Doubt if he’ll make it.”

“How did that happen? How did he get to be left here and caught up in all this?” Joe half turned to look over at the fire, the heat of the flames was burning his skin. “Is Adam taking Jake Malahide back to his place?”

“Yeh, thought it best …after all he has a wife and father there who should care for him, if they can.”

Duke leaned down, tapped Joe on the shoulder “I’ll head on back to town, they’ll need a Doc. I’ll get there sooner than any of Malahides men will …”

Joe nodded but was barely aware of the man going. He looked around him, hands on his hips, staring at the fire, thinking back to the building that it had been, and what it promised to become…he shook his head and removed his hat as though symbolically recognising its death.

“We didn’t pass anyone on the way here -”

“You wouldn’t, that’s the road to town. Malahides use a different route…” Roy stepped aside and pointed to the area beyond some trees “Thataway -”

“And that’s the way Adam went -”

“Yes, you’ll see the tracks of the wagon clear enough….just follow through.” he paused “Do you want me to come along..”

Joe immediately bridled, pride swift to rise to the surface and he shook his head and stepped away, but Amos was the one now stepping into his path, “You’ll need a fresh mount, that horse you came in on is too tired to go any further. You rode him hard….”

“I had to -”

“I ain’t criticising you, Joe, just stating a fact. I’ll go get another mount …”

Joe swallowed his pride, nodded and muttered a surly thanks, then turned to his horse and began to unsaddle it with fingers that suddenly felt like putty. Adam must be crazy he thought, and yet – he sighed and shook his head as he lifted the saddle from the horse’s back. Would he not have done exactly the same… a dying man should be with family at such a time.

Chapter 53

“Mommy?”

Olivia stirred, turned over and lay for a moment on her back, her eyes closed just in case it was a dream and she could slip back into sleep . But again ‘Mommy” and whispered closer to her now, so she had no choice but to open her eyes and turn onto her side to look at the shadowy figure of her daughter tip toeing closer to the bed.

“What is it, Sofia? Why aren’t you asleep?” she whispered, her mouth dry, she sighed and sat up in order to watch as her daughter crept closer and sidled into bed beside her, “Are you feeling ill?”

“No, I just wanted to come and sit with you, just for a minute.”

“Are you cold?”

Sofia shook her head and sat closer, she leaned her head upon her mother’s shoulder and sighed deeply.”No, not really. I just miss daddy when he isn’t home.” she glanced up into her mother’s face, looked thoughtfully at the profile etched in shadows and sighed again “I wish he were home now.”

“So do I” it was now Olivia’s turn to sigh and she closed her eyes as though that would contain her longing for her husband a little more.

“Do you think he’ll be home on Monday?”

“It is – will be – Monday -” she smiled, Sofia was able to see the dimple in her mothers cheek just near her lips, she had often seen Adam kiss Olivia there and thought that perhaps her Daddy had worn a little hollow there with all the kisses

“I suppose -” she paused for effect “I suppose I have to go to school.”

“Monday is school day, and you should be asleep. You’ll be tired and grumpy later on …you always are on a Monday anyway…”

“I promise I won’t be if I can sleep here with you…” Sofia squeezed closer, hugging her mothers arm against her warm body, smiling up at her with the appeal most little girls possess at the age of 8

“Just go to sleep, Sofia.” Olivia murmured and slipped back down under the covers, drawing her daughter down with her.

Monday….Monday…Adam would be home later, perhaps it would be evening time and she smiled to herself, she would wear her special nightwear later, cuddle into him and tease him a little before he would wrap his arms around her and draw her closer, kiss her and very gently lift away the flimsy garments one by one…she smiled drowsily to herself, they had hardly been worn since the day he had bought them, in fact, they were really as good as new.

She released a sigh, and was almost instantly back to sleep.

Sofia lay awake a little longer, her eyes watching the shadows on the ceiling, shadows of branches from the trees that swayed close to the house. There was a rhythm, she thought, she could see it as the trees branches swayed almost as they were dancing to unseen music. As she watched her eyes grew heavier, drooped, and within minutes she was asleep.

An owl swooped from the hayloft, sweeping low over the corral and the restless horses who pushed and shoved one another, or lowered their heads to drink water from the trough, nibble grass that grew close by. The owl hunted, silently, swooping down on its prey..but the sound of the victims cry went ignored by the sleeping occupants of the house, and the hunter returned to its nest, it had young ones to nurture, and the still warm victim was their supper.

………………….

Hoss Cartwright poured water into a glass and drank it down in several gulps. He walked over to the window and peered out at the long dark shadows that spread across the Ponderosa yard. How often had he looked out at that same view at so many different hours of the day and night…he could recall the night he and Hester had crept down and had a late night feast because she had ‘cravings’, that was years back when she was expecting Hannah. He had enjoyed the mixed up jumble of food they had shared together, giggling like children over the mid night feast, the first of many…

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. The moon slid out from behind clouds, and he looked up at it and thought of how many times they would look up and try to imagine Adam on the deck of some ship or other in the middle of some ocean, doing exactly the same. That was a long time ago too…

Ben stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked over at his son. Swathed in his dressing gown Hoss looked like some Greek statue that had been wrapped up to be sent to some museum back East.

-“What’s on your mind?” he asked quietly as he walked over to join his son,shoulder to shoulder, staring out at long shadows, the moon and the comparative darkness.

“Nuthin’ really..jest that time passes by so fast ..” Hoss sighed and then looked at his father “Why’re you up so early?”

“I’m an old man, that’s what we do…” Ben said with a wry smile, he placed a hand on his sons arm “Worried about something?”

“No, not really.” Hoss sighed and shrugged, then scratched his head “Guess Adam and Joe will be back tomorrow…I mean, today.”

“I guess so.” Ben frowned “I hope it was not a fruitless journey, although to be honest I still can’t fathom out why Joe was so darn keen on taking that timber all that way..”

“Aw, he was just trying to prove something to himself, Pa. That time shut away like he was, made him kind of lose confidence in himself. He’s just testing himself out….”

“Hoss, that brother of yours has been testing us all from the day he was born,” Ben grinned and his dark eyes twinkled beneath the arches of his dark eyebrows.

“Guess he has at that…” Hoss nodded and turned back into the room, stretched “My back is fine now, I reckon I’ll ride into town tomorrow and meet ’em off the train.”

“Good idea, I’ll come on along with you.” Ben said and watched as Hoss ambled his way up the stairs and back to his room. He sighed then, lowered his head and realised that sometimes one’s head can get so filled up with memories that one did not know which one to consider first. He delayed doing any such thing and strolled over to the bureau, poured himself a small glass of brandy and then settled himself in his big chair by the hearth. His hand reached out for his pipe …sometimes he thought this was the perfect time of day – or night – as he piled tobacco into the bowl and struck a match…

…………….

David Riley pulled the bed covers over his head and blinked himself awake.. Life had been much better since his return home. His Ma had shown more kindness, fussing over him until he felt like asking her to stop and just be her usual old self. Inwardly though he did not mean that, he rather liked the fuss.

His father though…there were times he had noticed Mr Riley looking at him in an odd way, narrow eyed, as though behind the eyes he was planning things that were guaranteed to be trouble for the boy.

Now he lay there and wondered what to do …his life was his own, wasn’t it? He could run away again, go to sea, go any place. Perhaps even find George again….

Footsteps on the pavement below, approaching the building. He heard the door handle rattle on the workshop. He knew who it would be, he had over heard his Pa complaining to Ma about the deputies coming around of an evening during their rounds, checking that the only people in the work shop, and in the coffins, were the ones for which they were intended!

Davy smiled to himself as he drifted back to sleep, and said a silent thank you to the law men who took their promise seriously enough to follow it through…he had had undisturbed nights since returning home, and that had been a welcome change too.

……………

Portia Lee Whitmore had grown accustomed to the different hours that some of her guests kept, all according to their various duties or work in town. So when Ethan entered the house late at night he was not surprised to find a light supper and hot drink set aside for him.

The room was in semi-darkness, lamps glowing on the bureau where the food was kept warm for him and any other late comer, or early riser as the case may be. Another lamp near the table and chairs where plate settings were already laid out.

Ethan took a seat and ate his meal. He was a fastidious man and ate slowly. He was tired, the day had been long, and in some ways uneventful. For Ethan that tried his restless nature, and he wondered for a while just how much longer he would stay here, in this town, serving as a Deputy.

He respected Nate Carney, and mostly the townsfolk were friendly as they were in any town in the territory. As he ate the bread that accompanied the meal he thought over the people he had come to know and realised that the person he had really wanted to get well acquainted with was Adam Cartwright and in many way he had proven to be the most enigmatic of them all.

He was deep in thought when the smell of freshly brewed coffee drifted close by and he turned his head to see Portia approaching, much like a shadow herself with her dark skin and simple dark dress. She brought the coffee pot to the table and poured out some into the cup and as she turned to leave he caught at her arm

“Won’t you join me – for a while?”

“Of course, if you are in no hurry.” she smiled. He noticed that she had a beautiful smile, and it made her dark eyes gleam so he nodded and waited for her to sit down.

“Arn’t you having some coffee?”

She only nodded and poured more of the hot liquid into another cup. She set the pot down and then relaxed into the chair. For a little while they sat in silence until she said in her husky quiet voice

“You were deep in thought when I came in…is there something worrying at you?”

He smiled and shrugged “Well, nothing of any consequence really.”

She shook her head, observed him from an angle and said t hat was not the way she had seen it, but if he was happy then she had no right to interfere “After all, what my guests do is up to them so long as it isn’t anything illegal.” and at that they both chuckled, seeing as how he was a law man after all.

“I was just thinking about someone here whom I thought I should get to know, and now – I’m not so sure. He certainly doesn’t seem inclined to want to get to know me…”

“Any reason why he should?”

He leaned forward, hunched a little, stared into the cup and pouted slightly “It’s a long – odd kind of story “

“I’ve time if you want to tell me about it…”

He sat with his hands holding the cup between his hands and thought, perhaps it would be interesting to get her perspective , women were meant to have deeper perception about such things, and he looked at her “It’s about Adam Cartwright.”

“Yes?” she remained blank faced, it meant nothing significant to her, and she smiled to encourage him to speak a little more

“Well, it goes back quite a while, when I was a kid really….” and so he told her, about his father, how he could have been Adam Cartwright’s twin, and how a friend of his father, a lady called Ann, had sought Adam’s help to find Tom who had been jailed for a crime he had not committed.

“What about your mother, wasn’t she worried about her husband? About helping him? “

“She was the reason he was in jail.” he looked at her and frowned, then sighed, “Well, my father was dead, and Ann kind of adopted me – my mother – “ he cleared his throat and looked down “Well, she’s dead too.”

“I am sorry. But this Ann sounds like a good person…to have raised your as her own son.”

“She was – yes, a very good person. Anyway, I came here looking for Adam. You see, I never knew my father, couldn’t remember him – so I thought if I found Adam, in a way -”

“In a way you would find your father?”

“Yes. ..or some essence of him. Does that make sense? Looks arn’t everything of course, my father’s personality and character may be entirely different from Mr Cartwright, but I just wanted to get to know him a little…imagine what it would have been like to have had Tom Burns as my father.”

She smiled and nodded, poured out more coffee, and again they settled into silence. Ethan thought it was comfortable, pleasant. The most relaxed he had been for a long time. He looked at her and smiled sheepishly

“Guess you must think I’m a bit of a dreamer, trying to capture my father in someone else entirely.”

“No of course I don’t….after all Mr Cartwright, from what you say, does resemble your father, very closely.”

The clock struck the hour and she jumped as though startled, “Goodness, the time…”

“I’m sorry ….”

“Don’t apologise, I enjoyed spending these few minutes with you…thank you for talking to me…” she hurried up from her seat now, and bade him goodnight.

The sound of her dress brushing against the carpet soon faded and Ethan stood up, picked up his hat and quickly mounted the stairs to his room. He was no longer thinking of Adam Cartwright, or of the town and whether to stay or not, instead he was thinking of Portia, her smile and the earnest way she listened to him, so sincere, so caring and gentle.

Chapter 54

Throughout the journey to the Malahides property Adam had had to stop, check on the injured man, before he could resume his way. There had been times when he thought Jake Malahide was dead, the vital signs were so feeble and weak that they had been hard to locate but the man had held onto life with a tenacity that many only find during those final hours of life.

It was obvious that his injuries and the burns he had sustained would cause his death, it was inevitable. When Adam stopped, gave Jake some water to slake his thirst, did his best to make the injured man comfortable – an impossibility in itself – he wondered if he were on a fool’s errand and perhaps it would have been better to have just stayed at the cattle station and sent the dead body to Buford Malahide when his sons fight to live was all over.

But a father, Adam believed, needed to know where his son was, and if there was a chance to say their last farewells, then so be it. Along the way however he asked himself many times what kind of man abandons his son as Buford had apparently abandoned Jake.

The morning was dawning as Adam drove his wagon into the Malahides property. He found himself riding into a scene of confusion and noise. Men milling around, shouting at one another…and then growing silent as his wagon made its way to the big house. Men began to gather in groups, some caught up with the wagon and walked alongside it, peering into it and then whispering so that the whisper gained momentum and the men became silent and grim.

A large man came from the house, paused at the head of the steps leading to the porch, and stared at Adam long enough to accept the fact the man was not going to back down for him. Adam merely drew the wagon to a halt, and sat on the bench seat, reins limp in his hands , the horses still now with their heads hanging down

Someone approached the man standing at the head of the stairs and whispered, there was a brief nod and Adam could read the man’s lips as he said “Get Buford -”

He didn’t hurry himself to join Adam, strolling down as though there was nothing worth hurrying for, but after a brief glance at Adam he walked to the back of the wagon, looked inside and sighed. Then he started yelling orders, get the tailgate down, get Jake out of there, carry him gently inside.

As several men ran about to carry out the orders, and as they gently and carefully lifted Jake from the back, carried his limp body up the stairs to the doorway the big man came and stared at Adam and demanded to know who he was

“Adam Cartwright, from the Ponderosa.” Adam replied as he watched Jake being carried into the house, Buford was obviously in no hurry to see what was happening, or perhaps he was prostate with grief inside. Adam pursed his lips and frowned, before looking down at the man who had addressed him “And who might you be?”

For a moment there was silence as though the man was considering the question but then he nodded “Mr Buford’s foreman, Harold Weaver” there was no hand offered, just a dark pair of eyes beneath black beetling brows.

Adam looked about, men were dispersing now, gathering in small groups. He looked at Weaver, and nodded towards the water trough “My horses need some water….”

The foreman looked over at the water trough as though surprised to see it still there, then nodded “Help yourself.”

It took no time to lead the horses to the water, their big heads dipped down gratefully and drank with loud slurps and as he stood beside them, his hand resting on one of their necks, he glanced at the horses in the corral. None of them showed evidence of having been ridden hard, but then there had been a few hours for them to have been rested, even groomed sufficiently, after all, what had they to rush for, who was going to come and check if and where the horses had been hours earlier.

He was about to turn from the trough when someone yelled his name, he looked over his shoulder and saw Weaver beckoning to him over, it would seem Mr Malahide wanted words. Adam nodded, looped the reins of the horses over the corrals top bar and walked slowly towards the house. Up the steps one by one. Weaver glared at him and stood aside for him to pass into the building.

The sounds of screams came from a room to the left of him. A woman’s screams, and he recognised those from coming Jake, he had been listening to them for the past hour on that wagon trek. He sighed and stood, waiting in the hallway, a long corridor affair with doors leading left and right with a vast rather colonial style stair case wending its way up from the hallways centre.

By the time he had begun wondering whether it would be more tactful to just turn around and leave, a door opened and a man stood, hesitated and then beckoned him to approach

“Mr Cartwright?”

A clipped cold voice that matched the ice in the blue eyes. Adam was surprised both by the lack of emotion in the man’s face and his height, for Buford Malahide, for all his attempts to cut a big figure in the world, was short, at his best measuring 5 ft 7 inches.

Adam approached him ..hat in hand. attempting to stop the curiosity showing in his face. What father would not be at his sons’ side at a time like this? He said in a rather over loud voice “A Doctor has been sent for, one of my men rode straight from the – the site to town.”

Malahide nodded but stepped aside to allow Adam to enter the room. It was the same room that Brand Talbot had entered earlier, and taken money for ‘a job well done!’ Adam kept his eyes on the man who had now take his place by the desk. He was suddenly reminded of Commodore Pelman, another short man who liked to hide behind a big desk.

“What happened?” Malahide snapped, his voice slightly cracked, whether in grief or anger it was hard to tell., Adam thought it was probably the latter.

“You mean you don’t know?” Adam leaned forward slightly, “You weren’t with your bunch of idiots who attacked our cattle station, nearly killed us, and burned the place to the ground?” he stepped back as though Malahides words had been an insult and he raised his chin, “You were seen with them, I spoke to you. You threatened me while my property was burning, and now you’re asking me ‘what happened?’”

“I know what happened to your – “ a shrug, dismissive and curt “building, I want to know what happened to my son?”

Adam shook his head as though bemused at the man’s vagaries, he heaved in his breath “What happened, Mr Malahide, is that your sons dynamite had too short a fuse and blew up the building before he could make a clean getaway – unlike yourself and the rest of your men”

“Is that what you’ll tell the Marshall?”

“The Marshall? He’s not in the county, Sheriff Ford….”

“Alright then, Sheriff Ford…” he paused and his eyes narrowed as he stared into Adam’s face “Who do you think the Sheriff will believe? I think – Mr Cartwright – that you caused this so called incident, and my son was an innocent victim.”

“Oh for – Petes – sake!” Adam shook his head, raised a hand to his brow, closed his eyes for a second “Are you seriously crazy?”

Malahide leaned back into his chair, stared at Adam and shook his head “No, not at all.”

“Look, man, your son is dying in that other room, he’s in pain – agony – shouldn’t you be with him?Instead of sitting here concocting theories out of thin air?”

Malahide shook his head “There’s nothing pleasant about seeing a man dying in agony, Mr Cartwright. Even less so when it is one’s own flesh and blood. Julia can handle the grieving part for both of us. She enjoys a bit of drama in her life….and I don’t think she will be too sorry to say goodbye to Jake.”

“He’s your son!” Adam exclaimed again, “Surely -”

“Surely you’re not about to give me a sermon on how a father should react to the death of his son? That would hardly do, Mr Cartwright.” he sighed heavily and stared at Adam, then shrugged “Not every family acts or re-acts the way yours would do, I have never given in to emotion in the past and I do not intend to do so now.” he picked up a pen and rolled it between his fingers “Thank you for bringing Jake home, that was thoughtful …. “

He paused as the door opened and he stood up to face the newcomer. Adam turned, and stepped back several paces to make way for the woman who was walking towards them. She certainly looked the part of a grieving widow, her face red and puffy from tears that were still trickling down her face, her lips were trembling so much she could barely articulate the words

“He’s dead. Jake’s dead.”

Out of respect Adam stepped away, This was a private moment of grief between a dead man’s father and his wife, but Malahide raised a hand to stop him leaving the room “Stay where you are, Cartwright…you’re responsible for this and I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

Adam’s mouth opened, thoughts and words sprung to his mind and lips but went unuttered. He looked at Julia still weeping but looking from one to the other, to her father in law and to him.

“I don’t understand – I thought Mr Cartwright had brought Jake home, to us.” her eyes, moist and still trickling tears turned to Adam “That’s right, isn’t it?”

Adam nodded “Yes, Ma’am, but -”

Malahide stepped away from the desk and finally approached the woman, laid a hand upon her arm

“Why don’t you go upstairs and calm yourself, this is distressing for you, my dear.”

“But – I want to know what happened to Jake.” she firmed her lips, a spurt of anger and despair flamed some courage and she pulled away from his grip on her arm to step towards Adam “What happened?”

“You won’t get the truth from him, my dear. Don’t bother to ask, you’ll only get lies. Go upstairs…”

“Is that an order?” She said and the ice in her voice matched any that Malahide had used earlier, she looked at Adam again, blinked as though to wipe away the tears and raised her chin “Tell me what happened, Mr Cartwright.”

Adam sighed and glanced down at the floor “Your husband and some other men -” he cast a sideways look at Buford “ rode out to the cattle station and attacked us, burned it down…”

“No one left here – except Jake and two other men to back him up.” Malahide snarled “He went there to talk terms, to explain what happened – that stupidity the other night -”

“Stupidity?” she almost screamed “Stupidity? May I remind you that a man died – shot in the back – during that stupidity.” she quietened her voice, and sighed again ,”But you’re right, it was stupid. It should never have happened.”

Adam frowned, confused, was this the woman who had shouted out the warning of a raid on the station only hours previous to the actions that had killed young Jayson. He looked at Buford who was, with difficulty, keeping his temper under control, as though he had to force himself to remember that Julia was now a widow, and grieving for her husband.

“Mrs Malahide, I can only tell you what I saw – and I have witnesses who saw the same – that the cattle station was attacked, your husband among them -”

“Julia – the man’s covering up -”

“Unfortunately the fuse was too short, it blew up before your husband was clear, before he could ride off with his father and the other men there.” he cleared his throat “He tried to get clear, but there was little he could do, he’d boxed himself in-”

“For goodness sake, Julia…”

“Actually, I think your father in law could give a better and more accurate version of events – but I think he has already decided to turn whatever I say into a lie.”

“Because it is.” Buford snarled “When the Sheriff hears of this he’ll have you in his jail before noon!”

Julia put a hand to her head, and closed her eyes., words were spinning round and round, and all she could see was the sight of her husband, dying, holding her hand, in agony as he died. She shook her head “I can’t bear to hear any more -”

It was barely a whisper, but Adam moved just in time to catch her as she fainted and began to fall to the floor.

Chapter 55

The two men stepped back from the settee upon which Adam had carefully placed Julia Malahide. But before either man could speak she began to regain consciousness, her eyelids fluttered and her hands trembled before she opened her eyes and stared anxiously about her. For a moment her gaze lingered on Buford’s stern features and then drifted over to where Adam stood, then she gave a wail and covered her face with her hands “Why did you bring him here, why didn’t you leave him – I can’t stop seeing his face – I can’t stop – its a nightmare-”

She sat up now and began to sob, cries that came from deep within her very being, while she hid her face within her hands and rocked back and forth. Buford made no move to comfort her and provided no word to indicate any compassion at all. He glared at Adam as though to say ‘This is all your fault.’ before striding back to his desk where he slumped into the leather chair

Adam looked from one to the other, his feelings touched by the grief of the woman and he leaned towards her, put a gentle hand on her shoulder “He would have wanted to be with those he loved…”

“He didn’t love me…” she replied and shook her shoulder free of his hand, “And I never loved him..but .. no one deserves to die like that, and I – “ she stopped realising her voice sounded harsh, not those of a grief stricken woman, but then had she not just admitted that she had never loved Jake? What a mess – she shook her head as though to free herself from the words she had just uttered, glared at Adam “You don’t understand….”

“No, there’s a lot I don’t understand about what has happened – but he still deserved to be with his family, rather than be left to die alone ..”

She said nothing, shook her head and heaved in a deep breath as she brushed away the tears from her face. She glared over at Buford, “This is all your doing. He’s your son and you left him there to die like that…”

“I thought he was right behind me.” Buford muttered, “I didn’t realise he was not with us until Cartwright brought him here, I assumed..”

“Assumed?” she sneered, her initial shock and grief obviously evaporated by the heat of anger and disgust for the man seated behind the desk

“I assumed he was with the men, as he usually is…”

She stared at him, a long cold stare so full of hate that Adam was glad she was not armed and at that thought he stepped away, making sure his gun was out of her immediate reach. He glanced at Buford and nodded

“I’ll leave you to your business…” he paused, he would have offered condolences for their loss but didn’t feel that they would be well received, nor would they care. He turned to leave the room only to find Weaver standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, and practically filling the door space. He paused, nodded and stepped forward but Weaver did not move to allow him passage through. Buford stood up, his hands splayed on the surface of the desk

“Take him…” Buford said, with a gesture that indicated he had lost patience with the whole situation and that Adam offended him by being there.

“I don’t think so.” Adam replied slowly and turned from Weaver to look at Buford, “You have no authority to detain me -”

Weaver stepped forward, his arms dropped to his side and his fists clenched. Adam stepped back and looked from Buford, to Weaver and to Julia still sobbing but watching the three men as they confronted one another.

He could have taken out his gun of course, but then when the sheriff did arrive there were three witnesses to that fact ‘He drew a gun on us, Sheriff, we had no option but to -‘ shoot him down, disarm him and beat him up, let him high tail it out of there?

“Very well then,” he nodded more to himself than to them, “We’ll wait here for the sheriff and see what he has to say.”

Buford looked at Weaver and a look passed between them that Adam wished he had not seen, but curled his fists anyway. He stood still, waiting. Our of the corner of his eye he watched as Julia ran out of the room. Would she get help? Would she even care? Somehow, Adam doubted it.

…………………….

Monday morning and for once Sofia did not make a fuss or complain about having to travel oh so far to school. As she ate her breakfast and collected the books and her lunch pail she smiled, and nodded and looked so sweet and innocent that Olivia was worried. There was obviously something going on in her little brain but she had not given any clue as to what it could have been.

Well, Olivia thought as she waved the children off to school, Adam would be home soon and whatever it was that Sofia was up to, he could deal with it. She closed the door and decided she would not take up time worrying about the child but would get on with her plans for the day.

Sofia sat beside Ezra with Hannah on her left. Reuben had ridden on ahead, and for once Sofia did not complain that ‘it was not fair that he could ride his horse into town and she could not’. All the way to the pick up point where they collected Rosie, poor Ezra was subjected to a thorough grilling, question after question about the letter that should have been given to Mr Orawitz but to which there had been, as yet, no response.

By the time the girls were left at the school Ezra was totally bemused, and rode away with a swift glance over his shoulder to make sure the girls, all three of them, had passed through the school gates.

Sofia did not speak much once they reached school. She was deep in thought wondering what to do and how to do it because she had a genuine concern for the gentleman who had ‘given’ her the horse. It was not for a little girl of her age to consider that her father had paid a reasonable price for the animal. So far as she was concerned the horse had arrived from Mr Orawitz and that was that, it was a gift, something precious that he had bestowed upon her for safe keeping. She wanted him to know just how much she appreciated Paddy, and the fact that the old man had let her have the beautiful horse that had once belonged to his very own daughter.

Lilith approached her as they were mounting the stairs to t heir respective class rooms. She tugged at Sofia’s sleeve and smiled when the younger girl turned to her

“You look very suspicious, Sofia”

Sofia frowned, and shook her head “No, I don’t…”

“Well, you certainly look as if you have something brewing in that head of yours…what are you planning?”

Sofia sighed, she had not realised that people could ‘read’ her so well. She lowered her head and as they reached the landing preparatory to going to their separate rooms she said quietly

“I may have to leave school at lunch break….do you want to come with me?”

“Do you have permission?”

Sofia sighed, and shrugged. She had left at other times without permission, why should she worry about getting it now. Lilith looked at her and shook her head “There are rules, you know, Sofia.”

She shrugged and walked away. Lilith, she decided, was not as much fun as she was at one time, she was getting too serious for her own good. She kept her head down, and marched on, letting her feet take her automatically to her class room without her brain having to catch up.

Margaret Hathaway, the young teacher who had the morning lessons for Sofia’s class that Monday, watched the Cartwright girl wander in as though she had no clue as to where she was or why. She shook her head, and smiled, just a little bit, because the girl reminded Margaret so much of herself when she was that age. However, she coughed to rid herself of the smile, she was a teacher now, and order had to prevail.

“Sofia Cartwright, look where you’re going…” she said sharply

“Yes, Miss” Sofia said and wrapped up the words in a sigh

“Are you ill?”

“No – I don’t think so.”

Sofia walked to her desk and didn’t see the sweet smile from Betsy Sales who always sat beside her. She sat down and stared at the far wall. Perhaps she should say she was ill, perhaps she should ask if she could go to see the Doctor in town, perhaps…perhaps….

A small bell tinkled. The warning from Miss Hathaway that lessons were to begin, and any other thoughts should be dismissed so that work could begin. Young Miss Hathaway looked down from her platform and surveyed the faces that confronted her. Some smiled, some were still half asleep, some still had remains of breakfast over their faces and one in particular looked as though she were some place else altogether..

……………

The fire was consuming the remains of the cattle station faster than Joe and the other men could handle it. Men who had arrived to start work as usual on a Monday morning were now engaged in fighting the blaze with wet blankets, with buckets of water while others concentrated on ensuring no other fires broke out among the timber and apparatus that was lying around the compound.

Joe felt total dismay. It had been bad enough riding in and seeing the blazing building, and not finding his brother but being forced to stay to help put out the fire and hope that enough of the building would be saved and salvaged. He was grateful for the extra men, but they also seemed dismayed at the sight when they arrived, then recovered from their shock, and set to work.

It was a frantic fight to get control of the fire. Joe’s mind keep twitching from what had happened, to wondering where Adam was and why had he not yet returned. Amos Kline told him that Adam had taken the injured Jake Malahide home, but that had been hours ago, why had he not returned by now.

“Stand back – stand back -”

It was Cobb who had shouted out the warning and all the men did as told, some running from the area in which they had been fighting the blaze to where it would be safer, as they too could see the danger Cobb had noticed. Joe retreated along with them, his body sore, aching, his clothes grimy with soot, his chest tight from coughing so much due to the smoke inhalation. As he stepped away he bent down double, hands on his knees in an attempt to haul in deep breaths of less smoke filled air.

The roar as the roof finally caved in on itself, collapsed into the centre of the burning building, was one of the worse sounds Joe had ever heard. It signified an ending to what had been the promise of a beautiful building. It may even signify the end of their plans to build there at all.

Cobb came and stood beside him, his face a picture of misery. Several other men gravitated to where they stood, as though being close together would somehow make them feel less miserable.

“She was lovely -” Cobb whispered half to himself, “A pure joy to work on….” he looked down at his hands, blistered and calloused, and then he dropped them to his sides “I thought we may have had a chance of saving her.”

Joe shook his head, there was no way possible to save this building, and he heaved in a shuddering breath. Turned away because he could not bear to look at the sight of it. The heat from the flames was too much to bear now that there was no possibility of saving it, and he walked over to where Cookie stood wiping his hands on his apron, staring at the sight ahead of him

“Why, Cookie, why did they do it?” Joe asked, his voice hoarse from shouting directions and inhaling smoke over the past hours

The old man shook his head and dipped a ladle into a barrel of water, which he poured into a mug and handed to Joe. “Folk round here don’t question Buford Malahide’s actions, Mr Joe. He’s mad which is about as far as they’ll go and then they accept that as he is mad, there’s no much one can do about it.”

“Yeah, but there’s madness and madness isn’t there? I mean, if he’s really crazy he should be locked up, so folk are safe from him…”

“It isn’t that kind of crazy I’m talking about, Mr Joe. Him and Jake – two of kind – hate each other but hate other folk more. He wanted this land, he knew its potential and hoped that he could use the law to get it from you all. You coming along like you did last year didn’t suit him at all….no, sir, it didn’t.” he watched as Joe drank down the cool water, and handed him the ladle, a nod of the head requesting more “Some folk don’t take kindly to having their plans squashed, they don’t like having what they set their minds on being taken away from them and for years Malahide has always had his way, always.”

Joe wandered over to where Amos Kline stood, leaning against the side of the wagon, and for a moment both stood together in companionable silence before Joe mentioned Jayson, and offered the man his condolences. Amos nodded, his lips tightened slightly. All the men were standing around now, watching the fire burn it self out, drinking water, wiping sweat from their faces and smearing black soot into their pores as a result. Joe thought the whole thing looked unreal, he could not think of any other word, but it was like living in a nightmare.

“I guess,” Amos said quietly as he pushed himself away from the wagon, “I guess I should go and pay my respects to Malahide seeing as how we got something in common now…”

“How come? What exactly?”

“Well, reckon he’s lost a son this evening… as a father myself …” he paused “I mean, having been a father myself, I should go offer my condolences. Ain’t that kinda the decent thing to do….”

Joe was not sure what to say to that, he looked at the man’s face and didn’t think that Amos had condolences in mind when he saw Malahide. He was wondering what to do when Amos said “Guess you should come along too, if you want to see your brother alive that is….”

Chapter 56

In her short life as a teacher Miss Hathaway had already heard many excuses as to why a child would need/want to leave the school premises at any time but she fell hook, line and sinker for the reason Sofia gave her. It was probably because it was the truth, and Miss Hathaway. for all her youth. had lived a life that enabled her to spot a liar at 50 paces. She had listened to what Sofia had to say, asked a few questions and watched carefully as the little girl answered them. There was no tell tale giveaway sign that what Sofia had to say was a lie and with a curt nod of the head Miss Hathaway agreed for the little girl to leave the premises during the lunch recess.

Sofia had everything planned out. She had asked Lilith to come with her but her friend had asked to be excused as she was doing some study but cautioned Sofia to be careful, to be cautious. But Sofia just shook her head and set her mouth tight so as not to say anything to offend Lilith but at the same time – well, she had been disappointed.

At recess time she left the building, avoiding Reuben who was no where to be seen thankfully. She hurried to the Martins house and knocked loudly on the door knowing that Tilly would open it, which she did.

“Why bless me, and what are you doing here – shouldn’t you be at school?”

“I got permission to come out.” Sofia declared with all the pride of a convict released on parole. “I came for some cake.”

“Cake!” Tilly rocked back on her heels, and observed the girl with suspicion in her dark eyes “Cake?”

“Yes, you cook your fruit slab cake today, don’t you?”

“You know I do…why?”

“Please Tilly, it is the best ever cake in the world and please could I have two slices?” she put on her most pleading face, big eyes, fluttering eyelashes, sweet pouting lips “Please!”

“Two slices? Why two slices?”

“For me and my friend.”

“What friend? Can’t see no one out there but you…”

“Please Tilly….”

“I don’t know ..” Tilly turned round and grumbled her way to the kitchen. Sofia stayed by the door listening to the rattle of plates and smelling the aroma of the sweet fruit cake, and when Tilly returned with two slices of cake wrapped in a white napkin she gave her a kiss on the cheek and thanked her so prettily that Tilly, as usual, softened, smiled in return and waved her off, watching as the girl closed the picket gate and hurried away.

She closed the door and returned to her work.

Sofia hurried along, a little girl in blue, blue ribbons in her hair, blue dress with her white apron. She skipped along and swung her little package too and fro and then paused at the gate to the big house. She paused, not a second lost as she skipped up the pathway to the imposing door ahead, and then stepped up and knocked – loudly.

The door opened cautiously, as though the person behind it was unused to having visitors.

Orawitz looked down at the little girl and did not know what to say, what to do. He froze and just looked, wondered why she was there, why was she standing there with such a smile, such a happy look on her face. He realised she was waiting for him to speak and simply asked her who she was and why she was there

“I’m Sofia,” she replied and her smile widened “I brung you some of Tilly’s best cake” and without another word she stepped past him and into the house, leaving him standing, bewildered, by the door.

Sofia – he paused and thought for a moment before following her down the hall and into the room she considered the one suitable for her visit. Sofia – he remembered, the letter and the drawing. He remembered now that this was the little girl who had Paddy.

“Did you get my letter?” the little minx demanded, and fixed him with such a stern look that he had to nod “Did you like my drawing? It’s Paddy, the horse you gave me.”

“Well, little girl, to be honest -” he wanted her to know that her father had paid a fair price for it, but she just nodded and looked around her, found a chair and sat down.

“Paddy is the best horse ever, apart from my Pa’s horse. But Paddy is really special and thank you, thank you so much, Mr Orawitz, for letting me have her. I didn’t really know your little girl very well, but I wish now that I had because to have had such a lovely horse like Paddy meant that she was a very special girl.”

“Yes, she was and -”

“And so I thought I would bring you some of Tilly’s special cake, just to say thank you again. My letter and drawing did not really mean much so -” she smiled and opened the napkin to show him the cake “Do you have any plates?”

…………………

Nate Carney was leaving the Telegraph Depot with a few scraps of paper in his hand when he noticed Ben and Hoss Cartwright threading their way through the traffic. Both men were in conversation but Nate hailed them anyway, raising a hand and waving one of the pieces of paper at them.

They steered their horses to the Sheriff and it was Ben who explained that they were on the way to the railway station to meet Adam and Joe. Nate nodded at almost every alternate word that Ben uttered and then handed him the telegraph that had just arrived for Ben’s attention. He watched as Ben’s face dropped into sterner lines, the smile vanished and the dark eyes narrowed and darkened. He held up another slip of paper and said quietly “I got one too -”

“Dang!” Hoss exclaimed, “I knew I should have gone -”

“You couldn’t have -” Ben reminded him, still staring at the slip of paper in his hands, “And you got one too, did you say?”

“I did.” Nate handed his up to the rancher who read the words twice, his lips tight against his teeth and his face setting into that look that meant trouble for someone. He sighed “What do you intend to do about it?”

“Well, I can’t go…I have to appear in court today, but I shall send a deputy along. Will you be going?”

Ben returned the telegram to Nate, folded the addressed to himself and tucked it into his jacket pocket, then he nodded “Definitely.”

“The next train to Carson City doesn’t leave until this afternoon….” Nate said, and shook his head “Sounds like a mess, Ben”

“Why is it now, whenever I send Joe anywhere -” Ben paused and drew in his breath, “Well, we were going to meet them off the train anyway, but -” he looked again at the cable in his hand, and wondered again how could it be possible for things to change so drastically. The cattle station burned down? People killed? He flicked his eyes in Hoss’ direction and nodded “Let’s go…”

They turned their horses round and Hoss followed along with his father wondering where exactly they were going to go, it seemed the best thing to do was get to Carson City as soon as they could, but the train they were going to meet his brothers on would not be returning for some hours yet. He itched to know what had happened, he felt a gnawing ache in the pit of his stomach at the thought of any harm having come to Joe or to Adam.

“What do you want to do, Pa?”

“We’ll get to Carson City this afternoon. Can’t get there any sooner than that…but first off we need to let the girls know that their husbands won’t be returning home today. Mary Ann is at the hospice today, she can tell Olivia…” he frowned, his brow corrugated into deep furrows “I guarantee that Malahide is behind all this….”

“Won’t know until we get there, Pa.”

They dismounted outside the hospice, the sounds of the women and men inside the building greeted them in a ripple of chatter and laughter. As always there was a hive of activity going on in the building and for a moment they stood by the door to look around them, to note the changes that all the work put into the building to make it safe, weather proof, had been so worth while. Widow Hawkins saw them and waved, and it struck Ben anew that the woman was fading away, shrinking before his very eyes. He sighed, the curse of old age.

Bridie came bustling towards them and greeted them both with her widest of smiles and warm twinkling eyes, but seeing the set features and stern look on their faces the smile soon faded and she turned “Mary Ann’s in the office -” she said and waited for them to precede her to the other room.

Mary Ann was busy with the accounts, they watched for a while as she totalled up columns, her lips moving unconsciously as she did so, and once she had written down the figure Ben cleared his throat and stepped further into the room

“Mary Ann -”

“Ben. Hoss. I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” she stood up, and glanced at the clock “Is that the time already. Have you come to escort me to the railway station to meet Joe…” her voice faltered, she looked from one to the other and then slowly sunk back onto the chair “What’s happened? Why are you looking so serious?”

“We had a cable from Hal, the Doctor in Carson City -”

“I know who Hal is, Ben -”

“Well, it seems the boys will be delayed, something happened…”

“Joe? Is Joe hurt?” her voice cracked, she feel her legs shaking, oh Joe, Joe, why did you have to go what on earth prompted you to go…

“No, not at all. Just that – Hal says the cattle station was burned down, some of the men were injured. Joe is alright, my dear, but the sheriff seems to want them to stay there, it seems suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“The fire ..” Hoss said, twisting his hat as usual when he was nervous “A young man was killed, some other incidents that the sheriff is investigating. Seems one of the deputies there asked Nate to go along to help with the investigation…”

Mary Ann heard the words, did not know what they really meant..was Joe safe, and she asked that again, and saw them both nod, Ben assured her that Joe was quite safe, and that he and Hoss were going to go to Carson City to ‘sort it all out’. That didn’t make much sense to Mary Ann either, so she just sat there with her ledgers and watched them leave, wondering what on earth her husband had got himself into now. Her only consolation was that Adam was with him, and Adam, she knew, was like a rock, he would keep Joe steady at a time like this, surely he would!

…………….

Children are told there are no such thing as real monsters. They were told that they only existed in fairy tales in order to scare them in to appreciating the protection and love of their parents, to help them feel loved, to make them more respectful and obedient as a result. Of course, as one grew into adulthood one realised that was not true. There were monsters out there ..two legged monsters who looked, in most cases, just like anyone else.

Adam had known about those real life monsters from a very early age, when as a child his father had protected him from the many who prowled through the woodlands, the plains, seeking their scalps and more. Red skinned monsters who wore garish paint and little else besides but who had no compassion when confronted by any white man

He had learned that white men could be monsters too…and so he had grown with a healthy disdain for fairy tales, and an instinctive wariness around certain men, regardless of their colour skin, age, class, or rank.

And today he had met such a monster and had made the mistake of turning his back on him.

Chapter 57

Fire!

Flames searing high towards the sky as two ships embraced in San Francisco harbour.

His ship!

The masts inter-tangled and interwoven and the flames orange and red and black smoke fluming high.

He saw his men being pulled from the water and laid down upon the wharf side.

The pain was so intense that he could not cry out, he could barely breathe. So he lay there as though dead and the agony of the blows inflicted upon him swept over him, and through him like waves and his mind dragged him back to those times because the pain he was experiencing now was like when he watched the Ainola burn, his men dying, and he could do nothing, nothing to stop it.

Just like he could do nothing to stop this …and it was not even in a fight. He had not even been able to clench his fists and fight back. He had turned to wards Malahide, seen the eyes harden like two pebbles in a blank face and the monster he had turned his back on had moved so fast, so silently that Adam had no realisation of what was happening until the pain convulsed him.

The blow to the kidneys had been deep and penetrating, causing an involuntary paralysis of his legs so that Adam buckled and fell, attempted to clench his fists but was only aware of pain..it cut off his breath, he was gasping to breathe. He was not sure what part of his body underwent punishment from Weavers hands, all he knew was that it was agony and his brain wanted to shut down and his lungs struggled to take in air.

He was dying

It had taken less than five minutes

He forced himself to think of those ships, to keep his mind focussed but eventually it shut down and he slipped into oblivion/ longing to just end the pain.

Malahide looked down at the man on the floor, watched him heaving in an attempt to draw air into his lungs, retching as pain from his kidneys circled through his system. He was about to speak when the door opened and one of his men looked into the room.

“Visitors, Mr Malahide.”

Buford nodded and shrugged “We’ll finish this business when we get back -”

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands as he walked past Adam, as though it had been he who had inflicted the damage and not Weaver who now followed him out of the room. At the door he paused and looked back, one glance at Adam and another at Julia

“Come along, dear. I should imagine it’s the doctor, you need a sedative at least….”

In the fog that surrounded him and was slowly drawing him deeper into its centre, Adam heard the metallic click of a key turning in the lock. He was alone. He was totally incapacitated. And to his surprise he was still alive

…………………….

The two men framed in the doorway were not the men Malahide expected but he forced his face to remain bland, while he stepped briskly towards them. Behind him Weaver paced his way and stepped to the left of him, as though flanking him, while Julia lingered in the back ground.

“Amos Kline -” Buford allowed some contempt to trickle into the words, he glanced briefly at Joe and nodded “And who are you?”

“Joseph Cartwright from the Ponderosa.” came the snapped out reply, and Weavers eyes narrowed and he shifted slightly away from Buford as though giving himself room to fight.

“Came to pay our respects -” Amos said quietly, as he removed his hat, and looked over Buford’s shoulder to where Julia lingered, “I’m sorry for your loss, Ma’am”

Julia said nothing, but lowered her head and clasped her hands together, her fingers pulling at the square of linen she held. Amos then turned to Amos, his head to one side

“I thought you may need some help with paying for the funeral, Buford..” he put his hand to his pocket and when he extracted it he held his hand out, opened his fingers and allowed the coins to drop onto the floor “I think this is the going rate – between friends – for the loss of a son. Leastways it was the amount you sent me yesterday for my son…”

Buford merely raised his head, and glanced from one to the other of them, then fixed his eyes on Joe, narrowed his eyes again and said “And what excuse do you have for coming here, uninvited.”

“I came to see where my brother had gone, seems he brought your son home -” Joe paused, hazel eyes gleamed green gold, “but seems to be taking a long time to get back to the cattle station.”

“What cattle station?” Buford snorted, “I hear it got burned down…”

“You know it got burned down, Buford, you were there ..” Amos said, struggling to get the words out without shouting, “You were there, why don’t you have the decency to admit it, admit that you went off and left your son there to die…admit that you didn’t have the guts to stay by his side -”

“We weren’t there -” Weaver said, stepping forward now, “We were here all the time until his brother brought Jake back. Weren’t none of our doing. Jake took it on his own back to do it, so -” he stepped closer, close enough to invade Amos’ personal space, close enough for Amos to smell death “best thing for you to do is go back there with your friend here, and let Mr Malahide get on with grieving for his son.”

Amos stepped back and took a long look at Buford, he nodded slowly “Is that what you’re doing then, Buford, grieving?”

Weaver stayed without moving, he was like a rabid dog that was being held back by some invisible rein, waiting, just waiting for the command to launch himself forward. Buford placed a hand on his arm, and once again looked from Amos to Joe, before he told them if they stayed a minute longer he would make sure they were carried off the premises.

“Where’s my brother?” Joe said, although he did step back a few paces

“Your brother left a while back, he took his wagon -” Buford began

“We never passed him on the way here -”

“He didn’t take the road from here to the compound, he took the road into town, said something about catching the train for Virginia City.” Buford allowed a small smile to pass fleetingly across his lips then shrugged, he looked at Weaver then back at Joe “Sad though it is that your enterprise has gone up – in smoke – I would advise you not to try rebuilding it. It would be to your advantage to take this as a warning, a serious warning. I won’t repeat myself…”

The sound of a vehicle approaching stopped any further speech as a middle aged man appeared in a one seater pulled by a very smart horse. Buford beckoned to Weaver who stepped back, he said loudly “Good day, gentlemen,” and acknowledged the man now descending from the buggy “Ah Doctor Flecker, thank you for coming so promptly.”

The Doctor glanced at Joe and Amos but passed them to enter the building, muttering sympathetic words that sounded as hollow and empty as many platitudes do when offered insincerely. Weaver had the pleasure of closing the doors, staring down at the two men until the door shut him from their view.

Joe turned to Amos “Adam wouldn’t just ride out like that, he would have come back -”

“Remember he thought you were on the train, he wouldn’t have known you were here -”

“I know that, but I know Adam, he would not just high tail it like that, he just wouldn’t. He’d have gone back to the station, and dealt with things there – “ he looked back at the closed doors and shook his head “He didn’t care about his son, did he?”

“No.” Amos replied and then shook his head, “Ain’t for me to judge, every man grieves different, and Jake – well – perhaps he ain’t able to come to terms with it all yet, seeing as how Jake didn’t really look like Jake – if you know what I mean.” he paused “It’s that little lady I feel sorry for – “

Joe looked around him, at the buildings, the stables, and then realised that from each building men were slowly bleeding out towards them. The message was clear – get out now or just stop living.

……………

“Don’t – don’t let me have to go in there and see him again, please, Buford, please.”

Her voice was a whimper and she hated herself for sounding so feeble but the smell of the dead man burning corpse was slowly penetrating from the room he had been placed in, and with the smell came the memory. She leaned against the bannister rail, head down, and it was the Doctor who placed a hand on her arm and said, very kindly, “I’ll give you a sedative, my dear, I think you should go upstairs and sleep.”

Buford nodded agreement, after all he dreaded seeing the sight of his son again and accepted that a womans’ constitution would not be strong enough to see it a second time. He stepped back to allow the Doctor to fumble about in his bag and produce the medication which he passed to her, folding her fingers around it by covering her hand with his, she could feel his flesh, warm and clammy damp with sweat.

She thanked him in a whisper and made her way up the stairs, by the time she had reached the half landing she heard the Doctors exclamation of horror, so it seemed with all his experience even he could not stomach the sight of Jake Malahides corpse.

………………..

Adam opened his eyes with difficulty, paused a moment and then tried to move. He could feel sweat popping out of the pores of his skin at the effort it took him to struggle to his feet. He reached for a table, hauled himself upright and stood there waiting for the pain to slowly ebb away. He could not recall feeling pain like it before and considering the amount of pain he had endured in the past then it really was quite an admission. The pain was absolutely unique

He was leaning upon the table hoping that his legs would gain some strength before they came back He was determined to at least give Weaver something, some form of a fight…he put a hand to his face, and wiped away sweat.

The click of the key in the lock.

They were back and he still couldn’t stand upright.

The door opened and was then very quietly closed. The swish of skirts rustling against the carpet and then she was standing beside him, pushing something into his hand.

“Drink it …quickly.”

He just stared at her, it was stupid, it was wasting time, but how could he trust her. She was a Malahide, she was part of all this mess…but he looked into her face and into her eyes and saw the earnestness there, the sincerity and also the dread.

“Drink it. It’ll help with the pain. You can’t stay here….”

“I can barely move.” he said in a voice that sounded so unlike his own that he had to close his eyes and try to convince himself that all this was real

“I know. I know that, but this will help, believe me – “ she paused and pressed his arm between her fingers “Please Mr Cartwright, trust me.”

He nodded, stared down at the liquid and cleared his throat, then swallowed the liquid down. He looked at her “What do you plan to do now? Carry me out of the house?”

Chapter 58

Despite his misgivings the drug worked, although for a moment or two he was totally groggy and the thought crossed his mind that he had been poisoned and the end had, literally, come. She stood beside him, her foot tapping impatiently on the carpet, hovering, making him nervous. When he finally succeeded in straightening himself upright, hauling in a deep breath he nodded at her “Whatever that was, it worked…”

“It always does.” she replied and shook her head as though to warn him this was not the time for questions. “Follow me…”

She relocked the door behind her once they were outside standing in the hallway. From the distant room they could hear the murmur of voices, she looked at him, a sharp glance “That’s the Doctor with Buford and Weaver. Come on, we can’t waste time…”

She did not exactly grab him by the hand but her manner was urgent enough for Adam to follow her without hesitation now. He knew his gun had been removed from its holster, as its weight was missing from his hip so with no option available he nodded to her and waited for her to take the lead. It was upstairs, and at every step they both had the same fear of being discovered, each step the voices below ebbed and flowed around them. At the landing she turned and nodded, and said once again

“Follow me…”

Past several doors, until she opened one and stepped to one side, indicating that he was to precede her inside. He hesitated momentarily and then walked into the room, paused and looked back at her, questioning as to why she would help him. She closed the door behind her, slid the bolt across and nodded

“It’s Jakes room…”

“Won’t they come here, after all -”

“After all, Jake won’t be using it any more.”

It was a matter of fact statement, there were no tears now, just a face blank of emotion, her eyes seemed to be the only living thing about her as she looked around the room, seeking places for him to hide, then she looked at him

“I don’t forgive you for bringing Jake here. Why did you bother? Couldn’t you have left him there to die?”

“He was begging to come home, to you…a dying man’s last wish ..who was I to refuse him? He walked to wards a window and glanced down, “There’s a small army out there, what are they waiting for ?”

“Probably because your brother turned up with Amos Kline….”

“My brother?” Adam glanced at her, frowned “Which one?”

“He said his name was Joseph. He looked ready to cause trouble…Weavers men came out to make sure they both realised what they would be taking on.” she paused “I can’t get Jake – what you brought home – I can’t get him out of my head. I can’t stop seeing his face – what was left of it….”

“Your father in law didn’t seem particularly upset”

She didn’t answer that, just shook her head as though trying to shake out the memories of her dead husband. After some second had passed she looked at him “Stay in here, keep quiet…if Weaver finds you he’ll finish off what he started. I’ll come back later …we need to make plans …”

“We do?”

“If you ever want to get out of here alive, yes, we do….” she paused, drew in her breath, “They’ll come up soon to make sure I’ve taken the sedative so just don’t make any noise to draw their attention…”

He said nothing but watched as she opened the door and slipped out into the hall. The key turned in the lock and he turned to look back down at the men loitering in the yard below his window. Joe was here. How on earth did that happen? He moved away from the window and paced the floor, the house was quiet now. He heard the rumble of wheels and glanced out, just briefly, a man, obviously the Doctor, was leaving the building. Fair enough. All he had to do was sign a certificate of death. Adam noticed him pause, talk to two men, who separated from the group and shortly afterwards he watched as they appeared on a wagon, led by two horses. He scowled, his horses, his wagon, the one he had brought Jake home on.

Moving slightly to the left he could see Buford and Weaver on the steps leading to the porch, side by side they watched as Jake’s body, wrapped in sheets now, was carried out and placed in the wagon. He shook his head involuntarily, they had not even had the respect and decency to wait for the undertaker to come and place the body into a coffin, just bundled him out like so much dirty washing.

He watched as the wagon trundled down the driveway in the direction of town.

………………

The two men had ridden back to the cattle station. They had returned following the route Adam had driven the wagon. They rode in silence although both of them were thinking over and over what had taken place. Finally Joe said “I just don’t understand it…he didn’t seem at all bothered …” he paused “Angry, definitely angry, but he didn’t seem to care about his son.”

“That’s because you come from a caring family, Joe. We all tend to judge other people according to our own way of thinking. And Buford …yes, anger, because that’s his predominant quality. Always angry, always destructive. Jake was not quite as bad but close enough.”

Joe reined in his horse and glanced back to the way they had come “I can’t leave without knowing Adam’s safe…”

“They said he had gone into town…perhaps he had, after all, he doesn’t know you showed up.” he raised his hands to stop Joe speaking, “I know, I know you said Adam would not go to town, he would come back to attend to things at the station – but he didn’t, did he?”

“Perhaps that’s because he can’t.” Joe’s voice snapped, taut as a violin string. “They’ve got him in that place…”

“Well, if they have -” he paused and nudged his horses flank to get him moving again, “Guess we’ll have to think of a way to get him out. No use expecting help from the Sheriff, he’s scared stiff of Malahide, no matter what he says or does, it will all be according to the Book of Buford.”

Joe reached out a restraining hand on the reins of Amos’ horse,

“I hear what you’re saying, Amos, but you’ve lost a son, and I don’t want to be losing my brother…”

“I know, and I understand. Let’s just get to the station and put our heads together with Cobb. We need to think out a strategy that will work first time, because I don’t think we’ll get another chance.”

Joe nodded in agreement, and released his hold on the reins. For a while they jogged along in silence, once again thinking and rethinking strategies, dismissing them as quickly as they filtered into their heads. The sky blackened the nearer they were to the cattle station caused by the thick smoke that eddied up from the burning building. Both men paused to look at it, feeling awed by the sight and the memory of what had occurred there. Amos glanced at Joe,

“My son died, and I don’t know who did it, I know it was not young Talbot, although he can be a hot head at times, but … I need to know who did it, Joe.”

“We’ll find out, Amos, when we find Adam…we’ll make Buford Malahide pay for this..for all of this.”

……………….

Mr Orawitz looked down at the empty plates, and thought of the little girl who had arrived on his doorstep. He licked his fingers and carefully dabbed around the plates and collected up some of the cake crumbs which he put into his mouth. As he swallowed the last of them down his thoughts turned to his daughter and how she had been so unhappy at school. Surely, he thought as he brought Sofia’s memory to mind, surely had she, his daughter, made the effort to befriend the little Cartwright girl life would have been so much sweeter for her!

He pulled the chair closer to the window and looked out at the garden beyond, it had once been his wife’s pride and joy, now it was neglected and barren. He sighed, if any thing summed up the course of his life, it was this garden. It needed some care and attention, like he did himself.

His mouth tasted the sweetness of the cake he had just eaten, and he shook his head, she was such a sweet little girl, and he had enjoyed her company, even without the cake he would have enjoyed her chatter and bright eyes and wide smile.

He sighed, but would she come again? Would she really want to spend some time with a crusty old fossil like himself? He shook his head, no good in thinking about it, it was a question only time could answer. He would have to wait, endure .. and hope. He paused, oh yes, of course, there was always Chicago!

Chapter 59

It was obvious the moment they discovered he had gone from that room. First there was the shouting, then the sound of feet thudding every which way, with doors being slammed open and shut. Adam tensed by the door with his ears straining to pick up any sign that Weaver and Buford were on the way to Jake’s room. He very carefully tested the handle, turning it slowly, just in case Julia had unlocked it.

The confrontation with Weaver had left him sore, and nervous. The pain in his body still hurt, still throbbed and his movements had to be slow and deliberate in order to be able to move at all. As he waited, listened, he thought through what had happened, what the man had done to him and so quickly, so painfully.

He sat on the side of the bed with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped while he tapped his mouth with his fingers. At some time in his life Weaver had been somehow involved with the oriental art of fighting, predominantly perhaps – torture. He had heard enough of such things when in the South China seas on that mission to remove Jiang Peng from the trade routes from Beijing , the men who had sailed those seas for years spoke freely about the forms of ‘exquisite pain’ the Chinese endorsed, and practised.

Had Weaver been a seaman at some time and learned his arts in the Orient? He frowned, raised his head to listen…then resumed his browsing. Of course with so many Chinese now in America it would not need anyone to sail so far to learn about inducing pain to others, he knew that well enough himself. But Weaver must have loved inflicting pain on people to have become so dedicated to its forms of torture.

He glanced up at a clock ticking away time as though minutes and hours were irrelevant. The clock face blurred and he rubbed the heel of his hands into his eyes, blinked and refocused. Was it still Monday? Was this the day he was expected back home? Olivia would be expecting him and the children too. He closed his eyes, he had never felt so tired for a very long time, his body ached from the pain inflicted upon it and from weariness, but his brain buzzed and whirred non stop.

He could feel his eyes closing as he fell back upon the pillows on the bed. How he longed for sleep now. He hauled in deep breaths in an effort to control the pain in his kidneys and legs…if he could sleep…just a little while.

Footsteps on the floor and the key in the lock rattled. He heard voices and was immediately alert, off the bed and back to his station pressed against the wall by the door so that should it open he would be momentarily obscured from view. He heard Buford’s voice, then Weavers and leaned closer to the wall to hear what was being said

“She’s locked her door…” Weaver was saying

“It doesn’t matter, the door to Jake’s room will open it.” Buford’s voice, low and soft as though he didn’t want to disturb anyone’s sleep, The key rattled in the lock and then there was silence, scuffling sounds, footsteps receding from the room.

“She must have taken all the sedative the Doctor gave her….” Buford’s voice contained a measure of satisfaction as though seeing his daughter in law sleeping had reassured him that she had not been complicit in helping Adam escape from the room downstairs.

“Doesn’t mean she didn’t let him out of the room before she came up here and took it….” Weaver, his voice tinged with disbelief “Fact is, Buford, you’re too soft on the girl -”

“And you’re not?” Malahide sounded angry, his tone that of a man irritated by the droning of a fly, one that should have been swatted a long time ago. “We would have heard him if he were coming up here…”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t get paid to think.. You should have just dealt with him when you had the chance…”

“I only needed five more minutes…”

The voices faded, Adam imagined them walking away from the bedrooms, taking the stairs and wondering where to look next. For a moment or two he remained where he was, then quietly he had a good look around to see what he could find that would be of some use to his escape.

It was good to know that Joe was somewhere around. That was reassurance as a back up but at present of no use at all. He slowly and carefully pulled open the drawers of dressers, of tallboys and night stands and in one of them his fingers curled around the handle of a revolver. He checked it, all cylinders loaded, a box of cartridges sat snugly in one corner of the drawer … Jake obviously believed in being prepared for all eventualities.

He slipped the gun into his holster and now looked for something equally as important for survival. Something to drink. He was now suffering from an all consuming raging thirst and was more than glad to find a carafe of water with glasses on a tray alongside decanters of port, brandy and whisky. He drank a full glass, enjoyed the sensation of it sliding coolly down his throat before he drank down another. Then he soaked his bandanna in what remained and wiped his face, around his throat and neck.

Returning to the door he tried the handle once again, slowly. There was no difference, it remained as locked as it had been since Julia left him. He looked through the keyhole….the key had been removed, just as he knew it would have been, Buford had used it to unlock Julia’s room. Well, no problem, there were ways of unlocking doors, he just had to find the right tools to act as ‘picks’.

He had just found what he needed when the sound of a key in the lock, turning, and the door opening put him on full alert. He withdrew the gun and stepped away from the door.

………………

Joe Cartwright reined in his horse, which caused Amos to stop his own, “What’s the matter?” he asked the younger man, “We need to get moving….”

“I’m going back.”

“What? You can’t do that….Buford’s men are thicker than fleas on a dog’s back, there’s no way you can get back there unnoticed.”

“I can’t spend time doing nothing, Amos. Times passing and my brother needs help now, not in a few hours time – he needs it now.”

Amos’ face settled into gentler lines, but his eyes still looked confused “You have an idea?”

“We need to create a diversion…” he paused “I need to create a diversion while you go on and get Cobb and any of the men who would have turned up for work today. Send someone to get the sheriff.”

“I told you, Joe, Ford isn’t to be trusted, he’s scared stiff of Malahide. Most of the town is truth be told…”

“Doesn’t matter, he’s still a representative of the law, and he needs to hear and see the evidence of what’s happened for himself before he gets told a different version”

“Believe me, Joe, he’ll already have been told a different version…Buford doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet …”

“No mind about that, just get him.”

“Be very careful, Joe. Don’t get close to Weaver, I’ve seen what he can do with those hands of his, he’s a living machine – a killing machine – make sure you don’t turn your back on him,.”

“I don’t intend to, Amos, I don’t intend to set eyes on him ..”

He wheeled his horse around and set it at a fast canter towards the Malahides property. Slowing down only as the bordering trees began to thin out the closer he came to the out buildings, stables and barns.

………………..

“I thought you were sleeping off a sedative…” Adam said quietly as the pistol was replaced in its holster.

“I was, long enough to fool Buford and Weaver.” she turned and relocked the door behind her.”Just in case -” she smiled, but it was not a smile that reached her eyes, it was colder and calculating.

“Look, lady, with all due respect I need to get out of here, and that key is the only way I can, so if you don’t mind…” he held out the palm of his hand, and looked at her fully expecting her to drop the key where he wanted it to be, out of her grasp and in his own.

“I know you do, but so do I. I can’t bear to stay here any longer, for now anyway.” she moved to a window and looked down, frowned “They were quick about getting rid of Jake’s body weren’t they? You should have seen Bufords face when he saw the state Jake was in…he won’t forgive you for that/”

“I didn’t kill Jake…he more or less killed himself…”

“I don’t doubt you, Mr Cartwright, but you brought it back to Buford’s door, you made him see the consequences of his actions, on his own son.” she sat down on a brocade covered chair, sighed and shook her head “Buford Malahide is a man of strange obsessions, some good, some bad..well, to be honest, mostly bad. He always blamed Jake for the death of his wife, that was, Jake’s mother. Whether he was or not remains to be seen, but she was the main obsession of his life at the time – in a good way, if being obsessively in love with a woman is a good thing !” she paused as though having to take time to ponder on that, and Adam took the chance to look out, down at the court yard, watching the men gathering in huddles, and then Weaver strutting out and sending them scattering like so many chickens.

“It was pretty obvious that he had no love for his son, but -” Adam paused, frowned and sat down, realising that she was quite determined to stay where she was.

“But you don’t understand that, do you? You have a close family, prepared to die for one another, but the Malahides aren’t like that…”

“And Weaver – where does he come in all this?”

“Oh he’s just a dog, Buford’s loyal dog. “

“Has he had dealings with the Chinese at any time?”

She smiled again, slowly, “You’re curious as to what he did to you? I’m not surprised, he can strike as quietly as a snake, and his hands – I’ve seen what those hands can do, Mr Cartwright, they’re his weapons, he kills with them.”

She lowered her eyes, stared for a moment down at the floor and then glanced at the window, “We need a diversion….”

“Agreed.”

“But you don’t trust me…”

“No.”

She sighed and shrugged “In that case I need a diversion….it would be easy enough, all I need do is scream and they’ll come running up here, and Buford will hand you over to Weaver and his loyal dog will tear to to pieces..after he’s crushed a few bones.”

“Very well.” he leaned forwards to wards her, “Mrs Buford, I’m very tired, and I want to get out of here as soon as possible, with or without you. Firstly though – why did you shout about the attack on the cattle station the night Jayson Kline and Brand Talbot made that phoney raid, and Kline was killed? “

She nodded and looked at him with an open and honest countenance for once. She clasped her hands together in her lap and worked her mouth for a moment as though trying to find the right words.

“Jayson told me that Jake had thought up a joke, at the same time he was not too sure just how funny or how far reaching the joke would go. He’s known Jake many years, couldn’t trust him. Brand,well, he was always easily led, well meaning but – he thought it was funny, give you all a scare, make you see just how big a problem you had on your hands with the Malahides.”

“No, wait now – you came shouting out about it outside our hotel….”

“ I didn’t know that Jake had come into town, I had to make a complete change in my tale, act as though I were drunk ..act the stupid little wife who just loved her husband so much …” her eyes shone, Adam could see a tear forming on her eyelashes, “It wasn’t so much to warn you, but – for Jayson….because it was Jayson that the raid was all about…” she shook her head, impatiently wiped her tears with her finger, “ Jake had great pleasure in telling me later, because he knew about me and Jayson, you see. He had Weaver there, waiting for them,and it was Weaver who killed Jayson…not Talbot, he was just an innocent. “

“Jayson and you -?”

“A husband scorned …” she leaned closer, almost whispering “I’m expecting Jayson’s child…I didn’t think Jake knew but it was all planned, Brand was so easily led, Jayson went along …” she stopped a sob, cleared her thoat and flicked her eyes up to look into his face “You’re not judging me are you, Mr Cartwright?”

He shook his head, put his hand upon hers….”Buford doesn’t know?”

“No, I’m keeping it as my ace card, just in case it’s needed. He can go to his death thinking I’m carrying his grandson, that’s enough for me, because then when I come back here, it will all be mine. I want something out of all this, all the years I’ve suffered with them, been terrified out of my wits at times. Jayson was the one wonderful thing that ever happened to me, in all my life, and when Jake stood there, laughing at what Weaver and he had accomplished, if I had had a gun I would have killed him “

Adam rubbed his temple with his fingers, his head throbbed, his eyes were blurring, and her voice, shrill one moment and a mere whisper another, grated on his senses. He longed to just throw himself on that bed and go to sleep, pretend this was all a bad dream.

“Are you married, Mr Cartwright?”

“I am.”

“Happily so?”

“Very much so.”

“Children?”

“Three…two boys and a girl.” he smiled, it was involuntary, but as quickly as the picture of them formed in his mind he dismissed it, it didn’t pay to get sentimental now, doing so could cause errors. Fatal ones.

He stared down from the window and looked down at the courtyard once again “We need a diversion.”

“I have a buggy always ready for me should I need it….I could tell Buford I need to see a Doctor, perhaps tell him … .if you could get out of here, get to the buggy…”

He paused and leaned closer towards the window “Looks like something’s happened down there.”

He could hear her moving, the rustle of her skirts across the carpet, and then the smell of her perfume as she stood beside him looking down. She leaned in closer

“That’s your brother, isn’t it?”

Chapter 60

Adam swallowed several words that he had nearly forgotten from his sea faring days, and certainly not suitable for a lady to hear. He shook his head “I thought he’d have more sense …”

“What are you going to do?” she leaned in closer, her hair brushed across his shoulder, he could smell that perfume again and stepped away from her, from the window and from the sight o f his brother riding towards Buford Malahide as though he were out for a Sunday stroll

“If Weaver gets his hands on him, he’ll be broken into pieces within five minutes…” she whispered

“Is there another way out of this building, apart from the front door…”

“I’ll show you..”

“No, Mrs Malahide, you go back to your room, lock the door and take some more sedative. Be the grieving widow you’re supposed to be …”

“No, I want to come with you…”

“What you want, Mrs Malahide, is to be hidden in plain sight. If Buford knew you had a hand in getting me out of that room he won’t show you any more compassion than he did to his own son. Now – how do I get out of this building?”

She glared at him, her lips tight, the obstinacy in her face so clear that he could have shaken her, instead he looked down at the gun in his hand, then out of the window. Malahide was aware of Joe now, and had turned to face him, close by stood Weaver, his body already tensed for action.

“Mrs Malahide, I should imagine that your long term future depends a lot on staying alive just now. If you want to inherit Jake’s birth right then you had best do as I say…”

Her face slackened, momentarily she looked confused then she rallied and raised her chin in defiance “It’s my right ..” she paused “You can’t imagine what it has been like…”

“I don’t have time to imagine, Mrs Malahide, but you’re carrying another man’s child, you’re a widow and if Malahide knows that fact alone, you won’t be inheriting nothing but enough ground to bury you in. Now, go and do as I told you..”

She had no desire to back down but the logic behind his words struck some sense into her, she stepped away “At the end of this landing, take the first door on the left, down the stairs and out of the door that takes you to the yard. The hay barn is just ahead and ..”

He nodded and began to walk, grabbing her by the elbow as he went and then from Jakes room to hers, he pushed open the door “Good day, Mrs Malahide. Sleep well.”

The hay barn…he mentally nodded to himself and ran down the hallway, through the door, down the stairs three at a time, and then to the other door. Locked of course…

Joe Cartwright watched as Malahide approached, he stopped the horse and leaned forward, his eyes scanned the number of men standing around the yard, then returned to Malahide

“Mr Malahide, sorry to intrude -”

“Is there something you forgot, Mr Cartwright, only if I recall rightly I told you to leave my property.” Buford rocked slightly on his heels, as far as he was concerned he had the upper hand, after all, he had Weaver on his left, and enough men to back them up. The thought made him snort with contempt, back him up for what…one man!

“I forgot to return with my brother…I presume he is still here?” Joe leaned upon the pommel of his saddle, looking nonchalant, feeling slightly nauseous

“Actually, Mr Cartwright, if I recall rightly, I did tell you he had left some time ago, heading to town I believe!”

“Well, there, you see, I don’t quite believe you. Adam was never a one to leave unfinished business – er – undone. It’s quite out of character for him, you see. Stubborn as a mule – “ he grinned although his face was stiff and he thought the skin might crack “If he isn’t here, and he isn’t riding back to town. Then -” he shrugged and straightened up, his hand slowly moving towards his gun, “it only leaves one alternative.”

“Which is?”

“That he’s still here – somewhere!”

Buford stroked his chin, and shrugged “To be honest with you, Mr Cartwright, after you left Mr Weaver here -” he thumbed in Weavers direction “I conducted a search for him in the house. Looked everywhere. Couldn’t find him – in fact, we were about to look around the outbuildings to see if he had hidden away there at all.” he smiled, and looked a charming handsome man “You have to realise, Mr Cartwright, I have a lot to attend to, with my son…” his smile dropped, his lips quivered as though he were fighting severe emotional stress “my son dead – “

“I’m truly sorry for your loss, Mr Malahide, but if your son, and his friends had not taken it into their heads to burn down our cattle station then he would still be alive today. As it is, well, he did bring it upon himself.”

“Hardly words of sympathy, Mr Cartwright.”

“Facts hurt, Mr Malahide, but I am sorry for your loss as I said – no man should lose a son.”

Weaver leaned forward, whispered something to Malahide who nodded, shrugged and stepped closer to Joe, “I have things to attend to , Mr Cartwright. If you wish, you can come into the house and search every room …I really hardly care any more …” he made a sweeping motion with his hand, stepped back, and began to walk towards the house.

Joe looked around, the men had not moved, Weaver had stepped closer to him though and he was mindful of Amos’ warning about not getting to close to the man. But he had come to look for Adam, and Malahide had invited him to do just that, to look for his brother so he walked the horse to the hitching rail and slowly dismounted.

He had his gun in his hand as he turned from the horse, Weaver was close but not close enough yet to do any damage….but he could see from the man’s eyes that was his intention, even though he had no weapon in his hand, the man clearly was more than ready to do Joe some serious harm.

Sometimes when confronting a dog that seems friendly, tail wagging, grin on its face, one look in its eyes tells you all you need to know, that it’s all an act, and if you turn to run, well, it has four legs to your two.

Weaver had that look now, a friendly grin getting tauter by the second, and eyes that told Joe to run, except good sense told him that was the worst thing he could do….he nodded, and stepped back against his horse, “You lead the way, Weaver isn’t it? Then if you don’t mind, Mr Weaver…after you..”

Weavers lips thinned, he lowered his head and was about to lunge forward towards Joe when someone shouted “Fire”.

……………..

The hay barn was dry and musty, dust motes danced in the light that gleamed through the gaps in the boards of the building. An oil lamp hung from a hook by the door, unlit, but Adam took it down, shook it and listened to the oil sloshing about the metal base. He removed the funnel as he walked along past some bales, carefully. Slowly. sprinkling the oil around and then, stepping back towards the door he struck a match, lit the oil soaked lint and watched it flare, before tossing it into the stacked hay.

The effect was luminous. The build up of heat and gases in the barn ignited and practically blew him off his feet. He stepped back and watched as the flames hungrily devoured the dry wooden walls, the hay, the rafters, the roof…and then he ran to the side of the house and yelled “Fire! Fire!” and fired two shots into the air for emphasis.

For a moment no one moved, it was as though the unbelievable had happened and no one knew what to do because no one could actually believe it until a column of smoke could be seen which galvanised the men into action immediately. Weaver had lost his audience. He glared at Joe, hesitated at seeing the gun aimed unwaveringly at him then spun on his heels to join the men in trying to prevent the fire spreading.

Adam had run from the cover of the burning barn to the corral where the horses were milling around, nervous at the smell and sight of fire. He smiled grimly recalling how freeing their horses during the attack on the cattle station had provided some form of distraction, perhaps this was as good a time as any to do the same here. It took but a moment to raise the latch and swing open the gate, and then step back in time for the horses to stampede their way out of the corral and across the yard. Joe saw them coming and mounted into the saddle of his horse immediately, turned its head and made for the trees.

Adam now looked around him for somewhere to hide himself until things had calmed down. He needed a horse, true enough but he was not going to risk life or limb grabbing at any of the crazed animals surging out to freedom. He had seen Joe mount his horse and get out of the way, hopefully heading back to the cattle station. That had given him some measure of relief but he was still caught between a rock and a hard place as the saying goes.

He also knew it would not take Weaver or Malahide long to figure out his involvement in the current state of mayhem, and come looking for him. The dust cloud from the horses and the smoke from the burning barn provided him with enough cover to leave the corral and head for another building, a bunk house where he found a door swinging open. He slipped inside and slowly closed the door behind him.

From the window he could see the men running around forming a bucket chain, Weaver yelling orders, some men attempting to capture and calm the horses. He watched with gun in hand as the barn burned out of control, buckets of water were thrown in such a lack lustre way that there was no hope of stopping the flames. Weaver wisely ordered that some of the water be thrown over the nearest building….the house.

Inside the bunkhouse Adam looked around at the empty room. Like all bunk houses it was long, with beds ranged dormitory style down each side, hanging closets for their clothes, tables and chairs, a solitary book case – everything one expected to see in a room where a number of men shared occupancy for any length of time.

He glanced again out of the window. There was more order now, men seemed to be acting with more sense and less panic, horses were being rounded up, the wall of the house was wet from the doused water and steaming slightly from the heat of the flames from the barn. Malahide was standing in the yard, one look on his face enough to assure Adam that he had made an enemy for life.

Well, there was nothing for it, he had to get out of the building and away from the Malahide property. The door he had entered faced the yard, he looked around him for another entrance but there was none. The only exit was through one of the windows to the rear of the building and hoping against hope that this would be to his advantage, Adam made his way towards it.

His hand touched the frame, just as the door opened and men’s voices were heard, boots scuffed on the floor. He froze, ducked down behind one of the beds …

“Dang, I’ve got a blister the size of a dollar! Dang that fire…”

“Burned my eyebrows off….”

More grumbling, two men, the creak of beds…”I reckon on going to see Murphy, he’ll know what to do. Wrenched my back too…”

“Murphys an old woman…”

“Yeah, maybe so but he knows how to treat burns and such and I ain’t going to suffer none … where’d that fire sprung from anyhows.”

“Weaver reckons it was one of the Cartwright’s what done it.”

“You sure?”

The beds creaked as they got to their feet, the scuff of boots again, the door opened and closed. Adam exhaled a long sigh of relief and got to his feet….

Chapter 61

The window squealed slightly as he opened it further, but above the noise of the chaos raging around the yard Adam doubted very much that it would have been heard. He pushed as far as it would go and then pushed a little more, until finally he was able to see that the gap was adequate for him to pass through.

It took no time at all for him to manoeuvre himself through the window and he landed on his feet on hard packed soil. A quick glance around confirmed that he was alone, unseen. It also confirmed that the distance between him and the trees through which Joe had disappeared earlier, was further than he had anticipated. He looked around and then back to the trees which now appeared to be his only hope of escape.

There was nothing between him. the bunkhouse wall and the trees beyond. He had to rely on timing, on being quick, on remaining unseen in order to gain the safety of some shelter. He drew in a deep breath, never more conscious of the fact he was no longer a young man, that his body ached, and the pain from the blow to his kidneys was causing him to feel not only nauseous but dizzy as well.

Again he drew in his breath and made a lunge for the trees.

…………..

Joe pulled his horse up and looked at the two men who were riding towards him, Roy Cobb and Amos Kline. Both men holding a rifle in their hands, and their faces grim.

“What are you two doing here…Amos, I thought…”

“You thought wrong. And I don’t get that you’re here while you’re brother is still in Malahides hands. “ Amos’ voice grated, and he scowled “I guess I was wrong to cut and run as I did, but I thought -”

“I ain’t gonna just stay put doing nothing while those idiots are out there – “ Cobb waved his rifle wildly in one hand, “All our work burned down, that’s one thing, but men killed…no, I ain’t standing fer that.”

Joe nodded “I think Adam got free, someone set the hay barn alight…got ’em all scattering like hens with a fox in the hen house.”

“Don’t mean he’s any safer than he was before…” Amos replied and looked at Joe thoughtfully,”He probably did it to save your hide.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better, Amos, thank you” Joe snapped between clenched teeth

“Let’s go check out the place…see what we can see.” Roy now said, a hand held up as though an order for the other two to stop bickering, to get down to what was the more important thing.

Joe turned his horse back along the track he had already travelled down. He glanced at Amos and felt irritated, but it had been his intention to get Amos and Roy anyway, and to come back…but in the grand scheme of things, did it really matter?

…………..

By the time Adam had reached the first tree he was barely able to stand . Sweat dripped down his face and his breathing was laboured. He was wondering how he was going to get any further when something snaked around his ankle, jerked and hauled him off his feet. He landed, heavily upon the ground. Had he fallen over his own feet, tripped over a root of the tree? His brain was sluggish, he tried to reason on why he had fallen, why he was feeling so unwell – and then he heard the laughter.

Weaver leaned down, hands on his knees, the handle of a bull whip still in one hand. He looked Adam in the face and grinned, then shook his head

“Pity you didn’t make it, Cartwright, but then you don’t look so well, a bit green I would say…” he put out a hand in order to haul Adam to his feet, but Adam punched it aside, putting all his strength into doing so before he passed out.

When he regained his senses he was tied to a chair, his head was spinning and he felt too weak, or weary, to lift his head up and look around. What ever room or building he was in, smelled damp; it was dark, gloomy, shadows ate into other shadows, he could barely find the strength to open his eyes.

Movement around him. He kept his head down, his chin resting upon his chest, his eyes closed.. It sounded like foot steps, then something being dragged across the floor, then came the smell of human beings close to him, and in a dull kind of way he put names to them – Malahide and Weaver.

He wondered where Joe had got to, had he reached safety? Then his mind trickled to Olivia, he wondered what they would be doing now, Olivia and the children He had lost track of time – was it still Monday? He and Joe should have been on the train homeward bound – he forced his eyes to open and stare into the gloom..

“Mr Cartwright?”

Malahides voice was tinged with that edge of malice, sympathy laced with sarcasm, so Adam raised his head and looked at the him, now seated comfortably on a chair opposite him. Behind Malahide was a darker shadow – Weaver.

“Mr Malahide -” Adam sighed resignedly

“You know,” Buford leaned forward as though to prove his sincerity “ It really was beneath you setting fire to my hay barn – such a waste of time, effort and money.”

Adam sighed, cleared his throat “Well, that’s what we thought when we found our cattle station burning. Thought you would appreciate a little repetition here as you seem so fond of fires …”

“I had hoped that there would be no more of that kind of thing, no need for it. I had hoped that perhaps we could have reached an agreement.”

“About what? You didn’t appear to want to talk agreements when we met earlier..”

“Ah yes…” Malahide tapped his chin with a long forefinger, the ring he wore gleamed dully in the shadows, Adam glanced over at Weaver but the man had not stirred. Perhaps one of his gifts was to imitate a statue for as long as Malahide decreed it so. “Tell me – how did you get out of that room?”

“What?” Adam shook his head as though the question was so irrelevant that it was barely worth answering

“How did you get out of that locked room, and where did you go afterwards…”

“”You need to check out your security, the locks are easy to pick… I got out, relocked the door, found a room and that was it…” he frowned “Why? What does it matter?”

Buford was silent for a moment as though putting that information together with something else, he nodded “What room?”

“If all you are going to do is ask inane questions then perhaps you would have the courtesy of releasing me? Or ask them in more attractive settings,”

“One thing you need to understand, Mr Cartwright – Adam – is that I do not ask inane questions. I ask a question and expect it to be answered honestly and civilly. Is that understood?”

Weaver stepped forward, the bullwhip held between both hands now, and Adam wondered just how effective he was at using it. He looked from Weaver back to Malahide and nodded

“I see. You want to know if I had help getting away, is that it? You don’t trust the grieving widow?”

“Grieving widow?” Buford smiled “She’s no more grieving than I am….” he paused “But you’re right, I like to know whom I can trust, or not.”

“I told you – I picked the lock, relocked the door – heard you all talking with the Doctor I think…” he paused and frowned “I went upstairs and found a room, unlocked the door and went in, collapsed on the bed…” he glanced at Weaver “You trained in China or some other Asian country? “

Weaver opened his mouth as though to speak but Malahide raised a hand so he firmed his mouth and said nothing. Adam bowed his head and stared down at the floor “I just asked ‘cos the beating you gave me – or rather , the way you worked on me is more likely to be Eastern than Western, I daresay you would even know how to administer the death of a thousand cuts!”

Weaver did not speak but his posture changed, like the toad in the story, he inflated himself, he was proud of his abilities to maim and to torture, Adams acknowledgement of that pleased him enough to preen himself. Buford Malahide leaned back in his chair, and observed Adam thoughtfully,

“The truth of the matter is that I never liked Jake. Love ? Huh, there was no love between us. I loved his mother though, more than anyone else on this earth, and Jake – he changed things between us, between Louisa and I. Even the fact that Jake was so like me – made me hate him more because I knew he was waiting for me to die and then he would take this all from me. He thought it was all going to be his….but I made a new will you see, and it’s left for Julia and the baby. My grandchild Oh yes, I know all about it, the good Doctor told me .” he clasped his hands together and folded them neatly in his lap, leaned in closer to Adam, “Families are strange things arn’t they? I suppose yours is quite different – seeing how your little brother came here to see if he could ‘save you’.” he laughed and Adam wondered for a moment if the man were mad. Buford pushed himself up from the chair and looked down at the man tied to the other chair, he nodded “Louisa died shortly after Jake was born, I dislike divided loyalties, knew she would do anything for him, her cub! Looking back perhaps I acted too quickly, perhaps she should have stayed alive to see what a monster Jake grew up to be.” he paused, turned to look back at Adam “Julia didn’t let you out of that room, did she?”

Adam shook his head “I told you already, I picked the lock, relocked the door …”

“Mm, just that – well, I’m not so sure about her, she’s a crafty young woman and -” his voice trickled away and he shook his head, “Anyway that’s none of your business….” he stepped forward but Adams voice stopped him proceeding too far

“Why? Just tell me why you had the cattle station burned down….”

Buford shrugged “Nothing personal, Adam- purely business. You would have been too competitive for me, Ponderosa cattle prices are at a premium, I’d have made losses, had to keep things here as they had been in order to maintain the status quo. You now how it is, being a businessman yourself.”

“But it’s Ponderosa land, its been there for years -”

“But you never used it for all those years, did you? Such a waste – but fact is, now you intend to do so, which I can’t allow….as I said, nothing personal. I’ll leave you with Weaver … you can share your Eastern experiences with him.”

The darkness in the room lightened momentarily as he opened the door and a shaft of light flashed into the room, drifting across the two men still there, one bound to a chair and the other fingering the bull whip with a long movement, like a caress,as he took a step closer to Adam Cartwright

Chapter 62.

Something close by slithered down a wall. Adam raised his head and looked ahead of him as Weaver flexed the bull whip between his fingers. There was the sound of little feet scrabbling across the floor and Weaver grinned as he pulled out the chair Buford had just left and sat down.

“Guess them rats can smell your fear, Cartwright. Probably looking forward to the feast when I leave your body to rot down here.”

Adam raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, shook his head for no other reason that his head was about the only thing that could move at that moment. The ropes were tight, binding him to the chair. He had been flexing and twisting his arms and legs as much as possible to loosen them but to no avail, he was beginning to lose the feeling in his limbs as the ropes bit into the flesh.

“You -” he licked dry lips, heaved in a breath “You were a seaman, weren’t you?”

“Years back along, I prefer to forget about it…” Weaver seemed to relax, the whip resting across his legs, his fingers splayed over his knees. “Ran off to sea to get away from – life “ he shrugged “found out it was no better on board a ship than at home.”

“Merchant ship?”

“Trade with Indo-China ..” he leaned against the back of the chair and stared across at Adam, “Not like you, the Navy provides some rules but on a merchant ship you’re at the mercy of your Captain”

Adam said nothing, after weeks and months at sea rules and regulations were forgotten by some Captains, who ruled over their ships crew like Kings over their own little Kingdom. Like all things in life it was open to abuse, he glanced down at the floor, then back at Weaver “That was where you learned your – your fighting technique?”

Weaver nodded and removed the whip with one hand, lazily flicking it against the floor, the snapping sound made him smile and he grinned over at Adam as though to say “You’re next”

“Ship wreck. Got picked up by Chinese. Yeah, that’s where I learned – a lot.” he shrugged “They tried to break us down, one by one, but they didn’t break me. Instead they taught me everything…” he shrugged again “I was there, you know.”

“Where?” Adam hauled in another breath, his throat was dry, his lips cracking, what was the matter with him? Breathing was getting difficult…vision blurring.

“When you came to the camp – Jiang Pengs camp. His death -” he shook his head “should never have happened, but you caused that, and when his ship blew up looking for you…everyone got scared, like trapped rats they were…they looked upon him as a god. You destroyed their god. The old Empress,she wanted us all killed, white devils she called us. So we got out fast as we could and I met up with Buford in Chicago about a year later.” he snapped the whip again, just inches from Adam’s feet “Yeah, we understood each other, got along fine.”

He stood up now, a tall man, in the shadows he seemed to have grown inches taller….Adam tensed, forced his head to clear, closed his eyes. In any duel no one looked at the weapon, it was the opponents eyes and he knew quite clearly that Weaver was about ready now to unleash that whip on him. The raised arm meant nothing, the eyes said everything.

Only one thing to do as the whip snaked forward and that was to throw himself backwards, hit the wall, hit the floor, hope that the chair would break into pieces and the ropes loosen enough to wriggle free. The lash of the whip bit across his back, painful enough but equally as painful as hitting the ground, the wooden struts of the chair digging into his back as forcefully as they dug into the floor.

Not such a good idea!

But the ropes were looser now, and he could get his arms free, his legs were still entangled in the loops of rope that had bound him, looser yes, but a hindrance to his escape.

The whip was raised again and came down with a crack but it hit the wall as Adam managed, somehow, to move away from the force of the blow. He kicked against the ropes in an attempt to get free of them, he scrabbled with his elbows along the ground to put distance between him and Weaver who was once again poised to bring the whip into play. When it landed Adam had time to raise an arm and shield his face, but he could not hold back from an involuntary growl of pain as the whip slashed through the material of his jacket and shirt and bit into his flesh.

Desperation now, and free at last from the ropes he grabbed at what came to his hand, while at the same time attempting to get to his feet, his back to the wall for leverage. He inched himself upwards, his only weapon the broken leg of the chair clutched in his hand. Blood was warm as it trickled down his arm, slicked his hand and fingers, made his ‘weapon’ difficult to hold onto so he quickly transferred it to his other hand.

The whip came down, Adam raised the wooden chair leg and caught the lash, it curled around the wood, he pulled with all the strength he could muster and Weaver, surprised at seeing his victim fighting back weakened his grip, and as a result had the whip yanked out of his hand.

“Now, that, if you don’t mind my saying so, was a big mistake.” every word was slow, deliberate, cold and for a moment he just stood there looking over at Adam who had now regained his feet and was standing up, unsteady but definitely standing.

Shadows were creeping further into the room. Adam slowly retreated further into a corner where shadows met together and he hoped, he could disappear into them. With the chair leg in his hand he carefully, slowly, uncoiled the whip so that within a moment his hand gripped the handle and the full length of the torturous instrument was free, and under his control. He inched further along, grateful that the light was so poor now, straining his eyes to see his adversary in order to check the man’s next move and to be ready for it.

……………………..

Sheriff Ford looked at the three men standing in his office and shook his head as he looked down at the cable they had handed over to him

“Don’t know what all this is about, last time I saw your son he was at the cattle station….” he tossed it onto the desk “Sorry, you’ve wasted your journey here, gentlemen, I should imagine your sons are on their way back home now.”

Ben Cartwright tossed the words aside as meaningless, which they were “Where is Marshall Howard?”

“Placerville ..court case. Won’t be back for a few more days yet.” Ford smiled and waved to some chairs “Be seated, gentlemen, there’s no need to stand like statues unless of course you would prefer to go to the saloon for something to drink after your wasted journey.”

“If any one of my son’s are in danger, Sheriff, I need you to accompany me to the Malahides ranch and find out exactly what the situation is …”

“Look, Mr Cartwright, I’ve been to the Malahides ranch earlier, there was nothing to tell you about your sons. In fact, you should be showing a mite more compassion for the Malahides, since Jake was killed due to an accident -”

“Accident?”

“An accident at your cattle station – a fire, he was severely injured – your son took him home, very commendably, to his wife and father. Then he left the Malahides to grieve over their loss.” he sighed heavily, flicked at the scrap of paper again as though it was contemptible, “A little more sympathy on your part, Mr Cartwright, instead of slinging accusations…”

Ethan Burns stepped forward “What accident at the cattle station…a fire did you say? Are you investigating the cause of the fire, and the reason why Jake Malahide was so severely injured?”

“Gentlemen, all in good time.” Ford raised his hands in a placating manner, as though to quell any further questions, “The law proceeds at its own speed and -”

“I’m an authorised Deputy, Sheriff Ford, and in my book the Law proceeds as quickly as possible to investigate this kind of occurrence.” Burns moved his jacket to one side to show the badge pinned to his shirt, “before evidence is tampered with, or removed altogether or smothered by a whole barrel load of lies.”

“Young man, may I remind you that this is not your territory, you are out of your jurisdiction and that I am perfectly satisfied with the evidence I have seen – and heard – and if there are any charges of malpractice then it could well be levelled against your son, Mr Cartwright, seeing as he’s alive and Mr Malahides son ain’t”

“Can you guarantee that…” Ben said quietly, “That my son is alive….” he nodded, curt and cold, and turned towards the door

“Don’t you go bothering the Malahides none, Cartwright, or I’ll have you arrested…”

“On what charge?” Ben said and then after a pause “For paying my condolences?”

………….

Amos Kline loosened the gun in its holster and nodded, “Looks like that smoke is a fine screen for anything right now. There’s a side entrance to the house…we’ll take that…”

“Adam may not be there…” Roy Cobb muttered

“Doesn’t matter. We can look in every room to make sure and when we find that he isn’t there, then we’ll go looking elsewhere…but he’s here, I know he is…” Joe stepped out into the clearing between trees and the house “Let’s go, Amos, you take the lead as you know the place.”

……………….

Malahide poured out some malt whiskey into a glass and slowly made his way to the desk that was the centrepiece of the room. He sat down and stared around him, at the walls, at the pictures, at the statues on the furniture and thought of all the money invested in them, in the house, in the ranch. He wasn’t sure why he felt this deep sense of – apathy. Something inside him had been snuffed out.

When did that happen? Was it when Jakes body was taken away like – well – like most dead bodies would be he supposed. Then he frowned, no, his son should have been taken from the house with more dignity than that…a proper coffin on a proper hearse. He raised a trembling hand to his brow.

What was wrong with him? After all these years had there actually been some spark of – love – smouldering within him, and now set alight by grief? Or was it anger? Love was a weakness, he had always believed that, and he knew it for sure when Louisa – couldn’t love him with the passion with which he had loved her. That had been due to Jake, of course it was, nothing to do with him.

A door creaked open and he turned to see the gap widening. Julia Malahide stepped into the room, a shawl around her shoulders, her hair tousled, that still ‘just awakening’ look heavy on her eyes. She rubbed her face with one hand, as though to bring herself to full wakefulness.

“Julia -” Buford rose to his feet, took several steps towards her with his hand outstretched to take her arm and lead her to the settee “Sit down, my dear? Something to drink?”

“No” she shook her head, raised a hand to brush his to one side, looked around the room “Where’s Mr Cartwright?”

“Why do you ask?” he had stepped back to the desk, hand tightening around the glass and his voice iced with frost.

“Well, he was here – wasn’t he? He brought Jake home – to us.”

Buford blinked, paused a moment to sip some whiskey “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, Mr Cartwright brought Jake home, a kindness, don’t you think?” she paused then as she remembered her own words to Adam not so long ago, but she shook her head as thought to chase them away “He could have left Jake there, burning …leaving us with only ashes to grieve over.”

“Grieve?” Buford sat down heavily, the whiskey in his glass slopped over his fingers, “Grieve? Is that what you’re doing? Grieving over my son?”

She looked at him, shrugged “Are you not grieving over your son? I don’t think so, Buford, you could no more care for Jake than you care for me, or anyone else – because – Buford Malahide – you have no heart, you have no room to care, to love – not a bone in your body cares about anyone, except Buford Malahide.” she sighed and turned away, looked out of the window at the view and shook her head, “That’s why you hated Jake, isn’t it? He wasn’t enough like you…although heaven knows he tried his best to be just exactly in your image as he could be…..”

She walked to the door “If you don’t know where Mr Cartwright is….then where’s Weaver? And why all that smoke?”

Chapter 63

Mary Ann Cartwright wiped her eyes, dabbed at her cheeks and shook her head as she looked at her two friends, her sisters in law “I’m afraid to let Joe out of my sight now…all the time I’ve been married to him, things – hiccup – happen, and I never know where he is, whether or not he’s safe…and now this, he can’t even deliver some timber to the cattle station without – without getting into trouble.”

Olivia sighed and clasped her fingers together more tightly, hiding them in the folds of her skirt. She looked at Mary Ann and then at Hester who had leaned forward to stroke the younger woman’s arm gently. She stood up slowly and walked to wards Adams study, her eyes looked around the room and fixed on various points that seemed to epitomise her husbands life…the series of slim books written by Captain Daniel O’Brien that graced the book shelves, the medals in their glass case mounted on the wall, the big leather ‘Captains’ chair by the desk…and she sighed again. Then she shook her head slowly and returned to her chair.

Hester looked over at her anxiously, she knew that Olivia would be suffering every bit as much as Mary Ann but kept it locked up inside her, and Hester wondered at her friends stoicism. Life from the moment we are born, shapes us to the people we become in later life. Olivia’s life had been one of hardship, Mary Ann’s one of indulgence for many years before being plunged into turmoil, a chaos from with which she was still struggling to come to terms.

As for herself, she had lived her life grateful for the blessings, enduring the trials, and making the best of whatever life dealt her. She had found that the easier way to survive the pattern of life here on the Ponderosa. And yet, she of the three wives, had had less anxiety for Hoss had not had to endure the trials and pains of his brothers, and inwardly Hester thanked God for providing her with the man she so loved.

“I mean -” Mary Ann picked up from where she had left off “why did he have to go anyway? Ben didn’t tell us much, did he? Hester, did Hoss say anything to you?”

“No, not really, just that there had been trouble at the cattle station and Nate was sending Ethan Burns to help the sheriff there….” she paused as Cheng came into the room bearing a tray laden with refreshment “Oh thank you, Chen. You always know when we need something to cheer us …”

“I won’t be cheered until Joe comes home.” Mary Ann said in a near whisper and dabbed at her eyes again “I’m going to tie him to the chair and forbid him to move.”

Olivia poured out the coffee into the little cups that had been her mother in laws favourite porcelain from Germany…she handed the cups to each of her sisters in law, and then returned to her chair. She wished that she could tie her husband to a chair, to a bed, anything rather than have him out of her sight. Where was he now? Had he been hurt? She had told the children their father would be home when they returned from school. One day they would stop asking about where he was, or why he was not home when he had promised. One day they would be so used to his being away …

She lowered her head and stared at the murky muddy beverage swirling about in her cup, and then slowly raised it to her lips. She looked at Hester and caught her eye, smiled thinly and resumed drinking the coffee. Adam would never allow himself to be tied to a chair, tied to her apron strings any more than Joe would to Mary Anns. There was such a strong core of duty .. or responsibility in her husbands mind set that it would be unthinkable for him to ignore a problem, turn aside from having to deal with anything that was against his moral code.

Nathaniel ran into the room, he held out his toy wagon, a wheel had disappeared. Only Mommy could repair it so he put the battered little toy in her lap and looked up into her face, big brown eyes and heart shaped mouth, and then he smiled and the dimples creased his cheeks. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head, and wished she was kissing her husbands lips, more than anything she wished she could have been kissing Adam

…………………..

Miss Hathaway listened to Sofia with her head inclined to one side which always made Sofia feel that the adults were really paying attention to what she was saying. It seemed to make sense to the little girl to ask her teacher, her favourite teacher because Miss Hathaway was young and pretty, if she could leave the school premises at lunch time to visit her friend who was very old and very lonely. She explained that Virginia Orawitz had been a pupil at the school and Miss Hathaway nodded sympathetically, which made Sofia feel she had scored a point.

So she stood there in front of Miss Hathaway with her hands clasped together at her waist, her eyes pleading up into the face of the young teacher as she made her request. Miss Hathaway was almost caught by surprise when Sofia came to an end of her monologue and shook herself, as though she had to wake herself up. She looked down at the child and smiled,

“I don’t think it would be wise to go every day, Sofia. Other children may think they have a right to come and go as they please also…that would be quite against the schools rules, you know that, .don’t you?”

“Yes, Miss, but that’s why I came to ask you..”

“I know, and that is good, Sofia.”

She stepped away from the little girl and walked towards the big board where she had earlier written in some math, she picked up a cloth and began to slowly clean the chalk marks away in order to prepare for the next days lessons. “Sofia, sometimes one has to be careful and respect an older persons feelings.”

“But I do…”

“Sometimes it would be better if you stepped away from the situation for a while.” she turned now, her full skirts swirled around her narrow waist, as though they had forgotten to move with her. She looked at Sofia very thoughtfully. “I really think, my dear, it would be best if you stayed at school for the remainder of the week during lunch times. We shall discuss this again another time…”

“Tomorrow?” Sofia said in that hoped for tone of voice that always seemed to have a little break in it, designed to touch the hardest heart of course.

Miss Hathaway sighed, and put the duster on the desk, leaving chalk marks there on the highly polished surface. “I think in a few days….”

“But he might die in a few days time…”

“I doubt it, I think he is a lot stronger than you realise.”

“But -”

“We’ll discuss it another time, Sofia. Now, off you go, your cousins are waiting for you at the wagon….”

Sofia nodded and picked up her books and her lunch pail, and walked slowly to the door, then she paused “Mr Orawitz gave me a beautiful horse. I wanted to ride it to school. He’s so beautiful…”

“I’m sure he is…” she smiled, willing the child to leave the room. Time was ticking away….

Sofia made her way down the stairs and joined Hannah and Rosie at the gate where Ezra was waiting for them. One by one they clambered on board the wagon and slowly made their way through the little crowd of children all making their way to their homes. One by one the little groups broke apart, children ran, skipped or trudged their way to their homes or to the waiting vehicles that would drive them all the way tot heir homestead far from town. A long twice daily trawl.

She waved to Lilith, who waved back a broad smile on her face. Lilith was growing up, she was more settled now at school, she spent more time with the older girls. Ezra guided the wagon round a clutch of noisy boys throwing punches at each other in a good natured way, David Riley and some others of ‘the gang’, Sofia turned her nose up at them, so did Rosie. But even she had to admit that there had been a pleasant change in Davy Riley lately….although it didn’t change how she felt about him of course.

…………

Miss Hathaway tied the ribbon of her bonnet into a neat bow. She was always neat, a very tidy young lady was Miss Hathaway. She brushed chalk dust from her skirts and then buttoned up her jacket, hoping that she would have removed all traces by the time she had left the school environs.

She walked quickly, down along C street, taking the turning at the junction and moving into the street where the once wealthy lived and where the houses had survived the great fire of 75. The house where Mr Orawitz lived looked in need of care and attention and she paused at the gate, her hand resting upon the post, and looked around her .

It was a house reeking with sorrow. She had seen Mr Orawitz walking slowly through town, his head always down, as though his neck no longer had the strength to support it. Miss Hansworth took a deep breath, and like her little student earlier she pushed the gate open and made her way to the door.

…………….

Amos Kline pushed the door open. It had been unlocked and the ease with which the three men had reached the house and was now about to enter it surprised each of them. He looked at Joe and raised his eye brows, and then stepped smartly into the entrance hall. Each one had drawn their gun, tense and ready to use them at any moment.

They slowed their pace as they reached where the inner hallway opened up into a large foyer, to the left were the stairs, doors led to rooms left and right of the them, and ahead of them was the front door.

They were about to step out of the protection of the walls and into the foyer, to search each room if need be when one of the doors was opened with such force it slammed against some furniture and nearly bounced back upon the young woman hurrying out of the room. They could hear Malahide shouting within the room, although the words were lost within a mass of expletives, but she seemed either not to hear them or chose to ignore what was said.

She had her head down, but even so they could see her features set in anger, lips thin, eyes narrowed, brow furrowed. She hurried to another room, throwing open the door and closing it behind her.

Malahide now appeared in the doorway, his hand holding a glass of some alcohol, he scowled, his eyes roving from left to right, right to left, a man who seemed diminished in stature, somehow lost in the storms that had raged around him during the past hours. He yelled some more invective, waved the glass, slopped its contents over his fingers

“He’s drunk..” Amos whispered

“He’ll know where Adam is…” Joe replied quietly and stepped forward, but paused when Malahide stepped into the hall, and screamed the name “Weaver. Weaver….” at the top of his voice and as he turned to head in the direction of one door, the gun in his hand was more than obvious.

“Do we follow him?” Roy Cobb asked as he watched Malahide stride down the hallway, throw his glass against the wall as he passed, sending shattered glass and alcohol to the floor.

“You go – “ Amos said, giving Joe a slight push “I want to see what Mrs Malahide has to say….”

“Perhaps we should split up…” Roy suggested but Joe was already hurrying in the direction of Buford Malahide, his face set in a determined expression that his brothers knew only too well… if Adam was in danger,if he needed help, then Joe would be there to help him, save him, protect him.

After all, how many times in his life time had Adam done just that for him, his little brother…..

Chapter 64

The shadows in the room were creeping further towards the centre adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere and bringing their own terrors as a result. Adam felt sweat trickling down his back, under his arm pits, spiking his hair. The arm upon which he had fallen while bound to the chair felt numb now, and he wondered briefly if he had broken it. Slowly he wound the whip with his other hand, gathering it into a coil. It seemed to him that every time he looked at Weaver the man was another step closer, flexing his fingers the way a musician would as he prepared to perform his masterpiece …Adam had a feeling that Weaver intended his body to be the instrument to perform upon.

He stepped back into the shadows, another step and another until the heel of his boots hit against the far wall. He closed his eyes, forced himself to keep upright, to remain focused even though his head was spinning, and every so often nausea rose like bile in his throat

“You know,” Weaver said in that strangely amicable tone of voice “No one expected you to get out of that Yurt alive, we knew Jiang Peng had his mute there just waiting to break your back at the first sign from his master. When everything went up in flames we still expected you to be dead but…” he shook his head and shrugged “You must have nine lives the way you keep getting in the way of folk and still surviving. They – the Chinese – thought you were the devil that the Empress kept warning them about, especially when their ship blew up.”

Adam said nothing, he could barely open his mouth his lips were so dry. He inched along the wall, eyes on the big man opposite, accepting the fact that Weaver wanted to talk, to waste time, to wear down his enemy. A battle to wear down his enemy mentally….

“We got to hear how you managed to get back to your ship…pretty ingenuous if you ask me…” Weaver frowned, his eyes flicked around the room, around the shadows “But as I said before, things changed for me then, and here I am now…and here you are …”

He lunged forward, so fast that it caught Adam’s breath away, but it was instinctive to use the whip, without taking his eyes from Weavers face his arm moved, the whip snaked out, it curled around Weavers left arm, and then Adam pulled as hard as he could to stop the man’s advance, to stop him from getting any closer

But it was not enough to stop Weaver, his immediate reaction was to grab at the whip with his free hand and pull with all his strength so that the weaker man would either be drawn closer towards him, or release his hold. Adam had no intention of getting any closer to the man, he just let the whip go and watched Weaver grinning with satisfaction as he gathered it back towards him.

A chair rocked as Adam bumped into it, he grabbed at it, pulled it in front of him as a makeshift barrier while he continued to inch his way around the perimeter of the room. Somewhere there was a door, if he could only reach it, without Weaver getting his hands on him. Perspiration dripped into his eyes and he raised his arm to brush it away, and within that moment the whip cracked and struck. The pain as it slashed across his arm galvanised him to action, he hauled up the chair and struck out with it, one arm useless, the other stinging and paining, his head spinning, everything just swinging back and forth, shadows too dark, light flashing too bright….

……………..

Ethan Burns tapped Ben on the arm and nodded over in the direction of the jail house from which they had just walked away. A man stood there, poised to cross the road, hand raised for attention.

“Isn’t he the deputy?” Ethan asked quietly

Hoss nodded, muttered that he recognised him from being in the office. They all three turned and waited for the deputy to join them. He was tall, thin, sparse red hair and straggly beard, but his eyes were brilliant blue and sharp; it would not pay to dismiss him as some kind of local only good enough to sweep the floor with a broom

“Deputy, what can we do for you?” Ben asked after casting his dark eyes over the man, and preparing to give him the benefit of the doubt

“Well, reckon you already done that…seeing as when you tossed that cable down for Ford to read it had my name on it! I got fired soon as you walked back out the door….”

Hoss cleared his throat, apologised while Ben sighed and shook his head “Sorry about that, but he demanded to know why we were there…”

“He’s scared o f his own shadow. Scared stiff of Malahide, been in that man’s pocket long as I can remember. Marshall Howard had him marked, thought him more useful to have around than let him loose….but it only works that way when the Marshalls actually here and got him under control. Aint’ nothing we could do, seeing how Malahide has the Mayor in his corner too.”

Ben nodded “What do you now about my son, Adam?”

The deputy beat his hat against his leg before pulling it on at a rather jaunty angle, he motioned for them to move along, out of sight of any watching eyes from the Sheriffs office. After they had gone some paces he nodded, and leaned against the wall of the barbers shop, folded his arms,

“Well, seems Malahide got your cattle station burned down, but his son got caught in the blaze…”

“That we know” Ben said quietly

“Your son Adam took Jakes body back to his father and wife, yeah, I know you know that too…just that it seems Malahide claims he then left the ranch, headed to town, was going to get the train back to Virginia City. ‘cept ain’t been no sight of him here, nor at the station. Now I reckon he’s still on the Malahide property.”

“That’s where we plan to go anyway..” Hoss muttered, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket

“I’ll come along with you, know a short cut, but can’t guarantee anything…I mean by that…can’t guarantee we’ll get there in time.”

“In time for what?” Ethan asked, scowling as he spoke.

“Time to get there before they kill him, of course” came the blunt reply.

………………..

Malahide paused as he made his way along pass the wide sweeping stairway. Behind him Roy Cobb and Joe stopped, and slunk back into the shadows watching the man carefully. Cobb whispered that they could ‘rush him and get him to tell them where Adam was’ but Joe raised a hand and watched as Malahide seemed to rock on his heels momentarily.

Buford Malahide looked at his hand where a moment ago he had held a glass of whiskey, he looked as though he could not understand where the glass had gone, as though he had already forgotten that seconds earlier he had thrown it at the wall to shatter into pieces and the alcohol dribbling down the wall as a result. Then he looked at the gun in his other hand, bemused, puzzled. He shook his head and then looked around the room, up at the stairs, and then yelled “JAKE!” no answer and in the shadows Joe and Roy looked at one another, raised their eyebrows and shook their heads in puzzlement.

“JAKE!”

Burford strained forward as though trying to snatch some answer in the air but nothing came. Somewhere a clock struck the hour. Joe felt his heart beating faster as he watched the man swaying back and forth. Was he drunk? Was this grief?

“I’m here, son, waiting for you…..”

Malahide raised the hand with the gun to his brow, and for a moment the two men watching wondered if he were about to blow his brains out. Joe stepped forward to prevent him from doing so then paused as Malahide just rubbed the barrel against his temple, and then dropped his hand down by his side.

“JAKE! WHERE THE HECK ARE YA?”

He stood there, swaying slightly, stretched his arms out from his body as though preparing to embrace or welcome his son back, and after a moment had passed he let his arms drop back to his sides and shook his head. “Dang fool, you should never have done it, son, never….should have just left well alone, left it to me to attend to…stead of going off like that. Weaver would..” he stopped, straightened his back, at the mention of the man Weaver, it seemed as though something had clicked in his head, something he had intended to do…perhaps…he strode forward, his steps having some purpose to them now as he made his way to a door at the far end of the corridor.

…………..

The next whip lash cut through to Adams chest, slicing through the material of his shirt and drawing blood along the length of the welt. Weaver chuckled, a deep throaty sound that was both malevolent and humourless

“Heard of death by a thousand cuts, Cartwright – this is my version of it.” and he drew back his arm the whip coiling back like a thick lithe serpent

Adam fought off the weakness, the nausea , in order to gather all his strengths together. He did not have much in his arsenal, but what he had he summoned up now, knowing that in every respect he was defenceless, it was left solely to himself and his own resources, little though they seemed at present.

Before Weaver could draw back his arm to send the whip flailing forward Adam launched himself at the man. Somehow there was enough strength in his legs to spring the distance, and to achieve a full body slam into the man who, caught by surprised and off guard, teetered backwards.

Adam, as well as Joe, had learned a lot about fighting a man bigger and stronger than most. Tangling with Hoss may at times have been serious, may at times have been in fun, but it taught tactics and taught skills. Every man has a weakness, and in close fighting that was something that had to be used to best effect possible.

Physical weakness sometimes sharpens the mental processes, and Adam found himself now coolly detached from the situation. He followed through as Weaver staggered back, he grasped at the whip, at Weavers hand, at the big beefy fingers …and when the whip fell from Weavers hand Adam grabbed it, cast it as far as he could across the room, balled his fist and struck Weaver as hard as he could, a neat uppercut to the jaw.

Weaver recovered but the pain from a broken little finger, and the blow to his jaw wounded his pride, he bellowed rage, snorted anger and swore invective after invective as he hurled himself at what he considered a gnat irritating a lion.

“Stop right there….”

Both Adam and Weaver paused, straightened up and turned to face Buford Malahide who stood at the entrance to the room, gun levelled, eyes blazing in an ashen face. Weaver grinned, nodded

“Come to see me finish him off, Buford.”

Malahide shook his head, and stepped down into the room, he signalled over to Adam to step away from Weaver, while at the same time he drew closer to Weaver, the gun levelled at the big man

“No, I came because I’ve thought this all through, Weaver, I know now…I know who my enemy is, and has been for a long time.”

“You’re not talking sense…”

“Perfect sense. It’s been you all the time, undermining Jake, using people to weaken my position …but I’m not going to fall for that again, Weaver. I’ve a grandson to consider now, and I’m not going to make the mistake with him that I made with Jake.”

“Grandson – are you deluded?”

“Grand-daughter then, who knows…but Jakes child won’t go as unloved as Jake had been..Julia and the child will be well cared for and ..”

“You believe that liar – Julia couldn’t tell you the truth if it were to save her life…she wants to take over, Buford, she wants to control you, your money, everything…you think that child is Jakes…then you should think again …doubt if even she knows who the father is…”

Behind the door with their own guns out of their holsters now, Joe and Roy Cobb listened intently, waiting for the right time to step in and pluck Adam to safety…

Chapter 65

“Now?” Roy Cobb whispered but Joe held up a hand, holding him back although his gun was still in his hand, and his body as tense as that of his companion.

They strained forward to listen, to watch

Adam also watched, his eyes cutting from Weaver to Malahide, waiting to see which of the two men would act first, which of them would come out the victor. He also retreated slowly away from them, knowing that if he remained too close he could suffer the result.

Weaver shook his head now, a noise like a rumble emerged from his throat as he laughed at what Malahide had said, and that what he had suggested amused him even more at the thought that Buford had no idea of the kind of woman Julia Malahide had become.

But Buford was not really listening to Weaver, his thoughts were full of something else, perhaps the hope of a renewed chance to be a caring parent, perhaps to rid himself of someone who had been a millstone around his neck for too long. He drew himself up and squared his shoulders, and straightened his arm, the gun now so close to Weaver that a child could not have missed the target.

At the same time Weaver brought his hands forward, hands that had been used as weapons so long that anyone knowing him kept a healthy distance. He smiled, lips drawing away from yellowed teeth in a snarl “You fool. Buford…I could kill you now and everything and anything you have will be mine. It will be as easy as that -”

He moved so quickly that Adam was caught by surprise, and rolled back into the wall of the room to avoid the two bodies, now seemingly meshed together and moving back and forth in an effort to gain supremacy one over the other. Buford screamed as Weaver aimed a blow beneath the heart, and as he fell, writhing to the floor, he fired his gun.

Joe and Roy Cobb almost fell into the room in their anxiety to reach Adam before any further violence could touch him, Buford rolled and staggered back upon his feet, his hands shaking, but the gun still firm in his grip, while Weaver lunged back, his face a mask of pain and horror as he stared down at his hand where the bullet from Bufords’ gun had removed two fingers, and the blood pumped out. He howled like a dog, drawing his injured hand to his chest and cradling it there in an effort to stem the pain.

Joe reached Adam just as his brother decided enough was enough and gracefully slid down the wall and landed in a heap on the floor, his eyes closed and his breathing so slight and shallow that Joe feared him to be dead.

Both he and Roy swung round, guns at the ready, as the door was thrown wide open but breathed relief when Amos Kline stood in bold relief outlined in the light spilling down from the hallway.

“Amos?” Buford leaned forward on one elbow, and looked with pallid features at the other man, “Amos?”

Perhaps that was the closest he would ever come to asking for help, but Amos understood and stepped into the room and put his arm around the older man’s body, carefully, almost gently lifting him up and getting him back on his feet. Weavers physical assault on Buford had left the man in terrible pain, and he winced as Amos helped him from the room, taking the gun from the shaking hand and leading him out into the light

Weaver howled, reared up like a wounded bear, howling his anger, his pain and launched himself forward to haul Buford away from his rescuer, but this time it was Amos who turned, gun in hand, and fired, not once, but several times, sending Weaver flailing, reeling until he fell heavily to the floor.

Roy Cobb sighed, shook his head and then looked down at Adam, then at Joe “How is he?”

“I don’t know…he doesn’t seem to be breathing….” Joe raised his wet eyes to look at Cobb, “We’re too late.”

……………..

Hal Chandler removed his hat and waved it aloft in order to catch the attention of the Cartwrights and the deputy. He smiled, but without warmth, a mere grimace in fact, as the horsemen pulled up alongside his buggy, then he extended his hand which Ben shook.

“I presume you are heading to the cattle station?”

“Not quite. “ Ben replied his dark eyes looking at the young Doctor “We’re going to the Malahide place. I think my sons may be there …”

“I think you may be right,” Hal replied and glanced at his buggy, “Would you mind if I came along with you. I have a feeling that my services may be required.”

Ben gulped, he was not superstitious but sometimes things happened that always seemed to confirm bad news. “Yes, of course…but we are in a hurry…”

“I know the way,” Hal replied good naturedly, “I’ll follow along and eat your dust, but I’ll get there eventually.”

Ben nodded again and without further preamble turned his horse in the direction of the road leading to the Malahides. Some pedestrians paused and watched as the small cavalcade created a dust cloud through town. Heads got together, bonnets twitched, tongues wagged….Malahides this and that, whatever next?!

………….

Julia Malahide led the way to Jakes room where Joe and Roy carefully placed Adam down on the big bed. Very gently Joe arranged Adam’s arms down by his sides, straightened out his legs and then stepped back away from the bed as though to give the man more air to breathe

“He’ll be alright,” he said with a break in his words, “He’s gone through worse than this before now.”

Julia nodded as she dipped a cloth into the bowl of water, she wrung it out carefully and then went to the bed “Weavers a brute, Buford would never listen to us, we tried to tell him, warn him…” she leaned over the body on the bed and drew in her breath, then carefully wiped the cloth over Adam’s face. Joe brought the little table with the bowl of water closer to the bed, so that she was constantly dipping the cloth in, wringing it out, they watched as the water turned pink, then pinker, then red.

It was Amos who put a hand on Adam’s chest, felt for the heart beat, then put his fingers to the man’s neck where the pulse throbbed, faintly. He nodded “He’s alive anyway….”

Joe blinked, surprised that Amos would say such a thing. Of course Adam was alive…of course he was…why would anyone think anything other than that? He drew closer to the bed and touched Adam’s hand, it was cold. Roy Cobb cleared his throat “I think his arm’s broken…”

“We need a Doctor…” Amos muttered, and he looked at Julia “For Buford as well.”

She nodded now, and looked up at him, “He’s alright, he’s taken his medication….” she paused, “Heart disease.”

“But what Weaver did to him, that won’t have helped any…best I go and check on him..” and with a nod of the head Amos turned and left the room

The man on the bed was unaware of where he was now, he had drifted back, back to a time when a memory was plucked out as though at random and into that other world Adam gently slipped back, slipped back, sliding, slipping and watched himself …

“Somewhere music drifted beautifully into the still quietness of the evening. Standing at the taffrail on the upper deck Adam leaned forward and placed his hands upon the solid oak, and listened to the flautist as the music lifted and soared from below decks. He recognised it as a piece by Handel, the flute sonata in G Major, opus 1-5. He bowed his head in order to allow the music to seep into his very being, it seemed as though the piece of baroque music had been designed to meld together every man living and breathing who heard it. He remembered reading how Beethoven had announced that “Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would bare my head and kneel at his grave.” * It was Adam’s opinion now as he listened to the music that had Beethoven been standing in his place he would have bowed his head and wept in homage.

“There were no birds in the skies overhead, only the fewest of clouds and the sky still blue despite the hour. There was a fresh breeze, just right for filling the few sails they had unreefed, and now he looked above him to watch as the puffed out sails brought to life the dignity of the ship. A light smile touched his lips He could smell the wood too, even above the smell of salt water and ozone he could still smell the newness in her, the wood, the resin and unconsciously he ran his hand across the smooth wood of the taffrail, and then began to tap his hand in time to the music. He turned slightly and viewed the lower decks, a few men stood about, some leaning against the taffrail and listening in thoughtful meditation to the music, two men stood close together smoking their pipes, talking in low tones, an Officer paced the deck, it was obviously his watch, and the two men saluted him as he passed. Adam watched as the officer paused, said something and one of the men laughed, pleasantly, relaxed. The officer then paced on, glanced at the bridge and saw Adam, saluted and smiled.

“He turned away now, looking down at the waters as the ship sliced through the waves, the soft slopping sounds against the ships hull, the creak of the masts as they bent gently against the force of the wind in the sails, all added their own special melody to the music being wrought so well from the flautists fingers.

“He walked away from the taffrail now and walked behind the helmsman who murmured, ’All’s well, Captain.’ in a soft voice, perhaps not wanting to disturb the harmony of spirit that pervaded them all at that moment.”

He sighed now, his eyes flickered and the younger man leaning close to him gripped his hand more tightly “Adam, Adam – it’s me, it’s Joe”

Adam heard the voice as it trickled into his memory, Joe…little brother Joe…what was he doing here? He tried to open his eyes but it was too difficult, but his lips parted slowly and he whispered

“All’s well’

Chapter 66

The four horsemen slowed their horses to a walk as they approached the Malahide property and looked around them in bemusement wondering about the coils of smoke that were drifting skywards from various buildings. Men were still active in pulling away the burning materials from the still untouched areas, and though they paused momentarily to look over at them no one challenged them to stop or attempted to halt their progress.

“Looks like a war broke out here….” Hoss muttered

“I thought it was our cattle station that had been razed to the ground, perhaps the information was wrong….” Ben suggested and darted a look at the deputy who shook his head,

“It was not wrong, Mr Cartwright, I reckon from what I was told your property looks a dang sight worse than these…”

“Shucks, that don’t actually make me want to break out in song….” Hoss scowled and glanced around him, “Still, don’t look like anyone’s going to stop us getting to see Malahide, does it?”

“That’s unusual,” the deputy replied, “Either Malahide or his foreman Weaver, would be out by now to find out who we are …”

“They are grieving,” Ethan interrupted quickly “Perhaps they’re still inside …”

They stopped the horses and slowly dismounted, each one of them glancing over their shoulders to ensure that there was no one about to come and prevent them going any further with shot guns at the ready. The sound of the Doctors vehicle came to their ears, and they turned in time to see Hal bringing the buggy to a halt and nodding over at them as though assuring them of his arrival.

In the bedroom designated to Adam, Joe frowned and looked over at Amos “Who else is out there?”

“Horsemen -” Amos said and walked over to the window “Four horsemen, can’t see who, they’re at the door ..but the Doctors just got out of the buggy.”

“The Doctor?” Joe stood up, closed his eyes as though thanking God for an answer to his prayer, “By all that’s wonderful….”

“I’ll go and see who it is….”

But by the time Amos had reached the bottom of the stairs Julia Malahide was already opening the door and staring at the men mounting the steps to the verandah, her eyes swept over two strangers, ignored them, settled on the deputy whom she recognised, lingered over Ethan another stranger but very likeable and then the Doctor, to whom she reached out a hand, gestured to him to hurry up

“Hal, thank goodness you came…how did you know we needed you…thank goodness.”

“Is it Buford? Is he alright?”

“Madam, if I may -” Ben stepped forward in an attempt to get her attention but she grabbed now at Hal’s arm

“Bufords been injured, but I gave him his medication and a sedative, he seems comfortable enough just now, but we have an injured man -”

“MADAM -”

She paused and looked at him, eyes wide, anger flashed across her face “Who – do – you -think – you – are – Mister….”

“Ben Cartwright and -”

Her face immediately changed, it lost colour and then the blush suffused her face and she released Hal’s hand to grab at Ben’s

“Mr Cartwright….I can’t believe it….I’m so sorry, I was so rude…come on in, please, hurry, please hurry.”

“My son -”

“Adam and Joe are both upstairs, Hal, Adam Cartwright needs some attention, he’s hurt…and I don’t know how to help him….” she stepped aside as Ben brushed past her, followed by Hoss, but Hal was not far behind either man his medical bag slapping at his thigh as he took two steps at a time in order to catch up.

Now she turned to the deputies…drew in her breath and nodded “You had best come with me…there’s a dead body …” she glanced at Ethan “Are you the new Sheriff? We sure need one here…”

Ethan had already removed his hat, and shook his head “No, Ma’am, I’m a deputy from Virginia City -”

“Oh!” she nodded and sighed, then looked at the deputy with whom she was more familiar “Marshall Howard hasn’t returned yet, has he?”

“No, Ma’am, best you show us the – er – body.”

“You’ll recognise him -” she sighed as she pushed open the door “It’s Weaver.”

“Dead?”

She nodded with an expression on her face that Ethan could only describe as relief before she turned to one side and left them to do their duty.

……………

“Pa!” Joe bounced back onto his feet as Ben entered the room, followed closely by Hoss, behind whom Amos hovered. It seemed as though the room had shrunk with the number of people in the room so Amos excused himself, stepped back and got in a muddle by the door with Hal, who took Amos’ place and almost pushed Ben aside in order to reach his patient first.

“Pa – how come you’re here?”

“A friendly law man sent us a telegram -” Ben muttered, and pushed his youngest aside, gently but firmly “How is he? What happened? Has he been shot?”

“No…” Joe shook Hoss’ hand which had sneaked an appearance behind Ben’s back

“Then what’s happened? Are you alright? You don’t look alright -” Ben glared down at Joe now even as he slowly advanced to the bedside and his eyes swivelled to take in the body of his eldest son.

Hal was obscuring Ben’s view and it was all that the older man could do to rein in his impatience and pull the man to one side so that he could see for himself that Adam was alive and even though unwell, was strong, healthy, would bounce back as he had done countless times before. He finally managed to move Joe to one side and got closer to the bed, leaned down and stared at Adam’s face, at the prone body, a glimpse of a flutter of eyelids before Hal stood up, stethoscope poised and looked at them

“I would prefer it if you would all three leave the room….I can’t carry out a proper examination with you breathing down my neck and expecting me to give you a blow by blow account of what is wrong… go and find yourselves somewhere to have a drink, calm yourselves down, and wait until I find you.”

All three opened their mouths and quickly closed them again….was this really Hal Chandler whom they only recalled as a whimpering wreck of a man from some months earlier when his wife had been found murdered? Ben opened his mouth to protest, then nodded and in silence ushered his two sons out of the room. All three cast anxious looks back into the room but now all they could see was Hal bending over Adam and Adam’s booted feet on the bed facing them.

………………

The Deputy who had cabled Nate requesting help with the situation never in all his life expected to find Weaver dead, not like this, sprawled out in his own blood. He looked at Ethan and then looked away “Not a pretty sight is it?” he muttered and then vomited, wiped his mouth and heaved again “Sorry, not seen a dead corpse before.” he paused and glanced back at Weaver “Never expected to see him like this… you seen many dead ‘uns, deputy?”

Ethan nodded, he turned Weaver onto his back and checked the bullet entries, then compared them with the wounds in his back, he nodded again “Bullets went clear through. He was probably dead before he hit the ground.”

“Them his fingers….”

“I reckon so seeing how two are missing from his left hand…”

“Shucks…”

Ethan stood up and looked around the room “Seems like there was quite a fight here, that chair – “

“It’s broke”

“Mmm, rope around it, seems someone was tied to it, must have either been knocked over or voluntarily went over to free himself…blood here too …” he sucked in his breath then looked at the deputy who was still staring down at Weaver’s contorted features “How long you been a deputy?”

“Six months.”

“Did you know this man?”

“Yeah, regrettably.”

“Why regrettably?”

“Because he wasn’t the kind of man a decent person wanted to know. He was – evil.”

“But he was Malahide’s foreman….”

“Tells you something about the Malahides then, doesn’t it?”

They looked at one another blankly and both sighed, nodded and were silent for a moment. Then Ethan suggested they went upstairs, found the lady and got as much information as they could from her.

The deputy was only too happy to oblige.

……………….

Sofia and Reuben stood side by side in front of Olivia, listened patiently as she explained that there had been problems at the cattle station which had delayed their father’s return home. Reuben scowled, lowered his head and heaved a sigh “But I was looking forward to seeing Pa …he said he would be home today.”

“I know. I’m disappointed too, you know.” she put out a hand and brushed away the lock of hair that had fallen over his brow, “But time and unforeseen occurrences, Reuben… Pa wasn’t to know that some bad men would burn down the cattle station.”

Sofia frowned now, and shook her head while her fingers twisted at the ribbons of her skirt “Does that mean that daddy has been hurt?”

Olivia shook her head, forced a smile because she dreaded that question, after all it was one she had asked herself continuously since she had heard of the trouble…was Adam safe, was he hurt, was he alright. How could she in all honestly answer a question to which she did not know the answer,

“I’m sure Pa’s quite safe…” she smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes this time and both her children noticed that, looked at one another

“But you know Pa will want to find out who burned down the station…” Reuben said, his hand reaching out to place upon her arm

“They know who did it…” she replied, stepping back and clearing her throat, “Now then, get your hands washed and prepare yourself for supper. Hurry now….”

“Is Uncle Joe home?” Sofia asked her blue eyes raised to look into her mother’s face

“No, he is still there with Pa.” Olivia answered, “But he’s alright too….”

“Are you sure?” Sofia asked, her voice becoming a slight whine, as though doubtful now about just how safe anyone was knowing that Uncle Joe was still there.

“Sofia, I don’t know. I’m not there, I’m here. I can’t tell you what I don’t know, can I?’

“Then you don’t know if Pa is safe, do you?” Reuben said in a suddenly too masculine tone of voice that made Olivia shiver.

She drew in her breath, and clasped her hands together, of course she didn’t know, how could she? How could she reassure her children if she didn’t know herself. She drew in her breath again, deeper, held it, exhaled…”Grandpa will let us know if anything has happened to either Pa or Uncle Joe. He and Uncle Hoss are there now -”

“But,” Sofia blinked fast, eyes moist “Uncle Joe is always in trouble, that’s why Daddy went with him this time, to keep him safe and now…”

“Sofia,” Olivia leaned forward, so that her face was much closer to her daughters “I shall go with you into town tomorrow and send a cable to Daddy, first thing, and then we will know for sure he is alright.”

She hurried away, she didn’t want to hear another word from them both, it had been bad enough with Mary Ann twittering away about Joe, and now – now she was a bundle of nerves. Nathaniel looked up from his toys, watched her go and then got to his feet. He ran over to his siblings, reached out and took hold of Sofia by the hand and looked up at her. He had heard enough of the talk between the three women to understand they were worried, scared even…and that had left a little worm of misery in his tummy ever since.

He blinked moist eyes and for once Sofia did not shrug him away, but squeezed his hand in her own looked down at him and nodded, she understood how he felt only too well. Quietly they made their way to the wash room, each one of them resolved to spare Olivia’s feelings and not cause her more worry, because it was bad enough worrying about their Pa without adding to Olivia’s problems.

Reuben thought about Adam as he washed his hands and dried them on the towel, he thought of how his Pa helped him with the chores, with home work, played games, read to him. He remembered the way they would groom the horses back to back while all the time exchanging news of the day, just like friends would, just like, Pa had told him, he and his brothers had done over the years.

Sofia carefully dried Nathaniels hands on a towel and then told him to go and sit down at the table and for once her little brother did as he was told, no argument. She looked at the mirror on the wall and thought of the number of times she would stand and watch her Daddy shaving, sometimes she would stand close by with a towel for him to wipe away the soap and he would laugh at her, dab shaving soap on her nose..and then he would use that awful razor to slowly remove the soap and the bristles, and smile at her through his reflection in the mirror. She loved those moments. Oh she loved her Daddy soooo much.

Chapter 67

Buford Malahide sat slumped in his chair by the big desk, crumpled over, his face buried in his hands. His brain ticked over the same question “What has happened? What has happened?” as though it were on a mission to find an answer and was roving endlessly back and forth over zillions of words, sentences, phrases that explained nothing.

The anger and the hate were gone. Just gone. Just like that…seeped out of his very being like water leaking through a sieve. He could not understand it, all the years where he stood tall, trampled over anyone in his way, used Weaver to intimidate even kill those he considered his opponents, rivals, whatever – anyone who seemed to stand in his way really. That included Jake too…

He shivered, it trickled and quivered down his spine…Jake was gone. Weaver was gone.

What has happened? How did it happen?

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his fingers, rubbed his temples and then looked up and around the room. Weaver was gone…and for that he was truly grateful. He saw clearly now that the pain Weaver inflicted upon others – not always at his order – was really just a means to an end, he did not enjoy seeing the pain others felt, but it somehow strengthened his hate, his loathing. It was like taking some medication that was disgusting to taste, but necessary to keep him functioning.

But that was gone now and there was no more hate, no more anger.

Jake …his son! Had that wretched burned mass of human flesh really been his son? His Jake? He frowned – he had not thought that way about his son in years, not in years. He tried to remember the last time he had felt any affection for him, had hugged him close, laughed, played, teased and just enjoyed knowing he had a son. When had he stopped caring about Jake….hating him in fact, his own son?

Weaver distorted things, he twisted the truth and manipulated people so that what they thought was true to themselves were really Weavers thoughts, Weavers words. How long had he done that ? Oh so long that Buford had more or less given up thinking for himself. But he hated Weaver for it. Hated him.

And now he realised he hated himself too, this shell of a man who had once been a decent human being, who had allowed another to warp him into being the outward representation of him, of Weaver.

And there was Julia to think of now, and the baby. Weaver said it was not Jake’s, he had whispered lies, as ever, but Buford knew that who ever had fathered the child, would carry the Malahide name,would inherit everything Buford possessed.

It was atonement. A chance at redemption.

A door opened and closed but Buford did not move, he stayed where he was, head slumped down and chin resting on his chest, hands now resting on his knees and his legs pumping up and down, up and down with a restlessness that was now coursing through his body. He thought that was how a man should feel when evil has ebbed away – restless.

Amos Kline came quietly into the room and pulled out a chair, then brought it so that when he sat down he would be facing Malahide. Two men, fathers who had lost their sons …

……………….

Julia had led Ben, Joe and Hoss into a pleasant room lined with books. It was small, well furnished with comfortable sofa’s. She had rung a bell some while ago and now the door opened to admit a young woman with a tray of refreshments, behind her another woman with another tray of edibles. They quietly set everything down on the tables and left the room, the door closed quietly behind them.

Ben stood up, glanced at his sons and shook his head, then began to pace the floor. Joe and Hoss could see that their father was struggling to understand what was going on, what exactly had happened. He comprehended that Adam was hurt, injured but why? How? And where did Joe come into all this…what was his part in it all.

Julia looked at each man in turn and suggested that Ben sit down and have something to drink, and if he had anything to say, then he could say it, but first sit, have a drink, relax and think about what he actually wanted to ask.

Ben sat down, looked at her and then shook his head, he was about to speak when there was a knock on the door and Ethan stepped into the room. Ben had half risen in anticipation of it being the Doctor but upon seeing Ethan he sat down again, his lips thin, eyes dark and hooded as though he didn’t want anyone to see what he was thinking.

“The Deputy has gone back to town. He took the man- Weaver – with him.” he turned his hat round and round between his fingers and once again looked from one to the other of them “I -er – don’t think we can rely on Sheriff Ford to investigate the matter impartially, or efficiently. The Deputy seem to think -”

“He thinks what the whole town knows,” Julia said quietly, but her voice clear and concise, “Ford is in the pay of Buford Malahide, sometimes Jake as well…he will only say and do what Buford tells him.”

“And what exactly will Malahide tell him, Madam.” Ben said through gritted teeth, his black eyes glinting from the intensity of his feelings, “That Weaver died by accident, suicide – that he was in the process of murdering my son when he had an accident …”

“Pa.” Hoss raised a hand, an attempt to placate his father, noting the rapid rise and fall of Ben’s chest, recognising it as a sign of his anger and anxiety, and perhaps fear.

Ethan nodded “It would be a good idea, Mr Cartwright, if you did as the lady suggested and have time to think rationally, and calm down.”

“Calm down, when my son -”

“I understand , Mr Cartwright. But you are doing him no good working yourself into a – “ he paused and frowned “Well, it would do us all good if we could keep calm just now.” he turned now to Joe “Joe, it might be a good idea to use this time to write down your statement of events. While it’s clear in your mind…” he nodded towards a corner of a room “There’s a desk there, perhaps you could write it down there.”

Joe looked at Hoss, at his father and nodded agreement, he picked up a cup of coffee as he passed the table and took himself off to the desk, found paper and pen and ink, and sat down. He frowned

“Fact is, it all seems a muddle now…”

“Writing it down will help..” Ethan said, he looked at Julia, “Perhaps, Mrs Malahide, you could do likewise.”

“Am I under suspicion,” she raised her eyebrows and shrugged “I did nothing wrong, except try to help Adam Cartwright to escape.”

“That’s all well and good, Ma’am, it would help if you could write down what you know of events leading up to why Mr Adam Cartwright needed your help….and any involvement you had in the matter of the cattle station burning down”

“Is this really necessary, Deputy?” she said as she stood up, nearly knocking over the table with the tray on it

“I think so…it will help you get things in order in your mind, and then later when we go through it with you you can add anything that may have been left out…..it will also calm everyone else down.” and he glanced at Ben who was glaring at the coffee pot as though he expected it to explode.

Ethan nodded, sighed and looked at Hoss who nodded back with a slight smile on his face but not in his eyes. “I’ll go and see what Mr Buford has to say…and Mr Kline.”

They watched him go, the door closed behind him, Ben sighed and poured himself some coffee, and looked at Hoss with a raised eyebrow “Efficient isn’t he?”

………………………………

Hal had stripped Adam from his clothing and examined his body for wounds, breakages, damage done. He noted old scars, but concentrated on the lacerations where the whip had torn through the flesh, he noted the broken arm, bruised and bloodied knuckles, bruised shoulders, a darkening bruise on his thigh…and then he carefully and gently washed the body, cleaned it and began to repair the damage as best he could.

Once or twice the man on the bed heaved in a deep breath as though he needed to fill his lungs, because it could be the last time he did so. His heart beat was slow, sluggish, then suddenly it would burst into life and race away as though he were performing a marathon sprint. Perspiration trickled into the pillows, into the bedding, collected in a pool at his throat.

“Don’t die on me, Adam, please don’t die on me…”

His patient exhaled and slipped further down the route of memories, dreams, nightmares…but then, for Adam Cartwright there was often little difference between memory and nightmare, they often merged because at times that had been what life had been like.

He saw himself in the black garb of a Bedouin Arab, the djubbeh catching the wind and the dark keffiyeh upon his head, held in place by the horsehair taggoyyah. Only his eyes could be seen as his lower face was covered by the black cloth of the keffiyeh. Behind him stood a camel, behind the camel could be seen pyramids. It seemed the man, himself, was listening intently to what another man was saying, a little man wearing European clothing, gesturing wildly, arms whirling like a windmill. He leaned in closer and shook his head, and the little Egyptian turned away from him to be replaced by a familiar face “O’Brien – you here?”

“All present and correct, Commodore.” Daniel laughed, soft in his voice, he raised his eyebrows and shrugged and looked around as though he were in a room now “Adam, you don’t look good in a dress.”

…………..

Olivia Cartwright sat in front of a mirror and brushed her hair. Slowly, slowly, too tired to go any faster, languid, lethargic. She felt wrung out with worry, knowing that her children shared her anxiety only added to her misery. She bowed her head and wiped away a tear with one hand, while she set the brush down on the dressing table.

“Oh Adam – “ it was involuntary, she hadn’t meant it to burst out of her mouth like that but the feeling was too strong. It overwhelmed her, and she promptly burst into tears.

It was just too hard to be stoic for everyone, to be cool and calm when everyone else was falling to pieces, to provide wise words that now seemed like so much gibberish to her, and she wanted to cry and cry until all the pain, worry and anxiety were gone…when she was emptied of it then perhaps she could lie and pretend to her children that everything would be alright. Pa would be home soon, well, she had already told them that, she had just not been prepared to see the blank look of disbelief on their faces…she had not fooled them … she had not convinced them that Adam was safe and well. How could she? She didn’t know if he was …

………….

Mr Orawitz turned down the flame of his lamp and settled himself back into his bed. He drew the sheets up to cover his thin chest while he thought over the events of the day. He had long forgotten the last time he had visitors to his home…two visitors to think about now.

He had been touched to the heart by the child, and the gift of the cake which he had enjoyed. Her chatter had been innocent and kind, unusual for one so young he thought.

The other visitor, Miss Hathaway – Margaret – puzzled him as he could not really understand why she had come to see him. She had talked about his garden most of the time she had been there, told him how her father had been Head Gardener to some wealthy family in England, and had loved flowers and taught her to love them also.

He thought back to how he had taken her to the garden, and how they had walked around and she had pointed out various flowers, plants, and named them too. Momentarily he had even felt as though his beloved wife was there and he was walking beside her inside of this young woman with her eager eyes and enthusiastic but kindly chatter.

By the time she had gone he was exhausted. He had actually fallen asleep on the chaise lounge in the library. As he closed his eyes her remembered she had told him that she was Sofia Cartwrights teacher and the little girl had told her about him, Mr Orawitz, who had given her a horse.

He sighed, that had been wrong, he had sold her father the horse and had been paid a fair price for it. He should have told her that, he had left her believing a lie…oh dear, something else to worry about now.

He thought of them both, and realised that for the first time in a very long time, he felt content, even if he did have things to worry about…they were small compared to the worries of others, he knew that, he knew that only too well.

Chapter 68

The knocking on the door was just loud enough to trickle up the stairs to where Olivia was brushing her hair, urgent enough to demand a response. She paused a moment her hand still holding the brush, and then when the knock was repeated she set it down and quickly pulled on her dressing gown and left the room, tying the belt modestly around her waist.

Chen Ho li had been disturbed by the knocking and was opening the door just as she was crossing the foyer, both of them stood to see Ezra framed by the big doorway to the house, hat in one hand and an envelope in the other.

“Sorry for disturbin’ you, Miz Cartwright but Eddie reckoned on this being urgent. Good thing I was still in town, jest about to git on my hoss to come home when he saw me…” he paused “I don’t reckon he was expecting you to give him an answer tonight.”

Olivia took the envelope, thanked the old man and then turned to Chen to thank him and apologising for his sleep being disturbed. Ezra and Chen exchanged a brief look, nodded at one another and then Ezra walked away to his bed in the bunk house, while Chen closed the door and pushed back the bolt. He followed her into the big room, the envelope still in her hand, and her face blank of expression, her eyes fixed on the little square of paper that she was holding between her fingers. He knew that look, had seen it before and without a word went to the kitchen to prepare her something to drink.

Olivia was unaware of his going, all she could concentrate on was that wretched envelope which she knew she would have to open, would have to look at the words, would have to somehow deal with what they said because she was sure in her own mind that they would bear no good news, nothing that would cause her any feeling of relief or pleasure. She shivered, a tremor passing across her shoulders and down her back

“What is it, Mom?”

Reuben’s voice drifted towards her and she looked over at him as he stood on the stairs, his hazel eyes blinking as though he had just been aroused from sleep and needed to know the reason why.

“It’s alright, Reuben – go back to bed.” she said as she turned her attention back to the envelope.

“Mom, I’m not a kid any more – you can tell me.”

Any other time she would have laughed, her little boy trying to reassure her that he was a big boy now, that he was the man of the house, not a kid any more….and how old was he? Ten? Eleven?

“Ezra bought a cable.”

“What does it say?” he came down the last two steps and walked over to her, stood by her side and looked at the scrap of paper in her hand “Arn’t you going to open it?”

“I – “ she paused and looked at him, nodded and “Yes, of course.” and her voice was very low so that he could hardly hear her but still she just stood there

“Well, go on, Mom, open it.”

She nodded like some wooden puppet whose head was controlled by a piece of string. Her fingers ripped open the envelope and she stared at the words … stared at them … she could hear Reuben’s breathing, he was breathing faster, as though he could barely retain the air in his lungs and she looked at him “It’s alright, Reuben…”

He looked at her and shook his head, blinked rapidly “But, Mom, it says you have to get to Carson City soon as you can, Pa’s hurt, he needs you there.”

“Yes.” she nodded, because that was what the words said, signed by someone she did not know who was claiming to be a deputy in the town. She slowly sat down, Reuben by her side, his hand on her arm. “I knew it was bad news….” she whispered.,

“We can go first thing, Ma. First thing in the morning….”

The chink of china ware, the rattle of cutlery and suddenly a tray was on the small table and Chen was making something for her to drink, he must have heard Reuben as a mug of hot milk was there too. She looked up at him and smiled briefly, one of those smiles that mean nothing , but signifies everything. He nodded

“You need to sleep, best to do so – too much to do in the morning and harder to do if you are tired.”

She looked again at the cable, at the words “I need to let Mary Ann and Hester know…”

Chen nodded, a slight bow, that would be no problem, for all he knew they may have received little envelopes as well. He frowned “Only Mr Adam -” he paused, wondering how else he could frame the words but she understood and nodded

“Yes, there’s no mention of Joe, or Hoss or Ben…. “ she put a hand to her face, felt her cheeks damp although she had not been aware of tears. Reuben sighed, and placed a hand on her arm, he understood, he felt like crying himself, but he knew that this was not the time to indulge in such because if he did the floodgates would open, and he had never known his mother to give way to tears openly and was unsure how to handle it if she were to do so now.

“It’ll be alright, Ma. I’ll come with you…I can help.”

She looked at him then, as though coming out of a dream, her face returning to its usual calm, her stoic exterior, she shook her head “No, Reuben, it’s better for you to just carry on as usual, you have school in the morning.”

“But, Ma, you can’t go on your own…”

She smiled, touched his face gently with her hand, cold to his warm flesh, and he shivered, “Thank you, Reuben, but it would be better for you to go to school, look after Sofia…” she paused, frowned “Drink you milk and go to bed, try to get some sleep.”

“But -”

“No buts, Reuben, I need to know you are all safe here, at school, it’s easier for me…” she picked up her cup, felt the warmth of the hot drink touch her skin, “Thank you…” she turned to Chen and thanked him, and the envelope with the little cable slipped from her skirts onto the floor, unheeded although not forgotten.

…………….

Ethan Burns entered the room where the two men sat facing each other and momentarily paused, Amos stood up and nodded over to him, then looked at Byford, before looking at Ethan again

“Anything I can do?”

Ethan frowned, looked at Amos “Remind me again who you are exactly?”

Amos allowed a slow smile pass over his lips, then shrugged and resumed his seat, “Well, depends which suits you better…I’ve been working on the cattle station for the Cartwright, master carpenter by trade, my son – my son was killed by Jake Malahide on some stupid prank that was the fore runner of the attack on the cattle station…and I was, some years back, a good friend of this man….” he looked with some contempt at Buford who remained slumped in the chair “until it became impossible to be a friend of his any more.”

Ethan nodded, and pulled out a chair “I’ve got everyone writing out statements of what happened….could you do that for me too? Just write down what you know, what you can recall happening…facts rather than assumptions… anything that would be helpful to enquiries when this matter gets to court.”

Amos shrugged “Reckon it’ll get that far, with Sheriff Ford in charge?”

“Forget about Sheriff Ford, he won’t be in charge for much longer, but it helps to have coherent witness statements, and the closer to the incidents that occurred the more accurate they will be.”

“And you reckon justice will take place…”

“I think so….”

Another shrug of the shoulders but Amos nodded, and looked over at Byford “I don’t think you’ll get much out of him. I think reality is sinking in, and he’s sinking along with it….”

“Dr Chandler said he was ill – a heart condition -”

“Is that what it’s called? Ironic for a man people don’t consider as having a heart. But now that Weaver’s gone – “

“Weaver – tell me about him?”

“Do you want me to write that down too?”

“No, just tell me what you know about him.”

Amos leaned back in his chair and frowned, shook his head, “As evil a man as you can imagine a man to be…to be fair, in Buford’ favour, he was manipulated by Weaver”

Ethan leaned back into the chair and looked at Buford who had heaved a sigh but remained silent and still, looking like a man who had lost his very being and had no idea had to regain it

“You were the one shot Weaver -” he said quietly, aiming the question at Amos but with his eyes still on Buford

“Yes, he would have killed Buford had I not done so….then he would have finished off Adam Cartwright.”

“With the whip…” Ethan now looked at Amos and raised his eyebrows, for an instant Amos saw a resemblance to someone but could not think who it could have been.

“He didn’t need a whip, he used his hands, he could -” he shook his head “they were his primary weapons, you just had to make sure you never got too close -”

Buford Malahide raised his head at this point and looked at the two men seated opposite to him, he saw the badge on Ethan’s jacket, then drew in a deep breath, like a sigh before he turned to Amos

“Amos – I’m dying – Weaver – “ the veins at his temples throbbed, those at his throat became swollen and purple like twisted skeins of rope beneath the skin and he began to gasp, his mouth opening and closing in the way a fish taken out of water would struggle to breathe, his eyes glazed and he clutched convulsively at the arms of the chair “I’m dying, Amos -”

……………

Hal Chandler stood back from the bedside of the injured man and once again felt for the pulse, while staring thoughtfully at the still features of Adams’ face. The breathing was so shallow that it was not possible to hear or see the rise and fall of his chest, and Hal leaned closer, fearing that life had already departed and he had not noticed.

“Adam? Adam – can you hear me?”

No answer. Hal stepped back letting Adams arm drop to his side, but even then he could not leave the bedside, not even when there was a sharp knock on the door, and it creaked open.

“How is he?” Ben’s voice, deep, concerned with a slight tremble in the words.

Hal glanced over his shoulder at the older man and nodded, but he still did not leave the bedside so Ben walked quickly over to join him, then looked down at his son, lowered his head and closed his eyes, while one hand covered his face as though he could not bear to look upon him,

“I’m puzzled, Mr Cartwright, I can’t see why he is not responding to the medication I’ve given him. I’ve done everything I could – “ he paused, shook his head “There’s something, something I’m missing.”

“Whatever it is -” Ben stopped from saying the words he dreaded to hear himself saying, “Will he die?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t know…” Hal bit down on his bottom lip, rubbed his face as though by doing so some idea of what was wrong would provide him with the answer. He turned to Ben while with one hand he gestured to his patient, “From the rope burns on his body and arms he was bound to a chair …”

“Yes, there was a broken chair with some rope still tied around it….”

“So, he was tied to a chair, he either fell onto the ground while bound -”

“Knowing Adam he would have felt the only way to get free from the ropes would be to break the chair and the only way to do that was to bring the chair down, with himself still bound of course…”

“But it would loosen the ropes, he could untangle himself…his arm is broken as a result perhaps and maybe some other injury…”

“Concussion?”

Hal nodded “Yes, he has a concussion, I’ve already checked that and it is obvious that he got that from some blow to the head, whether when he fell or later… the lacerations from the whip, I’ve stitched the deepest wounds, most else are superficial…but …”

“But?”

Hal shook his head, and was about to speak when there was a rapping on the door and Ethan stepped into the room, after a quick look at Adam, then Ben, he turned to Hal ”Mr Malahide seems to think he’s dying…”

Hal put out a hand to clutch at Ben’s arm “Don’t leave him alone for a minute…I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

He grabbed for his medical bag and quickly followed Ethan from the room, leaving Ben to pull out a chair which he brought to the bedside and sat as close to his son as possible. How many times had this loyal, loving father done this same thing for each one of his sons? He bowed his head and clasped his hands, closed his eyes and whispered the prayers of a broken hearted man, praying the words only a father could when in fear of losing his beloved son to man’s primary enemy – death!

Chapter 69

Apart from the heavy breathing from the injured man there was no sound in the room. Ben sat in the chair near the bed hunched over, hands clasped together in prayer, head bowed. It seemed as though no one existed other than he and his son.

“Pa -”

Ben raised his head, looked at Adam, but nothing had changed, Adams face remained stiff, lips tightly closed, his body rigid. Ben glanced around the room, had Joe and Hoss arrived without his noticing. He looked at Adam and placed his hand gently on his shoulder as though to soothe him, But this time Adams hand clamped tightly around Ben’s hand, and again he whispered “Pa?”

“Adam? Son? What is it? What do you want me to do?”

As soon as he said the words he told himself how stupid he was to utter them, and he shook his head and sighed, “Adam?”

Adams face remained still, sombre, and the eyes stayed closed but his lips moved as he whispered

“Get Jimmy .. Chan…”

“Jimmy? But he’s in Virginia City…he won’t get here until tomorrow… … “ his voice trailed away as Adams hand returned to his side, it seemed as though he shook his head, his brow furrowed slightly

“Chinese know … “ he whispered and stopped, his face contorted slightly and then slipped back into its rigid mask.

……..

Hal very carefully lifted Malahide from the chair and with the help of Amos and Ethan managed to get the man onto the chaise lounge. Julia hovered by the door, watching every movement as they carefully and gently straightened out the mans limbs. Hal began to unbutton the upper garments so that he could examine him while Julia said “He has a heart condition, he took some medication not long ago….”

Amos frowned “When we saw him going down to the other room, where Weaver was, he didn’t seem – well – he didn’t seem himself, he was yelling for Jake, seemed like he was crying…” he frowned, “Weaver hurt him, used his weapons – his hands – monster that he is – I saw him dig his hands into Buford’s chest, that’s why I shot him, had to stop him, I’ve known stories of Weaver and – and things he’s done.”

Hal was half listening, half absorbing what Amos was saying and then asked them to clear the room He heard the door close and began his examination, a careful procedure that was probably unnecessary because as he listened through the stethoscope to the heart beat thudding against its frail cage of bones, they slowly stopped and ebbed away…nothing ..

Hal looked at the man as though expecting Buford to say something. He had only known the man to curse, and swear, and threaten and now the silence was unnerving. He put his hand on the mans shoulder and gently shook it as though he couldn’t accept what the lack of heart beat was telling him.

What was Amos talking about? He looked down at the body, still warm, still with some colour to his face .. but such pain depicted there …he placed his hand on Bufords’ chest and ran his fingers over and then across and shook his head. Something was wrong, something – odd.

He noticed a shawl draped over a chair and took it to cover the body, and then opened the door. As he had expected Julia, Amos and Ethan were still standing there, waiting for him to tell them what each one of them expected. So he just nodded, looked at Julia “I’m sorry, Mrs Malahide, but your father in law has just died.”

“Was it his heart?” Amos asked while he placed a kindly hand on Julia’s arm as though reassuring her that she was not alone, not entirely.

Hal frowned, looked at Ethan and then at Amos, shook his head “I don’t know. I will need to get the body back to town for examination…”

“An autopsy you mean?” Ethan said quietly, “You found something -?”

“I’m not sure what I found.” he looked at Julia, “If you want to view the body….”

She shook her head, “If he’s dead, there’s no point….” and without a further word she turned away from the group of men and made her way to the stairs.

They heard her hurrying up to her room, a door opened and closed.

“Mr Kline, can you describe exactly what you saw Weaver doing to Mr Malahide, it’s just that I’ve come across something unusual, something that could have killed him … although I’m not ruling out what you told me about his possible heart attack.”

They were about to return to the body, when they heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, heavy footsteps, followed by others. Now the three of them stood by the door as Ben, Joe and Hoss strode towards them, Amos immediately said “Bufords dead….” which all three totally ignored.

Ben was breathing heavily, the urgency of the situation regarding his son was eating him up, how does one manage to stop time!

“I need someone to get a cable off to Jimmy Chan in Virginia City…” he paused “Unless you know of a Chinese doctor in town …”

Hal’s eyebrows shot up “A Chinese Doctor…..” in much the same tone as many of his qualifications had said numerous times before, the ‘what do they know that we do not’ permeating each word.

“Adam wanted Jimmy Chan…I don’t think we can wait that long for a cable to get to Virginia City or for him to get here to help Adam. I think -”

Amos nodded “Yes, you’re right, Adam’s right too… it would take a Chinese Doctor who knows about oriental martial arts to help Adam now.”

“Do you know anyone -?” Ben almost pleaded, his face so strained that Hoss had to put a hand on his back just to let him know they were nearby, suffering along with him.

“Yes, I do….and yes he would know what to do, he has been called out to help other victims of Weavers brutality. I’ll go right now to get him….”

Hal looked from Ben to Amos, watched as the man grabbed his hat and almost ran down the hallway, closely followed by Joe who had decided that as it was going to be a long night he would rather be doing something than stay in the house – waiting!

…………………

Hester Cartwright read through the cable and then looked up at Olivia, nodded as though confirming both their fears, “What will you do? “ she paused “What do you want us to do?”

Olivia sat down again, and took the cable from her friend, scanned the words even though she knew what it said by heart now. She cleared her throat, brushed a hand across her eyes as though to remove all trace of tears “I don’t know how long I’ll be away, Hester.”

“That doesn’t matter. Nathaniel can come and stay with us, and you know Reuben and Sofia can …”

“But Hoss isn’t home…and you have so much to do already.”

“Reuben will help with the chores. And there is Hop Sing and Cheng – they will help. The main thing is,Olivia that you are there for your husband.”

“The cable doesn’t even say what is wrong with him…just that I have to get there …” she paused and stared at the stonework of the fireplace, “I’ll need to get to the earliest train out of town….”

“Why not get packed now, take a buggy and go into town. get a room at the Whitney so you can just leave there and go straight to the station..”

Olivia’s eyes lit up, “Oh Hester, what a good idea….I hadn’t even thought ..”

The door opened so abruptly that it slammed against the bureau, and both women jumped to their feet and turned to see Mary Ann standing at the entrance with one hand to her chest as though she had run the distance from her home to Olivia’s, “I came as soon as I heard. Ezra said there had been a cable – is it Joe? Is he is he is he …” she put her hands to her mouth as though that was the only way she could stop the flow of words from spilling out of her mouth.

“It isn’t Joe -” Hester said quickly and as reassuringly as possible and started to walk towards the younger woman.

“What do you mean? It isn’t Joe? Why isn’t he home? Why isn’t he here? He should have been home this morning…what does the cable say…let me see…”

“It has nothing to do with Joe, Mary Ann,” Olivia said quietly, the cable crunched in her hand as though she didn’t want to share the information

“But – he should have been home this morning, “ Mary Ann repeated, hurrying now into the room, “He wouldn’t have stayed for no good reason.”

“Hoss explained that before they left, Mary Ann, there’s been problems with the cattle station…” Hester led the younger woman to a chair but Mary Ann did not sit down instead she looked wildly at Olivia, then at Hester

“What do you know about it? Were they hurt? Joe and Hoss?”

Olivia shook her head “ I don’t know, Mary Ann, the cable only mentioned Adam….”

“Why did it only mention Adam?”

“Calm down, Mary Ann” Hester said softly, stroking the other woman’s arm as though that would stop the hysteria from mounting higher. “Calm down, this has nothing to do with Joe, or Hoss…”

“How do you know? My husband could be dead for all you know, he could be dead, and -”

“Mary Ann,” Olivia said quietly, “Your husband was not mentioned in the cable because he is perfectly safe and well….”

“You don’t know that -”

“Well, if he is hurt then we will be getting another cable telling us so, in the meantime, I have to get ready to go so if you could just calm down…”

“Olivia,” Mary Ann’s voice rose “Since when do you speak for all of us? If it were not…”

“If it were not for your husband wanting to indulge himself again in some stupid adventure, then my husband would still be home with us. As it is because of your husband he – he -” she paused and shook her head, lowered her eyes to stare into the fire “I have to go…get ready…”

“Then I’m coming too….”

“No, you’re not.” Olivia turned to Mary Ann immediately,the colour rising in her cheeks and the eyes darkening “No, you’re not.”

“My husband -”

“Joe does not need you there…”

“You don’t know that….” Mary Ann’s voice rose higher again, but before she could say any more Olivia’s hand rose, fell, and slapped her across the face. The sound of flesh upon flesh seemed to resound and echo in the room..Mary Ann recoiled, eyes wide

“Now, go home, and calm down.” Olivia said quietly with no hint of apology as Mary Ann stood unable to move except for the one hand touching her cheek.

Even Hester was stunned and stood with her mouth open while she looked from one to the other of her sisters in law. Mary Ann shook her head, glared at them both and cried “If anything’s happened to Joe….”

“For heavens sake, Mary Ann, will you get it into your head, this is not about Joe, its about MY husband and I need to get to him …I need …” and without another word Olivia turned, and promptly ran up the stairs. They heard the door of her room slam shut….

Mary Ann bowed her head, fluttered her eyelashes, several tears trickled down her cheeks “She didn’t have to hit me…”

Hester sigh, shook her head and decided it was better to say nothing than admit that had Olivia not slapped Mary Ann, then she most probably would have done. She put her hands together as though in prayer, then said quietly “I’m sure it will all work out …just try and be a little more considerate.”

“I was….” whimpered the other woman, and then without a word turned, paused at the door “Let me know … won’t you?” she did not dare ask or mention her husband by name but the door closed quietly behind her leaving Hester standing alone in the big room wondering what to do next.

Chapter 70

The face at the window watched the rider on the horse leave the yard, skirt about by the shadows of the stables and disappear from view. When silence resumed he sat down, hands cupping his chin and stared into the far shadows of his room. He had to think, and he had to act so he screwed up his eyes tightly and attempted to make some important decisions.

…………………….

It was the first time that Hester could remember that she actually knocked on the door of either of the houses owned by Joe and Adam. Usually she would sweep in as though daring any of them to tell her to go back and knock, or worse still, go away and don’t come back. She was fully expecting that to be the case now as she stood waiting for the door to open.

It was Mary Ann who opened the door and stepped aside to let her in, then she led Hester into the sitting room, all in silence. There were no hugs, no embraces, but there were no tears either, no shrill voice raised in anger or protest. Hester removed her bonnet and set it down along with her shawl. Without a word she followed Mary Ann into the big room and sat down on the chair in which she customarily would sit. She looked at Mary Ann, wondered what to say, tried to remember all the words that had trawled through her mind during the time it had taken to drive the buggy from Olivia’s home to Mary Ann’s.

Mary Ann took the chair opposite her sister in law, but didn’t look at her, didn’t attempt to catch her eyes, she just sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap and stared at the rug. Hester cleared her throat, frowned, the silence was becoming embarrassing. Eventually Mary Ann looked over to her friend and heaved a sigh, raised her well shaped eyebrows

“Did she send you here…”

“No”

“I thought you had come to give me her apologies….”

“No.” Hester shook her head and looked at Mary Ann thoughtfully, before withdrawing her gaze and looking once again at something to the left of the other woman’s shoulder.

“Well, she should apologise….”

“If Olivia feels she should apologise then she will, I’m not going to apologise for what she did, but I do regret that it happened.”

Mary Ann closed her eyes as though she was not really interested in what Hester thought, then she opened them again and the grey eyes were wet with tears “I thought Joe was hurt….”

“Yes….” Hester nodded, slowly, but she didn’t look at Mary Ann, didn’t try to get eye contact.

“You have to understand, Hester, after what happened to him with that – that mad man keeping him prisoner and never knowing if he would come home, if he would ever be found…” she clasped her hands together tightly and stared down at them, “It’s been a constant nightmare, over the years, that time he was arrested for murdering those people in the cabin…other times…you know how it is, Hester…never knowing if – if your husband would ever come home ….”

Hester sighed, a slow release of breath, she shook her head “Mary Ann, we live with that same fear, every wife, mother, sister and daughter who lives the life we have, lives with that fear. We breath it every minute of the day our men are out of our sight, that fear walks by our side always, and some times that fear becomes very real when we receive a cable summoning us to their bedside, or to their grave.”

“I know….” Mary Ann lowered her head, a curl loosened and fell across her shoulder.

“Joe wanted Hoss or Adam to go on that trip to the cattle station…so Adam went, and as a result it’s |Adam who has been hurt, not Joe.” her voice was gentle but each word was like a red hot brand and Mary Ann let a tear drop upon her cheek, “But you didn’t stop to think – to ask – to consider that it could have been anyone other than your husband.”

Mary Ann raised her head, raised her chin defiantly, “You were both there, you had the cable…”

“Do you think for a moment that we would have stayed there together if that cable was about Joe? For a start Ezra would have brought it to you, as it concerned your husband…..or if he had not, then we would have come immediately to you …to share your anxieties, to comfort you -”

Mary Ann rose to her feet, shook her head “Don’t say any more, Hester. I know I acted selfishly, but I was so scared….and I didn’t think…that it could have been Adam or Hoss, or even Ben…I just expected it to have been Joe.” she gave a sob, the tears rolled and when Hester put her arms around her she gratefully fell into the embrace. “I’ll apologise -” she whispered, the words smothered in the warmth of Hester’s arms

“Later….she’s already gone.”

“Gone? Where?”

“To town. She wanted to be at the station for the first train out of town….the cable did say it was urgent.”

…………

It was Joe who opened the door to the room where Adam lay on the large bed that had once belonged to Jake Malahide. Ben looked over at them, at Hoss and Joe, raised his dark eyebrows and placed his hands on his hips. He had been standing by the window, just staring out at the darkness, struggling to come to terms with the fact that his eldest son was gravely ill. It had struck Joe, as he had entered the room, that his father still held himself well, was still a commanding figure of a man. So Unlike the dead man in the room downstairs.

“Hal’s gone…taken Malahide’s body with him. Said he would get a Doctor here soon as he possibly can.” he paused “A Chinese Doctor.”

Behind him Hoss nodded, as though the statement needed his confirmation. Both looked at Ben, waiting for him to speak. Ben nodded and stepped back to the bed, resumed his position on the chair, he sighed

“How’s Mrs Malahide now?”

“Well, hard to say really…” Joe frowned, he bowed his head and contemplated the rug as though he would find the answers there woven in among the brightly coloured pattern.

“May be it’s shock, after all, her husband just died -” Hoss muttered

“And from all accounts wasn’t a pretty sight to bring home.for her to see..” Joe added.

They fell into silence, although both brothers approached the bed now and looked down at their brother. “How is he?” Hoss said in a half whisper “Shucks I hope he is alright…he looks mighty still..”

Joe dragged a chair across the room and placed it beside his fathers, then sat down, “It’s been a mess, the whole thing, crazy … still trying to work it all out.”

Ben did not reply, he just looked at his sons still face, noted the twitch every so often, the occasional pursing of the lips through which the breath was exhaled as though it were his very last. He saw the way Adams hands clenched, unclenched, close along the sides of his body, but otherwise the stillness of him was as though he had already become that most dreaded of beings…a dead body.

A light knock on the door which was pushed open, and Ethan stepped into the room. He drew in his breath, took in the scene – the body on the bed, father and two sons flanking the bed. Waiting. ..praying perhaps. He regretted having left his hat in the other room, it would have been something to have kept his hands busy.

He took several steps into the room so that he was standing at the foot of the bed, looking along the body, relieved to notice a slight rise and fall of the mans’ chest. He coughed lightly, and bit down on his lip, “I’ve been talking to the men here…there’s some quite hard cases among the mix, soon as they saw me they made for their horses….those that stayed seem honest enough, scared to be honest.”

“Scared? Why?” Ben asked even though he didn’t take his eyes from Adam’s face

“Weaver. The man was a monster. Several have told me about some of the things he has done to men he accused of being ‘slackers’. In the morning they have agreed to take me to – “ he licked his lips, they were dry “take me to some graves.”

“Graves? Who for?” Joe asked, hazel eyes narrowed as he then glanced over at Hoss who shook his head, as if he would know?

“For the men whom Weaver killed…..they were all terrified of him.”

Ben nodded, he leaned forward to bury his face in his hands. He was tired, bone weary. He stayed like that for a moment or two then looked up at Ethan “Has the Doctor been sent for….”

“Some while back, Mr Cartwright.” Ethan paused “Mrs Malahide has arranged for some food to be provided…”

Ben looked at his two sons and nodded, indicating to them that they could go, get something to eat. It had been a long day and evening for them all.

“What does she intend to do – about this place?” Joe said as he got to his feet and pushed the chair back away from the bed.

“She reckons on running it herself, with the help of some more experienced men.” Ethan said quietly, “She’s the only Malahide left now….and there is the child.”

“The child/” Hoss said as he slowly closed the door behind him, cutting off sounds of their voices from his father and the injured man.

“The one she is expecting….” Ethan said as he led the way to the stairs, “Jake’s child.”

…………………..

Olivia did not go to any hotel but went to her dear friends, Paul and Bridie Martin. As soon as she had seen the light shining in their window and known that they were still awake she had tethered the horse and hurried to knock on the familiar old door. It was Bridie who opened it wide, a lamp in one hand which she hastily put down on a table when she saw her young friend standing on the threshold. Without a word she held out her arms and pulled Olivia into her embrace.

Oh she could remember long ago when this young woman had welcomed her into her home, an Irish woman to cook for them, to help them through a dark time…and then later, making her welcome again when home became a rambling old ranch house where she and little Marcy had settled …as she held Olivia tight she remembered all the things that made her so glad to be able to render her the smallest service possible, the largest sacrifice imaginable…she felt she owed Olivia all the happiness that she enjoyed each and every day.

“What’s happened? Come along in, come on, dear …” and she led Olivia into the parlour where Paul was smoking his pipe and pretending to read the paper.

So Olivia told them everything, even to the fact that she had lost her temper with Mary Ann and slapped her. This caused Bridie to hug her close once more, knowing that the poor woman must have been suffering so much to have reacted to the hasty words of an emotional younger woman.

“Now now then,” she said in her soft lilting voice “don’t you worry about a thing. Just get some sleep now while you can, and we will make sure you are on the first train out of here in the morning.”

Paul stood up, “Do you want me to come with you….as medical back up so to speak…”

Olivia could have melted into a puddle of tears and relief, she nodded, could not speak and allowed herself to be led away, up the stairs to a familiar room that had been her refuge in times past.

“I shouldn’t have slapped her…I totally lost all control…” she muttered as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Shush shush now…think nothing more about it…” Bridie said quietly, then she smiled “If anyone had ever deserved a slapping it was that Morgan, your sister in law back in the old house…”

Olivia barely smiled, she was already too exhausted with worry, to even care, but when she did come to think about it, she knew why she had never slapped Morgan, the poor woman was married to a loathesome man, she had every reason to be the miserable woman she had been …. but Mary Ann, well, it seemed Mary Ann just didn’t care about Adam , the centre of Olivia’s world.

…………….

Memories…Adam remembered someone saying that they were like the little children who slip onto your knee just long enough for a hug, before they slipped away. He tried to capture the best memories…but they did slip away, far too quickly, leaving behind in their wake the stuff of night mares and horrors. So hard to keep control now…it had been so long..he was aware of his father being there close by, and he didn’t want to lose control. He couldn’t bear to shout out, scream and howl, not with his father there so close by. So he clung on, remembered other times when he had to over ride pain, had trained himself to focus, focus, focus, to push the pain down…push it down./

A light knock on the door and Joe stepped inside the room “Doctor from town…”

He caught Ben’s eyes and nodded, then held the door open wider so that the Doctor could step inside. The man was old, he wore traditional Chinese dress, extravagant and colourful. His hands were hidden in the folds of the long sleeves. His hair was in the long plait, grey and silver, as was his wispy beard. Looking at him Ben thought he could have been transported back to China, back through the years, that nothing had changed. A young man followed the Doctor, a young man in western clothing, carrying the Doctors medical bag. Two pairs of sloe black eyes looked at Ben, nodded, they bowed, and approached the bed.

Chapter 71

The two men approached the bed with a measure of respect, as though whether alive or dead the man on the bed deserved the dignity of such from them. Both observed Adam with grave solemnity and then looked at Ben, then bowed their heads in greeting to him

“Ben Cartwright -” he cleared his throat, aware that the emotions were building up in his chest and making his throat ache, with relief and hope, “My son, Adam ..”

“Yes,” the older man inclined his head “I am told a victim of the man – Weaver”

“We think so…just that we can’t find out -!

They nodded, again the older man took the initiative by raising a hand to stop the flow of words “You go now. We take care of your son.”

“Yes, but …”

The younger man stepped back and gestured to the door, smiled and bowed his head. Ben sighed and walked to the door, paused, glanced back and then waited, just a moment, before opening the door and stepping onto the landing. Inwardly he felt empty, bereft of thought, wanting answers but unsure whether or not he would ever get them. He put his hand on the door handle and though about going back inside, but then paused long enough for his hand to drop back …

………………

Guozhi Wei was a dedicated Doctor, he was a man of medicine whom Hop Sing would have been proud to acknowledge as his own physician he was so learned. His young associate certainly felt that honour, standing by his side and ready to do whatever was asked of him.Wang Yong had attached himself to the old man when he himself had been a young boy, had attended Medical School in Boston, before travelling to the smallest capital city of the United States in order to work alongside his mentor.

They looked down at Adam and then looked at one another, Guozhi nodded, leaned forward and touched Adam on the shoulder, such a gentle touch but it was like a surge of electricity that streamed through Adams body . He opened his eyes and looked up into the inscrutable black eyes of the oldest Chinese person he had yet met. Guozhi nodded

“Good – you are awake.”

Adam said nothing, he clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, screwing them tight as though that was about the only indication of his pain that he could give them. He stayed as rigid as he could while gentle hands passed over his body, prodding, poking, but always with a firm gentleness.

It was when they turned him over to examine his back that he finally gave a cry of pain, deep and guttural as though it had come from the very depths of his being. Afterwards as they carefully settled him face down he gave a long groan, closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to consume him.

Guozhi was careful, very careful..His examination was thorough,his hands unwavering as his fingers seemed to caress the man’s body. He pointed out to his young assistant the various scars and nodded as though confirming what he thought, that a man who survived other pains, other agonies, could certainly conquer this one.

Speaking in Mandarin he pointed to an area that was showing no other sign of injury that a bruise, he looked at Wang Yong “Weaver’s work…” the younger man nodded and leaned forward to observe the bruising

“There is no break in the skin…no bleeding…”

“If there is bleeding it will be internal” he shook his head “We need to look out for that….this form of torture… … “ his voice drifted away and he shook his head “I have known men use their hands so effectively .. but the disciplines they put themselves through is rigorous.”

“You have seen it practised often?”

“Too often – in the homeland. Now Weaver was a protege of Jiang Peng’s security council…”

“You knew him?” sloe black eyes widened, it made Guozhi uncomfortable in case the younger man was showing admiration to the Empress’ nephew, he shook his head and looked down at Adam’s body,

“I knew him – so did he.” he nodded down at his patient, “But do not think to admire Jiang Peng…”

“He was acting on the Empress’ orders.” Wang Yong murmured, still respectful, a hint of reproach in his voice as though wishing to correct his colleague

“You have not lived in China, my friend. You were born in America, you do not know what servitude is…to someone like the Empress or Jiang Peng.” he raised a hand now, as though he had heard enough, his patience was limited as was his respect for the old woman who ruled the mighty nation so far away.

“Turn him now…gently” was all he said, the subject was now closed, attention was all about Weavers victim lying on the bed before them. “He must have turned in time to avoid the worse of the blow – that is why there is a bruise – that was a good thing.”

…………………..

Ben followed his nose so to speak, and found his family, Julia Malahide and Ethan Burns in a large room where the table was laid out with food. He paused at the door as though hesitant to enter, but the food smelled good and his stomach rumbled as though saying ‘Go on, you know you want to…’

“How is he?” Julia said just as Hoss opened his mouth to ask the same, but Ben could only shake his head, give a slight shrug as he took a seat. “Dr Chandler has arranged for the Undertaker to take my father in law … we’re just waiting on him now.”

“I’m sorry, I thought Dr Chandler had -” Ethan murmured and looked with a slight blush down at the rug at his feet.

“My father in law deserves better than being jostled about in the Doctors buggy, Mr – Deputy Burns.” Julia replied, “Bad enough that my husband was carted off like a – a – “ she shook her head, what words were there to describe Jake Malahides’ wretched body as it had left in the wagon, was it really only hours earlier?

But the thought of The Undertaker, Ben shivered and inwardly prayed that the man would not be taking two bodies back to town. He looked at the food but found he could not eat, he poured himself some water and his reticence caused each one there to falter over their meal, making them feel guilty that they could eat at a time such as this one.

“Mrs Malahide, if I may be so bold, but may I ask what you intend to do now that the men in your family have – gone.” he looked at her sadly, and she nodded, smiled slowly a whimsical smile

“I won’t lie to you, Mr Cartwright. I am not grieving over my husbands death nor that of my father in law They were both cruel men, Weaver was as we know, sadistic, but he was not intelligent, whereas both the Malahides were – very much so. I won’t pretend now that they have gone that this is the first time I have felt free, for a very long time. And I mean, freedom, in every sense of the word.”

There was silence for a while as though every man there was too embarrassed to ask or speak so after a while when even Ben had reached out to eat some bread she smiled and continued to speak “I intend to run the ranch, to continue building the herd up, making good use of the assets I have….after all, I have my child to think of…” she glanced down at her lap, as though to remind herself and them that she was carrying a precious burden, someone to love and nurture, the heir to the Malahide fortune. What no one knew would not hurt them…..would it?

She raised her eyes now and looked at Ben “What about you, Mr Cartwright. What do you intend to do with your cattle station now?”

Ben frowned, his brow corrugating beneath his hair line as he glanced around the table, at his sons faces as they turned to face him, and at her, looking across at him with an air of hauteur, chin raised and eyes defiant. He sighed and picked up his glass of water, gulped some down and then looked directly at her.

“I’ve not given it much thought, Mrs Malaahide.”

“No, of course…” she softened her voice and lowered her head.

Before she could speak again there was a light knock on the door which opened and a woman stepped into the room, looked awkwardly around at them “The Undertaker is here, ma’am.”

For a moment no one moved. Then Julia nodded and stood up, excused herself and left the room.

Hoss chewed his bottom lip, stared down at the table and then glanced at his father “Well, Pa, jest what do you reckon on doing with the cattle station now?”

……………….

The two Doctors left Adam sleeping or rather in a deeper sleep thanks to the various drugs they had administered. They had both felt that although Adam was not perfectly ‘in balance’ as per Chinese medical practice would have preferred it, that would no doubt come later once they could confirm whether or not his injuries did include severe kidney damage with internal bleeding.

Now they were prepared to wait out the ordeal along with the Cartwrights.

Adam drifted unknowing. He no longer had feelings of pain, he was just aware of complete numbness, he could not hear anything around him nor did he open his eyes. To all intents and purposes he could already have been dead such was his appearance to those who were gathered at his bedside, looking down at him, willing him to smile, open his eyes, to speak, to say something.

Guozhi Wei came and stood beside Ben, his hands concealed in the wide sleeves of his garment and his wispy long beard covering down to his slight paunch. He looked from his patient to Ben, then nodded “Your son is strong, very strong. If things go well -”

“If?” Ben growled

“Kidneys are deep seated organs, Mr Cartwright, he has sustained some injuries to them….we must be patient and wait now…”

“And if things do not go well…?”

Guozhi shook his head “It will not be good.”

Joe sidled up to his brother, and stood close to him, nodded over to where Guozhi and Ben were talking together “What are they talking about?”

“Your guess is as good as mine….” Hoss sighed and shook his head “Dang it, Joe, this whole thing is – is dadburned crazy.”

“Do you think Adam will die/” Joe whispered, keeping his eye on Ben and hoping his father would not over hear what was said.

“Nope.” Hoss scowled, shook his head “No he aint’….”

It was cold. He was glad he was wearing his heavy coat over his uniform and walked along the street wondering what to do before his appointment with Grant. The sound of children’s voices, laughter, caused him to pause a moment and to look across to where he was standing. A garden, or park, where people could stroll and enjoy the flowers in the midst of the metropolis. Snow was falling, he had time to spare so took himself over to where the wrought iron gate stood open, admitting members of the public to enter.

He saw people strolling aimlessly about, he noticed roses dead, caught in mid bloom by the sudden cold and snow, later plants struggling to bring some colour to the flower beds that were being covered now by the softness of snow.

A woman was walking towards him with a black coat, she wore a red bonnet and had a red scarf around her neck. Her head was down but she looked up as she drew near to him, as though only just aware of his presence. He removed his hat, but still looked at her … and she looked back at him, a smile on her face, large eyes with long lashes fastened on him

“Do I know you?” she murmured

“Adam Cartwright, from the Ponderosa.” he replied and then frowned, perhaps that was wrong of him to say that, he should have said something else like “Commodore Adam Cartwright – “ but then somehow he felt that she would think that arrogant.

She nodded and turned aside, glancing at him over her shoulder and he watched as she walked away, then paused and turned back “Of course I know you….” she laughed now, “I remember you coming to help my father repair our house….and your brother….he came too…he liked cake.”

“He still does…”

They smiled at one another and he narrowed his eyes, tilted his head “Are you that skinny waif from the Double D?”

“I am ..” she laughed again and then she faded away, caught in a cloud and he couldn’t see her any more.

“Wait …you didn’t tell me your name …” and he raised his hand to where she had been standing and in his hand were a dozen red roses.

Chapter 72

Opening his eyes was, it seemed, a monumental task. His eyelids felt so heavy that he just wanted to close them again. Near by came a gentle buzzing sound and he frowned, it was familiar but yet the smell of the room was not….he closed his eyes again. Perhaps when he reopened them the shadows would be gone and he could see where he was and know what to do.

His body felt heavy, just as his eyelids had done; he tried to raise his arms, was perplexed when only one complied to his brains command, the other – painful. He exhaled loudly and groaned, what he wondered was wrong now!

He forced himself to think back on what had happened but somehow could only go back as far as the station being on fire…flames everywhere. Wait! Now he was helping carry a body to the wagon, a body that was suffering terribly. He shook his head and tried to reach beyond that point, but it was too much and he slipped back into sleep.

Ben had refused Julia’s offer of a bed for the night. He found a chair in the room where Adam was sleeping and pulled it close to the bed. The buzzing sound Adam had heard was, in fact, the sound of his father’s gentle snoring.

Shadows lengthened across the room, swallowing up the whole house. In another room Joe and Hoss slept, assured by the two Chinese Doctors that Adam would not die they had been only too grateful to find a bed and to get some sleep. Joe had explained to Hoss how he had tried to get home, left Adam alone, but had jumped the train and made his way to town… too late to be of any use, and probably causing more trouble than had he stayed by Adam’s side all the time.

“You burn down the Malahides barn?” Hoss had asked as he had fallen onto the bed and stretched out his long legs

“Nope…don’t know how that happened!”

It had taken a long time to get to sleep, too much whirling about in their minds but they did not speak again, just wanted to be alone with their thoughts, their fears.

Ethan had collected up the statements and had gone in to town. He had found an empty cell at the sheriffs office and had taken himself there for the night. The Deputy had exchanged a few words, provided a decent cup of coffee and agreed with Ethan that Sheriff Ford was not worth a light. The sooner he was out of office the better. The Deputy had given it as his opinion that without the Malahides backing Ford would be only too glad to quit ship.

In the cell Ethan read through the statements, of which there were many. There was a pattern to them all, and with his experience in law keeping it was not long before Ethan could see it only too clearly. He drank the coffee, rolled up the papers and settled down for a few hours sleep. It seemed the three main law breakers had kindly removed themselves from the fray – death had over taken them all.

Guozhi Wei approached the bed just as the sun was rising, scattering light through the shadows and heralding a new day. He looked down at his patient and nodded, placing a hand on the mans brow and then at his neck, he nodded again and looked over at his assistant Wang Yong.

“He will wake soon. Everything looks good.” he glanced over to the older man now struggling to wake up, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, scratching his jaw through stubble.

“How is he?” Ben’s voice was thick with sleep that he was struggling to banish, he blinked rapidly and looked at his son, “Is he going to be alright?”

“He will live” came the laconic response as though anything else was barely worth mentioning.

“But will he be alright, that’s what I’m asking…will he be alright?”

Guozhi raised a hand, sighed and nodded “There is no blood in the urine. His kidneys are bruised but not badly damaged, he must have turned away just as the full force of the blow was being felt ..his arm is broken but it will heal. When he wakes he will have a slight fever, headache and his body will be in pain because of the fall that caused the broken arm….” he shrugged, folded his hands back into the long silk sleeves of his gown, “Your son will need to rest -” he paused and sighed “for a while – calm. Just calm life I think….”

Ben raised his eyebrows, well, easy to say he thought but nodded dutifully and then placed a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder and looked down at the prone figure. Calm? When would that ever happen in the life of a Cartwright.

The door closed gently but it was enough to waken Adam. He smiled when he saw the kindly face of his father looking down at him, his brown eyes, dulled by the drugs, still twinkled up at the other man, his lips parted in a familiar smile

“Still child minding, Pa?”

“Where would you be without me?” Ben replied with a gruffness to his voice that belied the humour, “You had me worried there, that Weaver was a monster!”

Adam said nothing to that, but turned his head to look around the room, he frowned for a moment and then indicated he would like to sit up, the effort that took brought pain and sweat and he felt as though his heart was going to beat its way out of his body, but finally he was sitting up, pillows supporting him. He wiped away sweat from his brow with his free hand, and then looked ruefully down at the other arm bound in a splint and a neat sling.

“Can’t remember much.” he admitted, “Is Joe here? Is he alright?”

“Yes, he’s alright…Hoss is here too.”

“I woke up one time, thought I was with Hop Sing, smelled like his room when he’s brewing his medicines. Jimmy is not here is he?”

“You asked for him but time didn’t allow for us to get him, two of Carson City’s finest Chinese Doctors came …I’m afraid Hal didn’t know what to do …about the wound Weaver inflicted on you.”

“No,” Adam sighed and moved slowly in the bed, wincing as he did so, “No, he wouldn’t…..”

Ben dragged up a chair and sat down, for a moment they were quiet, both deep in their own thoughts

“Malahides dead…heart failure it seems.” Ben paused “That only leaves Julia Malahide here now.”

“The Widow Malahide.” Adam murmured quietly

“Yes….she intends to run the place with help from Amos Kline”

“Amos is a good man.” Adam inclined his head and chewed on his bottom lip for a second, “It was his son who was killed during what Jake referred to as a joke…when they first attacked the cattle station.”

“Murdered?”

Adam nodded and looked at his father thoughtfully “What is it that Shakespeare wrote? “Oh what a tangled web we weave when once we stoop to deceive” There’s a lot of deception involved here.”

“On the widow’s part do you mean?”

Adam smiled, a brief smile but his eyes twinkled “Don’t you like her, Pa? She’s very attractive.”

“I know.” Ben leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers against his knee,”But she reminds me too much of Linda. You remember? Lady Chadwick?”

“Ah, yes…who could forget Lady Chadwick. Rather a cruel comparison, Pa.”

“Perhaps.” Ben slowly stood up, and then smiled down at his son, “I’ll go find us something to eat and drink. Your brothers will be wanting to see you….”

Adam nodded, frowned, “How come you came, Pa? How did you know -”

“A Deputy sent a wire to Nate….he’s been mighty helpful. More so than that sheriff they have here.”

……………….

The knock on the door was light but even so Tilly was there to open it. Inside the house there was the bustle of early morning breakfast and preparations for departure, Bridie’s soft Irish brogue drifting down the hall. Tilly looked down at the visitor and said “Hmmm. You’re early!”

She ushered him inside and pushed him into the parlour as though he were some unwanted and embarrassing package “Stay here, I’ll go get the Missus.”

She closed the door behind her and scurried down the hall to where Olivia was just setting down her cup onto its saucer and about to speak when Tilly cleared her throat loudly “Her – hummm..we have a visitor. He’s in the parlour.”

“It’s very early,” Bridie said with a hint of suspicion in her voice, she shook her head and excused herself.

Olivia picked up her bonnet and placed it carefully on her head, tying the ribbon neatly and then collecting her gloves. She was pulling them on when Bridie returned, a little smile on her lips and her eyes twinkling with mischief, “A visitor for you, Livvy my dear.”

“For me?” she paused in the middle of pulling on the gloves, and her heart fluttered, if it were bad news then Bridie would not look so cheerful would she? What if it were Mary Ann come to apologise, or perhaps not ! She knew Mary Ann well enough by now to know she would not travel all this way to apologise for something that she would not have understood required an apology.

Paul was just finishing his coffee, he was yawning, it had been a long night with little sleep for the older man. He watched Olivia leave the room and then looked at his wife who was smiling as she also watched Olivia hurry down the hall to the parlour.

…………….

Sofia ran out into the yard, paused, hands on her hips and face creased in a scowl. She ran to the stables and paused at the sight of two empty stalls. Then she stepped back and hurried into the house, stopped at the stairs and yelled “REUBEN! REUBEN!”

No answer. There had been no answer when she had pushed the bedroom door open earlier and seen the bed neatly made up, her brother’s night shirt tucked under the pillow. No matter where she had gone and called for him, there had been no answer. Nathaniel had joined her for a while, running about and getting in the way yelling in his high pitched voice “Reu-ben Reu-ben” until he had got bored.

Chan clapped his hands for attention, which he got immediately, he smiled at her and nodded

“Breakfast, Missy. You must hurry to get ready for school.”

Nathaniel was already seated, he shook his head “No school….”

“No school for little boy with empty head and empty stomach….” Chan smiled, and placed the bowl of oatmeal on the table. Then he glanced over at Sofia who was scowling at all the empty chairs – no mother, no brother – father she knew was in the other town with Uncle Joe.

“Where is everyone?” she wailed, not because she was unduly worried about their lack of presence but because she was missing out on something, had been left behind, in the dark, ignored!!

“Gone into town, very early.” Chan nodded and placed her food before her, “Now you eat ..”

Sofia looked at the food, she was hungry and for a moment her hunger battled with her resentment. Hunger won, she picked up her spoon “But why?”

Chan only lifted his shoulders and shook his head, he poured out the milk for her to drink and placed it on the table …then with a slight smile turned away.

…………………..

Olivia opened the door to Bridie’s neat parlour and stepped inside, paused a moment

“What are you doing here?” her voice was a mixture of surprise and maternal anger, her feelings mixed with pleasure, relief and pride, her instinct was to grab him by the shoulders and shake him.

“I just came to keep you company, Ma. I don’t think you should be on your own going on that trip…and …and I want to see Pa. I want to see he is alright too….”

“Oh Reuben.” she said now, her voice containing a slight wobble, and her eyes moist, “But – but -”

“It’s important, Ma. I came to make sure you got there safe…..”

She blinked, raised a hand and covered her eyes, before leaning forward and taking him by the shoulders, hugging him close “Thank you, son.”

Tilly coughed, “You need to get a move on….time ain’t a-waiting….”

Paul slipped his arm round his wife’s shoulders “Looks like I won’t be needed after all….” he looked down at her and kissed her cheek fondly, grateful to be able to stay home, to be with his wife, his treasure.

………….

Mr Orawitz stood by the window of his house and looked out at the garden. He nursed a cup of coffee in his hand, the saucer in his other … the sun was just touching the petals of his wife’s favourite rose bush. He sighed and turned away, then thought of his recent visitors. He couldn’t stop the smile, the ease of tension in his shoulders, so he turned back to look at the garden…

“I wonder…I wonder what to-day will bring…”

Chapter 73

Mr Evans picked up the white square of paper from the floor as he passed along to the breakfast room. He held it between finger and thumb and wondered who could have been around so early as to slip it through. He turned it round and round between his fingers and then dropped it into his pocket as he entered the room.

Mary turned from putting food on the table, and gave him her usual beaming smile, the baby bubbled and coo’d in her crib and Jimmy yawned and looked as though he would be glad to go back to bed. It crossed Mr Evans mind that boys were not like they used to be…or maybe it was just the town children because he knew full well that in the rurals the children were already boarding wagons or horses to make the trek into school.

“Didn’t you sleep well last night, Jimmy?” he patted the boy on the head as he passed, then leaned in for a kiss from his wife, then leaned down and made noises to the baby which resulted in more bubbles and her limbs gyrating in all directions only faster.

“Eat your breakfast,” Mary said to her son, and she also patted him on the head which made Jimmy wonder if they should get a dog so that they could dispense with the patting.

He smoothed down his hair and waited for the morning prayer to be said before he started to eat. He looked at Mr Evans, his step-father, and not such a bad one really, not by all accounts. IN fact as parents went Mr Evans was making quite a good job of it compared to the parents of some of the children at school and he thought of Mr Riley and Davy …he shook his head and ate some more.

Edward sat down and looked around the table with an air of contentment. He has been well blessed, and when Mary smiled at him he felt as though his heart – well, it beat faster. He heard the crackle of paper and was reminded of the note that he had picked up so pulled it from his pocket, tore open the envelope and smoothed out the paper within.

Dear Mr Evans

I am sorry but I will not be at school at school today.

My Pa is ill, but not here, he is in Carson City so I am

going to go with my Ma . I am sorry I will not be able

to complete the test paper this morning

Reuben Cartwright

He looked up, frowned and sighed. Mary frowned as well, and asked very politely if it was something important. He shook his head and then poured himself some coffee, as he lifted the c up to his mouth he looked over at Jimmy, took a gulp of coffee

“Jimmy, did you hear any talk from Reuben about his father being ill…”

Jimmy looked up from his food, lowered the fork and frowned “No, I didn’t hear nothing about that…”

“Well, apparently he is ill in Carson City and Reuben is going with his mother to see how things are….” he paused, drank some more coffee and picked up his fork, the letter he left on the table by the side of the plate “I don’t suppose he will be back again for a few days.”

“Will Sofia miss school too?” Jimmy asked as casually as he could.

“I don’t know, she is not mentioned in the letter.”

Jimmy said nothing but felt that a dark cloud had come to blot out his own particular sun…the sight of the little girl, the sound of her voice when they were in the school yard, just knowing she was in the class room nearby meant so much to him. Just thinking about it now made him blush, the colour mounting his cheeks so he concentrated on his food until the heat had died down and he felt no one had noticed.

Of course Mary had noticed, she was a mother after all, and now she leaned forward a little and patted him on the knee, under the table so that Edward would not notice. Jimmy sighed, they really needed to get a dog….

…………………………..

“That’s a mess,” Joe observed to his brother Hoss as they stood in the yard of the Malahides property and watched as the ranch hands continued to clear up the still smoking carcase of the barn “I wonder what happened -”

“It got burned down.” Hoss replied head tilted to one side as he watched some men pull away some burned boards that had once been part of the barns wall.

“Yeah, but how?”

“Weren’t you here when it happened?”

Joe shook his head, trying to recapture moments when he had come to the ranch, confronted them, with Amos…he shook his head again “Should we go and lend them a hand?”

Hoss shook his head “Best that we get back to the cattle station and check that out….from what Amos tells me there isn’t much of it left.”

Joe nodded and sighed “He’s right there….”

One of the ranch hands, a lanky young man with the attempt of a beard straggling around his chin, came to wards them, raised a hand for attention “That right, what they told me? Weavers dead?”

“He is…” Hoss nodded, shrugged “But so is Mr Malahide.”

“Yeah, well, that was kinda expected, he was old and sick but Weaver….never thought I’d see the day.” he grinned, his eyes bright “Guess we have something to celebrate then.”

“I guess you have…” Joe nodded, thinking as he did so that it was a sad day when a man was killed and it was a cause for celebration.

“We’re sorry about Mr Malahide of course,” he half turned, his fingers working at a button on his jacket, self conscious now and not knowing how to extricate himself from the situation, “He was not so bad, Jake was kinda hard to deal with but Weaver…” he whistled beneath his breath, then paused “That right he nearly killed your brother?” he didn’t wait for a response just shook his head “Well, showed he weren’t so great after all, your brother survived and Weaver got killed…”

“You don’t have a very high opinion of Weaver, do you?” Joe, always quick on the uptake, no flies on him, said in an effort to draw the man out.

“No one liked Weaver, he scared most of us….”

“But not you?” Joe smiled and nodded as though he could recognise a hero when he saw one.

“Me? He scared the daylights out of me. ..things I seen him do.” he leaned forward, conspiratorially, “Ive only been here a year but some of the older guys here -” he thumbed at the men working behind him, “they reckon when we clear all this away we’ll find graves.”

“Graves?” Joe stepped back a pace as though his thoughts had weakened his knees.

“Never did to get Weavers attention…..if he liked you,” he shook his head and jabbed his thumb down, “And if he took agin you…” he shook his head again

“You were alright though?” Joe said almost whispering

“Yeah, just about…him dying came at the right time for me, I see’d his eyes on me some days and I tell ya, it was like the devil had his hooks in me…”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Hoss asked, his face creased in what his brothers called his cynical look.

“I was about to, come next pay day, if I lived that long…”

“Phew, I’d have been long gone, pay or no pay.” Joe admitted with a shake of his head

Lanky looked at Joe thoughtfully, then nodded “Yeah, I guess you would have done too….”

He turned away and strode in the direction of the other men, leaving Joe and Hoss standing together., watching. Joe sighed “Makes you wonder what kind of outfit this was…”

“Well, I guess so…but let’s go see about our own outfit huh?”

“Do you reckon they’ll find graves there?” Joe asked as they mounted their horses, he looked back to the men stacking up the burned planks, some of which were still burning

“Nah, course not….” Hoss scoffed “Joe, you can just be so gullible at times.”

…………………….

Strange how the dreams came…Adam shook his head to try and dispel them but they clung on tight as though now they had him in their grip they were determined not to let him go.

Ben wiped sweat from his face, then looked over at the Doctor “I thought he was alright, that he was over the worse?”

Guozhi Wei shook his head and placed a hand on Adams brow, before stepping back to observe the long body covered by the single sheet “It is temporary…nothing to fear.”

“I’m not so confident about that….”

“I understand, but his fever is normal, due to the drugs he has had, it means that his kidneys have not cleared away the medication, in a little while it will do so and gradually he will improve. “ he sighed as though it was harder work to explain to Ben what was happening to his son than it was to cure the man.

Ben shook his head, rubbed his jaw. He looked finally at the two men standing on the opposite side of the bed and between gritted teeth told them that he thought it might be a good idea to get Dr Chandler back to look into the matter.

If the two Doctors, one of whom had practised medicine for decades, was insulted they showed no sign of it. The younger man stepped back to allow Guozhi time to sweep imperiously out of the room and the responsibility for their patients life to be left in the hands of this parent.

Guozhi was made of sterner stuff, and more compassionate too than his younger associate. He bowed his head politely to Ben and slid his hands into the voluminous folds of his silk sleeves,

“Your son is not dying, Mr Cartwright. He will not die. But he is unwell and the reason for that is because -” he gave as slight shrug of the shoulders “as yet we cannot see inside the human body. If it were possible to have some means of seeing where the damage is done to such small organs as the kidneys, heart, or lungs…if we could see exactly with the human eyes those things now screened off from us … then when I first saw him I could have said we do this, we do that and he will be cured.- maybe cured .” he paused and raised a hand, one finger pointing ceiling ward “but we do not have such available, and so we have to let the body speak for us…and today it tells us that there is some damage after all. Not severe because I would have known that yesterday, but now we see that there is some damage and we use our experience of such things to put the matter right.”

“And he – he will survive this?”

“Yes…perhaps as time goes by and he gets older there may be reminders of this injury, but then that happens with bones that break, does it not>” a grimace flickered across his face, before he looked down at the man on the bed. “For a while he will not be well, so I will give him some thing to help him ..do not be alarmed, he is strong, he will be much better soon.”

……………….

Sofia looked at Chan who looked down at her, she sighed and cast her eyes downwards

.”I don;’t want to go to school today, Chen”

“Missy should go, very important you learn, Father would wish it….”

“But Daddy isn’t here, and it isn’t fair that Reuben has gone to see him and I can’t go….”

“Brother went without permission, he made his own decision.” Chan sighed and turned his back on her, there were things to do and he was at his wits end with this child. Girl children were always more difficult that boys, and he glanced down at Nathaniel who was playing happily and quietly near by. Yes, give a boy some food and toys and they are happy, but girls…he shook his head.

Sofia stared for some time at the man’s back, looked at her little brother as though he was the cause of all her woes, then shrugged “Alright, then….I suppose I had better go…”

Chan nodded, best not to turn round and let her see him smiling in triumph, patience was rewarded, very good. He nodded again “You hurry, wagon come soon…..”

Sofia nodded to his back and then hurried over to Nathaniel, “Be a good boy, Nathaniel.” and she stooped down and kissed him very gently on the cheek, “I’ll see you later…”

“Bye So’fee.”

She ran out of the house, grabbed at her books and her lunch pail and slammed the door shut behind her. She ran across the yard and into the stable, tossed the books into the straw and then stood very quietly looking around her.

Light shone through various gaps in the wood work…beams of light catching motes of dust that danced around her. The horses showed little interest in her, she noticed that Max’s stall was empty as was Mistrals. But Kami was still there, so beautiful and so sleek she turned her head towards Sofia as though weighing her up, then returned to her hay bag. Sport was in his stall, a big horse, she could remember Adam putting her on that broad back and leading her round and round in the corral, as safe as sitting on an armchair. But best of all was Paddy, her own horse…

They looked at one another, eye to eye. She stroked his neck and fondled his ears, and he nudged her hand as though encouraging her to do it again…”Poor Paddy, you’re bored arn’t you?”

Paddy obligingly pawed at the ground and then tossed his head several times, “Well, so am I.” she frowned and stroked the soft velvet of his nose, he nibbled her fingers, very gently. “You know, Paddy, if Daddy were here he would say a bored horse is an unhappy horse…he would you know, I heard him say that once..”

She stepped back. several paces, the sound of the wagon rolling into the yard, Hannah would be there already, so she ran out, and Ezra pulled up the horse and nodded over to her “You ready then, Missy.”

“I can’t come today, Ezra,,,my Daddy’s not well. Mommy and Reuben have gone to see him and – and I have to stay here.” she looked at him, every word – almost every word – was true, and the fact that her Daddy was in fact ill, brought a big lump to her throat, tears hit the back of her eyes, her lips trembled.

“I heard tell, Missy…you take care now….I’m sure he will be home soon, fit and well.”

It was too much, Sofia promptly burst into tears and ran back into the stable,threw herself among the straw and sobbed,

Ezra proved to be as ineffective with little girls as Chan – he promptly turned the wagon and retreated from the yard even thought Hannah was calling out to her cousin….but Sofia just sobbed on, the enormity of sorrow searing her little heart.

Chapter 75

By the time the train had made its way past the remnants of the Julia Bullette Mineshaft Reuben had fallen fast asleep, slumped into the warm curves of his mothers body, his head resting upon her shoulder.

Olivia slid her arm around his back, cradling him closer while her eyes watched the scenery slip away knowing that every turn of the train’s wheels was taking her closer to her husband. If only, she thought for about the thousandth time, he had not gone with Joe; if only they had talked Joe out of insisting he had to go…if only, if only…the words began to resound in her mind as an echo to the sound of the wheels as they clattered over the tracks clacketty clack clacketty clack if only if only if only …..

…………

Joe and Hoss emerged from the trees into the clearing where the cattle station ruins were located. The building should have been standing there resplendent now, only awaiting the windows to be installed and some internal work to be completed. Now it stood there a blackened smoking ruin.

They walked the horses closer, then dismounted close to where Cookie had prepared the men their meals, made their coffee and flapjacks. Now it looked bleak and abandoned with a funereal air hovering like a black cloud obscuring the blue sky. Smoke still coiled skywards, and just here and there could still be seen the glimmer of small fires eating up what was still available to burn.

There was no one else there. The bodies of the fallen had been taken to the undertakers in town, only blood stains now black patches on the soil like tar, indicated where they had fallen. Both men stood in silence for a while, their eyes moving from side to side, looking at the ruined building, the chaos in what had been an orderly working environment. Neither of them seemed able to find the words to describe their feelings, both of them sighed in unison and then looked at one another.

“Well -” Hoss started and then shook his head, and retuned his gaze to the sights around him, his shoulders slumped, his body portraying the dismay such a sight caused him

Joe just stood there, the reins the horse between his fingers, blinking rapidly. He had seen it before, when it was burning still, and he had left it, riding off to the Malahides with Amos Kline …but now he stood speechless and his thoughts turned to how he had boarded the train, left his brother to deal with it on his own, while he headed home …he felt guilt rise in his throat like bile.

“This is a mess, Joe.”

Hoss’ voice rumbled overhead, and all Joe could do was nod, and try to swallow down his misery.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t start to rebuild.” Joe found himself saying, he gulped again,took in a deep breath of the smoke laden air and coughed “ We can restart …”

“Guess Pa will need to see this …” Hoss mumbled “ Get his thoughts..”

“The meadows still there, still good grazing for the cattle…”

“Yeah,” Hoss sighed but his heart was not in it, he shook his head again “Yeah, I guess so…”

“It wouldn’t take too long to get this cleared away, we had a good team of men working on it, Hoss, they’ll come back and get this sorted out, start rebuilding -”

They lapsed back into silence. Hoss walked a little distance and kicked away some rubble with his booted foot, looked at the wood that was stacked away from the building, wood that Joe and Adam had unloaded only recently.

“I guess with the Malahides gone…we don’t need to fear it happening again…” his voice trailed away and he rubbed the back of his head, then allowed himself to look elsewhere on the site, “I reckon – perhaps – it would be salvageable.”

“Can’t understand why they wanted to burn the place down anyway… this is Ponderosa land, no threat to them… “

Hoss nodded, ran his hand over the smoothed planks of wood and nodded again “Let’s get back, tell Pa what we found here…” he paused a moment before mounting his horse, “Sight sure is depressing.”

……………

The Deputy brought Ethan in coffee and food on a tray.

“Marshall’s here…wants a word.”.

Ethan nodded, picked up the coffee and then frowned “Marshall?”

“Yeah, Marshall Howard. He got back early this morning…”

“What’s the time now?”

“Getting on for 7 …Marshall Howard came straight from the train.”

“Where’s the Sheriff?”

“Probably on a train to who knows where….”

“How come the Marshall got here now? I thought -”

“He got a cable….”

“Oh!” Ethan frowned, it seemed there had been a good number of cables flitting about from one to another, here and there…he looked at The Deputy who only shrugged. “He’s reading through the statements you got together…wants to ask you some questions.”

“Sure, I’ll come right away…”

“Eat your breakfast first, always best to face things on a full stomach.”

Ethan watched as he turned and walked away, his foot steps sounding hollow along the corridor until he reached the office, a door opened, closed. The young man ran a hand over his jaw, stubble prickled against his fingers, but no denying it, he was hungry.

Marshall Howard looked at the deputy from Virginia City and gestured to the chair in front of the desk. He poured out two mugs of hot coffee and pushed one over to Ethan before he took his seat, leaned back and with one hand tapped at the sheaf of papers on the desk

“You’ve been busy.”

“Only what needed to be done.” Ethan shrugged and stared into the older man’s eyes, refusing to back down, to look apologetic for doing what should have been done way long ago

“Reading through these…” Marshall Howard picked up the mug of coffee, gulped some down, before pulling one page out from the rest “From this account – it makes it seem like some kind of mad man existed there.”

“Perhaps that would sum him up…I presume you mean Weaver?”

“I do. This statement makes claims that -” he paused and looked at Ethan, pursed his lips and shook his head “I can’t believe them.”

“Claims of murder? Torture?” Ethan said smoothly, as though totally unruffled by the Marshall’s attitude. “You’ll see more than one man makes that claim…but the fact is that I was looking into the arson attack on the Cartwrights cattle station, on the death of young Jayson Kline, and the deaths of the two Malahides and injuries to Adam Cartwright…the statements were all given voluntarily, and such accusations against Weaver -” he paused, frowned as though he had to think ahead to what he was going to say next “It was like those men had felt compelled to just spill it all out. For all this time they could not go to the authorities _” he looked coldly at Howard as he spoke “ because Sheriff Ford would not have listened, because he was turning a blind eye to it all… if you read Mrs Malahide’s statement…..”

“I have not yet read it.”

“Well, let’s say its the most damning of them all.”

Howard slumped visibly in his chair, then pushed his mug of coffee away from him before pulling it back in order to empty it in one long gulp.

“I never knew – never suspected any of this…true, there were times when Buford acted a mite high and mighty, pushed his weight around some, but in that he was not alone….out here to get where he is, was, it takes a certain ruthlessness, arrogance…but Weaver…” he paused again “Jake was always a handful, an attention seeker, always in trouble…I always anticipated that he would end up dead one day, in some saloon brawl, or shoot out… “

Ethan stood up, “If its all the same to you, Marshall, I need to get back…make sure Adam Cartwright is alright and do some more checking out….”

“More statements…?”

“Perhaps I should have said, digging out….there are claims that there could be bodies out there…they deserve justice too.”

Marshal Howard nodded, rose from his chair “I’ll come with you…..”

“And Sheriff Ford…”

“I’ve men already looking out for him…..”

………………

Mr Orawitz heard the light tapping on the door and slowly rose from his chair to make his way to the door. The woman who came in to tidy up and sometimes cook for him paused, watched him and then glanced at the door. Mr Orawitz never had visitors, those he once had were used to him turning them away, or ignoring them. Now no one came. The tapping continued and she watched him as he walked down the hall and then threw open the door.

She had wondered what or if there were something strange going on as for the first time in a long time he had taken care over his appearance. Clothes were tidier, his thin hair had been washed, brushed, and had a semblance of neatness. He looked less creased, as though some how his skin had been ironed out, just a little, enough to make a difference.

“Good morning.” she heard him say and then a child’s voice answered him, and he said “Come on in… you’ll need a cool glass of lemonade after riding all this way into town ..”

That was obviously her cue, said loud enough for her to vanish into the kitchen and prepare lemonade. But first she had to see just who the visitor happened to be…she peeked around the door and frowned, she didn’t recognise the girl, but certainly well dressed, and pretty, very blonde hair tied in a ribbon.

Mr Orawitz pointed to a chair “Sit down, Sofia. Now then, tell me, why arn’t you at school today?”

Sofia settled into the big arm chair which seemed to engulf her. She could not even touch the floor with her toes. She folded her hands in her lap and blinked, blinked again,

“My Daddy is hurt. He’s in Carson City and my brother has gone on the train with my Mommy. I don’t know what is the matter with him. I can’t go to school not knowing, Mr Orawitz. I didn;t know what to do, I just – I just -” she sniffed and bowed her head, two tears dripped onto her skirts leaving dark patches and Mr Orawitz did not know whether to get up and hug her, pat her on the shoulder or just let her get on with it.

There was an awkward silence as he chose to let her get on with it, in the background they could hear the sounds of drinks being prepared. Sofia heaved in a big sigh. “I couldn’t stay home, just – just with my little brother there and Chan. You do understand, don’t you?”

He leaned forward now and reached out a hand which he placed carefully, gently, on her arm, “Of course I do, but what can I do to help you, my dear?”

She shook her head, blinked again, a tear made its way down her cheek, slowly. He wanted to wipe it away but did not dare to do so, it was too intimate a gesture, after all, she was not his little girl.

“ I wanted to ride Buddy, just ride and ride until everything was alright again, but that isn’t – isn’t – “ she struggled to find the right word, but it would not come to mind. She shook her head, “I thought how you would like to see Buddy again…I thought of ,,, of your little girl and how she had loved Buddy…I thought you would understand how I felt….”

The lemonade was put on a table near her elbow and Mr Orawitz was handed a cup of coffee. They both took a sip and then looked at one another, Mr Orawitz looked away.

“I had a visit from your teacher, Miss Hathaway. Did you know her father had been a landscape gardener? She knew a lot of the plants and flowers in the garden ..”

Sofia nodded, she thought of Miss Hathaway and how much she would have loved being surrounded by flowers. Mr Orawitz smiled slowly “She said she would come and tidy my garden up, and put it back to how my wife would have liked it. I didn’t like to mention that I had plans to go to Chicago..I mean…I had had plans ….but …” he paused and glanced down at the floor before looking up at her again,” A very pleasant young woman is your Miss Hathaway.”

Sofia nodded, drank some more lemonade, perfectly made, just the right amount of sugar…she looked at Mr Orawitz “Miss Hathaway is my favourite teacher next to Mr Evans.”

“Ah I remember meeting Mr Evans when he came with his wife, Beatrice, the pianist.” he nodded, his face went a little vague as he recalled listening to the pianist playing Mozart ….a long time ago.

“I’m learning to play the piano. I want to be able to play just like her….” Sofia smiled, and then drank some more lemonade.

“Would you like to play something for me…now?”

He stood up, taller now that he no longer allowed himself to stoop as though he had all the sorrows of the world on his shoulders. He smiled and his eyes twinkled. “Come, I’ll show you the piano..I bought it for my wife.”

It was a beautiful piano…Sofia just stood at the doorway of the big room where the walls were lined with books….and the sun shone down upon the piano positioned right in the centre of the room.

“Oh Mr Orawitz…” she could barely breathe and clasped her hands together beneath her chin. “Oh, Mr Orawitz”

Chapter 76

For some reason Olivia had expected to see Ben or her brothers in law waiting for her at the station. As she and Reuben left the train and stood on the platform she had an overwhelming feeling of loneliness sweep over her and for a moment stood quite still, looking around her for one of them to come striding along towards her, a smile of welcome on his face. But there was no one.

She felt Reuben’s hand slip into hers making her realise that she was not alone, and that she was now responsible for her son, and that it really did not matter that she was with family or friends at the moment. She gripped his hand within her own and looked down at him, smiled and nodded

“I think we should go to the hospital first…”

“Did they say he was there, Ma?”

She sighed, and shook her head “To be honest it gave no indication of where he was … just that we had to get here quickly as he was – “ she cleared her throat “that your Father was hurt, and needed me with him.”

She looked around her, then straightened her shoulders and clutched her valise in one hand, and Reuben’s hand in the other. “Dr Chandler will be at the hospital I should imagine…”

“Sure, Ma, but you can let go of my hand now…I ain’t a kid.”

She smiled, looked down at him, and thought ‘oh but you are, you are…you’re my kid!’ but she released his hand, because after all, he was nearly eleven and what boy of eleven wants to be seen holding his Mom’s hand like a two year old!

She could remember where the hospital was but hired a cab anyway. It would get there faster then they could walk to it, and she needed to make good use of time. Too much time had already been wasted, anything could have happened…anything.

She thought of Bridie and Paul, and how Tillie had made them a hearty breakfast before they had set off to the station in Virginia City. She thought of her other children, and wondered if Sofia had gone to school and would explain to Mr Evans why Reuben was not there, and then she recalled her altercation with Mary-Ann and felt miserable at the memory.

The hospital came into view and the cab driver drew the horse up at the entrance, then jumped down to open the door to her, taking her arm to help her down the step as though she were a fragile old woman. Reuben jumped down beside her.

“Do you want me to wait, Ma’am?” he asked as she produced some money to pay him the fare

“I don’t know how long I will be ….”

He nodded “I know how it is, Ma’am. I’ll wait ten minutes and if you ain’t out by then I’ll on on my way.” he touched the brim of his hat and then remounted the vehicle, taking up the reins and settling himself on his seat.

“Thank you, that’s very kind….” she heard herself murmuring the words and turned to the building, Reuben close behind her.

The entrance to the hospital was busy, and for a moment they just stood there looking around, wondering where to do. Of course, the reception area where a grim looking woman was sitting with head bent over a book that appeared rather like a ledger. She glanced up over her half moon glasses at the woman and boy suddenly standing before her, looked down as though to imprint the words she was looking at in her brain for future reference “Can I help?”

Reuben looked at his Ma, the woman did not sound as if she wanted to help, and he waited for his mother to reply, wondering if she thought the same as him, because he always thought people in hospitals would be kind, gentle.

“Has a Mr Adam Cartwright been admitted here as a patient?”

The woman looked, frowned and then glanced down at the book in front of her.

“No one of that name …”

“No?”

“No…..”

“But I had a cable to tell me to get here right away. He’s been injured …”

“He hasn’t been brought to the hospital.” she looked down at the book and they saw her lips moving as she read names on a long list, then she shook her head, “No, sorry, he is not here.”

Olivia felt the colour drain from her face, she glanced quickly around her, someone some where would surely know where Adam was, surely. She coughed to clear the lump in her throat,

“Dr Hal Chandler…is he available?”

The woman looked at Olivia with narrowed eyes “May I ask who wants to know?”

“I do. Mrs Olivia Cartwright, from the Ponderosa.” saying the words out loud gave Olivia a sensation of pride, some how it emboldened her, she straightened her shoulders and gave the woman a hard direct stare “I’ve no time to waste, so – is he here or not?”

“Dr Chandler finished his shift half an hour ago. I believe he returned to his house,,”

“And where is that?”

“I don’t think -”

“No, don’t think, just tell me …as I said, I’ve no time to waste here. If my husband is not here then I need to know where he is….Dr Chandlers address please.”

The cabbie was still there when they left the hospital building, he smiled and got down to open the door, so that she and Reuben were able to clamber back inside. She gave the address and sat back. Looked down at Reuben who was grinning up at her “Gee, mom, you sure told her…..”

Olivia gave a little nod of the head, a small smile played on her lips but vanished as quickly. What if Chandler was not home…what next?

The horse pulling the cab was a feisty young thing and they were soon at the Doctors house. They had just stepped down onto the pavement when the door opened and Hal stepped out, turned, closed the door and locked it. He was pocketing the key when he heard someone calling his name and upon turning saw a woman and a boy coming towards him

“Mrs Cartwright!” he paused, looked at Reuben and nodded “Why are you here ? Oh, stupid question, forgive me. I’ve had a long shift at the hospital…and so much going on. Of course you want to know about your husband.”

“Where is he, Dr Chandler?”

“I was about to go there in actual fact, perhaps you would like to come with me?”

“Do you need the cab?”

“I have my own vehicle…” he smiled generously, nodded over at the cabbie who had been paid and nodded back. “Round the back…” he said now, and led them down the side alley to where his buggy and horse awaited.

“Is Adam – is Adam – all right?”

He glanced at her as she settled beside him, the boy squeezing in beside her. He noticed how white the knuckles were as she gripped tight hold on the valise, the boys anxious eyes were fixed to his face, waiting for his reply.

“I don’t know…to be perfectly honest with you, he was not my patient” he paused, looked from one to the other and shrugged “I’m sure they will explain everything when we get there.

Olivia released a long quivering sigh,closed her eyes and reached for Reuben’s hand which she squeezed tightly before releasing it. Her head was throbbing along with her heart, which seemed likely to burst through her corsets at any time. It seemed no one understood how she felt, how the fear compounded now by panic and that awful gnawing horror that she was already too late. If she had been alone she would have wept, but with Reuben by her side she was afraid of letting him see her cry, after all, parents should be strong for their children, shouldn’t they?

She looked away and out of the window, Carson City was no where as big as Virginia City, but it seemed to her that it was never ending, that the horse pulling the buggy was too old, too slow…that Hal knew something and was not telling her the whole story and that something – something terrible – was awaiting them at journey’s end. And the most terrible thing would be that her husband was dead.

……………….

Hester was laughing when Mary Ann pushed open the door and stepped into the room. It seemed to the younger woman that with so much going on at the present moment, laughter was the last thing one would do, or want to do, especially laughter the way Hester enjoyed it, throwing her head back, hair pins falling out everywhere, curls bouncing loose…Mary Ann closed the door behind her with a thud, just to let Hester know she was there and this was no time for hilarity.

Erik and Nathaniel were playing together, dressing up beneath some shawls and pretending to be wild animals about to eat up the hunter, namely Hester, who was rolling on the floor quite enjoying the experience of having two little boys jumping all over her.

“Hester….HESTER!”

Everything stopped. Even the little boys knew from the sound of their Aunts voice that play time was at an end. They peered out from behind the shawls, big anxious eyes, then they quickly crawled away on all fours and after discarding the shawls ran into the kitchen for help from Chan.

Hester rolled herself onto her knees and then clambered to her feet. With a sigh she patted her hair, retrieved some pins and managed to fix up some curls. She nodded over to Mary Ann

“I wasn’t expecting you, dear. Isn’t it your shift at the hospice today?”

“Yes, I’m too worried to go in this morning.” Mary Ann paused, before stepping further into the room and flopping down into a chair, “Hester, have you heard anything yet?”

“No, not at all. I doubt if Olivia has even reached Carson City yet.” she glanced at the clock and frowned “Well, she may be there now, if she caught the early train. Reuben went with her…I presume.” she paused and frowned, then sat down in the chair opposite Mary Ann “That is unless Olivia sent him to school of course.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

“Chan tells me that Reuben sneaked out early this morning on Max, he left a note to explain he wanted to be with his Ma and see how Adam is…” she paused and observed Mary Ann’s face before she continued “Chan also saw Sofia leave the house on her horse…”

“WHAT!” Mary Ann shot up right, her eyes so wide they resembled organ stops.

“She went after the wagon left for school, so I’m presuming she didn’t go to school.”

Mary Ann stood up, wrung her hands, shook her head, and looked genuinely distraught, “This is terrible…where has she gone? Are you sure she didn’t go to school?”

“Ezra said there was no sign of her…but then he didn’t know she had taken the horse and left the house. He wouldn’t have been looking …”

“So she could be anywhere?” Mary Ann wailed, wringing her hands some more and her eyes looking glazed with moisture. Tears would surely follow soon…

“I daresay…” Hester replied leaning forward to pick up several pins she saw lying on the rug.

“For goodness sake, Hester, we need to organise a search party…she could …what if she had an accident.”

“Why would she have an accident?”

“She’s gone out riding, on her own….she’s just a little girl on a horse on her own, Hester.” she said the last few words with stress on each one.

Hester sighed “Mary Ann, Sofia is eight years old….”

“Exactly – a child “

“Have you ever seen her ride a horse?”

Mary Ann paused, shook her head “Even so…”

“She’s a perfectly natural horsewoman, child though she is…goodness me, I remember the first time I rode a horse, I was younger than that by some years”

“Hester, listen to yourself….you’re here playing games with two infants while Sofia is riding out all over goodness knows where and you don’t seem to care at all….you should have a search party organised at least…”

“Mary Ann, stop going on so, Sofia is perfectly competent …”

“Olivia didn’t think so, she wouldn’t let Sofia ride that horse on her own…she said she was too young…and you’ve done nothing, nothing to find her and make sure she is safe ..”

“I asked Ezra if he had seen her at all, passed her on the way, and he had not. So she is not lying on the road side – so far as we know -”

“Aah, so far as we know…listen to yourself, Hester, you sound as though you couldn’t care less…what if it were Hannah!”

Hester shook her head, “Don’t be so angry, Mary Ann….if you feel we need to send out search parties then we will do so, but I am fully confident in Sofia, and she will come home when she is ready -”

“And when will that be?”

“As I said, when she is ready. Look, she’s worried about Adam, and her Mom and Reuben have gone without her. so she is also annoyed by that…” she paused and sighed, “She may even have caught a later train to Carson City, although I doubt it, she still hasn’t enough confidence to do that…more than likely she has gone to see Bridie.”

Mary Ann sat down, stared at the basket containing skeins of different coloured wool for Olivia’s knitting…there came the chink of cutlery and the aroma of coffee as Chan brought refreshments into the room and set the tray down on the low table.

“Chan, if you saw Sofia, why didn’t you stop her….” Mary Ann cried, hoping to vent some of her ire and frustration on the poor man, but Chan only shrugged and then bowed to her politely

“Little Missy had plan of her own…Little Missy sad at heart needed to be alone…she will return…” after saying what he felt was enough on the subject he turned and left the room

“If anything happens to her, “ Mary Ann said in a low growl of a voice “I’ll never forgive you.”

Chapter 77

Adam was sitting upright in the bed when there came a light knock on the door. He winced. Propped up by pillows enable him to look less like someone about to die at any moment, but the drawn features, closed eyes, the numerous bandages told their own story. He was suffering and the least noise sent cymbals clashing inside his head, neatly bandaged though it was.

Julia Malahide pushed the door open even as Ben reached it, hand on the handle so that he almost upset the tray she was carrying. She smiled and nodded at him, then looked over at Adam who had remained motionless

“Is he asleep?” she asked in a near whisper

“No, just wishing he were.” Ben replied with a smile and stepped aside to let her enter into the room

She carefully balanced the food and coffee before setting it down on the low table near Ben’s chair.

“I thought you could do with some breakfast.”

“Thank you.” Ben said graciously.

“The Doctors should be here in about an hours time…”

“Yes, I believe so….”

She glanced nervously at Adam who had sighed at the mention of the Doctors, but remained unmoved. She pulled out a chair and sat down, playing her role as hostess she poured out the coffee and looked up at Ben, expecting him to hand a cup over to Adam, but it was left untouched on the tray.

“We need to talk, Mr Cartwright.”

“I agree….” he drank some coffee and set the cup down, “What do you want to talk about?”

“What happens next, I suppose. Your plans for the cattle station…what happened here.. “ she paused “Compensation for my property being burned down…”

“Compensation for YOUR property being burned down!” Ben boomed, then controlled himself and picked up his cup. “Madam, I think you’re mistaken, if anyone should be seeking compensation it should be the Ponderosa….our men were killed during the raid …”

“So was my husband…”

“Well, my dear, if he had not decided to burn down our cattle station, he would still be alive today, wouldn’t he?”

“It was Weavers idea..”

“Weaver!” Ben humphed

“Yes…Weaver was behind it all.”

He looked at her, intently. She was an attractive woman, and she was intelligent, but whether she was honest – that he doubted very much. He shook his head,

“Weaver isn’t here to deny it, nor admit it….” he said very slowly, watching her, the shades of her face, the eyes gleamed, the mouth tightened.

“Mr Cartwright, I thought you understood…”

“I don’t really understand anything about what has happened during the past few days…why two attacks on the station, what was the point of them, apart from succeeding where they failed the first time.”

She nodded as though accepting his accusation, then she stood up, looked at Adam who had allowed himself a sigh as though wishing they would get on with it and leave him alone.

“Let me explain…from the beginning…”

Adam groaned, opened his eyes and peered into the blur ahead of him. He put a hand to his head, wondered momentarily if it would roll off his shoulders if he moved but attempted it anyway…

“Pa?”

“Yes, son…”

“Can I smell coffee…”

He took the cup from Ben’s hand and squinted to look down at the muddy surface of the cup, then he drank it and handed it back. He settled back into the pillows and blinked to clear the mist, it remained, so he squinted at the blur that resembled a woman, “Mrs Malahide! Good morning….”

“Mr Cartwright…..”

“You were going to tell us about Weaver…about what happened…”

“Weaver ..” she snorted ( in a lady like manner) with contempt “A despicable man. ..although when I first married Jake he seemed pleasant enough, quiet you know, kept himself in the background. But then suddenly – “ she paused and shook her head “This won’t make much sense to you, it still doesn’t make any to me…”

Silence for a while, during which Ben poured Adam more coffee which he drank down, closed his eyes and settled again into the pillows. Julia sighed

“My marriage was a business arrangement really, between my father and Buford. There was not really much – well, let’s call it love – between Jake and I, although we had a friendship oddly enough, we could laugh and joke, enjoy things together, but not much else.” she looked at t hem both, Adam with his eyes closed, Ben watching her like a hawk. “I think Buford cared for me more than anyone…anyway, Weaver suddenly emerged from the background, he seemed involved in everything, and I still don’t know how or why…but Buford and Jake, I think they were scared of him”

She paced the floor, thump thump thump went her footsteps in Adams head, from percussion cymbals to kettle drums

“But it got worse when he found out you were going to build that cattle station..Buford didn’t really care one way or another until Weaver was ranting about it, then he would join in but when Weaver left the room he would laugh about it and say Weaver was on a hiding to nothing…”

“Why the attacks on the station….” Ben asked

“I overheard Weaver planning to burn it down, with Jake…I misunderstood what he was saying, it was all a set up to – to get rid of Jayson Kline. Jake suspected Jayson of being – my lover.” she shook her head, shrugged “Well, the scheme worked because Jayson died…”

Adam muttered “I heard all about that from the Talbots….”

Julia paused, nodded and continued pacing, “But the main objective as far as Weaver was concerned was getting rid of the cattle station, using it as a way to remove Jake…”

“Why?” Ben now asked, “What was the point? Why Jake…”

“Jake found out about things …” she gave a wry smile “Oddly enough Jake was trying to find ways of getting rid of Weaver, just as much as Weaver was trying to remove Jake…it was …horrendous…a nightmare living here with the two of them and we were getting to hear rumours about him, about Weaver…the men were talking…”

“Buford and Jake never knew…never suspected?” Ben asked now a tone of disbelief in his voice

“No, why should they have done, they had never seen …well, Weaver was pleasant enough …what we were hearing was – awful!”

Someone knocked on the door, a more forceful rapping than the previous one so Ben boomed “Come in” and the door opened to admit Ethan Burns and Marshall Howard.

……………….

Throughout the ride to the Malahide ranch the two law men had exchanged information concerning the recent events that had taken place during Howards absence . He had expressed anger at the way Sheriff Ford had side stepped his duties and taken money in order to do so, for how long, he had no idea. Confusion about Weaver, whom he had thought to be a calm man, in some ways a rock amid the turbulence of the Malahide household. He had read the statements and declared that at first he had disbelieved the first two, but then others …he had to admit he had read the man wrong.

They had not sought out Julia or the Cartwrights when they first entered the house. Instead they made for the rooms that had been occupied by Weaver and made a thorough search. There were books that they glanced at and cast to one side, too disgusted at their contents “They need burning” was all Howard had said about them.

It was under the man’s mattress where the worse was found. Hidden there was a journal detailing his regime of manipulation, torture, sadistic mind games not only on the family but on the men they employed.

It made repellent reading.

Now they stood in the room that had belonged to Jake Malahide and glanced from the patient in the bed, his father and the woman who now stood in silence, her eyes fixed upon the book in Howards’ hands.

The Marshall politely acknowledged them all, shook hands with Ben and Adam who for some reason best known to him he addressed as “Commodore”

“You look a mite beaten up, Commodore…how’re you feeling?”

“Beaten up.” Adam muttered.

Howard chuckled although not with mirth. He stood there and once again looked at them before nodding as though it was time to start being more business like ”I’ve read all the statements from those involved in the past events. I have to say, some make quite – unpleasant reading.”

No one spoke. But all eyes were upon him now so he cleared his throat and held up the book

“This makes repellent reading. A sick mind behind the hand that wrote this…” he lowered his hand, sighed before continuing “Weaver had lots of reasons for getting rid of the cattle station…he tried several times but what happened over the past few days was, in his mind, going to solve all his problems. He would remove the Malahides, take over, even possibly marry the widow….”

“Over my dead body…” Julia hissed, her fists clenched and her face scowled in fury

“That, Mrs Malahide, he would have seen happen, quite happily. He had it all written down, all planned….just needed executing.”

“So what was the problem with our cattle station…” Ben growled, “Cut to the chase and let’s know for sure what it was all about because what Mrs Malahide tells us is just pure stupidity”

“Wal,” Howard took the time to scratch his head, and heave in a sigh, “That’s where all the bodies are…..” he looked at Julia “You ever wonder why so many of your men went missing? Guess you’ll probably find ’em on Ponderosa land, where Weaver buried ’em.”

Adam exhaled sharply, while his father bounced off his chair and shook his head in disbelief

“That’s ridiculous. Surely he would have realised that all the attention that burning down the cattle station received the more likely it would be that the bodies would be found…if they are there…” he added with a slightly contemptuous snarl

“Well, for years he had gotten away with it .. but a while before you started building a body was found there ..no identification on him, no one missed him” he shrugged, he looked at both Cartwrights suspiciously “You never heard anything about that?”

“Nope!” Adam said firmly, Ben said the same, looking defiantly at Howard

“Doesn’t matter anyhows…Weaver was methodical, he drew the location of every body he buried and identified them for us. We just got to go digging that’s all…”

Ben rubbed his jaw, staring down at the floor as he did so. Julia was the one who asked “How long had he been doing this?”

“Too long,” Howard replied, and he looked quickly over at Ben and Adam “I can’t let you build that station until the bodies are all exhumed.”

Adam leaned forward “This body you found…”

“I didn’t find it, Commodore, I’m afraid it was during the time folk enjoyed wandering around your little piece of paradise here…they found him, brung him in, seems Mr Laws was rather puzzled about the injuries so called in Sheriff Ford…I reckon that was when Ford got onto Weavers payroll.”

……………….

Reuben sat on his hands. He didn’t want Dr Chandler to think he was a cissy, needing to hold his Ma’s hand all the time. He listened to the conversation that the two adults in the buggy were holding and said nothing although the closer they were to the Malahides ranch the faster his heart was beating.

He stared at the road ahead and thought back to the years when he had lived alone with his Ma, just him and then of course there had been Sofia. He remembered the family who had moved in later, his Grandmother who used to make him laugh even when she didn’t mean to, and the awful Uncle and Aunt. They had been odd mixed up days, and Ma had been nothing like the woman she was now, and he could recall the times he would hear her weeping, or seen her wringing her hands as she would pace the floor.

He sighed and looked at her now, the way she was listening attentively to what Hal was saying, how firm the mouth and clear the eyes. He loved her totally. He lowered his eyes and looked down at his hands, and recalled how much he had resented the thought of her marrying again, marrying this Adam Cartwright. Then there had been the day everything had fallen into place, he could remember now how he had run away, shouting defiance, wanting to hide, wanting the whole thing to end. The way the man had held him close, reassured him, comforted him and one thing that stood out above all else was that Adam loved Ma as much as he did, he knew it then, and he knew it even more now.

“We’re nearly there,” Hal said and he smiled down at Reuben, thinking to himself what a shy lad he was, he would have liked a boy like that “Soon see your Pa again, Reuben.”

Reuben smiled, and when Olivia reached out for his hand, he gave it willingly, squeezed it gently.

They shared something important, after all.

…………..

Hope Cartwright was first to the door when Sofia pushed it open. With a delighted cry she threw herself into her cousin’s arms and hugged her. Sofia sighed contentedly, not only had she ridden her horse to and from town all one her own, but she had enjoyed a wonderful few hours with Mr Orawitz and Tillie

Oh yes, Tillie. Well, as she had chewed on the biscuits that Mr Orawitz offered her, she had remembered that this was Tillie’s baking day, there would be fruit cake, damson pie, and who knew what delicacies.

“Mr Orawitz, would you mind very much if I went to see my friend Tillie….I will come back in a minute” she paused as she got to her feet “That is if you don’t mind?”

Mr Orawitz had not minded at all. He had enjoyed the piano playing, telling her that she would one day be a very accomplished pianist which flattered her enormously. She had dimpled a sweet smile at him and blushed which had made him feel like the King of the castle.

Tillie had demanded to know where her cake was going … she grumbled a bit as she followed the little girl to Mr Orawitz’s home but was all sweetness and smiles when the man confronted them on the doorstep and lavished praise on the one bit of cake he had ever eaten previously. It had been a long time since anyone had praised her so lavishly, after all, even the best of cooks get taken for granted when every meal they turn out is near perfect.

So Sofia was happy…she knew that Tillie was happy too and that Mr Orawitz was very happy. So now she was home she hugged her cousin closely and almost skipped into the other room.

It was obvious that Aunt Mary Ann was not happy, and Aunt Hester looked subdued…she had a feeling that somehow, her adventure was about to collapse as sadly as one of her Aunt Hester’s souffle’s

Chapter 78

The sounds of voices began to ebb and flow, much like the sea washing up onto a beach – flowing in and slowly washing back out. Adam closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift back to sleep, aware only of a myriad aches and pains trickling through his body.

Ben looked at his son, then at the others in the room and raised a hand. In silence he indicated the door and nodded, and was surprised when each one of them turned and quietly followed him from the room. He carefully closed the door behind him and then led the way to the stairs.

The sound of Julia’s skirts was like a silken whisper as they made their way down to the hallway. No one spoke. It was almost as though the enormity of what they had found had fallen upon their shoulders like a great weight, subduing them to silence. Amos Kline heard them coming down to the hallway and stepped out from what had been Buford’s study. He looked at their faces and fearing the worse, immediately asked how Adam was, and upon hearing that he was sleeping he nodded and then looked at Marshall Howard and his young Deputy

“You want to talk over what happened, Marshall? I see you don’t have Ford with you”

“Ford won’t be seen with me again, Mr Kline – but yes, I would like to talk over the last few days with you, starting with the death of your son.”

“The murder of my son, you mean.” Amos scowled and then with a jerk of the head indicated the study, “We can talk in there.”

Ethan did not hesitate in following the Marshall and Kline into the study, he had taken a statement from the man already, but who was to know that he would now remember more details as he was interrogated by the Marshall. He ran fingers through his hair, and heaved in a deep breath, then closed the door behind them

Julia and Ben were now alone in the large hall, alone and deep in thought. He looked at her again, seeing once more a woman who had been living on her nerves for a very long time, who was even now wrestling with the fact that she was free of such a condition and could now act and think for herself. She must have been thinking along the same lines as she suddenly straightened her back, raised her chin and looked at the old man standing before her.

“Mr Cartwright…”

“Ben -” his smile softened the lines of his face, gentled his eyes,

“Yes, thank you, Ben. Shall we go and sit down, we have to talk….” she paused, gave a slight smile and led the way into a well furnished drawing room “Buford let me have this room for my own use, I was allowed some freedoms..” she frowned as she sat down and asked him to take a seat,

From the window the sun shone through, throwing golden slants of light across the room, falling over her face and gilding her with a softness Ben had not seen before, although he was well aware of how attractive she was he could see more clearly the sharp cut of her cheekbones, the firm tilt of her chin..Attractive indeed, but resourceful too.

“I owe you an apology, Ben”

He nodded, after all he totally agreed with her, she did…she smiled at him, and her eyes found his, looked into the dark eyes of a man who had founded an empire.

“Talking about compensation and everything….” she twisted her fingers together in her lap, not nervous, just trying to find the right words to put before him “Ben, I have no idea of what the financial situation is here, whether or not Buford is – I mean – was solvent, has – had – money in the bank to finance the ranch for the coming year. I am a total novice at this kind of thing and I suppose at the end of the day, shall have to see the Bankers and the solicitors….”

“Buford make a will?” Ben asked abruptly

“Yes, I have a copy here, there are no surprises in it, Jake would have inherited and as Jake’s wife it passes on to me. Even Weaver was unable to change Bufords mind on that …” she paused, bit down on her bottom lip “I’ve asked Amos and his wife to move in with me. He’s well able to run the ranch and – and they should be here anyway, to be here -” she paused as her hands came to rest “Did I mention to you about Jayson ?”

“You did…”

She nodded, there seemed no point in elaborating further so she just turned her head to look out to the window where the sun was shining through, “I loved him, Jayson I mean…he was the first person to show me sincere kindness, sympathy and I – I really do think he loved me too. He made me happy and I think that was what made Jake suspect what was happening….between Jayson and I” she sighed and shook her head “The Talbot brothers – have you met them yet?”

“No.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, I’m sure they will provide the Marshall with more information about what was happening and Jake’s plans to wipe out the cattle station…and Jayson…the fact is….”

She paused and turned to look at him, frowned slightly and rose from her chair “I think we have guests.”

“Probably Joe and Hoss back from the cattle station…” Ben said as he also stood up, and turned to the door.

“No, I don’t think so…” she replied, “I thought I heard a woman’s voice.”

Olivia stood in the entrance to the house and looked around her, her eyes passed over the several doors, up the stairs to the upper floor. She looked at Hal,

“Do you think they heard us?”

“Possibly not…” Hal smiled and was about to shout a ‘halloooo’ when the door to the left of them opened and Julia, followed by Ben,stepped out.

Ben’s face creased into an immediate smile, his eyes lit up at the sight of Olivia and Reuben and he strode out towards them, while telling Julia who her guests were “Adam’s wife, Olivia and Reuben, my grandson….” he turned to Olivia, grasped her hands in his “My dear, dear girl, Adam will be so pleased to see you, and you, Reuben? Come to take care of your Ma, did you?”

Reuben nodded and was about to speak when Olivia asked “Where is he, Ben, where’s Adam?”

She had totally ignored Julia who now came closer, and extended a hand to her, “I’m Julia Malahide, Mrs Cartwright. Let me show you the way….”

Olivia just looked quickly at Ben who nodded, confirmed that she should go .. Julia said something to Hal, a muttered few words before turning to the stairs and then with a smile at Olivia led the way

Olivia felt her knees weaken as she stood at the doorway and looked over to the bed where Adam was sleeping, She put a hand to her throat while with the other she grasped hold of Reuben’s hand and then hurried over to the bed. Julia followed at a slight distance, in case Olivia asked for information about her husband’s condition, yet at the same time close enough to the door to exit the room and provide them with privacy.

“Has he seen a Doctor?” Olivia said in a low voice, just above a whisper, while her hand released Reubens in order to reach out and touch her husband’s face.

“Yes, two Doctors…they do not think he is any danger now. He looks worse than he is, and should recover quickly.”

“I got a cable…I thought he was dying.” she caressed Adam’s face with a tenderness of a lover, leaned down and kissed his lips.

Reuben stepped back a pace, slightly embarrassed and now wishing he had stayed downstairs with his grandfather. He didn’t like to see Adam so battered, and looking so ill. It frightened him, made him realise that his hero was vulnerable after all, that no man, no man at all, was unconquerable.

Julia looked at them, saw how the woman loved her husband, it was so obvious, so evident that she herself felt envy, wished that someone would have loved her , could have been loved by her, to such a degree. She looked at the boy, standing there holding his hat, looking awkward, miserable, lost. A handsome boy, but feeling lost and caught up in a situation which left him feeling out of his depth

“Reuben – ?”

“Yes, Ma’am?” he turned to her, gripping his hat tightly between his fingers,

“Perhaps you would like to come with me, your Grandfather would explain things to you and I can get you a drink and something to eat…”

Reuben nodded, of course, the lady wanted him out of here, realised that at this moment he didn’t belong, not yet. He followed her from the room, blinking fast, surprised at himself and at the moisture in his eyes. He had wanted to throw himself at Adam, hold him tight, tell him he loved him, and please please don’t die.

Olivia heard the click of the door and knowing she was alone with her husband, leaned forward again to kiss his face, his lips, his eyes and nose. She loved him, every inch and even if he was lying here bruised, bloodied and torn she just wanted to hold him as close to her as she could and to never let him go.

…………………..

Reuben had just survived being hugged by his Grandfather, engulfed in the man’s arms until he could barely breathe when Hoss and Joe walked into the room. Both of them looked hot, sweating, dusty and grimed by the ride from the cattle station. Both of them exclaimed with delight at seeing Reuben who had to suffer yet again the hugs and enthusiastic greetings from his Uncles.

“Is your Ma with Adam?” Joe asked and nodded when Reuben said yes she was, and that they had not long arrived.

“How’s everyone back home?” Hoss wanted to know and nodded along with every word Reuben said as the boy recounted the fact that all were well.

The door opened and a woman came in pushing a trolley upon which were enough sandwiches and cookies and drinks to feed Hoss three times over. She smiled , nodded at them and then left the room with the words that Mrs Malahide would see them later.

Hoss sat down and grabbed something to eat, he stared at it in his hand for a moment before telling Ben that the sight of the cattle station was totally disheartening, he then stuffed the food into his mouth while his eyes stared out at the wall ahead of him.

Joe nodded and pulled up a chair, at the same time encouraging Reuben to eat something, he poured out coffee, pushed the glass of milk in Reuben’s direction

“Still burning in places, Pa. Whatever is left standing, and there isn’t much anyway, will all have to come down.”

Ben nodded and picked up a cup of coffee, inhaled the bitter sweetness of it, before sipping some “There’s been some developments.” he glanced at Reuben, decided to say nothing more about Weaver and bodies, but just concluded by saying “We won’t be able to rebuild anytime soon anyway”

“Who says?” Hoss exclaimed with a belligerence borne of his frustration and the sight of the burning building

“The Law….” Ben replied firmly and they knew from the set of his lips that there was nothing else to say on the matter until he chose to say it.

“I guess we should just head for town and get home.” Joe murmured as he nibbled around the edges of a sandwich “There’s nothing more we can do here.. Mrs Malahide has things she needs to do, and we’ll only be in her way if we stay longer.”

“Reckon Adam will be well enough to travel?” Hoss asked his father, and then glanced at Reuben, forced a smile although his blue eyes looked sombre

“I don’t know…Olivia and Reuben haven’t been here long, and the Doctors need to check him over ..” Ben sighed and emptied his cup of coffee and then poured himself another.

“Pah, Doctors…Adam will do what he thinks best…” Hoss exclaimed

“At the moment I’m not sure whether he is thinking of much,” Ben replied and with his cup in his hand he strolled over to the window and looked out at the view.

Reuben nibbled on a sandwich, drank some milk and looked at the three men, he thought how lost they all seemed just now, unsure of what to do, what to say. He realised not for the first time, that adults did not have the solution to everything, that at times they also felt confused, unable to see the solution to a matter. Just like kids, he thought, it’s just the size that makes the difference.

The thought did not make him feel any better. If anything, he just felt worse. He wished his mother were there, he wished Pa were … he knew if his Pa were here there would be a different feeling in the room, that somehow his Pa drew them all together, like a magnet….he sighed, and shook his head, what did he know after all, he was just a kid!

Chapter 79

Olivia was not a sophisticated woman, she had never claimed to be, after all she was basically self taught not having been allowed any schooling. Her mother had taken pains to teach her and her siblings the basics and her father had taught her to use her intuition, her intelligence and how to be clever with figures, as he had been throughout his life.

Her marriage to Robert Phillips had elevated her somewhat into a society where most women lived their lives through their husbands and children and status, managing to survive on the ability to write their signature. But Olivia had used her intelligence and made good use of the many books in her husbands library and had thereby honed her education to the best extent possible for a woman living on the Ponderosa.

But now, as she looked at her husband, the emotions were raw. Love she told herself, was a trap, love too much and all you know is pain…it strips you bare, makes you vulnerable and as she pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed she had never felt so vulnerable.

The broken arm was bound up in a smooth plaster cast, his fingers protruded and she could see that the knuckles were skinned and had bled, the other arm was bruised,bandaged in several places, the knuckles again showed evidence that he had struck out when he could in defence. The bandages around his chest worried her, although had she been able to see his back where some blood had seeped through she would have worried more. Cuts, bruises on his face… perhaps it was a good thing she knew nothing about the damage Weaver had wrought!

But her legs felt shaky, her knees were like sponge. She sat as close to the edge of the bed as she could and gripped hold of his poor hurt hand and wept. She kissed his fingers, stroked back his hair, kissed his face and dropped tears upon his cheeks …and all the time he remained unmoved.

Time ticked by, the tears no longer fell, but still she sat there, whispering to him how much she loved him, how much she needed him. She told him about the journey, about Reuben waiting downstairs to see him, about their fears and anxiety and the dread of finding him dead!

She was exhausted finally, her grief, the journey, the turmoil within herself had worn her out. She released his hand and buried her face in both of hers, just so that she could shut out the sight of him and try and steady her emotions.

A light touch on her knee made her jump and a whisper of a voice “Don’t cry, sweet heart, it’s all over now, it’s alright…”

A lightning bolt could not have had greater effect. She was instantly on her feet, then almost fell across him, holding him close, feeling his fingers touching her face, running gently through her hair, and his kisses responding fervently to her own…mumbled words from both of them, lost in among the kisses and the embrace, until eventually he had to ask her kindly if she could move as it was painful the way she was holding onto him. She stepped away, gripped his hand in both hers and gave a strange little laugh

“Adam Cartwright, I’m so angry with you….” she exclaimed as she shook her head at him

“You mean you don’t want to nurse me back to health, daily massages, twice a day perhaps and …”

“I thought you were dead .. the cable said you were dying…” the words were getting strangled in her throat even as she uttered them, the pain of that journey, the horror of reading that cable…”And look at you – you’re alive!”

“I’m sorry.” he said contritely, quirking an eyebrow even as he spoke, and a slight grin touching his lips “But the vacancy for nurse is still available.. “ his eyes twinkled, amber gold sparks in honey brown

“I don’t want to be your nurse…” she snapped, trying to hold onto her anger, not that that was real, but it helped her deal with the pain she had endured, the fear, the dread of loss

“Oh well…” he sighed and closed his eyes “In that case the vacancy is closed… sad really, no massages huh?”

“No,”

“What about the occasional bed bath?” he raised both eyebrows and grinned, “If I look in any way feverish it’s because I was just dreaming of – ”

“No…”

“I don’t think you are a very sympathetic nurse.”

“I told you I don’t want to be your nurse.” she leaned closer and looked into his face, his dear lovely face and she put a finger to his lips “I’ve resigned…”

“I didn’t hire you…you’re too fierce …”

“I have to be with you as a patient…”

“Ah then…”

“Shush, kiss me and tell me you love me and I promise you -”

He raised his hand and cupped her head within it and pulled her closer, he kissed her, her eyes, her lips and her nose, especially the little dimple by her mouth “I love you.” he whispered, his breathing faster now, “I love you so much, I’m so sorry about this…. “ he closed his eyes, forced them open, “Be a good nurse and kiss me again.”

The light tapping on the door stopped as t he door was opened, very discreetly and two Asian men stepped into the room, one holding in his hands a pile of clothing. They looked at the couple and politely bowed, Adam released her hands so that she could regain her composure and stand beside the bed instead of looking as if she were about to crawl into it.

“My Doctors…” he told her quietly, “They saved my life….” he hauled in a deep breath, he was beginning to feel the need for their medicine again, he cleared his throat “Drs Guozhi Wei and Wang Yong …my nurse…wife…”

“Aah, Missy Cartwright…” Guozhi bowed, Yong also before he deposited the clothing on the dresser and stepped away from the bed, leaving the floor, so to speak, to his Mentor.

They didn’t need to say anything more it was obvious it was time for her to go, and leave them to their patient.

…………..

Once outside she felt as though her legs were going to buckle beneath her. For a moment she stood there on the landing, hand on her heart, drawing in deep breaths and then she began to descend to where she could hear familiar voices, Ben, her brothers in law, Ethan Burns and several others….she remembered Reuben was with them and felt guilty for having left him wondering how his father was, and worrying.

“Mrs Cartwright?”

A woman’s voice. Of course she remembered now that there had been a woman but she had barely noticed her as she had come into the house, she turned and saw Julia Malahide walking slowly towards her, a look of concern on what was an attractive youthful face.

“Mrs Malahide?” she stood still and waited, there was so much about which she knew nothing and she was well aware that this woman was privy to everything, she was at a disadvantage.

“How is your husband?”

“The Doctors are with him now … “ she paused “He seems very tired..I mean…he is very tired.”

Julia nodded and held out a hand to be shaken, which she accepted although wary and wishing she could go into the other room, talk to Ben, hug Reuben

“You must wonder what has happened here…could I talk to you just for a little moment, I know there is a lot you want to discuss with your family, and yet I would be very grateful if I could share some time with you.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the door leading to the other room, but obediently followed her hostess into a room further along the hallway.

Julia sat while indicating a chair for her guest, and for a few minutes both women regarded each other like duellists seeking out the weaknesses in the other. Julia relaxed, Olivia was not a cold hard woman, it was obvious she was suffering, or had suffered the worry about her husband to a degree that Julia would never had worried about Jake.

“I owe a lot to your husband,” she said quietly while she kept her eyes on Olivia’s face, noticing the changes of expression, the darkening of the large eyes “If it were not for his kindness to me, to us, he would not be so unwell now. I’m so sorry…” she leaned forward as she spoke, as though her words needed the action to emphasise her concerns, her apology

“I don’t really know what happened, Mrs Malahide, Adam and Joe only came to deliver timber to the cattle station…”

Julia nodded, leaned back into her chair and folded her hands within the folds of her skirts, “I know, but it all spiralled out of control….” she drew in a deep breath “It all started some time back…..”

………………..

Reuben walked to the door and stood there for a moment, he thought he had heard his mothers voice, but now there was nothing except for the sound of the men talking and the tick of a very large clock in the corner of the hall. He was about to step back inside when a woman appeared pushing a trolley, the kind he had seen in hotels when he had stayed in them. It was laden with food and plates and suddenly he remembered how Marcy would push such a trolley into the little parlour where his Grandmother Abigail would sit, and there would be all kinds of cake on it, baked by her or by Bridie…

It was just a fleeting memory, but it made him smile, so much had changed and yet here was a little woman pushing along this familiar object. She looked up and grinned at him “Are you hungry, young ‘un?”

“I’m starving “ he admitted with an enthusiasm that made her laugh, just like Marcy would have done. “Have you got some cake as well?”

“I have…” she smiled, and pushed the trolley forwards into the room where suddenly the men stopped talking, just a pause, as they greeted the food with grateful relish.

………………..

“Now stand up,” Guozhi Wei said as they now observed their patient who had, with some difficulty managed to shrug on the clean clothing. How he had needed his nurse …

Adam swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet touched the carpet, his brain told him to stand up. Long ago he had had problems with one of his legs when it had been badly burned and it had been difficult for the brains commands to get the leg to function . He tried to recall how he had overcome that problem, he looked at the door, it was closed and some distance from where he stood so he turned his head and looked to the window.

He hauled in his breath, this was not going to defeat him, he would show them that he could master this, he could get there. He would get there …

His weaker leg, the one with the scars to remind the world that he had been burned, shook visibly. He closed his eyes. The window was not so far away, not really. The thought of reaching it was already making him sweat, he could feel beads of perspiration popping out along his hair line. He cleared his throat, opened his eyes and stared at the window….

The sky was blue, the sun shone, there was a drift of smoke like a cloud passing the window but it was not as bad as it had been. He clenched his teeth together, and forced one leg forward then the other, he frowned and looked at the two Doctors

“My legs weren’t injured, why can’t I get them to work properly“

“Damage to kidneys affect legs…but now you have that under control, legs will be alright. You just need confidence…take time, not be impatient.”

He looked at Wang Yong who did not say much at the best of times but looked definitely inscrutable now…it did not give him confidence but he forced his other leg forward….he felt like a snail, inching himself across the room, to the window, he turned, one hand groping for the corner of the small desk.

He didn’t feel confident, the distance from the window to the bed seemed longer …he inhaled deep into his lungs and set off, one foot and then the other. He remembered as a child on the long trek before they had even found Inger, walking with his Pa. He didn’t want to walk, his legs were small, he was tired, he turned to the man and raised his arms to be lifted and carried but Ben had just said

“Just one step, Adam, and then another step…not long now…one step, then the next…not far, son.”.

Not far! It had been miles….

But he walked then, and clenching his teeth together, he would walk now.

…………………

He was sitting by the small desk when the door opened and Olivia stepped into the room with Reuben by her side. Both of them smiled with immense relief, their eyes beamed as they looked at the man dressed in his usual clothes (well laundered and repaired by Wang Yong’s cousins who ran the local laundry). Without hesitation Reuben ran towards him, arms outstretched as though he were still a child of two or three “Oh Pa, Pa…I was so afraid, I had to come with Ma…”

“Of course you did, you couldn’t let her take the journey on her own, could you.” Adam smiled, the joy of seeing his son obvious from the moist eyes and wide grin, the deep dimples in both cheeks

“Well,” Reuben stepped back apace “Uncle Paul was going to come but they said it was alright with them if I came instead..”

“I’m glad you did, I’d not have got such a warm greeting from Paul, he would have only got his stethoscope out and muttered and mumbled “

Reuben laughed, and his arms entwined around Adams neck once again. Olivia came and slipped her hand into her husbands, smiled down at him .. with his clothes on it was easy to forget what was hidden beneath them

His long fingers curled around her hand, squeezed it gently, he looked up and smiled, the pride he felt at seeing them both made him feel humble. He sighed, raised her hand to his lips and kissed them. Reuben leaned forward, one hand resting on his father’s knee

“Pa, they got lots of food downstairs, and cake, do you want some?”

Chapter 80

When Roy Cobb and a group of men arrived at the site of the cattle station they were surprised to find the Marshall and two deputies already there as well as three of the Cartwrights. He dismounted and immediately approached Ben, hands were shaken and in a quiet voice he asked Ben what was happening.

“I brought the boys along to see if we could shift some of the debris, see what could be saved …” he rubbed his chin nervously, “So what’s happening here, Ben?”

Ben glanced over to the Marshall who was staring down at the pages of Weaver’s journal with a scowl on his face. Ethan was standing beside him with his eyes on the page and then raised as though trying to pin point a particular area of the site. Ben sighed, and shook his head

“Your help will still be needed, Roy. This all has to be cleared away and moved elsewhere….”

“Any idea whereabouts?”

Hoss overheard him and approached them, shook hands with Roy and then looked at his father before he ventured to open his mouth to explain how the site was now a crime scene as well as a cemetery. When Roy looked baffled Ben nodded

“You know Weaver…you know the stories circulating about him?”

“Only that he’s a hard man, didn’t pay to cross him.”

“Know the reason why?”

Roy shook his head, shrugged “Most folk never talked about Weaver apart from that, clammed up as tight as a misers’ purse.”

Ben nodded and stepped back a pace or two, as though he needed room in order to explain exactly what had happened, and why they were there and what was happening.

“Weaver was more than a hard man, Roy, he murdered people. This, it happens, is his favourite grave yard.” he paused “You never came across any dead bodies while digging out foundations and such, did you?”

Roy inhaled, a long deep breath, he then released it slowly and rubbed the back of his neck

“Found two….no identification on them, no clothing either…thought they were indians who used to live hereabouts.”

“How long ago? Hoss enquired, “I mean how long ago do you reckon they were buried…”

Roy frowned, thought about it “Years…looked like years anyway. We found ’em close together, over there -” he pointed to an area where the foundations of the cattle station were still smoking.”I remember talking to Amos and Cookie about it, wondered about bringing in the law, but then Cookie said it was probably a couple of Shoshone -” he paused and frowned “We reburied them… over there.”

“You didn’t mention it to the Marshall or Sheriff Ford?” Ben said quietly, and Roy nodded,

“Told the sheriff and expected him to tell the Marshall. We expected someone to visit and look around but when nothing happened we just let it slide….”

Ben nodded as though understanding how and why they would think along those lines, he looked at Hoss, “Best tell the Marshall then he can mark off the two bodies on the map….”

“On the map?” Roy looked puzzled and watched as Hoss strode over to the Marshall. “What map?”

“Seems Mr Weaver was very methodical. He kept a record of names, and a diagram of where he had hidden the bodies.”

Roy did what each one of them had done earlier, shaken their heads in disbelief and waited for reality to hit.

…………..

Hal Chandler had been the one to help Adam down the stairs to the entrance hall, where he left the patient seated on a wide bench by the door. Olivia and Reuben had hovered, got in the way, almost tripped one another up in their anxiety to assist. In some ways it rather shook Reuben to see his Pa in such a weakened state, but as Hal explained during their progress down the wide stairs, kidneys are not the kind of organ to mess with, and it would take a while for Adam to regain full strength.

“I’ll be alright, “ Adam had insisted as his son sat down by his side and as close to his Pa as possible. “It will only be a few days…”

“Grandpa said I was to go home with them, but I don’t want to go, Pa. Can I stay here with you?”

“I don’t intend staying here, son.” Adam replied, trying to move his body into a more comfortable position, he could feel sweat dewing his upper lip, tasted salt and bowed his head to stare at the floor while he collected his thoughts.

“Are you coming back on the train with us then, Pa, back home?”

“No, not for a while.” Adam said quietly and looked up, saw Olivia standing close by, their eyes met…”Not for a few days.”

“But, Pa….”

Adam turned to look at the boy and thought of the times when he would have said the same, in the same tone of voice..”Oh Pa…I don’t want to have Joe tagging along ..” “Oh Pa, I’m not a kid any more.” He placed a hand on Reuben’s head, refrained from ruffling it, but just stroked it gently

“You have school ..and you have missed one day already…Sofia will be spitting mad.” he smiled, and relaxed his hand to fall into his lap, “There’s little point in your staying here, Reuben, it would be better for you to get home, go to school and help keep the younger ones on their best behaviour. It will be a big favour for your Mom if you did that..”

“Isn’t Ma coming home, either/” the dismay in his voice was obvious, it made his voice squeak.

Olivia came forward and leaned down to his level “No, Son, your Pa needs me with him. It’s just for a few days.”

Reuben opened his mouth but before he could say a word Hal came bustling down towards them, a smile on his mouth as he nodded his head. What ever mission he had been on had obviously been successful. He rubbed his hands together

“Mrs Malahide said you can use the buggy…it’s at your disposal. Reuben, how about coming along and helping me get the horses harnessed…”

Reuben sighed heavily and dragged himself to his feet, then with a slow long glance at his parents he followed Hal out of the house. Adam smiled, then looked at Olivia as she settled down by his side, taking the place of their son earlier.

“Are you sure?” she said quietly and reached for his hand

“Yes, of course.”

She nodded and sat there in silence for a moment. .

“It wouldn’t be fair for him to stay would it?”

“No. Sets a bad example to the other children for a start…” Adam sighed, forced a smile, wished he did not feel so tired.

He had walked across the room upstairs back and forth several times before needing to rest, taking some of the medications Guizhou had left him, and then leaned on Hal to get downstairs. He was irritated beyond measure to feel so weak and incapacitated. Would it have been easier had he been younger? He shook his head, and stared at a picture on the wall opposite…a ship at sea, all the sails full and luffing into the wind. He heaved in a sigh, looked at his wife and smiled, then his smile faded as he saw the anxiety in her face, he leaned forward and touched her chin with his fingertips

“I’m sorry .. when you married me you never thought that it would be – as it is?”

“What is that supposed to mean…” she leaned forward, enjoying the proximity of him, the touch of his skin upon hers, the warmth of him mingling with hers

“Either absent from home, or – “ he grimaced and shrugged

She put her finger on his lips, which he kissed gently, and just as she was leaning in to follow this up with a kiss on the lips Hal’s voice boomed from the door way, “All ready…I’m here to give you a hand, Adam.”

“Oh joy.” Adam groaned and not with sarcasm but because it meant he had to lever himself to his feet, and somehow make the long walk from the bench to the door, down the steps, and across to the waiting buggy. He could feel the sweat breaking out under his arm pits already…

…………….

The sight of the cattle station, or rather the smoking ruins of what would have been the cattle station, caught Olivia unawares. There is a different to hearing about such a thing, but the imagination fails to capture the total sight of such a miserable catastrophe. She sat in the buggy beside Adam, and let the reins drop into her lap.

“Oh heavens..” she whispered and shook her head.

Ben saw them and raised a hand in greeting before walking over to stand beside the vehicle,

“Not a pretty sight…” he agreed, and for a moment all three were quiet as they looked at the ruins, still smoking, and at the deputies, at Ethan and Marshall Howard pacing out the ground and pointing downwards while they checked Weavers book.

Joe walked over, the horses reins twisted in fingers and he also turned to watch the men walking, pacing around the site. The blackened joists and beams of the building still smoking, charred fingers that jabbed up into the sky.

“We’ll not be able to rebuild here.” he looked at Adam who nodded, it wouldn’t be right, wouldn’t feel right, not now.

Ben shook himself as though forcing himself out of a nightmare “We’ll discuss it when we are all together back home.”

Hoss ambled over, thumbed his hat to the back of his head, “Ethan’s staying here until the jobs done. The Marshal wants him to help tidy it all up…”

They nodded understanding and acceptance at that, it made sense. Adam glanced over at the young man, pacing out the ground towards the trees. For an instance he thought, imagined perhaps, that he could see Tom Burns making those strides, having that closed off determined look on his face. He sighed and shook his head, poor Tom. He missed out on a lot of things, one of which was raising an excellent son.

“Come on, Reuben,” Ben said quietly, “Over you come, you can sit in front of me.”

Reuben nodded, glanced appealingly at his parents who smiled and nodded but did not buckle down and let him stay put. He clambered down, stood by the vehicle and looked up “You won’t be long, will you?”

“Not long, a few days only.” Adam assured him

“Make sure Sofia behaves herself…” Olivia added “And that she gets to school…”

Reuben stepped closer, his hand gripped the seat rail “Pa, she wanted to ride into town on the new horse…Paddy…”

Adam frowned, looked at his wife who avoided his eyes. He looked at Reuben “Do you think she could manage it?”

“She’s a swell rider, Pa.”

“Then make sure she gets there and back in one piece…she’s your responsibility, Reuben.” he smiled and leaned down to place a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder “Thank you for coming…to look after your Ma.”

“‘Course, Pa, only what any kid my age would do….” and he allowed himself a little smirk which made Adam laugh, that deep throated chuckle they loved to hear.

They parted, the Cartwrights taking the road towards town. Adam and Olivia remained in the buggy as Marshall Howard walked up to them, nodded

“Sorry about this, Adam..it’s a mess…a cruel one too.”

“It is..” Adam agreed watching as Roy Cobb stood at where he could recall burying two of the victims – unknown, if missed at all no one would remember now.

“Call by before you get back to the Ponderosa…should have more news for you then.” he tipped his hat, and returned to the men who were getting out spades and shovels preparing for work.

Several of the wagons were harnessed up and some men began to move the timber pile, there was a lot of work to be done in order to find the victims bodies and provide some decent burial for them.

……..

They drove the buggy through the woods. A ray of sun cut through the trees creating a beam of light splattered by dark shadows. Birds sang, and it seemed to them both that when they had been at the cattle station there had not been a bird singing anywhere, but now there was a whole chorus of them, warbling, calling, whistling and trilling…Adam released his breath and leaned back, the reins loose in his hands, already feeling the energy flowing back into his body, flowing through his veins and bones

“If Weaver had succeeded in killing you, Adam…”

“Don’t even think about it.” he chided her, looked down and saw a tear coursing its way down her cheeks, “Don’t cry about something that never happened.” he wiped away the tear with his thumb, and smiled with a tenderness that she was only ever able to see “It’s over…”

She sighed and shook her head slightly. She was not so sure. The memory of that burned building,the smell of death, smoke and the fear that went along with it…too much. She stifled her tears as best she could and watched as his hands held the reins, and the horses jogged along.

“Can you manage alright, your arm is not causing you too much pain?”

“Darling girl, I have so many drugs in my body just now I feel as though I am floating…”

“Is that a good thing?” she frowned, wondering if there was any chance of them ending up hitting a tree.

“Perhaps it’s being with you,” he grinned, glanced sideways down at her, “Perhaps the thought of having these few days along with you in the cabin has put me in a kind of fever…” he leaned down and kissed her, gently.

“Is there enough food in the cabin…for the next few days….”

“I’m not thinking of eating…” he said quietly and kissed her again.

“Adam!!”

He laughed, turned the horses in time to avoid snagging a wheel in some ruts, and hitting a clump of shrubs, he patted her knee, stroked it and smiled “Anyway, Hal’s telling Mrs Law that we’ll be in the cabin for a few days, she’ll bring something in the morning.”

She nodded, leaned closer, her head upon his shoulder. “Do we ever need to go back to that place again? Are all the loose ends tidied up now?”

“As far as we are concerned they are, and no, we don’t need to go back there again -” he paused, frowned, she noticed the furrows on his brow, she noticed also the cuts and bruising on his face and sighed. He heard, felt the movement of her head as she shook it slightly, and he said nothing, there really was nothing more to be said.

The journey through the woods was idyllic. He hummed a tune as they rode along, her head resting upon his shoulder and they both sighed with pleasure as the cabin came into view. A perfect ending to a nightmare.

As he clambered down, leaning momentarily against the buggy to make sure his legs were strong enough for him to walk to the cabin, Adam resolved not to let his little wife out of his sight, not ever…well, not for the next week or so anyway.

.

The End