Story Summary:  A Candy, Joe and Hoss comedy.
Rating   G
Words:  5,300

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The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.  The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.

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The Longest Trip Ever

A young man stood next to his horse in the yard at the Ponderosa. He was getting instructions from Ben on getting a couple of horses. Ben had decided that Candy needed more responsibility. 

“Now Candy, if Bill Stanton isn’t at the house, you want to look for his foreman, Ret Benson. Got it?” Ben asked as he handed his foreman, Candy Canaday, five hundred dollars. 

“Five hundred dollars?” Candy exclaimed as he rubbed the money with his fingers. “Isn’t that an awful lot for two horses?”

“These aren’t just any old horses, Candy. These horses are prime breeding stock! I’ve had my eye on them for a while, it’s just that I waited until now to buy them. 

Candy shoved the money into his pocket, and turned to mount his horse, Pacho. “Ok, Mister Cartwright. I’ll be back within the week.” He put his foot in the stirrup, and hoisted himself into the saddle. Just before he turned to leave, Ben interrupted him.

“Oh, Candy.” He said as he directed the man’s attention to the two figures coming out of the barn. “Hoss and Joe are going with you. They have some business in that town anyway, so…”

Candy rolled his eyes back into his head. The last time he had gone on a trip with them he had ended up in jail. He dreaded the thought of what would happen this time. 

“You all set to go Candy?” Hoss asked as he gave him a big smile. 

Candy sent back a sarcastic grin as Joe rode up beside him. “Well c’mon! We’re not gonna get there on time if we sit here all day.” Then he kicked his horse into a canter, and rode out of the yard, Hoss and Candy following closely behind him.

They rode on like this for several hours. They rode through everything from thick woods, to grassy plains, to mountainous trails. They talked, and sang, and played games to pass the time. Candy won most of the games, but Hoss could sing the loudest, and Joe wouldn’t shut up long enough for anyone else to get a word in. 

Later that night, in a grassy area beside a river, they made camp. “Joe, why don’t you roll out the beds and get camp set up while Candy and I get the horses unsaddled.” Hoss purposed as he dismounted and took the reins of his horse in one hand. Candy pointed a finger sarcastically at himself.

“Don’t I get a say in what I do?” Candy protested with a grin.

“Nope. You’re just the hired help, Candy.” Hoss teased, returning the smile. “Now come on. Get Cochise and bring him over to that stream.”

“ok,” Joe answered energetically , knowing full well that he was getting the easy job.

Tired from the day’s ride, Candy slipped off of his pure black gelding, and grabbed Cochise’s reins, leading both horses towards the stream.

After all of the work was done, and they all had gotten a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee, they packed up their things, and headed out. After a while, they reached a large industrious town called Stony Flats. 

“Either a you up for a beer?” Hoss asked as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. 

Candy raised his hand, and Joe nodded his head. This morning had been especially hot, and he couldn’t wait for a cool drink. The three of them went over to the saloon, got three beers, and sat down at a nearby table. 

“Hey Candy. You got the money?” Joe asked, though he had been thinking about it all morning.

“Yeah. All five hundred of it.” Candy reassured him.

At the next table, two men were listening very intently to their conversation. Especially after hearing about the money. One of them was tall with dark brown hair, and babyish features. The other was short, and appeared to have a severe case of paranoia.

When they had all finished their beers, Candy, Hoss, and Joe got up, and left the saloon. Their next stop would be the Bar-E Ranch on the outskirts of town. 

As they mounted up, Candy noticed that the two men from the saloon were watching them. “Hey Hoss. I think…”

“C’mon, Candy. Let’s just get those horses and get on out of here,” he said hurriedly as he peered down the row of buildings. 

“Yeah but…” Candy tried to explain, but it was too late. Hoss and Joe were already riding down the street.

Candy looked back into the saloon, a worried look on his face, but it was too late. The two men had already left. “Maybe it’ll be alright. They might have just been curious strangers, that’s all.” The reassured himself, and he turned his horse down the road to follow Hoss and Joe. 

In a minute, they were gone. The two strangers were brothers Sam and Dick Harrington. They were mostly poor drunks who tried to make a living off of honest folk’s hard work. The only thing they ‘owned’ was a mule they had stolen from a poor miner down in Carson. They tended to travel a lot to stay out of the law’s way.

~*~*~

A little while later, Candy, Joe, and Hoss were at the Bar-E Ranch. Since mister Stanton was nowhere to be found, they went in search of the foreman, Ret Benson. Candy went to check the barn, while Hoss and Joe rode out to the house. 

Candy dismounted Pacho, and walked into the musty smelling barn. “Mister Benson? I’m Candy Canaday. I work for Ben Cartwright.” He shouted through the long hallway.

A sturdy looking man suddenly appeared from one of the stalls. He had a pitchfork in his hand, and his hat was tipped back on his head like Candy’s. “What’d you want mister?” he said, leaning against the handle of his tool.

“I’m here to see about some horses.” Candy stated, looking the man over. “Are you Ret Benson?” 

 “Yep. Sure am. Mister Stanton’s out of town for a spell. He’ll be back after while.”

 Candy nodded his head. “Alright. Let’s go get those horses then.” He said as he turned to walk back out of the barn.

Ret followed, and they both rode out to the pen where the horses were kept. “Now, which ones are the ones you wanted?” he asked as he pointed out into a group of about 15 horses.

Candy searched the horses frantically. Finally, he spotted the two that mister Cartwright had told him about. “Those two.” He said as he pointed at a brown pinto, and a gorgeous bay mare. He recognized them right away because of the Indian marks on their flanks. They were the only ones in the herd. 

“Alright.” Ret said as he opened the gate, and roped the two that were specified.

Candy paid the foreman, and waited for his horses.

When they had finished the transaction, he walked the horses back to the yard where Hoss and Joe were waiting. “You mean you found him, and you didn’t tell us about it?” Hoss asked teasingly. “ It is our Pa’s money after all,” he added with a smile.

“Well, I…” Candy started, but was interrupted by Hoss.

“Aw, never mind. Let’s just get out of here.” Then he grinned and turned to mount. 

And with that, they were off. It only took them about an hour and a half to get back to town, get a few supplies, and get on their way. They wanted to at least make it to Pyramid Lake before dark. And they would have too, if Cochise hadn’t thrown a shoe. That threw them back a little because they had to slow their pace. 

That night, they camped in the clearing of a wood. 

“Hey Hoss.” Candy asked.

“Can’t it wait, Candy? I’m awfully tired.”

“What are we gonna do if those men from the saloon try any, you know, funny business?”

“We’ll wish ‘em good luck, and go back to sleep.” Hoss answered, pulling his blanket over his head. But he quickly threw it back off of his head. “Wait a minute! What men from the saloon?” he asked with a louder tone. 

“What are you two squakin’ about? It’s almost midnight! What could be so important?” Joe groaned sarcastically as he stretched his arms and prepared to become a part of the conversation.

“Well…” Candy started.

“Aw, just forget it. Go to sleep you two… and that includes you, Candy,” Hoss said with a yawn and a grin as he laid his head down on his rolled up blanket. Both Candy and Joe turned their heads in his direction.

“Boy, sure is touchy when he’s tired aint he?” Candy joked. Joe just smiled, and turned his head to go to sleep.

Candy soon dozed off as well, and joined his companions in sound sleep. 

~*~*~

After making sure that all of them were asleep, the two brothers from the saloon made their way into the camp. “Sam. You get those two horses, and I’ll get the other three.” Dick whispered as he moved quietly along the rope that the horses were tied to.  One by one, he untied them and handed a bridal or rope to his brother Sam. After getting Pacho, Chubb, and Cochie saddled, for they couldn’t resist the expensive-looking saddles, they put ropes on the others, and rode off.

At the sound of the hoof beats, Hoss woke up. “Joe! Candy! Get up! Somebody’s stealing our horses!” He shouted, and he shot up. Leaving the camp behind, he ran out into the woods after them with Joe and Candy right behind him.

“Hey! You! Stop!” Hoss shouted as he ran after them with all his strength. Candy and Joe were still just trying to catch up with Hoss. They all ran around that wood until they got tired, and gave up. Hoss slowed down, and Candy and Joe caught up. Joe bent over to catch his breath. Candy just panted, removed his hat, and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. 

“Dad-gummitt!” Hoss cried. “They got away with our horses!”

Candy looked around the woods as he placed his hat gently back on the back of his head. “That’s not all they got away with. The rest of the money was in my saddlebag.” He said thoughtfully.

Hoss put his head in his hand, and propped his elbow on his other arm. “So, they got away with our horses, and about… How much money was in those bags anyway? Pa only gave you five-hundred.” He asked, looking at Candy.

Candy looked down at his feet. “Three hundred dollars.” He said, slowly looking up with a sheepish grin on his face.

All night, they walked aimlessly through the woods. In the rush of the moment, they had lost track of where their camp was, so they wandered around, just hoping that they would stumble upon their camp, though without their horses, there was not much left of it. 

They didn’t find their camp, but after a while, they did run onto a small miner’s shack. “Hello!!!” Joe shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth. There was no answer at first, but soon a short, shabby looking man walked out onto the small porch on the shack.

“Like I told them other two fellers, I ain’t no hotel! Nearest town is Stony Flats!” he shouted as he grabbed a nearby rifle and pointed it at the travelers. 

“Other two men?” Candy questioned thoughtfully.

“Yep. They headed out towards town about an hour ago. Said sompthin’ about a fortune, but when I asked ‘em about it, they just took off!” the man stated. “I did wonder why they had so many horses though. They didn’t even have packs on the ones they weren’t ridin’! Strange men them two.” 

“Thanks mister, but could we borrow some horses?” Hoss asked intently.

“Aint got no horses sonny.” The man replied, lowering the rifle a little. “Got a couple mules though. I could let ya’ have ‘em… for a price.”

“We don’t have any money with us!” Candy said, a little panic in his voice. He didn’t much like the idea of walking all the way back to town after that long trek last night.

“Well now, that is a situation.” The man said as he paced the porch. “You three look like honest boys, so I’ll tell ya what. You three clean out my barn out back, and I’ll let ya have my mules.” Smiles spread across Candy, Hoss, and Joe’s faces at this news. “Now I’ll warn you. It’s not been cleaned out in a peace, so it’ll be a might dirty,” the man warned, but it was too late. Candy, Hoss, and Joe were practically running to the back of the house to find the barn. The man went back inside to rest up.

“Yuck!” Candy exclaimed as he walked into the small building the man had called a barn. In reality, it was not a barn at all, but a chicken coop. 

Joe looked closely at the mess around them. “We’d better get working if we want those mules,” he continued as he grabbed a shovel that was leaning against the side of the coop.

When they got done, they went back to the man. “Mister, where’s those mules you promised us?” Hoss asked, ready to pound on the door at any minute.

“Here they are.” The man said as he turned the corner with the mules. Neither of them had saddles or bridals, just makeshift halters made out of rope. The man handed Hoss the two mules. “You best take care of them two. They be my pride and joy!” he told Hoss, and turned to go back inside.

“Well, I guess I’d better take the bulky one.” Hoss moaned as he handed the other mule to Candy. He found a log nearby, and rolled it over on its side. He lifted his leg to boost himself up onto the mule by using the log as a step.

“Uh, Hoss.” Candy said quietly as he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled.

“Just a dad-burned minute Candy.” Hoss said as though he were in a hurry. Then he stepped up onto the log, and promptly proceeded to slip and fall on his back.

“What were you going to say Candy?” Hoss groaned from the ground with a grin twisted with a look of embarrassment.

“Be careful. That log looks slippery.” Candy smiled, and gave Hoss a lift off the ground. Little Joe’s high-pitched giggle could be heard in the background. 

“How about you use this.” Candy explained with a cocky grin as he brought Hoss’s mule over next to the foot-high porch.

Hoss smiled sarcastically, and walked over to the porch to mount his mule. Once he was on, Joe swung his leg up over his and Candy’s mule’s back, and was on. Candy on the other hand had more trouble. Because these mules were taller than most, he had to bring the mule over next to the porch. “Hey Joe, let me up front.” He said in all seriousness.

“Why?” Joe asked with a smirk. “I was up here first. I should get to ride in the front!” And he patted the back of the mule. 

“Bu…” Candy tried to come up with another argument, but his mind was blank, so he unhappily hopped up on the back, and they were off. Town was only a few miles away, but it took them longer to find it because the man hadn’t given them directions. Evidently, directions didn’t come in the basic mule package. They stopped off at a cool stream to give their mules a drink, and then went on towards town. 

As they rode in, they thought their eyes were deceiving them. Right in front of the saloon were the two horses they had gotten from the Bar-E Ranch! They assumed that their other horses were in the livery stable. And so they were. After getting their horses back through trading the mules for them and a lot of explanation, they went on down to the saloon. Suddenly, the two brothers came out the door, saw them, and and raced to get on the other two horses.

“There they are” Candy shouted! “They’re the men from the saloon!” and all three of them cantered off towards the saloon.

Just then, a shot rang out, and the sheriff stopped them in their tracks. “Hold on a minute!” he said, pointing his rifle at them. All three of them watched as the two brothers rode down the street. “You dead-beat Beckoms aint goin’ nowhere. You boys got some mighty fancy explainin’ to do.” And explain they did. For the next twenty minutes, they tried their best to convince the sheriff that they were not a band of troublemaking drunks who had just broken jail.

Eventually, the sheriff believed them and turned them loose. Too late unfortunately, for now the two men had skipped town, and were now out in the wilderness somewhere with their horses.

As they rode out of town, they tried to figure out where the two men they were after might have gone.

“Well, the only other place nearby that they could sell the horses is Virginia City.” Candy purposed.

“Yeah, that’s right, but they could have gone to Carson or somewhere else.” Joe countered.

“But would they? If I was a horse thief, I would want to get rid of the evidence as soon as possible.” Hoss explained with all tones of immortal intelligence and wisdom.

“Well, leave it up to the expert.” Joe said with a grin to Candy. Candy just smiled back at Joe.

“Horses are the first things you need to get rid of fast when you’re being chased. They’re large, and easily seen. A city where you’re not known would be the easiest place to do that.” Candy explained with a smug grin.

“And how would you know that?” Hoss asked with a surprised smirk.

Both Hoss and Joe cast him curious smiles.”It was probably from personal experience,” Joe laughed as he stared at Candy.

“It was a long time ago!” Candy reaffirmed quietly with a sly smile. “I would say they’re heading for Virginia City. It’s the closer than Carson, and they aren’t known there. They could dump the horses, get new ones, and be off within twenty minutes. But if we hurry, we may catch them before they leave!”

“Well, what are you waiting for, Hoss?” Joe asked with a smile as he and Candy kicked their horses into a canter, and sped away towards Virginia City.

~*~*~

The two Harrington brothers were already riding through the streets of Virginia City. “What say we celebrate with a beer?” Sam asked as he rode over towards the saloon. 

“But Sam, we don’t have any money. What’d we pay fer it with?” Dick stated as he slowly followed his brother, keeping an eye on all of the streets.

“Aw c’mon. Would you quit bein’ so dog-gone nervous? Were plain enough to see without you lookin’ like somebody wants to kill ‘ya,” Sam said, a little irritated, as he looked back and found his brother still on the other side of the street. “Hurry up will ‘ya? I’m not waitin’ fer a beer all day ya know.” And he turned and slid off the horse’s bare back. Using the rope to tie it to the hitching post, he tied a loose knot, and walked into the saloon.

“I’ve got me a bad feelin’ about this Sam.” Dick muttered as he slowly walked the horse across the street to the saloon.

They had not been in the saloon for five minutes before they found a person to supply their drinking money. It was a rich looking gentleman, with a fine suit and a short cane. “Gentlemen,” he said, and he raised his glass of brandy. “I am having a sort of celebration today, so drinks are on me!” 

A loud roar of voices sprang up from the saloon, and everyone clambered to the counter where the poor bartender stood.

~*~*~

Candy, Joe, and Hoss were just getting into town. All of a sudden, they heard a thundering of shouts coming from the saloon. They all turned their attention to the little building on the corner of Main Street. “Hey! Look down at the saloon! Aren’t those our horses?” Hoss exclaimed as he kicked Chubb into a canter. 

“I think they are!” Candy said excitedly as he followed Hoss to the saloon. 

“Hey, you might be right older brother!” Joe shouted, though no one was around to hear him, and raced off after them. 

They tied their horses up to the hitching post outside, and walked through the swinging doors. They pushed their way solemnly through the crowd of men, hoping to find their culprits and haul them off to jail.

Finally, Candy spotted the men at a corner table. “Hey Hoss! Joe!” he called, but his voice was drowned out in the noise of the crowd like a drop of water in a lake. It was up to him to set things into motion. He walked right up to the men, and stood towering over their table. The Harringtons were drunk, but they remembered Candy clear enough. Dick saw Candy right off and started to move his chair back. Sam had no clue. Sam lifted a beer glass to his mouth and took a long swig. Dick, determined to tell his brother about their sudden danger, jabbed him in the shoulder, making him spill his drink on himself. Sam looked up, furious at his brother, but was stopped short at the sight of Candy. Both he and Dick stood up, slowly moving their way around the table until they were on the opposite side as Candy. Candy smiled sinisterly. “Howdy boys. I believe you tow have some horses that belong to us.” He said slyly as he took out his gun and pointed it at them.

Both of the men shook like rabbits facing a hound. Candy grinned slyly. Suddenly, Hoss was pushed from behind, and fell into Candy. Both of them tumbled very ungracefully to the ground, and the Harrington brothers got away through the crowd. They slid through the doors, and were just about to jump onto a couple of horses, when Joe, Candy, and Hoss emerged from the saloon. “Hey you! Stop!” Hoss shouted in his clearest and loudest voice.

Out of a quick reaction to the situation, Joe leaped out and landed on Sam, who was just about to get on Cochise. Out of fright and surprise, Dick raised his hands and hopped down from Chubb. “That’s better.” Hoss said happily in a lower voice.

Together, Candy, Hoss, and Joe escorted the Harrington brothers to Roy’s jail. After explaining to Roy what had happened over the last couple of days, they headed back to the saloon to get their horses and go home. 

~*~*~

Just after the group had left for the sheriff’s office, a couple of men from a horse auction down the street walked over to the saloon. “Theses must be the ones.” One of them said, and he pointed to the two horses beside Chubb.

“Yeah. The Cartwrights said they were going to donate a couple of horses for this auction, and that’s Cochise and Chubb over there. We’ll just take ‘em on over to the auction. I’m sure the Cartwrights won’t mind.” The other stated as he grabbed the ropes of the two horses, and led them on down the street.

~*~*~ 

Joe, Hoss, and Candy emerged from the sheriff’s office very relieved men. “You know, for a minute there, I thought we were gonna have to return to Pa empty-handed,” Hoss stated in a relieved, almost laughing, voice. When they got down to their horses, they noticed that two of them were missing. 

“What was that you were saying Hoss?” Candy asked, mockingly searching the area for the lost horses.

“Did you lose ‘em?” Joe questioned in his high-pitched giggle as he too went off searching for the missing horses.

“Cut it out you two!” Hoss said loudly, smiling at his companions, though he was truly becoming aggravated at their situation. Suddenly, he had an idea. “The horse auction down the street!” he yelled, and he mounted Chubb, and rode off.

Candy and Joe stood there for a moment, a bit perplexed by Hoss’s actions, but got on their horses and rode after him.

By the time they got to the auction arena, everything was already over. Candy and Joe found Hoss standing with the auctioneer. “Do you have any idea who bought our two horses?” he asked as Candy and Joe approached.

“Nope. Can’t say as I can.” Came the reply.

“Is there any way that you could tell?” Hoss asked desperately.

“Well… You might check around with some of the bidders. Or my assistants are over there by the corral.”

“Hey, thanks!” Hoss said, as he turned around and nearly collided with Candy and Joe.

“They’re over there.” Candy stated with a smile as he regained his balance and pointed to two men standing next to the corral, putting one hand on his hat to keep it on his head. 

“Thanks Candy,” Hoss said sarcastically as he took an exaggerated step around Candy and headed on over to talk to the two men. 

As Hoss walked up, the two men turned to face him. “Howdy,” Hoss said calmly as he stepped up next to them. “Did you two by any chance see who bought a brown pinto or a bay mare?”

“Mister Cartwright, do you know how many bay mares come through that gate every time we hold an auction?” one of them said bluntly.

“I think he’s talkin’ about his horses.” The other corrected, and he jabbed his partner with his bony elbow “The ones with those funny markin’s on ‘em.”

“Oh! A… uh… trader took ‘em.” He answered with certainty.

“Do you know where he went?” Hoss asked hurridly.

“Yeah… now wait a minute… he said somethin’ about the… uh… Hanson place, down on Stony Ridge.” He replied.

Hoss thanked him and ran back to his horse. “They’re out near the Hanson place! C’mon, we may get ‘em back before Pa finds out!” With that, Candy and Joe leaped on their horses, and the three of them set out towards Stony Ridge to get back their horses.

When they reached the Hansons’, all looked deserted. “Hey Bill! Bill Hanson!” Hos shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth. Presently, a man stepped out the door of the house.

“What can I do for ‘ya Hoss?” he asked, tipping his hat back on his head in the cool, evening shadow of his house. 

“Howdy Bill. Have you seen a horse trader today?” 

“Yeah. Had a beautiful bay mare too! But I can’t afford breedin’ stock at this time of year, what with all them new foals to care for and all.”

“Which way did he head Bill?” Joe interrupted before Hoss could ask. They both turned and listened intently to Bill’s answer.

“Well, I believe he headed towards that rich old Mr. Edger’s house. He…”

“Thanks Bill!” Hoss said, and he galloped away, with Joe and Candy behind him.

When they got to Fredrick Edger’s house, they stopped in the yard. Candy dismounted and walked up to the door. “Mister Edger? Are you home?” he called, giving the door three quick taps. 

The door opened and an elderly man in a gray and black striped suit stepped out into the evening sun. “Mister Edger, has a horse trader been by letely?” Candy asked, taking off his hat as soon as the man showed in the doorway.

“Fool kid! What are you knocking on my door at this hour for? Don’t they teach you manners in those schools of yours?” the elderly man complained as he took out some spectacles and placed them carefully over his eyes.

“You see, we’re chasing a horse trader, and we need to know if you’ve seen him recently.” Candy replied, feeling a little insulted at being called a ‘fool kid’. But he shrugged it off and placed his hat gently on the back of his head. 

“You mean that noisy man who tried to get me to buy his flea-bitten animals? He went down the East pass. There are three little ranches down that way he might have wanted to try to sell something to.”

“Thank you very much Sir.” Candy said politely as he turned and mounted Pacho.

Together, Joe, Candy, and Hoss raced down the East road, hoping to catch their quick-traveling horse salesman. Once they reached the first of the ranches, they called out for the owner. “Hey! Anyone in the house?” Hoss called at the top of his lungs. No one answered. He tried again, but the house remained silent.

“Maybe he skipped this house Hoss.” Joe purposed.

“Maybe you’re right.” Hoss answered gloomily. “Let’s try the next house.” And so they did, but no one was there either. Without giving up hope, they rode on to the next house.

They called out, and a woman came to the window. “What do you want?” she yelled through the opening.

“Have you seen a horse trader around at all today Ma’am?” Hoss asked as he tipped his hat back to see the window clearer.

“No. I don’t think so. My husband might have though, but he’s out in the fields right now. Can’t tell you exactly where he is at the moment.” And she put one hand casually on her hip while she ran her other hand through her jet-black hair. “I’m awfully sorry.”

“Thank you Ma’am” Hoss said calmly with disappointment in his voice. Then he, Candy, and Joe turned to leave. 

“Well, where do we go from here?” Candy asked, also disappointed. 

“We could go home, and forget about the whole thing.” Joe offered.

Candy and Hoss looked at him with stupid smirks. “Would you like to say that again?” Candy asked.

“Got a better idea?” Joe retaliated.

“I’ve only had to know how to get rid of the horses. I’ve never had to try to get one back.” Candy explained as he raised his hands mockingly.

“I agree with Joe on this one Candy.” Hoss groaned quietly as he sank back into his saddle.

With as much regret as they could possibly have, and dread of what would happen when they got home, they headed back to the Ponderosa to explain to Ben that they had lost the horses. The long journey back was slow, but they trudged on, hoping that their blunder would be forgiven with little punishment.

As they rode into the yard of the Ponderosa ranch house, they watched the horse trader ride out with a pleased look on his face. Then they saw Ben Cartwright standing next to the house with two horses beside him. He noticed the boys riding in and turned to face them, frustration written on his face. “Hoss! Joseph! Would you two come over here for a moment?” he shouted as quietly as he possibly could under the current circumstances. 

Hoss and Joe gulped loudly. Candy dismounted Pacho and slipped away quietly to the barn. Just before he got to the door, Hoss spotted him. “Candy. You’re as much a part of this as we are.” He said as he motioned for Candy to come over with he and Joe to face punishment.

“You forget Hoss.” Candy replied with a sly grin. “I’m just the hired help,” he smiled and then he walked into the barn and disappeared behind the door.

THE END