Summary: A case of misplaced loyalty threatens the Cartwrights.
Rating:  Teen
Words: 4,865

Many Faces of Love Series

Love Has Many Faces
The Loyalty of Brothers

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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 Loyalty of Brothers

**********

“Any idea who packed the wagon?” Joe asked his father.

“I think it was Clem,” Ben answered, taking off his hat and wiping his brow. “Why?”

“Well,” Joe sighed, looking around. “We’ve got a couple hundred calves, a nice hot fire…” He paused for effect, trying to hide a smile of amusement. “And no branding iron.”

“No branding…” Ben sputtered. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m afraid I am,” Joe chuckled. “So either we start explaining to these cows why we brought them here under false pretenses, or someone is going to have to go back and get it.”

“Clem,” Ben growled under his breath as he slapped his leg with his hat. “Sometimes I have to wonder about that boy.”

“He’s young, Pa,” Joe shrugged. “And I think just a tad anxious to prove himself sometimes. He’ll fall into the routine, just give him some time to get adjusted.”

“You’re right,” Ben sighed, shaking his head. “He’s a good boy. I guess I’ll just have to send him back for it.”

“Uh, maybe I’d better go,” Joe suggested. “I can get back a lot faster.”

Ben thought about the time they were already going to lose. “You’ve got a point there,” he agreed smiling ruefully. “Fine. Go and get back as quick as you can. But don’t break your neck in the process.”

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Joe grinned.

“Meanwhile,” Ben sighed. “I’ll explain things to your brothers.” Then, frowning slightly, he added, “And the cows.”

Joe couldn’t hide his amusement at the situation any longer and giggled as he mounted his horse and headed back to the house.

**********

By the time he reached the supply room, he was wishing he’d grabbed something to eat from the wagon before he left. After attaching the iron to his saddle and watering Cochise, he headed for the house to grab a couple of apples for the ride back.

As he came out of the kitchen, he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he had a chance to reach the gun at his side, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. The last thing he saw was the floor rushing up to greet him before his senses were filled with an inky blackness.

Groaning slightly, he opened his eyes and tried to reach his hand up to inspect his throbbing head. Only then did he realize he was tied to the chair, his arms pinned behind him. Squinting, he tried to focus on the blurry image before him.

“Who are you and what do you want?” he demanded in a steady voice.

“Who I am ain’t important at the moment,” the man replied. “Question is, who are you?”

Joe merely glared back at him until he felt the barrel of a gun at his head. Now he knew there were at least two of them. Who knew how many others were elsewhere in the house. “Joe Cartwright,” he stated flatly.

The man in front of him gestured to his accomplice and Joe felt the gun being withdrawn as the second man moved into his field of vision and sat on the corner of the desk.

“This must be your lucky day,” the first man grinned evilly. “It ain’t you we’s after.”

“Just who are you after?” Joe asked defiantly.

“Hear tell he’s a big feller,” the first man answered. Then, grinning, he added, “I guess that shoulda told us right off it weren’t you.”

Joe’s jaw clenched as his captors shared a laugh at his expense.

“That big’un,” the second man prodded, “he your brother?”

“What do you want with him?” Joe asked, evading the direct question while he tried to determine their intentions.

“Answer the question,” the first man instructed flatly. “The one they call Hoss. Is he, or is he not, your brother?”

Joe looked from one to the other and back again before answering. “Yeah,” he finally hissed through clenched teeth. “He’s my brother.”

“Well then I expect this is going to work out just fine,” the first one smiled wickedly. “You see, Hoss Cartwright killed our brother, so now we’re going to kill yours… just to kinda even up the score, you understand.”

Joe frowned at the words. “And just who is Hoss supposed to have killed?” he asked grimly.

“Name’s Bostal,” the man answered, eyes narrowed as he watched for a flicker of recognition in Joe’s eyes. Once he saw it, he grinned again. “I see that name means somethin’ to ya.”

“Bill Bostal,” Joe answered flatly.

“Give the man a gold star,” the second man grinned. “You see, Jack and me figure you owe us one brother. You might say we’re here to collect.”

“It was an accident,” Joe stated firmly. “Hoss didn’t intend to kill him.”

“Accident or no,” Jack glared. “Billy’s just as dead.” Turning his attention away from his hostage for a moment, he nodded toward the door. “Go put his horse in the barn, Tom. We don’t want to raise any suspicions should anyone come out this way.”

Tom left to do as instructed and Joe spent the time sizing up the man before him. “No one is coming,” he smiled wryly. “They’re branding up in the north pasture. Might not be anyone around here for two or three days.”

“I reckon we can wait another coupla days for what’s comin’ to us,” Jack shrugged. “The way I see it, somebody’s gonna come lookin’ for you sooner or later. I don’t imagine a place this size stays empty for long.”

Joe didn’t reply as he knew it was true. Once his pa realized he’d taken too long, he’d send someone after him… maybe even Hoss. He swallowed hard as he thought about what could happen if his brother were to walk in unaware of the situation. Silently, he vowed to himself that he’d do whatever was necessary to see that the possibilities flashing through his mind didn’t come to pass.

**********

Ben looked up at the sun and breathed an exasperated sigh. He’d figured on Joe being back by now. As it was, he was paying men to keep a herd of young cattle from straying off, apparently for no good reason.

“No sign of him?” Adam asked as he and Hoss approached their father who was peering off into the distance.

“No,” Ben replied with just a faint tinge of worry to his voice. “I thought he’d be back more than an hour ago.”

“He shoulda bin,” Hoss agreed, frowning slightly. “You know how Little Joe rides.”

“That’s what worries me,” Ben sighed grimly. “There’s some rough terrain out there. For all I know he’s lying somewhere between here and the house with a busted leg or worse.”

“Let’s not borrow trouble,” Adam suggested. “There’s just as good a chance that he got delayed by something at the house.” He tried to keep his voice light, but couldn’t hide the fact that he, too, was beginning to worry. “Want me to ride back for him?”

“It’s going to be dark in a few hours,” Ben muttered, glancing at the sky. As he pondered the possibility that his youngest son might be injured, he nodded his head. “Maybe you’d better.”

**********

Joe had no choice but to listen to the two men talk as he sat, still bound, to the chair. From their conversation, he now knew for certain that there were only two of them. Not that the information did him much good in his current situation, but at least if it came down to Hoss having to tangle with them, two was bound to prove more advantageous than ten.

He’d worked on his bonds, trying to loosen them enough to move his arms, but whichever one of the Bostal brothers had tied him knew how to make a good strong knot. Accepting the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to depend on the use of his arms or legs, he focused on the things he could use: his eyes, ears, voice and mind.

Neither of them was really much size-wise. Jack was the taller of the two, but lanky, while Tom was a bit shorter and stockier, though the guns they wore and their apparent willingness to use them made up for whatever they might be lacking in size. Joe didn’t suspect they’d have a chance in a fist-fight with Hoss, even two on one, but he also knew Hoss wasn’t likely to enter the house suspecting anything and that in itself would put him at a terrible disadvantage.

“So what do you plan to do?” he asked in a low voice of his two captors. “Shoot him the minute he walks through that door?”

“Now that wouldn’t be quite fair, would it?” Jack smiled maliciously.

“Then again, it weren’t fair what he did to Billy neither,” Tom added.

“I told you,” Joe grated. “What happened with your brother was an accident. Hoss pushed him and he hit his head. He didn’t mean to kill him.”

“And what’s fair about a man that size pushin’ around other folks?” Tom challenged.

“Bill was beating his wife,” Joe pointed out angrily. “What’s fair about that?”

“That’s a lie!” Jack exclaimed, jumping up from where he sat and striding across the room to point his gun in Joe’s face.

Joe looked at the barrel, holding his breath for an instant before raising his gaze to meet Jack’s. “It’s the truth,” he finally stated evenly. “He was drunk and beating his wife. Hoss was just trying to stop him, that’s all.”

Jack was breathing heavily as he struggled with his rage at the words he was hearing.

“Bill never hit a woman in his life,” he informed Joe. “He was a good boy.”

“He was,” Joe concurred, stressing the second of the two words. “He got in with a bad crowd and started drinking and gambling.”

“Forget it, Jack,” Tom grinned from the other side of the room. “He’s gonna say whatever he can to save his brother.”

Jack thought about those words for a moment before taking a step backward and lowering his gun. “That’s right,” he smiled slowly. “You’d say anything, wouldn’t ya?”

“I’m just telling you the way it happened,” Joe reiterated. “It’s the truth.”

“Was you there?” Tom challenged.

Joe took a moment to look from one to the other before answering. “No,” he stated quietly. “I wasn’t there, but I know my brother. He wouldn’t lie.”

“And we know ours,” Jack nodded. “And Hoss Cartwright is going to pay for what he done… with his life.”

The conversation was cut short by the sound of hoofbeats approaching. Tom immediately jumped to his feet and ran to the window. “It’s one man,” he informed his brother. “Can’t tell if he’s the one we want or not.”

“We’ll give him a chance to tell us once he’s inside,” Jack smiled ferally. “But that’s about the only chance he’s gonna get.”

Joe’s mind whirled. From where he was, he had no idea whether or not it was Hoss. Frantically, he tried to think of something, even as he heard footsteps outside the door. He glanced at the gun pointed at him and then at the door as it began to open. “Hoss!” he shouted at the last minute. “Don’t come in!…” The rest of his warning died on his lips as the butt of Jack’s gun connected with the side of his head, allowing the darkness free reign once again.

Adam heard the warning, and drew his gun even as he swung upon the door and dove for cover on the porch. “Who’s there?” he called in the direction of the open doorway. “Joe?”

“Joe won’t be answerin’ anytime soon,” a man’s voice hollered back. “And if you ever want to see your brother draw another breath, I’d suggest you give up the gun and join our little party.”

“Damn,” Adam cursed fiercely. He knew Joe was in there, he’d heard his voice. How many were with him, he didn’t know, nor did he know their reasons for being there.

“What do you want?” he demanded. He’d heard no gunshot, so he had to believe that Joe was still alive inside the house. Now it was up to him to make sure he stayed that way.

“No, sir,” another man’s voice responded. “First you give up your gun and come inside, then we can get better acquainted.”

Adam searched his mind desperately for a solution to his current predicament. Glancing over at where Sport stood, he had no doubt he’d be able to make it to the horse and ride for help, but he couldn’t guarantee that his younger brother would still be alive when he got back. On the other hand, he knew the layout of the house as well as anyone. Maybe if he could make it onto the roof, go through one of the upstairs windows and surprise them from the rear…

“Time’s runnin’ out, Cartwright!” the first man called. “I’m gonna count to three and then I’m puttin’ a bullet through your brother’s pretty little head. One…”

Adam knew he didn’t have time for his last plan, and wasn’t sure what Joe’s chances would be if he chose to rush the door. The fact that they hadn’t killed him yet was a good sign, but he still didn’t know what they were after. Maybe, if it was just money, he’d be able to negotiate with them and save both Joe’s life and his own.

“Two…”

“All right!” he shouted, “I’m throwing my gun into the doorway.”

Slowly, he did as promised, tossing the weapon to a spot where they’d be able to see it through the open door.

“Put your hands up where we can see ‘em,” the man yelled.

Adam did as he was told and within moments saw a man cautiously approach the open door. When he caught sight of Adam, he levelled his gun at him before bending slowing to pick up the weapon in the doorway.

“All right,” the man instructed with a nod of his head. “Inside.”

Adam walked through the door, hands still raised as his eyes darted around for any sign of Joe. After taking a few more steps, he saw his brother unconscious and tied to a chair, a thin stream of blood running down the side of his face. Only after confirming, by the rise and fall of Joe’s chest, that he was still alive did he fix his gaze on the man holding the gun at his brother’s head. “Who are you and what do you want?” he demanded.

“You first,” Jack grinned.

“I’m Adam Cartwright,” he answered.

“Another brother,” Tom drawled. “How man of you are there?”

Adam glanced sideways at the man who was speaking, unwilling to take his eyes from his brother for long. “Three,” he answered shortly. “But you knew we were brothers.”

“We was hopin’ you was the other one,” Tom grinned.

“What do you want with him?” Adam asked calmly.

“Hoss Cartwright killed our brother,” Jack replied. “Joe here can tell you all about it when he wakes up.”

“You mean if he wakes up,” Adam corrected grimly. “That looks like a nasty wound.”

“Then he should have kept his mouth shut,” Jack snapped. “I done told him we wasn’t after anybody but Hoss.”

“Then you won’t mind if I check on him,” Adam pressed.

“Be my guest,” Jack grinned, taking a few steps away from Joe and aiming his gun at Adam.

Slowly, Adam made his way to where Joe sat. “Joe?” he called softly, patting his brother on the cheek. When he got no response, he inspected the bleeding lump on his head. “Did you have to hit him so hard?” he demanded angrily.

“He’s got a hard enough head,” Tom replied nonchalantly. “It only took him a few minutes to wake up the first time.”

At the words, Adam ran his hand gingerly through his brother’s hair and discovered the other lump on the back of his head. As he brought his fingers away, he noticed they were stained with blood. “Let me untie him and put him on the settee,” he suggested firmly. “You cracked his skull pretty good. If someone doesn’t tend to him in short order, he could die.”

He waited while Tom and Jack exchanged glances. “We told you, the only one we’re interested in is Hoss,” Jack finally explained. “I guess there ain’t no harm in untyin’ him at this point.”

Adam took his cue and quickly undid the ropes. As Joe slumped over, he caught him easily in his arms, picking him up effortlessly and carrying him to the settee. Once he’d gently lowered him down, he grabbed the blanket from the back and covered him. “I’ll need some water,” he instructed without looking up, “and a cloth.”

Jack was silent for a moment, realizing for the first time that he may have killed an innocent man. “Check the kitchen,” he told Tom, still holding his gun on Adam.

Once he had the basin of cool water beside him, Adam went to work cleaning the wounds on Joe’s head. His brother groaned softly as he gently washed the blood from his hair and scalp.

“It’s OK, Joe,” he soothed gently.

“Adam,” Joe croaked. “Hoss… “

“I know,” Adam assured him “Don’t worry about him. Just get some rest and get well.”

“Bostal…” Joe managed as he struggled against the darkness threatening to close in on him once more. “Brothers…”

As he lost the battle against unconsciousness, his older brother looked up at the man still holding the gun. “So that’s it,” he stated wryly. “You’re Bill Bostal’s brothers.”

“That’s right,” Jack concurred. “And we’re here to kill your brother just like he killed ours, nothin’ more, nothin’ less.”

“Your brother’s death was accidental,” Adam informed them forcefully. “Not to mention in self-defence.”

“We’ve heard them stories,” Tom interjected. “Just fancy tales to keep the Cartwrights out of harm’s way.”

“So you’re going to kill him in cold blood?” Adam hissed.

“We’ll give him the same chance he gave Billy,” Jack assured him.

“And what about Little Joe?” Adam persisted. “What kind of chance did you give him? Cracking his skull while he was tied to that chair.”

“We didn’t mean for anybody else to get hurt,” Jack responded. “Once we get the justice we came for, we’ll be on our way.”

“This isn’t justice,” Adam spat, “It’s cold-blooded revenge and murder. And let me tell you right now, if Joe dies or you kill Hoss, there’s not a place on this earth where you’re going to be able to hide.”

“A Bostal doesn’t hide from what he’s done,” Tom replied. “We’s in our rights to kill the man who killed our brother. As for the boy, we didn’t mean him any harm.”

“What difference do you think that’s going to make if he dies?” Adam asked fiercely. “Let me send for the doctor.”

“If he’s gonna die, he’s gonna die,” Jack pointed out in a flat voice. “Nothin’ the doctor can do now is gonna change that, you know it and I know it.”

“So that’s it,” Adam concluded grimly. “In the end, it doesn’t really matter who you kill, does it?”

“We ain’t murderers,” Jack replied in the same flat voice. “If he dies, I reckon we’ll have to face up to that. Like we said, we’s only after Hoss.”

Joe stirred slightly and Adam turned his full attention back to his brother. “Take it easy, Little Joe,” he murmured quietly, his soft tone in stark contrast to the one he’d used with the Bostal brothers. “You’re going to be all right.”

“Adam,” Joe whispered, grimacing against the pain in his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you in time.”

“You never have to apologize to me, Joe,” Adam frowned slightly. “You did all you could.”

“Watch out for Hoss, will ya?…” he began, swallowing hard as he struggled to stay awake. “Don’t let them get him too, Adam.” With that, his eyes closed and he was out once again.

“Don’t worry,” Adam whispered around the lump in his throat. “They won’t get him.”

**********

“Something’s wrong, Hoss,” Ben stated grimly as they stood by the fire. “They should have been back hours ago.”

“Well, if something did happen to Joe, Adam maybe had to send for the doctor and such. That takes some time, I reckon,” Hoss replied in an attempt at reassurance.

“Adam would have sent word back here,” Ben shook his head slightly, dismissing the idea. “He knows we’re waiting. If he was able, he would have sent word.”

Hoss didn’t like the sound of those words ‘if he was able’. Without further need for clarification, he stated, “I’ll saddle the horses, Pa.”

**********

By the time the first rays of sun began to chase away the pre-dawn darkness, Adam knew that his father must already realize something was wrong. He didn’t know what would happen, but he knew he’d have to be ready for it. He sat on the table beside where Joe slept, his head in his hands as he went over things in his mind. They’d put his gun on the desk, not an easy reach, to be sure, but one that he’d already considered many times in his mind.

Joe had flitted in and out of consciousness all night long, sometimes more lucid than others. At one point, he even called him Addy, a childhood name he hadn’t used since he was a small boy. The familiar moniker had tugged at his heartstrings and deepened his resolve not to let any further harm come to his little brother at the hands of the misguided men in their midst.

When they heard the sound of horses approaching, the Bostal brothers jumped to their feet, guns ready.

“There’s a whole lotta them,” Tom stated, anxiously shooting a glance at his brother.

“I thought you said there was just the four of you livin’ here,” Jack accused Adam angrily.

“What can I say,” Adam shrugged in a gesture of mock congeniality. “We have a lot of friends.”

“What are we gonna do now, Jack?” Tom asked. “We wasn’t expectin’ this. We was only supposed to get the one that killed Billy.”

“Will you stop that babbling and let me think?! Jack snapped. Then, turning to Adam, he gestured with his gun. “You! Go out there and tell them everything’s all right.”

“No,” Adam stated flatly.

“Do as I tell ya!” Jack shouted, waving the gun dangerously in Adam’s direction.

“I won’t do it,” Adam repeated, crossing his arms across his chest. “You’ll just have to shoot me.”

“And I’ll do it, too!” Jack stated, levelling the gun at Adam’s chest.

“And as soon as you do, every one of those men will be in this house,” Adam pointed out calmly. “What kind of chance do you think you’re going to have then?”

Jack seemed to be considering the words for a moment, then, changing his tactics, he turned to his brother to discuss their options. Adam glanced at his gun on the desk and at the men jabbering to one another by the fireplace. The only thing that gave him cause to hesitate was the fact that his already-injured brother would be directly in the line of fire.
When he heard his father’s voice calling to them from outside, he realized he had to act immediately.

With lightening speed, he dashed toward the desk, his eyes focused on the gun, his ears ignoring the sound of the first shot as it whizzed past his shoulder. Grabbing the weapon, he dove to the floor, rolling once before coming up with his gun aimed at the intruders. Two shots rang out, their sound mingling with those coming from the Bostals and the blur of men rushing through the door. In a heartbeat, it was over. Both Bostal men had been wounded but were still alive. With a sigh of relief, he got to his feet just as Pa and Hoss rushed to his side.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked anxiously. “Where’s Joe?”

“I’m fine,” Adam reassured him with a clap on the shoulder before hurrying toward the settee and his little brother.

His heart sank as he noticed the boy was no longer there, but rather sprawled on the floor. “Joe!” he exclaimed, pushing the heavy table effortlessly out of the way to kneel by the still form.

Ben and Hoss were there in a second, just as anxious to know the young man’s condition. Adam rolled him over gently, looking for any sign of a gunshot wound. “Are you hit, Joe?” he asked gently as his brother’s eyelids fluttered.

“The shots,” Joe murmured sleepily. “You’re always telling me when the shooting starts, get down… I got down.”

Adam looked at him in stunned silence for a moment before breaking into a hearty laugh. Without a thought, he planted a brotherly kiss on Joe’s forehead as he cradled him in his arms. “You crazy kid,” he muttered, still chuckling.

“Matt, go to town and get Doc Martin out here,” Ben instructed one of the hands who were still guarding the two intruders. Addressing two more of the men, he continued, “Jeb, you and Abe load these two on the buckboard and take them in to Sheriff Coffee.” Once he was sure his orders were being followed, he turned his attention back to his sons. “Every year,” he heaved a heavy sigh. “Every year branding time seems to be more trouble than the last.”

**********

Hoss brought a tray to Joe’s room and was relieved to see him awake and sitting up in bead, a white bandage wrapped around his head. “Hop Sing says you need to eat all of this,” he announced sternly. He sat the tray on Joe’s lap and lowered himself to the chair beside the bed. “That’s a nasty coupla lumps you got there, little brother,” he pointed out.

“They don’t feel much better from the inside than the look from the outside, let me tell you,” Joe grimaced good-naturedly.

Hoss lowered his gaze to study his hands for a moment. “It’s causa me that you got them, Joe.” He raised his blue eyes to meet those of his brother. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” Joe assured him with a hand on his forearm. “The Bostals just have a twisted sense of justice.”

Hoss smiled, grateful for the words. “Just the same, I’m glad they didn’t hurt ya worse than they did.”

“You and Adam are always telling me what a hard head I have,” Joe smiled in reassurance. “I guess it’s times like this when I’m glad I do.”

“Funny, ain’t it?” Hoss frowned thoughtfully. “The way three brothers from one family and three from another can be so different.”

Joe thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess it is,” he concurred. “At the same time, I’m not so sure we’re all that different in some ways.”

“How d’ya mean?” Hoss asked.

“They wanted revenge for their brother,” Joe shrugged. “They were willing to do whatever they had to to get it. I don’t reckon I’d want to believe it if anyone told me you or Adam had turned into a woman-beating drunk.”

“No, I don’t reckon I would neither,” Hoss mused. “And I guess if something happened to you or Adam, I might be just as bent on revenge, I s’pose.”

“We’d want justice,” Joe added. “That’s the difference.”

“Yeah,” Hoss nodded. “I reckon we’re lucky we grew up in a family that taught us that.”

Just then Adam entered the room. “Well, both Bostals will live to stand trial,” he informed his brothers.

“That’s good,” Joe breathed. Then, as though the thought just occurred to him, he frowned. “Adam, I don’t remember a lot about last night, just snippets here and there. Doc Martin says that you likely saved my life.”

Adam shrugged modestly, a small smile playing around his lips. “I didn’t seem to have anything better to do at the time.”

“Well, now that we know yer gonna be all right, I reckon Pa will want us to be getting’ back to them cows,” Hoss announced, getting to his feet. “You don’t know how lucky you are, little brother,” he teased. “Layin’ up here in bed with Hop Sing fussin’ over ya.”

“You know me,” Joe grinned. “Anything to get out of a day’s work.”

His two older brothers left the room, but seconds later, Adam poked his head inside once more. “By the way,” he smiled mischievously. “I was never really sure who broke my brand new pocketknife when we were kids. Thanks for clearing that up.” With a wink, he was gone.

The smile faded from Joe’s face as the door closed once again. Something told him that once he was well, he’d have to answer for the confession he’d obviously made in his state of delirium. Closing his eyes and leaning back against the pillow, he let out a worried groan.

The End.