Summary:  While Ben’s laid up as the result of an accident, Joe suffers a similar fate, causing the Cartwrights to wonder how accidental the occurrences really are.
Rating:  Teens
Words:  8,450

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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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An Eye for an Eye

**********
“And just where have you been?” Adam demanded angrily as Joe led Cochise into the barn.

“I went for a ride,” Joe answered, frowning. “What’s the big deal?”

“I’ll tell you what the big deal is,” Adam retorted. “While Pa’s laid up, we’ve each got to do our part to pick up the slack.”

“And you don’t think I’m doing my share,” Joe surmised, his anger matching that of his brother.

“Yesterday, I told you we needed that wood cut first thing this morning. Imagine my surprise to come down to breakfast and find you already up and gone. This ranch doesn’t run itself, you know. Being part of this family means putting the needs of the Ponderosa before your own self-indulgence.”

The words, combined with the condescending tone in which they were delivered, not only fuelled his anger, but added an element of hurt. “I don’t need you to tell me what it means to be a part of this family,” he grated.

“Then start acting like it, will you?” Adam replied sharply.

Without another word, Joe turned Cochise around and mounted him once again, heading out of the yard at an accelerated pace.

Hoss came out of the house just in time to see Joe riding off and headed to the barn where Adam was still fuming.

“What’s goin’ on?” he asked, both his tone and expression indicating his concern.

“I chewed him out for not doing his share of the work and he took off, as usual,” Adam replied tersely.

“We’ve all bin workin’ a might hard since Pa got hurt,” Hoss reminded him. “Includin’ Joe.”

“Yeah? Then why isn’t he here chopping the wood like I told him instead of out riding around the countryside?”

Hoss’ frown deepened slightly at the words. “Let me ask you somthin’, Adam. What’s the date today?”

“What?” Adam snapped. “It’s the 10th. What has that got to do with…” He stopped as the meaning of his own words became clear. “It’s the 10th,” he repeated, hanging his head with a sigh. “Which means yesterday was the 9th.”

Hoss nodded slowly. “That’s right. And you might wanna check the woodpile out back. I know for a fact that Joe cut that wood before breakfast this morning.”

“Damn,” Adam hissed, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. As he stormed from the barn toward the house, Hoss called after him.

“What are you gonna do?” he asked.

“It’s what I’m going to undo,” Adam replied dourly.

Ben frowned as Adam entered the house, his expression a mask of grim determination. “What’s going on?” he asked as he watched his oldest son donning his gun belt and hat.

Adam sighed heavily. “It’s Little Joe,” he explained sullenly. “I accused him of not carrying his share of the load around here. He took off and I’m going to try and find him.”

Ben’s frown deepened slightly. He didn’t like to see his boys at odds with one another, but knew that their divergent personalities often set the stage for just such eruptions. “I’m sure he’ll be home once he cools off,” Ben pointed out quietly.

Adam paused a moment before reluctantly turning to face his father. “I didn’t even think about the date, Pa,” he admitted. “I just jumped in with accusations about him not pulling his weight and I said something about…”

“About?” Ben prodded, one eyebrow raised expectantly.

“About what it means to be a part of this family,” Adam sighed unhappily.

“I see,” Ben nodded slowly.

Adam was silent for a moment. “Yesterday was the 9th, Pa,” he finally stated. “I didn’t even think about Marie.”

“You’ve been busy,” Ben acknowledged in a quiet voice. He tapped his broken leg lightly. “More so than usual with me being out of commission.”

“That’s no excuse,” Adam muttered in frustration. “All that mattered to me was getting the work done on time. If only I’d stopped to think for a moment, I would have realized that Joe wanted some time to himself. Why didn’t he say something?”

Ben offered a small smile. “He knew you needed him here,” he stated simply. “Isn’t that a good example of what it means to be a part of this family?”

Adam nodded sullenly. “Yeah, I know,” he sighed. “I’m going to go find him.” With that, he made his way out the door toward the barn.

**********

Adam was sure he knew where to find his brother. As he neared the spot, he could see that no one was there, but still, he brought Sport to a stop and dismounted. Kneeling beside the stone, he noticed two fresh bouquets of flowers and knew that Joe had been there that morning. Reaching out, he touched the surface of the stone, allowing his fingers a moment to linger on the cool granite while he reflected fondly on memories of the woman buried there. After a few moments, he mounted his horse once again and headed toward Virginia City.

When he reached the saloon, he was disappointed to note that Joe’s horse was not tied up outside. In the hopes of finding someone who might have seen his brother, he went inside and approached the bartender.

“Adam!” Bernie exclaimed with a smile. “Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s your pa?”

“He’s doing fine,” Adam replied with a polite smile. “The leg’s mending nicely.”

“Glad to hear it,” Bernie beamed. “Can I get you something?”

“No, thanks,” Adam replied. “I’m looking for Joe; have you seen him?”

“He left about a half hour ago,” Bernie nodded. “Came in for one drink then said he had to get back to the ranch.”

Adam frowned slightly. He hadn’t seen him on the road into town, but it was possible he’d taken another route. It was slightly longer, but it would have given his little brother more time to get the hurt and anger out of his system. With a slight pang of regret at realizing he’d put both there, Adam left the saloon and resumed his search.

He was on Ponderosa land, about halfway back to the house when he caught sight of a familiar equine figure. Squinting into the sun, his pulse began to race, knowing that Joe would never leave Cochise alone on the side of the road. “Come on, boy,” he whispered to Sport as he prodded the horse to a full gallop. When he reached the spot where Cochise stood calmly grazing, he dismounted, examining the horse for any signs that something was wrong. As soon as he touched the horse’s foreleg, Cochise whinnied in protest, telling Adam that there was indeed a problem. “It’s all right,” he soothed, stroking the pinto’s neck gently. “You’ll be fine.” Tying the lame animal to a low hanging branch, he scanned the area for any sign of his brother. “Joe!” he shouted, listening for a reply. When none was forthcoming, he mounted Sport and studied his surroundings. He hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in the direction from which he’d come, and the road ahead seemed equally deserted. To the left of the road was open land, and the other side sported a thick stand of trees a short distance away before falling off to a sheer cliff overlooking the lake. His pulse quickening slightly, he urged Sport toward the trees.

He’d been calling Joe’s name for what seemed like an eternity before he finally heard a faint reply. Hurrying in the direction of the voice, he came to the brink of the cliff and dismounted, deftly picking his way through the rocks until he could see over the edge. “Joe!” he called as he caught sight of his brother laying on a ledge some thirty feet below. “Are you all right?”

“Adam?” Joe called weakly. “Adam, I’m …” His voice trailed off briefly. “I can’t move.”

“Hang on,” Adam advised. “I’m coming down.”

Taking a rope from his saddle, he tied it to the base of a tree and began repelling down the sheer face of the cliff. When he reached the spot where Joe waited, he sucked in his breath sharply. He’d fallen on the stump of a small tree and a sharp, jagged piece of wood jutted from a spot just below his right shoulder.

“Hey,” he murmured, inspecting the injury. To his dismay, he noted that his brother was effectively impaled on the sharp shard of lumber. “I guess we’d better get you out of here, huh?” he stated, trying to sound calm despite his rising fear at the situation. He could see Joe had already lost a fair amount of blood and he knew the flow would increase the moment he removed the foreign object from his body.

“Cochise,” Joe mumbled. “He stumbled… threw me…”

“I found him,” Adam assured him. “He’s going to be fine.”

Joe managed a weak smile. “Good,” he murmured in relief.

Adam raked his mind for the best solution to their current predicament. “I’m going to have to cut the wood from the stump and leave it in,” he informed his brother. “If I take it out now, you’ll lose too much blood.”

Joe nodded slightly. “Ok.”

Adam gritted his teeth, regretting the words he had to say next. “I don’t have anything here, Joe. I’m going to have to go back to the Ponderosa.”

Joe winced against the pain in his shoulder. “I’ll be all right,” he assured him. “Go.”

Adam hesitated only briefly before grabbing the rope and climbing back to where Sport waited. As fast as he could, he mounted and headed in the direction of the Ponderosa. He’d only gone a short way when he noticed a lone rider coming toward him and breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized the burly figure as one of their top hands. “Hank!” he shouted, waving the man toward him. Once he was within earshot, Adam explained the situation and instructed him to hurry back to the ranch for help. Once Hank was on his way, Adam turned back to where Joe lay injured.

“That was fast,” Joe mumbled as Adam joined him once again.

“Help’s on the way,” Adam assured him gently, tearing a strip of cloth from his shirt to pack around the protruding branch. He grimaced slightly as Joe winced in pain, but continued his ministrations, knowing he had to staunch the flow of blood as much as possible.

When he’d finished, he took off his jacket and covered Joe as best he could. “I’m sorry, Joe,” he stated quietly. “For what I said earlier. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be out here now.”

“It’s not your fault,” Joe replied. “I should have told you I’d already cut the wood.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Adam answered. After a moment’s pause, he continued. “I didn’t even realize yesterday was the day…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “I guess I’ve been pretty wrapped up lately.”

He noticed his brother starting to lose consciousness and knew he had to keep him awake, so he tried to keep him talking. “I know I can be hard on you at times,” he continued. “But sometimes it’s hard for me to accept that you’re not a kid anymore. Can you understand that, Joe?”

“I guess so,” Joe murmured, trying to stay focused.

Adam continued to explain anyway, partly because he wanted to keep Joe awake, and partially because he felt the need to say the words aloud.

“It seems we’re always butting heads,” he went on. “Pa says it’s because we’ve both got a stubborn streak a mile wide.” He tried for a lighter approach. “I happen to know he’s right at least where you’re concerned.”

He frowned slightly as he looked at his brother’s face. “Joe? Stay with me, Joe.”

“I’m here,” Joe replied wearily. “I’m just so tired.”

Adam breathed a small sigh of relief. “I know, but you’ve got to stay awake, you hear me?”

Joe managed a small frown. “It hurts.”

Touching his brother’s shoulder compassionately, Adam wished he could take the pain upon himself. “I know,” he replied gently. “Try not to think about it. Just keep talking until help arrives.”

“Who was that man?” Joe asked weakly.

“What man?” Adam frowned, worried that his brother was becoming delusional.

“The bay horse,” Joe replied without further elaboration.

The conversation was cut short by the sound of horses and Adam called to the riders to indicate their position. In a matter of moments, Hoss peered over the edge of the cliff, Hank by his side.

“How you doin’, little brother?” Hoss asked, trying to keep his voice light despite the look of horror on his face when he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Hoss,” Joe smiled weakly. “I thought you’d never get here.”

“We’ll have you out of there in a jiffy,” Hoss promised, his gaze locking with that of his older brother as they silently conveyed their shared concern.

“We’re going to have to cut that wood from underneath,” Adam pointed out grimly. “What did you bring?”

“The hatchet will jar the wound too much,” Hoss surmised. “We’re gonna hafta saw it. It’ll take longer, but it’ll be better for Joe.”

“Right,” Adam nodded. “Drop me the saw and I’ll see if I can get at it.”

Hank handed the saw to Hoss who, instead of merely dropping the tool to his brother, proceeded to climb down the rope. Once on the ledge, he inspected the situation more closely and swallowed hard. “There ain’t no way to do this without hurtin’ ya, little brother,” he pointed out gently.

“Given the choice,” Joe smiled wanly, “I’d rather not spend the night down here. Do whatever you have to do.”

Hoss nodded silently and looked at Adam as he handed over the saw.

“You’re going to have to hold him as steady as you can,” Adam instructed his younger, though much bigger, brother.

“Right,” Hoss nodded grimly. Placing one hand firmly on Joe’s good shoulder and the other under the injured arm, he braced himself for what was to come. When he was ready, he nodded in the direction of Adam who returned the silent gesture.

Manouvering himself as best he could on the small ledge, Adam placed the saw strategically between his brother’s body and the ground, the sharp edge resting against the offending piece of wood. Taking a deep breath, he began to saw, grimacing despite himself at the sharp gasp of pain from his youngest brother.

“It’s all right, Joe,” Hoss soothed, his forehead furrowed with a mixture of compassion and concern. “It’ll be over ‘fore you know it.”

Joe squeezed his eyes tightly shut and gritted his teeth against the pain but didn’t answer verbally. Grabbing the sleeve of Hoss’ shirt with his good hand, he twisted it until his knuckles turned white.

Hoss raised his eyes from Joe’s face to Adam’s in search of some sign of reassurance. Adam barely noticed as his attention was focused intently on the task at hand. After moments that seemed more like hours, he’d freed the piece of wood from its natural base.

“That’s it, Joe,” Adam soothed gently. “The worst is over.”

Joe released his grip on Hoss’ arm and smiled faintly. “Hardly felt a thing,” he murmured.

Adam allowed a wry, crooked smile at the words, suddenly grateful for the sense of humour that had annoyed him so often in the past. After glancing up at the ledge where Hank still waited, he turned his attention to Hoss. “We’ve got to get him up there. He can’t climb with that arm.”

“You go on up first,” Hoss suggested. “I’ll tie the rope ‘round his waist and hoist him as high as I can.”

Adam nodded and began the ascent, effortlessly reaching the spot where he was able to grab Hank’s hand and hoist himself the remainder of the way. Turning, he watched as Hoss tied the rope around Joe’s waist and picked him up gently. Reaching as high as he could, he allowed the two at the top to take up the slack and pull the injured man toward them. Once Joe was safely on the grassy edge of the cliff, Hoss waited for Adam to throw the rope back down before making the climb himself.

“Bill went for the doc,” Hank informed them. “He should be out to the house by now.”

“The two of you take him back in the wagon,” Adam instructed as he helped Hoss position Joe in such a way as to not further aggravate the injury. “I’ll get Cochise and follow.”

“Right,” Hoss nodded, clapping Hank on the back. “Let’s go.”

**********

By the time they got Joe home and into the house, Doc Martin was just riding up in his buggy. Hank led the doctor inside and left him in the sitting room with Ben.

“He’s upstairs,” Ben stated grimly, frustrated that he couldn’t yet climb the stairs himself. “It doesn’t look good, Paul.”

“You know I’ll do everything I can,” the doctor assured him with a compassionate hand on his arm. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”

Ben could only nod mutely, his throat too constricted with emotion to speak. He couldn’t die, not this way, not on this day, so close to the day that his mother had been taken from them. “I’m sorry, but you can’t have him, Marie,” he whispered almost inaudibly. “Not yet.”

**********

It was almost an hour later when Doc Martin made his way slowly down the stairs. His shirt was drenched with sweat and he looked older than his years, but his face wore a guardedly optimistic smile. “Barring any really resistant infection, he should be fine,” he informed Ben. “I’ve removed the wood and repaired what damage I could. The rest is up to him.”

“Thank God,” Ben whispered hoarsely, his eyes closed in silent prayer.

“He’s a lucky boy,” Paul continued. “If Adam hadn’t found him when he did, I might not have been able to save him.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Ben smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Paul.”

**********
The pain of the extraction, along with the loss of blood had left Joe healing but weak. Adam had taken the doctor’s place beside the bed and watched as his brother flitted in and out of concsiousness.

“Pa?” Joe mumbled.

“He’s downstairs,” Adam reminded him. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just had an entire Ponderosa pine removed from my chest,” Joe quipped wearily.

“Pretty close to it,” Adam smiled. “But you’re going to be fine. Get some rest.”

“It’s a good thing you found me, Adam,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “If it wasn’t for the guy on the Bay…” He began to drift off, leaving his sentence unfinished.

It was the second time he’d mentioned a bay horse. “What guy?” Adam frowned.

Joe’s brow creased as though in concentration. “The one who told you about the accident.”

“Joe, no one told me anything,” Adam pointed out, leaning in closer. “It was pure luck that I found you. You say you saw a man? Where?”

Joe summoned what strength he had to explain. “I was on my way home and he was coming from the direction of the house. When he saw me, he headed for the trees on the north side of the road. I followed him, Cochise stumbled on a rock or something, I fell. He saw the whole thing, I know he did.”

“Did he say anything?” Adam asked, frowning.

“He was looking down over the edge of the cliff,” Joe recalled. “I explained who I was and asked him to go back to the house for help and he just left. Didn’t say a word.”

Hoss entered the room and looked expectantly at Adam. “How is he?”

“Hoss, was there anyone here earlier? Before I sent Hank back to get you?”

Hoss looked surprised at the question and allowed his gaze to flit from Adam to Joe and back again. “Nobody’s bin here all day,” he replied. “Why?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Joe murmured, shifting his weight slightly in an attempt to sit up and grimacing at the pain the motion caused. “He was coming from this direction when I saw him.”

Adam repeated everything Joe had told him to Hoss.

“If’n he knew Joe was hurt, maybe he went to town for the doctor,” Hoss suggested.

“I just came from town on that same road,” Adam pointed out. “I would have seen him.” He got up from his chair and headed for the door.

“Where you goin’?” Hoss asked.

“To talk to Doc Martin if he’s still here,” Adam replied over his shoulder as he made his way out of the room.

He was glad to see the doctor had stayed to enjoy a cup of coffee with his long-time friend. Both of the elder men looked up as Adam came down the stairs. One glance at his son’s grim expression caused Ben to put down his cup. “What’s the matter?” he asked anxiously. “Is it Joe?”

“He’s fine,” Adam assured him. Turning to the doctor, he added, “Did you happen to see a stranger in town? A man riding a bay horse?”

“No, can’t say as I have,” Paul answered. “Why do you ask?”

Adam explained the situation to the doctor and his father.

“Maybe he doesn’t know the area that well,” Doc Martin suggested. “Perhaps he did intend to go for help and just got turned around.”

“All he had to do was follow the road,” Adam pointed out dourly. “Stranger to the area or not, surely he could have figured that out.”

“You don’t think he just rode off, knowing Little Joe was hurt,” Ben frowned. “What kind of man would do something like that?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Adam replied as he headed for the sideboard near the door, “And I don’t know what business he had on the Ponderosa in the first place, but I’m going to find out.”

He was putting on his gun belt when the sound of a commotion from outside caught his attention. Even before he had a chance to open the door, one of the hands burst through. “Fire!” he called. “The barn! Hurry!”

“Hoss!” Adam yelled up the stairs before hurrying out to the verandah. In a heartbeat, his mind was able to assess the situation. Though men seemed to be running in every direction, he recognized it as a well-organized chaos. Hurrying to help, he took charge and began issuing orders even as Hoss joined them.

Once the flames had been extinguished, Adam stood wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, an empty bucket dangling from his other hand.

“What in tarnation happened?” Hoss asked, his face and clothing covered with soot.

“I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “What about the horses?”

“They’re spooked, but fine,” Hoss answered. “What could have started it?”

“I don’t know what, but I know where,” Hank interrupted as he walked toward them with an armful of wet material. “It was this stack of blankets. Could’ve bin smoldering for hours ‘fore it caught on to them bales of hay.”

Adam took the stack of blankets and inspected them closely. “This was no accident,” he stated grimly.

“You sure ‘bout that, Adam?” Hoss asked frowning.

“I put these in there this morning,” Adam replied, referring to the small room where the blankets were kept. “There was nothing in there that could have started this accidentally.”

“Want me to go into town for the sheriff?” Hank asked.

“Thanks, but I was on my way to town anyway,” Adam replied grimly. Turning to his brother, he added, “Stay here and keep an eye on things, will you?”

“Hop Sing can look after Little Joe,” Hoss countered. “And Hank here can look after everything else for a spell. I’m goin’ with you.”

“Hoss, I …” Adam began, only to be cut off by his brother.

“I don’t like what’s bin goin’ on here any more’n you do, Adam,” Hoss interrupted firmly. “And I already got one brother upstairs hurt, I ain’t aimin’ to have two. I’m goin’.”

Adam hadn’t intended to argue the point, but after hearing Hoss’ words and seeing the stubborn expression set into his face, he knew it would have been pointless anyway. “I was going to say, I think that might be a good idea at that,” he smiled slightly. “Let’s go tell Pa where we’ll be.”

**********

They reached town and the sheriff’s office without seeing even a glimpse of the stranger Joe had mentioned.

“Look, Adam,” Roy sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry Little Joe got hurt, and I agree with you, I think it’s a pretty lowdown thing for a man to do, just leaving him there like that, but there’s just no law ‘gainst having bad judgement. If there was, I’d hafta lock up half the people in this town at one time or ‘nother.”

“What about setting fire to the barn?” Adam grated. “Surely you’ll agree there’s a law against that.”

“Of course there is,” Roy nodded. “And if you can tell me you know for sure it was this man with the bay horse who started that fire, I’ll be happy to arrest him, that is, if I can find him.”

“Aren’t ya even gonna try’n find him, Roy?” Hoss frowned.

“Like I just finished tellin’ your brother, Hoss,” Roy explained patiently. “I just can’t up and go off lookin’ for a man I ain’t even sure has broken any laws. He could just be a stranger passin’ through who didn’t want to get caught up in no trouble. For all we know, he could be in the next territory by now.”

“And what if he’s not?” Adam demanded. “What if he shows up again right here in Virginia City?”

“Then I’ll surely have a talk with him and try to find out what his business is here,” Roy agreed, nodding. “But you have to understand I can’t leave this office and this town unprotected to go off on what could amount to nothin’ more’n a wild goose chase.”

Adam took a frustrated breath before turning to his brother. “Come on,” he growled, leading the way out the door.

Once outside, they stood surveying the street for a moment. “Now what?” Hoss asked. “You still plannin’ on lookin’ for this guy?”

Adam struggled with the answer to Hoss’ question. He knew they were needed on the Ponderosa, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. “I don’t know,” he sighed. “But I don’t like the way these little ‘accidents’ seem to be piling up. First Pa, now Joe and the fire.”

“You don’t think they’s accidents,” Hoss surmised, scrunching his face into a scowl.

“I believe Joe’s fall was an accident,” Adam replied. “But that doesn’t change the fact that there was someone else there, someone who didn’t bother to go for help, someone who was coming from the direction of the house at the time… and the barn.”

“What about Pa?” Hoss asked, beginning to buy into the theory. “His was just an accident, he plain said so himself.”

“A wheel comes off a wagon,” Adam answered thoughtfully. “Could happen to anyone.” After a moment’s reflection, he added, “Come on. We need to talk to Pa.”

They made their way toward the Ponderosa in silence, each harbouring their own thoughts concerning the recent misadventures that had seemingly plagued their family. As they crested a small hill on the boundaries of their ranch, a single shot rang out. Hoss turned in reaction to the sound and saw Adam falling from his horse.

“Adam!” he shouted, quickly turning Chubb around to ride back to where his brother lay in the dirt. As he reached the spot, he dismounted, quickly kneeling by Adam’s side.

“I’m all right,” Adam assured him grimly, one hand covering the gash in his side. “Just grazed me.”

Hoss looked around at the surrounding terrain. There were any number of places a sniper could hide and he quickly dragged Adam to the base of a large tree, hoping it would provide some measure of safety should the unknown assailant choose to try again.

“Guess that pretty much wraps up our suspicions, don’t it?” he mused, drawing his gun as his eyes scanned the area.

“Do you see anything?” Adam asked intently.

“Not a thing,” Hoss replied. “I reckon now that he’s lost the element of surprise, he’s likely long gone.” Holstering his gun, he crouched down beside his brother. “Can you ride?”

“Yeah,” Adam nodded, taking the larger man’s hand and allowing him to pull him to his feet. “And I think the sooner we get back to the house, the better.”

*********

Hoss left one of the hands to stable the horses while he helped Adam into the house.

“What’s this?” Ben demanded from his chair as his two sons came through the door.

“Someone took a shot at us, Pa,” Hoss replied, helping Adam to the settee. “Luckily, it wasn’t a very good one.”

“Are you all right?” Ben asked, hobbling to Adam’s side to check the wound.

“I’m OK,” Adam assured him. “Just grazed the skin.”

Ben called up the stairs to Hop Sing who hurried down, the whole while babbling something in Chinese.

“Mista Adam hurt too?” he exclaimed as he saw the man laying on the settee. “First Mista Cartwright, then the Little Joe. What going on?”

“That’s what we’d like to know, Hop Sing,” Adam grated as he allowed the small man to inspect the wound. “Pa, I don’t think we can discount the possibility that these little ‘accidents’ are related somehow.”

“I’m beginning to think you may be right,” Ben replied grimly. “But who? And why?”

“I think that guy Joe saw on the bay horse is a good ‘nuff place to start,” Hoss answered. “We find him, maybe we can get some answers.”

“I think Hoss is right,” Joe interjected from the top of the stairs.

“Little Joe stay in bed!” Hop Sing admonished strictly. “Need rest.”

“I’m fine, Hop Sing,” Joe assured the little man. “I may not be pitching horseshoes for a while, but I can walk.”

Hoss went to the stairs and helped his little brother down and into the blue chair by the fireplace.

“What about this man you saw,” Ben frowned solemnly.

Joe delivered as much of a shrug as he could with one shoulder bound tightly. “Like I said, I was on my way home and I saw him riding from the direction of the house. I probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but as soon as he saw me, he took off into the trees. I was following him along the edge of the cliff, just to ask him what he was doing there, when Cochise threw me.”

“And he didn’t say anything to you after you fell?” Ben pressed.

“No, I don’t think so,” Joe frowned, trying to remember anything besides the feeling of the wood tearing through his flesh. “I just assumed he’d been out at the house and I asked him to go for help.”

“I think he was here at the house,” Adam agreed as Hop Sing finished bandaging his injury. “Or at least at the barn.”

“Funny no one seemed to see ‘im,” Hoss pointed out.

“He could have hidden his horse and made his way to the barn on foot,” Ben acknowledged. “If he’s got something against one or all of us, that could explain why he didn’t go for help after Joe’s accident.”

“And speakin’ of accidents, someone coulda rigged the wheel on your wagon, Pa,” Hoss suggested.

“You could be right, son,” Ben mused thoughtfully. “I know that wagon was sturdy when I left here. Someone could have tampered with it while I was in Virginia City.”

“Or even Springfield,” Joe pointed out. “You were there that day, too.”

“But a loosened wheel never would have made it from Springfield to Virginia City,” Ben disagreed, shaking his head slightly. “No, if someone fixed that wagon to crash, they must have done it in Virginia City.”

“Now the question is who and why?” Adam stated, getting to his feet and adjusting his bandage slightly.

“More importantly, what do they have planned for us next? Whomever it was that shot at the two of you is still out there,” Ben replied grimly. “We’re going to have to watch each other’s backs until we get this settled.”

“Watch backs, watch fronts, watch arms and legs,” Hop Sing added. “Hop Sing no want more Mista Cartwrights hurt.”

“I don’t want that either, Hop Sing,” Ben agreed solemnly.

“Well one thing is for sure,” Adam stated grimly. “Roy Coffee can’t brush this off as a mere coincidence. I’m going to town.”

“I’m goin’ with ya,” Hoss nodded.

“Me too,” Joe announced, slowly getting out of his chair.

“You’re not going anywhere, young man,” Ben informed him firmly.

“But I’m the only one who’d know this guy if I saw him,” Joe argued. “Besides, Adam is hurt and he’s going.”

“I can still sit a horse,” Adam pointed out. “You’d be falling off yours before we even got off the Ponderosa.” Knowing he was right, but still feeling a slight regret at his earlier remarks, he added in a slightly softer voice. “Besides, we need someone to stay here with Pa in case there’s more trouble.”

Joe seemed to consider the words, oblivious to the grateful glance Ben shot at his oldest son. “You’re right,” he murmured reluctantly.

“We’ll be back as soon as we fill Roy in on what’s goin’ on,” Hoss promised.

Ben watched his two older sons leave and breathed a heavy sigh. Something inside told him it was going to be a long day.

********

They made it to town without further incident and headed straight for Roy’s office. After listening to their story, Roy got up from his desk. “I hope you boys understand why I couldn’t do nothin’ earlier when you was in. I just didn’t have any proof.”

“Yeah, we understand, Roy,” Hoss nodded. “The question is, what are you gonna do now?”

“Well, I’ll hafta take a posse and go out lookin’ for this man,” Roy informed them. “We don’t have much to go on, but I can’t just let him go ‘round shootin’ anyone he wants.”

“We’re joining that posse,” Adam stated firmly.

“And I’d love to have you join,” Roy admitted. “But what about your Pa and Joe? They’s out to the Ponderosa alone and hurt at that. If this guy was at your place once already, what’s to stop him from goin’ out there again?”

“There’s at least a dozen hands out there,” Adam reminded him, “Men who now know something’s going on.”

“Hank was sending men out to guard both roads when we left,” Hoss added. “Pa and Little Joe will be all right for now, but we gotta stop this guy ‘fore someone gets killed.”

“Then let’s go,” Roy nodded, heading for the door.

**********

They’d been out for hours without a single sign of anything suspicious. “This is ridiculous,” Adam grated in frustration. “A man doesn’t just disappear.”

“He doesn’t have to,” Roy pointed out. “Considerin’ we don’t know what he looks like, he could be standin’ right beside us and we’d never know it.”

“Joe didn’t know him,” Hoss reminded the sheriff. “That tells me it’s a stranger at least.”

“And there are a lot of hiding places on the Ponderosa,” Adam added tensely. “It would take us days to search them all.”

“Maybe we won’t hafta,” Roy frowned thoughtfully. “If this guy really is out to get your family, he’ll hafta show his hand sooner or later.”

“Are you saying we just wait for him to come to us?” Adam asked, frowning as he considered the idea.

“That’s what he’s bin doin’,” Roy shrugged. “What’s to say he ain’t comin’ after ya again?”

“But this time we’ll be ready for him,” Hoss stated grimly.

“I think you’d boys best get back to the house,” Roy informed them. “Keep them guards posted and watch out for anything or anyone suspicious. I’ll keep my eyes peeled around town and if he’s still in these parts we’re bound to come across him sooner or later.”

Hoss and Adam exchanged glances, trying to decide whether Roy’s plan was the best course of action. “All right,” Adam finally agreed. “But if you see anyone out of the ordinary, you let us know.”

“You know I will,” Roy nodded.

Knowing they could take the sheriff at his word, they broke away from the posse and headed back for the ranch.

**********

Though they’d missed supper, Hop Sing was quick to fix them something hot as soon as they arrived home. While they waited for the food to be prepared, they filled their father in on all Roy had said.

“I guess that’s all we can do at the moment,” Ben sighed. “I just hate the thought of sitting here like so many targets.”

“I know, Pa,” Hoss concurred. “But we ain’t got a lot of choice, leastwise not until he makes another move.”

“How’s Joe?” Adam asked.

Ben allowed a small smile. “Let’s just say he didn’t recover quite as quickly as he would have us believe. He tried to convince me that he was fine, but I could see how much pain he’s still in. I sent him up to bed an hour ago and told him I didn’t want to see him again until morning.”

“I’ll go check on him while Hop Sing’s fixin’ supper,” Hoss offered, already heading for the stairs.

“Have you figured out who could be behind all this?” Adam asked of his father.

“I’ve been trying to,” Ben sighed. “But I can’t think of anyone who holds enough of a grudge to try to kill us all.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want to believe anyone capable of going to those lengths,” Adam suggested quietly.

“Maybe,” Ben allowed. “Either way, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

Hoss returned after only a couple of minutes. “Sleepin’ like a baby,” he assured his father.

“Well that’s one thing off my mind for the time being, anyway,” Ben mused. “Now that we know all is under control in here, we have to figure out what to do about what’s going on out there.”

“I kinda got me an idea about that, Pa,” Hoss offered.

“We’re listening,” Ben assured him.

“Well, if this same man is responsible for all this, he don’t really know how successful he’s bin, does he?” Hoss began.

“What are you getting at?” Ben asked with interest.

“Well, he saw Little Joe, and he knows he was hurt, but he don’t know how bad. Same with Adam. He may know he shot him, but he likely don’t know it was just a grazin’.”

“And just how does that work in our favour, exactly?” Ben prodded, his curiosity piqued.

“Here’s what we do,” Hoss suggested in a conspiratorial tone.

**********

The next morning, Hoss took the buckboard into town. Stopping in front of the sheriff’s office, he went inside.

“Morning, Hoss,” Roy frowned slightly. “Have you seen anything of this man we’re lookin’ for?”

“No, but I need your help, Roy,” Hoss informed him. After closing the door, he filled the sheriff in on his plan. A few minutes later they both exited the office. Roy squeezed Hoss’ arm compassionately and Hoss only nodded, his expression grim. The big man then got into the wagon and drove down the street to where he stopped in front of a small, tidy building. Roy watched him until he disappeared inside, then shook his head slowly before taking a deep breath and starting to walk slowly down the street. Whenever he saw someone, especially someone who knew the Cartwrights well, he stopped to talk for a moment. An hour later, the name Cartwright was on the lips of everyone in town.

**********

“Did you see Roy?” Ben asked as Hoss returned.

“Yep,” Hoss nodded. “It’s all taken care of, Pa.”

Ben acknowledged the words with a nod. “And did you get the…” He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.

In way of response, Hoss pulled back the tarp and exposed two beautifully crafted coffins. “The best Mr. Wingrove has,” he exclaimed. “Nothin’s too good for those brothers of mine.”

Ben shot him a slightly uncomfortable look. “I really wish you’d stop saying things like that,” he muttered.

“Sorry, Pa,” Hoss smiled. Adam joined them in the yard and raised one eyebrow as he noticed the contents of the wagon.

“Did you have to go so elaborate?” he asked.

“Had to make it look real, didn’t I?” Hoss replied, running his hand over the polished wood. “How would it look if I went into town and asked for two big paper sacks?”

“You’re all heart, brother,” Adam smiled, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Least I could do,” Hoss nodded, feigning a pained look. “You were both such good brothers. I’m gonna miss ya.”

“Will you two stop?” Ben asked, the conversation obviously making him uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Pa,” Adam replied, shooting a small smile in Hoss’ direction.

A moment later, Joe appeared at the open door to the house. “I was wondering where everyone got to,” he mused as he slowly made his way to join them.

“Joseph, I thought I told you to stay in bed,” Ben reprimanded, using the crutches to turn in Joe’s direction.

“You said you didn’t want to see me until morning,” Joe corrected with a small smile. “Well, it’s morning and late morning at that. Really, Pa, I’m feeling better.”

As he noticed the cargo in the back of the wagon, he frowned in concern. “What’s going on? Who are those for?”

Hoss and Adam realized Joe hadn’t been present when they’d hatched their little plan and couldn’t resist a teasing smile.

“Sorry to say it,” Hoss informed him, coming to place a hand on his shoulder. “But one of them’s yours little brother.”

“Mine?” Joe exclaimed.

“It’s a sad story really,” Adam sighed, joining Hoss on the other side of Joe. “The loss of blood was just too great. We thought you were recuperating, but then you wouldn’t follow Pa’s directions to stay in bed and you just keeled over, right here in the yard.”

“Boys,” Ben warned in a low voice.

“We’re just teasin, Joe,” Hoss chuckled. With that, he explained their scheme.

“What if he doesn’t show?” Joe asked. “He could be miles away from here by now.”

“Could be,” Adam agreed with a nod, “but chances are, he wants to know how successful he’s been so far. With Roy spreading the word that both of us are dead, he’ll probably feel like it’s the perfect tine to finish the job.”

“And what if he saw you in town yesterday? Or with that posse? He’s going to know that bullet didn’t kill you,” Joe pointed out.

“But that’s ‘xactly what did happen,” Hoss countered. “Everybody knows Adam was ridin’ hurt. They just don’t know how bad the wound was. Poor Adam here overdid it, broke it open again and bled to death ‘fore I could even get him back to the ranch.”

“I guess he could believe that,” Joe mused sceptically.

“Even if he doesn’t,” Adam pointed out. “That’s all the more reason for him to be at the funeral to see it for himself.”

A smile began to grow on Joe’s face as he thought about the plan. “That could just work,” he finally agreed.

“You and I will have to stay out of sight,” Adam explained. “Roy’s already told everyone we’re really close to that it’s a ploy, but it would ruin everything if someone we didn’t know saw us.”

“Like the guy on the bay horse,” Joe surmised.

“That’s right,” Hoss nodded. “Roy will be at the funeral, naturally, but he’s gonna have men keepin’ watch for anyone who doesn’t seem to belong. I told him to gather as many people as he could so that it wouldn’t be so easy to see who’s missin’.”

“Just the gals of Virginia City alone should be enough of a distraction,” Joe teased. “Can’t you just see them all weepin’ over my grave?”

“And all their fathers celebrating in the background,” Adam replied with a wink in Hoss’ direction.

“Yeah,” Hoss frowned. “I reckon I shoulda got a bigger box just to hold that head o’ his.”

“I guess I should be glad you three can find humour in this whole situation,” Ben broke in, eyeing his sons with a slightly doubtful expression. “But may I remind you, we still have work to do if we’re going to pull this off.”

**********

Later that afternoon, Ben and Hoss rode the buggy to the spot beside the lake where Marie was buried. Fresh flowers still adorned her grave and Ben paused a moment to reflect on his wife before the two freshly dug graves drew his attention.

Helping his father from the buggy, Hoss looked up to see the wagon approaching. “Here comes Hank,” he said to Ben.

Ben turned to see Hank approaching, the two glossy caskets in the back of the wagon. “Thank God they’re empty,” he breathed.

In way of response, Hoss squeezed his arm before going to help unload the cargo.

As the mourners began to arrive, Ben kept his gaze riveted on the two graves. His hope was that their plan would prove to be a success before he had to go through with the whole service. Though they’d discussed it at length the night before, he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to hear his sons’ eulogies read aloud.

Just as the preacher was about to begin, a commotion was heard approaching the place where they were gathered. As the crowd parted, two Ponderosa hands and a deputy made their way through, leading a bound man on a bay horse.

“I think we’ve got your man,” the deputy stated grimly. “Saw him headin’ out this way and we followed. He left his horse back a piece and was makin’ his way here on foot.” He paused for effect. “With a rifle in his hands.”

Ben came forward and studied the man on horseback. “Who are you and what explanation do you have for all this?” he demanded.

The man offered only a wry smile. “How does it feel, Cartwright?” he sneered. “How does it feel to stand at your sons’ graves knowing another man was responsible?”

Ben’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” he repeated, his tone low and menacing.

“The name’s Wheeler,” he answered, still smiling evilly. “Tom Wheeler.”

“Wheeler,” Ben repeated thoughtfully.

“My father was Dan Wheeler,” the man continued. “You stole the timber contract from him up at Sawmill Creek.” His smile faded slightly as it was replaced with a look of pure hatred. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember.”

“Sawmill Creek?” Ben replied, frowning. “We got that contract nearly ten years ago.”

“And it should have gone to my father!” the man bellowed angrily, oblivious to the crowd witnessing his actions.

Ben tried to remember the details. “There was another bid,” he nodded. “But we won that contract fair and square.”

“But you didn’t need it,” Wheeler spat. “With all your holdings, you didn’t need it one bit. My father had put all his hopes and dreams into getting that contract. When he lost it, it was the end of everything he’d worked for.”

Ben raised his chin slightly. “As I recall, your father tried to buy that contract. He offered the railroad money to insure his bid was accepted, even though it was much higher than mine.”

“That’s a lie!” Wheeler shrieked, struggling against his bonds. “You’re the one who stole it from him! Thanks to you, I found my father hanging in the barn when I was 10 years old. Do you think that’s a sight for a boy to see, Cartwright? Do you think it was easy for me to stand by his grave, knowing you were the reason?” He paused a moment, glancing at the freshly dug graves. With a smirk, he added, “I guess you know now, don’t you?”

“And that’s why you did all this,” Ben surmised glumly. “Over a bidding war ten years ago.”

“I was too young to do anything about it then,” Wheeler grated. “But I swore I’d come after you first chance I got. You took everything from me and my family. I wanted you to know how it felt. An eye for an eye, Cartwright. How does it feel?”

“He wouldn’t know,” came a deep voice. As the crowd turned, Adam and Joe slowly made their way into view and came to stand beside their father and brother. “That’s right, Wheeler,” Adam continued. “You’re not quite as good with that gun as you think you are.”

“I shot you!” Wheeler yelled frantically. “I know I did!”

“You just grazed him,” Joe returned flatly. “And my brother found me on that ledge not long after you’d left me there to die.”

“No,” Wheeler shook his head in stubborn denial.

“That’s right,” Ben added, his tone and his expression indicating his anger. “You tried to take my family from me and you failed, just like your father failed you all those years ago.”

“You ruined him,” Wheeler whined, suddenly more like the child he was than the man he thought he’d become. “It was your fault.”

“No,” Ben shook his head. “Men lose timber contracts all the time. I’ve lost a few myself. Your father owed it to his family to keep going, to make a living without it. He took the coward’s way out, Tom. Just like you did when you tried to shoot one of my sons in the back and left the other to die on that ledge.”

In response, Wheeler hung his head, mumbling incoherently, the fight gone from him.

“I’ll take him back to town, Ben,” Roy stated. “I guess your plan worked.”

“It was Hoss’ plan,” Ben smiled slightly, looking over at his sons. “One I wasn’t too crazy with, I might add.”

“But it worked like a charm, Pa,” Hoss grinned proudly.

“Yes,” Ben replied, his smile widening slightly. “Yes, it did.” Turning to the people gathered there, he addressed them. “Thank you all for playing a part in this. I’m sorry you had to get all dressed up and ride all the way out here, but I can’t say I’m sorry it was under false pretenses.”

“When Roy told us what you were up to, I figured the least we could do was go along,” Doc Martin smiled.

“And I had my hands plumb full trying to convince all your friends that your boys were still alive and well,” Roy chuckled. “It’s amazing how fast word can spread in a town the size of Virginia City.”

“Stormy Tober was cleaning up in the sheriff’s office when Hoss and I were in there yesterday,” Adam smiled. “He knew about the shooting and Joe’s accident. I guess when he saw Hoss coming out of the undertakers with those two coffins, he assumed the worst.”

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Roy grinned. “For an old guy, that Stormy sure gets around town fast. He already had the word spread that these two was dead before I had a chance to explain what was really goin’ on. Spent most of the day goin’ around and undoin’ what he’d done.”

They all laughed at the image in their minds. “Tell you what,” Ben announced to everyone present. “No sense letting all these fancy duds go to waste. Everyone’s invited out to the house for a party!”

“Sounds like a fine idea,” Roy smiled, talking over the laugher and chatter of the dispersing crowd. “I’ll be out to the house just as soon as I get Wheeler here locked up where he can’t hurt nobody else. Now that will be cause for celebration.”

Ben looked over at where his three sons stood chatting and laughing with a few of the young ladies from town. With a smile of pride and gratitude, he corrected his long time friend. “Roy, just filling in those empty holes will be all the cause for celebration I need.”

The End.