Summary: Seventeen year old Hoss gets entrusted to collect the payroll from the bank and get home. Simple as that, or is it? Part of the Bonanza Trailriders Legacy.

Rating: G, Word Count: 11,298

Boys will be Boys

By

Michele Bennett

Chapter 1

“Aww, c’mon, Adam. Let me go. I kin do it,” Hoss implored between bites of his breakfast.

“I don’t know, Hoss. Pa left me in charge. And if anything happens, I’ll catch it.”

“I kin do it. It ain’t that hard. I only hafta ride to town, pick up the money for payroll from the bank, and ride right back. See? I know what’s gotta be done. I kin do it. Let me help ya. Yore all busy here with building the new stable and all…”

Adam considered his brother’s words. He knew Hoss meant well, and sincerely wanted to help. But he was only 16 years old, after all, and that payroll money was extremely important.

“I’ll think on it a little while more, brother. That payroll has to be made. Men count on us to get it to them. What if something happens? What if you’re robbed? Or worse? Or what if a storm comes up?”

“Any of that stuff could happen if’n you go, too! I kin do it, I know I kin. I wouldn’t’a asked to do it if’n I didn’t think I could handle it, Adam.”

Little Joe, who’d been listening intently to one brother, then the other, chimed in. ‘Hey, Adam! I’ll go with him! I’ll keep an eye on him!” It seemed like a good idea to him.

Both Adam and Hoss turned slowly to eye the small boy.

“Little Joe, might I remind you that you are only eleven. How could you possibly help Hoss if something were to happen? Hmm?”

“Well, if he fell off his horse, I could ride for help.” Little Joe rubbed his chin. “Hmm, and if robbers came after him, I could run away and get the money here safe!” he announced, triumphantly.

“You’d leave me to the robbers?!?”

“To get the money here safe, I might have to, Hoss,” he answered, with all sincerity in his voice.

“Well, thanks fer all yer help! But no thanks!”

“Why? Don’t you care about the payroll money?”

“Don’t you care about ME?”

Adam stepped in then, since the conversation seemed to be heading off track.

“Okay, you two. None of that is going to happen, because Hoss is not going, and you’re not going with him.”

“WHY!?” echoed both younger brothers.

“Because Pa left me in charge, and I don’t think it’s a very good idea for either one of you to go.”

Little Joe was the first to let his displeasure be heard, “I don’t never get to do anything to help.”

Adam decided the better part of discretion was to let that comment go without a response.

The three brothers sat and finished their meal in silence. Each was thinking about the exchange they had had.

Finally, just before everyone was ready to depart, Hoss tried again. “Adam. I mean it. I wanna help. No one knows we gotta git more money from the bank for payroll. Most of the time, the money’s here, in the safe. Nobody knows Pa hadda take most of it with him, and we gotta pull more out. I won’t even be noticed ifn’ I jest ride inta town and mosey inta the bank. C’mon, Adam. You know you ain’t got time to do it today. Let me help, ya, please?”

Adam contemplated all that Hoss had said. It was all true. Most of the time, the money for payroll WAS in the safe. Pa HAD taken a large chunk of it with him to pay for the new bull he was purchasing – as Señor Delgado did not trust American banks. Hoss might be all right riding back with money in his saddlebags and no one notice. But all it would take would be one stranger to notice the boy going into a bank and coming back out with a bank bag and guess it was a large chunk of money. They could follow him and rob him anywhere along the trail. It was too much risk.

On the other hand, it was also true that Adam was tied up with the new horses they had just driven down from the cliffs. They were pastured out near the creek, so as to calm them, but Adam intended to add onto their stable; and if he had to take his time to go to town, it would put his building plans behind schedule.

Little Joe’s argument was just plain silly and would not be entertained any further.

Adam turned to Little Joe first. “Little Joe, I will need you to start cutting wood while I lay out the stable. I’ve already cut and stacked quite a bit, but now I think it’s not enough, and I can’t handle both cutting and building alone.”

“Aww, Adam do I gotta do that?? Why can’t I ride to town for the money. NOBODY would steal it from a little kid!”

“That’s preposterous, and you know it. You’re not going to town, and I really am not going to argue with you about that.”

“Then Hoss can’t go, either!”

Hoss chimed in, “HEY! That’s not fair! He ain’t the boss. You ain’t the boss, Little Joe!”

“So what! If I can’t go, you can’t go, so there.” He was feeling triumphant in his declaration.

Then Adam spoke. “Actually, I think Hoss will have to go….”

“WHAT!!” Again simultaneously, both younger brothers declared.

“Yep. I need to get that stable built, so Hoss, I need you to go to town and get the payroll money and be quick about it. I’m nervous enough as it is, to send you and not go myself. And. I don’t know. I have a really bad feeling about a big storm blowing in.”

“Between now and this afternoon? Naw. I ain’t feeling like that, Adam. I think it will be all right.” Hoss said, even though secretly he agreed with his brother’s assessment that a storm could be brewing. But so intent was he to prove to his big brother that he could be a huge help while Pa was away, he shook off his own intuition.

“Now I gotta chop wood and cut it for a stable. Great! Fine ‘helper’ I get to be.”

Adam addressed his youngest brother, “Little Joe, if you’d rather stay inside and catch up on what I suspect is weeks’ worth of homework you’re behind in, I think that would be fine, too.”

“That ain’t no kind of choice, Adam! I wanna go with Hoss to town.”

“He’s not staying in town, there is no ‘fun’ to be had in his trip. He’s going straight to the bank, and then straight back here, right Hoss?”

Hoss nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I ain’t gonna have no fun, Little Joe. Jest pick up the money and high-tail it back.”

“That still sounds like more fun than chopping and nailing wood,” came the whispered response from the table’s smallest occupant.

Chapter 2

With Adam’s last instructions fresh in his mind, Hoss set out for town. As he rode, he kept eyeing the sky. Maybe he’d been hasty rebuffing Adam’s remonstrations about a storm. It was feeling like one was brewing….

‘No matter,” he thought. ‘I’ll git to town, git in, git out, and be more’n halfway home before it gits real bad. I wanna make sure Adam knows I kin be trusted to do what he, or Pa, asks me ta do.’

He rode somewhat quickly, though not too quickly as to tire his horse. He did have to ride back just as quickly, or maybe more, if the brewing storm came in before he returned home.

Once he arrived at the bank, Hoss thought a little more about this assignment. He hadn’t thought about what if the bank manager didn’t believe he should give Hoss such a large amount of money? ‘Maybe I should’a got a letter from Adam for the bank. What if they don’t give me the money?’ he mused to himself as he walked into the building.

By the time he entered the building, Hoss had himself worked up into a real fret. There were several people in line in front of him. He watched and waited anxiously for his turn. He smiled at a few people he recognized from town. Mostly, he tried to act nonchalant, in case there was a bank robber lurking nearby – so frightened was he that Little Joe’s proclamation would come true!

Finally, it was his turn at the window.

He smiled as he greeted the teller. “Howdy, Seth. You doing okay?”

“Fine, Hoss. How’s the family?”

“Good, we’re all good, thanks. Say, Seth, Adam sent me ta pick up a couple hundred dollars ta meet payroll. Can you help me out?”

Seth looked shocked. “Wow. That’s a lot of money, Hoss. Your Pa know about this?”

“Yeah, see, Pa’s out of town, and me’n Adam’s gotta make payroll day after tomorra, and we ain’t got the money to do it, so he sent me inta town to git it!” Hoss announced.

Seth frowned. This was unusual. “It isn’t usually done this way, Hoss. I don’t know about this.”

“Yeah, I know, Seth. But the thing is, Pa’s gone, and Adam was too busy to come himself, so I come. I mean, I guess I should’a brung a letter or something about this, but we was hurrying and all, since a storm’s brewing and I ain’t sure how much time I got, and…”

Seth put up a finger, and then turned and went into a small office behind the teller’s stands. After quite a few seconds, he emerged with the bank president, Mr. Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth addressed Hoss. “Well, young man, what can we do for you today?”

“Well, ya see, sir. I come to town to withdraw money from my Pa’s account so’s we kin pay our hands. Pa’s out of town, and Adam’s tied up and he sent me ta git it. I guess I should’a got him to write it all down, but we was in such a gol-darned hurry, I reckon I forgot about somethin’ like that!”

Mr. Hollingsworth smiled at the large boy. “No worries, son. As long as you sign for the money, so’s your Pa is aware of the withdrawal, I’m sure we can accommodate it.”

“Huh? How kin he be aware of it if’n he ain’t even here?”

Mr. Hollingsworth smiled patiently again. “When he comes in, I’ll show him the paper, and he’ll become aware of the withdrawal at that time. We wouldn’t want him to be taken unawares about it, would we?”

“Uh, no sir, we wouldn’t. But me’n ole Adam would fer shore tell him soon’s he gits home.”

“I’m sure you will, son. But this just protects me. And the bank, of course. And your father’s account.”

Hoss nodded, and thought to himself, ‘No wonder Adam wanted to take care of this himself. This stuff shore is complicated!’

Mr. Hollingsworth gestured for Hoss to follow him into his office, so Hoss stepped beside the gate and went into the small office. He looked around, since he’d never been in this office before. He thought to himself, ‘I’d shore hate to work here. There ain’t no winders, and no way ta see the outside…no, sir. This place wouldn’t be any fun ta work in…’

Then he heard the bank president calling to him, “How much did you say you needed to withdraw, son?”

“Huh? Oh, I think Adam said a couple of hundred, uh, two hundred, should be enough.”

“Very well, then. Here is the withdrawal paper. See? Here is the amount. And here is where you will sign for it, please.”

Hoss looked it over, as though he was very interested in every word! “Uh, huh. It looks fine, sir.”

The man pointed again, “Here is where you sign.”

Hoss took the quill-tipped pen and wrote his name, as clearly and neatly as he could. While he did that, the man went into the safe and came back with a stack of bills in his hand.

“Thank you, Hoss.” He handed Hoss the money.

“Thank you, Mr. Hollingsworth.” Hoss took it in his hands and started to walk out.

Mr. Hollingsworth stopped him. “Uh, Hoss. Wouldn’t you like to count it, to make certain the amount is correct?”

“Huh? I gotta do that?”

“Well, no. You don’t’ have to. It’s just that it’s quite a large sum of money, and I might have counted wrong.”

“But you count money all the time, don’t ya, Mr. Hollingsworth? How’s come you could mess up the count?”

“Things can happen, son. Take a moment and count it, please. I’ll feel better about things.”

Hoss shrugged, and counted out the money out loud, making little piles on the banker’s desk as he went. Mr. Hollingsworth wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone take such a time to count out their money before, but he was patient, and let the young fellow have his way.

Finally, the counting was completed. Hoss spoke directly to Mr. Hollingsworth. “Yes, sir. It’s all right, sir. Thank you fer showin’ me the right way to do that. I’ll be gittin’ now.”

Hoss picked up the piles, and tried to hold them all in one hand as he started for the door.

Mr. Hollingsworth spoke now. “That’s quite a lot of money. I think it would be best if you took it out of here out of sight.”

“Huh?”

“Uh, do you have a money belt, or a bag to put it in?”

“Oh! Uh, no, sir. I don’t. I guess I didn’t think that through, neither. Dad-burn it! I’m jest not very good at this banking stuff, sir.”

Don’t fret, Hoss. Here,” he handed Hoss a non-descript bag. “Put the money in this bag, then transfer it to your saddle bags when you get to your horse. Just bring the bag back to me whenever you come into town again.”

“Thanks, Mr. Hollingsworth. I shore do appreciate all yer help with all this. It’s a lot more complicated then jest takin’ the money out, ain’t it?”

The man smiled at the large boy again. “Yes, son, it is. Be safe now, you hear?”

Hoss nodded. And gulped. Now he was wondering if this was such a good idea or not. Well, no matter. It was done now, and he needed to finish the job and get the money home safely.

As Hoss rode down the street toward the road that would take him home, another figure rode out as well. He had seen the young man bring a bag out of the bank and surmised it held a fair sum of money, and he determined it would be easy pickin’s to follow the young man out of town, overtake him and rob him of his bounty.

* * * *

Hoss got only a few miles out of town when he first felt it. A rain drop! The weather wasn’t going to hold for long, so he picked up the pace a bit.

He gazed at the sky, not stopping as he did, as he now knew time was not on his side. He was rewarded for the effort by a few droplets in his eye!

“Dang nab it! Adam was right agin!” he mumbled to himself. He kicked his horse to hurry him along even faster now.

Then Hoss had another strange “sensation.” He had been laughed at and teased whenever he said his head itched when ever anyone was following him, but he believed it, and his head was itching now! He kept riding, but turned quickly backwards, almost as if to check on his saddlebags, and that’s when he caught of glimpse of him! Hoss knew then. He WAS being followed! His heart began to race a little. He tried to act normal, all the while trying to formulate a plan as to how to either lose the fellow or evade being overtaken.

As the two men rode, the rain began in earnest; coming down in sheets, wind whipping, followed by lightning and then thunder. Hoss talked softly to his horse. The last thing he needed right now was a fidgety horse. He had to slow his pace, as the quickly-falling rain had caused some of the trails to become muddy. Then the washes started running. Hoss knew it wasn’t a good idea to cross a running wash, as it could take a horse’s feet out from under him, and the rider might find himself being swept away in the rushing water; crashing into rocks and tree limbs along the way.

Hoss had been taught by his father and his older brother that if anyone was following you for evil purposes, the best thing you could do was become “invisible.” At first, Hoss had laughed at that proposal, as anyone could see it would be impossible for someone Hoss’ size to become invisible. But they had persisted and taught him what that meant: hide among the trees, over a ridge, in a cave, or below the sight line. Do whatever you needed to do in order to make yourself appear to have just disappeared to the one following you. With that instruction now coming to his mind, Hoss thought frantically.

‘Where can I go to get invisible in this downpour?’

Hoss had two things going against him: the rain and the washes running harder with each minute. He had to be careful where he led his horse, so as to stay out of the rushing water in the washes. He was zig-zagging, riding up and over, or jumping washes when he could, sometimes changing course to try to get the other fellow to make a fatal mistake without making one himself. He tried to think of something he could do that would give him an edge over his potential robber. Then he remembered! There was an old abandoned mine just past the next ridge, between the rocks. He and his brothers had come here and played when he was younger. Adam had discovered it and had brought Hoss here. He had, in turn, showed it to his little brother. Because of the structure of the entrance, it was almost completely hidden. When one was inside it, it was as if the mine didn’t exist at all. He hoped he could find it in this deluge.

He quickened his pace, hoping he wouldn’t cause his horse to stumble, as he searched for just the right cluster of rocks. He had to stop to consider where he was. He certainly did not want to lead the robber directly to where he would be hiding! He thought he saw the rock formation ahead. The entrance to the mine had been carved out so that when one looked at the front of the rock face, you could not see there was anything there! Adam had guessed that the miner who had once inhabited it had carved it out on purpose this way, so others could not find his mine and jump him for it. This design may have worked in one sense but had a downside too. Once inside, one did not have a very good view of anyone who may be walking up to the mine entrance. But Adam had explained that it was very unlikely anyone would guess this to even be a mine, much less to walk up to it unannounced.

Hoss decided that was his only option at this point, since the rain wasn’t stopping, and his shadow was still somewhere behind him, probably waiting till they rode into a clearing in which to overtake him. He waited until another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, then in the cover of the extreme darkness that followed, he quickly jumped off his horse. He was able to grab only the rifle in his scabbard, and then swatted his horse on when the inevitable thunderclap sounded. Like most animals the Cartwrights owned, this one was well-trained enough that he would now head for home on his own. Hoss hoped the robber would be quite a ways away from him before he realized the horse he was following had no rider!

He quickly scampered over to the entrance to the mine and ducked inside. He ran to the far wall, leaned against it, facing the entrance – rifle in hand – and waited to see if the robber had seen his moves. He stood like this for what seemed like hours, and in fact, it may have been, the rain never diminishing.

Chapter 3

Adam was quickly losing patience with his youngest brother.

“Little Joe, will you hurry up and trim those logs? I need that lumber!”

“I’m working as fast as I can! I’m just a little kid, remember?”

“I remember that you were the ‘little kid’ who thought he could take on the big job of going to the bank and bringing back the payroll for our wranglers.”

“I would’a liked that job better’n this one.”

“I’m sure you would. But part of being a team means being willing to do whatever job is assigned to you. I needed you here, NOT on the road to town, with lots of money in your saddlebags.”

“Hoss would’a been a bigger help to ya here.”

“No doubt, and when he gets here, he will help. And in the meantime, you could be a bigger help if you’d work a little harder.”

Joe sighed, looked off toward the road to town, and picked up the axe.

Adam tried to keep up a pace Little Joe could handle, but he really wanted to get this job done, and Little Joe wasn’t helping in that regard. Adam tried another tack.

“I need you to pick up the pace some, boy. It’s important to get this done so we don’t lose these ponies we just rounded up. If this storm gets here, they’ll spook and we’ll likely lose half of them or more. It’ll take a couple of days to round them back up again. Can you please put a little more effort into this? You’re all I’ve got till Hoss gets back, and I can’t finish this alone.”

“You and Hoss could’a got it done a lot faster. He’s way bigger than I am….”

“Look. I’m tired of you using your size to your advantage all the time. It’s not MY fault you were born last, or that Hoss is so much bigger than all of us…we have a job to do and we have to work with the resources we’ve got, so pick it up!”

“Okay, okay. I got it,” he replied, while still working at a snail’s pace – AND continuously gazing down toward the road.

After a small while, Joe asked, “Adam? You reckon Hoss is okay? He ain’t coming yet.”

“He hasn’t been gone long enough, yet. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Hand me that saw for a minute, will ya?”

Joe sighed. Adam was like a dog with a bone when he had something in his mind.

* * * *

Within a short amount of time, sunny skies began to make way to clouds. The wind picked up a bit, which both brothers welcomed. Then the clouds moved in to cloud the skies entirely. Adam heard a clap of thunder and they both stopped working and looked at the sky.

“Uh, oh!” Little Joe commented. “That ain’t looking too good, Adam.”

“I know. Let’s keep working for awhile. I got a feeling we’re about to get chased out, so let’s try to get this one section done first.”

“We ought to be getting inside, Adam.”

“We will, but let’s keep working until we can’t.”

“That don’t make no sense.”

“Keep working! If we can get this section done, the stable’s more than halfway finished. I’ll feel better about leaving it that way.”

“I won’t feel better if I git hit by lightning.”

Adam felt the same way. He also kept an eye on the sky.

Eventually, the threat of rain gave way to the real thing, and the downpour started.

Adam grabbed the tools that would rust in the rain, thrust them inside the barn. Then they made a mad dash for the house. Once they got inside, they shed their wet clothes and dried off near the fire. Both brothers began to wonder what had become of Hoss. Was he out in this storm? Well, of course he was! Otherwise he’d be home with them, warming by the fire, wouldn’t he? Neither would let himself ask the other that obvious question. They just both sat and stared into the fire and fretted with each subsequent thunderclap.

Minutes passed. Minutes became hours. They mostly sat, dried off now, but still fretting over Hoss’ late arrival. The silence between was only accentuated by the grandfather clock keeping time near the front door. Neither wanted to glance at it because it would remind them of how many hours they had waited with no sign of Hoss. That rhythmic silence was broken when Hop Sing announced supper was ready.

Supper without Hoss, who was definitely overdue now. Adam considered what options he had. He could go look for him. Silly idea, he reasoned, since he had no idea how far toward town or the ranch house Hoss might be. Compounding that thought was the knowledge that the storm raging outside would have covered up any tracks he might have left for them to follow. No, Adam reasoned again, there would be no possibility of finding Hoss until the rains stopped.

As they made their way to the table, Joe decided the “spell” had been broken, and he could ask the obvious questions he’d been contemplating.

“Adam? Do ya think Hoss is okay?”

In order to maintain a semblance of outward calm for the little boy, Adam smiled and answered, “I’m sure he is, little Buddy. Hoss knows how to take care of himself. He’s probably found a cave or another water-tight spot to sit this one out. It’s really coming down. He’d avoid washes and rushing water if he could, so he’ll stay safe, and that would slow his ride to get home.”

“But what if he couldn’t avoid the rushes? What if he drowns? What if he’s already in trouble? Shouldn’t we go look for him?”

“Look, there’s nothing we can do now. It’d be impossible to find any tracks to see where he might be in this weather. There’s really nothing we can do until the storm quits.”

Joe still looked worried. Even more so every time there was a bright lightning strike and thunderclap.

“I’m sure he’s okay, Little Joe. Hoss knows enough to stay safe.”

“But what if it’s robbers? What if somebody chased him and robbed him and…and…”

“Now hold on, there’s no reason to think there are robbers anywhere near him, or here. Don’t go inventing more trouble. It’ll only make your mind go crazy. Best to think he’s just holed up until the storm passes. I’m sure that’s it. That’s what I would do, and Hoss knows to do that, too.”

To himself, Adam was thinking, ‘I hope that’s it. Otherwise, if anything happens to him, it’ll be my fault for relenting and letting him go into town. What was I thinking? He’s just a kid. I shouldn’t have let him talk me into giving him this much responsibility. He’s too young. He wouldn’t know if he was being followed. He isn’t carrying a sidearm. He can’t really defend himself.’

The two brothers barely ate their supper, so worried were they both. Neither wanted to alarm the other with their wayward thoughts, but both were basically thinking the same thoughts about what might have happened to Hoss. Adam wanted to rush right out in the raging storm, against any possibility of actually being able to find Hoss and go look for him. Little Joe just wanted to cry.

They sat and listened to the weather. It didn’t seem to want to lighten up at all. Hour after hour it poured. And raged, and came down in sheets. They both became more and more restless as day turned to night. They were absolutely powerless to go look for their brother. Adam tried to read his latest book. Joe tried to read his latest dime novel. Neither could concentrate on the reading material in their hands, but neither did they want to voice their worst fears.

* * * *

When the clock struck eight o’clock, Adam stood up and announced, ‘I’m going to bed.”

Little Joe was incredulous. “What!? With Hoss out in this storm, you’re goin to sleep?!”

“I doubt I’ll sleep, but I need to try. At first light, I intend to go look for him, storm or no storm.”

This made Little Joe feel better. “Yeah! Me too!”

“Then let’s try and get some sleep…”

As they turned to go up the stairs, they heard a horse whiney. They both looked quickly at the front door, then at each other. Then they rushed to the door.

Joe yelled as they ran, “Hoss!”

They ran headlong out into the rain to the horse….the one Hoss had ridden into town.

“It’s Hoss’ horse! But where is he?”

“I don’t know, Joe.” Adam walked the horse into the barn and out of the relentless rain.

He looked the animal over carefully, looking for clues as to what might have happened to his rider.

“Is he hurt? Did he stumble? What happened to Hoss, Adam?”

“I told you, I don’t know. The horse looks fine. Doesn’t look like he’s hurt in any way. Hoss might have been thrown.”

“If he was, wouldn’t there be dirt or mud or something on the horse where he went down, too?”

Adam nodded, “Normally, yeah, I’d think so. But in this storm, it’s possible any clues like that have been washed away as the horse ran through the storm.”

“Maybe he got hit in the head with a tree branch? Do ya think that’s what happened?”

“There’s no way to know. If there had been blood on the saddle or the horse, it would have been washed away now, too.”

“What’ll we do now, Adam?”

“Stick with the original plan. We’ll get some rest, then head out at first light.”

Adam unsaddled the horse and set the saddle and blanket on the top rail of the stall. He quickly rubbed the horse down.

As Adam turned to leave the barn and head back into the house, Joe went back over the horse, inch by inch, looking for some kind of clue. He untied the saddle bags and noticed something.

Finally, he thought he might have something. “Hey, Adam! Look at this!”

Adam turned and walked back to the stall. “What did you find?”

“The rifle is missing from its scabbard. I think Hoss has it with him. He got off deliberately, I think.”

“He thought it through enough to take the rifle. Good thinking, Joe! I think maybe my first thought was right. Hoss found a place to shelter out of the weather.”

Adam then turned to leave the barn, and Joe followed.

Once inside the house, Joe set the saddlebags down on the table in front of the sofa. It was too heavy to be empty, so Joe looked into the bags. There he found the bag of money.

“Well, he didn’t get robbed. Look. Here’s the payroll money.”

Adam took the bag of money from Little Joe. He pulled the bills out and counted it.

“It’s all here.” He put the bag down on the table.

“What’s it mean, Adam? Where’s Hoss? How come his horse came home with the money, but no Hoss?”

“I still have to guess he got thrown, maybe in the rain, horse stumbled, and he was down…”

“Yeah, but he’s got his rifle. That sounds like he had time to dismount rather than be thrown.”

“Hmmm, yeah, you’re right.” He shook his head. “I don’t know for sure what happened. What I do know is, we’re going out looking for him tomorrow morning. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

“Yeah.”

Adam put the bag of money in the safe, and the brothers then climbed the stairs to their respective rooms.

Chapter 4

In a darkened mine, Hoss suddenly snapped up and leveled the rifle in his hand. He looked around, adjusted his eyes to the dark. A very loud thunder clap had awakened him from sleep. He had to think hard to remember where he was.

Then it all came back to him when lightning flashed outside the mine and threw some illumination into it. He had taken refuge in an abandoned mine, had been hiding from a possible robber, had his rifle and was keeping watch on the entrance to the mine.

Apparently, he had fallen asleep, and now needed to assess if he was safe. Or if he was even still alone in the mine. He stood very still until the next flash of lightning. He tried to quickly take in the whole area where he had been standing. It appeared he was alone. He waited for the next flash of lightning. And the next. He did this several more times. Each time he looked, he turned in a little different direction, trying to determine that he was truly still all alone in the mine.

Once he was almost certain he was alone, he pushed off away from the wall and moved around the mine a little. He had no candle or lantern to illuminate the mine shaft permanently, but thought it was probably better not to do so, as he wasn’t sure how long he had slept, or where the would-be robber might be. He was hoping his horse hadn’t been stopped and the saddlebags searched. He also knew that if his horse showed up without him at home, his brothers would know there was a problem, and they would come looking for him. As soon as the rain stopped, that is. Since it was still raining pretty hard outside, Hoss figured he might as well make himself comfortable in his make-shift refuge and try to sleep some more. He really wanted to eat something, but he’d not thought he would be gone this long, so he had not brought anything with him. Besides, he didn’t exactly have time to take anything he might have packed with him when he dismounted!

He stretched his legs, his arms, twisted his back to work out the kinks, and then slid to the floor, knees up near his chest, rifle across his knees. He leaned his head back against the hard rock wall behind him. He thought he should probably stay awake. After all, he knew he did snore pretty fiercely, and he didn’t want the would-be robber to hear and be led directly to his hiding place. He obviously hadn’t thought about the amount of noise a very loud thunderstorm was making outside! He fought hard to stay awake, but even with his stomach growling fiercely, he was very stressed out from his ordeal.

Eventually, exhaustion won out over hunger, and he was fast asleep.

Unbeknownst to him, the would-be robber had actually given up the search after Hoss dismounted and disappeared into the mine! The man had no idea where the rider had gone, but the weather was miserable enough to make the reward of an easy robbery not so easy anymore. He had tried to listen for the sound of the young man’s horse’s hooves. All he could hear was the thunder He tried to track the horse, but the rain was making that an impossible task. He also knew the perils of running water and unlevel ground. He surmised the young man might have been thrown into a wash and been swept away, and he didn’t want to meet the same fate. So the chase had to be abandoned, and the man headed back to town. As much as Hoss was irritated by the weather, it had actually saved him from a robbery, and possibly worse.

* * * *

The oldest and youngest brother were having more trouble sleeping than was their largest brother. He was cold and uncomfortable, but sleep did not elude him. He fell into a deep sleep but tried to keep himself from snoring – not sure if his would-be robber was still around and stalking him.

They, on the other hand, lay each in their own beds staring at the ceiling, praying and hoping Hoss was okay. With each lightning strike and thunder clap, they became a little more concerned for his safety. Each envisioned him being thrown into a wash and fighting to keep from being thrown against rocks and tree limbs that might be carried away in the wash as well.

After just a few hours, Adam came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. He got up, pulled on his pants and tip-toed down the stairs to make himself a cup of coffee. He stoked the fire, then sat at the dining table, with only the glow of the fire illuminating the room and sipped his coffee. He tried to formulate a plan for how to search for his brother. He knew they were probably going to have to ride almost all the way to town and then back-track. He hated the idea of losing so much time from building the stable, but decided, too, that it was his own fault for allowing Hoss to take on this fool’s task. Why didn’t he go himself? Why did he allow Hoss to go while he knew – no, not knew, but SUSPECTED – the weather was just about to break.

He spent the entire night either fretting about how they were going to be able to find Hoss or chiding himself for allowing Hoss to go in the first place. He knew he had to find him. He knew he could never live with himself if anything had befallen his beloved brother. He tried not to think these thoughts, but they kept coming. Like the waves that swept across the lake during a storm of this magnitude.

The only respite he could find in all of his self-recriminations was the fact that he had not allowed Little Joe to go with Hoss! He would make this right. He would find Hoss and everything would be okay. He would see to it.

If anyone could have read his thoughts, they would have recognized just how similar they were to the kinds of thoughts his father would be having at a moment like this.

Chapter 5

Before the sun rose, before the first rooster crowed, all was silent in the Ponderosa ranch house. All, that is, except one lone little boy, who dressed quietly and slipped out his bedroom door. He tip-toed, so as not to awaken his oldest brother. He made his way down the hallway, making sure to step over the few squeaky floor boards that he knew of. He took one last peek behind him just as he rounded the landing and stepped down onto the first stair on his way down the steps.

Then he spotted his brother – the one he had been making great pains to avoid – sitting at the dining table drinking a cup of coffee. At that sight, all pretense of staying quiet left him and he plodded loudly down the remaining steps.

Adam looked up at him and smiled. “Good morning! Shall I guess what you’re doing up so early?”

“Well, I was going to head out to search for Hoss, but you’re up already.”

“Yes. I thought we were both going. Were you planning to head out without me?”

“Maybe.” Joe scratched his head, his hair all askew from his slumber.

“That’s a dumb idea, Joe.”

“Why?! You think I can’t find him?”

“No more than I can. Think about it. It’s rained all night, barely dried out now. There will be no tracks to find. He’s likely in some cave or cracks in the hillside somewhere. We don’t know when he left town, or how far he might have gotten before the rain started. I’m not sure I know where to start looking. Did you have any thoughts?”

“No. I just thought we ought’ta start looking, is all.”

“And we will. But first we ought to have breakfast, and make a plan. It could be a long while before we get to stop, or if we stop. We’ll search until we find him, Little Joe.”

“Well, did you have a plan in mind?”

Just then Hop Sing walked into the room.

“Boys up early. What wrong? Where Hoss?”

“Hoss holed up during the storm, we think. We’re heading out right after we eat.” Adam explained.

Hop Sing answered, “Hoss big boy. Find way home okay.”

“He doesn’t have his horse, Hop Sing. It came in without him during the storm last night.”

Hop Sing’s eyes got very big. “Oh! Not good. Boys go find him. Bring big boy home, chop, chop!”

Joe chimed in now. “We will! As soon as you feed us!”

“Hop Sing fix big breakfast now. You take food. Hoss be very hungry when you find. He need eat.”

And with that, he turned quickly and padded out to the kitchen to fix breakfast for the oldest and youngest Cartwright brothers, and to pack enough food to take to Hoss when he was found.

Adam turned to Little Joe. “I’m going to get dressed while he’s cooking. Maybe if you saddled three horses now, we could leave as soon as eat and save some time.”

“Good idea!” And Little Joe jumped up from his seat and ran out the door.

* * * *

Once again, Hoss snorted awake quickly. He looked around his make-shift camp. Although it was light outside, it was very dark in the mine shaft. He gave his eyes time to adjust, then looked around. When he was certain he was still alone, he made his way to the entrance to the shaft. He peered out without actually going out. He still wasn’t certain the robber wasn’t following him. He held his rifle at the ready. His stomach was growling fiercely, so unaccustomed was it to being empty for this length of time!

He winced. He was dirty, tired, hungry, a little frightened to leave his hiding spot, and anxious to get home, even though he had no horse. He peered out a little bit further. Then he allowed himself to walk out into the sunlight. He looked up at the sky. ‘At least we’ll have no rain today,’ he thought.

He was anxious to head for home, yet apprehensive about running into the robber on foot. He took just a few steps at a time. He climbed to the top of the cave face he had used as his shelter. He stayed close to the ground and looked around him. He could see almost 360 degrees, so he had a good vantage point from which to assess any danger. Everything that twitched or moved caught his eye. He didn’t see anything that posed a danger, but after actually being followed by someone who probably wanted to do him harm, and rob him of his money, he was taking no chances.

He lay on top of the rock formation for a good long while, looking around and trying to see if he could see anyone on horseback. He could see where he’d come from through the trees, so he especially watched in that direction, supposing that if the robber had holed up as he had, then he would also would be emerging into the sunlight about now.

He tried to remember everything his big brother had taught him about moving through the trees silently, invisibly. When he felt he was ready, he slid down from his position of height and started toward home, avoiding walking directly on the road. Every few minutes, he’d turn around and check behind him, then move awkwardly against a tree for protection from a shooter.

In the back of his mind, however, he sensed that the man wasn’t following him anymore, because his head no longer itched! Not scientific, he knew, and his brother Adam had commented that his method made absolutely no sense, but Hoss swore it was true, and he trusted his instinct in the matter.

* * * *

Finally, the two brothers mounted up and headed out from the ranch house. Hop Sing had provided them with about ten pounds of food, which they stashed in the spare horse’s saddle bags. They tried to protest that he’d only been gone one day, but Hop Sing insisted that with as many meals as Hoss had missed, he’d need it all! It was true that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, but no one really could get that hungry in just one day, could they?

* * * *

They rode toward town, silently at first.

Little Joe spoke first. “Adam? What if we can’t find him?”

“We’ll find him.”

“But if we don’t?”

“Why would you ask that? Of course we’ll find him.”

“Pa’ll be pretty mad if we don’t find him.”

Adam stopped riding. He sat back and looked at Little Joe for a long time.

“Little Joe, we’ll find him. I told you, he holed up to get out of the rain. He sent his horse on home so the money was safe. He’s safe. He’s fine, and we’ll find him. Now don’t be thinking the way you’re thinking. We’ll find him today and bring him home.”

Adam started riding again, then added, “After we feed him, of course.”

That made Little Joe laugh and lightened his mood.

About two hours later, they rode into town. They made their way straight to the bank. Adam wanted to determine exactly what time Hoss left town.

He came out and told Little Joe what Mr. Hollingsworth had told him. They now had a time frame to work from. Adam surmised that was just about the time the storm rolled through, so Hoss probably hadn’t gotten very far before he was forced to seek shelter.

They rode for about a half hour and then Adam announced, “It think this is probably when it started raining too heavily to go much farther. We’ll make the same assumptions I think Hoss would have made. Let’s pretend it’s starting to rain very heavily. What do we do?”

Little Joe didn’t know what to make of Adam’s “pretend” game, but he trusted his brother.

“I don’t know. I’d just try to ride home.”

“Think, Little Joe! Look at these washes. You know how fast they can run if it rains for any length of time. They were probably running pretty good after a little while yesterday. They’re still filled with rain. You’ve got to avoid washes when they’re running, or they’ll wash you away….”

“But what if Hoss couldn’t avoid them. What if he was washed away?”

“I thought we said that couldn’t be, because then he wouldn’t have had time to grab his rifle.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot. That’s better than what I was thinking.”

Adam smiled over at him. “Don’t’ worry, I thought it, too, at first. But I believe he knew enough to avoid the washes, and then he found a place to hide. I’m still not sure why he felt he needed to grab his rifle, though. Maybe just to keep it from getting wet.”

“Maybe….”

Neither one wanted to voice their secret thoughts: Hoss felt in danger and thought he needed his rifle, even though he could no longer ride his horse. What did that mean? They weren’t sure. But they knew they wanted to find him as soon as they could. They rode on.

They looked on either side of each wash they crossed, thinking to themselves that Hoss probably wouldn’t have taken the path they were taking. He would have avoided the washes, crossing the road to get above or below where the water was rushing the hardest. Nothing they did gave them any clue where Hoss had been, or where he had gone, though.

Chapter 6

Hoss walked toward home, zig-zagging on and then off the main road to avoid being seen, just in case the would-be robber was still out there somewhere. He got off the main road at a place where he knew there was a small stream. He sat down beside it and knelt to drink. It felt good to put something in his stomach after so many hours, but he reminded himself not to drink too much and become sick. He still wasn’t out of complete danger yet. He was a man on foot with only a rifle. And another man had followed him to rob him yesterday. That man may or may not still be stalking him, and he needed to keep his wits. He looked around again. He didn’t sense that anyone was around, but he didn’t want to let down his guard.

He stood up, dusted off his pants, and headed in the direction of home once again. He was feeling faint after more than 24 hours with no food. He needed to keep moving, keep getting closer to home. But he also knew he was at least a couple of hours from home on foot. And he was very hungry.

Suddenly, as if awakening from a dream, he remembered! He had his rifle! He could just bag a squirrel or rabbit and have food. But what if the robber was still around? He’d hear the shot and come toward it. And even if the robber wasn’t around, it would take time to buid a fire and cook his prey. Might even be impossible, as wet as everything still was. So as good an idea as that sounded at first, Hoss abandoned it almost as soon as he thought of it. He would just keep walking toward home, listening to his stomach growl for food with every step.

* * * *

Adam and Little Joe rode. They continued riding. They scoured the countryside, looking behind trees, and into ravines with each step. Neither wanted to verbalize what they were both thinking: What if Hoss had been washed off the trail by a rush of water? How could they find him? Would he still be alive? Neither knew the other was thinking the same thoughts, and neither wanted to be the one to say it.

So they rode. And they looked. They looked behind every bush. They stayed to the trail, except where it crossed a wash. They tried to imagine what Hoss would have been doing in the torrential rain they had had yesterday. They avoided the washes, moving their horses as though the water was still rushing through them. In this way, they hoped to get a clue as to what had happened to Hoss. They hoped to figure out where he had spent the night, and where he was now.

With the sun high overhead, Adam announced they were stopping to eat. Little Joe didn’t like the idea.

“C’mon, Adam. We can keep going. Hoss hasn’t eaten either, so if he can keep going, so can we.”

“We don’t know that he’s still going anywhere. We need nourishment to keep our thoughts straight. We need to take a few minutes and sit and refresh and think things through. We’re stopping over here near this boulder.” He gestured toward a large rock with a few small rocks that had fallen around it.

They dismounted and sat on the smaller rocks, their backs resting against the larger one. Adam unpacked the food they had brought, but not the food designated for Hoss. They would not give up on the idea that they would find him and he would be very, very hungry. They ate in silence. Once or twice Little Joe thought he wanted to ask Adam again if he thought they would really find Hoss safe, but he knew what Adam thought and didn’t want to upset him. He was plenty upset himself!

Neither brother ate much but they made a pretense of eating. They were both so lost in thought, neither noticed the other hadn’t eaten very much at all. Finally, they looked at each other and nodded, and packed away the rest of the food and mounted up again.

Adam decided they needed to try a different plan of attack and said so.

“Look, we’ve been going in this direction for quite a ways. I’m not sure Hoss got this far, if he came this way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve basically been going in a straight line toward the ranch, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the way to get home.”

“Well, what if Hoss didn’t go that way.”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t he?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he really did pick up a ‘follower,’ someone who was bent on robbing him. He might have ridden in such a way to elude him.”

“Then how will we ever figure out which way he went? Or where he is now? Or maybe while we’re out here traipsing around, he’s home already?”

“All good questions. Let’s think on each one.”

So as they rode, the brothers discussed the possible scenarios for each potentiality Adam had listed. If Hoss had picked up a follower, what would he have done? Try to evade him. What if the follower wasn’t seen until much later than they started tracking. What if the rain started much later than they started tracking? There were too many variables, and Little Joe was getting weary just thinking about how difficult a task it was going to be to find their brother. So Adam chose a likely scenario and went with it.

“Let’s just say Hoss got quite a ways out of town before the rain came. That means he was on the road a longer time than we were. Let’s get back to the road and look closer to home.”

Little Joe just shrugged.

They steered their horses back onto the main road and trotted toward home. After quite a long ride, Adam stopped and said, “Okay, let’s say this is where Hoss was when it started raining. Now let’s assume he started looking for a shelter here somewhere. So he dismounted around here somewhere. Look for anything that could be used as a shelter from the rain.”

They slowly walked their horses, still being careful to stay out of the washes, as Hoss would have done that, too.

Suddenly Little Joe yelled, “ADAM! Look! There’s Hoss’ hat!”

He jumped down and ran to pick it up. He showed it to Adam.

“We’re close, Adam! We’re close!”

“We’re close to where he was, Joe. Don’t go getting ahead of yourself.”

“Okay. So now which way?”

“Let’s make a circle around where the hat was and see if we can see anything.”

Joe nodded and started circling. Adam stayed mounted and did the same thing, making slightly larger circles than Joe was.

Adam thought he found some tracks in the mud, so he dismounted. Sure enough! There was a boot print of a very large boot.

“Joe! HEY, JOE! OVER HERE!”

Joe came running. “What is it?”

Adam pointed to the ground. “Footprints. I think it’s Hoss’.”

Joe smiled up at him. “Do ya think we’re close to finding him?”

Adam nodded as he scanned the countryside.

He remounted his horse. “Let’s see if we can follow his tracks.”

Joe jumped onto his pony as well, and they rode off. Now they had a direction in which to go.

Adam spoke as they rode. “These tracks have to be from this morning, because anything from last night would have been washed away in the storm. I think if we follow these tracks, we’ll find him.”

After following the tracks for quite a ways, Joe commented, “It looks like he’s headed toward home, Adam.”

“I agree. But I sure would like to find him. He’s tired and hungry, I bet. He’ll be happy to see us.”

They continued riding and following the tracks in the mud. They led onto the road, then off again. That didn’t make any sense, but they followed as best they could. They knew the general direction he was going, so whenever the tracks led off into the grass, they just stayed to the road and waited until they came onto the road again. Always the tracks led closer and closer to the ranch house.

When it became obvious they were headed toward home, Joe asked, “Adam, if he’s headed home, why don’t we just ride home and wait for him?”

“He’s pretty hungry by now. And thirsty, I bet. I think we need to find him. He might not make it all the way home.”

“What do you mean?” Little Joe was very concerned over that statement.

“I meant he might pass out from hunger.”

“Oh.”

They rode a while longer, and then Joe started giggling.

“What’s so funny, little buddy?”

“I was thinking about Hoss, fainting from hunger. We’ve always laughed about him threatening to do that. Wouldn’t it be something if he really DID it!?”

Then both brothers laughed.

* * * *

Meanwhile, Hoss was getting weaker by the step. He tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but his eyesight was getting blurry, and his feet felt like they weighed a half-ton each. He just wasn’t sure he could go any further. He stopped and looked up. He knew it was past noon. It had been over 30 hours since he’d eaten. And all he’d had to drink was a little water from a stream. He didn’t drink a lot so as not to cramp his stomach. Now he was shaky, and knew he needed to find something to drink or munch on soon.

He surveyed his surroundings. He knew where he was. He knew there was a little stream not too far off to the east, so he veered off the road once again, and headed for the stream. He knew he needed to sit in the shade and have a drink. But he also knew he had to get home. No one knew exactly where he was, and he knew that each time he got off the road to evade a possible robber, he was also making it harder for his brothers to find him. It didn’t matter any longer. He had to have some sustenance, even if it was just some water from a small stream.

He stumbled to the stream, practically fell into it, and began to drink. He tried to stop himself, but he was very thirsty. He drank until he threw up. Then he went back and drank some more. At last he was sated and lay back on the grass. He just had to rest. He felt like if he rested a little while, he’d be able to catch a squirrel or rabbit and cook and eat it. That would build his strength back up so he could continue walking the rest of the way home. Those were the last thoughts he had…

* * * *

Little Joe and Adam continued following the tracks. Each time they veered off the road, they tried to follow them. If that didn’t work, they’d move up the trail and pick them up again. Over and over, they followed the same pattern. They had no idea why Hoss kept getting off the trail. He knew the way home from here. All he had to do was stay on this road, and then turn west another couple of miles north.

At one point, when he’d veered off the road again, they had trouble finding his tracks back on the road again. They made larger and larger circles around the area where he’d gone off the road but couldn’t find his tracks back onto the road. They rode back to where his tracks were last seen on the road.

Adam got down and examined the tracks. He stood up and told Little Joe what he suspected.

“It looks like he’s getting tired.”

“He’s still a long way from home, and he knows it. Do ya think he stopped to rest?”

“Looks like it.”

Adam gazed off in the direction that the tracks went off the road.

“What’s over this way?”

Joe looked that way, too. “I don’t know. Why don’t we ride that way and find out?”

Adam mounted up and they did just that.

They rode, slowly, looking for more tracks in the ground until Little Joe yelled to Adam.

“ADAM! THERE HE IS!”

He took off in a dead run. He saw his brother lying on the ground. He raced to him and jumped off his pony even before the animal had stopped.

“Hoss! Hoss! Wake up, Hoss! Are you all right?”

He looked up at Adam, who was approaching at a high speed also.

“Is he all right, Adam? He ain’t dead, is he?”

Adam jumped down and felt for a pulse.

“No, he’s alive. He’s probably just exhausted. And hungry. Get a canteen, will ya?”

“Yeah,” and Joe ran to get his canteen. He handed it to Adam, who held Hoss’ head and called his name.

“Hoss, c’mon. Have a drink. Hoss, it’s us. You’re all right now.”

Hoss was still in a fog, weak and tired. But mostly he was hungry but heard the voice; the familiar voice. He forced his eyes open and saw Adam smile at him. He looked over Adam’s right shoulder and saw his littlest brother.

“Hey fellers. What are you doin’ here?” He smiled a half-smile.

“Hoss! You’re okay!” Joe jumped past Adam and hugged Hoss’ neck.

* * * *

The ride home was slow and laborious. Hoss was anxious to get home, but still weak, even though he’d eaten some of what Hop Sing had sent. Adam wouldn’t allow him to eat all he wanted, as he wanted to get home, and not have to stop for Hoss to vomit every few yards! So Hoss was rationed the food. A few mouthfuls every few hundred yards. He hated to wait, as he was very hungry.

“Adam, why cain’t ya jest let me eat? If’n I need to upchuck, I’ll be sure yer outta the way….”

“Hoss, you’re fine. It’s better this way. Besides, you’ll thank me later when you’re not too sick to eat a full meal that Hop Sing will cook especially for you, I’m sure.”

“Well, ya, I guess I wouldn’t wanna spoil Hop Sing’s fun, would I?”

Little Joe could only laugh.

Chapter 7

Since the stable project had been put on hold to search for Hoss, all three brothers got on it early the next morning after giving Hoss the rest of their search day to rest. While they were waiting for him to regain his strength, Hoss had told them about his ordeal, the robber who never got any money, and the old abandoned mine he had used as a shelter. They marveled at his ingenuity and resourcefulness in the face of such a frightening situation. However, it was agreed they should probably not let their father know of his ordeal. It was unanimously agreed they would keep him from knowing about the entire incident.

In order to accomplish their pledge, they need to complete the stable as quickly as possible, as they’d lost a couple of days due to rain and searching for Hoss. The next two days they worked feverishly to complete work on the stable, as their father was due home soon. Adam had designed an easy build for it. It was really only enlarging on the stable they already had and they had only to complete three sides. After they had all cut some more trees and prepped them, Adam worked on finishing the sides of the stable, and then Hoss and Joe came behind and nailed the rails into place. There was only one side of fencing left to complete. Contrary to the normal way of the Cartwright brothers, all three worked in partnership, with no bickering or disagreements. This made the work load lighter and helped them complete the project sooner. They wanted it done before their father arrived, so they did not have to explain any lapses in time.

That was not to be, however. As they were still working on the final side, lining up the poles for the gate, Ben Cartwright rode up. Hoss saw him first, as he looked up just as his father rode out of the trees and into view.

“Hey, fellers! Pa’s home! Howdy, Pa!” he announced, just a little bit too nonchalantly.

Ben smiled and waved. Then when he got closer, he greeted them all.

“Hoss, Adam, Little Joe. Mighty fine job, boys. Looks like it’s almost done.”

Adam spoke for the group. “Uh, yeah, just about done.”

“I didn’t think you said it would take so long.”

“Uh, yeah, Pa. I didn’t think it would, but we had a pretty bad storm that held everything up a few days.”

“Oh?”

Little Joe wanted to help, “Oh, yeah! BIG storm! Thunder, lightning, everything! A whole day and a whole night!”

“Yeah, sounds like quite a storm all right.”

He looked from one to the other. They all had their “innocent” faces on. Something had gone on. He knew it. He just didn’t know how to arrive at just what it was.

“So, no other problems? Just a big storm?”

Adam: “Well, it was quite a storm.”

Hoss: “Yeah, really big storm.”

Joe: “BIG! We couldn’t work in it, Pa! Lightning, thunder, roads washed out, everything!”

Ben: “Yeah, so you said. Roads washed out? Was that a problem here? How did you find that out?”

Adam: “Uh, no, what he meant was – well, they could have been washed out. It was very bad everywhere.”

Hoss: “There tweren’t no way to work in that.”

Little Joe: “No, and he could’a been struck with lightning, Pa!”

Pa: “He? He who?”

Adam: “Uh, no, he means we just couldn’t work outside during the storm. He – us, Hoss, me, any of us – could have been…”

Pa: “I see. No, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to work out in that.”

He studied them some more. Something was up, it was obvious. No one was talking but looks were being exchanged between them.

“Everything else went smoothly, then? Just the storm? Making payroll wasn’t a problem?”

He thought he saw something. Little Joe quickly looked over at Hoss, Hoss looked at Adam. Adam spoke up.

“No. No. No problem. The men got paid. No problem with payroll. We did have to go to the bank for the cash, but you knew that. No. Everything here is right as it can be. Yup.”

Hoss: “Yup.”

Joe: “Yup.”

All three nodded. No one said another thing.

Ben: “Nothing else I should know, then?”

Adam shook his head vigorously, “Nope, can’t think of a thing.”

Hoss: “Nope.”

Joe: “Nope.”

Ben: “No. Hmmm.”

He knew something was up but wasn’t sure he’d ever find out what it was. But did it really matter? The stable was almost c ompleted, no one was hurt or dead, things seemed to still be intact. The ranch was still standing.

In the end, they all still did what they needed to do. And whatever had happened, had seemed to have brought them closer together, so for that fact alone, it had had a positive effect.

Ben decided. ‘Just let it go, Ben. Let it go.’

Sometimes, boys will be boys. And what a parent didn’t know about that was probably a good thing.

The end.

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