Summary: A young woman seeks the help of Ben and Adam to locate her lost sister.

Rated: K (20,100 words)

The final page contains comments/reviews from the Old BonanzaBrand Library.

 

Ashes to Ashes

‘He said, “She is fair of face
May God grant her mercy and grace.”
From The lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

……………….

Ben Cartwright stood up as the woman entered the room. She was tall, thin and had the darkest blue eyes Ben had ever seen. There was an energy about her that made him wonder if the air about her crackled as she passed by. She came and stood in front of him, gave him a stern looking over before extending her hand which he took in his own and shook gently. It took barely seconds but he felt as though his hand was burning when he withdrew it from her grasp.

“Please be seated, Mr Cartwright.”

He inclined his head in acknowledgement and sat down, and for a few seconds they sat face to face, looking at one another. A stern handsome man and an intensely earnest woman. She was the first to speak, “Mr Cartwright, do you know why I am here and have asked to see you?”

“No, Madam. I was only told that there was someone here who wished to talk to me about an incident that took place ten years ago.”

“They didn’t tell you what that incident was?”

“No.”

She frowned, just slightly, as though it was an irritation not in her power to remove, rather like a fly buzzing in a room when one only wanted complete silence.She looked at him again with her amazingly blue eyes that seemed suddenly alive with a passion that he had seldom seen before, it quite illuminated her features with beauty. She drew in her breath and half closed her eyes as though to quell her emotions in order to provide him with the necessary facts concerning her request to speak to him.

“My name is Iona Sanderson. I need you to help me with regard to a wagon train that was attacked by comancheros in Arizona ten years ago. The leader of the comancheros was called Luke Right Hand. Do you know him?”

“I’ve heard of him.”

“Do you – Mr Cartwright – do you know anything about that band of comancheros? About that attack in particular?”

“Luke Right Hand was half Commanche Indian and half Dutch. I know that he gathered a group of desperados, Comancheros as they were called, to create as much trouble as he could in Arizona. I did come across a wagon train ten years ago that had been destroyed by him only the previous day.”

“It was in October, 1851 – is that not right?”

Ben nodded and his face became stern as he remembered that incident. Ten years ago he had been travelling with Adam when they came upon the remains of a wagon train. He could recall now that his main concern had been what impression it would have made on the youths mind, what memories it would have stirred. He now looked at her with a slight frown on his face, “We found only a handful of survivors. Thankfully a detail of troops were nearby and came to our aid. They were all, so far as I know, able to recover from their ordeal.”

“Was – was there a girl there? She would have been three years old with very blonde hair and blue eyes, like mine. She was called Katerina.” Iona licked her lips, and her eyes brightened with the tears that brimmed at her lids, “She was my little sister. We were expecting her to join us at the Fort but…but we never got there because of the raids by the Comancheros. They would not let us travel for so long and by the time we finally arrived there no one seemed to know her, or where she had gone. Do you know? Can you tell me anything about her at all?”

Ben narrowed his eyes and looked away from her. He scanned the view through the window and once again forced his mind to travel back in time. There were the wagons, burning and smouldering as black smoke billowed from the ashes. Tragically there had been the dead and dying along with the injured, the confused and terrified. He remembered now that there had been several children. Not even the fastest gun could have been guaranteed survival amid that carnage. He looked back at her, “Didn’t anyone at the Fort give you the names of any of the survivors that were taken to the there at the time?

“Most of the names.” she said quietly, “And I have met them, spoken with them. They remember my little sister well, and my parents. They told me my parents had died. But they could not recall what had happened to Katerina.”

“There was a little girl of that description. It was my own son, Adam, who had found her. He carried her in his arms to me and -,” he paused, “Your parents died in that attack, as you were told but what made you think your sister had survived?”

She said nothing for a second or two, then turned those dazzling eyes to him again,
“The people I spoke to told me how they had done all they could to protect her and how they died. They also remembered you and your son coming to help them. It has taken me ten years to meet all the people from that incident. You were my last hope, because … “ she shook her head and the tears spilled over.

Ben waited some moments until she had regained some self control, and while she dabbed at her eyes he referred to her comment that she had yet to see everyone who had survived.

“That’s right. There was a family I have not been able to locate. And a young couple who died a few years later in Carson City.”

He reached out and took her hand, “I don’t know if this is good news or bad news. Whatever you decide must be your own decision. When Adam brought your sister to me, a woman came and claimed her as her daughter. There was no reason for me to disbelieve her.”

Iona shook her head in denial, “She was lying.”

“No one refuted her claim. At the time, they gave us no reason to doubt her.”

Silence now and she said nothing, she couldn’t find the words to express her feelings but buried her face in her hands in mute despair. Then after a moments silence she stood up, and held out her hand again,“It’s been ten years since I saw my little sister. I always knew she was alive. Something in my heart kept me looking for her, hoping to find her, but now I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” Ben said quietly, “But at the time the comancheros were causing so much trouble there and everything was confusion.”

“I know the name of the family and shall continue to look for them. They were the only ones I could never find …perhaps now I know why.” she straightened her back and looked at him, “Thank you for coming to see me, I do appreciate what you’ve told me. It’s another piece of the puzzle, although a very small one. Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.”

They shook hands again, very formal, very polite and he watched her as she left the room, a proud tall young woman with her straight back and flaxen hair that fell like a golden curtain to her waist. He sighed and looked back to the view from the window, but just momentarily, all he could see were burning wagons, a pall of black smoke and a blue sky.

**************

Once the door was closed firmly behind her, Iona leaned against it and her body went limp. The proud tilt of her head, the straight back, crumpled. Even as she fell forwards a strong hand gripped her wrist while an arm encircled her waist and she found herself firmly supported. She could smell the male smell of him, that masculinity that gave her strength and empowered her to stand tall and proud once again.

“Thank you, I’m alright now,” she said softly, pushing away the hand that held her gently but firmly in its grip.

“Are you sure? For a moment there I thought you were going to faint.”

A deep strong voice. Should she have expected anything other than that? It belonged to a man who could convey such strength in a person merely by his smell and touch. She turned and looked at him, “Who are you?”

“Adam Cartwright.” Adam smiled, but his eyes indicated a wariness, a curiousity, “Are you sure you are alright?”

“Yes. I’m not prone to such foolishness. It must have been -,” she shrugged and her blue eyes dismissed the weaknesses of other women. Now she looked at him thoughtfully, a slight frown creased the smooth skin of her brow, “Are you the son of the gentleman I have just spoken to, Mr Ben Cartwright?”

“Oh, so you are the secret assignation my father had today. I wondered why he was so insistent on spending an afternoon in town by himself.”

“Which begs the question as to why you’re here, Mr Cartwright?”

The piercing blue eyes were fixed on his face now. Adam thought that he had never seen such blue eyes in all his life before, more blue than the sea or the sky or cornflowers. They were hypnotic in their beauty and it took a moment for her question to penetrate his thoughts before he could provide an answer.

“I also had to spend an afternoon in town to meet someone. No one half as interesting as my father’s appointee that’s for sure.” Adam smiled and this time his eyes twinkled with sincere appreciation and approval of his father’s secret companion.

Iona turned away and the curtain of gold and silver hair swayed, falling like a magnificent fan across her face which she pushed impatiently away with one hand. Adam frowned as he wondered if this was the way the lady dismissed people, in which case, therefore, he had to consider himself, dismissed. He turned to walk away, “Wait, please.” she cried, and placed a restraining hand upon his arm.

He turned back and looked at her again, and she held out her hand, “My name is Iona Sanderson. Your father –“ she paused and glanced up into his face, “Your father was involved in a wagon train incident, when commanchero’s attacked a wagon train about ten years ago,” Iona looked at him, wondering why she found it so hard to talk as coherently as previously. She looked into the dark brown eyes and knew that he was remembering the time, the place, the details that, perhaps, he would have preferred buried in his memory forever.

Eventually he nodded, “Yes, I was with my father. It was in Arizona territory.”

“And do you remember a little girl? You carried her to your father. A little girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. A woman came and claimed her as her daughter.”

She was distressed. He could see, even though there were no tears, that the woman’s heart was in turmoil. The dilation of the pupils in her eyes, the deepening blue, told of her anguish. He nodded, “That is so,” he said quietly, “I remember it very well. She was a pretty little girl. I found her…” he stopped, and drew his bottom lip over his teeth, clamped his mouth tight as though suddenly wondering about the wisdom of being so free with this information.

“Please, tell me, please.”

“You must understand that the whole situation was, well, it was chaos. Confusion. The few survivors were terrified in case the comanchero’s returned and killed them. Even when the troopers came …” again he paused and looked at her as though to ascertain whether to continue or not with his narrative.

“I just want to know what happened to Katerina,” Iona interrupted, disinterested in any other facts that he may bring to her attention.

He looked once more into her face and narrowed his eyes. Then he lowered his head and his brow creased, “A woman came and claimed her as her daughter. The child went to her willingly. I remember that she held out her arms to the woman.”

“But?”

“But what?” Adam raised his eyebrows, his eyes asking the question that his lips spoke.

“Your voice had a but in it, like, there was something else on your mind.”

“It was just that I remember thinking how odd that the little girl should be this woman’s daughter. Firstly, because of her colouring which didn’t match the woman’s at all. Secondly because…”

“Yes? Because?” her hand gripped his so tightly that her nails bit into his flesh and the colour was heightened in her cheeks. Adam pulled his hand away, “I had found the child beneath the body of a man, who had obviously lost his life to save hers. By his side was a woman, who had quite clearly died for the same reason. It seemed to me that…”

“ADAM!”

The young man stopped speaking and turned to face his father who now stood only a short distance from them, then he turned back to the woman who proved herself to be as prone to fainting as any other of her sex. Adam Cartwright caught her in his arms as she slid to the ground.

The door had opened slowly, so slowly in fact that Adam had not noticed his father, until Ben had addressed him by name. Now, with Iona Sanderson in his arms, he turned to him, a slight frown on his brow. “What’s wrong, Pa?”

He spoke as he walked to a bench that was in the wide corridor of the building and very gently he placed the girl down. Then he turned again, and asked his father what was wrong.

“I overheard some of what you were saying to this woman,” Ben said forcibly.

“I never said anything that I intend to retract,” Adam replied, straightening his back as he always did when a confrontation with Ben appeared likely.

“Adam, you can’t be sure that this woman is the child’s sister. You have to think of the ramifications involved in this situation, son.” Ben placed an urgent hand on his son’s elbow, taking him away from the girl’s hearing should she regain consciousness.

“True enough, Pa. If I were in the slightest doubt that she were not the child’s sister then I would have just left the matter under your – prudent – jurisdiction.”

“Then why are you telling her so much? This happened years ago, Adam, that little child is no longer an infant, but a young girl probably with no memory of what happened that day.”

Adam looked at his father long and thoughtfully, then he narrowed his eyes, “Pa, would you be saying this if it had been Joe? What if Joe had been taken all those years back, and I had spent my life time looking for him? Would you be so willing to throw it all back in my face?”

“That, son,” Ben said with his mouth tight, “is not fair. Not only is it hypothetical, but …,” he bowed his head and bit his bottom lip before glancing up at his son, who raised his eyebrows questioningly, “Alright, no, I wouldn’t, you know very well we would all be searching for the boy.”

“And so?”

Ben frowned and looked over at the woman on the bench who had stirred slightly and murmured a name. He turned back to Adam and sighed, “What makes you so certain that she is the child’s sister?”

“You never saw the little girl, did you?”

“Briefly, when you brought her to me. Then the mother … the woman claiming to be her mother … came and took her from your arms.”

“Don’t you remember that I asked you then to make sure that the child was really hers and you said that you would?”

Ben looked at his son and his mind turned back to that awful scene of carnage. The smoking wagons sending up their funeral pall of smoke and the wailing survivors. Everything was chaos. The army had arrived. His son was at his elbow with a child in his arms, a child with blood on her face, golden hair falling across her cheeks, pale and limp. Then the woman had come as Adam was talking to him and he had heard nothing of what he had said, only nodded while he turned in exasperation to the army Sargeant.

“You seemed certain then that there had been a mistake. Why was that?”

“I tried to tell you, Pa. But …”

“I know. Everything was a mess and even when we got to the Fort I could never get to talk to you without someone interfering.”

“I couldn’t believe the woman was the child’s mother. The child lay beneath the bodies of a man and woman who had died protecting her. A woman with golden blonde hair, Pa. The child had blue eyes. Not just blue, but the same vibrant blue as that young woman over there.”

The two men glanced over at the woman who was now conscious, and looking intently at them both with hope, despair and longing in her eyes. No one spoke a word. Adam stood with his back stiffened with the resolve not to back down to his father, even though his father had put forward the most logical of explanations regarding the search for the child. Ben had his arms folded across his chest, his head bowed, and his dark eyes darkened by the turmoil within himself.

She looked at them both. Father and son. There was no mistaking the similarity in features. There was no disguising the similarity in temperment either. She could see at a glance that there appeared to be some friction between them. She stood up and took two steps towards them, paused and then looked at them both again. Her eyes were like the blue of zircon held up to the light. They pierced into the darker eyes of the father as though drawing from him every ounce of resistence to her will. Ben turned his head away, his brow creased in a deep furrow. Adam met the full force of the electron as it bored into his hazel brown eyes, and it was Iona who turned aside her head as though compliant to his will.

“Mr Cartwright,” she addressed herself to Ben and drew herself to her full height as though only by doing so could she draw on the courage to challenge him once again, “Mr Cartwright, I have to know about my sister. You must, if you know anything at all, you must tell me. This is the last chance I have to find her. Please, I am begging you, please tell me anything that you know.”

Adam turned to his father, and looked at him thoughtfully. It struck Adam as strangely confusing that his father, usually so tender and compassionate where a woman was concerned, should be so hard in this particular instance. True, he had put forward sensible reasoning as to why he preferred the information to be limited to what he had told her, but somehow, that just did not seem adequate.

“Madam, I have already told you, I know nothing more than what I have already said,” Ben turned to Adam, met the dark gaze of his son’s eyes upon him before turning back to her and in a far gentler voice he said, “But, my son may be able to tell you more than I .”

“Can you, sir?”

Adam looked at the woman, and was once again haunted by the sweet face of a child who had been in his arms for only a few moments. He could remember the pure blue of the eyes, the pink coral of the lips, the blood staining her brow and trickling so slowly into the golden ribbons of her hair. The memory brought a shiver to his spine.

“Can you tell me what happened to her? Do you know where I could find her? “ Iona asked, putting her hand once again upon his arm and gazing up at him with eyes full of tears, “Whatever you know I shall willingly pay you for it. This is my only, my very last chance to find her. All these years, all these years…” she bowed her head and closed her eyes. “I know that she won’t remember me. I know she is no longer the little child I cradled in my arms and with whom I played. I know that she may not wish to know me after all this time. But I must see her before…”

“Before what?” Adam asked quietly.

“Before I die, “ Iona replied in such a quiet voice that Adam had to lower his head in order to hear the words.

Chapter 2

“Here you are, little brother. A cool beer on a warm day, thar jest ain’t nuthin’ better.” Hoss Cartwright placed the full glass in front of his brother before he settled into a chair, which creaked just a little more than usual, and raised his glass to his lips. He half closed his eyes in anticipation of cold beer sliding down his dry throat. Opposite him Joe did the same, a half smile of satisfaction on his face having succeeded in getting Hoss to pay for the drinks – again.

“You one of them Cartwrights?”

Hoss sighed, lowered his glass and looked up. He then glanced over at Joe who was looking rather blankly at the newcomer. Hoss turned his attention back to the man who had approached them and realised the way that he glared down at him made it quite obvious that he was not in the best of moods. Hoss sighed and looked rather longingly once again at his glass. He looked across at Joe, who gave a slight shrug and raised his glass to his lips and started to drink, Hoss licked his lips, and was about to speak when Joe replaced the glass upon the table.

“Who’s asking?” Joe said coolly in that tone of voice that for some reason or another always seemed to heat things up rather than cool things down. Hoss winced, while his fingers reached out for the glass of cold beer in the hope that he could somehow become invisible behind it.

“Sanderson – Magnus Sanderson.”

Joe raised his eyebrows. The name meant nothing to him. He reached out to pick up his glass again and looked over at Hoss and asked him if he knew a Magnus Sanderson. Hoss shrugged and shook his head to indicate that the name was that of a stranger to him also.

“Well?” Sanderson raised his head and clenched his fists as though by doing so he could convey to them that if they did not comply with his request then something unpleasant was sure to come their way.

“Well what?” Joe snapped, raising his glass to his lips, and looking not best pleased to be interrupted in his moment of relaxation of this irate stranger.

Hoss winced again and wondered why it was that Joe had an instinct for trouble, not in avoiding it either, rather an enjoyable interest to see just how long it took to provoke it. He reached out for his glass, perhaps Joe could bandy words with the Sanderson guy long enough for him to have a few swallows of the beer at least.

“I asked you a question, Mister. Haven’t you the decency or the courage to answer me? Are you one of the Cartwrights?”
He must have thought that Hoss was not a Cartwright as he had turned his body towards Joe and blocked Hoss out of view. Hoss sighed with respect to the fact and raised his glass to his lips, even as the glass touched his mouth Sanderson had turned round to confront him “And you -,” Sanderson snapped with such belligerence in his tone that Hoss spilled some of the beer over his hand and had to put the glass back down onto the table.

“I’m Hoss Cartwright, but I don’t think I know you, Mr Sanderson.”

“Perhaps not, but one of you knows my wife. I want to know which of you it is?”

Joe shrugged and stared at Sanderson over the rim of his glass while Hoss wrinkled his brow in concentration. “Ain’t never heard of a Mrs Sanderson. Have you, Joe?”

“No.” Joe replied curtly, recalling to mind the letter he had seen on his father’s desk with the bold signature at the bottom, “Never heard of a Mrs Sanderson.”

Sanderson stared into the green hazel eyes and his lips thinned. He was a tall man, thickset in build and broad shouldered. He clenched his fists. Hoss put his glass back down, untasted, upon the table.

“One of you is lying. I know one of you has an appointment to meet my wife today and I want to know which one of you it is.”

“Neither one of us, Mr Sanderson. Now, please, if you don’t mind, leave us alone to enjoy our drink in peace.” Joe said with that edge to his voice that meant he was beginning to lose his patience.

He raised his glass once again to his lips as though he had expected Sanderson to walk away peaceably. The glass being knocked out of his hand and sent flying into the wall with its contents spraying everywhere caught him by surprise, although not for long. Without a word he was out of his chair and had thrown himself at Sanderson with the speed of a cork popping out of a champagne bottle.

The table was overturned. Hoss’s glass of beer fell with a crash upon the floor spilling its contents into a wide puddle. Men moved away as the two combatants wrestled together over the sawdust strewn boards. Women screamed, but not too shrilly as they had got used to such events over the years. A man cursed and kicked at one of them with his boot when the gaming table lurched over and the cards and money were toppled to the ground.

Sanderson raised a fist to strike at the young man’s face but found his clenched hand gripped by a fist even more powerful than his own. He grunted, cursed, and threw Joe away from him so that the youth was tossed against the legs of several men who were watching from the bar.
The door opened and Doctor Paul Martin walked into the saloon. Still the three men continued with their struggling together.

“Anyone here by the name of Sanderson?”

Paul’s voice rose above the melee. Hoss stepped back and released his grip. Magnus, feeling his hand free at last, managed to strike out at the younger man and caught the lad a glancing blow to the cheek, which sent him toppling back against the selfsame legs from which he had just become detached.

“Magnus Sanderson? Anyone here by that name?” Paul repeated loudly.

“Here…” Hoss cried, “Here.” His fist curled around the collar of the man still intent on doing bodily harm to Joe.

“Magnus Sanderson?” Paul looked at the angry mottled face of the middle aged man standing before him.

“What do you want?” Magnus asked, his breath coming in short gasps.

“Your wife is gravely ill in my infirmary, Mr Sanderson. She wants to see you.” Paul said coldly. His tone of voice implied that why she would want to be bothered with the likes of him was beyond his reasoning. He turned and walked back to the door, then paused to look back at Sanderson, “Are you coming or not?”

“Who are you anyway?” Sanderson demanded, wiping blood from his nose, the result of a chance encounter with Joe’s fist.

“Dr. Paul Martin. As I said earlier, your wife is in my infirmary.”

Picking up his hat, stemming blood from his nose, Sanderson walked to the door. He gave Joe a scowl, dark and threatening. As he passed through the doorway, Paul stepped back, and looked over at Joe and Hoss. “Your father and Adam are already there. You had better come as well.”

Hoss sighed. Reluctantly he picked up his hat and looked longingly at the counter where the bartender had set down a glass of beer for some other happy customer. Following his brother and the doctor he trudged miserably out of the saloon, the taste of a cool beer just a faint and lingering memory.

************
Iona Sanderson looked up as the door opened. The lustre of her blue eyes were less now, and the pride with which she had first greeted Ben Cartwright appeared to be missing from the tilt of her chin and firm mould of her lips. When her husband and the Cartwright brothers entered the room the pupils of her eyes dilated, and she caught her breath.

Instinctively Adam stepped closer to her side. The only stranger he saw coming through the doorway was the man walking ahead of his brothers and, in Adam’s opinion, it was he alone who could have created such a reaction in the young woman.

“Who are you?” he demanded, as he placed his hand cautiously upon the handle of his gun.

“Steady, Adam. This is Magnus Sanderson, Iona’s husband,” Paul said quietly.

The initial response had been instinctive. As such Magnus Sanderson’s reaction was equally so. Both men saw someone they disliked and both men knew they had an enemy in the other.

“Iona? What are you doing here? Who are these men and what have you been saying to them?”

If he loved her his roughness of tone could have been forgiven or at least overlooked. Neither Ben nor Adam felt that there was any love for the woman in this man and they looked at one another as though assuring themselves of the others thoughts. By the door Hoss and Joe watched with some interest, detached at that moment due to only being onlookers to the situation.

“Do you need us to stay?” Ben asked Iona, his voice gentle now.

“Yes, I -,” she paused and looked at Magnus, then turned away, “I would prefer that you did.”

“Of course she would want you to stay,” Magnus said loudly, “She’d want anyone to stay who would go along with her hare brained ideas.”

“She’s looking for her sister. There’s nothing hare brained about that,” Adam said quietly.

Paul sighed and shook his head. He pulled off his spectacles wearily and walked between the two men. He took hold of Iona’s hand and then turned to Magnus,

“I asked you to come here to help your wife, not to cause trouble.”

“And I came here to find my wife, and now that I’ve found her, I’m taking her home with me.” Magnus scowled at the doctor and put out a hand to thrust him to one side.

“No, Magnus. No. I’m not going home, not without my sister.” Iona replied, “I asked the doctor to find you to tell you that, and to tell you that I don’t want you near me. I want to find my sister.”

“Mrs Sanderson, you are a very sick woman.” Paul looked at her kindly, and shook his head in an admonishing manner, “I don’t think your heart will be able to take the strain of your search any longer. It’s time for you to leave your sister in the past, where she belongs, and for you to go home.”

“There, what did I tell you.” Sanderson crowed victoriously, “At least one of you can see sense.” Magnus looked at them with a gloating sneer on his overlarge mouth, “I heard about you Cartwrights and how you interfere and lord it over folk. Well, this is one time you can just quit right here and now. Iona and I -.”

“Magnus. I am not going home with you.” Iona repeated in such weary tones that it was a wonder she managed to get them out of her mouth, she looked at Paul and then sighed, “I’m too ill.”

“Mrs Sanderson had already agreed to come to the Ponderosa and stay there until she was strong enough to return home.” Ben informed the glowering Sanderson, who was turning from puce to purple with suppressed rage, “As her husband, you know you are welcome to be our guest as well.”

Magnus said nothing. He stared at his wife as though she were the only one in the room and the only object that was worthy of the loathing he apparently now felt for her. Iona’s blue eyes became like chips of ice while Magnus grew colder and colder with rage. With a growl he turned on his heel and pushed past Joe and Hoss at the doorway and out into the street. The door slammed shut behind him.

“It seems he doesn’t want to come.” Adam said with a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips, and he turned to Iona, “As soon as you are ready to travel, we’ll leave.”

Chapter 3

The night sky was illuminated by millions of stars clothing the Ponderosa and its environs like a black velvet sequinned shroud. As the Cartwrights sat at the table with their guest all appeared tranquil and at peace. With Joe’s merry wise cracks and Hoss’ gentle jokes anxieties and fears drifted away. Iona Sanderson was slowly relaxing, the cold veneer was slowly thawing and her true warm character was slowly being revealed.

The meal was almost at an end. Hop Sing had surpassed himself with the food he had prepared them and Iona had complimented him so profusely that he was quite overwhelmed with pleasure. It was Hoss who noticed it first, he looked up, frowned, glanced over at Joe. Joe was spinning some tale which seemed to involve a lot of eye contact with their guest and so ignored him. Hoss chewed on his bottom lip and looked over at his Pa. Ben was too busy looking at Iona and thinking – well – quite honestly he was thinking that she was beautiful and that she reminded him of Inger. Hoss swallowed a lump in his throat and coughed to clear it, but Adam ignored him as he was watching his father and wondering what was going on in his father’s mind.

“Shucks,” Hoss exclaimed, standing up so abruptly that everything on the table rattled, “Dadburn it, but I can smell summat burning.”

Ben excused himself with a promptitude that was more a necessity than etiquette. His sons followed him, throwing down their napkins and hurrying to the doorway. Adam turned, perhaps aware that Iona would naturally want to follow them. She was standing at the table, hesitant, wondering what she should do when he did so, “Ma’am, you had best stay here. Please…” he smiled briefly and then closed the door firmly behind him.

Looking around the big room, Iona stayed for some minutes standing in its centre. She could hear the shouts of men now. Once more she wondered whether to join them, but then good sense prevailed and she made her way to the blue chair that was positioned so welcomingly by the hearth.

The ranch hands had smelt the fire, and had been running from the bunk house as the four Cartwright’s left the house. It was not hard to detect the source of the fire as the flames were devouring one wall of the stable with a hunger that was quite terrifyingly swift. From within the stables came the screams of the horses, and the thuds of their hooves against their stall walls that were, in effect, becoming their prisons.

Without any hesitation at all, Hoss plunged immediately into the stables. The agonised squeals of the horses as they cried out in alarm and panic aroused within his tender heart a prompt reaction to their need. Behind him Little Joe and several of the men followed.
Ben and Adam, with the aid of three other men, worked to get the fire under control, relieved to notice each horse that ran free through the gaping stable doors. It took some time but eventually the fire was under control. It may have been a hungry fire, and certainly, had it not been for Hoss’ sensitive sense of smell, far more damage would have been done .

“Well done, Hoss.” Ben applauded his son proudly, “If you hadn’t smelled that smoke there would have been a mighty sad outcome to this fire. Thanks, men, you all did well. I’m grateful to you.”

“Mr Cartwright?” One of the men raised a hand for attention and stepped forward as Ben acknowledged him.

“Yes, Job?”

Job Hanratty, his face streaked black, wound a bandana around his hand that had blistered as a result of his efforts in saving the horses along with Joe and Hoss, “I heard a horse a little earlier this evening. Then, about five minutes before we smelled smoke, I heard it gallop off. If I’d been a mite quicker I might have been able to see the rider.”

“It was just the one horse?” Adam asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly.

“Yes, Adam, just the one. I thought mebbe it was a guest of your’n seeing how he rode in slow which was why I never bothered checking to see who it was, and then I didn’t hear anything until he galloped away.”

Adam nodded, before looking over at his father who only shook his head, as though he did not wish to judge anyone at that moment. “Well, it’s too dark to look for any clues right now. We’ll clear up here and be in later,” Adam said, and walked over to where Sport stood in the corral.

Sport’s eyes were still rolling in its sockets and his nostrils flared as smoke still filled the air about him. He calmed a little when Adam approached and allowed his master to gently fondle him into a less restive condition.

“Whoever it was,” Hoss muttered, “deserves a beating. He gave no thought to the horses inside the building. Didn’t care what would happen to them.”

“I think it was just a warning. Whoever did it, must have known we would have noticed before it got a proper hold. If we did not, then the men in the bunkhouse would have done.” Joe said quietly, stroking Cochise and hoping that his horse would not be unduly affected by the night’s experience.

***********
Closing the door gently behind him, Ben was quite taken aback when he saw Iona seated in the blue chair. Not that he had forgotten her, oh no, that would be impossible for him for she was foremost on his mind in a most irritating and frequent manner. It was that she appeared so much part of the room, so much as though she belonged there, in that blue chair by the hearth.

She rose to her feet in one graceful fluid movement that made Ben’s throat tighten with a feeling that he thought was one he would not experience again in his lifetime.

“Was it very bad? The fire?” she asked the question simply, but her eyes looked wide and frightened as she stood there, waiting for his reply.

“It had not caught badly enough to do too much damage. Thankfully we got the horses out. They were our prime concern.”

“Did you see who did it?”

He looked at her thoughtfully, and noticed how she had clasped her hands tightly together in front of her. It was a gesture of helplessness, of entreaty. He raised his dark eyebrows and shook his head,

“He rode off like the coward he is,” he approached the fireplace and stood next to her, “Did you think it was your husband?”

“Yes.”

“Any reason to suspect him of doing something like this? I mean, considering we have only just made his acquaintance it seems -.”

“Mr Cartwright, it is perfectly like Magnus to do something as stupid as this, because he doesn’t stop to think of the consequences of his actions. He’s angry with you for helping me, or, at least, he thinks you are helping me.” She turned her blue eyes up to look into his dark eyes, and it was Ben who turned his head away hoping that she would not notice the heat that was rising slowly above his shirt collar

“It seems a rather grand gesture.”

“Magnus is well into grand gestures. It is what Magnus does best, let me assure you of that, Mr Cartwright.”

The door opened and Adam, Hoss and Joe entered the room. Hoss was examining a blister on his hand and grumbling beneath his breath about the stupidity of people while Joe ran his hands through his hair and picked up an apple as he passed the table. Adam glanced from Iona to his father and wondered what had been said, or done, during their absence.

“Iona thinks her husband was the cause of the fire,” Ben said simply, recognising the look of interrogation in Adam’s eyes.

“Magnus? Why would he do such a thing?” Joe asked, perching himself on the edge of the table and looking at Iona with a frown on his face, “He could have killed our horses. Didn’t he stop to think of that?”

“He doesn’t think.” Iona sighed and sat down again, “He gets angry and lashes out like a child. That is one of the reasons I could not bear to stay with him any longer.”

“So he follows you from town to town, does he?” Adam asked, looking at her with a quizzical expression in his eyes.

“He tries to, sometimes I do manage to avoid him.”

“He’s your husband.” Adam said quietly, “It seems a sad turn of events that he should be chasing you around the country causing trouble for people just because you want to find your sister.”

“There are other reasons, not just this matter of my sister, Mr Cartwright. Marriages don’t get to this stage for just one reason, you know.”

Adam said nothing, but looked down at the floor. He wondered how a man like Magnus must feel having such a lovely wife and being so alienated from her.

“I should explain,” she said immediately, apologetically, and looked at them in turn, “My parents were very, very wealthy people. My father was the scion of a wealthy Swiss banking family as well as being wealthy in his own right. My mother was rich having inherited from her father’s family in Philadelphia. In their will they left my sister and I a considerable amount. I felt it only right and fair that my sister knew of her family, her connections, and her inheritance.”

They were silent and looked at her, waiting for her to continue, which she did. “Magnus married me for my money. I was stupid enough to think, for some years, that it was for love, but no, I was wrong. Now, he wants to take possession of Katerina’s rightful inheritance. I can’t let him do that, if she is alive, she has every right to it. Magnus doesn’t want me to find her, because legally, she could be declared dead and then I would inherit it. Of course, as the law stands that would make Magnus a very wealthy man.”

Hoss frowned and shook his head in disgust. So far as he was concerned any man who could set fire to stables knowing they could be condemning the animals inside to a horrendous death was beneath contempt. What Iona had to say only confirmed the fact.
Iona stood up now with such elegance that each of the men there just stared at her, without even realising how wide their eyes had become as they watched her walk from the chair, “Would you excuse me? I am so tired and would like to retire to my room now.”

“Of course,” Ben stood up politely, as did all three of his sons who stared at her in mute admiration.

“I – I do appreciate all you have done for me, your hospitality and help so far. But, if you feel that, after what Magnus has done, it would be better if I went back to town I would understand. I can get a room in a hotel.” she smiled at them all, as though not noticing their rapt attention, perhaps she did not, for she was one of nature’s most naïve beauties.

“We wouldn’t think of sending you back to town, Mrs. Sanderson.” Ben said, breathing deeply as he spoke, “And to be fair, we don’t know if it actually was your husband, do we?” he smiled as though that was sufficient argument to stop her worrying further so she nodded, thanked them again and turned to the stairs.

They stood in silence and watched her as she mounted them, she did not look back, not even a simple glance over her shoulder. They heard a door open and close. Then there was a collective sigh before each of them settled into their own seats.

“She’s a beautiful woman,” Hoss said quietly, still looking at the stairs as though she would reappear if he waited long enough, “Can’t understand why Magnus should take on so like he does.”

“Especially as she’s so ill. You’d think he’d stick around to give her his support.” Joe muttered through a mouthful of apple.

Ben said nothing but sat in silence in his leather chair, his head bowed in contemplation. Adam looked at him thoughtfully and sighed softly before glancing, once again, towards the stairs. The lingering smell of her perfume touched his nostrils and, like his father, he bowed his head in order to consider what to do next in this strange, rather Quixotic, search for little Katerina.

Chapter 4
“Where’s my horse?”
Ben Cartwright stood up so abruptly from his chair at the table that the coffee pot rocked and milk slopped onto the red and white checkered tablecloth.
“What do you mean? Where’s your horse? Where he usually is …”
“No, Sports gone. His stall is empty and there’s no sign of him.” Adam’s eyes flicked towards the stairs, then to his father, “That woman? Iona?”
Joe, halfway down the stairs, promptly did an about turn and hurried to the room that had been allocated to their guest. He returned seconds later, bounding down the stairs in eagerness to convey the news that their guest had vanished. The bed, he announced, had not been slept in.
“Why’d she go like that?” Hoss asked, looking at his father and his eldest brother with curiosity. “Seems odd, after what happened last night.”
“What happened last night?” Ben asked, his cheeks, Adam noticed, reddening slightly.
“Nuthin’, ‘cept the stable nearly burned down and she said herself it was more’n likely her husband did it.”
Joe nodded and grimaced,
“Seems odd …” he muttered.
“Do you think she overheard us talking last night?” Adam asked his father, and raised his chin challengingly as he did so.
Ben frowned, recalling to his mind the conversation between himself and Adam. But surely Iona …Mrs Sanderson he corrected himself … would not have acted so rashly as to take Sport and ride out alone.
“She may have done, but I can’t see how that would have prompted her to take Sport and leave here, especially with her husband out there.”
Adam’s lips thinned perceptibly and he turned on his heel, paused and looked back over his shoulder at them,
“I’ll saddle another horse and try to find her.”
“No, I’ll …” Ben stopped, as the door closed with a firm thud. He sat down at the table and stared down at the plate while his mind one again returned to the discussion between himself and Adam. Had anything been said that could have prompted her to act so rashly?
Adam threw the saddle blanket onto the horse’s back and then reached out for the saddle. As he harnessed the horse he remembered his father telling him about the trooper who had been at the fort at the time of the commanchero raid. The trooper had risen in ranks and become the Commanding Officer. He was the only man at the fort who now remembered anything at all about the raid. Chad Davies. That was the name. Ben had simply stated to his son that Chad Davies, now the Commanding Officer of the fort, was the only man who would know the whereabouts of Katerina.
Even as he slipped the bit between the horse’s teeth Adam wondered how the man would have been the only man to know the child’s whereabouts and why had Ben been so secretive about the fact? As he mounted into the saddle Adam remembered another aspect of the conversation that he had found even more disturbing.
“You’re attracted to her, aren’t you?” he recalled saying to Ben, and his father had shrugged, and shaken his head, “Don’t lie to me, Pa. Don’t lie to yourself either. I’ve eyes, I can see.”
“See what? Something you feel yourself perhaps?”
And they had stood close, face to face, eyes dark and staring into the eyes of the other. He had been the one to look down first, before glancing back again at his father
“You are then, aren’t you?” he had muttered, his voice deeper than usual.
“She’s a very beautiful woman,” Ben replied, “I don’t think many men would not be attracted to her.”
Adam had said nothing, but had turned on his heel, and mounted the stairs to his room.

It was not difficult to follow Sport’s tracks. Adam knew his prints as well as he knew the back of Hoss’ head. Keeping a careful eye on the route taken by Mrs Sanderson Adam urged Hansard forwards at a faster pace.
Iona Sanderson was not the most skilled of riders. Due to her illness she had travelled mainly by buggy, coach or wagon. She had not ridden far when she was asking herself why she had been so stupid as to have chosen Sport as the horse to take her all the way to the Fort which was so far away.
Sport for his part was unused to such a weak rider. He was a proud beast, stubborn in the extreme, and he enjoyed giving his master a hard time every so often. But he knew that when those times came he could rely on a firm ironlike wrist to maintain control over him. The slack way the reins were being held by this rider made him lack confidence, and he began to baulk at taking orders from Iona. He plunged into shrubs, tossed his head, strode out into a long legged gallop and then abruptly slowed to a trot. Eventually he achieved his aim, after deciding to pull up short, Iona slid from the saddle and landed in an undignified heap by the side of the road. Sport was delighted. He shook his mane, rolled his eyes, and with a toss of his head turned and galloped back home.
For a moment Iona remained where she had fallen. Stunned, dazed and frightened she waited for the faintness to fade and then slowly struggled to sit up. A tall figure approached. Hazy and shrouded in mist all she could discern was that the figure was that of a man. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her brow.
“Well, my lovely,” the curt voice of her husband sounded in her ear and his fingers tightened around her arm like a vice, “Not such a pretty picture now, are we? And where are your new found guardians now, huh? Don’t tell me they left you to travel all alone?”
“Magnus?” her eyes opened wide and she looked into his face with horror. The harsh features that looked down upon her softened only momentarily as though he recalled the love they had once shared and allowed the memory to gentle his anger and hate.
“Magnus – yes, well, what a compliment. At least you remember my name.” Magnus tightened his grip and ignored her cry of pain as he pulled her to her feet, “Now then, enough of this nonsense. You’re coming back to where you belong and that’s final. And, if you ever take it into your pretty head to leave me again I swear I shall take this gun and blow your brains out.”
He pulled the revolver from its holster and clicked back the trigger, and held the barrel to her temple. Iona felt the life and blood within her freeze. Her legs weakened and every limb trembled.
“Put the gun down, Sanderson.”
Stalemate. The two men stood still. Adam Cartwright stood on the rocks with the sun at his back, silhouetted against the day sky, while the gun gleamed in the sun’s rays. Magnus remained with Iona held in one hand and his gun pointed at her temple.
“Fire,” Iona cried, “Fire.”
Adam did not move. He recognised only too well the danger that Iona was in were he to shoot at Magnus now. Magnus grimaced and looked down at his wife aware that he held her life in his hands. He looked over his shoulder at the younger man,
“Fire now and I’ll shoot her dead where she stands.”
“Then you’ll drop with her.” Adam replied with a coldness in his voice that made Iona shudder.
Adam Cartwright looked from husband to wife before returning his gaze to the husband. It was obvious from the way Iona was pulling away from Magnus that she lived in mortal fear and dread of his fulfilling his promise. Now she turned her eyes to Adam and her lips framed the words, once again,
“Fire. Fire.”
What manner of life had she led with him, Adam pondered, as he held his gun steadily aimed at the other man. That a woman would wish her husband dead and a man would have no qualms upon killinghis wife? He was about to speak when Sanderson cast Iona away from him, so that she fell heavily upon the ground. He turned to face the younger man and at the same time slipped his revolver into his holster.
“I’m not wasting my life through the likes of her,” he shouted, each word spat out with such hatred that Adam winced, “Shoot me in the back if you’re so inclined but I don’t intend to stay here and watch this woman make a fool out of you as she did me.”
Adam said no word. He watched as Magnus strode to his horse and without a backward glance at them threw himself into the saddle and galloped away. Only when it was clearly obvious that he had no intention of returning did Adam put away the gun and go to the assistance of the young woman.
“I thought he was going to kill me,” she whispered as she clung to his arm and looked up into his face.
Her luminous blue eyes filled with tears and she saw the pity spring into his face as he looked down upon her. What a beautiful frail creature she was indeed and as he lifted her very gently into his arms, Adam Cartwright wondered once again how any man could have such a hatred for a wife such as this one.
Chapter 5
From the top of the stairs Paul Martin looked down at the three men gathered in the big room, and sighed as each one looked up at him with that sadly expectant look on their faces and anxiety in their eyes as they awaited the outcome of his examination of the patient. He wondered when they would stop looking at him like that, as though he were some kind of miracle worker. The only reason they survived all the bumps, breaks and bruises they had collected over the years was due to having amazingly thick skulls (purely from a medical point of view), inherited good health and an amazing stubbornness in their refusal to surrender to death.
He cleared his throat and made his way down the stairs, the medical bag swung from one hand and this he placed on the small table, “I’m sorry, but this young lady just should never have gone out riding today. Her constitution is not robust,” he cast a dark eye at Adam as though it were all his fault, “She cannot leave her bed now.”
“For how long?” Joe asked quietly, “I mean, how ill is she?”
“As I told you yesterday, she is very seriously ill. I doubt,” he paused and pursed his lips, always the precursor to bad news, “I doubt if she will leave it except, well, the plain and simple fact is that she is dying and has very little time left.”
The three men looked at one another. Adam bowed his head and sighed heavily before looking over at his father who was staring sadly at Paul, “She wanted to see her sister before she died,” he said quietly, gruffly, with a stubborn frown on his brow as though that reason was enough to enable her to get up and walk and continue her search for Katerina, despite anything that Paul had said earlier.
Paul nodded and was about to speak when the door opened. They all turned as though the one entering was an angel sent to avert the sadness to come, and then they seemed to exhale a collective sigh as Hoss entered and looked about him, raised his eyebrows and then smiled his guileless smile. He raised a hand in which he held a cablegram, “I got a reply, Pa. That Commanding Officer in Arizona answered all the questions you sent to him.”
Ben nodded and took the cablegram from his son’s hand. He scanned the words upon it and shook his head, before handing the slip of paper to Adam. Joe and Hoss crowded around their brother to read the words over his shoulder.
“Well, God works in wondrous ways,” Ben said quietly, “I’ll just go up and show this to Iona.”
“Don’t tire her too much, Ben. Even good news can be emotionally exhausting for a woman in her condition.”
Ben nodded, took the slip of paper from Adam’s hands and began to mount the stairs to Iona’s room. Knocking gently upon the door he waited, heard nothing and slowly pushed it open. As he looked at the woman in the bed Ben once again felt that strange constriction of the heart that comes upon a man who looks upon a woman and recognises something wondrous about them. It had been the same when he had first seen his dear Elizabeth, sweet Inger and Marie. Now he looked down at this sleeping beauty and felt the same turbulance of heart and spirit.
With her long golden hair scattered like ribbons upon the pillow, and the blue eyes closed so that the long lashes formed crescents upon her pale cheekbones, he thought it a cruel justice that someone so beautiful should end her search for her sister in this fashion. He approached her bed and leaned a little towards her but still there remained no movement from her at all, and for an instant he wondered if she were, indeed, alive at all.
He touched her hand, very gently, and she sighed , turned towards him and opened her eyes. Her blue eyes were like magnets that sucked in his soul and heart, and he instinctively drew back as though, at the moment of surrender, he realised that he could not willingly permit himself to do so. He glanced down at the cablegram in his hands and pulled a chair closer to the bed in order to sit down and be more at eye level with her
“I’ve heard from the Commanding Officer of the fort in Arizona. He knows where Katerina is and the family that claim to be her parents.”
She looked at him blankly, as though what he was saying was so unexpected that she could not absorb the words. Then she smiled and extended her hand which he took in his own, “Mr Cartwright? Are we now friends?” she whispered softly.
“Of course. Iona, I only held back from helping you initially because I did not want either yourself or Katerina to be hurt.”
“I understand. But how can Katerina be hurt when she finds out that she is the heiress of a great fortune?” she loosened her hand from his and slipped it back under the covers. “Is she far from here?”
“Only 24 hours away.” Ben said quietly, “Adam and Hoss can go and –,” he paused at the furrow in her brow, and waited for her to speak for it was obvious that there was something on her mind, worrying her.
“Could Adam stay? I would like to thank him for saving my life.”
He smiled and nodded, “I shall ask him to come up and see you, and then he can go and find Katerina for you.”
“And, she will really be here tomorrow?” Iona whispered, looking at him intently.
“No, my dear, not tomorrow, perhaps the day after if her – er – the couple who are caring for her will permit it and if she wishes it,” Ben replied sternly, “You have to remember she has a right to make that decision, Iona, and it is possible, that she may not want to see you, or acknowledge you as her family.” he sighed and looked at the question mark in her eyes “This is what I meant earlier, that there could be more pain and hurt for both you and Katerina, after all, it has been quite some time and the couple who have her would be the family she knows now, and loves.”
“I understand that,” Iona said quietly, and she closed her eyes.
Ben stood up and felt a pang of disappointment touch his heart. Of course, he told himself as he closed the door quietly behind him, she is a young woman and far more likely to be attracted to Adam. He re-read the words on the cablegram as he went downstairs, as though they really were the most important things on his mind at that moment.

Adam Cartwright sat down on the chair so recently vacated by his father . He looked at Iona Sanderson thoughtfully and wondered, yet again, how it was that Magnus could hate her so bitterly. She was lovely in appearance, and her illness, surely, should have roused in her husband’s heart a feeling of compassion and protection. He was thinking thus, when she turned to look at him.
What a handsome young man, she thought as she viewed him through her half closed eyes and long lashes. A brave, thoughtful creature willing to put himself in danger for my sake. My dear Sir Galahad, bravest of knights…
“Adam?”
He turned and looked at her. His eyes, thoughtful and pensive, now became alert and intelligent as he leaned down towards her and smiled “How are you feeling now?” his voice was deeper than usual, perhaps his thoughts had dwelt on feelings of love also?
“Tired. And a little stupid. I should never had taken your horse.”
“Well, that’s true. Sport isn’t a horse for a lady to ride. He’s far too high spirited.” Adam smiled slowly and looked down at her, “You weren’t seriously thinking of riding all the way to Arizona were you?”
“No. Just to Virginia City. I heard your father and you last night. I thought if I sent the man, Chad Davies, a telegraph he would give me the information I wanted. But your horse, as you so rightly remind me, was too high spirited for me. “ her eyes darkened and kindled bright fires within so that they were almost purple.
“You could have been killed,” Adam replied, turning his head away and ignoring the deep eyes and the cupid bow lips, “Sport threw you, and …”
“He tossed me off his back because Magnus rode straight at us. He’s an intelligent horse, if he had not reared up we would have been down upon the rocks, myself and your horse.”
Adam said nothing to that, but a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. An intelligent horse? Oh yes, true enough.
“How did you get your horse? Did you say his name was Sport?”
“Yes. Sport. I got him some years ago. An Englishman had arrived in town and had him on a leading rein. When I saw Sport I thought he was the best looking beast I had seen in a long while. I could see he was high spirited and had mettle in him, and that I like in a horse. He had a good chest so was sound of wind, and he was young and fiesty. And, yes, I noticed that he had an intelligent eye. I asked the Englishman, who happened to be a Lord or something from Billericay, how much he would sell him for as I had taken a liking to him. “And I’ve taken a liking to you, sir,” he said, “So I shall not sell him to you, but challenge you to win him from me.””
“You won him? Was it a card game?”
“Poker.” Adam smiled and his eyes twinkled as he remembered the day. How hot it had been, sitting in the saloon and having to play the best of three hands surrounded by every evil smelling card player, miner, saloon girl, and cowboy in the town… or so it had seemed at the time. “I trounced him. But, I have to admit, he was not a very good poker player.” Adam laughed, “Afterwards he gave me the horse and his papers, and shook my hand, “You’re a real good sport, young ‘un,” he said. So I called the horse Sport in memory of this English Lord, whom I never set eyes upon since.”
“Sport.” She smiled slowly and closed her eyes, “It’s a nice story.”
They were silent for a while and when she opened her eyes and saw him still patiently sitting there she asked him if he were really going to undertake the journey to bring Katerina to her.
“Yes, after all I was the one who handed her over to the woman whom, I’m assuming, has her now, it seems only fitting that I should be the one to claim her back for you. I – ” he paused a moment, a slight frown and darkening eyes, “Iona, it will take a few days before she – we – get back here and -”
Her hand reached out to touch his and she smiled, her eyes half closing “I know, I understand. I’ve come this far along on this journey, Adam, I don’t intend to die before I reach the end of it.” a light pressure as her fingers squeezed his “Thank you.”
Adam opened his mouth to speak, but looking down upon her, saw that she was once again asleep. It was cruel, he thought, cruel indeed to have to accept the fact that she could be dying. He sighed deeply, leaned down, and gently kissed her lips.
Chapter 6

It seemed oddly appropriate that the day they arrived at the homestead of Mr and Mrs McIntyre’s the heavens gathered up their forces to erupt into a storm the likes of which niether Adam nor Hoss had seen for a very long time.

The white house stood isolated from barns and sheds. It had initially appeared as though painted on a backdrop of green hills, several trees and violent purpling clouds. The sun had shone so brilliantly through the clouds that the white of the walls had glared like a white streak before fading away as the cloud wrapped themselves around the golden orb. It was at the moment of their dismounting that the first clash of thunder erupted and the rain began to fall. By the time they had reached the door they were both soaked to the skin and the driveway was churned into mud.

“Some weather,” Hoss grumbled and raised his hand to bang upon the door.

“Knock louder, Hoss. They may not hear above the racket of the storm,” Adam advised as he glanced up at the burgeoning skies.’What if she isn’t here and this is just a wild goose chase?’.He thought to himself, as he waited with trepidation and irritation as the rain continued to seep through his clothing, ‘What if she is here? The new I’m briging to this family could create a storm that would rival anything thrown at us from up there.’ and he once again looked up at the skies.

The door opened as though in haste and half closed again almost as quickly, as though the one opening it did not want to loose the comfort and heat from inside and would close it completely just as promptly should she so choose.

The brothers turned and looked at her. Hoss removed his hat, as did his brother and the girl smiled. It was, Adam thought, as though they were looking at Iona in miniature, perhaps, as she would have been twelve years ago. Those same electric blue eyes gazed solemnly up at them, and the silver blonde hair fell loosely upon her shoulders and down her back. She regarded them both solemnly from where she stood behind the door, peering just around it at them ,“Yes? What do you want?”

Thunder crashed above their heads and she remained standing there, passively looking up at them as though it was the most natural thing for strangers to come visiting in the middle of a storm. A voice from within shouted at her to invite the visitors inside, and obediently she opened the door wider, and stepped aside for them to enter.

‘This is it, this is the moment Iona should have been able to see for herself. Well, let’s see how this storm breaks!’ Adam shivered as he stepped in first ahead of Hoss and quickly surveyed the occupants of the house.

A man stood by the side of the fire which burned cheerily in the hearth and nearby was a woman, lighting a lamp in order to brighten the room for the storm had brought a darkness with it.

“Thanks for inviting us in,” Adam ventured to say, taking off his hat and sending water sluicing from it. He frowned, and glanced over at the couple, “I’m sorry – I seem to have brought the weather in with me.”

“Not to be helped,” the man replied cheerfully and stepped forward, he stretched out his hand in welcome, “Andrew McIntyre at your service.”

He had a military bearing and a stern countenance, but his eyes were direct and discerning. He smiled as he took Adam’s hand, and then turned to Hoss, and shook his equally as warmly, “Come towards the fire and warm yourselves. This storm could be in to last for some time. Joanne, get some coffee for our guests. Please, be seated.” he gestured to the chairs by the hearth, a movement that revealed to the brothers that their host had but one arm. The shirt sleeve of his left arm was pinned neatly at where the stump remained just above the elbow. “Now then, who might you be and what, may we ask, is the reason for your visit?”

“I’m Adam Cartwright, Mr McIntyre, and this is my brother, Hoss.”

“The Ponderosa Cartwrights?” McIntyre said, and he smiled, “Well now, this is quite a privilege, isn’t it, my dear?”

Joanne McIntyre turned towards them and nodded, but her dark eyes looked sharply first at Hoss and then at Adam before she turned away. Perhaps it was the furtiveness of the movement or the sudden widening of her eyes that made Adam wonder if she had recognised him, as he, despite the intervening years, had recognised her.

The girl came and stood beside Andrew, leaning against him and looking at the two visitors with the bluest eyes. The flames of the fire danced shadows that made her silver hair gleam and shimmer like a halo around her small and pretty face.

“Mr McIntyre, I have to discuss something that is very personal to yourself and your wife. I would prefer to discuss it without the child being present.”

Adam cleared his throat after speaking as he wondered if his words sounded trite or arrogant. This was a matter that would require as much delicacy as an operation; such a thought immediately caused him to glance at the neatly pinned shirtsleeve.

“I was in the army,” McIntyre said as though realising some unspoken question had been asked by Adam’s brief glance at his missing arm, “got into a fight with Comancheros some years back. The army surgeon did his best, performed a fine operation, but I lost my arm.”

“But you gained a wife and daughter, didn’t you, Papa?” The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, and she turned her face upwards and was rewarded with a kiss on her cheek from McIntyre.

“Yes, Joanne helped nurse me through the worse. When we were both ready for it, I asked her to marry me.”

“Was this Comanchero raid about ten years ago?” Hoss asked gently.

“It was, sir.” Andrew smiled, “You’re the one called Hoss? I can see why.”

“A raid on a wagon train?” Adam said quietly.

“No. But I know of the raid you mean because it was the one that brought Joanne and Katy to the Fort. I believe your father and – perhaps yourself –?”

“Yes, my father and I were there just prior to when the troops came by to rescue the wagon train.”

“Yes, I remember meeting your father. I was a sargent then. Several days after the survivors of the raid had been brought to the safety of the Fort, the Comancheros returned in full force. They stormed the Fort with a vengeance I can tell you. It took two days to finally beat them off and we only managed then because Luke Right Hand was killed.” Andrew leaned towards the fire as though suddenly chilled and in the need for some warmth, “They’re like any reptile, cut off the head and the body shrivels away. But they had managed to reduce our numbers considerably, I can tell you. Thankfully, I had a good doctor to care for me, and Joanne. God bless her.”

Adam turned as Joanne appeared and put down a tray upon a small side table. She glanced at them nervously, and then looked at Andrew and the child. In a sudden convulsive movement she clasped her hands together against her heart and turned to Adam once again, “You’ve come about the child, haven’t you? You’ve come about Katy?”

For a moment there was no sound in the room but for Joanne’s weeping. Then Katy moved and ran to her mother’s side . She flung her arms around the woman’s neck and held her close,
“Momma, momma, don’t cry, don’t cry.”

It was an emotional and sadly distressing scene, and Hoss glanced over at his brother and wondered what Adam was planning to do next. He could see the tension in his brother’s face by the thinning of the lips and the pulse that beat at Adam’s temple. It was obvious that they were going to be spared long drawn out explanations, or time wasted waiting for the right moment to broach the subject more deeply, Joanne’s reaction and question certainly brought the matter immediately to the fore and he was about to say something when Andrew spoke, “What’s going on here? Joanne, do you know these men? What have they to do with Katy?”

Adam drew in his breath, and opened his mouth but before he could utter a word, Joanne raised her head and began to speak. “I recognised him straight away. How could I forget the man who handed me this child? I can remember everything, everything, that happened, that was said that day of the Comanchero attack on the wagon train. I remember you and your father coming to our aid and risking your lives as you fought against them. I shall always -,” she stopped and bowed her head into her hands, struggling to overcome the emotion she felt at that moment.

“Can you tell me what this is all about?” Andrew asked Adam in tones of such bewilderment that Adam and Hoss could only feel the utmost sympathy for the man.

“I think you wife has the right to tell you herself, sir.” Adam replied solemnly, “It’s obviously something you need to discuss together,” he paused and looked at Hoss, raised his eyebrows and indicated to his brother that they withdraw away for the couple to talk together more freely, “ before I add to the story.”

Andrew nodded in agreement and waited until the two brothers had gone to the back of the room before taking hold of his wife’s hands. Katy leaned against her mother, her cheek resting upon the top of her mother’s head, so that silver blond strands of hair mingled with the woman’s chestnut locks.

“Shucks, Adam, this ain’t a very pleasant situation we’ve gotten ourselves into,” Hoss whispered, clutching his hat against his chest and watching the little family with a tear in his own eyes, “I reckon I’d rather be tackling a stampede of of the meanest minded longhorns this side of Texas than have to tell them about Iona.”

“I agree with you, Hoss. But they have to be told. I just can’t understand why she never mentioned it to her husband in the first place.” Adam replied and glanced towards the window where a flash of lightning scudded across the sky. He gave a wry grimace and raised his eyebrows, “Talking of a stampede, if ever there was the weather to have one, this is it.”
Hoss nodded and once again turned his attention to the little group seated together by the fire.

Chapter 7

It seemed for a moment that Joanne would be too overwhelmed by her crying to be able to speak, and Andrew began to get fidgety, casting anxious glances over at the Cartwright brothers and obviously hopeful that whatever fears he had would be unfounded. The little girl pressed against her mother’s skirts, holding her hands and whispering to her in increasingly agitated tones until finally the woman heaved a deep sigh and swallowed hard before taking hold of her husband’s hand in both hers. In a voice shaking with emotion she began to speak, softly at first, and then gradually louder as her confidence increased.

“I never meant to deceive you, Andrew. I never even thought that I was deceiving you, after all, I loved Katy so much that it seemed perfectly natural to let you assume she was my own daughter.”

There was a pause here as Andrew withdrew his hand and placed it gently upon Katy’s shoulder, looked at her and then at his wife who felt now a compulsion to get the whole sorry story out into the open. “After the raid on the fort, the Commanding Officer arranged for all orphans to be sent to the nearest missionary orphanage.” Joanne reached out and took hold of Katy’s hand and held it close against her cheek, “I thought what was the point of doing that when Katy had a mother. She had ME, and wasn’t it much better for people to continue thinking that she was my child rather than send her to an orphanage where she may never have known a proper home at all?”

Her eyes fixed on him, eyes brimming over with tears that trickled down her cheeks and dripped onto her skirt. They seemed to be begging him to reply with words that would be in agreement with her decision, which would calm her feeling now of guilt and despair, and of impending loss. Andrew McIntyre took a deep breath, licked his lips before he answered , “I can understand your reasoning, my love, but the fact remains that Katy is not your child.” he swallowed hard, a gulp so loud that even Adam and Hoss could hear it, “She isn’t OUR child.” he spoke as gently as he could, and reached out to draw Katy into the close embrace between Joanne and himself, but the child resisted, and stepped out of the circle. With a heart rending sob, she ran from them into another room.

Hoss raised his eyebrows and shrugged, “Looks like they’ve got a little maverick loose on their hands now,” he muttered, “I sure hope this is going to turn out alright.”

For a moment Joanne looked torn between going to Katy and staying with her husband but he had hold of her hand and was looking too distressed to be left even though the child’s crying could be heard and was obviously breaking both their hearts. She bowed her head and fell upon her knees, rested her head upon his lap and cried over and over again “Oh, Andrew, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Adam decided that it would be better if he were to explain what he could, hoping as he approached the couple that what he had to say would ease the whole situation, although he was more than aware that broken trust between a devoted couple could well take years to repair. Andrew had his hand stroking Joanne’s hair while his eyes watched the door of the room into which Katy had retreated.

“Would you mind very much,” Adam said softly, “If I spoke to Katy or would you prefer to have the reason why we are here discussed in her presence? I‘m sure it may go a long way to helping you – er um – come to some decision about this matter.”

They looked uncertainly up at him, then at one another. Joanne shook her head, “Everything has changed now, ruined and spoiled. It hardly matters what you say or do anymore. It’s strange, I always thought that the only thing that could spoil what we had was if you were to find us. I – I felt haunted by the fear that one day you would come for her.” she wiped her face on a corner of her apron before looking intently into his face before continuing to say “You knew, didn’t you? I saw it on your face, the way you looked at me when your father told you to give her to me.”

“Yes, I knew. But then, I had just pulled her from beneath the bodies of her mother and father. After you left, I had to go back and carry their bodies to the wagons for burial at the fort. There was, to my mind, no doubt as to who really was her mother.”

“Of course there couldn’t have been, her mother was as blonde as she is herself,” Joanne whispered, “And her father had the bluest of eyes.” she shook her head in misery and buried her face in her hands, “I never meant to cause any harm. Do you have to take her away from me?”

“No,” Adam said quietly, “I don’t intend to do anything except tell you, and Katy, about recent developments that could affect her life. What you decide to do with the information is entirely up to you and Andrew.”

Both stared at him for a moment as though they couldn’t quite understand what he was saying, or what the words actually meant, then they looked at one another and saw hope in the eyes of the other : “I think,” Andrew stood up and drew himself up straight and tall, “It may be better if we discussed this matter with Katy right here and now, and then, if Mr Cartwright won’t mind, we can decide between us what to do next.”

……..

They looked at Adam like three little starlings in a nest with their wide eyes and partly opened mouths. Apprehensive, waiting with bated breath for what he was about to disclose. As he told them of Iona Sanderson, of the ten year search for her little sister, he noticed how Katy’s eyes had rounded with excitement and Joanne’s had filled with misery. The gentle ties that had been carefully woven around the child to bind her to them were under threat and Joanne felt powerless to prevent the inevitiable severence to come.

Adam explained to them about the inheritance that was Katy’s right by law, bequeathed to her by her dead parents and as he told them about the financial benefits awaiting Katy he observed Joanne and Andrew very carefully in order to detect that glimmer in the eyes that greed and avarice often brought when riches were mentioned. He saw only the sadness of knowing that here was yet another something that would draw the child from them.

With great feeling Adam told them that Iona was dying, and that her last wish was to see, if at all possible, her little sister and to have the opportunity to share some time with her before she died. Now he saw on all their faces the sadness of this news, and the burden of responsibility that this information placed on their shoulders. At the end of his discourse Katy stood up, and stepped towards him, “And is she really my sister?”

“Yes, she is.” Adam replied solemnly.

“Are you sure? Can you be really sure?”

Adam looked at Hoss, and then back at the little girl before placing his hand gently upon her head, “As soon as I saw you, Katerina, I knew for sure that you were Iona’s sister. When you meet her, you’ll know for sure too.”

“And is that my name? Katerina?”

She looked at them, her blue eyes like the blue of violets, and her cheeks pink with excitement, but it was Joanne who answered as she stood up and came to the child’s side,
“Yes, that was the name they called you…Katerina. It was me…who called you Katy.”

Again silence fell like a shroud upon them, then the little girl turned and put her arms around Joanne’s neck, “Oh mama, I don’t care what my name is, I love you, but I do so want to see my sister. May I?” she looked up into the woman’s face and saw the look of adoration upon it, and nestled into her body like a little bird seeking the comfort of their mothers wings.

Chapter 8

Ben Cartwright pushed the ledger aside and set down the pen. Leaning against the back of the chair he looked thoughtfully at the stairs and wondered what Doctor Martin would have to say about the patient in the guest bedroom. After a moment or two he rose to his feet and walked towards the window, preferring to look upon the view outside than worry any further about what Paul would have to tell him.

He bowed his head and now turned his attention to the hearth. He was nervous, anxious and it seemed as though his mind was intent on wandering down the golden path of nostalgia; to reminisce about happy times when he was younger, when he had a golden haired, blue eyed wife who would look up at him adoringly. Oh, Inger… his heart sighed, as thoughts of his wife floated into his memory and it was as though he heard once again that sweet voice with the lilt of an accent that made him feel so warm inside. Dearest Inger, with your golden hair and eyes as blue as the Nordic seas from which you had come.

It was strange how often his thoughts had turned to Inger since Iona had come into their lives. Iona, with her long sheath of silver blonde hair and the electric blue eyes that could turn violet, or like blue ice in moments. Iona who was such a contradiction of ice and fire.

The stairs creaked and he looked up to watch Paul descend into the room. Ben straightened his back and raised his chin. It was quite obvious that Paul was not going to be the bearer of any good news.

…….

Iona Sanderson could see from the window the Ponderosa pine clad mountains. The blue sky. The fluffy white clouds that floated into the heat of the sun and disappeared as the sun burned them away.

She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. Adam had promised to bring Katerina to her. She had no doubt that the promise would be fulfilled because Adam Cartwright was the kind of man who would make sure that any promise he made would be fulfilled.

So unlike Magnus. She frowned slightly as she began to reminisce about the past, about her parents and Magnus. She had a child that had been indulged and protected, loved and adored. The daughter of a man who was himself the son of a very wealthy banking family, and of a woman who had been wealthy in her own right. Katerina had been born just two years before she, Iona, had met Magnus.

Iona closed her eyes now and recalled to mind the man with whom she had fallen so deeply in love. He had been tall and handsome and had spoken to her about love and passion, had aroused in her heart all those feelings that a woman would feel for a man who promised her the moon and the sun. Magnus had quite literally come and swept her off her feet.

She couldn’t hold back the tears now as she thought of him during those first years of their marriage, so loving and so tender in his displays of affection for her. It had been Magnus who had persuaded her to move away from her family. Magnus who had promised her so much and had fulfilled nothing of worth. He had loved her money. Loved her wealth. Yet she had loved him and even now, yes, even now when she thought back to those heady days of their romance she could find her heart growing tender at the memories of him.

She opened her eyes and looked about the room. There was little point in dwelling on the past, after all, only a few days ago Magnus had been prepared to shoot her, and she had called out to Adam Cartwright to kill him, to kill Magnus.

If only things had been different. If he could only have loved her a little then it would not have mattered how much money he had craved or spent. It was only when he had wanted to take Katerina’s share of the inheritance that she had really realised what was Magnus’ over-ruling passion in life.

Katerina. Katerina. The name beat in her brain like a pulse.

…………

Paul Martin bowed his head, then he looked up and looked thoughtfully at his friend, who was waiting patiently by his side. He shook his head, a gesture eloquent enough for Ben sighed and glanced away, “How long has she got?”

“Hopefully long enough to see her sister. It all depends on how well Adam is managing to persuade them to return here with them.”

Ben said nothing, but glanced up at the stairs before turning to Paul, “Does she know that she has so little time?”

“I never said anything and she never asked. But I doubt if she doesn’t realise how serious things are for her now.”

“Can I go and see her?”

“I wouldn’t advise it. She needs all her strength now. I gave her a mild sedative to help her to sleep.” Paul replied, and he put a hand on Ben’s arm and shook his head sadly, “I’m sorry, Ben. She’s a lovely young woman, but she should never have undertaken this search all those years ago. It’s taken an immense toll on her health.”

Ben nodded but could say nothing. It crossed his mind that had one of his sons been in the same situation, they also would have done just the same. Yes, any one of them, would have done just the same.

Chapter 9

Joanne McIntyre stood in the centre of the large room with her husband at her side and nervously wound the ribbons of her bonnet round her fingers. It was new and she had hoped it would have given her some confidence by wearing it. With Andrew by her side she felt better able to face what was to come, his kindness and magnitude in forgiveness had helped her set aside some of the guilt she had felt for so long, a gentle chiding that perhaps she could have trusted him was all she had had to face… until now, as she waited to face what was going to be the worse challenge of all.

Andrew stood beside his wife and could feel her trembling they stood so close together. Ever since the disclosure of Katy’s true identity and Joanne’s deception he had wrestled with how to deal with the reality of having to lose the girl he had viewed as his daughter for so long. He had prayed that should the child be taken from them that he would have enough love in his heart to forgive his wife and had then stopped to ask foregiveness for himself knowing full well the agonies Joanne would suffer and the support she would look for from him.

Katerina stood just a few paces in front of them, with her long hair braided neatly and blue ribbons, to match her frock, tied in pretty bows that looked like fat butterflies at her waist, which is where the braids ended. She had looked around her and then turned her head to look at the two people she had trusted more than anyone else in her young life. The couple who had claimed to be her parents, but who were nothing of the kind. In her heart of hearts Katerina wondered how someone who loved another could keep such a secret.

She looked around the room once more and saw Adam watching her. The deep brown eyes of the young man were soft and compassionate as they met her own. She blinked, lowered her head and turned away. At some time during the muddled past few days he had said something to encourage her, and she could remember it clearly for she had repeated it, like a mantra, thoughout their journey to this beautiful home.

“”Dont’ think of it as the end of something, Katerina, but view it as a fresh start. It’ll be a challenge but if you love enough, you can meet any challenge head on and win through.”

“Win through,” she whispered to herself and swallowed the tears that welled up in her throat.

A sound from the stairs and she turned to look towards them. This then, was the time to have courage, and win through.

Iona Sanderson had not wanted to meet her sister as an invalid. By gentle persuasion and insistence she had finally prevailed upon Ben to help her down the stairs so that she could see Katerina without the issues being blurred by sentiment or emotions that could be aroused by her illness. Dressed in one of her favourite gowns she leaned upon his arm now, and paused at the half landing to look down upon the assembled group.

Hoss and Joe stood side by side behind the settee. Adam stood a fraction to the left of the couple who were standing in the centre of a patterned rug. The child stood a little in front of them. Iona swallowed hard, blinked back tears and lowered her head. She could not prevent the sob from passing through her lips, however, and was grateful for the strong arm that supported her the rest of the way towards the couple, and to Katerina.

A mere fraction of a moment ticked by as they looked at one another. The child and the woman. Iona left Bens’ arms and walked towards Katerina, held out a hand which the child took in her own.

“Katerina?” Iona whispered, “Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?”

The child shook her head, and blinked. Then she glanced back at Joanne, who stood mute, with tears trickling down her cheeks. She said softly to Iona “They call me Katy.”

“It’s a nice name,” Iona smiled, she didn’t want to cry, emotion can blur things and she wanted everything to be honest, above board and straight between them all.

“Not as pretty as Katerina.”

“Perhaps not,” Iona said and then looked up at Joanne and Andrew, “Perhaps it would be better if we sat down and talked about this. We need to put pieces together to assemble the whole picture so that Katerina knows exactly what is her past, and what could be her future.”

They sat, and various items of furniture creaked as they did so. Ben looked over at Adam, but his son remained standing with his eyes lowered, as though by doing so he would not miss a word of what was being said.

Iona told them of their parents, Rudi and Rachel Weiss. She explained how she had eloped with Magnus, and when everything had gone wrong had appealed to her parents for help. Unbeknown to her they had undertaken the hazardous journey to help her, only to die, and for Katerina to vanish.

Now all eyes turned to Joanne, who nervously twisted her fingers round and round in her lap. With head bent low she told her story. She explained how she had started the journey with a husband who was very ill with tuberculosis. En route he had died, and Mr Weiss had stepped in to assist her, while Mrs Weiss had been an emotional and loving friend upon whom she had shared much time. During the journey she had come to know and love Katy, and in turn, Katy had grown to know and trust her. It was her lap upon which Katy would sit during the evening meals around the campsite and often it was to her that Katy would take her little baby troubles.

Now Joanne fumbled with the clasp of her purse and with a sigh drew out a small leather bound book. She looked up at Iona and held the book to her, “You may not believe what I have said, Miss, but it’s all written down here by Rachel herself.”

There were no words spoken as the book was passed over and Iona looked at the writing and closed her eyes to prevent tears falling. It was a struggle and her throat ached with suppressing them as she stared fixedly at her mother’s journal. She only looked up again when Joanne continued her narrative to explain how, as soon as they realised they were in trouble with Comanchero’s, Rachel had taken her to one side and begged her, should anything happen to them, to take care of Katerina. To keep her safe. She had not mentioned a sister nor any other relative to whom the child could have been delivered for safe keeping.

“It was easy to keep my promise,” Joanne whispered, “I loved the child. I could not abandon her to some orphanage miles from anywhere. Then I met Andrew and he wanted to provide for us both. I knew this would be a fresh start for us all. He was, he is, a good man. I know I deceived him and Katy, but I just wanted to do what was best for all of us.”

“And you did,” Iona said gently, taking hold of Joanne’s hand in her own, “You did.”

“But – are you going to take her away from us now? We have no legal right to keep her as our own, and we know -,” Joanne paused and looked down at her hands; grateful indeed when Andrew’s hand reached out to cover them and give them a gentle squeeze. Looking up at him he gave her a reassuring smile as though to say that whatever happened, they would face it together, she was not alone.

Iona had seen a flicker of fear pass over the child’s face. It was still there in her eyes. Fear of the unknown, the uncertainty, leaving what had been her security and home for so many years.

“I’ve discussed the matter with Mr Cartwright during the past few days.” Iona said softly, “It all depends on Katerina, of course. My parents left her a great deal of money which she inherits when she is 18 years of age. There is a house in Philadelphia which is hers also, and, should she move there, she would have the best of education. Would you like that, Katerina? Would you like to go to a wonderful school and learn to speak different languages, and about art and music?”

Katerina nodded, then looked at Joanne, then at Andrew. She nodded again before stepping up to Iona and putting her arms around her neck, “I remember a lady who looked like you. She used to come in my dreams and I thought she was my angel.”

“It must have been Mama,” Iona whispered, and now the tears did trickle down her cheeks as she held the child close to her breast.

“When I woke up I saw Mama, I mean, Joanne. She holds me close, she loves me. Andrew loves me too. If I go to the big house, can they come too? I don’t want them to leave me. I love them too much.”

“Mr Cartwright came up with a wonderful solution to this problem, dear Katerina. I think you will be happy with it. Can you guess what it is?” Iona wiped away the tears and looked at Joanne over the top of Katerina’s head, “There is a lawyer in town who will draw up the legal papers for you to adopt Katerina. We have no other relatives here, and even if we did, I could not bear to take Katerina away from those who have loved her and cared for her so loyally. It is your decision, of course. If you do not want to avail yourself of this procedure then Katy must decide for herself where to go and with whom.”

Aam glanced up and met Ben’s dark eyes. They shared a smile before turning away to watch the parties involved in this little drama. Iona looked at Joanne and Andrew who looked totally bewildered, delighted, too emotional now to express any word. She held Katy’s hand in hers “You can have a fresh start, little Katerina. The world is all before you, my dear little sister, all before you.”

Katerina sighed and smiled. She turned into the open arms of the couple whom she had known as Mama and Pa for so long. Iona nodded and said nothing. There was nothing to say. There was no other solution that could have been more perfect.

Chapter 10

Roy Coffee glanced up over the top of his spectacles as the door opened and then nodded a welcome as Ben and Joseph Cartwright stepped into the office. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and put the posters he had been reading down on the table, “Well, good to see you both, anything I can do for you?”

Ben nodded and after a moments paused asked Roy if he had seen or heard anything about Magnus Sanderson since the day of the fight in the saloon and Iona’s being taken to the Ponderosa. Roy shrugged “Why the interest? What’s he done?”

Joe stepped forward “Some time last week he set fire to our stables, could have killed our horses and -”

“Now wait thar, young fella,” Roy pointed a cautionary finger at Joe how glanced anxiously at his father, “How’d you know it was him?” he looked from Joe to Ben, “Did anyone see him do it? Could you recognise him and definitely say it was him?”

“Well no,” Joe’s shoulders sagged and he bit his lip, “But Mrs Sanderson said it would have been typical of him to have done it, him not caring about the horses an’ all.”

“Now look, what anyone says about another ain’t the same as knowing for positive sure that it was the person himself who did it. That won’t stand in court. I can’t arrest anyone just on an opinion expressed by an angry wife.”

Ben released his breath and then shook his head, “Look, Roy, this is a delicate situation. Magnus Sanderson may or may not have attempted to burn down our stables, but we do know that he has a violent temper and that he wants to prevent his wife from having any dealings with her sister. He could commit – well – anything against her unless we can do something to stop him.”

“Where is Mrs. Sanderson now?”

“At the Ponderosa.”

“And being carefully guarded?” Roy’s eyes darted from one to the other and Joe nodded, and said if a houseful of people could be considered as guards, then yes, she was heavily guarded. “Then what you got to worried about?”

Ben placed his hands squarely on the desk and leaned forward “Because we can’t keep her safe from him when she comes into town. She’s a frail sick young woman and -”

“Alright, alright, I know all about Mrs Sanderson, heard all about her from Paul Martin.” Roy frowned, “I’ll do all I can to – er – prevent Mr. Sanderson from being in town when she gits here.”

“Thanks, Roy.” Ben extended his hand which the sheriff shook warmly.

“It’ll be all legal and lawful, Ben, you ain’t got no need to worry about that.” Roy nodded and smiled, and resumed reading the posters as they left the building, although he released a long sigh of irritation as the door closed and muttered under his breath about letting the sheriff get on with his own business instead of interfering as they did.
……………….

Magnus Sanderson poured himself some more whiskey and looked at the glass ruefully before he raised it to his mouth and swallowed it, emptying the glass in one gulp. He wiped his sleeve across his mouth and leaned back into his chair as he looked around the saloon. One of the girls was sasheying past him and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, and despite her initial gasp of surprise she recovered well enough to give him a smile and sit down at the table.

“Oh hi, Mr. Sanderson, I didn’t see you there for a moment.”

“You can do better than that, Millie -”

“Molly.”

“Molly?” He frowned and shook his head “You sure?”

“What about?” she teased and poured herself some whiskey in a clean glass.

“That you ain’t Millie?”

“Of course I’m sure.” she laughed “Silly, I should know my own name shouldn’t I?” and she laughed again.

His fist slapping across her face sent her sprawling from her chair and onto the sawdust covered floor and as she screamed and then began to cry he towered up over her “No one laughs at me.” he grabbed a handful of her hair, “D’you hear, no one – at all – laughs at me.”

Tables and chairs scraped against the floor boards as people moved away, the men lounging against the counter sidled further down to the end and one of the other girls ran out through the swing doors yelling for the sheriff. Molly cried aloud as he pulled at her hair effectively lifting her to her feet “Don’t – don’t hurt me -” she was sobbing and as he drew his fist back again a hand grabbed his wrist and held it so tightly that it was impossible for him to move it. He released his other hand, so that the girl fell back onto the floor and scuttled away on her hands and knees to the safety of the counter.

“You jest stop that.” Hoss said in his deep level voice, “You just stop that right now.”

Behind Hoss stood Joe with his gun in his hand levelled at Magnus. The three of them stood for some minutes as though frozen in a tableau of waxworks before Magnus lowered his hands and shrugged Hoss away. Hoss stepped back several paces his fists clenched, ready to use them, while Joe remained standing with his gun steady as he waited for Roy to come.

“Well? What you doing here? Brought my wife to see me, have you? Or is she still cosying up to that brother of yours?” Magnus wiped his mouth once again on his sleeve, and then lunged forward bringing a clenched fist swinging heavily towards Hoss who blocked effectively and was about to retaliate when Roy’s voice told him to stop.

“It’s alright, I’ll take it from here. Magnus Sanderson, you best hand your gun over to Joe here, and come along with me.”

“What for?”

“Because you’re under arrest.” Roy glanced over at Molly “You’d best come when you’re feeling better, Miss Molly, and write out a statement. You boys had better come too.”

Joe nodded even as he helped Molly to her feet “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you too much, did he?”

But she only whimpered and took advantage of his closeness to slip closer for the comfort of a Cartwright’s embrace.

Chapter 11

Paul Martin shook his head and then looked over at Ben and Adam, “You should never have let her go. In her condition she won‘t last out the journey back.”

There was a note of anger in his voice. The despair of a caring doctor seeking to vent his anger on those who should understand how he would feel at the blatant dismissal of his advice by a dying patient.

“She insisted.” Adam replied firmly, his eyes fixed on the retreating stagecoach that was fast disappearing in a cloud of dust at the corner of Main Street.

“She didn’t want to waste another moment of her life without Katerina in it. It could be that having her dream fulfilled may give her sufficient restoration for some happiness in the weeks ahead.” Ben said quietly, a note of sadness, finality in his voice.

“Weeks?” Paul shook his head and turned his back, “You’re deluding yourselves.”

The two Cartwrights said nothing, but stood in the middle of the street as the dust cloud slowly settled back upon it. Paul disappeared into the dark environs of his office, his back straight and muttering dire consequences under his breath. Ben turned to his son and looked into the dark eyes thoughtfully, before casting a last look in the direction of that the stage had taken. He sighed and tapped Adam on the arm “Shall we have a drink?”

Adam nodded. The emptiness in his heart was, he knew, a mirror of what was in his fathers. Not love exactly, but compassion. Not romance but perhaps, pathos. He cast his hat onto the table and sat down while his father paid for the drinks and while he was doing so Adam thought back over the past few days with the McIntyre’s, Katy and Iona.

Andrew had proven to be the obstacle in their way, much to Iona’s despair. He loved the land he had purchased and worked on since being invalided out of the army. His hopes and dreams for a future there, for Katy, seems to have been dismissed out of hand by the grander scheme of things and he felt as though everything he had striven for was irrelevant. The Joanne had decided that she couldn’t leave Andrew feeling as he did, even if it was pride getting in the way of sense, but as he was quick to point out, Katy was not their child and signing a piece of paper now would make no difference to the reality.

It left Katy torn in two, a child left with making a decision that even King Solomon would have found taxing. How could she desert the two people who had loved her all those past years, how could she turn her back on the life that she knew and had felt safe in for someone who had just stepped into her life as Iona had, promising so much, but everything so new, so different. With the wisdom of a child she understood well enough that the McIntyres belonged to the life they had, and were happier with the struggles they daily overcame in order to provide her with all she needed. Yet there was the freedom that riches would provide, the lure of a good education, a lovely house and home with Iona, even if that time were limited due to her death.

For Iona it was as though her dreams were slipping away through her fingers, the future plans she had devised for her little sister, were she to be found, now seemed like a pack of cards, about to tumble down and scatter to the four winds.

At the counter, as he dug into his pocket for the coins to pay for the two beers, Ben thought of the conversations he had had with the ex-army man. He could well relate to how the man felt, after all he had spent enough of his own life time building his Ponderosa. It was hard to imagine the tussle going on in the man’s heart now as he listened to Andrew while Iona and Katerina spent time upstairs together.

But a decision had been reached at last, the McIntyre’s over riding love was for Katy, their Katy. A lawyer brought the papers to the Ponderosa and they were duly signed and witnessed, making Katy their legal daughter and ward.

Hank Myers was hired as the Manager of the little homestead so that when Katy went to the boarding school they could return until she needed them again. Of course, Andrew hoped as all these matters were being discussed and decided upon, it could just be that little Katy would not want the life style Iona offered her, it could just be that they would all be returning back together, back to what had been home.

“Why didn’t you want to tell Iona about Katerina?” Adam asked as they sat at a table with the glasses of beer in front of them. He kept his head down, and fingered doodles in the spillage of previous drinks on the table.

“When I first met her?” Ben raised his eyebrows and sighed, “Seems so long ago now. Well, to tell you the truth, Adam, I didn’t feel comfortable with her. She seemed so imperious, so cold and demanding. I just didn’t feel that she had a right to Katerina.”

“Was that really all there was to it?” Adam asked, his brow creased into a furrow.

“Perhaps not.” Ben sighed, and lowered his eyes to look sombrely at the puddles of beer upon the stained table top, “I think I felt ashamed. I felt that I had neglected a responsibility to the child. As Iona told me about the raid I saw it all in my memory, vividly. I remembered the chaos, confusion. Most of all I remembered the look on your face when you carried the child over to me and I told you to give her to the woman. You looked incredulous. You knew the woman was not her mother but you obeyed me anyway. As I remembered that, I wondered as to what kind of life I had condemned the child. I felt guilty, reprehensible.” Ben sighed and looked at his son, “Does that make any sense to you, son?”

“I guess so.” Adam replied, and raised the beer to his lips. It was cold. Refreshing. It cut across the dust in his throat and eased the tightness that was not due to the dust at all. He set the glass back down and stared over to the doors and thought of several questions he would have liked to ask his father but lacked the courage to do so, or perhaps he had the sensitivity to hold back from doing so.

“I hope it works out for them all.” Ben said slowly, eventually.

Adam only nodded and said nothing at all.

***********
Winter was severe that year. One of the very worse that the Ponderosa had known for many years. As the chinook finally blew and softened the snow and ice that held them all within their winter bound prison, Joe and Adam mounted their horses and rode out to check over the boundaries of their land.

As the snow and ice continued to soften and melt away so it revealed the things hidden and kept secret for so many weeks. They followed the stream some distance to check on how much it had flooded over the land and what condition it had left it as a result. Here and there it was still frozen solid over the water, although as the temperature rose so it nibbled away at the edges of the ice.

Joe dismounted from Cochise and beckoned to Adam to join him. “Hey, there’s something over there – in the water – under the ice.”

With a slight downturn of his mouth Adam joined him and also dismounted, he narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction his brother was pointing “Looks like someone’s fallen in,” he said finally and stepped onto the ice to feel its strength.

“Are you going to get him out? Do you think it’ll be safe, do you think the ice will hold?”

“Hush up, Joe, let me think a moment.”

They stood together side by side for a moment and once again he stepped onto the ice to see if it would bear his weight. He nodded to Joe “Get a rope ready to throw over to me when I want it.”

“Be careful.”

Adam nodded and slowly made his way over the ice. He stopped when he reached the man and looked down at the face submerged in the water but frozen to the ice. Blank and long dead eyes stared back at him and he had to turn away for a moment to catch his breath as it wasn’t the most pleasant sight to behold.

Whether he had fallen during a blizzard, or had dived into the waters that had swiftly frozen about him, no one would know. Magnus Sanderson had not travelled so far, after all.

Ben wrote a letter to Iona to tell her about her husband’s death. He sent her the personal possessions that had been found with him. He asked her to let them know how they were, and how life in Philadelphia was suiting little Katerina.

But, from Iona, there was no reply.

The End