Summary: 3rd story in The Battle of Wills series.  Men break into the house while Marie is home alone with Adam and Hoss. After observing his step-mother’s actions when faced with the robbers, Adam calls Marie a name he once heard Jean de Marigny use. This incident leads to an argument between Ben and Marie about Adam’s upbringing. And Adam finally realizes that Marie had been Jean’s wife.

Rating: K+   Word Count=5268

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Cartwrights or Bonanza. No copyright infringement is intended. Original plot and characters are property of the author. This story is for entertainment and no money was made from it.

Reviews from the Old Library are on the last page.

The Battle of Wills Series:

Begins
Education is More than 3R’s
The Shadow of Jean deMarigny
A Gift Horse
New Expectations
Remembering Childhoods
A Room Full of Memories
A New Pattern
Naming the Newest Cartwright
Presents from the Heart
Love’s Labor
Big Brother Lessons
No Regrets
Baby’s Breath
Ennui

The Shadow of Jean de Marigny

Adam had been sent to his room after supper for his latest round of disrespectful behavior. He had used a word that Ben wouldn’t even have used to describe the cheapest tavern girl. When asked where he had learned the word, both Ben and Marie were shocked to hear Jean’s name.

Since he wasn’t allowed to read, write, draw, or do any other activity, Adam was laying on the bed. Pa had said Adam’s punishment would be enforced by the honor system. Adam knew that meant the Hoss system. His younger brother had been in five times already to see what he was doing. The boy’s steps could be heard on the stairs as he went down to report Adam’s doings to their parents.

How could he explain that he didn’t regret saying what he had? Adam had recently realized that Marie must have been Johnny’s wife. Johnny also had a French accent and Pa had gone to New Orleans to let the man’s wife know of his death.

Adam had idolized Johnny. The man seemed so sophisticated and he was always giving the boy advice about women. “Never trust a woman with a beautiful face” he once told the boy, “for she will quickly betray you.” Once, Adam asked Johnny if he’d ever been married. Johnny’s angry response surprised and frightened Adam. The man had drawn his gun and caressed the hammer as he said “I was, but she proved to be nothing more than the souillon my mother had warned me of.” After a brief pause, he had added in a softer voice “Always listen to your pere, Adam. He is a wise man.” With that, Jean put away his gun and strode off.

With nothing else to do but think, the events of the morning replayed in Adam’s mind.

**

Adam and Hoss were finishing their breakfasts when Marie came downstairs. Ben had left for town early so he could be at the bank when it opened. He and the hands had delivered several head of cattle to a fellow rancher in Utah Territory who paid them with a bank draft. He wanted to cash the draft so he could pay the hands for their hard work. While in town, Ben also needed to go to the lawyer’s office to change his will and to the land office to check on a pending claim for a piece of timber land. Marie was not looking forward to spending time alone with Adam. Maybe the boy had plenty of chores to keep him occupied until her husband returned.

Seeing Marie come downstairs, Adam crammed the rest of the food on his plate into his mouth. Hoss looked at him in surprise. His older brother resembled a chipmunk with his cheeks puffed out from the food in his mouth. The younger boy would have laughed if he hadn’t received a stern glare. 

Just as Marie reached the table, Adam finally swallowed the food and gulped down the rest of his milk. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Adam said “C’mon, Hoss, we’ve got chores to do.”

“But I ain’t done eatin’ yet” he protested.

“Yes you are” responded Adam.

The boy had been looking forward to a third helping of eggs. “Go on, mon fils” said Marie gently, “I’ll make sure Hop Sing prepares you a snack.”

Hoss shot his mother a pleased smile and finished his milk. Adam was waiting impatiently by the door for his younger brother.

The two went out to the barn to muck out the stalls and groom the ponies and horses. Adam hated to muck stalls, but Hoss was too little for that chore. Hoss laid fresh straw down in the stalls once Adam finished and then they set about grooming the animals.

“What do ya think Hop Sing’ll make fer lunch?” asked Hoss.

“You just ate breakfast!”

“Cain’t I wonder?”

“Do you think about anything besides food?”

“Yeah.”

“Like what?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Give me an example” prodded Adam.

“Sometimes I wonder why duck don’t taste like fish since they spend so much time in the water.”

Adam looked at his little brother in complete amazement. “But that’s a food question.”

“Guess so.”

“Anything else?”

“Why don’t Mama cook?”

“Maybe she can’t. But that’s a food question, too.”
“Yeah” replied Hoss. After a pause, he said “Papa says I’m growin’ and hafta eat. Maybe I cain’t think of nothin’ else.”

Adam just shrugged his shoulders in response. Didn’t Hoss wonder about other things, such as where falling stars landed or how paper was made? Maybe Hoss was more like Uncle Gunnar than Mama or Pa.

The sound of whimpering caught the boys’ attention. They checked everywhere inside the barn, but couldn’t find the source. Going outside, they walked around the barn until they found an injured coyote.

“Looky, Adam. That doggie’s hurt.”

“It’s not a dog, Hoss. It’s a coyote.”

“It is too a dog. Mr. Garvey says coyotes are wild dogs.”

“They’re wild, Hoss, and this one’s injured. I’m gonna go get a gun and shoot it.”

“You cain’t shoot that doggie!” protested Hoss. “I can make it better.”

“Why? It’ll only eat Hop Sing’s chickens. What are you gonna eat if the chickens are gone?”

This was a real dilemma for Hoss. On the one hand, he hated the idea of the coyote suffering when he could help it. On the other hand, he sure liked eggs and Hop Sing’s fried chicken.

As Adam headed for the house, Hoss grabbed his older brother’s arm and spun him around. “Papa says yer not allowed to play with guns!”

“I’m not playing, Hoss. That coyote could be carrying some disease. You don’t wanna get sick do ya?”

“It might not be sick. Maybe we should wait ‘til Papa gets home.”

“I’m the man of the house when Pa isn’t here. I’m gonna shoot that coyote.”

“I’m tellin’!” yelled Hoss as he ran for the house.

Adam let the boy run on ahead. Marie was probably as soft as Hoss, he thought. He’d seen what sick coyotes could do to people and it wasn’t pretty. He couldn’t take a chance that the coyote wouldn’t bite Hoss if the boy tried to patch it up.

Reaching the house, Adam went in through the open door and headed for the gun rack. Marie tried to block his path, but he quickly skirted around her.

“Hoss says you’re not supposed to touch the guns when your pere is not here.”

“Pa isn’t here. That makes me the man of the house.”

“You’re not a man, Adam. You should wait for your pere or get one of the hands.”

“I can handle this” he said as he pulled one of the rifles from the gun rack.

As he was loading the gun, two men pushed Hop Sing into the room from the kitchen. One of them had the barrel of his pistol against the cook’s head. The other man rushed to Adam and quickly took the rifle from him.

“We only want money, Ma’am” one of the men said, addressing Marie. “We don’t wanna hurt nobody.”

Hop Sing tried to struggle but was soon knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of the head with the pistol butt. Marie screamed as the cook fell to the floor.

“There ain’t no need to be scared, Ma’am” said one of the men. “We don’t wanna hurt ya.”

Meanwhile, the man who had been guarding Hop Sing advanced on Adam and Hoss. Adam stood in front of his younger brother, arms outstretched, to protect him. Hoss was peering over Adam’s shoulder in fright. The man had his pistol aimed at Adam’s chest. The boy stood straighter, trying to be brave for himself and Hoss.

“Tie those boys up, Cyrus. They may be wolf pups but pups can bite hard.”

Cyrus pulled two chairs from the table and put them back to back. He made the boys sit and then tied their hands behind them. The other man was holding a gun on Marie to ensure the boys’ cooperation. Cyrus tied the boys in such a way that the knots were against their bellies. This way, the boys couldn’t easily until each other.

Marie was pale with fright. What did these two men intend to do to her? How she wished Ben was here!

“Mah name’s Enos, Ma’am. Ah ain’t gonna hurt ya. Ah jest want the money.”

“Wh…wh…what money?” Marie asked.

“The money yer husband keeps around here.”

“I don’t know where he keeps it” she answered.

“Ain’t ya Missus Cartwright?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes. But I’ve only recently arrived here.”

“So these pups ain’t yers?” Cyrus asked with a wicked grin.

Marie paled some more. She had to save the boys. The only way she knew how was to flirt with their captors. She lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip. Then she looked up through her lashes at Enos. “There must be something else here that would interest you. Can’t we just talk? Perhaps have a drink?”

Adam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. These two men weren’t paying a social visit! They were trying to steal Pa’s money.

“Ain’t it a bit early fer a drink?” Enos asked.

“How about some coffee then? I could go to the kitchen and put a pot on the stove.”

“No” said Cyrus. “There are knives in there. ‘Sides, how do we know you ain’t gonna try to poison us?”

Widening her eyes and putting her fingers to her throat, she said “I would not harm either of you gentlemen.”

“Where ya from?” Enos finally asked, curious about her accent.

“From New Orleans. Have you ever been?”

“No, Ma’am, Ah ain’t. But Ah hear tell it’s a right fine sight.”

She began to finger a loose strand of hair hanging near her shoulder. Adam was tied facing the front door and had a view of Marie’s performance. He was stunned by the way she was behaving. Johnny’s statement about women with beautiful faces popped into his mind.

Cyrus and Enos were so intrigued by her hair twirling that they couldn’t react in time when Bill and some of the other hands burst through the front door. The two men were quickly subdued and Bill cut the boys loose. After the hands had gotten Cyrus and Enos out of the house, Bill turned to Marie to make sure she was alright. She had turned extremely pale and opened her mouth to say something. But no words came out. Instead, she fainted dead away.

Bill scooped her up and got her on the settee. “Go fetch some water” he said, expecting Adam or Hoss to comply. Hoss ran off to the kitchen while Adam stayed with Hop Sing. The cook was slowly starting to come around.

Hoss returned with a glass of water. “Could you put this in a bowl?” Bill asked. Hoss went back to the kitchen, dumped the water into a bowl, and came back into the big room.

Bill pulled his bandana from his back pocket and then sat down on the coffee table. He dipped the cloth into the bowl of water and dabbed at Marie’s face. Hoss was terribly worried about Mama. What if she didn’t wake up? He didn’t want to lose her.

Marie finally opened her eyes to see Bill’s concerned face. “Merci” she said with a smile.

“Can you sit up?” he asked her.

“I think so” she replied. Bill and Hoss helped her to sit up on the settee. She was still shaken by what had happened. What if those men had harmed the boys?

Ben rushed into the house after passing his hands on the road. Adam was sitting on the floor beside Hop Sing and Hoss was sitting on the coffee table with Bill. “Is everything all right?” Ben asked.

Hoss rushed to his father as Bill helped Marie to stand. The boy spilled out what had happened, starting with the coyote.

Ben finally looked to Bill for an explanation. “We heard Mrs. Cartwright scream and came to the house. The kitchen door was open, which ain’t like Hop Sing. I peeked in the window and saw yer boys tied up. Mrs. Cartwright was facin’ down those two sidewinders real brave-like. We were able to rush in and get them before any harm was done.”

“I wasn’t that brave” said Marie, blushing. Adam looked at her with narrowed eyes. He had to agree; she hadn’t been brave at all.

“Thank you, Bill” said Ben. He then pulled an envelope out of his vest pocket and gave the men’s wages to his foreman. “And here’s an extra five dollars for you, Bill, for saving my family.”

“No thank you, Boss” said Bill. “I was jes doin’ my job. Like I said, Mrs. Cartwright here had everythin’ under control.”

Ben again tried to convince Bill to accept the bonus, but the man refused. Before he left, he gave Adam and Hop Sing a smile, ruffled Hoss’ hair, and tipped his hat to Marie. 

Once Bill left, Marie threw herself into her husband’s arms. He held her tightly while she trembled like a leaf. Hoss also clung to his father. Adam decided to help Hop Sing to his room.

When Adam returned to the big room, Marie was saying how brave Adam had been as he tried to protect Hoss. “But you was brave, too, Mama” said Hoss.

“Mais non” she answered. “I was a coward.”

Adam had come to stand near his father. “I don’t know about that, Ma’am. After all, you did offer to entertain them.”

“What?” Ben asked confused.

Adam crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Marie. “She offered them drinks and told them they could take something else since she didn’t know where you keep the money.”

“That was a good move on your mother’s part, Adam” said Ben. “She was able to stall them long enough for Bill and the other hands to arrive.”

Adam just rolled his eyes at that. “Do you think I had another motive?” Marie asked her step-son.

“Only you know the answer to that” he replied.

“Go to your room” she said.

Adam sighed loudly, again rolled his eyes, and headed for the stairs. As he passed Marie, he muttered “Souillon.”

Marie turned white with fury and grabbed Adam’s arm. She spun the boy around and slapped him across the face with all of her might. Adam fell to the floor, a red handprint on his cheek. She trembled with rage as she looked at him. “Go to your room!” she hissed at him. Still shocked, Adam slowly got up, looked at his Pa in confusion, and then ran up the stairs.

“You go on upstairs, too, Hoss” said Ben. Hoss was only too happy to obey.

Ben was shocked by Marie’s behavior. He hadn’t understood what Adam said and didn’t know the reason for her reaction. Taking her elbow, Ben steered his wife over to the settee. He sat down on the coffee table and waited for an explanation.

After a few minutes, Marie’s jaw began to unclench. Her fury began to subside, but now she felt terribly hurt.

“What was that about?” Ben asked softly.

“Do you remember when I told you about Jean leaving me?” Ben nodded his head. She had told him about Jean finding his wife in bed with another man. “Before Jean left, he spat that word at me.”

“What does it mean?” Ben asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Marie took a deep breath and then looked into her husband’s eyes. “It means slut.”

Ben gasped. Where would Adam have learned such a word? That boy certainly deserved a good tanning this time. And to have his mouth washed with soap.

He moved from the coffee table to the settee and hugged his wife to him. “Jean was mistaken when he found you with that man. I know for a fact that you are not that kind of person. I’m proud of you for protecting our family today. You were as brave as a lioness protecting her cubs.”

“I didn’t feel brave” she said. “I was terrified that they were going to hurt the boys. They’d already hurt Hop Sing.”

“They could’ve easily hurt you, darling. You managed to stall them until help arrived.”

She relaxed against her husband. “Adam must have been hoping they would hurt me in some way.”

“Adam would never wish that on you, darling. He’s so protective of Hoss and must have felt helpless against those men.” He kissed her cheek and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m going to go have a talk with Adam. There is no excuse for the disrespect he showed towards you.”

Marie touched her husband’s thigh and looked into his eyes pleadingly. “Please don’t be too severe. You’ll only make him hate me more than he does now.”

“Adam has to know that can’t speak to you in such a manner. I won’t tolerate that.” Ben gave Marie another kiss on the cheek and headed upstairs to his older son’s bedroom.

Ben found Adam standing at the window looking outside. Softly, he said, “Son, we need to talk.” Adam turned around, tears streaking his face. The handprint had not faded from his cheek.

“Let’s sit down” Ben suggested. Adam sat in the chair at his desk while Ben sat on the bed. “Your mother is extremely hurt by the word you used. I’m shocked that you would think it’s acceptable to say such a thing to any woman. Where did you hear that word?”

Adam looked at the floor and took a breath. Looking up, he said “Johnny told me that was what his wife was.” Ben looked at his son in surprise. He knew Adam had been close to Jean, but he didn’t realize that the man had discussed his wife with the boy. “I’m not stupid, Pa. She talks like Johnny did and one of the reasons you went to New Orleans was to tell his widow about his passing.”

“That’s right, Son. I found his widow and told her about Jean’s death.”

“But you couldn’t just tell her and then come home?”

“I had to sell those furs. I also met Jean’s mother to tell her what happened to her son.”

“Was she sad?”

Ben paused and said “Yes, Son, she was sad that her child had died far away from his home.”

“Well Johnny would’ve never left if his wife hadn’t been such a…”

“Adam” Ben said in a warning tone, “You don’t know the circumstances under which Jean left.”

“Johnny told me to never trust a woman who was beautiful. After this morning, I know why. You think she loves you, Pa. That isn’t true! She was trying to entertain those men.”

“How do you know that was what she was doing?”

“I saw the way she twirled her hair around her finger and heard the way she was talking to them. Maybe she wanted them to take me and Hoss away from here so you…”

“That’s not true, Adam” Ben said, trying to reassure his son. “With you boys tied up and Hop Sing knocked out, she had to defend you any way she could. Your mother knew if she got a gun your lives would be in danger.”

“If Bill hadn’t come in, she probably would’ve been kissing those men, Pa.”

“Adam…”

“You weren’t there, Pa! Just ask Hoss. He’ll tell you!”

“Stay here, Adam. I’ll be back after talking to your brother.”

Adam sighed as his father left the room. Hoss would probably say she had been brave. He was just a kid. What did he know?

Ben went to Hoss’ room and found the boy sitting on the floor playing with his carved animals. “Come sit with Papa” said Ben as he sat down on the bed. Hoss stood up and went to the bed where he sat next to his father. Ben placed an arm around Hoss’ shoulders and gave the boy a hug.

“Were you scared by those men?” he asked the boy.

“Yeah, Pa. Adam stood in front of me so they wouldn’t hurt me. But they tied us up anyway. Mama wouldn’t’ve let them hurt us.”

“Could you see Mama after they tied up you and Adam?”

“No, Sir, but I could hear Mama’s voice. She was tryin’ to sound brave but her voice was shaking.” Hoss paused for a second and then added “I’m glad Mama stood up to those bad men.”

“Me, too, Son” said Ben with a kiss to the top of Hoss’ head.

“That was real smart of Mama to tell them she would go make some coffee.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ben. He hadn’t heard this part of the story.

“Mama said she’d go into the kitchen to make coffee. If they’d let her go in there, Mama could’ve got a knife to cut us loose. But they wouldn’t let her leave us. She shore is smart, huh, Papa?”

“She sure is” Ben said, feeling pride in his wife’s bravery. After another hug and kiss for his younger son, Ben went back to Adam’s room. Adam was writing something at his desk. Ben cleared his throat to get the boy’s attention.

“Hoss tells me that your mother was trying to convince those men to let her go to the kitchen. What makes you think she was going to entertain them?”

“She said she would make them some coffee. Was she also going to feed them?” he added sarcastically.

“Did you pause to think that maybe she wanted to go to the kitchen to get a knife to help you and Hoss?”

Adam had no response. There was no way that she was going to help him or Hoss. She probably planned to run off with those men. When he said this to his father, Ben lost his temper.

“That is not true, Adam! Your mother loves us and wouldn’t do a thing like that!”

“You don’t know that!” Adam shot back. “She made Johnny leave. Maybe she plans to leave us!”

Ben had to take a deep breath and count to ten. Then he had to count to ten again. Once he felt calmer, he said “I would not have married her if I thought her capable of such a thing. You will come downstairs with me and apologize to her. And you will be sincere in your apology. Do you understand?”

Adam was surprised by this demand. How could he apologize when he wasn’t sorry? “Yes, Sir” was his answer, though.

The two went downstairs and saw Marie was still sitting on the settee. “Adam has something to say.” Ben then nudged the boy to take a step forward. Marie turned to face the boy but did not stand up.

“I’m sorry for what I called you, Ma’am. I suppose you were only trying to make those men leave us alone.”

All Marie could do was raise an eyebrow. That didn’t sound like much of an apology. Ben’s cheek began to twitch and his brows drew together.

“Go back to your room, Adam” she said, “I will think about accepting your apology.” As he started up the stairs, she added “We’ll call you when supper is ready.” Adam didn’t even acknowledge this last statement.

Once Adam was upstairs, Ben sat down on the coffee table again across from his wife. He took her hands in his. “You know that Jean worked for me.” She nodded. “Adam really admired him and followed him around like a puppy. Jean must have seemed so exotic compared to the other people we know. Apparently Jean gave Adam advice about women.” Marie looked completely surprised. Slowly, Ben added “He used that word once when Adam asked if he’d ever been married.” Marie gasped in shock. 

Ben took a deep breath and squeezed her hands. “Adam doesn’t know why Jean left New Orleans. I didn’t know he had been married until he was dying in my arms. As far as I’m concerned, what happened in New Orleans between you and Jean is in the past. It has no bearing on the present or future.”

“But I’m the one who has to live with the past, mon chere” she answered. “Madame de Marigny still plagues me.”

“I love you and trust you, darling. Adam is a confused young man. He really admired Jean and he’s surprised that his new mother is that man’s former wife. Think how hard it must be for his mind to understand this.”

“Adam is not a young man. He is a boy! Where does he get this idea that he is the man of the house when you are not here?”

“He must have decided that while I was in New Orleans. Maybe the hands encouraged that belief. I’ll check with Bill…”

Marie was now exasperated. “You are the one who has to make him understand that he’s not in charge of this ranch. He was going to shoot a coyote this morning. I told him to get one of the hands, but he refused. You have made him believe that he is older than his years. There are adults here who can make decisions.”

Ben found himself becoming frustrated. “Adam is a very mature eleven years old. He grew up fast on the trail out here. He’s been making adult decisions for years.”

Marie’s voice was rising. “Maybe it’s time you let him be a boy! Let him play instead of work!”

“This ranch doesn’t run itself, Marie. Everyone has to pitch in…”

Marie began to curse in French. Did this stubborn man not understand that his sons were boys and should be allowed to acts as boys? There would be plenty of time in the future for them to be adults.

Upstairs, Adam put his pencil down and was listening to the argument going on downstairs. She was telling Pa to let him have fun? What was she going to get out of this?

Hoss was listening, too. Adam had always been like a father to him. Papa let Adam play some. No one caught fish better than his older brother. Mama had a lot to learn about living on a ranch.

Back downstairs, Marie’s temper was finally cooling. Maybe she did have a lot to learn about living on a ranch. But she hated the idea of her new sons not having time to behave as children. Taking a deep breath, she met Ben’s eyes and said “Please forgive me, mon chere. I shouldn’t tell you how to raise your sons.”

Ben took her hands in his and said “They’re our sons. I guess I had forgotten that they’re children. I’ve been the only parent for so long and working to establish the Ponderosa that I’ve expected them to work as hard as I do. Did you know that Adam helped to build this house and the barn? When he was nine, he was helping to chop down trees for lumber.”

“What did Jean do here?” Marie asked.

“He helped me in the buying and breaking of horses. He had an excellent eye for horses.”

Marie smiled in remembrance. “Jean owned some of the finest race horses in Louisiana. He took great pleasure in racing and breeding them.” Then she asked “What did Jean think of Adam and Hoss?”

“Jean thought that Adam had a good head for business. He sometimes told me that he believed Adam was really a fifty year old man in a boy’s body. As for Hoss, Jean thought that he would become a cattle baron in his own right. Hoss has such an understanding for animals and he’s good at judging livestock.”

“That sounds like Jean” she said. After a deep breath, she asked “Do you think we’ll ever be able to live beyond Jean’s shadow?”

“What do you mean, darling?”

“The lies of Madame de Marigny, Jean’s words to Adam, your trip to New Orleans. What other influences will he have on our lives?”

“We must live in the present and look to the future, darling. Let’s not look to the past.”

“Do you think Adam can do the same, mon chere?”

“We’ll have to guide him. You and I together.”

Hop Sing came into the big room to announce that supper would be ready in a half hour. “I thank Missy Marie for saving lives. You velly blave.” He then bowed to her and then retreated to the kitchen.

Supper was a tense affair for Adam and Marie. He was still convinced that Marie was everything that Jean had said she was. She felt that Adam was convinced he was an adult. Hoss chattered non-stop, though, about the wounded coyote that had been forgotten with the rest of the day’s events.

After the meal had been finished, Marie cleared her throat. “Adam, you offered me an apology earlier today. I have decided to accept.” He met her statement in silence. Ben cleared his throat and looked at his eldest. “Thank you, Ma’am. It won’t happen again. May I be excused?”

“You may, Son” said Ben, “but you are to go to your room. You are not allowed to read, draw, write, look out the window, talk, or engage in any other activity. You will be on the honor system. Do you understand?”

In a small voice, Adam replied “Yes, Sir.” He then trudged up the stairs to his room and lay down on the bed. Within a few minutes, Hoss had come upstairs to see what he was doing. After looking in the room, the younger boy went downstairs. Adam could hear Hoss giving a report to Pa and her. What a tattler, he thought.

Since he had nothing else to do but think, Adam went over the break-in again. Maybe Pa, Hoss, and Bill were right. Maybe she had been trying to find an excuse to get to the kitchen to get a weapon. As he thought about it, he realized that she had probably been as scared as Hoss. And Pa was right—he didn’t know why Jean had left New Orleans. Maybe she really had had nothing to do with his leaving. Adam decided he would apologize again in the morning.

After making his decision, his body started to relax and sleep began to take him. He dimly heard Hoss’ footsteps and then a shout from the stairs: “I think he’s sleepin’. Is he ‘lowed to sleep?” Adam didn’t care what the answer was as he slipped into a sound slumber.

The End

© March 2007

Next Story in The Battle of Wills Series:

A Gift Horse
New Expectations
Remembering Childhoods
A Room Full of Memories
A New Pattern
Naming the Newest Cartwright
Presents from the Heart
Love’s Labor
Big Brother Lessons
No Regrets
Baby’s Breath
Ennui