Summary: Joe and his wife, Alice, take a second honeymoon trip to New Orleans where they get mixed up with a couple of jewel thieves and their only hope is a clumsy, down-on-his-luck, detective. This is the third story in my Forever Reimagined series. 

Rating: PG

Word Count: 16,010 

Forever Reimagined series:

Book 1: Vengeance is Mine (By MelissaR1992)

Book 2: No More Promises ( By MelissaR1992)

Book 4: Remember Me (By MelissaR1992)

Chapter One 

It was noon in Virginia City as Joe Cartwright sat at a card table inside the Silver Dollar Saloon placing a bet he didn’t want to place. 

He had only planned to stop in for a beer with his friend and foreman of the Ponderosa, Candy Canaday when an old acquaintance of Joe’s, Hank Coulter from his poker playing days started heckling him; bragging about how great a card player he was. 

And while Joe tried to ignore him, once he challenged him to a game, there was no resisting the challenge from the great Joe Cartwright. 

Joe sat there down to his last hand. 

“Well? What’s it gonna be, Cartwright?” Coulter asked. 

Joe looked around the table and saw everyone around him staring at him waiting for him to make his next move. His brow began to form beads of sweat as he gave him a nervous smile. 

“If you’ll excuse me for a second. I need to have a talk with my partner over there.” 

Coulter responded, “Oh, by all means.” 

Joe scooted his chair back and got up from the table. Coulter grinned while those around him gave a soft chuckle. 

Joe hurried to Candy sitting at the bar. 

“Candy?” 

Candy turned around and smiled. “Hey, buddy, how’s it going?” 

Joe asked him, anxiously, “Do you have any money left with you?” 

Candy shook his head. “Phew, no, they cleaned me out. Why?” 

Candy took another drink from his beer mug. Joe looked over at Coulter and told him, “He just raised the stakes and I used all the money I had left.” 

Candy raised his eyebrows. “All of it?” 

Joe said with uneasiness in his voice, “Well. I do have the money Alice gave me to put in our savings account at the bank, but she’d have my hide if I used that money.” 

Candy shrugged his shoulders. “So don’t.” 

Joe gave a frustrated sigh. “Yeah, but I can’t fold now. I have him beat, I know it.” 

“And what makes you so sure?” Candy asked. 

Joe showed him his cards. “See?” 

A wide grin spread across Candy’s face and he started to chuckle. “Oh-ho-ho.” Joe chuckled along with him. Candy said, “That queen has been good to us, hasn’t she?” 

Joe nodded. “Yeah, so now you see my problem?”  

Candy told him, “Well, the way I see it, if you know you have him beat, why not just place the bet.” 

Joe sighed in irritation. “Candy, I told you why I can’t.” 

“Yeah, but think of it this way. If you win, you’ll end up with more money than you started with. So Alice would never have to know.” 

Joe gave a sideways smirk. “Hm. You know you’re right. You’re absolutely right. See I never would have thought of that. You know, Candy, you’re smarter than I ever gave you credit for.” He patted his shoulder. 

Candy smiled with a nod of his head. Joe headed back over to the card table. Candy started to take another drink of beer, but paused and crinkled his eyebrows as it registered to him what Joe just said. “What?” 

Joe took a seat at the card table while Candy joined him. He didn’t want to miss it for anything. 

Coulter looked at Joe and asked him with a smug grin, “Well, Cartwright, are you in or are you out?” 

Joe took the money out of his pocket. “In.” He placed it on the card table. “Two hundred dollars.” 

Coulter whistled. “Ooh, that’s an awful big bet for this hand, “Little” Joe.” He chuckled. 

Joe stared at him in annoyance. “Just put the money on the table, Coulter.” 

“All right.” He slapped the money down on the table. “Let’s see ’em.” 

Joe laid his cards down on the table. “Queen high flush. Beat that, Coulter.” 

Joe chuckled along with Candy. Coulter placed his cards down on the table. “King high.” 

Joe and Candy’s smiles both faded in an instant. Joe could barely speak. “What?” 

Coulter chuckled. “It looks like you lose again, Cartwright.” 

Candy said to Joe, “Whew. Tough luck buddy. Let me know how Alice takes it.” He patted his shoulder and got up from the table. 

Joe sat there with a look of dread on his face as he swallowed. “I’m a dead man.” 

***

Later that afternoon, Joe lurked through the door of the Ponderosa. He looked around to see if the coast was clear. He closed the door behind him and snuck into the living room, quiet as a mouse when Ben strolled in looking down at a stack of papers in his hands. 

Joe turned around and said, nervously, “Hey, Pa. How’s it going?” 

Ben shook his head and said, “You know it’s funny. I think I have these figures down and then I end up having to go over them again.” He came around to his desk and looked up at Joe. “Next thing I’ll be asking Jamie to do these books for me since he’s been doing so well with his arithmetic.” He chuckled. 

Joe gave a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, right.” He anxiously rubbed the back of his head. 

Ben’s face lit up, remembering what he wanted to tell Joe. “Oh, Alice brought the baby over to have Mrs. Bennett look after her while she went into town.” 

Joe’s head perked up. He said with his voice trembling, “Alice was here?”

“Yes. She left about an hour ago.”

Joe asked, hesitantly, “She didn’t seem upset or angry about anything, did she?” 

Ben shook his head. “No, why?” 

“Oh, no reason.” Joe leaned back against the settee. 

Ben noticed Joe’s nervous demeanor and asked, “What’s the matter with you? You seem nervous about something.” 

Joe’s voice cracked, “No, no. I’m not nervous. What would I have to be nervous about?”

The door opened and Candy walked in, startling Joe. “Hey.” Joe jumped as he let out a yelp. Candy came up to him and asked with a grin, “Did I miss the fireworks?” 

Joe frowned as he fought the urge to pound him. 

Ben tilted his head in puzzlement and asked Joe, “What’s he talking about?” 

Candy nodded his head towards Joe. “Did you hear what your son did while we were in town today?” 

Ben’s expression turned to annoyance. “No, but whatever he did, it’s not my concern anymore and thank heavens for that.” 

Candy looked at Joe. “Tell him about the money you lost, Joe.” 

Joe asked him in aggravation, “Don’t you have work to do?” 

Ben sighed and dreaded what he was about to ask Joe next. “How much did you lose this time, hm?” 

Joe shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t that much really. A couple hundred dollars, maybe.” 

Ben muttered in a disapproving tone, “Mm-hm.” 

Candy said, “Oh, but you haven’t heard the best part.” 

Joe furrowed his eyebrows at Candy. 

Ben crossed his arms. “Oh?” 

Candy told him, “You see, it wasn’t Joe’s money that he used to place the bet.” 

“Would you stay out of this, please?” Joe said in a firm voice. 

Ben looked at Joe in confusion. “It wasn’t your money? Whose money was it then?” 

Candy casually revealed, “It was Alice’s.” 

Joe buried his head in his hand. Ben raised his eyebrows and said in a disappointed tone, “Oh, Joseph.” 

Joe held his index finger up. “Now, Pa. Pa, in my defense….” 

Joe paused and pursed his lips as he tried to come up with a defense. Ben shook his head with an annoyed expression on his face while Candy, with his arms crossed, tilted his head with a smile. 

Joe looked over at Candy and told his pa, “Well, Candy’s the one who convinced me to use the money!” 

“That was only because you said you had him beat,” Candy said in response as he moved his hands over his hips. 

Joe exclaimed, “And I did! I mean, how was I to know he had better cards than me? King high? That’s like a million to one chance of that happening.” 

Ben told him, “Well, the fact of the matter is, it did. And the other fact is that you made the bet and now you’re going to have to deal with the consequences of that bet.” 

“Yeah, but Pa, how am I supposed to tell Alice I lost that money? She’s gonna have my hide,” Joe whimpered. 

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, Joseph. You’re simply going to have to face her and tell her the truth,” Ben said. 

Joe’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, but I’d rather face up to you than her.” 

Ben tried to suppress a smirk when the door burst open. 

Ben, Joe, and Candy turned to the door and saw Alice with her brows furrowed. She said in a stern tone, “Joseph Francis Cartwright!” 

Joe turned around with his eyes closed tight. He swallowed hard. 

Candy said with a soft chuckle, “Francis?” 

Ben glanced over at Candy in offense and asked, “What’s wrong with that name? He was named after my father who was a very brave and noble man.” 

Candy held his hands up. “Sorry.” 

Ben cleared his throat. “Uh, Candy? I think we should give them some privacy.” 

Candy gave a slight nod of his head. “Right.” He turned to Joe and patted his shoulder. “Good luck, buddy.” 

“Thanks,” Joe replied. 

Candy started to head to the door, but turned back to him and asked, “Oh, can I start calling you Francine now?” He flashed a wide grin. 

Joe responded in annoyance, “Shut up.” 

Candy chuckled and walked to the door. 

Ben came up to Joe. “Joe?” 

“Yeah, Pa?” 

Ben looked over at a fuming Alice and placed his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Good luck.” 

After Ben headed up the stairs, Joe turned to Alice and gave a guilty smile. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look today? Is that a new dress?” 

Alice rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t even start with me, Joe.” 

Joe’s smile faded. Alice walked up to him. “I went to the bank today to see if the money was deposited into our account like I asked you to, and do you know what I found out?” Joe shook his head slightly. Alice told him, “It was never put in the bank. So I figured maybe you just hadn’t gotten around to it yet, or maybe you had forgotten. But then I ran into Sam the bartender outside of the Silver Dollar Saloon and he told me he saw you and Candy inside the saloon having a beer and playing a game of poker. Gambling.” 

Joe gave a sideways smirk. Alice said, “That’s when it all started to make sense.” She crossed her arms and asked, “Where’s the money, Joe?” 

Beads of sweat formed on Joe’s forehead. “The money?” 

Alice gave a smile like she wanted to strangle him. “Hm, yes, the money, Joe. Where is it?” 

“Oh, the money, right,” he stammered. “Well, you see what happened was…I had the money with me, see….” 

Alice interrupted him. “Joe. You gambled it away, didn’t you?” 

Joe attempted to cover it up with another lie, but he slumped his shoulders when he realized he wasn’t gonna get away with it that time. “I lost it,” he told her with guilt in his voice. 

Alice sighed. “Joe….” 

Joe interjected, “Now, before you say anything, I just want you to know that I had good intentions in what I was doing.” 

“Oh, really?” Alice said in a sarcastic tone. 

Joe nodded. “Yes, I was gonna try and win you even more money than what you had to begin with. It was Candy’s idea, really.” 

“Oh, well, that was very thoughtful of him,” Alice responded through clenched teeth. She started pacing back and forth as she said in frustration, “I just can’t understand you, Joe. I mean, what were you thinking?” Joe opened his mouth to respond when Alice said, “You weren’t thinking that’s the problem.” She stopped pacing and asked, “What kind of example are you setting for our daughter? Do you want her to grow up to be a saloon girl?” 

“Hey, over my dead body she will be.” 

Alice remarked, “You’re getting very close, Joe.” She stared daggers at him. Joe raised his eyebrows. She folded her arms and said, “Joe, why don’t you just admit that you have a problem.” 

Joe responded with a chuckle, “I don’t have a gambling problem.” 

Alice gave a frustrated sigh. “I don’t mean a gambling problem, Joe. I’m talking about a problem with pride. You simply can’t back out of a challenge if your life depended on it.” 

“Now, that’s not true.” 

“Oh, really? Well, why don’t you explain to me what happened then, hm?” Alice asked, impatiently. 

Joe sighed. “All right, here’s what happened. Candy and I finished our errands for Pa a little early, so we decided to stop by the saloon for a couple of beers.” 

Alice nodded with a smile as she already knew where that story was going. “Mm-hm.” 

“Anyway, we’re sitting there minding our own business when in walks my old rival, Hank Coulter. You don’t know him, but I used to play poker with him. He was always such a big show off. Anyway, he sees me and starts jawing at me about our poker playing days and how he used to always beat me at every game. He just keeps bragging and going on and on until finally he challenges me to a game.” 

Alice nodded her head slightly. “Uh huh.” 

Joe pointed his finger at her. “Now, you weren’t there so you didn’t see how he was.” 

“That’s not the point, Joe. You could have walked out of that saloon at any time. You didn’t have to play if you didn’t want to.” 

“Yeah, but how would that look if I were to just walk outta there. I mean, I’d look like a coward in front of everybody. I’d never hear the end of it,” Joe told her. 

“You just proved my point, Joe. You care more about what others think of you than you do about us.” 

“Oh, come on, Alice, you know that’s not true.” 

Alice shrugged her shoulders. “Well. It certainly seems that way at times.” 

Joe threw his hands up in frustration. “All right, what did you want me to say? I’m sorry.” 

Alice said in aggravation, “Joe, you can’t just say you’re sorry and expect me to forgive you like nothing ever happened.” 

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. And I promise you I’ll make it up to you. I swear it.” 

“Joe, please, I don’t want to hear your promises.” She turned around and said, “You sound just like my brother. You keep making promises and then start it all over again. And it frightens me, Joe, because I just can’t go through that again. I can’t.” Her voice broke as she rested her hands over Ben’s desk. 

Joe moved away from the settee and went over to her. “Hey.” He gently turned her around to face him and stared into her eyes. “I’m not like that, Alice. I would never do that to you.” 

She sniffled. “I know you wouldn’t. But just the thought of it….”

Joe paused before she said, “Look, I know that I’m not always the easiest guy to get along with. Pa and my brothers could tell you that. They’ve had to deal with my antics more times than I care to admit over the years, especially my brother Hoss. But whenever I got into some kind of trouble they always stuck their necks out for me because at the end of the day, we were still family. And the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. I love you too much for that. I really am sorry.” 

Alice could feel the sincerity in his voice and found herself succumbing to his charm as well as the tenderness of his voice; something that drove her crazy. 

Joe turned and walked towards the settee. He said, “I guess it all goes back to me still trying to prove I’m more than just the baby brother of the family.” He sat down on the armrest of the chair near Ben’s desk.

Alice walked up to him.”Joe, you’ve more than proven that to me and to your pa and brothers.” 

“Yeah, but you understand; you were the youngest in your family.” 

“Yes, but I only had an older brother. Not any sisters to compete with.” 

“Well, still.” He smiled at her and asked, “So, you forgive me now?” 

Alice tilted her head slightly with her gaze fixed on the floor. “I really shouldn’t.” She lifted her head up to him and a smile escaped her lips. “But I will.” 

Joe flashed a big smile before he kissed her. “I’m still gonna make it up to you,” he said. 

Alice’s expression turned serious. “You better, mister.” Joe gave a soft chuckle. Alice then said with a sigh, “I guess I’ll just have to save our money some other way.” 

Joe asked in curiosity, “What are you saving money for anyway? We’re doing pretty good right now.” 

Alice leaned closer to him while Joe wrapped his arm around her waist. “I know. I just thought maybe we could save a little money so we could take a trip somewhere together.” 

“Well, you know I’d take you anywhere you’d want to go, but Pa needs me here at the ranch. We’re still in the middle of this timber contract and I just can’t get away right now.” 

“Well, maybe your pa would be willing to make an exception.” 

Joe raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Pa?” He chuckled and said, “Honey, you’ve gotta be joshing me if you think Pa’s just gonna let me take a vacation right in the middle of this contract.” 

She suggested, “Well, I’ll talk to him. I can be very convincing.” 

Joe bit his lip. “All right. Now, suppose by some miracle he says yes, then what? What kind of trip are we talking about here?” he asked.  

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about where we could go. I just like the idea of us spending some time alone together; just the two of us. We haven’t really had much time alone since the baby was born. It could be like a second honeymoon for us.” 

Joe smirked and said, “Well, I’ll tell you what. I’ve got an idea.” Joe took her hand and proposed, “Why don’t I take you to New Orleans? I did promise you that I would take you there one day so you could see where my mother grew up. It would give you the chance to get to know the woman who our daughter is named after. What do you say?” 

Alice smiled. “I’d say that’s a wonderful idea.” Joe returned a smile and kissed her. She said, “Now, I want you to promise me, no more gambling.” 

“Oh, I promise.” 

Alice looked him sternly in the eye and said, “I mean it, Joseph Cartwright.” 

“I believe you,” he told her while trying to hold back laughter. 

“I’m serious, Joe.” 

Joe raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re serious.” 

“I am!” she exclaimed. 

Joe pulled her down to him and she squealed. He giggled and embraced her. “I love you,” he said with a chuckle. 

Chapter Two

Ben had agreed to let Joe have the time off to spend with Alice and Mrs. Bennett agreed to watch little Sara Marie. Joe and Alice then headed off by train to New Orleans.  

The train departed and picked up speed along the tracks as the engine roared. 

Inside the train, Joe and Alice were seated in one of the compartments. Alice sat next to the window while Joe sat near the aisle. 

Alice looked around and said, “This is kind of exciting. I’ve never been on a train before.” 

“I’ve been on one a couple of times. It’s a lot better than a stagecoach, I can tell you that,” Joe told her. 

Alice said with guilt in her voice, “I do feel awful that we had to leave the baby though.” 

Joe gave her a small smile and gently took her hand. “She’ll be fine. It’s only for a couple of weeks. Just think of all the attention she’s gonna get from her grandfather and uncles.” 

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”  

Joe, while holding back laughter, told her, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll bring her back a present, how about that?” 

Alice gave him an annoyed glance. “I’m not going to spoil her with more toys she doesn’t need.” 

“Fine. I’ll spoil her then,” he said with a mischievous smile. 

Alice opened her mouth in disbelief and a smirk formed on her lips. She said, “If it were up to you, you would buy her everything in the store.” 

“That’s not true. I’d buy something for her mother too.” 

She shook her head and said, “You’re impossible.” 

Joe smiled and kissed her. “I’m gonna see if I can get some more coffee. Do you want anything?” 

“No, thank you. I’m fine.” 

“Okay.” He kissed her again as he got up from his seat. “I’ll be back.” 

Meanwhile, a few compartments down, Julian and Eleanor Bardot, a couple from New England and wanted for robbery, were inside their compartment. Eleanor took a look at a case containing stolen jewels. 

Eleanor picked up an emerald necklace and examined it. She smiled and asked, “How did you know it was my color?” Julian gave a soft chuckle as he poured a glass of champagne. Eleanor said, “You just better hope that detective is not on our trail.” 

Julian said, “Believe me, darling, he’s long gone by now. I always think ahead, remember?” He took a sip of champagne. 

She looked at the necklace and paused before she asked, “When are we going to stop running, Julian?” 

Julian walked over to her and took a seat in front of her. He took hold of her hand and said, “Soon, my love. We’ll start a brand new life together where no detective or sheriff will be able to find us. I’ll build you a house in the country like we talked about.” Eleanor hung her head down, not fully believing it. Julian said, “It’s just for a little while longer, Ella. Then we’ll have that dream of ours become a reality.” He placed his hand underneath her chin and lifted her head up to him. “All right?” She nodded her head in hesitation. Julian smiled. “That’s my girl.” He kissed her. 

All Eleanor ever wanted was to live a quiet life with the man she loved. Julian had promised to give up his thieving, gambling and scheming ways once they were married, but it continued throughout their marriage and she wondered if he loved that kind of life more than he loved her. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the compartment door opening. 

Joe said in embarrassment, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I guess I got the wrong compartment. Uh, excuse me, sorry.” He closed the door. 

Julian and Eleanor exchanged puzzled glances while Julian shrugged his shoulders. 

Joe continued down the aisle as other passengers walked past him. He slid out of the way since the walkway was very narrow. He came up to another compartment and stopped in front of it. He looked up and then shrugged his shoulders. He opened the compartment door and headed inside. 

A lady screamed. “Oh! You!” 

Joe shouted, “Hey, lady, wait!” He backed up out of the compartment. 

A woman hit him over the head with a satchel and said, “Oh, you nasty….”

“Wait! Lady. Lady!” Joe shouted. 

The woman repeatedly whacked him over the head. “Sicko! Pervert!” 

The conductor overheard the racket and stormed over to them. He shouted, “What the devil is going on in here?” 

The woman told him as Joe rubbed the back of his head, “This man came into my room when I was changing.” 

Joe said, “Lady, I swear to you, it was an accident, I didn’t mean to….” 

The conductor grabbed Joe by the collar. “Oh, a peepin’ Tom, eh?” 

“I’m not!” Joe responded, flabbergasted. “I would never. It’s just a misunderstanding, that’s all! I was looking for the dining car, see….” 

The Conductor yanked Joe and asked, “You expect me to believe that, ya peepin’ Tom?” 

Joe squeaked, “Stop calling me that! I’m tellin’ you, it was just a misunderstanding.” 

“All right, you better come with me. There’s only one way to deal with the likes of ya.” 

The conductor pulled Joe along by his shirt collar down the corridor. Joe pleaded, “Hey, wait a minute. Wait!” 

The woman held a stern gaze on Joe and lifted her chin up to him. “Hmph.” She turned around and walked back into her compartment. 

Alice sat in her seat when she heard Joe shouting. She turned and saw him being dragged down the aisle by the conductor, arguing back and forth with each other. She rose from her seat and got the conductor’s attention. “Sir? Hold on, where are you taking him?” 

“I caught this hooligan peepin’ at a woman in her compartment,” the conductor told her. 

Joe said, “Alice, I swear to you, it was only a misunderstanding. I walked into the wrong compartment. I had no idea she was in there, I swear.” 

The conductor jerked his head towards Joe, “You know this peepin’ Tom?” 

“Stop calling me that!” Joe shouted in exasperation. 

The conductor told him, “I call it like I see it, pal.” 

A mischievous smile spread across Alice’ s face and she decided to have a little fun with him. “Yes, sir, this peeping…heh, I mean this man is my husband.” 

“Well, no disrespect ma’am, but how can you stand to be with the likes of someone like him?” 

Alice tried to suppress a smirk as she shook her head and sighed. “It isn’t easy, but I’ve learned to put up with it.” 

Joe gave her a stern look. The conductor said, “Well, I suppose I’ll leave him in your custody.” He let go of Joe and then shook his finger at Alice. “But you make sure he stays out of trouble.” 

Alice furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh, I will, sir. Thank you.” 

He tipped his hat to her. “Good day, ma’am.” He headed back down the aisle. Alice could no longer control herself and she started laughing. Joe on the other hand didn’t find it very amusing at all. 

“Oh, that’s very funny. You realize I could have gotten thrown off this train?” 

Alice calmed her laughter down and then apologized. “Oh, Joe, I’m sorry. I was just having a little fun with you, that’s all.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m not. I’ve never been so humiliated in my life,” Joe said as he sat back down in his seat. “And to think I was gonna buy you a new dress.” 

She took a seat next to him, rolling her eyes. “Oh, come on, Joe, be a good sport, huh?” She playfully hit her shoulder against his. 

Joe covered a smirk with his hand. He looked over at her and said, “All right, fine.” 

Alice smiled wide and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Joe rubbed the back of his head and remarked, “Phew, whatever that lady had in her satchel bag, it really packs a wallop.” 

Alice giggled. Joe gave her a kiss and they tried to enjoy the remainder of the train ride together. 

***

Joe and Alice arrived in New Orleans. They hopped off of the train and gathered their bags. Joe turned around and the woman he had walked in on appeared right in front of him. He gave an awkward smile as he nodded his head to her. “Ma’am.” 

She held her chin up to him. “Hmph.” She turned and walked away. Joe raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He came up to Alice and asked, “Are you ready?” She nodded her head. “Let’s go.” 

They started moving with their bags in hand when Eleanor Bardot bumped into Alice and their bags fell to the ground. 

Eleanor said, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” 

“Oh, that’s all right,” Alice responded with a chuckle. 

Eleanor bent down along with Alice to pick up their bags while Julian helped them. He looked up and recognized Joe. 

“Oh, it’s you.” 

Joe gave an awkward smile. “It’s good to see you again.” 

Eleanor grabbed her bags along with Alice. Julian asked Eleanor, “You got them all?” 

“I hope so.” Eleanor looked over at Alice and apologized again. “I’m really very sorry about this. I should really watch where I’m going.” 

Alice smiled. “It’s all right, really.” 

Eleanor said, “Well, good day to you both.” 

“Good day to you,” Alice said. 

Julian hurried Eleanor along and Joe said goodbye to them. 

Alice asked, “Did you know them?” 

Joe gave a sideways smirk and said in embarrassment. “Well, I sort of walked in on them too.” 

“Oh.” Alice said while holding back laughter.

Joe remarked, “That train’s got way too many compartments.” 

Alice said, “Well, Joe, there is a solution.” 

“Oh? And what’s that?” he asked. 

“Knock next time, please?” 

Joe chuckled. “All right, I’ll keep that in mind. Come on.” 

Joe wrapped one arm around Alice and carried their bags with the other as they headed over to the hotel. 

***

Later that night after they got settled into their hotel room, Alice, in her nightgown, sat up in bed. She asked Joe, “Are you coming to bed?” 

“In a little while. I was gonna see about that flier I saw of this big fight that’s supposed to take place in town.” 

Alice scoffed. “Fighting. I don’t know how you could ever watch something so dreadful.” 

“Because it’s fun and exciting that’s how,” Joe disputed. 

“It’s barbaric.” 

Joe shook his head with an annoyed expression and remarked, “Typical woman. Your idea of fun and exciting is chatting over tea about clothes, babies, or knitting.” 

Alice opened her mouth for a rebuttal against Joe’s claims, but figured it was no use. 

“Well, you’ll be going alone. I was hoping we could do something we could enjoy together and watching a fight is not what I had in mind on a second honeymoon.” 

“We can still have some fun together. After all, we’re gonna be here for two weeks.” He went over to her bedside and said, “I’ll be back in a minute.” He gave her a kiss. 

“Try not to be too long,” Alice said. 

“I won’t,” Joe said before heading out the door. 

Alice laid down and pulled the covers over her. 

Meanwhile, an inebriated man staggered down the hall and found his way into Joe and Alice’s room; mistaking it for his own. He hobbled over to the bed and sat down before removing his clothes and boots, leaving only his long johns. He got underneath the covers and pulled them over him. 

Alice stirred a little. She opened her eyes and saw the inebriated man next to her. She quickly sat up and squealed. 

He shot up like a jackrabbit as he yelled, “What? What’s goin’ on?” 

Joe came back into the room. “Well, I couldn’t find anything about the fight, but I…” He looked up and saw Alice in bed with a stranger. He yelled, “Hey!” 

The inebriated man raised his hands up. “It’s not…hiccup…what it looks like.” 

Joe shouted, “What the heck do you think you’re doing with my wife?” 

“Your wife?” He looked to his right and saw Alice. He bowed his head to her. “How do ma’am?” 

Alice rolled her eyes. 

“All right, you’re outta here, pal.” Joe grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him to the door. 

He slurred, “Wait. I’s just tryin’ to find the...hiccup…water closet.” Joe tossed him out the door. The inebriated man said, “Wait. You forgot my…” Joe threw his clothes in his face followed by his boots and then slammed the door. “Hiccup…Thank…you.” 

Inside the room, Joe shook his head and sighed in irritation. “Unbelievable. I leave you alone for two minutes and some man comes barging in here, trying to steal you away from me.” 

Alice held back laughter as she said, “Joe, he was drunk. He didn’t know what he was doing.” 

“I’m not so sure,” Joe said as he unbuttoned his shirt. 

“Joe, let’s just forget about it and go to bed, all right?” 

Joe glanced over at her with raised eyebrows. “I find my wife in bed with another man and you want me to just forget about it?” He removed his shirt and hung it up. 

“Joe, come on, it’s late. Let’s just go to bed, please?” She patted the pillow next to her. 

Joe sighed, “All right.” He got into bed and underneath the covers. 

Alice cuddled up to him and moved her finger tips along his bare chest. “Just think of all the fun we’re gonna have together. No interruptions from your pa, Candy, Jamie or even the baby although I miss her terribly.” 

“Yeah, that’s true. I sometimes wish we were alone like this all the time,” he told her. 

She smiled. “Well, we’re alone now.” 

Joe returned the smile; a little devilish one. “Mm-hm.” He gazed into eyes before his lips touched hers. 

Alice pulled away and Joe moved his lips down to her neck. “Joe?” 

“Mm-hm?” 

“Do you think maybe we could just talk?” she asked. 

Joe lifted his head up to her and crinkled his eyebrows. “What?” 

“Talk. You know, just have a normal conversation as husband and wife,” she said. 

Joe raised his eyebrows. “Talk? What would you want to go and do that for?” 

Alice gave a small smirk. “Because I don’t want us to become one of those boring couples who never have anything to talk about.” 

“We have plenty to talk about, but I’d rather just keep kissing you,” he said with a soft chuckle. 

“Well, I don’t. I want us to have a nice and pleasant conversation. Now come on.” 

Joe sighed. “All right.” 

She smiled and sat back up again along with Joe. They sat there for several awkward seconds as neither of them knew how to start or what to say. 

Alice turned to him and asked, “So. How is that contract with your pa coming along?” 

“Oh, it’s fine,” Joe replied. 

She nodded with a smile. “Oh. That’s good.” 

They sat in silence for several more awkward seconds when Alice sighed. “Surely there must be something we can talk about.” Joe shrugged his shoulders. Alice then gave in. “All right, fine, you win.” A mischievous smile escaped Joe’s lips and he leaned into her when she brought those lips to a halt with her hand. “Goodnight,” she said and laid back down again. 

Joe laid there dumbfounded. He sighed and said in a disappointed tone, “Goodnight.” 

He laid his head down on the pillow and glanced over at Alice. He shook his head at her with an annoyed expression and closed his eyes. 

Chapter Three 

The next day, Joe showed Alice around New Orleans. They walked along the boardwalk with the crowd moving about. 

They came across an old worn down building with rust, moss and brush covering it. Joe pointed to the building and told Alice, “This is where my pa first met my mother. He was sent to bring a message to her from a friend who saved his life and he owed him a favor. My mother was his friend’s widow at the time. Pa said it definitely wasn’t love at first sight. She was a spitfire of a woman; very stubborn.” 

Alice remarked, “Now I know where you get it from.”

Joe said, “She was also very lovely and kind. She had a certain way about her that drew my pa to her. He never expected to fall in love with her.” He hung his head down and said with sadness in his voice, “I wish I had gotten to know her.” 

Alice gave a small smile. “I’m sure I would have liked her.” 

Joe looked over at her and smiled. “I’m sure she would have liked you.” He brought her hand up to him and kissed it. “Come on, I’ll show you another place Pa told me about.” 

They continued on down the boardwalk as Joe held onto Alice’s hand. 

Joe and Alice came across a gateway and Joe led her through it. They walked up to a bench surrounded by flowers. 

“This place is called the Convent. Pa said he saw my mother sitting there on that bench and it was the first time he had really looked at her and thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her beauty radiated from her. He still remembers the conversation they had right here on this bench together.” 

Alice smiled as she imagined a young Ben and Marie sitting there side-by-side together. 

“Pa said she was very elegant and graceful in the way she spoke. He loved everything about her.” 

Alice looked around the Convent and remarked, “It is very beautiful here.” 

“Yeah, it is. Come on.” He took hold of her hand and they left Convent together. 

Joe then took Alice to a courtyard and they saw two men dressed in fencing gear playing a match together. 

Joe said, “My mother was a great fencer. She loved the sport and Pa said I must have inherited that same love and talent for fencing as her.” 

Alice raised her eyebrows at him. “You know how to fence?” 

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at it too. Here, let me show you.” Joe came up to one of the men and motioned towards the sword in his hand. “May I?” 

He handed Joe the sword and Joe then got into position in front of his opponent. He held the sword out in front of him with his knees bent slightly. He then clashed the sword against his opponent. 

Joe gracefully moved the sword along as Alice watched with intrigue. He got the upper hand and struck his opponent, winning the round. He brought the sword down and shook his opponent’s hand. The man said, “You’re pretty good.” 

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Joe told him. He handed the sword back over to the other gentleman and said to them, “I’ll let you two get back to your game.” He took the sword from Joe and the men got back to their match. 

Joe walked back over to Alice who clapped her hands and said, “Very impressive.” 

He bowed his head to her. “Thank you, madam.” 

She gave a soft giggle and asked, “Would you teach me?” 

He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “I guess I could show you a thing or two sometime. I may even teach our daughter someday.” 

She smiled. “That would be a lovely idea.” 

He took her hand and they left the courtyard. 

As they were walking, Joe chuckled. Alice looked up at him in puzzlement. “What?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about the time Adam and I had to teach Hoss how to fence. Hoss had insulted this French fella and he challenged him to a duel.” 

“What?” Alice said with a chuckle. 

“Yeah. And Hoss was not the greatest swordsman I can tell you that. Poor Hoss, I loved him, but he was not the fastest learner. He was a good sport about it though.” 

Joe and Alice turned a street corner when Alice asked, “How did your brothers’ feel about your mother?” 

“Well, Hoss was excited because he had never had a mother before. His mother died not too long after he was born. Adam though wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of having another mother. You see, Hoss’s mother was the only mother Adam ever really knew and loved. So I guess he sort of felt like Pa was trying to replace her. He eventually came around though.” 

Joe and Alice heard the sound of children screaming and giggling. They turned and saw a little boy and girl running towards them, nearly bumping into them. 

The little boy chased the little girl around them as Joe giggled. He ruffled the boy’s hair and they ran off. 

Alice shook her head, smiling. She laid her head down on Joe’s shoulder as they walked down the street side-by-side with her arm looped through his. 

***

The next day, Joe and Alice were outside as they sat at a picnic table playing a game of checkers. 

Joe looked down at the board and rubbed his chin as he contemplated his next move. He looked up at Alice and with a mischievous grin and said, “It’s your move, my dear.” 

She glanced at the board with a sideways smirk when she saw an opening. A big smile spread across her face. 

Joe noticed and told her, “You better not make that move.” Alice started to move her hand. He said, “I’m warning ya. You’re gonna make me mad.” 

She raised one eyebrow at him as she moved her piece diagonally across the board over his pieces, winning the game. She smiled. “It looks like I win again.” 

“Oh, I’m gonna getcha for that, come here!” 

Joe shot up from his seat and Alice squealed. She started running and he playfully chased after her. 

Alice giggled as she hurried behind a tree. She peeked her head out when Joe caught up to her. She squealed as she tried to escape. Joe moved from side-to-side as he tried to grab her. She turned and ran off. He shouted with a chuckle, “Hey!” He hurried after her when Alice tripped and collapsed onto the grass. Joe caught up to her and chuckled as he bent down to her. “Are you all right?” Alice turned around and grabbed his arm, pulling him down to her. “Whoa!” He collapsed onto the grass next to her and they both started laughing. 

They calmed their laughter down and gazed into each other’s eyes. Joe tenderly placed his hand up to the side of her face. He slowly leaned into her and they kissed.  

Joe pulled away and cracked, “You were cheating somehow, I know it.” Alice giggled. Joe kissed her again and wrapped his arms around her. They fell over onto the grass, laughing. 

***

Later that evening, Joe and Alice relaxed in their hotel room. Joe sat in a chair reading a book while Alice sewed up a hole in one of Joe’s shirts. She shook her head and told him, “I don’t know how you keep going through all of your shirts like this.” 

Joe, with his gaze fixed on his book, responded, “Easy. When you work on a ranch as long as I have, it’s bound to happen once in a while.” 

Alice crinkled her eyebrows. She held up the shirt and asked, “Are these bullet holes?” 

Joe stammered, “Well, you see….” He gave a nervous chuckle when there was a knock at the door. Joe sighed in relief. “I’ll get it.” Joe put the book down and shot up from the chair. 

Alice shook her head with a smirk.

Joe answered the door. It was a sheriff. Joe looked at him puzzled and asked, “Can I help you with something, sheriff?” 

The sheriff removed his hat. “Yes, I was told by the conductor that you and your wife were a few of the passengers aboard the express train from Virginia City.” 

Joe glanced over at Alice who came up next to him. “Yeah, why? What’s this about?” he asked. 

“Well, we’ve been looking for a couple who smuggled some stolen diamonds on the train and I’m sorry but we need to search your belongings. I have a warrant right here.” He took out a piece of paper from inside his vest pocket and handed it to Joe. 

Joe looked at it and scoffed. “All right, but I guarantee you, you’re not gonna find anything.” Joe handed him back the warrant. 

The sheriff said, “Well, we’ll see about that.” 

He signaled for his men to search the place. Alice gave Joe a look of concern and Joe just shrugged his shoulders. 

As the sheriff searched one of Alice’s bags, Joe came up to him and said, “Look, sheriff, I’m telling you this is just a waste of time, so if you’ll tell your men to please leave.…” 

“A waste of time, huh?” The sheriff pulled out a diamond emerald necklace. “Then what’s this?” He held it up to him. 

Joe and Alice’ s eyes widened. Joe said, “Wait, that’s not…how did…?” 

“I think we found our jewel thieves,” the sheriff said.

Joe said in exasperation, “Now wait a minute, sheriff, there must be some kind of mistake.” 

The sheriff responded, “Oh, yeah? And I suppose this isn’t your bag, huh?” 

Alice answered, “It’s my bag, sheriff, but those aren’t mine. I never stole anything, I’m telling you the truth.”

“Well, this says otherwise, ma’am.” He glanced over at one of his men and said, “Jed.” 

Jed grabbed hold of Alice who looked over at Joe as fear overwhelmed her. “Joe?” 

Joe tried to intervene as he yelled, “Hey, get your hands off her!” 

The sheriff grabbed Joe’s arm. “You two are under arrest. Let’s go fellas.” 

The sheriff pulled Joe to the door. Joe shouted, “Hey, wait a minute, listen to me, sheriff! You got the wrong…hey!” 

Joe continued yelling as Jed pulled Alice out the door. They all left the hotel and headed over to the jailhouse. 

Chapter Four 

Joe and Alice were being held inside a jail cell having just been accused and arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewels. Joe pleaded, “Sheriff, if you would just listen to me.” 

The sheriff came up to the for cell. “I’m listening.” 

Joe sighed. “Now, look. We did not steal anything, we’re telling you the truth!” 

“Then how come those jewels ended up in your wife’s bag, huh?” 

“I don’t know how they ended up in her bag, but we didn’t steal them and I don’t have any idea who this Bardot fella is. My name’s Cartwright, Joe Cartwright.” 

The sheriff folded his arms and asked, “And can you prove you’re this uh…Cartwheel?” 

Joe rolled his eyes. “Cartwright and yes I can prove it to you. I’ll prove it right now. I got my wallet right…” He felt around for his wallet and then turned around to Alice, sitting down on the cot. “Honey, where’s my wallet?” he stammered. 

Alice removed her hand from underneath her chin and responded, “You left it in one of your jackets back at the hotel.” 

“Oh.” Joe looked at the sheriff and said, “Well, if you’ll just let me get my wallet from the hotel and I can prove it to you.” 

The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t think so.” 

Joe started to lose his temper and his patience. He shouted, “Look, sheriff, I’m telling you…” 

“Save it for the judge when he gets here tomorrow, Bardot.” 

The sheriff walked over to the door. Joe said under his breath in annoyance, “Bardot. It’s Cartwright!” he yelled. “Joe Cartwright and if you don’t believe me, you can wire my Pa in Virginia City; his name is Ben Cartwright of the Pondero…” The jail door slammed shut. “Hey! Sheriff!” 

Alice said, “Joe, it’s no use. He doesn’t believe us.” 

Joe sighed in frustration and moved away from the bars. He said in disbelief, “I don’t believe this. I just don’t believe it.” 

Alice hesitated before she said, “Joe? You do believe me when I say I didn’t take them, don’t you?” 

Joe looked over at her and gave a small smile. “Of course I believe you.” He walked up to a small window and leaned his elbow against it. “You couldn’t have taken them.” 

Alice placed her hands down in her lap. “I guess I just needed to be sure. There must be some explanation for how those ended up in my bag.” 

Joe responded, “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out ever since we got here. It just doesn’t make any sense.” 

Alice asked, “Is there anything you can think of; anything at all you can remember?” 

Joe shook his head. “No. I just remember us getting off the train, gathering our bags, and then we…” His face lit up and he snapped his finger. “Wait a minute. That woman you bumped into at the train station, you dropped your bag. She must have picked up your bag by mistake and the one containing the jewels…” 

“Was hers,” Alice said. 

Joe said, “They must be the couple the sheriff is after.”

“Oh, Joe, we’ve got to find them.” 

“And tell them what? I’m sorry, but we picked up your bag containing stolen jewels by mistake and now the sheriff thinks we’re the ones wanted for robbery? I don’t think they’re gonna want to help us. For all we know, they could have switched them on purpose so they could make a clean getaway and we’d take the fall for it. He did seem in an awful hurry to get out of there; it makes perfect sense.” 

Alice hung her head down and asked, “Then what do we do?” 

Joe sighed. “I don’t know. Our only hope would be to wire Pa and tell him what happened. I just need to get a message to him somehow, but that sheriff won’t even bother listening to me. Unless…” 

Alice lifted her head back up. “What?”

Joe walked over to her and said, “Unless I can convince the judge to let you go. I can tell him that it was all my idea and you had nothing to do with it. Then he’ll let you go and you can then take the stage back to Virginia City and tell Pa what happened.” 

Alice got up from the bunk bed. “Joe, no.” 

“It’s the only way,” Joe told her. 

“No, I’m not leaving you here. I’m not letting you confess to something you didn’t do! I won’t.” Alice placed her hand up to the side of his face. “I’m staying right here with you.” 

Joe scoffed as a small smile escaped his lips. “I guess I’m not the only stubborn one in the family, huh?” 

Alice returned that smile as she held back tears. Joe kissed her forehead when she asked, “Oh, Joe, what’s going to happen to us? What’s going to happen to our baby?” 

Joe took hold of her face and looked into her eyes. “Nothing is gonna happen to her because we are gonna get back to her somehow. I swear to you we will.” 

Alice’s breath shuddered as her head fell on his chest. Joe held her close and stroked her head. 

“I’m gonna get us out of this, I promise. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” Joe lifted her head up to him. “All right?” She nodded. He brushed his hand against her cheek. “Hey. At least we’re together, huh?” 

She gave a faint smile and he kissed her again. He pressed his head against hers and whispered, “I love you.” 

“I love you,” she said, tearfully.

Suddenly, Joe and Alice heard a little voice whisper, “Psst, hey.” 

Joe’s head jerked up, crinkling his eyebrows. “Did you hear something?” 

“No.” 

The little voice grew louder. “Hey. Over here!” 

Joe headed over to the window and took a peek outside when a man in a brown fedora hat appeared at the window. 

Joe flinched. “Who are you?” he asked.  

“No time to explain. I came to get you outta here.” 

Joe said in puzzlement, “Get us out of here?” 

“Yeah. With this.” He held up a stick of dynamite. 

Joe said, “Wait a minute, who sent you?” 

“No one. Like I said, we don’t have much time. Now, do you want me to get you out of there or not?” 

As anxious as Joe was to be free from that jail, he was still cautious. “Wait, how do we know we can trust you?” 

The man in the fedora hat responded, “Well, you better decide now. Because I just lit the dynamite.” 

Joe gave a puzzled look. “The dyna…” His eyes widened. “The dynamite!” 

He bolted from the window and grabbed Alice’s hand, yanking her down with him to the opposite corner of the cell. The dynamite exploded creating a big enough hole for them to escape. 

Joe looked down at Alice and asked, “Are you all right?” 

“I think so.” 

The man in the fedora hat came through the hole and motioned his hand towards them. “Come on, follow me. Hurry!” 

Joe took Alice’s hand and helped her back up. They hurried through the hole of the jail cell, overhearing the sheriff, shouting, “Hey! What’s going on in there?” 

Joe and Alice hurried down the street and followed the man into the bushes. They made it far enough away from town and then stopped to catch their breath. 

The man in the fedora hat said, “I think we should be far enough away from them now.” 

Joe said, “I thank you for helping us, but what I want to know is why?” 

“Because I know who the real crooks are. I’ve seen’em with my own two eyes.” 

“The Bardots?” Joe asked. 

He nodded. “That’s right. I’ve been following them since I was assigned this case as far back as Reno. I lost them on the way to New Orleans, but then I found out the sheriff arrested them, so I came to the jail and saw you two. That’s when I knew they got the wrong perps. No offense.” 

Joe said, “That’s all right, so you can prove that me and my wife are innocent?” 

“Sure I can. The only problem is, I don’t know how. Not without proof.” Joe slumped his shoulders. “But we can come up with a plan as soon as we get to my place, it’s not too far from here. Come on, let’s go.” 

The man took off through the trees. Joe and Alice exchanged puzzled glances and followed after him. 

The man in the fedora hat led Joe and Alice to a rundown shack. He said, “Well, this here’s my place.” He tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He grunted, “I just…need to…” The door creaked and then burst open, flinging him through the door as dust flew through the air. He coughed. “Whew. There we are.” 

Joe and Alice stepped up to the doorway. The man said, “Well, make yourself at home.” 

Joe stepped inside the shack with Alice trailing behind him. The man removed his hat and coat. “You’ll have to excuse the mess, I didn’t exactly expect any company.” 

Alice gave him a small smile and responded, “Oh, that’s all right.” 

The man remarked, “Cozy, huh?” 

Joe said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Oh, yeah, it’s real’ nice.” 

The man wiped the dust off the table. Alice told him, “It’s lovely.” 

Joe raised his eyebrow at her like she must be joking. Alice in return gave him a look like he better behave himself. 

The man came up to them and said, “Forgive me, but I never properly introduced myself. The name’s Abner, Abner Jenkins.” He offered his hand.  

“Oh, I’m Joe Cartwright and this is my wife, Alice.” Abner took Alice’s hand. She smiled and said hello to him. 

“Pleasure to meet you,” Abner said. “Well, why don’t we have a seat and talk.” Abner grabbed a few wooden chairs and placed them at the table. He pulled out one of the chairs for Alice. “Ma’am.” 

“Thank you.” She took a seat. 

Abner offered, “I can make some tea or coffee if you’d like.” 

“Oh, I can do that,” Alice said as she got up out of the chair. 

Abner said, “Oh, no, ma’am, no need to do that. I mean, you’re my guest.” 

“It’s no trouble, really. After all, you did save me and my husband so it’s the least I could do.” 

Abner gave a shy smile. “Oh, well, thank you, ma’am.” 

Alice headed into the kitchen while Abner took a seat across from Joe. Alice went over to the stove and picked up the teapot when a little mouse appeared. She squealed. Abner and Joe head’s snapped up. 

Abner asked in concern, “What’s wrong?” 

“You have a little furry visitor,” Alice said through gritted teeth. 

Joe tried to hold back a smirk. Abner responded, “Oh, that’s just Wilbur. He won’t harm you.” 

Alice pursed her lips and turned back around to the stove. 

Joe turned to Abner. “You said you could help us.” 

“Right. We just need to find Bardot and his wife and we can prove you didn’t steal the jewels.”

“Yeah, but how do we find them?” Joe asked. 

“That’s a good question.” 

Alice brought them each a cup of tea and set it down on the table. 

Abner thanked her. Joe waved his hand towards the cup. “I’m fine, honey, thanks.” He looked back up at Abner and said, “You said you were tracking them. What happened?” 

“Well, I lost them,” Abner responded with guilt in his voice. 

“I know that, but how?” 

Abner said in hesitation, “Well…I was distracted by Miss Lily Boswell.” 

“Who’s that?” Joe asked in puzzlement. 

“Who’s Miss Lily Boswell?” Abner said in disbelief. He looked ahead with a dream-like gaze. “Why she’s the prettiest girl this old cat ever laid eyes on. She has eyes that twinkle like stars, her hair is gold like the sun. She smiles like a…” 

Joe interrupted him. “Hold on, are you telling me that you lost our only chance at proving our innocence all because you got distracted by a girl?” 

Alice remarked with a mischievous smile, “It sounds like you two have a lot in common, Joe.” 

Joe glanced over at her in annoyance and gave a mock smile. 

Abner said, “But she would never go for a fella like me anyway.” 

Joe asked, “How do you know this Bardot fella and his wife anyhow?” 

“Oh, I was assigned their case. Their names are Julian and Eleanor Bardot. They hail all the way from New England. I’m a detective you see, but not a very good one. The fellas at the agency call me “Jenks” since I loused up a lot of cases due to my clumsiness. I’m the laughing stock of the whole detective agency and this case is my one chance to prove I can be a great detective. And to impress Miss Lily.” 

Alice gave a small smile and said in a sympathetic tone, “Abner, that isn’t the way to get a girl to notice you. She should like you for who you are, not what you do for a living.”

Abner shrugged his shoulders. “Well, maybe.” 

Joe said to Abner, “Why don’t you start from the beginning.” 

“Oh, well, I met Miss Lily when I was…” 

Joe rolled his eyes. “No, no, no. I mean when did you last see the Bardots?” 

“Oh, well…” Abner paused. “I remember watching them board the train and I had my ticket with me, then out walked Miss Lily from that little flower shop she loves to visit in Virginia City.” He gave that same starry look in his eyes. “I can see why she loves flowers, being that she’s named after one and all. Lilies are my favorite flower, you know, because they remind me of her.” 

Joe interrupted him again. “Abner? Let’s just stick to the subject please.” 

Alice tried to keep from laughing. Abner nodded. “Right, well, next thing I knew, the train was gone and then I had to wait on the next one which wasn’t until the morning. So now I don’t know where they are.” 

“Well, we’ve seen them,” Joe told him. 

Abner’s face lit up as he said, “You have? When?” 

“It was on the train. Well, I came across them first, but…” 

“Hold on, hold on.” Abner grabbed a notepad and pen out of his jacket pocket. He said, “Now, when did you see them?” 

“Okay, I first came across them on the train. I walked in on them when I was looking for the dining car…” 

Abner asked, “You walked in on them?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You didn’t knock first?” 

Joe looked away from him in annoyance. Alice tried to suppress a smirk. She found Joe’s aggravation with Abner amusing. Joe shook his head. “No. Anyway, we arrived in New Orleans and got off the train. After we picked up our bags, my wife ran into the woman and she dropped her bags and we think our bags got mixed up with hers and we ended up with the jewels.” 

“Oh, the old switcheroo, huh? Perfect.” Abner wrote it down in his notepad. 

Joe said in disbelief, “Perfect? How’s that? We ended up in jail because of it.” 

“Oh, I know, but this changes things. If they find the jewels missing, they’re gonna want them back right?” 

“Right.” 

“So, they must still be here in New Orleans. All we need to do is come up with a plan to lure them in.” 

“Yeah, but how?” Joe asked. 

“They want the jewels, right? So we give them the jewels.” Abner pulled a red ruby out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Joe looked down at the ruby and asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s a fake, but Bardot won’t know that because it’ll look just like the real ones.” 

Joe picked up the ruby and inspected it. “Hm.” He handed it over to Alice who took a look at it. 

Abner said, “You can’t tell the difference, can you?” 

Alice shook her head. “No, it certainly looks real to me.” Alice handed it back over to Abner. 

“Then we shouldn’t have any problem with them taking the bait.” Abner placed the ruby back in his pocket. “Now, we just need to find them. I’m gonna need your help with that.” 

“Sure, anything we can do to help.” Joe then said to him with a cocky tone of voice, “In fact I’ve dabbled in some detective work myself.” 

Abner said with intrigue in his voice, “Really?” 

Alice said to Joe, “I hardly think reading detective novels is considered detective work.” 

“Oh, but you don’t know about the time I solved a case with my brother, Hoss,” Joe told her. 

Abner perked up. “A case? Oh, what was it about?” 

Alice said in a sarcastic tone, “Yes, I’m sure this will be very interesting to hear.” 

Joe gave her an annoyed smirk and then told Abner a story.

“Well, you see, my brother Hoss and I; we had to take care of some business for my pa in town. We went to the bank and I overheard these two fellas plotting to rob the bank. So I get Hoss in on it and we come up with a plan to catch them. But uh…” Joe hesitated. 

Abner asked, “Well, did you?” 

Joe said in a guilty tone, “Well, we tried to get some information out of one of them and uh…we ended up getting drunk and so we weren’t able to find out anything. Pa was pretty mad about that.” 

Alice placed her hand underneath her chin and rested her elbow on the table as she smiled at him and listened intently. 

“So then we think we finally caught them, but it turns out that it was our pa and the sheriff instead.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Pa was pretty mad about that too, so he left us in jail.” 

Alice folded her arms over the table as she tried to hold back laughter. 

Joe held his index finger up and said, “But then we finally did catch them and they tried to escape. We started fighting them, but then it turned out it was my pa and the sheriff again. We knocked them out cold. It was pretty dark so it was hard to tell who it was. We did eventually catch them though. Well, the sheriff did.” 

Abner sat there dumbfounded. “Boy. You’re an even lousier detective than I am.” 

Joe gave a sideways smirk and Alice patted his hand. 

Abner said, “Well, it’s getting late. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping for the night.” He got up from the table along with Joe and Alice and then led them to a bedroom. 

Abner opened the bedroom door which made a creaking sound. He motioned his hand to the room. “Here you are.” 

Joe and Alice stepped into the tiny bedroom with the single bed in the middle of the room. 

“Well, see you in the morning.” Abner closed the door. 

Alice looked around and said, “Well, it’s better than sleeping in a jailhouse.” 

Joe and Alice heard another creaking noise and little particles of white dust fell on top of Joe’s head. Alice gasped. 

Joe remarked in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, yeah. I feel right at home.” 

Alice placed her hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back laughter. Joe shook the dust off him while Alice chuckled and helped brush the dust out of his hair. 

***

Meanwhile, Julian and Eleanor Bardot were in their hotel room as Julian looked through the entire hotel room for the jewels. 

“Now, are you sure you didn’t leave them on the train?” 

“Yes, I’m positive. I put them right there in that bag.” She pointed to a bag sitting on top of the bed. 

Julian responded in a sharp tone, “Well, they’re not there now!” 

“Well, they must be here somewhere,” she said, anxiously. 

Julian shouted, “I’ve looked everywhere, they’re not here!” 

Eleanor told him, “Well, I know I put them in that bag. They couldn’t have just disappeared.” 

Julian calmed himself and said, “All right. What is it that you do remember?” 

Eleanor took a deep breath. “Well. I remember I had the bag with me when I got off the train. Then I ran into that woman outside of the station. We dropped our bags.” Eleanor let out a soft gasp. “She must have my bag.” 

Julian sighed and said in a sarcastic tone, “Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant, Ella.” 

Eleanor became consumed with guilt. “I’m sorry. Our bags must have looked a lot alike.” Julian rubbed his temple. Eleanor asked, “What do we do?” 

“We’ll just have to get them back.”

Eleanor said in disbelief, “Get them back? Julian, we can’t go back. That detective could still be out there looking for us.” 

“Well, it’s a chance we are going to have to take. I need those jewels, Ella.” 

Eleanor tried reasoning with him. “Julian, forget about the jewels. We don’t need them.” 

“Those jewels are the key to our future together, Ella,” Julian placed his hand up to the side of her face. 

Eleanor looked into his eyes as she told him, “I don’t want to keep running, Julian.” 

“And we won’t. This will be the last time. I promise.”

She nodded her head in agreement, although deep down, she still felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. 

“We’ll start back in the morning.” Julian kissed her and then headed into the bedroom. 

Eleanor wanted to believe more than anything that he was telling the truth, but a part of her also believed it wouldn’t be the last time. 

***

Back at Abner’s place, Joe and Alice laid in the tiny bed of Abner’s guest room. Joe turned around and pounded his hand against the pillow making dust fly through the air. He turned back around and tried to get comfortable. 

Alice, who was still awake, looked over at him and said in an annoyed tone, “Joe, could you please settle down?” 

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t help it,” Joe responded in aggravation. 

“Well, try to get some sleep, okay?” 

Joe sighed and then remarked, “Some honeymoon, huh?” 

Alice couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I’ll admit, it’s not what I pictured for us exactly, but it is exciting.” 

“Yeah, you can’t say our lives are boring now, can you?” 

“No.” She wrapped her arm over him and said, “And I hope to have many more exciting adventures like this one with you. Well, except for the getting arrested part.” 

Joe chuckled, softly. “Me too. And in a nicer place too.” 

“Oh, it’s not so bad. And it’s like you said. At least we’re together.” 

Joe smiled. “That’s right.” They exchanged a kiss. “Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight.” 

They laid their heads down on their pillows. 

Alice said, “I hope there aren’t any other furry little friends of Abners I’m not aware of.” 

“Oh, like that one above your head right there?” Joe asked. 

Alice squealed as she huddled close to him. Joe burst out in a fit of giggles. She slapped him on the shoulder. 

“Joe!” She tried to hold back laughter herself as she said, “That isn’t funny.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said while still giggling. “Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight,” she said in annoyance. 

They both finally drifted off to sleep. 

Chapter Five

The next day, Julian Bardot walked down the boardwalk in town when he came across a saloon. He came to a stop and peeked over the folding doors while the sound of saloon music blared in the background. 

Across the street, Abner peeked his head out from around the corner and he saw Julian head inside the saloon. Abner backed away slowly and then hurried off in the other direction. 

***

Meanwhile, back at Abner’s place, Alice swept the floor as Joe sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a book in his hands on how to solve crimes. He shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. 

“I remember how fascinated I was with this book; wanting to be like the detectives in these stories. I think Abner took the same notes I did.” He looked up from the book and noticed Alice sweeping. He asked with a puzzled expression, “What the heck are you doing?” 

Alice took a brief pause from sweeping and answered, “Well, I thought to keep my mind occupied with something, so why not tidy up the place.” 

Joe remarked as he looked back down at the book, “Well, it’ll take years with this place.” He gave a soft giggle. 

She looked at him in annoyance and shook her head. 

Joe started to take another sip of coffee when the door burst open. Abner screamed, “I found him!” Joe jumped as the coffee cup spilled over in his hands. Abner came up to him and repeated, “I found him, I found Bardot. I saw him walk inside the Sazerac saloon.” 

“That’s great, Abner,” Joe responded in an annoyed tone as he set the coffee cup back down. “You could have warned us if you were gonna come barging through the door like that.” 

“Oh, sorry. We just need to come up with a plan to catch him red-handed with the jewels.” 

“With the fake jewels,” Joe said. 

Abner nodded. “Right.” He took a seat at the table next to Joe. Alice put the broom down and joined them at the table. Abner told them, “I have an idea that might work, but I need your help.” 

Joe responded, “I told you, Abner, we’ll do anything we can to help, just name it.” 

“Well….” Abner looked up at Joe and asked, “You know how to play poker?” 

Alice looked over at Joe and smiled. “Well, he certainly knows how to lose at poker, don’t you, sweetheart?” She brushed her hand over his silver curls. 

Joe rolled his eyes and said with a sigh, “Yes, I know how to play poker.” 

“Good, because I need you to lose,” Abner told him. 

Joe raised his eyebrow at him. “What?” 

“I need you to lose. But you won’t be betting for money. You’ll be betting with the jewels, the fake jewels. You see, Julian Bardot is also an impulsive gambler. And he’d do anything to get his hands on the loot. So we’re gonna give it to him.” 

“Yeah, but what makes you think he’ll believe they’re the real ones?” Joe asked. 

“If he’s desperate enough, he’ll believe it. And besides, you couldn’t even tell the difference yourselves, could you?” 

Joe and Alice exchanged glances. Joe shrugged his shoulders. “No.” 

“Then we should have no trouble. You just have to be convincing enough.” 

Joe said, “Well, I’ll do my best.” He shook his head slightly and told him, “It’s gonna be awful tough though; losing a game on purpose.” 

Alice rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can handle it. Remember what we talked about swallowing your pride?” 

Joe gave her a mock smile. Abner looked at Alice and said, “Now, Alice. You’re gonna be my eyes and ears. You’re gonna be inside the saloon with Joe as a saloon girl.” 

Joe looked at Alice and gave a light-hearted chuckle. 

Alice pressed her lips in a firm line and said to Abner, “I don’t think so.” 

Joe looked over at her as he placed his elbow on the table with his hand underneath his chin. “Uh, Alice, honey. What was that you said about swallowing your pride?” 

Alice said with a sigh, “It’s more like my dignity.” Joe smirked. She looked at Abner and asked, “What do I have to do?” 

“You won’t hardly have to do a thing. Just act casual and keep an eye out for Bardot,” Abner told her. 

Alice said, “Yes, but you know how those men are in saloons.” 

Joe raised his eyebrows, somewhat offended by her accusation. “Those men? And what men are you referring to exactly?” 

She sighed. “Joe, I don’t mean you and Candy, you’re both the exception. I mean the men who get very rowdy and drunk– start fights. Flirt with women.” 

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Anybody that tries anything with you better watch their backs.” Joe took her hand and told her, “They’re not gonna get away with trying to steal my girl.” He brought her hand up to him and kissed it making Alice blush. 

Abner said, “So you’ll do it?” 

Alice took a breath. “Well, if it helps us to catch them, then yes, I’ll do it.” 

Abner’s face lit up. “Great! Now, let’s go over the rest of the plan.” 

Abner leaned his head forward and went over the plan with them as Joe and Alice listened intently. 

***

Later that afternoon, Alice changed into a saloon girl outfit behind a curtain.

Joe paced back and forth. He asked, impatiently, “Are you ready yet?” 

“Just about,” she replied. 

Joe continued pacing. “Well, hurry up, Abner’s waiting on us.” 

Alice came out from behind the curtain wearing a short pink and black corset dress with pink feathers; her hair pinned up in a bun. Joe turned around, took one look at her with raised eyebrows and whistled. “Mmm-hm.” He fixed his gaze on her as he walked around her. 

Alice shook her head at him and said in a stern voice, “You better not make fun of me.” 

Joe placed his hand over his chest, offended by her remark. “Now, would I ever do that to you?” A smile formed on his lips. “You look great.” 

She motioned to the back of her dress and said, “I just need help with the…” 

“Oh, right.” Joe took the back of the dress and buttoned it up. “There.” 

“Thanks.” She turned around to him and told him, “I’m a little nervous.” 

Joe placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders and reassured her. “You’ll be fine. Remember, I’ll be there with you the whole time.” 

She gave a small smile. “That makes me feel better.” 

He smiled and gave her a loving gaze before he wrapped his arm securely around her waist and kissed her. There was a knock at the door. 

“Are you decent?” 

Alice pulled away from Joe and looked down at her somewhat revealing outfit and remarked, “Not as decent as I’d like to be.” 

Joe gave a soft chuckle and said, “It’s all right, Abner, you can come in.” 

Abner opened the door. He asked, “Are you all ready to go?” 

Alice nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.” 

“Okay, then let’s go,” Abner said. 

Joe took Alice’s hand and they hurried out the door with Abner close behind them. 

 ***

Inside the Sazerac saloon, men sat at the bar having a drink while other men gambled; playing blackjack or poker at a table. Alice waited by the bar as the bartender placed a few drinks on the tray. She picked up the tray and took a deep breath as she made her way over to the table. She passed by a curtain where Joe and Abner were keeping watch from behind. 

 Alice approached a table where three men who appeared to have had a few too many drinks, cackled. She placed the drinks down on the table. One of the men whistled at her. 

 “You must be the new girl old Bart hired. Ain’t she a beauty?” 

 “She sure is.”

 Alice tried to ignore their remarks. She started to walk away when she felt one of the men touch her arm. 

 “Hey, what’s your hurry, honey? Why don’t you sit down and have a drink with us, huh?” 

 She looked at him sternly in the eye and responded, “No, thanks. I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse me…” She tried to get away when one of the men shot up from the table and got right in front of her. 

 “Come on, have a drink with us. I’ll buy.” He shouted to the bartender, “Hey Jesse? Get a drink for the lady, will ya?” 

 The bartender shook his head with a frown. Alice stood there frozen as her heartbeat began to speed up when Joe appeared from behind the curtain signaling for her. Alice glanced over at him. Joe put his finger up to his lips, pointed to the man and motioned for her to bring him over to him.  

Alice understood and she relaxed; about to put on the performance of her life. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. “I changed my mind. I think I will have that drink. In fact, why don’t we go somewhere private where we can be more…” She moved her hand over his chest.“…comfortable.” 

Alice swallowed, fighting off nausea at the gesture. He tipped his hat with a wide grin. “Yes ma’am.” 

 Alice walked over to the curtain and he trailed behind her like a puppy dog. Alice motioned through the curtain. 

 “Step right through here.” 

 The man went back behind the curtain. A few seconds later, Alice heard a crash. 

 Joe poked his head through the curtain. Alice gave a small smile. “Thanks.” 

 “Anytime,” Joe responded with a big smile. 

 He gave her a quick kiss and then brought his head back in behind the curtain. Alice shook her head with a smirk and headed back over to the bar. 

 ***

A short time later, Alice stood near the bar when Julian Bardot walked in. Alice’s body tensed up as she saw him walk over to the bar and order a drink. She hurried over to the curtain and whispered, “Joe, Abner, it’s Julian. He just walked in.” 

 Abner said to Joe behind the curtain, “All right, that’s your cue. Remember, play to lose. We need those jewels to end up in Bardot’s hands.” 

 Joe nodded. “Right.” 

 “Good luck,” Abner said.

 Joe came out from behind the curtain and saw Julian sitting at the card table. 

 Julian rubbed his temple after he had just lost another hand when Joe walked up to him and took a seat at the table. 

 “Mind if I join you fellas?” 

 Julian stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. Joe pretended he had just noticed him sitting there. 

 “Oh, hey. We just keep running into each other.” 

 The dealer said, “Place your bets, gentlemen.” 

 The other men at the table placed their bets down when Joe took the red ruby out of his pocket and placed it down on the table. Julian’s whole body tensed as he stared at the ruby. 

 One of the men asked, “Now, what in the Sam Hill is that?” 

 “A genuine ruby. It’s at least worth over fifteen hundred dollars, maybe more,” Joe told them. 

 The man pointed to the ruby. “And you want to bet with that?” 

 Joe shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, why not? I’m feeling lucky today.” 

 Another man at the table put his cards down. “I fold. I ain’t got that kind of money.” 

 “Me too,” the other man said as he threw his cards down on the table. 

 “I’m in.” 

 Julian placed his bet down and Joe tried to hide a smirk. He had him right where he wanted him. They proceeded to start playing. 

 They had played a few rounds and the stakes grew higher. Julian looked down at his cards as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Joe glanced over at Alice and he could see the look of worry on her face when a saloon girl walked up to them. She placed a tray of drinks on the table. She smiled at Joe and asked, “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, honey?” She gently rubbed his shoulder. Alice’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

 Joe gave a nervous smile. “No, I’m fine, thanks.” 

 “Well, you just let me know now, darlin’, you hear?” 

 She started to walk away when Alice bumped into her with a mug full of beer in her hands, spilling it all over her. 

 She gasped and squealed as she looked down at her soaked dress. Alice put her hand up to her mouth and said, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I suppose I should watch where I’m going.” 

 “Oh, I should say so!” 

 She growled and walked away. Alice gave a devious smirk. Joe and Julian resumed their card game. 

 The dealer at the card table said to Joe and Julian, “All right, gentlemen, call’em.” 

 Joe gave a sideways smirk. He said in a disappointed tone, “Phew, boy. I guess it’s not my lucky day after all.” He placed his cards down on the table. “Pair of kings.” 

 Julian slammed his fist down. “Pair of aces.” He laid the cards down on the table. 

 Joe raised his eyebrow. “What?” 

 The dealer said, “That’s game, gentlemen.” 

 Joe trembled, “Wait, don’t you wanna play again? Maybe your luck will change. Just one more game, what do you say?” 

 Julian hesitated. “All right, we’ll play again.” 

 The dealer said with a shrug of his shoulders, “All right, place your bets down.” 

 Joe looked at Julian and gave a nervous smile as they started to play again. 

 Three games later and Julian still hadn’t won one game. Joe sat there with a look of boredom on his face as Julian contemplated his next move. 

 Meanwhile, Abner peeked his head out from behind the curtain and got Alice’s attention. She hurried over to him. 

 Abner whispered, “Hey, what’s taking Joe so long? He should have handed him the jewels by now.” 

 “I don’t know.” 

 “Well, find out, will ya? We’re running out of time.” 

 He went back inside the curtain while Alice looked over at Joe. 

 Back at the card table, Joe waited for Julian to make his move when he looked over to his right and saw Alice motion for him to come over to her. Joe looked at Julian and said as he got up from the table, “Uh, excuse me for a second, I just need to check on something. I’ll be right back, you just hold onto those cards.” 

 He gave a soft chuckle and hurried over to the bar. Alice pulled Joe into the next room. 

 “What?” Joe asked, softly. 

 “What’s taking you so long?” Alice asked. 

 Joe whispered in aggravation, “He is the worst card player I’ve ever seen! I mean, I don’t understand it, I am making it as easy as I possibly can for him and he’s still losing! I don’t know how he could ever be an impulsive gambler when he can’t even win one game!”

 “Well, try harder. Abner said we’re running out of time.” 

 Joe gave a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his head. “All right.” 

 “Now, get back out there,” she told him. 

 Joe started to turn around, but stopped and asked, “Wait, what was that with that girl? The one who brought the drinks to our table; spilling the beer on her like that, now that wasn’t very nice.” 

 Alice said in irritation, “Well, you saw the way she was looking at you and the way she couldn’t keep her hands off you. She was being a little too friendly, don’t you think?” 

 Joe bit back a smirk. “Well, you don’t need to worry, I can handle her, all right?” 

 “It certainly looked like you handled her,” Alice said with a hint of sarcasm. 

 Joe crossed his arms and asked, “Is that a hint of jealousy I’m hearing, Mrs. Cartwright?” 

 Alice scoffed, “Jealous? Jealous of that…Jezebel!” Joe giggled. “I could never be jealous of her.” 

 “I’m just joshing you.” Joe smiled and said, “I kind of like the idea of you being jealous of me.” 

 Her face flushed red as she fixed her gaze on the floor. She lifted her head back up and said, “You just go back in there and lose that poker game, okay?” 

 Joe flashed a wide grin. “Yes ma’am.” 

 He gave her a kiss and headed back over to the card table. 

 The poker game resumed. The dealer said, “Let’s see’em, gentlemen.” 

 Joe took a breath and then spread his cards out on the table. 

 “This is my final play, that’s it, I’m done. Pair of aces.” 

 Joe braced himself as he squinted one eye at Julian. 

 Julian placed his cards down on the table and said with a grin, “Full house; kings and queens.” 

 Joe sighed in relief. “Thank God.” The dealer scrunched his eyebrows at Joe. Joe quickly covered his tracks. “I mean, uh…” He snapped his finger. “Darn, well, you beat me fair and square.” He started to get up from his seat and said, “Well, it was a good game, gentlemen. I think I’ll just see myself out.” 

 Julian took out his deranger and jammed it into Joe’s back. 

 “Hold it. We’re not finished here, Cartwright.” 

 “How do you know my name?” Joe asked in a soft tone. 

 Julian grinned. “I know plenty. Like the fact that the priceless ruby you just lost is a fake. I also know you’ve been working with that detective. You really think I wanted to win that ruby? You must take me for a fool.” 

 Joe tried to keep calm. “You’re a lot more clever than I thought, Bardot.” 

 Julian gave a sinister chuckle. “Now, you and I are going to go find that detective and then I’m going to find out where the real jewels are. Or else I’m going to make your wife a widow.” Julian turned to the dealer and warned him, “If you say a word of this, you’re gonna end up the same way as him.” 

 The dealer held his hands up. “Whatever you say, mister.” 

 “Let’s go.” 

 Julian pushed Joe towards the curtain. 

 Inside the curtain, Abner jumped from his seat at the sight of Julian. 

 Julian said, “It’s over, detective. Now, tell me where you’ve hidden the jewels.” 

 “You’ve got’em, Julian,” Abner told him. 

 Alice snuck through the curtain from behind them. Julian shook his head. 

 “Don’t play dumb with me, you old twit. The jewels, the real ones, where are you hiding them?” 

 “Just do as he says, Abner, give him the jewels,” Joe said. 

Alice eyed the vase on the table and knocked it with her hand onto the floor, shattering it which caught Julian’s attention. The distraction was enough for Joe to turn around and grab the deranger out of Julian’s hand, elbowing him in the face. Julian wobbled backwards. Joe then tackled him to the ground. 

 Joe and Julian wrestled each other on the ground when Julian managed to get the upper hand. He grabbed Joe and then punched him in the face, knocking Joe to the ground. 

 Julian lunged at Joe when Joe grabbed him and pushed him up with his feet, tossing him over his head. Julian rolled over to the ground. 

 Abner gathered the courage to go after Julian. He attempted to take a swing at him when Julian grabbed him and punched him across the face. That set Joe off and he grabbed Julian in a fury and punched him in the face, knocking him backwards. 

 Joe went over to Abner and helped him up. “Are you all right?” 

 “I think so,” Abner huffed. Julian went for his deranger. Abner said, “You know something? That felt pretty good.” 

 Joe patted his back. “Yeah, you almost got yourself killed.” 

 Julian grabbed hold of Alice’s arm. Joe started to move when Julian pulled out the deranger and pointed it at her. 

 “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” 

Joe stopped dead in his tracks. Julian said, “I warned you. Now you tell me where the jewels are or she dies.” 

 Joe tried to talk him down. “Let her go.” 

 Gunfire rang out from outside and Julian froze. He pushed Alice away from him and she fell to the ground as Julian took off running. Abner ran after him. 

 Joe went over to Alice to make sure she was all right. 

 “I’m fine, just get him!” Alice pleaded. 

 Joe took off after them. 

 Julian ran out of the saloon. Abner chased after him when he tripped over a few boards. One of them flew through the air and hit Julian in the backside, knocking him to the ground. 

 The sheriff hurried over to him and picked him up off the ground. 

 “Well, what do we have here, huh?” 

 Abner shouted, “That’s the man, sheriff! He’s Julian Bardot; he and his wife, Eleanor, are the jewel thieves you’ve been after.” 

 Joe and Alice caught up to them. The sheriff pointed to them and said, “No, they’re the real jewel thieves.” 

 Abner shook his head. “No, they aren’t, sheriff, and I can prove it to you.” Abner reached into Julian’s pocket and pulled out the red ruby. “Here you are, sheriff.” 

 Julian said, “No, no, that ruby is a fake.” 

 “No, it isn’t, Julian. You’ve had the real jewels the whole time. You see, I gave Joe a genuine ruby to gamble with.” 

 Joe looked at Alice and a big smile spread across his face. 

 Julian’s face turned red with fury. “Why you little….” 

He moved toward Abner when the sheriff held him back. 

“Wait a minute. How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” the sheriff asked. 

“I’m a detective, sheriff.” Abner pulled out his badge and showed it to him. 

“Detective Abner Jenkins. I’ve been tracking Bardot and his wife for quite some time now.” 

“He’s telling the truth.” Eleanor walked up to them and told them, “My name is Eleanor Bardot and that man right there is my husband, Julian. We’re the ones who stole the jewels.” 

Julian looked at her in disbelief. “Ella…” 

Eleanor hung her head down with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Julian. But I just can’t run anymore.” 

“But our dream….” 

“That’s just what it was, Julian. A dream. Nothing more.” 

The sheriff pushed his hat up. “Well, if that’s the case, then Julian and Eleanor Bardot, you’re both under arrest for jewel thieving. Let’s go.” 

The sheriff took Julian and started leading him to the jailhouse with Eleanor following. The sheriff turned to Joe and said, “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Cartwheel.” 

Joe rolled his eyes and then corrected him. “It’s Cartwright and it’s all right. No harm done, sheriff.” 

After the sheriff walked off with Bardot, Joe turned around to Alice and let out a joyful holler. He embraced her and lifted her up off the ground making her giggle. 

Abner heard a woman’s voice calling out to him. 

“Abner!” 

Abner turned around and saw Miss Lily Boswell running towards him. Abner’s face lit up with joy. 

“Lily!”

Lily embraced him. “Oh, honeybunny!” 

Joe looked at Alice with raised eyebrows and mouthed, “Honeybunny?” 

Lily said, “I heard about what happened. Are you all right?” 

“Oh, I’m fine, Lily, just fine.” 

Lily told him, “I heard about what you did in capturing those jewel thieves and I think you’re the bravest and most wonderful man I’ve ever known.” 

Abner’s face lit up. “You do?” 

Lily smiled. “Why sure! In fact, I’d wondered if maybe you would like to have dinner with me this evening.” 

“Oh, would I!” Abner quickly changed his demeanor. “Ahem. I mean, I’d be delighted, miss Lily.” 

“Oh, wonderful. I’ll see you tonight.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek. 

Abner’s face flushed bright red. “Oh, shucks, miss Lily.” 

Joe shook his head with a smirk. Alice placed her arms over Joe’s shoulder and said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve had enough of this honeymoon. I want to go home.” 

Joe gave a soft chuckle. “I was just about to suggest the same thing.” 

Alice said with a smile, “Let’s go back to our hotel room. Honeybunny.” 

Joe giggled and placed his arm around her as they headed back over to the hotel. 

***

The next morning, Abner and Lily said their goodbyes to Joe and Alice at the Stage Lines. 

Joe said, “I want to thank you again for all your help.” 

Abner smiled. “Oh, it was nothing.” 

“Goodbye, Abner.” Alice gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Joe said to Lily, “It was nice to meet you, Miss Boswell.” 

“Nice to meet you,” she responded. 

Joe suggested, “Why don’t you come by the ranch for a visit sometime?” 

“Oh, yes, please. We’d love to have you,” Alice said.

Lily smiled and accepted. “We will.” 

Joe helped Alice onto the stage and then turned to Abner and held his hand out to him. 

“You know, Abner, I think you do have what it takes to be a great detective.” 

Abner smiled and thanked him. 

Joe hopped onto the stagecoach. Joe and Alice waved to Abner and Lily as the stagecoach started moving on its way to Virginia City. 

***

Joe and Alice made it back home a few days later. They walked through the door of the Ponderosa. Ben and Candy greeted them. 

Ben asked, “Well, how was the trip?” 

“Oh, it was great, Pa. I showed Alice all around New Orleans; the place where you met my mother and where she grew up.” 

Ben smiled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m glad to hear you had a good time.” 

“Yeah, well, except for when we ended up in jail.” 

Ben and Candy both crinkled their eyebrows. Ben said, “You ended up in jail?” 

“Yeah, but it was all a misunderstanding. See, we got mixed up with these jewel thieves, but we got help from this detective….” 

As Joe was explaining himself, Ben tried hard to follow along as he stared at him in puzzlement. 

Joe told him, “It was no big deal, really. In fact, I think this trip actually did us some good.” Joe glanced over at Alice and put his arm around her shoulder. “We learned a lot about each other and I think we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.” 

Alice smiled warmly at Joe. Ben, still puzzled, responded, “Oh, well, that’s good! I suppose.” 

Alice asked, “How’s the baby?” 

“Oh, she’s fine, she’s upstairs with Mrs. Bennett now,” Ben told her. 

“I can’t wait to see her.” 

Joe placed his hand over her back. “Why don’t we go see her right now?” Joe turned to Ben and said, “We’ll see you later.” 

Joe and Alice headed over to the stairs. Ben looked at Candy and shook his head while Candy just shrugged his shoulders. 

The End 

Author notes: The episodes I referenced in my story were Marie, My Love, The Frenchman, and Joe Cartwright, Detective. The inspiration for the character of Abner Jenkins I created came from the Claude Miller character in Rich Man, Poor Man. I thought he was a perfect match for what I had in mind for Abner.