{"id":13721,"date":"2017-01-20T22:10:38","date_gmt":"2017-01-21T03:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13721"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:18","slug":"sunshine-with-a-little-hurricane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13721","title":{"rendered":"Sunshine with a Little Hurricane (by McFair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 A\u00a0 sequel to ‘Wet Bottom Warm Heart’. After 11 year old Elizabeth Carnaby saved Little Joe’s life, he promised to bring her to the Ponderosa. She arrives along with a sudden winter storm that blows in not only a little fun but a whole lot of trouble, including a killer named Fleet Rowse who is looking to make easy money by lightening the load in Ben Cartwright’s safe.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (82,825 words)<\/p>\n

All known and public characters belong to those who created them. \u00a0All new characters belong to the author. \u00a0There is no intent to infringe on copyright and no money is being made – just friends and warm hearts hopefully!<\/p>\n

Wet Bottom, Warm Heart Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wet Bottom, Warm Heart<\/a>
\nSunshine With a Little Hurricane<\/a>
\nIn the Light as in the Darkness
\n<\/a>Doubt that the Stars are Fire<\/a>
\nAn Unspeakable Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunshine with a Little Hurricane<\/strong><\/p>\n

PART ONE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ONE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was nothing for it, Little Joe Cartwright was one<\/em> nervous fella.<\/p>\n

The older man leaning against the stage depot wall watched as the young\u2019un pushed his black hat back on his deep brown curls, shifted his weight from one dress-booted foot to the other, and ran a hand along his back hairline.\u00a0 Next he anchored his thumbs behind his belt.\u00a0 Then he rocked from to his toes to his heels several times as he peered anxiously down the street in the direction the stage would come.\u00a0 Looking across the street, he saw that the Ponderosa hands who were sipping a beer and lingering in front of the saloon before heading out for the Cartwright\u2019s autumn drive, were of the same opinion about Ben\u2019s youngest boy\u2019s actions as he was.\u00a0 So were the fine ladies standing, fanning away their jealousy on the porch of the International Hotel.\u00a0 Miss Abigail Jones \u2013 who had known Little Joe since he\u2019d first attended her school and thanked the Lord that she\u2019d survived it \u2013 must have thought the same thing as she stepped out of the mercantile noting that \u2018Joseph\u2019, as she called him, had his unruly hair well under control and was wearing his Sunday best.\u00a0 The older man, who had noted the same thing and knew what was coming, looked at his watch and calculated just how much time it would take Ben\u2019s hot-headed and hot-blooded boy to rile some suitor and start some sort of brew-ha.<\/p>\n

In other words, there had to be a pretty girl on that stage.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest son was, at not quite eighteen, already a legend in the hot, sleepy, slowly growing and over-reactive town of Virginia City.\u00a0 Bets were placed daily on what the handsome devil-may-care Devil would do. \u00a0Most<\/em> concerned how long Little Joe could be in town without getting into a fight.\u00a0 A few best not mentioned to his Pa \u2013 indelicate ones placed and cherished by the ladies who peopled the Bucket of Blood and other establishment as yet \u2018officially\u2019 off limits to the reputed charger of the Ponderosa \u2013 concerned length of time and well, size, among other things. There was quite a pot waiting for the first one to find out the answers on both accounts conclusively and report them back to the others.\u00a0 Other bets, though, among Ben Cartwright\u2019s neighbors took on a darker dimension \u2013 how long it would be before the boy broke his neck, ended in jail, got himself a child on some innocent young thing, or ended up dead in the middle of the street after drawing on someone who proved, at last, faster on the draw than him.<\/p>\n

Too often these bets were accompanied by a sneer of wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

There were bets among Ben\u2019s friends as well, half-joking but serious.\u00a0 Doc Martin and him had one going on how many bullets Paul would pull out of the boy in the next year.\u00a0 Paul had remarked, upon making the bet, that he had ordered the apothecary in town to stock extra laudanum, quinine, morphine, and<\/em> codeine, and to hold back a stock of well-aged whiskey and brandy strong enough to knock the socks off of the boy\u2019s restless feet.<\/p>\n

No one was sure if the whiskey and brandy were for Little Joe or for his long-suffering father.<\/p>\n

That young\u2019un had to be tryin\u2019 to the older man, whose head and feet were just about as firmly planted on the ground as any man\u2019s could be.\u00a0 When they watched the four Cartwright men ride into town, most folks shook their heads.\u00a0 At the lead would come stalwart, honest, shootin\u2019 straight-from-the hip, generous and grace-giving Ben.\u00a0 To his right would be his older boy, Adam.\u00a0 Adam was one of those strong, silent types the ladies drooled over, thinking there must be something deep stirring in that black-clothed well, so deep it just couldn\u2019t find its way to his pursed lips.\u00a0 It tickled the edges of them though, turning their tips up like a bent iron.<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t a woman in Virginia City didn\u2019t want that brand.<\/p>\n

Most of the men-folk liked Adam.\u00a0 He was an easy man to be around, if not to know.\u00a0 Adam said little, but when he did speak, men listened.\u00a0 There was a lot of his pa in him, but then \u2013 to those who knew him well \u2013 there was also something of Little Joe.\u00a0 Adam had a temper near as volatile as his baby brother, but he kept it in check right up there under that black hat of his.<\/p>\n

Heaven help the man he tipped it to.<\/p>\n

Then there was Hoss.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s middle boy was, without saying anything the stupidest man couldn\u2019t miss, a mountain.\u00a0 It was all there.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen Hoss tower over people, stopping their chatter with his shadow alone.\u00a0 The big man was tall like the pines on <\/em>that mountain and just as firmly rooted, even if funny notions got in that big head of his and made the tops of those trees sway now and then.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 heart was big as the land and a river of gentleness ran through it.\u00a0 Those beefy hands had the strength in them to break a man in two, but he\u2019d never worried about Hoss.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d seen him rescue and hold a frightened bird without crushin\u2019 it a time or two.<\/p>\n

No, it was just that young one \u00a0of Ben\u2019s he worried about.\u00a0 The one standing, waiting on the stage, pacing back and forth like\u00a0 a mountain cat in season.\u00a0 As Roy Coffee pushed off the wall and headed for the landing where the stage would eventually light, he wondered if there was some tether to the boy he couldn\u2019t see.\u00a0 Else he didn\u2019t know how in the world Little Joe hadn\u2019t taken off like a stallion to meet that stage halfway to Carson City.<\/p>\n

Coming up behind him, Roy paused, a slight smile lifting his lips so they tickled his mustache.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone important on that stage, boy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Little Joe jumped.\u00a0 Then he turned beet red.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Roy,\u201d he said, quickly swallowing over his embarrassment.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff loped up to stand beside the boy.\u00a0 He pulled his watch out again and looked at it.\u00a0 \u201cWaitin\u2019 on the stage, just like you.\u00a0 Looks to be right on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked toward the rumbling, rattling vehicle that had finally come into view and was moments away from pulling up in front of the depot.\u00a0 \u201cIs it?\u00a0 Seems like I\u2019ve been here forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Forever\u2019 being about fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n

The lawman snapped his watch shut.\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u00a0 Five-thirty on the dot.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone important on that stage, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

If the boy\u2019d been any redder he would have been an Indian.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo…\u00a0 Not really.\u00a0 Just a…friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMust be a mighty important<\/em> friend.\u201d\u00a0 He reached out and fingered Joe\u2019s fine duds.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re powerful gussied up, boy.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned in and sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that cologne there on top of that Bay Rum you\u2019re so fond of?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s temper flared.\u00a0 Roy liked it when it sparked like that, snapping his nostrils open and puttin\u2019 fire in his green eyes.<\/p>\n

It made the boy look right cute.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business!\u201d Little Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, I don\u2019t know as you can rightly say that, son,\u201d Roy drawled.\u00a0 \u201cYou see, I\u2019m sheriff in this here town and, well, everythin\u2019 <\/em>is my business.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say that young lady your waitin\u2019 on steps off that stage and some other feller sees her and thinks she oughta be his.\u00a0 Could mean trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s reaction was priceless, even if Roy wasn\u2019t entirely sure what it meant.\u00a0 Those supple eyebrows of his dipped and then lifted toward the pile of ornery curls dangling on his forehead.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s tightly pressed lips tightened and then one end slid up real slow-like toward that little pert nose he got from his dead mama.\u00a0 Then he started to laugh.<\/p>\n

Lord, the angels listened when that boy laughed!<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, I promise you I can whip anyone with a romantic interest in Bella,\u201d Joe said, snorting in tear-snot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a might pretty lady,\u201d Roy replied, one grizzled eyebrow arched, not quite believing it.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was a little feller.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t have weighed more than a man-size bag of grain.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen his brothers take him up in one swing and throw him over their shoulder and haul his sorry hide out of a lot of places he shouldn\u2019t have been. \u00a0But he was a tough one. \u00a0Joseph Francis Cartwright had been kicking and screaming from near the moment he drew breath and that was bound to make a man strong in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

As bound as it was to wear just about everybody else out.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Joe said, having better luck taming his laughter than his hair, \u201cshe\u2019s a beauty <\/em>all right.\u00a0 \u00a0Bella\u2019s got hair the color of sunshine coming out of Heaven; long, curly as a sheep\u2019s winter coat, and just as thick.\u00a0 She\u2019s got the face of an angel.\u201d Joe extended his hand out as if paintin\u2019 a picture.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s got eyes wide as the moon and deep blue as a night without stars.\u201d\u00a0 The boy leaned in close, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.\u00a0 \u201cBut they\u2019ve got stars in them, Roy.\u00a0 They sparkle like moonlight hitting water.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could use a few lessons in poetry, but it was easy to see the boy had it bad.<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s eyes went to the stage.\u00a0 It had finally found roost and sat like a red hen waiting to give up its eggs.\u00a0 He looked over his glasses at it and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cDoor\u2019s openin\u2019, prince charmin\u2019.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think you best be seein\u2019 to your lady friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s impish eyes held his for just a second.\u00a0 Then he leaned in again and winked.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the one I\u2019m gonna marry, Roy.\u00a0 I\u2019m tellin\u2019 you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like Little Joe had told him at least twice<\/em> a year since he\u2019d been old enough to know what a girl was for.<\/p>\n

Roy watched as the young man pivoted lightly on his heel and headed for the disembarking passengers.\u00a0 Little Joe stood with his hands linked behind his back, burdened by a boundless energy that kept him bouncing on his feet.\u00a0 The first passenger off was an overweight, stuffy middle-aged businessman.\u00a0 The minute his gator shoes hit the boardwalk he was complainin\u2019 about the dust and the heat and just \u2018bout everythin\u2019 else.\u00a0 Close behind him was a tall rail-thin man wearing a black suit with a white collar around his neck.<\/p>\n

The lawman smiled.\u00a0 Good.\u00a0 That there parson showin\u2019 up would go someway toward making Little Joe more temperate in the thoughts he was having about that young lady.<\/p>\n

Following the preacher was another man and then \u2013 my, oh, my, the boy hadn\u2019t been stretchin\u2019 the truth any! \u2013 a stunning young lady in a form-fitting sapphire silk gown, with golden ringlets spilling onto her shoulders and a face to stop a stage.\u00a0 No, that wasn\u2019t sayin\u2019 enough.\u00a0 That there face and figure could have stopped one of them eastern trains runnin\u2019 at full tilt.\u00a0 She looked to be a few years older than Little Joe, maybe more <\/em>than a few.\u00a0 As the thought crossed his mind that Ben was gonna be none too happy about his youngest courtin\u2019 another Julia Bulette, the lady favored Little Joe with a beautiful warm smile.<\/p>\n

And walked on.<\/p>\n

That left the aging sheriff scratchin\u2019 his head.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced over at him.\u00a0 His green eyes were dancin\u2019 and he was doin\u2019 the best he could not to start giggling like a girl.\u00a0 Turning back, he held out a hand.\u00a0 A young lady\u2019s appeared to take it.<\/p>\n

Maybe he oughta rephrase that.<\/p>\n

A very<\/em> young lady\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The girl was no bigger than a minute; skinny as a filly and barely nigh high to Joe\u2019s chest.\u00a0 The top of her curly golden head ended at the bottom of the black silk tie the boy\u2019d anchored around the collar of his fancy white shirt.\u00a0 Roy shifted to the side to get a look at her face and what he saw there near set him to giggling as hard as Ben\u2019s baby boy had been before.<\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t love, he\u2019d never seen it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u201d the girl cried out, bouncing just like the young\u2019un had been on her toes.\u00a0 \u201cHey, little brother!\u00a0 You been behavin\u2019 yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s plentiful brows peaked.\u00a0 There was a story there<\/em>, he was bettin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, big sister!\u201d Joe exclaimed as he reached down and caught her in his arms and then hefted her up to his height.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t been in one lick of trouble since I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was holding the girl in his hands near perpendicular to his body.\u00a0 Her feet, which were wearing a pair of fancy black dress boots, ended at his knees.\u00a0 She reached out and touched his face gently, lovingly. \u00a0Then she scowled.\u00a0 \u201cAre you tellin\u2019 me the truth, Little brother?\u00a0 You ain\u2019t done nothin\u2019<\/em> wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you\u2019d best be askin\u2019 me, Miss,\u201d the lawman said, hiding his smile and trying hard to look like a big bad sheriff.\u00a0 Just to emphasize how<\/em> big and bad he was, he let the tips of his fingers brush the firearm at his side.<\/p>\n

They both turned to look at him.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s look was amused \u2013 and wary.\u00a0 Poor kid.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t really all that much older than his \u2018lady\u2019.<\/p>\n

Joe released the girl and she walked right up to him.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re Roy Coffee, aren\u2019t you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He glanced at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou been tellin\u2019 tales, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u00a0 Me?\u201d\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy knelt so he was on the girl\u2019s level.\u00a0 \u201cI take it you\u2019re Bella.\u201d<\/p>\n

She held her hand out.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth Annabelle Carnaby.\u00a0 My Pa calls me Bella.\u00a0 I told Little brother he could too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name sounded slightly familiar, like something out of a tale told on a cold night by the campfire.\u00a0 Like the files in his office, Roy fingered back through the memories.\u00a0 Ben.\u00a0 Last year.\u00a0 On the porch at the Ponderosa tellin\u2019 him how Joe\u2019d been hurt.\u00a0 No bullet this time.\u00a0 Caught in a fire.\u00a0 This was after they\u2019d brought the boy home, and after he and his posse\u2019d hunted down the men what left Little Joe in a burning cabin for dead.<\/p>\n

The sheriff shoved his hat back on his thinning hair.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be hornswoggled!\u00a0 This is the little gal what done pulled you out of harm\u2019s way and saved your sorry hide, ain\u2019t it, Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Carnaby beamed like that sunshine Ben\u2019s youngest had compared her blonde hair to.<\/p>\n

Roy stuck out his hand.\u00a0 Growing solemn as she took it, he said, \u201cI want to thank you, Miss Carnaby, for saving the life of one of Virginia City\u2019s finest citizens.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t got any idea what you did for this here town.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze shot to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d do if this here boy wasn\u2019t around anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Cept have more hair and fewer wrinkles, and drink <\/em>a whole lot less.<\/p>\n

Joe had his hands locked behind that their fancy pin-striped suit coat he was wearin\u2019.\u00a0 He was bouncing on his toes again and lookin\u2019 at the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t that right, Little Joe?<\/p>\n

Joe winced.<\/p>\n

Roy stood.\u00a0 \u201cNow if you\u2019re planning on takin\u2019 this young lady out to the Ponderosa tonight, don\u2019t you think you\u2019d best be on your way?\u00a0 You got a long road and its gettin\u2019 dark.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and looked at the boy.\u00a0 \u201cI take it Elizabeth\u2019s here for a visit?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl answered.\u00a0 \u201cAfter I put Little Joe in the water and pulled him out \u2013 and he wasn\u2019t out of his head no more \u2013 he promised me I could come visit him this winter when he didn\u2019t have a heap of chores to do.\u00a0 Ma and Pa are comin\u2019 too, \u2018cause Mister Cartwright \u2013 that\u2019s Joe\u2019s Pa \u2013 invited all of us to stay for the whole <\/em>winter, but they had to stop in Silver Springs \u2018cause Ma\u2019s sister had a baby and she had to help take care of it for a while.\u00a0 They got my other little brother, Jack, with them, so\u2019s now he gets to be a big brother, I guess, even though he\u2019s little and he\u2019s just a cousin.\u00a0 Since it\u2019s Ma\u2019s sister, that makes him a cousin, don\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 She finally drew a breath and added with a scowl, as if everything she\u2019d said had headed toward that conclusion.\u00a0 \u201cJack\u2019s four now and he\u2019s a handful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Must run in the family, Roy thought.<\/p>\n

He looked from Elizabeth to Joe.\u00a0 Heaven help Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n

Now he had two <\/em>of them!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright glanced at his companion.\u00a0 They were riding in his pa\u2019s surrey.\u00a0 It was almost dark.\u00a0 Elizabeth was bundled up against the cold, and her small form and face were near invisible.\u00a0 Yes, sir, it was kind of hard to see her, but \u2013 Boy howdy! \u2013 could he hear<\/em> her.\u00a0 Joe grinned.\u00a0 He knew what Adam would have said if he\u2019d been riding along with them instead of being out on the open range with Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u2018I would never have believed it, little brother.\u00a0 Someone who talks more than you!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Chatty women usually bored him, but there was something about this particular<\/em> chatty \u2018would-be\u2019 woman that charmed him instead.\u00a0 Maybe it was the fact that she wasn\u2019t talkin\u2019 about the latest fashion or how much she paid for her hat or \u2013 even more important \u2013 about herself.\u00a0 He learned at the start of their journey \u2013\u00a0 along with just about everything else her family had ever done, was going to do, and might ever<\/em> do \u2013 that this was Elizabeth\u2019s first trip on a stagecoach by herself and that she was excited because she\u2019d never been alone in a stagecoach before or this far south or west.\u00a0 She\u2019d made a couple of trips to her aunt\u2019s house when she was little, she said, but that didn\u2019t count \u2018cause she didn\u2019t remember them and she didn\u2019t do it on her own two feet, her being a \u2018baby and all\u2019 and only able to crawl.\u00a0 She thought she might have been able to remember crawlin\u2019 even though she didn\u2019t remember the trips, because she remembered her knees hurting real bad, and when she\u2019d checked her brother Jack\u2019s knees when he crawled, his were red, so she figured hers must have been too.<\/p>\n

Had Joe crawled when he was a baby, she asked?<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 His <\/em>only problem with the late night trip to the Ponderosa so far was stifling so much laughter it made his stomach hurt.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head and let out a long-suffering sigh.\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u00a0 I never crawled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come?\u201d his young passenger asked.\u00a0 \u201cPa says its good for babies, though Ma tells him all the experts say he\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, I don\u2019t rightly remember this, but my brothers tell me that the moment my feet hit the ground I was on the move,\u201d he said as he urged the horses on. \u00a0The animals were tired.\u00a0 He should have stopped to let them rest, but he wanted to make the Ponderosa before sun down.\u00a0 \u201cThey said my Mama had such a hard time keepin\u2019 up with me that she just let me go.\u00a0 Hoss said if I\u2019d of had wings, I would have flown right up to the top of one of our Ponderosa pines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys can\u2019t fly, silly,\u201d she pronounced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Joe pursed his lips and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSeems nobody told me that, and what a body doesn\u2019t know, can\u2019t stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could see Elizabeth\u2019s profile cut against the rays of the dying sun, including her pert little turned-up nose.\u00a0 \u201cAre you tellin\u2019 me the truth, Little Joe?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m just joshin\u2019.\u00a0 You\u2019re right.\u00a0 Boys can\u2019t fly.\u201d\u00a0 He paused, remembering how his youthful antics had aided in his father\u2019s hair turning to silver.\u00a0 \u201cBut I thought I could.\u00a0 I climbed right up to the top branch of one of those pines when I was a little younger than you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Did you really try to fly?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed this time.\u00a0 \u201cNot on purpose.\u00a0 I fell out of the fool thing.\u00a0 Put my shoulder out of joint and broke my left leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cBoys sure are stupid sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are, are they?\u201d he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I suppose you, bein\u2019 a girl, ain\u2019t ever done anything stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n

Perfectly serious, she replied, \u201cOf course not.\u00a0 Girls are way smarter than that.\u00a0 I bet your Mama never climbed to the top of a great big old tree and tried to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 She\u2019d just ridden into their front yard on a feisty horse, hell-bent-for leather, and died.<\/p>\n

When he said nothing, Elizabeth leaned in closer, studying him.\u00a0 After a moment, she asked, \u201cWill your Mama be there when we get to the Ponderosa?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to meet her.\u201d\u00a0 She paused and then added shyly.\u00a0 \u201cI bet she\u2019s pretty as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment Joe had no response, her second statement having taken him completely off-guard.\u00a0 He decided to ignore it for now and deal with her question first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never got a chance to tell you.\u00a0 My mama died when I was younger than you, Bella.\u00a0 I was just a little older than Jack.\u00a0 I was about five.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth thought about that for a long time.\u00a0 Finally she asked, the puzzlement obvious in her voice, \u201cSo your Pa raised all three of you all <\/em>by himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed.\u00a0 It was so<\/em> deep a sigh the horses looked back at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that for?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMa always says a man can\u2019t see the forest for the trees and if it was left up to him to raise up a child all on his lonesome, there wouldn\u2019t be one woman who\u2019d want anything to do with what he raised.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a good thing it was dark.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t see him smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd your mama\u2019s always right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing.\u201d\u00a0 Elizabeth fell silent again.\u00a0 He heard her shift and turn so she was looking toward the sunset.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeastwise, she\u2019s always been \u2018til now.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright shifted back in his desk chair.\u00a0 He argued with himself for half a minute and then rose and went to look at the tall case clock by the door.\u00a0 While Joseph and his young guest were not exactly late, he had expected them well before now.\u00a0 The stage was due in around five-thirty and it was now going on midnight.\u00a0 The twenty mile ride, taken at a good clip, should have taken no more than five and a half hours without mishap.<\/p>\n

It was the thought of that \u2018mishap\u2019 that had him worried.<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason, his youngest seemed to draw trouble to himself like a bear cub knee-deep in honey drew angry bees.\u00a0 Sometimes it wasn\u2019t Joseph\u2019s fault.\u00a0 As a young boy, Joseph had often been the target of bullies and boys twice his size who wanted to lord it over his son, whom they saw as a spoiled rich boy.\u00a0 While Joe had<\/em> been known to take advantage of his position as youngest, and there were times when \u2018spoiled\u2019 fit \u2013\u00a0 and not by a long stretch \u2013 the boy had never cited his wealth or used it to unfair advantage with his contemporaries.\u00a0 Joseph took it as a point of pride to make it on his own without counting on his connections.\u00a0 Still, his beloved son by his late wife Marie often came home with bruises and a nosebleed.\u00a0 Every time he would ask him what happened, it seemed Joe had taken a different \u2018fall\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018I fell off the steps, Pa.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018I fell off my horse.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018I lost my footing and fell into the pond.\u2019<\/p>\n

And on and on.<\/p>\n

So, whenever Joseph was late \u2013 even the slightest bit<\/em> late \u2013 he began to worry.\u00a0 His older boys told him he was overprotective of the youngest member of the family.\u00a0 Ben shook his head as he walked toward the door.\u00a0 Maybe he was.\u00a0 No, he most certainly<\/em> was.<\/p>\n

But it was with reason.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben worry about Little Joe?\u201d a soft voice asked from beside him.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know how Hop Sing did it.\u00a0 Their Chinese cook moved like a shadow.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI was just going out for a breath of fresh air.\u00a0 Joe will be along soon.\u00a0 He\u2019s not that late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe come all the way from Virginia City with little missy, yes?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing was holding a stack of towels and had been headed toward the stair.\u00a0 \u201cLong way from there.\u00a0 Take many hours.\u00a0 Maybe stage come late.\u00a0 Maybe tree fall across road.\u00a0 Maybe Little Joe take little missy for soda before he comes home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d made all those points with himself.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing understand.\u00a0 Mistah Ben\u2019s love for his boys fierce like dragon.\u00a0 Worry much.\u00a0 Why you not find something to do other than worry?\u00a0 Need towels in little missy and Little Joe\u2019s rooms.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing offered him the pile of linens.\u00a0 \u201cHonored grandfather always say, a man grows most tired while standing still.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben hid his smile.\u00a0 He was pretty sure he had just been admonished.<\/p>\n

He was reaching for the towels when he heard buggy wheels rolling into the yard.\u00a0 The silver-haired man exchanged a relieved look with Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s them!\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

The other man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou go greet number three son and little missy.\u00a0 Very late.\u00a0 Both be tired.\u00a0 Hop Sing take towels upstairs so room for missy ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben clapped his friend on the shoulder and then opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.\u00a0 As he watched the buggy slowly roll to a stop near the barn, he frowned.\u00a0 Joseph knew to pull the rig right up to the front of the house to let his young passenger disembark.<\/p>\n

What was his son thinking?<\/p>\n

Ben was halfway to the buggy when he realized something was wrong.\u00a0 The first thing that clued him in was the horses\u2019 behavior.\u00a0 They whinnied and shied at his approach.\u00a0 The one on the left snorted and shook himself and then reared back, bumping the surrey and making the \u00a0black fringe on its top swing wildly.\u00a0 Ben spoke soothingly to the animals as he approached them, even though his own heart was pounding fiercely in his chest.<\/p>\n

It was dark and there was very little light in the yard, but a blind man couldn\u2019t have missed it.<\/p>\n

There was no one in the buggy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWO<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe pulled off his dress boot and looked at his foot.\u00a0 Then he glanced at the youngster in front of him who was twirling in circles; her skirts flying like a girl at a cotillion.\u00a0 A short time before, the moon had broken free of a low-lying bank of clouds and its light shone steadily on the Virginia City road.<\/p>\n

Which was a good thing because they\u2019d lost the surrey and were going to have to walk.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth thought it was a great adventure.\u00a0 She\u2019d been skippin\u2019 and dancin\u2019 ever since the horses had spooked and taken off for home without them.\u00a0 About nine-tenths of the way to the Ponderosa she\u2019d told him she needed to relieve herself powerful bad.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see trying to make a little girl hold it for another hour, but at the same time it made him uneasy to think of her walking into the woods alone.\u00a0 It was something he hadn\u2019t thought about.\u00a0 He was used to traveling with his brothers and, well, when they had to go they just did \u2013 right there in front of each other, or maybe they took a step or two into the woods.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t matter which.\u00a0 So when Elizabeth said she had to go, he\u2019d had her hold on until they got to a spot where the trees were right up against the road and, once she went into them, he\u2019d never been more than six feet away.\u00a0 He\u2019d helped her down and walked her to the trees and then gone back to the surrey to wait.\u00a0 Everything would have been fine if near a half-dozen things hadn\u2019t happened all at once.\u00a0 There was a shot in the distance.\u00a0 Someone shouted and a hoot owl flew overhead.\u00a0 It just so happened that at exactly the same time Elizabeth appeared out of the trees wavin\u2019 her arms and singin\u2019 at the top of her lungs.\u00a0 The horses started shying and whinnying and snorting, and then sure proof came of how little God loved him.<\/p>\n

A deer dashed across the road.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d screamed at Elizabeth to keep back and then grabbed the reins and held on for all he was worth, trying to keep the team from running.\u00a0 All he got for his effort was fingers so stiff he couldn\u2019t make a fist and the pattern of a buggy wheel painted in trail dust across his dress boot.<\/p>\n

Plus a crushed foot inside it.<\/p>\n

He was sitting there now, staring at it, watching it swell to twice its normal size and wonderin\u2019 how in the heck<\/em> he was going to manage to walk all the way home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat don\u2019t look so good.\u201d\u00a0 Elizabeth had finished twirling and was looking at his foot.\u00a0 \u201cYou should of moved out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes flicked to the girl as he momentarily wondered if she was related to Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 You think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u00a0 Your boot ain\u2019t gonna fit anymore.\u00a0 Ma says walkin\u2019 outside without your shoes on is like lickin\u2019 your finger after you stuck it in a beehive. \u00a0Feels good at the start, but there\u2019s a wallop at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems to me your Ma\u2019s got somethin\u2019 to say about just about every situation,\u201d he groused as he gingerly worked his inflamed foot back into his boot.\u00a0 \u201cShe can\u2019t always<\/em> be right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth drew a breath and let it out slow as she shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cPa says ain\u2019t no woman ever been so right about so many things and so willin\u2019 to share it.\u00a0 She knows so much about everything, he says, that knowledge just spills right out of her brain and onto her tongue and then its gotta go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe hid his snort in the mild cussing he did as his foot slipped into place in the boot.\u00a0 \u201cGosh-darn it!\u201d<\/em> he exclaimed as tears came into his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Pa says too.\u201d<\/p>\n

That did it.\u00a0 Deep inside him all that laughter he\u2019d been corralling like a wild pony broke free.\u00a0 Coupled with the pain he was in, it made him giddy and set him laughing, and then snorting, and then crying and coughing until he was doubled over and laying on the ground.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth tilted her head, put her hands on her hips and scowled, doing just about the best imitation of his old spinster teacher, Abigail Jones, he had ever seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t got the good sense God gave you, little brother,\u201d she sighed.<\/p>\n

Still giggling, tears streaming down his face, he smacked the ground with his hand. \u201cStop it!\u00a0 You\u2019re killin\u2019 me!\u201d<\/p>\n

She walked over to him and stood looking down, shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d stop that if I were you.\u00a0 You\u2019re like to bust a blood vessel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in another peal of laughter.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know how<\/em> he was going to survive a whole winter with this child!\u00a0 Unexpectedly, a wave of sympathy for his two older brothers swept over him.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d <\/em>made it eighteen years.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s lips were puckered.\u00a0 She was holding out her hand.\u00a0 \u201cAre you done yet?\u201d she said, channeling her overly-serious mother.<\/p>\n

He snorted in air and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, ma\u2019am, I am,\u201d he said as he reached for it.\u00a0 As soon as he was on his feet, Joe sucked in a cry.\u00a0 It felt like someone had taken a hot poker to his foot.<\/p>\n

His youthful guest looked up at him.\u00a0 \u201cPut your arm around my shoulder.\u00a0 You can lean on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t a big or heavy man, but he was definitely too much for her to support for long.\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cPa will be missing us and he\u2019ll come or send someone after us soon.\u00a0 I think we\u2019re just gonna have to sit this one out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he said it, he heard a noise.\u00a0 It sounded like a rig coming down the road.\u00a0 The funny thing was, it was coming from behind them instead of in front of them.\u00a0 Instantly on the alert Joe pulled his pistol from its holster and moved to stand in front of Elizabeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He tried to sound reassuring.\u00a0 \u201cProbably nothing.\u00a0 It\u2019s just best to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seconds later a fancy black buggy pulled into view.\u00a0 Since it was near midnight or after, Joe regarded it and its occupant as a threat.\u00a0 There was little good reason that anyone would be out on the road this late.\u00a0 \u2018Course, that included them too!\u00a0 He limped to a position in the middle of the road, put Elizabeth behind him, and then put his weight down on his injured foot.<\/p>\n

Fortunately it was dark and whoever it was wouldn\u2019t be able to see the tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n

The rig slowed and then pulled up short.\u00a0 Joe watched as a long lean man unfolded from the seat on the driver\u2019s side and exited to stand beside it.\u00a0 There was a moment\u2019s hesitation, as if the newcomer was as unsure of him as he was of them, and then, a thin, reedy voice called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth Carnaby.\u00a0 Dear girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReverend?\u201d the little girl replied.\u00a0 \u201cReverend Godfrey?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Joe could stop her, Elizabeth was skipping over to the rig.<\/p>\n

He hobbled after her.<\/p>\n

The reverend knelt and took Elizabeth by both arms.\u00a0 \u201cChild, what are you doing walking on the road so late?\u201d\u00a0 He hugged her and then rose to his feet and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd who is your companion?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my little brother!\u201d she beamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d Godfrey asked.<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 He held his hand out.\u00a0 \u201cJoe Cartwright, Reverend Godfrey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man was grinning.\u00a0 \u201cI remember you from the stage depot.\u00a0 You\u2019re Ben Cartwright\u2019s son?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question took him by surprise.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe youngest one, I bet.\u00a0 Adam would be, what, thirty now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-one.\u201d\u00a0 Joe was frowning.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI am on my way to take up a position in California.\u00a0 Over the years I have read about Ben Cartwright and his accomplishments in the newspaper reports.\u00a0 He\u2019s come a far way from the young man I became aware of in Boston all those years ago. \u00a0When I knew I would be passing through Virginia City, I made up my mind to look him up.\u201d\u00a0 The reverend sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThere were no rooms to let in town due to the extra men in from the drives.\u00a0 I decided to take my chances and see if I could get an old friend to put me up for a night or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reverend looked to be in his mid-fifties.\u00a0 He might have four or five years on Pa.<\/p>\n

Relieved, Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got plenty of room, Reverend.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man held out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cAtticus, please.\u00a0 No need to stand on social conventions among friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe ran a hand along the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a sight for sore eyes \u2013 and my sore foot, Atticus.\u201d\u00a0 He let his gaze wander to Elizabeth.\u00a0 \u201cBella here was gonna prop me up all the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s eyes crinkled with amusement.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Carnaby is quite a determined young lady.\u00a0 We spent many hours together on the stage becoming acquainted.\u00a0 She spoke quite well of you.\u201d\u00a0 The reverend paused.\u00a0 \u201cI understand you two are to marry one day,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at Elizabeth and then nodded solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cI promised her, and a Cartwright always keeps his promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he always does.\u201d\u00a0 Atticus smiled as he turned to Elizabeth,\u00a0 \u201cMay I help you into the rig, Miss Carnaby?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wonderin\u2019 if you forgot I was here,\u201d she said sulkily.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh!\u201d Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t nobody<\/em> forget about you.\u00a0 You\u2019re unforgettable!\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl\u2019s frown turned into a smile as she took the reverend\u2019s hand and boarded the rig.\u00a0 A moment after they took their seat, Joe carefully climbed into the passenger seat behind them.<\/p>\n

An hour and a half later they were home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He\u2019d been at the door, hat in hand, ready to go to the barn and mount Buck and take off toward Virginia City, no matter how late or how dark it was, when Ben Cartwright heard a rig rolling into the yard.\u00a0 He had spent the last hour sitting by the fire, at war with himself as to whether or not to go.\u00a0 Joseph was nearly eighteen now and a man in many ways.\u00a0 Still, and perhaps this was his own fault, he was much younger at that age than either of his brothers had been.\u00a0 Adam, of course, had been forced to grow up too quickly due to the circumstances of their life.\u00a0 Hoss, well, Hoss had looked like a man at twelve and that was how men treated him.\u00a0 His middle son\u2019s nature \u2013 quiet, steady, sure of himself and confident in what he could do \u2013 had brought quick respect, especially among the ranch hands.\u00a0 Joseph was another matter.\u00a0 Most everyone loved him \u2013 how could they not with his quick smile and engaging laugh?\u00a0 But Little Joe was quixotic.\u00a0 As high as he was one minute, he was low the next.\u00a0 And that boy had a temper.\u00a0 He had been too indulgent, he knew.\u00a0 Maybe he had even done it on purpose.<\/p>\n

With Joseph grown he would, in a way, be all alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re hopeless as an old woman,\u201d Ben muttered to himself as he took hold of the door latch and lifted it.\u00a0 Going outside, he watched as a rig pulled into the yard.\u00a0 In the front seat he could see a man with a little girl beside him.\u00a0 When he stepped down and approached the vehicle, he realized the man was not his son.\u00a0 For a moment panic seized him.\u00a0 Then he saw his beautiful boy seated in the back seat.\u00a0 Joe was leaning over and saying something to the girl whom he recognized as Joe\u2019s \u2018big sister\u2019, Elizabeth Carnaby.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about time you two showed up,\u201d he groused as he came to the side of the rig.<\/p>\n

Little Joe knew the tone and knew as well that he was in trouble \u2013 but only a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d his boy said as he waited for Elizabeth to debark.\u00a0 \u201cWe had to make a stop \u2013 lady\u2019s business \u2013 and the horses spooked.\u00a0 \u2018Fore I could do anything about it, they were flying home.\u00a0 Thankfully the reverend came along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at the older man standing beside the rig.\u00a0 He was bone thin and about six feet tall.\u00a0 He was wearing a black parson\u2019s suit with a tall white collar and had graying hair that might have once been brown.\u00a0 It was hard to tell in the moonlight.\u00a0 The man had a protruding Adam\u2019s apple mounted square in the center of his long neck and a matching aquiline nose.\u00a0 Ben hid a smile.\u00a0 He reminded him of the illustrations of Ichabod Crane from Washington Irving\u2019s ghost story \u2018Sleepy Hollow\u2019.<\/p>\n

He was about to introduce himself when Joseph stepped out of the rig.\u00a0 His son drew in a sharp breath as his left foot hit the ground.\u00a0 Ben looked at him.<\/p>\n

There were tears in Joseph\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon.\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d he asked while resting his hand on the boy\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

Brave as ever, Joe tossed off both his hand and<\/em> his concern.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa.\u00a0 I just twisted my foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t supposed to lie, little brother,\u201d Elizabeth scolded as she came alongside him.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled at the little girl.\u00a0 It had been about six months since they\u2019d met.\u00a0 She was growing like a weed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how are you, Miss Elizabeth?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right as rain, Mister Cartwright, but Joe\u2019s hurtin\u2019.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t tellin\u2019 you the truth.\u00a0 The carriage ran over his foot and smashed it.\u201d\u00a0 She scowled.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks yucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spun toward his son.\u00a0 \u201cIs that true, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever eager to prove he was a man, Joe answered, \u201cIt\u2019s nothin\u2019 I can\u2019t take, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stepped up to him and looked into those green eyes, measuring what he saw there and not liking it at all.\u00a0 The boy was obviously in a good deal of pain.<\/p>\n

He placed his arm around Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLean on me.\u00a0 We need to get you inside so I can take a look at your foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked down at Elizabeth.\u00a0 \u201cYes, dear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t you forgetting somethin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 Then he had it.\u00a0 Looking over at the parson, he apologized.\u00a0 \u201cForgive me, reverend.\u00a0 Please, come with us.\u00a0 You\u2019re welcome in our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joseph?\u201d he asked as they began to hobble toward the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Reverend Godfrey says he knew you back in Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at the other man.\u00a0 There were no bells.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a long time ago, sir.\u00a0 You might not remember me.\u00a0 You would remember my brother Leander better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 How could he forget a name like Leander Godfrey?\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I do.\u00a0 You must be the older brother who went to seminary in England.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be me,\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n

Joe looked a little dazed, but then it could have been from the pain.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you said \u2018you\u2019 knew Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall man shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI said I knew \u2018of\u2019 him.\u00a0 From my brother.\u00a0 We did meet once, if you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, anyway, you are welcome.\u00a0 Elizabeth,\u201d Ben said with a nod, \u201cwould you please get the door?\u201d<\/p>\n

As the little girl shot past, headed for the house, Joe moaned.<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 Thirteen hours out of his sight.<\/p>\n

It might have been a record.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing scowled as he carefully lifted a pail of steaming hot water from the kitchen stove.\u00a0 As he headed to the great room, he let out a string of Chinese words calculated to make his ancestors blush.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he was angry or put out.\u00a0 Not in the slightest.\u00a0 He had simply learned long ago that if a man was going to be a part of the Cartwright\u2019s lives, he had to find a way to dispel the demons of worry and anxiety.\u00a0 By the standards of his country Mistah Adam had been a man when he came to the Ponderosa, and Mistah Hoss, well on his way to being one. \u00a0Mistah Cartwright\u2019s number three son had still been in his mother\u2019s arms and when those arms were taken away by death, he \u2013 more than anyone else \u2013 had tended to the child.\u00a0 Little Joe had grown up in his kitchen, helping with all the small chores, and he had found pleasure and purpose in answering the small boy\u2019s endless questions.\u00a0 In his own way, he had helped to teach him to be a man, showing him by example that there was no room for complaining, that everything had its reason and purpose, even sliced thumbs and burnt forearms.\u00a0 All too soon Little Joe had joined his brothers and father doing ranch work, but he still visited \u2013 often late at night \u2013 and would sit for an hour or two helping him peel and slice and dice.<\/p>\n

He loved Little Joe as if he had been his own.<\/p>\n

When Hop Sing entered the room, he found only Mistah Ben and his number three son there.\u00a0 Missy Elizabeth had gone upstairs to the room prepared for her and the holy man with the chicken neck had followed shortly after.\u00a0 While Mistah Ben made Little Joe comfortable, he had taken up towels and prepared the extra guest room.\u00a0 The boy was seated now in the big blue chair by the fire.\u00a0 His injured foot, having been given permission, lay propped on a pillow on top of the table that fronted the last Mrs. Cartwright\u2019s elegant settee.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s foot was the color of a dragon\u2019s breath and swollen to nearly twice the normal size.\u00a0 Beside him, seated on the table, was his father.\u00a0 The elder Cartwright had one hand under his son\u2019s foot and ran the other gently, tenderly over the bruised flesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me when it hurts, Joe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Joe grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cCan I just tell you when it doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mistah Ben stopped.\u00a0 He reached out with his hand and cupped the back of Little Joe\u2019s curly head.\u00a0 \u201cSon, if its that bad I should send one of the men for Paul tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u201d\u00a0 Mistah Ben waited.\u00a0 \u201cI need the truth.\u00a0 I\u2019m supposed to ride out to meet your brothers soon and I am not about to leave you alone with that little girl unless I feel you can handle yourself.\u00a0 Paul coming out doesn\u2019t mean I won\u2019t.\u201d \u00a0His tone softened.\u00a0 \u201cAs a matter of fact, his opinion might go a long way toward letting me know I can<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Number three son mumbled something as Hop Sing sat the pail of water down on the hearth.<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben\u2019s eyes flicked to him and he nodded his thanks.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was that, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s brown curls tumbled over his green eyes.\u00a0 He looked exhausted.\u00a0 But then again, they probably all did.<\/p>\n

It was <\/em>two o\u2019clock in the morning.<\/p>\n

Joe huffed.\u00a0 \u201cI said, Doc Martin told me that if he had to come back to the Ponderosa one more time this year to cut a bullet out of me, pull out an arrow, or patch up one more broken bone he was gonna recommend you turn me over to some university for medical study.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben snorted.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing did too, but he pretended it was the steam that made him sneeze.\u00a0 \u201cWater ready to clean Little Joe\u2019s foot,\u201d he said, offering the older man a hot, wet cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 As he nodded his head, his employer asked his son.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n

Number three son sank back into the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose you better send for Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright nodded as he laid the hot cloth on his son\u2019s swollen foot.\u00a0 The boy sucked in air and then seemed to relax.\u00a0 A second later his familiar grin appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least this time I ain\u2019t got a fever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you haven\u2019t<\/em>,\u201d the older man replied, rapping his son\u2019s big toe so he yelped.\u00a0 \u201cYet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben ready for ice?\u201d Hop Sing asked.<\/p>\n

The older man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, and while you\u2019re at it, go to the cupboard and bring one of the bottles of brandy over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna pour brandy on my foot, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m going to pour it in a glass,\u201d Little Joe\u2019s father sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI need a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe lay on his bed with his hands linked behind his head.\u00a0 His injured foot was propped on a pillow and there was a plate of some kind of cookies and a hot pot of tea on the bedside table.\u00a0 He hated to admit it, but there were times when he kind of liked being fussed over.\u00a0 Leastwise when it was Pa and Hop Sing who were doing it and neither of his brothers was around to make fun of him.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing would have one of his conniption fits and tell him it was \u2018foolishness\u2019 if he knew it, but he kind of thought of him as the ma he never had.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019d spent a lot of hours of his boyhood in \u2018Hop Sing\u2019s palace\u2019, as he thought of the Ponderosa\u2019s\u00a0 kitchen.\u00a0 After all, there was no<\/em> denying who was emperor there.\u00a0 Even Pa was afraid to move a spoon from a rack without asking.\u00a0 All Joe had to do was close his eyes and breathe deep and he could smell the Chinese man\u2019s cooking \u2013 coffee simmering, an apple pie in the oven; a big fat beef roast sitting next to it with onions and potatoes swimming in the drippings surrounding it.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing would often sing softly under his breath while he cooked. Usually some old Mandarin tune.\u00a0 When he\u2019d ask about learning the words to those songs, Hop Sing had tried to teach him, but his tongue always got stuck on them like a wayward steer on barbed wire.\u00a0 When he caught him mangling the Mandarin, the Chinese man would narrow his black eyes, scowl, and scold him about not speaking Chinese proper using even more <\/em>Chinese.\u00a0 When he did, Joe\u2019d jam his fists into his hips and shout back in some kind of gibberish until they both start giggling, and then they\u2019d end up on the floor, laughing so hard that they\u2019d forget about that fat old beef roast and the onions and potatoes and let them shrivel up like a day in the desert.<\/p>\n

His eyes were crinkling and his nose wrinkling, and a smile twisted his lips as a knock came at the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in!\u201d Joe called.<\/p>\n

A familiar dark head peeked in the door.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Joe feel better?\u201d Hop Sing asked as he stepped in.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for the pillow, Hop Sing.\u00a0 And the tea and cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man came into the room and looked at him.\u00a0 With a frown, he anchored one fist on his hip.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMistah Joe got all wrong,\u201d he said, shaking a finger.\u00a0 \u201cPillow for head.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at the table with the tea and cookies.\u00a0 \u201cOther<\/em> for foot!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s mobile brows jumped.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean, I\u2019m supposed to feed the tea and cookies to my foot?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sighed so deeply the chasm it created probably beat the Grand Canyon by a mile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat<\/em> Hop Sing do with Little Joe?\u00a0 Number three son smart.\u00a0 Hop Sing say so.\u00a0 Smarter than Mistah Adam and Hoss together.\u201d\u00a0 The scowl deepened.\u00a0 \u201cNumber three son on purpose make fool of Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was feeling really bad.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d I do?\u00a0 There\u2019s a plate on my table and its got round things on it.\u00a0 For gosh sakes!\u00a0 What else would I think it was?\u201d\u00a0 Joe paused.\u00a0 The smile returned.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think I\u2019m smarter than Adam and Hoss put together?\u201d<\/p>\n

That smile ran away right fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since Little Joe little boy, Hop Sing use Chinese medicine.\u00a0 You no pay attention!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing bustled over.\u00a0 \u201cCakes made from yanhusuo<\/em> plant.\u00a0 Put in tea and soak foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe eyed the cakes.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean you ain\u2019t supposed to eat them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had put the cakes in a bowl and was pouring the tea over them.\u00a0 He paused to look at him, a mixture of exasperation and sympathy in his dark eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not eat one….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly<\/em> one.\u00a0 I thought it was kind of dry.\u201d\u00a0 Suddenly panicked, Joe asked, \u201cAm I gonna die?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe not die.\u201d\u00a0 Shaking his head, Hop Sing quietly began to move some of the furniture in his room out of the way, pushing chairs to the side and clearing a path to the corner that held the chamber pot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you doing?\u201d Joe asked, puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYanhusuo<\/em> do one of two things to number three son.\u00a0 Make velly <\/em>sleepy, or make run very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t runnin\u2019 with this foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment his insides turned over, gurgling like a hot water spring bubbling up through a hole in the ground, and he felt sick.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s feet not what run.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stepped out of his bedroom and stared down the hall toward his son Joseph\u2019s room.\u00a0 He scratched his head and stood there, listening, wondering what the boy was up to now.\u00a0 He could hear Joe talking and Hop Sing answering, so even though the noises were odd \u2013 strange grunts, the sound of feet shuffling across the floor \u2013 he decided to leave them be.<\/p>\n

Turning in the opposite direction Ben headed for the guest bedroom where he had left Elizabeth Carnaby sleeping earlier.\u00a0 He\u2019d had Hop Sing prepare the room for her, but had quickly realized that neither he nor his Chinese cook really knew much about what a little girl would like.\u00a0 Earlier he\u2019d told Joe to take the child to town at some point to buy her a wardrobe of new clothes and some toys to play with.\u00a0 With the help of the lady who ran the dress shop, he had already picked out one dress.\u00a0 He\u2019d left it in Elizabeth\u2019s room for her to wear the next day.\u00a0 From what he remembered the Carnaby\u2019s didn\u2019t have much, and he knew his son would enjoy making the little girl happy.<\/p>\n

Other than that, he\u2019d been at a loss.<\/p>\n

The Ponderosa had been without a woman\u2019s touch for so many years, he\u2019d nearly forgotten what it was to have a female around for more than dinner.\u00a0 Casting his mind back, he\u2019d sought memories of Marie and what she\u2019d treasured.\u00a0 Flowers.\u00a0 Beautiful throws with lots of color.\u00a0 He\u2019d come in from the range to find a parade of brightly colored fall leaves trailing down the center of the dining table and, for no reason other than that she thought their songs were lovely, the occasional canary winning through the house.\u00a0 In a moment of desperation he had gone to the closet in his room and fished out a small box that contained a few of his late wife\u2019s possessions.\u00a0 He was saving them for Joe to give to the woman he loved and finally married.\u00a0 Some were too fine and too mature for Elizabeth.\u00a0 There was a stunning necklace set with diamonds and a blue-green stone, along with several other elegant pieces of jewelry.\u00a0 The box contained as well as a number of elaborate jeweled hair combs.\u00a0 It took a moment, but he\u2019d finally managed to find what he\u2019d been looking for.\u00a0 A small box within the box.\u00a0 In it were a half-dozen hand-carved feathered birds.\u00a0 One felt, looking at them, that if he tossed them into the air, they would wing away with a song.\u00a0 Marie had bought them in San Francisco.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken the birds to Elizabeth\u2019s room and positioned them on the windowsill.<\/p>\n

He hoped she\u2019d liked them.<\/p>\n

When he came to the child\u2019s room, Ben put his hand to the knob and then stopped.\u00a0 Small, half-swallowed sobs came from inside.\u00a0 He hesitated, unsure of what to do, but then he thought of his own sons when they were small and it occurred to him that, in this circumstance, there was very little difference between boys and girls.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth was, no doubt, missing her family.<\/p>\n

Ben backed up and made a show of approaching the room, stomping his boots on the floor so she would be sure to hear him, and then called out as he knocked.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth?\u00a0 May I come in?\u00a0 It\u2019s Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard the familiar snuffling as she sucked in her tears and the sound of running and a small form striking the bed.\u00a0 How that brought back memories of his youngest who could never admit he had been standing by the window, looking out, watching and waiting for the return of someone he loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in,\u201d a small voice answered.<\/p>\n

The moonlight was streaming in the window.\u00a0 A small square of it fell on the bed, highlighting the little girl who lay there.\u00a0 Ben crossed over to her and asked with a smile, indicating the edge.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I sit down?\u00a0 These old bones need as much rest as they can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a smile, but it didn\u2019t touch her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fell asleep downstairs,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry if you were frightened when you woke up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t scared,\u201d she said, a little too quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I know you\u2019re not scared.\u00a0 It\u2019s just, well, sometimes when you wake up in a strange room and don\u2019t know how you got there, it can be a little puzzling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes were wide.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s an awful big<\/em> room.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t even thought of it.\u00a0 The room was about as big as her whole house.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a big<\/em> bed….\u201d<\/p>\n

And she was very little.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you know,\u201d he said, scooting in a little bit, \u201cit has to be big because there are so many people in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes went from side to side.\u00a0 Then to him.\u00a0 He had to hide a smile.<\/p>\n

She obviously thought he was crazy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people?\u201d<\/p>\n

He pursed his lips and raised a hand to his chin.\u00a0 \u201cActually, they\u2019re not exactly people<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben saw her eyes go to the coverlet, like she\u2019d lift it and see if anyone was hiding there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are they then?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was something Marie used to say with Joe, a nightly prayer to help the sensitive, overly-imaginative boy go to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Uriel,\u00a0 Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael for one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean the archangels?\u201d\u00a0 Her blue eyes went wider.\u00a0 \u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMatthew, Mark, Luke, and John.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThose are Jesus\u2019 friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 And they\u2019re all here, watching over you because I asked them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did?\u201d Elizabeth blinked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 I asked, \u2018Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, bless the bed Elizabeth lies on.\u00a0 Four corners to her bed,<\/p>\n

four angels \u2018round her head.\u00a0 One to watch and one to pray and two to keep her \u2018til the new day\u2019.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cSo you see, there\u2019s hardly room for you in that great big bed with all those people watching over you and keeping you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so.\u201d\u00a0 The child thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI sure wish I could see them though….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see me, right?\u201d\u00a0 As she nodded, he went on.\u00a0 \u201cHow about I get a book from my room and come back here and read to you while they keep a watch over both of us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, a pause.\u00a0 Then, finally, a real smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose.\u00a0 Tucking her under the covers, he asked, \u201cHow does Hans Christian Anderson sound?\u201d\u00a0 It had been Marie\u2019s book.\u00a0\u00a0 Her favorite story had been \u2018The Little Mermaid\u2019.\u00a0 Joe had loved it too, that and \u2018The Little Tin Soldier\u2019, though he refused to admit it when he got older.<\/p>\n

The little girl\u2019s eyes blinked with sleep as she nodded.<\/p>\n

He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.\u00a0 \u201cBack in two shakes of a lamb\u2019s tail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben went to the door and stepped into the hall and headed for his room.\u00a0 Halfway there he stopped.\u00a0 Hop Sing was just leaving Joe\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething wrong?\u201d he asked, worried about Joe\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber three son fine now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emphasis on \u2018now\u2019 brought his hackles up.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was wrong earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, Mistah Ben.\u00a0 Little Joe sleep now.\u00a0 Sleep long<\/em> time.\u00a0 No get up on foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been fighting him.\u00a0 More than once Joe had tried to get out of bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how did you accomplish that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man smiled.\u00a0 \u201cOld Chinese secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyebrows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cTea and cookies with no sympathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THREE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was early the next morning.\u00a0 The sun was up and smilin\u2019 on the world.<\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright wasn\u2019t smilin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa, come on!\u201d\u00a0 Joe knew he was whining like a pup, but he couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 Pa was treating<\/em> him like a pup!\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t need some old biddy \u2013 old lady to come out here.\u00a0 Hop Sing and I are \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMen.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s arms were locked tighter than the door on the bank vault in Placerville. One dark eyebrow arched toward his silver-white hair and the older man\u2019s lips were straight as a demarcation line.\u00a0\u00a0 The signs were all there.\u00a0 He should\u2019ve known better than to argue.<\/p>\n

Actually, he did, but he couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 Every vision he\u2019d had of a fine week without his pa and brothers, taking it easy and enjoying Elizabeth\u2019s company, was vanishing in the face of some old lady who thought she should mother Ben Cartwright\u2019s poor motherless child.\u00a0 Sure as shootin\u2019 the Widow Guthrie would move in and take over and spend her time makin\u2019 sure he was clean behind the ears and in bed by eight.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u00a0 While I am not entirely unsympathetic to your…pleas…I cannot leave that little girl alone in this house with you for a week.\u00a0 It simply isn\u2019t <\/em>something that can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time it was his<\/em> eyebrows that danced.\u00a0 His mouth fell open.\u00a0 He pointed at his chest and then up the stair to where Elizabeth was, and then looked back at his pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a kid!\u00a0 What do you think I\u2019m gonna do \u2013 kiss her?!\u201d<\/p>\n

His father gave him that look.\u00a0 The one that said, with him<\/em>, there was nothing entirely out of the realm of possibility.\u00a0 Pa held it for a moment and then he laughed.\u00a0 A second later his hand was on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I have the feeling, Joseph, that Elizabeth might not be adverse to you giving her a kiss,\u201d Pa said, trying, but failing to hide his amusement, \u201cthat\u2019s not what I\u2019m concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, for goodness sake, what are<\/em> you concerned about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one thing, who will give her a bath?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 Was that a trick question?\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with Hop Sing?\u00a0 He gave us our baths when we were little.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father sighed.\u00a0 It was like Pa was wondering if what he\u2019d given life to was an idiot.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you and Adam and Hoss are….\u201d he said leadingly.<\/p>\n

Joe puzzled it out. \u201cBoys?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Hop Sing is….\u201d<\/p>\n

It was getting trickier. \u00a0\u201cChinese?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another sigh. \u00a0And<\/em> a shake of the head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what else?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was gonna say \u2018short\u2019, but his pa had that look like, if he got it wrong, he\u2019d get the switch.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph,\u201d his father said, exasperated.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a man<\/em>.\u00a0 So are you.\u00a0 Hop Sing can, but probably shouldn\u2019t bathe a little girl of Elizabeth\u2019s age.\u00a0 You <\/em>certainly can\u2019t bathe her.\u00a0 We need a woman out here until Elizabeth\u2019s mother arrives.\u201d<\/p>\n

A girl of her age?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, Pa?\u00a0 I\u2019ve helped take care of other little kids.\u00a0 How come I<\/em> can\u2019t do it now?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father stared at him.\u00a0 He took his arm and said, \u201cCome over to the settee and sit down.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe limped over, he aimed for the table.\u00a0 \u201cOn <\/em>the settee,\u201d his father repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father positioned himself on the settee as well and turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ask Elizabeth how old she is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had a birthday just after we left their home.\u00a0 She\u2019s eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nah.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t <\/em>be.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa actually rolled his eyes this time.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Maybe she lied when I asked her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 She\u2019s just so dang little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you were?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks for not saying \u2018are\u2019<\/em>, Joe thought.\u00a0 \u201cYeah….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on social status and region \u2013 and her parents\u2019 beliefs \u2013 that \u2018young lady\u2019 could be engaged in two years and married in four.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarried?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo you, Joseph, Elizabeth is a child, but she\u2019s a child on the edge of womanhood.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cThe feelings she has for you are very real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me<\/em>, Pa?\u201d he laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re just friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFriends?\u201d\u00a0 His pa rose.\u00a0 \u201cI seem to remember a young lady telling me last year while you lay recovering in her parents\u2019 home, that you had promised you would wait for her and that the two of you would marry one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa, you know how it is.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt was kind of cute, and I didn\u2019t want to hurt her feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father looked down at him.\u00a0 \u201cHas it occurred to you that that is precisely<\/em> what you are going to have to do one of these days.\u00a0 Unless you intend to keep your promise to wait and make her your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed.\u00a0 He looked pained.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I didn\u2019t think….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Son,\u201d the hand came back, \u201cyou can\u2019t continue to plow through life making choices, taking action, and making promises<\/em> without considering the consequences. You may think Elizabeth\u2019s feelings for you are something that will fade \u2013 and they may \u2013 but to her, at this moment, they are very, very<\/em> real.\u00a0 She is in love with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cPa, no.\u00a0 She loves me like I love her, as a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joseph.\u00a0 She is a maturing woman and she is \u2018in love\u2019 with you.\u00a0 All it takes is one look to know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought hard a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThen how come I<\/em> don\u2019t know it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019re as thick-headed as you are ornery,\u201d a deep ironic voice quipped even as the front door closed.<\/p>\n

Just what he needed.<\/p>\n

Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come you ain\u2019t on the range gettin\u2019 wrapped up in ropes and drug by a steer?\u201d Joe snapped back even as Pa sighed deeply.\u00a0 He turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa, but Adam….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not sighing at your reaction to your brother\u2019s rather inflammatory comment.\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled as that \u2018look\u2019 went to his older brother who stood, waiting by the door.\u00a0 Adam might be thirty, but Pa could still verbally smack his butt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018Ain\u2019t?\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Drug<\/em>\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 The older man pinched the bridge of his nose.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, you\u2019re not too old to send back to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seemed a change of subject was in order.<\/p>\n

Rising carefully and watching his foot, Joe skirted the edge of the sofa and went over to Adam.\u00a0 His brother was dressed in a white shirt and black pants and was wearing his heavy golden-brown coat over them.\u00a0 His black hat was on his head and on it was a rim of white.\u00a0 Joe reached for it and playfully knocked some of the white stuff off.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s snow,\u201d he said as he watched it fall to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam grumbled, \u201cI know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019ve you got snow all over your hat for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother did a remarkable imitation of their father rolling his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBecause it\u2019s snowing<\/em>.\u00a0 Hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSnowing hard?\u201d\u00a0 Pa came to join them.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s only the last week in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently the weather isn\u2019t watching the calendar.\u201d\u00a0 Adam shook the rest of the snow off and placed his hat on the credenza.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not stopping, Pa.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to have to move up the schedule if we want to get those cattle to a safe pasture before the trails are too hard to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Hoss?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready at it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI came to get Pa and as many men as we can spare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa hadn\u2019t been planning on going for a few days yet.\u00a0 Now it looked like he\u2019d have to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 The older man was looking at him and shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be fine, Pa,\u201d Joe assured him.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth and Hop Sing and me.\u00a0 Soon as it stops, I promise I\u2019ll send one of the hands into town to get Mrs. Guthrie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam started.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve hired Widow Guthrie to come out while we\u2019re gone?\u00a0 Pa, is that wise?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shuddered.\u00a0 She must<\/em> be an old battle-ax.<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t scare easily.<\/p>\n

His pa was still looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cI trust Joseph\u2019s interactions with Mrs. Guthrie will be courteous and of a gentlemanly nature.\u00a0 Won\u2019t they, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is in need of employment since the death of her husband, and is endeavoring to raise enough money to travel back east to rejoin her people,\u201d his father said.\u00a0 \u201cMrs. Guthrie has no children of her own, and so she was excited to think of spending a week or two with us and looking after Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam drew in a deep breath, raised an eyebrow, and did that funny little thing with his lips where they turned up on the ends like the grin on a fat old satisfied cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know best, Pa, but if you ask me \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held his hands up in surrender.<\/p>\n

Pa nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 Now that my two sons have stopped debating every single<\/em> thing I say, I will go upstairs and finish packing my satchel.\u00a0 Adam, you go on to the bunkhouse and see who\u2019s there.\u00a0 Leave one or two men here to keep watch and send all the others on to help Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019ll catch up with you after I make that run to the bank to deposit the payroll money.\u201d\u00a0 When Joe opened his mouth to protest that he and the ranch house didn\u2019t need any more baby-sitters, a single raised finger stopped him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you, young man, will remain in this house until that foot is mended.\u00a0 Your \u2018job\u2019 is to make our young guest\u2019s stay is the best she can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d\u00a0 As his father headed for the stairs, Joe called after him softly, \u201cPa, is it okay if I take Elizabeth out in one of the sleighs?\u00a0 You know, she\u2019d probably like to see the snow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust so you take Hop Sing with you.\u201d\u00a0 At his look, he added, \u201cIf I know that little girl, she\u2019s as headstrong as you are.\u00a0 All we need is for her or you, or both<\/em> of you to get lost <\/em>in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hadn\u2019t left yet.\u00a0 He was pulling on his gloves.\u00a0 \u201cPa, you know Hop Sing doesn\u2019t have any sense of direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gulped as their father looked right at him.\u00a0 \u201cWell then, he and your brother will make a good combination.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes Joseph doesn\u2019t have any sense at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth Carnaby was staring out the window at the land surrounding Little Joe\u2019s house.\u00a0 It sure was pretty.\u00a0 There were tall Ponderosa pine trees standing guard around it, lookin\u2019 for all the world like an army of giants.\u00a0 She crooked her neck and looked up to see if their tops had fierce giant faces, and laughed when she saw that they did and that their long beards were made of snow.<\/p>\n

It was snowing!<\/em><\/p>\n

She loved snow.\u00a0 Her ma hated it, but her Pa said God made it for man.\u00a0 Snow was the only thing that slowed men down, he said, and made them take time to think.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much to do in the wintertime but think, Pa said, and listen to the silence.\u00a0 That one had been hard for her at first \u2013 how did a body \u2018listen\u2019 to something that didn\u2019t make a sound?\u00a0\u00a0 Then one night when she was sitting on the porch on her Pa\u2019s lap, all wrapped in a warm blanket and his arms, she understood.\u00a0 Pa told her the snow had a voice, but it was made of color and light.\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t hear it.\u00a0 You could only see it, and even then, only if you looked.<\/p>\n

It was so beautiful it made her cry.<\/p>\n

Straightening up, Elizabeth turned back into the room the Cartwrights had given her and just stared at it.\u00a0 She\u2019d paced it off and hadn\u2019t bumped into a wall \u2018til she got near twenty.\u00a0 Why, that was bigger than Ma\u2019s whole garden.\u00a0 Bigger, even, then their barn.\u00a0 If she\u2019d been allowed to swear, she would have sworn it was even bigger than her whole house!<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019d let her swear one time.\u00a0 She\u2019d hit her thumb with a hammer and it was hurting something awful and nothin\u2019, just nothin\u2019,<\/em> seemed to make it better.\u00a0 Pa scooped her up and took her to the pump to wash off the blood.\u00a0 He told her he was gonna have to \u2018sanitize\u2019 it with whiskey.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t like the sound of that.<\/p>\n

He admitted it was gonna hurt and asked her if she thought cussin\u2019 would help her to stand what he had to do.\u00a0 Now, she didn\u2019t rightly know since she\u2019d never cussed before, but she was willing to try anything because she remembered <\/em>the last time she\u2019d had something \u2018sanitized\u2019 and it had hurt real <\/em>bad!\u00a0 Pa told her to think of the worst thing she could think of and to shout it out as loud as she could when he poured the whiskey over her thumb.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad-blame it!\u201d<\/em> she cried, sucking in air.\u00a0 \u201cDang!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

It was their secret.\u00a0 They never told Ma or<\/em> the preacher.\u00a0 Pa said you didn\u2019t need absolving for saying somethin\u2019 like that when there was a real true, sure-fire need.<\/p>\n

Turning back to the window, Elizabeth went over to it and picked up one of the pretty little feathered birds and looked at it.\u00a0 She\u2019d found them there when she woke up that morning.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know who had left them.\u00a0 She hoped it was Joe.\u00a0 After finding them she\u2019d gone to his room to see if he was there.\u00a0 When no one answered, she pushed the door open and went inside.\u00a0 Little Joe was laying there, sleepin\u2019, with one hand pressed against his face and the other gripping the blanket, with all those beautiful brown curls he had spilling over his forehead.\u00a0 The little girl sighed.\u00a0 He was prettier than all those little feathered birds put together.\u00a0 She\u2019d been standing there, thinkin\u2019 about him, when she heard someone coming down the hall.\u00a0 Knowing she wasn\u2019t supposed to be there, she slipped under the bed and waited as the door opened and a man wearing black pants and shoes stepped inside.\u00a0 He stood just inside the door a minute, like he was checking on Little Joe, and then went back out.<\/p>\n

A minute later she ran to her room.<\/p>\n

Later on she got to thinking about it.\u00a0 Joe and his brothers and their Pa wore boots.<\/em>\u00a0 She\u2019d never seen any of them in shoes.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t wear<\/em> shoes, of course, but it made her wonder if maybe the Reverend Godfrey\u2019d been the one looking in.\u00a0 He wore black pants and shoes.\u00a0 \u2018Course it made sense that the reverend would be checking on Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d probably been saying prayers for him.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what reverends did.<\/p>\n

A knock on her door interrupted Elizabeth\u2019s thoughts.\u00a0 She turned back into the room and asked, \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Joe, Bella.\u00a0 Are you dressed?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down at her new clothes.\u00a0 The dress was a deep teal green and made from a heavy fabric that was smooth to the touch. It felt just like Jack\u2019s bottom!\u00a0 There were layers and layers of white petticoats to go underneath it as well as pantalettes, and it had a little matching jacket with black soutache braid on the sleeves and front.\u00a0 There was a beautiful winter coat made of fur right beside it with a muff and hat.<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t believe they were for her!<\/p>\n

\u201cSure am, Little Joe,\u201d she said, twirling once as he opened the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-mm!\u201d he exclaimed on seeing her.\u00a0 \u201cMy, oh, my, the belles of Virginia City are going to be jealous!\u201d<\/p>\n

She beamed.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know<\/em> so.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe came into the room.\u00a0 He was wearing a deep blue shirt and black pants today with a little black tie around his neck.\u00a0 Elizabeth\u2019s eyes went to his feet as he limped into the room.<\/p>\n

Yep.\u00a0 Boots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come, milady, to escort you outside to yonder sleigh and chauffeur you about your kingdom,\u201d he grinned.<\/p>\n

He was always being silly like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs your foot okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hobbled a bit as he moved to the window.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s hurtin\u2019, but its nothing I can\u2019t stand.\u00a0 Pa said we could go if Hop Sing goes with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe turned to look at her.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you ain\u2019t afraid of Hop Sing, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to admit it, but, yes she was.\u00a0 About an hour after coming back to her room, she\u2019d sneaked downstairs while she was still in her night dress to take a look around the house.\u00a0 She\u2019d gotten to the great room when she heard somethin\u2019 her pa would have called \u2018caterwauling\u2019 coming out of the kitchen.\u00a0 Frightened, she\u2019d run and hid behind Mister Ben\u2019s big blue chair even as Little Joe appeared limpin\u2019 on his bad foot and movin\u2019 fast.<\/p>\n

A man carrying a knife was following him.\u00a0 He had tanned skin and black hair and his eyes were really small like slits.<\/p>\n

Joe was saying \u2018Whoa, whoa, whoa! No!\u201d while the man was shouting, \u2018You get out, Little Joe!\u00a0 You no come in kitchen, sneak food!\u00a0 You wait for breakfast like everyone else!\u00a0 You give Hop Sing sausage!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come and get it!\u201d Joe shouted back.<\/p>\n

Then Hop Sing yelled somethin\u2019 in some kind of funny language and started chasing Joe around the table with the knife!<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been so scared she\u2019d run right back up to her room, dived into her bed and pulled the coverlet over her head.\u00a0 When she woke up again, she thought maybe she\u2019d dreamed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cYou weren\u2019t downstairs this morning, were you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Boy, he was smart.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you were.\u00a0 If I was you \u2013 and you and me are two peas in a pod \u2013\u00a0 I would have been sneakin\u2019 around looking at everything when I thought no one could see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell…\u201d \u00a0She turned her foot.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 Just a little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was grinning from ear to ear.\u00a0 \u201cYou saw Hop Sing chasing me with that knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth scowled.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought a moment and then walked over to the door and opened it.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing!\u00a0 Get up here!\u201d<\/p>\n

She paled as more of those funny words came up the staircase along with, \u201cLittle Joe no yell in house!\u00a0 Little Joe come down stairs talk to Hop Sing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got someone I want you to meet.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at her.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Just this once.\u201d<\/p>\n

The funny words grew closer.\u00a0 A minute later the black-haired man with the tan skin appeared.\u00a0 He was scowling as he stepped into the room.\u00a0 One look at her turned it upside-down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Elizabeth awake!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe sure is, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes were still on her.\u00a0 \u201cSeems Bella here took a little walk this mornin\u2019.\u00a0 She saw you chasing me with that butcher knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe bad boy.\u00a0 Steal sausages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes were wide.\u00a0 \u201cWere you really gonna stick him with that knife?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe giggled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure he was tempted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The funny-looking man came into the room and walked right up to her.\u00a0 He was taller than her, but shorter than Little Joe.\u00a0 His black eyes fixed on her and he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing no hurt Little Joe.\u00a0 Hop Sing love number three son.\u00a0 Love all Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe came over and put his arm around the funny man\u2019s shoulders. \u201cHop Sing\u2019s family, Bella.\u00a0 Pa hired him to cook for us about the time I was born.\u00a0 If there\u2019s anyone to blame for how ornery I am, it\u2019s him,\u201d he said, giving him a punch in the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHe practically raised me!\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked from the man to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d\u00a0 Joe released the other man.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s Chinese.\u00a0 I bet you ain\u2019t never met anyone who\u2019s Chinese before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not use \u2018ain\u2019t\u2019,\u201d Hop Sing said softly.\u00a0 \u2018Ain\u2019t\u2019 not a word.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cSee what I mean?\u00a0 Bad as pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man asked permission and then took her hands in his own. \u00a0\u201cHop Sing sorry scare little girl.\u00a0 Make special breakfast for Missy Elizabeth.\u201d\u00a0 He glared at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHad sausage, but now have none.\u00a0 Hope Missy like bacon with eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked from one to the other.\u00a0 \u201cSo you knew Little Joe when he was my age?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing know Little Joe from when first born.\u201d\u00a0 He patted her hand.\u00a0 \u201cMissy come with Hop Sing.\u00a0 Tell many stories while finish breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, don\u2019t you go tellin\u2019 any tales about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man locked her arm over his and walked toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not worry.\u00a0 Hop Sing ain\u2019t<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOUR<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSIR.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSHERIFF COFFEE!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee\u2019s crisp blue eyes rolled up and over the top of the gold-rim glasses anchored on his nose.\u00a0 They\u2019d been a gift from his late wife and he loved them like he loved her, but he\u2019d be danged<\/em> if he didn\u2019t need a new pair! Adjusting the spectacles again \u2013 and with only a glance at the wanted poster with the tiny little writin\u2019 on it he was holdin\u2019 in his hand \u2013 Roy turned his attention to the fresh, young, and edgy deputy named Luke Warren he\u2019d made official only three days before.\u00a0 Luke was standin\u2019 in front of his desk lookin\u2019 for all the world like he was bound to bust a gut.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 I can do for you, Luke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a brawl at the saloon!\u201d he declared, all excited like.<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s lips pursed.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Cartwright involved?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d heard about Little Joe\u2019s smashed foot, but that didn\u2019t mean anythin\u2019.\u00a0 It would take a mountain fallin\u2019 on that boy to keep him down.<\/p>\n

Clearly perplexed as to what was goin\u2019 on, the sandy-haired young man \u2013 who was from out of the area \u2013 said, \u201cI\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t know the Cartwrights, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy put the poster down on the desk top.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019ll be rectified soon enough,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s four of \u2018em.\u00a0 Come to town at least once a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they trouble, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

He held in his snort.\u00a0 \u2018Trouble?\u2019<\/p>\n

Dang right!<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Cartwright, he\u2019s about the straightest man you\u2019ll ever meet, Luke,\u201d he said as he headed for the coffee pot with its day old coffee.\u00a0 \u201cHonest as the day is long.\u00a0 A man of strong moral character.\u00a0 He don\u2019t stand for anythin\u2019 that ain\u2019t fair.\u00a0 Got him a mite of a temper.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head as he poured.\u00a0 \u201cGet\u2019s him in a pickle all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said there were four?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPatience, boy,\u201d the older man said as he took a sip and winced as the thick cold liquid slipped down his throat.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta learn patience if you\u2019re gonna make a good lawman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced again.\u00a0 \u2018Sir\u2019.\u00a0 Eyeing Luke as he took another sip, he wondered if the boy\u2019d lied about his age.\u00a0 He\u2019d said he was twenty-one when he signed up.<\/p>\n

Looked more like twelve.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2019s got three sons,\u201d Roy said, heading back to the desk.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s the oldest.\u00a0 That boy\u2019s got as sure a head on his shoulders as you\u2019re like to find.\u00a0 Straight up and straight shootin\u2019.\u00a0 There\u2019s no nonsense with Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He sat down.\u00a0 \u201cTrouble is, that boy\u2019s got principles so high he can\u2019t quite climb to the top of them and if he gets somethin\u2019 in his head, there\u2019s no movin\u2019 or changin\u2019 it.\u201d\u00a0 Roy smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve knocked heads with him and I can tell you, it\u2019s a toss-up at to whose is harder!\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke blanched.<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s grizzled brows leaped.<\/p>\n

Was he <\/em>really that bad?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the second and third sons?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy leaned back and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cBen\u2019s second son is called Hoss.\u00a0 His momma gave him another name, but Hoss just suits him fine.\u00a0 That boy\u2019s big as a grizzly and just about as determined.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he\u2019s<\/em> the troublemaker?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man eyed the eager young one before him.\u00a0 Jumps to conclusions<\/em>, he noted.\u00a0 Black and white with no gray areas in-between.<\/em><\/p>\n

Second one, good.\u00a0 First one, bad.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d have to hammer that out of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Hoss ain\u2019t no troublemaker, and you can thank the good Lord for balancin\u2019 out that giant frame of his with the biggest heart in the territory for that!\u201d\u00a0 Roy put his cup down.\u00a0 \u201cThe only trouble with Hoss is he\u2019s got a fierce love that sometimes makes him lose his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy scowled. \u201cBoy, you a fortune teller?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen stop tryin\u2019 to read my mind!\u201d<\/p>\n

His new deputy blanched, which wasn\u2019t a good thing.\u00a0 Bein\u2019 one of those pale-skinned, freckled-faced, red-headed types, he was afraid Luke would just plain up and faint the next time \u2018round.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy slapped his hand on the desk.\u00a0 \u201cAnd stop callin\u2019 me, \u2018sir\u2019!\u00a0 Dag-nabit!<\/em>\u00a0 You and me is partners now.\u00a0 Just call me plain old \u2018Roy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir…er…Roy…\u00a0 Sir….\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, at least the boy\u2019s mama had raised him up right.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s not a woman, may I ask what this \u2018fierce love\u2019 of Hoss Cartwright\u2019s is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s eyes strayed to the street outside his window, thinking of all the times he\u2019d heard footsteps on his porch and the door had opened and whoever had stepped in had had two words on their lips….<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s brows peaked toward that tousle of reddish hair that flopped on his forehead like a pony\u2019s tail swatting flies.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle <\/em>Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittlest Cartwright.\u00a0 Boy\u2019s barely a hair under eighteen and he\u2019s got a nose for trouble.\u201d\u00a0 Roy glanced at the wanted poster again and moved it with his finger.\u00a0 There were times when he thought he might just<\/em> end up seein\u2019 Little Joe\u2019s name printed on one of them.\u00a0 \u201cOnly time I\u2019ve had to come down hard on Hoss has been when he was protectin\u2019 his little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke \u2018s voice was hesitant.\u00a0 \u201cSo this time \u2013 with Little Joe \u2013 you mean he really is<\/em> trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy sighed.\u00a0 What did <\/em>he mean with Little Joe?\u00a0 The boy wasn\u2019t exactly \u2018trouble\u2019, not as a lawman used the word, but Joe sure as Hell found himself swimmin\u2019 in it more often than not.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy\u2019s got a hot temper and goes off half-cocked more than half of the time,\u201d Roy admitted with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s had to learn to hold his own with those two big brothers of his and, I can tell you, boy, he\u2019s learned!\u00a0 Joe\u2019s not a big feller \u2013 Hell<\/em>, he\u2019s practically half the size of Hoss \u2013 but he\u2019s a scrapper.\u00a0 Most the fights I end up breakin\u2019 up at the saloon, he\u2019s come out on top!\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cYou sound like you almost…approve.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to admit it.\u00a0 Little Joe Cartwright held a special place in his heart.\u00a0 He\u2019d never had no children of his own but, if he had, he wouldn\u2019t have placed an order with the good Lord for one as contrary ornery as Joe.\u00a0 Still, that boy had a way of workin\u2019 himself into your heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s not a bad kid,\u201d the older man said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s just young and God didn\u2019t give him the sense to know when he\u2019s wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused.\u00a0 \u201cI guess, if you think about it, when I described his pa, I was describing Little Joe.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s got a high sense of honor.\u00a0 He don\u2019t like injustice, and he don\u2019t back down.\u201d\u00a0 Roy chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWhich sits him square in the lap of trouble with a capital \u2018T\u2019 just about every time he opens his mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke was shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cThis sounds like an…interesting town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke had come from Placerville with his young wife about a month back, taking over the old Smith place on the west side.\u00a0 They had twin boys and seemed to be right nice folks.\u00a0 With his other deputy away, he\u2019d needed an extra hand.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s pa was a lawman back East and so he\u2019d thought he\u2019d give him a try.<\/p>\n

Snot-nosed or not.<\/p>\n

Roy picked up the wanted poster and rose from his chair and went around the desk and placed a hand on the young man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou got to be home any special time today, Luke?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

His sandy head shook.\u00a0 \u201cAmy\u2019s ma is staying over for a few days, helping with the twins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it just so happens I\u2019m about to ride out to the Ponderosa \u2013 that\u2019s where all them Cartwrights live.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you come along?\u00a0 I\u2019ll introduce you to Ben and the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like that, sir…Roy.\u00a0 But what about the fight at the saloon?\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so busy talkin\u2019 about the Cartwrights he\u2019d dang near forgot that Luke had come in talkin\u2019 about a buster at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said no one was dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne man was beat up bad.\u00a0 Another had a bottle broken over his head before he was thrown through the window and shattered the glass.\u00a0 There\u2019s a saloon girl yelling about being mistreated, and the saloon keeper\u2019s insisting we arrest the man who started it and see that someone covers the damages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness as usual,\u201d he said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cNow, let\u2019s go see those Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The door to the Ponderosa swung in admitting three snow-covered figures.\u00a0 Two were laughing and the third was emitting a long line of unintelligible Mandarin Chinese.\u00a0 It was followed by a string of sharp words in English.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, Missy Elizabeth, bad, bad, bad!<\/em>\u00a0 Go to fire, get warm!\u00a0 Hop Sing get dry clothes! Hop Sing fix hot tea to warm up!\u00a0 Hop Sing heat water for baths!\u201d The Chinese man stopped, fists on hips, to glare at them.\u00a0 \u201cYou die of cold, you<\/em> tell Mistah Ben, not Hop Sing\u2019s fault!\u201d<\/p>\n

The snow in Joe\u2019s hair was already melting.\u00a0 Water dripped from the brown ringlets on his forehead into his eyes. \u00a0He was wiggling his way\u00a0 out of his wet wool coat and stopped with one arm still in it.<\/p>\n

Snorting, he asked, \u201cAin\u2019t that gonna be kind of hard, Hop Sing, if I\u2019m dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard Elizabeth giggle as their cook let go more Chinese words and then shouted in English, \u201cFather find Little Joe buried, maybe he be happy!\u00a0 No more trouble around here with only number one and two sons!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah,\u201d Joe laughed as the coat fell to the floor, leaving its own puddle.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019d get old and fat fast with only that granite-head and big lovable Hoss around.\u00a0 All he\u2019d do is sit and sip brandy and read books.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFather work hard.\u00a0 Deserve sit down and sip!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing pointed to the floor.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe pick up coat.\u00a0 Not born in barn!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t help but laugh when he heard one of his pa\u2019s favorite expressions coming out of the Chinese man\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 He saluted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d he said as he picked his coat up and hung it on the hook.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing did a really mean impersonation of his pa\u2019s glare too.\u00a0 He threw his hands in the air as he passed.\u00a0 Muttering more words under his breath, the Chinese man disappeared into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s funny,\u201d Elizabeth said.<\/p>\n

Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you let Hop Sing hear you say that.\u00a0 He means every word.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had shinnied out of her wet coat too.\u00a0 Looking at her now, Joe felt a twinge of guilt.\u00a0 Elizabeth\u2019s golden ringlets were dripping wet as was her dress \u2013 and she was shivering.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d he said gently, \u201clet me help you out of your dress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna be my \u2018ma\u2019?\u201d she smiled.\u00a0 \u201cLike Hop Sing\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d told her about that.\u00a0 Probably a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t your, Ma, I\u2019m….\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice trailed off.\u00a0 What was<\/em> he exactly?\u00a0 Elizabeth liked to call him \u2018little brother\u2019, but he wasn\u2019t really that. \u00a0They were friends but, well, it seemed like somehow they were more.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 As he sat down on the hearth and began to undo the buttons on the back of her dress, he realized his pa had known what he was talking about.\u00a0 Elizabeth was a child, but a child on the way to womanhood.\u00a0 He laughed quietly as he let go and watched her work her way out of the wet garment.\u00a0 It was funny, him feeling<\/em> funny.<\/p>\n

He certainly had enough experience with women.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth turned to look at him.\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 She sure was one of the prettiest <\/em>he\u2019d even seen.<\/p>\n

Joe reached out to touch her underpinnings.\u00a0 They were wet too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we got a little carried away with that snowball fight,\u201d he said with a wince.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but it was fun!\u00a0 I don\u2019t care that I\u2019m wet,\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wait here,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bounding up the stairs, he went to his room and pulled the banyan that he\u2019d never worn out of the bureau.\u00a0 Adam had given it to him for his last birthday.\u00a0 Somehow the idea of slipping into a heavy satin robe and sitting around reading books suited Adam, but it didn\u2019t suit him.<\/em>\u00a0 With the garment in hand, he took the steps two at a time until he reached the bottom.\u00a0 Returning to Elizabeth, he held the banyan out so it screened her small form.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go ahead and take off those wet under things where I can\u2019t see and then we\u2019ll wrap this robe around you, all right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay…\u201d she said, a little hesitation in her voice.\u00a0 \u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018How come\u2019, what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come you can\u2019t watch?\u00a0 Pa don\u2019t hide when I get dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s \u2018cause he\u2019s your Pa.\u00a0 And I ain\u2019t hidin\u2019.\u00a0 I just ain\u2019t watchin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Did he irritate his brothers when he asked this many questions?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Cause I\u2019m a boy and you\u2019re a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s a boy,\u201d she said as the first of the garments hit the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019s a boy, but he\u2019s your Pa<\/em>…\u201d<\/p>\n

She gave him that look over her shoulder \u2013 the one he remembered giving his older brothers.\u00a0 It was a mixture of childish arrogance, annoyance, and just plain cussedness.<\/p>\n

The blonde ringlets bobbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another wet garment fell to the floor just like the snow had fallen off that tree branch his last carefully-aimed snowball had hit by mistake.\u00a0 Hop Sing, who was waiting in the carriage, had chosen just the moment he threw it to let off a mighty sneeze.\u00a0 It was accompanied by a long string of words that in no uncertain terms told him it was high-time they headed home.\u00a0 The sneeze made him start, and starting made him come down on his bad foot, which threw off his aim.\u00a0 The snowball flew.\u00a0 The branch shuddered and then shook as he dove for Elizabeth, and then dumped a wagonload of snow right on top of both of them.<\/p>\n

Truth to tell, he hadn\u2019t had such a hooting good time since the last <\/em>time he\u2019d gotten into a fight at the saloon!<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at him again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded and then wrapped the heavy garment around her small frame.\u00a0 It was a good thing he wasn\u2019t a big man.\u00a0 He had to wrap it almost twice as it was before tying it.\u00a0 Suddenly, the image of Elizabeth wrapped in one of Hoss\u2019 gigantic robes came to him and he started giggling.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d of never found her again!<\/p>\n

The little girl was watching him.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure<\/em> like to laugh, don\u2019t you, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBest medicine there is, big sister,\u201d he said, wiping away a tear.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I should know!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe go crazy crazy?\u201d Hop Sing asked in a slightly quieter tone as he entered the great room bearing a tray with two steaming mugs and a small plate of sandwiches.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing hear boy laugh like hyena.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was still wiping tears.\u00a0 \u201cI was thinkin\u2019 about Elizabeth wrapped in one of Hoss\u2019 robes,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n

The Chinese man smiled.\u00a0 Then he frowned.\u00a0 \u201cMissy Elizabeth dry.\u00a0 Why Mistah Joe still wet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked down.\u00a0 The puddle under him was bigger than the one that had been under his coat.\u00a0 He\u2019d forgotten he hadn\u2019t changed yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing watch little missy.\u00a0 You go upstairs and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

He was cut off by a knock on the door.<\/p>\n

Joe lifted Elizabeth up and placed her in his pa\u2019s chair and scooted it closer to the fire.\u00a0 He kissed the top of her head and said, \u201cYou get some of that tea in you.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna see who\u2019s at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she nodded, he limped across the room, trailing water on his pa\u2019s wood floor and thinking of the scolding he was gonna get if the water left marks.\u00a0 When he opened the door, wind and snow blew in, followed closely by Roy Coffee and another man he didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 The stranger was wearing a badge, so he assumed he must be a new deputy.\u00a0 Looking at their feet, he saw a pile of snow.<\/p>\n

At least now he didn\u2019t need to worry about the water trailing off of him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Roy,\u201d he grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you to the Ponderosa tonight?\u00a0 It ain\u2019t too nice out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy shook snow off his hat and then blew it from his grizzled mustache.\u00a0 \u201cYou been swimmin\u2019 in this cold, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced at Elizabeth.\u00a0 Hop Sing was drying her hair with a thick towel.<\/p>\n

\u201cSnowball fight.\u00a0 The snow won.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the older man snorted Joe glanced at the younger one with him.\u00a0 What he saw made his eyebrows rise.\u00a0 It appeared the man disapproved of him and they hadn\u2019t even been introduced!<\/p>\n

Roy saw him looking.\u00a0 \u201cThis here\u2019s Luke Warren.\u00a0 Luke and his family\u2019s just arrived from Placerville.\u00a0\u00a0 His pa\u2019s been sheriff there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe held out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cPleased to meet you, Luke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke eyed him a moment longer and then took it.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes went to Roy, who was smiling a little too much.\u00a0 \u201cJust Joe, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sandy-haired man nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you didn\u2019t answer my question,\u201d Joe said, turning back to Roy.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you to the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFoolishment!\u201d Hop Sing declared as he moved past, wagging a finger at them before heading to the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cMany wet men!\u00a0 Many puddles on Mistah Ben\u2019s floor!\u00a0 Hop Sing go get many <\/em>rags!\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke looked at bit bamboozled by the whole thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let you in on a little secret, Luke,\u201d Roy said in a soft aside. \u201cIt\u2019s Hop Sing really runs the Ponderosa.\u201d\u00a0 Then the lawman reached into the pocket of his coat and drew out the folded piece of paper.\u00a0 As he opened it, the older man asked, \u201cYour Pa home, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d\u00a0 At another shake, Roy asked hopefully, \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope.\u00a0 Just Hop Sing and me \u2013 and Elizabeth.\u00a0 There was a preacher here earlier \u2013 the one who got off the stage with Bella \u2013 but he left this morning before the worst of the snow hit.\u00a0 As to Pa and Adam, they went to help Hoss.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be on the range for a week or so movin\u2019 the cattle north before the snow gets too deep.\u00a0 Nearly all the hands went with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman\u2019s frown deepened.<\/p>\n

Joe bristled.\u00a0 \u201cHey!\u00a0 I can take care of everyone here \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow don\u2019t you go firin\u2019 up that temper of yours,\u201d Roy cautioned.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be provin\u2019 everythin\u2019 my new deputy here\u2019s heard about you, and Luke ain\u2019t been in town all <\/em>that long!\u201d\u00a0 The older man offered the paper to him.\u00a0 As he took it, Joe realized it was a wanted poster.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just that this here feller is one mean<\/em> son-of-a-gun and I ain\u2019t exactly sure I feel safe with only you and Hop Sing and the girl here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at the poster.\u00a0 \u2018Mean son-of-a-gun\u2019 about said it all.\u00a0 The man staring out at him from the printed page wasn\u2019t the type he would have wanted to come upon unawares in an alley, that\u2019s for sure.\u00a0 The outlaw had bushy black hair.\u00a0 A solid fringe of it ran across his forehead like an upside-down cresting wave.\u00a0 He had narrowed slits for eyes and a straight-line mouth that looked like it had never known laughter.\u00a0 Worry or hate or maybe both had plowed deep lines around his lips and dug even deeper furrows between his thick dark brows.\u00a0 Beneath the artist\u2019s drawing there was a long list of crimes, chief among them robbery and murder.<\/p>\n

Several<\/em> murders.<\/p>\n

\u201cFleet Rowse?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a mean cuss.\u00a0 Should I have heard of him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, maybe not,\u201d Roy replied as he took the poster back, folded it, and returned it to his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cWorked for your Pa years ago when you were just a little tyke.\u00a0 \u2018Fore your ma died.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, at least twelve years before.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re worried he\u2019ll head here?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell now, if I was a man who made a livin\u2019 by takin\u2019 what other\u2019s hard work has earned, and I\u2019d seen the Ponderosa once upon a time and knew what your Pa kept in that there locked safe, I\u2019d be doin\u2019 me a good bit of thinkin\u2019 about whether or not I could get that there money for myself.\u00a0 Rowse\u2019ll know this time of year you got payroll there waitin\u2019 on the men to return from the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was nearly empty now, but he didn\u2019t bother to tell Roy that.\u00a0 Pa had been afraid to leave thousands of dollars in it with Elizabeth at that house for just such a reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe agreed, \u201cbut Rowse\u2019ll also know we keep that money safe.\u00a0 Pa left hands to keep watch. They\u2019re riding about a mile out from the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue.\u00a0 True.\u201d\u00a0 Roy pulled at his whiskers.\u00a0 \u201cBut Fleet\u2019s gonna know your routine.\u00a0 Goes on right like clockwork year after year.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.\u00a0 You know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at Hop Sing as the Chinese man reentered the room, dry rags in hand.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Roy, I appreciate your concern \u2013 and the warning \u2013 but we\u2019ll be just fine.\u00a0 Won\u2019t we Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was shooing Roy and Luke back toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cMen go away!\u00a0 We fine here!\u00a0 Take wet boots outside!\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman continued to frown.\u00a0 \u201cYou got all the doors and windows locked, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cHeck no!\u00a0 I threw them all open to let in the cold and the snow.\u201d\u00a0 Sobering, Joe admitted, \u201cThey\u2019re all locked, Roy.\u00a0 Like I said, I appreciate your concern and you riding out here to tell us about Rowse,\u00a0 but, really, we\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Roy glanced warily at Hop Sing, who was getting ready to move from mopping the floor to his boots, the older man added softly, \u201cI\u2019m accountable to your Pa, you know that, son, you being under eighteen and all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not<\/em> under eighteen.\u00a0 Hop Sing old man!\u00a0 You go!\u201d their cook said as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing keep Little Joe and Missy safe!\u00a0 Little Joe smart.\u00a0 Missy smarter.\u00a0 Hop Sing smartest<\/em> of all!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes twinkled.\u00a0 \u201cThere you go, Roy.\u00a0 You heard it from the emperor\u2019s mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man\u2019s eyes flicked to him.\u00a0 An affectionate smile lit them even if the emotion didn\u2019t reach Hop Sing\u2019s turned-down lips.<\/p>\n

The lawman threw his hands in the air.\u00a0 \u201cYou see what I told you, Luke,\u201d he said to the younger man who had remained by the door, watching the scene unfold with disbelieving eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no one<\/em> like the Cartwrights!\u201d\u00a0 Roy straightened his hat and brought the bill down over his eyes.\u00a0 As he turned away, he said, \u201cLet\u2019s get goin\u2019, boy.\u00a0 It\u2019s a long ride back into town through blowin\u2019 snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at Elizabeth. She was sitting by the fire with her bare toes pointed at the flames, warming herself.\u00a0 He felt just a twinge of fear for her.\u00a0 Not for himself, mind you, but her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think maybe you should just stay the night, Roy?\u00a0 It\u2019s gettin\u2019 late and the snow\u2019s flying.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman shook his head. \u201cThanks for the invite, but I got me a warm office back in Virginia City and a mountain of paperwork bigger than any snow drift to go through.\u201d\u00a0 Roy glanced at his companion who had his hand on the latch. \u201c\u2018Sides, Luke here\u2019s a new pa and I\u2019m sure he wants to get home to that pretty little wife of his and those twins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe followed them as Luke opened the door and the two lawmen stepped out.\u00a0 The wind was howling like a hungry wolf and the snow was steady.\u00a0 There were several inches on the ground.\u00a0 He knew from experience, though, that those inches could soon be one or two feet<\/em> in the higher elevations.<\/p>\n

A sudden concern for his pa and brothers hit him.\u00a0 They were out in this while he was here, at the ranch house, safe and warm. \u00a0Glancing up, he tried to judge the sky.\u00a0 From the looks of it, it would be at least a couple of hours before the storm moved on.\u00a0 And only Heaven knew if there was another one behind it.<\/p>\n

Joe nodded absentmindedly.\u00a0 \u201cSounds good.\u00a0 You take care on the road, Roy, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke nodded and Roy waved as the two men mounted their horses, turned the animal\u2019s noses toward town, and began to move. \u00a0Joe watched until they disappeared around the barn, becoming one with the white night.\u00a0 Then he turned, intending to go into the house.\u00a0 At that moment, however, he heard another sound.<\/p>\n

A woman singing.<\/p>\n

Turning back, Joe squinted into the blowing snow, looking for the source.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t two minutes later that a snow-covered rig, driven by a single woman, came in from the opposite side of the barn.\u00a0 The rig crossed the yard and stopped in front of the house.<\/p>\n

The woman in the carriage was all bundled up.\u00a0 She had a winter hat on and a scarf wound around her throat.\u00a0 Between them they concealed just about everything but her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this the Ponderosa?\u201d she asked in a muffled voice.<\/p>\n

Joe limped toward her.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure is, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019m Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her small form seemed to crumple.\u00a0 \u201cOh, thank God!\u00a0 I thought I would never make it!\u00a0 I must have driven right past the house the first time!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could\u2019ve chosen a better night to visit,\u201d he laughed.\u00a0 A second later he offered his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you out here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman took his hand and let him help her out of the buggy.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Mrs. Guthrie,\u201d she said, somewhat breathless.\u00a0 \u201cHere to help with the little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

That explained it.\u00a0 Her being a widow and all.\u00a0 He\u2019d wondered why she had come out alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa said you were coming.\u00a0 Sorry I wasn\u2019t here to help you.\u00a0 You\u2019re early.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, with the storm….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe reached into the carriage and drew out a large carpet bag. \u201cThis all there is?\u201d he asked, looking in the buggy\u2019s back seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need much.\u00a0 Mister Cartwright said it would only be for a week or so.\u00a0 Maybe two at most.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cUntil Monday.\u00a0 Pa and my brothers are due back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe linked his arm with hers and slowly led the way, making certain she didn\u2019t trip on something hidden beneath the snow.\u00a0 When they opened the door, wind and more snow blew in with them.<\/p>\n

He could hear Hop Sing sigh clear across the room.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth, who was still by the fire, turned to look at them.\u00a0 Then she rose and crossed the room, dragging the ends of his banyan on the floor behind her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s this?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Joe turned toward her.\u00a0 His look was apologetic.\u00a0 Here they went, with Pa\u2019s old battle-axe there to watch over them like they were two snot-nosed kids.\u00a0 As the woman behind him divested herself of all of her winter gear, he said, \u201cThis is Mrs. Guthrie, Bella.\u00a0 The woman Pa \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked stunned.<\/p>\n

Puzzled, Joe turned toward Mrs. Guthrie.<\/p>\n

\u2018Stunned<\/em>\u2019 was the right word!<\/p>\n

Standing before him was a beautiful woman \u2013 maybe thirty years old \u2013 with a head of wavy chestnut hair, green eyes, a peach-perfect complexion, and a wide, generous mouth.\u00a0 The cold had given her cheeks a crisp apple red bloom.<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed and his eyebrows popped toward the curly fringe of hair on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cI…didn\u2019t get your first name.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed. \u201cI didn\u2019t give it.\u00a0 Aurora.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aurora.<\/em><\/p>\n

He was in love.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

PART TWO<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIVE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s colder than a hussy\u2019s heart out here!\u201d the tall thin man in the parson\u2019s suit commented as he held his hands over the small fire his companion had kindled only a few moments before.\u00a0 It had been built partially in the ground to mask its existence.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t dared light it until the Sheriff and his deputy passed by on their way back to Virginia City.<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey shivered as the fat man in the seal skin coat turned and looked at him.\u00a0 His heavily jowled and scowling face was masked by shadows.\u00a0 As he struck a match and lighted the cheroot hanging out of his mouth, his exposed skin flared red as a ghoul\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have personal experience, preacher?\u201d his companion scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, wait, of course you do, since your late parishioners called you a \u2018son of Satan\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThey should know.\u00a0 They made me what I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man snorted.<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon, the overweight stuffy businessman who had gotten off the Virginia City stage in front of him, and stayed in the town while he went to the Ponderosa and made preparations, pulled his coat collar up around his fleshy face and shivered.\u00a0 \u201cWhen do you expect Rowse?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall thin man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhen he gets here.\u00a0 You know Fleet.\u00a0 He lives on Paiute time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about that attractive sister of his?\u201d Noyes leered.\u00a0 \u201cIs she part Paiute?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but neither is Fleet.\u00a0 He just lived with them.\u00a0 The Paiutes took him when he was around four and he was returned to the Rowse\u2019s when he was eleven or twelve.\u201d\u00a0 Atticus sighed.\u00a0 \u201cTry as I might, I can\u2019t seem to exorcise the savage demons in him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kind of hard to do, reverend<\/em>, with those demons of your own set so squarely on your shoulders.\u201d\u00a0 Noyes chaffed his hands together and crossed to the fire Atticus had kindled earlier.\u00a0 \u201cI heard that brother of yours evicted you and that\u2019s what brought you out west.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus moved to the fire and stretched out his hands.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother and I have never seen eye to eye.\u00a0 Leander always failed to see an opportunity when one was presented to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike his friendship with Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

The preacher nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe possibilities were endless.\u201d\u00a0 A slow sly smile crept across his face and lit his pale eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAre<\/em> endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there\u2019s no one home but the boy and that girl who came to visit.\u00a0 Oh, and the Chink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Aurora,\u201d a low, gruff voice added.<\/p>\n

Both men turned.\u00a0 Atticus spoke first.\u00a0 \u201cFleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

A man swaddled in a well-worn black woolen coat with a homespun scarf tied around his black hat and chin to hold them on, moved into the ring of firelight.\u00a0 He nodded at the preacher just as Noyes said, \u201cIt\u2019s about time you showed up, Rowse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse didn\u2019t blink.\u00a0 \u201cYou thinkin\u2019 of going somewhere?\u201d the third member of their gang asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Fleet, don\u2019t fly off the handle,\u201d Atticus cautioned.\u00a0 \u201cNoyes and I were just wondering what was keeping you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man in the scarf and hat stepped close to the fire.\u00a0 Its light reflected in his eyes lending them a demon gleam.\u00a0 \u201cI had to check on my sister,\u201d he sneered.\u00a0 \u201cGonna pay her a visit in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes it was hard to imagine that Rowse had<\/em> siblings.\u00a0 Evil as he was, it seemed he\u2019d been spawned rather than born.\u00a0 His time among the Indians had taught him a great deal \u2013 none of it good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be looking forward to that,\u201d Noyes grunted.<\/p>\n

Quicker than greased lightning, Rowse had the fat man by the throat.<\/p>\n

And held a knife to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cTemper, temper,\u201d the businessman rasped, seemingly unfazed.\u00a0 \u201cWhere would you be without me?<\/em>\u00a0 Preacher there can\u2019t do much to provide supplies, horses, or <\/em>weapons for your scheme.\u201d\u00a0 Noye\u2019s piggy eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cRemember, its me<\/em> you have to thank for <\/em>that knife you are holding to my throat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowse glared.\u00a0 He snorted.\u00a0 And then he laughed, long and loud.<\/p>\n

Dropping the knife, but still holding onto the other man\u2019s collar, he said, \u201cYou show no fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon met Fleet Rowse\u2019s stare head on.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll show it when you<\/em> show me something I need to be afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men stood there, facing each other like mountain lions disputing territory, and then Rowse released the other man.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time I go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still aiming for tomorrow morning, early, then?\u201d Atticus inquired.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no telling when the older Cartwrights may return.\u00a0 It will be easier with just the boy and the Chinaman there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I<\/em> intend to do, will be done tonight.\u00a0 If all goes well, I\u2019ll bring the money with me and meet you behind the Cartwright\u2019s barn.\u00a0 There\u2019ll be no need for you two to even enter the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing ever goes that easy,\u201d Noyes scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s always a price to be paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man who had joined them shifted the scarf that covered his face so the cruel line of his mouth showed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 And the Cartwrights are the ones who will pay it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth leaned forward on her elbows and rested her chin in her hands so she could stare at Little Joe who was sitting across the table from her, leaning on his<\/em> elbows and staring at the pretty lady who had come in out of the snow.\u00a0 Hop Sing winked at her as he picked up her empty soup bowl and bent low to whisper in her ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you think of Mrs. Aurora?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl frowned.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t really sure just what <\/em>she thought of Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 She was all right, she supposed.\u00a0 Nothin\u2019 was really wrong <\/em>with her.\u00a0 Still, from the minute the red-headed lady had walked in the door, it seemed like something had<\/em> gone wrong with little brother.\u00a0 Elizabeth\u2019s frown turned into a\u00a0 scowl.\u00a0 It was like that time Pa stumbled and hit his head on a rock.\u00a0 It had been kind of funny at first \u2013 Pa walkin\u2019 sideways and runnin\u2019 into things and not makin\u2019 a lot of sense \u2013 but it had been scary too.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know,\u201d she whispered back.\u00a0 \u201cDo you like her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Aurora vely <\/em>nice lady.\u00a0 She take good care of you,\u201d Hop Sing answered with a nod.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth had to admit the redhead was <\/em>nice.\u00a0 In fact Mrs. Aurora, as Hop Sing called her, had gone out of her way to be <\/em>nice.\u00a0 After depositing her things upstairs, the pretty lady had come down to the great room.\u00a0 Taking her in hand, she\u2019d pulled her over to the hearth area where she\u2019d asked her about her family \u2013 about Ma and Pa and Jack and when they would be coming to the Ponderosa \u2013 about whether she missed them or not, about what she could do for her during her stay….<\/p>\n

She glanced at Little Joe again.\u00a0 He was sitting with his fork halfway to his lips now, still staring.\u00a0 Elizabeth blew out a breath.\u00a0 It was little brother<\/em> that was the problem.\u00a0 He looked like Jack that time they\u2019d gone into town and her baby brother had pressed his nose up against the general store window where they had all the candy.\u00a0 Only Little Joe wasn\u2019t drooling.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked again.<\/p>\n

Well, not much….<\/em><\/p>\n

The redhead put her napkin down and started to stand up.\u00a0 Little Joe shot out of his chair fast as a jack rabbit and caught the back of hers before she could.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, let me help you, Mrs. Guthrie,\u201d he said as he pulled the chair out.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Aurora smiled as she stood.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother blushed right up to his ears.\u00a0 \u201cJust Joe, Ma\u2019am,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cJust \u2018Aurora\u2019, then,\u201d she answered with a sweet smile.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked from the one to the other.<\/p>\n

Yuck.<\/p>\n

The little girl looked up at Hop Sing, who was removing another dish.\u00a0 \u201cSomethin\u2019s wrong with Little Joe,\u201d she said, her voice hushed.\u00a0 \u201cI think he\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber three son fine,\u201d the Chinese man said with a grin.<\/p>\n

She frowned at him and then looked at Little Joe again.\u00a0 They\u2019d had a dog looked like that once.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019d shot it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing sure.\u00a0 Not know why, but Mistah Ben\u2019s youngest son like older ladies.\u00a0 Maybe because he lose mother so young.\u201d\u00a0 The cook shook his head as he gathered an armload of dirty dishes.\u00a0 \u201cPretty ladies trouble with capital T for number three son!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe had followed Mrs. Guthrie to the bottom of the stairs like a cat trackin\u2019 cream, and now he was standin\u2019 beside her, starin\u2019 again.\u00a0 There\u2019d been a time \u2013 she\u2019d been awful young, but she remembered it \u2013 when a pretty redheaded lady had come to work for them.\u00a0 It was just after Ma had Jack and she was laid up for a while.\u00a0 That lady\u2019s name had been Rebecca and she was younger than Ma.\u00a0 Becky, as they called her, was right pretty.\u00a0 She had big blue eyes and golden hair that reached all the way down her back.\u00a0 At first she worked in the kitchen and hung out the wash and did all the things Ma couldn\u2019t do. \u00a0Funny thing was, when Pa would come in she\u2019d go outside, and then go inside if he went back out.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s blonde brows met in the middle.\u00a0 Come to think of it,\u00a0 Becky had looked kind of like Little Joe did now whenever Pa showed up.<\/p>\n

After about a week Becky started acting different.\u00a0 Whenever Ma fell asleep, she\u2019d take cold drinks and sandwiches out to Pa where he was workin\u2019 in the barn.\u00a0 Before she did, Becky would\u00a0 brush her hair and pinch her cheeks.\u00a0 Sometimes she\u2019d even put on fresh clothes.<\/p>\n

One day when they were sittin\u2019, peelin\u2019 potatoes, she\u2019d asked her ma about it.\u00a0 Ma got a funny look on her face and said Becky was a nice lady and she\u2019d been a big help and there was nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n

The next day Becky was gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no force more powerful than a determined woman,\u201d her mother said as they watched the young woman walk away.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked at Little Joe.\u00a0 Missy Aurora had gone up to bed and he was standin\u2019 by the fire now, starin\u2019 into it and stirrin\u2019 the ashes with a poker lookin\u2019 sad.\u00a0 As her blue eyes shifted back to the stairs, a resolute look settled on her young face.<\/p>\n

Or a determined girl. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aurora Guthrie was almost settled in.\u00a0 She\u2019d been tired and Joseph had said he would see Elizabeth to bed tonight.\u00a0 It felt like shirking her duty, but she\u2019d agreed as the ride through the snow had been a bit \u2013 well \u2013 harrowing.<\/p>\n

The room the Cartwrights prepared for her was absolute luxury, and their fine ranch house a palace compared to the modest home she had shared with her late husband, Matthew.\u00a0 Humble and small, their frame house had been located on the north end of Virginia City.\u00a0 They\u2019d married late \u2013 Matt had been near thirty and she, a girl \u2018past her prime\u2019, at twenty-four.\u00a0 Their life together lasted six years and, though no children had come as a result of it, they\u2019d been happy.<\/p>\n

Until Matt contracted measles.\u00a0 Of all the things she\u2019d thought could bring a strong, healthy man down, that was not one of them.\u00a0 Matt had never had the disease as a child.\u00a0 When the infection took hold, his temperature spiked.\u00a0 Nothing would bring it down.\u00a0 At first he was so silent and sick.\u00a0 Then, the raving began.<\/p>\n

In the end Doc Martin said Matthew had simply burnt out.<\/p>\n

The lovely redhead steadied herself with a hand against the bureau that butted up against the armoire.\u00a0 Matt\u2019s death had left her with little, and most of that was heavily mortgaged.\u00a0 In the end she\u2019d decided to sell all they had.\u00a0 She moved in with a lovely widow by the name of Marjorie Minton and took a job at the local dress shop.\u00a0 Still, she found herself haunted by the shadows of the past every time she walked down Virginia City\u2019s central street or went to a restaurant for supper, or attended church.\u00a0 In the end she decided she needed something different.<\/p>\n

Which was why she intended to go back east.<\/p>\n

Aurora turned back into the room.\u00a0 Her lips curled into a smile at the thought of the family that occupied the house she was in.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen the Cartwrights in town, of course, but the most she could have called them was acquaintances.\u00a0 Ben had come out to her place with a few other men to ask her if she needed help after her husband died, and had offered the services of his two oldest boys.\u00a0 Little Joe had been away at the time.\u00a0 She\u2019d thanked him politely and accepted his offer.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam had come out the next day to help set a value on her stock and make suggestions as to who she could sell to who wouldn\u2019t mislead or cheat her.\u00a0 Hop Sing showed up shortly afterward with a wagonload of goods and food to tide her over during the winter that was shortly to come.\u00a0 And she was sure <\/em>Roy Coffee\u2019s frequent visits had come about as an agreement between him and the owner of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Much as the sheriff denied it, he\u2019d let it slip once that Ben Cartwright was concerned about her living on the edge of town all alone.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d never met Ben\u2019s youngest until tonight.<\/p>\n

Aurora thought a moment more and then laughed out loud.\u00a0 The boy was practically half her age but it was easy to see that he was just as quickly smitten with a \u2018pretty face\u2019 as all the women in town said he was.\u00a0 Joseph Cartwright was a handsome young man, but that\u2019s what he was \u2013 young<\/em>.\u00a0 Far too young for her.<\/p>\n

Besides, there would never be anyone but Matt for her.<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t failed to notice little Elizabeth Carnaby\u2019s expression either when young Joseph began to pay her so much attention.\u00a0 When she\u2019d been about Elizabeth\u2019s age her father had brought home a business acquaintance.\u00a0 It had been before that…terrible day.\u00a0 At the time her young soul knew nothing of loss and grief and the terrible sense of fear that would soon be part and parcel of it.\u00a0 The man who came with her father was handsome like Joseph and, like Joseph, he had been very sweet to a little girl who was most obvious smitten with him.\u00a0 The next day he\u2019d returned with a young woman on his arm and had introduced her to them as his fianc\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Hell hath no fury like a little girl with a crush scorned.<\/p>\n

Moving to the bedside table, Aurora opened her valise and drew out a hair brush. As she sat down with it, running it through her long tresses in preparation for braiding her hair, she considered how she could \u2013 subtly<\/em> \u2013 let Elizabeth know she had no romantic interest in young Joseph, while at the same time not hurting the young man\u2019s pride.<\/p>\n

Aurora laughed again. \u00a0She had to admit that a romantic triangle was the last <\/em>thing she had anticipated when she\u2019d agreed to Ben Cartwright\u2019s proposal!<\/p>\n

Laying the brush down, she gathered her thick hair in her hands.\u00a0 She had just begun to braid it when a sound in the room startled her.\u00a0 It was one of those sounds you can\u2019t easily place.\u00a0 A shuffle.\u00a0 Perhaps a sigh.\u00a0 Maybe the movement of cloth against skin.<\/p>\n

It was one of those sounds that let you know you were not<\/em> alone.<\/p>\n

Rising to her feet she headed for the door.<\/p>\n

A gruff male voice stopped her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that if I were you,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

Aurora froze.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, turn around slowly and come over to the window.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was something<\/em> about the voice.\u00a0 It had a familiar ring, though she couldn\u2019t place where she\u2019d heard it.\u00a0 She was sure it wasn\u2019t any of Ben Cartwright\u2019s sons.\u00a0 Aurora drew in a sharp breath.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was one of the ranch hands, come here to do her mischief.<\/p>\n

Maybe it would be wise to shout right now<\/em>, before the man could lay a hand on her.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t think about it,\u201d he said, as if reading her mind.\u00a0 \u201cI have a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The redhead kept looking as she walked, but she couldn\u2019t see anything.\u00a0 Whoever it was, was hidden by the shadows that masked the back corner of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat…what do you want?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t hurt you.\u00a0 I just want to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her jaw tight, she demanded, \u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about old times?\u201d whoever it was snorted.<\/p>\n

Aurora\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cDo I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n

This time he laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou might say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought furiously, trying to place the voice.\u00a0 Who<\/em> could it be?\u00a0\u00a0 Who would have known she was here?\u00a0 And how could they have found their way into the Cartwright household and then found her room and her in it?<\/p>\n

Who?<\/p>\n

Then, suddenly, she knew.<\/p>\n

Aurora\u2019s\u00a0 fingers went to her throat as fear gripped her.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t <\/em>be.\u00a0 She had <\/em>to be mistaken.\u00a0 He was in prison.<\/p>\n

Had<\/em> to be in prison.<\/p>\n

As she watched the man shifted and left the shadows behind.\u00a0 Or rather, he brought them with him \u2013 the shadows of the life he had chosen, of the evil he had embraced; of the innocent souls he had sent too early to their graves.<\/p>\n

\u201cCat got your tongue, Rory?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 Not a cat.\u00a0 Fear.<\/em>\u00a0 Fear for herself and for the others in the Cartwright household, for little Elizabeth, for Hop Sing, and dear sweet Joseph.<\/p>\n

Breathless, it was all she could do to utter her brother\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

\u201cFleet….\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seemed to Elizabeth that she\u2019d spent an awful lot of time since coming to the Ponderosa with her chin anchored on her hands and her elbows on a table.\u00a0 She was doing it now in the great room.\u00a0 She and Little Joe had been playing checkers and he\u2019d upped and fallen asleep on her.\u00a0 When he did, she went over to sit in front of the fire and wait for him to wake up.\u00a0 She\u2019d decided to let him sleep for a couple of reasons.\u00a0\u00a0 First off, she figured he was tired bein\u2019 old as he was.\u00a0 Second, he was dealin\u2019 with that crushed foot that was still painin\u2019 him.<\/p>\n

Last of all, she just wanted to stare at him because….<\/p>\n

Well, just because.<\/em><\/p>\n

From her position on the floor, leaning on the table in front of the hearth, she eyed him.\u00a0 Little brother was awfu<\/em>l handsome. She sure loved those dark brown curls that covered his head and spilled near over his eyes at times.\u00a0 His eyes were beautiful.\u00a0 They were big and green as Spring, and his eyelashes were longer than hers.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s skin was smooth as Jack\u2019s \u2013 she knew that \u2018cause she\u2019d run her hand over his forehead when he\u2019d been sick and they\u2019d first met.\u00a0 He had pretty lips, though there was a tiny little scar beside them on the left-hand side that she wondered about.\u00a0 It was deep enough you coulda put your fingernail in it.\u00a0 Elizabeth scowled as she examined it.\u00a0 Whatever had happened, must have hurt him somethin\u2019 fierce.\u00a0 She had one not half that deep that\u2019d been left when she whacked her thumb with Pa\u2019s hammer, and that was about the worst pain she\u2019d even known.<\/p>\n

Rising to her feet, the little girl moved closer.\u00a0 Carefully, she reached out and touched Joe\u2019s curly hair.\u00a0 Up close and in the firelight, little brother\u2019s hair looked like it had gold threads running through it.\u00a0 So did his eyebrows.\u00a0 They were just about as thick as wooly bears and kind of moved like them too, rolling toward the middle and scrunching up and down whenever he was puzzled or thought something was funny, or got real mad.\u00a0 Squinting, she considered Little Joe\u2019s nose.\u00a0 The first time she\u2019d looked at it, she\u2019d kind of laughed.\u00a0 It was just about the cutest nose she\u2019d ever seen.\u00a0 It was little and turned up kind of funny at the end, just like the ones those pixies had on the Christmas postcard her Grandpa Carnaby had sent her when she was little.\u00a0 Elizabeth let out a deep, long sigh as she walked back to the fire.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t think there could be a prettier man in the whole <\/em>wide world.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s cute little nose twitched.\u00a0 His wooly brows worked up and down and then he blinked.\u00a0 Those green eyes looked at her all confused for a second and then he grinned just like Jack did when Ma caught him lickin\u2019 fingers covered with jam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fell asleep, didn\u2019t I?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI figured you needed it, you bein\u2019 old as you are.\u00a0 Ma always said old people sleep a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

His lips twitched, making the scar dance.\u00a0 \u201cOh, so you think I\u2019m old?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWell, ain\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother moved in the big red chair.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta admit I feel ancient right now,\u201d he laughed.\u00a0 Then as he shifted and moved his foot, he added, \u201cOw!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour foot hurtin\u2019?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

As he stood and put his weight on it, he admitted, \u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt probably wouldn\u2019t hurt so much if you hadn\u2019t been followin\u2019 Mrs. Guthrie around like a puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth chewed the inside of her lip.\u00a0 She\u2019d meant that to come out soundin\u2019 like Pa.\u00a0 Instead, she\u2019d sounded like Ma in one of her moods.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019,\u201d she replied as she looked at her toes.<\/p>\n

Joe hobbled over to where she was standing.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nope.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t going to.\u00a0 Instead, she started counting hearthstones.<\/p>\n

Little Joe took a seat on the table beside her.\u00a0 He reached out and took hold of her hand with one of his.\u00a0 \u201cWill you please look at me?\u201d he pleaded.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth hesitated.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to \u2018cause then he\u2019d see the tears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe looked up at Elizabeth and swallowed hard.\u00a0 He was still shaking off sleep and his head was mud, but he was pretty sure this was that moment <\/em>Pa had talked about.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on now,\u201d he said, keeping it light.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna make me stand up again and that hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth refused to look at him.\u00a0 Her jaw was clenched and one tear had escaped to trail down her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t seem to hurt you none when you were standin\u2019 with her<\/em>,\u201d she said,<\/p>\n

Joe drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 He knew now he\u2019d made a big<\/em> mistake before when he told her that he\u2019d wait for her to grow up and then marry her.\u00a0 At the time he hadn\u2019t wanted to hurt her feelings and, truth be told, he\u2019d found her crush on him just about as cute as a bug in a rug.\u00a0 Looking at her now, he realized Elizabeth wasn\u2019t<\/em> a child.\u00a0 She was a girl on the cusp of bein\u2019 a woman like Pa had said, and try as he might to dismiss what she was feeling, her feelings for him were all too <\/em>real.<\/p>\n

Thinking back Joe remembered the time, when he was ten, that he\u2019d been sweet on the young school teacher who\u2019d filled in for Miss Jones for a month.\u00a0 His brothers had laughed at him, but it hadn\u2019t stopped him taking her flowers and offering to stay after school to clean the boards or sweep the floor.\u00a0 When the month was up and she left without so much as a \u2018goodbye\u2019, he thought his world had ended.\u00a0 He\u2019d been mad and sad at one and the same time, and had taken it out on everything from the corral fence to a china plate at the supper table that he\u2019d slammed down so hard it broke in two.\u00a0 His pa\u2019d tanned his backside for that and he\u2019d decided to run away.\u00a0 \u2018Course he only made it to the stable where Adam found him sittin\u2019 in the back stall cryin\u2019 his eyes out.\u00a0 Joe smiled.\u00a0 Adam hadn\u2019t said anythin\u2019 about the plate or the school teacher.\u00a0 He\u2019d just started talking about the time when he thought he<\/em> was in love with Inger, Pa\u2019s second wife.\u00a0 She\u2019d been so kind to him and so sweet.\u00a0 He thought that meant she loved him just like she loved Pa.\u00a0 His older brother laughed when he told him he\u2019d figured he\u2019d marry her some day.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are all kinds of love, Little Joe,\u2019 Adam had explained.\u00a0 \u2018There\u2019s the love of a man for a woman, and its deep.\u00a0 But there are ties that are deeper still.\u00a0 The ties of family.\u2019<\/p>\n

Looking at Elizabeth now, he knew that was what he felt for her.\u00a0 Not love as a man feels for a woman, but the love he would have for a sister.\u00a0 It was as if there was a knotted cord that ran from his heart to hers.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t one to be broken, like a lover\u2019s by the fickle winds of desire and self.\u00a0 It was a tie that erased all differences and left two people one.<\/em><\/p>\n

How could he make her understand?<\/p>\n

Joe drew a breath and tried again.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth, I \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d a light voice called.<\/p>\n

Both he and Elizabeth turned to look at the staircase.\u00a0 Aurora was descending it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for Elizabeth to get to bed.\u201d\u00a0 Aurora smiled as she stepped onto the floor.\u00a0 \u201cWe ladies need our beauty sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl seemed to melt.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, do I have to?\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t quite a whine, but it was close.<\/p>\n

Joe hid his smile.\u00a0 \u201cWe fellers need our beauty sleep too, you know.\u00a0 I was gonna suggest we turn in too.\u201d He pursed his lips and frowned.\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to look even older<\/em> than I do now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked at him like she thought that would be mighty<\/em> hard.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to bed too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure am.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t pretty soon, Hop Sing will come out here and chase me upstairs with that kitchen knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blonde girl looked from him to Aurora and back.\u00a0 \u201cI guess its all right…if we all<\/em> go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The redhead stretched out her hand.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, then.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get you all washed up and tucked in safe in your bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the little girl began to move, Joe turned his attention to the pretty woman on the stairs.\u00a0 There had been something about the way Aurora said that last part.\u00a0 Her voice kind of quivered.\u00a0 Now that he thought of it, she looked sort of drained.\u00a0 Pale, even.\u00a0 Joe shook his head and dismissed it a moment later.\u00a0 Aurora had ridden out through a storm.\u00a0 She was probably just tired.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you come in and say good night, Little Joe?\u201d Elizabeth asked as she took the redhead\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive us about half an hour,\u201d Aurora said.<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWill do.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a couple of chores to do before turning in.\u00a0 See you in a few.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two hours later the ranch house was quiet.\u00a0 True to his word Little Joe had finished his work and then headed back inside.\u00a0 He ran into Hop Sing in the kitchen when he went to get a cup of tea to warm himself before heading to bed.\u00a0 The man from China told him he had a little cleaning to do yet and then he would go to sleep as well.\u00a0 Joe stopped by Elizabeth\u2019s room as he\u2019d promised to plant a goodnight kiss on her forehead, and then dropped into his own bed and fell asleep in minutes, worn out after a long day.\u00a0 Outside the perimeter of the Ben Cartwright\u2019s rustic but elegant home, several ranch hands keep silent\u00a0 vigil, patrolling the tall Ponderosa pines that surrounded it, watching for anything or anyone out of place; doing their best to keep the ones their boss held dear safe and sound.<\/p>\n

Little did they know, they had already failed in their duty.<\/p>\n

No punishment, of course, would await them when their failure was discovered.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t to blame, after all.\u00a0 How could the ranch hands possibly know that, before his departure, the right reverend Atticus Godfrey had unlocked one of the upstairs windows, providing access to a spirit darker than the night?\u00a0 How could they possibly know that the woman Ben Cartwright had trusted to care for little Elizabeth Carnaby and his son had a brother who was wanted by the law in both California and the Nevada territory, a brother she had not seen for five years \u2013 a brother who, without her knowledge, had recently escaped from the territorial prison and joined forces with two common thieves named Atticus Godfrey and Noyes Runyon who had been headed to Virginia City for the sole purpose of relieving the Cartwrights of a goodly portion of their money?<\/p>\n

No, there was no way they could have known.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, all too soon, they and everyone else, would.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SIX<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As the tall case clock in Ben Cartwright\u2019s house struck midnight, Fleet Rowse stepped out of his sister\u2019s room, drawing Rory after him.\u00a0 Gripping her arm just above the elbow, he forced her down the steps and toward the old man\u2019s office.\u00a0 Atticus had done his work well.\u00a0 Not only had the ex-reverend left the upstairs window open as ordered, providing him access, but he\u2019d drawn up a map showing him the layout of the house and where the safe was. \u00a0Atticus told him as well that the ranch hands were out on patrol and there would be no one home tonight but the cook, the little girl, and Cartwright\u2019s youngest son, who was barely more than a boy.<\/p>\n

Oh, and of course, his beloved sister.<\/p>\n

Moving quickly through the darkness, Fleet propelled Rory into the office and told her to stand by the desk as he knelt and checked the lock on the safe.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, it was a good one.\u00a0 It would take a while to crack the combination, but then again, he had all the time in the world.\u00a0 It was barely past midnight and no one should be up until four-thirty at the earliest, and even then that would be the cook.\u00a0 If the Chink discovered them, well, taking him out would be as simple as snapping his fingers.\u00a0 No, this was going to be an easy <\/em>one.\u00a0 Safe-cracking was his specialty.\u00a0 Well, Fleet thought, his lip lifting in a sneer.\u00a0 One<\/em> of his specialties.<\/p>\n

He wielded a mean knife and was pretty good with a pistol too, as the dozen or so notches on Bessie\u2019s burled Maple handle attested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you waiting for?\u201d\u00a0 Rory\u2019s whisper was furious.\u00a0 \u201cJust take what you want and get out of here.\u00a0 Leave these people alone!\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet looked up at her.\u00a0 Rory was just as pretty as he remembered and looked kind of like their ma when she was riled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019re sweet on that Cartwright kid.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d seen him in town.\u00a0 Joseph Cartwright was a pretty boy.\u00a0 His sister\u2019s man had been another of them \u2013 pampered, privileged, and soft.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cA year or two more and you could be his Ma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rory scowled at him.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a child in this house, Fleet!\u00a0 I don\u2019t want her to get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh come on, sis,\u201d he said as he sent the dial whirling and listened to the clicks, \u201cyou know I don\u2019t hurt kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know nothing of the kind!\u201d\u00a0 Her voice trembled.\u00a0 \u201cAs I know nothing of <\/em>you anymore, nor do I want to!\u201d<\/p>\n

He scowled as he tried again.\u00a0 It was a new kind of lock that had a different sound.\u00a0 \u201cIs that any way to talk to your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stopped being my brother when you decided to return to the savages who took you.\u00a0 When you brought them to our home that day and they…did what they did.\u201d\u00a0 The redhead paused. \u201cI hate <\/em>you!\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned as the combination continued to elude him.\u00a0 \u201cWell now, that\u2019s too bad since you\u2019re gonna have to come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 His sister bristled.\u00a0 \u201cI will do nothing of the kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I can\u2019t leave you here, Rory,\u201d he said, glancing up.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll give me up to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

She crossed her arms.\u00a0 \u201cI will not <\/em>go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will<\/em> \u2013 or everyone in this house is gonna die.\u201d\u00a0 He waited until she met his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou know<\/em> I\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout your savages to back you up?\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n

Fleet growled.\u00a0 The tumblers simply would<\/em> not fall into place.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d he cursed as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 Turning to his sister, he sneered, \u201cI thought you knew.\u00a0 The Paiutes don\u2019t travel with me no more.\u00a0 I scared them off.\u201d\u00a0 Looking at the staircase, he added, his tone hushed and menacing, \u201cSeems like I\u2019m gonna have to find someone who knows the combination to the safe to open it.\u00a0 Maybe that pretty <\/em>boy….\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet fell silent.\u00a0 Rory\u2019s eyes had gone wide.\u00a0 It took a moment, but then he saw it too \u2013 a light was advancing down the second floor hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo…\u201d she whimpered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat your feller<\/em> comin\u2019?\u201d he snickered as he pulled his six inch knife out of his boot.<\/p>\n

The moonlight falling through the window behind the desk struck his sister\u2019s terrified face.\u00a0 He caught her arm and pulled her back into the shadows.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep your mouth shut, Rory, and pretty boy might just make it out of this alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe yawned mightily as he made his way down the steps.\u00a0 He held an oil lamp in his left hand to light his way.\u00a0 The other one he used to comb through his thick brown curls in an attempt to tame the riotous mass his father always complained about.\u00a0 He needed a haircut, but if he was careful \u2013 and continued to curtail his errant curls inclination to run wild \u2013 he could probably make it another week or two before an ultimatum was issued.\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t understand what his pa had against a man having hair below his ears.\u00a0 After all, most everyone in the Bible had long hair and Pa always said they should pattern everything they did after the Good Book.\u00a0 Take Samson, for example.\u00a0 Samson got his strength from his hair.\u00a0 Maybe if he had hair long as Samson\u2019s he could do the work of two or three men.<\/p>\n

Joe snorted as his feet hit the floor.\u00a0 He might just try that argument the next time.<\/p>\n

Crossing to the fire, Joe put the lamp on the table and then checked to see if it needed tending.\u00a0 Hop Sing had banked the coals against the hearth wall and they were still glowing.\u00a0 This time of year they never let the fire go out since it took so long for the stones to heat back up again.\u00a0 Going to the wood box, he lifted the lid and selected a slender log.\u00a0 Placing it in the center of the fire, he used the poker to push it to the back of the hearth.\u00a0 Almost immediately the tiny branches with their dead leaves and dry needles caught and flared, and the scent of pine filled the room.<\/p>\n

Sitting on the table in front of the settee, Joe watched the flames lick higher for a minute as he considered the nightmare that had awakened him.\u00a0 While he knew there was nothing to it, his pa and his brothers had been under threat and he couldn\u2019t get it out of his head that something was wrong.\u00a0 Joe scratched the back of his head, looked toward the kitchen, and yawned again.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought maybe coming down for a glass of milk would help.\u00a0 His mama always gave him milk to get him back to sleep.\u00a0 The night was flying and he needed to be up early so he could get his chores done before Elizabeth came down.\u00a0 He\u2019d promised her a horseback ride in the snow.\u00a0 He\u2019d given her a pretty little pony named Freckles for her own while she visited, and she\u2019d been pestering him to try the animal out.\u00a0 Joe thought he might even take her to the lake.\u00a0 It was beautiful this time of year and he wanted his young friend to see as much of the Ponderosa as possible before her time on the ranch was over.<\/p>\n

Joe poked at the coals again, shifting the log so the other side of it caught.\u00a0 He felt bad for ignoring Elizabeth the night before.\u00a0 She\u2019d been right.\u00a0 He\u2019d been acting like a lovesick pup.\u00a0 Aurora Guthrie was just about as pretty as it got, but she was almost twice his age and had already married and buried a husband.\u00a0 He realized now all that smiling she\u2019d been doin\u2019 wasn\u2019t flirting.\u00a0 It just meant she was nice. Joe snorted as he broke the log up and shifted the coals to the back so they rested against the hearth wall.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth would have told him \u2013 and rightly so \u2013 to stop bein\u2019 \u2018silly\u2019.<\/p>\n

As he replaced the poker, he paused.\u00a0 There\u2019d been something.\u00a0 A sound \u2013 soft \u2013 like feet shuffling, or maybe cloth brushing up against something.\u00a0 Joe turned into the room and stood still, listening for close to a minute.\u00a0 When the sound wasn\u2019t repeated he decided he was just being jumpy.\u00a0 It was probably that nightmare he\u2019d had.\u00a0 It had been a whopper!\u00a0 Pa and his brothers had been on a cattle drive, just like they were now.\u00a0 Something spooked the cattle and they stampeded.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched as Pa, along with Adam and Hoss, rode out to round them up.\u00a0 As they drew near the bottom of a cliff, there\u2019d been a sound.\u00a0 Not a soft sound like he\u2019d just heard, but a loud crack!<\/em>\u00a0 And then a roar.<\/em><\/p>\n

And then a mountain of snow had come down burying everything and everyone<\/em> below.<\/p>\n

The curly-haired young man drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 Then he shook his head.\u00a0 Yeah, that had to be it.\u00a0 That\u2019s<\/em> why he was jumping at shadows.<\/p>\n

Leaving the lamp on the table, Joe walked past the dining room and went into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aurora Rowse Guthrie was terrified, not for herself but for everyone else in the Cartwright household.\u00a0 She\u2019d breathed a little easier when Joseph entered the kitchen, but knew such relief would not last long.\u00a0 Her villainous brother stood close behind her.\u00a0 She could feel Fleet\u2019s hot breath on her neck.\u00a0 He\u00a0 had one arm locked around her waist, holding her in place, while the other was extended and ended in a clenched fist that held a long, deadly blade.\u00a0 As the redhead stood there, barely breathing, her heart hammering in her chest, she whispered a silent prayer.<\/p>\n

Please God<\/em>, she mouthed.\u00a0 Please keep Joseph from discovering us.\u00a0 Please let him go back upstairs unaware and unharmed. \u00a0Fleet will kill him if he feels threatened.\u00a0 You know that! <\/em><\/p>\n

Please….<\/em><\/p>\n

Even as the words crossed her lips, Joseph returned.\u00a0 He was carrying a glass of milk and heading for the lamp he\u2019d left by the settee.<\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 Dear Lord, please….\u00a0 Please, send him back upstairs to bed!<\/em><\/p>\n

Her mother had assured her when she was little that God heard every prayer.\u00a0 She\u2019d also assured her that the Lord knew best and that when things didn\u2019t<\/em> go the way she wanted, she had to give thanks anyway.\u00a0 If a prayer went unanswered, God had a reason.<\/p>\n

Joseph had stopped beside the settee table, milk glass in hand.\u00a0 He was frowning and looking back their way.<\/p>\n

Aurora hoped this was not<\/em> one of those times.<\/p>\n

No, Joseph…. <\/em>She mouthed. \u00a0Go upstairs.\u00a0 Run upstairs. Don\u2019t be brave. <\/em><\/p>\n

Joseph, hear me….<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Like a moth drawn to flame, Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest boy headed for his father\u2019s office.\u00a0 The beam of silver moonlight struck him as he did, revealing his, oh, so<\/em> young face.\u00a0 It wore a puzzled look.<\/p>\n

Boldly, she shook off Fleet\u2019s hand and stepped into the light.<\/p>\n

Joseph stopped, startled.\u00a0 \u201cAurora?\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled prettily as she slipped in front of the desk.\u00a0 \u201cYes, it\u2019s me.\u00a0 I\u2019m…sorry if I frightened you.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t sleep.\u00a0 I was….\u201d\u00a0 She thought furiously.\u00a0 \u201cI was looking out the window at the stars.\u00a0 It\u2019s such a clear night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s dark brows rolled inward until they nearly met in the center.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you doing?,\u201d he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cStanding on Pa\u2019s desk?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, dear.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t thought of that!<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I….\u201d\u00a0 Aurora hesitated.\u00a0 God.\u00a0 Words.\u00a0 Give me words!\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cWell, yes, I was.\u00a0 Not standing on it.\u00a0 On my knees really.\u201d\u00a0 She chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cLike a little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s brows dipped down into a frown.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not just open the door and go outside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to….\u201d\u00a0 It was all she could do to keep from turning to make sure her wretched brother was where she\u2019d left him.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t want to unlock it.\u00a0 Your father…told me not to.\u201d\u00a0 Taking another step toward him, she indicated the milk, \u201cCouldn\u2019t you sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could, and did until a bad dream woke me up.\u201d\u00a0 Joseph lifted the glass he held and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cMama\u2019s cure for a nightmare, and Pa\u2019s cure for just about everything else!\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh Lord!\u00a0 He\u2019s such a beautiful young man.\u00a0 Preserve him from evil. <\/em><\/p>\n

She heard Fleet shift \u2013 anxious, restless \u2013 behind her.<\/p>\n

Thank God!\u00a0 Joseph didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, since you have your \u2018cure\u2019,\u201d she said, forcing a smile, \u201cyou\u2019d best get back to bed,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you?\u201d he asked after taking a sip.<\/p>\n

Aurora hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not quite sleepy yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can keep you company if you like,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 She said it quickly. \u00a0Too<\/em> quickly.\u00a0 Lord, she was stupid!\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u00a0 That\u2019s all right.\u00a0 I\u2019ll follow in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s unusual green eyes narrowed.\u00a0 He regarded her for a few seconds and then shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t you go climbin\u2019 up on that desk again, you hear?\u00a0 It ain\u2019t safe!\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d she promised.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you in the morning then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief flooded through the redhead as the handsome young man turned and took a step toward the stairs.<\/p>\n

It vanished a moment later as he pivoted sharply and called her name, \u201cAurora!\u201d\u00a0 Joseph took a step forward. \u201c Duck!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Fear choked any reply she might have formed as she did what he said.<\/p>\n

A determined light had entered his eyes.\u00a0 Before she could cry \u2018Stop!\u201d Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest son threw the glass of milk.\u00a0 It whizzed past her and struck Fleet in the face.<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s fists followed right behind it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe\u2019d left the kitchen somewhat unsettled.\u00a0 For some reason Hop Sing wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 Even though the man from China was probably out looking at the stars, their cook\u2019s absence left him uneasy.\u00a0 He almost went outside to look for him, but realized that meant he would be leaving Elizabeth and Aurora alone \u2013 and for some reason, that was something he felt he shouldn\u2019t<\/em> do.\u00a0 His pa had taught him early on to pay attention to his instincts.\u00a0 He said they could save a man\u2019s life.\u00a0 So, when he returned to the great room he\u2019d been listening for anything out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

It was then Aurora stepped out of the shadows.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d realized something was wrong the second he saw her.\u00a0 The oil lamp he\u2019d left on the table lit the space in front of his pa\u2019s desk and he could see as he approached that she was shaking like a leaf in an October wind.\u00a0 As the redhead spoke, his mind rolled over the reasons she might be standing there \u2013 she could have lost her way in the dark, ending up at the desk instead of the stairs, or maybe, like him, she simply couldn\u2019t sleep and had been walking the floor.\u00a0 It was even possible she\u2019d been snooping around.\u00a0 Women were like that.\u00a0 They always wanted to know what made men tick.\u00a0 It was when she\u2019d given him the lame excuse that she was looking at the stars, that he\u2019d known his first impulse was right. Something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n

There was someone else in the room.<\/p>\n

Whoever it was. they were hiding in the shadows behind the desk.\u00a0 He had no idea who<\/em> it might be or how they could have gotten into the house \u2013 unless, of course, Aurora had let them in.\u00a0 He\u2019d kept his eyes on the shadows as he talked to her.\u00a0 There\u2019d been a glint of something.\u00a0 Could be a belt buckle.\u00a0 Might have been a button.<\/p>\n

Or maybe a gun.<\/p>\n

His gaze shifted then to the credenza by the door.\u00a0 His gun belt was laying on its top.\u00a0 Since Elizabeth\u2019s arrival he hadn\u2019t worn it much.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t needed to.<\/p>\n

He sure wished he was wearing it now.<\/p>\n

Asking Aurora if she wanted company \u2013 and having her refuse \u2013 was his last and final confirmation that what he was thinking was right. He\u2019d decided by that time that she was in trouble, but was more afraid for him <\/em>than for herself, and that was something he just couldn\u2019t<\/em> let stand.<\/p>\n

Besides, whoever it was had invaded his <\/em>home.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s nostrils flared.\u00a0 He squinted his eyes and took aim even as he shouted her name.<\/p>\n

\u201cAurora!\u00a0 Duck!\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the milk-filled glass found its mark he was flying after it, toward the shadow of a man who was reaching for the redhead\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Joe leapt over the desk and came down on the man hard and started hammering. Whoever it was, he thought he had him, but then he realized he was wrong.\u00a0 The man had been playin\u2019 possum.\u00a0 The stranger struck out suddenly and caught him on the chin and drove him to the floor.<\/p>\n

Then he pinned him to the pine boards with his knife.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in air as the knife went into his shoulder and was abruptly withdrawn.\u00a0 Seconds later the bloodied edge of the sharp blade was pressed against his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t move if I were you, Cartwright,\u201d a gruff voice ordered.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s mind whirled.\u00a0 Who was this?\u00a0 Why were they here?\u00a0 Was Aurora involved?\u00a0 He wondered if Hop Sing had heard anything.\u00a0 He hoped not.\u00a0 And Elizabeth.\u00a0 When he was little, he could have slept through a train whistle blowing right next to his head.<\/p>\n

God, let her sleep through this!<\/em><\/p>\n

The shock of the knife going in and out of him so quickly made Joe pant even as blood soaked the upper left side of his nightshirt.\u00a0 \u201cWho…who are you?\u201d he asked, faltering.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you w…want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s see,\u201d the man replied, his tone mocking, \u201cI\u2019m standing next to a safe full of money and it ain\u2019t open.\u00a0 Do I have to spell it out?\u201d\u00a0 Before he could react, the man lowered the knife and hauled him to his feet.\u00a0 Once he was up, the knife returned to his throat.\u00a0 \u201cNow you just be a good<\/em> boy and open it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, do as he says,\u201d Aurora pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shot her a look.\u00a0 \u201cAre you in this with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The redhead looked as if he had struck her.\u00a0 She shook her head.<\/p>\n

Accepting that, Joe\u2019s eyes rolled back to the man who held him.\u00a0 \u201cTell me who you are,\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

The knife blade nicked his skin.\u00a0 \u201cNow ain\u2019t we the high-and-mighty Cartwright?\u00a0 One <\/em>more thing, boy.\u00a0 You say one<\/em> more thing that ain\u2019t answerin\u2019 a question I asked, and I\u2019ll go upstairs and get that little girl out of bed and hold this knife to her<\/em> throat.\u00a0 You hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve him, Joseph,\u201d Aurora breathed.\u00a0 \u201cFleet will do what he says.\u201d\u00a0 She paused.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s killed before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet.<\/p>\n

Who the hell was \u2018Fleet\u2019?<\/p>\n

Joe fought to remain on his feet as he met the outlaw\u2019s hungry stare.\u00a0 He was losing blood and it was leaving his head empty.\u00a0 \u201cSo I\u2019m answerin\u2019 your question,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t gonna do you any good to have me open the safe.\u00a0 It\u2019s empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure<\/em> it is, Cartwright.\u201d\u00a0 The knife tip cut in deeper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you the truth,\u201d he choked out.\u00a0 \u201cPa took it to the bank before he left on the drive.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want it here in the house since I was gonna be alone with two women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I would believe you…why?\u201d Fleet snarled.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 \u201cCause its the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outlaw\u2019s fingers caught his wounded shoulder and squeezed the wound until tears rolled out of his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHumor me, Cartwright.\u00a0 Open it anyhow.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Fleet shoved him to his knees and then placed the end of the knife blade just under his ribcage on the left side.\u00a0 As he worked the combination, Joe\u2019s mind flew fast as Cochise on a summer day.\u00a0 He was<\/em> telling the truth.\u00a0 There might be a few hundred dollars in the safe, but that was all.\u00a0 Pa really had<\/em> taken the payroll money to the bank.\u00a0 The problem was, from the sense he had of the outlaw, the man wasn\u2019t going to be content with a few hundred dollars.<\/p>\n

He was gonna be mad as a rabid dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurry up!\u00a0 You better get it open before that Chink of yours catches wind something\u2019s up and ends up dead.\u201d\u00a0 Fleet paused.\u00a0 \u201cOr that little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe finished with the combination and opened the safe.\u00a0 When the outlaw withdrew the knife, he rose unsteadily to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook for yourself,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

Fleet glanced down.\u00a0 Anger erupted on his face when he saw what Joe said was true.\u00a0 Grabbing him again, he demanded, \u201cWhere\u2019s the rest of it!?\u00a0 Atticus said the safe was full!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 Atticus?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Reverend Godfrey was in it with this man?<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I told you, it was<\/em>,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201c<\/em>Pa took it to the bank on his way out yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

The knife pressed against his heart.\u00a0 \u201cI should just stick you like a pig and let you bleed out.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was all he could do to remain upright, but he wasn\u2019t going to let Fleet know that.\u00a0 Tightening his jaw, Joe countered, \u201cYou could.<\/em>\u00a0 But that ain\u2019t gonna get you any money!\u201d<\/p>\n

Too late.<\/p>\n

Too late<\/em>, he realized what he\u2019d said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Fleet mocked.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for reminding me, Joseph<\/em>.\u00a0 Killing you ain\u2019t <\/em>gonna bring me anything, \u2018cept maybe pleasure<\/em>.\u201d The outlaw snorted at his stricken look.\u00a0 \u201cAnd important as that is to a man, money\u2019s even more <\/em>important.\u00a0 Having your daddy buy you back would make me a rich man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe bristled.\u00a0 \u201cPa won\u2019t pay \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStuff it kid!\u201d the villain snarled.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t worth your breath.\u00a0 Every one in Virginia City knows that Pa of yours would do anything for one of his boys \u2013 even sacrifice himself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe quailed at the veiled threat.<\/p>\n

Aurora had been quiet up until now.\u00a0 Joe wondered what her connection to this man was?\u00a0 Had he been wrong?\u00a0 Had<\/em> she come to the Ponderosa to provide a way for him to come in and rob them?\u00a0 Was she a part of this in spite of what she said?<\/p>\n

Her next words dispelled that notion.<\/p>\n

\u201cFleet,\u201d Aurora began, her voice trembling, \u201cdon\u2019t<\/em> do this.\u00a0 Please, leave Joseph and Elizabeth alone.\u00a0 Take what\u2019s in the safe and go<\/em>.\u00a0 If you take Joe, you\u2019ll bring all of Virginia City down on your head.\u00a0\u00a0 Please, as your sister, I\u2019m begging you….\u201d<\/p>\n

Sister?<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear God….<\/p>\n

The outlaw turned to her.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what, Rory?\u00a0 I knew you were here.\u00a0 I asked around town and heard you were at the Cartwrights.\u00a0 I wanted to see you before the robbery went down.\u201d\u00a0 An odd note entered his contemptible voice.\u00a0 \u201c I…\u00a0 I want you to come with me.\u00a0 You\u2019re the only family I got left.\u201d<\/p>\n

The redhead\u2019s jaw was tight.\u00a0 \u201cYou have no family, Fleet, because you killed<\/em> them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes went from one to the other.\u00a0 He wondered what had happened \u2013 what had wounded Aurora so deeply and transformed this man she had grown up with and loved into a monster?\u00a0 He wondered too as he watched them, if this might be the only<\/em> opportunity he would get.\u00a0 The outlaw seemed distracted and his grip had lessened on his arm.<\/p>\n

If there was a chance…<\/p>\n

Aurora must have sensed his thoughts.\u00a0 Her eyes went wide.\u00a0 She met his gaze and gave a little shake of her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me, Rory,\u201d the man pleaded again.<\/p>\n

The redhead\u2019s eyes never left his.\u00a0 \u201cIf you let Joseph go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Yes, you can,\u201d she implored.\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cProve to me you\u2019re not the man I think you are.\u00a0 Prove<\/em> that there is some good<\/em> left in you \u2013 that those savages didn\u2019t drive it all out of you!\u201d<\/p>\n

The moonlight spilling in the window caught in the desperado\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Joe shuddered at what he saw.\u00a0 If Fleet wasn\u2019t a demon, then he was demon-possessed.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen that look before in the eyes of a mountain lion crouching for the kill, in a wolf\u2019s as he sprang for a man\u2019s throat\u00a0 \u2013 in that man\u2019s when his blood was up and nothing would satisfy him but the kill.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Joe said suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cMy Pa would <\/em>ransom the Ponderosa to save me.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go with you.\u00a0 Just leave the women alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now, aren\u2019t we the knight gal<\/em>–ahnt.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Aurora was shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, no.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know what he\u2019s capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe met her desperate stare.\u00a0 \u201cYou take care of Elizabeth, you hear?\u201d he told her.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t let Hop Sing come after me.\u00a0 Make him get Pa.\u00a0 Aurora, you promise me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet\u2019s grip tightened on his wounded shoulder, causing his head to spin.\u00a0 \u201cNo tricks, Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outlaw grunted as he pulled him around the desk.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s mind was racing as quickly as his heart.\u00a0 Once they were on the road and away from the house, he\u2019d take Fleet on.\u00a0 It would be tough with his wound, but he was sure he could overpower him.<\/p>\n

Well, he was pretty<\/em> sure.<\/p>\n

Fleet halted just in front of the desk and looked toward the door.\u00a0 To Joe\u2019s surprise, it was opening.\u00a0 As he watched two well-bundled men stepped into the ranch house.\u00a0 One was tall and thin, the other shorter and stout.\u00a0 Even as he identified Atticus Godfrey, a sense of movement drew his gaze up.\u00a0 Something was coming down.\u00a0 Something above his head.\u00a0 Just before it struck him, Joe recognized it as the bone handle of Flee Rowse\u2019s knife.<\/p>\n

And the lights went out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee shook himself like a dog, dislodging the piles of snow that had settled on his shoulders and hat.\u00a0 He glanced at Luke Warren who was doing the same thing beside him and smiled.\u00a0 This was Luke\u2019s first big snow and his eyes were about as wide as the near-full moon shining over their heads.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his darnedest to get the boy back to that wife and those twins of his, but nature just wasn\u2019t in a mood to cooperate.\u00a0 They\u2019d made it about ten miles down the road afore they\u2019d realized there was just no going on in the dark.\u00a0 At first they\u2019d tried to make camp, but finally had decided a night spent at the Cartwrights with a fire in the hearth, one of Hop Sing\u2019s nice hot toddies in their stomachs, and a soft bed under them , sounded a whole<\/em> lot better. \u00a0On a normal day it would of taken \u2018em maybe two, three hours to back track, but with the roads drifted as they were, it had taken somethin\u2019 like five.\u00a0 It was well past midnight by the time they drew their cold and weary horses up to the Cartwright rail and tied their animals off.\u00a0 There was a light in the front room.\u00a0 He could tell \u2018cause it was shinin\u2019 through the window above Ben\u2019s desk.\u00a0 Most likely it was the fire, or maybe Little Joe had left a lamp burnin\u2019 in case that little girl had to come downstairs in the middle of the night.\u00a0 Roy sure hated to wake them all up, but short of breakin\u2019 and enterin\u2019 there wasn\u2019t any other way in, and he sure didn\u2019t want to spend the night camped out on the porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think anyone\u2019s awake?\u201d Luke asked as he came to his side, chafin\u2019 his hands together and blowin\u2019 out steam.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard to say.\u00a0 I seen a light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we knock?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy eyed the little bell that hung near the door.\u00a0 He\u2019d try knockin\u2019 first, but if that didn\u2019t work, they could always pull the string. Ben\u2019s boys had been taught to recognize the ringin\u2019 of that bell as a sign of danger and knew when they heard it that someone was in need of help.<\/p>\n

Suppressin\u2019 a shiver, the lawman walked to the door.\u00a0 He lifted his hand and brought it down on the wooden surface \u2013 and drew in a sharp breath when the door slowly opened on its own.\u00a0 He exchanged a look with Luke.<\/p>\n

A second later both of their guns were out.<\/p>\n

Roy stepped up to the door.\u00a0 Pressing his shoulder against it, he called, \u201cLittle Joe!\u00a0 It\u2019s Roy Coffee.\u00a0 Little Joe, you there?\u201d<\/p>\n

His deputy opened his mouth to speak.\u00a0 Roy held up a finger and pressed it to his lips.<\/p>\n

Somethin\u2019.\u00a0 There was somethin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

When no reply came, Roy signaled Luke to stand to the side where he couldn\u2019t be seen.\u00a0 Then he put his hand to the door and shifted it in about six inches more.\u00a0 A single oil lamp was burnin\u2019 on the table in front of Ben\u2019s big hearth.\u00a0 The fire was just about done, which was another warnin\u2019 that somethin\u2019 was up.\u00a0 Hop Sing didn\u2019t never let that fire go out in the winter, \u2018specially not one this cold this early.\u00a0 Roy paused on the threshold, listenin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Then he heard it.\u00a0 A muffled sound.<\/p>\n

Someone was cryin\u2019.<\/p>\n

With a nod to Luke, Roy counted down with his fingers from three to one and then the two of them stormed into house, guns drawn.\u00a0 At first he saw nothin\u2019.\u00a0 Then, he saw two<\/em> things \u2013 someone was layin\u2019 on the floor between the dining room and the great room, and someone else was sittin\u2019 at the table.<\/p>\n

Seemed like a funny time to be eatin\u2019.<\/p>\n

With a signal to Luke to head up the stairs to the second floor and see what was goin\u2019 on up there, Roy made for the dining room.\u00a0 As the moonlight spillin\u2019 in the window struck the figure on the floor he realized it was a good thing mother nature had turned them around.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it was God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEVEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kneelin\u2019 by the figure on the floor, Roy took hold of the gag that had been stuffed in the Chinaman\u2019s mouth and removed it as gently as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Roy!\u00a0 Sheriff Roy!\u201d Hop Sing shouted as soon as he was free.\u00a0 \u201cYou no worry about Hop Sing!\u00a0 Bad men take Little Joe!\u00a0 You go find him!\u00a0 Find <\/em>Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did it not surprise him it was Little Joe who\u2019d gone missin\u2019?<\/p>\n

Ignoring the Chinaman\u2019s tirade for the moment, Roy untied his wrists and helped him to sit up.\u00a0 Not that he wasn\u2019t worried about Little Joe, but things had to be done in an order.\u00a0 As he finished, he glanced at the person sittin\u2019 at the table.\u00a0 Danged, if it wasn\u2019t that pretty Widow Guthrie and she was tied up too!\u00a0 He\u2019d heard Ben had hired her to come out while he was gone to help with the Carnaby girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou leave Hop Sing!\u201d Ben\u2019s cook pleaded as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou go after Little Joe!\u00a0 Bad men take him!\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d gone over to Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 The poor thing looked like she was just about all<\/em> in.\u00a0 Tears were streamin\u2019 down her face and she was shakin\u2019 harder than a cat starin\u2019 down a dog.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no color left in her cheeks or lips and she looked like she might be sick.<\/p>\n

As her gag came away, she echoed Hop Sing\u2019s fears.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff, he\u2019s right.\u00a0 You have to go after Joseph.\u00a0 My brother will kill him if he so much as looks <\/em>at him the wrong way!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy chewed the inside of his lip as he loosened the tie holding her to the chair.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFleet Rowse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse?\u00a0 <\/em>Now why did that name sound familiar?<\/p>\n

Roy thought a moment and then snapped his fingers.\u00a0 He\u2019d be danged<\/em> if that wasn\u2019t the name of the ugly hombre on the wanted poster he\u2019d showed Little Joe just that day!\u00a0 Rowse was wanted for just about everythin\u2019 bad on God\u2019s green earth as well as a few other planets.\u00a0 The outlaw had escaped from the penitentiary.\u00a0 A fellow lawman in Carson City had sent him that poster so\u2019s he\u2019d know Rowse if he saw him.<\/p>\n

Roy took hold of Mrs. Guthrie\u2019s arm and drew her toward the settee.\u00a0 \u201cNow you two come over here and sit down and tell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe gone!\u201d Hop Sing shouted.<\/p>\n

Roy winced.\u00a0 That little Chinaman could bellow loud as Ben when he wanted to.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst off, Hop Sing,\u201d he said, keeping his voice down, \u201cI don\u2019t think we want to wake that little girl upstairs, so keep your voice down.\u201d\u00a0 When the China man looked properly contrite, he continued, \u201cNow, I know Little Joe\u2019s been taken by somebody, maybe this here Rowse, and the boy\u2019s in a heap of trouble, but I need you two to tell me all you know before I can go out and try to \u2013\u201d\u00a0 The lawman stopped.\u00a0 Luke was comin\u2019 down the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnythin\u2019?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the little girl and she\u2019s asleep,\u201d his deputy answered.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no one else upstairs.\u00a0 I did find a window open at the end of the hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how Fleet got in,\u201d the pretty redhead sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThere were two other men.\u00a0 One of them was here before.\u00a0 He left the window open.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo other men working with Rowse?\u201d\u00a0 Roy sat down.\u00a0 He and Luke were still wearin\u2019 their winter gear and it was heavy and he was tired.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d they look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne tall like beanpole!\u201d Hop Sing declared.\u00a0 \u201cOther fat as Christmas ham!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the tall one was the preacher that came into town with Elizabeth on the stage,\u201d the woman said.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph seemed to know of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStick man not man of God.\u00a0 Man of Devil!\u201d the Chinaman added.<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 He remembered them both.\u00a0 The short and stocky businessman had gotten off the stage before Elizabeth and the tall, thin parson had followed.\u00a0 At the time he hadn\u2019t realized they were together.\u00a0 Now that he thought of it, he remembered seeing a poster on a similar pair.\u00a0 They were conmen, not particularly dangerous so far as anyone knew, still there were suspicions that they\u2019d been involved in several schemes where someone ended up dead.\u00a0 Working with someone else, most likely, who did the dirty work.\u00a0 He wondered now if that \u2018someone else\u2019 was Rowse.<\/p>\n

Roy sighed.\u00a0 If Fleet Rowse was<\/em> the man who took Little Joe, then Hop Sing had a reason to be shoutin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Turning to Luke, the lawman said, \u201cBoy, why don\u2019t you go into the kitchen and see if you can rustle us up some grub and maybe put on a pot of coffee.\u00a0 I think we\u2019re gonna need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s cook was on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing get lawmen food….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sit your hind end right back down there on that settee, Hop Sing,\u201d Roy ordered.\u00a0 \u201cI need to hear what you have to say about everythin\u2019 that\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Luke headed for the Cartwright\u2019s kitchen, Hop Sing and Aurora Guthrie began to tell their tales.\u00a0 So intent was Roy Coffee\u00a0 on what they were saying, that he failed to notice a shift in the shadows at the top of the stairs and a pair of small hands gripping the rails. Elizabeth Carnaby had been sound asleep, dreaming that it was summer and she and Little Joe were at the lake.\u00a0 They\u2019d been skipping stones and she\u2019d been winning.\u00a0 Little Joe had just turned to challenge her to another game when a sound made her jump.\u00a0 Opening her eyes, she realized she\u2019d been asleep but was awake now and someone was opening the door to her bedroom.<\/p>\n

Thinking it was Little Joe or Mrs. Aurora and either one of them would be mad if she was still awake, she\u2019d hunkered down under her blankets and watched from under her lids as a\u00a0 man she didn\u2019t know walked into the room and came to the side of her bed.\u00a0 He stood there for about half a minute looking down and then went back out, closing the door behind him.\u00a0 Elizabeth listened as the man\u2019s steps went down the hall.\u00a0 It was silent for a couple of minutes, and then they came back and went downstairs.\u00a0 When it was quiet again she slipped on her slippers, went to the door and opened it a crack, and looked out.\u00a0 Seeing no one in the hall, she went to the top of the staircase and looked down and was surprised to find Hop Sing and Mrs. Aurora sitting on the settee and Sheriff Roy Coffee occupying one of the chairs across from them.\u00a0 She thought about joining them, but then remembered that grown-ups, while they didn\u2019t exactly lie, were awful good at pretendin\u2019 nothing was wrong when there was a little kid around.\u00a0 If she really wanted to know what was happening, she needed to stay put and out of sight!<\/p>\n

Elizabeth hugged the shadows as she leaned her face against the rail and listened.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Hop Sing, why don\u2019t you tell me your story first?\u201d Sheriff Roy asked.\u00a0 Elizabeth noticed a big old winter coat laying next to the lawman on the hearth, so she figured he must have just come in from outside.\u00a0 The man who had been in her room was sitting next to him, leaning forward and pouring coffee.\u00a0 It was Luke, the sheriff\u2019s deputy.\u00a0 When the man from China didn\u2019t answer, the sheriff asked again, \u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

What she saw when Hop Sing looked at Sheriff Roy sent shivers down Elizabeth\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s friend was crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing fail in duty,\u201d he said, his voice so soft she almost couldn\u2019t hear him.\u00a0 \u201cAll Hop Sing\u2019s fault.\u00a0 Bad men take Little Joe!\u00a0 Kill him!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s knuckles went white where they gripped the rails.\u00a0 Something had happened to little brother while she\u2019d been sleeping!\u00a0 She felt almost as guilty as Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlow down, now.\u00a0 Tell me what happened,\u201d Sheriff Roy tried again.<\/p>\n

The Chinese man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing get ready for bed after finish cleaning.\u00a0 Glance out window at cold night.\u00a0 Stars so clear it seem one could hold them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff guessed.\u00a0 \u201cSo you went outside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake walk.\u00a0 Look at stars.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s friend scowled.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing see plenty of stars when someone hit over head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone hit you?\u201d Luke asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see who?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing see no one then.\u00a0 See man while he tie Hop Sing up.\u201d\u00a0 Anger crackled in his black eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMan called Atticus.\u00a0 He betray Mr. Cartwright who welcome him as friend.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing drew a ragged breath.\u00a0 \u201cTake Mr. Cartwright\u2019s number three son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOutside see fat man.\u00a0 He do no work, just follow.\u201d\u00a0 His voice fell.\u00a0 \u201cInside see devil.\u00a0 He standing over Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth bit her lip to stop from crying out.\u00a0 That meant little brother was laying on the floor.\u00a0 What had the bad men done to him?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the boy was knocked out?\u201d Sheriff Roy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe was stabbed too,\u201d Mrs. Aurora said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI saw Fleet do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stabbed?<\/p>\n

That meant Little Joe had been bleedin\u2019 when the bad men took him outside!.\u00a0 Elizabeth swallowed over her fear.\u00a0 She had to help him!<\/p>\n

The lawman stood and began to pace, all the while shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not good.\u00a0 Not good at all.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the redhead and asked, \u201cTell me, did they bundle the boy up at all?\u00a0 Before takin\u2019 him out into \u2013 that, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked where he was looking. The drapes were pulled back on the window over the dining room table.\u00a0 Snow was falling steadily outside.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Guthrie shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Fleet ordered the other two men to tie up Hop Sing and me and then they carried Joseph out into the night.\u00a0 He had his nightshirt on and, I think, maybe a light pair of pants.\u201d\u00a0 Her jaw was tight.\u00a0 \u201cIf you turn the lamp up and look by the desk, you\u2019ll see.\u00a0 He was bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth felt her world turn upside-down.\u00a0 Some mean old man hurt Little Joe and stole him right out from under her nose! She stood and backed up into the corridor and began to pace \u2013 back and forth, back and forth.\u00a0 Sheriff Roy was going to go looking for little brother and sure-as-shootin\u2019 he wasn\u2019t going to let her go along!\u00a0 He\u2019d probably make her go back to town with Mrs. Aurora so she\u2019d be safe.<\/em>\u00a0 The little girl halted.\u00a0 Well, she wasn\u2019t going to let that<\/em> happen.\u00a0 Just let<\/em> him try to make her go somewhere safe while her little brother was out in the snow with some bad man threatenin\u2019 to hurt him!\u00a0 Elizabeth drew a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 She<\/em> knew Little Joe better than the sheriff or Mrs. Aurora.\u00a0 The first thing he\u2019d do would be try to get away.\u00a0 Since he was hurt, he\u2019d need someone to help him.\u00a0 She\u2019d <\/em>dragged him a mile uphill from the creek to her house after the bad men had left him in that burning house.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d saved him before and she could do it again!<\/p>\n

As she stood there, thinking furiously, Elizabeth realized it had grown really quiet.\u00a0 Moving back to the stair she held to the shadows and glanced down, only to find Sheriff Roy looking up.\u00a0 The lawman looked kind of puzzled, like maybe he thought he\u2019d heard something.\u00a0 As he started up the stairs, she bounded back to her room and dove under the covers.\u00a0 Pulling them up to her chin, she closed her eyes.\u00a0 Little Joe told her Roy Coffee didn\u2019t have any children of his own, so she figured foolin\u2019 him wouldn\u2019t be too hard.\u00a0 As the door to her room opened, she evened out her breathing and smiled a little smile like she was havin\u2019 a good dream.\u00a0 The lawman came to her side, reached out and touched her head, and then left the room.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth sat up as soon as he was gone.\u00a0 She looked around her room, wonderin\u2019 if she had everything she needed.\u00a0 Fortunately, her winter coat, hat, pattens and warm gloves, were in the wardrobe rather than hanging on a peg downstairs like Little Joe\u2019s. They\u2019d planned on going for a horse ride and a walk in the snow today and Hop Sing had brought them up so she could get ready.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t gonna use them to take a walk in no snow.\u00a0\u00a0 No, siree!<\/p>\n

She<\/em> was goin\u2019 on a manhunt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe shivered uncontrollably on the snow-covered ground and groaned, and then groaned again as someone kicked him in the ribs.<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!\u201d Fleet Rowse snarled.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d like to have complied, but the first two groans had come on their own and the next one did too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you to shut up!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This time Rowse bent over and took hold of him.\u00a0 \u201cFirst thing someone comes ridin\u2019 up here \u2018cause they heard you, Cartwright, you\u2019re dead<\/em>.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care how<\/em> rich your pa is, ain\u2019t no amount of money worth going back to that hell hole <\/em>of a prison!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe bit his lip so hard it bled in order to stifle the next cry.\u00a0 He supposed it wasn\u2019t worth trying to explain that if the outlaw wanted him to be quiet, he shouldn\u2019t have put a hole<\/em> in his shoulder in the first place.\u00a0 In the second place, he shouldn\u2019t touch it.<\/p>\n

Like he was now.<\/p>\n

As tears streamed down his cheeks, Fleet Rowse scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cPretty boy\u2019s hurtin\u2019 bad, ain\u2019t he?\u201d\u00a0 The outlaw\u2019s hand hovered over the wound.\u00a0 \u201cHere, let me make it all better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in air and held it against the torture of his touch.\u00a0 For a second the sky descended and all he could see was stars.\u00a0 Then it went black.<\/p>\n

Seconds later, unfortunately, Rowse swam back into view.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave him alone, Fleet,\u201d a high-pitched nasal voice whined.\u00a0 \u201cThe boy\u2019s no good to us dead.\u201d\u00a0 Atticus Godfrey came to stand over him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd for God\u2019s sake, give the boy a coat.\u00a0 If your torture doesn\u2019t kill him, the falling temperatures will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowse rose to his feet. \u00a0He went nose to nose with the fake reverend.\u00a0 \u201cSo you\u2019re<\/em> givin\u2019 the orders now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall man hesitated.\u00a0 He pulled at his white collar.\u00a0 \u201cIt was only a suggestion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA suggestion?\u00a0 Well, now, that\u2019s right.\u201d\u00a0 The outlaw pulled himself up and adopted what he thought was an elegant air.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re just havin\u2019 a disagreement between gentlemen<\/em>, ain\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two bicker like an old married couple,\u201d Noyes Runyon groused.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s obvious the\u00a0 boy has to die no matter what.\u00a0 He can identify all three of us.\u00a0 Still, let\u2019s try to keep him alive long enough to write that note to, and be seen by his father, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, that was discouraging.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019d kind of been hoping at least one <\/em>of them was on his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not writin\u2019 any note!\u201d he snarled with all of the ferocity a very tired, weak, and nearly frozen-solid seventeen-year-old could muster.<\/p>\n

Rowse dropped to his knees beside him.\u00a0 He picked up his bound hands and tapped on the left one.\u00a0 \u201cI noticed you\u2019re a Southpaw.\u00a0 How about I break every finger on that hand, slowly, one by one until you do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t be able to write the note then, you ignoramus,\u201d Noyes barked.<\/p>\n

The outlaw was on his feet in a minute.\u00a0 \u201cWho you callin\u2019 an \u2018ignoramus\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou, you cretin!\u201d\u00a0 Noyes didn\u2019t seem to be the least bit intimidated by Rowse, which was interesting.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps it would have been better to say, \u2018savage\u2019.\u00a0 After all, that\u2019s what you are, just like the Paiutes who raised you.\u201d\u00a0 The fat businessman shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat sort of animal are you that you think of cruel pleasure first?\u201d\u00a0 Joe watched the fat man\u2019s face as he turned and looked at him where he was laying on the ground.\u00a0 There was almost….\u00a0 Well, almost<\/em> sympathy there.<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse had grown very still.\u00a0 His knife was in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI can show you what kind of a man I am if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe heard a click!<\/em>\u00a0 Faster than he could follow, Noyes had drawn.\u00a0 There was a small derringer in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cRock crushes scissors,\u201d the fat man sneered as he moved to Joe\u2019s side while waving Rowse away.\u00a0 \u201cNow, why don\u2019t you go see to the horses?\u00a0 Oh, and while you\u2019re there, Fleet, please restrain your urge to\u00a0 kill any of them.\u00a0 We do<\/em> need the animals to get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like they said, if looks could of killed, Noyes Runyon would\u2019ve been dead.<\/p>\n

Once the outlaw had disappeared, Runyon crouched at his side.\u00a0 The man was dressed in a near-black seal-skin coat.\u00a0 Just looking at its promised warmth made Joe feel even colder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem like a smart boy,\u201d Noyes said without preamble.<\/p>\n

Joe said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to draw a picture for you, young Joseph Cartwright, and then we\u2019ll see if you are feeling any more cooperative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy should I cooperate if you\u2019re just gonna kill me?\u201d he demanded between chattering teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI regret the necessity of\u00a0 your death, young sir, but you can see where I am coming from, can you not?\u00a0 Without your witness, everything is hearsay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Runyon was a strange man.\u00a0 Maybe even stranger than Rowse.<\/p>\n

The fat man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhile I have some<\/em> control over the prison escapee we were regrettably forced to employ while he is in<\/em> my presence, I have none over him if he chooses to strike out on his own.\u00a0 He has already made threats against your family for holding his sister hostage \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAurora isn\u2019t a hostage!\u201d Joe shot back.\u00a0 \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want to go with him.\u00a0 She\u2019s terrified of Rowse!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with good cause.\u201d\u00a0 Noyes made a face.\u00a0 \u201cFleet is slightly…unhinged.\u00a0 Even if I can<\/em> keep him from killing your family outright, he says he will burn your house down with everyone in it, if you don\u2019t cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe paled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Noyes shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe has a thing about fire.\u00a0 I can assure he\u2019ll carry it through.\u00a0 He had plenty of practice when he rode with Red Pony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearing that name was like steppin\u2019 on a rattler.\u00a0 Red Pony was chief of a renegade band of Paiutes who\u2019d made burning and looting almost a profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cRowse rode with Red Pony?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLived <\/em>with him.\u00a0 Fleet was taken captive when he was around five years of age.\u00a0 His people found him when he a young boy.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cFleet ran away from them<\/em> and returned to the Indians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed over a lump of fear.\u00a0 \u201cAurora said he\u2019d…killed<\/em> his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true.\u00a0 Everyone of them but the girl. She was away at the time.\u201d\u00a0 The fat man\u2019s thick eyebrows danced up toward his thinning hair.\u00a0 \u201cIt was his way of proving himself to his new <\/em>family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy isn\u2019t he with the Indians now?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon snorted.\u00a0 \u201cRowse is a lunatic.\u00a0 He took too many risks and they turned on him too.\u201d\u00a0 The businessman held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou may not be able to understand this, young Cartwright, but a man who has no ties has nothing to lose.\u201d Runyon reached into his pocket and produced a pencil and paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, about that note….\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee woke with a start.\u00a0 He shifted and sat up.\u00a0 He\u2019d been sittin\u2019 on Ben Cartwright\u2019s fancy settee, feelin\u2019 mighty guilty that he might muss it up, when he fell asleep.\u00a0 Runnin\u2019 a hand through his thinning hair, he glanced out the window.\u00a0 The first rays of light were just beginnin\u2019 to penetrate the tall Ponderosa pines surroundin\u2019 Ben Cartwright\u2019s grand house.\u00a0 Shiftin\u2019 his hand to his face, he ran his fingers across the stubble and then pulled at his chin.\u00a0 Last night when he made the\u00a0 decision to rest up for a few hours, he was sure he\u2019d heard Ben bellowin\u2019 at him to get on the road and look for his boy.\u00a0 Much as he wanted to, it just didn\u2019t make no sense.\u00a0 It had been black as the minister\u2019s coat outside at the time and there was no way they could have looked for a trail, let alone found it.\u00a0 He\u2019d just had to trust to God and what he knew of Ben\u2019s youngest.\u00a0 Little Joe was hot-headed and would as soon jump in a lake as look at one, but he was also resourceful.\u00a0 That boy had just about the best luck he\u2019d ever seen, at least when it come to gettin\u2019 out of scrapes alive that would have left any other man dead.<\/p>\n

Now when it came to cards and women, well, that was a different<\/em> matter.<\/p>\n

Chuckling at his own joke, Roy rose to his feet and went to wake Luke, who was twisted up like one of them there Sturgis pretzels in Ben\u2019s big blue chair.\u00a0 As the young man unfolded and found his feet, Roy went to the window and looked out.\u00a0 Sometime during the night it had stopped snowin\u2019.\u00a0 The land was blanketed a good foot deep, but at least no more was fallin\u2019.\u00a0 He was gonna send Luke back to town with Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 He\u2019d talked to Hop Sing about sendin\u2019 the little Carnaby girl with her, but it seemed the girl\u2019s folks were due any time and the China man was worried what they\u2019d think if they didn\u2019t find her where she was supposed to be.<\/p>\n

Still, it rankled with him leavin\u2019 Hop Sing and the girl alone.<\/p>\n

As for him, he had to make a choice.\u00a0 Odds were there\u2019d be a ransom note comin\u2019 this way sometime soon.\u00a0 If he set out to look for Little Joe, he just might miss it.\u00a0 If he missed it \u2013 and there was no one to get it to his Pa \u2013 well, then, those men might just do somethin\u2019 bad to the boy.\u00a0 He\u2019d told Luke, once he\u2019d delivered the widow to town, to take time to visit his wife and young\u2019uns and then to hit the trail and head up into the high country to let Ben and his older boys know what was goin\u2019 on.\u00a0 No, it seemed like the best thing he could do for the moment was co-ordinate, as they\u2019d say.\u00a0 In the thirty-odd years he\u2019d been a lawman, he\u2019d learned a thing or two.\u00a0 One of them was how to wait.\u00a0 A young\u2019un like Luke, why, he\u2019d head out faster than a cat lappin\u2019 chain lightnin\u2019, never thinkin\u2019 about the thunder that came before and after.\u00a0 That thunder, why, it was the most important of all.\u00a0 It rolled slow over the land, rattlin\u2019 even the bones of the earth, revealin\u2019 the things the lightnin\u2019 was just too dang impatient to find.<\/p>\n

Roy lifted his head and sniffed.\u00a0 Hop Sing was up and cookin\u2019 breakfast.\u00a0 It was always interestin\u2019 to him how men coped with worry.\u00a0 Some pretended it didn\u2019t exist.\u00a0 Some took their worryin\u2019 out on others.\u00a0 Hop Sing, well, it sounded like he was takin\u2019 it out on them fancy pans what Ben had bought him,\u00a0 The sheriff shook his head.\u00a0 That Chinaman of Ben\u2019s loved all three of Ben\u2019s sons somethin\u2019 fierce, but there was somethin\u2019 special between him and Little Joe.\u00a0 After Ben\u2019s third wife died, there was many a day there was no one in the house but Hop Sing and Ben\u2019s youngest.\u00a0 Whenever he\u2019d come to visit, he\u2019d find the boy sitting on the block table in the kitchen, his legs danglin\u2019 down, talkin\u2019 the China man\u2019s ear off while he peeled potatoes or shredded bread for crumbs.\u00a0 He knew Hop Sing wanted to go with him to hunt for Little Joe, but the cook wasn\u2019t a lawman or a tracker and odds were, he wasn\u2019t gonna last long in the cold.\u00a0 Maybe it was a good thing that Carnaby girl was visitin\u2019.\u00a0 It\u2019d keep the Chinaman out of his hair by givin\u2019 Hop Sing someone to worry about while he looked for Joe.<\/p>\n

Roy drew a breath and let it out slowly as his eyes returned to the white world beyond the window.<\/p>\n

The lightnin\u2019 had done struck.<\/p>\n

Now he had to give the thunder time to do its job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth stood at the top of the stair, watching Sheriff Roy\u2019s deputy leave the house with Mrs. Aurora on his arm.\u00a0 They were both all bundled up against the cold.\u00a0 Seeing them, in their heavy coats and scarves, while little brother\u2019s coat hung on the rack by the door was almost more than she could stand!\u00a0 Shifting her gaze, she looked at the dining room table in front of the window.\u00a0 Sheriff Roy was seated there reading one of Mister Ben\u2019s papers while Hop Sing poured him coffee.\u00a0 How, she wondered, how?<\/em><\/p>\n

How could they act so…normal?<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, if they could do it, she could too \u2013 at least long enough to fool them that she was okay with things like they were.\u00a0 Before coming down she\u2019d made sure she had her winter coat, hat, and all the other stuff she\u2019d need in one place, and then gone to Little Joe\u2019s room and unlocked the window. Little brother had told her stories about all the times he\u2019d climbed out of that window and gone out to do somethin\u2019 after he was supposed to be asleep.\u00a0 He\u2019d started doing it when he was younger than she was, so she knew she could make it too.\u00a0 She was sure Sheriff Roy would be riding out soon to see if he could find any of the bad men\u2019s tracks.\u00a0 She\u2019d wait until he did and then slip out and go to the barn and saddle Freckles.\u00a0 She was gonna follow the sheriff.\u00a0 From what he\u2019d said the night before about waitin\u2019 on a ransom note, she was sure he\u2019d come back to the house before doing anything about any tracks he found.\u00a0 She<\/em> wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 She\u2019d ride straight on until she found Little Joe and get him away from those bad men and bring him back home.<\/p>\n

But for now….<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning!\u201d Elizabeth chirped as she bounced down the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cThat coffee sure smells good!\u201d\u00a0 When both men turned puzzled looks on her, she laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what Little Joe always says when he\u2019s comin\u2019 down the stairs.\u201d\u00a0 She finished her trek to the table before asking, innocently, \u201cWhere is <\/em>Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, good morning, Miss Elizabeth,\u201d Sheriff Roy said as he put the paper down.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you look right pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had her teal-green dress on \u2013 the one Mister Cartwright had bought her.\u00a0 It was pretty, but it was also the warmest and widest<\/em> thing she had.\u00a0 She\u2019d piled layers and layers of petticoats on underneath it until it stuck straight out.<\/p>\n

In fact, she felt kind of like an upside-down parasol.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Sheriff,\u201d she replied as she took her seat.\u00a0 When neither man said anything more, she asked again, \u201cWhere\u2019s little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s eyes flicked to the lawman.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe go out early, Missy Elizabeth.\u00a0 He….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…went to town to see if there were any telegrams from his pa and brothers,\u201d the lawman finished for him.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked from one man to the other.\u00a0 Both of them looked guilty as Jack had when Ma found that frog he\u2019d brought in and put in the stove to keep it warm.\u00a0 So that<\/em> was how they were going to play it.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t going to tell her anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Grown-ups!<\/p>\n

A little smile quirked her lips.\u00a0 So she guessed she didn\u2019t have to tell them anything either.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d she said, looking sad.\u00a0 \u201cWhen\u2019s he comin\u2019 back?\u00a0 Little Joe told me he\u2019d take me out ridin\u2019 today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHard to say.\u00a0 The road\u2019s gonna be right tricky this mornin\u2019.\u00a0 Might take him longer than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing take Missy out in snow later if she want.\u00a0 We have fun,\u201d the Chinese man offered.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was the one part of her plan she felt bad about.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to hurt him, and she knew when he found she was gone, he\u2019d feel right guilty about it.\u00a0 Like he\u2019d <\/em>done somethin\u2019 wrong instead of her.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth thoughts flew.\u00a0 What would convince them that she didn\u2019t want to go?\u00a0 Maybe she shouldn\u2019t have bounced down the steps with a smile on her face.\u00a0 Then she could\u2019ve said she didn\u2019t feel good.\u00a0 As Hop Sing served her some eggs and bacon, she considered what her friend Josie would have done in a situation like this \u2013 one where she needed to be sneaky.<\/em><\/p>\n

After taking a few bites \u2013 with a little frown \u2013 Elizabeth shoved the plate away, pressed her fingers to her forehead, and let a little moan escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 wrong with Missy?\u201d Hop Sing asked immediately.<\/p>\n

Josie said this worked with men, since they didn\u2019t have them very often.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a headache,\u201d she moaned.\u00a0 \u201cMust be the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep it mysterious, Josie said.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give a reason they can do<\/em> anythin\u2019 about.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s friend was frowning.\u00a0 \u201cWhat weather have to do with missy\u2019s headache?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always get headaches when it snows big.\u201d\u00a0 She poured every ounce of pain and a desire for understanding into the look she gave him.\u00a0 Josie would be proud, even her eyes were tearing up. \u201cI…don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff Roy was eying her.\u00a0 \u201cYou have that there headache when you woke up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Men are dumb, Josie\u2019s voice scolded in her head.\u00a0 Don\u2019t make it complicated.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll believe just about anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 But my head felt kinda funny that\u2019s why I was kind of goofy.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes I have to be up for a while.\u00a0 You know, its like when you fall off a horse, you get up fine but the next day everything hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He might not be a pa, but Sheriff Roy was a lawman. \u00a0He was frowning.\u00a0 Or maybe it wasn\u2019t because he was a lawman, but because he\u2019d been married.<\/p>\n

Maybe his wife had headaches too.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what are we gonna do about it!\u00a0 This here headache of yours?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just need to go lay down somewhere dark,\u201d she answered meekly.\u00a0 \u201cThe light hurts my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about little missy\u2019s breakfast?\u201d Hop Sing asked.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d bring her a tray later if she didn\u2019t eat something.\u00a0 Grabbing a biscuit, she replied, \u201cI\u2019ll take this with me and eat it later.\u00a0 The headache kind of turns my stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man was frowning.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing see Missy Elizabeth back to bed.\u00a0 Bring tea up for tummy and then<\/em> let sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was as good as it got.<\/p>\n

She smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 Turning to the lawman she asked, \u201cWhat are you gonna do today, Sheriff Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 Me?\u201d he huffed and then answered.\u00a0 \u201cThought I\u2019d take me a nice long ride.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back afore supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Little Joe will be back by then too,\u201d she threw in, just for good measure.<\/p>\n

They thought she missed it, but she didn\u2019t.\u00a0 The two men exchanged glances.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d Roy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d Hop Sing echoed.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t believe it, but she <\/em>did.\u00a0 Little Joe most certainly would be home for supper.<\/p>\n

After all, how hard could it be to find him?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EIGHT<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright pulled his hat down over his eyes and his collar up close about his throat.\u00a0 It had been a long and cold night.\u00a0 He\u2019d been delayed in Virginia City when, of all things, he\u2019d had to prove to a young upstart of a bank manager that he was <\/em>Benjamin Cartwright before the fool would let him deposit the payroll money in his own account!\u00a0 The manager he\u2019d known for more than a decade was gone on holiday until after the first of the year and the board had chosen a young whippersnapper to fill in for him. A man with \u2018new\u2019 ideas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an idea,\u201d Ben grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cHow about hiring someone with experience….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say something, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to look at his oldest son.\u00a0 He\u2019d ridden hard all morning, following the road to the tower of rocks that marked the area of the closest line shack, and then heading due north to join the others.\u00a0 He caught up to Adam and Hoss more quickly than he expected.\u00a0 They, like him, had been slowed down by the ferocity of the sudden storm and had not yet met up with the other men on the drive.\u00a0 His sons were about halfway to the place where the cattle were gathered and had been breaking camp when he appeared.\u00a0 After greeting him, Adam threw another log on the fire and heated up what remained of their breakfast.\u00a0 While he ate, his the boys completed their work.<\/p>\n

The older man was grateful for both the food and<\/em> the company. He had tossed and turned throughout the long snowy night, his sleep troubled by nightmare images of his Little Joe and his young charge stumbling into some kind of trouble.\u00a0 A broken axle on the carriage, stranding them in the frigid cold.\u00a0 One or the other of them coming down with pneumonia because of it.\u00a0 Or \u2013 and this was the most disturbing \u2013 Joseph ending up buried alive by a steady and silent fall of snow.<\/p>\n

That was the one that woke him and kept <\/em>him awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I say something?\u00a0 I certainly did!\u201d the older man groused as he took a sip of coffee and relished both the taste and the warmth it lent him.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill mad about what happened at the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben scowled as he swirled the dark liquid in his cup and took another sip.\u00a0 \u201c I am,\u2019 he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why the board thought some foolhardy youngster of thirty could manage a bank!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEr, Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of experience can you have when you are barely out of diapers \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rounded on his oldest son.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam pursed his lips and waved a hand.\u00a0 \u201cMe.\u00a0 Here.\u00a0 Thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh…yes….\u00a0 Well, I didn\u2019t mean you…\u201d the older man sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, you\u2019re an old <\/em>thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever heard a better description, Pa,\u201d Hoss snorted as he came to their side.\u00a0 \u201cTruth to tell, you\u2019d think Adam was on the high side of fifty \u2018cause he\u2019s so crotchety and stuffy most of the time!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben hid his smile behind his cup.\u00a0 Waving his free hand, he said, \u201cMe. Here.\u00a0 Fifty<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all shared a laugh over that.<\/p>\n

Some fifteen minutes later the camp was broken, the campfire extinguished, and his sons were ready to go.\u00a0 Adam came to find him.\u00a0 He\u2019d slipped away at the last minute to check on Buck.\u00a0 His faithful horse had been in need of a quality period of rest before starting out again and he wanted to make certain it had been long enough.\u00a0 Finding Buck in good spirits, he\u2019d begun to check the tackle.\u00a0 As he adjusted one of the straps, he\u2019d been suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed by a deep, rising fear.\u00a0 The older man stood now, one of the leather straps hanging loose in his gloved hand, staring toward home.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be all right,\u201d a soft voice said.<\/p>\n

It was Adam.<\/p>\n

With a start, Ben turned to find his oldest boy regarding him with an affectionate smile.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son pursed his lips and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe.\u00a0 Who else?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a harrumph<\/em> Ben went back to tightening the strap.\u00a0 \u201cDo you aways assume your younger brother will be in trouble the minute he\u2019s out of our sight?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was a man of many talents \u2013 hiding his amusement at his father\u2019s concern for his baby brother was not one of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben pulled on the strap one last time.\u00a0 \u201cYour younger brother can take of himself.\u00a0 Why would you assume that I\u2019m worried about \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh…Pa,\u201d he replied with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not assuming.\u00a0 It\u2019s written all over your face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not worried, son.\u00a0 It\u2019s just….\u201d\u00a0 He hated to admit it \u2013 that\u00a0 he was an old man who\u2019d had a bad dream he couldn\u2019t shake.\u00a0 With a sigh, he did anyhow.\u00a0 \u201cI had a nightmare about your brother.\u00a0 What happened in it has left me…well, unsettled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat must be where Little Joe gets it,\u201d Hoss said as he joined them.\u00a0 \u201cI keep tellin\u2019 Adam Joe\u2019s got a lot of you <\/em>in him, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, son,\u201d he said, and meant it.<\/p>\n

Still, remembering his own <\/em>wild and misspent youth, that statement did little to soothe his fears.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt Pa ever caused his parents\u2019 nightmares.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you\u2019re wrong, son,\u201d Ben laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI gave them plenty<\/em> of sleepless nights.\u00a0 I guess….\u00a0 Maybe its because<\/em> I see myself in Joseph that I worry so about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA rake makes the shrewdest parent, is that your theory, Pa?\u201d his oldest asked with a grin.<\/p>\n

He had to admit it.\u00a0 After all, he had gotten by with \u2018murder\u2019 as a boy.\u00a0 He knew well all of the avenues that could lead a young man into trouble and anticipated them with Marie\u2019s son.\u00a0 Ben smiled.\u00a0 At least Joseph had an excuse with his vivacious and untamable mother.<\/p>\n

His had been quite the solid, steady, woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019s got you riled, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he stamped his feet and pulled his collar up around his chin to seal what lay beneath from the chill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the dream Elizabeth and Little Joe were out in the snow.\u00a0 Something happened and your brother was left behind.\u201d\u00a0 His voice became hushed.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph was slowly buried under it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged it off.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a reasonable enough nightmare for a man sleeping out in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure does, Pa.\u00a0 You was probably just feelin\u2019 the cold.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s smile was as reassuring as the big man could make it.\u00a0 \u201cI know I felt like I was buried under a heap of it while I was curled up in that little thin blanket last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were right.\u00a0 To start with Little Joe\u2019s foot was not healed.\u00a0 If he and Elizabeth had gone out, it would have been in a sleigh.\u00a0 There would be no reason Joseph would be on foot.\u00a0 Plus he had told his son to take Hop Sing with them.<\/p>\n

Two children and a Chinese cook.<\/p>\n

That <\/em>did a lot to steady his nerves.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to ride home and check?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Ben hesitated.\u00a0 Did<\/em> he?\u00a0 All three of them were needed to help drive the cattle through what was bound to be treacherous terrain.\u00a0 But they weren\u2019t there now and the men were getting by.\u00a0 Still, it would take his eldest the better part of a day to get back to the house, and then another to return.\u00a0 So, two at least that Adam would be gone.<\/p>\n

And he didn\u2019t know for certain<\/em> that anything was wrong….<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 No, son.\u00a0 Thanks for asking, but there\u2019s no need.\u201d\u00a0 Ben put his foot in the stirrup and mounted.\u00a0 Pointing the buckskin\u2019s nose north, he began to move.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 It\u2019s time we caught up with the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Behind his back, Adam and Hoss Cartwright exchanged glances.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got twenty in my saddlebag,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

Hoss pursed his lips and squinted.\u00a0 \u201cI only got fifteen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFifteen it is then.\u00a0 So how long do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked after their father.\u00a0 \u201cThirty\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI say twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright\u2019s middle son stuck his hand out.\u00a0 \u201cBet.\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother shook it.\u00a0 \u201cDeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end they both lost.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t ten minutes later that Adam was on the road and riding back to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee stood at the front door of Ben Cartwright\u2019s house with his hand on the knob.\u00a0 His heart was hammerin\u2019 in his chest.\u00a0 He\u2019d been sittin\u2019 pretty as a jay bird at the dining room table, sippin\u2019 coffee and readin\u2019 the paper, when somethin\u2019 struck the wood door hard.\u00a0 The sound made him jump clean out of his chair and toss the coffee out of the cup he was holdin\u2019.\u00a0 The hot liquid hit Hop Sing square in the chest as he came runnin\u2019 out of the kitchen yellin\u2019 somethin\u2019 in that there gibberish language of his, stunnin\u2019 the China man into silence.\u00a0 He was silent still as he stood beside him now \u2013 holdin\u2019 his breath, he imagined.<\/p>\n

That was okay, so was he.<\/p>\n

Roy knew what he found when he opened the door could change the lives of the people in Ben Cartwright\u2019s house forever.\u00a0 With a glance at his old friend\u2019s cook, he opened it slowly.<\/p>\n

Only to find an arrow stuck smack in the middle of it.<\/p>\n

Roy scowled.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t too many Indians left in these parts nowadays.\u00a0 Most of them had done been run out by settlers or soldiers.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t fair, of course, but that was how life was \u2013 there were conquerors and there were the ones they done conquered. Wasn\u2019t always one side good and the other bad.\u00a0 Lots of times there were what people liked to call \u2018extenuatin\u2019 circumstances\u2019.\u00a0 That was a term those city lawyers was awful fond of.\u00a0 Roy wondered about the man what had let loose the arrow stuck in Ben\u2019s door.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think he was a city slicker \u2013 just like he didn\u2019t think any of those extenuatin\u2019 circumstances would have applied.\u00a0 No, there were two things about that arrow stickin\u2019 in the Cartwright\u2019s door that told Roy whatever man had shot it had been acquainted with the Indians, and he was the bad man what had taken Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Upwards of five inches of the arrow\u2019s shaft was painted in blood and there was a note attached to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happen?\u00a0 You see Little Joe?\u201d Ben\u2019s cook asked.<\/p>\n

Roy held up a hand to signal it would be just a minute as he narrowed his pale blue eyes and scanned the tree line at the front of the house.\u00a0 Then he pulled his gun and stepped out onto the porch.\u00a0 When nothing happened, he turned back to the arrow.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t want to come out of the door, so he undid the bit of rawhide holding the note to the shaft and took it off.\u00a0 Then, with a last look at the yard, Roy stepped back into the house and closed the door behind him.<\/p>\n

As he read the note, Hop Sing pressed him, \u201cSheriff Roy tell Hop Sing what note say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy scowled.\u00a0 He hated to show the dang thing to the China man, but he had to be sure.\u00a0 Before he handed it over, the lawman said, \u201cNow, Hop Sing, I don\u2019t want you going off half-cocked, you hear me?\u00a0 You just take a look at this and tell me for sure that it\u2019s Little Joe\u2019s handwritin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hop Sing read the note, tears entered his eyes.\u00a0 When they came to the last line, several fell.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t blame him.\u00a0 The note had tears on it too and the last line and signature was written in the boy\u2019s blood.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing handed the paper back.\u00a0 \u201cThat Little Joe\u2019s handwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought so from the way it was bent west instead of east.\u00a0 He read it again.<\/p>\n

Pa, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I had to do it to save Elizabeth.\u00a0 Three men are holding me.\u00a0 Fleet Rowse is one of them.\u00a0 Rowse says you have to come alone, Pa, and you have until dawn day after tomorrow to bring ten thousand dollars to the Paiute graveyard.\u00a0 Leave it under the crossed spears and ride away.\u00a0 Rowse says to tell you his quiver holds 10 arrows.\u00a0 He says he\u2019ll be watching and if he sees any lawmen or anyone else coming around before or with you, when you find me, the other nine will be in me.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

I love you, Pa.\u00a0 Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do?\u201d Hop Sing breathed.<\/p>\n

Roy didn\u2019t say anythin\u2019, but he knew about Rowse and he knew full well the minute the outlaw got his hands on that money Little Joe would be dead.\u00a0 Rowse was the type who\u2019d take pleasure in makin\u2019 Ben Cartwright and his other boys hurt.\u00a0 Fleet Rowse had had a hard row to hoe.\u00a0 He\u2019d admit that.\u00a0 But there\u2019d been plenty of men plowin\u2019 harder ground who\u2019d turned up nothin\u2019 but rock and still managed to plant seeds that had grown into some kind of good.\u00a0 Rowse had thrown nothin\u2019 but venom and hate into that row and them there weeds had grown up high enough to choke not only him, but any man who had the misfortune to stumble into them.<\/p>\n

That man bein\u2019 Little Joe Cartwright at the moment.<\/p>\n

As he opened his mouth to respond, Hop Sing said, \u201cBad man not let Little Joe go no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man thought hard for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThen you and Hop Sing must go after Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you wait here a minute, Hop Sing,\u201d the lawman said, holding up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m goin\u2019 but ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 you can say will make me take you with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing no stay home!\u201d the other man declared with a stubborn shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cCome after sheriff Roy if no take!\u00a0 Hop Sing responsible for number three son.\u00a0 Hop Sing go!\u201d<\/p>\n

He could have quoted him all kinds of things about a lawman\u2019s responsibility and him bein\u2019 too close to the boy to be of any help, but Roy figured he didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 All he had to do was ask one question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Miss Carnaby?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked like he\u2019d done been struck in the face by a fish.<\/p>\n

Roy laid a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThe best thing you can do, Hop Sing, is make sure you keep that little girl out of trouble.\u00a0 She\u2019s got too much of Little Joe in her and I\u2019ll be danged if she won\u2019t find some way to get into it quicker than you can say jumpin\u2019 Jack Robinson.\u00a0 Now, why don\u2019t you go upstairs and make sure she\u2019s all right and then, if you\u2019ve a mind to, I\u2019d be awful happy if you could rustle up a little grub for me to take along on the trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if bad men see you?\u201d\u00a0 The China man\u2019s black eyes flicked to the note he still held.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if they hurt Little Joe because <\/em>they see you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI done more stake-outs than you\u2019ve baked pies, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Those outlaws ain\u2019t gonna see me.\u00a0 I need to find out how many there are for sure and see where they got Little Joe, and then I\u2019ll ride back to town for help.\u00a0 Like I said, you just keep that little girl out of trouble, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth was astride the horse Little Joe had given her and riding as fast as she could through the snow, following the stranger she\u2019d seen in the Cartwright\u2019s yard.\u00a0 She\u2019d climbed out the window and had just finished harnessing her pony when she saw a bundled up man with a bow in his hand.\u00a0 He let loose an arrow aimed at the front door and then, without waitin\u2019 to see if it hit, disappeared into the trees.<\/p>\n

A minute later she heard a horse\u2019s hooves pounding the hard ground.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been trackin\u2019 before.\u00a0 Her pa had taken her out into the woods to teach her even though her ma said it wasn\u2019t proper and she swore \u2013 even though Ma never really swore \u2018cause she said God was always listenin\u2019 and He\u2019d tan her hide if she did \u2013 well, Ma swore Pa\u2019d be teachin\u2019 her to wear britches and suspenders next!<\/p>\n

Pa said a girl needed to know how to track.\u00a0 \u2018Ma\u2019, he\u2019d said, \u2018suppose Bella\u2019s here alone and Jack goes wanderin\u2019 off.\u00a0 She\u2019ll need to be able to find him fast before somethin\u2019 nasty like a bear or mountain cat does.\u00a0 Or suppose she\u2019s all growed up and she\u2019s got livestock that\u2019s wandered off?\u2019\u00a0 In the end Pa won, like he usually did, and he\u2019d started takin\u2019 her out with him day and night to teach her how to look for sign.\u00a0 He taught her how to tell how old the sign was and what had made it and so on.\u00a0 Lots of it was yucky and by the time they was done, she was just about sure she didn\u2019t ever want to track nothin\u2019 bigger than a bunny rabbit.\u00a0 And now here she was!\u00a0 Little Joe was missin\u2019 and she knew how to follow the man on the horse even though there was snow on the ground.<\/p>\n

Pa would be right proud of her when she told him!<\/p>\n

She knew, of course, that keepin\u2019 out of sight was more important with a bad man than a bunny rabbit, so she was traveling just inside of the trees and not on the road.\u00a0 While she might end up with no supper if a bunny got wind of her, she was <\/em>gonna end up in a whole heap of trouble if whoever took Joe did.\u00a0 That Fleet Rowse feller sounded awful mean.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t so sure about the reverend.\u00a0 He\u2019d seemed harmless as a tick on a stone.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t liked that other man \u2013 the one names Runyon.\u00a0 She\u2019d spent most of the stage coach ride with him.\u00a0 He\u2019d patted her head and talked nice to her and even offered her candy, which she refused.\u00a0 He was like a snake and she supposed that just by touchin\u2019 it, he\u2019d probably poisoned the candy and she didn\u2019t want any of it or <\/em>him.\u00a0 It was funny.\u00a0 Him and the reverend had introduced themselves and acted like they were strangers but, now that she thought of it, they kept lookin\u2019 at each other like they were talkin\u2019 with their eyes the whole time.<\/p>\n

She should\u2019ve known somethin\u2019 was up!<\/p>\n

Elizabeth swallowed hard as she tightened her grip on the reins.\u00a0 Hop Sing and Sheriff Roy were gonna be mighty mad when they figured out what she was doin\u2019.\u00a0 She would have gone to them, but she knew neither one of them would have let her join in the search for little brother.\u00a0 They\u2019d of said she was \u2018too little\u2019.\u00a0 The blonde girl scowled.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know about Sheriff Roy, but she was pretty sure Hop Sing had never got Little Joe out of a burning building and into the water where he was safe like she had!\u00a0 Ma always said\u00a0 it takes a heap of licks to hit a nail in the dark.<\/p>\n

She had experience saving Joe Cartwright and that had to count over size and strength!<\/p>\n

The sun was just crestin\u2019 over the top of the mountains, casting long orange-red fingers across the snow.\u00a0 The man was riding hard and fast and doing nothin\u2019 to cover his tracks, so it she was pretty sure he either didn\u2019t know he was being followed or didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 Even if he did, she had one advantage no one else would.\u00a0 If there\u2019d been a ransom note tied on that arrow the outlaw shot, then he\u2019d probably told Mister Cartwright in it that no one was to follow him.\u00a0 Of course, the bad man would be lookin\u2019 for grown-ups \u2013 men, most like.\u00a0 He probably wouldn\u2019t think much of it if he looked back and saw a little girl comin\u2019 up on his tail.\u00a0 He might even ignore her.\u00a0 After all, the bad man probably thought the same thing as Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing.\u00a0 First off, she was a girl, and second, she was \u2018too little\u2019 to do anything about anything.<\/p>\n

With a snort, Elizabeth Carnaby pressed her heels into her pony\u2019s sides.<\/p>\n

Right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t think he\u2019d ever been so cold in his life.\u00a0 His captors had taken refuge in one of their deserted line shack and had even lit a fire, but it seemed the warmth just couldn\u2019t make its way to his bones.\u00a0 One of the men had pressed a wad of filthy cloth against his wound and bound it to his chest, and another tossed a moth-ridden blanket his way, which he was wearing now over his nightshirt and long johns.\u00a0 The place where Rowse\u2019s knife had penetrated his shoulder throbbed.\u00a0 The pain thrummed through his body and pounded in his head as well, beating in tune with his heart.\u00a0 Slowly Joe uncurled the fingers of his left hand, noting the ugly cut near the top of one finger and the congealed blood that ran from the jagged wound onto his palm.\u00a0 Rowse had split it with his knife and made him use the blood to pen the last line on the ransom note to his father.<\/p>\n

Like a baby, he had cried while he wrote it.<\/p>\n

The outlaw took hold of him by his bad shoulder afterwards and threw him against a low-lying cot in the corner and told him to stay there.\u00a0 As he crawled up onto it, Rowse had painted his face like a warrior on the red path and headed out the door.\u00a0 It seemed the man was caught between two worlds, bein\u2019 a part of both, but not belonging to either one.\u00a0 Joe wondered if it was because neither the Indians nor the settlers would accept him, or if it was because Rowse wouldn\u2019t accept either one of them.<\/p>\n

From what Aurora said, he kind of figured it was the last one.<\/p>\n

It was hard to think of someone as pretty and nice as Aurora Guthrie being related to Fleet Rowse.\u00a0 They were just so different.<\/em>\u00a0 He and his brothers were alike in so many ways \u2013 in the things Pa had taught them about being good Christian men such as love, sacrifice, service to others and all. They fought over just about everything else, but when it came to the important things they were, like Adam said, \u2018on the same page\u2019.\u00a0 On top of being one of the prettiest women he had ever seen, Aurora was so gentle and sweet.\u00a0 She\u2019d taken good care of Elizabeth and he hoped she was still doing so now that he was gone.<\/p>\n

Joe wondered if his pa even knew he was missing.\u00a0 If he and Hoss and Adam had made it to the place where the cattle were waiting, they\u2019d be on their way north and there\u2019d be no one at the house to get that ransom note.\u00a0 No one but Hop Sing, Aurora, or Elizabeth.\u00a0 He knew his \u2018big sister\u2019 well enough to know that it was gonna take a lot to keep her in that house once she knew.\u00a0 Bella was just about as headstrong as he was, and she sure thought she could take care of herself come Hell or high water.\u00a0 He knew what she\u2019d be thinkin\u2019, that he was her<\/em> responsibility.\u00a0 He\u2019d played along with her treatin\u2019 him like her \u2018little brother\u2019 \u2018cause it was cute.<\/p>\n

Another mistake.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s weary gaze flicked to the shack door.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Fleet Rowse was Hell, high water, a cyclone, drought, and a few other things all rolled into one.\u00a0 Leaning his head against the wall, Joe closed his eyes and his lips parted.\u00a0 Whispered words came from between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, you keep that little mischief safe and where she needs to be.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you go lettin\u2019 her get it in her head that she\u2019s gotta save me.\u00a0 You make her mind Hop Sing and keep her nose out of trouble and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Joe paused, suddenly struck by all the times his pa has spent askin\u2019 God the same thing about him.\u00a0 He snorted and shook his head.\u00a0 At that moment bustin\u2019 the orneriest bronco looked like a walk in the park compared to bein\u2019 a pa.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to let his father know that.<\/p>\n

If he lived to see him again.<\/p>\n

Joe shifted and moaned.\u00a0 He heard a movement in response and opened his eyes to find Atticus Godfrey coming toward him.\u00a0 The former reverend was carrying a bowl of water and some clean bandages.\u00a0 He sat the bowl on a bedside table and then sat in the chair next to the low frame and reached out to check the linens covering his wound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cloth beneath is soaked through,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIt needs to be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you care?\u201d Joe shot back.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just gonna kill me anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall thin man flinched.\u00a0 \u201cSo Noyes says,\u201d he replied as his long fingers reached out and pulled at the linen strap binding the wad of bloody cloth to his wound.\u00a0 He frowned as he pulled at the wad.\u00a0 It was stuck to his skin. \u201cThis is going to hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gritted his teeth and nodded.<\/p>\n

Atticus sprinkled the area with water first. Then, grasping his good shoulder in his right hand, he pulled quickly, tearing the bandage away from the wounded one.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s stomach rocked and tears entered his eyes.<\/p>\n

He denied them.<\/p>\n

As the thin man began to prepare the cloth to replace what he had removed, Joe examined him.\u00a0 Atticus Godfrey had a tired face.\u00a0 Not a mean one like Runyon, or crazy like Noyes, just tired.\u00a0 He was really thin, almost to the point of lookin\u2019 sick.\u00a0 There were shadows under his eyes and they had a funny faraway look.\u00a0 As he paid more attention, Joe noticed that the man\u2019s hands shook as he worked.\u00a0 Either he was sick or he was uncomfortable with what he was doing.<\/p>\n

Which might give him an edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how\u2019d you end up working for a maniac like Fleet Rowse?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Atticus\u2019 pale eyes shot to his face.\u00a0 Then he turned and looked at Runyon who was leaning back in a chair, snoring.\u00a0 As he tucked the wad of cloth into place, he said, his voice pitched low.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t lie about my brother knowing your father.\u00a0 He did.\u00a0\u00a0 He and your father kept up a correspondence for a time, so I knew how wealthy Ben Cartwright was.\u00a0 My…associate and I make a habit of removing some of a great man\u2019s money from his pockets so the temptation to sin won\u2019t be as great.\u201d\u00a0 Atticus met his dumbfounded stare.\u00a0 \u201cIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was scowling.\u00a0 \u201cAre you a real reverend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI was.\u00a0 Until my…weekday activities were found out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYou mean you being a thief?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung man, I am not….\u201d\u00a0 The thin man paused.\u00a0 \u201cYes, me being a thief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re not a murderer,\u201d he stated plainly.<\/p>\n

The former parson sucked in a breath and let it out slowly through his nose.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are you just gonna stand by and let Rowse kill me when my usefulness is done?\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d make you an accomplice<\/em> to murder at the very least.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thin man leaned back in the chair and stared at him.\u00a0 A second later he ran a lean hand over his face and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cRunyon hired Rowse.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard he was a good man to have in a tight saturation.\u00a0 My connection with your father got us in, but we needed a hired gun, so to speak, to be sure we got out.\u00a0 Of course, it didn\u2019t hurt that Rowse had worked the Ponderosa once upon a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you got more than you bargained for with Fleet Rowse.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRowse is…unstable.\u00a0 I fear he finds more pleasure in a deal gone wrong then one well done.\u00a0 He\u2019d….\u201d\u00a0 Atticus paused.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d rather kill you than have the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe had guessed as much.\u00a0 It was all a game with Rowse.\u00a0 Take him, have him write the note to his pa, get the money, and then leave his corpse for his family to find.\u00a0 Every inch of it was meant to cause pain.\u00a0 Pain from which Rowse <\/em>drew pleasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you just gonna let him kill me?\u201d he asked again.\u00a0 Adding, \u201cI know Noyes agrees, but do you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The reverend opened his lips, but it was Noyes Runyon who spoke. \u201cWhat are you doing over there, Atticus?\u00a0 What\u2019s taking so long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m putting a fresh binding on the boy\u2019s wound,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 Standing, he added, \u201cIt won\u2019t do us any good if he dies before his father sees him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose…\u201d the fat businessman said as he rose and headed for the stove where a pot of coffee sat.<\/p>\n

\u201cNoyes, the price of murder is hanging,\u201d Atticus said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cRobbing someone, that\u2019s another matter.\u00a0 If we leave the boy high up in the hills or in an abandoned mine shaft, we can get away before anyone finds him.\u00a0 We can send word back….\u201d<\/p>\n

Runyon chewed on some stale bread as well as Atticus\u2019 words.\u00a0 He swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cToo dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done it before.\u00a0 What\u2019s different now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a Cartwright for one.\u00a0 They never give up.\u00a0 And in the second place….\u201d\u00a0 The fat man\u2019s eyes went to the door.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s Rowse to contend with.\u00a0 If he doesn\u2019t get to have his fun<\/em> with this one, it will be us!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you let me go my Pa won\u2019t hunt you down, I promise,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we let you go your pa won\u2019t need<\/em> to hunt us down, Rowse will kill us,\u201d the businessman snorted.\u00a0 The man\u2019s piggy eyes went to the reverend.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, Atticus, it will be Rowse <\/em>who does the killing.\u00a0 Our hands will be clean.\u00a0 They\u2019ll find the boy\u2019s body and we can tell them that it was Rowse who did it over our protests.\u00a0 After all, his reputation speaks for itself.\u201d\u00a0 The fat man paused and then concluded, \u201cAren\u2019t you finished yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust so,\u201d Atticus said as he pulled the linen strip that bound Joe\u2019s chest taut.\u00a0 Leaning over him, he reached for the thin blanket to draw it up.<\/p>\n

Joe caught his arm above the elbow.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll hear your confession later, son,\u201d the thin man said as he straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cYou need to be absolved of your sins and be at peace before the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus\u2019 eyes were fastened on his.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod will <\/em>find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe watched the near-skeletal man walk away, he felt the first flicker of hope since he had been kidnapped.<\/p>\n

Maybe he would<\/em> live to see another day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

PART THREE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NINE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow calm down, Hop Sing, I cain\u2019t understand a word you\u2019re sayin\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy took the Cartwright\u2019s cook by the arm and directed him toward the settee.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s face was red as the coals in the fire.<\/p>\n

Gol-darn it if that China man wasn\u2019t the most excitable thing he\u2019d seen this side of Joe Cartwright!<\/p>\n

\u201cNo have time make nice-nice.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing said, jabbing a finger at him.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing tell sheriff we have trouble.<\/em>\u00a0 Mighty big<\/em> trouble!\u00a0 Missy Elizabeth missing too!\u201d<\/p>\n

It still hadn\u2019t registered.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean the girl\u2019s missin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else \u2018missing\u2019 mean?\u201d\u00a0 The China man looked like him like there was nothin\u2019 between his ears but rocks.\u00a0 \u201cMissy Elizabeth\u2019s coat, hat, scarf, boots \u2013 all gone!\u00a0 She gone!\u00a0 She go look for Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s eyes strayed to the staircase and the landing above.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, that little imp!\u00a0 She must of overheard what we were sayin\u2019 last night.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHow long you figure she\u2019s been gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked at the clock by the door.\u00a0 \u201cTake Missy Elizabeth tea for tummy at 7:30 this morning.\u00a0 Now, 10:30!\u00a0 No way know if she be gone three minutes or three hours!<\/em>\u00a0 Hop Sing need go after her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow hold your horses, Hop Sing,\u201d the lawman said, raising his hands.\u00a0 \u201cYou<\/em> ain\u2019t goin\u2019 nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff go off lonesome, fight off three bad men and<\/em> look for Little Joe and Missy Elizabeth all at one time?\u201d<\/p>\n

It did seem like kind of a big order.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I can\u2019t just have a civilian go chargin\u2019 off after bad men, Hop Sing, you know that.\u00a0 It just wouldn\u2019t be right.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his graying head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got the citizens of Virginia City to answer to, not to mention Ben Cartwright \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben want Hop Sing go look for Little Joe.\u00a0 No one else here.\u00a0 Note come, we not answer, Little Joe get hurt.\u201d\u00a0 The Chinese man\u2019s dark eyes pleaded with him.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff make Hop Sing deputy!\u00a0 Hurry.\u00a0 Chop chop!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy hesitated.\u00a0 He knew he should go back to town and get Luke, or one of his other men.\u00a0 But the time it would take him to get there would make it near impossible for him to rescue Little Joe.\u00a0 There was no way he could make it to Virginia City, recruit men, and make it to the Paiute graveyard in time.\u00a0 \u2018Specially not in this weather.\u00a0\u00a0 Still….\u00a0 The lawman cast a glance at the agitated man before him.\u00a0 He knew from what Ben had told him that Hop Sing was a good man to have on your side.\u00a0 He was just concerned his worry over Little Joe and the girl would make him reckless.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna swear to me that you\u2019ll follow my orders and not go off half-cocked?\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing obey Sheriff Roy.\u00a0 Not think on own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, that ain\u2019t exactly what I\u2019m sayin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Roy half-chuckled as he ran a hand across his stubbled chin.\u00a0 \u201cThat Rowse feller is one mean<\/em> hombre. We\u2019re gonna hafta play it close.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cartwright\u2019s cook nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe less power man has, the more man likes to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that was right smart.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it.\u00a0 From what I can tell this here Rowse won\u2019t hesitate to kill Little Joe if he feels threatened.\u00a0 So we gotta make sure he don\u2019t!\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to ride right careful.\u00a0 We\u2019ll follow those tracks on horseback for a while, but sooner or later we\u2019re gonna hafta walk through the snow.\u00a0 You ready for that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because men not like cold, Heaven not stop winter,\u201d he answered with a shrug.<\/p>\n

That one made him laugh.\u00a0 Roy eyed his unlikely deputy and asked, \u201cTell me.\u00a0 You got a little book up there in that brain of yours with all them sayin\u2019s written in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing no need book.\u00a0 Hop Sing learn at honorable grandfather\u2019s knee.\u00a0 Honorable grandfather very <\/em>wise.\u201d\u00a0 The little China man finished with a grin \u2013 a sorta tight one that didn\u2019t quite reach his eyes.\u00a0 Now Roy\u2019d heard that kind of grin called \u2018inscrutable\u2019.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t exactly put him at ease.<\/p>\n

Still, he had little choice.\u00a0 He had two youngsters out in the cold and at the mercy of a trio of bad men and no time to find anyone else to help in the search.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u00a0 You get your gear together and meet me here in a half hour.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna see if I can find any of those hands Ben left to watch the place close by.\u00a0 You and me can use all the help we can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head as he watched Roy Coffee head out the door and into the night.\u00a0 \u201cWaste time,\u201d he muttered as he headed to the kitchen to pack food and drink for the two of them.\u00a0 \u201cDistant water not help put out fire at hand.\u201d\u00a0 When he reached his domain he began to bustle about it, gathering bread, jam, meat and other food that would serve them on the hunt as well as coffee and tea.\u00a0 As he reached into the cupboard where he kept the tea, the Chinese man stopped.\u00a0 He looked from it to the big block table in the middle of the room and suddenly saw a little boy with curly brown hair sitting there, his booted feet marking a staccato beat against the already abused wood.<\/p>\n

\u2018Little Joe no kick Hop Sing\u2019s table!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The boy scowled at him, looking out from under a fringe of golden-brown curls.\u00a0 \u2018It ain\u2019t your table.\u00a0 It\u2019s Pa\u2019s and I can kick it if I want.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Little Joe had been five and his mother dead for no more than a few months.\u00a0 The boy was sad, but even more, he was angry.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Little Joe right.\u00a0 Table belong to Mistah Ben, but also belong to Hop Sing.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

The boy scrunched up his nose.\u00a0 \u2018Huh?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Mistah Ben own table, but Hop Sing use it.\u00a0 Belong to Hop Sing too.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Little Joe seemed to think that over.\u00a0 \u2018You mean two people can own one thing?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d been busy getting tea out of the cupboard and had turned away.\u00a0 As he reached for a can on a high shelf he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 One thing belong to two.\u00a0 Both love.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Like I belonged to pa and ma?\u2019 the little voice asked, suddenly more sad than mad.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

His back was to the boy.\u00a0 Hop Sing blinked away a tear before he turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u2018Little Joe\u2019s ma and pa both love him much.\u00a0 He belong to both.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018So now that my ma\u2019s…gone…who\u2019s gonna love me her half?\u2019\u00a0 The boy was thinking it through. \u2018Or am I gonna be only half-loved from now on?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018You have Mistahs Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 Boy much loved.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018But Ma\u2019s part is missin\u2019.\u2019\u00a0 Little Joe turned a grief and tear-stricken face on him.\u00a0 He sniffed.\u00a0 \u2018I ain\u2019t ever gonna be whole again, am I?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

The Chinese man put the container of tea down and walked over to the child. Gently, he placed a hand on the sorrowful boy\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u2018Little Joe have Hop Sing.\u00a0 Not ma, but will do all he can to fill hole left in boy\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Those beautiful long black lashes blinked.\u00a0 Tears glistened on them like sunlit ice on a wrought-iron post.\u00a0 \u2018You want to be my mama?\u2019 Little Joe asked, puzzled.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCannot be mama.\u00a0 Can be friend.\u00a0 Hop Sing here for you when no one else around.\u00a0 Here, any time you need him.\u00a0 Care for you.\u00a0 Protect you.\u201d\u00a0 He held those wide soulful green eyes.\u00a0 \u2018Little Joe understand?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe wiped the moisture from his nose with his sleeve.\u00a0 \u2018Pa says a man with friends has a great treasure.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

The Chinese man gathered the small boy into his arms and held him close. \u2018As honorable grandfather say,\u2019 he told the lost little boy, \u2018a good friend is nearest relation.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Hop Sing stood there, looking at the block table that still bore the scars left by the heels of that little boy\u2019s boots.\u00a0 Walking with deliberation, he went to the table and reached for one of the butcher knives he had anchored in its worn surface and placed it in the kit along with the food.<\/p>\n

If bad men hurt Little Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hop Sing hurt <\/em>bad men.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth was frightened.\u00a0 She\u2019d followed the man with the bow for about two hours when it began to snow again.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that the snow was bad or thick or anything, but it made it hard to see and she\u2019d accidentally taken her pony farther into the woods than she meant to and gotten turned around.\u00a0 Overhead the sky was as white as the snow beneath her feet and she couldn\u2019t see the sun or tell where it was, and so she had no idea what time it was or where she<\/em> was, and so she was….<\/p>\n

Well, there was nothin\u2019 for it.<\/p>\n

She was cryin\u2019.<\/p>\n

The blonde girl remembered asking Mister Adam one time if big brothers cried and he said \u2018all the time\u2019, but she didn\u2019t think he meant they did it when they were afraid.\u00a0 He\u2019d been smilin\u2019 and lookin\u2019 at Little Joe at the time.\u00a0 She kind of understood, because there were an awful lot of times that Jack made her want to cry, and scream, and well, pick up a switch and put it to his backside.\u00a0 For a second she wondered what Little Joe had looked like when he was Jack\u2019s age.\u00a0 Did he have that curly hair and was it brown?\u00a0 He sure must of been a cute little boy with those big green eyes and that smile. With a sigh, Elizabeth\u2019s thoughts turned back to the wide and wild world around her. \u00a0She<\/em> wasn\u2019t smiling.\u00a0 She was shivering and scared and, though she hated to admit it \u2013<\/p>\n

She was lost.<\/p>\n

As she stood there, turning in every direction and not knowing what to do, her pony, Freckles, came up and nudged her cheek.\u00a0 He was a gray with black spots sprinkled all over his nose.\u00a0 Little Joe said he had named him \u2018Freckles\u2019 since he thought it was better than \u2018Measles\u2019 when it came to a horse havin\u2019 spots.\u00a0 Freckles was hers for as long as she stayed with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 When he nudged her like he was doing now, it reminded her of their cat back home.\u00a0 His name was Southpaw \u2018cause his left front foot had a brown sock on it.\u00a0 Otherwise he was all black.\u00a0 When Southpaw was unsure about somethin\u2019, he\u2019d come and sit on her shoulder and rub his whiskers against her cheek just like Freckles was doin\u2019 now, so the pony must be unsure too.<\/p>\n

Maybe he needed her<\/em> to be strong for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be all right, boy,\u201d Elizabeth said as she patted his warm nose.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone will come along or we\u2019ll find our way.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pony fixed her with his big dark eyes.\u00a0 He whinnied and then nudged her again as if trying to tell her somethin\u2019.\u00a0 A second later Freckles lowered his long head as he lifted his foreleg and then struck the ground with it.<\/p>\n

It took her a minute of puzzlin\u2019, but she figured it out.\u00a0 Pa always told her animals knew better than people when it came to important things.\u00a0 They had \u2018insight,\u2019 he said, \u2018something God gave them.\u2019\u00a0 He told her God gave it to people too, but they ignored it most of the time \u2018cause they thought they knew better.<\/p>\n

Freckles was remindin\u2019 her to pray.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth stared at the snowy ground and thought about how cold it was.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d taught her it was best to kneel when you prayed.\u00a0 She\u2019d asked him \u2018why\u2019 one time since it seemed that standin\u2019 up put you closer to Heaven.\u00a0 Pa told her that God liked a \u2018humble\u2019 and a \u2018contrite\u2019 heart and that by kneeling, you were showin\u2019 God you knew who was boss.\u00a0 \u2018Sides, he\u2019d told her with a smile, when you were on your knees you couldn\u2019t run away.\u00a0 You had to stay put and wait for God to answer.<\/p>\n

With a big sigh, the little girl cleared a small piece of ground and then knelt.\u00a0 She was wearing thick leggings so it wasn\u2019t too bad, even though they were wool and they were gonna itch like the dickens when they got wet.\u00a0 Clasping her gloved hands together, Elizabeth closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod,\u201d she said after a second, \u201cI really need your help to find little brother.\u00a0 Those bad men are gonna hurt Little Joe and I gotta stop them!\u00a0 I thought I could find him by myself, but I just got lost.\u00a0 Freckles and me, well, we can\u2019t do it alone like I thought.\u00a0 Please, you gotta send someone to help us and send them soon.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Her eyes popped open for\u00a0 a second as a fresh snowflake settled on her nose, quickly followed by another.\u00a0 It sure was pretty, but she knew well enough that where there was one or two snowflakes, there was gonna be a million.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s awful cold, God.\u00a0 Please keep Little Joe safe and warm and us too and, well, as far as those bad men….\u201d\u00a0 Elizabeth drew in a breath of the cold crisp air and exhaled slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you can just dump them in a lake and let them freeze!\u00a0 Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl frowned as she stood and dusted the snow off her knees.\u00a0 Her ma said the Good Book told them\u00a0 to love their enemies and do good to those who prosecuted<\/em> them, so she probably shouldn\u2019t be asking God to hurt the men who took her little brother.\u00a0 But then again, King David did an awful lot of praying about smiting bad men, so it must be okay since David was one of God\u2019s favorites.\u00a0 In Psalm seventeen he asked God to arise and bring them low and to deliver his soul from the wicked with a sword<\/em>.<\/p>\n

That sure was a lot worse than wishin\u2019 someone would turn into an icicle!<\/p>\n

Crossing over to Freckles, Elizabeth took the reins in her hand and climbed onto the pony\u2019s back.\u00a0 She had no idea where to go, but she knew that sittin\u2019 still wasn\u2019t smart.\u00a0 She needed to find some place where she could get in out of the cold.\u00a0 Before taking off, she kneed the gray over to a tall standing bush.\u00a0 Tearing a strip off of one of the fine petticoats Mister Ben had bought her, she tied it to a wither-high branch.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d taught her how to leave a trail so someone could find her if she ever got \u2018misplaced\u2019 as he put it.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth sat straight in the saddle and sucked in tears as her lower lip trembled.<\/p>\n

She sure <\/em>wished Pa was here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe leaned against the wall of the line shack with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep.\u00a0 Well, maybe, he was actually pretending to be awake<\/em>.\u00a0 It seemed the sleepin\u2019 part was easier to manage at the moment.\u00a0 His wounded shoulder was on fire, but the rest of him was cold as the snow piling up on the shack\u2019s window sill.\u00a0 He still had the old ratty blanket wrapped around him, but the thin rag of a thing wasn\u2019t doing much good.<\/p>\n

It sure<\/em> was a sorry excuse for a blanket.<\/p>\n

Still, Joe thought as he adjusted and pulled the covering close up around his neck, the blanket wouldn\u2019t have done him any good even if it had been thick as Hoss\u2019 waist<\/em>.\u00a0 Most of his shivering and shaking had nothing to do with the weather.\u00a0 He\u2019d been at this point often enough with an injury to recognize the signs of a mounting fever.\u00a0 Since Fleet Rowse had cut him the night before no one had bothered to do anything much about his wound.\u00a0 Oh, Atticus Godfrey rinsed it with water and put a fresh wad of cloth against the cut now and then, but that was it.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t been cleaned properly in over half a day.\u00a0 Coupled with the cold and the \u2018state \u2013 as Pa would put it \u2013 that he was in, well….<\/p>\n

He was sure up the creek without a paddle.<\/p>\n

Through his lidded eyes, Joe watched the former reverend interact with his partner.\u00a0 If they hadn\u2019t been threatenin\u2019 to kill him, he\u2019d of thought they were kind of comical.\u00a0 Atticus Godfrey was tall as a pine and a skinny sick one at that, while his partner was fat as a hog fit for the table.\u00a0 The preacher was all nervous energy and jumped at the slightest noise.\u00a0 Noyes Runyon, well, you could of shot a cannon off next to his head and he wouldn\u2019t have budged.\u00a0 Atticus was right nervous.\u00a0 He would clear his throat first and then make a statement or ask a question.\u00a0 Noyes would bark an answer \u2013 usually having nothing to do with the subject or<\/em> the question \u2013 and the skinny parson would shake from head to toe and back away.\u00a0 It was kind of like watchin\u2019 a pack of wild dogs workin\u2019 through their pecking order.\u00a0 Noyes Runyon was the lead dog and Atticus Godfrey was following behind with his tail between his long stick legs, waiting for whatever scrap the fat man threw him.<\/p>\n

Atticus was the weak link here and he had to find a way to use that.<\/p>\n

The tall thin man picked up a pitcher of water and poured some into a glass.\u00a0 Joe licked his cracked lips as he did, wonderin\u2019 if he could stand to watch the other man drink it.\u00a0 Then, to his surprise, the reverend headed his way.\u00a0 Atticus took a seat in the chair next to the lame excuse for a bed the shack had and said, \u201cIf you lean forward, I\u2019ll give you some.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe knew better than to let the outlaws think he had any<\/em> strength left.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t think I can do that, Reverend,\u201d he mumbled.\u00a0 He hoped that, by using the former minister\u2019s title, he might bring back something of what the man must once have been.\u00a0 \u201cI just ain\u2019t got any muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus leaned forward to touch his forehead.\u00a0 He sucked in air as his hand made contact.\u00a0 \u201cDear Lord!\u201d he said softly. \u201cYou have quite a fever!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheesh…just go and tell a feller how bad<\/em> off he is, why don\u2019t ya?!<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had fevers before and they\u2019d never stopped him from doing needed done.<\/p>\n

Well, hardly<\/em> ever.<\/p>\n

While Atticus was still leaning in, Joe whispered, his words fierce as the fire trying to claim him,\u00a0 \u201cReverend, you gotta get me out of here.\u00a0 Rowse and Runyon are gonna kill me, and you\u2019ll be just as guilty as they are when they do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus held the glass to his lips.\u00a0 As Joe took a sip and the tepid water slid down his throat like an avalanche of snow, the thin man said, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing I <\/em>can do.\u00a0 Noyes always gets what he wants and Rowse….\u201d<\/p>\n

He said no more.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas Noyes ever wanted you to kill a man before?\u201d Joe shot back.<\/p>\n

The reverend shook his head.<\/p>\n

Of course not.\u00a0 Adam always said he had the Devil\u2019s <\/em>own luck.<\/p>\n

Which meant it was bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Reverend, you\u2019re a man of God<\/em>,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 \u201cYou know \u2013 even if <\/em>they don\u2019t hang you \u2013 that, in the end, you gotta face God alone and pay for what you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus was checking his wound now.\u00a0 His pale eyes shot up to lock with Joe\u2019s green ones.\u00a0 \u201cThere is one sin and one<\/em> sin only that God will not forgive, Mister Cartwright, and that is blaspheming the Spirit.\u00a0 God has abandoned me because I first abandoned him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you two nattering about over there?\u201d\u00a0 The short abrupt question came from Noyes Runyon who, having finished his breakfast, was looking their way with suspicion. \u201cAtticus, get back over here!\u00a0 Rowse is due any minute and we need to begin to gather our things.\u00a0 Fleet said we\u2019d leave as soon as he returned.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to make good time if we want to be at be in place at the graveyard before Ben Cartwright shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe locked eyes with the tall thin man.\u00a0 \u201cReverend, you<\/em> know better,\u201d he said quickly, \u201cthere ain\u2019t no sin God won\u2019t forgive.\u00a0 You just have to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey blinked and then straightened up.\u00a0 When the preacher turned toward his companion it seemed \u2013 or maybe he just imagined it \u2013 that he stood a little bit taller.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy has a fever,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 \u201cI was just discussing his condition with him.\u00a0 For a man who is so sure of what he is doing, Noyes, you seem rather jumpy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFever, schmee-ver<\/em>,\u201d the fat man chortled.\u00a0 \u201cThe lad\u2019s going to be dead in less than twenty-four hours. I don\u2019t know why you bother to tend him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has to live long enough to go with us to the graveyard, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d the thin man replied, his tone even. \u201cOr are you planning on killing him and leaving his body here for his father to find before <\/em>he reaches Paiute land with the money?\u201d<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon was not a happy man.\u00a0 He was barking and the preacher <\/em>was biting back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not talk to me like that!\u201d Runyon snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d Atticus countered sharply.\u00a0 \u201cLike I might have a thought of my own?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a second \u2013 maybe two.\u00a0 Runyon moved so fast Joe missed it.\u00a0 The fat man had the reverend by the collar and was pressing the barrel of his tiny gun against the man\u2019s protruding Adam\u2019s apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll live longer, Atticus, if you don\u2019t!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Noyes hissed.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the big<\/em> one, you fool!\u00a0 This can be our last job.\u00a0 You mess it up and I\u2019ll \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKill me?\u00a0 Like you intend to kill this boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I want to put you<\/em> out of your misery, you sniveling coward?\u201d Runyon asked with a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just take you to the closest sheriff and tell him who you are, and then help him look up the wanted poster that bears your tepid face!\u00a0 There won\u2019t be a rope at the end, but there will <\/em>be a decade or more in prison.\u00a0 Is that what you want \u2013 reverend?\u201d<\/p>\n

The preacher\u2019s shoulders sagged.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon released his grip on the Godfrey\u2019s collar.\u00a0 Then he made a pretense of dusting the thin man\u2019s shoulders off.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Atticus.\u00a0 You just do as your told and when this is over, you will have enough money to retreat to one of those ruinous castles in Scotland you\u2019re always going on about, where no United States lawman or anyone else can touch you.\u201d\u00a0 The fat man\u2019s gaze shifted to him and Joe moved involuntarily back.\u00a0 \u201cIf the cost of that is the life of one boy that you didn\u2019t know existed a month ago, is that too much to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

The preacher\u2019s shoulders rose and fell.\u00a0 Joe saw him turn and look his way, and then close his eyes.<\/p>\n

The next word he spoke pronounced his doom.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright rose to his feet from where he had been sitting by his campfire and looked up.\u00a0 A fall of fragile half-formed snowflakes took the opportunity to land on his nose and make it tickle.\u00a0 Sniffing, he batted them away and then gazed down the long road toward home.\u00a0 It should have been a relatively short one, of course, and would have been without the snow and now sleet and the rising wind driving both.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s full lips quirked at both ends.\u00a0 Of course, he really had nothing to complain about.\u00a0 He\u2019d make it home by dark and then he would be forced \u2013 yes, forced<\/em> \u2013 to eat Hop Sing\u2019s supper and spend the evening in Pa\u2019s chair by the roaring fire with his feet up, reading a book.<\/p>\n

Why, he might even feel compelled<\/em> to open one of the decanters and take a stiff drink \u2013 just to brace himself for the return journey, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, the drawbacks of being a rancher,\u201d he said to no one in particular.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d taken a moment to stop and let Sport rest.\u00a0 Plowing through the snow was hard work for the animal.\u00a0 The worst thing were the drifts.\u00a0 Depending on the bend in the road, the white stuff could be piled up several feet high.\u00a0 They\u2019d just gone through a rough patch and, on the other side of the snow drift, he\u2019d wanted nothing as much in the world as a hot cup of coffee.<\/p>\n

Not even seeing <\/em>that world.<\/p>\n

Reaching down, Adam lifted the remains of the delectable concoction and passed the cup that contained it under his nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmbrosia,\u201d he breathed, and then finished it.<\/p>\n

After tossing the grounds into the snow, the black-haired man watched them sizzle their way down toward the frozen earth before picking up his pack.\u00a0 Then he returned the tin mug to it.\u00a0 Crossing over to where Sport was waiting, he removed the warm woolen blanket covering him and tied the pack to the rear Dee of his saddle.\u00a0 Rolling the blanket up, he secured it on the back jockey.\u00a0 After taking his seat, Adam pulled his coat close about his throat and his hat down over his eyes before kneeing his horse into action.\u00a0 As they began to move, his smile returned and he chuckled.\u00a0 If there was one thing he was looking forward to even more<\/em> than Hop Sing\u2019s supper or that glass of brandy, it was the look of surprise on his little brother\u2019s face when he opened the door and stepped inside.<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 Hopefully he\u2019d catch the little scamp up to no good.<\/p>\n

There was nothing<\/em> warmed a person up like a good fight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee stamped his feet and blew vapor out of his nose.\u00a0 If his temper had been enough to keep him warm, he wouldn\u2019t have needed the heavy winter coat, thick wool scarf, and gloves that was hamperin\u2019 his movements! \u2018Course, if his movements<\/em> hadn\u2019t been hampered, Ben Cartwright might just be puttin\u2019 an ad in the Territorial Enterprise right now for a new cook.<\/p>\n

That little China man was gonna drive him plumb out of his mind!<\/p>\n

Here they was, in the middle of huntin\u2019 Little Joe \u2013 who just might be in the hands of a ruthless killer \u2013 and Hop Sing was spreadin\u2019 a blanket out on the snow and layin\u2019 out sandwiches, insistin\u2019 they needed their strength if they was gonna be of any help to Elizabeth or <\/em>Little Joe when they found them.\u00a0 Now, he didn\u2019t argue with that, but a quick cup of coffee and a strip of jerky on horseback had always done for him.<\/p>\n

Irritated as he was, he\u2019d managed to hide a smile when Ben\u2019s cook apologized for not bringin\u2019 any china plates.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t, however, forget the china cups.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Roy come sit down!,\u201d the China man called.\u00a0 \u201cChop.\u00a0 Chop.<\/em>\u00a0 Need hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t that what he<\/em> had just been sayin\u2019?<\/p>\n

Hop Sing turned from what he was doin\u2019 and focused on him when he didn\u2019t move.\u00a0 He planted his fists on his hips and declared, \u201cA fool in hurry drinks tea with fork!\u00a0 Sheriff Roy waste time.\u00a0 Come!\u00a0 Eat!\u201d<\/p>\n

He<\/em> was wasting time?<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you listen here, Hop Sing, I <\/em>ain\u2019t wastin\u2019 time!\u00a0 It\u2019s you<\/em> are wastin\u2019 it.\u00a0 We could be on the road right now \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing scowled.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Roy no more yak-yak,<\/em> be on road five minutes ago and<\/em> have food in stomach!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy twisted his lips and chewed the inside of his cheek.<\/p>\n

The China man had a point.<\/p>\n

Crossing over to where the thick blanket was spread out, Roy took a seat and reached for a sandwich.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing batted his hand away.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff no serve.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s job!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, lookee here, Hop Sing,\u201d he growled, \u201cI ain\u2019t Ben Cartwright and I don\u2019t need no man\u2019s man<\/em>\u00a0 doin\u2019 for me what I been doin\u2019 for myself for nigh-on fifty year!\u00a0 If you let me do it, it\u2019ll be done.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no other way we\u2019re gonna find that little girl and<\/em> keep Little Joe alive….\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy closed his mouth.\u00a0 There was somethin\u2019 in the China man\u2019s eyes that stopped him in his tracks.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure exactly what it was.\u00a0 The silence hung between them until Hop Sing lifted a sandwich from the blanket, placed it on a cloth napkin, and handed it to him along with a china cup full of steaming coffee.<\/p>\n

They ate in silence.<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, his belly full and his aging bones warmed by the progress of the hot liquid down his gullet, Roy pursed his lips and shook his head.\u00a0 With a sigh, he admitted, \u201cYou was right, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I feel mighty good right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man looked at him.\u00a0 His lips were tight, but there was a smile in his black eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Roy apologize Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy finished his coffee and tossed the grounds into the snow.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Roy apologize,\u201d he replied as he stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing clean up. \u00a0Go save Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook\u2019s voice trembled on the boy\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two are right close, ain\u2019t ya?\u201d Roy asked, his voice hushed.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I know you\u2019re close with all the Cartwrights, but there\u2019s somethin\u2019 special<\/em> with Little Joe, ain\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had returned the food to the pack he carried and was cleaning out the inside of the coffee pot with snow and a rag.\u00a0 He stopped what he was doin\u2019 and looked his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe<\/em> special.\u201d\u00a0 The China man put the lid on the pot and put it in the pack as well, shifting aside something in order to make it fit.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe like Pulao.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoo-lauw-oh?\u00a0 What\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFourth of dragon\u2019s sons,\u201d Hop Sing answered as he turned back, a slight smile touching his lips.\u00a0 \u201cPulao small but strong.\u00a0 Have roar mighty enough to shake the heavens and earth.\u00a0 Sometimes roar turn to tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman snorted.\u00a0 That sure enough described Ben\u2019s third boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany years ago Hop Sing tell Mistah Cartwright\u2019s number three son tales of Dragon\u2019s nine <\/em>sons.\u00a0 Tell Little Joe he like Pulao.\u00a0 Tell him,\u201d he paused, \u201cthat when mighty roar turn to tears he come see Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy hadn\u2019t really thought about it much.\u00a0 Joe, being the youngest and having so many years between him and his brothers, would have spent an awful lot of his childhood in that big house without Ben and the boys.\u00a0 He would have been alone with the China man while his Pa and Adam saw to the ranch and Hoss was out learning a man\u2019s skills.\u00a0 The boy\u2019d been no more than five years old when his mama died.\u00a0 The lawman looked at Hop Sing, who had moved to his horse and was climbing into the saddle, and shook his head.\u00a0 Now <\/em>he knew what that look was for \u2013 the one the China man had given him when he said they needed to move \u2018If we\u2019re gonna keep Little Joe alive<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

It was that word \u2018we<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s cook didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0 Maybe he didn\u2019t even hear it.\u00a0 Now that his duty was done and their meal was over, Hop Sing was lookin\u2019 to take off after Elizabeth right enough, but it was Ben\u2019s missin\u2019 son that was uppermost in his mind.\u00a0 They\u2019d had an understandin\u2019, the two of them, since they\u2019d left Ben\u2019s house.\u00a0 He<\/em> was a lawman and his first duty was to bring in Fleet Rowse, even if that meant leavin\u2019 searchin\u2019 for the girl and Joe \u2018til after it was done.\u00a0 Roy scratched his chin and eye-balled the man on the horse.\u00a0 Even though he\u2019d made the China man a sort of unofficial deputy, he\u2019d told him not to bring any weapon.\u00a0 If it came to shootin\u2019, he\u2019d<\/em> be the one to do it.\u00a0 He studied Hop Sing\u2019s compact taut frame now, every muscle strainin\u2019 forward.\u00a0 Then he looked at the pack firmly situated on the back jockey of the man\u2019s saddle \u2013 the one the China man had been fussin\u2019 with earlier.<\/p>\n

Danged, if he didn\u2019t wonder now just what else <\/em>was in it!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright shivered.\u00a0 He tugged at his buttons to make sure his coat was fastened tight and then shifted the fur lined collar up around his ears.\u00a0 They\u2019d worked hard that day searchin\u2019 for stray cattle and bringin\u2019 them back into the herd in preparation for moving on to the place where the animals would\u00a0 weather the winter.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure, but he thought this was one of only a handful of years where they had done the early part of it in the snow.\u00a0 With a glance at the sky he confirmed the current day\u2019s mix of sleet and snow had stopped.\u00a0 The sun was almost down and the temperature was droppin\u2019.\u00a0 A crisp clear cold was settin\u2019 in with the night.<\/p>\n

The big man sighed.\u00a0 Winter was champin\u2019 at the bit near as much as his little brother lookin\u2019 forward to a night in town.<\/p>\n

The thought of Little Joe did two things to the big man \u2013 it made him smile and<\/em> turned his attention to his father.\u00a0 The older man was standing at the edge of the camp lookin\u2019 back the way they\u2019d come.\u00a0 The moon was full and Pa was a black silhouette against its bright face.\u00a0 Hoss shook his head and blew out a breath of vapor.\u00a0 There were times when their pa\u2019s seemin\u2019 inability to think of him and his brothers as all growed-up and able to take care of themselves chaffed like new rope on bare hands.\u00a0 Adam in particular got mighty sore when they\u2019d come in and find him sittin\u2019 in front of the fire waitin\u2019 on them to show.\u00a0 Somehow \u2013 when they three of them was together \u2013 that seemed to say to Adam that Pa didn\u2019t trust him enough to look after them, which set hard with older brother.\u00a0 Him?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t mind so much.\u00a0 Pa was just…well…Pa<\/em>.\u00a0 Little brother was the worst when it came down to resentin\u2019 it, though.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d howl and spit like a wild cat when he thought Pa was babyin\u2019 him and go on to say that he was a man now and didn\u2019t need no one lookin\u2019 after him.<\/p>\n

\u2018Course, truth was, Joe<\/em> was the only one who did.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at his pa again standin\u2019 there lookin\u2019 south, as if by sheer will alone he could see across the miles and find out what was right or<\/em> wrong at home.\u00a0 Nope, it didn\u2019t bother him much.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d had more than his share of tragedy and it seemed like, well, he was always waitin\u2019 on the next one to come \u2013 waitin\u2019 on life to drop the other boot, so to speak.\u00a0 It weren\u2019t that Pa didn\u2019t trust God.\u00a0 He did more than any other man he knew.\u00a0 But Pa told him once that just \u2018cause you trust God don\u2019t mean everythin\u2019 is gonna go your way.\u00a0 Pa believed God sent hardships into men\u2019s lives to hone them to be more like His son.\u00a0 He said God promised not to give a man more than he could take.<\/p>\n

The big man sighed.\u00a0 If God was thinkin\u2019 of lettin\u2019 somethin\u2019 happen to Little Joe, well, then, he and the man upstairs needed to have a nice long<\/em> talk about what he could and couldn\u2019t take.<\/em>\u00a0 He was strong \u2013 Pa\u2019d made him that way.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t sure he was that<\/em> strong.<\/p>\n

As he tugged his leather gloves up inside the cuffs of his thick winter coat, Hoss crossed to the lone figure and said, \u201cPa, supper\u2019s about ready.\u00a0 You comin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

At first the older man didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0 Then he started and blinked, as if drawin\u2019 himself back from somewhere far\u00a0 away.\u00a0 Lookin\u2019 at him, his father answered, \u201cHoss.\u00a0 Son, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 You said something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess your mind ain\u2019t on your stomach like mine, Pa,\u201d he answered with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou thinkin\u2019 about Adam and Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s smile was chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cAm I so predictable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Pa, I figure you\u2019ve had about thirty years of practice worryin\u2019.\u00a0 Odds are you\u2019re right good at it by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s smile faded.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, if I had chosen to marry and remain in the East and God had granted the three of you to me, I think….\u00a0 No, I know <\/em>I would not have worried so much.\u201d\u00a0 His father turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cOh, there are plenty of ways a young man can find trouble in the east, but few of them are life-threatening.\u201d\u00a0 The older man\u2019s near-black eyes shifted to the road again.\u00a0 \u201cThere are just so many dangers that can befall a man here \u2013 even a well-trained, cautious man like your older brother.\u00a0 Uncertain roads, ending up adrift in the snow with no hope of rescue, wild animals and,\u201d he hesitated, \u201cwilder men.\u201d\u00a0 His father approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI hope you boys understand that it is not you<\/em> I don\u2019t trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAh, shucks, Pa, we know that.\u201d\u00a0 He waited a moment and then added with a wink, \u201cAt least Adam and me do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes.\u00a0 Your younger <\/em>brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe was sure he could lick every mountain cat and outlaw in the territory before he was five.\u201d\u00a0 The big man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAnd wasn\u2019t half wrong.\u00a0 Short-shanks can hold his own pa.\u00a0 You gotta learn to trust him too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do trust Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 The older man smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI trust him to find trouble where there is no trouble to be found.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pursed his lips and nodded. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s kind of like a magnet, ain\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, Hoss!\u201d a voice called.\u00a0 When they turned they saw the camp cook walking toward them.\u00a0 \u201cSupper\u2019s ready!\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa raised a hand.\u00a0 \u201cBe right there, Al!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at the cook and then at him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, as Hop Sing likes to put it, Pa, you cain\u2019t stop the birds of worry from flyin\u2019 over your head, but you sure-as-shootin\u2019 can <\/em>stop them from buildin\u2019 a nest in your hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cHow were we ever lucky enough to be blessed with Hop Sing?\u00a0 And the poor man so unlucky<\/em> as to be cursed with the four of us!\u201d<\/p>\n

His crystal-blue eyes danced.\u00a0 \u201cLike you always say, Pa, God moves in mysterious ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis wonders to perform.\u201d\u00a0 With a clap on his shoulder, his pa said, \u201cCome on, son, let\u2019s go get some grub.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he followed behind his pa, Hoss was grateful for the smile on the older man\u2019s face.\u00a0 Trouble was, it didn\u2019t reach his eyes.\u00a0 That\u2019s \u2018cause Pa\u2019s eyes weren\u2019t lookin\u2019 toward the chuck wagon.<\/p>\n

They was trained like they always was on home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her Pa would have said it was dark as the inside of whale.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s asked him once how he knew how dark a whale\u2019s innards were and he\u2019d told her he knew because of the three days he\u2019d spent inside one.\u00a0 She\u2019d reminded him, of course, that that was Jonah and he was bein\u2019 silly.<\/p>\n

\u2018Just ask your mother if I\u2019m bein\u2019 silly\u2019 had been Pa\u2019s reply.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth was sitting on Freckles at the side of the road debatin\u2019 what to do.\u00a0 She\u2019d managed to find it and by that big old moon that was shinin\u2019 in the sky, she\u2019d figured out she was on the west side of it. In one direction lay safety in the form of the Ponderosa ranch house and a warm fire and bed.\u00a0 In the other lay her little brother.\u00a0 Little Joe was out there somewhere, bein\u2019 held by bad men, probably cold and lonely as she was right now.<\/p>\n

And she was awful <\/em>cold and lonely.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d bundled up well when she left, but her clothes were covered in snow now and wet on account of the fact that she\u2019d done that kneelin\u2019 and<\/em> fallen one or two times before gettin\u2019 up to start out again.\u00a0 She knew she needed to dry off and get somethin\u2019 in her stomach, and for that she was gonna need a dry place to do it in.\u00a0 She closed her eyes and tried to remember.\u00a0 When Little Joe and her had gone out in the sleigh they\u2019d glided for miles and miles before bein\u2019 attacked by the snow in that great big old pine tree.\u00a0 On the way there he\u2019d taken her past a place with a little shack that he said was there for their men to use when they was out workin\u2019 the line.\u00a0 They\u2019d traveled beside the road and then struck off into the trees at a place where the rocks were stacked like building blocks with the topmost one hangin\u2019 over the path.\u00a0 When she squinted her eyes, she thought she could make out that same set of rocks in the distance.\u00a0 If she could make it to the shack \u2013 given the fact that she\u2019d find matches there \u2013 she could light the stove and settle in for the night.\u00a0 Her Ma had taught her how to do that safely.<\/p>\n

The little girl chewed her lower lip and looked south again.\u00a0 Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing were probably mighty worried about her.\u00a0 They might even be out lookin\u2019 for her. If they found her, they sure-as-shootin\u2019 would make her go back\u00a0 to the ranch house while they went on to look for Little Joe and the bad men who took him.\u00a0 That meant she had two choices \u2013 ride back to meet them or go forward on her own.\u00a0 Maybe if she went to the shack they wouldn\u2019t find her.<\/p>\n

Maybe they\u2019d just go back home.<\/p>\n

A shiver shook her and she almost dropped the reins.\u00a0 Freckles snorted and looked up at her with concern in his big black-brown eyes as they slapped his side.\u00a0 She had to think of him too.\u00a0 Her pa always told her to see to her animal first.\u00a0 Her horse\u2019s life depended on her as much as her life depended on him.<\/p>\n

Freckles was mighty cold too and it was a long way back to the ranch house.<\/p>\n

Coming to a decision, Elizabeth used her knees to direct the gray.\u00a0 Moving him onto the road, she headed for the big pile of rocks and the shack that lay close behind them. \u00a0As she did, she frowned.<\/p>\n

Freckles was awful big.<\/p>\n

How was she gonna get him through the door?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The former reverend Atticus Godfrey grimaced as he watched Fleet Rowse take the Cartwright boy from his horse and toss him to the ground like a sack of flour.\u00a0 The boy \u2018oomphed\u2019 as he struck and then fell silent, making not so much as a sound as the outlaw took him by the collar and dragged him over to the base of a tree where he left him laying on the cold, snowy ground.\u00a0 The young man everyone knew as \u2018Little Joe\u2019 was weakening.\u00a0 In spite of his efforts, the boy\u2019s shoulder wound had become infected.\u00a0 Even in the best of circumstances, the outlook for his health would have been uncertain.<\/p>\n

And these were hardly the \u2018best\u2019 of circumstances.<\/p>\n

As Atticus headed over to check on Little Joe, Rowse growled and spat.\u00a0 A quick reminder of their needs from Noyes silenced the outlaw \u2013 for the moment.\u00a0 There was always the chance that Ben Cartwright would demand to see that his son alive before he would surrender the money.\u00a0 Even though the rancher was supposed to leave it and go, there was some doubt he would do so without an assurance that the boy still lived.\u00a0 After all, he was Little Joe\u2019s father, he loved him dearly as all father\u2019s loved their sons.<\/p>\n

Sadly, not as all sons loved their fathers.<\/p>\n

The former preacher knelt at the boy\u2019s side and placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder.\u00a0 Before leaving the line shack he had dressed the young man in a warm flannel shirt, jeans, boots, and a short winter coat with lamb\u2019s fur lining he had found there.\u00a0 Probably left behind by some worker.\u00a0 Little Joe was shivering in spite of the extra clothing and<\/em> the two thin blankets wrapped around his slender frame.\u00a0 The boy was feeling the cold ground beneath him but, even more, he was feeling the heat within.\u00a0 Rocking back on his heels, Atticus considered the young face, so familiar with its boyish good looks and soft tangle of brown curls.\u00a0 He\u2019d been struck by the similarity the first time he saw Joseph Cartwright, in that moment when he stepped off the Virginia City stage.<\/p>\n

Jacob had looked much the same.<\/p>\n

Rising, the thin man crossed to his horse.\u00a0 Opening his pack, he drew out his spare frock coat.\u00a0 Going back to the boy, he spread it over him.\u00a0 As he did Little Joe\u2019s eyes opened and he looked at him without focus.\u00a0 His full lips parted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he was gone again.<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man rose to his feet and returned to the place where he\u2019d spread his bedroll.\u00a0 Noyes and Fleet were seated by the fire and were deep in discussion. They\u2019d left the line shack about midday and traveled onto a portion of land formerly occupied by the Paiutes.\u00a0 Rowse had spent time here as a boy.\u00a0 The Paiute graveyard was just to their north and east.\u00a0 He could see the crossed spears that marked its entrance cast in silhouette against the moonlit sky.\u00a0 Fleet Rowse was a man without conscience or faith.\u00a0 He had no fear of the place.\u00a0 No dread.<\/p>\n

No respect.<\/p>\n

Laying down, Atticus covered up as best he could.\u00a0 He had no desire to sit by the fire and listen to the other two men scheme and so had told them he was going to nap until they were ready to move.\u00a0 In truth, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.\u00a0 There was something about this whole thing \u2013 about taking the Cartwright boy \u2013 that deeply disturbed him.<\/p>\n

Who would have thought that he \u2013 a man of God, leader of the church, father and husband to a wonderful woman \u2013 would have ended up in the company of murders?<\/p>\n

Of course, there had been no mention of murder when this whole thing began.\u00a0 In fact, in the beginning, his motives for coming out west \u2013 while they might have been selfish \u2013 were uncontaminated by greed and desire.\u00a0 It was only after he met Noyes Runyon and joined him in his illegitimate \u2018business\u2019 that things had begun to spiral out of control.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d started life in Ohio, born to a hard-working mother and father; one of ten children, only six of which reached maturity.\u00a0 He was the second oldest son and as such was not expected to take over the family farm.\u00a0 Instead, his mother insisted he have an education.\u00a0 Atticus turned over with a sigh.\u00a0 All of his life he had been drawn to the things of God, astounded by His works and world, and grateful for the blessings the good Lord granted him.\u00a0 When his parents asked, he said he wanted to go to Divinity school.\u00a0 Saving pennies and working long hours at neighboring farms, he \u2013 along with<\/em> his parents \u2013 had managed to scrape together enough to afford it.\u00a0 He had gone to a school in Pennsylvania and returned a reverend.\u00a0 Shortly after he had found his flock.\u00a0 He spent his well-content days shepherding them through not only everyday occurrences, but a flood of troubles like the coming of a tornado that wiped over half of the congregation\u2019s crops out.\u00a0 People admired him.\u00a0 Looked up to him.\u00a0 Especially one young beauty with hair the color of freshly-turned earth and eyes like black diamonds.\u00a0 Her name was Ginny, and they married within a month of meeting.\u00a0 Within two years they had a son.\u00a0 They named him Jacob, after the father of their faith.<\/p>\n

Sadly, they forgot what Jacob had been before he became Israel.<\/p>\n

As the child grew, it became apparent there would be no others.\u00a0 The doctors could give them no reason.\u00a0 Perhaps that infection Ginny suffered after the boy\u2019s birth?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t doubt God then, but believed Jacob was meant for special things, that was why he was the only one, so they could shower him with all their attention and give him all they had.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long.\u00a0 While he was away looking after his flock, Jacob\u2019s mother began to spoil him.\u00a0 Soon the child was a terror and, when he would discipline him, the boy would fly to Ginny\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Using his God-given charm Jacob began to build a wall between them, intent on getting his own way.\u00a0 If he even so much as dared to mention the boy needed a thrashing, Ginny would grow wild and unhinged.\u00a0 In the end, he left them alone and turned to his work to keep him sane.<\/p>\n

Reverends, after all, were not allowed to divorce.<\/p>\n

Daily, he prayed.\u00a0 Daily, he asked for God\u2019s guidance.\u00a0 And daily he watched Jacob grow more and more like his namesake \u2013 a cheat, a liar, and someone who would do anything to get what he wanted.<\/p>\n

Inevitably the day came when the knock on his door brought the news he had dreaded but expected.\u00a0 Jacob, while drunk, had gotten into a brawl which led to a gun fight in the street.\u00a0 His son was slower on the draw.\u00a0 His beautiful brown-haired boy was shot in the gut and died.<\/p>\n

Jacob was only sixteen.<\/p>\n

Though he sought to comfort Ginny, she would not be comforted.\u00a0 Ten months after their son\u2019s death, he was forced to commit her to an asylum where she died two years later.\u00a0 The day the telegram arrived telling him of her death, he had just buried a child of five who had been killed when he got too close to the kickin end of his father\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n

The day the telegram arrived he had stopped believing in a good and loving God.<\/p>\n

Oh, he continued on in his ministry for another year \u2013 mouthing words he no longer accepted as true \u2013 just long enough to have an affair with the wife of one of the elders, and to use his influence over her to empty the church coiffeurs.<\/p>\n

In the dark of the night and his soul, he had run.<\/p>\n

After that he had gone from town to town living riotously in one and then pretending to pastor in the next.\u00a0 He never ceased believing in God, but it was the God of Jacob\u2019s father, Isaac \u2013 the harsh, punishing God of the Old Testament he knew.\u00a0 Each day when he woke he knew there was no hope \u2013 God could never forgive him \u2013 and so he did the worst he could do, hoping to call down a thunderbolt and end it all.<\/p>\n

Then he met Noyes Runyon.\u00a0 The obese businessman was looking for a partner to run scams on wealthy individuals.\u00a0 Noyes could have cared less what his past was.\u00a0 He just saw the opportunity of traveling with a \u2018man of God\u2019.\u00a0 The businessman said it leant him an \u2018air of respectability\u2019.\u00a0 For his part,\u00a0 he got a third of the take of Noyes\u2019 schemes while the fat man took the rest.\u00a0 That suited him fine.\u00a0 It gave him enough money to fill his belly and that was all he needed.<\/p>\n

One day they had been talking and he had mentioned his brother, Leander.\u00a0 They were traveling to Nevada as the pickings there were lush due to the recent discovery of silver, when he remembered his brother mentioning he had an old friend who had settled there and done quite well.\u00a0 Noyes eyes had lit with avarice when he said the friend\u2019s name was Benjamin Cartwright.\u00a0 The Cartwright spread was the largest in Nevada.\u00a0 A rancher like that would keep large amounts of money in their safe.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t be too hard to relieve him of some of it either through a scam or by breaking into it.<\/p>\n

And so the scheme to rob the Ponderosa had begun.<\/p>\n

Atticus sighed and shifted again, laying on his back and looking at the hard, brilliant stars.\u00a0 Everything would have gone according to plan if Noyes hadn\u2019t decided \u2013 at the last minute \u2013 that they needed some muscle with them.\u00a0 They\u2019d done it before, hired some gunslinger to come along for the ride to protect them.\u00a0 Usually they were fairly desperate men, in need of money, and all too happy to cooperate. Noyes had been off by himself, in a saloon in Reno, when he met Fleet Rowse.\u00a0 They\u2019d struck up a deal and Rowse joined them as they headed to Virginia City.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long to realize that Rowse was cut from a different cloth.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t take orders. He gave them.\u00a0 He also spent a good part of the day polishing his various weapons from a wicked looking knife to a handgun with a dozen notches cut into its handle.<\/p>\n

But worse than that \u2013 worse<\/em> than Rowse being a murderer \u2013 he was deranged.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d realized it first when he found the occasional animal butchered near the place they had camped as they readied to go.\u00a0 The animals had not been killed for food, but for pleasure.\u00a0 The truth of his assumption crystallized one day when it was a man he had stumbled over, killed in the same way \u2013 his throat slit and unspeakable acts committed on his corpse.\u00a0 He knew then that Rowse could not be trusted and had done all he could to get Noyes to listen to him and to leave the man behind.\u00a0 To no avail.<\/p>\n

In fact, Noyes seemed fascinated by Rowse\u2019s evil.<\/p>\n

Atticus turned over again and then sat up.\u00a0 Sleep was not going to come, so he rose and went to check the Cartwright boy again.\u00a0 As he knelt at they boy\u2019s side, he cast another glance at Noyes and Rowse where they lay now by the fire.\u00a0 The three of them stood on the edge of a knife.\u00a0 So far \u2013 at least for him and Noyes \u2013 no killings could be laid at their feet.\u00a0 If they were caught, it would mean prison, but only<\/em> prison.\u00a0 If Fleet had his way and he killed Little Joe, they would be hanged.<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man swallowed hard as he looked at Ben Cartwright\u2019s precious son who lay tossing and turning, lost in a fevered world.<\/p>\n

He had to find a way to help the boy escape.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The clear night had helped Adam travel quickly.\u00a0 He was more almost halfway home.\u00a0 It was growing late and though the moon would have allowed him to continue, he felt in his heart there was no real need to rush.\u00a0 Pa was having his usual reaction to a long separation from Joe.\u00a0 He and Hoss had talked about it.\u00a0 Right after Marie died their pa had driven himself mercilessly, working from dawn to dusk and often staying away from the house for days, or even weeks at a time.\u00a0 They both understood that Pa couldn\u2019t stand the thought of Marie not being there.\u00a0 The problem was, a part of their stepmother remained behind and it \u2013 or he \u2013 spent most of his time crying, heartsick for the loss of both <\/em>his parents.\u00a0 Joe was inconsolable.<\/p>\n

There\u2019d come a day when Pa saw what he was doing.\u00a0 It had involved Little Joe running away in search of his mama.\u00a0 Some days Joe understood Marie was dead \u2013 well, understood as well as a five year old could<\/em> that his mother was not coming back.\u00a0 But then there were other days, days when Little Joe was sure she\u2019d just gone away and he needed to find her and tell her how much they all needed her to return.\u00a0 By the time their Pa rolled in he and Hoss had been frantic.\u00a0 They\u2019d looked everywhere.\u00a0 There were so many perils \u2013 so many<\/em> things in the West that could take the life of a little boy wandering lost.\u00a0 It was their pa who finally came upon the simple answer.\u00a0 None of them had thought Joe could remember the way.\u00a0 They were wrong.<\/p>\n

Pa found Little Joe asleep on his mother\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

It was then their father realized that the cord between him and Little Joe had nearly severed, and he\u2019d determined upon the spot that it never<\/em> would.<\/p>\n

After that, it had been hard to tear Pa from Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 To his little brother\u2019s chargin, even as a little boy he felt smothered at times.\u00a0 Pa had to know where Joe was going, when he would get back, whether he was in or out…sometimes the older man was even waiting for him when he came back from the necessary!\u00a0 Pa had taken hold of the reins and Joe bucked, and kicked, and screamed like a frustrated stallion trying to throw its rider.\u00a0 Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

Pa, of course, kept his seat.<\/p>\n

As he paused in the middle of the road, again considering the ride to the ranch, Adam squinted and imagined the cord that had been formed that day stretching all the way from his father rounding up cattle in the north, to his little brother in the south.\u00a0 His little brother who was, no doubt, safe and secure and seated in front of the hearth playing checkers with their young houseguest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Scout,\u201d the black-haired man said with a yawn, \u201cwhat Pa doesn\u2019t know won\u2019t hurt him.\u00a0 Let\u2019s you and me find somewhere warm to bed down for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse stood at the edge of the Paiute graveyard, staring up at the crossed spears that marked the place of no return.\u00a0 He\u2019d sent Noyes and Atticus along with the rich kid up to a cave in the hills.\u00a0 It overlooked this place and from it he\u2019d be able to see whether or not Ben Cartwright showed with the money in the morning.\u00a0 If he didn\u2019t, he\u2019d have to decide what to do.\u00a0 With the snowstorm and the changes to the terrain, the rancher could easily be held up.\u00a0 Or, he might have been away from his ranch and not gotten the note his son had written into his hands until hours after it was delivered.\u00a0 Rowse spit tobacco juice and sneered.\u00a0 He could be generous.\u00a0 He\u2019d give Ben Cartwright\u00a0 until nightfall before killing the kid and cutting his losses.\u00a0 Any longer than that would be too dangerous.\u00a0 That note could just as easily have ended up in the hands of Virginia City sheriff and the law could be on his tail right now.\u00a0 The outlaw scowled as he continued to stare at the crossed spears. \u00a0He didn\u2019t need the law on his tail.\u00a0 He\u2019d left a trail of an awful lot of dead men in his wake.<\/p>\n

Rowse snorted and spit again.\u00a0 Probably made no nevermind anyhow.\u00a0 You could only hang a man once.<\/p>\n

Moving closer to the spears, Rowse toed the earth just beyond them.\u00a0 It was probably stupid, him takin\u2019 this job, working with two conmen who didn\u2019t have a brain between them.\u00a0 Normally, he would have traveled with them a day or two, let them work their \u2018magic\u2019, and then killed them both and taken off with the cash.\u00a0 He would have this time too if it hadn\u2019t been for that name \u2013 Cartwright.\u00a0 He had a special hate in his heart for the Cartwrights, especially the old man.\u00a0 He\u2019d worked that ranch for nigh onto a year and gotten fired out of hand for drinkin\u2019 and cussin\u2019 too much on a drive one time.\u00a0 When Noyes said he and the preacher were gonna fleece the Ponderosa, he decided one \u2018good\u2019 turn deserved another.<\/p>\n

It was a bonus that he was gonna get to kill one of Ben Cartwright\u2019s kids.<\/p>\n

Their plan had been formed when he got to town and found out his kid sister \u2013 whom he hadn\u2019t seen in years \u2013 was stayin\u2019 with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He figured he\u2019d just pay Rory a visit and see if he couldn\u2019t get her to help them and maybe, well, maybe come away with him.\u00a0 Since his wanted poster was plastered around Virginia City, they decided it would be best if Atticus went to the ranch house first, got himself invited in, and then \u2013 when he had a chance \u2013 left one of the upstairs windows open.\u00a0 Of course his high-and-mighty widowed sister had to go and listen to Ben Cartwright\u2019s lies about him and tell him to go to Hell.\u00a0 Fleet snorted.\u00a0 Blood will out.<\/p>\n

Yeah, right.<\/p>\n

Blood had done nothin\u2019 but turn on him since he\u2019d been old enough to know it.\u00a0 His backside had been red as his adopted father\u2019s skin from his and Rory\u2019s old man beating him for bein\u2019 wayward and disobedient.\u00a0 He\u2019d wandered out in the woods to get away from the bastard when the Paiutes found him.\u00a0 They\u2019d lost one of their own in a raid the night before and took him to fill the boy\u2019s place.\u00a0 Turned out it had been a son of Red Pony.\u00a0 At first, Pony\u2019s woman took to him, but the Indian chief didn\u2019t.\u00a0 When he was little, he couldn\u2019t see past the color of his skin.\u00a0 But as he grew and began to take on the role of a Paiute \u2018man\u2019 \u2013 ridin\u2019 hard and leavin\u2019 plenty of white <\/em>corpses behind \u2013 it didn\u2019t the warrior long to discover that his adopted son was more like him than either of the two \u2018blood\u2019 sons he had left.\u00a0 Neither one of them came close to him for bloodlust.<\/p>\n

Neither enjoyed<\/em> the killing like Pony and him did.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, they\u2019d gone after white men, killing as many as they could, and that\u2019s when Ben Cartwright had sealed the fate of that boy laying up there in the cave on the hill.\u00a0 The rancher took exception to them killing and burning out some of his neighbors.\u00a0 Him and that older boy of his shot down several of his Indian brothers and wounded Red Pony.\u00a0 As he sat in the healer\u2019s tent at his Indian father\u2019s side, not knowin\u2019 whether or not the warrior would live, he\u2019d made a vow.\u00a0\u00a0 He swore then and there that \u2013 one day \u2013 he\u2019d do somethin\u2019 to make things even.<\/p>\n

It seemed that day had come.<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse turned and looked toward the cave.\u00a0 Hell, you couldn\u2019t walk through Virginia City without hearing how proud Ben Cartwright was of those boys of his.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a thing on the earth the old man could lose that would even come close<\/em> to hurtin\u2019 him as much as one of his sons.\u00a0 The rich rancher\u2019d\u00a0 give up his thousand acres and all the land, timber, and money he had, just to save one of them.\u00a0 Some would call that a father\u2019s love.<\/p>\n

He called it a father\u2019s weakness.<\/em><\/p>\n

As his gaze returned to the raised spears, Fleet considered stepping past them.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t believe the hogwash the Paiutes did about the spirits of the dead lingerin\u2019 there.\u00a0 The dead were dead.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no Heaven.\u00a0 No, there was nothing but Hell and it was here on earth.\u00a0 Still, Red Pony believed it and if there was a single man on the earth he respected, it was the Paiute chief.<\/p>\n

Backing away from the entry to the graveyard, Fleet Rowse turned and headed for his horse.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d have to pay the old man a visit and let him know what he\u2019d done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey glanced at Little Joe Cartwright where lay curled up in a far corner of the cave.\u00a0 After arriving, Noyes had deposited the wounded boy there and then gone to the opposite corner and lit a fire.\u00a0 Laying down by it, his partner in crime had fallen asleep after issuing a sharp order that he be awakened when Rowse turned up.<\/p>\n

If there was a chance, it was now.<\/p>\n

Crossing over to where their captive lay, Atticus crouched beside him and touched the side of his neck.\u00a0 The boy moaned and shifted, but didn\u2019t wake.\u00a0 Most likely because the fever was raging in him.\u00a0 The preacher let out a long sigh.\u00a0 It was doubtful Little Joe would survive what it would take to make an escape attempt.<\/p>\n

It was definite, however, that he would not <\/em>survive Rowse\u2019s lust for blood.<\/p>\n

Atticus removed his hand and glanced at the cave\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 Their \u2018hired gun\u2019 was a vindictive, angry, and dangerous man and it seemed he had something personal against the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure now that Rowse hadn\u2019t intended to kill one or all of the four men from the very start.\u00a0 Fleet seemed to delight in this young man\u2019s worsening condition.\u00a0 The outlaw meant for Little Joe to suffer as much as possible before he killed him.<\/p>\n

As he reached out again to take the young man\u2019s good shoulder in his fingers, Atticus reminded himself that this boy\u2019s impending fate was just one more proof there was no such thing as a kind and loving God.<\/p>\n

Clamping his other hand over the boy\u2019s mouth, he shook him gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, wake up,\u201d the thin man said, his voice hushed and urgent, \u201cYou need to wake up.\u00a0 Now!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was rewarded with a moan.\u00a0 A few seconds later the boy stirred and his eyes opened wide with puzzlement.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep quiet!\u201d\u00a0 Atticus glanced at Noyes, who was oblivious.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve thought about what you said.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to help you get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s brow wrinkled.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re weak.\u00a0 But taking a chance out there is better than remaining here where you have<\/em> no chance.\u201d\u00a0 As he spoke, he removed his hand and began to work on the ropes binding Little Joe\u2019s wrists.\u00a0 After finishing with them, he moved to the boy\u2019s feet.\u00a0 In a minute Ben Cartwright\u2019s son was free.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you stand?\u201d he asked as his hand went to the young man\u2019s elbow.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Little Joe said softly.<\/p>\n

Atticus looked at Noyes again before asking, \u201cWhat do you mean \u2018no\u2019? Are you too weak to stand?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNever…make it.\u00a0 Not worth…the…risk to you,\u201d he said as he pushed his hand away.<\/p>\n

A knife to the heart would have been kinder than those words.<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man stuttered.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t…don\u2019t worry about me.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made my…my choices and they\u2019ve sealed my fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted softly and his lips curled up at one end.\u00a0 His response was breathy.\u00a0 \u201cPa says that\u2019s…arrogance speakin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cArrogance?\u201d\u00a0 Atticus shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the truth!\u00a0 God\u2019s done with me.\u00a0 I know His rules, boy, and I have broken every<\/em> one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright\u2019s feverish eyes locked on his face.\u00a0 \u201cYou…know His rules.\u00a0 What about…God\u2019s grace?\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey could feel the fire running through the boy\u2019s body; felt it shudder through him, causing his weakened frame to shiver.\u00a0 Little Joe was far from home, alone, and in the company of desperate men; wounded and looking death in the face.<\/p>\n

And he was talking about grace? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t leave you behind,\u201d was all he managed to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then…I\u2019d best go…with you,\u201d Little Joe said as he found his feet.\u00a0 As he looped the boy\u2019s good\u00a0 arm over his shoulder, the young man turned a pale and perspiring face on him.\u00a0 \u201cAtticus, someone…needs to keep…you out of trouble,\u201d he grinned.<\/p>\n

A minute later, as Noyes snored away, he and Little Joe left the cave with its ominous future behind and headed out into the blistering cold night. Sitting Little Joe on a tree stump, Atticus quietly freed the horses and then \u2013 still holding onto the boy \u2013 led his and Noyes\u2019 mounts a little ways into the wood where he helped Joe Cartwright to mount.\u00a0 The way the boy swayed in the saddle frightened him.\u00a0 It was obvious it was all he could do to sit the horse.<\/p>\n

Still, there was nothing to do but try.<\/p>\n

Atticus gave his companion a tight smile and then climbed into the saddle on his own animal.\u00a0 Catching the boy\u2019s eye, he nodded encouragingly as he caught its reins and led horse and rider into the trees.\u00a0 It would be hard going, but they dare not take the road.\u00a0 He was hoping a new fall of snow would cover their tracks before Rowse began to hunt them.\u00a0 The former preacher knew he was beyond God\u2019s grace, so he did not pray for himself.\u00a0 But for this boy \u2013 so young and yet so wise \u2013 he did lift a prayer as they set off, asking for God\u2019s grace and mercy.<\/p>\n

If he was lucky, maybe a little bit of it would overflow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ELEVEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright halted just behind the tall rock tower.\u00a0 He spent a moment blinking both fatigue and snow from his eyes \u2013 yes, it was falling again \u2013 and then took another look.\u00a0 The line shack lay below, nestled in a small depression in the land, just as he expected.<\/p>\n

What he didn\u2019t expect was to see a thin trail of smoke rising from its chimney.<\/p>\n

He ran his mind back through the orders he\u2019d issued over the last few weeks.\u00a0 He was sure that no one was supposed to be in residence.\u00a0 Almost all the men were on the drive.\u00a0 Of course, it wasn\u2019t unheard of for some passing wayfarer in need to shelter to pass the night in one of the shacks.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of why they left them stocked with both food and clothes.\u00a0 Still, there was no horse tethered out front, which begged the question of how anyone could have gotten there.\u00a0 Obviously, if someone was traveling on a night like tonight without a horse they were either a fool or desperate.\u00a0 Dismounting, he caught Sports\u2019 reins in his hand and began to walk.\u00a0 When he was about a hundred feet out from the shack, he tied them to a high branch in an ice-covered bush and left the horse behind. Moving silently on foot he hoped to catch whoever was inside unawares.<\/p>\n

Behind him, Sport snorted and whinnied, not liking the idea of being left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet, boy.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll bring you a treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sport shook himself as if he considered that unlikely, but settled down.<\/p>\n

When Adam turned back to the shack, he saw a shadow pass before the window to the left of the door.\u00a0 Someone was definitely<\/em> in there. As he walked, he undid the strap that held his gun in place and palmed the weapon.\u00a0 When he was about a dozen feet out, he paused again to assess the situation.\u00a0 There was a bar on the door inside and most likely it was down.\u00a0 His only hope of entering unawares was the window in the back as it had a broken lock that had not yet been fixed.\u00a0 Rounding the house, he kept an eye to the door, ready in case it flew open.\u00a0 When he reached the back, the black-haired man holstered his gun and put his hand to the window.\u00a0 It was unlocked and opened easily.\u00a0 Then he ducked and waited.\u00a0 When no one shouted or fire a gun, Adam eased himself in and put his foot on the floor.\u00a0 As his other boot landed beside it, he lost his balance and slid sideways.\u00a0 There was a snap!\u00a0 Puzzled, he looked down.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d come that<\/em> close to stepping in a bear trap!<\/p>\n

Even as the absurdity of that<\/em> registered on his tired brain, Adam felt something slam into him.<\/p>\n

A second later a cloud of white dust rose into the air to swirl about him and a young female voice proclaimed, \u201cI got you covered, mister.\u00a0 You just stay right where you are!\u201d<\/p>\n

If he had been in the middle of the snowstorm, his vision couldn\u2019t have been any worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, wait a minute,\u201d Adam began, raising a hand, \u201cwho are you and what are you doing in \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just put that other hand up too!\u201d the girl ordered.\u00a0 \u201cI told you, I got you covered!\u201d<\/p>\n

He could vaguely make out a small figure holding something out in front of it.\u00a0 Slowly, Adam raised his other hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know this looks bad, but I can<\/em> explain….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike my Pa always says, \u2018the more you explain it, the less I understand it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Adam blinked.\u00a0 Such sage wisdom from a little girl who was on the attack and<\/em> quoting her even more sagacious pa.\u00a0 It could only mean one<\/em> thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Obviously the white flour curtain blinded both <\/em>ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth, its me \u2013 Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard a short \u2018oh\u2019, then a sniff, and then the little girl barreled out of the flour dust cloud like a mule spotting home. They both fell on top of the bear trap.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, it was sprung.<\/p>\n

He sat there holding her for a minute, feeling her small body tremble and listening to her heartfelt sobs before reality set in.<\/p>\n

If Elizabeth was here, where was Joe?<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear God, his father had been right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was as if he was sitting on needles.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright had tried to sleep \u2013 he really had \u2013 but something gnawed at him and surprisingly, it wasn\u2019t worry for Joe as much as for Adam.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so concerned for his youngest son that he\u2019d sent his eldest off alone to check on the youngster without considering that he might be endangering Adam as well.\u00a0 The weather was not only wicked but had proved itself treacherously changeable.\u00a0 They had gone from snow to sleet and, with the descent of darkness, back to snow.\u00a0 The ride home would be even more hazardous than the ride out had been.\u00a0 He should have sent someone else with Adam \u2013 one of the men.\u00a0 After all, they had more than enough to spare.<\/p>\n

Troubled, Ben had risen, gathered his gear, and was standing next to Buck, trying to make up his mind about what to do.\u00a0 It was the middle of the night, but the moon was full.\u00a0 It made it nearly as bright as the day.\u00a0 It would be risky, venturing out at night in the snow, but he felt \u2013 somehow \u2013 if he waited until morning it would be too late.<\/p>\n

For what he didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

He knew he was being foolish.\u00a0 Most likely Adam was home or nearly there.\u00a0 His oldest would have a good supper, sip some brandy, and then most likely bed down on the settee rather than risk waking his brother or their guest.\u00a0 Adam would start back in the morning.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d arrive safe and sound by the following night.<\/p>\n

Or so he told himself.<\/p>\n

A hand on his shoulder startled him.\u00a0 Ben recognized the grip and turned sheepishly to face his middle son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you ain\u2019t still worried about Little Joe, is you?\u201d<\/p>\n

How did he explain it?\u00a0 Yes, the worry for Joe was still there, but it was Adam\u2019s well-being that was uppermost in his mind at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried for both<\/em> your brothers, Hoss,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 What\u2019re you goin\u2019 and worryin\u2019 about older<\/em> brother for?\u00a0 You know Adam can take care of hisself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes, I know…under ordinary <\/em>circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIts winter, Pa, there\u2019s ice and snow.\u201d\u00a0 His son was puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat ain\u2019t ordinary<\/em> about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 There were no words.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeck, Pa, you know what?\u00a0 We got us a sight more men here workin\u2019 this round-up than we figured.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be agin headin\u2019 back home.\u00a0 A hot toddy and a warm bed sound awful good right now.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThough it ain\u2019t gonna make the ones we leave behind none too happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cNo, no.\u00a0 It\u2019s just an old man\u2019s fears \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you look at me.\u201d\u00a0 When he complied, the big man went on.\u00a0 \u201cFirst of all, you ain\u2019t no old<\/em> man.\u00a0 And second of all, you ain\u2019t afraid of nothin\u2019!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 eyes went to the road.\u00a0 \u201cAnd third, Pa, I\u2019ve been feelin\u2019 somethin\u2019 too.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019 like you do afore a storm blows in.\u201d<\/p>\n

A storm.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 That was what he felt too.<\/p>\n

With his oldest and youngest at its center.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was doing his best to escape, which wasn\u2019t saying much.\u00a0 Sad to say, his \u2018best\u2019 right now was hanging onto the saddle horn for dear life and not falling of the horse and flat onto his face.\u00a0 All track of where they had been or were was lost in a haze of fever and fatigue.\u00a0 With the night fallin\u2019 and the moon shinin\u2019 so bright, he couldn\u2019t get his bearings.\u00a0 Which was silly, really, since he knew that if the moon was risin\u2019 to his right, then he was pointed north and, vice versa, if it was on his left then he was heading south.\u00a0 The problem was, the minute he looked up at it waves of dizziness washed over him and he forgot where he<\/em> was!<\/p>\n

Atticus\u2019 horse was directly in front of his.\u00a0 The former preacher was a lean shadow in the falling snow.\u00a0 The amount of snow had increased as they traveled and it fell like a screen between them.\u00a0 All around him the world was silent and white.\u00a0 Well, white tinged with the sort of electric-blue haze.\u00a0 At first he\u2019d thought the snow just had a lot of ice in it and that was what the moonlight was catching. Then, he\u2019d realized that wasn\u2019t it.\u00a0 Moonlight sparklin\u2019 on ice didn\u2019t run along the white snow drifts like lightning riding a stormy sky.\u00a0 He was seeing things.<\/p>\n

Which meant his fever was growing dangerously high.<\/p>\n

Still, there was no going back, only going forward.\u00a0 Behind him lay Fleet Rowse, aware of their escape by now and mad as a meat ax.\u00a0 Going back meant dyin\u2019 slowly in that maniac\u2019s hands.\u00a0 Out here, he\u2019d just freeze.\u00a0 He\u2019d always heard dyin\u2019 of the cold wasn\u2019t so bad.\u00a0 You got real cold, then real <\/em>warm.<\/p>\n

And then everything went dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lagging, Little Joe,\u201d Atticus\u2019 voice came from out of the white wall ahead of him.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to find a ranch or homestead, somewhere with help.\u00a0 Rowse will be on out trail the minute he discovers we\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe smirked.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t<\/em> stupid.\u00a0 He knew that.\u00a0 After all, hadn\u2019t he just said….<\/p>\n

No, he\u2019d just been thinkin\u2019, not talkin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Hadn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n

Atticus had ended up being all right after all.\u00a0 Men made mistakes, that\u2019s what pa always said, what mattered was that they made it right by the end.\u00a0 \u2018A man can be forgiven most anything, Joseph,\u2019<\/em> he\u2019d told him.\u00a0 \u2018Anything other than giving up.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe straightened in the saddle and shifted his feet.\u00a0 He was so numb he found it near impossible to do, but he managed to tighten his knees and lean into the animal, urging more speed.\u00a0 The horse turned and looked at him, clearly confused.\u00a0 When he wondered why, he realized it was because, even though he\u2019d told the horse to move, he was gettin\u2019 off.<\/p>\n

As his face hit the snow Joe Cartwright sighed, wonderin\u2019 if he was gonna burn in Hell for all eternity.<\/p>\n

And gave up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked up through her sniffs and tears and whispered, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mister Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d he asked<\/p>\n

Her head went down.\u00a0 She nuzzled her cheek against his chest.\u00a0 There were more sniffs, more tears, and then she blurted out one word.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

For a moment he said nothing,\u00a0 Then, \u201cPerhaps if you could tell me just \u2018what\u2019<\/em> everything….\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl looked up again.\u00a0 Her face was smeared with moisture and mud; her spiraling blond hair, thick with bracken and leaves.\u00a0 Her blue eyes were wide as the sky.<\/p>\n

He drew a breath even as she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Mister Adam, I tried, I really<\/em> did.\u00a0 You told me I had to look after my little brother, and I tried so <\/em>hard!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean for Little Joe\u2019s foot to get run over by that carriage wheel, you know that, and for him to end up limpin\u2019 so bad.\u00a0 And when we went out sleighing and all that snow fell on top of him, I dug Little Joe out, really I did, and made sure he got back to the house.\u00a0 I kept that old lady from flirting with him and him from makin\u2019 a \u2018fool out of himself\u2019 as Ma would say, but then I had to go to bed!\u00a0 I was so<\/em> tired.\u00a0 What\u2019s an older sister to do when they have to go to sleep and someone sneaks into the house and does something bad to their little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

His head was reeling by the time she let breath out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa, slow down, Elizabeth,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 He\u2019d followed most of her dialogue, figuring out that the \u2018old lady\u2019 was Aurora Guthrie \u2013 the beautiful woman he\u2019d warned Pa about putting in charge of his…well…rather passionate<\/em> younger brother \u2013 and even though he didn\u2019t know about the incident in the snow, it didn\u2019t surprise or worry him.\u00a0 It was the last statement that someone had \u2018done something bad\u2019 to little brother that made him sit up and pay attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone hurt Little Joe?\u201d he asked, forgetting to soften his tone.<\/p>\n

It was more of a wail than an answer.\u00a0 \u201cYeeeesssssssss!\u201d<\/p>\n

She was terrified and he needed to find out why.\u00a0 He also knew terrifying her even more <\/em>wasn\u2019t going to get him anywhere.\u00a0 So, swallowing his fear and his urgency to know, Adam said quite evenly, \u201cHow about we get you something to eat?\u00a0 I bet you haven\u2019t had anything in a long time.\u00a0 Am I right?\u201d<\/p>\n

How in the world the child had ended up out here in the line shack alone, he had no idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n

She sniffed again.\u00a0 \u201cNot since I left the ranch house.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how long ago was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The child shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt was light outside.\u00a0 Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing were arguin\u2019 and not payin\u2019 any attention, and I left \u2018cause I knew they\u2019d stop me if I told them I was going to look for Joe and the bad men who took him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad \u2018men<\/em>\u2019.\u00a0 So there was more than one.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why was Sheriff Coffee at<\/em> the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at him like he was an idiot.\u00a0 \u201cBecause of the bad men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…right.\u201d\u00a0 Adam drew a calming breath.\u00a0 \u201cAnd which<\/em> bad men would that be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know \u2018cause I was sleepin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Elizabeth paused.\u00a0 The fear deepened in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut Sheriff Roy was talkin\u2019 to Hop Sing about them and Hop Sing was crying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dear Lord!\u00a0 Adam swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing felt guilty.\u00a0 He said that he was outside takin\u2019 a walk and looking at the stars when one of the bad men hit him over the head.\u00a0 When he woke up he was in the house and saw Little Joe laying on the floor with another one of the bad men standing over him.\u201d\u00a0 She scowled.\u00a0 \u201cHe said they took little brother out into the cold without even a coat or hat even though he was hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

So, Joe could be freezing<\/em> to death as they spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing said little brother had been hit on the head, but Mrs. Guthrie said it was worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she failed to go on, he asked, \u201cWorse…how?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth shivered.\u00a0 \u201cShe said the bad man stuck him with a knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freezing and <\/em>bleeding to death.<\/p>\n

What next?<\/em><\/p>\n

Forcing a smile he said, \u201cYou know little brothers.\u00a0 They can get into a mess of trouble, but they always know we big brothers and sisters will find and rescue them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam knew in the child\u2019s experience it was true.\u00a0 Come to think of it, so was it in his.<\/p>\n

That gave him some <\/em>small hope.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve.\u00a0 A second later she gave him a little smile.<\/p>\n

His mind awhirl, Adam took her hand and said, \u201cNow, let\u2019s go get that food.\u00a0 We have to think hard about what we\u2019re going to do next.\u201d\u00a0 After all, he couldn\u2019t leave her alone here in the line shack.\u00a0 Then again, he couldn\u2019t really take her with him if he went off to look for \u2018bad men\u2019 who had his brother.\u00a0 As she nodded and they started for the door, a sound in the outer room made him freeze.<\/p>\n

Someone was out there!<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth, get behind me!\u201d Adam ordered as he drew his gun from its holster.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s in the other room.\u201d<\/p>\n

She frowned and then giggled.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019s just Freckles.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was his turn to frown.\u00a0 \u201cFreckles?\u201d\u00a0 Why did the name seem familiar?<\/p>\n

Freckles….<\/p>\n

Adam threw the door open to a whinny and a snort.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, right….\u00a0 Freckles. \u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, at first light, after a few hours sleep and then filling the child\u2019s belly with food and making sure she was bundled up like an Inuit, Adam took Elizabeth with him.\u00a0 His fear for Joe \u2013 occasioned by the few words the little girl had overheard and related to him \u2013 overcame his fear for her.\u00a0 She was a courageous child.\u00a0 She\u2019d proven that by what she\u2019d done the first time they\u2019d met her, taking care of Joe after her family rescued him from a fire, and by what she had done today \u2013 riding off into what amounted to an early blizzard to save his brother from the bad men who meant to hurt him.<\/p>\n

So here they were, mounted on one horse in order to conserve body heat, heading toward the Ponderosa in the hope that somehow God would give him a sign and he wouldn\u2019t ride past his little brother\u2019s corpse buried under a silent blanket of snow.<\/p>\n

As they began to move, a smile tickled Adam\u2019s lips.\u00a0 They\u2019d left Freckles in the line shack with a note attached to his collar stating what they were doing in case someone came out to check it.<\/p>\n

He wished he could be there to see the face of the man who did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Atticus looked over his shoulder at the young man he\u2019d left behind and sighed.\u00a0 He\u2019d pulled Joe Cartwright\u2019s unconscious form into a sheltered depression in a rock-face and covered him with everything he had from his woolen scarf to the thin moth-ridden blankets Noyes had provided long ago in the slim hope of protecting him from the elements.\u00a0 Snow was falling again and the wind had picked up.\u00a0 Inside the depression it was, perhaps, ten degrees warmer.\u00a0 Enough, he hoped, to keep the boy from freezing to death.<\/p>\n

At the moment Little Joe was eerily still.\u00a0 As he\u2019d settled him in the boy had grown restless, calling out for his father and fighting against him.\u00a0 The wound in his shoulder had festered and his fever spiked.\u00a0 There were small trails of red now running along his chest from the knife cut toward his heart.\u00a0 Atticus\u2019 fists clenched.\u00a0 He had<\/em> to get help. This was his<\/em> fault.\u00a0 If he\u2019d fought Noyes and made his opinion clear when he\u2019d insisted on hiring Rowse, this would never have happened.\u00a0 They would have found the safe empty and been on their way, ready for the next challenge.\u00a0 But he\u2019d been too weak, too pathetic<\/em> to object.\u00a0 He\u2019d remained silent, and now that silence was going to cost a young man his life.<\/p>\n

Lifting the knife he had brought with him, the former preacher marked the tree by his horse\u2019s head, chipping away at it until its tender white flesh showed.\u00a0 He was going for help.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know where he\u2019d find it, but that\u2019s where he was headed.\u00a0 Once he found it he\u2019d need the marked trees to bring him back to this place, to the boy whom he was abandoning to the arms of a God he feared but no longer knew.<\/p>\n

After sheathing the knife, the rail-thin man stood still and let the snow cascade around him.\u00a0 The frigid wind chaffed his exposed skin, drying his lips and making his eyes burn.\u00a0 As he stood there, mired in self-loathing, a scripture from Isaiah \u2013 the word of God he thought lost to him \u2013 sounded in his ear.<\/p>\n

\u2018And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Grace.<\/p>\n

How he forgotten?<\/p>\n

Atticus looked at Joe Cartwright in wonder. Was this why God had sent the horror that was Fleet Rowse into his life?\u00a0 Did He know what it would take to make him remember \u2013 one wounded and dying boy, showing mercy and unwarranted grace to the man who had kidnapped him?<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey fell to his knees and lifted his hands to the sky.\u00a0 Tears streamed down his cheeks, quickly turning to ice, as he lifted his face as well and cried out in King David\u2019s words, \u201cHave mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.\u00a0 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>His head bowed as he continued, overwhelmed by shame and remorse.\u00a0 \u201cAgainst thee and thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The snow didn\u2019t stop falling nor the wind grow calm.\u00a0 No angel appeared to point the way out of the trees, or burning bush appear to melt the snow.\u00a0 Still, Atticus Godfrey knew God had heard him for the weight of his sin that he had carried sine his son died was suddenly, mercifully, and with a grace surpassing human understanding, lifted.<\/p>\n

He was free.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Worn out by the cold and worry, Ben Cartwright and his middle son, Hoss, had finally been forced to stop.\u00a0 Dropping where they stood, they\u2019d both tried to catch a few hours of sleep.\u00a0 It had proved to be an exercise in futility.\u00a0 Each time Ben woke \u2013 and there were many \u2013 he became aware of his son tossing and moaning.\u00a0 When Hoss work, it was the same.\u00a0 The dream that had plagued the father of the three young Cartwrights before \u2013 the one where Joseph lay buried in snow \u2013 had come back to haunt him, only this time it was worse.<\/p>\n

This time his elder brother lay beside him.<\/p>\n

It was impossible for Ben to tell if it was night or day because he walked in the midst of a blizzard.\u00a0 There world was white and there was an all-over diffused light that could have been cast by the moon or<\/em> the sun.\u00a0 In the distance he could hear men calling out his sons\u2019 names.\u00a0 They were searching as he<\/em> was searching, only they<\/em> had not found them.<\/p>\n

He had.<\/p>\n

Ben found them together, laying as if asleep.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s arm encircled his brother\u2019s shoulders protectively.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s gaunt face was turned into his brother\u2019s coat.\u00a0 The world around them was quiet as the grave.\u00a0 As the older man stood there facing the truth that \u2013 this time \u2013 there was to be no answer to his desperate prayer, the snow continued to fall, rising, ever rising until it obscured his sons\u2019 cold, stiff bodies, leaving only their pale faces revealed.<\/p>\n

And then, those too vanished.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0 Ben sat up gasping for air. \u00a0His heart was racing so fast it was hard to catch a breath.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss was at his side in a minute.\u00a0 The big man placed a hand on his back and asked,\u00a0 half-frantic, \u201cPa!\u00a0 What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

How did he answer?\u00a0 What had it been?\u00a0 A dream?<\/p>\n

Or a premonition?<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cGive…me a…minute,\u201d he managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, Pa?\u00a0 You ain\u2019t sick or nothin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 Only sick with fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there…any water?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa.\u00a0 I kept the canteen right by the fire.\u201d\u00a0 His giant-size son could move with incredible speed when he wanted to.\u00a0 Hoss returned to his side in seconds.<\/p>\n

Ben took the warm metal object in his hands.\u00a0 He opened it and poured some of the tepid water down his throat.\u00a0 Then he nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss took it and capped it, but his eyes never left him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA dream…no, a nightmare,\u201d he answered as he swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cYour brothers were in danger.\u00a0 They were laying together in a snowbank.\u00a0 They….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou dreamed they was together?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d Little Joe be doin\u2019 out in the middle of this big old snow?\u00a0 He\u2019s got Miss Elizabeth to look after.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t bring a little thing like her out into this.\u201d<\/p>\n

No, he wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Not unless he had<\/em> to.<\/p>\n

Hoss paused and then asked, his voice hushed.\u00a0 \u201cIs this one of them there special dreams you have, Pa?\u00a0 The kind that most often ring true?\u201d<\/p>\n

He patted the young man\u2019s arm to reassure him.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s only one thing I know for certain, son.\u00a0 We need to get home.\u201d\u00a0 He rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to get home now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019ll saddle up the horses.\u00a0 You feel good enough to break the camp?\u201d<\/p>\n

His nod was enough to send the big man flying.\u00a0 Hoss was worried too.\u00a0 He had<\/em> been since they\u2019d left the cattle and the hands behind.\u00a0 Something was wrong and they both knew it.<\/p>\n

Something was terribly <\/em>wrong.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Little Joe slipped quietly down the stairs of the ranch house.\u00a0 He was headed for the kitchen.\u00a0 Tomorrow was his big brother Hoss\u2019s 15th<\/sup> birthday.\u00a0 When he\u2019d gone into the kitchen earlier to tell Hop Sing that his pa wanted to talk to him, he\u2019d run smack-dab into the middle of a dream.\u00a0 There was a cake on the table big enough to feed all the hands on the Ponderosa, plus lots of other sweet things coated with icing and dotted with fruit.\u00a0 In the middle of the same table was a big old bird cooked to perfection, smelling of butter and salt that would be sliced, cold, and eaten the next day.\u00a0 But most impressive of all was the stack of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles by the ice box.\u00a0 Made with dark chocolate, butter, and sweet cream, and dotted with nuts and toasted coconut, they were one of Hoss\u2019s favorite.\u00a0 Trouble was, they were his very<\/em> favorite.\u00a0 When he lingered a minute too long by the plate, Hop Sing gave him a scolding and shooed him out of the kitchen with a warning that one of his Chinese dragons would come and carry him off if he so much as breathed on those truffles.\u00a0 The confections, the man from China said, were a present for his brother and if he wanted one, he would have to ask for it.<\/p>\n

Right.\u00a0\u00a0 Like he\u2019d have given up one if Hoss had asked him.<\/em><\/p>\n

So, he\u2019d waited until the house settled down and then headed for the kitchen.<\/p>\n

He was just gonna take one.\u00a0 Only one.<\/em>\u00a0 Hoss would never know that it was missing, and unless Hop Sing counted them before Hoss dove in, which was doubtful, he wouldn\u2019t know it either.<\/p>\n

Crossing to the ice box, Joe opened the door and stared at the marvels inside.\u00a0 It only took a second to spot the tray of little dark mounds near the back.\u00a0 As he reached in to pinch one, he heard the sound of footsteps in the yard.\u00a0 Terrified that he was about to be discovered, he looked around, searching for a place to hide.\u00a0 Finding none, he crossed to the door and, lifting the latch, slipped outside.<\/p>\n

Snow was falling.\u00a0 It was pretty as anything, but it was also cold and all he was wearing was his nightshirt.\u00a0 Lifting up on his toes, he peered back inside and saw Pa rummaging around the kitchen.\u00a0 The older man had a crystal glass in his hand and Joe supposed it held brandy.\u00a0 Sometimes his pa had trouble sleeping.\u00a0 He\u2019d come down in the middle of the night and read, usually with a drink and a snack at his side.\u00a0 Joe crouched as his father came to the door and looked out, and then breathed a sigh of relief as the older man extinguished the lantern he\u2019d lit in the kitchen and returned to the\u00a0 great room.<\/p>\n

Joe let out an audible sigh of relief as he reached with a shaking hand for the door, and then panicked when the door wouldn\u2019t open.\u00a0 The latch must have fallen into place.<\/p>\n

He was locked outside!<\/p>\n

He thought about going in through the front door, but his pa was there and he\u2019d get the thrashing of his life for trying to steal Hoss\u2019 treats and then being stupid enough to get locked outside.\u00a0 Wrapping his arms around his nightshirt, Joe looked up at the porch roof.\u00a0 He could climb up there, but it wouldn\u2019t do him any good.\u00a0 All the windows were locked and sealed for the winter.\u00a0 Shivering and shaking, he rounded the house, walking along the tree line.\u00a0 As he did the snow began to fall in earnest.\u00a0 A big wind blew up and sent it flying, so fast and so thick he couldn\u2019t see what he was doing or where he was going.<\/p>\n

Before he knew it he was lost.<\/p>\n

Joe shuddered.\u00a0 He knew the house couldn\u2019t be that far away but, no matter what way he went, it seemed to be the wrong<\/em> one\u00a0 He walked and walked until his bare feet were frozen, until his nose and fingers were numb; until his eyes grew heavy and he felt like he couldn\u2019t walk another step \u2013 until he felt like walking was a harder thing than roping or steering or cutting timber.\u00a0 Finally, unable to continue, Joe dropped to the ground and lay there shivering until the wind pulled a snowy blanket up to cover him and he started to feel warm.\u00a0 As his eyes closed and he lost consciousness, a small smile lifted the corners of his lips.\u00a0 Pa was gonna be mighty<\/em> angry when he died because of being stupid.<\/p>\n

As the cold gave way to a numbing warmth, Little Joe Cartwright snorted.<\/p>\n

And all on account of a truffle.<\/p>\n

When Joe at last pried open his eyes, he was surprised to find that he wasn\u2019t dead.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t eight years old either, and under the blanket of snow that covered him were two other warmer blankets made of cloth and several other garments.\u00a0 As he shifted his position and winced with pain as he propped his wounded shoulder against the rock-face behind him, he had to chuckle.\u00a0 Sad to say, the rest <\/em>of it was real enough.<\/p>\n

There was a snowstorm ragin\u2019 and, sure enough, he was <\/em>out in it alone.<\/p>\n

As he looked around, Joe noted the shallow depression he was in and the remnants of a burned out fire beside him.\u00a0 He was sure he hadn\u2019t possessed the strength to build it, so that meant someone else was with him or had been <\/em>with him. Clear as his thinking was at the moment \u2013 and as surprising as that was considerin\u2019 the fever he had \u2013 he just couldn\u2019t remember who.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Hoss came lookin\u2019 for his lost truffle,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n

Joe turned his eyes to the white world that surrounded him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been out in the snow before, not really lost, but lost enough to know how to survive.\u00a0 There\u2019d been times on the winter drive when he and his pa and brothers had been separated.\u00a0 Once, he and Adam had to weather a whole day without any real shelter.\u00a0 The fact that it was snowing meant it wasn\u2019t too unbearably cold, but then again, that howling wind meant thirty-two degrees could feel like ten.\u00a0 His pa had taught them all that the first thing they needed to do was find a place to hunker down in.\u00a0 The second thing was to find water.\u00a0 It was funny how water was all around you in a snowstorm \u2013 feet deep at times \u2013 but there was nothin\u2019 to drink.\u00a0 Joe looked at the fire again.<\/p>\n

If only he could rekindle it somehow.<\/p>\n

He had to face it.\u00a0 Lookin\u2019 at it clearly, his options were few \u2013 either remain where he was and wait for help, or get up and go look for it.\u00a0 While the depression he was in was serving to protect him from the wind at the moment he knew, when night came, that the lower temperatures \u2013 added to his weakened state \u2013 would probably be the end.\u00a0 And of course, being Joe Cartwright, sittin\u2019 and waitin\u2019 never set too well with him anyhow.\u00a0 Still, he was relatively warm under his snow-covered woolen blankets and it would be sheer cussedness to start out with no end in sight.<\/p>\n

Then again, his pa often told him \u2013 with a sigh and a roll of his near-black eyes \u2013 that it was that \u2018sheer cussedness\u2019 that kept him alive.<\/p>\n

Figurin\u2019 it was all or nothing, Joe rose to his feet by scooting his back up the wall.\u00a0 He remained still once he had managed it, knowing full well that if he moved too fast he\u2019d just end up pitching over and lyin\u2019 face down in the snow.\u00a0 He\u2019d probably stay there too, until someone found his bones during the spring thaw and took them back to lay beside his mama.\u00a0 Joe reached down and caught the mass of cloth covering him with his fingers and tossed it off.\u00a0 Instantly, he began to shake.\u00a0 Drawing a deep breath, he rose slowly and then reached down and grabbed the top blanket.\u00a0 With effort Joe worked it around his shoulders and then followed it as quickly as possible with the other thin blanket.\u00a0 Exhausted, he leaned against the wall gathering strength and looked down.\u00a0 There was a black coat lyin\u2019 on the snow that had been in the mix, but he was too tired to drop the blankets and shinny into it, so he left it lyin\u2019 on the ground along with a few other pieces of cloth he couldn\u2019t identify.<\/p>\n

The sun was rising. That meant, in spite of the current fall of snow, which was fairly thick, he was able to tell directions.\u00a0 He was facing east now.\u00a0 Home lay to the south.\u00a0 Fleet Rowse and the others had brought him to Paiute land, but he had no idea where he was on it.\u00a0 He could be east or west of the main road.<\/p>\n

Thinking of Rowse brought Atticus Godfrey to mind.\u00a0 It also made him recall that it was the former reverend who had freed him, so it must have been him who left him in the shallow depression with a fire to keep him warm.\u00a0 Joe could only assume the preacher had gone for help.\u00a0 The curly-headed youth looked around.\u00a0 He had no knife to mark a tree with, but knew he needed to leave Atticus a sign of where he\u2019d gone.\u00a0 Catching one of the pieces of cloth up, Joe walked over to a tree and, with nearly frozen fingers, ripped off a piece and tied it to a low-lying branch.<\/p>\n

Then, he began to walk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWELVE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse pounded his fist into the palm of his glove and then slammed it into the trunk of the snow-covered tree, bringing a shower of white down to settle on his hat and the shoulders of his thick winter coat.\u00a0 With a curse he brushed the fluffy stuff away, and then reached out and touched the place where the tree had been stripped by a knife.\u00a0 They\u2019d been here.<\/p>\n

Atticus and that cursed boy had been here and he\u2019d missed them!<\/p>\n

The snow was fallin\u2019 steadily, so he doubted he was going to find much of a trail from here on out.\u00a0 There\u2019d been two horses moving at a fairly quick clip.\u00a0 One of them had headed east an hour or two back and then veered south.\u00a0 He figured if the horse tracks did belong to Atticus and the Cartwright kid, that the preacher was doing the backtrackin\u2019. At that thought, the outlaw sneered.\u00a0 The knife cut in the kid\u2019s shoulder would be festerin\u2019 by now.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was definitely in no shape to sit a horse for long.<\/p>\n

Leaving the marked tree behind, Fleet continued in the direction the hoof prints had been leading him.\u00a0 It came to an end at a rock wall with a shallow depression in it. When he searched the hollow he found it contained the remains of a fire and a few tossed-off pieces of clothing.\u00a0 He recognized one of them as a frock coat Atticus Godfrey carried and had added to the layers covering Ben Cartwright\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

As he dropped the coat to the ground, Fleet turned and looked toward the horizon.\u00a0 The sun was up. If old man Cartwright was gonna show today with the money, he\u2019d be at the graveyard by now.\u00a0 He\u2019d left Noyes to negotiate with the rancher in case he made an appearance.\u00a0 Noyes was to tell Cartwright to leave the money between the spears and, once they\u2019d made sure it was all there, to go home and wait.\u00a0 They\u2019d take his son to a nearby town, the business man would say, and leave him there.\u00a0 That way the boy could wire and, in the time it took his father to get to him, they\u2019d move on.<\/p>\n

It was a given that the rancher would ask to see his son alive before he\u2019d be willin\u2019 to go.\u00a0 He\u2019d ordered Noyes to refuse and to tell the old man that the boy would have a bullet in his skull if he didn\u2019t get moving in \u2018three, two, one.\u2019<\/p>\n

The outlaw ran a hand over his stubbled chin.\u00a0 He might just let Noyes Runyon live after all.\u00a0 The fat man had changed.\u00a0 He was gettin\u2019 real good at enjoying what he was doin\u2019 and takin\u2019 it to the end no matter what.<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey, on the other hand, was a dead man.<\/p>\n

Still, the right reverend<\/em> Godfrey was gonna hafta wait until he found Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 There were boot tracks leading away from the depression and even though they vanished about a dozen feet out, they were headed south toward the kid\u2019s home.\u00a0 From the look of them, Cartwright was already staggering.\u00a0 Every once in a while there was a spot of red, so his wound was open and bleedin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Most likely what he was going to find at the end of his hunt was a frozen corpse.\u00a0 Thoughtful, Rowse chewed the inside of his cheek.<\/p>\n

Then again, he might<\/em> just get lucky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was tired and saddle sore and about as cold as a man could be.\u00a0 He was gettin\u2019 too old to sleep out under the stars with a pack of snow for a pillow.\u00a0 Even inside the shallow cave where they\u2019d spent the night, with a fire and five layers of clothing \u2013 and blankets piled on top of that \u2013 he knew what them fishes in the ice house felt like!\u00a0 With a sneeze and a shiver he turned to scowl at his companion.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d be danged if the China man didn\u2019t look like he\u2019d just woke up on a May morning!<\/p>\n

\u2018Course, that might have somethin\u2019 to do with the fact that they was lookin\u2019 at the line shack that lay along the route Elizabeth Carnaby\u2019s horse had taken \u2013 plus the fact that there was a near non-existent trail of smoke risin\u2019 from its chimney.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe missy Elizabeth and Little Joe in shack,\u201d the China man said, soundin\u2019 awful happy.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe get away from bad men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCould be.\u00a0 Or it could be Rowse and the other two are in there with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s face fell.\u00a0 \u201cNo horses outside.\u00a0 What bad men ride?\u00a0 How they get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

That lack of horses was peculiar-strange to say the least.\u00a0 The snow was fallin\u2019 hard enough there were no tracks left to tell how many might have ridden up to the shack.\u00a0 Elizabeth had ridin\u2019 when she left the house, so where was her<\/em> horse?<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe them bad men are right smart,\u201d he ventured.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they took them horses up into the hills and tied them off so no one would think they was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThen what build fire for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was right.\u00a0 No matter what way you twisted it, it just didn\u2019t <\/em>add up.<\/p>\n

Roy drew his gun.\u00a0 He nodded to the other man.\u00a0 \u201cCome on then.\u00a0 Let\u2019s find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them approached the shack with caution, one from each side, well aware that any false move might cost the girl and Little Joe their lives if they were<\/em> inside.\u00a0 Roy\u2019d checked the front window first, but the curtains were drawn.\u00a0 All he could tell was that, as he suspected, the fire was pretty much done since only a pale orange glow lit the interior of the main room.\u00a0 At the back of the small building he almost ran into Hop Sing.\u00a0 The China man was all excited and sayin\u2019 somethin\u2019 in that gibberish he called a language.<\/p>\n

The lawman held a finger to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Hop Sing, we gotta go quiet and slow-like.\u00a0 What\u2019s got you jumpin\u2019 like a cat in a kettle of fish?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWindow on other side of shack open into bedroom.\u00a0 Tracks at base of window.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you tell if it was someone goin\u2019 in or comin\u2019 out?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMan go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hmm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I guess there\u2019s nothin\u2019 for it then but to mosey on inside and see what we come up with,\u201d Roy answered.\u00a0 \u201cFollow me, Hop Sing!\u201d<\/p>\n

It only took a few seconds to arrive at the open window.\u00a0 Roy made the China man stand back while he worked his way through the small openin\u2019 and then stood and waited as Hop Sing did the same.\u00a0 The door to the bedroom was closed.\u00a0 A pale peach light reached under it from the other room.\u00a0 Roy insisted on goin\u2019 first.\u00a0 Once they reached the door, he stopped and listened.\u00a0 Then, countin\u2019 down from three to one on his fingers, he shouldered it open and burst into the common room with his gun drawn.<\/p>\n

The gray pony that looked at him was just about as surprised as he was.<\/p>\n

As he scrunched up his nose at the proof that the horse had been trapped in the house for a while, the China man exclaimed, \u201cWhat Freckles do in shack?!\u00a0 Where missy Elizabeth and where Little Joe?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Roy had to admit.\u00a0 It was the answer to that first<\/em> question that was ticklin\u2019 his fancy at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou s\u2019pose Freckles left them and decided to set up house on his own?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was hoppin\u2019 mad.\u00a0 \u201cNo time for joke!\u00a0 Horse here, missy Elizabeth, Little Joe not.<\/em>\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, I don\u2019t rightly know.\u201d\u00a0 He swallowed a snicker.\u00a0 \u201cYou might try askin\u2019 Freckles.\u201d<\/p>\n

He always loved it when the China man threw his hands in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff have no sense!\u00a0 Horse cannot talk!\u201d Hop Sing exclaimed as he crossed to the pony.\u00a0 Freckles was lookin\u2019 at Ben\u2019s cook with just about the same amount of surprise as he was lookin\u2019 at him.\u00a0 \u201cHorse no tell Hop Sing who here and who not, who come and who \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

The tirade abruptly stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Hop Sing?\u201d Roy sobered as he moved to join him.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had turned.\u00a0 He was holdin\u2019 somethin\u2019\u00a0 in his hand.\u00a0 It was a note.<\/p>\n

Apparently even though Freckles couldn\u2019t speak, he could <\/em>write.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt from Mistah Adam,\u201d the China man said, his voice hushed.<\/p>\n

Roy took the scrap of paper that was folded over and opened it.\u00a0 He quickly perused the words written there.\u00a0 The first part of the message made him limp with relief.\u00a0 The second?\u00a0 Well, at least the girl wasn\u2019t out in all of this alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat number one son have to say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy handed the paper to him.\u00a0 \u201cIt says that Adam came by the cabin like we did and found Elizabeth and Freckles here.\u00a0 Now, Adam, well, he had to make a choice \u2013 take the girl back to the Ponderosa or take her with him to look for Little Joe.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman sighed.\u00a0 He understood the boy\u2019s choice, but he didn\u2019t agree.\u00a0 \u201cHe chose the latter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Adam have big worry for little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy read the note again and sighed.\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t the only <\/em>one.<\/p>\n

At least now that the girl was in Ben\u2019s eldest son\u2019s care, he could concentrate on his first objective \u2013 findin\u2019 the outlaws who took Little Joe, and bringin\u2019 the boy home and them to justice. Since he\u2019d been wounded back at the ranch house, the odds were Little Joe wasn\u2019t in too good of shape.\u00a0 He needed to find him quickly.\u00a0 Roy went to the front window, pushed the curtain back, and looked outside.<\/p>\n

The dawn was breakin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing followed him.\u00a0 \u201cBad men say kill Little Joe at dawn if money not there,\u201d\u00a0 he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cIt dawn now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cNow, don\u2019t you go worryin\u2019 about that too much, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Those men want that there ten thousand dollars they\u2019re expectin\u2019.\u00a0 They know with the storm Ben might not have been able to make it to town, to the bank, and back in time.\u00a0 I\u2019m bettin\u2019 they\u2019ll give him until midnight tonight at least.\u00a0 Maybe tomorrow mornin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t look convinced.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing hope so….\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy had headed for the door.\u00a0 Something in the China man\u2019s voice made him turn back just as he finished speakin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201c…for bad men\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was stated so simply, so quietly, he almost missed it.<\/p>\n

Almost.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what are you thinkin\u2019, Hop Sing?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you go gettin\u2019 no idea about some kind of vigilante justice.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to his badge.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the law here, not you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLaws useless when men are pure.\u00a0 Unenforceable when men are corrupt,\u201d Ben\u2019s cook replied, his black eyes blazin\u2019 like coals in a stove.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow see here, you just get that notion right out of your head!\u00a0 Do you want me to leave you behind in this here shack with Freckles?\u201d\u00a0 Roy frowned as he said it, realizin\u2019 how plumb loco that sounded.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018Cause I will if I feel I cain\u2019t trust<\/em> you!\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man crossed his arms defiantly.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Roy trust Hop Sing do what best for Mistah Cartwright\u2019s number three son.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t about the most side-steppin\u2019<\/em> answer he\u2019d ever got out of a man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd supposin\u2019, just supposin<\/em>\u2019, Roy countered, \u201cyou think takin\u2019 the law into your own hands is best<\/em> for Little Joe, what then?\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man\u2019s jaw was set.\u00a0 \u201cThen Hop Sing go to jail.\u00a0 If action save Little Joe, Hop Sing be happy to hang!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now just what <\/em>did you say to that?<\/p>\n

Roy ran a stubbled hand across his chin.\u00a0 All he wanted right now was to find these men and get this over, to deliver Ben\u2019s youngest boy back to him, and then to go home to a warm meal and a warm bed and about twelve hours of lazin\u2019 in it. He didn\u2019t need no obstinate, mule-headed China man arguing with him \u2018til the cows came home.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was watchin\u2019 him.\u00a0 Lookin\u2019 for weakness, no doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Roy forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d I forget?\u201d he asked, wary.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake Hop Sing deputy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had<\/em> forgotten that.\u00a0 Still, he didn\u2019t\u00a0 need no temporary deputy goin\u2019 off half-cocked either.\u00a0 In fact, it would make it a whole lot worse for him if someone in his employ was suspected of murder.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u00a0 That still don\u2019t make killin\u2019 right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not kill unless Little Joe in danger.\u201d\u00a0 He made a quick gesture.\u00a0 \u201cCross heart, hope to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNow, we don\u2019t need no hopin\u2019 for that….\u201d\u00a0 He eyed the China man.\u00a0 It was always a hard call, havin\u2019 someone in a posse or ridin\u2019 with him whose family member was at risk.\u00a0 Made them reckless.\u00a0 Foolish, even.\u00a0 \u201cIf I take you at your word, I expect you to keep it,\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing keep word to Sheriff Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 I give in.\u00a0 We\u2019ll both go.\u00a0 These are desperate men. \u00a0You\u2019re gonna need a weapon.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled slyly.\u00a0 \u201cHow about that gun you got hidden away in that pack of your\u2019n?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing no have gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, what have<\/em> you got in there then?\u00a0 I seen you fussin\u2019 with it the other night.\u201d\u00a0 He wagged a finger.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t you go tellin\u2019 me \u2018nothin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing have knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman\u2019s brows arched.\u00a0 \u201cA knife.\u00a0 What kind of knife?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnife from kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean a butcher<\/em> knife?\u201d\u00a0 Roy sighed.\u00a0 \u201cNow why ever would you bring along a butcher knife?\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man\u2019s black eyes were unreadable.\u00a0 \u201cDoes not your Good Book say \u2018an eye for an eye?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

At first he was gonna balk.\u00a0 Then he thought about Fleet Rowse and what he\u2019d done to Little Joe, driving a knife in the boy\u2019s shoulder just for the sick fun of it.\u00a0 Maybe God did have a hand in Hop Sing comin\u2019 along.\u00a0 Maybe Fleet Rowse was finally gonna get his comeuppance.<\/p>\n

All legal-like, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell you what, Hop Sing,\u201d he said as he placed a hand on the other man\u2019s shoulder . \u201cYou keep that there knife of yours hidden away as back-up, you hear?\u00a0 Let me take \u2018em on first, but if somethin\u2019 happens and I cain\u2019t finish what I begun, you got my permission to take it out and use it.\u00a0 Agree?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s cook nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing agree.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced out the window again.\u00a0 The sun was risin\u2019, castin\u2019 pink-orange fingers across the blue-gray snow.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAll right then, let\u2019s get goin\u2019 \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Roy stopped.\u00a0 Freckles was lookin\u2019 him in the eye, like he was waitin\u2019 on him to notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do with missy Elizabeth\u2019s pony?\u201d Hop Sing asked.<\/p>\n

The sheriff eyed the door.\u00a0 It was mighty slim.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that girl got him in, we can get him out.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take him along.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all, the more the merrier.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey was on foot, looking at his horse.\u00a0 The animal was standing on three feet instead of four, with the fourth limb raised above the snowy ground.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t a horseman and he really had no <\/em>idea what it meant other than the fact that the animal could go no farther until something changed.<\/p>\n

Closing his eyes, he fought against the wave of desolation that washed over him, threatening to pull him under.\u00a0 Old habits died hard.\u00a0 A few hours ago, he would have seen this development as Divine punishment.\u00a0 Now, he tried to see it as Divine intervention \u2013 tried to believe there was some reason his good intentions had been altered.<\/p>\n

He had been heading due south, hoping to travel off-road until he came to the area of the Cartwright\u2019s ranch house, knowing that was his best chance to rescue the boy.\u00a0 All the while he traveled, he kept one eye out for Rowse and Noyes.\u00a0 They certainly had to know by now the choice he had made.\u00a0 Due to his horse going lame he was going to have to head east instead, on foot, in the hopes of finding the main road.\u00a0 His last and best hope lay in finding someone along the way who could give him a ride.\u00a0 At the pace he would be forced to travel, it would take the better part of a day to reach the house on foot.<\/p>\n

Atticus lifted his face toward the heavens.\u00a0 The snow was falling, heavier now, and the wind, rising.<\/p>\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t have long.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright\u2019s lips curled up at one end as he looked down at the child seated in front of him.\u00a0 Elizabeth was settled on his saddle and nestled close against his chest.\u00a0 The plucky girl was well-suited to be his little brother\u2019s \u2018older\u2019 sister.\u00a0 She had<\/em> to be exhausted, weary and worn, sleepy, and hungry to boot, and yet she never complained.\u00a0 Every time he asked how she was doing, she said she was \u2018fine\u2019.\u00a0 Each time he suggested stopping to rest, she shook his curly blonde head and said \u2018no\u2019.\u00a0 Elizabeth\u2019s whole being was focused on one thing and one thing only<\/em> \u2013 finding Little Joe and making sure he was safe.<\/p>\n

He only wished she had been ten years older.<\/p>\n

Scout was moving at a decent clip, as fast as the weather and the weight of two riders would allow.\u00a0 There\u2019d been more than one time he\u2019d wished he was riding Chubb, since their combined weight would have been a light load compared to his giant-size brother.\u00a0 Still, things were what they were and he had learned long ago that God had them, as his father once said, \u2018in His pocket.\u2019\u00a0 If he pushed the animal too hard it could cost its life and they still<\/em> wouldn\u2019t have his brother.<\/p>\n

At first Elizabeth had been chatty, rambling on about the things she and Joe had done while he\u2019d been away, telling him with excitement about their excursion in the snow.\u00a0 Then she\u2019d grown quiet, and slowly the story of the attempted robbery of their home and Joe\u2019s kidnapping had come out.\u00a0 It seemed when Fleet Rowse discovered the safe was empty, he had switched tactics and taken Joe.\u00a0 It probably took less than a minute for the outlaw to realize that taking his brother would net a bigger profit anyhow.\u00a0 The trouble was, none of them had been home to receive a ransom note if it had been sent. \u00a0That is, no one but Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

If the outlaws had set a time limit for the ransom money to be delivered….<\/p>\n

Adam shivered.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s small face, swaddled by and nearly hidden in a thick wool scarf and knitted hood, turned up toward him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you need to rest, Mister Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He swallowed his smile.\u00a0 \u201cI am<\/em> a bit cold and weary, but I think I can go on for a while yet.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cHow about you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chuckle escaped this time.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, that\u2019s what Joe always says.\u00a0 He can be standing there with bruises and cuts all over him, or sniffing back tears, but his answer is always the same.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d\u00a0 Adam held her gaze.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Joe\u2019s <\/em>never \u2018fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth turned and settled back against him again.\u00a0 She was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cBeing a big brother or sister ain\u2019t easy, is it?\u201d she asked, her tone wistful.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Most of the time it is.\u00a0 Most days it just means being there when they need you and making sure they don\u2019t stub their toe.\u00a0 Sometimes, its even fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFun?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to be a conspirator.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see when Jack gets bigger,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about now?\u00a0 What about when…things happen? \u00a0Bad<\/em> things?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a kind of balance to life, Elizabeth.\u00a0 God gives us good things, but He also sends bad things to in order to teach us lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe bein\u2019 taken by bad men teachin\u2019 us a lesson?\u201d she asked, genuinely puzzled.<\/p>\n

Ah.\u00a0 How did one discuss the finer points of theology with a child?<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes \u2013 more often than I want to admit \u2013 I get mad at Joe.\u00a0 Do you ever get mad at Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever wished Jack would just go away?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl said nothing for a moment.\u00a0 Then she glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cHave you ever wished Little Joe would go away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam felt shame rise to color his ears as he answered.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

She let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time I felt that way \u2013 and there\u2019s been more than one, believe me \u2013 Joe wanted a wild horse that I knew he shouldn\u2019t have.\u00a0 I told him so.\u00a0 He went behind my back to Pa and got it anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n

A black horse was his brother\u2019s weakness.\u00a0 This one had been a beauty, but he was one of those wild horses that you somehow knew would never be tamed.\u00a0 Joe had been sure he could do it without getting his neck broken.\u00a0 He\u2019d disagreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you were mad at him, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMad?\u201d\u00a0 He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI was furious!\u00a0 We got into an argument, and then a fight.\u00a0 I walked away from the barn bleeding and bruised, not wishing that Joe would just go away, but that he\u2019d never been born!\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happened?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Adam paused, remembering the moment when Hoss had come running up to the house to get him less than an hour later.\u00a0 Joe had been working the horse.\u00a0 It had thrown him into the fence, knocking him out, and then broken through and disappeared into the night.\u00a0 They never found it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 The horse threw Joe off its back and he got hurt and I realized at that moment that he could have been gone.\u00a0 In a second.\u00a0 Gone.\u201d\u00a0 He drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cSo you see, even though it was bad for Joe to fall off the horse and get hurt, it taught me something.\u00a0 It taught me how much I loved him and would miss him if something happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo…\u201d Elizabeth began, \u201cJoe bein\u2019 taken by the bad men is remindin\u2019 us of how much we love him, so we\u2019ll remember not to get mad at him so easy?\u201d<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t exactly what he was aiming for, but it was close enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoooooo,\u201d she went on, \u201cmaybe if we love little brother a whole<\/em> bunch and don\u2019t never get mad again at him again, when we get Little Joe back, then God will keep him safe \u2018cause He won\u2019t think He needs to teach us nothin\u2019 anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

A child\u2019s logic.\u00a0 Simple and devastating at one and the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmen to that,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

As he spoke, Adam drew Sport to a halt.\u00a0 There was a lone figure walking along the road in front of them, headed south like they were.\u00a0 The man\u2019s shoulders were bent and he walked as if almost spent.\u00a0 He was very tall and very thin and…slightly familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth, you said that the reverend who came into town with you on the coach had something to do with Joe being taken, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her curly head bobbed against his chest.\u00a0 \u201cMrs. Guthrie said he unlocked a window so the bad men could get in.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met the man and, though their acquaintance had been brief, his mind retained the image of the preacher\u2019s very distinct figure.<\/p>\n

He was sure it was him on the road in front of them.<\/p>\n

A thousand thoughts whirled through his head at once \u2013 if it was<\/em> Godfrey, why was he on the road alone?\u00a0 Was<\/em> he alone?\u00a0 Maybe Rowse and the other man who traveled with him were watching from the tree line waiting to strike.\u00a0 And why was the reverend walking?\u00a0 Where was his horse?\u00a0 And if he had been with the men who had taken Joe, where was Joe?\u00a0 Did Godfrey know?<\/p>\n

Adam sucked in a deep breath and held it.<\/p>\n

He had <\/em>to know.<\/p>\n

For a moment, the black-haired man considered leaving Elizabeth behind, but then he realized that might be exactly what the outlaws wanted so that she too<\/em> could become a hostage against him.\u00a0 Transferring the reins to his left hand, he drew his pistol and leveled it at the lone figure walking slowly through the snow and began to advance.<\/p>\n

As they came alongside the reverend, Adam called out, \u201cGodfrey, stop where you are!\u00a0 Turn and face me!\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment.\u00a0 The reverend\u2019s reactions were slow.\u00a0 When Adam saw the condition the man was in and his face, he returned his gun to its holster.\u00a0 Atticus Godfrey was exhausted and his lean face the image of regret and remorse.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister…Mister Cartwright?\u201d he stammered.<\/p>\n

Adam dismounted, leaving Elizabeth in the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 I\u2019m Adam.\u00a0 And you\u2019re Atticus Godfrey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reverend nodded.\u00a0 Then he sank to his knees, right there, in the middle of the road.\u00a0 \u201cThank God….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam dropped beside him and took the preacher\u2019s shoulders in his hands.\u00a0 Angrily, he shook him.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is my brother?!\u00a0 Tell me!\u00a0 Where\u2019s Joe?\u00a0 Is he all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus looked up, meeting his fierce gaze without flinching.\u00a0 \u201cRowse intended to kill your brother, no matter whether the money was paid or not.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t….\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t<\/em> let that happen.\u00a0 I helped Joe to escape, but he was so weak….\u201d\u00a0 The reverend drew a breath before continuing and then next words he spoke were a knife to Adam\u2019s heart.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe was so weak from fever and blood loss, I was forced to leave him behind in order to seek help.\u00a0 I left him in a shallow depression a mile or so back, covered with everything warm I had.\u00a0 If Joe remains there \u2013 and Rowse doesn\u2019t find him \u2013 he has a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam released his grip.\u00a0 The man kneeling before him had helped to kidnap his brother, it was true.\u00a0 But it seemed he had been the one to rescue him as well.<\/p>\n

His anger turning quickly to fear, he asked, \u201cWhere is<\/em> Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The thin man swallowed, his Adam\u2019s apple bobbing.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know where the old Paiute graveyard is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he did.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot there.\u00a0 There\u2019s a cave high above the graveyard. Do you know it?\u201d\u00a0 When he nodded, the man went on.\u00a0 \u201c Rowse was holding Little Joe there, waiting for the ransom money.\u00a0 Your brother and I left it and traveled due south about two hours before he began to grow too weak to continue.\u00a0 That\u2019s where he is now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked back the way the reverend had come.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how long did you say you\u2019ve been traveling since you left<\/em> Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t be sure.\u00a0 Two, maybe three hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

In good weather a man could cover three or four miles an hour on flat terrain.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t good <\/em>weather and Atticus had been on foot, so make that one or one and a half.\u00a0 That put Joe at some one to two miles east of where they were now.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far off the road?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA quarter, maybe half a mile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood and began to pace.\u00a0 He had to find Joe.\u00a0 That meant he needed to take off at top speed now<\/em>.\u00a0 But there was the preacher and<\/em> Elizabeth to think of.\u00a0 He considered leaving the girl with Atticus, but quickly decided against it.\u00a0 He was headed into the unknown looking for Joe while Atticus was a known <\/em>danger.\u00a0 Even if he felt he could trust the preacher, Rowse and Noyes might be tracking him.\u00a0 And as far as all of them going, Scout simply couldn\u2019t carry three people.\u00a0\u00a0 It was as simple as that.\u00a0 Still, he hated to abandon the man to a lengthy walk alone through the snow and the cold.<\/p>\n

As if reading his mind, the reverend said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me.\u00a0 Go!\u00a0 Go save your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips were tight.\u00a0 \u201cYou may well freeze before you reach the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man reached out.\u00a0 Taking his offered hand, he rose to his feet.\u00a0 As their gazes locked, a smile touched Atticus\u2019 eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI have made my peace with God, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 What was lost is found, and mostly due to your brother.\u00a0 If I die, I die at peace.\u00a0 I wish I could care for the girl as you go into battle, but she is safer with you,\u201d he said as he released his hand.\u00a0 \u201cGo now, both of you, and go with God!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Elizabeth where she sat on the horse.\u00a0 It was true, still…<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGod be with you, reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus did a strange thing then.\u00a0 He grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in a long time, Mister Cartwright, I know<\/em> He is.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse knelt on the ground, looking at the signs of his prey\u2019s passage that were quickly vanishing in the snow.\u00a0 Someone had fallen, gotten up, and then fallen again.\u00a0 They\u2019d laid there a while in-between.\u00a0 Finally, whoever it was clawed their way up the side of a tree and started walking again.<\/p>\n

The outlaw fingered a frozen bead of blood.<\/p>\n

It had to be Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n

Rising, Rowse dusted the snow off his knees and then stared in the direction the tracks were leading.\u00a0 The kid was headed south.\u00a0 He probably thought he was on the path to home.\u00a0 What Cartwright didn\u2019t seem to realize was that he was about a quarter mile to the west of the main road, while the ranch lay on the east\u00a0 and the way he was goin\u2019, he\u2019d most likely pass by it.<\/p>\n

If he lived than long.<\/p>\n

Returning to his horse, Fleet\u00a0 Rowse mounted.\u00a0 There was still time to salvage the situation.\u00a0 He\u2019d no doubt have either the Cartwright kid or his corpse in hand in the next hour.\u00a0 He\u2019d take him back to Paiute land and see if the ransom had been delivered.\u00a0 If Ben Cartwright was there and demanded to see his son, he\u2019d show him, and then leave the kid behind in the cave either dead from the cold or because he\u2019d killed him.\u00a0 If Noyes had been loyal and was still there, they\u2019d head out together.\u00a0 If not, well, he\u2019d cut his losses and fly.\u00a0 He\u2019d have the money and Ben Cartwright would be on a wild goose chase to the next town.\u00a0 That much money would let him lay low for a long time.<\/p>\n

Long enough for the law to forget him even if Cartwright and his remaining sons never did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

PART FOUR & EPILOGUE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THIRTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s someone up there all right,\u201d Roy Coffee said as he arrived back at the spot in the frosty underbrush where Hop Sing was waitin\u2019.\u00a0 They were just outside the Paiute graveyard, lookin\u2019 up the hill at the entry of a cave set halfway along its side.\u00a0 He\u2019d just returned from checkin\u2019 it out.\u00a0 Rowse knew the area from his time with the Indians, so he\u2019d thought the outlaw might have considered makin\u2019 it his headquarters.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019d be danged<\/em> if he hadn\u2019t!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see Little Joe in cave?\u201d the China man asked.<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t see inside.\u00a0 I saw one man come out and look around.\u00a0 From the size of him, I\u2019d say it was the one I saw gettin\u2019 off the stage with Elizabeth and that preacher man.\u00a0 Name of Runyon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFat man come with skinny holy man.\u00a0 Help take Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy glanced at the cave again.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s boy could<\/em> be in there.\u00a0 There was no tellin\u2019.\u00a0 They was just gonna hafta find a way to take a look inside.\u00a0 Before he could suggest a plan, Hop Sing was on his feet and headed for his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go find number three son now!\u201d he proclaimed.<\/p>\n

The lawman caught his companion\u2019s arm and pulled him back.\u00a0 Lifting a finger, he wagged it in front of his face.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you just hold onto them there Chinese dragons of yours what are wantin\u2019 to take off with you, you hear?\u00a0 We go rushin\u2019 in, it could cost the boy his life.\u201d\u00a0 Roy scowled. \u201cWe gotta be subtle-like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing be subtle.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s cook scowled.\u00a0 \u201cSneak in quiet.\u00a0 Carry big stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, that was something.<\/em>\u00a0 At least he wasn\u2019t plannin\u2019 on takin\u2019 that there butcher knife he had.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t no way, Hop Sing.\u00a0 You and I gotta stick together.\u00a0 One of us needs to distract that man, draw him out of the cave, so the other one can go in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go in look for Little Joe?\u201d he asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

He was thinkin\u2019 that way.\u00a0 They\u2019d sneak up to the cave and he\u2019d make some kind of ruckus to\u00a0 draw whoever was in there outside.\u00a0 He\u2019d make up some excuse to keep them there a few minutes while the China man went inside and looked for Ben\u2019s boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to go in and get out quick,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 \u201cIf you find Joe, you gotta leave him until we can come up with a plan.\u00a0 There could be three of them \u2013 maybe more \u2013 all armed to the teeth.\u00a0 We got us one gun and a knife.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThem ain\u2019t even odds by anybody\u2019s account.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nod came slowly, but it came at last. \u201cHop Sing understand.\u00a0 Only hope Little Joe understand as well,\u201d he said, his voice full of hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Hop Sing, you gotta understand.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hurt, for one thing.\u00a0 He probably ain\u2019t movin\u2019 too fast.\u00a0 If you free the boy and the two of you come out of that cave and there\u2019s three bad hombres there armed with guns and only me standin\u2019 against them….\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy looked at him.\u00a0 The man was ready to give his life to save Little Joe.\u00a0 There was somethin\u2019 so admirable about that it near made him weep.\u00a0 He laid a hand on the cook\u2019s shoulder and then crossed over to Hop Sing\u2019s horse.\u00a0 Once there, he opened the pack strapped on the back of the saddle and took out the mean-looking weapon he had concealed there.\u00a0 Crossing back to Hop Sing, he held it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Roy want Hop Sing take knife?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t exactly that I \u2018want<\/em>\u2019 you to take it, but I think you need to.\u201d\u00a0 He held the cook\u2019s black-eyed gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you listen here, I\u2019m trustin\u2019 you with this.\u00a0 Its to defend yourself and Little Joe and maybe cut him loose.\u00a0 No killin\u2019, you hear, not unless absolutely <\/em>necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing took the knife and anchored it behind his belt.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing understand.\u00a0 Men who kill should not be<\/em> killed because one believes death will lead to protection of many others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy thought that through and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta remember that.\u00a0 That\u2019s a mighty fine way to put it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable grandfather wise man.\u00a0 Teach Hop Sing much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Hop Sing, I ain\u2019t particular to the way you and me got to spend some time together, but I sure am glad we did.\u00a0 You\u2019re a good man to have at my side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff good man too.\u00a0 Love Cartwrights near as much as Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy didn\u2019t have an answer to that.\u00a0 For the most part, he tried to steer clear of emotion.\u00a0 Ever since his wife had died, it ran in such a torrent just underneath the surface that he\u2019d had to build a dam of objectivity just to hold it back.<\/p>\n

It just wouldn\u2019t do for the sheriff of a rough and tumble Wild West town to be teary-eyed all the time.<\/p>\n

But he knew \u2013 like Hop Sing knew<\/em> \u2013 that the Cartwrights were special.\u00a0 And out of all of them it was that dang foolhardy, headstrong youngest son of Ben\u2019s that had wheedled his way into his heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s gonna be okay,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.<\/p>\n

And they were gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For how long he didn\u2019t know, all Joe had been able to do was concentrate on puttin\u2019 one foot in front of the other.\u00a0 His world had narrowed down to that \u2013 to the movement of one pointed boot toe and then the other.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look up.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look around. \u00a0He only looked down, watching his steps progress, feeling somehow comforted by that<\/em> fact alone \u2013 that his feet were <\/em>moving and, because of that, he <\/em>was moving too.<\/p>\n

Sadly, it all came to a painful stop when one of his toes hit a snow-covered rock and he fell, and then tumbled down a low rise and rolled onto the frozen surface of the creek at its bottom.\u00a0 And stopping wasn\u2019t proving to be a good thing for him \u2018cause now that he had time to think, he realized just how <\/em>rotten he felt.\u00a0 He still had those thin woolen blankets wrapped around his lean frame, only now they were as covered with snow as he was and doin\u2019 little to warm him.\u00a0 His teeth were chatterin\u2019 and he couldn\u2019t hold still.\u00a0 But worse, even though bein\u2019 cold as the north side of January and shakin\u2019 like someone was siftin\u2019 him for gold was pretty bad, he could feel a steady heat radiating from his shoulder wound.\u00a0 The last time he\u2019d looked at the cut, it\u2019d grown in size and was wearin\u2019 a ring of red. \u00a0\u00a0It was seriously infected.<\/p>\n

Laying there on his back, with snowflakes settling on his thick eyelashes and kissing his lips, Joe pondered idly which it would be better to die from.\u00a0 Infection or the cold?\u00a0 He decided in the end that freezin\u2019 to death was a better choice and if it looked like his fever was gonna go high enough that he\u2019d be screamin\u2019 out of his head, he\u2019d just take all his clothes off and lie down in the snow and die.<\/p>\n

He could do it now.<\/p>\n

If he did it now, it would all be over.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t have to try to crawl back up that hill, or walk on frozen feet to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t have to worry about Fleet Rowse catchin\u2019 him anymore, or about what the outlaw would do when he did<\/em> catch him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d just go to sleep and it would all be over.<\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his heartbeat.\u00a0 It seemed to echo off the hard sheet of ice beneath him.\u00a0 The beat sounded fast and wrong<\/em> and that meant his fever was rising.\u00a0 All too soon he\u2019d be beyond walking, beyond even getting up to try \u2013 beyond choosing.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was funny when you were dyin\u2019 \u2013 or close to it \u2013 the things you thought about.\u00a0 Silly things, really, like mama brushing her hair.\u00a0 She always brushed it at night and then braided it.\u00a0 Sometimes she\u2019d let him brush it.\u00a0 He loved to do it \u2018cause her hair had been like spun gold and soft as the fur on a kitten.\u00a0 His pa would come over while he was doing it and kiss Mama on the nape of her neck.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d kissed her there too.\u00a0 Mama\u2019s skin had been soft as her hair and smelled of lavender soap.\u00a0 Adam told him once that lavender represented refinement, grace, and elegance, and was the flower of femininity.<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 Adam always did like to use big words.\u00a0 Older brother could have just said it smelled like a girl.<\/p>\n

That girl Adam liked when he was little smelled like lavender.\u00a0 Her name was Adelaide.\u00a0 He remembered smellin\u2019 her as she walked by and thinking she must have taken a bath with his mama. That was the first time he had ever seen Adam cry.\u00a0 One minute Addie had been standing by the hitchin\u2019 rail with big brother and the next, she was gone.\u00a0 Seeing Adam so sad made him sad too.\u00a0 Hoss had found him crying later in the barn and when he told him why, middle brother said they had to do somethin\u2019 to cheer older brother up.\u00a0 Being boys, they thought pullin\u2019 a joke and makin\u2019 him laugh was a good way to do it.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d found Adam on the far side of the house chopping wood.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken older brother\u2019s hand and led him to the barn, telling him he wanted to see the horses.\u00a0 When they got there Hoss dumped a big pile of hay on his head and then the two of them started poundin\u2019 him.\u00a0 Adam got mad \u2013 really<\/em> mad.\u00a0 Pretty soon he started poundin\u2019 back.\u00a0 When they were all covered with cuts and bruises, he sat back and looked at them and shook his head, and then started to laugh and laugh.<\/p>\n

Joe sure wished he <\/em>felt like laughing.<\/p>\n

Oh, he knew he had a laugh like a hyena, or maybe a high-spirited girl.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t anything he could do about it.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t come from practice or nothin\u2019.\u00a0 It just bubbled up inside him and overflowed like water in a pitcher you weren\u2019t paying attention to while you filled it.\u00a0 When he was little \u2013 maybe eight or nine \u2013 one of the hands had made fun of his laugh and he\u2019d stopped for two whole weeks.\u00a0 His pa\u2019d come up to him one day and asked him what he\u2019d done wrong.\u00a0 Well, that puzzled him.\u00a0 When he asked the older man what he meant, Pa said he had to have done something wrong because he was being punished.\u00a0 \u2018How are you bein\u2019 punished, Pa?\u2019 he\u2019d asked him.\u00a0 Pa said \u2018Joseph, your laughter is a gift and since you\u2019re withholding it, something must be wrong.\u00a0 I can\u2019t live without your laughter.\u2019<\/p>\n

Imagine that.\u00a0 His giggly, girly, silly laugh, a gift.<\/p>\n

Joe shifted his shoulder, easing the ache in it.\u00a0 Pa told him then that he and his brothers were gifts too.\u00a0 Gifts from God, and he couldn\u2019t live without any of them either.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t live without him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, if that didn\u2019t beat all.<\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright drew a strengthening breath and rolled over onto his side.\u00a0 A second later he let it out as he sat up and waited for the world to right itself.\u00a0 At this moment he didn\u2019t give a damn if he lived or died, but he sure enough didn\u2019t want Pa to die, and that meant he needed to get back on his feet and start to put one foot in front of the other again and to do it until he reached home.<\/p>\n

Figuring the ice was no place to try standing, Joe pulled his body forward and off of it using his hands.\u00a0 Once he reached the shore he just kept crawling.\u00a0 He\u2019d hunkered his fingers down under the blanket for the most part to keep them from freezing, but now he used them to grab handfuls of the icy underbrush that lined the hill.\u00a0 Slowly, painfully, he worked his way to the top until his head crested above it.<\/p>\n

There, in the distance, was a rider.\u00a0 Whoever it was, was coming toward him, riding slow, looking to the left and right and calling out \u2018Joe!\u00a0 Joe Cartwright!\u2019.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see the man clearly since he was bundled like a baby in a heavy winter coat, with a thick scarf tied around his face and hat, and warm, leather gloves covering his hands.\u00a0 Still, he knew who it was.<\/p>\n

Who else would come out into the middle of a snowstorm looking for him?<\/p>\n

Throwing his body forward, Joe reached out toward the ghostlike figure and cried out feebly, \u201cPa.\u00a0 Pa, I\u2019m here….\u00a0 Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

The horse came to a stop.\u00a0 Boots crunched the frozen grass and then appeared beside his head.\u00a0 After a moment the man crouched and took hold of a handful of his frozen curls and lifted up his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy if it ain\u2019t<\/em> Joe Cartwright,\u201d he breathed, blowing out vapor that quickly dissipated on the wind.<\/p>\n

Confused, Joe tried again.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 Am I home, Pa…?\u201d<\/p>\n

The fingers tightened in his hair as the cold icy nose of a revolver was applied to his temple.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you\u2019re home, kid.\u00a0 You\u2019re in my<\/em> home,\u201d the man sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had already been a long hard ride and they were still hours away from home.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright pitched his hat lower to stave off the biting wind and ducked his head as a particularly strong gust struck him where he sat on Buck\u2019s back.\u00a0 The snow it blew with it had a bite now.\u00a0 The temperature must be hovering between freezing and a degree or two above.\u00a0 All in all it was simply miserable and he would have given anything to be home sitting in his chair in the great room by the hearth, surrounded by his sons and sipping a brandy.<\/p>\n

Glancing at his middle boy, who rode by his side, Ben knew Hoss felt the same.\u00a0 No one in their right mind would be out in this.\u00a0 It was a mark of Hoss\u2019 devotion that he continued on in spite of weather that would have made most anyone else pitch a camp, light a fire, and settle in for the duration.<\/p>\n

After all, they didn\u2019t really<\/em> know anything was wrong.<\/p>\n

Beside him, his son checked his horse and then sat up in the saddle, listening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Ben asked as he did the same.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t sure, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 The big man sat back down.\u00a0 \u201cMight of been my imagination.\u00a0 I thought I heard a couple of horses whinnying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his horse\u2019s neck and gave him an encouraging word.\u00a0 The animal was uneasy and ready to move on.\u00a0 The buckskin\u2019s answering snort made him smile.\u00a0 Buck was probably as cold and miserable as he was!<\/p>\n

After listening a few seconds, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t hear anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe neither.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss frowned.\u00a0 \u201cBut I sure do think I did before.\u201d\u00a0 He eyed the trees to the right of the road.\u00a0 \u201cYou think we ought to check it out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re near one of the line shacks, aren\u2019t we?\u201d the older man asked.\u00a0 Ben thought he recognized the area.\u00a0 Farther along the road somewhere \u2013 probably visible from here on another day \u2013 was a tall stacks of rocks that marked the trail to the shack. The natural tower lay to the east of the road, while the sound had come from the west.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mile or so to the shack yet,\u201d Hoss answered.\u00a0 \u201cIf I was Adam or Joe and I was out in this, I\u2019d sure enough head there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the sound came from the opposite side?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shifted in his seat and drew his collar up, dislodging small chips of ice and snowflakes as he did.\u00a0 \u201cIt will only take a short time to check it out.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we dare risk going on without doing so.\u00a0 Even if its not one of your brothers, whoever it is might need our help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u2018spect you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he turned Buck\u2019s nose west, the older man heard it too.\u00a0 Only this time the distant horse squealed, indicating someone was attempting to get it to do something it didn\u2019t<\/em> want to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds pretty far away this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was working to calm Chubb who had been upset by the animal\u2019s cry.\u00a0 \u201cNot so far away, Pa. I think its just up in the hills,\u201d he said as he shifted his grip.\u00a0 \u201cYou know that old cave is up there.\u00a0 The one Joe and me used to play in while you\u2019d was visitin\u2019 with whoever was working out of the shack.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a vision of it, though he\u2019d spent little time there.\u00a0 The longest he had been in that cave was the time it took to pull his young sons out of it.\u00a0 As boys he had a hard time convincing them that such caves were rarely unoccupied.<\/p>\n

The same might prove true now.<\/p>\n

\u201cA cave would be a good place to get out of the cold,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

His son grinned.\u00a0 \u201cJust what I was thinkin\u2019, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pulled up short.<\/p>\n

There had been a shot.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded even before he could ask if he had heard it.<\/p>\n

Seconds later, they both moved into the trees.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy had taken out Noyes Runyon\u2019s gun at the last second.\u00a0 Danged if that city feller\u2019s fancy little cut-down pistol with a snub nose hadn\u2019t made enough noise to wake the dead, goin\u2019 off like it did inside<\/em> the cave!\u00a0 He glanced at Hop Sing who was holding the man at bay with the kitchen knife to his throat.\u00a0 Noyes had almost got the China man.<\/p>\n

It had been close.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d come up slow and easy on the cave \u2018cause about a half-mile out they\u2019d heard horses nickerin\u2019 and snortin\u2019.\u00a0 Hop Sing knew the best way to reach it unseen.\u00a0 He said Ben had sent him up here to find Hoss and Joe one time when they\u2019d been visitin\u2019 the ranch hand workin\u2019 the line.\u00a0 When the boys failed to listen to him, he\u2019d done gone back to their pa and he guessed the fireworks that had gone off that day rivaled anythin\u2019 the Fourth of July could deliver.\u00a0 Just as they\u2019d arrived, a man had stepped out \u2013 a big fat man wearin\u2019 a suit.\u00a0 It was Runyon, of course.\u00a0 He stood for a minute lookin\u2019 south, and then went back inside.<\/p>\n

At that point it\u2019d been all he could do to hold Hop Sing back in spite of what they\u2019d agreed to earlier.\u00a0 Finally, he convinced the China man by remindin\u2019 him that they had to take it real<\/em> slow so\u2019s nothin\u2019 happened to Little Joe if he was <\/em>inside.\u00a0 They\u2019d mounted the hill by the cook\u2019s back way and then stood one to each side of the entryway of the cave, listenin\u2019.\u00a0 The echoes made it hard to be sure, but he thought from the sound that only Runyon was inside.\u00a0 Even so, he decided to stick with the first plan with only one variation \u2013 it\u2019d be Hop Sing who would draw the man out, so\u2019s he could take him the minute he did.<\/p>\n

Movin\u2019 into position, he\u2019d signaled Hop Sing and waited.<\/p>\n

It took a minute but Noyes finally came out.\u00a0 Still, like he sensed somethin\u2019, the businessman stayed just within the cave.\u00a0 He and Hop Sing talked a while and then that fool China man followed him inside like he was one of them fearless dragons he was always talkin\u2019 about!\u00a0 Roy knew it wouldn\u2019t take long \u2013 and it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Within two minutes they was hollerin\u2019 at each other.\u00a0 Throwin\u2019 caution to the wind, he\u2019d stepped into the cave only to find Ben\u2019s cook backed up against the wall and Runyon pullin\u2019 his sorry excuse for a pistol out of his inner coat pocket.<\/p>\n

Noyes looked mean as a rattler gone too long without his supper.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had his own gun in his hand as he entered.\u00a0 The two men was awful close, but he thought he had a clear shot.\u00a0 The lawman watched amazement dawn on the China man\u2019s face as the bullet whizzed close\u00a0 by his chin and took Noyes in the hand, throwing that there little pistol of his wide and makin\u2019 him let loose his grip.\u00a0 Hop Sing had his knife out in seconds and had switched places, backing the city slicker up against the cave wall before he had time to make it all the way inside.<\/p>\n

Maybe keepin\u2019 him as a deputy would be a right smart idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go, you Oriental miscreant!\u201d Noyes Runyon snarled.\u00a0 \u201cIf you so much as nick my skin with that cleaver, I\u2019ll have my lawyer take you and your employer for every cent you have!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy loped over and sized him up.\u00a0 Runyon\u2019s face was livid, pert near as red as a blistered backside.\u00a0 He was sweatin\u2019 like pig iron and tremblin\u2019 to boot.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you see here, Mister Runyon,\u201d Roy drawled.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s been duly sworn in and deputized.\u00a0 Now, I\u2019ll agree, a kitchen knife ain\u2019t the usual weapon of choice for a lawman, but it\u2019s all nice and legal-like, if you take my meanin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSays the country bumpkin!\u201d the fat man snorted.<\/p>\n

Roy pursed his lips and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like this here country bumpkin and Oriental miscreant got the upper hand on you mighty fast.\u00a0\u00a0 And afore you try to tell us you done nothin\u2019 wrong, we got three eye-ball witnesses says you did \u2013 Hop Sing here bein\u2019 one of them.\u201d\u00a0 He paused for effect.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what the penalty is for attempted robbery, kidnappin\u2019 a boy, and attempted murder here in Nevada?\u201d<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon\u2019s jaw went tight.\u00a0 His lips might of said nothing, but his eyes weren\u2019t as good at keepin\u2019 quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how I see it, Noyes,\u201d he said, using the man\u2019s first name.\u00a0 \u201cYou can either be one of three tried for all those crimes \u2013 and maybe the only<\/em> one if we don\u2019t catch that preacher man or Fleet Rowse \u2013 or you can be the one who falls on the mercy of the court \u2018cause he done helped the law rescue Little Joe Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noyes wouldn\u2019t meet his gaze and that sent a chill through him had nothing to do with the temperature.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing saw it to and his pressed the knife into one of the fleshy rolls under the fat man\u2019s chin.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you do to Little Joe?!\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Roy let him go.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think the China man would kill Runyon and puttin\u2019 the scare into him just might help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did nothing!\u201d the man snarled.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Rowse!\u00a0 First he stabbed the boy and then he did nothing to care for the wound, so it festered.\u201d\u00a0 Runyon drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cAtticus betrayed us and freed the boy.\u00a0 They took off together several hours ago.\u00a0 Fleet went after them.\u201d\u00a0 Roy saw his eyes go to Hop Sing; watched Runyon brace himself.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt he\u2019s alive by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord Almighty,\u201d Roy breathed out in a prayer.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cWe need go look for Little Joe.\u00a0 Leave man alone here to freeze!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was temptin\u2019, he had to admit it.<\/p>\n

The lawman shook his head.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018Fraid we cain\u2019t do that, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Say Fleet Rowse finds Joe and brings him back here?\u00a0 We cain\u2019t take a chance on missin\u2019 him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCannot stay here when Little Joe out in snow, maybe dying!\u201d he protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you the boy\u2019s already dead,\u201d Runyon growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just shut your yap.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no one interested in your opinion!\u201d he snapped.\u00a0 A second later, the lawman added, \u201cThe way I see it, Noyes, you\u2019re under arrest for attempted murder, and that means you ain\u2019t got any right to an opinion until you got yourself a lawyer.\u201d\u00a0 Roy removed the scarf from his neck and wrapped it around the businessman\u2019s mouth, silencing him. \u201cTake him to the back, Hop Sing, and tie him up tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The China man was smilin\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing tie up bad man like Sunday roast.\u00a0 He not get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy was about to answer when he heard a noise.\u00a0 It was small and hardly there at all, but he recognized it.<\/p>\n

Someone was sneakin\u2019 up on the cave.<\/p>\n

After signaling Hop Sing to keep goin\u2019, the lawman moved forward.\u00a0 Roy hugged the shadows, moving with caution, ready for anything.<\/p>\n

The figure of a man dressed in a heavy coat with pistol drawn appeared suddenly, framed by the cave maw.\u00a0 It was quickly followed by another \u2013 a great big man with a rifle in his hand, wearin\u2019 a ten gallon hat.<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee let out one big<\/em> sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

It was Ben and Hoss Cartwright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood outside of the cave, staring off toward the south, willing his vision to penetrate the snow and the ice and the growing dark.\u00a0 His son, Joseph, was out there somewhere ill, perhaps freezing to death.<\/p>\n

Perhaps already dead.<\/p>\n

It had been a pleasant surprise at first to find Roy Coffee in the cave.\u00a0 He had no idea what the lawman would be doing out in the snow, but assumed it had something to do with him being sheriff.\u00a0 Then he had seen Hop Sing and the world had tilted sideways.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 strong grip on his elbow had steadied him until the wave of disbelief turned to one of slowly mounting terror.\u00a0 There was no reason for Hop Sing to be here unless something had happened to Joe \u2013 something that involved the law and the man trussed up in the back of the cave.\u00a0 When he asked what had happened Roy had turned to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

The man from China couldn\u2019t look at him.<\/p>\n

Slowly the horrific tale had unraveled.\u00a0 The man they had welcomed into their home, Atticus Godfrey, was working with the outlaw Fleet Rowse and another man.\u00a0 Atticus had let Rowse in so he could steal the payroll money, and when the outlaw found out there was nothing in the safe, he had kidnapped Joseph.\u00a0 A ransom note had been received the next day instructing him \u2013 Ben Cartwright \u2013 to take ten thousand dollars to the Paiute graveyard.\u00a0 It was to have been delivered by dawn \u2013 at least eight hours ago \u2013 or Joseph would be….killed.\u00a0 Thankfully, the threat had not been carried out.<\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey had helped Joseph escape.<\/p>\n

God alone knew why.\u00a0 Perhaps the man had a change of heart, or maybe he\u2019d been pretending all along, but for whatever reason the reverend had freed Little Joe and gone along with him, disappearing into the snow and the cold.\u00a0 Godfrey was a slender reed of a man, not very strong or powerful.\u00a0 Joseph, from what he understood, was wounded as well as worn.\u00a0 In ideal circumstances it would have been hard for the pair to make the Ponderosa.\u00a0 And the circumstances here were far from ideal.<\/p>\n

Noyes told them.\u00a0 An hour or two later, Fleet Rowse had set out to find them.<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes against the gulf of premature grief that opened before him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in this place before \u2013 with Adam and<\/em> with Joe, where they\u2019d been held captive \u2013 and both had survived.\u00a0 The older man\u2019s near-black eyes flicked to the surrounding wilderness.\u00a0 But never like this.\u00a0 Never in the midst of an untimely winter that had struck the land with killing force.<\/p>\n

Never with Joseph being pursued by a madman.<\/p>\n

He felt his middle son come up behind him before he spoke.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing followed close behind.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

It had been decided that Roy would remain behind with Noyes Runyon, both to keep track of the outlaw and to be there in case Rowse returned with Joseph.\u00a0 He, Hoss, and Hop Sing were going to head south in search of Joe and Atticus.\u00a0 He\u2019d hesitated to leave Roy alone, but found he couldn\u2019t leave the man from China behind.\u00a0 Hop Sing still would not look him in the eye.\u00a0 He felt a personal responsibility for what happened and it was killing him.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mistah Ben leave Hop Sing in charge,\u2019 he had said.\u00a0 \u2018Hop Sing fail Little Joe.\u00a0 Fail father and brothers.\u00a0 Hop Sing no deserve to live.\u2019<\/p>\n

No amount of arguing could change his mind.\u00a0 In the end the best thing he could think of was to let Hop Sing help in the search for Joe and hope that his cook and friend could find some peace in the resolution of their current dilemma.<\/p>\n

God willing it was the one they desired.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d he responded.\u00a0 \u201cYour…brother needs us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The slight hesitation made Hoss ask, \u201cYou still worried about Adam too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy had told them about the note.\u00a0 While he was glad to find his eldest son was also on the hunt for Joseph, he was astonished to know that Elizabeth Carnaby was with him.<\/p>\n

She was one amazing<\/em> girl!<\/p>\n

Ben drew a breath and held it a moment before letting it out in a cloud of white.\u00a0 \u201cI just can\u2019t shake that dream, son.\u00a0 The image of your brothers laying together, slowly being buried in snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

His own pain was reflected in his son\u2019s sky-blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d wager that intuition of yours, Pa, against a hand held by the best card sharp in Virginia City.\u00a0 If you say they\u2019re both in trouble, then I ain\u2019t doubtin\u2019 you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intuition.<\/em>\u00a0 Was that what it was?\u00a0 Webster\u2019s called that \u2018the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.\u2019\u00a0 Direct knowledge.\u00a0 Yes, it was that.\u00a0 Direct knowledge of the heart.<\/em>\u00a0 His boys were bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.\u00a0 They were a part of him, and when a part of him was threatened or in danger, he knew it.<\/p>\n

As he knew it now.<\/p>\n

He called it God-given insight.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben, Mistah Hoss, horses ready,\u201d Hop Sing said, his voice a bare whisper above the whistling wind.<\/p>\n

The older man turned toward the man people called his \u2018cook\u2019, who was in reality his friend, confidant, and advisor, as well as a surrogate parent to his children.\u00a0 Walking over to him, Ben placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 He refused to lift it until the man from China looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not your fault,\u201d Ben said, repeating again the words he had spoken a dozen times that day.\u00a0 \u201cIt is the fault of a madman whose lust for easy money and desire to bring pain will drive him to any lengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing hung his head.\u00a0 \u201cShould not have been walking outside,\u201d he answered quietly, \u201clooking at stars while bad men come in house and hurt Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I shouldn\u2019t have been riding to a round-up when my home was overrun.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, neither of us had any way of knowing what was about to happen.\u00a0 We\u2019re neither seers nor sages.\u201d<\/p>\n

His friend lifted his head.\u00a0 His black eyes shining.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben try make Hop Sing feel better.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing struck his chest with his fist.\u00a0 \u201cNo can feel better while heart is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben choked back tears.<\/p>\n

No can feel better while heart is broken. <\/em><\/p>\n

Finding Joseph and Adam alive and well was the only way any<\/em> of them would mend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOURTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pain.<\/p>\n

Pain and cold.<\/p>\n

Cold and…pain.<\/em><\/p>\n

Such were the boundaries of Joe Cartwright\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in a blast of icy air as the toe of Fleet Rowse\u2019s boot made contact with his ribs again.\u00a0 After finding him, the outlaw had lifted him up bodily and slung him over the saddle in front of him and started to ride.\u00a0 Every step the horse took was torture.\u00a0 The only good thing about the position he was in, where his inflamed shoulder struck the leather saddle each time the horse\u2019s foot contacted the frozen earth, was that it kept him awake.<\/p>\n

Awake and thinking.<\/p>\n

He knew what awaited him at the end of the journey.\u00a0 No matter what, Rowse would kill him.\u00a0 The only reason the outlaw was keeping him alive was to show him as living proof to his pa so he could get the ransom.\u00a0 A man like Rowse wouldn\u2019t hesitate to break his word.\u00a0 He\u2019d shoot him on the spot and run, or take off with him and abandon him somewhere along the way where he would die alone.\u00a0 Of course, escaping meant he might face that same thing \u2013 dying with no one there \u2013 but it would on his own<\/em> terms.<\/p>\n

Somehow that made the thought of it…well…tolerable, at least.<\/p>\n

As they moved along and the afternoon passed toward evening, the outlaw\u2019s head began to nod.\u00a0 Rowse had been on the run for days without sleep and it was finally catchin\u2019 up to him.\u00a0 Joe felt the grip on his belt loosen and the reins fall slack against his back.\u00a0 He waited until the horse had drawn to a stop and then eased himself backward until the half of him that hung right of the saddle outweighed the half hanging to the left.<\/p>\n

Joe slid off, caught his breath, and was up and running in ten seconds.<\/p>\n

Rowse was after him in thirty.<\/p>\n

At first he thought God was surely<\/em> with him as he began to outdistance the outlaw.\u00a0 Slippin\u2019 and slidin\u2019, he headed away from the setting sun, knowing that direction was toward the open road.\u00a0 If he could just find somebody \u2013 some fool out travelin\u2019 in a storm \u2013 he could yell for help.\u00a0 While a stranger might not believe him, they\u2019d have no reason to believe Rowse either.\u00a0 They\u2019d hold them both, take them back to town to Roy.<\/p>\n

Or if he was lucky, home to whoever was there.<\/p>\n

Then, it happened.\u00a0 His feet hit a crusted-over spot on the bank of a creek that was partially thawed and he fell face forward into the icy water with a cry.\u00a0 Joe managed to struggle back up out of it, but when he turned, it was to find Rowse standin\u2019 there, staring at him, looking mean as a snake.\u00a0 The outlaw grabbed him by the collar and drug him over to his horse and threw him to the ground at its feet.\u00a0 Then he bent down and pressed the nose of his gun into the mass of his matted curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should kill you now, Cartwright.\u00a0 The money ain\u2019t worth the fuss!\u201d he hissed.<\/p>\n

Joe knew he shouldn\u2019t say it.<\/p>\n

He did anyhow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why don\u2019t <\/em>you?\u201d he growled between chattering teeth.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna kill me later anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, a bullet would be quicker than freezing to death or dying alone, raving from a fever.<\/p>\n

Rowse stared at him.\u00a0 Slowly, the outlaw\u2019s finger retreated from the trigger. He sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, Cartwright, you want<\/em> it so much!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then Rowse began to kick him again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was seldom Adam Cartwright didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 \u2018Think, plan, execute\u2019 were the watch words of his well-ordered life.<\/p>\n

Now<\/em> was one of those times where \u2018order\u2019 was only<\/em> a word.<\/p>\n

Adam shielded Elizabeth Carnaby with his body in an attempt to keep her from witnessing evil at its finest.\u00a0 He could feel the little girl pressed up against the back of his legs; her fingers clutching the cloth.\u00a0 Felt it each time she winced and a tremor ran the length of her small body.<\/p>\n

Each wince occasioned by one of Little Joe\u2019s screams.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been heading north toward the cave.\u00a0 He\u2019d decided at the last minute to cut a bit west to save some time.\u00a0 As they traveled, a few animals had run past as if fleeing something.\u00a0 Adam licked his lips and sighted along his gun, aiming for the man who was standing above his brother\u2019s curled-up form, kicking him in the side as Joe cried out.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t want to kill a man in front of Elizabeth, but the way things were going it seemed he was going to have little choice.\u00a0 If he didn\u2019t do something soon, Rowse could inflict permanent damage.<\/p>\n

If he hadn\u2019t already done so.<\/p>\n

Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, the outlaw dropped to his knees beside Joe.\u00a0 Adam watched as Rowse took hold of his brother\u2019s curly hair and lifted him up.\u00a0 A second later he scooted in behind Joe and began to lift him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d missed his chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you gonna kill the bad man?\u201d a small voice squeaked from behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to,\u201d he answered, his eyes never leaving the scene before him.\u00a0 The outlaw was carrying Joe, who was limp in his arms, toward his horse.\u00a0 \u201cBut I may have no choice.\u00a0 If Rowse gets away with Little Joe….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou..you can leave me if you gotta,\u201d the girl said.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at her.\u00a0 The child was remarkable!\u00a0 She\u2019d shown significant courage months before when she helped his brother.\u00a0 Now here she was, doing it again by offering to remain behind alone in the snow while he went to help Joe.\u00a0 Adam turned to Scout.\u00a0 His faithful horse stood nearby.\u00a0 If he mounted and flew after Rowse, he was sure he could overcome him and rescue his brother.\u00a0 But not with Elizabeth riding in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to do that,\u201d he admitted between gritted teeth.<\/p>\n

Rowse had Joe in place before him.\u00a0 His arm was around Joe\u2019s middle and he was getting ready to ride.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man felt Elizabeth\u2019s fingers release his pants legs.\u00a0 \u201cGo on!\u201d she ordered, her whisper fierce as the night.\u00a0 \u201cYou go save <\/em>little brother!\u00a0 I\u2019ll be fine!\u201d<\/p>\n

No, she wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 But he was quickly coming to realize there was really little choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t move?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll stay right where you are?\u00a0 Promise?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl crossed her heart.\u00a0 \u201cHope to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced at that.\u00a0 Then, to lighten the moment as much for himself as her, Adam asked, \u201cYou don\u2019t have your fingers crossed behind your back like Little Joe always does, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth showed him both hands.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowse was nudging his skittish horse with his knees, readying to move.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hazel eyes bored into her.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay right here until I come back.\u00a0 You hear me?\u00a0 Elizabeth, don\u2019t move for anything.<\/em>\u00a0 If you do, I might never find you again.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The child\u2019s jaw clenched.\u00a0 She straightened her spine and nodded.<\/p>\n

A second later Adam Cartwright was on his horse speeding after Little Joe and the man who had taken him.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the ground was irregular, covered as it was with ice and crusted snow.\u00a0 Unfortunately, as well, Fleet Rowse became aware of him all too quickly since there was no way to mask the sound of his approach.\u00a0 The outlaw threw a sharp look at him \u2013 one that could easily have killed \u2013 and then put his heels to his horse\u2019s side and began to pull away.<\/p>\n

Adam had his gun in his hand.\u00a0 He hesitated to use it for fear the shot would spook Rowse\u2019s horse and the animal might stumble and fall, crushing Joe.\u00a0 But then, what choice did he have?\u00a0 If Rowse got away with his brother, Joe would be as disposable to the villain as trash.<\/p>\n

In spite of the freezing temperatures, sweat dripped into Adam\u2019s eyes as he rode.\u00a0 It was hard to take aim on a running horse anyhow, and that made it worse.\u00a0 As Rowse disappeared into a puff of snow and then reappeared again, the black-haired man still <\/em>hesitated.\u00a0 Even if the horse didn\u2019t stumble, he\u00a0 might hit Joe instead of Rowse or the bullet might pass through<\/em> Rowse and into Joe.<\/p>\n

And yet….he was going to lose Little Joe if he didn\u2019t do something and do it soon!<\/p>\n

Sending a prayer heavenward that his aim would be true, Adam aimed and pulled the trigger.\u00a0 Rowse jerked forward.<\/p>\n

Time slowed.<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse straightened up.<\/p>\n

He took hold of Joe.<\/p>\n

The outlaw twisted in the saddle to look at him and then, grunting, cast his brother off.<\/p>\n

Joe fell.<\/p>\n

His little brother hit the ground and rolled.<\/p>\n

Over and over Little Joe rolled until he disappeared, falling into the ravine and the pit of darkness below.<\/p>\n

Finally, Rowse met his horrified stare, his own Devil\u2019s face filled with obscene delight.<\/p>\n

As time sped up again, Adam reined in Scout.\u00a0 He stared at the darkness to his left for several long heartbeats and then turned back to look at Rowse.\u00a0 The outlaw had paused several yards away.\u00a0 The villain sat there unmoving, looking like a ghoul.\u00a0 He wanted to go after him.\u00a0 Oh God, how much he wanted to go after that outlaw!\u00a0 But, in the end, he couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

It was Joe who mattered.\u00a0 Joe who \u2013 wounded, most likely fevered and sick \u2013 was laying at the bottom of the ravine buried in snow<\/p>\n

Adam dismounted and ran to the edge and peered down.\u00a0 Below was a sea of blue shadows.\u00a0 As he dropped to his knees, searching it with his eyes, he had two thoughts.<\/p>\n

One, it was a long<\/em> way down.\u00a0 Joe might already be dead.<\/p>\n

Two, he was incredibly <\/em>stupid.<\/p>\n

Rowse probably had a gun.<\/p>\n

Even as the sound of the shot reverberated through the late afternoon air Adam reacted, throwing himself\u00a0 over the edge and into the ravine after his brother.\u00a0 As he did, he felt something red-hot sear his flesh.\u00a0 Pain exploded as he slid down the snow-covered bank and rolled to a stop.<\/p>\n

On top of Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d Adam whispered as a shaking hand went to his wounded side.<\/p>\n

And then everything went black.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth Carnaby stood still as the snow fell around her and the howling wind took hold of it and swept it away.\u00a0 She hugged her arms around her trembling body and wondered what she should do.\u00a0 Mister Adam had said to stay put \u2018til he came back so he could find her, but he hadn\u2019t told her what to do if he didn\u2019t come <\/em>back.\u00a0 It was hard to tell time out here, but she knew he\u2019d been gone too long.\u00a0 If Adam\u2019d caught the bad man and got Little Joe, they would have been back by now.\u00a0 Besides, she\u2019d heard a gun shot and that couldn\u2019t be good.\u00a0 She knew the sound from when her pa had taken her hunting.\u00a0 There was a click and a flash of light and smoke and a boom, all at one and the same time.<\/p>\n

And then silence.<\/p>\n

The little girl looked down.\u00a0 Scout\u2019s tracks were visible in the snow.\u00a0 It was late and getting dark, but she could still<\/em> see them.\u00a0 If she waited any longer she wouldn\u2019t be able to and then she\u2019d have to stay right where she was until someone found her.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know all that much about how long a person could stay out in the snow, but she thought overnight was probably pushin\u2019 it.<\/p>\n

Coming to a decision, Elizabeth began to walk.<\/p>\n

As she did, the little girl thought back over the things her pa had told her that time they\u2019d gone huntin\u2019 in the winter.\u00a0 Ma never liked it when he took her huntin\u2019, but Pa insisted she learn.\u00a0 He said if somethin\u2019 ever happened to him \u2013 especially when it was cold and they couldn\u2019t expect help from anybody else \u2013\u00a0 someone needed to know how to bring home meat for the table.\u00a0 With her bein\u2019 the oldest and Ma bein\u2019 so busy with Jack, it fell to her.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth snickered.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 The image in her mind of her little brother Jack wearin a diaper and holdin\u2019 a rifle was awful funny.<\/p>\n

She and her pa had been trackin\u2019 a deer.\u00a0 They\u2019d walked for hours.\u00a0 She\u2019d been awful cold by the time they stopped to make a camp and said so.\u00a0 While they ate their food and drank warmed cider,\u00a0 Pa had told her what to do if she was ever caught out in the snow by herself.\u00a0 \u2018Find shelter\u2019, he said.\u00a0 \u2018Build a fire.\u00a0 Melt some snow and drink it, and then hunker down and wait.\u2019\u00a0 Pa\u2019d explained that wanderin\u2019 around didn\u2019t do a person a lot of good \u2018cause when people came lookin\u2019, they\u2019d find the place you\u2019d been but might not find the place you were.<\/em><\/p>\n

The snow was knee-deep to her, which meant it was probably shin-high to Mister Adam.\u00a0 The wind had pushed it around so much it had left places that were clear, and other places where it was piled near high as her waist.\u00a0 Elizabeth shivered and let out a sigh.\u00a0 She liked snow, or at least she always had before.\u00a0 She liked it when she was all wrapped up in a blanket and warm in her house and she could sit and look out the window and watch it falling.\u00a0 She liked it too when she and Jack went into the front yard to make snow angels. It looked so pretty, sparklin\u2019 like stars in the sky.\u00a0 Turning her eyes on the vast expanse of white before her, she shook her head.\u00a0 The snow didn\u2019t look so pretty now.<\/p>\n

It just looked, well…unfriendly.<\/p>\n

A minute or two later the little girl came to a place where the snow was all messed it.\u00a0 There were a lot of boot and hoof prints, and it looked all churned up like there\u2019d been some kind of a fight.\u00a0 As she stared at the ground, wonderin\u2019 what it all meant, she heard a sound.\u00a0 A soft sound, kind of like a horse snortin\u2019.\u00a0 Turning, she saw Scout.\u00a0 She\u2019d missed him because he was standin\u2019 in shadows, masked by fallin\u2019 snow.\u00a0\u00a0 Quickly turning in every direction, she looked for Adam.<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t find him.<\/p>\n

Growing frightened, she called out, \u201cAdam!\u00a0 Mister Adam!\u00a0 Are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment there was nothing but the wind.\u00a0 Then she heard a voice.\u00a0 It sounded like Adam, but he wasn\u2019t talkin\u2019 to her.\u00a0 He kept\u00a0 callin\u2019, \u2018Joe!\u2019<\/em>, over and over again.<\/p>\n

The voice was comin\u2019 from the shadows to her left.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been lookin\u2019 at the ravine as she walked.\u00a0 Trees paraded down its side, getting smaller and smaller as they went, looking like the white capped toy soldiers Uncle Pete had given Jack marchin\u2019 off to war.\u00a0 Dropping to her knees where the snow was all stirred up, Elizabeth crawled forward and looked over the edge.\u00a0 There was a sea of blue shadows in front of her; blue shadows with rocks and the tips of some of those snow-covered trees poking out.\u00a0 Not really knowing what else to do, she cupped her gloved hands around her mouth and hollered even as the cry of \u2018Joe\u2019 went up again toward Heaven.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice echoed.\u00a0 She waited and then tried again.\u00a0 At first there was nothin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Then….<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth?\u00a0 Elizabeth, is…that…you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She was worried he\u2019d be mad, so she said, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood…girl.\u00a0 Thanks.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo you see Scout?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was awful quiet.\u00a0 It was hard to hear him.<\/p>\n

She called back, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI….\u201d\u00a0 Big brother stopped, coughed, and then started again.\u00a0 \u201cElizabeth, I need you to…be brave.\u00a0 Take Scout.\u00a0 Find the road.\u00a0 Go home.\u201d\u00a0 After another longer pause, he added. \u201cGet help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth was leanin\u2019 over the edge, probably farther than she should have been, looking down, trying to find him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you find little brother?\u201d she yelled.<\/p>\n

Again, a pause.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s here….\u00a0 He\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought maybe \u2013 just maybe <\/em>\u2013 she could see the two of them.\u00a0 At least there were two dark spots at the bottom of the ravine that didn\u2019t look like bushes or rocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t leave you here!\u201d she shouted back.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring someone.\u00a0 Mark…your path well so…you can find us…again.\u00a0 Hurry!\u00a0 Joe\u2019s…bad off.\u00a0 He\u2019s….\u201d<\/p>\n

The night went silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam!\u00a0 Hey, Mister Adam!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The wind howled in response, kicking snow into her face, but Adam made no reply.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth waited a few seconds and then stood up.\u00a0 She figured Adam must have gone to sleep or passed out.\u00a0 Standing there, with the cold wind whipping her hair and biting her cheeks, she considered what she should do.\u00a0 They\u2019d left that note in the shack on Freckles\u2019 collar for Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing to find.\u00a0 They were sure<\/em> to have followed her and, if they\u2019d headed for the cave like the note told them to, findin\u2019 them would be faster than goin\u2019 back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The little girl looked again at the blue shadow sea.\u00a0 Mister Adam didn\u2019t sound so good and he\u2019d said Joe was bad off.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know how much time they had, but she was sure it wasn\u2019t much.\u00a0 They needed help and they needed it now.<\/em>\u00a0 Her Pa\u2019d told her that a man could freeze within a couple of hours if he was really tired or injured in some other way.\u00a0 Little brother was hurt, sure enough, and she was pretty sure big<\/em> brother was too.<\/p>\n

There had been that shot….<\/p>\n

Edging a little farther over, she called down, not knowing if anyone heard her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna go get Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing!\u00a0 You hang on!\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring back help, I promise.\u00a0 Mister Adam, do you hear me?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth waited several heartbeats and then hung her head and turned away.\u00a0 Crossing to Scout, she took the nervous animal\u2019s reins in one hand and, while petting his nose with the other, started to speak real soft and slow to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam\u2019s hurt, Scout.\u00a0 Him and<\/em> little brother.\u00a0 Now, I know you don\u2019t know me much, but I\u2019m askin\u2019 you to help me help them.\u201d\u00a0 Her blue eyes held the horse\u2019s moist black eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta help!\u201d<\/p>\n

Scout blew air out of his nose and gently nuzzled her cheek, as if to say, \u2018It\u2019s okay.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re a friend.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Encouraged, she grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna get on your back, okay?,\u201d she asked, still holding his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to go find Sheriff Roy and Hop Sing.\u00a0 We gotta bring them back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The horse struck the ground with its hoof and nickered.\u00a0 It kind of seemed like he was tellin\u2019 her to stop talkin\u2019 and hurry up.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth put her foot in the stirrup and mounted Mister Adam\u2019s big horse.\u00a0 With a prayer on her lips, she turned Scout\u2019s nose north.\u00a0 Then, with one last glance at the ravine, she started to ride, leaving her two best friends in that big old sea of cold blue shadows.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The world about him was hushed; silent except for the howl of the unending wind and the sound of someone drumming far away.<\/p>\n

Curious, Joe Cartwright opened his eyes.<\/p>\n

He shivered, but even as he did, realized he was not as cold as he\u2019d been before, which was kind of strange.\u00a0 He was<\/em> laying on snow-covered ground after all.\u00a0 When he shifted his gaze and looked down, he saw that he was still wearin\u2019 the thin blankets the outlaws had wrapped \u2018round him the day before, but there was something else on top of them.\u00a0 Whatever it was, it was heavy.\u00a0 The weight was pressing down on his chest and making it hard for him to breath.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s thick eyebrows met in the middle as he frowned and considered what it might be.<\/p>\n

Thick.\u00a0 Gold in color.\u00a0 Kind of lumpy.<\/p>\n

There was something else too \u2013 something round and black.\u00a0 Joe scrunched up his nose as he considered it.<\/p>\n

A hat.\u00a0 It was a hat!<\/p>\n

Now, what the heck was a hat<\/em> doin\u2019 layin\u2019 in the middle of his chest?<\/p>\n

Joe blinked as best he could, breaking the crust of ice that coated his eyelashes, and looked again.\u00a0 The hat reminded him of the one his oldest brother wore.\u00a0 It had the same kind of band.\u00a0 While he was still puzzlin\u2019 it out, he heard something.\u00a0 It sounded like someone breathing low and slow.\u00a0 Come to think of it, that drumming he\u2019d heard earlier?\u00a0 He could feel<\/em> it as well.\u00a0 It was someone\u2019s steady heartbeat echoin\u2019 through his thin frame.<\/p>\n

Someone was laying on top of him.\u00a0 That\u2019s why he felt warm.<\/p>\n

He wanted to take a look, but it was hard to move.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just that he was near froze solid.\u00a0 He hurt like heck from head to toe.\u00a0 Still, with effort, Joe managed to shift his right arm so he could touch the hat, and then the thick, well-oiled wavy hair beneath it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d he said, his voice a hoarse croak.\u00a0 \u201c…Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNnnhhh….\u00a0 What…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not quite an answer, but it would do.<\/p>\n

As he let his hand flop back to the cold earth, Joe asked, \u201cAin\u2019t you…got…better things to do…than takin\u2019…a nap with me at…the…bottom of a hill…older brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stirred and lifted his head.\u00a0 His eyes focused and he studied him for a moment.\u00a0 Then, he grinned.\u00a0 \u201cLove is<\/em>…insanity,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 \u201cThe…Greeks knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his brother\u2019s warmth missing, Joe felt suddenly cold.\u00a0 He shivered uncontrollably.\u00a0 \u201cThey got snow…in Greece?\u201d he asked through chattering teeth.<\/p>\n

Older brother snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s rare as you are, Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Adam grunted as he sat up and moved to sit beside him.\u00a0 A moment later his hand snaked out and landed on his forehead.\u00a0 His brother cursed and then said, \u201cYou\u2019re burning up, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He managed a smile \u2013 a really weak one.<\/p>\n

\u201cShame…I can\u2019t…feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s fingers moved to his hair.\u00a0 They lingered there a moment and then his brother caressed his curls, cooing as he\u2019d done when he was little and sick.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be all right Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019m here now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was here.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t gonna die alone.<\/p>\n

At that thought something broke in him.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to stay strong \u2013 had to fight to survive on his own.\u00a0 Adam was here now.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need to fight anymore.<\/p>\n

He could sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 Joe!\u201d\u00a0 His brother\u2019s voice was insistent \u2013 and irritating.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u00a0 Stay awake!\u00a0 Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t want to.\u00a0 He hurt like the Devil and he was so<\/em> tired.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need to stay awake.\u00a0 What he needed to do was sleep.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s palm striking his cheek put a end to that.<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t have much fight left in him, but what he had he gave to his brother, taking hold of Adam\u2019s gloved hand and shoving it away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you…go and do…that for?\u201d he growled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been…knifed…and kicked…in the ribs…and tossed<\/em> away like…a sack of…bad potatoes!\u00a0 Can\u2019t..a feller…sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was soft.\u00a0 Like Pa\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joe,\u201d his brother said, his voice stern.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 You can\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 He heard Adam suck in air.\u00a0 A moment later, he said, his voice shaking, \u201cI have to get you up.\u00a0 We need to look for shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a minute.<\/p>\n

Maybe two.<\/p>\n

Joe thought hard.\u00a0 He remembered Adam\u2019s heartbeat had been strong in his ear, but that his brother\u2019s breathing had sounded funny.\u00a0 All thin and reedy.\u00a0 He glanced at him and noticed the thin sheen of sweat on his haggard face.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre…you hurt?\u201d Joe asked between shivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing,\u201d Adam said as he bent over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 See if you can sit up,\u201d he coached.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head feebly as he pushed him away even more<\/em> feebly.\u00a0 \u201cNot \u2018til…you tell me…what\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cLike you have a choice.\u00a0 I could pick you up and carry you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen…why don\u2019t you?\u201d he countered sharply.\u00a0 After drawing a breath against the pain, Joe managed to add, \u201cCome…on, Adam, I\u2019m not some…kid…you have to baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I….\u201d\u00a0 His brother sighed.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Rowse got off a shot.\u00a0 The bullet took me in the side.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes went to his brother\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 It was dark, but Adam\u2019s coat was fairly light.<\/p>\n

Or should have been.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re…bleedin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways one to state the obvious, aren\u2019t you?\u201d his brother snarled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know flesh wounds.\u00a0 They bleed tremendously.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMeans you\u2019re hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe met his brother\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 It was settled somewhere between fear and grief.\u00a0 Older brother just didn\u2019t look like that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The fact that he did now scared him.<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand over his eyes before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Look.\u00a0 Yes, I\u2019m hurt, but I\u2019m not dying.\u00a0 You have to think about your own survival!\u201d<\/p>\n

The words were out before he could stop them.\u00a0 Joe could see that his brother instantly<\/em> regretted them.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I\u2019m sorry. I shouldn\u2019t have….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was kind of surprised that he was<\/em> surprised.\u00a0 After all, he sorta knew he was dying.\u00a0 Maybe it was just that he hadn\u2019t admitted it yet.\u00a0 His shoulder wound was screaming and he was freezing cold, even though the snowflakes were meltin\u2019 on his skin.\u00a0 The world around him looked kind of like the water in that painting of the sailin\u2019 ship he had on his wall, washy and uncertain.\u00a0 And all the time he felt delirium lick at the edge of his senses.<\/p>\n

His fingers gripped his brother\u2019s coat sleeve.\u00a0 He needed to reassure him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s…all right, Adam….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t!\u201d his brother exploded.\u00a0 \u201cIt is not<\/em> \u2018all right!\u2019\u00a0 Joe, I have to get you somewhere warm, somewhere safe….\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice broke.\u00a0 \u201cGod, Joe, don\u2019t die on me….\u201d<\/p>\n

He managed a little smile.\u00a0 It took almost all of his remaining energy, but he knew it would help Adam with what was coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay…big brother.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 The only…thing I was..scared of was….\u201d\u00a0 Joe sucked in air as a wave of pain struck him like a pail of ice water.\u00a0 \u201c…was dyin\u2019 alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever sound Adam made, he didn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on, Joe,\u201d he said a second later.\u00a0 \u201cAtticus went for help.\u00a0 Pa will find us.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe thought that part about Atticus was funny.\u00a0 The preacher wouldn\u2019t be here lookin\u2019 for him.\u00a0 He was on his way to the ranch house.\u00a0 Still, that didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Adam had said the magic word.<\/p>\n

Pa.<\/p>\n

Pa <\/em>was on his way.<\/p>\n

He could see the older man now, talkin\u2019 to middle brother, tellin\u2019 him \u2018everything will be all right\u2019.\u00a0 Pa was always makin\u2019 promises he couldn\u2019t keep and that was one of them.\u00a0 He\u2019d make it even though he knew things weren\u2019t right and might never be right again.\u00a0 But then Pa wasn\u2019t thinking of things bein\u2019 \u2018all right\u2019 in this <\/em>world.\u00a0 He was thinkin\u2019 of the next one.\u00a0 The Good Book said, \u2018And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 His pa believed that, and he\u2019d kept on believin\u2019 it even at the grave side of three wives.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d believe it too at the graveside of one son.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s fingers explored the soft wide wale of his brother\u2019s corduroy coat.\u00a0 He tugged at the fabric and managed another feebler grin as Adam looked down at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay…older brother. Everything will…be all..right….\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe had lost the battle.\u00a0 His little brother was unconscious.<\/p>\n

Adam shivered more from fear than from the cold as Joe\u2019s grip slackened and his hand fell away.\u00a0 He caught it and then, using what strength he had, pulled his brother\u2019s silent form into his arms and hugged him like a bear, lending him what warmth he had.\u00a0 He\u2019d give it all to him if he could have.\u00a0 But God hadn\u2019t made man that way.\u00a0 No matter how much you wanted to die so someone else would live, it just didn\u2019t work that way.\u00a0 You <\/em>had to survive too.<\/p>\n

Or survive the loss.<\/p>\n

His little brother had lost weight since he\u2019d seen him last.\u00a0 He could tell by the elbow bone sticking into his chest and by how gaunt Joe\u2019s cheeks appeared.\u00a0 His brother was poorly dressed for being out in the cold.\u00a0 The clothes were okay, but there was little underneath.\u00a0 The coat he had on was one meant for chilly weather, not for when it froze.\u00a0 How the kid had survived this long, he had no idea.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 No, that wasn\u2019t true.\u00a0 He did know how.<\/p>\n

God,<\/em> and the sheer force of his father\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

Shifting his grip, the black-haired man pulled the sides of his own coat around his brother.\u00a0 The kid was intensely hot.\u00a0 At a guess, he\u2019d put Joe\u2019s body temperature somewhere around one hundred and one degrees. With what he\u2019d suffered and a knife wound that remained unclean, in all reality it should have been higher.\u00a0 Adam glanced at their surroundings, at the ice and snow everywhere.\u00a0 The cold weather was probably keeping it down.\u00a0 Like someone fevered, packed in ice.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s full lips quirked.\u00a0 One had to look on the bright side of things in order not to go mad.<\/p>\n

Their pa had taught them as boys that the first thing to do when caught in the wilderness during a snowstorm was to seek shelter.\u00a0 At this point, in the dark, with no idea what direction he faced, there was no point in moving since he had no idea of the lay of the land.\u00a0 Unless it was to find better<\/em> shelter.\u00a0 The banks of the ravine they were in might be solid, but they could be dotted with depressions.\u00a0 Maybe even have a shallow cave.\u00a0 The trouble was, he couldn\u2019t leave Joe to look for one or <\/em>take him with him.<\/p>\n

It was obvious from his brother\u2019s extended silence that Joe was going nowhere.<\/p>\n

Adam moved to brace his back on the snowy outcropping of rock behind him.\u00a0 Fortunately, Joe had hit a patch of thick brush that slowed his headlong rush down the ravine\u2019s side or he would have crashed into it and God alone<\/em> knew what damage that would have done.\u00a0 Shifting so his shoulders were pressed into the rock, the black-haired man pulled his kid brother in close and wrapped him as best he could in his arms.\u00a0 Once in position Adam looked down at the boy he had helped to become a man.\u00a0 They had their differences, Joe and him \u2013 \u2018lollapaloozas\u2019 as Hoss liked to call them \u2013 but in the end they were blood.\u00a0 There was nothing on the face of the Earth that called out to a man like blood.\u00a0 He loved Joe fiercely; as fiercely as he loved his pa and middle brother.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

Well, maybe he loved Joe just a little bit more, just because the kid was such a pain.<\/p>\n

Joe shifted slightly as they settled into place and moaned, calling out their father\u2019s name.\u00a0 The sound of his brother\u2019s voice brought Adam unmeasured pleasure.\u00a0 It meant he was still alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on kid,\u201d he whispered close to Joe\u2019s ear.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s on his way, and he\u2019ll be mad as the vexed sea if you go ahead of him.\u00a0 You hear me, Joe?\u00a0 You have to hang on!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother moaned again.\u00a0 Maybe it was an answer, he couldn\u2019t tell.\u00a0 Then he fell silent again.<\/p>\n

After brushing his brother\u2019s hot forehead with his lips, Adam leaned back and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa will be mad as the vexing sea if you don\u2019t make it,\u201d he breathed.\u00a0 \u201cMe?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just be lost at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIFTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was heartbreaking.\u00a0 There were three of them \u2013 three <\/em>able men, well-trained in survival skills, with the ability to track even the faintest signs \u2013 and they were lost.\u00a0 Not lost in where they were, but lost as to where to go<\/em>.\u00a0 All about them the world was silent.\u00a0 Night was falling.\u00a0 The moon was risen and its beams turned the white snow to silver and diamonds.\u00a0 It was breathtakingly beautiful.<\/p>\n

And inordinately deadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we do, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 voice was strained; his question, painful.\u00a0 They knew the facts now.\u00a0 Hop Sing and Roy had told them.\u00a0 They knew now that, not only was Joseph injured, but most likely he was in the hands of a madman who would kill as soon as look at him.\u00a0 Elizabeth and Adam were out there in that deadly white world too.<\/p>\n

Somewhere.<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes and fought the vision from his dream of two of his boys dead or dying; their pale faces swallowed in a wash of white flakes.\u00a0 He wondered about Elizabeth\u2019s fate.\u00a0 Had there been a little girl in that nightmare as well, already buried beneath the snow?<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u00a0 If Adam and Elizabeth were headed for the cave, something must have diverted them.\u00a0 Roy said Little Joe would most likely be riding south.\u00a0 We can\u2019t know if that\u2019s south and west to escape, or south and east toward the road.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever choice we make, it\u2019s little more than a guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam and Missy Elizabeth look for Little Joe.\u00a0 Be where Little Joe is,\u201d Hop Sing offered.\u00a0 \u201cLook for all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

It made sense.\u00a0 But then life<\/em> seldom did.<\/p>\n

He gave his old friend a nod.\u00a0 \u201cWe can only pray it\u2019s so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned toward his middle son.\u00a0 Hoss was sitting straight in the saddle and looking south.\u00a0 He turned and looked too.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure, but he thought he saw something coming; a man, walking through the waves of snow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you suppose it is?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing know him,\u201d the man from China responded, his tone dark.\u00a0 \u201cThis man say he man of God, but then he take Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked again.\u00a0 Hop Sing was right.<\/p>\n

It was Atticus Godfrey.<\/p>\n

Spurring his horse forward, Ben went to meet him.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is my son?\u201d he demanded the moment Atticus came within hearing.<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man started and then relief washed over his tall frame, nearly toppling him.\u00a0 \u201cMister Cartwright, thank God….\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The older man glanced at his long time friend.\u00a0 Hop Sing looked puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this the man who was at the house?\u201d he asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was.\u201d\u00a0 Atticus answered.\u00a0 \u201cI was a part of the scheme to rob your house, Mister Cartwright, I admit it.\u00a0 I took part in kidnapping your son.\u00a0 An act for which I shall be ever deeply ashamed.\u201d\u00a0 He drew a steadying breath.\u00a0 \u201cGod chose to show me the errors of my ways.\u00a0 That enabled me to help your son escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is<\/em> he then?\u201d Hoss demanded.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRegrettably, I was forced to leave him behind,\u201d the reverend admitted as his gaze shifted to the big man.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother was too ill to travel.\u00a0 I left him in a sheltered place and marked the path as best I could so I could return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you can lead us to Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 Bens heart leapt as hope dawned for the first time in days.\u00a0 \u201cYou know where he is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know where I left him,\u201d Atticus said.\u00a0 \u201cI pray God he stayed there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can take us to him?\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly hope so.\u201d\u00a0 The reverend looked at the sky, at the snow falling and darkness descending.\u00a0 \u201cGod willing there is enough time.\u201d<\/p>\n

God<\/em> willing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go now!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing insisted.\u00a0 \u201cGo now!\u00a0\u00a0 Find Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

God willing,<\/em> they would find Adam and Elizabeth too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth fought to keep Scout\u2019s feet from slipping as they made their way up a low rise.\u00a0 She\u2019d meant to head for the cave, but since the sun had set, she wasn\u2019t sure which way she was going.\u00a0 The sky was cloud-covered now, the big old moon was hiding, and there were very few stars so there was no way to gauge whether she was going north, south, east, or<\/em> west.\u00a0 Scout had nickered a little while back, making her think he\u2019d spotted somethin\u2019 he knew.\u00a0 Usually when a horse nickered it meant somethin\u2019 like \u2018Good to see you!\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m your friend.\u2019\u00a0 She hoped it meant that she and Mister Adam had traveled this way before, though she wasn\u2019t sure if that would help since they\u2019d never made it to the cave.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t sure of much of anything any more.<\/p>\n

In fact she was cold and lonely and hungry and so tired it was about all she could do not to fall off the horse.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t traveled very far and she felt pretty bad about that, but it slowed her down to leave a trail.\u00a0 The skirt of the fancy teal-green dress that Mister Ben had bought her and the white petticoats underneath it were ruined.\u00a0 She\u2019d spent the last hour or so tearin\u2019 off strips of both and tying them high in bushes and low in the trees.\u00a0 She figured it was just about the only sign the snowstorm couldn\u2019t blow away or bury.\u00a0 Her pa had taught her to do that too.\u00a0 Pa was an awful smart man.<\/p>\n

She wished he was here.<\/p>\n

Hunkerin\u2019 down over Scout\u2019s shoulders, Elizabeth faced into the cutting wind and pressed on.\u00a0 When they topped the rise, she drew to a halt and sat there, fighting back tears.\u00a0 All there was up here was more bushes and more trees and even more <\/em>ice and more snow, and she had no better idea of what lay in any direction than she\u2019d had before.\u00a0 The only direction she was<\/em> sure of was back along the way she\u2019d come.<\/p>\n

Little and big brother were layin\u2019 back.\u00a0 They were expectin\u2019 her to bring help.<\/p>\n

Nearly overcome with exhaustion, Elizabeth pressed her heels into Scout\u2019s sides and urged him forward.\u00a0 She\u2019d made a promise.\u00a0 She was gonna <\/em>rescue Mister Adam and Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Even if it killed her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was Hop Sing with his sharp eyes who spotted it first.\u00a0 A speck on the field of white moving ever so slowly toward them.\u00a0 As Ben watched, the speck grew and then stopped.\u00a0 When he turned to Hoss to ask him what he thought it was, his question was cut off by Hop Sing\u2019s shout.\u00a0 Ben turned and looked again just in time to see part of the speck fall to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d Hoss said, his voice robbed of strength by fear, \u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 that\u2019s Scout.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an instant the well-known brown and black thoroughbred came into focus.\u00a0 It was<\/em> the one belonging to his beloved eldest son.\u00a0 The animal had its nose down.\u00a0 It nudged the figure on the ground, seeming to urge it to rise.<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a sharp breath.\u00a0 It had<\/em> to be Adam.\u00a0 He must have come looking for them.\u00a0 But where was Elizabeth?<\/p>\n

And what about Little Joe?<\/p>\n

His moment of stunned surprise was short, but it was long enough for Hop Sing to be on the move.\u00a0 His friend and cook was halfway to Scout before Ben got Buck moving, and was off his horse and on the ground by the time he and Hoss arrived with Atticus Godfrey in tow.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing turned a distressed face toward them.\u00a0 \u201cIt is Missy Elizabeth!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth?<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben dismounted quickly and knelt by the child\u2019s side.\u00a0 As he lifted her small form from its snowy bed he noticed she was shivering.\u00a0 That was a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, Pa, let me take her,\u201d Hoss offered as he and the reverend came alongside him.\u00a0 Hoss was a big man, but there was one thing even bigger \u2013 his winter coat!<\/p>\n

Hoss undid the buttons before he scooped up the little girl.\u00a0 Picking her up, he nestled her against his warm chest even as Hop Sing wrapped the loose ends of the warm garment around her and tucked it in as best he could.\u00a0 \u201cThere,\u201d his son said, nodding toward a depression in the ravine wall not too far away, \u201cI\u2019m gonna take her over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben followed along with the other two men, numbed by the child\u2019s discovery.\u00a0 Elizabeth was supposed to have been with Adam.<\/p>\n

The shadow of his nightmare arose and nearly unmanned him.<\/p>\n

By the time he and Atticus arrived at the shelter, Hoss was already seated and Hop Sing was bent, working to build a fire.\u00a0 His son held the child close, continuing to warm her.\u00a0 Ben bent and reached out to touch her.\u00a0 As he did, Elizabeth stirred and opened her eyes.\u00a0 She looked up at Hoss, around at Hop Sing, and then finally those wide blue eyes came back at him.<\/p>\n

A second later she started to cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on now, Miss Elizabeth,\u201d his giant of a son gently chided, his own eyes tearing.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll have me cryin\u2019 next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I dreaming?\u201d the girl asked as her little hand found Hoss\u2019 face.<\/p>\n

Ben took her other hand.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 No, sweetheart, we\u2019re real.\u00a0 We\u2019re all here \u2013 Hoss, Hop Sing, even Atticus, and me.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The child smiled a little smile and then sank back toward sleep. Ben hesitated.\u00a0 He wanted to wake her, but felt guilty at doing so.\u00a0 He needed<\/em> to know about his sons.\u00a0 Whether they were hurt or waited somewhere….<\/p>\n

Elizabeth shot up with a start.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta go save Adam and Little Joe!\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart nearly stopped.\u00a0 Squeezing her tiny fingers, he asked, \u201cElizabeth, do you know where they are?\u201d<\/p>\n

To his everlasting joy, she nodded and pointed west.\u00a0 \u201cBack there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at Hoss.\u00a0 They both knew it.\u00a0 \u2018There\u2019, could be anywhere.\u00a0 Night was falling.\u00a0 They were running out of time.\u00a0 They needed<\/em> direction.<\/p>\n

Feeling like a louse, Ben asked the worn-out child, \u201cCan you take us there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears streamed down her cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I\u2019m awful <\/em>tired.\u00a0 I…think I\u2019d just fall off the horse again.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes locked with his.\u00a0 \u201cI left a trail like Pa told me to, Mister Ben.\u00a0 Maybe you could follow that.\u201d\u00a0 She caught hold of the hem of her skirts.\u00a0 He noticed now that they were ragged. \u201cI used my petticoats most of the time,\u201d the child said, sounding too grown-up.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re easier to see \u2018cause of them bein\u2019 white.\u00a0 There\u2019s green ones in-between.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScout can help, Pa,\u201d Hoss suggested.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll know his way back to Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll go, sweetheart.\u00a0 Hoss and Hop Sing and me.\u00a0 You can stay here with the reverend.\u201d\u00a0 At her wide-eyed look, he added with a smile, \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u00a0 He\u2019s made things right with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth turned to look at Atticus.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally,\u201d the reformed man responded as his gaze shifted to her.<\/p>\n

The smile the child gave him had the power to light up the night.<\/p>\n

Before he rose Ben asked Elizabeth, though he feared the answer, \u201cWere Little Joe and Adam all right when you left them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her little face pinched with worry.\u00a0 \u201cMister Adam was talkin\u2019.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s hurt.\u00a0 I think….\u00a0 I think that bad man shot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben steadied himself.\u00a0 Adam was talking<\/em>.\u00a0 His oldest son had been conscious and coherent.<\/p>\n

Count your blessings, Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t say nothin\u2019, and I couldn\u2019t see him on account of his bein\u2019 at the bottom of the ravine.\u201d<\/p>\n

His gaze flicked to his middle son.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta get movin\u2019, Pa,\u201d Hoss said as he rose with Elizabeth in his arms and turned her over to the reverend.\u00a0 \u201cThey ain\u2019t got much time if they\u2019re hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeed go now,\u201d Hop Sing agreed, his voice hushed.<\/p>\n

Yes, they needed to go and go now.<\/em>\u00a0 Back along the trail Elizabeth left.<\/p>\n

Dead or alive, he had to find his sons.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam cursed himself for twenty times a fool.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t believe<\/em> he\u2019d fallen asleep!<\/p>\n

When he opened his eyes on the dark night, fear gripped him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been out for hours and Joe was so <\/em>quiet in his arms.\u00a0 He\u2019d pressed an ear to his brother\u2019s chest and nearly fainted away when he heard his brother\u2019s heart beating.\u00a0 The pulse was too fast, though, and thready.\u00a0 He could feel the heat radiating off of him.\u00a0 In spite of the cold, Joe was on fire.\u00a0 Adam chuckled.\u00a0 There was an irony to that, worthy of an epic poem.<\/p>\n

They were trapped in a world of snow and ice and his brother was going to burn to death.<\/p>\n

Adam shifted forward to survey the domain they occupied.\u00a0 While he\u2019d slept, the snow had continued to fall.\u00a0 It lay on the shoulders and arms of his coat and perched on the rim of his hat.\u00a0 Where it touched his brother\u2019s exposed skin, it melted away, but the greater portion \u2013 what lay on top of the blanket covering Joe \u2013 was nearly half-an-inch thick.<\/p>\n

They were slowly and silently being entombed.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man leaned his head against the cold stone behind him and shifted, wincing with the pain of his wound as he did.\u00a0 He pulled Joe closer as his lips twisted with another irony.\u00a0 At that moment, he was grateful to Fleet Rowse.\u00a0 Really<\/em>, he was.\u00a0 If the outlaw hadn\u2019t shot him and he\u2019d been able to go on alone….\u00a0 If he\u2019d had to make the choice<\/em> to abandon Joe to his fate in order to keep himself alive….<\/p>\n

He swallowed bile.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 No<\/em>.\u00a0 Not even to save himself.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t <\/em>have left his brother behind.\u00a0 He\u2019d told Pa years ago that Joe was his responsibility, that he\u2019d take care of him; that he wouldn\u2019t leave him until the kid was old enough and mature enough to make it on his own.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

Talk about a lifetime commitment!<\/p>\n

As he sat there thinking, Joe began to stir.\u00a0 His brother shifted and moaned and then, unexpectedly, began to thrash from side to side.\u00a0 Joe clawed at his hands, trying to break free.\u00a0 He cried out that he was burning up, that he needed to get the blankets \u2013 his clothes \u2013 off.\u00a0 That he had to get away.\u00a0 He ignored him, of course, and clamped his arms even tighter around his middle.\u00a0 Normally Joe was a spitfire and strong as an ox.\u00a0 The kid was weaker now, but the delirium more than made up for anything his fever had taken away.\u00a0 It was a struggle just to hold him still.<\/p>\n

Speaking not loudly but clearly and calmly, Adam explained to the restless boy where they were and what they had to do to stay alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u00a0 Listen to me.\u00a0 We\u2019re both wounded and lost in the snow.\u00a0 You can\u2019t go<\/em> anywhere!\u201d\u00a0 One hand found his brother\u2019s head and turned his face toward him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes were wild.\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t sure he was still in this <\/em>world.\u00a0 \u201cJoe,\u201d he pleaded, \u201cwe have to stay here.\u00a0 We have to wait for Pa to find us.\u00a0 Joe, you have to stop fighting me. Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother didn\u2019t hear him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fingers clutched and pulled at the thin blankets that covered him in an attempt to thrust them off.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u00a0 Adam, no!\u00a0 …can\u2019t stay!\u00a0 Have to….\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s back arched as she continued to struggle, almost freeing himself.\u00a0 \u201cGet them off me!\u00a0 I\u2019m on fire!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In the end he had to strike Joe on the chin and knock him out.<\/p>\n

There were tears in his eyes as he did it.<\/p>\n

Breathing hard, Adam clutched his brother\u2019s now silent form close and leaned back against the rock wall.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t going to be long.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d Hoss asked as he turned toward his father.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man was frowning.\u00a0 He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI heard something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss peered into the darkness as though somehow he could pierce it.\u00a0 His little brother had a particular high-pitched voice when he started shoutin\u2019.\u00a0 It was mighty hard to miss.\u00a0 Hoss was sure that was what he had just heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI swear it was Little Joe, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d his father asked, turning toward the China man.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced at their cook\u2019s expression, which was somewhere between pained and promisin\u2019.\u00a0 He knew how close Hop Sing was with Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d chased the boy down often enough and found him hidin\u2019 out in the kitchen, spillin\u2019 out his little heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing hear it too,\u201d he agreed.\u00a0 \u201cBut how we know where?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 His dark eyes surveyed the cold, silent landscape before them.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s right.\u00a0 They could be anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

It had gotten dark enough they was havin\u2019 trouble findin\u2019 Miss Elizabeth\u2019s markers.\u00a0 They\u2019d followed the little strips of cloth a good two miles so far, heading just about due west.\u00a0 They was comin\u2019 up on the area of the ravine, and they all knew that was about as far as they could go tonight without puttin\u2019 their own lives in danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we do, Pa?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep going, as long and as far as we can,\u201d his father answered even as he nudged Buck forward.\u00a0 \u201cGod grant we find your brothers before we\u2019re forced to stop for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d brought everythin\u2019 with them they thought they might need.\u00a0 His back jockey was stacked with blankets and his saddlebags loaded with dry wood, as well as matches to light both a fire and the lanterns they carried.\u00a0 He glanced at the tin lights dangling from the horn.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t lit one yet.\u00a0 They\u2019d agreed to save the oil for when they found Joe and Adam, figuring they\u2019d need it to rescue them and treat any\u00a0 wounds they had.\u00a0 Hoss scowled at that thought.\u00a0 They already knew Joe was wounded.\u00a0 It\u2019d been near two full days since Rowse had stuck him with his knife and they doubted any one had tended to him in that time.\u00a0 Hop Sing had packed some herbs for healing and dried meat as well in his pack, so he could make a thin soup, and there was plenty of coffee.\u00a0 Pa was carryin\u2019 extra water which, frozen as it was, they could heat once the fire was made.<\/p>\n

Now, all they had to do was find his brothers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam opened his eyes, more slowly this time, slightly amazed that he still had the capacity to wake.\u00a0 He shifted, easing the pain in his wounded side, and glanced at his brother.<\/p>\n

A thin trail of mist coming from his lips told him Joe was still alive.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man reached down and pulled one of the pitiful excuses for a blanket his brother was swaddled in up close about Joe\u2019s pale face.\u00a0 Then he settled back and thought about the dream he\u2019d had.\u00a0 He supposed wishful<\/em> thinking had played a part in it.\u00a0 It had been about a warm, lazy spring day some ten years past.\u00a0 He\u2019d been around twenty-one and at school.\u00a0 There was this particular girl he was courting \u2013 a blonde beauty with hair the color of ripened wheat and the widest brown eyes.\u00a0 She\u2019d had a cute little mole at the end of her lips too that jumped when she smiled.\u00a0 Her father had been one of his professors and he\u2019d named her Phaedra after the daughter of Minos in the Greek myths.\u00a0 He<\/em> called her Faye \u2013 which made her laugh \u2013 because that\u2019s what she was, \u2018fey\u2019.\u00a0 She was a wisp of a girl and it seemed each time he tried to catch her, she would slip from his grasp like a faerie creature.\u00a0 They\u2019d spent a few grand weeks together and then her father had resigned over a dispute in the department.\u00a0 Within a week, she was gone.\u00a0 They\u2019d exchanged letters for a few months, but then, even those had stopped; vanished just as she had into the mists of time.<\/p>\n

Though the dream had dissipated, the mist remained.\u00a0 It hung before him, white instead of a sparkling gray.\u00a0 The hushed, snow-covered landscape really was<\/em> beautiful.\u00a0 Everything was painted in shades of blue.\u00a0 As it had earlier, the rolling waves of snow once again put him in mind of the sea.\u00a0 His pa had sailed the seas and he longed to follow.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t explain it, but there was something about the sad, silent swells that called to him.\u00a0 Hoss told him once that he was gonna sink beneath those swells.<\/p>\n

He thought he might be doing that right now.<\/p>\n

Adam checked his brother again.\u00a0 Joe had remained silent since he punched him and that had him worried.\u00a0 Still, he couldn\u2019t let him go running off into the frigid night stripping off his clothes.\u00a0 The black-haired man shuddered.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen it happen before.\u00a0 When he was a young man, he and his pa had come upon one of their hands bare-naked and curled up like a baby in the snow.\u00a0 It happened to a man as he began to freeze to death.\u00a0 It felt like he was on fire.<\/p>\n

Joe was on fire.<\/p>\n

Brushing away snow, he placed his hand over his brother\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He could still feel it beating; could feel the warm touch of his brother\u2019s breath on his fingers.\u00a0 Still, Joe was weakening.<\/p>\n

He <\/em>was weakening.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d never last the night, and it looked now like no one was going to find them before morning.<\/p>\n

The snow had covered him again too.\u00a0 It lay in a thin layer on the shoulders of his golden goat and crusted in his hair.\u00a0 He thought about shaking it off, but decided the effort was useless.<\/p>\n

All<\/em> effort was useless.<\/p>\n

They were going to die.<\/p>\n

Adam touched Joe\u2019s ice-crusted curls and smiled.\u00a0 The sight of his brother, cradled in his arms, peeled back the years.\u00a0 When Joe was a toddler, he\u2019d often run to his room rather than to their parents\u2019 when a sudden storm arose or he heard a bump in the night.\u00a0 He\u2019d hold the little boy close until the terror passed and sometimes \u2013 when Joe\u2019s small form refused <\/em>to stop shaking \u2013 he\u2019d sing him to sleep.\u00a0 The soothing sound calmed the little boy and made him forget what he feared.<\/p>\n

Joe feared death.\u00a0 He knew it.\u00a0 He was so full of life that the thought of being still terrified him.<\/p>\n

Maybe if he went to it hearing him sing, he wouldn\u2019t be <\/em>so scared.<\/p>\n

Leaning his head back, Adam searched through the file in his head that held all of the tunes he knew.\u00a0 He passed the gay ones, circled around the ones about courting and pretty girls, and finally settled on a sad one he had learned from his father.\u00a0 It was called the \u2018Sailor\u2019s Song\u2019.<\/p>\n

Adam cleared his throat and began.<\/p>\n

Our barque was far, far from the land <\/em><\/p>\n

When the fairest of our gallant band <\/em><\/p>\n

Grew deadly pale, and pined away <\/em><\/p>\n

Like the twilight dawn of an autumn day. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We watched him through long hours of pain. <\/em><\/p>\n

Our fears were great, our hopes in vain. <\/em><\/p>\n

Death’s call he heard; made no alarm. <\/em><\/p>\n

He smiled and died in his messmate’s arms. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We had no costly winding sheet. <\/em><\/p>\n

We placed two round shot at his feet <\/em><\/p>\n

And in his hammock, snug and sound: <\/em><\/p>\n

A kingly shroud like marble bound. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We proudly decked his funeral vest <\/em><\/p>\n

With a starry flag upon his breast. <\/em><\/p>\n

We gave him this as a badge so brave, <\/em><\/p>\n

Then he was fit for a sailor’s grave. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Our voices broke, our hearts turned weak <\/em><\/p>\n

And tears were seen on the brownest cheek. <\/em><\/p>\n

A quiver played on the lip of pride <\/em><\/p>\n

As we lowered him down our ship’s dark side. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A splash, a plunge and our task was o’er <\/em><\/p>\n

And the billows rolled as they rolled before, <\/em><\/p>\n

And many a prayer said to the wave <\/em><\/p>\n

That lowered him in a sailor’s grave….\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam choked.\u00a0 Tears trailed down his cheek.<\/p>\n

Stupid song.<\/p>\n

Taking hold of Joe, he pulled him in so tightly until they practically became one.<\/p>\n

And closed his eyes again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was the sound of the angels.<\/p>\n

Mounted on Buck, Ben turned toward Hoss.\u00a0 There were tears in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou heard?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had no words.\u00a0 He nodded.<\/p>\n

Adam, at least, was alive!\u00a0 They\u2019d heard him singing.\u00a0 There was no mistaking his melodious voice or the tune, which was a mournful one he\u2019d taught him as a boy.\u00a0 The sound brought them to the edge of the ravine.\u00a0 Hop Sing was still holding the strip of Elizabeth\u2019s petticoat they\u2019d found tied to a nearby tree branch.\u00a0 It had shone like a beacon against the endless sea of shadows.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben was hoping he would find his sons huddled together at the top of the gully but, so far, he hadn\u2019t spotted them.\u00a0 Turning his face toward the black drop-off before them, he frowned.<\/p>\n

Hoss obviously knew the same fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think they\u2019re down there like Elizabeth said, Pa?\u00a0 Down in<\/em> the ravine?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the only thing that made sense.<\/p>\n

As Ben swung out of the saddle, he told his son, \u201cGet my gear.\u00a0 I\u2019m going down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss caught his arm.\u00a0 \u201cPa, you oughta let me \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew<\/em> why Hoss wanted to go first.\u00a0 Adam had fallen silent.\u00a0 The boy was afraid of what he would find.<\/p>\n

Ben covered his son\u2019s big hand with his own.\u00a0 \u201cYour brothers are not alone.\u00a0 God is with them.\u00a0 His angels will have kept them safe for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it.\u00a0 He meant it.<\/p>\n

But God help<\/em> him, he didn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n

Closing his eyes, Ben Cartwright mouthed words spoken by another father nearly two thousand years before.\u00a0 The man\u2019s child had been demon possessed; the story told in the gospel of Mark. \u00a0\u2018Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

A moment later he was slipping and sliding down the side of the ravine.<\/p>\n

As his feet touched bottom Ben heard Hoss shout.\u00a0 He looked up and saw a light appear above.\u00a0 Hop Sing had lit one of the lanterns and was already descending.\u00a0 A slight smile touched the older man\u2019s lips as he watched his friend negotiate the snowy bank, his arms laden with blankets and who knew what else.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing, at least, had decided the search was over.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Hop Sing hit the bottom at the same time and took off in opposite directions, walking the line of the frozen creek, calling out Joe and Adam\u2019s names.\u00a0 As they did, Ben lit another of the lanterns and began his own search, crossing over the creek and moving to the far bank of the ravine.\u00a0 At first he found nothing and his heart sank.\u00a0 Then, as the light reached out even farther, he recognized something.<\/p>\n

The landscape of his dreams.<\/p>\n

In the night terror where Adam and Joe were being buried, he\u2019d noticed the boys were slightly sheltered.\u00a0 His eldest son\u2019s back had been pressed against a rock wall.\u00a0 Before him, masked in shadows, was just such an outcropping of rock.\u00a0 He would have missed it without the lantern\u2019s light and his prior knowledge of what to look for.\u00a0 Even as he heard Hop Sing and Hoss calling out again to Little Joe and Adam, the silver-haired man made his way over to it and found his nightmare come to life.<\/p>\n

Only now he recognized that nightmare as an answer to prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere!\u201d the older man called even as he knelt and began to brush snow away from the pale faces of his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere!\u00a0 I\u2019ve found them!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam felt a touch on his cheek \u2013 a warm caress \u2013 and heard a desperate voice calling his name over and over.\u00a0 He wanted to respond, but he couldn\u2019t muster the energy.\u00a0 He was so tired, so cold, so….<\/p>\n

What?<\/p>\n

Someone had touched his arm.\u00a0 A hand was prying at his fingers.\u00a0 Joe was slipping away.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat bolt upright.\u00a0 He clamped his arms around Joe\u2019s quiet form and held on for dear life.\u00a0 In his mind\u2019s eye death had come.\u00a0 The specter loomed over him, trying to wrench his baby brother from his grasp; seeking to take Joe to that shore from which no one returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 I won\u2019t…let…you…<\/em>have him!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u00a0 Adam, son,\u201d a tightly-controlled voice said as the hand returned to his face.\u00a0 \u201cLook at me, boy, it\u2019s your father.\u00a0 It\u2019s Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He blinked and did as he was told.\u00a0 The specter was still faceless, but it had shrunk in size and had silver-white hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo…\u201d he moaned, not giving in.<\/p>\n

The man spoke again.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you have to release your brother.\u00a0 Hop Sing has a fire built in a shallow cave.\u00a0 Hoss needs to take Joe there as quickly as possible to warm him.\u00a0 Adam, you have to let him go!\u201d<\/p>\n

He clutched tighter and shook his head.\u00a0 Death was gone now, but the sailors had come.\u00a0 They were standing at attention, waiting for his brother\u2019s body to be lowered into the cold dark swells that lapped mournfully against the hull of the ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u00a0 I won\u2019t<\/em> let him go!\u00a0 You won\u2019t…toss Joe overboard like trash.\u00a0 I won\u2019t let you!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a confused muddle of conversation.\u00a0 Good, he thought.\u00a0 Good!<\/em>\u00a0 Let them fight.\u00a0 He\u2019d get away.\u00a0 He\u2019d take Joe\u2019s body home to Pa.\u00a0 Pa would never forgive him if he couldn\u2019t touch Joe one last time.<\/p>\n

Pa would never<\/em> forgive him.<\/p>\n

Adam began to sob.<\/p>\n

He felt hands on his face \u2013 two big ones this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 Older brother, you hear me?\u00a0 It\u2019s Hoss.\u00a0 Adam, look at me.\u201d\u00a0 The hands moved to his shoulders and shook him gently.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, look <\/em>at me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up.\u00a0 He blinked and a big beefy face came into focus.\u00a0 When he recognized his middle brother, he choked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss.\u00a0 God.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe….\u00a0 I lost<\/em> Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you didn\u2019t, brother.\u00a0 You and Miss Elizabeth saved him.\u00a0 You got him right there in your arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 voice was firm and certain.\u00a0 It gave him hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlive?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son,\u201d another voice said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re brother\u2019s alive, but we need to get him to shelter.\u00a0 We need to get both<\/em> of you to shelter.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

His gaze shifted to the man who was speaking.\u00a0 Slowly, the mist cleared from his eyes and Adam saw another large face, this one filled with compassion; its near-black eyes moist with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father nodded and smiled a tight-lipped smile.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Adam.\u00a0 Its me.\u00a0 Now, listen to me, son, you have to let Hoss take Joseph.\u00a0 Your brother\u2019s worse off than you.\u00a0 There\u2019s no time to waste.\u00a0 We have to get him warm and see to that wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shifted and looked down at the precious bundle in his arms.\u00a0 Surrendering Joe would be tantamount to surrendering his soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take him,\u201d he said as he started to rise.<\/p>\n

Those big hands stopped him.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, there\u2019s a right big puddle of red next to your left side.\u00a0 You\u2019re hurt and you ain\u2019t got the strength.\u00a0 Let me take him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused and then said, not in jealousy but in way of explanation, \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s my brother too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, son,\u201d his father said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve done your job.\u00a0 Joseph is safe.\u00a0 You saved<\/em> him.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was almost more than Adam could do, but at last he gave in.\u00a0 As Hoss took Joe\u2019s slender form from his arms and started to walk away, he turned to look at his father.\u00a0 The older man smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember how you got here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRowse threw Joe over the edge of the ravine.\u00a0 I came after him.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 Elizabeth had followed him.\u00a0 The last thing he remembered was her yelling down that she was going for help.<\/p>\n

Panicked, he asked, \u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s safe as well, Adam, and probably back at the house by now.\u00a0 Her courage is what brought us to you and your brother.\u201d\u00a0 His father smiled again. \u201cThat and your singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam managed a weary smile as well.<\/p>\n

And then, accepting that Joe was safe at last and his duty discharged, he passed out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright rocked back on his heels; worry chiseled into his handsome features.\u00a0 Adam had lost consciousness.\u00a0 He needed to get his son up and out of the cold, but he knew he couldn\u2019t do it by himself.\u00a0 He had to be patient.\u00a0 Hoss would return in a moment and together they would move Adam to shelter and safety.<\/p>\n

His oldest boy needed tending too.<\/p>\n

Shifting, the older man sat beside his son and drew him in close, circling his arm around him and lending Adam his warmth until his brother\u2019s return.\u00a0 As he sat there, holding him as he had when he was a little boy, Ben started to hum the song Adam had been singing.\u00a0 He remembered it fondly and not because of the words or tune, which were mournful at best, but because it conjured up images of Inger.\u00a0 They\u2019d had words over it.\u00a0 His beautiful second wife had not approved of him teaching a seaman\u2019s lament to the small boy his son had been at the time.\u00a0 While it was true the thrust of the song was one of loss and bereavement, still, it had woven into its lyrics hope as well.\u00a0 It spoke of men\u2019s love for one another and trust in the reality of the afterlife; both things he hoped to instill in his child.<\/p>\n

We watched him through long hours of pain. <\/em><\/p>\n

Our fears were great, our hopes in vain. <\/em><\/p>\n

Death’s call he heard; made no alarm. <\/em><\/p>\n

He smiled and died in his messmate’s arms. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Death\u2019s call he heard, made no alarm.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

He hoped those words had given Adam some small comfort as he sat here in the dark, in the rising snow, holding his younger brother\u2019s fevered form, waiting to die.<\/p>\n

It was there for all of them.\u00a0 That call.<\/p>\n

Lifting his face to the heavens, Ben thanked his loving Father that now had not been his sons\u2019 time to answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SIXTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hushed voices awakened him.\u00a0 That and the sound of skirts swishing as several someones moved about his room.\u00a0 Joe laid there a moment, a half-smile on his lips.\u00a0 He recalled that sound with fondness.\u00a0 It reminded him of his mother.<\/p>\n

The conversation moved to directly above him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we get his father?\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone touched his forehead.\u00a0 The touch of the hand was cool, which was a blessed relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis fever\u2019s down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank the Lord!\u00a0 I feared it would never break.\u201d<\/p>\n

He really wanted to open his eyes and see who was talkin\u2019, but for some reason they didn\u2019t want to cooperate.\u00a0 What he was hearin\u2019 was mighty puzzling.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember that many women around the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The only thing he could come up with was that Pa\u2019d gone off and got himself married again while he\u2019d been asleep.<\/p>\n

But then, why would there be two<\/em> of them?<\/p>\n

One of the swishers sat on the edge of the bed and reached for him.\u00a0 The bed linens shifted as they did, brushing against his fevered skin.\u00a0 Joe sucked in air.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere!\u00a0 Did you see that?\u00a0 Go get Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019s waking up.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was more swishing of skirts.\u00a0 A door opened.\u00a0 It closed.\u00a0 Whoever was sitting beside him shifted again and this time placed a cool cloth on his forehead.<\/p>\n

His eyes liked that.\u00a0 They opened.<\/p>\n

He heard a little catch of breath, and then his name.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yep.\u00a0 That was his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n

Shifting his eyes was as near as painful as moving his body, but he managed it.\u00a0 He looked at her.<\/p>\n

He had no idea who she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 Now can you say something?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure he could if he wanted to.\u00a0 He just didn\u2019t want to.\u00a0 He wanted to go back to sleep.<\/p>\n

So he did.<\/p>\n

Only those ladies wouldn\u2019t let him stay asleep.\u00a0 One of them was fluffin\u2019 his pillows and the other one pullin\u2019 up his covers.\u00a0 He remembered then.\u00a0 That was why they didn\u2019t have women at the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

They fussed too much.<\/p>\n

The hands that were on the blanket froze.<\/p>\n

\u201cMary, he\u2019s awake!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe clamped his eyes shut.\u00a0 No, he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Not if they were goin\u2019 to fuss.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen,\u201d he heard one of them call as the skirts swished again.\u00a0 \u201cBen, come back!\u00a0 Joe\u2019s awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been ponderin\u2019 whether or not he should know Mary, when they threw that other name at him.\u00a0 \u2018Ben\u2019.\u00a0 He thought he should know that one for some reason.<\/p>\n

Ben….<\/p>\n

Someone sat beside him.\u00a0 He figured it was Ben because the bed went down.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t done that with the swisher.\u00a0 The man said something and then…then…a hand touched his face.\u00a0 It was followed by a soft kiss on the forehead and gentle words.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon.\u00a0 Joseph?\u00a0 Boy, can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Son.<\/p>\n

That meant Ben was….<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes opened wide to take in a familiar and much loved face.\u00a0 He lifted his hand and reached toward it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man glanced at the skirt swishers and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s awake!\u00a0 Go tell Adam and Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 His father turned back to him then.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, how do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t thought about it.\u00a0 He discovered when he did, that he shouldn\u2019t have \u2013 thought about it, that was.<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed hard.\u00a0 It took a couple of tries, but he managed to croak, \u201c…did…Cochise land…on me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Cochise?\u201d one of the ladies asked.<\/p>\n

It was a good question.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2019s horse.\u201d\u00a0 The hand touched his hair.\u00a0 \u201cCochise is fine son.\u00a0 He\u2019s been here the whole time you\u2019ve been away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Had <\/em>he been away?\u00a0 Joe frowned \u2013 even though it hurt \u2013 and tried to concentrate.<\/p>\n

That hurt too.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep now, son. Shh,\u201d his father cooed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u00a0 It will all come back in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered his pa liked giving orders.\u00a0 He liked them to be obeyed even better.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes…sir…\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n

And did as he was told.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The next time he opened his eyes Joe noticed the skirt swishers were gone \u2013 that, or they were standing still, which wasn\u2019t likely considering they were women.\u00a0 There was something about a man who was injured that seemed to set them into a kind of frenzy.\u00a0 Men would sit beside you so you knew they cared, but they\u2019d leave you to your healin\u2019 and bother you only to make sure you were still breathin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Like the man beside him was doing now.<\/p>\n

The light was different in the room, so he guessed some time had passed.\u00a0 It looked like later afternoon.\u00a0 He wondered what day it was and how long he\u2019d been lyin\u2019 in this bed.<\/p>\n

Maybe he should call back one of those chatty women.<\/p>\n

Whoever was sitting beside him was leaning sideways in their chair.\u00a0 One elbow was propped on the chair arm and their head was resting on their fist.\u00a0 The other arm was bound in a sling.\u00a0 A closed book lay in the man\u2019s lap, marked by a finger.\u00a0 Joe frowned when he found his visitor\u2019s face out of focus.\u00a0 He was too young to need glasses.<\/p>\n

What was goin\u2019 on?<\/p>\n

With a mighty effort, he narrowed his eyes and squinted.\u00a0 He must have grunted too \u2018cause the man jerked awake.<\/p>\n

He could see his face now.\u00a0 A smile lit it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you feeling, Joe?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t tell me like Cochise fell on you,\u201d he added with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about a mountain?\u201d he answered with a little smile of his own.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d his brother remarked, tight-lipped.\u00a0 Adam put the book down then and leaned forward to place his open palm on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re much cooler. The fever\u2019s almost gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was good news, but he was still puzzlin\u2019 about why he had<\/em> a fever.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

A question for a question \u2013 ever the perpetual teacher.<\/p>\n

Joe scrunched up his nose and twisted his lips and thought hard.\u00a0 \u201cI remember bein\u2019 awful cold, but hot at the same time.\u00a0 I remember you shouting at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held up a finger.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got that wrong.\u00a0 You<\/em> were definitely shouting at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was?\u00a0 What about?\u201d<\/p>\n

A funny look came across his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat else do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no use pushin\u2019 it.\u00a0 Adam was about as immovable as that mountain that fell on him.<\/p>\n

Joe thought again.\u00a0 There had to be a reason they were out in the cold.\u00a0 An image formed.\u00a0 Him, lyin\u2019 on the ground.\u00a0 A man kicking him in the ribs; holding a gun to his head.<\/p>\n

Rowse.<\/p>\n

Joe started to shiver.<\/p>\n

Adam was on his feet and on the bed in a second.\u00a0 He slipped in behind him and circled him with his good arm.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s touch felt good and it hurt like hell.<\/p>\n

Rowse\u2019s knife.\u00a0 In his shoulder.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where this whole thing had begun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam held his brother\u2019s trembling body close.\u00a0 He knew what Joe\u2019s next question would be.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t want to answer it.<\/p>\n

After their pa and the others found them, they stayed in the shallow cave for the better part of a day.\u00a0 Hoss and the preacher took off the next morning to get a wagon.\u00a0 Hop Sing tended to Joe, heating blankets by placing hot stones on them and then wrapping them around his brother as well as forcing small sips of soup between his chattering lips.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take too long to raise his body temperature, but that was the least of their worries.\u00a0 The man from China had been too slow to hide the look of concern on his face when he first examined Joe\u2019s wound.\u00a0 Two days of inattention had marked his brother\u2019s flesh with blood trails.\u00a0 The wound was deeply infected.<\/p>\n

Joe had screamed and his father been forced to hold him down as Hop Sing cleaned the knife cut as best he could and put on fresh bandages.\u00a0 Then Joe went from hot to cold and from cold to hot more times than he could remember, alternately raving and falling completely still.<\/p>\n

All he could do was watch.<\/p>\n

His own wound was clean and there was no infection in it, but it and the stress of the last few days kept him rooted to the spot he occupied.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to get up once when no one was looking and found the empirical data from the experiment told him it was best to stay put.\u00a0 In other words, he passed out, and only his father turning at the right moment and sprinting across the cave kept him from hitting the floor face first.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Atticus returned later in the day with the wagon and four other men.\u00a0 It was an arduous task, getting him and Joe up the side of the ravine, but they managed it without complaint.\u00a0 Joe was quiet for most of the ride back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He<\/em> slept for the greater part of it.<\/p>\n

In fact, he didn\u2019t wake up until he was in his own bed.<\/p>\n

Adam had been several days healing.\u00a0 Joe had been a week so far.\u00a0 In that time Elizabeth\u2019s parents had arrived and Aurora Guthrie returned.\u00a0 And Roy, well, Roy had come by tonight to give them the bad news.\u00a0 He was downstairs with his father and Atticus Godfrey right now.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Roy Coffee had come in his official capacity to tell them that Fleet Rowse had escaped.<\/p>\n

Adam looked down at his brother.\u00a0 Joe was very quiet, almost like he sensed the answer to his unspoken question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get him, Joe,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 It was a promise.<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t look at him.\u00a0 \u201cRowse?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Rowse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy had been in to question Joe a few days before, hoping something his brother remembered could help in the hunt.\u00a0 Even though Joe had had a lucid moment then and given him a few answers, it hadn\u2019t helped.\u00a0 Aurora Guthrie had been little help as well.\u00a0 The poor woman had been so distraught she\u2019d returned as soon as the snow let up and was waiting for them when they arrived.\u00a0 It was a good thing too.\u00a0 Hop Sing had needed all the help he could get.\u00a0 It had been augmented when Elizabeth\u2019s parents arrived and her mother took up nearly full-time residence in his brother\u2019s bedroom as well.<\/p>\n

Since Joe had awakened both women were enjoying some much needed and well<\/em> merited rest.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s father had joined Roy, Luke, Pa and Hoss in the hunt for Fleet Rowse.\u00a0 Levi was downstairs too.\u00a0 The last he\u2019d seen of the homesteader, the brown-haired man had been sitting in Pa\u2019s red chair with his daughter curled up on his lap. Both were fast asleep.<\/p>\n

Adam smiled.<\/p>\n

She was quite the little woman, that little girl.<\/p>\n

He shifted his grip so he was sitting beside Joe more than holding him, sensing his little brother had had about enough of being babied. Heat still radiated from Joe\u2019s wound, but it was not nearly so bad as before.\u00a0 He was healing.<\/p>\n

They were all <\/em>healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I hear someone say Atticus Godfrey is here?\u201d<\/p>\n

So, Joe was done with Rowse \u2013 at least with talking about him.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you heard right.\u00a0 Actually, Roy is here to take him into custody.\u00a0 He let him stay until we knew you\u2019d be all right.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s vouched for him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll probably get a light sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cCan I talk to him before he goes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked down.\u00a0 Joe was pale and there was a sheen of sweat on his lip and brow.\u00a0 \u201cAre you up to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to…thank him.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t turned on Rowse when he did, I….\u201d<\/p>\n

The sentence ended in an unspeakable impossibility.<\/p>\n

They had slowly pulled the truth from Atticus Godfrey as to what he had don; how he had at first aided Rowse and then realized the error of, not only his ways but his choice of business partners.\u00a0 Something Joe had said had triggered reform in the man and he had risked his life to set little brother free.\u00a0 Nevermind that it took others to accomplish it.\u00a0 The man had been willing to die<\/em> for Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll send him up when I go down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat there a minute longer.\u00a0 Then, he asked, \u201cYou okay, kid?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe thought a long time before he answered.\u00a0 When he did, it was honest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gettin\u2019 there.\u201d<\/p>\n

So were they all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In spite of his best efforts, Joe couldn\u2019t stay awake.\u00a0 Adam left him sleeping with Hop Sing watching over him and went downstairs to join the other men.\u00a0 The first thing he noticed was that Elizabeth and her father were gone.\u00a0 Pa told him when he asked that Mister Carnaby had taken her up to bed.\u00a0 So that left him, Hoss and Pa, Atticus, Luke and Roy in the room.\u00a0 For six grown men, it was awfully quiet.<\/p>\n

That was because another man was missing.<\/p>\n

Fleet Rowse.<\/p>\n

Roy leaned on the mantel, watching the fire.\u00a0 He stared into it a few minutes before he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat mean hombre just up and vanished, Ben,\u201d the lawman said.\u00a0 \u201cOnce Rowse left Little Joe to freeze to death, he didn\u2019t go back to the cave like we\u2019d hoped.\u00a0 He deserted Noyes Runyon.\u00a0 Left that fat businessman sittin\u2019 there pretty as a jaybird and lookin\u2019 at takin\u2019 all the responsibility for the attempted robbery and <\/em>kidnappin\u2019 Little Joe.\u00a0 I can tell you, Runyon started singin\u2019 one he realized what the coward had done.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt just weren\u2019t the tune we wanted to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did<\/em> Noyes have to say, Roy?\u201d Adam asked as he settled in.<\/p>\n

The lawman\u2019s words were harsh as his feelings.\u00a0 \u201cOnly that Rowse was a bastard and a loose cannon, and there was no way of knowin\u2019 where he\u2019d went.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Aurora?\u00a0 Did you talk to her again?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff nodded.\u00a0 \u201cPretty gal, that one.\u00a0 Smart too.\u00a0 Brightest thing she ever done was distance herself from that renegade brother of hers.\u201d\u00a0 Roy picked up the poker and used it to shove the embers around.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to say, she don\u2019t know nothin\u2019 that\u2019ll make any difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFleet Rowse is probably on his way out of the country by now,\u201d his father said, his tone grim.<\/p>\n

Adam pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cIf Rowse can\u2019t be brought to justice, perhaps that\u2019s for the best,\u201d he grudgingly admitted.<\/p>\n

The older man looked up the stairs and then back at him.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to tell Joseph that or am I?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe had been hurt before, but they\u2019d always caught the man who\u2019d done it.\u00a0 This was new territory for him.<\/p>\n

New territory for them all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ain\u2019t gonna quit lookin\u2019, Ben,\u201d Roy assured him.\u00a0 \u201cI just cain\u2019t put all my manpower on it.\u00a0 The sheriff\u2019s office is shorthanded as it is.\u00a0 We \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

His father moved to place a hand on the lawman\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe know, Roy.\u00a0 We know you\u2019ll do your best.\u00a0 It\u2019s all anyone can ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at his brother.\u00a0 Hoss was sitting in the other red chair, looking down, with his fingers linked between his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, you haven\u2019t said much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man started and then looked up.\u00a0 His troubled gaze flicked to their father and then to him.\u00a0 \u201cIt just don\u2019t seem fair.\u00a0 That man almost killed Little Joe and he\u2019s gonna get away scot free!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo man who embraces evil without restraint gets off free, son,\u201d their father said. \u201cThere is such a thing as Divine justice.\u00a0 It will find Fleet Rowse when no man can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you\u2019re right, Pa,\u201d middle brother admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019d sure like to see <\/em>it happen, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope not,\u201d the older man countered.\u00a0 \u201cI pray that man never darkens Nevada soil again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee nodded to Luke and then headed for the door.\u00a0 On his way, he caught Atticus Godfrey by the arm.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Padre.\u00a0 It\u2019s time we headed to Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus had been perusing one of their father\u2019s books.\u00a0 He nodded and put it down.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy,\u201d Adam said as he rose.\u00a0 \u201cCan it wait a minute?\u00a0 Joe asked to see the reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rail-thin man was startled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat for?\u201d Atticus asked.<\/p>\n

He knew, but he was going to leave it to Joe to put it into words.\u00a0 \u201cHe just asked me to have you come up before you left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy eyed the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cYou think Joe\u2019s awake up there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIf he isn\u2019t, he\u2019ll wake up.\u00a0 You know Joe, once he\u2019s made his mind up there\u2019s no stopping him.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t let Atticus see him, Roy, Doc Martin will be banging on your door tomorrow morning blaming you for Joe getting out of bed and reopening his wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff threw his hands in the air.\u00a0 \u201cFine!\u00a0 Keep it short as you can, preacher.\u00a0 I want to make town before dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Atticus Godfrey paused outside of Joe Cartwright\u2019s room, stricken with remorse.\u00a0 The last time he had been here was when he had cased the house the night before Rowse arrived.\u00a0 It was his fault the villain had gotten in. \u00a0His<\/em> fault this boy had been torn from his home and almost died.\u00a0 That a little girl had been dragged through the cold where she might have frozen to death.\u00a0 That Joe\u2019s brother Adam had been shot.\u00a0 The rail-thin man blew out a breath.\u00a0 So many sins.<\/p>\n

How could he ever<\/em> be forgiven?<\/p>\n

As he stood there, unsure that he should enter, the door opened and Hop Sing stepped out.\u00a0 The Cartwright\u2019s cook sized him up and then said, \u201cLittle Joe ask for you again.\u00a0 You go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what he wants?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe know.\u00a0 You go ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t really understand it, but Ben Cartwright and Joe\u2019s brothers seemed to be able to overlook the bad he had done and see only the good.\u00a0 Not so this small man with the dark intense eyes.\u00a0 Hop Sing held him accountable for the choices he had made.<\/p>\n

He found that a relief.<\/p>\n

Atticus nodded.\u00a0 \u201cVery well.\u201d\u00a0 Then he stepped inside.<\/p>\n

The boy was sitting up in the bed, looking toward the window.\u00a0 He looked better than the last time he had seen him.\u00a0 Of course, that had been on the long road back to the Ponderosa when Joe had still been fevered and out of his head.\u00a0 He was pale and his cheeks sunken in, but his color was much better.<\/p>\n

Joe turned when he saw him and he did something surprising.<\/p>\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Atticus.\u00a0 Or should I call you \u2018Reverend\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went to the chair beside the bed and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not officially a man of God anymore.\u00a0 Atticus will do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa says we\u2019re all<\/em> men of God,\u201d Joe countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yes, in that sense.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I mean is, I abandoned the cloth when I took up a life of crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s piercing green eyes held his.\u00a0 \u201cDid it<\/em> abandon you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He blinked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still wearing it,\u201d Joe said as he nodded toward his frock coat and collar.<\/p>\n

He was.\u00a0 \u201cOut of habit, nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was silent a minute.\u00a0 Then he said, his voice serious.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy leaned his head back as if the conversation was wearying him.\u00a0 \u201cSome things a man does without thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 Out of habit.\u00a0 Others he does out of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean how I chose to throw my lot in with Fleet Rowse?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain clouded the boy\u2019s eyes for a minute.\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cI mean like helping me to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI…I needed to get away.\u00a0 Rowse was unhinged.\u00a0 I knew \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope a man can\u2019t go to Hell for rough talking, cause I\u2019m here to tell you that\u2019s a load of horse crap!\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lips twisted with a weak smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou were willin\u2019 to risk dyin\u2019 so you could make sure I lived and I wanted to thank you for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was humbled.\u00a0 Almost to the point of losing the power of speech.\u00a0 With tears in his eyes, Atticus Godfrey lifted his head and met the young man\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to thank you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u00a0 What for?\u201d<\/p>\n

What about God\u2019s grace?<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s what the boy had asked him.\u00a0 The thought brought a smile to the thin man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Out of the mouths of babes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just say you reminded me of who I was \u2013 and of who God is<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 I didn\u2019t save you, Joe, you saved yourself by saving me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s dark brows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re hurtin\u2019 my head, Reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n

A knock on the door turned them both toward it.\u00a0 A second later Roy Coffee appeared. \u201cWell, Little Joe, you\u2019re lookin\u2019 a sight better than the last time I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI feel a sight better to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou about done with this here preacher man?\u00a0 It\u2019s time for him to help that former partner of his come to God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atticus rose. \u201cI shall endeavor to make Noyes see the error of his ways, but I am afraid it would take a miracle to make him change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s eyes were resting on the boy on the bed.\u00a0 \u201cWe seen a couple of those around here lately.\u00a0 Could be we\u2019re due for one more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he left, the right reverend Atticus Godfrey held out his hand.\u00a0 When Joe Cartwright took it, he simply said, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded and winked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EPILOGUE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Joe woke the next time there was no swishing going on. He didn\u2019t hear one hushed conversation or concerned \u2018tick\u2019 of someone\u2019s tongue.\u00a0 It was dark, so he figured it was the middle of the night and he must be well enough that he\u2019d finally been left alone.\u00a0 There was nothing like knowin\u2019 the people around you loved you and wanted to make sure you were okay, but all that fussin\u2019 did wear on a body after a while.\u00a0 Sometimes you just needed to be left alone with \u2013<\/p>\n

He heard a sigh.<\/p>\n

Dang it!<\/em>\u00a0 Someone was<\/em> there.\u00a0 Hiding in the shadows.<\/p>\n

Joe debated on whether or not to open his eyes and see who it was.\u00a0 He\u2019d had just about all the caring<\/em> he could take.\u00a0 If Aurora Guthrie or Mary Carnaby tucked him in one more time<\/em>….<\/p>\n

Whoever it was sighed again.<\/p>\n

Well, there was nothing for it.\u00a0 That<\/em> was gonna keep him away for a month of Sundays.<\/p>\n

Joe opened his eyes and looked at the chair that was usually occupied by a worry-faced Pa or Hoss or Adam.<\/p>\n

It was empty.<\/p>\n

He frowned and looked around the room and then finally he saw her, standing by the window looking out.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Bella,\u201d he said, surprised by how weak his voice sounded.<\/p>\n

Her head came up and she turned and stepped into a beam of moonlight.\u00a0 Standing there \u2013 for just a second \u2013 he saw the woman she would become.\u00a0 That made him<\/em> sigh.\u00a0 The feelin\u2019 was funny, kind of proud and sad and empty at one and the same time.\u00a0 He supposed it was the way parents felt when they knew their little girl or boy would be grown soon and wouldn\u2019t need them anymore.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d have to remember to give Pa a hug when he saw him.<\/p>\n

She came to his side and stood there looking down at him, but she didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 He could see her wide blue eyes sparkling in the dark.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been crying.<\/p>\n

Lifting a hand, he reached out to her.\u00a0 When she took it, he asked, \u201cHey, Bella.\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her little mouth opened and then clamped shut.\u00a0 Her blonde curls bounced as she shook her head.<\/p>\n

She must be worried that she was gonna get in trouble for being out of bed in the middle of the night.\u00a0 Or maybe for being in his room.<\/p>\n

Joe managed a grin.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t tell anyone you\u2019re here.\u00a0 Fact is, I\u2019ll cover for \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t it!\u201d she snapped and then sniffed.\u00a0 A tear escaped to trail down her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care<\/em> if Ma or Pa get angry.\u00a0 I had to….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHad to what?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 His brown brows peaked.<\/p>\n

Her voice was small.\u00a0 \u201cSee that you were really<\/em> okay.\u201d\u00a0 Elizabeth drew in a great gulp of air.\u00a0 \u201cI saw you when they brought you in.\u00a0 I was in the house with the Reverend.\u201d\u00a0 Her hand crept out to touch his face.\u00a0 He felt her shudder.\u00a0 \u201cI thought…I thought you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t seen me since then?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cFirst Doctor Martin said I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 He said I was too tired and you were too tired.\u00a0 Then, when I wasn\u2019t tired anymore, he said he needed everyone to leave him alone, only that didn\u2019t count for anyone but me since I saw them all comin\u2019 in and out of your room day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t your Ma tell you I was mending?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cGrown-ups lie to little kids when they think they ain\u2019t old enough to understand somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shifted and pulled himself up painfully into a seated position.\u00a0 The knife wound was still pounding at times.\u00a0 He sucked in air and swallowed the moan and then smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cWell, here I am, sittin\u2019 up and lookin\u2019 pretty.\u201d\u00a0 Joe held her pensive gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u00a0 Really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth blinked.\u00a0 She nodded.<\/p>\n

And then she dissolved into tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, hey.\u00a0 Hey!\u201d\u00a0 Now he had another<\/em> apology to make to Pa.\u00a0 How did his father stand it when he did the same thing?\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 Don\u2019t cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

She drew in seven or eight small breaths through her nose and wailed, \u201cI…can\u2019t…help…it!\u201d<\/p>\n

It took about everything that was in him, but Joe sat up and reached out and took hold of both her arms and pulled her onto the bed, rolling her over his legs so she was lodged up against his right side.\u00a0 For a few minutes he just held her, feeling her little body shake; feeling her tears wet his nightshirt.\u00a0 Again, it put him in mind of his Pa and brothers doing to same thing for him on, oh, so<\/em> many nights.<\/p>\n

When the storm had subsided, he asked quietly, \u201cNow, you gonna tell me what this is all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shuddered again and drew in closer, wrapping her arms around his middle.\u00a0 \u201cI thought…I thought I killed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was so stunned, he didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0 \u201cKilled…killed<\/em> me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her blonde head nodded against him.<\/p>\n

He thought furiously.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 Why?<\/em>\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t anything she\u2019d done.<\/p>\n

\u201cBella \u2013 now, I ain\u2019t makin\u2019 fun of you \u2013 but that\u2019s silly. You didn\u2019t hurt me \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

She sat straight up.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I did!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was amazing how quickly her sadness turned to cute little belligerent anger.\u00a0 Joe hid his smile.\u00a0 She really was<\/em> like him!<\/p>\n

\u201cNow just how\u2019d you do that?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cIf I recollect rightly, it was that man,\u201d \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t say the outlaw\u2019s name, couldn\u2019t <\/em>yet \u2013 \u201cthat put a knife in my shoulder and then dragged me out into the snow that almost killed me.\u201d\u00a0 His voice fell as fear gripped his stomach.\u00a0 \u201cHe could\u2019ve killed you too,\u201d he added softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s just it!\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t been<\/em> here \u2013 if I hadn\u2019t come to visit \u2013 then you would have just taken that bad man out and he wouldn\u2019t never have taken you!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was havin\u2019 to hide an awful lot of smiles.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little girl scowled and crossed her arms.\u00a0 \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s see, as I recall that night you and me and Hop Sing and Aurora were all here, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo…. Hop Sing had been taken captive and Aurora was in trouble before I even came<\/em> downstairs. And you were in bed?\u00a0 Right?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 Reluctantly.<\/p>\n

He held her tear-filled gaze; his own as serious as he could manage.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you\u2019re sayin\u2019 I wouldn\u2019t <\/em>have done the same thing for either of them?\u00a0 Given myself up, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched that information work its way through her brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell…no….\u201d she sniffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 He gave her his best \u2018Pa\u2019 face.\u00a0 \u201cSo now, let\u2019s forget this nonsense, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth pursed her lips, trying to fight a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cShall<\/em> we?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He frowned. \u201cWhat?\u00a0 You think I don\u2019t know fancy words like \u2018shall\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 Truth was he knew it, but didn\u2019t use it.\u00a0 Pa and Adam did.\u00a0 \u201cI know others ones too.\u201d\u00a0 He pinned her with his green eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNow, we shan\u2019t <\/em>go on behaving like our best friend has just passed.\u00a0 That would be….\u201d\u00a0 He thought a second.\u00a0 \u201cThat would be quite improvident<\/em>, now wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She lost the battle.<\/p>\n

For a moment, the little girl just sat there grinning.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re awful funny, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 She fell silent for a moment and then, she surprised him again as tears started flowing down her cheeks once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought \u2018funny\u2019 was good,\u201d he said, completely at a loss.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth nodded.\u00a0 Then she reached out to ever so gently touch his face.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no one like you, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her jaw was tight.\u00a0 Her eyes red-rimmed and puffy.\u00a0 There was snot drippin\u2019 from her nose and tears running down her cheeks.<\/p>\n

She was about the most beautiful<\/em> thing he had ever seen.<\/p>\n

Joe put his hand over hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one like you either, Bella.\u00a0 Thanks for takin\u2019 care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the end Elizabeth and her parents remained at the Ponderosa throughout the winter.\u00a0 The Carnabys and the Cartwrights had a wonderful and riotous time.\u00a0 They celebrated Christmas and brought in the New Year together, enjoying both Elizabeth and little Jack\u2019s wonder and joy.\u00a0 The weeks after that flew quickly and soon it was March and time for them all to go home.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright tilted his hat back and looked at the sky as he rubbed his shoulder, easing the grip of the healed muscles there.\u00a0 The day had dawned bright and sunny.\u00a0 Spring was on its way.\u00a0 It was March and already there were small bits of happy green poking through the brown woes of winter.\u00a0 It was midday.\u00a0 The Carnabys had intended to leave in the morning but Jack had managed to get away from them, and all of them \u2013 him, Hoss, Adam, Levi, Mary, and<\/em> Elizabeth had spent several hours searching the ranch house and the surrounding area over with no luck.\u00a0 Finally, it was Hoss who found the little boy.\u00a0 His middle brother had picked up a stray pup out on the trail and Jack was hiding with it inside of a turned-over barrel.\u00a0 His parents didn\u2019t have to scold him.\u00a0 The little boy got a tongue-lashing from his older sister that would have had him<\/em> high-tailing it for that wagon.<\/p>\n

The little boy was in place now \u2013 so was the pup \u2013 and Pa was saying goodbye to Levi.\u00a0 It had been plain fun to watch the two older men together.\u00a0 Joe grinned.\u00a0 Pa had turned to him once and told him that, if he ever became a father, he expected him to be a lot like Levi.<\/p>\n

That was a compliment!<\/p>\n

Joe turned and looked toward door\u00a0 They were waiting for Elizabeth to appear.\u00a0 As he stood there, he couldn\u2019t help but consider the events that swept in with her arrival.\u00a0 Some were settled now.\u00a0 Others were not.\u00a0 Pa had paid Aurora for the time he had hired her, even though she hadn\u2019t got to work it all out.\u00a0 She\u2019d protested, but Pa insisted.\u00a0 The pretty lady took that money and went back East to live where her people were.\u00a0 Atticus Godfrey had served a month in Roy\u2019s jail and been released.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d seen to it and Roy hadn\u2019t protested since the good Atticus had done \u2013 saving his life \u2013 had outdone the wrong choices he\u2019d made.\u00a0 He was gonna go back to bein\u2019 a preacher.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d make a good one.<\/p>\n

Noyes Runyon was sent off to prison on his testimony alone, since he was the only one who knew for sure that Noyes was as guilty as….<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed.\u00a0 He could say the name now, but it still wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

As Fleet Rowse.<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019d been out a couple of days before. The last word was that a sheriff friend of his thought he\u2019d seen Rowse with some men in his town.\u00a0 When he questioned them later, they said they were heading for Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood riddance,\u201d Joe snorted.<\/p>\n

And almost meant it.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up.\u00a0 \u201cYeah Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you go see what is keeping Elizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He found the little girl in the great room, sitting on the settee.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth was dressed in her going-away outfit.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken her into town and bought it for her a few days back.\u00a0 As he sat there, watching the dress lady fuss over her, he couldn\u2019t help but notice how much she had grown.\u00a0 Elizabeth had turned twelve during her stay and he thought she was about an inch taller.\u00a0 Her face was a little thinner, her arms and legs longer, and her chest puffed out her dress bodice just a little bit more.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be long and she would be a woman.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head and blew out a breath, letting her know he was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Bella,\u201d he said, his tone light and his heart heavy, \u201cyour ma and pa are waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her blonde head bobbed.<\/p>\n

She was sniffin\u2019 again.<\/p>\n

Joe crossed to stand in front of her and then crouched before the settee.\u00a0 \u201cHey,\u201d he said again as he reached out and lifted her chin to look into her tearful eyes, \u201cdon\u2019t be so sad.\u00a0 I\u2019m comin\u2019 to visit you at the end of the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a long time away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t deny it.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 Its just I got an awful lot of things to do between now and then.\u00a0 Roping, riding, cattle drives, and all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She chewed her lower lip as her giant blue eyes found his.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I could stay with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe got up and sat beside her on the settee.\u00a0 He took her hand in his.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now, Bella, I\u2019d like that too, but it just ain\u2019t possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing could look after me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe could.\u00a0 But who\u2019d look after Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n

She sniffed again.\u00a0 \u201cJack\u2019s got Ma and Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u00a0 But you know, even though I haven\u2019t got a ma, I do have a pa.\u00a0 Still, I need my big brothers.\u201d\u00a0 He sure hoped Adam or Hoss weren\u2019t listenin\u2019 at the door, they\u2019d never let him live this down.\u00a0 \u201cI need them to keep me in line, to make sure I do what I\u2019m told to,\u201d he paused, \u201cand to whup me good when I don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look at her, but went on. \u201cAnd you gotta think about Jack, leavin\u2019 him all alone with your ma and pa without anyone to, well,\u201d\u00a0 Joe winced, \u201cback him up when he needs backin\u2019 up, and hide him out \u2018til they cool off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got Scamp now.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Hoss\u2019 pup.\u00a0 Hoss said he\u2019d named him after him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think Jack can look out for Scamp when he <\/em>gets in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u2018spose not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you \u2018spose<\/em> right.\u00a0 You\u2019re\u00a0 the best big sister a feller could ever have.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cBella, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t been looking at him.\u00a0 She did now.<\/p>\n

Joe raised a hand and laid it alongside her face.\u00a0 \u201cYou saved my life.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned. \u201cTwice!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time didn\u2019t count, \u201d she said, scrunching up her nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I give you that<\/em>,\u201d he replied, \u201conce is more than enough, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked down again, at her fingers which were entwined and laying on the lap of her sapphire blue dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut…\u201d\u00a0 She drew in a breath and looked right at him.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the problem!\u00a0 You<\/em> need me more than Jack.\u00a0 You get into more trouble!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The snickering told him he\u2019d been had.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam were<\/em> listening at the door.<\/p>\n

As if on cue, the two of them entered.<\/p>\n

Joe sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey there, Elizabeth, your ma and pa are anxious to get on their way.\u00a0 They figured you just might run off with little brother here, so they sent us in to get you afore you could,\u201d Hoss said with a wink.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Adam remarked, his lips quirking.\u00a0 \u201cPa sent us in for you<\/em> too, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stood up.\u00a0 \u201cFor me?\u00a0 What\u2019d I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing, isn\u2019t it?\u201d his older brother asked.\u00a0 \u201cHow he always assumes he\u2019s done something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because he usually has<\/em>,\u201d Hoss smirked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you two!\u00a0 Stop pickin\u2019 on me in front of my best girl,\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

That put a gag in their mouths for sure.<\/p>\n

Joe turned to Elizabeth.\u00a0 \u201cYou see?\u00a0 Look at the two of them.\u00a0 I\u2019m in…\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at his brothers who looked way too much like turkeys with their breasts puffed out.\u00a0 \u201c…I\u2019m in good hands until I see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ain\u2019t gonna let nothin\u2019 happen to little brother,\u201d Hoss assured her as the door opened and their father joined them.\u00a0 The older man waited by it.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded his agreement and then added, \u201cJack\u2019s asking for you, Elizabeth.\u00a0 He needs help with Scamp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth looked at them and then back to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re really comin\u2019 at the end of the summer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure am,\u201d he grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you mean it?\u00a0 I am your best<\/em> girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe saw his father\u2019s wary look.\u00a0 He met it with a smile.\u00a0 He knew what his pa wanted him to say, but he had to be true to himself and to Elizabeth.\u00a0 Taking her hands in his, he held her cobalt stare.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re my best one, Bella, hands down, no question.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cocked her head.\u00a0 \u201cYou still gonna wait for me to grow up so I can marry you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe placed his hand on her head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now, how about we check back on that in four or five years.\u00a0 Who knows, by then you might have another feller.\u201d\u00a0 At her dubious look, he added, \u201cYou know what, Bella, it\u2019s nice to have a best girl you\u2019re courtin\u2019, but its a whole lot better to have one who\u2019s your best friend<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe knelt and she fell into his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Little Joe,\u201d she whispered in his ear.<\/p>\n

So low no one could hear it but her, he confessed, \u201cBella, I love you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next Story in the\u00a0<\/strong>Wet Bottom, Warm Heart Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Light as in the Darkness
\n<\/a>Doubt that the Stars are Fire<\/a>
\nAn Unspeakable Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Angst,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0JAM,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0kidnap,\u00a0SJS<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 A\u00a0 sequel to ‘Wet Bottom Warm Heart’. After 11 year old Elizabeth Carnaby saved Little Joe’s life, he promised to bring her to the Ponderosa. She arrives along with a sudden winter storm that blows in not only a little fun but a whole lot of trouble, including a killer named Fleet Rowse who is looking to make easy money by lightening the load in Ben Cartwright’s safe.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (82,825 words)<\/p>\n

Wet Bottom, Warm Heart Series, links to stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":30659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,23,4,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-humor","category-hurtcomfort","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-41-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":3996,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sunshine-duo.brown--scaled.jpg?fit=2141%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5213,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5213","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":0},"title":"Glimmer (by idmarryhoss)","author":"idmarryhoss","date":"August 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Short light happy summer read. A vignette; a flicker; a moment in time. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K (1,185 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5621,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5621","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":1},"title":"Little Ray of Sunshine (by Stetson1859)","author":"Stetson1859","date":"May 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Adam is trying to come to terms with Inger's death, and finds comfort from an unexpected source. \u00a0 Rated: K+ \u00a0WC 897","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Hoss"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Hoss","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1090"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/adam-baby.jpg?fit=436%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7665,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7665","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":2},"title":"Remembering (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe remembers another side of his elder brother.\u00a0 Also, a bonus poem about remembering. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0 1196","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Pondarosa-House-3.jpg?fit=564%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Pondarosa-House-3.jpg?fit=564%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Pondarosa-House-3.jpg?fit=564%2C401&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61219,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=61219","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":3},"title":"Realization and Memory (by PSW)","author":"PSW","date":"December 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: An unexpected obstacle on Christmas night invokes a fond and bittersweet memory. Word count: 1137 Written for the 2025 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29614,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29614","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":4},"title":"A Simple Life (by Annie K Cowgirl)","author":"Annie K Cowgirl","date":"May 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Marie takes a moment to contemplate her life: past, present, and future. Rated: K+ for mentions of death Word count: 592","rel":"","context":"In "Prequel"","block_context":{"text":"Prequel","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=30"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie-2.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie-2.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie-2.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie-2.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13375,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13375","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":5},"title":"Wet Bottom, Warm Heart (by McFair_58)","author":"mcfair_58","date":"September 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Deep inside 17 year old Little Joe Cartwright there's an angry beast waiting to get out. It makes him say and do things he always regrets, like talking back to his Pa. \u00a0After one such incident, his shame drives him away from the Ponderosa, straight into the arms of trouble\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Sunshine-duo.brown--scaled.jpg?fit=1004%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Sunshine-duo.brown--scaled.jpg?fit=1004%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Sunshine-duo.brown--scaled.jpg?fit=1004%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Sunshine-duo.brown--scaled.jpg?fit=1004%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}