{"id":14696,"date":"2017-08-13T22:04:46","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T02:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14696"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:05","slug":"keep-your-eyes-on-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14696","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Eyes on the Sun (by McFair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/strong>A sequel to ‘Blood and Bread’. Nearly a year after Little Joe was kidnapped by Wade Bosh a new threat arises born of an old pain. Can the Cartwrights survive being drawn into the tangled web woven by the choices Rosey O’Rourke made long ago?<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(69,970 words)<\/p>\n

Blood and Bread Series: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blood and Bread<\/a>
\nKeep Your Eyes on the Sun<\/a>
\nThirty-Six Ways to Get Out of Trouble<\/a>
\nAn Unspeakable Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keep Your Eyes on the Sun<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prologue<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he still in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nineteen-year-old Hoss Cartwright glanced at the bedroom door and then at his older brother.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s face was carved out of the same rock as his \u2013 a granite-worry that, so far, nothin\u2019 had been able to chip away at.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how he is,\u201d his brother answered, his voice breaking with the strain of the last two days.\u00a0 \u201cWith something like this…..\u00a0 Well, all the wild horses on the Ponderosa couldn\u2019t drag him away from that bedside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said it\u2019s pretty bad, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had been the last one to talk to their family physician.\u00a0 It had been about an hour before the older man had left to return to town to make his rounds.\u00a0 Doc Martin had come out of the sick room and down to the great room ten shades paler.<\/p>\n

His older brother ran a hand over his stubbled face.\u00a0 \u201cActually, Paul said it was hopeless.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was as if a bolt of lightnin\u2019 had struck him.\u00a0 The big teen stumbled.\u00a0 He saw the floor comin\u2019 up and felt himself goin\u2019 down.\u00a0 A minute before he would have hit the carpet, Hoss felt his brother\u2019s strong grip on his arm.\u00a0 A second later he was seated in the chair they had positioned in the upper hall just outside of the sickroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreathe deep, Hoss.\u00a0 Come on, I need you here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t plead.\u00a0 Heck, Adam didn\u2019t admit he needed help.\u00a0 The fact that he was doin\u2019 both scared him witless.<\/p>\n

Swallowing over that fear, he asked, \u201cDo you think he\u2019s really…gonna die?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss drew in a breath that was dangerously close to a sob.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019ll we do if he does, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sounded like a kid who needed his Pa\u2019s shoulder to cry on.<\/p>\n

He was.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s squeezed his arm.\u00a0 His voice choked too.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what Pa always says, \u2018Keep your eyes on the sun and you won\u2019t see the shadows.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s eyes went to the bedroom door.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t see any sun.\u00a0 All he saw was a door that looked way too much like a stone standin\u2019 stark naked over a freshly dug grave.<\/p>\n

He drew in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou think we oughta go in?\u00a0 It\u2019s been a good half hour.\u00a0 I mean, somethin\u2019 might of…happened….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rose and turned toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 He would have come to get us.\u00a0 But I think you\u2019re right.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably best we get him back to his own bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss squared his shoulders as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 We gotta think about him.\u00a0 He\u2019s still sick hisself.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019, I mean, with that fever he could still….\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother had his hand on the latch.\u00a0 He pivoted to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your eyes on the sun, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easy to say.<\/p>\n

Hard to do.<\/p>\n

The door opened onto cavernous darkness.\u00a0 Doc Martin had told them to shut out the light so his patient could rest, so even though outside it was a bright and unusually warm spring day, inside it was black as a tomb.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced.<\/p>\n

Bad choice of words.<\/p>\n

As he and his brother moved into the sick room, the seated figure by the bed didn\u2019t stir.\u00a0\u00a0 His tear-streaked face and glazed eyes were trained on the bed that held all that was dear in the world to him.<\/p>\n

He and Adam exchanged a look.\u00a0 Older brother cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

They waited.<\/p>\n

It took a few heartbeats.\u00a0 Finally, that tear-streaked face turned toward them.\u00a0 The eyes it held were glazed with their own pain.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t have been out of bed, he was still sick as a dog hisself \u2013 but that didn\u2019t mean nothin\u2019.\u00a0 They both knew he\u2019d die<\/em> sittin\u2019 there.\u00a0 Doc\u00a0 had told them before he left that if somethin\u2019 didn\u2019t change soon, he was goin\u2019 to sedate him since he wouldn\u2019t listen.<\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t need two Cartwrights dying on me<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019d growled.<\/p>\n

It had been close.<\/p>\n

Still was.<\/p>\n

Adam moved first, like he always did, takin\u2019 things in hand.\u00a0 Hoss watched his twenty-five-year old brother walk over to the side of the bed.\u00a0 He placed both hands on those saggin\u2019 shoulders and gently lifted up.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on.\u00a0 You\u2019re not well enough to be here.\u00a0 It\u2019s time you got some rest,\u201d Adam said softly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOne of us will stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first it seemed his words went unheard.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss knew they hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 He saw that lean body beneath Adam\u2019s hands go rigid.<\/p>\n

The words were hushed, grief-struck, and filled with rage.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all my…<\/em>fault.\u00a0 I should be lying there, not him.\u00a0 Not him!\u00a0 It should be me<\/em> dying!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ventured closer.\u00a0 \u201cYou know he wouldn\u2019t want that.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t thinkin\u2019 clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am<\/em> thinking clearly!\u201d\u00a0 Anger shot him up and out of the chair and away from Adam\u2019s grasp.\u00a0 He crossed the room to the door and stood there shakin\u2019, still hurtin\u2019 from his own wounds and battlin\u2019 a deadly fever that was tryin\u2019 its best to carry him away.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t know.<\/em>\u00a0 You<\/em> weren\u2019t there.\u201d\u00a0 The bluster went out of him, like a sail without wind.\u00a0 Tears fell.\u00a0 \u201cI was!\u00a0 God….I was….\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen exchanged a look with his older brother as the Doc\u2019s prediction shuddered through them both.\u00a0 Before them stood a vision straight out of some tale of the knight\u2019s of old \u2013 the righteous avenger, seekin\u2019 justice even at the cost of his own life.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t know what to say or how to stop the rumbles that shook the ground under their feet, threatenin\u2019 to loose an avalanche of trouble.<\/p>\n

Adam looked sick too.\u00a0 He was headin\u2019 toward the door and the forlorn figure standin\u2019 there when he stopped abruptly and turned back.<\/p>\n

Hoss pivoted toward the bed.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard it too.\u00a0 Two words.\u00a0 Just two words.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph…why….\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man heard a sharp intake of breath, a sob, and then the door slammed.<\/p>\n

And Little Joe was gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PART ONE<\/p>\n

One week earlier<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright drew a deep breath and fought to contain his irritation.\u00a0 At twenty-five years of age he\u2019d long since moved past childish perceptions and expectations, and though he was of an age where he could have had his own children, there were times when he wondered if he ever would.\u00a0 Order was an ephemeral thing, hard to grasp and even harder to hold.\u00a0 He craved it like a man who was dying of thirst in the desert craved water.\u00a0\u00a0 He needed <\/em>it, for without order there could be no control and without control you had chaos.<\/p>\n

The definition of which would be Joseph Francis Cartwright.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man let his exasperation out in a sigh.\u00a0 He\u2019d actually begged \u2013 begged<\/em>, mind you \u2013 his middle brother to come to town with Joe this afternoon instead of him.\u00a0 In fact, he\u2019d offered to do Hoss\u2019 chores for a week if he would.\u00a0 A package had come in on the stage for him a few days back and he had a stack of new books at home to peruse.\u00a0 All he\u2019d wanted to do was stay there and read them.\u00a0 But no, Pa decided they needed new tools to take to the mining camp when they went on Monday and so, here he was, at the mercantile instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft a-gley,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

Sometimes he wondered which<\/em> he was.<\/p>\n

It seemed to him that there was a major conspiracy afoot to keep him from reading those books.\u00a0 Pa was elbow-deep in paperwork, which he said would take all day.\u00a0 The older man had growled like a grizzly when he suggested he save some of it for later and go into town with Little Joe and enjoy himself.\u00a0 Hop Sing was busy cooking in order to supply them with several days food for the trip he and his brothers would be taking, and his middle brother swore with his hand on the Bible that Pa\u2019d ordered him to ride up to the timber camp today to check on the progress in felling trees for the job at the Manning ranch.\u00a0 Joshua Manning was a friend of theirs from the early days.\u00a0 He\u2019d come through a recent bout of the flu, but had been left debilitated.\u00a0 Josh\u2019s eldest son was away at school and his other son was only half Joe\u2019s age.\u00a0 In between there were a bevy of bright-eyed blonde beauties who were, for the most part, useless.<\/p>\n

Adam scowled.\u00a0 That was unkind.<\/p>\n

It was unfortunately also true.<\/p>\n

Turning to the right, Adam cast his eyes toward the supply wagon anchored in the street outside the mercantile.\u00a0 There, framed by the great glass window with its painted words proudly proclaiming that the store carried the finest European wares, was his little brother.\u00a0 He\u2019d left Joe in the wagon hoping to avoid trouble.\u00a0 At first he thought he\u2019d succeeded.\u00a0 The first time he\u2019d looked out, Joe had been lazing on the wagon seat, his arms locked behind his head and his black hat tipped forward over his eyes.\u00a0 After handing the store\u2019s proprietor his list, he\u2019d looked again to find Joe chatting with a pretty young filly.\u00a0 She was vaguely familiar from church and seemed to pose no immediate threat.<\/p>\n

Then again, this was <\/em>Joseph Francis Cartwright he was talking about.<\/p>\n

The third time \u2013 and it was always <\/em>the charm, wasn\u2019t it? \u2013 he\u2019d glanced out the window to find Joe standing upright in the wagon, his fists planted firmly on his tapered hips and his jaw thrust forward.\u00a0 It was what he thought of as the boy\u2019s banty rooster stance and it meant trouble.\u00a0 Little Joe was facing down an older boy who, with his boots still firmly anchored on Eagle Station\u2019s dusty street, was nearly as tall as Joe in<\/em> the wagon.\u00a0 He easily outweighed Joe by fifty pounds.\u00a0 Adam wracked his brain for a name.\u00a0 He knew the kid, but hadn\u2019t seen him around for a while.\u00a0 Bruno?\u00a0 Brad?<\/p>\n

No, Butch.\u00a0 It was Butch McTavish.<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand over his eyes.<\/p>\n

Of course, it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna rescue that little brother of yours?\u201d John Peck, the store owner asked.\u00a0 \u201cButch\u2019s a mean one.\u00a0 I hear tell he near killed a boy a few years back.\u00a0 Served near a year in some kind of school for wayward boys from what I hear.\u00a0 Today\u2019s his first day back in Eagle Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man pursed his lips.\u00a0 He happened to know that Butch had been at the institution for about six weeks and that his uncle was the one who ran the school.\u00a0 The other boy in question had been badly bruised, but come nowhere near being killed.<\/p>\n

So, what to do?<\/p>\n

His pa and Hoss would have rushed out and intervened, angering and shaming Joe in order to prevent any…damage.\u00a0\u00a0 He, on the other hand, thought the kid needed to toughen up.\u00a0 Little Joe was slight now and gave every indication of being slight when full grown.\u00a0 He and Hoss had talked about it and agreed and he\u2019d been showing Joe a few tricks lately to use his small size to his advantage.\u00a0 Adam gnawed his lip as he watched the boys trade verbal spars.\u00a0 Joe was going to have to learn to defend himself against brutes and bullies and big men if he wanted to prevent being taken advantage of like what happened last year with….<\/p>\n

Adam took in a sudden breath as the memory of what had<\/em> occurred punched him in the gut.<\/p>\n

What was he thinking?<\/p>\n

Concerned hazel eyes flicked from Butch to Joe.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s nostrils were flared and that jaw jutted forward now like a rocky bluff.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s fingers were clenched into tight fists and all one hundred and five pounds of him had gone rigid.\u00a0 To the casual observer Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest son would have looked like he was rip-roaring and ready for a fight.<\/p>\n

He knew better.<\/p>\n

Joe was scared.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you care what happens to your brother?\u201d John asked quietly.<\/p>\n

Oh, he cared.\u00a0 He cared very much.\u00a0 As he watched Butch beckon Joe out of the wagon, time slowed.\u00a0 Each breath was an hour of time to curse himself.<\/p>\n

Nine months back Joe had been kidnapped and abused by a brute of a man named Wade Bosh.<\/p>\n

Bosh\u2019s abuse had left his brother terrified.\u00a0 For months Joe had been afraid to leave the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Every time one of the hands came around who was near or as big as Hoss, Joe would flee.<\/p>\n

This was his ornery, in-your-face, determined and fearless little brother.<\/p>\n

Or it had been.<\/p>\n

Adam looked again.\u00a0 Joe must have made his mind up that this was the time he wouldn\u2019t back down.\u00a0 Maybe he thought he could take Butch, since he too was a boy.\u00a0 Maybe Joe was just too embarrassed in front of the filly to back down \u2013 or maybe it was the circle of his school friends, including several very pretty girls, who had gathered to watch.<\/p>\n

Whatever it was, Joe was getting out of the wagon.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand was on the door now, pushing it open.\u00a0 Was it worth the kid taking a licking, he wondered,\u00a0 to show him that he could<\/em> fight back and win \u2013 that he didn\u2019t have to be afraid anymore? \u00a0After all, Butch was<\/em> a boy \u2013 a big boy, mind you \u2013 but a boy.\u00a0 Would it help restore some of Joe\u2019s lost confidence if he let his brother wallop him?<\/p>\n

On the other hand, would Pa let him come home if he did?<\/p>\n

Joe and Butch were squaring off.\u00a0 Adam scowled with uncertainty as he watched the boys begin the familiar dance preparatory to throwing punches.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 He just couldn\u2019t do it to him.\u00a0 He just couldn\u2019t<\/em> embarrass Joe.\u00a0 At thirteen his brother was fighting hard to be a man, and lately, he\u2018d been doing a good job of it.\u00a0 They\u2019d been up to the timber camp a number of times since Mr. Manning fell ill and each time Joe had been cooperative and really helpful in getting the work done.<\/p>\n

Was the way to repay him by shaming him in front of his schoolmates?<\/p>\n

John Peck had followed him onto the porch.\u00a0 As the store owner spoke again, Adam waved him off and walked to the edge.\u00a0 Joe was still physically under par from his ordeal with Bosh.\u00a0 His muscle tone was not what it had been and his eyes were weak.\u00a0 Still, he had good form and looked like he could go a round or two with Butch without being…maimed.\u00a0 Leaning against one of the porch columns, Adam watched and waited.\u00a0 It only took a second for Joe to spot him.\u00a0 His brother looked alternately guilty, frightened, puzzled, and then, pleased.<\/p>\n

You go get him, boy!<\/em>\u00a0 Adam projected.\u00a0 Remember what I\u2019ve taught you about taking on a man bigger than you.<\/em><\/p>\n

A second later the fight began in earnest.\u00a0 Joe did well at the beginning, ducking and deliberately baiting Butch into throwing useless punches, which he easily ducked in order to tire him out.\u00a0 The maneuver, unfortunately,\u00a0 also served to make the bully furious, which could go either way \u2013 Butch would be so angry he\u2019d do something stupid and open himself up to attack, or he\u2019d be so enraged he\u2019d take Joe\u2019s head off.<\/p>\n

Since this debacle was of his making, he was banking on the first.<\/p>\n

The crowd, of course, was going wild.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s male friends \u2013 he could see both Seth and Mitch \u2013 were rooting loudly for him.\u00a0 Tory Jennings was there too, Joe\u2019s sometime girlfriend.\u00a0 She was the filly from church he\u2019d been trying to place.\u00a0 Tory was yelling for Joe to win.<\/p>\n

At that moment Adam knew he was vindicated.\u00a0 Even if his brother ended up in the hospital and his father disowned him, Joe\u2019s girl knew he was a man.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes returned to the crowd.\u00a0 There were a half dozen boys rooting for Butch as well, several of which had been known to bully Joe before.\u00a0 They\u2019d all been drummed out of school and had matured as only a boy could when placed too soon amidst the rough and tumble men who worked a ranch.\u00a0 The black-haired man watched them closely.<\/p>\n

So long as the fight remained honest and Joe wasn\u2019t hurt badly, he was determined not to interfere.<\/p>\n

A second later there was a loud exclamation of surprise and Butch dropped to his knees.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s knuckles were bleeding, but he\u2019d managed to catch the bigger boy with an uppercut to the jaw that took him down.\u00a0 Butch fell amidst a chorus of cheers and boos.\u00a0 The bully landed on his hands and knees, gasping.\u00a0 Adam grinned.\u00a0 Joe was standing over him; his battered hands still raised and fists clenched as if ready to take on any newcomers.<\/p>\n

A triumphant smile curled the end of his little brother\u2019s split lip.<\/p>\n

Then, it happened \u2013 too swift for him to react. \u00a0One of Butch\u2019s friends came up behind Joe and pinned his arms to his sides.\u00a0 As Joe wriggled to escape, another smacked him on the side of his head, putting him off-kilter.\u00a0 Seth and Mitch were on the move, but more of the bullies buddies moved in, ringing Joe, preventing them from reaching him.\u00a0 Adam stepped off the porch.\u00a0 As he did, he caught Joe\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

And realized he had made a big<\/em> mistake.<\/p>\n

Like a roaring bull, Butch reared up off of the dusty street and charged, driving his head hard into Joe\u2019s left side right where the ribs met his abdomen.\u00a0 The air that left his brother\u2019s lungs was audible.\u00a0 Joe went down and Butch went down on top of him, driving his brother\u2019s slight form into the hard earth and then pummeling him with his fists.<\/p>\n

Adam was on the move but the crowd, which by now included adults, was too thick for him to part.\u00a0 He hesitated only a moment and then he pulled his pistol from its holster and fired once, high into the air.<\/p>\n

The street fell silent.<\/p>\n

The shot, of course, brought Deputy Roy Coffee out of his office and sent him hustling across the street to break up the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t you boys got nothin\u2019 better to do than pound each other like a side of beef!\u201d the lawman shouted, his voice stern.\u00a0 \u201cI oughta throw the whole lot <\/em>of you in jail for disturbin\u2019 the peace!\u201d\u00a0 Reaching down, Roy grabbed Butch by the collar and hauled him back.\u00a0 A horrified look crossed his face when he looked at Butch\u2019s victim.\u00a0 \u201cOne more year on you, boy, and I\u2019ll be havin\u2019 you up on attempted murder charges for what you done!\u201d he told Joe\u2019s attacker.<\/p>\n

Adam swallowed hard, stunned by Roy\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

He had yet to get a good look at Joe.<\/p>\n

This time the crowd parted as he moved.\u00a0 The only ones left were Joe\u2019s friends and several of his friends\u2019 parents \u2013 including Tory\u2019s mother and father \u2013 so it wasn\u2019t difficult to make his way to his brother\u2019s side.\u00a0 When he got there, Adam fell to his knees and reached out toward the battered form.<\/p>\n

With a glance at Roy, who shook his head, he breathed, \u201cGood Lord….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lower lip, the skin over his left cheek, and the ridge above his left eyebrow were all split and bleeding.\u00a0 His jaw was turning black and blue.\u00a0 His knuckles were scraped nearly to the bone and both knees were bleeding, the fabric of his light gray pants having split when he fell.\u00a0 But that wasn\u2019t the worst thing.\u00a0 The buttons of his brother\u2019s white shirt had been popped.\u00a0 The bloodied fabric lay open revealing his chest and the heavy bruising that was spreading like a cancer over his brother\u2019s abdomen as he watched.<\/p>\n

Adam choked.\u00a0 \u201cJoe….\u201d<\/p>\n

His little brother was half-conscious, but there was enough life and spark left in him for his battered lips to curl into a weary smile. Feebly his brother\u2019s fingers clasped his red shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks…Adam….\u201d Joe wheezed just before he coughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks?\u00a0 For what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grimaced, then the smile returned.\u00a0 \u201cFor…letting me be a…man….\u201d<\/p>\n

That life and spark?\u00a0 Well, they went out of him then.\u00a0 Joe lapsed into unconsciousness and lay in a crumpled heap on the ground.<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee had turned Butch and the other boys over to Sheriff Olin, who was herding them toward the jail.\u00a0 As he stared at Joe\u2019s slight form, the deputy said, his voice barely more than a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d best be gettin\u2019\u00a0 Little Joe to the Doc\u2019s, Adam.\u00a0 You hear?\u201d\u00a0 He turned to glance at the crowd.\u00a0 \u201cFrom what I been told by Tory and her folks, Butch started this here fight.\u00a0 Little Joe ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam slipped his arms under his brother\u2019s slight form and lifted him up.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t have anything to worry about.<\/p>\n

But he did.<\/p>\n

He might just have killed his brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood outside the front door of his home, looking toward the Eagle Station road.\u00a0 It was early evening and the warm May day had given way to a chilly night.\u00a0 It was nearly eight o\u2019clock and he was growing concerned.\u00a0 The task he\u2019d set Adam and Joseph earlier in the day should have taken an hour or two at most to complete.\u00a0 They\u2019d had plenty of time to return.\u00a0 Of course, there was always the possibility that his youngest had talked his oldest into eating supper at Beth Riley\u2019s.\u00a0 Beth made the best pies in town and she always thought Joseph needed fattening up, so she doled it out in large portions.\u00a0 If it had been Hoss he\u2019d sent into town with Joe, he would have been even more concerned.\u00a0 Joe might have talked his middle brother into some hair-brained scheme.\u00a0 As it was, with Adam at the helm, he was able to keep his worry in check.<\/p>\n

Adam wouldn\u2019t let anything happen to his younger brother.<\/p>\n

Ben looked back into the house, imagining the desk in his office with its mountain of paperwork that still needed scaled.\u00a0 He\u2019d been diligent so far, but had made little headway.\u00a0 It seemed every time he turned around, he needed Adam\u2019s thoughts, skills, or knowledge to complete it.\u00a0 He wondered idly when he had come to rely so heavily on the boy.<\/p>\n

Boy.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 Adam had never been<\/em> a boy.\u00a0 Not really.\u00a0 At a little over six years old he had become responsible for his baby brother, and by the time Hoss could care for himself, there was Joseph.\u00a0 For the years Marie had been alive that burden was eased, but it had been during those years that his eldest son had begun to grow into his role as a man, riding at his side, taking charge of the hands \u2013 Ben glanced at the desk again \u2013 doing the paperwork, and helping to build the dream that was the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Ben entered the house and closed the door behind him.\u00a0 It was a good thing the man Adam had grown into had broad shoulders.\u00a0 He needed them to bear all of the responsibilities his father laid upon them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

The nineteen-year-old was seated by the fire.\u00a0 There was a book in his hand \u2013 not an unheard of occurrence in his middle son\u2019s life, but one that was fairly rare.\u00a0 It actually belonged to Joe and according to his youngest son \u2013 who was also not the most voracious of readers \u2013 it was one \u2018rip-snortin\u2019 tale\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 The title was The Man in the Iron Mask<\/em> and it had been written by one of his own favorite authors, Alexander Dumas.<\/p>\n

The rancher shook his head in answer to his son\u2019s question.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign yet, but then again, since Adam is with Joe there\u2019s nothing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou just keep tellin\u2019 yourself that, Pa.\u00a0 One day you\u2019ll believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you implying that I still think of your oldest brother as a boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m implying you ain\u2019t quite acquainted with that youngest son of yours.\u00a0 Little Joe sure-as-shootin\u2019 has a nose for trouble!\u00a0 You can\u2019t let the boy walk to the stable by himself without thinkin\u2019 somethin\u2019 might….\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice trailed off.\u00a0 A look \u2013 somewhere between sick and sorry \u2013 came over his son\u2019s beefy face.\u00a0 \u201cI sure am sorry, Pa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to bring up no bad memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no need to apologize, Hoss,\u201d he answered quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve described the youngest Cartwright quite accurately.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cJoe still ain\u2019t right, is he, Pa?\u00a0 I mean, not all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sat down on the settee opposite him.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shifted uncomfortably.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I don\u2019t mean nothin\u2019 unkind, Pa.\u00a0 You know<\/em> how much I love Little Joe.\u00a0 But he ain\u2019t…well, he ain\u2019t hisself.\u00a0 Oh, he makes a good show of it, pretendin\u2019 to be a fiery little cuss and givin\u2019 as good as he gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in his eyes, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s like he\u2019s scared all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ordeal Joseph had been through nearly a year before \u2013 being kidnapped from his home by a vengeful sailor who thought he was his long lost \u2018son\u2019, being drugged and tormented both mentally and physically, and then abandoned in the hold of a ship and left to die \u2013 would have been enough to break a full-grown man.\u00a0 As it was his youngest had survived, but there were scars \u2013 deep ones \u2013 and the saddest thing was, Joseph wouldn\u2019t talk about them.\u00a0 Whenever asked, \u2018How are you?\u2019, his answer was the same.\u00a0 Every one of them could mouth it before he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m fine.\u2019<\/p>\n

Joseph was anything but<\/em> fine.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d had family discussions, early in the morning when they knew Little Joe was asleep.\u00a0 The conclusion was \u2013 much to his determination to do otherwise \u2013 that he\u2019d agreed to let Joseph range a bit farther away from the house, hence the trip to town today.\u00a0 Wade Bosh had taken many things away from Joseph.\u00a0 Adam had pointed out that his brother\u2019s belief in himself was the chief one.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced toward the door again, seeing his oldest and youngest exit through it.\u00a0 It had been hard to let the boy go.\u00a0 God, it had been hard!\u00a0 Other than school and letting him occasionally\u00a0 travel with his brothers, he\u2019d kept Joseph close since…well…since <\/em>what happened with Wade Bosh.\u00a0 There was always the fear in his mind and heart that someone or something would rear up out of nowhere and take his son away from him again.<\/p>\n

Hoss cleared his throat.\u00a0 He was waiting on an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re brother will recover in time,\u201d the rancher replied, seeking to convince himself as much as his son.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph needs to gain confidence.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I\u2019m allowing him to go with you and Adam again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a lot of help up at the timber camp last week,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 Then he winked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd only a little<\/em> trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed.\u00a0 It felt good.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 You hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher listened.\u00a0 \u201cI sure do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben started toward the door, heartened by the sound of a wagon rolling into the yard.\u00a0 He opened it and stepped out, ready to greet his sons \u2013 only to find two strangers, one in the drivers\u2019 seat and the other on the ground and headed for the house.\u00a0 The man closest to him looked to be in his early to mid-forties, though he could have been younger.\u00a0 He had the look of a seasoned cowboy\u00a0 \u2013 grizzled and sunburned, with skin like leather and pallid gray eyes that had seen too many trails and trials. \u00a0His sandy beard and mustache were liberally dashed with a pale blond tone, as were the ramrod straight eyebrows that topped them.\u00a0 The man in the wagon was younger \u2013 about Adam\u2019s age.\u00a0 He had thick wavy brown hair, the color of Joseph\u2019s but not as curly. \u00a0His face and features were small \u2013 almost delicate \u2013 and his body a bit on the skinny side.\u00a0 If the drifter was his father, then he favored his mother.<\/p>\n

The cowboy halted before him and tipped his hat.\u00a0 \u201cEvenin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood evening.\u00a0 Is there something I can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man glanced at the boy and then turned back.\u00a0 Sticking his hand out he said, \u201cName\u2019s\u00a0 Webb.\u00a0 Fremont Webb, though everyone calls me Monty.\u201d\u00a0 As Ben took the offered hand and shook it, Monty went on.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m hopin\u2019 so.\u00a0 We were on our way to the Manning\u2019s spread when Greg here got to feelin\u2019 poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher looked at the younger man again.\u00a0 He was<\/em> a bit hunched over.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 contagious.\u00a0 He \u2018et somethin\u2019 and it\u2019s gone off a bit.\u00a0 Boy\u2019s got a weak stomach.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The cowboy turned.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that right, Greg?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg scowled and rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n

The sight tore at Ben\u2019s heart.\u00a0 The gesture was so like one Joe would make.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 wrong, sir?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, call me Ben.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m just a bit preoccupied.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to disturb you then, Ben.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0 No, please stay.\u00a0 You can bed down in the bunkhouse for the night.\u00a0 We have spare beds at the moment as a good many of the men are out in the field with the branding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d Monty said with a tip of his hat.\u00a0 He\u2019d begun to walk back to the wagon when he halted and turned around. \u201cBen.\u00a0 Would that be Ben Cartwright?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The question was as routine as his reaction to it should have been.<\/p>\n

The knot in his stomach told him otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so worried about gettin\u2019 the boy off that wagon and into a bed, I almost forgot.\u00a0 I should\u2019ve asked.\u201d\u00a0 As he spoke, Monty pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and held it out to him.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I wasn\u2019t thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 The man who gave me this told me yours was the first spread I\u2019d come upon on the road.\u00a0 We heard tell there was work at the Mannings.\u00a0 That\u2019s why we were headed that way.\u00a0 I said I\u2019d bring it by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took the paper and held it like it was a snake about to strike.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan?\u201d he asked with a lift of his near-black brows.<\/p>\n

\u201cTall fellow.\u00a0 Black hair.\u00a0 Good lookin\u2019.\u00a0 He was in the saloon askin\u2019 if anyone was headin\u2019 out this way.\u00a0 Said he needed to get this to you quick as a lick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas his name Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cCould be.\u00a0 I heard that name.\u00a0 Might of belonged to him and might not.\u201d\u00a0 The cowboy eyed him.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna read it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben paled as he unfolded the slip of paper and recognized his eldest son\u2019s strong hand.\u00a0 He began to tremble as he read it.<\/p>\n

Pa.\u00a0 Sorry, Pa.\u00a0 Made a terrible mistake.\u00a0 Joe hurt.\u00a0 My fault.\u00a0 Come now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben lifted his eyes to the sky.\u00a0 The stars were out.\u00a0 The moon rising.\u00a0 Adam would have had to know the note could not reach him before dark.<\/p>\n

Come now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*************<\/p>\n

TWO<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey O\u2019Rourke stood back to admire the dress she was working on.\u00a0 She had a half dozen pins in her mouth and a pencil behind her ear and had her newly purchased glasses perched on the tip of her nose so she could examine her handiwork. \u00a0While it didn\u2019t compare to Ming-hua\u2019s, it was pretty darn good if she said so herself.\u00a0 Removing the pins from between her lips, she stuck them through the fabric of her plain white pinner apron and turned back into the work room.\u00a0 They\u2019d only opened the business a little over\u00a0 three weeks before and already there were orders stacking up.\u00a0 That was due to the talent of the young Chinese woman she shared the establishment with.\u00a0 The sign that hung above the door of the dress shop was up front and honest, though few understood its meaning.\u00a0 It proudly proclaimed \u2018Tomorrow\u2019s Flower, Millinery & Fancy Goods\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tomorrow\u2019s flower\u2019 was, of course, the English translation of Ming-hua\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

Rosey pulled the pencil from behind her ear, made note of a few measurements, and then removed her apron and headed for the show room that fronted onto the main street in Eagle Station.\u00a0 It was late and the shop was closed and, as usual, they\u2019d decided to stay after hours in an attempt to catch up.\u00a0 Ming-hua had left a few minutes earlier to see if she could rustle up some grub for them at one of the local eateries.\u00a0 Beth Riley worked late too, baking pies for the next day\u2019s sales, and they could usually count on her to supply them with some cold sandwiches and a slice of whatever pie had been left over that day.\u00a0 On reaching the showroom, the older woman crossed to the window and looked out.\u00a0 There seemed to be an unusual amount of activity down the street, across from the saloon, on the block that held Doctor Martin\u2019s office among other businesses.\u00a0 The doctor was often in late as well.\u00a0 Rosey laughed as she turned away and headed for her desk.<\/p>\n

Maybe after-hours were <\/em>normal hours when you had your own business.<\/p>\n

It was still new to her \u2013 owning a business and living in a town the size of Eagle Station.\u00a0 She\u2019d lived in bigger ones, chief among them San Francisco, and smaller too \u2013 if you counted her own little \u2018village\u2019 of one high in the Sierras.\u00a0 But this was different.\u00a0 Eagle Station was small enough that just about everybody knew everybody else\u2019s business.\u00a0 Sometimes that was a good thing, but at other times, well, it simply made her want to run.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that anyone had been cruel.\u00a0 In fact, they were too<\/em> kind.\u00a0 As a woman Beth Riley had honed in quickly on the fact that there had been a tragedy in her life.\u00a0 She\u2019d wanted her to talk about it \u2013 to help her.<\/p>\n

Not yet.<\/p>\n

It was too soon.<\/p>\n

Though her involvement with saving Joseph Cartwright from the clutches of Wade Bosh \u2013 the man who had kidnapped the boy close to a year back and nearly sailed away with him \u2013\u00a0 had helped to ease the pain of her own loss, after thirteen years it was still too raw to share.<\/p>\n

Rosey smiled as she reached up to undo the bun at the nape of her neck and shook her long brown hair free.<\/p>\n

With anyone other than Ben, that was.<\/p>\n

Their arrival in town had been set for late April.\u00a0 Instead they\u2019d arrived near the beginning of May and so she had seen little of the handsome rancher as he was busy rounding up and branding calves, as well as dealing with several sizeable mining and timber contracts.\u00a0 She and Ming-hua had been invited to the Ponderosa that first week and had spent a lovely evening in the company of all the Cartwrights and their Chinese cook who, in spite of his very vocal protests, had been convinced to sit down and join them.\u00a0 Adam played his guitar and he and his brothers entertained them with rousing renditions of some familiar songs.\u00a0 Over the course of the evening, she\u2019d paid special attention to Ben\u2019s youngest.\u00a0 Joseph had been so ill when she\u2019d first met him, she barely recognized the boy.\u00a0 And when she did see him hale and hearty, with his lightly tanned skin and that thick head of lustrous brown curls, the resemblance to Rory had been a knife to her heart.\u00a0 It was foolish, of course.\u00a0 If he\u2019d lived, her son would be near Adam\u2019s age now.\u00a0 Still, in her heart, Rory was forever twelve.\u00a0 Once, over supper, their eyes had met \u2013 Joseph\u2019s wide emerald ones locking on hers, which were brown as silt.\u00a0 Something had passed between them at that moment. \u00a0A fusion\u00a0 of sorts.<\/p>\n

In that moment she had come to love him as dearly as her own.<\/p>\n

Whenever he came to town the youngest Cartwright was always sure to stop by the dress shop, even if it was just to say hello.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen Little Joe earlier in the day. \u00a0He\u2019d come by and flashed that winning smile of his and showed her a bag of sweets, which he quickly tucked into his white shirt.\u00a0 Apparently he\u2019d been ordered by Adam to stay in the supply wagon while his older brother conducted business inside the mercantile. Seeing that Adam was busy, Joseph had taken the opportunity to sneak across the street to the confectioners.\u00a0 Rosey couldn\u2019t help but smile as she removed her apron and tossed it over the chair back.\u00a0 He was a caution, that one.\u00a0 And from what she had witnessed so far, the child most like his father.\u00a0 She\u2019d come to know Ben Cartwright quite well over the course of the weeks they had hunted for Joseph, and under very trying circumstances.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen the rancher fight despair, find courage in his faith, react in righteous anger, and ultimately choose justice over vengeance.<\/p>\n

She could only hope, should God choose to try her in such a way, that she would emerge in the end as victorious as he had.<\/p>\n

Crossing over to a cupboard where she kept her personal things, Rosey opened the door and drew out a small oval frame.\u00a0 She held it to her heart for a moment and then looked at the image it held.\u00a0 There, on the metal sheet, was the likeness of all she had lost.\u00a0 Her husband Patrick had been a successful physician.\u00a0 Though she told him it was an extravagance, he had insisted they have it taken.\u00a0 She\u2019d forgotten about the photograph and had only discovered it as she and Ming-hua dismantled her home in preparation for the move to Eagle Station.\u00a0 Her younger self was there, looking happy and content, and her dear Pat.\u00a0 And Rory.\u00a0 Her beautiful boy.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d been told not to move, but not <\/em>moving was not in Rory\u2019s nature.\u00a0 His image was slightly blurred, as if he\u2019d already been halfway in the next world.<\/p>\n

Reaching up, the older woman struck a tear away and then returned the frame to the cupboard.\u00a0 As she did, she heard the door to the shop open.\u00a0 Since it had been locked, she knew it had to be Ming-hua.\u00a0 As she turned to greet her, a chill ran down her spine and she froze in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Rosey come quick!\u00a0 Mister Ben have need of you,\u201d her young companion said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d she asked as she reached for her cloak.<\/p>\n

The child looked frightened.\u00a0 \u201cI do not know.\u00a0 Mister Ben is very angry.\u00a0 He hit Mister Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey paused with her hand on the door.\u00a0 \u201cBen <\/em>hit Adam?\u00a0 Are you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ming-hua nodded.<\/p>\n

Catching the girl\u2019s hand in her own, the older woman breathed, \u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright was more scared than he had ever been in his life.<\/p>\n

Now, he could honestly say that in his nineteen years of walkin\u2019 the earth, there\u2019d only been a few times he\u2019d been really <\/em>scared.\u00a0 Being big as he was kind of prevented it most of the time.\u00a0 He\u2019d been afraid when his little brother was born \u2013 terrified<\/em> if he told the truth \u2013 that both that little baby and his mama was gonna die.\u00a0 And then mama did <\/em>die.\u00a0 That had sure been awful.\u00a0 There\u2019d been a few times since then when Little Joe\u2019d near died too \u2018cause of some harebrained thing he\u2019d done like climbin\u2019 Eagle\u2019s Nest or mountin\u2019 up on some fool maverick of a horse.\u00a0 And, of course, there\u2019d been a thousand little scares with horses and cattle and men, but each and every time \u2013 big or little \u2013 there\u2019d been one constant.\u00a0 Him and his father and brothers, they was always there for each other just like Pa taught them to be.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t seem like nothin\u2019 could tear them apart.<\/p>\n

Nothin\u2019 until now.<\/p>\n

Adam was layin\u2019 in the dirt outside Doc Martin\u2019s place and it was Pa who put him there.<\/p>\n

He and Pa had ridden into town lickety-split, only stoppin\u2019 once in the whole twenty miles to let the horses rest.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d pulled the note Adam sent out of his pocket and read it again while Chubb and Buck was coolin\u2019 down.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t say much, just shook his head.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen his pa in a lot of tight situations.\u00a0 It was kind of like the man turned to steel \u2013 like being<\/em> steel would slice through whatever it was that was comin\u2019.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d had an awful lot of hurt in his life and sometimes it seemed like he was just waitin\u2019 for the next one to come.\u00a0 Maybe, since steel was just about the toughest thing there was, he thought by becomin\u2019 it, he could make it through anythin\u2019.\u00a0 Trouble was, Pa had what Adam called an Achilles\u2019 heel.<\/p>\n

And that was Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s love for mama had been fierce and Joe was all he had left of her.\u00a0 Oh, he loved him and Adam too \u2013 just as much as little brother \u2013 but in a different way.\u00a0 It was like Pa knew one day Joe would to fly too high or run too fast or ride too hard like mama did, and it was his God-given duty to prevent it.\u00a0 He\u2019d laid that charge on them too, makin\u2019 it clear to him and Adam that they was to protect their baby brother even if it meant makin\u2019 Joe mad.<\/p>\n

Even if it meant keepin\u2019 Little Joe from growin\u2019 up and becomin\u2019 a man.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d talked about it, him and Adam.\u00a0 Since Joe\u2019d been rescued from that Bosh feller, Pa was even worse, barely lettin\u2019 Joe out of his sight.\u00a0 It was chaffin\u2019 on little brother and that was why Adam had taken him into town with him today.\u00a0 Even Hop Sing saw how Pa kind of had Joe in a chokehold.\u00a0 Yeah, him and Adam had talked and they\u2019d agreed that one day one of them was gonna have to tell Pa he better let loose or the boy would turn up his toes and die.<\/p>\n

It looked like that day had come.<\/p>\n

Adam had staggered to his feet.\u00a0 He was wipin\u2019 the blood from his lip.\u00a0 Pa was bearing down on him like the fury of Heaven unleashed.\u00a0 Older brother had said somethin\u2019 he shouldn\u2019t ought of and Pa had just plain lost his temper.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will mind your tongue with me, young man!\u201d\u00a0 Pa shouted as he flung his arm out toward Doc Martin\u2019s door.\u00a0 \u201cI trusted you!\u00a0 I trusted <\/em>you, Adam!\u00a0 How <\/em>could you have let this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d Adam answered, his own temper barely under control.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry will mean little if your brother dies!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss knew better, but he said it anyway.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Pa, that ain\u2019t fair \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

He rounded on him, his black eyes blazin\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cThis does not concern you!\u201d<\/p>\n

That hurt.\u00a0 \u2018Course it did.\u00a0 Joe and Adam was his brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, if you\u2019ll just let me explain why I did what I did,\u201d Adam tried again.<\/p>\n

That there steel he\u2019d been thinkin\u2019 on earlier that Pa was made of, well, it was fiery red now and waitin\u2019 for the bath that would make or break it.\u00a0 It all hung on one word.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam did his best.\u00a0 He set to explainin\u2019 how he\u2019d left Little Joe in the wagon out front of the mercantile where he could keep an eye on him, and how Tory\u2019d come up to flirt, and then how Butch \u2013 probably \u2018cause he was jealous of Joe and Tory \u2013 had picked a fight.\u00a0 Older brother was doin\u2019 right well up until the moment Pa realized the same thing he did.<\/p>\n

Adam ain\u2019t done one thing to stop that fight from happenin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Their father was shakin\u2019 his head.\u00a0 He pushed a hand out in front of him, wavin it like he was tryin\u2019 to offset a stampede.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute.\u00a0 Wait!<\/em>\u00a0 So, I did<\/em> understand you earlier,\u201d Pa growled.\u00a0 \u201cYou had time to stop the fight and chose <\/em>not to?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother squared his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a hissin\u2019 as that fiery steel hit the water.\u00a0 \u201cBalls of fire, boy!\u00a0 What were you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t back down.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not<\/em> a boy, Pa, and that\u2019s because you let me grow up.\u00a0 You treated me like a man when I was twelve.\u201d\u00a0 Older brother glanced at the doctor\u2019s office.\u00a0 Pain set his jaw as much as anger.\u00a0 \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, Pa, Joe\u2019s thirteen!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he may never live to see fourteen, thanks to you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not listening to me,\u201d Adam shot back.\u00a0 \u201cA punch in the belly.\u00a0 A shot in the back.\u00a0 Those are mercifully quick ways to die.\u00a0 Pa, you\u2019re killing Joe slowly.\u00a0 Since he\u2019s been home you\u2019ve barely let him out of your sight \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know full well what happened when I did <\/em>let him out of my sight!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what are you going to do?\u00a0 Keep him tied to a post in the front yard for the rest of his life?\u00a0 Take away every bit of self-respect he has by mollycoddling him and making him a laughing stock?\u201d\u00a0 Adam drew a sharp breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve made Joe a prisoner just as surely as Wade Bosh did!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss winced.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard it.<\/p>\n

The steel snapped.<\/p>\n

He was just about to put himself between his father and brother to keep them from lighting into one another again when a woman\u2019s voice called out.\u00a0 \u201cBenjamin Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa stiffened.\u00a0\u00a0 Those near-black eyes of his flashed a warning.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cKeep out of this, Rosey,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThis is between Adam and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That ol\u2019 Rosey, she walked right up to his pa and said, \u201cYou and Adam \u2013 and about half the citizens of Eagle Station!\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking at her, standin\u2019 \u2018there with her hands on her hips, Hoss remembered what Pa had told him about Rosey bein\u2019 a scout for the army.\u00a0 A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.<\/p>\n

Pa could bark all he wanted.\u00a0 She weren\u2019t scared of nothin\u2019.<\/p>\n

The older woman glanced at Adam and then turned back to his pa.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it that\u2019s come between you two?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam opened his mouth to reply, but Pa beat him to it.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s negligence may have cost his brother his life!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced at the doctor\u2019s office.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe is hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s jaw was set.\u00a0 His lips, a knife\u2019s edge.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you two are out brawling like common thugs in the middle of the street instead of being inside supporting him?\u00a0 Shame on you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA-Adam…\u201d Pa stuttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care \u2018what\u2019 Adam did!\u00a0 Do you think Little Joe<\/em> cares right now?\u201d\u00a0 She pressed a finger into pa\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think, at this moment, that beautiful boy of yours might just be wondering where his father is?\u201d\u00a0 The color was up in her cheeks.\u00a0 Her eyes were bright.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like me to go in there and tell Joseph that instead of sitting with him, you are out here in the middle of the street brawling with his older brother?\u201d\u00a0 Her hand shot out toward Adam.\u00a0 \u201cLook at this young man!\u00a0 Your words might as well have been bullets!\u00a0\u00a0 Do you honestly think Adam would have done anything to bring deliberate harm to his brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa hesitated.\u00a0 Only a second.<\/p>\n

It was enough.<\/p>\n

Adam staggered back as if from another blow.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t….\u00a0 You don\u2019t think I wanted<\/em> Little Joe to get hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looked like he\u2019d been hoof-struck by a thoroughbred.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam, no….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do!\u00a0 You honestly<\/em> think I enjoyed seeing my little brother pounded!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looked sick.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, no.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that you and Joseph \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cWe what?\u00a0 Argue?\u00a0 Knock heads?\u201d\u00a0 Older brother was slow to burn, but once the fire was lit it would take all of two counties to put it out.\u00a0 \u201cIf you can think that, Pa, then you don\u2019t know me at all.\u00a0 And maybe I don\u2019t know you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam….\u201d\u00a0 Rosey reached out toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get my things and be gone by the end of the week,\u201d Adam said, his voice strained to near breaking.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be sure to forward you my address.\u00a0 That way you can let me know whether Joe lives or dies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Into the stunned silence that followed Adam\u2019s declaration, a sound bled.\u00a0 It was Doc Martin\u2019s voice.\u00a0 Hoss turned to find the older man standing, framed in the open door of the office, an irate look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile you two have been out here butting heads like mountain goats in heat, Little Joe has been calling for you \u2013 both<\/em> of you.\u201d\u00a0 Paul\u2019s voice was edged with disgust.\u00a0 \u201cYou might try thinking about that injured boy in there instead of yourselves!\u201d<\/p>\n

All the color bled from Pa\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cIs Joseph…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul looked utterly weary.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know anything for certain, Ben.\u00a0 It\u2019s too soon.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s ribs are involved.\u00a0 His abdomen\u2019s a bit tight.\u00a0 The good thing is the bruising hasn\u2019t spread anymore.\u201d\u00a0 The physician shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAdam I might excuse.\u00a0 He\u2019s young.\u00a0 But you, Ben?\u00a0 You should know better!\u00a0 Instead of wasting your time trying to find someone to blame, it would be well if you attended your son!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey reached out in both directions \u2013 toward Pa and Adam.\u00a0 \u201cTruce?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Pa nodded quickly.\u00a0 He extended his hand as well.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, son, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I know you love your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

It weren\u2019t exactly an apology and Adam knew it.<\/p>\n

His older brother rarely cried.\u00a0 Sometimes it seemed like he\u2019d done cried himself out what with losin\u2019 two mamas.\u00a0 So the fact that Adam\u2019s eyes were glistenin\u2019 now was just another sign of how deep the hurt Pa had given him went.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do,\u201d his brother replied. \u201cAnd that\u2019s<\/em> why I\u2019m going into the doctor\u2019s office.\u00a0 But I\u2019m telling you, Pa, I\u2019m done.\u00a0 Once Joe is out of danger I\u2019m leaving, and nothing you can say will stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that Adam pushed past Paul Martin and went into the building.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s eyes followed him.\u00a0 He done looked as sick as Little Joe must feel.\u00a0 Rosey was hangin\u2019 onto his arm.\u00a0 She lifted a hand to his cheek, but Pa batted it away.<\/p>\n

\u201cFools make poor fathers,\u201d he muttered and then followed Adam inside.<\/p>\n

Hoss turned and looked at Ming-hua.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiger father begets tiger son,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I guess so,\u201d the big teener replied.\u00a0 Then he remembered another one of those Chinese sayings about tigers.\u00a0 One Hop Sing was fond of.<\/p>\n

He who rides a tiger can never get off.<\/em><\/p>\n

He just hoped that one was wrong.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul Martin had no idea if Little Joe Cartwright was going to live or die, though he was optimistic about the boy\u2019s condition, but he did know the signs of death when he saw them.\u00a0 Ben and his son Adam sat on opposite sides of Little Joe\u2019s bed, only a few feet apart, but the distance between them might as well have been miles. How Ben could have three sons by three different wives and have each and every one of them come out mule-headed as he was, he just didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 It was a miracle plain and simple that the four of them managed to live in harmony.<\/p>\n

Still, none of that mattered now. What mattered was his patient, and he was damn sure he wasn\u2019t going to let whatever had passed between Ben and his eldest boy cause Little Joe any distress.\u00a0 The boy had already been upset when he woke and found he was alone.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t been all that long ago Joe had thought himself abandoned.\u00a0 He\u2019d kept a close watch on the boy over the last six months.\u00a0 To the causal stranger, Joe seemed a bright and happy, if sometimes hasty and determined child.\u00a0 To those who knew him better \u2013 the men and women of Eagle Station, those he went to school and church with \u2013 he seemed a bit subdued.<\/p>\n

To those who knew him well, he was changed.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was one of those miracles of God \u2013 handsome, with a natural magnetism and a personality that would not quit.\u00a0 As his mother used to say, he could have charmed the socks off of Lucifer.\u00a0 The boy was strong-minded, sometimes in the wrong way, but most often for the good.\u00a0 More often than not, Joe\u2019s strength of mind was bent on righting what he saw as injustice \u2013 whether it be to himself or someone he loved.\u00a0 And once Joe Cartwright set his mind on something, it took nothing short of an act of God to stop him.\u00a0 He had the potential of being a most remarkable man.<\/p>\n

That was, if he lived to reach maturity.<\/p>\n

The bruising still worried him.\u00a0 Though, as he had told Ben, in the last half hour it\u2019s spread had slowed, which was a good sign.\u00a0 There was no real way to know until morning whether or not there was internal bleeding.\u00a0 If so, there was little he could do.\u00a0 If there wasn\u2019t, then Little Joe would be one very sore young man, but \u2013 due to his age and constitution \u2013 would heal quickly.<\/p>\n

Paul glanced from Ben to his eldest son.<\/p>\n

He could only pray the rift between those two would mend as swiftly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he gonna be all right, Doc?\u00a0 Is Little Joe gonna be okay?\u201d Ben\u2019s middle son asked as he entered the examining room.\u00a0 He\u2019d sent Hoss out to get a bottle of brandy from the hotel.\u00a0 He had a feeling the two men sitting on opposite sides of the bed were going to need it before the night was out.<\/p>\n

Paul caught Hoss by the arm and drew him into the front room.\u00a0 As he closed the door behind him, the older man indicated the street outside with a nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat exactly happened out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss squirmed a bit.\u00a0 \u201cShucks, Doc, you know them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich \u2018two\u2019 would that be \u2013 Adam and Joe, Adam and your father, or your father and Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam thought he was doin\u2019 what was best for Joe,\u201d the young man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLetting him get beat up?\u201d he asked, his tone dubious.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 Letting\u2019 him fight his own fight!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss frowned.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Doc.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t seen how Pa\u2019s been since… Well, since that man took Joe and we almost lost him.\u00a0\u00a0 Other than working with me and Adam, Pa won\u2019t let him out of his sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has your brother to say about that \u2013 Little Joe, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the worst thing.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t said nothin\u2019.\u00a0 He just minds Pa and stays close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that\u2019s because he wants too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it ain\u2019t Joe!\u00a0 You know what I mean?\u00a0 It just ain\u2019t him<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The young man drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 His next words sounded like a confession.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d of done the same thing, Doc.\u00a0 Today, with Butch.\u00a0 I\u2019d of stood back and let Joe have a go at him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why is that?\u201d he asked, genuinely curious.<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018Cause Joe needs to know he\u2019s all right.\u00a0 That he ain\u2019t less of a man for what that Wade Bosh done to him.\u00a0 I know Pa thinks it\u2019s love, but what he\u2019s doin is makin\u2019 little brother doubt himself.\u00a0 Adam knew that.\u00a0 That\u2019s why he let him take Butch on, so\u2019s he could have somethin\u2019 to be proud of.\u00a0 So\u2019s he might start to believe in himself again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to admit it made sense \u2013 in a twisted sort of way.<\/p>\n

The physician placed a hand on Hoss\u2019 shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI want you to do something for me, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked wary.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to go in there and sit with your brother and send your father and Adam out here to me.\u201d\u00a0 Paul looked toward the closed door.\u00a0 \u201cRosey and Ming-hua should return shortly with some food.\u00a0 I doubt either of them have had anything for hours.\u00a0 Hell hath no fury like a man apprehensive and hungry.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed at the younger man\u2019s hopeful look.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I know you\u2019re hungry too, Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send Ming-hua in with a tray.\u00a0 I ordered some broth for your brother.\u00a0 If he wakes, try to encourage him to take a little.\u00a0 Joe needs to keep up his strength as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Doc.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss glanced at the door as well.\u00a0 \u201cI sure hope you can knock some sense into those two.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like to think about Adam leavin\u2019 at all, but especially when he\u2019s this mad at Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul palmed the brandy bottle and considered its contents.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe a glass or two of this can help smooth things over.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey shook her head as she stepped out of Paul Martin\u2019s office.\u00a0 She\u2019d delivered the food as the doctor asked and, after sending Ming-hua home to get some sleep, had gone in to check on Little Joe.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s color was better and he was breathing more easily, though the child was still pale as morning mist.\u00a0 When she took his hand and ran a hand through his matted curls, he stirred.\u00a0 Joseph frowned and then turned to look at his brother Hoss, who was seated in a chair by the bed softly snoring.\u00a0 A smile lifted the corner of the boy\u2019s lips and he winked at her before falling asleep again.<\/p>\n

She had no proof, but she thought he was going to be all right.<\/p>\n

Leaving the tray she had brought in for Hoss on the night stand, she\u2019d exited the examining room and made her way quickly through the front room and out the door.\u00a0 Ben and his eldest son sat in that one, on opposite ends of the doctor\u2019s desk, facing one another.\u00a0 Paul was there too, planted firmly between them, dispensing brandy and chastisement hand-in-hand.\u00a0 Both men looked contrite.\u00a0 It seemed Paul had managed to bandage the wound their angry words had opened.<\/p>\n

She could only hope it was enough of a fix to keep the pair from bleeding out.<\/p>\n

As the older woman stepped into the street, a cool breeze struck her and tossed her hair into her face.\u00a0 She\u2019d forgotten it was down.\u00a0 So much for appearing to be the proper Eagle Station shop lady!\u00a0 As she twirled the thick brown locks in her fingers and formed them into a loose sort of bun, Rosey shivered.\u00a0 It had been a changeable May so far, blazing hot one day and cool the next.\u00a0 Tonight it was just plain cold.<\/p>\n

As she stood there contemplating the irony of a man who had<\/em> his son and would chance driving him away for the sake of making a point, Rosey heard the sound of hoof beats.\u00a0 It was late and most of the town was abed, so she wondered who it was.\u00a0 As the man approached, she saw he had the look of a cowhand and realized he must be one of the men Ben employed.\u00a0 It was hard to see much more since it was night.<\/p>\n

The man reined in his horse.\u00a0 His eyes went to the sign.\u00a0 \u201cThis the local doc\u2019s?\u201d he asked, his voice husky, as if dry from dust.<\/p>\n

She took a step toward him.\u00a0 \u201cYes. Why?\u00a0 Are you in need of a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n

As he dismounted, he replied, \u201cNo ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I was lookin\u2019 for Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 Ben<\/em> Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you from the ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, I am, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 My little brother was ailin\u2019 and Mister Cartwright gave us two bunks and some grub.\u00a0 Greg\u2019s much better and he\u2019s sleepin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated the doctor\u2019s office with a worried nod.\u00a0 \u201cI was there when Ben got the note from Adam.\u00a0 Is the boy goin\u2019 to be all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor said it would be morning before we know for sure, but I think so.\u00a0 Joseph Cartwright is made of stern stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the youngest one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is.\u00a0 Would you like me to let Ben know you are here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated and then nodded.\u201d\u00a0 His smile was chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cI imagine he may think I\u2019m over-steppin\u2019 my bounds.\u00a0 It\u2019s just…well…since he helped my little brother, I wondered if there was anything my brother and I could do to help his boy \u2013 or maybe to help out around the ranch since they\u2019ll be a couple of men down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey began to move as she gathered her shawl about her shoulders.\u00a0 At the entry to the doctor\u2019s office, she paused.\u00a0 \u201cWhom shall I say has come to call?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I should have introduced myself.\u00a0 Name\u2019s Fremont Webb, but you can call me Monty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMonty,\u201d she repeated with a smile.\u00a0 Taking a step back toward him, she reached out with her hand.\u00a0 \u201cRosey.\u00a0 Rosey O\u2019Rourke.\u201d<\/p>\n

She might have imagined it, but it seemed \u2013 for just an instant \u2013 as if the cowboy had heard her name before.<\/p>\n

She hoped it hadn\u2019t been in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cPleased to meet you, Rosey,\u201d he said at last.\u00a0 \u201cYou from around here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust arrived actually. My home was in the Sierras.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess we\u2019re both strangers then, in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gazed into his pale gray eyes but saw nothing.\u00a0 No sign of recognition.\u00a0 Nothing to make her uneasy.<\/p>\n

So why was she?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go get Ben.\u00a0 You wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monty Webb watched the handsome woman until she stepped into the doctor\u2019s office and then he turned and, taking up the reins, walked his horse to a rail and tethered it.\u00a0 With an eye to the window of Doc Martin\u2019s place, he crossed over to a bench close by and anchored his tired body on it.\u00a0 For a moment he\u2019d thought he might have known her, but it was just the name.\u00a0 \u2018Rosey\u2019 wasn\u2019t all that common.\u00a0 For the life of him, though, he couldn\u2019t remember where he had heard it last or why it seemed familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably buried under too much trail dust,\u201d he muttered to himself.<\/p>\n

A sound caught his attention and Monty looked up to see the door to the doctor\u2019s office swing open and Ben Cartwright step out onto the stoop.\u00a0 The cowboy removed his hat as he rose to his feet and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, slicking it down, trying to look like something other than what he was \u2013 a long-time rollin\u2019 stone.\u00a0 Things were lookin\u2019 up.\u00a0 Mister Cartwright was goin\u2019 to be needin\u2019 extra hands to cover at the Ponderosa while he attended the boy.\u00a0 He\u2019d wanted to sign on at the Cartwright spread to begin with, since he\u2019d been told the pay there was the best, but at the time he and Greg had come to town, the talk had been that all the jobs there were sewed up.\u00a0 Monty nodded to the rancher as he descended the steps and started toward him.<\/p>\n

From what he\u2019d heard, the Ponderosa was about the biggest spread around.\u00a0 One thousand square acres, someone had said.<\/p>\n

Big enough, he hoped, that maybe an old cowpoke like him and a brown-haired boy couldn\u2019t be found.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*************<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0THREE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A sense of warmth on his cheek woke him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what it was, but he knew he wanted it there.\u00a0 It was…reassuring.\u00a0 Like a thick woolen blanket wrapped around shoulders shuddering with winter cold.\u00a0 He turned his head into it and breathed deeply, scenting mountain air, tobacco, and a familiar blend of spices from lands far, far away.<\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright\u2019s eyelashes fluttered.<\/p>\n

Strong fingers gripped his wrist where it lay on the top of the coverlet.\u00a0 \u201cSon, it\u2019s time you wake up.\u00a0 Can you wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n

He could hear the man, but he couldn\u2019t see him.\u00a0 Panic swelled in his breast as he realized he was in the dark.\u00a0 He must be…there.\u00a0 Back in the hold.\u00a0 Chained to the floor.\u00a0 Wretchedly sick and with no hope of escape.<\/p>\n

Terrified, Joe began to thrash about.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 No!\u00a0 Let me go!\u00a0 Pa!!\u201d<\/p>\n

The grip on his wrist tightened.\u00a0 Other fingers moved to his head and began to work their way into his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, listen to me!\u00a0 You have nothing to fear.\u00a0 You\u2019re home.\u00a0 Son, you\u2019re home!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 He\u2019d been lied to before \u2013 and for so<\/em> long.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t his pa, it was the man who had made him call<\/em> him \u2018Pa\u2019.\u00a0 The man he never mentioned.\u00a0 The man he wanted to forget.<\/p>\n

The man who wouldn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d he shouted as he continued to struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 The tone was sharp this time.\u00a0 \u201cDoctor Martin sedated you so we could bring you home.\u00a0 What you are seeing is not real.\u00a0 You\u2019re not on the Sun Princess<\/em> anymore\u00a0 Remember?\u201d\u00a0 The voice continued, softer, shaken.\u00a0 \u201cI came to rescue you.\u00a0 You are in your room.\u00a0 There\u2019s a light burning.\u00a0 Son, open your eyes and look!\u201d<\/p>\n

In his terror it was hard to do anything but keep his eyes clamped shut in order to deny the nightmare his life had become.\u00a0 But that voice \u2013 that beloved, trusted<\/em> voice \u2013 was telling him to open them.\u00a0 Ordering<\/em> him to, really.\u00a0 Habit took over.\u00a0 Joe opened his eyes and looked.<\/p>\n

There it was.\u00a0 An oil lamp beside his bed, burning like…a lantern.\u00a0 Joe swallowed hard over his fear.\u00a0 His pa had brought a lantern into the hold of the tall ship to look for him.<\/p>\n

To find him.<\/p>\n

To bring him home.<\/p>\n

The fight taken out of him, Joe fell limply back to the bed.<\/p>\n

The hand returned to his face.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, boy, are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

He licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cWater…?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was movement, but no sound.\u00a0 A moment later he felt the rim of a cup pressed against his lips.\u00a0 The liquid it contained was cool.\u00a0 Refreshing.<\/p>\n

Reviving.<\/p>\n

Blinking back tears, he tried again, \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joseph.\u00a0 I\u2019m with you.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feeling slightly chagrinned, he managed a snort and a pale smile.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 I thought…\u201d\u00a0 Joe sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cI forgot…where I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019d all like to forget where you were.<\/em>\u00a0 But that doesn\u2019t matter now.\u00a0 What matters is you\u2019re here now. With us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A knock on the door made them both turn toward it.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s head poked in through the opening a moment later.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything all right, Pa?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 Adam looked worse than he<\/em> felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is fine, son.\u00a0 You go back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother ignored what Pa said and stepped into the room, stopping just past the threshold.\u00a0 Adam reached up and ran a hand through his tousled hair, trying to press the black waves back into place.\u00a0 At that moment his older brother looked more like a riverboat gambler than he ever had!\u00a0 It made him laugh.<\/p>\n

Even though that laugh came out sounding like a calf bleating when it was stuck in a bush.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Adam mock growled as the thick locks continued to elude him, rising up and falling down like a choppy sea.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead.\u00a0 Make fun of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the only reason…we keep you…around, older brother,\u201d he managed as he fought a rising pain in his side.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t you…know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam came to the foot of the bed.\u00a0 His face was guarded as usual, but Joe could read it.\u00a0 He\u2019d had thirteen years of practice.<\/p>\n

Older brother was feeling guilty.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you feel, Joe?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cFit as a fiddle and…fine as a dandy,\u201d he replied as he resisted the urge to wrap an arm around his sore middle.<\/p>\n

Problem was, Adam could read him too.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout as \u2018fine\u2019 as you felt when that horse threw you into the fence last month?\u201d<\/p>\n

His lips twisted and he winced.\u00a0 \u201cJust about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him \u2013 so long he wished he was a snake and could slip out of his skin and make a getaway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to talk to Joe alone, Pa.\u00a0 If that\u2019s acceptable to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u2018Acceptable\u2019?\u00a0 What kind of word was that?\u00a0 He looked at his brother and then his pa.\u00a0 Neither of them was smiling.\u00a0 In fact, they looked mean as two outlaws fighting over a single bar of gold.<\/p>\n

Him being the gold, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d his father said as he stood and took a step toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t overtax him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips flattened into a line.\u00a0 There was a little twitch on the right side.<\/p>\n

Not<\/em> a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take my cue from Joe, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time it was his father\u2019s face that twitched.\u00a0 Up near the eye.<\/p>\n

You could of cut the tension in the room with a butcher knife.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will take your cue from me.<\/em>\u00a0 Five minutes.\u00a0 No more.\u00a0 And then you, young man….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe felt the need to stand at attention and salute.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou<\/em> are to remain in that bed until Doctor Martin says that you may leave it.\u00a0 It\u2019s only by God\u2019s grace you weren\u2019t severely injured.\u00a0 And while there\u2019s no internal bleeding and your ribs appear to be intact, Paul has warned an infection could still develop.\u00a0 So you will stay put, is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded and then blew out a breath when the door closed \u2013 with a loud thump<\/em> \u2013 behind his pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhew!\u00a0 Pa sure is fit to be tied,\u201d he said as he turned toward his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s got him so all-fired up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had moved to the side of the bed and taken Pa\u2019s seat.\u00a0 \u201cHe and I had a little… disagreement.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing you need to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it about me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips pursed.\u00a0 One ink-slash eyebrow lifted.\u00a0 \u201cWhy are you so perceptive?\u201d<\/p>\n

That was one of Adam\u2019s ten dollar words.\u00a0 \u201cPer…what?\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother snorted.\u00a0 \u201cDefinitely not a linguistic giant, but you do have a certain way of seeing through the barriers people erect to conceal their true feelings.\u201d\u00a0 Adam leaned back and ran a hand over his chin.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s uncanny.\u201d<\/p>\n

He figured he\u2019d let \u2018linguistic\u2019 go.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean like how I can tell when you\u2019re lying?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s skin was pale.\u00a0 There were circles under his eyes.\u00a0 He even had a little bit of scruff, like he hadn\u2019t shaved today or yesterday.\u00a0 His brother sighed and then leaned forward in the seat, linking his hands between his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I wanted to apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was his turn to frown. \u201cGosh, what for?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s hazel eyes widened.\u00a0 \u201cFor what?\u00a0 For nearly getting you killed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe puzzled about that a moment.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you mean with Butch?\u00a0 How\u2019s me pickin\u2019 a fight with the school bully got to do with you gettin\u2019 me killed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to do with it because….\u201d\u00a0 His brother stopped.\u00a0 \u201cYou<\/em> picked the fight?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cSure I did.\u00a0 Butch said somethin\u2019 mighty…uncalled for to Tory.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shifted up on the pillows and winced as pain rippled through him.\u00a0 \u201cI told him to take it back or I\u2019d take his head off.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa liked the word \u2018process\u2019.\u00a0 Learning to forgive was a process.\u00a0 Learning to tame your temper was a process.\u00a0 It meant a man had to work things through.\u00a0 Older brother was thinkin\u2019 something through now.\u00a0 He could see the wheels turning in that granite head of his.<\/p>\n

Finally Adam said, \u201cLet me get this straight.\u00a0 I left you outside in the wagon and told you to stay put and out of trouble.\u00a0 Correct?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight as rain,\u201d he nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Tory Jennings comes along and you decided to flirt with her in spite of the fact that you knew Butch was nearby and it might rile him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeemed the proper thing to do,\u201d he said, crossing his arms over his chest and then regretting it when they landed on his abdomen.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s my girl, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProper.\u201d\u00a0 Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSo then when Butch comes along, instead of acting like a rational human being and attempting to dissuade him from becoming combative, you goad him into a fight?\u201d<\/p>\n

There he went again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I \u2018goaded\u2019 him, Adam.\u00a0 He called Tory a….\u201d\u00a0 Truth fought with propriety.\u00a0 He let his voice fall to a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cButch called Tory a trug.\u201d\u00a0 He blushed.\u00a0 \u201cYou know…what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I just got so mad… I guess I forgot how much…bigger…than me Butch is and I….\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated.\u00a0 He was bein\u2019 pretty honest with Adam, but tellin\u2019 him he didn\u2019t see Butch<\/em> when he flew off that wagon \u2013 that it was like he was takin\u2019 down Wade Bosh \u2013 might not be too smart.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I guess, like you and Pa are always sayin\u2019, I bit off more than I could chew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was processing again.\u00a0 This time, there was a hint of moisture in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou idiot,\u201d he chuckled at last.<\/p>\n

Joe started to laugh with him, but then that \u2018thing\u2019 inside him rose up. \u00a0\u201cI was defending a lady\u2019s honor!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother held up a hand.\u00a0 One tear had escaped, he was laughing so hard.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, you were.\u00a0 Of course.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019m not laughing at you.\u00a0 I\u2019m just….\u201d\u00a0 He sighed. \u201cI\u2019m just so <\/em>relieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at the door through which their father had gone.\u00a0 Then he turned back to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s mad at you, ain\u2019t he?\u00a0 For not stoppin\u2019 the fight?\u201d\u00a0 He righted himself a bit more \u2013 and winced a bit more. \u201cHe\u2019s blamin\u2019 you for me getting hurt?<\/p>\n

The laughter was gone.\u00a0 Adam was dead serious.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s between Pa and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not!\u00a0 I\u2019m the cause of it.\u201d\u00a0 Joe reached over and grabbed a handful of bed linens and tossed them aside.\u00a0 Before his brother could stop him, he swung his legs over on the opposite side and stood up.\u00a0 \u201cLook!\u00a0 I\u2019m fine!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Fine\u2019 lasted about thirty seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d\u00a0 Adam was on his feet.\u00a0 He had him in just under thirty-five seconds \u2013 just before he would have hit the floor.\u00a0 \u201cOf all the rash, foolhardy things to do!\u201d\u00a0 As his brother laid him back on the bed, Adam\u2019s hand went to his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDizzy,\u201d he managed as his fingers clutched the cool sheets.<\/p>\n

The door was opening.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes flicked to it, desperately afraid that it was their father and the older man would take his fear and anger out on Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two need to keep it down up here,\u201d Hoss said as he entered the room.\u00a0 \u201cMore shoutin\u2019 like that and you\u2019ll have Pa up here ready to tan your….\u201d\u00a0 Middle brother\u2019s voice trailed off when he saw him, laying on the bed, pale and shaking.\u00a0 \u201cGosh darn it!\u00a0 What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just say Joe\u2019s escape attempt went a bit awry.\u201d\u00a0 Adam breathed out his relief as he planted himself on the side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cGet him some water, will you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Adam handed his the cup he took a big gulp and then, after older brother scolded him, sipped the rest down.\u00a0 When he was done\u00a0 Joe laid his head back on the pillow and looked from one brother to the other.<\/p>\n

For a little while there, he\u2019d thought he had four.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Pa?\u201d he asked the one in the middle.<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned. \u201cYou mean, why ain\u2019t he up here instead of me?\u201d\u00a0 At his nod, his brother explained.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s outside talkin\u2019 to Dan Tolliver.\u00a0 We been out of things for a couple of days.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of catchin\u2019 up to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe hung his head.\u00a0 \u201cBecause of me…again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure \u2018cause of you, little brother.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you know the world just stopped the day you was born?\u201d Hoss replied as he reached over and ruffled his hair.<\/p>\n

Joe made a face and batted his hand away.\u00a0 \u201cHey!\u00a0 Cut that out!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t never gonna happen, punkin,\u201d middle brother said with a wink.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just too gosh-darned<\/em> cute!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll \u2018cute\u2019 you!\u201d he snarled, rearing up off the pillows.<\/p>\n

And immediately fell back to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 blue eyes went wide as Lake Tahoe.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you ever<\/em> let Pa hear you say that, Little Joe.\u00a0 If\u2019n he does, you won\u2019t be sitting a saddle for a long <\/em>time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes as he pushed back into the pillows.\u00a0 \u201cSo what\u2019s up?\u00a0 Are you two still going up to the mining camp Monday?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSorry you can\u2019t come with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dramatic sighs were one of his specialties.\u00a0 \u201cSo just exactly how long is my exile gonna be this<\/em> time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWell, your majesty, your court physician said \u2013 if<\/em> you behave and rest all day today and<\/em> let someone help you come down the staircase tonight \u2013 you could sit in the great room with us after supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother wasn\u2019t fooling him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about the day after that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, ain\u2019t he right pleased for the blessin\u2019s the good Lord bestowed upon him this day?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou try bein\u2019 forced to sit in a bed all day, left all on your lonesome to do nothin\u2019 but think!\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

And instantly regretted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you thinking about, Joe?\u201d Adam asked softly.\u00a0 \u201cWade Bosh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother was pretty danged perceptive himself!<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t thinkin\u2019 about Bosh,\u201d he countered sourly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook Joe, there\u2019s nothing wrong with admitting you\u2019re afraid.\u00a0 What that man did to you \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

A look of horror came over his face.\u00a0 There it was.\u00a0 That…thing…he was worried about people thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 That Bosh had done something to him?<\/p>\n

That he wasn\u2019t ever gonna be…right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it,\u201d Joe declared, turning his face into the pillow.\u00a0 \u201cGet lost!\u00a0 I want to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt Adam\u2019s hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 Then older brother did something he hardly ever did anymore.\u00a0 He leaned forward and pressed his lips to his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou rest, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be gone by the time you wake up.\u00a0 I love you, little buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was already drifting.\u00a0 He was more tired than he realized.<\/p>\n

\u201cBye, Adam.\u00a0 See you later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was silent for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, bye, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss followed his older brother out into the hall.\u00a0 He was careful to pull Little Joe\u2019s door to behind him before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still goin\u2019, ain\u2019t cha?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was standing, leaning against the wall; his tense form balanced on one lean muscular arm.\u00a0 He pivoted to look at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what \u2018a you got to go and say that for?\u00a0 You know, Pa.\u00a0 His bark\u2019s worse than his bite.\u00a0 He\u2019s already calmed down \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that, Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been here <\/em>with Pa before.\u00a0 This time it\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s it different?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips pursed.\u00a0 He let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cFor one thing, I\u2019m<\/em> different.\u00a0 Hoss, I\u2019m twenty-five years old, but Pa treats me like some wet-behind the ears kid!\u00a0 It\u2019s time I was out on my own.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cWorse than that, he doesn\u2019t trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how you can say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 He inclined his head toward Joe\u2019s door.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s<\/em> how I can say that.\u00a0 Pa thinks I let Joe get hurt deliberately because I didn\u2019t care enough to stop what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a deep pain behind those words.\u00a0 Deeper maybe than any well ever dug.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Pa didn\u2019t mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother pushed off the wall.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the problem, Hoss. I know<\/em> he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seconds later Adam turned and disappeared down the stairs.<\/p>\n

Hoss stared after his older brother for a moment and then turned his eyes toward Little Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 If them two weren\u2019t two of the most cussed mule-headed people he ever<\/em> knew!\u00a0 And Pa was right there with them.<\/p>\n

Rolling his blue gaze upward, Hoss said with a sigh, \u201cDagburn it, Mama!\u00a0 How\u2019d I come out so sweet?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright had just finished giving instructions to Dan Tollivar when the door to the ranch house opened and his oldest son walked out.\u00a0 Adam gave him a brief nod on the way to the stable and then disappeared into it post haste.\u00a0 His old friend offered a sympathetic look and then shrugged as if to say, \u2018We were young once too\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d better go talk to him,\u201d he said with a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard feelin\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI said something….\u00a0 No, I didn\u2019t<\/em> say something I should have, the result of which is Adam thinks I don\u2019t trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat boy?\u201d\u00a0 The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, that boy\u2019s been at your side since the beginnin\u2019 Ben.\u00a0 How could he doubt you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan\u2019s words were the stab of a knife that went both ways.<\/p>\n

How could he<\/em> have doubted Adam?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that youngest one of yours, ain\u2019t it?\u201d the wrangler asked.<\/p>\n

Ben had been looking at the stable.\u00a0 He turned back with a scowl on his face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan held his gaze \u2013 pinned it, in fact.\u00a0 \u201cYou can fire me if you want to, Ben, but I gotta say it.\u00a0 You just don\u2019t think straight where Little Joe\u2019s concerned.\u00a0 It\u2019s like you think the boy\u2019s made of glass.\u201d<\/p>\n

His frown deepened.\u00a0 \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that youngster\u2019s had more than his fair share of scrapes and that scares you.\u00a0 You keep thinkin\u2019 about how close he came to dyin\u2019 right from the moment he was born.\u00a0 But look at it this way, Ben \u2013 Joe didn\u2019t!\u00a0 Them things he\u2019s been through would have killed a lesser man, let alone a boy his age.\u00a0 If you ask me, you don\u2019t give Little Joe enough credit.\u201d\u00a0 Dan nodded at the stable.\u00a0 \u201cNo, nor Adam neither.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment he was upset, but then he saw the wisdom of his old friend\u2019s words.\u00a0 Ben reached out and placed a hand on the wrangler\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you get to be so wise, Dan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u00a0 Wise?\u00a0 Nah,\u201d he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI just ain\u2019t their pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher nodded his head even as tears threatened.\u00a0 Lifting his hand, he said, \u201cI had better talk to Adam.\u00a0 I pray there is something I can do to mend the rift between us before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s your son, Ben.\u00a0 He\u2019s part of you.\u00a0 He\u2019ll understand.\u00a0 If not now, then later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaving Dan behind, the rancher headed for the stable.\u00a0 During the time they\u2019d talked, Adam had saddled his horse.\u00a0 His son was preparing to mount when he heard him enter.\u00a0 He saw him pause, and then place his foot in the stirrup.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, we need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t look at him.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s nothing left to say, Pa.\u00a0 Your silence said it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stepped closer and took hold of the reins.\u00a0 His tone was pleading.\u00a0 \u201cSon, have you never made a mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lean form went rigid as he returned his foot to the stable floor.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 Sure, I have.\u00a0 I make them every day according to you!\u00a0 I can\u2019t make a decision, Pa, without having you second guess me.\u00a0 The men laugh when I give them orders, do you know that?\u00a0 They laugh!\u00a0 Ben Cartwright\u2019s \u2018boy\u2019, that\u2019s what they call me.\u00a0 I\u2019m twenty-five years old and they call me a boy!\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips pursed as he considered his words.\u00a0 \u201cYou cast a tall shadow, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never escape it.\u00a0 Not as long as I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we were partners, son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben spread his arms wide.\u00a0 \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have the Ponderosa without each other.\u00a0 You built it as surely as I did.\u201d\u00a0 His voice clouded with anger.\u00a0 \u201cYou tell me who those men are and I\u2019ll run them off the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa comes to save the day?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you see, Pa?\u00a0 That\u2019s part of the problem.\u00a0 I\u2019ll always be a little boy in your eyes \u2013 a little boy who needs looking after.\u201d\u00a0 His son paused.\u00a0 \u201cAt least you\u2019ve let the reins out on Hoss and I a bit.\u00a0 Your pulling the bit so tight on Joe, I\u2019m surprised he hasn\u2019t jumped the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt rage rising in him.\u00a0 How dare his son say such a thing!?\u00a0 Still, at heart, he knew there was truth in his words.\u00a0 Adam had turned a mirror toward him and he didn\u2019t like what he saw.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Hoss feel this way as well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s different with Hoss.\u00a0 He\u2019s so big the men have treated him like one of their own since he was twelve.\u00a0 Besides, Hoss isn\u2019t one to seek greener pastures.\u00a0 He\u2019s happy bedded down in the one he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re not?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son paused.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to hurt you, Pa, but I\u2019m not sure your dream is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was a handsome lad, with his wavy black hair and chiseled features.\u00a0 He looked so like Elizabeth and, like Elizabeth, was so<\/em> certain he was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a lot of your mother in you,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

His eldest chewed his lip for a moment.\u00a0 Then he let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I know you love us \u2013 for ourselves \u2013 but sometimes I think when you look at us, at Hoss and Little Joe and me, you don\u2019t see us.\u00a0 <\/em>You see the women <\/em>you loved and lost.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sucked in a breath. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s like you have to hold us tight for fear of losing them<\/em> again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was stunned.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really feel that way?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I do, Pa, and that\u2019s why I have to leave.\u00a0 At least for a little while.\u00a0 I\u2019ll finish up the mining contract and the work at Mannings, and then I\u2019m going.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Adam\u2019s mother had died, he\u2019d heard a thunderclap and felt it resonant through his being.\u00a0 He\u2019d just heard it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere will you go?\u201d<\/p>\n

His oldest boy stepped into the stirrup and swung up onto his horse\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cSomewhere where a man can cast his own shadow,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll let you know when I find it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam made a kissing noise and pointed his mount\u2019s nose toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to the mining camp.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you let Hoss wait to come up until Joe\u2019s well enough to join us.\u00a0 I\u2019d….\u00a0 I\u2019d like some time with my brothers before I go.\u201d\u00a0 When his son sensed his hesitation, Adam said quietly, \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s not Marie, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019s alive.\u00a0 Let him stay that way.\u00a0 Don\u2019t smother him with love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speechless, he watched his eldest son leave the stable and head out into the growing light.<\/p>\n

At that moment Ben Cartwright knew he had been wrong.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought he was doing everything possible to keep his sons safe and to protect them from harm.<\/p>\n

And here, it seemed, it had been him who was harming them all along.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*************<\/p>\n

FOUR<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greg Webb awoke that morning in a strange place.\u00a0 He had a vague memory of Monty helping him into the wagon after he\u2019d puked his guts out and that was about it.\u00a0 And, maybe, arriving here and being eased into a bed.\u00a0 Even a ranch hand\u2019s bunk had felt good after so many months in the saddle.\u00a0 They\u2019d mostly finished with a big cattle drive to Montana when he and Monty had decided to cut and head southwest.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that the work was too hard.\u00a0 They\u2019d had an exciting time of it on the lengthy trek to the northern state, complete with flash floods and stampedes.\u00a0 Along with a dozen other men, they\u2019d moved over two thousand head of cattle to the state in order to supply a contract for beef for the Indian reservation there.\u00a0 The work paid well but, after they\u2019d deliberated a bit, they\u2019d decided to quit and head to Nevada. Word was the biggest rancher in the area, Ben Cartwright, would be needing men for a similar drive in the fall.\u00a0 In the years he and Monty had traveled together they\u2019d done just about everything and he\u2019d enjoyed just about all of it.\u00a0 He liked a challenge.\u00a0 It kept his soul at rest. When he was quiet there was something niggled at him, like an itch he couldn\u2019t scratch.\u00a0 Monty said to chalk it up to being young.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/p>\n

His life had been lived from pillar to post.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember much of the\u00a0 beginning of it.\u00a0 He had a ma and pa, but they were dead and were nothing more than shadows to him now.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t even remember their names.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think he\u2019d had brothers or sisters, but he wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 When Monty and his older brother had taken him in, he\u2019d been a lost and frightened boy.\u00a0 And while he wasn\u2019t overly fond of the older Webb brother \u2013 in fact, Monty wasn\u2019t either \u2013 the sandy-haired cowpoke was all right.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t even mind it when Monty told people they were brothers.<\/p>\n

This morning he\u2019d risen with the birds, splashed cold water on his face, and then left the empty bunkhouse to look for the older man. One of the Cartwright\u2019s ranch hands had caught him and told him that his friend had ridden out early for the Manning place at the boss\u2019 request.\u00a0 The same man gave him an explanation of what all the excitement had been about the day before.\u00a0 It seemed that the youngest of Ben Cartwright\u2019s sons had near been beat to death.\u00a0 The Cartwrights were close, the hand said, and the older man wasn\u2019t about to leave that boy\u2019s side until he was well.\u00a0 Greg thought a moment and then chuckled.\u00a0 It was amazing how often things seemed to go Monty\u2019s way.\u00a0 He\u2019d brought them to Nevada intending to work on the Ponderosa spread and now it seemed they would.<\/p>\n

Greg stretched and then looked toward the Cartwright\u2019s house.\u00a0 It was a handsome hewn log building with a wide porch, a second story, and a bunkhouse attached as an extra wing.\u00a0 He\u2019d never had much money in his life \u2013 hadn\u2019t really wanted it \u2013 but there was something about this place that called to him.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019d had<\/em> money, he thought, he would have built something like it.<\/p>\n

As he stood there staring at the house, thinking about what he had and what he\u2019d missed, Greg heard a sound.\u00a0 He recognized the turn of carriage wheels and a few moments later a handsome rig rolled into view with a woman driving it.\u00a0 She was dressed in a fancy striped brown two-piece day dress with a matching hat, so he guessed she had some money too.\u00a0 When she got closer and he saw who was sitting beside her, he knew<\/em> she was wealthy.<\/p>\n

Otherwise she couldn\u2019t have afforded a Chinese serving girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa!\u201d the woman said as she called the horses to a halt.<\/p>\n

Greg looked around.\u00a0 There were no men in the yard, so he took it upon himself to approach her.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t figure Mister Cartwright would mind if he offered to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there something I can do for you, ma\u2019am?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The woman was chatting with the Chinese girl.\u00a0 She stopped abruptly and turned to look at him.\u00a0 As she did, her brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know you, do I?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Which made him assume she was a frequent visitor.<\/p>\n

He tipped his hat and then ran a hand through his bushy brown hair before settling it back on his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Ma\u2019am, you don\u2019t.\u00a0 My brother and I stayed the night.\u00a0 Just woke up to find him gone.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated the rig.\u00a0 \u201cCan I take care of this for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued to regard him for a moment.\u00a0 Then, her lips twitched.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s very sweet of you….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Greg Webb.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took the reins in one hand and then offered her the other.\u00a0 The woman took it and stepped down and out of the carriage.\u00a0 As she did, the Chinese girl made her own way out and quickly came to her side.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been to San Francisco before.\u00a0 He\u2019d been just a young spark then and Monty had boxed his ears every time he looked at the pretty black-haired women standing outside of the establishments they\u2019d sometimes pass.\u00a0 \u2018You\u2019re lookin\u2019 at a big T there, boy,\u2019 <\/em>he\u2019d say.\u00a0 \u201cNothing to do with takin\u2019 a drink, and all to do with trouble.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

He knew Monty was right.\u00a0 Still, he\u2019d been fascinated by the China girls\u2019 shimmering hair, by their onyx eyes and ruby red lips.\u00a0 He\u2019d admired their small slender bodies clothed in silk\u00a0 and wrapped in perfection, and wondered what it would feel like to circle one of those hourglass waists with his hands.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he had sinful thoughts \u2013 not really \u2013 though he had dreamed of those red lips touching his.\u00a0 In some ways China girls were like a butterflies, something beautiful and just beyond reach.<\/p>\n

Someone cleared their throat.<\/p>\n

Greg looked up to find the older woman watching him.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t exactly laughing.<\/p>\n

But it came close.<\/p>\n

Holding out her hand, she said, \u201cI\u2019m pleased to meet you, Greg.\u00a0 My name is Rosey.\u201d\u00a0 With a slight tip of her head, she added, \u201cThis is Ming-hua, my business associate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man looked from one to the other.\u00a0 \u201cBusiness associate?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese girl\u2019s lips quirked.\u00a0 Her eyes shot to the older woman.\u00a0 There was amusement in their black depths.<\/p>\n

\u201cMing-hua sews Miss Rosey\u2019s dresses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd about every third dress in Eagle Station!\u201d Rosey added with enthusiasm.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t let her fool you.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never met as shrewd a businesswoman.\u00a0 I\u2019m just along for the ride!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey!\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg stepped back as both women turned and a large powerful-looking man stepped out of the ranch house.\u00a0 This had to be the legendary Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 He was a tall man, over six feet, with richly tanned skin and a commanding presence.\u00a0 He was dressed much like his workers in a storm-blue work shirt with a calfskin vest and brown trousers.\u00a0 His hair was the color of a stormy sky \u2013 deep grey with flashes of silver.\u00a0 His eyes, well, they were near as black as Ming-hua\u2019s.<\/p>\n

But not near as pretty.<\/p>\n

After greeting the women, the rancher turned his attention to him. \u201cYou\u2019re certainly looking better than you did last night, young man,\u201d he said with an easy, friendly smile.<\/p>\n

Greg nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, sir, for the bunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you had breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was a little startled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t really thought about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you join us in the dining room then?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes went to Ming-hua.\u00a0 He sure wouldn\u2019t mind sitting across the table from all that silk perfection.\u00a0 Still, Monty wasn\u2019t here, so he wasn\u2019t really sure what to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI better wait on Monty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright smiled. \u201cYou\u2019ll have a long wait, son.\u00a0 Monty went to talk to Joshua Manning for me.\u00a0 I asked Monty to double-check what supplies Josh needs and then to ride on up to the mining camp and check in to see what supplies are needed there as well.\u00a0 He won\u2019t be back until sundown at the earliest.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be sending my younger sons, well, at least my one son up to the camp in a couple of days and that way he can take everything with him at once.\u201d\u00a0 Something entered those near-black eyes \u2013 a kind of sadness.\u00a0 At first he figured it had to do with the boy who was beat up, but then the rancher said, \u201cMy oldest is there already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, sir,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow…well…it just doesn\u2019t seem right.\u00a0 Me sitting at your table.\u00a0\u00a0 I mean, you don\u2019t know me from Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ming-hua giggled as Rosey\u2019s smile broadened.<\/p>\n

Greg frowned.\u00a0 \u201cDid I say something funny?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy oldest boy is named<\/em> Adam,\u201d the rancher replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be taking his chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d he said, and then laughed himself.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 It was a familiar and welcoming gesture that caught him completely off-guard.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come on in,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou can meet my other sons as well as enjoy one of our cook\u2019s fine meals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe is already out of bed?\u201d Rosey asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid Doctor Martin say it was all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Joseph.\u00a0 Doctor Martin didn\u2019t say it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Greg asked.<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s smile was affectionate.\u00a0 \u201cMy youngest.\u00a0 He\u2019s thirteen going on thirty and about as easily tamed as a wild stallion.\u00a0 You\u2019ll meet him and Hoss as well.\u00a0 Hoss is my middle son, he\u2019s six years older than Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Adam?\u201d Greg asked.<\/p>\n

The rancher looked him up and down.\u00a0 \u201cAround your age, I imagine.\u201d\u00a0 When he looked uncomfortable, Ben Cartwright asked, \u201cIs something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNot exactly, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m just not sure how<\/em> old I am. The family Bible was lost, so to speak.\u00a0 Might be twenty-four, maybe a year more, maybe less.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother doesn\u2019t remember the year you were born?\u201d the older man asked, somewhat surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 Monty\u2019s name was in that book too,\u201d he lied, hating to do it.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not entirely sure either, though he\u2019s got an edge.\u00a0 A man who knew his parents told him he was born about the same time as the Iowa Territory, so he figures he\u2019s thirty-six.\u201d<\/p>\n

That, at least, was true.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s about the same age difference between Joseph and his older brother, Adam.\u00a0 You two might have a few things to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

They all turned.\u00a0 Greg drew a breath at the sight of the giant form filling the doorway.\u00a0 Monty was no slouch when it came to size, though he was tall and not broad, but this fellow was both.\u00a0 He had to top six foot two and looked to be the size of a grizzly on the good side of storing up for winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

So, this<\/em> was the rancher\u2019s middle son.\u00a0 Monty had mentioned him.\u00a0 Greg wondered if the other two favored Ben Cartwright as this one really didn\u2019t resemble him at all.<\/p>\n

He watched as Hoss stepped closer and lowered his voice.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna want to come in soon as you can, Pa.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s sittin\u2019 at the table.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t lookin\u2019 so good.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how long he\u2019s gonna last.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThat brother of yours.\u00a0 I suppose he came down the stairs on his own in spite of what I told him.\u201d\u00a0 As Hoss nodded, the older man went on.\u00a0 \u201cDid you remind Joseph that he\u2019d better mind himself and do as he\u2019s told if he wants me to even consider <\/em>allowing him to ride up to the logging camp with you in a few days?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, I did.\u00a0 I told him that and that he looked like somethin\u2019 the cat threw back.\u00a0 But you know Little Joe, that there jaw of his went tight and them nostrils of his flared.\u201d\u00a0 The big teen snorted.\u00a0 \u201cDanged, it if didn\u2019t look like he was gonna blow steam out his nose!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright shook his head. \u201cI suppose he told you he\u2019s \u2018fine\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all half-mule,\u201d the rancher sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Hoss agreed quickly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we know which side it comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man took a mock swing at his son.\u00a0 Hoss caught his arm and pulled it around his neck and drew him in close.\u00a0 Laughing, the pair headed into the house.\u00a0 At the door, the rancher paused and waved them all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on in.\u00a0 You know Hop Sing.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t sit down to eat soon, he\u2019ll throw the bacon out the window!\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg remained where he was, allowing the ladies to go first.\u00a0 Then he slowly and thoughtfully followed.\u00a0 This was it.\u00a0 This <\/em>was what he\u2019d been missing.<\/p>\n

Family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was tired of sitting up and slumping down.\u00a0 He felt like he was on a wagon seat bumpin\u2019 over a series of hills.\u00a0 For some reason today Hop Sing kept poppin\u2019 in and out of the dining room when he was least expecting it \u2013 almost like he was trying to catch him doing somethin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Like lying about how much he hurt.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d come down to breakfast on his own, sure as shootin\u2019 that once he got moving he\u2019d feel better.\u00a0 Well, he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 He felt worse.\u00a0 His stomach was tight and his left side felt like someone had kicked him in the ribs \u2013 which they kind of had.\u00a0 He\u2019d sit up straight as a spinster with her corset strings too tight while their cook was in the room and then slump with exhaustion when Hop Sing left.\u00a0\u00a0 And then sit up.\u00a0 And then slump.\u00a0 He\u2019d just got done sitting up and slumpin\u2019 one more time when the front door opened and Pa walked in with a passel of company.<\/p>\n

Danged if he didn\u2019t have to straighten up all over again and \u2013 this time \u2013 stay<\/em> straightened up!<\/p>\n

Rosey and Ming-hua were with Pa.\u00a0 And Hoss, of course.\u00a0 But the other feller he\u2019d never seen before.\u00a0 He was about Adam\u2019s age from the look of it, with brown hair instead of black.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as curly as his own, but it sure was as thick and the brown waves looked just about as mutinous.\u00a0 The stranger was a couple of inches shorter than pa and had a thin, kind of reedy build.\u00a0 As he came closer and paused, waiting for the women to take a seat, Joe saw he had blue eyes tending toward green and one of those faces out of the old paintings in that book about England Adam had.\u00a0 He had fairly high cheekbones, a long thin nose, and small lips that pursed like they were thinking of kissin\u2019 someone.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph,\u201d his father said softly, \u201cit\u2019s impolite to stare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 He ducked his head.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father continued to stare at him<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cAre you feeling all right, son?\u00a0 Perhaps you should go back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sure must look like something the cat threw back just like Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, really, I\u2019m \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d\u00a0 His father\u2019s eyes never left him.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Pa helped Rosey to take a seat and then shifted the chair out for Ming-hua, the young man sat down in Adam\u2019s place.\u00a0 He looked real uncomfortable.\u00a0 A moment later his father sat down too and he said, \u201cJoseph, this is Gregory Webb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Gregory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The young man shifted.\u00a0 \u201cJust Greg.\u00a0 Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried to hide his smile.\u00a0 He knew too well what that<\/em> was all about.\u00a0 \u2018Joseph\u2019 most of the time meant he was in trouble.\u00a0 He bet \u2018Gregory\u2019 meant that too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can call me Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg nodded.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg and his brother Monty will be helping around the ranch during your recovery, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced.\u00a0 Twice.\u00a0 First because Pa used \u2018Little\u2019 Joe and, second, because someone had to\u00a0 cover his tail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa, really,\u201d he protested.\u00a0 \u201cI can do my chores.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s admirable, Joseph.\u00a0 Before you do that, we need to consult with Doctor Martin.\u201d\u00a0 He got that look<\/em> \u2013 the warning one out from under Pa\u2019s black eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cUnless you think you know better than your physician<\/em> does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/p>\n

Greg gave him a sympathetic look.\u00a0 The stranger lifted a hand toward his unruly hair and used it to hide the roll of his eyes.<\/p>\n

He liked him better every minute.<\/p>\n

At that moment Hop Sing made an appearance.\u00a0 As the man from China sat a plate of bacon on the table, his eyes went right to him.<\/p>\n

Joe sat up a little straighter.\u00a0 The ribs on the left side caught as he did and he tried not to wince.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing didn\u2019t miss it.\u00a0 \u201cNumber three son in pain. Should go back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

How\u2019d he do it?!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fi \u2014\u201d\u00a0 Joe clamped his mouth shut.\u00a0 Maybe a portion<\/em> of the truth?\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo I hurt a little,\u201d he said with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m okay, really.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes flicked to his father.\u00a0 \u201cReally<\/em> Pa.\u00a0 Adam or Hoss wouldn\u2019t let a little punch in the stomach take them out of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 His eyebrows said it all as they jumped toward his gun-metal gray hair.\u00a0 \u2018A little<\/em> punch in the stomach?\u2019<\/p>\n

Pa continued to stare at him for a moment as if assessing his condition, and then \u2013 with a sigh \u2013 reached for the bacon.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t we let Doctor Martin decide that?\u00a0 He\u2019ll be here this morning to examine you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wanted to whine.\u00a0 In fact, he started<\/em> to whine.\u00a0 A short shake of the head on Greg\u2019s part made him think again.\u00a0 The stranger was right.\u00a0 Whining would only prove what Pa suspected as true and arguing against the doc examining him would just get him another day in bed and no trip to the mining camp.<\/p>\n

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

His father dropped his fork at his quick agreement.\u00a0 He\u2019d kind of dropped his jaw too.<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s eyes danced as she picked the fork up and held it out to him.\u00a0 \u201cI think this is yours, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe decided this was fun \u2013 until Hoss reached over and caught him in a bear hug that about squeezed the life out of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come you\u2019re behavin\u2019 yourself, little brother?\u00a0 Did I miss that year you spent in reform school?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go, you big lummox!\u201d he spat as he twisted to get away.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d his father cautioned.<\/p>\n

Too late.<\/p>\n

There was a snap!<\/em><\/p>\n

A moment later \u2013 in words that would have gotten his mouth washed out with lye soap \u2013 it all went to Hell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey was on her feet in a second.\u00a0 Little Joe had gasped and gone the color of ash.\u00a0 Hoss lost most of the color in his face as well.\u00a0 The teen looked like he could have been knocked over with a feather.\u00a0 Ben wasn\u2019t much better.\u00a0 The handsome rancher had shouted his son\u2019s name and then frozen in place, a fork full of bacon halfway to his mouth.<\/p>\n

The next few seconds were played out in slow motion, like a magic lantern show winding down.<\/p>\n

As Ben\u2019s fork dropped once again to the tabletop and he scooted his chair back, Little Joe made his way out of his.\u00a0 The look on his face….\u00a0 Well, the boy obviously knew something was wrong and he was scared.\u00a0 Tears welled in his green eyes as he turned toward his father and then went down even as Hoss reached for him.\u00a0 Rosey had known what was coming.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen enough fights in saloons where one man had struck another in the chest or stomach area, and knew that sound.\u00a0 Dropping to her knees, she cushioned the boy\u2019s fall even as the light went out of his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d Ben roared as he rounded the table and knelt beside her.\u00a0 His eyes met hers as he reached for his son whose pale skin was now covered with a sheen of sweat.<\/p>\n

Rosey placed her hand on his arm and stopped him from gathering the boy into his arms. \u201cDid you hear it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

The rancher scowled.\u00a0 \u201cHear what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I….\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was nearly as pale as his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to hurt him.\u00a0 You know I wouldn\u2019t do nothin\u2019 to hurt Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I know that,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Joe was tryin\u2019 to get away from me<\/em>, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey touched the young man\u2019s arm and waited until he looked at her.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, why don\u2019t you head out and see if you can meet the doctor coming in?\u00a0 Paul must be nearly here.\u00a0 Let him know Joseph has a broken rib.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced at the boy lying on the floor.\u00a0 \u201cAt least one.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the next few seconds, a flurry of activity happened.\u00a0 Ming-hua rose and went to find Hop Sing in the kitchen.\u00a0 Hoss grabbed his hat and gun and flew out the door faster than his feet should have taken him.\u00a0 Greg mumbled something about offering to go with Hoss and disappeared as well.\u00a0 And Ben \u2013 poor worried Ben \u2013 he began to pace, walking back and forth, needing to take action but forced to inaction by a fear of moving his son.<\/p>\n

Rosey continued to sit on the floor, holding the boy, thinking of the times she had done this for her own son \u2013 when Rory was sick, that time he\u2019d passed out from too much heat.\u00a0 Tears threatened to fall as she called out, \u201cCould you get a pillow, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 When Joe\u2019s father failed to respond, she raised her voice.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe would be more comfortable if we could prop him on his side.\u00a0 Can you get a pillow?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stopped.\u00a0 He stared at his son whose breathing was now rapid and shallow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph was…fine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rosey sighed as she reached out to brush the boy\u2019s sweat-soaked curls off of his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, Little Joe was not entirely truthful with you,\u201d she said, her words softened with an affectionate and understanding smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut a broken <\/em>rib?\u00a0 How could Paul have missed that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She ran a hand along Little Joe\u2019s forehead, wiping some of the perspiration away.\u00a0 \u201cMost likely it cracked during Butch\u2019s attack.\u00a0 You can\u2019t always diagnose a cracked rib as the break could be to the inside of the ribcage.\u00a0 You saw how he was sitting so stiffly.\u00a0 It was obvious Joe was in pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should never have let him come down to breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as the self-recriminations began, the front door burst open and Hoss flew in.\u00a0 \u201cPa, Paul\u2019s here!\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God!\u201d Ben breathed.<\/p>\n

The physician was placing his hat on the credenza.\u00a0 As Hoss accepted his discarded coat, Paul Martin took the few steps to Little Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 Leaning down, he touched the boy\u2019s forehead gently, checking for fever, and then ran his hands down both sides of Joe\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lower rib,\u201d Paul said as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s rare for one of those to break since they\u2019re pretty protected.\u00a0 Butch must have hit it just right.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed. \u201cOr wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you spot it before?\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s tone was accusatory in spite of what she\u2019d said.<\/p>\n

Paul Martin turned on his old friend.\u00a0 \u201cYou know full well that I don\u2019t have the ability to see inside of someone, Ben!\u00a0 I felt along Joe\u2019s ribs and they seemed to be all right.\u00a0 It was probably a hairline fracture or crack on the inside<\/em>.\u00a0 It had to be causing him pain, which Little Joe failed<\/em> to report!\u00a0 When he tried to get away from Hoss, well, it was just his misfortune to have turned wrong and caused it to snap.\u201d\u00a0 The physician paused. \u00a0\u201cActually it\u2019s better it happened here at home.\u00a0 If Joe had been on the trail….\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctor Martin\u2019s words hung on the air for a moment before Ben asked, \u201cDo you want me to have Hoss carry Joseph upstairs?\u201d Paul\u2019s hesitation made him ask another question instead of waiting for an answer.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rib Joe broke is anchored to the breastbone.\u00a0 Like I said, it\u2019s a hard one to break, but if you do <\/em>break it, the broken ends can cause damage to the spleen, liver, or kidneys.\u201d\u00a0 Paul let out another sigh.\u00a0 \u201cJoe certainly does <\/em>have a talent for making erroneous choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we need to do, Doc?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s best if we bind it somewhat before we attempt to move him.\u00a0 If Hop Sing could \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Before Paul could finish speaking the man from China appeared.\u00a0 Following close behind him was Ming-hua.\u00a0 The pair were carrying all the trappings of the medical care Little Joe needed to receive \u2013 water, bandages, salves.\u00a0 As Hoss hovered nervously and Ben paced like a caged tiger, the physician set about temporarily binding Joe\u2019s ribs.\u00a0 Once he felt sure he had them secured enough to shift the boy, he signaled Hoss to move in.\u00a0 Cradling Little Joe as he would a newborn baby, Ben\u2019s middle boy bore his re-injured brother up the stairs and to his room.\u00a0 Ben started to follow.<\/p>\n

Paul Martin stopped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, you go outside and get some fresh air.\u00a0 You look like you\u2019re about to follow Joe to the floor,\u201d he ordered, his tone as stern as the handsome rancher\u2019s had ever been.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to give Little Joe a dose of laudanum.\u00a0 You know that boy.\u00a0 I need to keep him still while I examine that break more closely and recheck his other ribs.\u00a0 He\u2019ll sleep until at least suppertime, and maybe longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should sit with Joseph,\u201d Ben protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be plenty of time for that,\u201d the doctor replied.\u00a0 It was then Paul looked at her.\u00a0 \u201cWill you<\/em> ask him to go outside, Rosey?\u00a0 The Ben Cartwright I know is a gentleman and would never turn down a lady,\u201d he added with a weary smile.<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced the way Ben was staring \u2013 up the stairs \u2013 then she took a step toward him and linked her arm through his.\u00a0 \u201cCome with me, Ben,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cLet the doctor do his work.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started.\u00a0 \u201cEh?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older woman smiled. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you and I go for a short walk?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s concerned gaze turned to the doctor, who nodded.\u00a0 \u201cTake a break, Ben.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be a long day and maybe longer night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, the handsome rancher nodded.<\/p>\n

As they stepped out the door, Ben said, \u201cI should send someone to tell Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both jumped.\u00a0 It was Greg, of course, standing on the porch, trying to keep out of the way.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cThank you, son.\u201d\u00a0 He inclined his head toward a man standing by the corral fence.\u00a0 \u201cJust ask Dan.\u00a0 He can direct you there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg tipped his hat and was on his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems like a good man,\u201d Ben said as they began to move.<\/p>\n

Rosey nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, he does.\u00a0 We\u2019re fortunate he was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to her with a slight smile curling his lips.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She started and then laughed. \u201cYou<\/em> are, of course.\u201d\u00a0 After a second she added softly, \u201cIt\u2019s just…well….\u201d<\/p>\n

He waited and then finished for her.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a deep affection for my youngest.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to think it was just because Little Joe reminded her of her own lost boy, but it could have been.\u00a0 Still, the more she came to know Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest, the more that smile and unstoppable nature of his had cajoled their way into her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all your boys,\u201d she said, and then admitted, \u201cbut, yes, Little Joe is one of a kind.\u201d\u00a0 Rosey lifted her head and smiled at him.\u00a0 \u201cLike his father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared down at her, and then raised a hand to chase a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAs are you,\u201d he said, his voice soft.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been here at another time, right before she and Ming-hua headed for her home in the Sierras to close it down preparatory to moving to Eagle Station.\u00a0 She\u2019d known then they stood on the knife\u2019s edge of falling in love.<\/p>\n

Not quite sure what she needed to do with that, Rosey looked away toward the wooden swing at the edge of the yard.\u00a0 Taking Ben\u2019s hand in her own again, she drew him that direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d she said as they walked, \u201cwhen I was a little girl there was nothing I loved more than to swing.\u00a0 We had this old Live Oak near our place.\u00a0 My father found a sturdy branch and hung a wide wooden seat from it.\u201d\u00a0 She paused, remembering the hardships that her family had faced when they reached the town that was to become present day San Francisco.\u00a0 Life had been difficult, even before the illness that carried her parents away.\u00a0 When she was anxious or weary, she\u2019d go out to that old swing and pump her legs and fly high over her troubles.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where they\u2019d found her after she ran away from the funeral.<\/p>\n

Ben helped her to sit and then took a seat beside her.\u00a0 For a moment, neither of them said anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey….\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

She shushed him.\u00a0 \u201cI know,\u201d she replied as she began to pump with her legs, setting the swing in motion.\u00a0 \u201cBut we\u2019re not two teeners who can go and act on their emotions, are we?\u00a0 We both have responsibilities. I have Ming-hua and you have three young sons who need your time and attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have enough time and attention for one more,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

She eyed him as she continued to swing.\u00a0 \u201cDo you?\u00a0 After you add the thousand acres of land, the thousands of steers and hundreds of horses, the mines and logging camps, as well<\/em> as keeping pace with all the paperwork it entails?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make me sound like one of those men whose obituaries takes up a full page of the paper,\u201d he huffed.<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben put his foot down and brought them to a somewhat abrupt halt.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him, puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose men are remembered for what they did<\/em> \u2013 for their business triumphs, their enterprising nature, for the busy-ness of their lives.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, you can sum my life up in a few sentences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cBen Cartwright.\u00a0 Man, loving husband to three wives, and father to three of the finest sons God ever gifted to man.\u00a0 He loved his Lord first, then his family, and then<\/em> mankind.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and a smile lit his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThough deeply flawed and imperfect, Ben did his best to leave a legacy of love behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had never met anyone like him.<\/p>\n

Ben rose to his feet, a little bit stiffly, as if the events of the last few days were beginning to catch up to him.\u00a0 As he offered her a hand, he said, \u201cI should get inside to check on Joseph.\u00a0 I hope you know you and Ming-hua are welcome to stay here as long as you like.\u00a0 You can have your old rooms.\u201d He looked her up and down and she could see his eyes liked what they saw.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a little taller than Marie.\u00a0 I have some of her…things…if you need something comfortable to…sleep…in….\u201d<\/p>\n

Her thoughts weren\u2019t wicked \u2013 not exactly \u2013 but her smile was.\u00a0 \u201cBen Cartwright, you\u2019re blushing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBlushing?\u201d he blustered.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a little hot out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey looked the handsome rancher up and down and let out her own little sigh.<\/p>\n

It certainly<\/em> was.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***************<\/p>\n

FIVE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright glanced at the sun where it hung on the far side of noon, and then turned and looked back toward home.\u00a0 It had been a couple of days and he\u2019d expected Hoss, and maybe Joe, to arrive at the mining camp by this time.\u00a0 This mine in particular was new.\u00a0 It promised to deliver a good amount of various ores and even held the promise of silver. He\u2019d been excited when it was discovered.\u00a0 Mines were one place where his engineering expertise was valued.\u00a0 He\u2019d been proud that he could use his education to benefit the Ponderosa and maybe pay his father back a bit for its exorbitant cost.<\/p>\n

Had<\/em> been.<\/p>\n

Today every move he made, each decision wasn\u2019t a labor of love \u2013 it was just labor.<\/p>\n

The determined young man had made his mind up to go and now that he had, it was chafing at him to stay.\u00a0 Still, he knew he couldn\u2019t just up and leave.\u00a0 Not with Little Joe down and his father counted out since his baby brother apparently couldn\u2019t wipe his own hind end without help.<\/p>\n

No, that wasn\u2019t fair.<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand over his eyes and shook his head.\u00a0 Anyone reading his thoughts would have believed his father was correct and that he hated his brother.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t.\u00a0 He loved Joe.<\/p>\n

That love was a big part of why he felt he had to go away.<\/p>\n

It went without saying that Little Joe needed their pa more than him.\u00a0 After all, Joe was still a boy.\u00a0 He needed their father\u2019s hand \u2013 his guidance \u2013 as he grew into a man.\u00a0 What Joe didn\u2019t<\/em> need was a big brother coming between them, and he\u2019d come to see that was exactly what he was doing.\u00a0 He\u2019d second-guessed his father in the situation with Butch and he\u2019d been wrong to do so.\u00a0 He\u2019d acted as if he was<\/em> Joe\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d better hope he never had<\/em> any kids!<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 funny?\u201d a voice asked.<\/p>\n

He turned to find Monty Webb standing behind him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been grateful for Monty\u2019s help the last two days.\u00a0 It was amazing really, the man seemed to have a little knowledge about just about everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d Adam replied as he turned toward the cowboy.\u00a0 \u201cJust thinking about my little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re worried about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was he?\u00a0 Did he really<\/em> think Joe couldn\u2019t wipe his own hind end?<\/p>\n

With chagrin, he admitted, \u201cI guess I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCute kid,\u201d Monty said as he spat some juice.\u00a0 \u201cKind of puny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 He, Pa, and Hoss had enough muscle, height, and weight between them to take on just about anyone or anything.\u00a0 Joe on the other hand, was \u2013 to put it bluntly \u2013 vulnerable.\u00a0 They all knew it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why they were so paranoid about him.<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll bulk out one day.\u00a0 Pa says he was kind of scrawny himself when he was young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s hard to believe lookin\u2019 at that mountain of a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0 His father was a mountain of a man, and a mountain cast a big, nearly inescapable shadow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou still thinkin\u2019 of leavin\u2019?\u201d the blond man asked, sensing his mood.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not \u2018thinking\u2019 about it.\u00a0 I\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty searched for and held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I say somethin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about perspective, you see.\u00a0 A young man like you, well, he wants to be his own man.\u00a0 He don\u2019t want people thinkin\u2019 of him as his pa\u2019s son, or his ma\u2019s, or even as<\/em> a young man.\u00a0 Now I ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 you\u2019re a rash kind of fellow, but young men tend to leap before they look.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s Joe, not me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 Well, the way I see it there\u2019s two ways of lookin\u2019 at bein\u2019 in another man\u2019s shadow.\u00a0 The first is that you find it heavy, like a mountain of rock tumblin\u2019 on top\u00a0 of you.\u00a0 Like somethin\u2019 you need to outpace and escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the second way?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a good many years in the desert.\u00a0 When your horse is lost and you\u2019re on foot and you\u2019re fightin\u2019 just to keep your head up and survive, there\u2019s nothin\u2019 finer than a shadow.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and then abruptly shifted subjects.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m figurin, with that Pa of yours, that you know the Good Book pretty well?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember what that feller Isaiah said in Chapter twenty-five about refuge?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 Then, he had it.<\/p>\n

For You have been a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall. Like heat in drought, you subdue the uproar of aliens, like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

In other words a shadow could be a safe harbor.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips twisted up at one end.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t exactly strike me as the church-going type, Monty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMan don\u2019t need to go to church to know God,\u201d he replied with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s room in the saddle bag for a good book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled too.\u00a0 \u201cI guess there is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t changed your mind though, have I?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAfter working with me a couple of days, you know me so well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019s light eyes glistened.\u00a0 \u201cHell, no.\u00a0 But I think I know your pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could respond to that, the sound of hoof beats cut through the still afternoon air that had been disturbed before only by the sound of hammering. They were coming fast, which was not a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo and check on the men\u2019s progress, will you, Monty?\u00a0 I\u2019ll see who this is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond man nodded and turned on his heel.\u00a0 As he disappeared into the mine the rider appeared.<\/p>\n

It was Monty\u2019s brother Greg.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d Adam asked as Greg dismounted and headed for him. The young man was winded and his horse looked like he\u2019d been riding hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Sorry it took so long to get up here.\u00a0 I got stuck helping some folks whose wagon broke down and was blockin\u2019 the road.\u00a0 Took me \u2018til dark, and then I had to wait for the morning light.\u201d\u00a0 Greg took off his hat, beat it against his thigh to dislodge the dust, and then plunked it back on his disorderly brown hair.\u00a0 \u201cYour pa sent me up to let you know Little Joe\u2019s hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was confused.\u00a0 He already knew Joe was hurt.\u00a0 Unless….<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean again?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Greg nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSeems when that boy, Butch, head-butted him, it cracked one of his ribs.\u00a0 It gave way at breakfast yesterday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pit opened in his stomach. \u00a0He<\/em> had caused this.\u00a0 Him, and his meddling!<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord!\u00a0 Is he going to be all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThe Doc seemed to think so.\u00a0 He\u2019s a tough kid.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you know my brother so well!\u201d Adam snapped, and then instantly regretted it.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Greg.\u00a0 I\u2019m just worried about Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s no skin off my nose.\u00a0 I know all about older brothers.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and then asked, \u201cYou want me to take any word back, or are you coming yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cTell Pa I\u2019m going to finish up what\u2019s important here and then I\u2019ll come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he\u2019d go home \u2013 for a bit.\u00a0 He needed to see for himself that Little Joe would be all right.\u00a0 There was no way he could<\/em> leave without knowing.\u00a0 Pa wasn\u2019t aware of it, but before he\u2019d left the ranch house, he\u2019d secured everything he needed in a wagon and had one of the hands drive it up ahead of him.\u00a0 It was his intention to take off for parts unknown once the work at the mining camp was done.<\/p>\n

It had not been his intention to go back home.<\/p>\n

Greg nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I get some water and grub and say \u2018hello\u2019 to Monty before I go back?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou do look tired.\u00a0 Go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Greg walked away, Adam considered the words Monty had said to him.\u00a0 Maybe he had<\/em> misjudged his father.\u00a0 After all, it was a known fact that Pa and Little Joe had a lot in common and that included a rather short fuse.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t change his mind about going, not really.\u00a0 He still felt that \u2013 for the family as well as himself \u2013 it would be for the best.\u00a0 He was all too aware of what happened when there were two bosses.\u00a0 Mostly mistakes.<\/p>\n

Like what had happened with Little Joe.<\/p>\n

No, he\u2019d still go, but he wouldn\u2019t take off without saying goodbye or working with his father to make sure the tasks that were his were allotted to other trustworthy men.\u00a0 He\u2019d go home and wait until he knew Joe was all right and then he\u2019d take off.<\/p>\n

Then, once he had the Ponderosa out of his system, he\u2019d decide whether or not he was ever coming back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey O\u2019Rourke heard the sound of horse\u2019s hoofs beating against the packed earth of the ranch house yard.\u00a0 She rose from the settee where she\u2019d been reading and went to the door.\u00a0 Opening it, she looked out.\u00a0 The man who had ridden in was already off his horse and headed for the watering trough.\u00a0 When he caught sight of her, he tipped his hat and indicated it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMind if I water my horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d heard Ben give permission to strangers enough times.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man was tall and lean.\u00a0 His scruff of a beard was thick with trail dust as were his red shirt and blue janes.\u00a0 He had a black bandana tied around his throat and his wiry sheep\u2019s wool gray hair was topped with a black Stetson.<\/p>\n

\u201cDay\u2019s gettin\u2019 hot,\u201d he said as he removed the hat and dipped his head under the water coming out of the pump.\u00a0 With a shake of his graying mane, he replaced the hat and turned toward her.\u00a0 \u201cMy horse and me thank you, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something about the stranger \u2013 she could not say what \u2013 was unsettling.\u00a0 It might have been the way his left hand lingered near his gun, or the fact that the brim of his hat masked his eyes.\u00a0 Or maybe it was just the way he looked at her, as if sizing her up.\u00a0 He\u2019d made no threatening move or done anything to alarm her, but alarmed she was.<\/p>\n

She wished Ben was here instead of upstairs watching over Little Joe.<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s next question only intensified the feeling.\u00a0 \u201cYou got a husband around?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey hesitated \u2013 about a second.\u00a0 \u201cYes, he\u2019s in the house.\u00a0 So is my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s pale eyes \u2013 they were as gray as his hair \u2013 flicked to the open door behind her. \u201cAll right if I talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cOur youngest has been injured.\u00a0 He\u2019s tending to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded his understanding.\u00a0 \u201cThen maybe you can tell me what I need to know, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Have you seen two cowpokes riding through these parts?\u00a0 Tall fellow with blond hair, goes by the name of Monty.\u00a0 Got a young\u2019un with him, name of Greg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey hesitated.\u00a0 What should she say?<\/p>\n

After a moment\u2019s consideration, she replied, \u201cA pair like that rode through.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t say where they were going.\u00a0 May I ask why you<\/em> are asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lips below the hat brim curled in a smile.\u00a0 \u201cSure can.\u00a0 They\u2019re my brothers.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to catch up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg was twenty-five and she\u2019d placed Monty in his mid to late thirties.\u00a0 This man looked like he was forty-five or more.\u00a0 She supposed it was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t got the same Ma if you\u2019re wonderin\u2019,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s none of my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranger snorted.\u00a0 \u201cOut here, a woman facin\u2019 a man alone?\u00a0 It\u2019s sure as hell your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey, is there a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned and with relief found Ben standing in the doorway.<\/p>\n

\u201cDarling!\u201d she exclaimed, walking up to him and pleading with her eyes for understanding.\u00a0 \u201cThis man has come here asking about Monty and Greg Webb.\u00a0 I told him I wasn\u2019t sure where they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

She saw the dark brows lift.\u00a0 She doubted the other man did.<\/p>\n

Ben slipped his arm around her waist.\u00a0 \u201cRosey wasn\u2019t aware I hired the pair and sent them out on a job. May I ask what you want with them?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man hesitated, then he reached up and removed his hat.\u00a0 Rosey held her breath, wondering if he would be familiar.<\/p>\n

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

At least, well….<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t think<\/em> he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cName\u2019s Finch.\u00a0 Finch Webb.\u00a0 Pardon my dust, Mister.\u00a0 I been on the trail for more than a month now looking for those two yahoos.\u00a0 We was just comin\u2019 off a big cattle drive and lost track of each other at the corner of Idaho and Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMonty didn\u2019t mention anything about an older brother,\u201d the rancher countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet you didn\u2019t ask neither.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s eyes went past them to the house.\u00a0 \u201cYou say you got a sick young\u2019un?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing contagious.\u00a0 The boy has a broken rib.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I ain\u2019t worried about contagion.\u00a0 Been exposed to just about everythin\u2019 on God\u2019s green earth that can kill a man and made it through.\u00a0 I was just wonderin\u2019.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t too long ago Greg was a little scallywag.\u201d\u00a0 Finch returned the hat to his head and anchored it, once again, over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIf you could just tell me the way they went, I\u2019ll be going after them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cActually Greg is due back here any time.\u00a0 He left night before last to run an errand for me.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you come inside and join us for supper and then you can wait in the bunkhouse.\u00a0 You look like you could use a good meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man smiled.\u00a0 It was an odd little smile that lifted the corners of his lips but made it only partway to those shadowed eyes.<\/p>\n

Rosey shivered.<\/p>\n

She hoped Ben knew what he was doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t get any argument from me,\u201d Finch replied.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, sir.\u00a0 Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen will do.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at her.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Rosey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey.\u00a0 I heard that before.\u00a0 That \u2018s a right beautiful name, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Just right for a beautiful lady.\u00a0 One I only heard a couple of times before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes narrowed.\u00a0 There was something about the way he spoke….\u00a0 No.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know him.\u00a0 Everything that had happened just had her on edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wash house is over there.\u00a0 Go and get cleaned up and then come on inside,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cSupper will be ready in about a half an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI owe you one,\u201d Finch said and, with another tip of his hat, was gone.<\/p>\n

Rosey let out a big sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d Ben asked her.<\/p>\n

What could she tell him?\u00a0 She didn\u2019t like the smell<\/em> of the man?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing.\u00a0 I\u2019m just a little weary.\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt Ben\u2019s strong hand on her back, supporting her, turning her toward the house.\u00a0 As they reached the door, he said \u2013 a hint of humor in his near-black eyes, \u201cYou know, Mrs. Cartwright, your husband is a very jealous man.\u00a0 He might just beat the daylights out of that fellow if he catches you talking to him again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey turned to look back.\u00a0 Then she stepped across he threshold.<\/p>\n

She certainly hoped Ben didn\u2019t have a need to do just that!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBoy sit up and cough!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Hop Sing, leave…me alone.\u00a0 I just wanna sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy no sleep.\u00a0 He sit up.\u00a0 He cough like doctor ordered!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe moaned.\u00a0 It hurt enough just to sit up.\u00a0 Coughing was worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t you got a meal to…serve or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cServe meal after boy cough!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll just…cough all over your meal!\u201d he threatened.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy not allowed at table.\u00a0 Boy velly <\/em>sick for two days.\u00a0 Engage in foolishment.\u00a0 Break rib.\u00a0 Only have self to blame!\u201d\u00a0 Joe felt a hand on his pillow.\u00a0 He knew what was coming next.\u00a0 It would be pulled out from under his head if he didn\u2019t move.\u00a0 \u201cNumber three son of Mister Cartwright sit up now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, okay….\u201d\u00a0 Joe drew a breath as he readied his body and then, anchoring his hands by twisting the linens in his fingers, pushed himself into a half-seated position.\u00a0 \u201cThere!\u00a0 Are you happy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sit high enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see no mountain in this room, do you?\u00a0 This is as high as I can climb!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s all the ruckus about in here?\u201d a cheerful voice asked even as Hoss\u2019 head appeared in the crack between the wall and the door.\u00a0 \u201cYou givin\u2019 old Hop Sing trouble, little brother?\u201d he finished as he entered the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s givin\u2019 me<\/em> trouble!\u201d Joe shouted.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you know I got a broken rib?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if he didn\u2019t, it\u2019s a sure thing old Hop Sing does now!\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 He crossed to the bed and looked at him where he was lying halfway down the pillows, all scrunched up like a badger trying to fit into a rabbit hole. \u201cYou need some help, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe boxed Hoss\u2019 arm away.\u00a0 The effort sent waves of pain through his tired body and set him to shaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it…myself….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you can<\/em>, Little brother.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no need to.\u201d\u00a0 Before he could say anything, Hoss swooped in and reached around him.\u00a0 Locking his arms under his armpits, he lifted up.<\/p>\n

Everything went black for a second.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, Little Joe?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hurt you none again, did I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wanted to shout \u2018YES!\u2019, but he heard the hurt in Hoss\u2019 voice.\u00a0 His brother was blaming himself for the busted rib, even if it was Butch\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m…fine,\u201d he managed through gritted teeth.\u00a0 \u201cNow get off me, you big ox!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber two son not let go,\u201d Hop Sing ordered.\u00a0 \u201cNot until number three cough!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, for the love of \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there a problem, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe froze.\u00a0 Hoss froze.\u00a0 Even Hop Sing looked chilly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi…hi, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe said sheepishly.\u00a0 He looked to his older brother.\u00a0 Hoss just shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHoss…was just, well, helping me…into position so I could cough.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t you…Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure was, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s big hand moved to his back and his voice took on a hidden meaning.\u00a0 \u201cI was just thinkin\u2019 about poundin\u2019 him a bit to get things goin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes went wide with alarm.\u00a0 It was what they all needed.<\/p>\n

Pa let loose with a long, loud laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two.\u00a0 You are incorrigible!\u201d the older man said, wiping away a tear away.\u00a0 \u201cWhat am I going to do with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

As always, Hop Sing had the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Hoss go to table and eat!\u00a0 Mister Ben too!\u201d\u00a0 The man from China pointed a finger at him.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe cough!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery…hour?\u201d he asked, knowing that was the doctor\u2019s instruction.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing crossed his arms and scowled.\u00a0 \u201cEvery hour.\u00a0 Keep boy from getting pneumonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven…over…night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver night too,\u201d his father replied.<\/p>\n

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

It sure was going to be a long one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright took his seat at the table.\u00a0 His eyes lingered for a moment on his youngest\u2019s empty chair and then sought out Hoss who was opening the door.\u00a0 He heard his son welcome their guest and then watched as Finch ambled his way over.\u00a0 Like his sons, Finch, Monty, and Greg Webb bore little resemblance to each other, though he could see something of a familial resemblance between the older two.\u00a0 With their ages being so disparate, it was likely there were at least two mothers.\u00a0 Such was the way of the west where the life a man chose was a hard one for a woman to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvening, Mister Cartwright,\u201d Finch said as Hoss directed him to the end of the table.\u00a0 \u201cThanks again for the invite to supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe three it?\u201d Finch asked as he sat down.<\/p>\n

Ben had just finished arranging his napkin on his lap.\u00a0 He looked up and said, \u201cNo, though my son, Joseph, will be eating in his room, Rosey and Ming-hua will be joining us.\u00a0 They are our guests at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

As if on cue the two women made their appearance at the top of the stairs.\u00a0 One of his hands had gone into town the day before to retrieve some of their belongings.\u00a0 Both had changed clothes.\u00a0 The long silk coat Ming-hua wore was cut of a deep blue cloth and hand-embroidered with a field of elegant spring flowers.\u00a0 She wore it over a pair of trousers.\u00a0 Rosey, well…\u00a0 Rosey was simply stunning in a deep crimson satin day suit with a plunging neckline.<\/p>\n

The pair were a vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose it isn\u2019t polite to whistle,\u201d Finch said as he rose to his feet along with him and Hoss.<\/p>\n

Both ladies moved to the table.\u00a0 Ming-hua sat in the chair Joseph usually filled while Rosey took the seat opposite.\u00a0 Hoss helped her to sit down and then took his place beside her.\u00a0 Ben noted with pleasure that Finch did the same thing with the young Chinese woman, showing he accepted her without question.<\/p>\n

After that, the food was served.\u00a0 The conversation was subdued, partially due to his own fatigue and the fact that there was a stranger at the table.\u00a0 Still, they had a good time and walked away feeling satisfied.\u00a0 As Hoss took a tray up to Joseph\u2019s room, the rancher directed his guests into the great room and then followed.\u00a0 He thought, perhaps, a bit of brandy might loosen tongues and liven things up.\u00a0 Eventually Finch began to ask questions and Rosey told him about her recent move and opening the millinery.\u00a0 There were times, while she was talking, that he caught an odd expression on her face, almost as if she were reluctant to share.<\/p>\n

He decided he would have to ask her about it in private later.<\/p>\n

It took more to coax Ming-hua out of her shell.\u00a0 When Finch asked her a direct question, the lovely young woman hemmed and hawed and then found a reason to join Hop Sing in the kitchen.\u00a0 Freedom was still a new concept to the once China girl.\u00a0 Ben hoped in time she would catch hold of it and run with it for all she was worth.\u00a0 There was much Ming-hua could contribute to Eagle Station society.<\/p>\n

Much that she already had.<\/p>\n

A short time later, after Hoss had returned and engaged Rosey in a games of checkers, there came a knock at the door.\u00a0 His middle son rose to answer it, but he waved him down and headed over himself to see who it was.\u00a0 Before he could get there, the knock sounded again, so whoever was outside was in a hurry.\u00a0 When he opened the door, he knew why.<\/p>\n

The impatience of youth.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening, Greg,\u201d Ben said as he opened the door wide enough for the young man to step in.\u00a0 \u201cI expected you yesterday.\u00a0 Did you make it to the camp all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure did, Mister Cartwright,\u201d Greg answered as he took off his hat.\u00a0 \u201cIt took longer than I hoped.\u00a0 I had to help an old couple on the way up.\u00a0 Wagon broke down.\u00a0 Then I stayed a while to visit with my brother and take a short rest.\u00a0 I hope you don\u2019t mind.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cAdam said it would be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t about to second-guess his oldest at this point.\u00a0 \u201cHow was Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s heading this way shortly.\u00a0 Said he wanted to finish up a little work at the mine, but he should be home by tomorrow morning.\u00a0 Monty\u2019s coming with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben let out a sigh.\u00a0 Adam was coming home.<\/p>\n

Perhaps there was hope after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told him about what happened to Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 That\u2019s why he\u2019s coming.\u00a0\u00a0 He wants to make sure his brother\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben recognized the incomplete sentence.\u00a0 \u2018…before he goes.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, thank you for riding to the camp,\u201d the older man said as he looked back toward the hearth area.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you join us for a drink?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir.\u00a0 I think Ill just go the bunkhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your hurry, kid?\u201d Finch Webb asked as he rose and turned toward them.\u00a0 \u201cOr should I say, \u2018little brother\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t know what kind of a reaction he\u2019d expected, but it certainly wasn\u2019t the one he got.\u00a0 All of the color drained out of the young man\u2019s face.\u00a0 Greg\u2019s brow furrowed, the action narrowing his eyes, even as his lips parted.<\/p>\n

What the young man said surprised him even more \u2013 especially the note of challenge it contained.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinch.\u00a0 What the hell are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

SIX<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Something had been gnawing at Rosey from the moment she sat down in the dining room and really looked<\/em> at the man with the kinky gray hair sitting opposite her.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen him outside before, of course, but out there \u2013 between the hat and the diminishing light \u2013 his features had been masked.\u00a0 Now, she could see him clearly and she was sure of one thing.\u00a0 She knew him.<\/p>\n

Somehow, she knew him.<\/p>\n

It seemed to her that when she had, his hair had been dark blond instead of gray.\u00a0 Obviously, he would have been much younger.\u00a0 In her mind\u2019s eye, he was thinner too.\u00a0 The pale narrowed eyes and lips pulled in a taut line were the same.\u00a0 What she didn\u2019t remember was the scar running from the tip of his left eyebrow down almost to the bottom of his lips.\u00a0 That was different.\u00a0 Then again, that did nothing to exclude him from the possibility<\/em> of being whoever she thought he was.<\/p>\n

The rest of it went a long way toward explaining why she\u2019d thought she might have seen Finch Webb\u2019s younger brother, Monty, before as well.\u00a0 Though there were obvious differences \u2013 shape of face, body build \u2013 the two looked enough alike to mark them as brothers.\u00a0 Greg was another matter.\u00a0 He was as dark as they were light, with an entirely different shape and face.\u00a0 A different mother, too, she supposed.<\/p>\n

At the moment Greg and Finch were at a stand-off.\u00a0 Neither one had moved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that any way to greet your brother?\u201d the older man asked, his tone slightly menacing.<\/p>\n

Greg hadn\u2019t quite found his voice again.\u00a0 He cleared his throat, seeking it, and then replied.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Finch, you startled me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gray-haired man stepped closer and took hold of the boy\u2019s arm at the elbow.\u00a0 His lips curled in a half-smile as he said, \u201cNow, little brother, you didn\u2019t think I\u2019d let you get away from me, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

You didn\u2019t think I\u2019d let you get away from me.\u00a0 Did you?<\/em><\/p>\n

Rosey gasped, and then hid the cry behind a cough.\u00a0 When all the men in the room looked at her, she forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been fighting a bit of a cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

She saw Ben go on the alert.\u00a0 He knew she didn\u2019t lie, just as surely as he knew she was <\/em>lying now.\u00a0 The rancher seemed to consider his best action for a moment before addressing Greg.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you join us, Greg?\u00a0 We were sharing some brandy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s eyes were fixed on Finch\u2019s as if he had no thoughts of his own, but had to wait on his brother to supply them.<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s grip loosened as he circled the boy\u2019s shoulder with his arm.\u00a0 \u201cGreg and me, we got a lot to catch up on.\u00a0 You got a bunk here, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey watched the young man\u2019s reaction.\u00a0 It was plain he didn\u2019t want to go with him.<\/p>\n

If Finch Webb was who she thought he was, she understood completely! Feeling guilty, she prayed Greg would accept his brother\u2019s invitation.\u00a0 She needed to talk to Ben alone \u2013 to let him know what she thought<\/em> she knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I got a bunk.\u00a0 Right next door,\u201d Greg sighed.<\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s grip tightened on the boy\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then, let\u2019s you and me go and have a good long talk.\u201d\u00a0 As he herded Greg toward the door, the\u00a0 gray-haired man turned back.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for the dinner and libation, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was still frowning.\u00a0 \u201cCome back again,\u201d he said half-heartedly.<\/p>\n

The man smiled \u2013 a broad, generous smile \u2013 expect that it wasn\u2019t generous,\u00a0 it was miserly.<\/p>\n

And all about him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I will, Mister Cartwright, I will, and real soon.\u201d\u00a0 Finch glanced at the boy he had pinioned to his side.\u00a0 \u201cAnd thanks for looking out for my little brother here.\u00a0 Who knows what kind of trouble he could have got himself into without you kind folks around?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey felt a new lease on life when the door closed behind them.\u00a0 She reached out with a hand to catch the back of the settee to steady herself.<\/p>\n

Ben was at her side in an instant to keep her from falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey.\u00a0 For Heaven\u2019s sake!\u00a0 What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Words failed her.\u00a0 Her inner eye was trained on a horror she couldn\u2019t express.\u00a0 She could see the tall lanky man with the curly blond hair still, his legs spread wide, straddling her supine form where she lay on the floor of the saloon, her lip bleeding; breathing hard.\u00a0 She\u2019d never known his real name.\u00a0 He went by Strong Arm Sten and had been the bouncer at the palace where she\u2019d sold herself.\u00a0 Sten was one of the reasons she\u2019d run from the life she had known.\u00a0 He\u2019d made it clear that he would have her or else.\u00a0 She had laughed it off \u2013 not taken him seriously.<\/p>\n

The result of which had been a dead husband and son.<\/p>\n

Ben moved her to the settee and then sat beside her.\u00a0 His hands were the hands of a working man, slightly rough and powerful.\u00a0 She fell into their strength as he circled her with one arm and cupped her cheek with his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey?\u00a0 What is it?\u00a0 Can you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Could she?<\/p>\n

Should <\/em>she?<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t entirely sure this man was Sten and yet, who else <\/em>could it be?\u00a0 She knew those cool, calculating gray eyes, that line of a mouth, and the tilt of that steel-wool head.\u00a0 Sten had wanted her when she\u2019d worked the upper boxes, but it hadn\u2019t been allowed.\u00a0 When she chose to leave because of Pat, the bouncer had come to her, sure she would choose him over a city doctor \u2013 certain she was as infatuated with him as he was with her.\u00a0 He went too far and ended up in prison before taking his revenge and then, simply disappeared.\u00a0 How had he found her?<\/p>\n

Why<\/em> had he found her?<\/p>\n

\u201cRosey!\u201d Ben\u2019s sharp tone brought her back to the present.<\/p>\n

She blew out her fear in a puff of air.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t be sure, Ben, but I think I know that man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t be sure?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

It had been so<\/em> many years.<\/p>\n

She squared her shoulders and turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s changed. \u00a0Like you, like…me.\u00a0 But if I am<\/em> right, Ben, then you, your sons, and everyone in this house is in danger!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice had taken on a slightly hysterical tone.\u00a0 It brought Hoss to their side.\u00a0 \u201cSomethin\u2019 wrong, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked up at his son.\u00a0 \u201cThere may be.\u00a0 Rosey thinks the Webbs have not been entirely honest with us.\u00a0 She believes she knows the oldest one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 eyes flicked to her.\u00a0 \u201cFrom before, Miss Rosey?\u00a0 If you pardon my bringin\u2019 up somethin\u2019 what ain\u2019t my business in the least.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, from…before.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s….\u00a0 I believe….\u201d\u00a0 She straightened up and drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cI believe he\u2019s the man who murdered my husband and son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s grip on her tightened.\u00a0 \u201cDid he<\/em> recognize you?\u00a0 Rosey, do you think he did?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he did,\u201d she answered, her voice a pale whisper of what it should have been.\u00a0 \u201cIf I knew him, he had<\/em> to know me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you s\u2019pose Greg\u2019s mixed up in all of this, Pa?\u201d his son asked.\u00a0 \u201cHe seems like such a nice feller.\u00a0 Monty too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey noted the wheels turning in Ben\u2019s agile brain, weighing the risk to her against the risk to his family.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go out, son, and see if you can find the pair of them,\u201d he said. \u201cMake up some excuse about checking on tomorrow\u2019s work schedule.\u00a0 See how Greg\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Pa.\u00a0 Back in two ticks.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright studied the trembling woman before him.\u00a0 Rosey\u2019s lightly tanned skin had gone pale as bone against the deep crimson background of her dress and she was shaking like a leaf in a winter wind.\u00a0 He tore his eyes from her to glance at the door through which Hoss had gone, wishing for all the world that he had his other two strong sons at his side instead of one hurting upstairs and the other hurting at the mining camp.\u00a0 Most of the men were out with the herd.\u00a0 He\u2019d left only a skeleton crew at the house.\u00a0 There had been no threat.\u00a0 No danger.\u00a0 Or so he thought.<\/p>\n

How could he have been such a fool?\u00a0 There was always danger in the West.<\/p>\n

Taking Rosey by the hand, he pulled her to her feet. \u201cWe need to get you to a place of safety, you and Ming-hua.\u00a0 Go upstairs and pack a few things while I tell Hop Sing to ready the wagon.\u00a0 He can drive you into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started to release her, but her fingers wouldn\u2019t let go. \u00a0\u201cBen, I am so sorry to have brought this trouble to your house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s face was turned so the firelight struck it, erasing the years, and though her look was troubled, it was also, well, noble in a way.\u00a0 With a smile, he reached out and cupped her chin in his hand and then bent down to plant a chaste kiss on her forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll you have brought to this house is a gentleness that has been missing for a long time,\u201d he said as he straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s pretty obvious Finch\u2019s intentions where his young brother is concerned are not on the up and up.\u00a0 Even if you hadn\u2019t been here, there\u2019d be trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s following me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he is, and maybe he isn\u2019t.\u00a0 Perhaps he was following Greg and Monty and knew nothing about your presence.\u201d\u00a0 Ben touched the soft stuff of her hair.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t borrow trouble, Rosey.\u00a0 You know what the Good Book says.\u00a0 Let the days worries be sufficient for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her hand covered his and, for a moment, she leaned her head against his chest.\u00a0 With her that close, he caught a hint of rose water, as well as vanilla.\u00a0 Like petals plucked, the last eight years fell away and he was standing here again, in the home he had made for the mother of his last son, holding her…cherishing her.\u00a0 Cherishing Marie.<\/p>\n

Cherishing Rosey.<\/p>\n

Ben started to say something but her fingers flew to his lips.\u00a0 With a shake of her head that said, \u2018not now\u2019, Rosey moved out of his arms and up the stairs, disappearing just as surely as Marie had.<\/p>\n

In a moment, it was like she had never been.<\/p>\n

At that same instant the front door flew open.\u00a0 Hoss rushed in and then slammed it shut behind him.\u00a0 When his son turned to look at him, Ben saw blood dripping from his lip.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got us a passel of trouble, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam and Monty were slowly making their way back to the Ponderosa. \u00a0They\u2019d dawdled more than they should have before heading out and, since night had fallen, had decided to make camp even though they were just a few hours from home.\u00a0 There was no real hurry other than his concern for Joe.\u00a0 The report Greg had given him made it sound like things were under control.\u00a0 Still, he didn\u2019t like Paul Martin\u2019s ominous words that the broken end of Joe\u2019s rib could puncture an organ.\u00a0 He knew the prescription to prevent that would be rest, and knew just as well that \u2018rest\u2019 wasn\u2019t in his little brother\u2019s vocabulary.\u00a0 Their father was great with Joe, but he had a tendency to run out of patience just about as quickly as their little brother did.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa counted on him to run second-string and make Joe listen.<\/p>\n

Pa counted on him.<\/p>\n

Adam blew out a sigh and reached for the coffee pot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like you got the weight of the worlds on your shoulders,\u201d Monty said softly.<\/p>\n

He started to protest, but then relented. With a half-smile he admitted, \u201cI guess I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThinkin\u2019 about your family?\u201d\u00a0 The blond man shifted, seeking a comfortable perch.\u00a0 \u201cOr maybe more about your family obligations?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth, actually.\u201d\u00a0 He took a sip of coffee.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a philosophical question, I guess.\u00a0 Where does a man\u2019s obligation to his family end and the one to himself begin?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA friend once told me that relationships based on obligations lack dignity.\u201d\u00a0 The cowboy laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t entirely sure as I know what that means, but it sounds like it makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

It did.\u00a0 \u201c \u2018To thine own self be true,\u2019 as the bard put it,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

And yet, he\u2019d heard a man speak at college once about commitment and duty.\u00a0 A man he respected.\u00a0 He\u2019d been a soldier during the war with Mexico and had traveled with Kearney\u2019s Army of the West.\u00a0 Out of all the man said, there\u2019d been one thing that had stuck with him all these years.<\/p>\n

\u2018The more obligations we accept that are self-imposed, the freer we are.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s the bard\u2019?\u201d Monty asked.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAccording to my little brother he\u2019s a man wearing lace and tights with too much time on his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou love that kid.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew another long sip of coffee into his mouth, relishing it, and then swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cIs it that obvious?\u201d he asked with a wink.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I did a pretty good job of hiding it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe only to another older brother.\u201d Monty tossed the remainder of his coffee aside and sat up.\u00a0 His face grew pensive.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d do anythin\u2019 for that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it just the two of you?\u00a0 I mean, is the rest of your family gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond man pursed his lips.\u00a0 For a moment Adam thought he\u2019d said something wrong.\u00a0 Then Monty replied, \u201cMostly.\u00a0 Pa was married a couple of times before he died.\u00a0 First wife passed after birthing Finch, he\u2019s my older brother.\u00a0 The second one lasted long enough for me and Greg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it one of you looks like your mother and the other, your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Funny, ain\u2019t it?\u00a0 But inside, where it counts, Greg and me are the same.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cFinch\u2019s got his own ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam tossed the remainder of his coffee aside and then settled back against his saddle.\u00a0 \u201cWas he with you on the drive?\u00a0 Finch, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the time.\u00a0 He had other business and left for it was over.\u00a0 I s\u2019pose Greg and me should of waited for him to come back, but we decided to strike off on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d\u00a0 Amusement lit his hazel eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBeing \u2018true\u2019 to yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might say.\u00a0 We felt it was time for somethin\u2019 different, if you know what I mean?\u00a0 A couple of the wranglers on the drive had worked for your Pa.\u00a0 Sounded like a good man with a good spread and a place for a new beginnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about your older brother?\u00a0 Does he mean to join you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah.\u201d\u00a0 Monty slid down against his saddle and tucked his hat over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cFinch took himself off years ago to pursue his own dream.\u00a0 Can\u2019t complain when we do the same.\u00a0 \u2018Sides, ain\u2019t no one or nothin\u2019 means as much to Finch as <\/em>Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a long time Adam remained where he was, half-seated against his saddle, contemplating a cowboy\u2019s wisdom.\u00a0 Then, he shifted down and slept, sensing somehow that he would have need of strength to confront the coming day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben ducked as a bullet struck the front door splintering wood.\u00a0 Now that he was beside his son, he could see that Hoss had been in a fight.\u00a0 There were bruises forming on his son\u2019s cheek just above the bloody trail leading down from his lip.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinch Webb.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss took a moment to wipe the blood away.\u00a0 \u201cI came on him beatin\u2019 on Greg.\u00a0 He was mighty sore about somethin\u2019.\u00a0 Strange thing was, Greg was takin\u2019 it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A grim smile lit the older man\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you took exception to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss winced as another bullet struck.\u00a0 \u201cSure did, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019d like to have killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen?\u00a0 What\u2019s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher spun to find a terrified Rosey descending the stair.\u00a0 Any questions he had for his son would have to wait.\u00a0 The fact that Finch had been discovered beating his brother might have gotten him thrown off the ranch, but there was no reason for him to pursue Hoss and open fire.<\/p>\n

More was happening here than they knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee if you can find Hop Sing.\u00a0 Give him a rifle,\u201d he said to his son as he moved away and toward the exposed woman.\u00a0 Once he reached her, he caught Rosey about the midriff and moved her over to the area of the settee.\u00a0 With a quick caress of her cheek, he forced her to sit on the floor by the red chair.\u00a0 \u201cStay down!\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt a pull on his pant\u2019s leg and looked down.\u00a0 \u201cBen, is it Finch?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

The rancher nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe think so.\u00a0 Still, we can\u2019t be sure.\u00a0 It sounds like more than one gun.\u00a0 Now, you stay put!\u201d he ordered as he turned back.\u00a0 There had been another shot \u2013 a bullet striking wood \u2013 and then….<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

Into the silence came a voice.\u00a0 \u201cMister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t sound like Finch.\u00a0 A least not what he remembered of the man\u2019s voice. Moving closer, he called back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u00a0 What do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen the door and I\u2019ll tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve just put a half-dozen bullets in my front door and threatened my family.\u00a0 In God\u2019s name, why do you think I would let you into this house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why,\u201d a cold voice announced.<\/p>\n

Ben heard Rosey\u2019s gasp.\u00a0 He knew even before he turned what had happened.<\/p>\n

How could he had been so foolish as to have overlooked protecting the one thing in the house that was the most in need<\/em> of protection?<\/p>\n

Finch Webb stood at the top of the stairs.\u00a0 Joseph dangled limp in one arm.<\/p>\n

There was a gun pressed against his son\u2019s curly head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright cracked one eye and watched as his floppy feet struck the steps one by one on the way down the staircase.\u00a0 It took everything that was in him not to move or cry out.\u00a0 Whoever this guy was, he had his arm wrapped tight around his chest and was puttin\u2019 pressure on his broken rib.\u00a0 He was pretendin\u2019 now, but he actually had <\/em>passed out when pain erupted through him as he was snatched out of his bed.\u00a0 He\u2019d come around just as they reached the landing and had quickly decided to play possum.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t know what was going on, but the scare he was gonna give his pa by appearing to be out cold would be worth it if it meant he could help somehow.\u00a0 Maybe he could find a way to let his pa know he was awake.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d sure like to.<\/p>\n

The man who held him stopped abruptly at the bottom of the stairs.\u00a0 The nose of the gun worked its way further into his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen that door, Ben<\/em>,\u201d the bad man said, using Pa\u2019s Christian name when he didn\u2019t have a right to.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in a breath as the cold metal reached his skin.\u00a0 At this point \u2013 if that gun went off \u2013 he wanted it to be quick and over.\u00a0 He\u2019d met a man one time who\u2019d been shot in the head and lived.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t livin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelease my son and I will,\u201d his father thundered.<\/p>\n

Good old Pa.\u00a0 Takin\u2019 charge as ever.\u00a0 Using that voice of his as a weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I hold all the cards here,\u201d the man said as Joe felt the barrel of the gun shift from his hair to his temple.<\/p>\n

Joe wanted to look at his pa.\u00a0 He wanted to see<\/em> his strength and siphon some of it right out of the older man \u2013 but he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 He had to keep still.\u00a0 Had to stifle the groans rising from deep within him.<\/p>\n

Had to keep his eyes closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still a locked door between you and your men, Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n

You tell him, Pa!<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, really,\u201d Finch replied.\u00a0 \u201cI seem to notice you have another <\/em>son missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t see his pa, but he could tell by his voice that what this Finch had just said had siphoned off more of that strength than he ever could.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s voice shook as he asked, \u201cWhat have you done to Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man holding Joe shifted his grip, bringing his arm in more tightly against his injured rib.\u00a0 Stars exploded behind his eyelids.<\/p>\n

Joe bit his lip and drew blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimms!\u201d the outlaw shouted.\u00a0 \u201cGet in here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was just dying<\/em> to open his eyes.\u00a0 It was driving him crazy that he couldn\u2019t see what was goin\u2019 on.\u00a0 As he hung there, feelin\u2019 helpless, he heard a series of sounds \u2013 something falling over, pans clattering on the floor, someone grunting and then, the crash of pottery.\u00a0 It was all comin\u2019 from the kitchen.\u00a0 At the angle Finch was holding him, the fringe of hair that normally lay on Joe\u2019s forehead was dangling in front of his eyes.\u00a0 Hoping it was enough to keep the bad man from figuring out he was awake, Joe peeped through the curls.\u00a0 And then wished he hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 A long lean stranger was dragging someone into the room.<\/p>\n

It was Hoss.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

SEVEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe winced as that voice<\/em> erupted again.\u00a0 He\u2019d sure hate to be Finch Webb with his Pa that angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you done to my son?\u201d Pa roared.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe resisted arrest,\u201d Simms snorted as he released his grip and Hoss hit the floor with a thud.<\/p>\n

His father was silent for a moment.\u00a0 Joe could just picture the older man standing there, considering everything; thinking it through and figuring out how he could keep everyone alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are Hop Sing and Ming-hua?\u201d Pa demanded.<\/p>\n

Joe was worried about them too, but he couldn\u2019t take his half-lidded eyes off of his brother.\u00a0 Trouble was when men saw Hoss, they only saw his size and they thought they had to treat him twice as rough or hit him twice as hard as a smaller feller.\u00a0 He was laying so still on the floor.\u00a0 There was blood on the right side of his head and on the collar of the shirt he wore and on his leather vest.<\/p>\n

A lot of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe woman and the Chink are fine.\u00a0 Abel here paid them a visit and left them, well, a little tied up.\u201d\u00a0 Finch laughed at his own joke and then the bad man began to move, heading \u2013 Joe thought \u2013 for the settee.\u00a0 He could feel the heat from the fire on his face and figured they were just about in front of it.<\/p>\n

A moment later he knew for sure when Finch threw him onto it.<\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 He gasped as he hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave the boy alone!\u201d a woman\u2019s voice cried out.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you see he\u2019s hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d forgotten about Rosey.<\/p>\n

Joe caught a scent of roses and vanilla as she sat on the settee and leaned over him.\u00a0 It reminded him of his ma.\u00a0 Then he felt the gentle touch of her fingers in his hair.\u00a0 Again, through half-lidded eyes, he looked up at her, willing her to see that he was awake.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t.\u00a0 She was too busy calling out the scoundrel that had ripped him out of his bed and was threatening his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see nothing has changed, Sten, or should I call you Finch? I assume that\u2019s your real name,\u201d Rosey spat.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just as much of a miserable excuse for a human being as you were fifteen years ago!\u00a0 Little Joe has a broken rib.\u00a0 I\u2019d ask you how you could be so cruel, but I already know the answer to that.\u00a0 You are a self-serving loathsome pig!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 Then an amused voice said, \u201cNice to see you again too, Silks<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d the older woman demanded.\u00a0 \u201cHow dare you bring harm to this family!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s voice was cold.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if you ask me, I\u2019d say it was you<\/em> what brought the trouble to them, woman.\u00a0 Just like you did to your own family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s hand was on his.\u00a0 Joe felt her fingers stiffen with outrage.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019d kept quiet for a bit.\u00a0 He spoke into the silence that followed Finch\u2019s remark.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me attend to my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a second Joe wondered which son?\u00a0 Then he figured it had to be Hoss since Rosey was with him.<\/p>\n

He sure hoped Hoss wasn\u2019t hurt too bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen the door first, my little brother\u2019s waitin\u2019 outside,\u201d the bad man said.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t want Greg trying to climb in any windows like I did in the condition he\u2019s in.\u201d\u00a0 Finch paused and then added with a snort, \u201cYou know, you really should teach that brat of yours to keep his window locked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s heart plunged to his toes as his father moved toward the door.\u00a0 He\u2019d been hot and had asked Hoss to open the window before he brought his supper tray down.\u00a0 That was how the bad man got in.<\/p>\n

His <\/em>fault again!<\/p>\n

Rosey shifted and turned her body.\u00a0 She was probably watching Pa.\u00a0 Joe felt her breath on his forehead as she let out a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there no end to your violence?\u201d she asked, her voice hushed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are three things men respect,\u201d Finch replied.\u00a0 \u201cMoney, power, and strength.\u00a0 Up until now I\u2019ve only had the last one.\u00a0 But now, things are gonna change.\u201d<\/p>\n

So that was it!\u00a0 The bad man was after Pa\u2019s money.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the first time it\u2019d happened.\u00a0 Trouble was, most bad men who said they only wanted the money also wanted to leave no witnesses to the fact that they took it.\u00a0 Which meant all of them could wind up dead.<\/p>\n

He had to do something!<\/p>\n

Shifting his fingers a bit more, Joe walked them over Rosey\u2019s where they were anchored on the settee beside him and squeezed firmly.<\/p>\n

He felt her start.\u00a0 Since he figured her eyes would be darting to him, Joe opened his a crack \u2013 for a second \u2013 and then shut them again.\u00a0 A moment later she squeezed back.<\/p>\n

She knew<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen don\u2019t respect<\/em> a thug, they fear him, as they fear any man with money and power and no scruples,\u201d Joe heard his father say in answer to Finch\u2019s last statement.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s temper was rising, he could tell.\u00a0 He was mad as a bull with a stranger in his barn.\u00a0 \u201cNor do they respect men who threaten women and use children as shields.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe winced.\u00a0 He kind of wanted to show his Pa that last part wasn\u2019t true.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t a child, not by a long shot.\u00a0 Another little squeeze from Rosey let him know that she <\/em>knew what he was thinking.\u00a0 He glanced up from under his heavy black lashes to see her give a little shake of her head.<\/p>\n

\u2018Wait\u2019<\/em>, her eyes said.<\/p>\n

Finch was running out of patience.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna open that door, old man, or am I gonna go over and redecorate your settee with your kid\u2019s brains?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, he means it,\u201d Rosey warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Ben,<\/em> you listen to the lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe heard the latch to the door being engaged and a little creak as it swung open.\u00a0 He also heard the audible gasp his father made.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg, boy,\u201d Pa breathed, \u201cwhat did he do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As he looked at Greg Webb leaning on the jamb of the door \u2013 battered, bleeding, beaten \u2013 Ben Cartwright\u2019s fear for those within his house leapt high as a stallion flying over a corral fence.\u00a0 There was no doubt Finch Webb was a bruiser and a bully.\u00a0 From what Rosey had told him about the man, he\u2019d been hired to be<\/em> a bully.\u00a0 He took pride in his fists and enjoyed throwing his weight around and intimidating others.<\/p>\n

But did that make him a killer?<\/p>\n

The older man glanced at the beautiful woman sitting beside his son.\u00a0 He knew Rosey blamed Finch \u2013 or Sten as she had called him \u2013\u00a0 for her husband and son\u2019s deaths.\u00a0 Still, like many killers, the outlaw\u2019s choice to commit those murders had come as a result of deep personal desire and wrongful need.\u00a0 Most killings were not random.\u00a0 There were nearly always undercurrents of animosity between the killer and the victim.<\/p>\n

Nearly <\/em>always.<\/p>\n

But then there was that rare man who simply liked to kill because it gave him a sense of power \u2013 a sense of immortality in way, he supposed, because he had beaten death to the gate.<\/p>\n

He was beginning to think Finch Webb was such a man.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s near-black eyes left the battered young man leaning on the door frame to fasten on the two unknown men who waited outside the house, holding the reins of several horses.\u00a0 Then it went to his middle son, who lay silent on the floor.\u00a0 It appeared the bleeding had slowed.\u00a0 His prayer was that the wound was to Hoss\u2019 scalp and as such had bled a good deal without being too deep or too harmful.\u00a0 Of course, there was always the chance of a skull fracture.\u00a0 The boy needed a doctor and he needed one now.\u00a0 From Hoss, his paternal gaze shifted to the settee where his youngest lay, also unmoving.\u00a0 Joseph would have need of Paul\u2019s ministrations as well.\u00a0 The trip down the stairs in Finch\u2019s arms and that drop onto the settee couldn\u2019t have done his broken rib any good.<\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s voice broke into his reverie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d I do to him?\u00a0 Greg there got too big for his britches,\u201d the outlaw snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThought he didn\u2019t need old Finch anymore.\u00a0 He and Monty took themselves and skedaddled away from that cattle drive \u2018fore I knew anythin\u2019 about it.\u201d\u00a0 Ben watched as the former bouncer took a step away from the settee \u2013 and Rosey and Joe \u2013 and moved toward his brother.\u00a0 When he spoke again, his voice took on a sinister tone.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t never<\/em> gonna get away from me, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s jaw grew tight.\u00a0 His fingers formed fists.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not your brother!\u201d he shouted, his face livid.\u00a0 \u201cStop calling me that!\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t<\/em> have a brother like you.\u00a0 I hate<\/em> you!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a stunned silence in the room.\u00a0 As he and Rosey exchanged a glance, Finch began to make a clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cTsk\u00a0 tsk<\/em>.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t ought to have said that, boy.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m going to have to kill all these nice people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart went to his toes.\u00a0 Whatever Greg and Finch\u2019s story was, they had just become an inexorable part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys are unconscious,\u201d he countered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cNeither Hoss nor Joe heard anything.\u00a0 There\u2019s no need to harm them further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The villain was enjoying himself.\u00a0 \u201cI s\u2019pose I could <\/em>let them live.\u00a0 They ain\u2019t in any shape to come after us.\u201d\u00a0 Finch turned then and addressed himself directly to Rosey.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re<\/em> coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shot to her feet.\u00a0 \u201cI will not!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch sneered.\u00a0 \u201cI bet you\u2019ll change your mind when I put a bullet in someone\u2019s brain \u2018cause you won\u2019t do what I want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou spoke earlier of money and power,\u201d Ben interjected.\u00a0 \u201cI have both.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outlaw\u2019s fingers tightened on the trigger as the gun swung toward him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat of it?\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can give you both.\u00a0 The men\u2019s payroll is due at the end of the week.\u00a0 There\u2019s a large amount of money in my account at the Carson City bank that I have yet to draw.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take you there.\u00a0 You can have it.\u201d\u00a0 Again his gaze went from Hoss to Joseph, both so very young and so very still.\u00a0 \u201cIf you promise to leave my sons alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t tryin\u2019 to bargain for her?\u201d Finch asked, waving his gun at Rosey.<\/p>\n

He met her gaze.\u00a0 The older woman forced a smile and shook her head.\u00a0 Her eyes went from Joseph to Hoss.\u00a0 Protect them<\/em>, they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it matter if I did?\u201d Ben replied as he turned his attention back to Finch.<\/p>\n

The outlaw thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cNah,\u201d he scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cWould have been fun to watch you beg, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a sick man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 But that\u2019s better than you.\u201d\u00a0 The outlaw lowered the gun so it was pointed at his abdomen.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a dead man, money or not.\u00a0 You know that, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about the money.\u00a0 I only care about my sons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben winced.<\/p>\n

As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake.<\/p>\n

There were wheels turning behind Finch Webb\u2019s pale cold eyes \u2013 visible wheels rolling over his hope that he and his boys might come out of this alive.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you and me and Rosey hit the road to Carson City, go to the bank, and just like that you give me all your money?\u00a0 You ain\u2019t gonna try to escape or nothin\u2019?\u00a0 Just gonna hand it all over to me and let me shoot you after?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have my word.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outlaw snorted. \u201cAin\u2019t a man I ever met that their word meant anythin\u2019 when it came to stayin\u2019 alive.\u201d\u00a0 To Ben\u2019s horror, Finch moved toward the settee.\u00a0 \u201cI just think we\u2019ll take us some insurance along.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Finch stood over Joseph\u2019s prone form, his gun pointed, this time, at the boy\u2019s chest. \u00a0\u201cYour choice, Cartwright.\u00a0 He goes with us, or he stays right here \u2013 permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey had backed off until she stood near the red leather chair.\u00a0 He knew the look in her eyes.\u00a0 She felt she had to do something.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u2018Don\u2019t!\u2019,<\/em> he projected.\u00a0 Then to Finch he said, \u201cThe boy is injured.\u00a0 He will only slow us down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can always shoot him and leave his carcass along the way if he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such callous disregard for life was not new to him, but that made it no less shocking.<\/p>\n

The rancher\u2019s eyes flicked to Hoss, hoping to spot movement \u2013 some sign that his middle son was coming around and might be able to help.<\/p>\n

But there was nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimms, you get over here,\u201d Finch ordered.\u00a0 \u201cTake Rosey and Greg out to where the others are waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

After his outburst Greg had remained by the door, staring daggers at Finch but seemingly incapable of making any move to better their situation.<\/p>\n

If only he could have counted on him….<\/p>\n

Finch shifted his gun to his right hand.\u00a0 With his left, he reached down and took hold of one of Joseph\u2019s arms and then \u2013<\/p>\n

And then Finch was on the ground and Joseph was scrambling over him, stretching out his hand toward the outlaw\u2019s fallen gun.\u00a0 Abel Simms had made it to the door with Rosey.\u00a0 Webb\u2019s henchman stopped, stunned into inaction for the moment.<\/p>\n

Ben could identify with him.\u00a0 It took him a few seconds to react as well, but that didn\u2019t stop him from taking out Finch\u2019s man and then slamming the door in the face of the rest of his gang before they could further violate his home.<\/p>\n

Locking it, he turned back to save his son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stretched his arm out toward the bad man\u2019s gun.\u00a0 He sucked in air as it put a strain on his ribs.\u00a0 Both the bones and muscle protested like a son of a gun, sending wave after wave of stabbing pain through him.\u00a0 Pa had taught them that pain was a friend. \u00a0\u2018It\u2019s your body\u2019s way of telling you something is wrong<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019d say.\u00a0 \u2018You should listen to it.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 Well, Joe was listening to it now and what his pain was telling him was to curl up and die.<\/p>\n

Of course, if he gave up now, that was exactly what he was gonna <\/em>do.<\/p>\n

Finch Webb might be near old as his pa, but he fought like a man Adam\u2019s age.\u00a0 He was tough and mean and willing to do anything it took to win.\u00a0 Joe could see him angling, trying to raise his leg so he could put a boot in his side and drive that broken rib straight into his innards.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t let him. It was gonna hurt like Hell, but he had to move.\u00a0 Sucking in air, he twisted to avoid it, straining his already broken rib, and very distinctly felt something move.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 There was no time to think about it.<\/p>\n

He had to take out Finch.<\/p>\n

Joe heard a sound behind him.\u00a0 Someone had gone down.\u00a0 He prayed to God it was one of the outlaws and not his pa.\u00a0 As he continued to struggle, clawing at Finch\u2019s fingers and fighting for the gun, Joe had a sudden thought.\u00a0 Adam!\u00a0 Older brother was due home at any time.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t know Finch\u2019s men were out there.\u00a0 Someone needed<\/em> to warn him.\u00a0 Maybe Rosey or Pa.\u00a0 Maybe him, if he could get away.<\/p>\n

Maybe he\u2019d better pay attention to staying alive.<\/p>\n

Finch was winning.\u00a0 He\u2019d done real well at first, but the bad man was a lot bigger and a lot stronger than him and the only thing that had given him any edge in the beginning was surprise.\u00a0 Joe gritted his teeth against the pain in his side as he drove his heel into Finch\u2019s knee, getting a satisfying yelp for his trouble.\u00a0 Problem was, there weren\u2019t no surprises left.\u00a0 There was just him \u2013 a thirteen-year-old kid, only half there \u2013 fighting a monster bent on killing them all.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t let that happen.<\/p>\n

Gathering breath and strength, Joe stretched out as far as he could.<\/p>\n

His fingers touched metal!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben ordered the listless Greg to take Rosey into the kitchen to free Hop Sing and Ming-hua, and then barked a further order that he return and see to Hoss.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what was wrong with the young man, but was pleased when he saw Greg respond to his command.\u00a0 As he shouted out the words, the rancher headed for the hearth area.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know what he could do, but he had to do something.\u00a0 One wrong step could mean Joseph\u2019s death.\u00a0 As it was, the way the boy was stretched almost to the limit was likely to drive that broken rib in and puncture one of his vital organs.\u00a0 Ben swallowed hard, feeling impotent as he stood and watched his young son fight for his life.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt helpless before, but never so helpless as he did at this moment.\u00a0 Joseph was before him, but there was little he could do to help him.\u00a0 If he tried to interfere, he might cause the boy more harm.\u00a0 The rancher\u2019s eyes went to the gun rack and then to the credenza by the door.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s weapon lay there.\u00a0 Still, even if he got hold of it, he couldn\u2019t shoot.\u00a0 Joe and Finch\u2019s bodies were too closely entwined.<\/p>\n

In the end, it seemed there was only one thing he could do \u2013 throw himself into the fray and pull them apart, danger be damned.<\/p>\n

Determined, Ben moved to the other side of the settee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He\u2019d touched the gun!\u00a0 Now Joe struggled to catch hold of it, his fingers stretching out as far as they would go.\u00a0 They encountered the handle and wrapped around it and then one sought the trigger.\u00a0 Trouble was, Finch had hold of the gun too.\u00a0 The bad man\u2019s larger hand surrounded his own.\u00a0 Finch was fighting for control of it \u2013 picking the weapon up and banging it and his fingers against the floor in an attempt to make him drop it.\u00a0 Picking it up and slamming it against the floor.\u00a0 Picking it up.\u00a0 Slamming….<\/p>\n

Without warning the gun went off.\u00a0 A cloud of acrid smoke rose toward the ceiling.\u00a0 Into the silence that followed there came a sound.\u00a0 Well, two, really.\u00a0 A grunt.\u00a0 Then, a word.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph….\u201d<\/p>\n

Since he\u2019d been a little kid, he\u2019d had nightmares.\u00a0 They were about all kinds of things \u2013 gully washers, cattle stampedes, wild storms; rustlers and robbers.\u00a0 There was only one constant in them.\u00a0 His father always died.<\/p>\n

Just like Pa was dyin\u2019 now.<\/p>\n

After the bullet flew out of the chamber everything went into slow motion.\u00a0 Pa looked down.\u00a0 His hand moved toward his waist.\u00a0 Absurdly, Joe noticed Pa was wearing one of his best shirts. \u00a0After all Rosey was in the house and they\u2019d just finished eating supper.\u00a0 Pa always spruced up for supper, especially when there was a lady in the house.\u00a0 His father had put on a pair of black pants and a white shirt with a black string tie.\u00a0 Joe wished now that he\u2019d been wearing all black like brother Adam sometimes did, because above the waist band, on that bright white field, the color red was spreading like a blight.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s lifeblood was pouring out.<\/p>\n

A noise to his left reminded Joe that he wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0 He looked up to find Finch Webb starin\u2019 down at him.\u00a0 The bad man grimaced as he turned the gun so he held it by the barrel. He was breathing hard and his eyes had grown cold as a blue norther.<\/p>\n

\u201cPunk!\u201d he snarled as he brought the gun down.<\/p>\n

And Joe knew no more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Monty where he rode beside him.\u00a0 He\u2019d awakened after only a couple of hours of sleep with a keen desire to go home.\u00a0 The cowboy had humored him, saying he\u2019d be just as happy to drop into his bed for the rest of the night as sleep on the ground.\u00a0 They\u2019d hit the road somewhere around ten and by eleven he was feeling foolish.\u00a0 There really was no hurry.\u00a0 While he was concerned about Joe, that concern didn\u2019t run to real fear.\u00a0 He\u2019d broken a few ribs in his time and so long as the kid kept quiet and followed Doc Martin\u2019s orders, he\u2019d be okay in six weeks or so.\u00a0 The inaction might drive Little Joe to distraction \u2013 it would drive them all<\/em> to distraction \u2013 but he\u2019d survive.\u00a0 Life on the Ponderosa would return to normal.<\/p>\n

Or would it?<\/p>\n

He still hadn\u2019t made up his mind whether or not to stay.<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019s words had swayed him, he had to admit.\u00a0 Obligation.\u00a0 Responsibility.\u00a0 It was so easy to think of those words as negatives.\u00a0 But they were only that when one considered them from a self centered point of view.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips twitched and his dimples deepened.\u00a0 Ah, that was the rub, wasn\u2019t it?\u00a0 What was life about \u2013 pleasing and serving one\u2019s self or pleasing and serving others?\u00a0 He knew what his father would say.\u00a0 First of all the older man would quote the Good Book, citing passages like the one in Philippians that said \u2018Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.<\/em>\u2019\u00a0 Then he would remind him that what life here was about was bringing glory to God through one\u2019s actions and choices, and not about putting one\u2019s own happiness before others.\u00a0 How often had he \u2013 on his own volition \u2013 quoted to someone that \u2018No man is an island\u2019<\/em>? Of course, he\u2019d been thinking of belonging to the greater body of all men, but did it hold true as well for a man\u2019s family?\u00a0 Was Adam Cartwright an island of his own within a cluster of Cartwrights, free to loose the chain and float away when the whim took him?\u00a0 Or, was he duty-bound to remain?<\/p>\n

Adam winced and ran a hand over his forehead.\u00a0 Then he sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think too much, friend.\u00a0 You know that, don\u2019t you?\u201d Monty asked, tight-lipped.\u00a0 \u201cA man\u2019s brains ain\u2019t any different from his muscles.\u00a0 Use \u2018em too much, you\u2019ll wear \u2018em out.\u201d<\/p>\n

He snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI was under the impression that the more you used your muscles \u2013 or your brain \u2013 the more fit they became.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty glanced at him. \u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty-five,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me that in another ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were about a mile out from the house.\u00a0 It surprised him how pleased he felt to be going home.\u00a0 Maybe it had to do with the way he\u2019d left, pouting like a petulant child and refusing to even look at his father or say farewell. The trees would part before them soon.\u00a0 He\u2019d be able to see the house lights.\u00a0 Maybe even a Chinese lantern or two if Hop Sing had felt in the mood to hang them for their guests.\u00a0 As his new mount Sport clopped along, the thoroughbred\u2019s hooves beating out a steady rhythm, Adam was reminded of all this place meant to him.\u00a0 He\u2019d helped to build it with his pa.\u00a0 He\u2019d been there when Pa brought Marie home.\u00a0 He\u2019d sat in the great room listening to her cries as his little brother had been born, and then remained in that same room with his head down and tears in his eyes as Pa and his friends bore the coffin of the third woman he\u2019d dared to call \u2018ma\u2019 out of the door and up to the lake to rest for eternity.<\/p>\n

Eternity.\u00a0 Ever lasting.<\/p>\n

Ever green.<\/p>\n

Home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019s voice was strained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asked, drawing his gun from its holster even as he did.<\/p>\n

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

They had just enough time to get off the road.\u00a0 It was dark, so whoever was coming would have to have had the eyes of an eagle to spot them.\u00a0 The sound of horses approached swiftly.\u00a0 The riders were driving them hard.\u00a0 It was difficult to see anything through the leaves and by the light of the half-moon, but it appeared there were a half-dozen in the party.\u00a0 He thought one of them was a woman.<\/p>\n

As soon as they were gone, Adam moved Sport onto the road.\u00a0 He kneed in and pressed his spurs into the bay\u2019s chest, urging him to fly like the wind.\u00a0 He knew now why he\u2019d felt the urge to be home.<\/p>\n

The riders had come from the direction of the house.<\/p>\n

It took about six minutes to reach the yard.\u00a0 A minute before that his heart had plunged to his heels.\u00a0 Where there should have been light and life, there was nothing.<\/p>\n

Only an open door and the bell that dangled from the post tinkling in the wind.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at his companion as they both dismounted and threw their reins over the rail.\u00a0 He signaled silently to the other man and they split up, each approaching from the opposite side of the door.<\/p>\n

The only light illuminating the great room was in the hearth and it was burning low.\u00a0 The room had obviously been ransacked.\u00a0 Chairs were turned over.\u00a0 The silver on the dining room breakfront was missing.\u00a0 As he moved into the room, the dying embers cast weird shadows on the wall and on the figure lying closest to the door.\u00a0 He knew who it was immediately by his size.\u00a0 Kneeling at Hoss\u2019 side, Adam pressed two fingers against his throat and was overwhelmed to the point of tears when his brother moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonty, light one of the lamps!\u00a0 Hoss is hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty had remained near the door, stunned as him.\u00a0 He jerked and then headed for the lamp on the table where Pa kept his chess set.\u00a0 As his brother\u2019s eyelids fluttered, showing he was returning to consciousness, Adam ran a hand along Hoss\u2019 forehead, brushing off dried blood.<\/p>\n

The motion roused the teenager.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d Hoss asked, puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around as light began to fill the room.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are Pa and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod Almighty!\u201d Monty exclaimed.\u00a0 Adam looked up to see the cowboy drop to the ground, snatching his bandana from his neck as he did.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, get over here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear clutched his innards and stabbed them, as sure as any broken rib.\u00a0 Stumbling to his feet, he asked, his voice shaking, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty glanced at him and then shook his head.<\/p>\n

As Hoss stumbled to his feet behind him, the black-haired man rounded the end of the settee and stopped.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met soldiers before.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard them talk of carnage.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d never expected to find it in his home.<\/p>\n

Little Joe lay crumpled, his head resting on the settee.\u00a0 A steady stream of blood ran down his face, soaking the elegant fabric beneath it.\u00a0 His brother was breathing, but the sound was rapid and shallow.\u00a0 A sheen of sweat coated Joe\u2019s skin and his cheeks were red as apples indicating a return of the fever that had plagued him.\u00a0 The sight drove a stake of terror into his heart.<\/p>\n

The sight of his father laying next to Joe, bleeding from both a head and gut wound, pierced it.<\/p>\n

Monty was leaning on his pa, pressing his already sodden kerchief into the hole in his side.\u00a0 When he did nothing but stare, the cowboy shouted at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u00a0 Get hold of yourself!\u00a0 They\u2019re both alive, but they\u2019ll sure as shootin\u2019 die if we don\u2019t do something to stop them bleedin\u2019.\u00a0 Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 voice was weak, but it sounded from behind him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go for the doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to look at his brother.\u00a0 Hoss looked like death on two legs.\u00a0 He would have argued with him, but there was no one else to go.\u00a0 Unless….<\/p>\n

\u201cGet over here, Hoss!\u201d Monty ordered, taking charge.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep pressure on this wound.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be off your horse and on the ground quicker than three ticks of a steer\u2019s tale!\u201d<\/p>\n

It took Hoss a moment, but he moved.\u00a0 His horror was evident as he placed his large hands over the bloody wound in their father\u2019s side and pressed down for all he was worth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat….\u00a0 What about Joe?\u00a0 Is he gonna…be okay?\u201d the big teen asked.<\/p>\n

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

Guilt flooded through him.<\/p>\n

Pivoting on his knees, Adam turned his attention to his little brother.\u00a0 When he tried to move him, even in his unconscious state, Joe cried out.\u00a0 But worse than that….\u00a0 Worse than that there was blood on his little brother\u2019s lips.<\/p>\n

He had no idea whether it had come from the head wound or from within.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear God….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you go fallin\u2019…apart on me, older…brother,\u201d Hoss rasped.\u00a0 It was clear his brother was still carrying on his own struggle for consciousness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Who<\/em> did this?\u201d the black-haired man asked, his fear turning to anger as he looked at Joe again.\u00a0 When Hoss failed to reply, he repeated his demand, \u201cHoss, who did this?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s sky blue eyes shone like winter ice in the sun as they found him.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I got Pa\u2019s …blood…all over my hands.\u00a0 There\u2019s too much.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s…gonna die, ain\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d avoided looking directly at his father, but he did so now.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s skin was paler than Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 His breathing was more shallow.\u00a0 The older man hadn\u2019t made a sound or moved in the time since they\u2019d found him.<\/p>\n

As Adam stared at the older man and realized he might be dying, that last conversation they\u2019d had played back in his head.<\/p>\n

Words.\u00a0 He was a man of words.\u00a0 These were calculated to hurt.<\/p>\n

\u2018Papa comes to save the day?<\/em>\u2019 he heard himself shout. \u2018Don\u2019t you see, Pa?<\/em>\u00a0 That\u2019s part of the problem.\u00a0 I\u2019ll always be a little boy in your eyes \u2013 a little boy who needs looking after.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>His father had asked him then, \u201cWhere will you go?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Somewhere where a man can cast his own shadow,\u201d<\/em> he\u2019d replied.\u00a0 \u2018Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll let you know when I find it.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Words.<\/p>\n

Worthless words.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

EIGHT<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs he still in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty-year-old Hoss Cartwright glanced at the bedroom door and then at his older brother.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s face was carved out of the same rock as his \u2013 a granite-worry that, so far, nothing had been able to chip away at.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how he is,\u201d his brother answered, his voice breaking with the strain of the last two days.\u00a0 \u201cWith something like this…..\u00a0 Well, all the wild horses on the Ponderosa couldn\u2019t drag him from that bedside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said it\u2019s pretty bad, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had been the last one to talk to their family physician.\u00a0 It had been about an hour back before the older man went back to town to make his rounds.\u00a0 Doc Martin had come out of the room and down to the dining table ten shades paler.<\/p>\n

His older brother ran a hand over his stubbled face.\u00a0 \u201cActually, Paul said it was hopeless.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.\u00a0 The big man stumbled.\u00a0 He saw the floor coming up and felt himself going down.\u00a0 A minute before he would have hit the carpet, Hoss felt his brother\u2019s strong hand grip his arm.\u00a0 A second later he was seated in the chair they had positioned in the upper hall just outside of the sickroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreathe deep, Hoss.\u00a0 Come on, I need you here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t plead.\u00a0 Heck, Adam didn\u2019t admit he needed help.\u00a0 The fact that he was doing both scared him witless.<\/p>\n

Swallowing over that fear, the big teen asked, \u201cDo you think he\u2019s really…gonna die?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss drew in a breath that was dangerously close to a sob.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019ll we do if he does, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sounded like a kid who needed his Pa\u2019s shoulder to cry on.<\/p>\n

He was.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s squeezed his arm.\u00a0 His voice choked too.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what Pa always says, \u2018Keep your eyes on the sun and you won\u2019t see the shadows.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s eyes went to the bedroom door.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t see any sun.\u00a0 All he saw was a door that looked way too much like a stone standing stark naked over a freshly dug grave.<\/p>\n

He drew in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou think we oughta go in?\u00a0 It\u2019s been a good half hour.\u00a0 I mean, something might of…happened….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rose and turned toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 He would have come to get us.\u00a0 But I think you\u2019re right.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably best we get him back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss squared his shoulders as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 We gotta think about him.\u00a0 He\u2019s still sick himself.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019, I mean, with that fever he could still….\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother had his hand on the latch.\u00a0 He pivoted to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your eyes on the sun, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easy to say.<\/p>\n

Hard to do.<\/p>\n

The door opened onto cavernous darkness.\u00a0 Doc Martin had told them to shut out the light so his patient could rest, so even though outside it was a bright and unusually warm spring day, inside it was black as a tomb.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced.<\/p>\n

Bad choice of words.<\/p>\n

As he and his brother moved into the sick room, the seated figure didn\u2019t stir.\u00a0\u00a0 Their little brother\u2019s tear-streaked face and glazed eyes were trained on the bed that held all that was dear in the world to him.<\/p>\n

Adam exchanged a look with him and then cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

They waited.<\/p>\n

It took a few heartbeats.\u00a0 Finally, that tear-streaked face turned toward them.\u00a0 The eyes it held were glazed with their own pain \u2013 Joe shouldn\u2019t have been out of bed, he was still sick as a dog hisself \u2013 but that didn\u2019t mean nothin\u2019.\u00a0 They both knew he\u2019d die<\/em> sittin\u2019 there.\u00a0 Doctor Martin had told them before he left that if somethin\u2019 didn\u2019t change soon, he was goin\u2019 to sedate him since he wouldn\u2019t listen.<\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t need two Cartwrights dyin\u2019 on me<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019d growled.<\/p>\n

It had been close.<\/p>\n

Still was.<\/p>\n

Adam moved first, like he always did, takin\u2019 things in hand.\u00a0 Hoss watched his twenty-five-year old brother walk over to the side of the bed.\u00a0 He placed both hands on those saggin\u2019 shoulders and gently lifted Little Joe up.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on.\u00a0 You\u2019re not well enough to be here.\u00a0 It\u2019s time you got some rest,\u201d Adam said softly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOne of us will stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first it seemed his words went unheard.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss knew they hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 He saw that lean body beneath Adam\u2019s hands go rigid.<\/p>\n

The words were hushed, grief-struck, and filled with rage.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all my…<\/em>fault.\u00a0 I should be lying there, not him.\u00a0 Not him!\u00a0 It should be me<\/em> dying!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ventured closer.\u00a0 \u201cYou know he wouldn\u2019t want that.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t thinkin\u2019 clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am<\/em> thinking clearly!\u201d\u00a0 Anger shot his brother up and out of the chair and away from Adam\u2019s grasp.\u00a0 Little Joe crossed the room to the door and stood there shakin\u2019, still hurtin\u2019 from his own wounds and battlin\u2019 a deadly fever that was tryin\u2019 its best to carry him away.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t know.<\/em>\u00a0 You<\/em> weren\u2019t there.\u201d\u00a0 The bluster went out of the boy, like a sail without wind.\u00a0 Tears fell.\u00a0 \u201cI was!\u00a0 God….I was….\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man exchanged a look with his older brother as the Doc\u2019s prediction shuddered through them both.\u00a0 Before them stood a vision straight out of some tale of the knight\u2019s of old \u2013 the righteous avenger, seeking justice even at the cost of his own life.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t know what to say or how to stop the rumbles that shook the ground under their feet, threatenin\u2019 to loose an avalanche of trouble.<\/p>\n

Adam looked sick too.\u00a0 He was heading toward the door and the forlorn figure of their little brother standing there when he stopped abruptly and turned back.<\/p>\n

Hoss pivoted toward the bed.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard it too.\u00a0 Two words.\u00a0 Just two words.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph…why….\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man heard a sharp intake of breath, a sob, and then the door slammed.<\/p>\n

And Little Joe was gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe cain\u2019t have gone far, Adam.\u00a0 He just ain\u2019t well enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man glanced at his nineteen-year-old brother.\u00a0 Hoss was still pale himself and had a linen bandage wound around his head.\u00a0 He had a mild concussion, but as it was with all Cartwrights, was choosing to ignore it.\u00a0 The pain and worry in his tone made him sound as young as Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Who was missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe might have been hiding.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll take a look around the yard again,\u201d he said, unwilling to admit defeat.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you check in with Hop Sing and see if he\u2019s seen Joe.\u00a0 Maybe he got hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know that little scallywag, Adam,\u201d Hoss sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIf Joe don\u2019t want to be found, he won\u2019t be.\u00a0 Leastwise not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to try the stable again. Maybe we missed something.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hoss grunted his approval, Adam began to move.\u00a0 He felt…\u00a0 Well, actually he had<\/em> an unfounded expectation that he would find their missing brother in the stable even though he\u2019d checked it before.\u00a0 Middle brother was right.\u00a0 Little Joe couldn\u2019t have gotten very far in the condition he was in. Their young brother was far from healed.\u00a0 It was by God\u2019s grace alone that \u2013 with the rough treatment he\u2019d suffered at Finch Webb\u2019s hands \u2013 his broken rib hadn\u2019t snapped and shattered and punctured his lung or any other vital organ.\u00a0 Still, it had been close.\u00a0 The strain on Joe\u2019s body had been enough to rekindle his fever.\u00a0 It had broken late that morning, but the embers of the fire remained.\u00a0 Doc Martin had warned them before he left, that if Joe didn\u2019t behave, it could ignite again and might well consume him.<\/p>\n

Behave?<\/p>\n

Joe?<\/p>\n

They\u2019d found baby brother out of his bed and in Pa\u2019s room within two\u00a0 hours of him waking up.<\/p>\n

Adam opened the door to the stable and peered in.\u00a0 It was early evening and the sun was at that angle where it cast the interior of the building into shadow even though it had yet to set.\u00a0 They\u2019d searched all afternoon for Joe with no luck.\u00a0 It had surprised him, Joe leaving the house when Pa was…well…far from all right.\u00a0 If Pa took a turn for the worse and Joe wasn\u2019t there, little brother would blame himself.<\/p>\n

Adam halted.\u00a0 He blew out a breath and settled his hat back on his head.\u00a0 Then he ran a hand over the tense muscles in his neck.\u00a0 What was he saying?\u00a0 That was<\/em> the problem.\u00a0 Joe already blamed himself and neither of them knew for what.\u00a0 For being injured and unable to stop Finch Webb from entering the house?\u00a0 For being too fast or too slow or \u2013 and this was more likely \u2013 too impulsive?\u00a0 They had no idea.\u00a0 The kid wouldn\u2019t talk and there were no other witnesses.\u00a0 They\u2019d found Hop Sing and Ming-hua tied up in the kitchen.\u00a0 Neither had seen anything.\u00a0 The man who had violated their home was gone, taking with him not only Greg, but Rosey O\u2019Rourke.\u00a0 Hoss had been unconscious, and Pa….<\/p>\n

Pa hadn\u2019t said anything more since he\u2019d roused briefly to ask Joe \u2018why\u2019?<\/p>\n

Moving with care Adam first checked the loft, which was one of Little Joe\u2019s favorite haunts, and then began to go from stall to stall looking into each one.\u00a0 He almost missed him \u2013 would have <\/em>missed him, in fact, if Cadfan had not snorted and stamped the ground, drawing his attention to the small miserable pile of curls and filthy clothes huddled in the back corner of the Welsh pony\u2019s stall.\u00a0 From the looks of things, Joe\u2019d been trying to mount his horse.\u00a0 Cadfan\u2019s saddle lay upside-down on the stable floor, the blanket askew.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s arms were wrapped around his middle and he was sobbing silently.<\/p>\n

It made him angry at first, seeing his brother on the stall floor covered with filth and muck.\u00a0 The kid knew better than to wallow in that stuff or to put himself at the mercy of a stray kick from a skittish animal. One blow and that could be the end of him.<\/p>\n

Panic gripped him.<\/p>\n

Could that be what Joe wanted?<\/p>\n

Taking hold of Cadfan\u2019s bridle, Adam led him out of the stall and tethered him to the ladder that led up into the loft.\u00a0 Then he returned and knelt by his brother who had not moved.<\/p>\n

Reaching out for him, he said, \u201cJoe….\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy exploded in anger, shoving his hand away\u00a0 \u201cGo away!\u00a0 I don\u2019t want none of you!\u00a0 Just leave me alone!,\u201d Joe shouted as he jerked away from him.\u00a0 \u201cGo!\u00a0 I don\u2019t want \u2013\u201c\u00a0 His brother\u2019s eyes went wide.\u00a0 He sucked in air as pain stabbed him.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t….\u201d\u00a0 A second later those red-rimmed green eyes pinned him, full of pain, filled with sorrow and…anguish.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I couldn\u2019t….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t what, buddy?\u201d he asked gently as he reached out again and steadied him.<\/p>\n

Tears streamed down his baby brother\u2019s face, cascading over those thick lashes to mingle with the dirt and sweat.\u00a0 After a gasp, he breathed out the words, \u201cI couldn\u2019t…saddle Cadfan.\u00a0 I…couldn\u2019t go after…Finch.\u00a0 I gotta…go, Adam!\u201d\u00a0 His little brother\u2019s jaw locked and his nostrils flared like a bull in a rage.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s gotta…pay…for what he made….\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eye flicked to his face.\u00a0 They were wary as a guilty man facing down a sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cFor what he<\/em>…did to Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam waited a moment for him to calm down and then he asked, \u201cAnd what do you think Pa <\/em>would think about you doing that?\u201d<\/p>\n

That small jaw jutted out.\u00a0 Joe blinked, sending more tears racing toward his chin.\u00a0 \u201cHe….\u00a0 Pa would….\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 His little brother stopped.\u00a0\u00a0 He looked down and drew a steadying breath.\u00a0 When Joe\u00a0 looked up again, Adam saw something in his eyes \u2013 something he had only glimpsed before and hoped to Hell he\u2019d been wrong about \u2013 Joe wanted to curl up and die.<\/p>\n

His hand gripped his brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, what is it?\u00a0 What can\u2019t \u2013 or won\u2019t<\/em> you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Baby brother had several talents.\u00a0 Working with horses was chief among them.\u00a0 He also had a way of seeing around problems that stumped the rest of them due to his life lived without restraint.\u00a0 But he had another one, one that did not bode well for the future should something ever come along that he couldn\u2019t face.\u00a0 Once Joseph Francis Cartwright made his mind up to keep something inside, there was no locksmith on the planet could open that safe.<\/p>\n

You had to wait for him to find the key on his own.<\/p>\n

Joe was glaring at him.\u00a0 Sort of.\u00a0 Actually, he looked like he was going to pass out and was holding on by sheer will alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, buddy.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you inside,\u201d he said as he reached for him.<\/p>\n

It surprised him.\u00a0 Joe reached back this time and caught his hand in an iron grip.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta promise me one thing, Adam.\u00a0 You gotta<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

His hand squeezed his brother\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Joe?\u201d he asked, his tone soft.<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise me you won\u2019t go after Finch without me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh dear.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeputy Coffee is looking for Finch Webb,\u201d he answered evasively.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t…gonna…find him,\u201d Little Joe huffed as some deep-seated fear tightened his jaw more than pain or anger could.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be…us.\u00a0 It\u2019s…got<\/em> to be us!\u201d\u00a0 More tears flowed, making him look like a little boy lost in the midst of a storm much too ferocious for him to weather.<\/p>\n

Which was, of course, exactly what he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, promise <\/em>me!\u201d<\/p>\n

What could he say?\u00a0 He had to get the kid in the house before he died of exposure.\u00a0 With his hand on Joe\u2019s, he could tell the fever was still there and thought it was rising.<\/p>\n

After all, with any luck the posse would take Finch Webb long before he had to worry about honoring it.<\/p>\n

Right?<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Joe, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those huge eyes of his blinked.\u00a0 Gratitude filled them.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 The kid needed something<\/em> to hold onto.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded and his full lips curled with a trace of a smile.\u00a0 A moment later something went out of him \u2013 Adam could only hope it wasn\u2019t all the life that was left in<\/em> him.\u00a0 Joe shivered and then slumped and then nearly toppled over into the muck that covered the stall floor.<\/p>\n

He caught him, of course, before he could.\u00a0 Then he lifted his little brother up in his arms and bore him toward the house.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Hop Sing rushed out of the door to meet them and then it began all over again. A night without rest.\u00a0 A vigil at a bedside \u2013 two bedsides, actually.<\/p>\n

And a lot of prayer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It proved to be a long night.\u00a0 Adam only surrendered his chair at his father\u2019s side when Paul Martin arrived for his noontime check the next day.\u00a0 The Doc had done all he could to clean and stitch the wound the bullet had made in the area of Pa\u2019s abdomen. \u00a0Fortunately, it hadn\u2019t been as bad as the Doctor had first feared.\u00a0 Paul apologized and then admitted, with chagrin, that he had been exhausted the night before and shaken deeply by seeing such a good man as their pa taken down as if his life meant nothing.\u00a0 In the end it appeared that nothing vital had been damaged and what damage there was, the physician\u2019s skilled hands had cleaned up and repaired.\u00a0 Paul was<\/em> concerned that there might still be a few bleeders, which was a part of the reason he had instructed them to keep such a close watch.\u00a0 The doctor was also worried that the older man hadn\u2019t wakened yet, other than that one time when he swam up out of the darkness to call for Joe.<\/p>\n

And then, of course, there was the fever.<\/p>\n

Before he left Paul had laid a hand on his shoulder and ordered him to go get cleaned up and to get some food.\u00a0 He\u2019d stumbled into the hallway and collapsed in the chair he had put there for Hoss the night before.\u00a0 He was still there a half hour later when the big teen came out of Joe\u2019s room looking like thirty miles of bad road.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s giant shoulders rose and fell.\u00a0 \u201cSleepin\u2019, I think.\u00a0 Boy, the Doc sure was mad when he found out Joe got out of that bed and went outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could still hear Paul railing, cursing not only them but the mule-headed young boy that he loved and feared for.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean you \u2018think\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother scowled.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s fever\u2019s been mighty high, Adam.\u00a0 He was out of his head a lot last night.\u00a0 Might be he\u2019s unconscious \u2018stead of asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 That was part of why it had been a rough night.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard Joe screaming and the sound of it had ripped at his heart.<\/p>\n

When Hoss said nothing more, Adam clued in to the fact that there was <\/em>something more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat aren\u2019t<\/em> you telling me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked back toward Joe\u2019s room. Then his ice blue eyes returned to him.\u00a0 \u201cI think \u2013 now I ain\u2019t entirely sure, mind you \u2013 but for some reason….\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cFor some reason I think Joe\u2019s got it in his head that he\u2019s responsible for Pa bein\u2019 shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould just be the fever talkin\u2019, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been sleepy before, but he was wide awake now.\u00a0 \u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s eyes reflected the horror of what he\u2019d been through over the last six or so hours.\u00a0 \u201cJoe just kept tossin\u2019 and turnin\u2019 \u2013 moanin\u2019, you know, and talkin\u2019 out of his head.\u00a0 He was in so much pain.\u201d\u00a0 The big man looked sick.\u00a0 Hoss hated to see anything <\/em>in pain but this <\/em>was his beloved little brother.\u00a0 \u201cSome of it was what\u2019s ailin\u2019 him, I\u2019m sure, but the other….\u201d\u00a0 The big man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, it was soul <\/em>deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, acknowledging both of his brothers\u2019 pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe kept talkin\u2019 about fightin\u2019 with that there Finch feller.\u00a0 \u2018I can make it,\u2019 he\u2019d say.\u00a0 \u2018I can make it.\u00a0 I gotta.\u2019\u00a0 And then he\u2019d stretch out his arm and wiggle his fingers kind of weak, like he was reachin\u2019 for somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time since it had happened, Adam thought about the position he\u2019d found Pa and Joe in when he\u2019d come home that night.\u00a0 Searching now for the image he\u2019d tried so desperately to banish, he found it and processed it again, this time noting the settee table at an odd angle, the fruit bowl on the floor and the scattered checkerboard, as well as the fireplace implements lying on the hearth.\u00a0 Everything indicated a struggle had taken place.<\/p>\n

Hoss must be seeing it in his head too.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 Little Joe must have jumped Finch somehow,\u201d he speculated.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe the two of them was strugglin\u2019 for that outlaw\u2019s gun and…it went…off….\u201d<\/p>\n

For a second there were no words.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

Hoss had crossed to the staircase.\u00a0 He was holding onto the newel post and looking up toward the second floor.\u00a0 Adam watched him turn back with a shake of his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope it ain\u2019t true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is,\u201d he said with all the finality of absolute proof.\u00a0 \u201cIt explains everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything including Joe\u2019s seeming disregard for his own health and recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think one of us ought to talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a hard call.\u00a0 They could hardly let it go, but at the same time forcing Joe to face such a momentous thing before he was physically and mentally healed enough to do so might not be the best thing.<\/p>\n

Finally he admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 look was almost comical.\u00a0 Him saying \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019<\/em> was tantamount to his brothers to a pronouncement of the end of the world.<\/p>\n

He rose and crossed to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll ask Paul when we can.\u00a0 Now, what\u2019s say you and I get washed up and ready for breakfast.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be long before Hop Sing will be complaining about us still being in our night clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Adam, Mistah Hoss have reason.\u00a0 Hop Sing no complain.\u00a0 Only want what best for Little Joe and father.\u201d\u00a0 They turned to find their Chinese cook and friend standing in the hallway.\u00a0 \u201cYou no dressed.\u00a0 Need strength to do so.\u00a0 Came to tell you breakfast is on table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for thinking of us, Hop Sing, but I don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand over his stubbled chin.\u00a0 \u201cI think one of us should check in on the convalescents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go check.\u00a0 You go to table.\u00a0 Eat.\u00a0 Then get dressed.\u201d\u00a0 He made a face.\u00a0 \u201cVelly<\/em> late in day.\u00a0 Father not be happy you no dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think Adam or me is very hungry, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill you eat!\u00a0 If father here, he tell you to eat!\u201d\u00a0 The man from China paused.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing not father, but love sons as his own.\u00a0 Not want you get sick.\u201d\u00a0 He jabbed a finger at them. \u201cDo father and brother no good if you get sick!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held his hands up in surrender.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 We\u2019ll sit down and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

A knock at the door silenced him.\u00a0 He looked at the other two men and then headed down the stairs, thinking maybe it was Roy and he\u2019d come with news.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

It was Monty Webb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Hoss turned from the staircase to join Adam, a slender shadow separated from the other ones that darkened the upper landing.\u00a0 Little Joe was barely on his feet, but he was determined to remain on them long enough to see his pa.\u00a0 When he\u2019d awakened to find himself alone, he\u2019d panicked, thinking the worst.\u00a0 It took some managing, but he\u2019d rolled out of the bed on his good side and then padded down the hallway in his socks toward his pa\u2019s room.\u00a0 Looking in, he saw that Pa was alone too.\u00a0 After making sure his father was breathing, he went on to the staircase.\u00a0 He could hear Adam and Hoss talking.\u00a0 He wanted to be certain they were busy before heading back and he saw that they were.\u00a0 Monty Webb had just stepped into the room.\u00a0 The cowboy looked about as worn as he could be.\u00a0 He\u2019d been out riding with Roy Coffee, searching for Rosey and Greg and….\u00a0 Joe swallowed over a lump of anger and guilt.<\/p>\n

For Finch Webb.<\/p>\n

So many emotions welled up in him at the thought of that name.\u00a0 It was like a flash flood, dark and devastating and deadly.\u00a0 He\u2019d told himself over and over and over again that he hadn\u2019t really shot his pa \u2013 that Finch had done it \u2013 that he\u2019d had no choice but to go for that gun when he did; no chance but the try to reach it first.\u00a0 Joe turned to look back toward his Pa\u2019s darkened room.\u00a0 The trouble was, just about every time he had himself halfway convinced, Pa\u2019s words came back like a slap on the cheek.<\/p>\n

\u2018Joseph…why?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Why what?\u00a0 Why had he gone for the gun?\u00a0 Why had he taken the bad man on?\u00a0 Why had he let him think he was out cold and scared him?<\/p>\n

Why<\/em> had he shot him?<\/p>\n

Joe was breathing hard.\u00a0 He reached out a hand and caught the stair rail to steady himself.\u00a0 They thought he\u2019d been asleep \u2013 Adam and Hoss \u2013 when they\u2019d talked to Doc Martin in his room.\u00a0 Pa was healing like he was, but he wasn\u2019t out of danger yet.\u00a0 If the fever didn\u2019t break soon, he might not make it, or worse, if he did, Pa might never be the same.<\/p>\n

Weary and heavy-hearted, Joe moved from the landing and went to his father\u2019s room.\u00a0 He paused outside of it, leaning his head on the door a moment, before tripping the latch and going in.\u00a0 Pa was laying on his bed with a blanket pulled up to his chest.\u00a0 His labored breathing was the only sound in the room.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes landed on the buckets by the bedside table, filled with water and a bit of remaining ice.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard Adam say they\u2019d packed Pa in it overnight.\u00a0 It had brought his temperature down, but not near enough.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in a deep breath and went to the chair by the bed and sat down.\u00a0 He sat there for the longest time, not sure he had the right to even touch<\/em> his pa \u2013 after all, his actions, his choice<\/em> had put him in this bed.\u00a0 Finally, unable to stop himself \u2013 needing<\/em> that tangible touch \u2013 the hurting boy reached out and laid his hand on his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

Immediately, the tears began to flow.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head followed his hand and, as his curls brushed his father\u2019s fingers, the older man\u2019s breath caught.\u00a0 Joe looked up instantly, afraid he had done something wrong, only to find his father looking at him.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s eyes were clouded with pain, but he was looking<\/em> at him.<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s parched lips parted.\u00a0 Joe knew before he asked what he wanted.\u00a0 Rising slowly, he took a few steps to the table and filled the glass there with water.\u00a0 Leaving it on the table, he slipped his right arm under his pa\u2019s shoulders, grunting a bit as he did, and lifted him up.\u00a0 Then, taking hold of the glass, he gave him a few sips of water.\u00a0 As he did, the older man\u2019s eyes fixed on his for a moment and then they closed.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s arm was shaking by the time he laid his father back down and made a move to drop into the chair.<\/p>\n

A weak grip on his wrist prevented it.<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s dark brows were drawn together in the center.\u00a0 He worked his lips a moment and then managed to whisper, \u201cHurt….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cI know it does, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry….\u201d<\/p>\n

His father was shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo….\u00a0 Hurt…to see…you….\u201d<\/p>\n

His world crashed in that instant.\u00a0 Pa did<\/em> blame him!\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t want to look at him!\u00a0 He thought he had shot him on purpose!<\/em>\u00a0 Pa….<\/p>\n

\u201c…hurt to…see…you…in such pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was like a rope had been thrown around him and someone had hauled back.\u00a0 Joe blinked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFinch…hurt you.\u201d\u00a0 Pa\u2019s grip grew a little stronger.\u00a0 \u201cI<\/em>…hurt you.\u00a0 Left…alone….\u201d<\/p>\n

His head was shaking now, making the curls fly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Pa!\u00a0 How can you think that?\u00a0 It was me!\u00a0 <\/em>I shot \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0 His father\u2019s voice was surprisingly strong.\u00a0 \u201cYou…saved<\/em> me.\u201d\u00a0 He paused to lick his lips.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph…why?\u201d<\/p>\n

There it was.\u00a0 The question that had nagged him for days.\u00a0 Joe tried to pull away, but somehow his father managed to hold him fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer…me.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy what, Pa?\u201d he pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cTell me.\u00a0 Why what?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Pa drew in a breath.\u00a0 Joe felt him release the hold on his wrist and watched as he struggled to raise a hand toward his face.\u00a0 \u201c…shouldn\u2019t…have risked…your…life, boy.\u00a0 Why…did you…take…such a…chance?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shattered.\u00a0 There was no other way to put it.\u00a0 All of the stress of worrying about his pa dying,\u00a0 the guilt over what he had done\u00a0 and the memory of his finger on that trigger, the lack of sleep,\u00a0 his own injuries, and the fever he was still fightin\u2019 \u2013 all of it came crashing down at once and he plain and simple fell apart.\u00a0 Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fell forward and pressed his face\u00a0 into the blanket.<\/p>\n

As his fingers twisted into the thick fabric and he began to sob, his father\u2019s hand found a purchase in his curls.<\/p>\n

Joe knew Doctor Martin would kill him when he came in again to check on the two of them, but he didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 He caught his pa\u2019s hand in his own as he sat up.\u00a0 Then he laid it at the older man\u2019s side.\u00a0 Then, like he was four years old and had just awakened from a nightmare, he went to the other side of the bed and crawled in.\u00a0 Careful not to hurt his pa, and wary of his own bandaged side, he got as close as he could and then drew his father\u2019s left arm around his shoulders.<\/p>\n

As he lay there, soaking in Pa\u2019s scent and considering whether life would be worth living if his father died, the rock of his world said, \u201cNot your…fault, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Five minutes later the door to the sick room opened and Hop Sing stepped in again.\u00a0 He had come to tidy up.\u00a0 The man from China left five minutes later, with dirty linens and buckets of melted ice chips in his hands.<\/p>\n

And a wide smile on his face<\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

NINE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was afternoon and Doctor Martin had come and gone, completing his second visit of the day.\u00a0 Adam smiled as he thought of the physician\u2019s face when they led him into their pa\u2019s room.\u00a0 Paul had been torn between joy, hope, anger, and exasperation.\u00a0 After grumbling something about the fact that \u2018at least\u2019 the pair were in<\/em> bed, he set about examining both Joe and Pa.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fever was up and Pa\u2019s was down, but neither were in a range that was life-threatening.\u00a0 Three days after the horrific scene he had come home to, it seemed life had a chance of returning to some semblance of normalcy.<\/p>\n

Except, of course, that the man who had tried to kill his entire family was still on the loose and both Greg Webb and Rosey O\u2019Rourke were missing. Sheriff Olin had organized a posse and they were on their trail.\u00a0 It chafed at him and Hoss that they had been forced to inaction by circumstances.\u00a0 Still, neither one of them had been willing to leave until they knew their father and brother were out of danger.\u00a0 The others in the house were similarly effected.\u00a0 Ming-hua was beside herself.\u00a0 The young woman from China did little but cry.\u00a0 Hop Sing, who was battling his own demons of fear and fatigue, managed to keep her busy during the day.\u00a0 Still, he\u2019d heard her at night, weeping into the early morning hours until exhaustion compelled her to rest, terrified for the woman she had come to think of as a mother.<\/p>\n

Since neither his pa nor his brother had been very forthcoming yet about what happened, he assumed Greg Webb was also a prisoner and was innocent in all of this.\u00a0 Monty had said something when he\u2019d stopped in briefly before that indicated the young man would not have gone with Finch willingly.\u00a0 Adam had no idea what the family\u2019s dynamics were, but from what little he knew of Greg, and what Hoss had been able to tell him about Finch, he doubted the boy had taken part in what the outlaw had done.\u00a0 It made him wonder if there was more to Monty and Greg leaving the cattle drive early than either one of them had admitted.<\/p>\n

He guessed he\u2019d find out when the cowboy returned.<\/p>\n

Adam leaned into the blue velvet chair and rested his head against its high back.\u00a0 He was weary to the bone.\u00a0 There had been so much going on \u2013 so many things to do \u2013 he hadn\u2019t really processed the fact that he could have lost his entire family in one night.\u00a0 This morning, sitting there, looking at Pa and Joe, it had hit him like a punch in the gut.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t that, after all, what he\u2019d intended to do \u2013 ride away and leave them all, perhaps never to see them again?\u00a0 The concept had become a cold hard reality.\u00a0 He had comforted himself with the fact that he would write and they would write back.\u00a0 Somehow, he would manage to remain a part of their lives even though he had chosen to be apart.<\/em>\u00a0 The last few days had taught him there would be no going back.\u00a0 It would be as if Pa and Hoss and Little Joe were dead to him.<\/p>\n

And he didn\u2019t think he could live with that.<\/p>\n

No, he knew<\/em> he couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Adam want some cake?\u201d Hop Sing asked after appearing at his side as like a genie out of a bottle.\u00a0 \u201cNumber one son not eat supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ate, Hop Sing,\u201d he countered.\u00a0 \u201cYou were there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing there to carry plate away with enough food on it to feed pack of wolves outside!\u201d the man from China snapped, a bit of his annoyance breaking through the concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cForgive me,\u201d he said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI promise I will do better tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have given me ol\u2019 Adam\u2019s leftovers instead of them wolves,\u201d Hoss quipped as he descended into the room.\u00a0 \u201cI could eat a whole \u2018nother meal after findin\u2019 Pa and Joe together lookin\u2019 good and happy as two peas in a pod.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe better in own bed,\u201d their cook pronounced.\u00a0 \u201cBoy not know how to lay still.\u00a0 Keep father awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true.\u00a0 Pa would probably wake up with Joe\u2019s fist in his face and a long skinny leg draped across his own.<\/p>\n

Adam met Hop Sing\u2019s anxious gaze.\u00a0 \u201cA merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones<\/em>,\u201d he said softly, quoting Proverbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to run that one by Doc Martin, Adam,\u201d Hoss said with a snort.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t look like he was none too merry when he found Joe in Pa\u2019s bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

No, he hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 Fortunately, there were four <\/em>of them and only one of Doc Martin.\u00a0 Little Joe had stayed put.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor say Mistah Ben much better.\u201d\u00a0 It was a statement, but still a question.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, \u201c Adam replied as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s fever is down and there seems to be no infection in the wound.\u00a0 It will be quite a while before his strength is back, but Paul is certain it will return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe better too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, he\u2019s better too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true Joe was better, but his fever was still a problem.\u00a0 Baby brother just couldn\u2019t seem to throw it off.\u00a0 Still Paul was optimistic.\u00a0 He thought that \u2013 now that Joe had accepted the fact that he wasn\u2019t responsible for shooting their father \u2013 he would quickly regain strength and might be up in a day or two.\u00a0 His broken rib was another matter.\u00a0 Joe still had weeks of healing ahead of him on that account.<\/p>\n

Which left him with a problem, and that was the promise he had made to his little brother that they wouldn\u2019t go after the man who\u2019d shot Pa without him.<\/p>\n

Seemingly satisfied by an answer that would have left him<\/em> questioning more, Hop Sing nodded and returned to the kitchen.\u00a0 At that same moment a knock sounded at the front door.\u00a0 Hoss was closer, so he went to get it.\u00a0 After he opened the door, the big teen stepped back to allow a dusty and exhausted-looking Monty Webb to step into the room.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in a little earlier to tell them he was back, but this was the first time they would have a chance to talk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe posse ain\u2019t given up, has they?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Monty removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh before hanging it on the rack.\u00a0 \u201cSorry about all the dirt,\u201d he said as his eyes darted about the room, settling on the area of the settee.<\/p>\n

The cowboy seemed nervous.\u00a0 Adam had a sense that he had something he wanted to say, but was having a hard time finding a way to begin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like a brandy, or maybe a shot of whiskey?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou look like you could use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take some coffin varnish, thanks.\u201d\u00a0 As Adam mused over what his father would think of his twenty dollar bottle of double barrel whiskey being called such a thing, Monty advanced into the room, saying, \u201cNo, the posse ain\u2019t quit.\u00a0 They\u2019ve moved on, following a trail they found.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam brought the drink to him.\u00a0 \u201cBut you don\u2019t think it\u2019s Finch\u2019s trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty downed the whiskey in one gulp and handed the glass back.\u00a0 He looked him in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t think <\/em>nothin\u2019.\u00a0 I know it ain\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t tell them?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was outraged.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was you thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held the other man\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 He recognized something in it.\u00a0 Something he knew Monty saw in his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about family.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it?\u201d the black-haired man asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you talkin\u2019 about, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He held a hand up.\u00a0 \u201cI think Monty has the answer to that question.\u00a0 How about you, Monty?\u201d<\/p>\n

The cowboy nodded and then went to the settee and sat down.\u00a0 He shook his head when Hoss offered another drink.<\/p>\n

Adam sat across from him while Hoss anchored an arm on the mantle.\u00a0 \u201cTell us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Monty drew a long breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 Then he began.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Finch, we was born in Idaho.\u00a0 Our family was one of the first to travel west.\u00a0 They tried farming and then panning for gold, and then finally opened up a saloon.\u00a0 We lived upstairs over the main room.\u00a0 Finch was born before that, while the panning was goin\u2019 on.\u00a0 There were five between me and him.\u00a0 None of the girls made it past five and the younger brother we had died when he tried to swim a crick that was runnin\u2019 too fast.\u201d\u00a0 Monty sighed as he thought about it, as if that brother\u2019s death had hit him hardest of all.\u00a0 \u201cMa tried to teach us, but you know boys.\u00a0 By the time I was old enough to squat over a pot Finch was leadin\u2019 me into all kinds of trouble.\u201d\u00a0 He snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHow much older are you than Little Joe, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you know what it\u2019s like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Cept with us Cartwrights it\u2019s the other way round,\u201d Hoss said, affection softening his tone.\u00a0 \u201cThat little brother of ours, he\u2019s the one what leads\u2019 us <\/em>into trouble!\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGreg was like that too.\u00a0 Dang kid.\u00a0 I told him not to try crossin\u2019 that creek.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment Adam\u2019s mind was filled with the image of Joe doing just that same thing.\u00a0 Then he realized what Monty had said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond man licked his lips and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother Greg drowned when he was twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s brows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cWould you care to explain then, how we met him a few days ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, wait,\u201d Hoss said, taking a seat on the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cI seem to remember Greg shoutin\u2019 somethin\u2019 at Finch while I was lyin\u2019 on the floor.\u00a0 I was half out of my head.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned, reaching for it.\u00a0 \u201cI think Greg yelled somethin\u2019 about hatin\u2019 Finch and him not bein\u2019<\/em> his brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not.\u00a0 He\u2019s not mine either.\u00a0 Not by blood.\u201d\u00a0 Monty\u00a0 sighed.\u00a0 \u201cBut he sure is in every other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned forward, wrapping his fingers around each other and dangling them between his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tale was long and twisted.\u00a0 Finch Webb, it seemed, had from the very beginning been a bad egg.\u00a0 He broke every rule and then, because he got away with it, broke them again and again.\u00a0 Their father died when Monty was six and Finch, seventeen.\u00a0 For a time their mother ran the saloon, but her heart wasn\u2019t in it and one day she simply disappeared, leaving her two surviving children to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n

Finch lived on the edge and craved excitement, and so he soon gravitated to crime.\u00a0 Within a few months he was using Monty to swindle away widow\u2019s and little old ladies\u2019 savings.\u00a0 He went through money like water, so they were always at it and always on the move, it being too dangerous for him to remain in any one town for long.\u00a0 Eventually, as age and hard living caught up to him, Finch decided it was time to settle down and get a \u2018proper\u2019 job.<\/p>\n

That was when he went to work at the Square Deal Saloon, one of the first establishments of its kind in the small gathering of houses and businesses that would soon come to be known as San Francisco.\u00a0 Finch had been in his mid-thirties, handsome, strong and able, and more than capable of turning the head of the female owner of the Square Deal with his sweet talk and winning smile.\u00a0 In time he just about ran the place, though his official role was that of bouncer.<\/p>\n

Trouble was, some of the men Finch \u2018bounced\u2019 ended up dead.<\/p>\n

It was only then that Monty began to suspect his older brother might be more than a cheat and a bully.\u00a0 That maybe, he was a killer too.<\/p>\n

Monty had paused then and his look darkened.\u00a0 There was a woman who worked in the saloon that Finch became obsessed with.\u00a0 She was a sad, dark-haired beauty who went by the working name of Silks, due to the expensive silk dresses she wore.\u00a0 One day Silks tried to kill herself.\u00a0 A new doctor in the town was called \u2013 a doctor who was willing to enter such an establishment and treat \u2018soiled doves\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 He saved her life and then they fell in love.\u00a0 Shortly after that they were married and Silks went away, leaving behind the sordid life she\u2019d lived.<\/p>\n

But she couldn\u2019t leave behind Finch.<\/p>\n

It was at this point Adam had stopped Monty\u2019s narrative with a question.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know her real name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty bit his lip and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFound it out, but only after…what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked sick.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Miss Rosey, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The cowboy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt took me a while to recognize her.\u00a0 She looks different.\u00a0 Older.\u00a0 Tougher.\u00a0 But it\u2019s her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo your brother Finch was<\/em> the man who killed Rosey\u2019s husband and son?\u00a0 And you stayed <\/em>with him?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s tone was accusatory.<\/p>\n

Monty shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cFinch was all I had, and you gotta remember, Finch was all I knew<\/em>.\u00a0 I was aware that some of the things he did was crooked as a snake fence and he shoulda been in jail, but at the time \u2013 I was only twenty or so \u2013 it all seemed like a kind of lark.\u201d\u00a0 Monty paled.\u00a0 \u201cUntil the O\u2019Rourkes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you know he killed them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly later.\u201d\u00a0 The blond man paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he didn\u2019t kill \u2018them\u2019.\u00a0 Finch only killed Patrick O\u2019Rourke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what happened to Rory?\u201d Hoss asked, mystified.<\/p>\n

It was like a brick wall falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg,\u201d Adam breathed. \u201cGreg is Rosey\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey caught the ripped bodice of her dress in her hand and held it up so it covered the exposed skin and underpinnings beneath.\u00a0 This was the first they had stopped in their mad dash to avoid the Cartwrights and the law, and the first time the man she had once known as Sten had tried to take advantage of her.\u00a0 She\u2019d spat in his face and fought like a wildcat, raking fingernails down his cheeks like claws.\u00a0 She knew this man and knew if she made him mad enough he would lose his lust in another more overriding emotion \u2013 rage.<\/p>\n

Fifteen years had passed since she\u2019d found herself in this position.\u00a0 Fifteen<\/em> years that had seen the life and death of the man she loved and their son, as well as the baby daughter whom this monster denied breath.\u00a0 He had taken away everything and everyone she loved.\u00a0 They were all dead.<\/p>\n

Or dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen,\u201d she sobbed as tears ran down her cheeks.<\/p>\n

Finch had been reaching for her.\u00a0 He stopped when he heard her speak the rancher\u2019s name.\u00a0 It was at that moment that the rage overcame him.\u00a0 Rosey could tell he wanted to throttle her.\u00a0 A myriad of emotions flashed in those cold callous eyes.\u00a0 There was anger, but even more there was fear.\u00a0 If he lost control and killed her then he\u2019d lose, because she\u2019d be dead and free.<\/p>\n

And Finch couldn\u2019t stand to lose.<\/p>\n

Just before his hands would have circled her throat, the former bouncer turned and picked up a chair and slammed it into the wall, sending wooden missiles flying through the room.\u00a0 It made quite a racket.\u00a0 Unfortunately, even if anyone heard, no one would care.\u00a0 They were in a back alley behind a dive of a saloon in a small village called Harriman, just outside of Reno.\u00a0 Finch planned on robbing the town\u2019s bank.\u00a0 He\u2019d already gambled away almost all of the money he\u2019d stolen from the Cartwright\u2019s safe and what he\u2019d got from selling their things.\u00a0 Apparently in the years he had been on the run, cattle rustling and robbery had become his vocation.\u00a0 Sadly, Finch had pulled his younger brothers into it including the young man with the thick wavy brown hair who lay unconscious at her feet.<\/p>\n

Greg had tried to protect her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t no use your worryin\u2019 about that dead rancher.\u00a0 He\u2019s long gone and the Devil\u2019s welcome to him!\u201d Finch snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the only devil I know!\u201d she countered sharply as she knelt beside the young man.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u00a0 You may have killed your own brother!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg ain\u2019t dead,\u201d the villain sneered, and then finished enigmatically, \u201cCouldn\u2019t kill him.\u00a0 Then or now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man moaned at her touch.\u00a0 \u201cHe needs a doctor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Finch spat.\u00a0 \u201cSeems to me, Silks, you should of learned enough, havin\u2019 a medical man between your legs. \u00a0You<\/em> take care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ignoring the taunt, Rosey turned her attention to the young man\u2019s injuries.\u00a0 There was a deep gash behind Greg\u2019s left ear where Finch had hit him with the butt of his gun.\u00a0 It had been at least ten minutes and this was the first the boy had shown any sign of consciousness.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe may have a concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t matter to me what\u2019s wrong with him so long as he\u2019s up and movin\u2019 by the time Simms and me get back.\u201d\u00a0 The villain crossed to the door and opened it.\u00a0 He turned and showed her the key.\u00a0 \u201cYou know these places.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t but one way out and I got the key, so you just settle back and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, she knew these \u2018places\u2019.\u00a0 This backwater town had two saloons and Finch had taken up residence in the most sordid one.\u00a0 He\u2019d rented one of the cribs out back of the ramshackle building and forced her into it, intending to have his way with her.\u00a0 He would have too, if Greg had not barged in and tried to stop him.<\/p>\n

She felt an inexpressible moment of relief as the door closed behind him.<\/p>\n

Brushing the dark hair back from Greg\u2019s forehead, she pressed her hand to his skin.\u00a0 It was clammy.\u00a0 She was frightened for him.\u00a0 From the moment Finch had grabbed her and forced her out of Ben\u2019s ranch house and into the wagon that took them away, Greg had remained close by her, as if \u2013 by his very presence \u2013 he could protect her somehow from his brother\u2019s madness.<\/p>\n

Much like Patrick had done.<\/p>\n

In fact, the boy reminded her of her husband, though Pat had been a good deal older when they met.\u00a0 Still, Greg had the same sensitive mouth; the same caring eyes.\u00a0 Even the shape of his face was similar.\u00a0 But it was there the comparison stopped.\u00a0 Patrick would never have been a party to the things this boy had \u2013 robbery, rustling.<\/p>\n

Maybe murder.<\/p>\n

Greg would have been a boy when her husband and son were murdered, so she was fairly certain he had not taken part in that horrific crime.\u00a0 Still, from the things she\u2019d heard along the way, his hands were not entirely clean.\u00a0 Finch\u2019s man, Abel Simms, had made a remark about him holding the horses during an earlier robbery.<\/p>\n

Even that <\/em>could be enough to get a man hanged.<\/p>\n

A second moan from the young man drew her attention back to him.\u00a0 He was trying to sit up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d she said, taking hold of his arm.\u00a0 \u201cLet me help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg glanced at her and then shied away. \u201cWhy would you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d she said, refusing to yield.\u00a0 \u201cAnd would be even if you hadn\u2019t<\/em> tried to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a shy grin and favored her with it now.\u00a0 \u201cFat lot of good I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were a good deal of help.\u00a0 You stopped him.\u201d\u00a0 Rosey glanced at her torn gown.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t elaborate.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t need to.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man nodded and then turned a pale shade of green as sweat broke out on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019m going to be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d expected it.\u00a0 In his rage, Finch had broken not only the chair but a small table and knocked the basin it held to the floor.\u00a0 She reached for it now and held it as Greg retched.\u00a0 After propping him back against the wall, she rose and went to get the pitcher that rested on a shabby bureau.\u00a0 Returning with it, she sat it down and then proceeded to rip lengths of cloth from her petticoats.\u00a0 Balling them up, she dipped them in the water and used one to bathe his face.<\/p>\n

She smiled as she wiped the blood away.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got you, sweet boy,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg watched her, a strange look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to be sick again?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 Carefully.\u00a0 \u201cCan I ask you to do something?\u201d he asked, his voice catching.<\/p>\n

Her fingers were on his chin.\u00a0 She was running the cloth over his face again.\u00a0 As she did, for some reason, a chill ran along her spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d she said, hiding her discomfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay that again.\u201d\u00a0 At her puzzled look, he added,\u00a0 \u201cWhat you just said, about being \u2018fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noticed he closed his eyes as she spoke.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got you, sweet boy?\u00a0 You\u2019ll be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow wrinkled.\u00a0 A tear escaped his eye.\u00a0 \u201cMy…ma called me that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow old were you when she died?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I don\u2019t…remember.\u00a0 Finch said I was about twelve.\u201d\u00a0 Greg drew a deep breath and opened his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMy pa\u2019s dead too.\u00a0 We were at some woman\u2019s home when these bad men came.\u00a0 They killed my pa.\u00a0 I…I tried to save him.\u00a0 I was shot.\u00a0 One bullet took me in the side and another along the head, that\u2019s how come I\u2019ve forgot a lot.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips as he rested his head on the crib wall.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I woke up I was with Finch.\u00a0 He told me the men had hit several homes in the valley including ours, killing everyone, and since I was a witness, I couldn\u2019t go back \u2013 not even for the funeral.\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI was just a kid.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t anything I could do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was wringing out the cloth, watching the boy\u2019s blood color the water.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFinch adopted me.\u00a0 Started telling people we were brothers and that was all right with me.\u00a0 After all, I didn\u2019t have anyone else.\u00a0 We traveled north into Oregon Territory and that\u2019s where I met Monty.\u201d\u00a0 Greg smiled.\u00a0 \u201cMe and Monty hit it off.\u00a0 He\u2019s a good man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Monty too had taken part in robberies and Heaven only knew what else.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever think of running away?\u00a0 Of trying to find your people?\u201d she asked as she picked up a new cloth and began to fasten a binding for his head.<\/p>\n

Greg was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cMonty and me, well, that\u2019s what we were doing.\u00a0 All three of us were working this big cattle drive.\u00a0 We figured we could get away and Finch wouldn\u2019t be able to track us due to all the steers moving through and trampling any prints.\u00a0 We heard we could get work in Nevada, hopefully with the Cartwrights since they pay better than anyone else and they had such a big spread.\u00a0 When we made enough, we were gonna head to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was tying the band around his head.\u00a0 Again, there was an electric thrill, as if someone had stepped on her grave.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how it is.\u00a0 Even though I lost most of my memories before that night, I still have a few impressions.\u00a0 I remember being in San Francisco with my pa.\u00a0 I think he might have been a doctor.\u00a0 I thought maybe someone there would remember me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s hands froze in the midst of fashioning a knot.<\/p>\n

\u201cA…doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think I went out with him sometimes, to see his patients.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned with remembered pain.\u00a0 \u201cI think that\u2019s why we were at that lady\u2019s house.\u00a0 To help her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her heart was beating fast, pounding in her chest.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember your father\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another shake of the head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Not hers either.\u00a0 I just called them \u2018ma\u2019 and \u2018pa\u2019.\u201d He paused.\u00a0 \u201cBut I do remember my own name.\u00a0 Well, my Christian name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 It\u2019s not Greg?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the name of Finch\u2019s kid brother that died.\u00a0 He made me use it.\u00a0 Said it was close enough to mine but different, and I needed to hide because of the outlaws who had killed my folks and would be gunning for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt as if she might faint.\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t be.\u00a0 It just couldn\u2019t<\/em>.\u00a0 Not after all these years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd…your real name is?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a little smile on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cRory.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright sat at the side of the bed that held his sleeping father and brother.\u00a0 His mind was awhirl.\u00a0 He had come up here to find some peace.\u00a0 He\u2019d needed to be alone and yet, strangely, needed just as much to be with <\/em>someone.\u00a0 He loved Hoss, but his brother had a tendency to work through family problems by hashing them out with words.\u00a0 He just didn\u2019t have it in him to talk right now, and so he\u2019d sent Hoss out to ride the line and check in with the men.\u00a0 He was probably furious with him.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

All that mattered was what he<\/em> was going to do next.<\/p>\n

Near the end of their talk Monty admitted that he had deliberately mislead Sheriff Olin and his\u00a0 posse.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he intended to let Finch get away.\u00a0 What he did<\/em> intend was to be the one to take his brother in.\u00a0 His main concern was Greg.\u00a0 Correction.\u00a0 Rory.<\/p>\n

Greg-ory.<\/p>\n

How could they have been so blind?<\/em><\/p>\n

Monty knew that, if Olin and went in with guns blazing, it was likely Greg would be killed.\u00a0 Posse\u2019s that contained civilians were notoriously indiscriminate when it came to the take-down, often going off half-cocked.\u00a0 They were also hard to control.\u00a0 Lynchings happened.\u00a0 During the night the cowboy had laid a false trail for the lawman to follow and then returned to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

The sheriff was going to be royally pissed when he figured it out.<\/p>\n

Monty went on to explain that he knew his older brother\u2019s haunts and was fairly certain where Finch had gone.\u00a0 He\u2019d returned because he was sure that he and Hoss would want to go with him when he went to confront his brother.\u00a0 He was right.\u00a0 He did.\u00a0 So did Hoss.<\/p>\n

So did Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Looking at his baby brother now, Adam didn\u2019t know how<\/em> he could take him along.\u00a0 Joe was still recovering.\u00a0 A few hours before the fever had finally left him and he was sleeping normally for the first time, his arm wrapped around Pa\u2019s middle.\u00a0 Pa had made it through the woods too.\u00a0 Paul Martin had grumbled and growled and then admitted with a smile that the Cartwright miracle machine was in place.\u00a0 He said before he left that, barring anything unforeseen happening, their father would make a full recovery.<\/p>\n

And therein lay the rub.<\/p>\n

If he and Hoss rode out and left Little Joe behind, and Joe knew that their pa was out of danger, it would take nothing short of an act of God to keep their baby brother from following them.\u00a0 Oh, they could try to hide their intent from him, but it was bound to slip out.\u00a0 There were simply too many men; too many chances for Joe to find out what they were up to.\u00a0 They could put Ming-hua and Hop Sing in charge of him, but Joe had a way of wrapping the man from China around his finger and Ming-hua, well, she was simply too distressed about Rosey to be of much help.<\/p>\n

They could, of course, always take Joe into Eagle Station and let the sheriff\u00a0 lock him in a cell!<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 But that wouldn\u2019t be fair to Joe.\u00a0 He was a Cartwright too.\u00a0 It was his<\/em> father who had nearly been killed.\u00a0 It was his right to see justice done as much as it was theirs \u2013 maybe even more for what Finch had forced him to do.<\/p>\n

Rising, Adam went to the other side of the bed and sat down.\u00a0 He sighed and then, reaching out, placed a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Here he was, at the same point he\u2019d been several days before.\u00a0 He knew what his father would say and yet, knew as well that Joe needed<\/em> this.\u00a0 Little Joe had felt so helpless since the whole debacle with Wade Bosh and now, dear God, now he felt responsible for Pa being shot.\u00a0 Joe needed something.<\/p>\n

Something to hang onto.<\/p>\n

His brother shifted and moaned and a little smile twisted the edges of his full lips. A moment later the kid reached up in his sleep and covered Adam\u2019s hand with his own.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man sighed again and then snorted.\u00a0 He seemed to do that a lot when the kid was around.<\/p>\n

Still, a promise was a promise.<\/p>\n

Adam only hoped he didn\u2019t live to regret making it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

************<\/p>\n

TEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna what?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright shook his head.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have heard Adam right.<\/p>\n

Could he?<\/p>\n

They were standing in the stable. Adam had asked him to follow him outdoors, makin\u2019 up some story about there bein\u2019 a horse he needed to take a look at.\u00a0 It\u2019d been three days since Joe\u2019s fever broke, and little brother was downstairs for the first time, sittin\u2019 in the blue chair by the fire.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched them go like he knew they was plannin\u2019 somethin\u2019.\u00a0 The thing was, he<\/em> wasn\u2019t<\/p>\n

Adam was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHear me out,\u201d his older brother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHear you out?\u00a0 You\u2019re plumb crazy, Adam, if you think Pa\u2019s gonna let you take Little Joe anywhere near Finch Webb!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I don\u2019t intend to tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna lie<\/em> to Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother\u2019s nose wrinkled until it was right up next to his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Not exactly.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to tell him the truth \u2013 just not all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was right smart.\u00a0 A sight smarter than he was.\u00a0 But right now, well, he seemed thick as a brick.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo let me get this straight,\u201d the big teen began, \u201cyou\u2019re gonna tell Pa that Doc Martin ain\u2019t comin\u2019 back for a few days…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is true,\u201d his brother agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that he asked you to bring Little Joe in to see him in town since he ain\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother gave a curt nod.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t hear the Doc say nothin\u2019 like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou weren\u2019t in on the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He planted his hands on his hips.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just when did this here conversation happen to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was unruffled.\u00a0 \u201cYou were in the kitchen, remember?\u00a0 Talking Hop Sing into allowing you to raid the ice box.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cI weren\u2019t in there that long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

And people said the Chinese were inscrutable.<\/p>\n

Hoss ran a hand through his reddish-blond hair and then clamped it on the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes you so all-fired sure Little Joe\u2019s ready to make this trip?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam puffed out a breath of air.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what in Tarnation<\/em> do you think you\u2019re thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother was silent for a moment, then he said, \u201cAll right.\u00a0 You tell me what you would do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa is out of danger, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 So the Doc had said before he left.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you and I are free to take off with Monty to hunt Finch Webb down.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0 \u201cDang right!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Little Joe is just going to stay home knitting socks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and I and Monty are going to hunt down the man who forced Joe to pull the trigger on his own father, and baby brother is going to meekly accept the fact that he can\u2019t go along and stay home engaging in some harmless activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meek?\u00a0 Little Joe?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, no….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips were pursed.\u00a0 His hazel eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what do you suppose Joe is going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cFoller us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, er…\u2019foller\u2019 us.\u00a0 Precisely.\u00a0 Placing himself and probably us<\/em> in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing could watch him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips pursed.\u00a0 He let out a little sigh like an exasperated school marm dealing with a particularly dull-witted student.\u00a0 \u201cThis would be the same<\/em> Hop Sing who watched Little Joe after Marie\u2019s accident.\u00a0 The same Hop Sing whose only job was to keep a five year old with him in the house until Pa put that horse down.\u00a0 And the same Hop Sing who felt so sorry for Joe that he went to fix him a special treat while little brother used the opportunity to follow Pa out of the house and into the corral and almost got trampled?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man blew out a breath.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that\u2019d be the same one,\u201d he admitted with defeat.\u00a0 He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about Ming-hua?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about<\/em> Ming-hua?\u201d<\/p>\n

That little gal was a bigger mess than little brother makin\u2019 mudpies.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze went to the house.\u00a0 \u201cFace it, Hoss.\u00a0 If we go, we have to take Joe with us.\u00a0 It\u2019s the only way to keep him safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy puttin\u2019 him in danger….\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss thought about it a moment and then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what you college-educated types call logical thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hazel eyes twinkled.\u00a0 \u201cA wise man once said that logic is the art of going wrong with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man considered it for a minute \u2013 everythin\u2019, that was \u2013 Doc Martin\u2019s words, Pa\u2019s condition, Little Joe\u2019s ornery spirit, his own confusion, and Adam\u2019s, well, Adam\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n

He sure was a slick one, that older brother of his.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s gonna take a belt to you, older brother, I don\u2019t care how grow\u2019d up you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time he\u2019s able to, he\u2019ll have cooled off.\u00a0 Think about it Hoss.\u00a0 Most likely we\u2019ll ride out with Monty, find Finch, and be back within a day or two.\u00a0 Monty thinks he\u2019s holed up somewhere pretty close.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s only awake a few hours of the day.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t have to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pinned his brother with his ice-blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut he will.\u00a0 You know<\/em> he will.\u00a0 He\u2019s…Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother was silent for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I was thinking of leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a statement.\u00a0 Coming out of the blue like it was, it was like a punch in the gut.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019ll leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t leavin\u2019, Adam.\u00a0 You never was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anger crept into his brother\u2019s tone.\u00a0 \u201cOh, so you know what I\u2019m thinking now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure do.\u201d\u00a0 At Adam\u2019s look, he went on.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re thinkin\u2019 it\u2019s all your fault this happened since you was thinkin\u2019 of leavin\u2019 and went up to that mining camp \u2018cause you got a burr under your saddle about Pa not trustin\u2019 you due to what happened with Joe and Butch.\u00a0 You\u2019re all-fired sure if you\u2019d been at the house Little Joe would never have been taken out of his bed and Pa wouldn\u2019t have been shot and we\u2019d all be dressin\u2019 in our Sunday best now, headed for services lookin\u2019 pretty as jaybirds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam scowled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meaning, yes,<\/em> he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, if you think takin\u2019 Joe to hunt for Finch is gonna keep you from feelin\u2019 guilty somehow about \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother looked startled.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t say a word for a minute, as if he was considerin\u2019 what he\u2019d just said.\u00a0 Then, \u201cI don\u2019t, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 Honestly, this isn\u2019t about me.\u00a0 It\u2019s about Little Joe.\u00a0 He feels responsible for what happened to Pa.\u00a0 This is about…absolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

There he went with one of them ten dollar words.\u00a0 \u201cAb-so what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon.\u00a0 Release.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze returned to the house.\u00a0 It was almost like he was lookin\u2019 through the door and seein\u2019 Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBaby brother needs to forgive himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re thinkin\u2019,\u201d he began, remembering what Adam had said earlier, \u201cthat we need to go wrong with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother\u2019s cheek twitched.\u00a0 \u201cIn a big<\/em> way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss thought a moment and then blew out a sigh. \u00a0\u201cSo when are you gonna tell Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d Adam shot back.\u00a0 \u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow wait just a goldarned minute!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink about it,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cPa will suspect something if I tell him.\u00a0 He knows you\u2019re trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t gonna be so trustworthy when he finds out I lied to him!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeft out part of the truth,\u201d Adam corrected.<\/p>\n

The big man remained silent for several heartbeats and then said, \u201cYou missed your callin\u2019, older brother, you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The twitch settled into a half-smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean I should have been a lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean you should\u2019ve been a snake oil salesman.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s hazel eyes twinkled.\u00a0 \u201cA noble calling, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

There just was no winnin\u2019 with him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe felt like a snot-nosed wet-behind-the-ears kid all bundled up in his heavy coat and half the blankets the ranch house had.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d been none to happy to hear that his older brothers were gonna take him to town, even if it was on doctor\u2019s orders, and had insisted Adam and Hoss make sure he didn\u2019t catch a chill.\u00a0 He\u2019d been excited about it at first.\u00a0 Though he\u2019d told no one, his side still hurt like heck and he had to be careful when he moved, but once the fever broke and he\u2019d been able to eat, he\u2019d gained strength back fast enough and was champing a the bit to do something.<\/p>\n

\u2018Course the something he really wanted to do no one was gonna let him do, which was go after Finch Webb.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d shouted \u2018til he was hoarse \u2013 and Pa had sent Hop Sing down from his room to issue a warning \u2013 about how no one was doing anything to look for that bad man and they all ought to be ashamed!\u00a0 What were they doin\u2019 in the house baby-sittin\u2019 him?\u00a0 Why weren\u2019t they out with Deputy Coffee or the sheriff, tracking down Rosey and Greg?<\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t they go away so he could do the same thing?<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had it all planned out.\u00a0 He was still kind of weak and his side was sore as a boil, so he knew he\u2019d have to be careful.\u00a0 He was gonna take Cadfan out shortly after everyone else fell asleep and go to town.\u00a0 There was a man named Harry who always hung out in front of the saloon.\u00a0 He was a \u2018malicious witness\u2019, as Pa put it.\u00a0 In other words, he liked to gossip.\u00a0 He figured that if anyone would know anything about Finch Webb, it would be Harry.\u00a0 The old man sat on the porch of the saloon most of the day asking questions and dispensin\u2019 what Adam liked to call his \u2018dubious wisdom\u2019.\u00a0 Joe shifted, pulling at the collar of his winter coat, which was itching.\u00a0 He knew the sheriff talked to the old man, so if anyone was likely to know what was goin\u2019 on with the posse that had been sent after Finch, it would be him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been sittin\u2019 in the blue chair in the great room last night plottin\u2019 and planning, when his brothers had come back into the house and announced that, in the morning, they were gonna take him exactly where he wanted to go!<\/p>\n

God must be rewarding him for doing something right that he didn\u2019t know nothing about.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou doing all right back there, Little Joe?\u201d Hoss called back to where he was sitting in the wagon\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m dying of the heat!\u201d he shouted back.\u00a0 The spring day was chilly, but not chilly enough to be bundled up like a baby on a winter sleigh ride.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you stop this thing so I can peel off a few layers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Joe.\u00a0 You know we promised Pa we\u2019d keep you all toasty warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re burning the toast!\u201d he groused.<\/p>\n

Both of his brothers laughed.\u00a0 It should have made him angry.\u00a0 But he was so happy to be out of the house, he found it hard to work up a lather.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sides, if he did, they\u2019d just rewrap him even tighter.<\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the feed sack Hoss had placed in the wagon\u2019s bed.\u00a0 He left his eyes open and stared at the crisp blue sky, thinking about God up there in His heaven.\u00a0 So much had happened in the last week or so that it was hard to take it in.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so sick \u2013 Pa\u2019d been so<\/em> sick \u2013 he\u2019d hardly had time to think about the fact that he could have lost both Pa and Hoss \u2013 and maybe Adam too.\u00a0 Hoss made nothing of it, but that blow he\u2019d taken to the head had been a mean one.\u00a0 And while Adam wasn\u2019t there when Pa was…shot…he came home right after.\u00a0 If he\u2019d been a few minutes earlier, he would have walked right in on Finch Webb and could have been shot too.<\/p>\n

Would<\/em> have been shot.<\/p>\n

Scooting down a little further, Joe let his eyes drift closed.\u00a0 When he was little, sometimes his Pa would read him stories from the Bible before he went to sleep.\u00a0 He liked the ones with battles and kings the most, because they were exciting.\u00a0 His favorite king was David.\u00a0 He kind of identified with him since David was sort of small for his age when he was a boy.\u00a0 There was that fight with Goliath.\u00a0 Nobody thought David could beat that giant, but he did.\u00a0 He won that battle and all the other battles he fought in order to gain his kingdom.\u00a0 But there were other stories about David.\u00a0 Ones that weren\u2019t as much fun.\u00a0 Right now he was thinking about how the king\u2019s own son turned on him and\u00a0 tried to take his kingdom.\u00a0 David had to run.\u00a0 He had to hide.\u00a0 He lost everything.<\/p>\n

And yet, he was a man after God\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d wondered then and, truth be told, wondered now why God let all those bad things happen to someone He loved, some said, more than anyone else.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lips curled in a smile when he remembered what Pa had said when he\u2019d asked him just that.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are three kinds of storms, Joseph, that God lets into our lives.\u00a0 The first is for correction, when we\u2019ve lost our way.\u00a0 The second is a protective one, to guard and to guide us.\u00a0 And the third, son,<\/em>\u2019 he\u2019d smiled then, \u2018is for perfection.\u2019[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As he drifted off to sleep, Joe wondered which kind of storm he was in the midst of now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright shifted, easing the pain in his lower torso, and turned away from the window.\u00a0 Doctor Martin had told him to begin sitting up for an hour or so several times a day to stave off any threat of pneumonia.\u00a0 He\u2019d had Hop Sing help him to the chair by the window so he could look out and watch his sons depart.\u00a0 He was still not entirely at peace with Joseph going into town with his brothers.\u00a0 It struck him as odd that Paul would want the boy bumping around in the back of a wagon or riding a horse so soon.\u00a0 Hoss had explained that Paul said that Joe\u2019s rib had knitted nicely and the physician thought it was high time for Little Joe to be up and about just like him.\u00a0 Being a young sprout, Paul said, he thought a trip into town would do the boy a world of good.\u00a0 It made sense.<\/p>\n

So why did he feel so troubled?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re an old fool, that\u2019s why,\u201d the older man grumbled.<\/p>\n

Sometimes he felt too old to be raising a high-spirited boy like Joseph.\u00a0 At times he wondered what God was thinking.\u00a0 If Joe had been his first, when he too had the energy and vitality of youth, it would have been so much easier.\u00a0 Rearing a quiet studious boy like Adam at forty-five would have been a joy, where, plain and simple there were times when raising up a mop-headed maverick like Joseph was nearly impossible.\u00a0 Still, the joy Joseph brought into his later life with his unbridled enthusiasm and mercurial nature was of a different kind.\u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t have a word for \u2018can\u2019t\u2019 in his vocabulary.\u00a0 He saw each and every day as a challenge and lived each one to the fullest.\u00a0 His youngest son made him see things in a different light, as if the world had just begun and all that lay before him were endless possibilities.<\/p>\n

Yes, he loved that boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright?\u201d a delicate voice intruded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAll right for Ming-hua to come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shifted his eyes without moving his torso.\u00a0 The young Chinese girl stood in the doorway of his room.\u00a0 She was carrying a fresh pitcher of water.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not want to disturb you,\u201d she said as she moved toward the bedside table.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps you were communing with the ancestors?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s lip twitched.\u00a0 With the oldest Ancestor of all, perhaps.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you today?\u201d he asked, wincing as he turned further.<\/p>\n

The girl was pale.\u00a0 She looked like she\u2019d lost weight and might blow away if a strong breeze came along.\u00a0 Her head hung down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMing-hua worry for Miss Rosey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was concerned about Miss Rosey too.\u00a0 It galled him that he had to sit here, useless, while others went out to rescue her from that villain, Finch Webb.\u00a0 The doctor had warned him that, though the wound had been far less dangerous than he had first supposed, if he resumed any sort of normal activity too soon he might well tear the stitches loose and begin to bleed again.<\/p>\n

In other words, no getting out of bed alone or <\/em>getting on a horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit down for a moment?\u201d he asked, indicating the chair by the bed that had been occupied by his sons until a short time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing has much for Ming-hua to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Hop Sing works for me,\u201d he said with a smile, \u201cso I don\u2019t think a minute or two would be out of order.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a small nod, she did as he asked.<\/p>\n

Ben studied her.\u00a0 She was a beautiful girl. His heart went out to her for the way she had risked her safety and left everything behind to save Joseph\u2019s life.\u00a0 If not for Ming-hua, he fully believed Wade Bosh would have had the time to get Little Joe on the Sun Princess<\/em> and sail away with him, perhaps forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything I can do to help?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Her small fingers were entwined and moved on the lap of her silk dress like she was working dough.\u00a0 \u201cThere is nothing to do.\u00a0 Nothing Ming-hua can do!\u201d she added with a bit of fire.<\/p>\n

Guilt.\u00a0 Oh, he knew all about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel you should have been able to stop those men from taking Rosey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not even try!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I understand it, you were tied up in the kitchen.\u201d\u00a0 As Ben straightened up and reached for her hand, he stifled a groan.\u00a0 \u201cChild, there was nothing you could do to prevent it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He paused to regain his breath and then added, softly, \u201cThere was nothing either<\/em> of us could have done .\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl was still looking at her hands.\u00a0 She nodded and then lifted her tear-streaked face.\u00a0 \u201cMing-hua fears bad man will hurt Miss Rosey.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Ben\u2019s fear as well.\u00a0 He knew what Finch wanted from the beautiful woman and he knew she would choose death before she gave it to him.\u00a0 It was galling not to know what was going on with the search.\u00a0 He\u2019d asked Adam to stop by the sheriff\u2019s office while they were in town to see what he could find out.\u00a0 His son doubted the lawman would be there, but he said he\u2019d try.<\/p>\n

He took her small fingers in his and squeezed them tightly.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to have faith, you and I.\u00a0 In our friends but, most of all, in God.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cGod is all wise.\u00a0 Knows everything.\u00a0 He will take care of Miss Rosey.\u201d\u00a0 Ben felt a return of pressure on his fingers.\u00a0 Ming-hua smiled.\u00a0 \u201cTake care of Mister Cartwright\u2019s sons as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Out of the mouths of babes.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, fighting his own tears.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think,\u201d he asked, \u201cthat you could ask Hop Sing to prepare some of that chamomile tea he keeps in the kitchen and bring it up?\u201d\u00a0 At her look he added, though he hated to admit it, \u201cI\u2019m feeling a little tired.\u00a0 I think perhaps it would be best if I go back to bed for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the young woman exited the room, Ben gingerly turned his body and his attention to the window.\u00a0 Adam had said that, if Joseph grew too weary, they might stay over at the hotel in Eagle Station for the night.\u00a0 Paul Martin had given him permission \u2013 if he felt up to it \u2013 to go down to the great room for an hour or so tonight.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought about it, but there seemed to be little point.\u00a0 All that would come of sitting in that big empty room was to remind him that his sons were gone and he was alone.<\/p>\n

A chill snaked down his spine at the thought, a reminder that the unthinkable almost had<\/em> happened.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.<\/p>\n

His sleep, if and when it came tonight, would not be restful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam had wondered if he was making a mistake when he hatched the scheme to bring Little Joe along on the hunt for Finch.<\/p>\n

Now he knew<\/em> it was a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalm down, Joe, or I swear I will have Hoss turn this wagon around and take you straight back to the Ponderosa!\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

His baby brother looked anything but contrite.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do that, Adam!\u00a0 I got just as much right to be here as you and Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right.\u00a0 He was also a very sick young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou listen to Adam, Little Joe.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t listenin\u2019,\u201d Hoss warned.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the only one got the power to put yourself on the sideline and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t say you had no right to be here.\u00a0 After all I\u2019m the one who lied to Pa so you could<\/em> be here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss rolled his eyes over to him.<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 After all, it was the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you just said….\u201d\u00a0 Joe sucked in a breath.\u00a0 Adam saw his brother\u2019s hand go toward his ribcage, but he stopped just short of touching it.\u00a0 \u201cYou just said I had to stay with the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

He walked over to Joe and took him by the shoulders.\u00a0 He was so young.\u00a0 Compared to him, he\u2019d lived only half a lifetime.\u00a0 Joe tried to shrug him off, but he held on tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I\u2019m going to let you make that decision.\u201d\u00a0 As his brother opened his mouth, he held up a finger.\u00a0 \u201cAfter <\/em>you hear me out.\u00a0 Finch Webb is a dangerous and desperate man.\u00a0 He probably thinks Pa\u2019s dead, which means he has nothing to lose.\u00a0 He\u2019s holding Rosey and possibly Greg and he will think nothing of using them as human shields.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know all that \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, do you think \u2013 when we take him on \u2013 that we have to be top notch?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 What kind of an idiot do you take me for?\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored that question.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Hoss and I are worried about you, will we be<\/em> top notch?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s jaw tightened as he knew it would.\u00a0 \u201cNo<\/em> one needs to worry about me.\u00a0 I can take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the delicate part.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you can.\u201d\u00a0 At Joe\u2019s hopeful look, he added, \u201cUnder normal circumstances.\u00a0 But Joe, you\u2019re far from normal.\u201d\u00a0 His lips quirked with an affectionate smile.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you hide it well.\u00a0 I doubt even Hop Sing noticed.\u00a0 But you\u2019re in a lot of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s color was better, but it was far from the normal hale and hearty shade one would expect with a thirteen year old boy.\u00a0 There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheek color was still high, foreboding another bought with fever.\u00a0 The black-haired man drew in a long breath.\u00a0 He hated to do it, but with Joe one picture was worth a thousand words.<\/p>\n

He reached out and tapped his brother on his left side.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in air like a grounded fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u00a0 What\u2019d…you do…that for?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tears in his little brother\u2019s eyes only added to Adam\u2019s concern.\u00a0 Maybe he should just take him back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you\u2019re sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s jaw was tight.\u00a0 His nostrils flared.\u00a0 Adam expected a fight to end all finds.\u00a0 So it was to his consternation and hesitant delight when Joe admitted he was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right?\u201d he blinked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that big old ox of a brother of mine had driven that wagon a little better, I\u2019d be fine.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe struck away a tear that had escaped his eye to travel down his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cLike being flung around in a chicken coop,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n

Hoss was no dummy.\u00a0 He took it up right there.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now, little brother, I apologize.\u00a0 I know you could\u2019a taken on that old Finch Webb all on your lonesome if I hadn\u2019t of been so clumsy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gratitude shone out of Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDang right, you big lump!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stepped forward to place a hand on his baby brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Joe. I want you to be as much a part of this as you can.\u00a0 I know…\u00a0 I know you have a special score to settle with Finch.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I let you come along.\u00a0 But from here on out you have<\/em> to do what I tell you.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u00a0 And if that means staying with the wagon, then you stay with the wagon.\u201d\u00a0 When Joe failed to respond he added, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be responsible for Hoss or me, or maybe Rosey getting killed because your rib gave out on you at just the wrong moment.\u00a0 Now do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was looking at the ground, scuffing it with his boot.\u00a0 \u201cI guess not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s get back in the wagon.\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to meet Monty at the line shack.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sized up his brother\u2019s condition and decided to ask.\u00a0 \u201cDo you need any help getting in the wagon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his hand off.\u00a0 Then, instead of heading for the wagon, he stood there, breathing in and out slowly.\u00a0 Adam thought he was angry.<\/p>\n

He was wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess maybe you could give me a hand,\u201d the boy said, his tone defeated.<\/p>\n

Dear Lord.<\/p>\n

They were in trouble.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

ELEVEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey glanced at Rory where he crouched behind her, hidden in the early morning shadows that filled the small sordid crib.\u00a0 He gave her a nod and a quick smile. They\u2019d come to be friends over the last six hours or so, but she had yet to reveal that they were so much more.\u00a0 She knew the emotional turmoil that was churning within her and didn\u2019t think it would do either of them any good for him to be caught up in the same storm.\u00a0 Once they got away \u2013 once Finch Webb was no longer a threat \u2013 then<\/em> she would tell him.\u00a0 He was a good man from what she could tell, in spite of the things he\u2019d been led into.\u00a0 He\u2019d risked his life to save her when he thought she was a stranger.\u00a0 If he knew she was his mother….<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t chance losing her son after just finding <\/em>him.<\/p>\n

Her son!<\/p>\n

Rosey eyed the shadows and the figure concealed there again and smiled.\u00a0 She could see the boy in him whom she had lost, but also the man his father had been.\u00a0 This adult Rory had her coloring, but he favored Pat in just about everything else. His face and features.\u00a0 His build.\u00a0 And, sadly, in other ways.\u00a0 Pat had sometimes been too introspective \u2013 he thought too much.\u00a0 There was a melancholy about Rory.\u00a0 She suspected it came from having nowhere to belong.\u00a0 Finch\u2019s brother, Monty, it seemed, had done all he could do take her lost son under his wing.\u00a0 She would have to thank him for that.<\/p>\n

If they all came out of this alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see anyone yet?\u201d Rory asked, his voice quieted to almost a whisper.<\/p>\n

She looked out the window.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, not yet.\u00a0 But it should be soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced down at what was left of her elegant dress.\u00a0 She\u2019d spent some time the night before tearing bits off, tucking it here and there; transforming it into the kind of thing she would have worn when she went by the name of Silks<\/em>.\u00a0 It plunged down, revealing her ample cleavage, and had been hitched up to reveal one of her shapely legs.\u00a0 Rory had looked away while she made the adjustments and was still uncomfortable with her putting herself on display.\u00a0 She was grateful to see his still had his innocence.<\/p>\n

The man who would come soon to clean the cribs would have lost his long ago.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d worked these places before and she knew the routine.\u00a0 Every morning a man came to empty the piss pots and supply the poor women who lived in them with fresh water and a smidgen of food.\u00a0 She hoped Finch had not made any special sort of arrangements where she was concerned.\u00a0 She doubted it, since he was trying to remain anonymous among the many men who frequented the establishment.\u00a0 After all, as he said, he had the only key.<\/p>\n

Only he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

A bang on the door made her jump.\u00a0 Rory slipped back further into the shadows.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of the way!\u201d a rough voice called.<\/p>\n

Rosey moved to the door and stood so the light spilling in the narrow window would play across her exposed breasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a terrible mistake,\u201d she breathed, making sure they heaved.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, help me.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t be in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they all say,\u201d the man growled.\u00a0 \u201cNow get away from the door!\u00a0 And don\u2019t you try nothin\u2019.\u00a0 I\u2019m armed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey stepped back into the crib as the man entered.\u00a0 He was a surly and sorry sight, around forty, not tall and rather broad, with missing hair and teeth.\u00a0 He went straight to the pot and tossed its contents into the larger one that he carried.\u00a0 Passing her again, he placed it outside and then returned with a water bucket and tray. As he turned to leave, she reached out and caught his shirt sleeve.\u00a0 He started to strike her away and then paused, really seeing<\/em> her for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re new,\u201d he grunted, his eyes growing bright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 I told you I don\u2019t belong here.\u201d\u00a0 She stepped into the light that entered the open door.\u00a0 Careful to appear vulnerable, she used a meek tone.\u00a0 \u201cLook at me.\u00a0 Can\u2019t you see I\u2019m telling the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n

The truth was, sadly, that the poor creatures who usually occupied the cribs were wasted and often diseased.\u00a0 They had given up hope long before they were incarcerated.\u00a0 The men they serviced didn\u2019t even look at their faces.<\/p>\n

This man was looking at hers now and seeing something he liked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a handsome one, you are,\u201d he remarked. \u201cWhat\u2019d you do to end up here with the whores?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI made someone mad,\u201d she said as she sidled up to him.\u00a0 Her hands knew where to go and she used everything she knew.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can make you<\/em> happy if you get me out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was panting now.\u00a0 One hand gripped her arm with force as the other circled her waist.\u00a0 Rosey held her breath against the sight and smell of him as he pulled her in and pressed his lips against hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake me happy now<\/em> and maybe I will,\u201d he growled as he pulled back.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey froze at the voice and the sight of a finger tapping the man\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe this is my<\/em> dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second later the man was on the floor.\u00a0 Rory glanced down at him, shoved him with his foot to make sure he was out cold, and then tossed aside the broken chair leg he had used to crack him over the head.<\/p>\n

Rosey clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.\u00a0 Tears entered her eyes a moment later as she\u00a0 reached out to place a hand alongside Rory\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 He looked at her oddly, as if the touch had awakened something in him.<\/p>\n

Disengaging her hand quickly, Rosey knelt beside the man.\u00a0 She handed his gun to Rory and then began to check his pockets.\u00a0 A moment\u2019s search turned up a ring of multiple keys.<\/p>\n

\u201cAha!\u201d she said when she found it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we need those for?\u201d Rory asked.\u00a0 \u201cThe door is already open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey stepped into the alley after him and looked down the long row of cribs.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo open more doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Morning dawned and with it came a deeper and more disturbing sense that something was wrong.\u00a0 In spite of Paul\u2019s warnings, Ben had gotten himself up and dressed and was now making his way cautiously down the staircase.\u00a0 He was sick to death of his room and determined to spend most of the day between the great room and his office where he could be in the thick of things.\u00a0 There was no doubt the paperwork had piled up over the last week.\u00a0 Adam told him he had devoted a few hours to it here and there, but he\u2019d had a hard time concentrating.<\/p>\n

He doubted he would fair much better but he was determined to try.<\/p>\n

As his boots hit the floor, Ben reached out to catch the newel post to steady himself.\u00a0 He was tempted to sit down right there and then on the bottom step and might have if Hop Sing had not chosen that exact moment to appear from out of the kitchen.\u00a0 It took a moment for the man from China to spot him.<\/p>\n

He knew full well what would happen when he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Mistah Ben do out of bed?!\u00a0 Make doctor velly velly<\/em> unhappy!\u201d Hop Sing shouted all the way to his side.\u00a0 Once there, he wagged a finger at him.\u00a0 \u201cAll the Cartwrights time not listen!\u00a0\u00a0 Not know better, Hop Sing think you Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Paul told me to start getting out of bed \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot by self. \u00a0Say with help.\u00a0 Hop Sing help. Why you no call him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you stubborn as number three son and both more stubborn that mules!\u00a0 All time yell at youngest.\u00a0 You do same thing.\u201d\u00a0 This time that finger jabbed him in the chest.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not yell at self?!\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a point.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come down to eat breakfast?\u201d the man from China asked, making his head spin with the sudden transition.<\/p>\n

He knew better than to say \u2018no\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I smelled that bacon frying and, well, I just couldn\u2019t stop myself from coming down.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid my desire to sample your fine cooking overrode Doctor Marin\u2019s orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

What had he told the boys about white lies?<\/p>\n

His cook and friend beamed.\u00a0 \u201cGood!\u00a0 Velly <\/em>good!\u00a0 You hungry.\u00a0 Velly<\/em> velly <\/em>good!\u00a0 You go sit down.\u00a0 Hop Sing bring you coffee until food ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was about dead on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Hop Sing. That would be lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China looked him up and down.\u00a0 \u201cIt early in morning, but Hop Sing think Mistah Ben like little something extra in his cup?\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat would be lovely too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was all he could do not to ask Hop Sing to help him to the chair, but he decided if he did where he would get helped to instead was his bed.\u00a0 Moving slowly, the rancher made his way across the room and dropped into the blue one because it was the closest.<\/p>\n

As he sat there gazing around the room, noting all the beloved items in it, Ben suddenly remembered.\u00a0 This was the first <\/em>time he had been in the great room since that horrible night over a week before.\u00a0 He could see Hoss lying by the door, his head bleeding, so very still on the floor.\u00a0 And see that madman standing over him, threatening him with a gun.\u00a0 And Joseph, dear God!\u00a0 He could see his youngest fighting with that man, who was at least twice his size, struggling to take the gun away from him, reaching…his finger on the trigger….<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben all right?\u201d a soft voice asked.<\/p>\n

He looked up to find Hop Sing holding a china cup filled with steaming liquid. \u201cYes,\u201d he lied again.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing did something then he rarely did.\u00a0 He laid his hand briefly on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben\u2019s sons okay.\u00a0 Mistah Ben okay too.\u00a0 God answer Hop Sing\u2019s prayers.\u00a0 He watch out for them.\u00a0 Keep all safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, too choked up for words.\u00a0 He managed to mumble another \u2018thank you\u2019 before the man from China moved away.\u00a0 When he\u2019d regained enough composure to, he took a sip of the brandy-laced coffee.\u00a0 Relishing its warmth, he leaned back to rest his head against the chair.<\/p>\n

At that moment there was a knock on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo early for company!\u201d Hop Sing groused as he made a detour and headed for it.\u00a0 When he opened it, he added, \u201cWhat you do here so early?!\u00a0 Twenty miles from town.\u00a0 You no wash up and eat breakfast before coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

A deep voice answered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been on the trail, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Is Ben at home?\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later a moderate-sized man with black hair, wearing gray and a silver star on his chest, appeared in the doorway.\u00a0 He removed his hat as he stepped into the room and then held a hand out to keep him from rising.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping to be able to see you, Ben,\u201d Sheriff Bill Olin said as he noticed him.\u00a0 \u201cBut, from what the Doc said, I wasn\u2019t expecting to see you downstairs, at least not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Cartwright no listen to Hop Sing,\u201d his cook said as he closed the door.\u00a0 \u201cHe no listen to doctor.\u00a0 Maybe he listen to you.\u00a0 You got badge!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill looked like he didn\u2019t quite know what to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u00a0 That will be enough.\u201d Ben waited as his cook snorted and headed for the kitchen muttering in Cantonese before looking at the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you join me for breakfast, Bill?\u00a0 With the boys gone, there will be more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour boys aren\u2019t here?\u201d the dark-haired man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 There it was \u2013 that chill<\/em> down the spine, for no apparent reason other than the sheriff had asked a question.\u00a0 \u201cThey went into town last night.\u00a0 Joseph was supposed to see Doc Martin this morning.\u00a0 I asked Adam to check in with you last night.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t see them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Bill took a seat on the settee.\u00a0 He looked right at him.\u00a0 \u201cNeither did Doc Martin.\u00a0 He\u2019s out of town for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s…what?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff shook his head.\u00a0 A slow grin spread across his face.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019ve been bamboozled by those boys of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what for?\u00a0 Joseph is unwell.\u00a0 They can\u2019t mean to….\u201d\u00a0 As Ben\u2019s eyes lit on the place where Joseph had laid, struggling with Finch, desperate <\/em>to protect him, a pit opened up in his stomach.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill\u2019s smile was gone.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if they did or they didn\u2019t, Ben, but what I do know is that man you hired \u2013 the one named Monty \u2013 isn\u2019t all that he seems.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff reached into his pocket and pulled out a wanted poster.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s him.\u00a0 There\u2019s one for the younger boy as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg?\u201d he asked as he focused on the likeness on the poster.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for murder, just aiding and abetting a robbery.\u00a0 Still carries time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had mentioned that they were going to meet up with Monty on the way to town and travel together.\u00a0 From what he knew of the young man, he trusted him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been honest and above board with them.\u00a0 So had his younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure it\u2019s them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty sure.\u00a0 That sketch could be Monty.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a likeness of the younger boy, just a description.\u00a0 But if it\u2019s one of them, it\u2019s both.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff paused.\u00a0 \u201cBen, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear gripped him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about the posse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I came out here to tell you,\u201d Bill replied.\u00a0 \u201cSeems these two have been working things for years with that older brother of theirs.\u00a0 He\u2019s the bad one, wanted for murder several times over.\u00a0 The posse was all for giving up until a rider came in early this morning. Seems the bank was robbed in that little village outside Reno late last night.\u00a0 Eyewitnesses place Finch Webb at the scene.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman paused and determination entered his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWe mean to take him.\u00a0 A bank teller and a woman were killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about his brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot there.\u00a0 At least, no one saw them.\u00a0 I\u2019m on my way to join Roy and the other men.\u00a0 We should have them soon.\u201d\u00a0 Olin paused.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t seem too happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that.\u201d\u00a0 Ben made sure the sheriff was looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cBill, are you aware that Finch has a hostage?\u00a0 When he attacked the ranch house, he kidnapped Rosey O\u2019Rourke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThat lady just opened the millinery in town with that sweet little Chinese girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s fingers gripped the arms of his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAnd there\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a moment the sheriff prodded, \u201cWell?\u00a0 What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my sons have gone after Finch Webb.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair.\u00a0 He was looking at Adam and Monty who were standing at the edge of the camp, keeping their conversation out of range of Little Joe\u2019s ears.\u00a0 Not that\u2019d matter much.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d fallen asleep in the back of the wagon the minute they stopped the night before and here the sun was up and heading toward noon and the little scamp was still sleepin\u2019.\u00a0 They were about a mile out of that good-for-nothin\u2019 village name of Harriman that butted up against Reno like a boil on the backside.\u00a0 Monty\u2019d been holdin\u2019 out on them.\u00a0 Back on the trail he told them he thought<\/em> he knew where Finch would be.\u00a0 Here, there was no thinkin\u2019 about it \u2013 he knew.\u00a0 He\u2019d ridden out to talk to Finch that night after everythin\u2019 went wrong and made his brother believe he was still one of the gang.\u00a0 He told that bad man he was gonna join with them when the job went down, only he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 He rode back to them instead.<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019d been in on casin\u2019 the bank to begin with, back before they all went on that cattle drive.\u00a0 It was a little bank but there were one or two big men in that good-for-nothin\u2019 town that kept their money there.\u00a0 Since there were only a few people in the town, the sheriff worked at the bank as well and was there late at night, since that was the only time he had.\u00a0 Also let him keep a night watch.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t no deputies to be had.\u00a0 Finch had gone in and felt the situation out.\u00a0 That\u2019s why they\u2019d decided to wait until after the drive. One of them bigwigs in the town had a huge deal goin\u2019 down and that bad man knew when they got back, they\u2019d be able to steal enough to set them up, Finch said, maybe for life.<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019d snorted when he said that.\u00a0 Apparently Finch Webb went through money like water.<\/p>\n

It had been on the cattle drive that Monty had decided he\u2019d had enough.\u00a0 He was watchin\u2019 Greg bein\u2019 dragged into Finch\u2019s web of crimes more and more.\u00a0 This time, Finch meant to force the younger man to be a part of the robbery, rather than lettin\u2019 him watch the horses.\u00a0 Up until now, Greg\u2019s hands had been pretty clean.<\/p>\n

Finch was hopin\u2019 he\u2019d come out of this one with them covered in blood.<\/p>\n

So, Monty had told Greg his thinkin\u2019 and Greg had been quick to agree.\u00a0 He was a good kid, Hoss thought to himself, kind of quiet and what Adam called in-tro-spective at times, but a good kid.<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s kid.<\/p>\n

Hoss anchored his hat back on his head.\u00a0 Imagine that.\u00a0 Greg being that that young\u2019un of hers what Rosey thought had been killed all those years ago.<\/p>\n

He wondered \u2013 wherever she was right now \u2013 if she knew.<\/p>\n

When Hoss stopped thinkin\u2019 and paid attention again to what was goin\u2019 on around him, he realized Adam was standin\u2019 beside the wagon lookin\u2019 at Joe.\u00a0 Older brother reached out a hand and then shook his head.<\/p>\n

A second later he was headed for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made quite a mistake this time,\u201d Adam admitted, turning back to glance at the wagon, \u201cand Joe\u2019s paying the price for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t he just sleepin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s asleep, all right.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t stir when I touched him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That statement said a lot.\u00a0 \u201cFever back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s really pale.\u00a0 Breathing kind of hard too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss considered the situation for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThat ain\u2019t gonna stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I brought him along.\u00a0 I was afraid this would happen and he\u2019d end up out there somewhere in the woods by himself with a killer on the loose.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they both knew what that would have meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it weren\u2019t a mistake you made, was it?\u201d he asked softly.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s body was tense.\u00a0 It relaxed \u2013 a little bit.\u00a0 \u201cI guess not.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cYou know he can\u2019t go with us after Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew it.\u00a0 And he knew what \u2018it\u2019 meant.\u00a0 \u201c \u2018Us\u2019 bein\u2019 you and Monty?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother looked truly sorry.\u00a0 \u201cI hate to leave you behind.\u00a0 I could use you, and I know you need to be there when Finch is brought to justice just as much as I do.\u00a0 As Little Joe does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but there\u2019s somethin\u2019 I need even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s black eyebrows asked the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to see that little scallywag safe.\u00a0 Much as I want to catch Finch Webb, it ain\u2019t worth Joe\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s lips turned up at the end in a half-smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou may have to sit on him to keep him from following.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah.\u00a0 The boy cain\u2019t do with no more broken bones.\u00a0 Puny as he is, he ain\u2019t gonna out wrassle or out run me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could<\/em> head back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought about it a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI could, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair to Little Joe.\u00a0 It took a lot for him to pull himself together and come with us.\u00a0 Seems only right he sees it through to the end.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The big teen\u2019s eyes flicked to the wagon and back.\u00a0 \u201cStill worried about that fever though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not too high right now and, really there\u2019s not much more could be done at home than we can do for him here.\u201d\u00a0 Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe Harriman has a doctor.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see if I can find one and send him out before we follow Finch\u2019s trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want we should stay right here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Older brother frowned.\u00a0 He was thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go back a few miles along the road.\u00a0 If I remember right, there was a cluster of rocks to the side of the road, with a chink just about as deep as a cave.\u00a0 Do you remember it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure did.\u00a0 They had one along the road to Eagle Station it reminded him of.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be sheltered there.\u00a0 Plus it will be…easier to defend should the need arise.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned and started to walk away.\u00a0 He stopped abruptly and pivoted on his heel to face him.\u00a0 \u201cHoss….\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

This might be the last time they saw one another alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch out for Joe,\u201d older brother said, not needin\u2019 to say no more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou watch out for yourself,\u201d he replied, breaking the unwritten code.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded, and then he went to join Monty.\u00a0 A moment later the two of them rode away.<\/p>\n

Hoss watched them go and then went over to the wagon to check on Little Joe.\u00a0 By the time he got there, baby brother was tossin\u2019 and moanin\u2019 in his sleep.\u00a0 He hated to wake him \u2018cause he knew he was plumb wore out, but he couldn\u2019t just let him go on sleepin\u2019 either.\u00a0 It was plain as the nose on his face from what<\/em> the boy was mumblin\u2019 that Joe was scared out of his wits.<\/p>\n

Curious thing was, it weren\u2019t of Finch Webb.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe wailed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, don\u2019t…leave me.\u00a0 Rats….\u00a0 Rats will..eat me.\u00a0 Pa!\u00a0 Please Pa, help me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019d been more than a year since Pa had rescued him, but for Joe it seemed like what he\u2019d gone through\u2019d never ended.\u00a0 There\u2019d been other nightmares before, just like this one, where he was back on that there ship \u2013 back in that rat-infested hell where Wade Bosh left him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, no….\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 Tears ran down his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cNot…Pa.\u00a0 Never….\u00a0 Save Pa.\u00a0 Have to save…\u201d<\/p>\n

Baby brother groaned and sucked in air.\u00a0 That could mean only one thing.<\/p>\n

He was ready to let out a soul deep scream.<\/p>\n

Quick as a lick, the big teen hopped up in the wagon and placed a gentle hand over his brother\u2019s mouth to silence him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 Little Joe!\u00a0 It\u2019s Hoss.\u00a0 You gotta wake up, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stiffened and then, as he\u2019d feared, began to struggle harder.\u00a0 \u201cLlt..mm..ggg!\u201d<\/em> his brother cried into his hand and then…<\/p>\n

He\u2019d be danged, if the little son of a gun didn\u2019t bite him!<\/p>\n

Ignoring the sting, he shook him again.\u00a0 A little less gently this time.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u00a0 Now don\u2019t you shout out!\u00a0 It just ain\u2019t safe.\u00a0 I promise, ain\u2019t no one gonna hurt you.\u00a0 It\u2019s old Hoss\u2019 got you.\u00a0 Old Hoss\u2019ll make everythin\u2019 okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother struggled a moment longer and then seemed to slump.\u00a0 Joe blinked several times as his wide glassy eyes rolled over and fixed on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss released the breath he didn\u2019t realize he\u2019d drawn.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, it\u2019s me, punkin.\u201d<\/p>\n

He placed a hand on his brother\u2019s forehead as he spoke to check for fever.\u00a0 He\u2019d expected Joe to buck like a bronco to get away from him.\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t, it told him all he needed to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s…Adam?\u201d little brother asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s with Monty.\u00a0 They\u2019re scoutin\u2019 ahead.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss winced at what his Pa would call a \u2018white\u2019 lie.\u00a0 \u201cYou just rest.\u00a0 You gotta build up your strength up if you\u2019re gonna see this through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScoutin\u2019…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe seemed to calm at that.\u00a0 He blinked those large green eyes several times.\u00a0 Each time the seconds between openin\u2019 and closin\u2019 them grew longer, until at last they remained closed.\u00a0 Finally, sure the little scamp was asleep, Hoss rocked back on his heels and tipped his hat back and let out a long, low sigh.<\/p>\n

As he did, Joe stirred one final time.\u00a0 \u201cHoss…?\u201d<\/p>\n

He touched his brother\u2019s arm to let him know he was there.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShucks, you know I wouldn\u2019t let nothin\u2019 happen to you, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo….\u201d\u00a0 Joe let out a sigh of his own.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for…being<\/em> my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then he was out like a light.<\/p>\n

Hoss remained there, crouched in the wagon bed for several heartbeats, and then he hopped down and stood at its side.\u00a0 With a last look at Little Joe to make sure he was sleepin\u2019, the big teen moved off and began to tear down their camp.\u00a0 If God was good, there\u2019d be only one more camp to make.\u00a0 Adam and Monty would catch that bad man lickety-split and they\u2019d be on their way home afore nightfall.\u00a0 It was a fair bet they\u2019d run into Sheriff Olin\u2019s posse on the way back.\u00a0 If they did, he or Deputy Roy could take charge of Finch Webb and whatever other outlaws was with him and take them on to Eagle Station while they headed home.\u00a0 There was gonna be hell to pay once Pa realized what they\u2019d done.\u00a0 That older brother of his was slicker than a buttered gut when he wanted to be, but he wasn\u2019t sure even Adam could talk his way out of this one.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d probably be mucking out stalls and cleaning out cisterns until the steers came home.<\/p>\n

The next <\/em>spring.<\/p>\n

Between thinkin\u2019 and packin, Hoss was so busy he forgot to pay attention.\u00a0 That\u2019s how he missed the movement in the trees.\u00a0 In fact he was completely unaware that they had company until he heard it.<\/p>\n

The cocking of a hammer and a shout to raise his hands over his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

TWELVE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was hard to believe, but Hop Sing managed to continue to unroll a string of Chinese curses and epithets long enough to reach from where they were on the road all the way back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Ben had no idea whether the Chinese man was complaining about the weather \u2013 which had turned cold for early June \u2013 or the sun in the sky \u2013 which was intense \u2013 or about the fact that he was sitting in the back of the wagon disturbing the order of the plethora of food, water, blankets, pillows, medicine bottles and bandages he had so neatly stored there.\u00a0 Both his cook and Sheriff Olin, who rode ahead of them with several deputized men, had tried to dissuade him from coming along in pursuit of Finch Webb.\u00a0 The truth was, while he was concerned about Webb and wanted the outlaw to be captured, his focus had to be\u00a0 his sons.<\/p>\n

Once he knew they were all right, he would be able to turn his attention to finding Rosey and bringing the villain to justice.<\/p>\n

When they hit a particularly large bump in the road and the wagon lurched and he cried out, Hop Sing pivoted in the driver\u2019s seat to shake a finger at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou no complain!\u00a0 Mistah Ben should be home in bed.\u00a0 Fool does what he cannot avoid.\u00a0 Wise man avoid what he cannot do!\u201d<\/p>\n

The word stung.\u00a0 \u2018Fool<\/em>\u2019.\u00a0 How many times had he called himself<\/em> that?\u00a0 \u2018Fools make poor fathers,\u2019 he\u2019d said often enough.<\/p>\n

Ben knew Hop Sing was right.\u00a0 He knew it was foolish to have gone downstairs in the first place, let alone to be traveling over rough roads at a good clip in the back of a supply wagon.\u00a0 There was a very real danger his stitches would tear open.\u00a0 Paul Martin had chided him that he wasn\u2019t a young whippersnapper any more and if he didn\u2019t mind his manners, he\u2019d end up with a return of the infection and maybe a killing fever.\u00a0 Hop Sing was rightly worried that he might begin to bleed again and had told him so in no uncertain terms before they set out.\u00a0 Ben leaned his head back against the piled up sacks the man from China had used to create a kind of chair for him.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to explain to his cook and friend that there was no \u2018might\u2019 about it.\u00a0 He was already<\/em> bleeding \u2013 in his heart, for his sons.\u00a0 At first he\u2019d been angry with them \u2013 especially Adam who was old enough to know better \u2013 and when he found them, he would make a good show that he still was.\u00a0 But beyond the anger there was a deep pride in these three young men whom he had reared as best he could without their mothers.\u00a0 Three brave young men who saw a duty that needed done and had moved heaven and earth to do it.<\/p>\n

Caught between anger with and admiration for his boys, the rancher let out a deep sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben not fool,\u201d Hop Sing said softly.\u00a0 \u201cHe wise man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben peered over his shoulder at the other man.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA fool thinks himself to be wise.\u00a0 Only wise man knows he is a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWhich Chinese ancestor said that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shifted his grip on the reins.\u00a0 Without looking back, he deadpanned, \u201cShakespeare Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later Ben gripped his side.<\/p>\n

It felt good, but it hurt to laugh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frustrated, Adam kicked a clod of dirt and sent it flying along the dusty all-but deserted main street of Harriman. Since the robbery the night before the good citizens of the town \u2013 all two hundred or so of them \u2013 had rolled up the streets, pulled down the blinds, and gone into hiding.\u00a0 It had taken several hours of rapping on doors \u2013 and a good bit of yelling \u2013 to get anyone to respond, and when they did respond the results were less than satisfying.<\/p>\n

Slowly, he\u2019d been able to piece together what had happened.<\/p>\n

The town had turned in for the night as usual around midnight. Apparently carousing until dawn was not a common event in Harriman since there were no big spreads or mines to open the flood gates and let lose in a tide of hungry, thirsty, and more than a little bit bored men.\u00a0 In fact, the woman who ran the only saloon in town looked like a school marm. She\u2019d been the one to finally take pity on them and invite them in and give them a bit of a midday meal as well as some useful information.<\/p>\n

The sheriff in Harriman was a man by the name of Roman Wild.\u00a0 He\u2019d scratched his head over that one as Prissy \u2013 yes, that was her name \u2013 the prim and proper madame, led them to a table and then ordered her cook to make up some sandwiches and bring a pot of coffee.\u00a0 As Prissy talked he began to suspect that there was something more<\/em> than friendship between her and Roman.\u00a0 That went a long way to explain the tremble in her voice and the way she wrung her hands as she told them that the sheriff had been shot and was at the doctor\u2019s office.\u00a0 Adam made a mental note of that.\u00a0 There was<\/em> a doctor in town.\u00a0 He was pleased as well to hear it was only a flesh wound since, willing or not, he was going to make that doctor ride out and take care of Little Joe.<\/p>\n

The only witness said the robbers rode into town just after midnight.\u00a0 Sadly, the only witness was a drunk who slept on the saloon\u2019s porch most nights.\u00a0 He said there had been four of them.\u00a0 From the inebriate\u2019s description of the leader, Adam was sure it was Finch Webb.\u00a0 Another one sounded like his chief henchman, Abel Simms. The men went straight to the bank and began pounding on the door like they had some important business to conduct.\u00a0 Now, having a sheriff as a bank employee is a good thing.\u00a0 After all, who could keep the bank safer?\u00a0 At least, it would have been a good thing if the sheriff wasn\u2019t fairly young and more than a little bit cocky and so sure that no one could rob a bank while he was in it that he\u2019d open the door to strangers after midnight.<\/p>\n

Adam smashed another clod of dirt with his toe.<\/p>\n

A fool and his money….<\/p>\n

At first the robbery went off without a hitch.\u00a0 The shades had already been drawn and no passerby \u2013 if there had been any \u2013 would have wondered at a light inside since Roman might be doing some late night work.\u00a0 The problem came when Wild\u2019s young wife \u2013 and, yes, he had a wife in spite of the marm of a madame \u2013 came to bring him an after-midnight snack.\u00a0 The witness said the sheriff convinced Finch they needed to let her in.\u00a0 Roman told them she was a hellcat and if they didn\u2019t, she\u2019d break the door down suspecting that he had someone else in there with him.<\/p>\n

Like Miss Prissy.<\/p>\n

So Mrs. Wild ended up inside the bank where she apparently lived up to her name, managing to crack Finch over the head with a lamp before attempting to escape.<\/p>\n

A bullet in her back stopped her.<\/p>\n

The prim and proper madame sniffed at this and expressed her condolences \u2013 all the while failing to keep the lustful twinkle out of her eyes.<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s wound was not as serious\u00a0 The bullet went in and out of his shoulder clean.\u00a0 Finch and his crew packed up all the cash they had managed to gather and high-tailed it out of town, killing another man along the way just because he was standing in the middle of the street.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the sheriff\u2019s office, wondering whether or not it was time to go in.\u00a0 Roman\u00a0 Wilds was not<\/em> in, but he\u2019d seen one of the deputized citizens go in there shortly after dawn.\u00a0 A small band of men had taken off immediately after the robbery in pursuit of the outlaws, but had no luck.\u00a0 They\u2019d returned about the same time and were over at the saloon having a bite to eat before heading out again.\u00a0 They were a ragtag collection of farmers, businessmen, and boys.\u00a0 He doubted anything would come of their search.<\/p>\n

And so he was here, waiting on the so-called deputy to let him into the office so he could verify the sheriff\u2019s mistress\u2019 tale before he and Monty set off in pursuit of what was probably one of the most dangerous men in all of the Nevada territory.<\/p>\n

A dangerous man who not only held a grudge against his little brother, but also against the woman Adam was pretty sure his father was falling in love with.<\/p>\n

And then there was Rory….<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, what a tangled web,\u201d the classicist sighed.<\/p>\n

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

Surprised, Adam pivoted on his heel to find a pretty young thing standing behind him.\u00a0 She was about chin-high to him, with wavy dark brown hair and clear blue eyes.\u00a0 She hardly looked older than Joe, though from the costume she wore \u2013 a teal dress wrapped like a second skin around her slender figure \u2013 he guessed she was.<\/p>\n

He certainly hoped<\/em> she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I help you, miss?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She smiled at the title.\u00a0 \u201cPrissy sent me to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 May I ask why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat man that robbed the bank,\u201d she began without preamble.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Prissy remembered she\u2019d seen him before.\u00a0 He came into town a few days back and rented a room at the saloon and one of the cribs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odd, since renting a room meant a long stay and renting a crib meant, well, something else entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a bit unusual, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 To rent both?\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl\u2019s head bobbed.\u00a0 He kept looking for the school girl braids, but they weren\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why Prissy remembered it.\u00a0 She said he was mean as a polecat and, well, you know, not the right<\/em> type.\u00a0 She felt sorry for the woman he put in the crib.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe put a woman in the crib?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t….\u201d\u00a0 Then he had it.\u00a0 Rosey.\u00a0 \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a real pretty lady, not the kind you find in them places.\u201d\u00a0 The girl shivered as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cNo one wants to work one of them.\u201d\u00a0 The girl paused.\u00a0 \u201cThere was a young man put in there with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam scowled.\u00a0 The \u2018young man\u2019 had to be Greg.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you suppose he put both a woman and a young man in the crib?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The girl\u2019s pert nose wrinkled.\u00a0 \u201cMister, you\u2019re younger than you look if you can\u2019t figure that<\/em> one out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at her and wondered at that moment just how <\/em>old this girl\u2019s soul had grown in the seventeen or eighteen years she\u2019d walked the earth.\u00a0 If it had been<\/em> that many.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you want to know?\u201d she asked, suddenly defensive.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t gonna report me or nothing?\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave her his warmest smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I can\u2019t keep thinking of you as \u2018girl\u2019, now can I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLacey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Lacey, first of all thank you for talking to me.\u00a0 Second, I have one last question.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked wary.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see either the woman or the young man up close?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her jaw set.\u00a0 This was dangerous talk.\u00a0 Finally, she nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell me what they looked like?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lacey shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI only saw them once, when they was being taken out back.\u00a0 The woman was real pretty.\u00a0 Refined, you know?\u00a0 She had dark hair and was wearing a fancy dress that would have cost me six month\u2019s salary.\u00a0 The young man looked kind of like her, only not.\u00a0 He had brown hair too.\u00a0 It was real wavy and thick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last was reported with a sigh.<\/p>\n

It had to be them.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you take me to them?\u201d Adam asked, trying but failing to mask his excitement.<\/p>\n

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

Adam blinked.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they ain\u2019t there anymore.\u201d\u00a0 Lacey\u2019s blue eyes darted toward the establishment where she worked and her lips curled at the ends \u2013 just a bit.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t any<\/em> of them there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThem?\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled this time \u2013 broadly.\u00a0 \u201cThat woman, she tricked that old Rusty who empties the piss pots.\u00a0 She took his keys and before she left, she opened all the cribs!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be Rosey.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Rosey, danged if you didn\u2019t just about make my skin crawl right up over me!\u201d Hoss Cartwright proclaimed as he lowered his hands.\u00a0 Relief didn\u2019t begin to say what he felt when he saw that pretty brown-haired lady in her tattered dress step right out of the trees with Greg Webb followin\u2019 close behind.\u00a0 He\u2019d been the one who\u2019d called out \u2013 and was the one holdin\u2019 a gun.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure is good to see you two!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey looked equally as relieved.\u00a0 \u201cWe heard something and were afraid it was Finch,\u201d she said, her tone makin\u2019 it clear what she thought of that weasel.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d he asked as he looked closer.\u00a0 Both Rosey and Greg had cuts on their exposed skin, most likely from moving too fast through the trees, but Miss Rosey\u2019s dress, well, the way it was tore told a story all in itself and it weren\u2019t a good one.<\/p>\n

She noted where he was lookin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all right, Hoss,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cGreg will tell you I did most of this myself.\u00a0 It…aided in our escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg.<\/em>\u00a0 He noticed she was still using her son\u2019s other name.\u00a0 Hoss glanced at the young man. \u00a0Greg looked protective but not, well, possessive,<\/em> he guessed.<\/p>\n

Maybe she hadn\u2019t told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two look limp as worn out fiddle strings,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit yourself down and I\u2019ll rustle you up some grub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey was shaking her head before he finished.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Finch is on the loose.\u00a0 By now, he\u2019s been to the saloon and discovered we\u2019re gone.\u00a0 He\u2019s bound to be on our trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though he\u2019s got the money from the robbery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes.\u00a0 Finch Webb is not a man to accept defeat, much less at the hands of a woman.\u00a0 He won\u2019t leave me be until one of us is dead.\u201d\u00a0 She paused and then added softly, her face wrinkling with concern.\u00a0 \u201cThe same goes for a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cold hand gripped and twisted his innards.\u00a0 She was talkin\u2019 about Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Little Joe who was sick and sleepin\u2019 not twenty feet away.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced at Greg and then back to him.\u00a0 Whatever that thing was they called \u2018women\u2019s intuition\u2019 Miss Rosey had it in spades.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, don\u2019t tell me Joseph\u2019s here!\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n

As if on cue, little brother\u2019s curly head crested over the side of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cSomebody…call me?\u201d his asked, his tone laced with sleep and pain.<\/p>\n

Hoss swallowed hard.\u00a0 Rosey was pinnin\u2019 him with a fiery stare while Greg headed off to check on Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat<\/em> were you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man wrinkled his lips and pushed his hat back on his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Miss Rosey, Adam and me, we was thinkin\u2019 that\u2019s Joe\u2019s just about as stubborn as they come and if we went off to hunt that there bad guy without him, he\u2019d come right after us.\u00a0 What with his bein\u2019 hurt and all, we was afraid he\u2019d put hisself in danger….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you decided to thrust<\/em> him into it instead?\u201d she snapped.\u00a0 \u201cOf all of the idiotic, hair-brained….\u00a0 Leave it to a man to think that putting a sick boy in danger is the way to keep him out <\/em>of danger.\u201d\u00a0 Rosey\u2019s hands went to her hips.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole lot<\/em> of you were missing from the line the day God handed out brains!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was smiling.<\/p>\n

Rosey wasn\u2019t. She was scowlin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I say something funny?\u201d<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Miss Rosey, it\u2019s just…for a minute there…you reminded me of my mama.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d always heard a woman could melt, but he\u2019d be danged if this wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d seen it happen!<\/p>\n

Tears flooded her eyes and she turned away quickly.\u00a0 The motion drew his attention to Greg, who was helping Little Joe down and out of the wagon.\u00a0 A second later Joe took off into the trees like a shot.\u00a0 Rosey\u2019s long lost son followed close behind him.<\/p>\n

Knowin\u2019 little brother he\u2019d refused any help.<\/p>\n

When Rosey swung back, all the color had drained out of her cheeks.\u00a0 She looked miserable.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hoss.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t have….\u201d\u00a0 The older woman drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

He indicated the trees with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cBut you are Greg\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

That startled her.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrother Adam.\u00a0 Don\u2019t much get by him,\u201d he said with a wink.\u00a0 \u201cI take it you ain\u2019t told him yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it ain\u2019t any of my business, but if you don\u2019t mind my askin\u2019, why not?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older woman stared at the spot where Little Joe and Greg had disappeared.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m being selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n

He scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still….\u201d\u00a0 She drew herself up.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s still not…real.\u00a0 I see him, but I cant believe he\u2019s<\/em> real.\u00a0 <\/em>It\u2019s been enough of a shock for me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to….\u201d \u00a0Rosey sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI want time to talk, to listen and to explain.\u00a0 Time to…feel both the pain and <\/em>the joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you cain\u2019t do that out here on the run.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSee what I mean?\u00a0 I\u2019m being selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinkin\u2019 about his mama and what he\u2019d say to her if she just up and walked back into his life, Hoss thought he understood a little of what she was goin\u2019 through.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I don\u2019t like to contradict a woman, but Miss Rosey, you got it all wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIt ain\u2019t only yourself you\u2019re thinkin\u2019 of, it\u2019s Greg too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep forgetting.\u00a0 He…wants to be called Rory.\u201d\u00a0 Rosey\u2019s smile was sad.\u00a0 \u201cOh, he doesn\u2019t remember me or his father, but he does <\/em>remember that the name he had before Finch took him was Rory.\u00a0 He\u2019s using it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa always told him there were blessings in the storm.\u00a0 This was sure one of them.<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s hand touched his arm.\u00a0 She nodded toward the trees.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re coming back.\u00a0 What are we going to do about Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d seen it too.\u00a0 Little brother had barely been on his feet when he went to relieve himself.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t no way he was doin\u2019 anythin\u2019 but goin\u2019 back into that wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t right sure, Rosey.\u00a0 That little brother of mine, the more you tell him \u2018no\u2019, the more he\u2019s sure he\u2019s got to do a thing \u2013 especially if he thinks somethin\u2019s wrong and needs righted, or someone he loves is in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure he liked the look on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps Joseph could be persuaded that I need to be taken back to the Ponderosa and he is just the young gentleman to do it.\u201d\u00a0 She pulled a bit of the tattered cloth folded around her neckline out and put on a weary face.\u00a0 \u201cMost young men are pushovers for a damsel in distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAnd here I thought older brother was sneaky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive him time,\u201d she replied as she turned to face the pair who approached them.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got at least twenty years on Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, big brother,\u201d Little Joe called as he approached.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s it goin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was puttin\u2019 on a show, holdin\u2019 himself straight and pretendin\u2019 it didn\u2019t feel like a mountain cat was clawin\u2019 at those damaged ribs of his.\u00a0 But his eyes told the truth.\u00a0 They was fevered and carryin\u2019 their own saddlebags.<\/p>\n

Fact was, it didn\u2019t look like it\u2019d take much more than a breath to make him fold up like a purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey there, Joe,\u201d the big teen responded, careful to keep his tone playful.\u00a0 \u201cDid I miss that cat?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother looked puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cHuh?\u00a0 What cat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one that done drug you in, boy,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is that anyway to greet a feller?\u00a0 Pickin\u2019 on him as soon as you see the whites of his eyes?\u201d Joe huffed.\u00a0 \u201cYou oughta be grateful I\u2019m here to keep you in line.\u201d\u00a0 Joe paused.\u00a0 He looked around.<\/p>\n

Here it came.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss drew a deep breath and let it out with words.\u00a0 \u201cHe and Monty went on ahead to look for Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey…what?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s hackles went up faster than just about anyone he knew.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019s plannin\u2019 on comin\u2019 back tonight,\u201d he lied.\u00a0 \u201cShould be sometime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s thick eyebrows were wrinkled.\u00a0 He was workin\u2019 on whether or not he was takin\u2019 him up the pike.\u00a0 The boy glanced at Rory, who shrugged, before turning back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam promised!\u201d he challenged.\u00a0 \u201cAdam promised I could be there when he took Finch down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I ain\u2019t there either, little brother, so I don\u2019t think you got nothin\u2019 to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s breathing became more rapid.\u00a0 He sucked in air through his nose and let it out the same way.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta be there, Hoss,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I do.\u00a0 What I did….\u00a0 Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey was standing beside Joe.\u00a0 She\u2019d been listenin\u2019 and actin\u2019 like everythin\u2019 was right as rain.\u00a0 All of a sudden she swayed\u00a0 and liked to fall down.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe saw her out of the corner of his eyes and reached out.\u00a0 After catchin\u2019 her, he managed to make it look like he was lowerin\u2019 her to the ground.<\/p>\n

Actually the two of them kind of sat down together.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was so cute.\u00a0 He took off his neckerchief and started fannin\u2019 her with it.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right, Miss Rosey?\u201d his little brother asked.<\/p>\n

Rory had gone to get his ma a cup of water.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t know if he was aware that she was play actin\u2019.\u00a0 He sure hoped he didn\u2019t worry too much.<\/p>\n

Rosey took a sip of water and then smiled t Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 It\u2019s just, well, it\u2019s all a bit much for a woman, you know \u2013 all this danger and excitement?\u00a0 I\u2019m fair worn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could take a rest in the back of the wagon,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not much, but there\u2019s a big sack of grain you can lay your head on and some blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Joseph,\u201d the older woman said.\u00a0 Joe staggered a couple of steps forward as she accepted his hand.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t miss Joe\u2019s quick glance toward him to see if he\u2019d noticed.<\/p>\n

He pretended he hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I…think I am a bit overwhelmed,\u201d Rosey said as she leaned into Joe\u2019s strength.\u00a0 A second later she added, \u201cYoung man, could I ask you a huge<\/em> favor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe squared his shoulders as if readying to accept whatever load she wanted to place on them.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cMight I prevail upon you to take me back to the Ponderosa in that wagon of yours?\u00a0 This is all too much for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss could see the wheels workin\u2019 in them green eyes of Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 Little brother was weighin\u2019 his need to be there when they took Finch Webb out against what their Pa had taught them about bein\u2019 a gentleman with women.<\/p>\n

Finally, Joe looked at him, his eyes wide and those thick brows of his wigglin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Hoss let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Miss Rosey.\u00a0 I mean, Adam and me, we really need Joe.\u00a0 He held his own against Finch before and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

She shuddered at the name.\u00a0 \u201cThat monster!\u00a0 He…well…he wasn\u2019t<\/em> a gentleman.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bear to think of him finding me and holding me again.\u00a0 I \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get you home, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe said firmly.\u00a0 \u201cYou can trust me to make sure you\u2019re safe from that outlaw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you certain?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, if your brothers need<\/em> you \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll help,\u201d Rory said, havin\u2019 caught on and aidin\u2019 and abettin\u2019 their plan.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go with Hoss.\u00a0 You can follow, Joe, once you get Rosey back to the ranch house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was starin\u2019 at the wagon with an expression on his face that seemed to say climbin\u2019 up into that seat might just be too much for him at the moment.<\/p>\n

Shakin\u2019 off his fatigue, Joe said, \u201cI\u2019ll see you to the Ponderosa and leave you with my pa, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Hoss, I\u2019ll head back as..soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey caught Joe\u2019s hand in hers and leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Joseph.\u00a0 You have no idea how safe it makes me feel to know that I have a Cartwright man escorting me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s chest puffed out like a peacock\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cYou can count on me, Miss Rosey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sized up Joe.\u00a0 Baby brother was doin\u2019 a good job of pretendin\u2019, but the boy looked about as limp as a neck-wrung rooster.\u00a0 He had a feeling \u2013 by the end of the trip \u2013 that it might be Miss Rosey escortin\u2019 Little Joe to the house.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d be right happy when he seen him come in that door, and happier still when Rosey followed.\u00a0 Pa had a soft spot for that gal.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, so did he.<\/p>\n

Clappin\u2019 Joe on the shoulder, Hoss said, \u201cLet\u2019s make sure you got everythin\u2019 you need to travel, little brother.\u00a0 We sure don\u2019t want no surprises along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

If wishes were horses….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Greg Laurie<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

THIRTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey glanced sideways at her traveling companion.\u00a0 Little Joe was so adorable.\u00a0 Of course, she\u2019d never let the young man occupying the driver\u2019s seat of the wagon know that was how she felt.\u00a0 He was at that same stage \u2013 and almost the same age \u2013 her son Rory had been when Finch Webb took him.\u00a0 Looking at Joseph with his jaw set and his chin thrust out defiantly, as if sheer will alone could halt the progress of the fever he was fighting, the years melted away.\u00a0 She had disagreed with Pat the day Rory had gone to help with the birthing of Mrs. Henderson\u2019s child.\u00a0 Her husband said he needed him, but for some reason, that <\/em>day, she had needed Rory as well and wanted to keep him with her.\u00a0 Perhaps it was the fact that she too was with child that had put her on edge.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it had been some kind of an intuition.<\/p>\n

Rory had rooted himself firmly in the drawing room \u2013 looking very much like Joseph Cartwright did right now \u2013 his hands crossed over his chest, resolute and determined.\u00a0 She\u2019d expected an argument.\u00a0 Instead, her twelve-year-old son had presented a compelling case for why he needed to go.\u00a0 At that moment she had seen in Rory a budding maturity that foretold of the day when he would no longer need her, and it nearly broke her heart.\u00a0 In the end, she had given in and let him go.\u00a0 Still, ill at ease, she\u2019d gone to Patrick.\u00a0 She\u2019d hoped to convince him to take her along as well.\u00a0 Pat refused.\u00a0 He declared a jostling wagon on the open road was no place for a woman so close to her time, and so she had watched them drive away and never seen either one of them alive again.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

A small sound escaped the lips of the boy sitting next to her.\u00a0 Rosey looked at Ben\u2019s son again and noticed his color was off.\u00a0 In fact, he looked like he might be about to be sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy swallowed hard over it and turned to look at her.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think we could stop for a moment?\u00a0 I feel the need to stretch my legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been on the road for a little over two hours and had gone, perhaps, five or six miles.\u00a0 They were hoping to make it to the rock formation Adam had mentioned, but she was wondering if they would.\u00a0 The sun was nearly set and it was growing dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe we should just make camp?\u201d she added, careful to make it a suggestion and not an order.\u00a0 Knowing this young man, any indication that she thought he <\/em>needed to stop would be quickly challenged.<\/p>\n

Joe made a kissing noise and called the horses to a halt, then pivoted to look at her again.\u00a0 She held her feelings in check when she saw the thin sheen of sweat coating his pale skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need to?\u201d he asked as a little shiver snaked through his thin frame.<\/p>\n

She also held in check her desire to wrap a blanket around this sick child and draw him close.<\/p>\n

It was out of the question, of course.<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced up at the sky.\u00a0 \u201cThere can\u2019t be more than a half to three quarters of an hour of light left at most.\u00a0 Will we reach the rocks Adam spoke of by then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might and we might not,\u201d he said, trying to sound adult instead of exhausted.\u00a0 \u201cIt all depends on the road and how tired the horses are.\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced at the pair of bays that pulled the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cThey look as tired as I feel,\u201d she said with a weary smile.<\/p>\n

Joseph nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon they are.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t get much time to rest before we set out.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped and seemed to puzzle over something for a minute before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been on this road before.\u00a0 There\u2019s not much around here.\u00a0 No caves or anythin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t we sleep in the wagon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cBetter to sleep under <\/em>it.\u00a0 That way you don\u2019t get so much wind and if it rains, you stay dry.\u201d\u00a0 His green eyes, which were fever-bright, shifted then to the trees and tall grasses surrounding them.\u00a0 \u201cEasier to defend too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course she knew that, but it had brightened his aspect to let him suggest it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen anything suspicious?\u201d she asked, suddenly concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Just bein\u2019 cautious, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey continued to stare at him for a moment, and then she said, \u201cThank you, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked surprised.\u00a0 \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor being such a diligent young man and for taking such good care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s cheeks were already rosy from the fever.\u00a0 Their color deepened.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothin\u2019, Miss Rosey.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad to do it.\u201d\u00a0 The boy hesitated a moment and then added, with a cheeky grin.\u00a0 \u201cBesides Pa would have my hide if I let anything happen to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cartwright!\u00a0 What are you implying?\u201d she responded, doing her best to hide her grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t implying anythin\u2019,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0 sayin\u2019 it out right.\u00a0 I think Pa\u2019s sufferin\u2019 with Cupid\u2019s cramp.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time she did laugh.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe looked stricken.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I guess that was out of place.\u00a0 It\u2019s what old Dan Tolliver says when one the hands falls head over heels for a pretty girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey drew a breath.\u00a0 This was uncharted territory.\u00a0 \u201cWould you mind, Joseph, if Cupid\u2019s arrow struck your Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

His lips pursed and those mobile brows of his rippled and then pulled down in the middle.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

He let whatever he was thinking out in a little sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I wouldn\u2019t mind, Miss Rosey.\u00a0 I think….\u00a0 Well, Pa deserves to be happy.\u00a0 He was so happy with mama.\u201d\u00a0 The boy blinked.\u00a0 Tears were close.\u00a0 \u201cI sure wish I remembered her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey reached out and took hold of his hand.\u00a0 It was hot and that concerned her, but she went on as if she hadn\u2019t noticed.\u00a0 \u201cI would never try to take your mother\u2019s place, Joseph.\u00a0 I just want to be your friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned for a moment, looking very serious, and then said, \u201cIf you want to be my friend, I can tell you how you can start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d\u00a0 She released his hand.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy calling me Joe.\u00a0 Only my Pa calls me Joseph and that\u2019s usually when he\u2019s mad as spit on a griddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older woman laughed.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, it is then.\u00a0 If you promise to call me Rosey. No more Miss or ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure Pa would like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She made a show of looking from one side to the other.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see him anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Rosey it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe let the reins drop and rose in the wagon seat.\u00a0 She noticed how stiffly he did so and how careful he was when lowering himself to the ground.\u00a0 When the boy held his hand out to her, she took it and joined him beside the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go get some firewood,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhile I\u2019m gone, why don\u2019t you get the blankets out of the wagon and spread them underneath it?\u00a0 There\u2019s quite a few since Pa was so worried about me travelin\u2019.\u00a0 I liked to die I was so….\u201d\u00a0 He corrected himself.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I was gonna burn up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s chilly now,\u201d she said, ignoring the words spoken out of turn.\u00a0 \u201cI saw your heavy coat in the back.\u00a0 We can use that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s food in the wood box by the big sack.\u00a0 Hop Sing always packs a feast, so we shouldn\u2019t lack for much of anythin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like a picnic in the woods.\u00a0 It sounds delightful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at her like she was a little crazy and then disappeared into the trees.<\/p>\n

Rosey watched the boy go, knowing full well he was too sick to be traipsing about them alone looking for firewood.\u00a0 She\u2019d wait an appropriate amount of time and if he didn\u2019t return, find some excuse to go looking for him.<\/p>\n

Like his father, Little Joe Cartwright had a dignity about him.\u00a0 One had to honor that.\u00a0 He would grow into a fine young man one day.<\/p>\n

As Rosey reached into the wagon and began to draw the blankets out, she considered what Joe had said about his pa being smitten with her.\u00a0 She felt the same way.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was a wonderful man.\u00a0 He would make any woman the most attentive and loving husband.\u00a0 There was a part of her that yearned to throw all caution aside and to rush into his arms.<\/p>\n

But then, there was Rory.<\/p>\n

She had no idea how her son would react to finding out that she was his mother.\u00a0 If he accepted her, she felt her attention would have to be on him, at least for the foreseeable future while they rebuilt the relationship they\u2019d once had.<\/p>\n

If her son rejected her \u2013 and there was always that chance \u2013 it would devastate her, but it would free her to return Ben\u2019s affection.\u00a0 To bring him happiness.\u00a0 To love him.<\/p>\n

Perhaps to marry him.<\/p>\n

She wondered \u2013 was it possible to have both?<\/p>\n

Turning back in the direction they had come, she thought of Ben\u2019s other sons who were willingly risking their lives to bring Finch Webb to justice.\u00a0 Her<\/em> son was with them.\u00a0 She knew Rory had a personal score to settle with the outlaw, as did the Cartwrights.\u00a0 She prayed that need would not propel them all into danger.\u00a0 She and her son had only just found one another.<\/p>\n

God could not be so cruel as to part them again.<\/p>\n

Rosey shook off her unease.\u00a0 Between the two Cartwrights, her son, and his adopted brother, Monty, there were four capable men going after Finch.\u00a0 There was also the posse from Harriman, as well as Sheriff Olin and his men.\u00a0 With any luck, the man she had once known as Sten would be in custody before dawn and headed to prison soon after.<\/p>\n

The older woman wrapped her arms around her torso and shivered as a quote by Benjamin Franklin came to mind.<\/p>\n

\u2018Diligence is the mother of good luck.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

With that thought, she began to search the back of the wagon for a gun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s journey begin at ten in morning.\u00a0 He and Mistah Ben travel together for near eight hours always pushing, never resting, only stopping to feed and water the horses and themselves.\u00a0 It not enough.\u00a0 Much rest is needed.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing worried about his friend.<\/p>\n

This man he knew over twelve years now, he a tiger.\u00a0 Hop Sing watch Mistah Ben drive himself like he drive cattle, long and hard.\u00a0 Always something need to be done.\u00a0 Always obligation to fulfill; something to see through.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright not think of self when other one in need.<\/p>\n

Especially when other one \u2013 or other three<\/em> \u2013 are sons.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sigh as he check coffee.\u00a0 He anxious for it to boil.\u00a0 Sun had set in the west, falling down behind purple snow-capped mountains, casting its last dying breath over a land very cold for June.\u00a0 While busy, he keep one eye on his beloved rancher.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright have no more business on road than number three son.\u00a0 Both sick.\u00a0 Both getting sicker.\u00a0 He learn long ago from same rancher that two wrongs do not make one right.<\/p>\n

Why Mistah Ben not take his own advice?<\/p>\n

Because he tiger.\u00a0 That why.\u00a0 Number three son tiger too.<\/p>\n

Tiger father cannot beget lamb son.<\/p>\n

Seeing coffee boiling, Hop Sing fill tin cup with dark liquid and take over to friend where he sit propped against the wagon wheel.\u00a0 Beloved rancher make loud noise when he cover him with blankets and tuck him in like small baby.\u00a0 When he complain, Hop Sing remind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a fool tests the depths of the water with both feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing very happy then.\u00a0 Mistah Ben smile at him, forgetting for a moment why he afraid.<\/p>\n

As he took steaming cup, the tired rancher blow out air and turn his lips up in a half-smile.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u00a0 What did I do to deserve you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben looks for fish on trees,\u201d he responded curtly.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing unworthy of such a question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben finish smile as he take a sip and then look at him over rim of the cup.\u00a0 \u201cI remember you telling Joseph once that butterflies can\u2019t see their wings.\u00a0 They can\u2019t see how beautiful they are while everyone else can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing remember another expression, one Mistah Adam fond of.\u00a0 \u2018Love is like a butterfly, hold it too tight, it will crush.\u00a0 Hold it too loose, it will fly.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben bad man,\u201d he said softly, his brow furrowing.<\/p>\n

The rancher\u2019s dark eyebrows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak foolishment!\u201d\u00a0 He blinked and sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cHow Hop Sing fix supper with tears in eyes?\u00a0 Cannot see, cook food wrong!\u00a0 Put potato in pie and berries in stew!\u201d\u00a0 He wagged a finger at the man he worked for.\u00a0 \u201cYou no eat, get skinny as number three son!<\/p>\n

He know foolishment too.\u00a0 Sadness in eyes again.<\/p>\n

Foolishment to mention.<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben no longer see Hop Sing.\u00a0 See in distance sick boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pray Joseph is all right.\u00a0 That boy!\u00a0 He just doesn\u2019t know his limits,\u201d tiger growled.\u00a0 \u201cIf he gets it in his head that he\u2019s right, there\u2019s nothing can stand in his way even when his own health is at…risk….\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop sing smiling.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben pot call kettle black.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher huffed, and then laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I am at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben not worry about number three son.\u00a0 Mistahs Adam and Hoss not take eyes off Little Joe.\u00a0 Make sure boy okay.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated and then added with another jab of his finger, \u201cSons want you to worry about you!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all right, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 His friend shift and wince.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m tired, but I\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 My stitches are intact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Mistah Ben can stop him, Hop sing place a hand on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou no have fever.\u00a0 You rest, like you want Little Joe to rest, you be all right.\u00a0 It not come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked into the trees.\u00a0 \u201cOnly for an hour or so, Hop Sing.\u00a0 No more.\u00a0 I have a sense that we need to be on our way as soon as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTravel in dark?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben look at him, hope and fear mixed with terror in his black eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought a moment; then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou sleep while Hop Sing cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

His employer held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cOnly if I have your solemn word, sworn upon\u00a0 the memory of your ancestors, that you will wake me up when the food is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike little boy, cross heart with fingers,\u201d he replied, doing so.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what about the fingers behind your back?\u00a0 Are they crossed too?\u201d\u00a0 Ben snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI have experience with Joseph, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing knew Mistah Ben pulling leg.\u00a0 He held his hand up and splayed the fingers out.\u00a0 \u201cCredit weighs more than gold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot more than the gold in your heart, old friend,\u201d Mistah Ben replied.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sigh.<\/p>\n

He hope his old friend like berry stew.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright glanced at Monty Webb.\u00a0 The early morning light struck the cowboy where he knelt on the ground pointing to a set of footprints he\u2019d just found.\u00a0 They\u2019d been following Finch Webb\u2019s trail for a good many hours now.\u00a0 Monty knew what to look for, which helped immensely.\u00a0 There were a couple of abnormalities to the shoes of the horse Finch was riding.\u00a0 They\u2019d spotted the prints outside of the bank and had followed what turned out to be a false trail for about half the day before turning around and heading back toward Virginia City.\u00a0 Before they left Harriman, he\u2019d checked in again on the posse the deputy had raised and was delighted to find out they were heading in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

He had no time for amateurs and there was no time to lose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make those a woman\u2019s prints,\u201d Monty said as he rose and dusted off his knees.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s taller than some, I\u2019d guess.\u00a0 Got a lightweight fellow traveling with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

It had to be Rosey and Greg.\u00a0 She and her son had escaped from captivity shortly after the robbery went down.\u00a0 If the tracks were<\/em> Rosey\u2019s, they were headed for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 It was obvious, whoever it was, that they were being pursued.\u00a0 They\u2019d kept to the side of the road and not traveled on it.\u00a0 Only the grace of God and nature\u2019s call had revealed the footprints to them.<\/p>\n

The trouble was, though Finch Webb had headed away from Harriman to begin with \u2013 in the direction the posse had taken \u2013 they\u2019d realized quickly enough that he\u2019d doubled back and taken the Virginia City road.\u00a0 Adam glanced at the ground.\u00a0 Webb\u2019s prints over rode both Rosey\u2019s and Greg\u2019s, so he\u2019d come after them.\u00a0 The outlaw was possessed.\u00a0 He meant to have her.<\/p>\n

He was also a killer and that put Hoss and Little Joe in the line of fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Finch better than me, obviously,\u201d Adam said as Monty rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI would have thought avarice his chief vice, but it looks like one woman is more important to him than escaping with the bank money, otherwise he would be heading for Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr, knowing my brother, San Francisco to waste it all on fast women and expensive liquor.\u201d\u00a0 Monty spat on the ground, expressing his disgust.\u00a0 \u201cTrouble with Finch is, he can\u2019t lose.\u00a0 Most of what he does is set himself up a challenge and then do whatever it takes to come out the winner.\u00a0 Rosey bested him.\u00a0 So did your little brother.\u00a0 Sorry to say, that\u2019s all that matters now.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that<\/em> was what he was afraid of.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on horseback and moving fairly fast.\u00a0 How far ahead of us do you think he is?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne, maybe two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Rosey and her son?<\/p>\n

Monty squatted to look again.\u00a0 When he looked up, it wasn\u2019t with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great.\u00a0 Just…great.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least Joe and Hoss should be at the rock formation.\u00a0 That puts them closer to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they stayed there,\u201d Monty said as he rose again and headed for his horse.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t neither one of those younger brothers of yours too good at followin\u2019 rules from what I seen.\u201d\u00a0 The lanky blond paused.\u00a0 He looked over his horse\u2019s back in the direction of the house.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s comin\u2019, you hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He did.\u00a0 \u201cMoving slowly, like they\u2019re looking for something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty\u2019s smile was grim.\u00a0 \u201cOr someone<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a nod, Adam took hold of Sport\u2019s reins and led him off of the road and into the shadows of the trees while Monty did the same with his mount.<\/p>\n

Then they waited.\u00a0 It took two, maybe three minutes before they spotted who it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Hoss,\u201d the black-haired man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Greg,\u201d Monty added.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re both on horseback!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath and held it as his mind whirled with possibilities.\u00a0 He was waiting for the wagon with Little Joe.<\/p>\n

It never came.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u00a0 Yo!\u00a0 Hoss!\u201d Adam called as he showed himself.<\/p>\n

Chubb snorted as his brother reined him in.\u00a0 A second later the big teen was dismounted and at his side.\u00a0 Adam knew what was coming and braced himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ain\u2019t a sight for sore eyes!\u201d Hoss exclaimed, grabbing him and pulling him into a bear hug.\u00a0 \u201cWe was on our way to Harriman to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze went to Greg.\u00a0 He nodded in his direction.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked and then turned back.\u00a0 Monty had moved over to the young man and they were talking.\u00a0 \u201cJoe and I was on our way in the wagon when we ran into Miss Rosey and Rory there.\u00a0 Seems they\u2019d escaped from Finch Webb and was headed to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRory?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRemembers his name, but he don\u2019t know about him and Miss Rosey yet.\u00a0 She wanted to wait to tell him \u2018til things, well, calmed down.\u00a0 You know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Which at the rate things were going might be by the time Greg was thirty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s grin faded.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t doing so good, Adam.\u00a0 The fever\u2019s back.\u00a0 Miss Rosey cooked up a scheme to get him to take her back to the ranch house. She means to keep him there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Little Joe is with Rosey?\u00a0 Just <\/em>Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I figured him and her could make it back to the house all on their lonesomes.\u00a0 After all, she was a scout and that gal sure can sure take care of herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder ordinary circumstances,\u201d Adam sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it ain\u2019t ordinary?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at the road.\u00a0 The hooves of Hoss and Greg…er…Rory\u2019s horses would have wiped out most of Finch\u2019s tracks, but that didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 They knew where he was going.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the robbery in Harriman, Finch doubled back.\u00a0 He\u2019s on the road to the Ponderosa, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Adam took a step forward.\u00a0 \u201cHe and his men are somewhere between us and Rosey and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean that outlaw didn\u2019t light out for Mexico?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe posse from Harriman is headed that way, but no.\u00a0 Monty knows his horse\u2019s hoof prints.\u00a0 Finch is headed to the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss took his hat off and slapped it against his thigh.\u00a0 \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam mirrored his brother\u2019s frustration as he gazed down the road his little brother had taken.<\/p>\n

That one word about summed it up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosey had awakened just before dawn.\u00a0 She\u2019d glanced at Little Joe where he lay curled up in a ball with his back to her, decided to leave the boy sleeping, and then risen quietly and gone to relieve herself.\u00a0 Upon her return she\u2019d performed a few chores, rekindling the fire and placing a fresh pot of coffee on it, and then returned to wake her charming chaperone.\u00a0 Tired as he was, Joe had fallen asleep instantly and she was the one who had sat up half the night, rifle in hand.\u00a0 Finally, as the moon edged down and the first fingers of light rose, she\u2019d allowed herself a few hours sleep. She hadn\u2019t shown the rifle to Little Joe. She knew he would have insisted on keeping watch and the child needed his rest.<\/p>\n

Ben had told her that his youngest was notoriously hard to awaken.\u00a0 The tricks Joe\u2019s brothers pulled to get him on the move were legendary.\u00a0 Patrick had always said that sleep was God\u2019s healer.\u00a0 Perhaps Little Joe needed more because he experienced everything more deeply.\u00a0 In the time she had come to know the Cartwrights, she had seen Ben\u2019s youngest go from despair to delight in a matter of seconds.\u00a0 Rosey smiled as she looked at the sleeping boy.\u00a0 There was one thing anyone would have to admit.\u00a0 Though he could be contrary and obstinate, Little Joe\u2019s laugh was a gift from on high and brought joy to all who heard it.<\/p>\n

Rosey ran a hand across her eyes as she fought back fatigue.\u00a0 Sadly, she hadn\u2019t heard it much on this trip.\u00a0 Joe was pushing himself mercilessly. He was determined, first of all, to get her to safety and secondly, to prove he was a man.<\/p>\n

She smiled as she looked at his tousled head, peeking out from beneath the blanket.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t yet, but he was well on his way.<\/p>\n

Ducking under the wagon, Rosey knelt and placed a hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Alarm bells went off as she did.\u00a0 He was hot.<\/p>\n

Very<\/em> hot.<\/p>\n

She shook him gently.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 It\u2019s time to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe murmured and curled into himself more.<\/p>\n

Arranging her skirts, she sat beside him.\u00a0 This time she reached out to brush the curls from his forehead and was alarmed to find his skin hot but fairly dry.\u00a0 Her years attending Pat with his patients made her think of infection.\u00a0 The only cause she could think of was the possibility of a bone infection from his broken rib.\u00a0 She prayed to God that a broken end of it had not shifted and torn into something.<\/p>\n

Thinking back to what Joe had told her earlier, she shook the boy again and using a stern tone said, \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 Wake up.\u00a0 Look at me.\u00a0 Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n

She was rewarded with a mumble.<\/p>\n

\u201cDnnn wnnaa.\u00a0 G\u2019way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief shook her.\u00a0 He was conscious. That was one in their favor.\u00a0 Taking hold of the boy\u2019s arm, she rocked him toward her.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, please.\u00a0 Open your eyes and look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a groan, he did as she asked.\u00a0 Those wide green eyes opened and fastened on her.\u00a0 Joe looked puzzled for a moment, and then the most beautiful smile broke over his young face.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat would have said, stop, draw a breath, and reevaluate before you panic.\u00a0 He might not be delirious.\u00a0 Joe simply might not be awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, can you sit up?\u201d As he struggled to comply, she placed a hand on each side of his torso.\u00a0 \u201cHere, let me help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently she took hold of him in the wrong place.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s youngest gasped and his eyes shot wide open as his hands flew out to grip her upper arms.<\/p>\n

He was definitely awake now.<\/p>\n

She cupped Joe\u2019s face in her hand.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know who I am?\u00a0 Joseph, answer me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain drew deep gasps from him.\u00a0 \u201cRosey..?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Rosey.\u00a0 Thank God.\u201d\u00a0 The older woman sucked in a breath and let it out slowly to steady herself.\u00a0 \u201cCan you tell me what hurts?\u201d<\/p>\n

A pained smile curled his lips.\u00a0 \u201c…everything…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go get you some water,\u201d she said and made to rise.<\/p>\n

He pulled her back.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m…all right.\u00a0 Got to…get you home.\u00a0 Somewhere…safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her heart ached for him.\u00a0 He was being so brave.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Joe. It\u2019s you<\/em> we need to worry about.\u00a0 We have to get that fever down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI promised…Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cAdam.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled away from her then and struggled to rise.\u00a0 \u201cPa…\u00a0 Got to get you to…Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re still alive.\u00a0 Eh, boy?\u201d a man asked out of the blue, his tone callous.<\/p>\n

Rosey stiffened.\u00a0 She knew that voice.\u00a0 It had haunted her nightmares for twelve years.\u00a0 She pivoted to look and found the man she had known as Sten \u2013 the man whose real name was Finch Webb \u2013 and his right hand man Abel Simms gazing down at them.<\/p>\n

Finch spat.\u00a0 A sneer curled his cruel lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just have to see what we can do about remedying that, now won\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

FOURTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou leave the boy alone!\u201d Rosey protested.\u00a0 She\u2019d raised up from under the wagon and positioned herself between Finch and Little Joe.\u00a0 Her eyes longingly sought the rifle she had left propped near the driver\u2019s seat.\u00a0 It was, sadly, out of reach.<\/p>\n

Finch swaggered over to her, his eyes on the rifle as well.\u00a0 Then, slowly, they came back to her and passed over her to go to Joe where he lay under the wagon, his eyes open wide and bright with fever.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look like I need do much,\u201d the outlaw sneered.\u00a0 \u201cSeems to me he ain\u2019t got too much time as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was struggling to toss his covers over and get up \u2013 to come to her rescue.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stay where you are, boy,\u201d Finch ordered, his words accompanied by an ominous \u2018click\u2019 as the outlaw aimed his gun.<\/p>\n

Rosey glanced at Joe and shook her head.\u00a0 \u2018Joseph, no,\u2019<\/em> she mouthed.\u00a0 \u2018Lay back down.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes met hers.\u00a0 She saw anything but <\/em>resignation in them.\u00a0\u00a0 Still, he did as he was told.<\/p>\n

For now.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinch, why?\u201d she asked as she turned back.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t possibly <\/em>want me.\u00a0 Do you just want to hurt me?\u00a0 Is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He came close and took her jaw between his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cWhy<\/em> can\u2019t I want you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her answer might be her death sentence, but she didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I hate<\/em> you.\u00a0 I hate you for killing my husband and for taking twelve years of my son\u2019s life from me!\u201d\u00a0 She drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Rory hates you too!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s eyes were very pale.\u00a0 Some might have called them gray, but they were actually lavender in tone.\u00a0 And they were cold.\u00a0 Cold as the heart of a winter storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019 like beddin\u2019 a she-cat and especially one protectin\u2019 her young.\u201d\u00a0 Finch said as he tightened his grip until it hurt.\u00a0 \u201cGreg ain\u2019t goin\u2019 nowhere.\u00a0 I got Greg, so I got you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to win,\u201d she breathed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s it?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

His lips curled with a dark pleasure.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 If you got it right, I\u2019m just about there.\u201d\u00a0 He used the gun\u2019s barrel to point to where Joe lay under the wagon, breathing heavily.\u00a0 \u201cThat one\u2019s done\u00a0\u00a0 for.\u00a0 I got you.\u00a0 Greg will follow.\u00a0 I\u2019d call that winnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Cartwright\u2019s still alive,\u201d she declared, though she knew she shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t rest until you\u2019re brought to justice!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou better hope that rancher stays on that Ponderosa of his.\u201d\u00a0 The evil man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t think of much would satisfy me more than puttin\u2019 another bullet in him, deliberate-like this time.\u00a0 Now, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finch took her by the arm and started to pull her away from the wagon.\u00a0 She noticed Simms did not move, but was staring at Joseph where he lay helpless in a nest of tangled blankets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Joe?\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n

Her captor glanced over his shoulder at his cohort.\u00a0 \u201cI was gonna have Simms put the little animal out of his misery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s spine went stiff.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf you do, I will fight you every inch of the way, Finch.\u00a0 I will scream so they can hear me in Eagle Station if you harm that boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways the mama,\u201d he said, his tone sarcastic.\u00a0 After a second, he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Simms.\u00a0 We\u2019ll let the wolves have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she was led away, Rosey tossed one last longing look at Little Joe.<\/p>\n

The outlaw was wrong.<\/p>\n

The wolves had her.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow Mistah Ben feel?\u00a0 Feel A-okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was probably the tenth time his friend had asked him that in ten minutes.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Hop Sing,\u201d Ben grunted.\u00a0 \u201cI feel fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot look fine.\u00a0 Look like wet flour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not here make Mistah Ben feel good about self.\u00a0 Hop Sing here to make sure Mistah Ben all right.\u201d\u00a0 His cook shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou just like Little Joe.\u00a0 Never know if you speak truth!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was affronted.\u00a0 \u201cI always speak the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout cattle, about timber, about prices and people, always speak truth.\u00a0 Tell lies about self!\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher hid his smile as he glanced over at Hop Sing, who was seated on the board beside him.\u00a0 The man from China had grudgingly handed the reins over to him and let him drive.\u00a0 He had assured him he would do nothing to cause his stitches to burst or make anything worse.\u00a0 They were traveling in the dark and their pace was slow.\u00a0 Fortunately, it was another crisp cool May night and the moon was high and bright.\u00a0 It would have been a pleasant ride if it were not for the fact that he had three sons, as well as several friends, in danger from a madman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat lies have I told about myself?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben all right.\u00a0 Mistah Ben not tired.\u00a0 Mistah Ben\u2019s side not feel like chicken\u2019s when Hop Sing sew up after adding stuffing!\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher laughed out loud.\u00a0 One hand went to his side.\u00a0 \u201cStop it!\u201d he pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the one making it hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China looked stricken.<\/p>\n

Ben was still chuckling.\u00a0 \u201cForgive me, old friend.\u00a0 It\u2019s just….\u201d\u00a0 He stopped.\u00a0 Hop Sing wasn\u2019t looking at him.\u00a0 He was looking straight ahead and pointing.<\/p>\n

He saw it, abandoned in the moonlight.<\/p>\n

Their wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa!\u201d\u00a0 Ben reined in the team.\u00a0 Everything that was in him wanted to hop from the seat and run to the vehicle, but he restrained himself and made a smooth and slow exit instead.<\/p>\n

Then he ran.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was already there.\u00a0 He was on the ground under it where a twisted pile of blankets lay abandoned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone sleep here.\u00a0 Not long ago.\u00a0 Blankets still warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben tried to work out in his mind what had happened. The boys had left the Ponderosa with their mounts in tow.\u00a0 Joseph had been unwell, and so they had taken the wagon to transport him.\u00a0 Now, here it was, abandoned.\u00a0 Where were they?\u00a0 Certainly Joseph couldn\u2019t be riding.<\/p>\n

Could he?<\/p>\n

Ben knelt carefully and began to examine the ground. The first thing he saw puzzled him even more.<\/p>\n

A woman\u2019s footprints.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing!\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China was at his side in a moment.\u00a0 He had something in his hands.\u00a0 \u201cFound Little Joe\u2019s coat under wagon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ben took it and examined it.\u00a0 There was no blood, which was a hopeful sign.\u00a0 Clutching the garment like a lifeline, the rancher stood up and looked around.\u00a0 Unless Little Joe had gone off without his coat, he had to be somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u00a0 Joseph!\u201d he called, heedless of the danger of exposing himself.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had risen as well.\u00a0 They stood still, waiting as the stars traveled silently above them and the earth revolved beneath their feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere!\u00a0 You hear that?\u201d his friend asked.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 \u201cNo. What did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure.\u00a0 Sound like…there!\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d heard it that time.\u00a0 The sound cut through to his soul.<\/p>\n

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

Dropping the coat, Ben sped off into the woods in the general direction of the voice.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Son?\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s Pa.\u00a0 Little Joe, call out!\u00a0 Let me know where you are, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa…?\u201d<\/p>\n

He stopped.\u00a0 It had come from his right.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa…here.\u00a0 I\u2019m…here….\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a thicket, and past it a large tree surrounded by smaller ones.\u00a0 The moonlight streamed through the opening between them, casting deep shadows, masking more than illuminating the land beneath the giant cottonwood.\u00a0 As he broke through the underbrush, Ben Cartwright grunted with relief and then drew in a sharp breath of anguish.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was there.\u00a0 His son was alive.<\/p>\n

He was also very<\/em> sick.<\/p>\n

Ben crossed the distance between them in two heartbeats and dropped at the boy\u2019s side.\u00a0 Reaching out he took Joe\u2019s tousled head in his hand, working his fingers into the dirt and sweat-soaked curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s all right, son.\u00a0 I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son was looking at him, but not seeing<\/em> him.\u00a0 Fever ran through the boy like a wildfire in a dry forest.\u00a0 He could see it in Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Feel it radiating through him, even in his hair.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s hand feebly reached for his.\u00a0 \u201cPa….\u00a0 I tried….\u00a0 Really, I…did.\u201d\u00a0 The boy was breathing hard and fast.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t…couldn\u2019t…\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes\u00a0 closed for a second and then shot open.\u00a0 His son\u2019s hand grasped his arm.\u00a0 \u201cHe got her! Finch…he…got Rosey!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced up at Hop Sing who stood beside him.\u00a0 There were tears in his friend\u2019s eyes too.\u00a0 Joseph.\u00a0 Dear obstinate, stubborn, reckless \u2013 and caring Joseph was more worried about a woman who only the year before had been a total stranger to him than he was about himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll find her, Joseph.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d\u00a0 Ben reached forward and gathered his son into his arms.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s fingers clawed his shirt, as if he could not enter than embrace fast enough.\u00a0 The rancher placed a hand on the back of his son\u2019s head and looked up at Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me get him back to the wa\u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

A woman\u2019s scream cut off what he had been about to say.<\/p>\n

Dear Lord!\u00a0 Could that be Rosey?<\/p>\n

Was Finch Webb still so close?<\/p>\n

\u201cBad man still here,\u201d Hop Sing stated pithily.<\/p>\n

Ben hesitated.\u00a0 Joseph needed him.\u00a0 So did Rosey.<\/p>\n

What did he do?<\/p>\n

Hoss brought his horse up short, nearly causing the animal to stumble.\u00a0 \u201cYou hear that brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked grim as he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA woman\u2019s scream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen tossed a look at the two men who rode at their side.\u00a0 Rory had risen up in his stirrups.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like she might be a mile away.\u00a0 Maybe more,\u201d Monty added.<\/p>\n

It was night and it was cold, so it was possible the sound had carried that far.\u00a0 The four of them remained where they were, poised like watchmen on a tower waiting for a signal.<\/p>\n

It never came.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we waiting for?\u00a0 We have to go!\u201d Rory proclaimed, his anger evident in his tone.\u00a0 \u201cFinch is hurting her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are things we have to consider,\u201d Adam said in a cool even tone.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t just rush in like \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u00a0 Like a frightened kid?\u201d\u00a0 Rory\u2019s jaw was tight.\u00a0 His eyes dangerously bright.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that what I am!\u00a0 A frightened kid even more<\/em> frightened for his ma!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss exchanged a startled look with his brother. \u201cYou know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monty shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe had it mostly figured out.\u00a0 I just confirmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rory had started to urge his mount forward.\u00a0 Adam caught the reins in his hand. \u201cStop.\u00a0 Rory, stop and think!\u00a0 You may put Rosey in more<\/em> danger by rushing in.\u00a0 Or get yourself killed.\u00a0 Is that what you want?\u00a0 Is that what Rosey <\/em>would want?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s rage deflated.\u00a0 \u201cGod….\u201d he said. \u201cGod.\u00a0 What do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s look was hard.\u00a0 \u201cThere was only one scream.\u00a0 That means one of two things.\u00a0 Either it\u2019s an attempt to get us to do just what you were planning on doing \u2013 rushing in pell-mell \u2013 or…or your mother\u2019s already dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but Hoss was pretty sure all the color drained from Rory\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

His wasn\u2019t much better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Little Joe?\u201d he asked his brother.\u00a0 He knew right well a boy\u2019s scream, especially his baby brother\u2019s, could sound just like a woman\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips were pursed.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find out when we get there,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what we need is a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben left Joseph behind with the man he trusted most with the welfare of his sons after himself.\u00a0 He\u2019d carried the boy, cradled against his chest, back to the wagon and placed him in the nest of blankets under it.\u00a0 Little Joe was in and out of his head, not quite unconscious, but obviously not far from it.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t imagine what had caused the fever to return with such ferocity.\u00a0 Paul had mentioned a vague threat of infection caused by bone fever, but had dismissed it as he was certain Little Joe\u2019s broken rib had neither punctured the skin nor splintered.\u00a0 Perhaps the movement of the wagon \u2013 or something Joe himself had done against his brothers wishes \u2013 had caused it.\u00a0 Whatever it was, they needed to get the boy home and get him there quickly.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it was too late for Hop Sing to start back tonight.\u00a0 They would have to wait until morning.<\/p>\n

God willing it would all be over by then.<\/p>\n

His own injury was not without its worries.\u00a0 Ben felt the strain on the doctor\u2019s stitches as he worked his way through the trees toward the sound of the scream.\u00a0 He had no doubt that Finch Webb was waiting for him.\u00a0 He must have had someone on the lookout who had seen them arrive.\u00a0 Finch was a typical small, petty man whose only thought was for himself.\u00a0 He\u2019d been bested by a woman and a boy and he was not going to let that stand.<\/p>\n

Moving with caution, Ben kept his ears tuned to the land before him.\u00a0 He could hear men speaking in low voices.\u00a0 He had no idea how many outlaws Webb had with him, but it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 He knew their cowardly kind.\u00a0 Once the head was cut off, the rest of the snake would slither away and curl up somewhere to die.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care about them.\u00a0 Let the posse take them.<\/p>\n

He wanted Finch Webb.<\/p>\n

To that end, Ben Cartwright halted where he was and called out in a loud voice.\u00a0 \u201cFinch, I know you\u2019re there.\u00a0 I\u2019m coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cold laugh traveled the cold wind to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 Number three son get back under wagon!\u00a0 Boy stay put!\u00a0 Boy hurt self and father if he not do as father say!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe tiger son.\u00a0 He not listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, I…can\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0 Number three son\u2019s fevered hands press against him.\u00a0 \u201cFinch will…kill him!\u00a0 I gotta…go…help…Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want help pa, you stay here!\u201d<\/p>\n

God make small animals with big eyes that reveal soul so no man harm them.\u00a0 God make young boy no less so.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, please….\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Knew it was coming.\u00a0 Anger next.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let..me go!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s fingers become fists.\u00a0 Strike Hop Sing\u2019s chest like tail of angry dragon.\u00a0 \u201cYou..get out of…my way!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing remain still, like Great Wall in China.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Number three son not happy.\u00a0 Jaw clench.\u00a0 Nostrils flare.\u00a0 Tears stream down boy\u2019s flushed cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou…can\u2019t keep me…here! That\u2019s…my<\/em> Pa!\u00a0 You got no right!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe look him in eye.\u00a0 \u201cWhat…if you had…stopped me before when I fought…with Finch.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019d be dead!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Honorable ancestors speak to him.\u00a0 Their voice louder than old friend\u2019s.<\/p>\n

With a nod, he agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut boy not go alone.\u00a0 Hop Sing go with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThrow your gun away, Cartwright,\u201d Finch Webb ordered as he emerged from the trees.<\/p>\n

With a glance at Rosey who lay sobbing on the ground beside Abel Simms, he did as he was told.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve hurt her….\u201d Ben growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll do what?\u00a0 I\u2019d cut you down where you stand before you even thought<\/em> to move.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right.\u00a0 In truth the rancher had no idea how he could possibly keep the man from carrying out his threat.\u00a0 He was counting \u2013 as he always did \u2013 on Providence to take a hand in the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could but you haven\u2019t, and I think that says a lot about the kind of man you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cBig-hearted?\u00a0 Charitable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Ben inched toward him.\u00a0 \u201cA man who likes to take his revenge nice and slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust kill him,\u201d Simms said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!\u201d the outlaw snarled.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s that boy of yours, Cartwright?\u00a0 You find him where I left him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill breathin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 If Finch thought Joseph was dead, he wouldn\u2019t go after him.\u00a0 The rancher cast his face accordingly \u2013 anger and grief mixed with rage.<\/p>\n

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

He heard Rosey gasp.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes remained locked on Finch.\u00a0 He\u2019d apologize later.<\/p>\n

He prayed he\u2019d need<\/em> to apologize later.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo use in grievin\u2019, Cartwright,\u201d Finch Webb said as Rosey\u2019s sobs increased.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be seein\u2019 your boy soon enough.\u00a0 Tie him up, Simms!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, Finch, just kill him!\u201d Abel argued.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gettin\u2019 tired of all your games \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m tired of you!\u201d\u00a0 Without missing a beat Finch pivoted and shot the other man, turning his attention away for a split-second.<\/p>\n

Ben saw his chance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam exchanged a look with his middle brother.\u00a0 They\u2019d heard a woman sobbing and now, a shot.\u00a0 Out of an abundance of caution they had left their mounts behind and were on foot, closing in, but he feared not fast enough.\u00a0 He and Hoss were coming in from the west and Monty and Rory from the east.\u00a0 He hoped Rosey\u2019s son wouldn\u2019t try anything rash.\u00a0 At least the man who\u2019d been his older brother for the last twelve years was with him, and Monty had a good head on his shoulders.<\/p>\n

Still, younger brothers were <\/em>younger brothers.<\/p>\n

Through the trees he could see movement.\u00a0 Two men were struggling.\u00a0 Squaring off, striking, and then backing away and beginning again like two rams fighting for dominance.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 hand caught his arm.\u00a0 One of them had fallen and, for a second, was plainly visible through the trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u00a0 That\u2019s Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing not able to keep up.\u00a0 Little Joe sick so he sure he can, but sadly, had been wrong.\u00a0 Youngest son of Mistah Ben a hundred feet in front of him.\u00a0 He shove branches aside and run like deer as if there was no bad man on the other side of trees waiting to kill him.<\/p>\n

He remember what father tell him when he<\/em> was young man.\u00a0 \u2018Dragon teaches you that if man want to climb high, he must do it against the wind.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u201d Hop Sing shout.\u00a0 \u201cYou stop!\u00a0 Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Boy\u2019s face turn toward him.\u00a0 In it he see determination.\u00a0 Boy will die if it means his father will live.\u00a0 Hop Sing understand though he not like what he sees.<\/p>\n

Little Joe have debt to pay.<\/p>\n

Mistah Adam has a phrase he likes.\u00a0 Come also from Shakespeare Sing.<\/p>\n

\u2018Past that which is desperate.\u2019<\/p>\n

Hop Sing now know meaning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben was on his knees.\u00a0 Pain seared his side.\u00a0 Some of the stitches that Paul had taken to close his wound were holding, but others had broken open and he knew he was bleeding.\u00a0 Fortunately whatever men had traveled with Finch \u2013 other than Simms, who had fallen silent and was most likely dead \u2013 seemed to have cut and run.\u00a0 It was just the two of them.\u00a0 Of course, he was older and wounded and Finch Webb was not only younger and hale, but determined as Hell to kill him.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s smile was bleak.<\/p>\n

That made the odds about even.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d landed a good blow the last time, driving the villain to his knees where he remained, one hand to the ground, panting hard.\u00a0 Finch\u2019s gun was a good five yards away \u2013 too far for either of them to make a grab for it.\u00a0 Though he was weakening, he felt he had a chance so long as they went to hand to hand.<\/p>\n

It was then Ben saw the glint of moonlight on the knife.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe halted, breathing hard, at the edge of the small clearing that contained the bad man who had attacked his home, stolen Miss Rosey, and shot his Pa.\u00a0 He glanced back over his shoulder.\u00a0 He was only a minute or so ahead of Hop Sing who was sure to tackle him and keep him from doing what he needed to do.\u00a0 Pa was hurting.\u00a0 He was half-standing and half-bowed over, his hand to his side.\u00a0 There was red slippin\u2019 through his fingers, so he was bleeding again.<\/p>\n

They were out of time.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced from side to side, checking to see if Finch had any other men with him, and the looked back toward his pa.\u00a0 It was then he saw it.<\/p>\n

Finch Webb had a knife!<\/p>\n

Heedless of his own safety, Joe bolted out of the leaves and ran straight for his father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHold it!\u201d\u00a0 Adam knocked Hoss\u2019 hand aside. His brother had been about to take a shot in spite of the fact that there was no clear chance to do so when the black-haired man saw a slender curly-headed figure come barreling out of the trees like an avenging angel.\u00a0 Adam held his breath as their father turned slightly, allowing Webb an opening to use the knife he was holding.\u00a0 But then Joe was on Pa and Pa was falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Gunfire erupted from both sides of the clearing as he and Hoss and Monty and Rory fired their weapons.\u00a0 Finch Webb was caught in the crossfire.\u00a0 His body went stiff, seemed to lift up, and then crumpled and lay still.<\/p>\n

It was over.<\/p>\n

Adam crumpled too \u2013 until Hoss started running.<\/p>\n

And then he ran too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

FIFTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben opened his eyes to find his youngest son\u2019s lean frame splayed across his own fallen form.\u00a0 Terror gripped him.\u00a0 The last thing he remembered had been hearing a series of shots.\u00a0 Heedless of any danger \u2013 and in spite of the pain \u2013 he sat up and rolled Joseph\u2019s silent form over and ran his hands the length of the boy\u2019s fevered body looking for a wound.<\/p>\n

He was stunned when he didn\u2019t find one.<\/p>\n

A second later someone dropped into the grass beside him.\u00a0 Someone else as did as well on his other side.\u00a0 One of those someones started shaking his shoulder and was speaking words.\u00a0 Hands reached out.\u00a0 Another one of those someones tried to take Joseph from him.<\/p>\n

Heaven itself could not have loosened his grip.<\/p>\n

There were more words.\u00a0 Urgent <\/em>words.\u00a0 Finally, a few of them began to penetrate.\u00a0 \u201cPa….\u00a0 Pa….go.\u00a0 Pa, we… to help Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Help.<\/p>\n

Joe?<\/p>\n

The older man blinked and attempted to make the world come into focus.\u00a0 A face loomed, close to his.\u00a0 A beloved face.\u00a0 Worried.\u00a0 Worse.<\/p>\n

Terrified.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you\u2019re hurt,\u201d his oldest said.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe is too.\u00a0 I need to take him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not…shot.\u201d\u00a0 It was a statement.\u00a0 Why did it sound like a question?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank God, Pa, he\u2019s not shot.\u00a0 But he\u2019s really sick.\u00a0 I need to get him to the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he made no move to comply, a second voice added.\u00a0 \u201cPa, you jut let me take little brother.\u00a0 You know I ain\u2019t gonna let nothin\u2019 happen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss.\u00a0 That was Hoss.<\/p>\n

He should have known.<\/p>\n

Still his fingers would not release the treasure they held.\u00a0 He could almost have believed he was dead and the arms that wrapped his child so tightly were frozen in eternity.\u00a0 He glanced down at the boy, so pale, so still….<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIs he…?\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard the smile in the big man\u2019s voice. It was tight but there.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle brother\u2019s a corker, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019s hangin\u2019 on.\u00a0 But we need to get Joe\u2019s coat and get him in it and then wrap some blankets \u2018round him.\u00a0 He\u2019s shiverin\u2019 awful hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was he?\u00a0 How had he not noticed?<\/p>\n

Then Ben realized he <\/em>was shivering too.<\/p>\n

With one last look at his sweet son, who had once again saved his life \u2013 perhaps at the expense of his own \u2013 Ben surrendered Little Joe to his brother and watched Hoss carry him away to where Hop Sing was waiting by the wagon.\u00a0 As he did, the rancher\u2019s vision was blocked by the form of his oldest boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you\u2019re bleeding.\u00a0 We need to see to your wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wounds?\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t shot.\u00a0 Was he?<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

Not this<\/em> time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat…?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 He slipped his hat back on his head and knelt beside him.\u00a0 \u201cAll right. I\u2019ll tell you what happened.\u00a0 Then <\/em>will you let us tend your wounds?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 Vaguely.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonty and I met up with Hoss and Rory.\u00a0 We were leaving Harriman on Finch\u2019s trail and they were coming to look for us.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Little Joe and Rosey were headed back to the Ponderosa and Finch got in-between.\u00a0 He caught up to them and left Joe for dead.\u00a0 We think he was leaving when he realized you were in the area and decided to turn back and make sure you were dead too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dead?\u00a0 But they\u2019d told him….<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 He\u2019s not \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 Hoss was telling the truth.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s alive.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s worried look added something \u2013 maybe the fact that he was concerned that Joe might not<\/em> stay that way.\u00a0 \u201cPa, your side\u2019s bleeding badly.\u00a0 Come on.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you over to where Joe is so I can take a look.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head and winced.\u00a0 A hand went to it and came away bloody.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you\u2019ve got a wound there too.\u00a0 You must have hit your head on a rock when you fell.\u00a0 That\u2019s why you\u2019re not thinking clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho says I\u2019m not…thinking clearly?\u201d he growled, coming back a bit.<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s just say you\u2019re a little…muddled<\/em> then, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked up at her voice.\u00a0 Rosey was filthy.\u00a0 Her hair was a shambles and her dress in tatters, exposing the underpinnings beneath, but she was beautiful.\u00a0 Radiant in fact.\u00a0 While she held one hand out to him, her other was locked firmly in her son\u2019s.\u00a0 They\u2019d made it.\u00a0 They\u2019d both made it.<\/p>\n

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

Ben closed his eyes and let fatigue and relief was over him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he whispered and then knew no more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam stared at his brother and father who lay together beneath the wagon they had driven away from their home only the day before.\u00a0 Both were pale as death.\u00a0 Both fighting fevers.\u00a0 Hoss had ridden into Eagle Station to see if he could locate Doctor Martin and bring him out to where they were.\u00a0 The morning light was breaking.\u00a0 A new day had begun.\u00a0 Hopefully Paul was already in his office.\u00a0 They discussed it and decided it would be best not to move either of them.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s stitches were broken open and Joe….\u00a0 Well, Heaven only knew what was wrong with Little Joe.\u00a0 They\u2019d managed to get the fever reduced a bit the night before by wrapping him in ice cold blankets soaked in a nearby stream, but that \u2013 of course \u2013 raised the fear of pneumonia.\u00a0 Adam could swear he heard his younger brother\u2019s breath rattling in his chest.\u00a0 But then, it might have been his imagination.\u00a0 Or maybe it was just guilt.<\/p>\n

This was not<\/em> the outcome he had hoped for.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam, come get coffee.\u00a0 Take rest,\u201d a soft voice said from behind him.\u00a0 \u201cYou not help father or brother make self sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recognized the words.\u00a0 It was the Cartwright litany.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I\u2019ll rest when Hoss gets back with the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber two son not get back for some time.\u00a0 You rest now.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cMister Adam not to blame.\u00a0 Anyone to blame, it Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pain in that voice caused him to forget his own.\u00a0 Adam pivoted on his heel.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

There were tears in the eyes of the man from China. \u201cMister Ben say keep Little Joe at wagon.\u00a0 Hop Sing disobey.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and then straightened up as if ready to take his punishment.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing let boy go to father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou….\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cLet me get this straight, you let <\/em>Joe go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing cringed as if struck. \u201cYes,\u201d he said in a small voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight I ask what prompted that act of dubious intelligence?\u201d he asked sharply, and then instantly regretted it.\u00a0 Adam ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I\u2019m just tired.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you had a reason.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and then added with a little smile, \u201cAfter all I\u2019ve been in your shoes \u2013 twice<\/em> recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s eyes had gone to Little Joe, where he lay so still beside their father.\u00a0 At some point Pa had awakened and reached out to Joe and their hands were still entwined.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing take care of little boy after mother die.\u00a0 He fear father die too.\u00a0 Fear it when five year old.\u00a0 Still fear it now.\u00a0 Little Joe think….\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing paused.\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe think he shoot father when he fight with Finch Webb for gun.\u00a0 Much guilt.\u00a0 Much sadness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe told him \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy love brothers but not listen to.\u00a0 Still feel guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 That was Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing spread his hands wide and kept them level.\u00a0 \u201cBoy need something.\u00a0 Need ying<\/em> and yang<\/em>, balance of opposites.\u201d<\/p>\n

He blew out a puff of air.\u00a0 \u201cJoe needed to save<\/em> Pa to be able to forgive himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China nodded.<\/p>\n

Adam looked again at the quiescent pair.\u00a0 Pa had some color and was shifting as if in pain.\u00a0 Joe was still\u00a0 Very<\/em> still.<\/p>\n

Even if it cost him his life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben cracked one eye open and instantly regretted it as pain tore through his head and side.\u00a0 He stifled a moan and shifted and then had another thing to regret.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you get for disobeying your doctor\u2019s orders,\u201d a gruff voice remarked.<\/p>\n

He knew it \u2013 and the tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I…regretted waking up,\u201d he said weakly as he realized he was in his home and in his own bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should give up on the whole lot of you Cartwrights,\u201d Paul Martin sighed as he reached for his wrist to check his heartbeat.\u00a0 \u201cNot one of you knows the meaning of the word \u2018no\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 The doctor chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cUntil it comes to telling me<\/em> \u2018no\u2019, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was struggling for something \u2013 a memory.\u00a0 He could feel a fiery hand in his own.\u00a0 A touch that was important.\u00a0 No, necessary.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s in his own bed,\u201d Adam remarked as he slipped from where he was leaning against the door jamb and came into the room.\u00a0 His oldest was not often one for tactile touch.\u00a0 The fact that he came over and placed a hand on his arm said quite a bit.\u00a0 \u201cGood to have you back, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Joe will stay<\/em> in his own bed this time if I have anything to say about it!\u201d\u00a0 Ben noticed Paul was staring down Adam just as much as him.\u00a0 \u201cI almost lost that boy two nights ago.\u00a0 He needs to stay put.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben saw Adam wince.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost lost Joe?\u201d<\/em> he demanded.\u00a0 While he\u2019d been, what, sleeping?<\/em><\/p>\n

His oldest son did not remove his hand.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s fever went real high, Pa.\u00a0 He went into convulsions.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s eyes showed the toll surviving that had taken.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s broken now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rib bone fractured, Ben, due to the boy\u2019s stubborn insistence on saving the day \u2013 two times!\u201d\u00a0 Paul shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt started an infection.\u00a0 It was all I could do to get it under control.\u201d\u00a0 His tone had been stern, unbending.\u00a0 Relief at the outcome softened it.\u00a0 \u201cKnowing that youngest son of yours, no one could have stopped him.\u00a0 Don\u2019t blame yourself, Ben,\u201d Paul glanced at Adam, \u201cor anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing\u2019s taking it hard,\u201d his son remarked quietly.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes rolled over from Paul to Adam.\u00a0 The older man was right.\u00a0 Though he was still angry about Adam\u2019s choices, his son needed forgiveness so he too could heal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I remember, it was you<\/em> who…decided to take your brother along when you and Hoss…went after Finch.\u201d\u00a0 He struggled for breath as his son\u2019s face fell.\u00a0 \u201cI was angry.\u00a0 I still…am in some ways…but son…we have to let it go.\u00a0 Both<\/em> of us.\u201d\u00a0 Ben fought for a smile.\u00a0 \u201cWe both know…the only way to have kept…your brother home…would have been to hog-tie him.\u201d\u00a0 His fingers slid to Adam\u2019s and he squeezed.\u00a0 \u201cYou were only…trying to protect him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a poor job I did at that,\u201d his son muttered.<\/p>\n

He squeezed harder.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s alive, Adam.\u00a0 We\u2019re all alive.\u00a0 That\u2019s <\/em>what…matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips quirked with a smile. \u201cAlive and kicking, actually.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I came in to tell Paul.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s awake and insisting on seeing Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician rolled his eyes. \u201cHere we go again!\u201d\u00a0 Paul thought a moment. \u201cBen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that boy, if I don\u2019t grant his request, he\u2019ll be crawling on his hands and knees into here within the hour.\u00a0 I would rather you<\/em> go to Joe than Joe come to you. \u00a0If<\/em> you feel up to it \u2013 and only <\/em>for a few moments!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was already on the way to pushing his covers aside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa!\u201d Paul said, laying a hand on his arm.\u00a0 \u201cI need your promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked up \u2013 innocently, he hoped.\u00a0 \u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat you will let Adam assist you both there and back, and you will stay no<\/em> more than five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if Joe sees Adam helping me….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Heaven\u2019s sake, Ben, the boy saw you bleeding!\u00a0 He knows you\u2019re hurt.\u201d\u00a0 Paul crossed his arms.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, if you would rather I put my foot down and insist you both<\/em> stay in bed \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rarely did Paul Martin smile.\u00a0 He did now and it was triumphant.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 Now, Adam, if you would care to assist the invalid<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was waiting in the hall.\u00a0 His middle boy looked done in.\u00a0 His bright blue eyes were cradled in shadows that had shadows of their own and he looked like he\u2019d lost weight.\u00a0 Still, he was smiling.<\/p>\n

Little Joe must<\/em> be better.<\/p>\n

As he took the slow steps along the hall to his youngest\u2019s room, Ben asked his oldest, \u2018How long?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam played dumb.\u00a0 \u201cHow long what, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul said Joe had reached a crisis the day before yesterday.\u00a0 How long have we been home?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s eyes flicked to Hoss where he kept pace with them and then back to him.\u00a0 \u201cFive days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFive<\/em> days?\u00a0 Dear Lord!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou was right sick, Pa.\u00a0 Just about as sick as Joe,\u201d Hoss offered.\u00a0 \u201cWe was….\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe were afeared we was gonna lose the both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

They had arrived outside Little Joe\u2019s door.\u00a0 Ben looked in to see Rosey release Joseph\u2019s hand and rise from the chair by the bed.\u00a0 She was wearing a rose-pink dress that set off her dark hair and was the picture of loveliness \u2013 a far cry from the exhausted and tatterdemalion woman he remembered from the last time his eyes had been open.<\/p>\n

She caught his hand as she came through the door.\u00a0 Her eyes shone with joy.\u00a0 \u201cBen!\u00a0 It is so good to see you.\u201d\u00a0 Her glance went to Paul who lingered close by.\u00a0 \u201cShould he be out of bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor let out an exaggerated sigh.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 And your point is?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older woman laughed as she released his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be downstairs with Rory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes met his as she said it, gratitude and more reflecting from them.\u00a0 \u2018Later\u2019, they hinted, and then she was gone.<\/p>\n

Ben felt Adam\u2019s hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Pa. Let\u2019s go see Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to wake up,\u201d a stern voice spoke calling Joe back to consciousness. He\u2019d been there for a while, but sleep was too sweet and he had willingly given into it while he waited for Adam to return, nestling back into the covers and relishing the early morning peace and quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to have a talk with you, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh.\u00a0 It was that<\/em> stern voice.\u00a0 He must have overslept again.\u00a0 He was really <\/em>in trouble this time!\u00a0 Pa\u2019d <\/em>come to get him out of bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSsrry,\u201d he slurred.<\/p>\n

Huh?\u00a0 How come his mouth wasn\u2019t working right?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the pain medication,\u201d he heard someone say.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s still under.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain medication?\u00a0 For what?<\/p>\n

Joe tried to shift his body, to get out of bed like Pa wanted.\u00a0 Pain shot through his side.<\/p>\n

Oh, yeah.\u00a0 For that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOw….\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard a laugh.\u00a0 No, a snigger.<\/p>\n

Hoss.<\/p>\n

How\u2019s about I give you somethin\u2019 to laugh about, middle brother!<\/em> he thought, but all that came out was, \u201c…laugh….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t try it if I were you, son,\u201d a kind but firm voice remarked as he felt cool fingers on his wrist.\u00a0 \u201cNot with that giggle of yours.\u00a0 You\u2019ll burst your stitches and Heavens knows I\u2019m running out of thread!\u201d<\/p>\n

Another hand touched his forehead.\u00a0 It was cool as well, and familiar.\u00a0 The scent of the man leaning over him was familiar too \u2013 a strong musky scent born of years sun and strength. Fingers found his hair, fondling the curls as only one person could or would <\/em>do.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Son?\u201d\u00a0 A trickle of water touched his lips, moistening them; seeping between them to wet his tongue.\u00a0 \u201cSon, take a sip.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 Joseph, can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s useless, Ben.\u00a0 It\u2019s too soon.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo….\u201d\u00a0 Joe sucked a drop of water in, licked his lips, and then with a mighty effort forced his eyes open.\u00a0 Focusing on that beloved face, he said, \u201c…stay.\u00a0 Pa.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 Stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa\u2019s near-black eyes met his.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome back, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack?\u00a0 Where\u2019d…I go?\u201d<\/p>\n

This time it was Adam who snickered.\u00a0 He\u2019d of yelled at him too, but he didn\u2019t have the energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been…sleeping for a few days,\u201d Pa said, his voice shaky.<\/p>\n

He knew he\u2019d done something wrong, though he didn\u2019t know what, for his father to sound so tired.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u201d\u00a0 There, he said it right that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve nothing to be sorry for, son.\u00a0 Though I might disagree with your methods,\u201d Pa paused and looked up, as if addressing someone else as well, \u201call of <\/em>your methods, I can\u2019t argue with the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outcome.\u00a0 That meant something had happened.\u00a0 Something important<\/em> from the way Pa sounded.<\/p>\n

He wished he could remember what it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, Ben,\u201d he heard the other stern voice say.\u00a0 \u201cJoe knows you\u2019re all right now.\u00a0 It\u2019s time you got back to bed yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa?\u00a0 All right?\u00a0 What had…?\u00a0 What?<\/p>\n

Finch.<\/p>\n

Finch Webb!!<\/p>\n

Before anyone could stop him, Joe shot up in the bed like a firecracker had been lit under him.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 He\u2019s got a knife!\u00a0 Pa! You gotta….\u00a0 Gotta….\u00a0 Pa….\u201d\u00a0 As quickly as the energy had infused him, it left.\u00a0 Joe fell back to the bed gasping.\u00a0 \u201cPa…look out….\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Adam who spoke.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, Finch Webb is dead.\u00a0 He can\u2019t hurt anyone ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He angled his head toward his brother.\u00a0 Hoss was there too.\u00a0 He had a silly smile on his face and was bobbing his own head up and down like an apple in a bucket of water.\u00a0 Finch Webb was…dead?\u00a0\u00a0 He could hardly believe it, but he could <\/em>believe something else.<\/p>\n

His family wouldn\u2019t lie to him.<\/p>\n

His fathers fingers tightened on his.\u00a0 \u201cHe would have killed me, son.\u00a0 You<\/em> saved me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s brows furrowed in concentration.\u00a0 \u201cI…did?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may not remember it, Joe,\u201d Doc Martin said, his voice kindly this time.\u00a0 \u201cYou were a very sick boy when you rushed out into that clearing.\u00a0 You\u2019re quite the hero, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hero?<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, for goodness sake, Doc!\u201d Adam declared, his tone wry.\u00a0 \u201cHis head\u2019s already big enough with all those curls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips quirked at the ends even as he began to slip back into sleep.<\/p>\n

A hero.<\/p>\n

That had to be good for a least a few days off from chores.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben was supposed to return to his bed and yet, being a Cartwright, he felt a need to prove Paul Marin correct and quietly insisted he be allowed to go downstairs to the great room instead.\u00a0 The doctor grumbled all the way down the stairs, but he let him \u2013 under strict orders that it be for no more than an hour or two.\u00a0 Once he made it to the bottom and into his favorite chair, Ben was glad the physician continued on and exited to return to Eagle Station to check on other patients.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure he would have lasted a minute <\/em>or two more on his feet.<\/p>\n

Soon, though, with more help than he could want or possibly use, he was made comfortable.\u00a0 Ming-hua appeared out of nowhere with a pillow to prop his side as Hop Sing rolled an ottoman over from another part of the room and insisted on placing his feet on it \u2013 and then going upstairs to get his slippers.\u00a0 Adam had remained behind to watch Little Joe, but\u00a0 Hoss was there too \u2013 getting him a glass of brandy, bringing him his pipe, and generally spoiling him rotten.\u00a0 Finally, about an hour after he had come down, there was a consensus that he was ably taken care of and the three of them disappeared out of the room to go about their various chores.<\/p>\n

Leaving him alone with a highly amused and extremely lovely Rosey O\u2019Rourke.<\/p>\n

Rosey\u2019s son Rory had gone into town with Monty.\u00a0 The pair had a lot to talk over with Sheriff Olin.\u00a0 Neither one had clean hands.\u00a0 Both had been involved in bank robberies and other dubious crimes committed during their time with Finch Webb and there was a reckoning to be had with the law.\u00a0 Adam told him that Deputy Roy had come by while he and Joseph were down to check on things.\u00a0 He said Roy\u2019s posse had done little other than to keep Harriman\u2019s posse out of trouble \u2013 which in the end was a blessing as it had kept them out of their<\/em> way.\u00a0 The lawman had come back around noon to collect Monty and Rory.\u00a0 Roy told Adam that he was sure the Cartwright\u2019s word \u2013 along with the pair\u2019s actions over the last few days \u2013 would go a long way toward lessening any sentence the law might hand down.\u00a0 Ben glanced at the woman across from him.\u00a0 His son said Rory and Rosey\u2019s parting had been tearful.\u00a0 Most likely Rory was in jail right now and would stay there until the circuit judge appeared \u2013 unless, of course, he could talk Sheriff Olin into putting the pair in his custody under house arrest on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d sent a letter along with Roy to that point.<\/p>\n

Rosey was sitting on the settee.\u00a0 Her dark brown hair was piled up high on her head and she had on a low-slung mauve dress that showed her shoulders.\u00a0 She\u2019d been reading.\u00a0 The book lay open in her lap, unheeded at the moment, as she stared out the window above the dining room table.\u00a0 The image was so like one of his last memories of Marie that it caused him to draw an audible breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cA penny for your thoughts,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cOr do I have to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

No woman liked to be told that she reminded a man of his deceased wife.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThinking about Joseph\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

He scowled.\u00a0 \u201cNow, why would you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey closed the book and turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cThere are a lot of ghosts in this house.\u00a0 All of them female.\u00a0 But it\u2019s Marie\u2019s I feel most of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you don\u2019t mean that I \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 It\u2019s not you, Ben.\u00a0 Or at least, not only <\/em>you.\u201d\u00a0 A little smile curled the ends of her lips.\u00a0 \u201cShe must have been quite a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cShe was.\u201d\u00a0 And then added softly, \u201cSo are you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes were bright.\u00a0 \u201cDo<\/em> I remind you of her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHonestly?\u00a0 In some ways, yes, but only in that you are beautiful and a strong determined woman.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s mother was….\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, like her son, Marie was a handful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that boy,\u201d she said suddenly.\u00a0 Then, surprised by her own ferocity, Rosey laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI love them all, but you can\u2019t help loving Little Joe just a little <\/em>bit more.\u201d\u00a0 Her face grew serious.\u00a0 \u201cMostly, because he needs it so desperately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded his agreement.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph was the most effected by Marie\u2019s death, though it was hard on Hoss and Adam as well.\u00a0 Hoss found a purpose in caring for Little Joe.\u00a0 Adam, well,\u201d he sighed, \u201cAdam shut down emotionally like his father.\u00a0 He did everything that was needed, but little by little the walls went up.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes, I wonder if I will ever reach the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs a woman\u2019s touch.\u00a0 You all do.\u201d\u00a0 She rose then and came to sit on the table in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cBen, I could be<\/em> that woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

He read it in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut not now,\u201d he finished for her.<\/p>\n

She reached out and took his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I love you.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He did and he told her so.<\/p>\n

Rosey clenched his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I love those brave strong boys of yours, more than you can know.\u00a0 But….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have your own son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears entered her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThank God, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he needs you more than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

She bit her lip and then rose and went to look out the window.\u00a0 \u201cI talked to Roy when he came.\u00a0 It\u2019s likely Rory will have to do time.\u00a0 Not long, but some time.\u00a0 I need to be there for him.\u00a0 Close<\/em> to him.\u201d\u00a0 When she saw him rising, she waved him back.\u00a0 \u201cBen, no.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get up.\u00a0 I can….\u201d<\/p>\n

He was already at her side.\u00a0 Taking her hands, he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not an invalid, in spite of what Paul Martin would have you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI would never dream of applying that word to you, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 Stubborn, foolish, pig-headed, yes.\u00a0 But \u2018invalid\u2019?\u00a0 No.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are your plans then?\u00a0 Do you mean to abandon the milliners?\u00a0 I know how much the shop means to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMing-hua will keep it going.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be here when I can.\u00a0 Roy said if Rory has to serve time, it will likely be somewhere close.\u00a0 He seemed to think the fact that Rory knows something of medicine might earn him a place in the prison infirmary where he could be of assistance and…well…safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was a handsome young man.\u00a0 Even a year in one of those places would be hard on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She shrugged. \u201cRory knows he\u2019s done wrong.\u00a0 He wants to make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d he smiled, \u201cthat means I will still see you from time to time?\u00a0 When you are in town to check on the shop?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing told me he will keep an eye on Ming-hua while I am away, but yes, I will be back as often as I can.\u201d\u00a0 She paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd not only for the shop, but to check in on my favorite handsome rancher.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took her chin in his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cYou are a remarkable woman.\u00a0 You know that, don\u2019t you, Rosey O\u2019Rourke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly will if you keep telling me as often as you have,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n

Ben looked at her and saw not only an attractive older woman, with the slim figure of a girl and smile of an angel, but a woman who had survived.\u00a0 Like he had survived.<\/p>\n

Perhaps there was a future for them together one day.<\/p>\n

Ben wrapped his other hand around her waist and drew her in, and then leaned forward and kissed her with passion, taking her breath away.<\/p>\n

Occasioning a round of riotous applause from both of his older sons, Hop Sing and Ming-hua, all<\/em> of which had apparently been eavesdropping.<\/p>\n

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***********<\/p>\n

EPILOGUE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben found Hop Sing sitting in the garden amidst his plants.\u00a0 He\u2019d noticed the last few days that his old friend was avoiding him.\u00a0 June had arrived and was quickly flying.\u00a0 It had been more than a month since he had been shot and life had, as usual, crowded out more important things.\u00a0 Up until the last week his own recovery and that of his son\u2019s had been uppermost in his mind.\u00a0 While the older boys took over running the ranch, he\u2019d spent most of his time in Joseph\u2019s room fighting battles \u2013 keeping the boy in bed when he felt like he was mending, bathing his hot body when the fever returned, helping Little Joe to sit up and cough when the pneumonia he\u2019d developed proved to be more tenacious than a coyote\u2019s jaw.\u00a0 When the doctor finally pronounced his son not cured, but on the road to recovery it had left him as exhausted as Joseph.\u00a0 And all the while, throughout the multiple crises, the man from China had come and gone like a ghost, emptying pans, refilling water pitchers, stoking the fire, changing the linens.<\/p>\n

Never once had he looked him in the eye.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d meant to talk to him about it, of course, but hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 And when he\u2019d finally come downstairs this morning, the mountain of paperwork backed up on his desk had taken his immediate attention, and then the needs of the hands, and then….\u00a0 It was only when he sat down after the noon meal to read the paper that it occurred to him that he finally had both the time and <\/em>the energy to confront his old friend.<\/p>\n

Time.<\/p>\n

Placing his hand on his side, Ben released a long breath.\u00a0 He\u2019d been given more time.<\/em><\/p>\n

The rancher glanced up and whispered a quick \u2018thanks\u2019 to his creator and Father before clearing his throat to let his cook and friend know he was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing,\u201d he greeted him.<\/p>\n

The man from China was pulling weeds.\u00a0 His fingers froze for a moment and then he continued on.\u00a0 \u201cThis one not worthy Mistah Cartwright talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mister \u2018Cartwright\u2019.\u00a0 Not Mister Ben<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This was serious indeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why is that?\u201d he asked, angling so he could see his friend better.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s face was downcast.\u00a0 The morning sun glistened off the unspent tears in his eyes.\u00a0 He knew, of course, what<\/em> was wrong.\u00a0 Adam had told him.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sighed.\u00a0 He stopped what he was doing and rocked back on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes life as bitter as dragon tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cHow you say so?\u00a0 Hop Sing not father Little Joe. Make father choice.\u00a0 Boy hurt. So sick.\u201d\u00a0 He drew a shuddering breath.\u00a0 \u201cSo sick, so long.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben eyed the low bench near the garden.\u00a0 Hop Sing used it for his meditations.\u00a0 He moved over to it and sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Cartwright sick too,\u201d his cook said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I suppose you are going to try to take the blame for that too?\u201d he asked, snapping when he hadn\u2019t meant to.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing surprised him with a small smile.\u00a0 \u201cNot take blame for Mistah Ben\u2019s own foolishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mister \u2018Ben\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ah, now they were getting somewhere.<\/p>\n

For a moment, the older man leaned back, soaking in the beauty of the day \u2013 the soft breeze, the scent of herbs, the pale light that lay upon the land like a wash of red-gold.\u00a0 The sound of Hop Sing digging again, seeking to uproot what did not belong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a letter from Rosey.\u00a0 One of the hands brought it in this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The digging halted and then continued.\u00a0 \u201cWhat Miss Rosey say? She mention Ming-hua?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had been so busy ministering to him and Joseph he\u2019d had no time to go to town.\u00a0 The man from China thought of Ming-hua like a daughter.\u00a0 As did he.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, she said Ming-hua is well.\u00a0 Beth Riley had taken her under her wing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Riley good woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHow Miss Rosey\u2019s son do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosey had been relieved.\u00a0 Since Rory had never committed a crime, but only been an accessory, he was sentenced to only two years and the majority of that was to be served in the prison infirmary.\u00a0 True to her word, the older woman had rented a house nearby so she could keep as close a watch on her son as possible.\u00a0 Rory\u2019s adopted brother, Monty, was given five years with three off for the aid he had rendered in stopping Finch Webb, so they would be released together.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said he\u2019s well and actually enjoying what he\u2019s doing.\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled at the thought of how God worked all things to the good of those who loved him.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s thinking of becoming a doctor once he\u2019s released.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy has mother.\u00a0 This good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, it was.\u00a0 Which brought them back to Joseph.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam told me what you said about Joseph \u2013 about him being afraid I would die like Marie.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d known it in a way, though he\u2019d never really put it into words before.\u00a0 \u201cAnd about why you did what you did,\u201d he added quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing wrong to do what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cYes, in some ways you were.\u201d\u00a0 He knew his old friend wanted truth, not platitudes.\u00a0 \u201cYou countermanded an order I gave concerning one of my sons.\u00a0 If you were simply a member of my staff, I would have every right to let you go and I probably would.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing already pack bags.\u00a0 Leave after supper today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guilt. Grief.\u00a0 Blame.<\/p>\n

Why were they so much easier to find than happiness?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou weren\u2019t listening.\u00a0 I said \u2018if you were simply a member of my staff\u2019.\u00a0 You\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those black eyes pinned him.\u00a0 \u201cNot member of staff?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Ben shook his head.\u00a0 The gesture ended in a smile. \u201cYou\u2019re family, and as such able to make your own judgment calls just like Adam did. \u00a0You<\/em> did what you believed was best for Joseph at the time.\u00a0 How can I disagree?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was puzzling over that one.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben not mad at Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot in the slightest.\u201d\u00a0 How did he put it?\u00a0 \u201cI loved Marie with, and because of all her faults.\u00a0 That woman could have tried the patience of a saint.\u00a0 She had, among other things, an unending desire to prove herself worthy of not only of praise but of love.\u00a0 She\u2019d also known great loss and lived on the edge of the fear that she would lose something precious again.\u00a0 Perhaps…perhaps she kept Joseph a little too close because of the loss of her first child, made him too dependent \u2013 too needy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not dependent,\u201d his cook replied, indignant.\u00a0 \u201cHe fierce as dragon and strong as tiger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but he is also needy.\u00a0 Like Marie, Joseph needs daily reassurances that he is loved and appreciated and most of all, that he is not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy not like to be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he never has been, thanks to you, old friend.\u00a0 When I was otherwise occupied, I always knew you were there.\u00a0 That was a great blessing to me.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused.\u00a0 \u201cIt still is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China thought a moment.\u00a0 Finally he said, \u201cDifficult to catch black cat in dark room.\u00a0 He looked up at him and grinned, \u201cespecially when cat not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled too.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Mistah Ben go!\u201d Hop Sing declared, threatening with his spade.\u00a0 \u201cGet out of garden!\u00a0 No finish weeding, no have herbs.\u00a0 No have herbs, no have supper!\u00a0 No have supper Little Joe get so thin he blow away like wind!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed and did as he was ordered.<\/p>\n

There was no doubt as to who was really in charge of the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feeling a bit peckish, Ben entered the house via the kitchen.\u00a0 Once inside, he loaded a plate with some bread and cheese and headed for the great room.\u00a0 Coming as he did from the dining room wing, he had a chance to observe his youngest son without him knowing it.\u00a0 Joseph had come downstairs in the time he\u2019d been outside with Hop Sing and taken up a position on the settee.\u00a0 Little Joe had been liberated from his \u2018prison\u2019 as he called it only two days before.\u00a0 Paul had permitted him some movement on the upper floor over the last week, but had strictly forbidden he take the stairs for fear he might fall and reinjure his rib.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s had kept him busy with chores he could do upstairs, from braiding tackle to chopping vegetables for Hop Sing.\u00a0 Joseph complained but they all knew it made him feel as if he was still doing his part for the family.\u00a0 He\u2019d come down the night before ready to conquer the world and had lasted precisely an hour before wearily hauling himself back up to his bed \u2013 with no assistance, of course.\u00a0 Little Joe must have come back down the same way today since they were the only ones in the house other than Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Standing in the shadows, Ben looked the boy over from curly top to bare toe.\u00a0 Joseph was sitting on the far end of the sofa with his face turned toward the window.\u00a0 In the last week he had started to eat better and had regained a little of his color, but he was still gaunt and if someone would asked him, he would have said the boy\u2019s eyes were haunted by something more than the memory of pain.\u00a0 Joe had yet to regain that vivacious nature he had inherited from his spirited mother, though his strength and vitality were slowly returning.<\/p>\n

His temper, of course, had been the first thing to return.<\/p>\n

Joseph had a book in his hands.\u00a0 It was closed on his finger, as if he was using it to hold his place.\u00a0 He had his head back and his eyes closed and anyone who didn\u2019t know him would have thought he was asleep.\u00a0 Ben knew better.<\/p>\n

The boy was troubled about something.<\/p>\n

Stepping back into the hallway, Ben coughed and then headed into the room.\u00a0 Little Joe was sitting up by the time he entered and the book was open.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u00a0 When did you come down?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 His youngest favored him with a weary smile.\u00a0 \u201cI swear while I was down you went and replaced that staircase with a mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMust have been your brothers,\u201d he said as he held the plate out.\u00a0 \u201cI feel the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe eyed the food and took two thin slices of cheese.\u00a0 Stifling a sigh, the older man placed the plate on the table in front of him before sitting down.\u00a0 After sorting himself out and finding a comfortable position, he nodded toward the book Little Joe was reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t recognize that one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His son started.\u00a0 He glanced down.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 The book?\u00a0 I found it in Adam\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s by Solomon Northrup.\u00a0 It\u2019s called \u2018Twelve Years a Slave\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it about?\u201d<\/p>\n

The expression on his son\u2019s young face was hard to read.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s about a free black man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery for twelve years before he\u2019s rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew a sharp breath against his own memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know,\u201d Little Joe admitted.\u00a0 \u201cKind of an odd one for me to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you?\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t imagine why his son would want to bring back memories of his own ordeal on the Sun Princess.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joseph closed the book and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I was out of my head that first time…\u201d\u00a0 The boy frowned.\u00a0 A tooth gnawed his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cThe nightmares I had, they wasn\u2019t \u2013 weren\u2019t about Finch Webb, they were about Wade Bosh and what happened last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAdam told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u2019\u00a0 Joe considered that a minute and then seemed to dismiss it.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Pa, since I\u2019ve been \u2018in\u2019 my head….\u201d\u00a0 He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been remembering everythin\u2019 I went through and I just can\u2019t make myself hate him.\u00a0 Bosh, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shifted forward.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s never a good thing to hate a man, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy turned his body slowly until he was square with him.\u00a0 The intensity on his young face surprised him.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 But you know, Pa, I got every right.\u00a0 Folks around here say what he did to me was unforgivable.\u00a0 Taking me away from you, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, how he remembered that night.\u00a0 Coming home to find Adam lying on the barn floor bleeding out and Joseph missing without a trace.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had to come to grips with hate himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was certainly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 Joseph paused.\u00a0 \u201cBut, Bosh, he was sick, wasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 And kind of out of his head too?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he really wanted to hurt me.\u00a0 He was just trying to find his son and he thought it was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, Wade Bosh had thought Joseph was Jude, but there was more to it than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was out of my head a while back, I heard myself saying crazy things and I couldn\u2019t do anything about it.\u201d\u00a0 Those green eyes pinned him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think it was like that for Bosh too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought a moment.\u00a0 Then he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo hating him, when he was out of his head and doing things that maybe he couldn\u2019t stop himself from doing, would be wrong.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he understood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it you do <\/em>hate, Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 When his son said nothing, he added quietly, \u201cIs it Finch Webb?\u201d<\/p>\n

Every muscle in the boy\u2019s body went rigid.<\/p>\n

Ben rose and went over to the settee to sit beside his son.\u00a0 Knitting his hands together between his knees, he looked sideways at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s jaw was tight.\u00a0 He drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly.\u00a0 None of the anger seemed to go with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes some men good and others bad, Pa?\u00a0 Real<\/em> bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing \u2018makes\u2019 them good or bad, Joseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s a choice they make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confusion shone out of those wide eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut why<\/em> choose to be bad?\u00a0 To hurt people?\u00a0 To take things that aren\u2019t yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember what it says in Psalm 139?\u00a0 \u2018I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.\u00a0 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 Everything a man is, son, good, bad, and in-between was put there by a perfect and loving God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph was frowning.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sat back.\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s take you for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat temper of yours.\u00a0 God made it and He doesn\u2019t make mistakes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused.\u00a0 \u201cSo why do you suppose He gave that to you?\u00a0 Was it to wreck havoc with?\u201d<\/p>\n

After a second, his son said, \u201cI sure don\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s like wrasslin\u2019 a grizzly sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stifled a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI believe God gave it to you so you would learn to control it.\u00a0 Is that possible?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe thought a moment and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI guess so, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the Lord giving you a temper means He gave you a challenge \u2013 one that, in the end, will make you a better man…once<\/em> you learn self-control,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

The wheels were turning behind those vivid eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what you\u2019re sayin\u2019 is that, whatever made Finch Webb go wrong, was what God gave him to make him go right<\/em> \u2013 he just chose the wrong direction?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod made us perfect in His sight and gives us this life in which to be perfected.\u00a0 Men like Finch, well, they\u2019re rebels against God as much as men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019d God give you to overcome, Pa?\u201d his son asked innocently.<\/p>\n

What indeed?\u00a0 Fear.\u00a0 Pride.\u00a0 Ambition.\u00a0 A hot head and a quick tongue.\u00a0 A stubborn nature.\u00a0 A need to do for himself.\u00a0 All of these, more forty-plus years of walking the Earth had chipped away at, polishing the rough stone, refining it so it would be worthy of its final Heavenly home.<\/p>\n

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

It all boiled down to one thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lack of trust, son,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s expressive eyebrows danced.\u00a0 \u201cYou?\u00a0 Pa, you trust God more than any man I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0 He did now.<\/em><\/p>\n

But it had been a battle hard fought and harder won. a<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ask me, you got that one wrong, Pa,\u201d his boy said, with a shake of that curly head.<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled. \u201cOh, I do?\u00a0 So why don\u2019t you<\/em> tell me what I have to overcome?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s expressive eyebrows pulled down.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see, a stubborn cook, a Yankee block head, and a big galoot with his head in the clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere seems to be one missing,\u201d he prompted.<\/p>\n

Joseph puzzled over it.\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s it.\u201d\u00a0 He affected a surprised expression.\u00a0 \u201cUnless you mean me?\u00a0 But no, that couldn\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why not?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned that grin that had been missing \u2013 the one that reached from ear to ear.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I\u2019m perfect!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared at his son open-mouthed and then laughed long and loud enough to bring Hoss and Adam rushing in from outside.\u00a0 With tears running down his cheeks, he told them what their brother had said.<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t perfect for long.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next Story in the Blood and Bread Series: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thirty-Six Ways to Get Out of Trouble<\/a>
\nAn Unspeakable Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Family,\u00a0Hop Sing,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0JAM,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0SJS<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Nearly a year after Little Joe was kidnapped by Wade Bosh a new threat arises born of an old pain. Can the Cartwrights survive being drawn into the tangled web woven by the choices Rosey O’Rourke made long ago?<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(69,970 words)<\/p>\n

Blood and Bread Series, links to stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":30522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[23,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-prequels","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":6457,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Ben-final--scaled.jpg?fit=1939%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14405,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14405","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":0},"title":"Blood and Bread (by McFair_58)","author":"mcfair_58","date":"June 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Twelve-year-old Little Joe is late for supper. Hop Sing is hopping mad and Adam is none too pleased. When he heads for the stable to look for his brother, Adam expects an argument \u2013 what he gets is something else entirely. Something that begins in terror and rolls on\u2026","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\/2017\/06\/Blood-and-Bread-Brand--scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Blood-and-Bread-Brand--scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Blood-and-Bread-Brand--scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Blood-and-Bread-Brand--scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Blood-and-Bread-Brand--scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C850&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2378,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2378","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":1},"title":"Emergence From The Shadow (by Dodo)","author":"Dodo","date":"December 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 A Missing Scene from Season 11's A Darker Shadow Rated: K+\u00a0 Word Count: 7403","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\/2014\/04\/PDVD_035.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_035.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_035.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_035.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7578,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7578","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":2},"title":"What’s Keeping Them Now? (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0The Cartwright boys' belles are left wondering what has happened this time.\u00a0\u00a0 Rated:\u00a0T\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Word count:\u00a01182","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/brothers.jpg?fit=296%2C226&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12163,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12163","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":3},"title":"Heart of Clay (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"June 1, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: While being held prisoner by a gang of bank robbers, Joe makes contact with a man from his past.\u00a0 Confused by why this certain person is associated with the bandits, Joe struggles to put the pieces of the puzzle into one.\u00a0 Not until much heartache later is the truth\u2026","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\/04\/PDVD_1807.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_1807.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_1807.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/PDVD_1807.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7318,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7318","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":4},"title":"The Smell of Bread (by Sibylle)","author":"Sibylle","date":"May 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Adam visits the Ponderosa.\u00a0\u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC 640","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12170,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12170","url_meta":{"origin":14696,"position":5},"title":"Inevitable Betrayal (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"October 1, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 With Ben hidden away in his 'safe haven,' his youngest son becomes the victim of heartless, wicked men who are determined to find the elder Cartwright and stop him from testifying at a murder trial.\u00a0 Joe suffers insurmountable pain and is left for dead....after his inevitable betrayal.... Rated:\u00a0 PG13\u2026","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\/2017\/03\/House-Divided.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/House-Divided.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/House-Divided.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/House-Divided.jpg?fit=768%2C576&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\/14696","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=14696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}