{"id":15265,"date":"2017-09-02T15:41:45","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T19:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15265"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:20:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T19:20:39","slug":"guarding-the-hen-house-by-jc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15265","title":{"rendered":"Guarding the Henhouse (by JC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>A too-pretty girl, a Saturday night dance, and a little moonlight mischief.\u00a0\u00a0Not to worry\u2014Adam\u2019s got it covered. (Part of the Ties That Bind AU series)<\/p>\n

Rating: T\u00a0 (2870 words)<\/p>\n

Ties That Bind series<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ties That Bind<\/a>
\nImperfect Memory<\/a>
\nA Pearl Without Price<\/a>
\nA Piece of Cake<\/a>
\nSomething About Amy<\/a>
\nGuarding the Henhouse<\/a>
\nWhen Angels Cry<\/a>
\nNo Ordinary Day<\/a>
\nWinter of Discontent<\/a>
\nInterval<\/a>
\nNot to Me<\/a>
\nGently, Full of Grace\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GUARDING THE HENHOUSE<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Adam?”<\/p>\n

“Hmm?”<\/p>\n

His forehead creased as he tried to remain focused on the book in front of him. Lately, it never failed\u2014every time he had a few moments to himself, something\u2014or someone\u2014always interrupted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm hmm.\u201d \u00a0He didn\u2019t look up. Sometimes it was best not to make eye contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can wait if you\u2019re busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think I\u2019m busy?\u201d\u00a0 He turned the page, still not looking up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I thought you might be trying to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally\u2014and what gave me away?\u00a0 Could it be the book in my hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind, it can wait until you\u2019re finished. It\u2019s not important.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cHow long do you think it will be?\u201d<\/p>\n

He huffed and marked the page with his finger before closing the book. \u201cWhat is it you want, Jilly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I should ask you now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say now is as good a time as any. You have my attention,\u201d he assured her with more patience than he felt.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want to know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know about the time you kissed Lotta Crabtree.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever possessed you to ask about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause everything happens when I\u2019m not here\u2014so I\u2019m always the last one to find out.\u201d She sounded irritated.<\/p>\n

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. \u201cWell, in all fairness, you could expect a lot of things to happen in four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

There had been a lot of changes since his sister left home, and for all their good intentions, visits had been sporadic and brief. Her guardians had lived up to their promise to give her a good education and expose her to the cultural advantages of metropolitan life, and in spite of a first year marred by homesickness and illness, Jilly had embraced San Francisco in a way that surprised them all.\u00a0 But the biggest surprise was the change in the girl.\u00a0 No one was quite prepared for the poised and lovely young woman who returned in her place.<\/p>\n

She raised an eyebrow back at him.\u00a0 \u201cI heard it was quite a kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I don\u2019t have to ask from whom you heard it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling, she didn\u2019t elaborate. \u201cWas it because she was beautiful and famous, or was there some other reason why you kissed her?\u201d<\/p>\n

True, Lotta did have a degree of notoriety, and she was attractive, though whether or not she was truly beautiful underneath all that face paint he couldn’t really say.<\/p>\n

“Why do you want to know?”<\/p>\n

“I’m just wondering what it is that makes a man want to kiss a woman.”<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you angling for someone in particular?” He had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was.<\/p>\n

“Not angling, just curious. You’re a man, and I’d like to know how men think.”<\/p>\n

He eyed her warily, wondering at her interest in the phenomenon of physical attraction between the sexes. In some ways she was wise for her age, but he wasn’t sure he could comfortably explain the minds of men to his fifteen- year-old sister, especially on such short notice. \u201cUh, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

His hesitation seemed to amuse her. “Maybe you’d rather explain where babies come from.”<\/p>\n

He was temporarily distracted by a coughing fit behind him. Hoss set his coffee cup on the table and shook his head in apology. “Sorry, I guess it just went down the wrong way. Go ahead. Don’t mind me,” he said, his mouth curving upwards.<\/p>\n

Adam turned back to Jilly. “You’re not asking that, are you?”<\/p>\n

“Don\u2019t worry. I know all about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her air of authority caught him off guard. “I see. Well, Hoss, it seems our sister has become quite enlightened since she left home, wouldn’t you say? If you know so much, city girl, then why are you coming to me?”<\/p>\n

Jilly rolled her eyes. “It was Aunt Margaret who told me about the birds and the bees, and frankly, she made it sound so unappealing that I don’t know why anyone would…never mind…. I’m more interested in what happens in the beginning, before that first kiss. You know\u2014the magic.”<\/p>\n

“Magic?”<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

“She wants to know about the magic.” Adam telegraphed an SOS to Hoss. Help me out here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re just the one to explain it to her, Older Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks for nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Magic was for fairy tales. A woman might view it that way, but for men, the prelude to a kiss was mere physiology\u2014a physical reaction based on attraction, pure and simple.\u00a0 As primitive and unromantic as it might sound, in all honesty it boiled down to plain old lust and desire. Some women seemed predisposed to evoke that kind of response in a man, and he was not immune. \u00a0No, that would never do.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to figure out a more delicate way to explain.<\/p>\n

Adam scratched the odd tickle at the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Well, let me see. Um, I guess it\u2019s fair to say a pretty face or a nice figure gets a man’s attention to start with. Beyond that, it can be any number of more subtle things\u2014the sound of her voice, the way she smiles with her eyes, her sense of humor, intelligence, kindness\u2014all those things can make a woman appealing to a man.”<\/p>\n

Pablum, but maybe it would satisfy her.<\/p>\n

Even as he spoke, his mind stumbled over a potent memory of the illustrious Miss Crabtree\u2014her disdainful pout and the way she trembled in spite of herself when he confronted her about Joe. She thought she was too good for him, and he knew right then that he wanted to kiss her good and hard, mostly for the pleasure of wiping that smirk from her cherry-red lips. And it turned out to be more of a pleasure than he anticipated, he recalled with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes though, it’s about power and who has more. Men like to imagine they do, but they usually don’t.” He was thinking aloud, speaking mostly to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cPower? I\u2019m not sure I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave her a long appraisal. It was hard to be objective about someone you loved, but one thing was clear about his not-so-little sister. \u00a0Nature had gifted her with an unexpected beauty that could turn a man\u2019s head, one that belied her years, and that worried him more than he cared to admit.<\/p>\n

“You’re a bright girl; you’ll figure it out soon enough.” If you haven\u2019t already. <\/em>\u00a0He returned to his book.<\/p>\n

“Do you think so?”<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately, yes.”<\/p>\n

He glanced up in time to see a satisfied smile spread across her face. It was the same one he\u2019d seen on Joe\u2019s face many times. Oh, Lord\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I guess I\u2019m for bed,” she said, rising. “Goodnight.”<\/p>\n

His eyes followed her as she tripped up the stairs, humming. \u00a0A snippet overheard at a party niggled a corner of his brain. That girl\u2019s a heartache waiting to happen….<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThere goes trouble if you ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Hoss was watching too. “I almost feel sorry for Mitch Devlin.”<\/p>\n

Adam frowned. \u201cWho said anything about Mitch Devlin? I was thinking about us. Summer is just heating up.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~*~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJilly, get a move on, will ya?\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna be late for the dance!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to yell; I told you, I\u2019m almost ready!”<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you said that half an hour ago\u2014you\u2019d better knock on it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Teeth clenching the stem of his pipe, Ben knotted his brow at the fracas above, loud enough for the whole house to hear. He sent a stern look to his son at the top of the stairs. “That’s no way to talk to your sister, Joseph.”<\/p>\n

“Relax, Little Joe. We got plenty of time,” Hoss assured him.<\/p>\n

Joe trudged down to join the rest of the family. “How long does it take to put on a dress? She’s been up there two hours! Sheesh! What is her problem?”<\/p>\n

Adam repositioned himself in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. “She’s a girl, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for anyone except you, Joe.”<\/p>\n

“It certainly is a problem for me when she ties up the bath house for an hour when she knows I was planning to get in there first!”<\/p>\n

“Well, I can’t blame her for not wanting to take a bath after you.”<\/p>\n

Joe glared at him. “That’s right, Adam, take her side like always.”<\/p>\n

“No one’s taking sides,” said Ben. “But you should try to be a little more understanding, Joe. A young lady puts a lot of preparation into an evening like this. You should know that by now.”<\/p>\n

Hoss cleared his throat, rising quickly to his feet. The others followed suit, their eyes on the stairs.<\/p>\n

A sense of deja-vu warmed Ben as she approached, her head held high above a slender neck, her expression a mixture of indignation and amusement at her closest sibling before returning her father’s smile. Except for the dark curls, she was an approximation of the woman who captured his heart all those years ago in New Orleans. His throat ached with the memory, rendering him momentarily speechless.<\/p>\n

“I’m ready,” she announced.<\/p>\n

“Oh, no you’re not, Missy!”<\/p>\n

Jilly narrowed her eyes at Joe. “What’s that supposed to mean?”<\/p>\n

“Pa, you’re not gonna let her wear that dress, are you?”<\/p>\n

“And what’s wrong with my dress?”<\/p>\n

“There’s not enough of it, that’s what’s wrong with it!”<\/p>\n

“Is that so? Well, if I remember correctly, except for the color it’s a lot like the one Cindy Thompson wore to the picnic last month, and you seemed to like it just fine on her.”<\/p>\n

“Well, Cindy Thompson’s not my sister.”<\/p>\n

“Aye, there’s the rub,” said Adam.<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned. “There’s always at least one.”<\/p>\n

“Pa, you’re not going to make me change, are you?”<\/p>\n

His gaze shifted from Jilly’s pleading eyes to Joe’s scowl, then to his other sons. Hoss and Adam each proclaimed their neutrality with a shrug, no help at all. Without precedent, Ben took a deep breath and smiled at her. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said, adjusting her sleeves to cover her shoulders. “Have a good time. Don’t forget your wrap.” He kissed her on the cheek.<\/p>\n

“I knew you’d understand, Pa. You’re the best father in the whole world!” She threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off balance before turning to her tormentor with a triumphant smile. “Don’t just stand there, Joe\u2014you don’t want to be late, do you?<\/p>\n

He threw up his hands. “Okay, I give up. I cannot be responsible for you in that dress.”<\/p>\n

“And that suits me perfectly.”<\/p>\n

“Fine, you’re on your own then!” He followed her outside, turning in the doorway to address his father and brothers, his hands on his hips. “I can’t believe you three didn’t back me up…that hurts, you know?” He shook his head. “I’m really disappointed in you, Pa.”<\/p>\n

Ben winced at the not so gentle closing of the door. “Did I do the right thing?”<\/p>\n

“Don’t you worry none, Pa,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cMe and Adam have got it covered.”<\/p>\n

Adam picked up Jilly’s wrap and tossed it over his shoulder. “One way or another.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~*~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam took a deep breath, loosening his tie as the music faded behind him.\u00a0 The atmosphere inside was a little too close for his comfort, and the heat from the dance floor was the chaser to a scorching day which the night struggled to overcome.\u00a0 He had done his duty with all the eligible ladies of Virginia City at least twice, including Abigail Jones, so he felt this respite well-deserved.\u00a0 It was much more pleasant out here anyway, away from the crowd and the clamor.<\/p>\n

He stepped out into the street, illuminated to near daylight by a full moon.\u00a0 A lover\u2019s moon, he thought with a smile as he spotted a young couple on the corner engaged in a kiss.\u00a0 However, his smile faded as he drew closer and recognition set in.<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence.\u00a0 They both looked up, obviously startled.\u00a0 Even in the moonlight he could see the flush on his sister\u2019s face; Mitch Devlin looked like the proverbial fox caught in the henhouse, thoroughly embarrassed, and with good reason, Adam noted as he fixed him with a stare. “Excuse me, but I think the party is inside.”<\/p>\n

“Uh, we were just sayin\u2019 goodnight,” Mitch mumbled.<\/p>\n

“I think it\u2019s time we were all getting home. Jilly, you go tell the others. I\u2019ll be right behind you.”<\/p>\n

She looked apprehensively at Mitch, then at Adam. “All right\u2014goodnight, Mitch,” she said over her shoulder.<\/p>\n

“Goodnight, Jilly.”\u00a0 He turned to go.\u00a0 “\u2019Night, Adam.”<\/p>\n

“Hold it.”\u00a0 Adam stopped him with a hand on his arm, his fingers clenched firmly around it.<\/p>\n

“I like you, Mitch, always have.\u00a0 I think you\u2019re a pretty decent fellow, which is why I\u2019m not going to knock you through a wall\u2014though I might have good cause, judging from the state of things.”<\/p>\n

Shamefaced, Mitch fidgeted with his hat positioned in front of him. \u00a0\u00a0“I\u2019m sorry, Adam.”<\/p>\n

“Well, you certainly should be.\u00a0 \u00a0You may have forgotten, but Jilly is only fifteen.\u00a0 I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn\u2019t come along when I did.”<\/p>\n

“Adam, I admit, I lost my head for a minute, but I swear, I would never disrespect her!\u00a0 Joe\u2019s my best friend!”<\/p>\n

“You\u2019re lucky it was me who found you two and not him. You know what a temper he has.\u00a0 He would\u2019ve been all over you like black on a kettle, best friend or not.”\u00a0 Adam paused, stroking his chin as he considered another scenario. “Of course, that\u2019s nothin\u2019 compared to Hoss\u2026it takes a lot to get him riled, but I reckon this is the kind of thing that would do it.”\u00a0 His eyes narrowed.\u00a0 “Have you ever been on the losin\u2019 end of three hundred pounds of ‘mad’ with arms like tree stumps and fists like boulders comin\u2019 at ya?” Adam shuddered.\u00a0 “Trust me, Mitch. It\u2019s not a pretty sight.\u00a0 Are you all right?”<\/p>\n

By this time most of the color had drained from Mitch\u2019s face, replaced by a ghostly pallor.\u00a0 “Can I go home now?”<\/p>\n

“Of course you can, as long as we\u2019re clear on this.”<\/p>\n

“Per\u2026perfectly clear, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away quickly.\u00a0 “G\u2019night.”<\/p>\n

“You ready, Adam?”<\/p>\n

“Yeah, Hoss.”<\/p>\n

“Isn\u2019t that Mitch?\u00a0 Looks like he left his hat.”\u00a0 Hoss reached down and picked it up.\u00a0 “HEY MITCH! WAIT!\u00a0 YOU FORGOT\u2026Reckon why he\u2019s in such an all-fired hurry? And what\u2019s so dadburned funny?”<\/p>\n

Adam composed himself as Joe and Jilly approached. “I\u2019ll tell you later.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Up you go, Cinderella,” said Adam, helping his sister into the buggy.\u00a0 “You didn\u2019t happen to leave a slipper behind, did you?”<\/p>\n

“Very funny.”<\/p>\n

“Mitch left his hat,” said Hoss from the front seat.<\/p>\n

“Hey, where is Mitch, anyway?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see him when we left,” said Joe.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m pretty sure he went home,\u201d said Adam. “Didn\u2019t seem to be feeling too well.\u00a0 I think maybe he got a little overheated at the dance.”<\/p>\n

He watched Jilly from the corner of his eye as she adjusted her wrap, pretending not to hear, and he stifled a smile at the comical image of Mitch in retreat.\u00a0 There was no real harm done, and he meant to keep it that way.\u00a0 Enos Milford was looking for someone to saddle break some horses over at his ranch\u2014$12 a head plus room and board until the work was done, probably two or three weeks at least.\u00a0 Adam intended to pass that information along to Mitch, with the suggestion that he’d be the perfect man for the job.<\/p>\n

He leaned over and murmured, “You can stop worrying.\u00a0 I won\u2019t tell Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her relief was evident in her smile.\u00a0 “Thanks, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut,\u201d he held up his hand, “This is not free. You owe me. ”<\/p>\n

She frowned.\u00a0 “You\u2019re beginning to sound like Joe.”<\/p>\n

“You insult me.\u00a0 That\u2019s like comparing a master craftsman to his apprentice.”<\/p>\n

“All right, what do you want?”<\/p>\n

“Hmm, this is a big one. I\u2019ll have to think about it.”<\/p>\n

“Maybe I should just tell Pa myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

“That would be fun, wouldn’t it? Hey Hoss, can you pick up the pace? \u00a0I think Jilly\u2019s in a hurry to get home.”<\/p>\n

Joe snickered. “Is Cinderella afraid she might turn into a pumpkin if we don\u2019t get her home by midnight?”<\/p>\n

Jilly rested her head in her hands, groaning.\u00a0 “Oh, why do I have brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a complacent grin at the impish moon, Adam gave her shoulder a sympathetic pat.<\/p>\n

“Just plain lucky, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bonanza character acknowledgements:\u00a0 Lotta Crabtree appeared in “A Rose for Lotta” (Season 1) written by David Dortort. Mitch Devlin appeared in \u201cBetween Heaven and Earth\u201d (Season 6), written by Ed Adamson. Enos Milford appeared in \u201cThe Hayburner\u201d (Season 4), written by Alex Sharp.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a complete, up to date list of my stories, check out\u00a0<\/strong>JC’s Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 A too-pretty girl, a Saturday night dance, and a little moonlight mischief.\u00a0 Not to worry\u2014Adam’s got it covered. (Part of the Ties That Bind AU series)<\/p>\n

Rating: T\u00a0 (2870 words)<\/p>\n

Ties That Bind Series, links to stories of this series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10253,"featured_media":3736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1005,7,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-a-u","category-humor","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-4-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adamreading.jpg?fit=211%2C223&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15265","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\/10253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}