{"id":15849,"date":"2018-01-09T23:04:53","date_gmt":"2018-01-10T04:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15849"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:40:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:40:33","slug":"the-darker-angels-of-our-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15849","title":{"rendered":"The Darker Angels of Our Nature (by McFair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: An angel. A messenger. Sent to bring news, sometimes good, often bad. Which was this, the one who gazed at me? Had she come to reward or punish me? To return me to my family or cut me down as I deserved? Forgive me, Adam, Pa. Mama, forgive your little Joseph. If only, I had known\u2026.<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 for brutality and violence, minor torture, and some uncomfortable language.\u00a0 Story contains words in use by some people in the South during the 1860s such as ‘dusky’, ‘bright’, and so on when referring to African Americans.<\/p>\n

Word count: 71,074<\/p>\n

This story is set in season one of Bonanza and follows the airing dates of the first 18 episodes.\u00a0 It is a WHN for \u2018A House Divided\u2019.\u00a0 References are made to several of the earlier episodes including \u2018The Truckee Strip\u2019 in which a very young Joe Cartwright intended to marry Amy Bishop before her death.\u00a0 Some fans have placed \u2018A House Divided\u2019 in 1861 due to Frederick Kyle\u2019s mention of\u00a0 states seceding from the Union.\u00a0 What he actually indicates are that states are thinking of leaving the Union, not that they have.\u00a0 Due to this, I have placed this tale in 1859 very shortly after Kyle\u2019s initial appearance in Virginia City.<\/p>\n

The anachronistic use of a paraphrase of Lincoln\u2019s inaugural address as the title and quote are intentional.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Darker Angels of Our Nature<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.\u201d\u00a0 A. Lincoln<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One<\/p>\n

Late September, 1859<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey Adam!\u00a0 You seen Little Joe around here lately?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright paused with one hand on his saddle horn and the other in the stirrup.\u00a0 He\u2019d been getting ready to ride out of the yard with the intention of heading into town when he\u2019d heard the door to the house open.\u00a0 It could have been Pa instead of Hoss.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t have mattered.\u00a0 The question and his answer would have been the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out with those two new friends of his,\u201d he replied succinctly, while being only slightly successful at hiding the accompanying sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

The way middle brother wrinkled his nose with disgust when he asked made it look like Hoss had come upon a dung heap and mistaken it for a posy.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man removed his foot from the stirrup and turned to face him.\u00a0 \u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Little Joe see in them two anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Them two\u2019 being Val and Ab Latham. \u00a0They were twins, about Joe\u2019s age, and about as useless as a four card flush.\u00a0 He knew the minute he set eyes on the pair that hiring them had been a mistake.\u00a0 Pa was away and the current foreman, Jake Bowers, whom he\u2019d left in charge, had taken them on as he was in need of young muscle for a couple of jobs, including clearing out the residue of a collapse at one of the mines.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d given him that power, so there was nothing he could say.\u00a0 Well, that wasn\u2019t entirely true.\u00a0 He had said<\/em> a lot, it was just that the foreman didn\u2019t listen.<\/p>\n

Little Joe, of course, had taken to them in an instant.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a moth to flame,\u201d he muttered, not quite as under his breath as he thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou talkin\u2019 about little brother?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou think them two are gonna get him in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cOh, no.\u00a0 Joe doesn\u2019t need any one to \u2018get\u2019 him into trouble.\u00a0 He comes by it naturally.\u00a0 You remember how it was with Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss cocked his head.\u00a0 The gesture was comparable to him pulling back the trigger of a gun.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t you go bad-mouthin\u2019 mama, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held his hands up in a gesture of peace.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not.\u00a0 I assure you.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cWe knew Marie, what, all of six years?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man\u2019s lips pursed as he counted it up.\u00a0 \u201cPert near.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in that time how many times did she get trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 frown deepened.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t rightly remember her gettin\u2019 into no trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s dark brows winged heavenward.\u00a0 \u201cNo?\u00a0 What about that wild buggy ride that nearly killed her just after Pa brought her to the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shoved his hands into his pockets.\u00a0 A sure sign he was growing uneasy.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Adam, she couldn\u2019t help it none if the horse done got spooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horse Pa told her not to use?\u00a0 The one that wasn\u2019t ready for the harness?\u201d\u00a0 He paused, thinking.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what about the time Marie defied Pa and rode into Winnemucca\u2019s village because she wanted an Indian rug to hang over the stair rail and almost ended up being given to one of the chief\u2019s sons?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure was funny to see old Winnemucca\u2019s braves turn tale and run after they brought her back.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 smile died and he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI miss her somethin\u2019 fierce, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man nodded.\u00a0 He missed her too.\u00a0 But it was Little Joe who missed her the most of all, and mostly because he knew her the least<\/em> of all. \u00a0Joe had no memories of his own.\u00a0 Only theirs.\u00a0 He might have suckled at Marie\u2019s breast and known the beat of her heart, but he knew very little of her.<\/em><\/p>\n

Which could prove dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I am saying is that Little Joe gets caught up in the moment.\u00a0 He…leaps without looking, so to speak, and that leads to trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was nodding.\u00a0 \u201cAnd when he gets in trouble, he\u2019s too dang stubborn to admit he needs help, and so he just digs himself in even deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 His lips twitched with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was gazing south.\u00a0 Adam wondered if he knew more about where Little Joe was than he was telling him.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think them two is trouble?\u00a0 Ab and Val?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, speak your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did it with a little shrug.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re from the South.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked stunned.\u00a0 Then he rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I thought we agreed we weren\u2019t gonna take no sides.\u00a0 I thought we put all that behind us when that sorry son-of-a-snake Frederick Kyle rode out of town last month.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSo did I.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze went to the south-east, beyond their father\u2019s lands and past the New Mexico territory, through Texas and on into the southern states.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m not so sure Little Joe has.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you two had words again?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Adam\u2019s turn to grimace.\u00a0 Had they had \u2018words\u2019?<\/p>\n

He\u2019d never told his father or his middle brother, but that day he\u2019d been ready to ride off and leave the Ponderosa behind had been just about the worst in his life.\u00a0 He and Little Joe had sparred that<\/em> day \u2013 to his everlasting shame \u2013 before the corpse of Frederick Kyle\u2019s wife had had time to grow cold. \u00a0It was bad, but that wouldn\u2019t have been enough to make him leave.\u00a0 He and Joe had gotten into it later in the barn as they stabled their horses.\u00a0 Joe had taken his \u2018Northerner\u2019s\u2019 opinion of the South and southerners as a personal slight against his southern-born mother, Marie.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s attack had been instant and actually rather well-thought out, dragging up old pain and reopening scars he had long thought healed.\u00a0 In retaliation he had said things to Joe \u00a0about Marie, things about where she came from and her…dubious beginnings….\u00a0 Things he would regret until his dying day.\u00a0 That\u2019s what he\u2019d meant when he\u2019d told his Pa, \u2018Things can\u2019t be the same between us.\u00a0 There\u2019s no other way.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 <\/em>Good old Pa, he\u2019d made <\/em>another way.<\/p>\n

But the rift was still there.<\/p>\n

Oh, he and Joe pretended it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 And they were good at it \u2013 pretending.\u00a0 They worked together.\u00a0 They even played together.\u00a0 They sat together at the table and in the church pew, but they weren\u2019t…together.<\/p>\n

Maybe they never would be again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re awful quiet, Adam,\u201d Hoss said softly.<\/p>\n

He sniffed and ran a finger under his nose and then turned back to Sport.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDamned changeable weather.\u00a0 Think I\u2019m catching a cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss wasn\u2019t fooled, of course, but he pretended he was.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou think I oughta go lookin\u2019 for baby brother?\u201d the big man asked.<\/p>\n

Baby<\/em> brother.\u00a0 Little Joe would turn nineteen in about a month\u2019s time.\u00a0 He\u2019d matured a lot in the last year, since the whole thing with Julia Bulette and Amy Bishop\u2019s death.\u00a0 Joseph Francis Cartwright was an intelligent, intuitive, incorrigible, incredible bundle of anger and joy mixed with a thousand other contradictions that stood poised on the brink of manhood.<\/p>\n

There was only one problem with the brink \u2013 one nudge the wrong way and a man went over the edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah,\u201d he said as he settled into the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m heading out anyway.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see if I can find him.\u00a0 I think Jake assigned Ab and Val to one of the mining crews.\u00a0 I\u2019ll head over that way and see if I can find them.\u00a0 Sad to say, Little Joe\u2019s probably with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss caught hold of Sport\u2019s reins and held him back.\u00a0 \u201cYou think them two are fillin\u2019 Joe\u2019s head with that there rebel nonsense, \u2018cause of his mama bein\u2019 from the South.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Their Pa had never said, but it was pretty likely the de Marigny\u2019s had slaves.\u00a0\u00a0 Living in Louisiana, it would have been unusual if they hadn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d been too young when Marie was alive to consider asking her about it.\u00a0 He wondered now if she would have believed owning another human being was acceptable.<\/p>\n

Could her son?<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I think I better go with you,\u201d Hoss said, his tone concerned.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re thinkin\u2019 too much for your own good.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna fall off of that horse or hit your head on a low-lyin\u2019 branch or somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go. Little Joe and I need to…clear the air about a few things.\u00a0 Maybe this will give us the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was silent a moment, then he asked, \u201cAdam, what happened between you two that day after you went for each other?\u00a0 What was it made you think you and Little Joe couldn\u2019t live under the same roof?\u201d<\/p>\n

It humbled him still to think it had been Joe who had offered the olive branch to him \u2013 after all that he\u2019d said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just figured there wasn\u2019t room enough for both our big heads.\u201d\u00a0 Adam made a kissing noise as disentangled Hoss\u2019s fingers and backed his horse away from his brother.\u00a0 \u201cPa should be home soon.\u00a0 Don\u2019t tell him where I\u2019ve gone or why.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be mad enough to eat the Devil with his horns on when he realizes Joe went off without his permission.\u00a0 Just let him think he\u2019s out mending fences or something.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure \u2018nuff.\u00a0\u00a0 You find little brother, Adam, and you haul that skinny little hiney of his back here.\u00a0 You hear me?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you let him go and give you none of his guff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam crossed his heart with his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cThough, if you don\u2019t mind, I think I\u2019ll haul all<\/em> of him back here and not just his skinny little hiney.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come?\u00a0 It\u2019s the only thing Pa needs to take to the woodshed,\u201d Hoss said with a wink.<\/p>\n

Poor Joe, Adam thought as he let his horse take the lead.<\/p>\n

So much for being grown-up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So much for being grown-up.<\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright felt as green as spring grass.\u00a0 Laughter followed him to the river as he ran to it and dunked his head, surfacing and spluttering as the icy cold water ran from his spiraling curls into his eyes and nose.\u00a0 It had been all he could think of to do.<\/p>\n

That, or he could\u2019ve laid on the ground and puked his guts out.<\/p>\n

It had all started out innocently enough.\u00a0 Ab and Val were good guys in spite of what his stone-cold blue-blooded Yankee brother thought.\u00a0 They knew Adam wanted to fire them and they\u2019d all had a good laugh as Val described Adam\u2019s face when Jake said he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 If it had stopped at that he would have been fine, but it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Ab, who was the older twin by about ten minutes, had gone on about New England women and feeling the frost down south and Val had joined right in makin\u2019 references to Adam\u2019s mother and how she must of thawed at least once.<\/p>\n

Now, that didn\u2019t set right with him.\u00a0 After all, he and Adam had nearly come to blows after Adam said, well, what he said about his<\/em> mother.<\/p>\n

Val, who was closer to his age by that ten minutes, seemed to get a sense that they\u2019d gone too far and that was when he pulled out a bottle of coffin varnish and passed it around and, well, bein\u2019 a man, he couldn\u2019t rightly turn it down as it went round and round.<\/p>\n

And then the world started goin\u2019 round and round.<\/p>\n

And he ended up at the river.<\/p>\n

It was gettin\u2019 dark and the sun was setting.\u00a0 It must have been nigh onto seven and he was gonna get it good for missin\u2019 supper when he got home.\u00a0\u00a0 Unless Pa was still away.\u00a0 Adam would lecture him, but he wouldn\u2019t really care.<\/p>\n

Of course, there was Hop Sing to consider. \u00a0When it came to missin\u2019 a meal, Pa paled in comparison.<\/p>\n

A shadow fell across him as Joe looked up through the fringe of sodden brown curls that dangled in front of his eyes.\u00a0 It took him a second to recognize Ab.\u00a0 Bein\u2019 twins, Ab and Val looked just alike.\u00a0 Both had long, lean faces and a scrub of beard his pa would have tanned his hide for not shaving.\u00a0 Both had pale blue eyes and sandy eyebrows and hair the color of a buckskin in winter.\u00a0 Sitting in the middle of both brothers\u2019 faces was a boney nose that flared at the end. \u00a0\u00a0But it was there the similarities ended.\u00a0 Val always had an easy way about him and a ready smile.<\/p>\n

Ab near always looked like he was sizing you up and considering whether or not to shoot you.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like Val was wrong,\u201d Ab droned in that lazy southern way of his.\u00a0 \u201cGeneral Lee don\u2019t need no sissy boy what can\u2019t hold his liquor in his ranks.\u00a0 Then again \u2013 seein\u2019 as how you\u2019ve had it so easy \u2013 them Yankees would fill you so full of holes the first time you stepped on a battlefield, it\u2019d come leakin\u2019 out right soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was thinking about it.\u00a0 Going with them to defend his mama\u2019s home and way of life.<\/p>\n

Or he had <\/em>been.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou take that back,\u201d Joe growled between chattering teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr what, sissy <\/em>boy?\u201d Ab snorted as he lifted the near-empty bottle to his lips and took a deep drink.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna do somethin\u2019 about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He might be chilled to the bone, but he was also steaming.\u00a0 Here, he\u2019d thought these men were his friends.\u00a0 But now they were…well…\u00a0 Joe drew a deep breath and held it against his rising anger.<\/p>\n

They were drunk as a skunk just like he was and probably had no idea what they were saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave him alone, Ab,\u201d he heard Val remark.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t say somethin\u2019 you\u2019ll regret later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab stared down at him for several heartbeats.\u00a0 Then his face broke into a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou oughta see your face, Cartwright!\u201d the blond snorted as he reached out a hand to help him up.<\/p>\n

Once he had a head building, it was nearly impossible to blow it off.\u00a0 Still, he tried.\u00a0 Joe drew several more deep breaths and reached out \u2013 only to have Ab take his hand and shove him backwards so he ended butt-down in the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t that college-educated brother of yours ever tell you the first rule of war is that its based on deception?\u201d Ab laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNever let your enemy know what you\u2019re thinkin\u2019.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I was your enemy!\u201d Joe countered sharply.<\/p>\n

Ab sneered as he lifted the bottle to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t signed up yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val was pushing past his brother.\u00a0 \u201cHere, Joe, let me give you a hand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ab stopped him.\u00a0 \u201cLeave him be, little brother.\u00a0 Cartwright\u2019s got some thinkin\u2019 to do.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The older twin pinned him his pale, cold eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWe leave day after tomorrow for Virginia.\u00a0 You need to decide if you\u2019re comin\u2019 with us or not \u2013 if you are a true son of the South or not \u2013 or if livin\u2019 among all them Yankees has made you soft as a snake\u2019s underbelly and good for nothin\u2019 but some blue coat wipin\u2019 his feet clean on you.\u201d\u00a0 The blond paused and then asked, \u201cYou ever killed anyone, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I could kill you now\u2019<\/em>, Joe thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure I have,\u201d he snarled and then instantly felt guilty for feeling proud of it.<\/p>\n

Ab was looking at him, but it seemed he was also looking through<\/em> him to some distant place.\u00a0 \u201cThe fields will run red with Yankee blood, Joe.\u00a0 It\u2019s the only way.\u00a0 Those northerners want to destroy our way of life \u2013 the life your<\/em> mama loved.\u00a0 We have to keep it safe.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sacred trust.\u201d\u00a0 The pale man\u2019s eyes sought him out.\u00a0 \u201cYou think about that, Cartwright.\u00a0 You think about your mama.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAb, come on.\u201d\u00a0 Val was pulling at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 You\u2019re drunk as a peach orchard sow .\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab stumbled a bit as he gave in to his brother.\u00a0 He went a few paces and then turned back and saluted.\u00a0 Joe began to right himself as the two brothers headed for their horses.\u00a0 Ab mounted and so did Val just as he cleared the muddy bank and headed for them.\u00a0 Then, Ab did something he hadn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n

He pulled his gun and shot it off, sending Cochise flying toward the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019 like a nice long walk to give a man time to think,\u201d Ab said as he and Val rode away and his voice receded into the growing darkness.\u00a0 \u201cJohnny Reb will be here waitin\u2019 for you tomorrow, Cartwright, if you got the balls to put on the gray.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood in the doorway of his elegant timber home watching as his middle boy slowly walked an elegant golden brown horse in circles around the yard.\u00a0 \u00a0She was favoring her left foreleg after a mishap where she bolted and took her rider into a fence.\u00a0 The mare couldn\u2019t really be blamed.\u00a0 There had been a disagreement about a bet that had been placed on how quickly Charlie could break her.\u00a0 One of the hands had become angry and drawn his gun.\u00a0 It had gone off unexpectedly.\u00a0 Needless to say that<\/em> man was no longer employed on the Ponderosa, and the rest of them had been severely reprimanded after being reminded that no gambling was permitted on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Leaving the porch, the older man approached his son and asked, \u201cHow\u2019s she doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 face lit with a brilliant smile.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s just about happy as a fly in a current pie, Pa.\u00a0 That leg of hers is gonna be fine in a day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope the same can be said for Charlie,\u201d he said with a wry smile.\u00a0 Their hand had broken his leg when he went flying into the fence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope so, Pa,\u201d his son replied, sobering.\u00a0 \u201cI sure wouldn\u2019t want to have to put Charlie down.\u201d\u00a0 A moment later, the smile returned.\u00a0 \u201cThen again, maybe he\u2019s just buckin\u2019 for a cushy job.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time he laughed out loud.\u00a0 Charlie was one of their best wranglers and bronco riders.\u00a0 Getting him to take a \u2018cushy\u2019 job would be tantamount to getting Little Joe out of bed in the morning without a battle royale.<\/p>\n

Joseph….<\/p>\n

Ben looked at the stable and then to the path leading up to the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, where exactly are your brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had bent down and was checking the mare\u2019s leg.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look at him.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe was out mendin\u2019 fences last I heard.\u00a0 Adam was headed to town.\u00a0 He said he\u2019d stop by and tell Joe it was time to head home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher eyed the setting sun.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how long ago was this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, his son didn\u2019t move.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t right sure, Pa.\u00a0 Four, maybe five o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, put the mare\u2019s leg down and look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched his giant of a son grimace and then do as he was told.\u00a0 Hoss wiped his hands on his brown pants as he came toward him.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhat aren\u2019t<\/em> you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n

From the time he\u2019d been a little boy, Hoss had always made faces.\u00a0 Sometimes they were comical.\u00a0 At other times, heart-wrenching.\u00a0 The one he favored him with now was somewhere in-between.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Pa, it\u2019s like this, there ain\u2019t really anythin\u2019 to tell.\u00a0 Little Joe weren\u2019t home yet and Adam went to fetch him.\u201d\u00a0 Those mountain spring clear blue eyes met his.\u00a0 \u201cIf you remember right, Pa, you told Little Joe that south fence needed mendin\u2019.\u00a0 Adam figured he\u2019d gone out there and…\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s dark eyebrow peaked.\u00a0 \u201cFigured?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss gulped.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid your brother go out to mend fences or not?\u00a0 Surely he told you before he left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s the problem, Pa.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t neither one of us see him go off.\u00a0 Little Joe just sort of \u2013 go\u2019d, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he knew what he meant.\u00a0 Joseph had some burr under his saddle and he\u2019d flown off the handle yet again.<\/p>\n

What was he going to do with that boy?<\/p>\n

Ben corrected himself.\u00a0\u00a0 Joseph was almost nineteen.<\/p>\n

Young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t sore, are you, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked, sounding and looking like that cherubic-faced little boy he remembered so well.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the sun.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t quite set yet.\u00a0 There was still time for both of his sons to make a late supper.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 At least not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He was finding out that it was a mighty long way back to the Ponderosa on foot.<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t sure exactly how far he and the Lathams had been out from the ranch when they parted.\u00a0 Seven, maybe eight miles at most he guessed.\u00a0 On a bright sunny day he could have done it in two, maybe three hours, but it wasn\u2019t sunny, it was night and black as pitch and he had to watch every step he took since his steps were, well, less than straight.\u00a0 He\u2019d flown out of the yard in a hurry without eating, anxious to be on his way before Hoss or Adam could ask him where he was going.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t lie.\u00a0 Well, he didn\u2019t like<\/em> to lie and really didn\u2019t do it much.\u00a0 He just made it a habit of kind of not telling the whole truth when it suited his purposes.<\/p>\n

Like when he was meeting up with a couple of men who were trying to talk him into signing up to fight for Frederick Kyle\u2019s grand \u2018Cause\u2019.<\/p>\n

The whole thing with Kyle had left him confused.\u00a0 The man had seemed genuine enough.\u00a0\u00a0 Even with how it ended, Joe found it hard to fault a man for standing up for somethin\u2019 he believed in so strongly.\u00a0\u00a0 While they\u2019d been together, wooing the mine owners, he and Fred \u2013 that\u2019s what Kyle said to call him \u2013 had time to talk.\u00a0 Fred explained that what northerners said wasn\u2019t true.\u00a0 The war wasn\u2019t about slavery. \u00a0It was about the threat to a way of life that was centuries old.\u00a0 There wouldn\u2019t be a United States without the South, he\u2019d told him.\u00a0 After all, it was a southern state \u2013 Virginia \u2013 that had first proposed \u00a0independence.<\/p>\n

How could her cause be wrong now?<\/p>\n

As Joe plodded along, ruminating, he was seized with a sudden desire to escape it all.\u00a0 He was so torn up inside he didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 He loved his family.\u00a0 He loved the life he led.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to be anywhere else.<\/p>\n

But.<\/p>\n

But there was somethin\u2019 in him that called him to the place his mama had called \u2018home\u2019.\u00a0 The people in Virginia City, they liked to call him names.\u00a0 Kids mostly, but sometimes the grown-ups did it too.\u00a0 \u2018Course, the only time they did it was when they thought he couldn\u2019t hear.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t count the number of times he\u2019d gotten into a fight over some hurtful word hurled his way like a knife meant to cut deep.\u00a0 Pa always said words couldn\u2019t hurt you.\u00a0 That you had to be a man and grow strong enough they\u00a0 bounced right off of you.\u00a0 \u00a0But Pa was a Yankee too.\u00a0 He was like Adam in some ways; like a great granite boulder that nothing could touch.\u00a0 He wished he was more like his pa.<\/p>\n

It was Pa always told him he was like his mama.<\/p>\n

Joe halted in place as he felt a drop of moisture hit his nose.\u00a0 He looked up at the sky and saw a change coming.\u00a0 A bank of black clouds had moved in and it looked like they were going to have one of those cold late September rains.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat.\u00a0 Just great,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSo much for God looking out for drunks and fools.\u201d<\/p>\n

A he pulled the collar of his coat up more tightly about his throat, Joe looked around.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much either way.\u00a0 A small pile of rocks to his left with a bit of an overhang about three feet off the ground offered the best possibility of shelter.<\/p>\n

Sniffling \u2013 and shuffling \u2013 the weary young man left the road.\u00a0 Dropping to his knees, he squeezed his thin frame into the opening and was asleep before he knew it.<\/p>\n

So fast, in fact, that he missed the brown bay that went riding past not five minutes later with his oldest brother on its back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWO<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright sat bolt upright as the front door to the ranch house opened.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t realize he had fallen asleep in the chair before the fire.\u00a0 The blanket laying across his legs was mute testimony to the fact that he\u2019d been there so long Hop Sing had crept in and covered him up against the chill.\u00a0 The fire had been banked but it was still alive, which was a good thing since the sound of the rain on the roof indicated the shower that had finally arrived was a hard one.\u00a0 Shifting, he looked toward the door, eager to see his two boys no matter how angry he was at the younger one.<\/p>\n

He was sorely disappointed to see only his eldest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d he asked as he rose.<\/p>\n

It was Adam\u2019s turn to start.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Pa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know you were there.\u201d\u00a0 After he hung his hat and coat, his son turned back to him, the expression on his handsome face halfway between troubled and a smile.\u00a0 \u201cThough I could have guessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked past him.\u00a0 \u201cIs Joseph in the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

The half-smile vanished.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Worry wrinkled his brow.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean Joe\u2019s out there \u2013 in this?\u201d\u00a0 Adam was soaked to the skin.\u00a0 His son shivered as he watched.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cForgive me,\u201d he said, heading toward him.\u00a0 \u201cCome.\u00a0 You need to sit by the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam ran a hand through his wet hair and then followed him to the area of the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s cold out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas your brother wearing a coat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa,\u201d he said as he sat on the stones so his back was to the fire.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t see him leave.\u00a0 Neither did Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

His youngest was notorious for heading out of the door ill-equipped for the weather.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s just hope Little Joe found a safe harbor somewhere that\u2019s dry until he can make the ride home.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a long time since he had pneumonia and I\u2019d like to keep it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s smarter than he was when he was a kid,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cOr at least I think he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took a seat.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is that supposed to mean?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips were pursed.\u00a0 His mind was somewhere other than where he was.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSon?\u201d<\/p>\n

His oldest glanced up.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t find Joe, but I did find Ab and Val.\u00a0 They were drunk.\u00a0 When I asked, they said they\u2019d spent some time with Joe but they didn\u2019t know where he\u2019d gone after they split up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAb and Val?\u201d\u00a0 Ben felt the steam building.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe was with Aberdeen\u00a0 and Valentine Latham?\u00a0 If you knew \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Adam winced.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss and I didn\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 We…suspected.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s been spending a lot of time with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn spite of my telling him not to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cProbably because <\/em>you told him not to, Pa,\u201d he answered with a lop-sided grin.<\/p>\n

Ben crossed his arms.\u00a0 \u201cI take it you find this amusing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, no.\u201d\u00a0 Adam held up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s just, at that age.\u00a0 I mean, how old were you when you struck out on your own?\u00a0 Twenty?\u00a0 Joe\u2019s nearly there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I know your brother is nearly the same age but, Joseph is….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a child, Pa.\u00a0 Much as you or I may think it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cOr want<\/em> it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did he?\u00a0 Did he want his youngest to remain just that \u2013 young?\u00a0 Was he unable to surrender the last tie to the \u2018boy\u2019 he loved so \u2013 unwilling to see him as a man?<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that.<\/p>\n

The rancher drew in a breath.\u00a0 It was hard to admit, but it had to be said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid, I\u2019ve spoiled your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam blinked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve…spoiled him.\u00a0 I\u2019ve regretted so how hard you and Hoss had to work.\u00a0 How neither of you had a childhood.\u00a0 I wanted to make sure Joseph did, and it seems I may have done him a disservice in doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was quiet for so long he was afraid he agreed.<\/p>\n

Finally, his eldest blew out a little breath.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I admit Joe has been…indulged in some ways.\u00a0 You\u2019ve let him get by with things that would have left Hoss or I unable to sit for weeks.\u00a0 But,\u201d he held a hand up to stifle his response, \u2018he\u2019s not spoiled.\u00a0 He\u2019s a good kid.\u201d\u00a0 Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cA good man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cEven if he defied me to spend time with the Latham brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s not thirteen anymore, Pa. \u00a0None of us can tell him who to spend his time with.\u00a0 We can only…encourage him to choose the right company.\u201d<\/p>\n

He considered for a moment whether or not to say what was on his mind.\u00a0 In the end, he didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 Adam said it for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re worried because they\u2019re from the South.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cYour brother came home when Frederick Kyle left.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure….\u00a0 If Kyle hadn\u2019t left, well, I\u2019m not certain your brother might not still have been under his spell.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s \u00a0last words to me on the subject of where he belonged were \u2018I think<\/em> I know that now,\u2019 when I told him his place was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat trump card of handing Joe Marie\u2019s portrait did a lot of damage.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ever figure out how he came by it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Joseph.\u00a0 He said Kyle told him he\u2019d had it many years.\u00a0 He said he knew Marie.\u201d\u00a0 Ben thumbed his chin.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not so sure he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one thing, he was from Kansas, not New Orleans.\u00a0 And from what I was able to find out about him, his life was there and it was there he did most of \u00a0his rabblerousing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they knew each other when Marie was young.\u00a0 She looked young in the portrait.\u00a0 Like a girl.\u00a0 And her hair was darker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u00a0 But if you ask my opinion, Frederick Kyle is a zealot who would use any and every means he has at his disposal to get what he wanted.\u00a0 I asked your brother if Kyle ever said anything personal relating to his mother.\u00a0 Your brother\u2019s\u00a0 answer was only that Marie had been a \u2018gracious and beautiful woman.\u2019\u00a0 Anyone could have said that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you think he got the portrait from someone else?\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone who knew Little Joe was her son and sent Kyle looking for him?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was his fear.\u00a0 Most likely it was an unfounded one, but then again, when it came to Joseph most times his intuitions proved correct.<\/p>\n

Adam stood.\u00a0 \u201cI better go back out.\u00a0 If someone\u2019s targeted him \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Adam, don\u2019t go off half-cocked.\u00a0 I could be….\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s voice died away as the front door opened again and Hoss blew in with a chill wind.\u00a0 He expected his middle son to remove his coat and hat as well, but he just stood there.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just brought Cochise in,\u201d the big man replied, his crisp blue eyes narrowed with worry.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe weren\u2019t with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was one of the most miserable nights Little Joe Cartwright had ever spent in his life.\u00a0\u00a0 Oh, he\u2019d been soaked before \u2013 plenty of times \u2013 but those were times he remembered with joy.\u00a0 Him and his family camping out when a sudden cloudburst took them unawares.\u00a0 He and his brothers going fishin\u2019 and ending up walkin\u2019 home in the rain.\u00a0 That time him and mama went berry picking and ended up taking shelter in a cave until Pa came and rescued them with lots of hugs and kisses.<\/p>\n

This time he was alone.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t good at bein\u2019 alone.\u00a0 He yelled about it enough, tellin\u2019 everyone that he wanted to be, but he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Not really.<\/p>\n

When he was alone he had too much time to think, and that wasn\u2019t a good thing since his thinkin\u2019 was as much of a battlefield as sleepin\u2019 was.\u00a0\u00a0 Just like in his bed, everything pulled away from the edges and got twisted and turned around him so that he couldn\u2019t find a way free.\u00a0 That was what had happened just a few minutes before.\u00a0 It was just before dawn and he\u2019d started out walking again, headed for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He\u2019d covered about a half-mile when he stopped in his tracks.\u00a0 He knew<\/em> what waited for him if he went back to his father\u2019s house.\u00a0 He\u2019d be scolded like a little boy and sent to bed without any supper.\u00a0 His pa would lay the law down, saddlin\u2019 him with chores and what-not, while his older brothers snickered behind his back and agreed with his father that he couldn\u2019t be trusted to clean the snot out of his own nose.\u00a0 Pa would forbid him to go into town and tell him he couldn\u2019t see his friends, and life would go on as it always did with Joseph Francis Cartwright as everyone\u2019s whipping boy.<\/p>\n

Joe drew a deep breath and turned his feet in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

Or, he could walk away.\u00a0 Just plain walk away and never go back.\u00a0 He could go somewhere else \u2013 somewhere where he wasn\u2019t anyone\u2019s baby boy or brother; where they took him for what they saw and saw that he was a man.<\/p>\n

It was mighty tempting.<\/p>\n

With a shake of his head to dislodge the still wet curls than dangled there, Joe reached into his pocket and drew out the portrait of his mother Fred had given him.\u00a0 She looked awful young in it.\u00a0 Not quite his age.\u00a0 He wondered what she had been like then.\u00a0 From everything his pa had told him it was a sure bet she had been headstrong and completely sure she knew what she wanted \u2013 which at that time was marrying Jean de Marigny.\u00a0 Joe let his fingers trace the fine lines of the face he wished he remembered.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d come to regret that decision soon enough, after Jean\u2019s family poisoned him so he turned his back on her.<\/p>\n

Just like he\u2019d regret turning his back on his family.<\/p>\n

Joe bit his lip and sucked in a breath.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 If he was going to leave, he\u2019d do it honest.\u00a0 He\u2019d tell his pa to his face and let him have a goodbye.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t be much of a man if he slunk off in the night like a coward, as if he was ashamed of what he was doing.<\/p>\n

Now, would he?<\/p>\n

With one last glance at the portrait, Joe tucked it back inside his shirt where it would be safe and then turned his feet north again.\u00a0 It was at that moment that he heard the rig coming.<\/p>\n

It was a moment too late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam had just left the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he found his father buckling on his gun belt and reaching for his hat.\u00a0\u00a0 The older man was already wearing his coat.\u00a0 The black-haired man\u2019s hazel eyes flicked to the scene just outside the opened front door and then back to the determined older man.<\/p>\n

It was still dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, what are you doing?\u201d he asked after he swallowed the half-piece of bacon he \u2018d bitten off.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to look for your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father looked at him the same way his English professor had the first time he\u2019d used \u2018ain\u2019t\u2019 in a sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not unaware of the hour of the day.\u00a0 Your brother didn\u2019t vanish just outside the door.\u00a0 By the time I get to the last place we knew Joseph was, it will be light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rain probably washed away most of the tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s hand was on the latch.\u00a0 He pivoted back.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what do you suggest?\u00a0 I abandon your brother to those fates you are so fond of?\u201d<\/p>\n

That <\/em>stung.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 I just meant…why don\u2019t you wait on Hoss?\u00a0 He can track a snake\u2019s trail on a sand dune.\u00a0 If anyone can find Joe, it\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just who<\/em> do you think taught your brother to track?\u201d his father snapped. \u00a0A second later the older man passed a hand over his face. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried about your brother.\u00a0 He could be injured.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried a smile.\u00a0 \u201cMore likely he\u2019s footsore and more than a little bit mortified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise might have thrown him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see no evidence of that , Pa.\u201d Hoss said as he descended the stair to join them.\u00a0 \u201cThe saddle and cinch looked fine.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t see no signs of anythin\u2019 out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept your brother\u2019s horse without your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was that,\u201d Hoss admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Pa,\u201d Adam tried.\u00a0 \u201cI just came from the kitchen. Hop Sing has a hot breakfast ready to put on the table.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t want to start a civil war all of our own here on the Ponderosa, I would suggest you put off leaving long enough to eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat bacon smells mighty good, Pa,\u201d the big man beside him said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise, once we eat, all three of us will go look for Joe.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d\u00a0 Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, what difference can an hour or two make?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAn hour or two will make no difference,\u201d the gray-haired woman proclaimed as she took her seat in the carriage, her voice stiff and indifferent as the starched white petticoats she smoothed as she spoke.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomeone will come along to help.\u00a0 We can\u2019t get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret had not let her get out of the rig.\u00a0 Sarah was sitting on the padded seat at the back, her knuckles white where they gripped its open side.\u00a0 The light was just dawning and it was hard to see, but she could just make out the crumpled form of the man they had hit that lay beside the road.\u00a0 Maggie\u2019s husband, Thomas, was with him.\u00a0 The older man had been pushing the team hard, seeking to make up for time they had lost in the storm.\u00a0 They\u2019d come around a blind curve and he\u2019d just been standing there, in the middle of the road.\u00a0 She\u2019d never forget the sound it made when the carriage wheel caught him and he screamed.\u00a0 Her body still shook with the thought of the pain-filled cry.\u00a0 She\u2019d been afraid he was dead until she saw the older man rise and nod, indicating whoever it was, was still alive.<\/p>\n

Turning, Sarah caught the arm of the stern woman sitting next to her.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t get involved?\u00a0 We are <\/em>involved!\u00a0 We\u2019re responsible, for goodness sake!\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret Spencer was a pretty lady.\u00a0 Or she had been before she\u2019d forgotten what it was to laugh.\u00a0 \u00a0A persistent fear pinched the skin about her big brown eyes and creased the ends of her once full lips, turning them down in a perpetual frown.<\/p>\n

It had only gotten worse since they had taken her in.<\/p>\n

The older woman sighed.\u00a0 Her head dipped and then she turned to look at her.\u00a0 \u201cYou know you can\u2019t be seen.\u00a0 I told Thomas it was wrong to bring you out in the buggy, but he insisted.\u00a0 A \u2018nice jaunt in the country\u2019, he said.\u00a0 What could be the harm in that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah was peering through the dark, trying to see the man they\u2019d hit.\u00a0 She\u2019d caught a glimpse of him earlier and he looked young \u2013 maybe younger than she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t leave him out here!\u00a0 He\u2019s someone\u2019s son!\u00a0 Maybe even someone\u2019s husband and father!\u201d \u00a0She paused, knowing she tread on thin ice.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if that was Evan lying there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not mention my son\u2019s name!\u201d the older woman snapped.\u00a0 She drew a deep breath and held it.\u00a0 A little air came out with each word as she spoke.\u00a0 \u201cI am only thinking of your own good, Sarah.\u00a0 We have no idea who this young man is.\u00a0 What if he\u2019s…one of them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah bit her lip.\u00a0 She thought fast and furiously.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if I promise not to see him?\u00a0 I\u2019ll stay hidden for as long as he\u2019s with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, you can\u2019t \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u00a0 Yes, I can!\u201d\u00a0 She gripped the older woman\u2019s arm with both gloved hands.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, we can\u2019t leave him to die.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be…\u201d\u00a0 Sarah paused, thinking of something to tip the scales in her favor.\u00a0 \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret Spencer blinked and coughed.\u00a0 The ice didn\u2019t break, but it definitely began to thaw.\u00a0 \u201cChild,\u201d she said, \u201cI feel for the young man as much as you, but our <\/em>welfare must come first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both turned to find Maggie\u2019s husband had come alongside the rig.\u00a0 Without preamble, he said, \u201cI know the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stern woman stiffened as Sarah asked, \u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

He answered her, but continued to look at her companion.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest son.\u00a0 We can\u2019t leave him here to die.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to take him home with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 Leave Sarah here with me.\u00a0 You can take him to the Ponderosa and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis leg\u2019s injured, Maggie. \u00a0It\u2019s bleeding badly.\u00a0 He needs attention now and our place is much closer than \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The older man reached in and placed his hand on his wife\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cMaggie, no one knows Sarah is here.\u00a0 All she has to do it remain hidden until the boy\u2019s family can come to get him.\u00a0 It will be one day.\u00a0 Maybe two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it.\u00a0 Please!\u00a0 You have to help him!\u201d Sarah pleaded.<\/p>\n

Thomas Spencer\u2019s gaze was steady.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the right thing to do, Mags.\u00a0 It would be even if I didn\u2019t<\/em> owe Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scowl remained firmly planted on the older woman\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWhere will you put him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn back with Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 You can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out of his head with pain, Maggie.\u00a0\u00a0 Even if he sees her, the boy will think it\u2019s part of a dream when he wakes.\u00a0 Now, come on, I need help to get him to the carriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Margaret failed to move, Sarah did.\u00a0 As she left the rig, her companion\u2019s hand caught her wrist.\u00a0 \u201cNot a word,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n

With a nod, Sarah finished her descent and went to help.<\/p>\n

The sight of the young man\u2019s body, twisted, and lying in the mud as if no one cared, nearly broke her heart.\u00a0 In spite of Margaret\u2019s warnings, Sarah leaned down and placed a hand alongside his muddy and bloodied face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s his name?\u201d she asked, her voice a breath on the wind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s Joseph,\u201d the older man said as he set about securing the injured man\u2019s leg so they could move him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, \u201c she whispered as she shifted a lock of tangled brown curls off of his brow, which\u00a0 was wrinkled with pain.\u00a0 Then she said it again, louder.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

A little moan was her answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u00a0 You\u2019re going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He moaned again, and then his long eyelashes fluttered.\u00a0 Finally, his eyes opened on a world filled with pain.<\/p>\n

They were startlingly green.<\/p>\n

As he lifted a hand toward her, he breathed, \u201cMama…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Catching his hand, Sarah pressed it between her own as she said,\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 My name is…Sarah.\u00a0 The Spencers and I…found you beside the road.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to be all right.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah….\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced at the man who had taken her in.\u00a0 He shrugged and then continued in what he was doing, drawing a startled cry from the younger man as he shifted his leg so he could bind it between two branches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joseph.\u00a0 We have to make sure your leg is secure before we can move you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo….\u201d<\/p>\n

She shifted so she was seated on the ground beside him.\u00a0 \u201dWe do.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 We \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Just…Joe.\u00a0 Pa only…calls me…\u2019Joseph\u2019 when he\u2019s…mad….\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears were streaming down her cheeks.\u00a0 She turned to Thomas Spencer.\u00a0 \u201cWill he be all right?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

The older man shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI can take care of his leg, but there\u2019s no knowing if he\u2019s torn up inside.\u00a0 Only time will tell.\u201d\u00a0 With a grunt, he stood.\u00a0 \u201cThere.\u00a0 It\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill it hurt him?\u201d she asked, still clinging to Joe.<\/p>\n

A gentle hand fell on her head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t lie to you, Sally.\u00a0 Yes, it will,\u201d he replied, using the nickname she\u2019d been given by Master Burl.\u00a0 Looking down at Joe Cartwright, he added softly, \u201cIf the Lord is merciful, he\u2019ll pass out before he knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that was just what Joe did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam led the way back to where he had come across the Latham brothers the night before.\u00a0 Both of them had been so drunk you\u2019d have thought walking was a lost art.\u00a0 While his father disapproved of his ranch hands drinking, there was really nothing he could do about it when they were off the job.\u00a0 Of course, Ab and Val had been sent out to work by their foreman, but there was no placing a time on when they\u2019d started drinking. \u00a0Still, between their misconduct and the unfavorable influence their father feared they had with his little brother, the black-haired man figured the twins would soon be looking for another place to work.<\/p>\n

Preferably one far<\/em> away.<\/p>\n

From the point where he had encountered the Lathams, they continued on until they came to the lake and were forced to turn back.\u00a0 Pa had some notion Joe might have gone to his mother\u2019s grave to talk to her.\u00a0 It made sense.\u00a0 Joe usually went there when he was troubled or had an important decision to make.<\/p>\n

Like whether or not to run off and join up with Johnny Reb.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t really think Joe would do it.\u00a0 Not without saying goodbye, at least.\u00a0\u00a0 Still, there was no accounting for his little brother when Joe was in one of his \u2018moods\u2019.\u00a0 In any case, they hadn\u2019t found him there and were now headed back to the ranch.\u00a0 Hoss continued to search the ground for signs as they went.\u00a0 At one point the big man had found a shallow depression under a rocky shelf where someone had lain.\u00a0 They\u2019d followed the man\u2019s tracks until he encountered a rig and then they disappeared, so they figured he must have climbed aboard.\u00a0\u00a0 There was no reason to suspect it was Joe, other than that the man had been a lightweight and on foot.\u00a0 His father had contemplated following the buggy to its destination, but decided against it since it hadn\u2019t headed for either the Ponderosa or town.<\/p>\n

It only made sense Joe would have been heading one way or the other.<\/p>\n

They rode now, three abreast, down the Virginia City rode, aimed toward the Ponderosa.\u00a0 No one really had anything to say.\u00a0 Even though Little Joe was absent, he was present in all their thoughts.\u00a0 Hoss rode between him and his father, acting as the buffer he always was, tolerating their silence but offering an encouraging word of his own now and then.\u00a0 After a while Adam stopped hearing anything his brother had to say.\u00a0 With each clop of Sport\u2019s hooves on the packed earth, he was driven back to that day \u2013 the day he and Joe had nearly come to blows over an idea that, until<\/em> that day, neither one of them had entertained \u2013 an idea that loomed larger than their love for each other and threatened to drive a wedge between them where no wedge should be driven.\u00a0 An idea that, should it become reality, would separate brother from brother forever.<\/p>\n

It was funny, though.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the last argument with Joe that thudded through his brain as he rode, resounding through him with each strike of a hoof on earth. \u00a0It was one he had had with Marie shortly after their pa had brought her home as his new wife.\u00a0 He\u2019d been thirteen then \u2013 a bad age to spring anything unexpected on.\u00a0 If he was honest, he\u2019d have to admit he\u2019d felt betrayed by his father\u2019s easy dismissal of his feelings on the matter.\u00a0 A tight smile quirked the corner of his lips.\u00a0 In a way, he\u2019d been like Little Joe then \u2013 a bit of a mouthy hothead.<\/p>\n

Marie had cut him right down to size.<\/p>\n

He could see her standing in the doorway to his room.\u00a0 He had his back to her and was packing a satchel.\u00a0 He\u2019d remained that way, waiting for the inevitable pleading, for her protestations that she hadn\u2019t meant to call him a child and anger him so; that his father couldn\u2019t live without him and please, please, please <\/em>would he stay.<\/p>\n

Instead she walked over to his dresser, opened the drawer, and began to hand him his clothes.\u00a0 When he\u2019d asked her \u2018why\u2019, she\u2019d said he was a man and a man had a right to make his own decisions.<\/p>\n

Just like his father.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t solve everything between them, but it did make him think.\u00a0 And in time he grew to see how wise she was and to love her deeply.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa was always saying how much like his mother Joe was.<\/p>\n

He could only hope he was right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THREE<\/p>\n

He decided it had to have been an angel he saw.\u00a0 It was the only thing that made sense.\u00a0 He had a clear picture in his head of a pretty brown-haired woman leanin\u2019 over him, holdin\u2019 his hand and speaking low while she brushed the curls back from his forehead with her whisper-soft fingers.<\/p>\n

It was definitely not the matronly women staring at him now with disapproval written into every line of her pencil-thin form.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never heard such nonsense!\u201d she huffed.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, the boy is out of his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mags,\u201d the older man who moved at the periphery of his vision said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe cleared his throat.\u00a0 His voice was kind of weak.\u00a0 Since the woman didn\u2019t want to talk about the girl, he decided he\u2019d ask her the other burning question he had on his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat…happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman\u2019s pale eyes flicked to the man before settling on him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.\u00a0 It was hard to remember anything with his back hurting and his injured leg pounding and demanding his attention.\u00a0 The woman had confirmed he\u2019d hurt it.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember how.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was…walkin\u2019 home,\u201d he said, licking his lips before he continued.\u00a0 \u201cI stopped and….\u201d\u00a0 The throbbing pain seized all of his attention for a moment.\u00a0 With a whoosh of breath, he let out, \u201cI can\u2019t remember…anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found you beside the road,\u201d the woman said quickly, cutting off whatever the man had been about to say.\u00a0 \u201cYou have no idea how you got there?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought about shaking his head, but decided against it.\u00a0 \u201cNo, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 Raising his head a bit, Joe looked down at his leg, which was bound tightly between two boards.\u00a0 \u201cHow bad…is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThomas did the best he could,\u201d the woman replied.\u00a0 \u201cThe bleeding has stopped.\u00a0 We\u2019re too far out to send for a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man saw his worried look.\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI was a soldier once, son.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave him a little nod.\u00a0 Then he frowned again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I never…thanked you for helping. me.\u201d\u00a0 He paused to look from the one to the other.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was stupid.<\/p>\n

Or maybe not.\u00a0 Miracle of miracles, the woman smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThomas says you are Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest boy,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Do you know my Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you cold, son?\u201d the man asked him.\u00a0 When he nodded, Thomas went to toss another log on the fire.\u00a0 \u201cYour father helped me many years ago.\u00a0 I was a struggling homesteader then.\u00a0 Maggie and I wouldn\u2019t have made it through the winter of \u201941 to 42 without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted how the older woman stiffened \u2013 and quickly changed the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0 sent word to your father that you\u2019re here.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019s concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe twisted so he could look out the window.\u00a0 The sun was bright.\u00a0 He figured by the angle it must be nearly noon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Pa will be worried sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he expect you home last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cYesterday afternoon, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look she gave him was worthy of Abigail Jones checking his examination paper.\u00a0 \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she probably did.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Mags, you\u2019re going to wear the poor boy out with all your questions.\u201d\u00a0 Thomas took the woman by the arm and drew her to her feet.\u00a0 \u201cAre you hungry, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust \u2018Joe\u2019, sir.\u00a0 And yes, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

A look passed between the couple.\u00a0 One he had no idea what it meant.\u00a0 The woman nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go get you some stew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said as he watched her go.\u00a0 Then he gave the man a crooked little smile.\u00a0 \u201cShe…doesn\u2019t like me much…does she?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man smiled at him as he sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to place a hand on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cNo fever so far,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a good sign.\u201d\u00a0 Thomas let his hand fall to his lap and remained silent for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWe had a boy like you once.\u00a0 Long ago.\u00a0 He died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m…I\u2019m sorry, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThom, please.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced toward the kitchen where the woman was rattling pans.\u00a0 \u201cMaggie blames herself.\u00a0 She\u2019s, well, she\u2019s never gotten over it.\u00a0 She\u2019s grown hard as the winter\u2019s barren earth.\u00a0 It\u2019s the only way she can bear it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom\u2019s confession drove Joe into silence.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and rested his head on the feather pillow beneath it.\u00a0 As he did, that face came back to him \u2013 the one belonging to the angel.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was…real pretty,\u201d he said, not knowing that he said it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u00a0 Maggie?\u201d\u00a0 Thom chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, she was.\u00a0 Like a May morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes popped open.\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI bet she was, but I meant…my angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something entered Thom\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He glanced at the door before asking, \u201cWhat angel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes slid closed again.\u00a0 With them shut, he could see her.\u00a0 \u201cShe had…long curly hair that fell on her shoulders.\u00a0 It was…brown as my saddle and shone just like it, copper in the dawn light.\u00a0 Her eyes were brown too.\u00a0 Brown…as my pa\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 He drew a breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 \u201cShe…she told me I was gonna be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he opened his eyes again, the man was gone.\u00a0 The light was gone too, so Joe figured he must have lost consciousness.\u00a0 He knew when his stomach rumbled and twisted, makin\u2019 his belly ache, that he had slept through lunch and dinner too.\u00a0 Slowly, carefully, lest he disturb his splinted leg, Joe pulled himself up into a half-seated position.\u00a0 There was a bowl on the table beside the bed.\u00a0 It was probably the soup Maggie had mentioned earlier.\u00a0 Since there was nothing wrong with his arms, he figured he could get hold of it and feed himself.\u00a0 Even cold, it would taste like the best steak as hungry as he was.<\/p>\n

The thing was, he was going to have to sit up to reach it.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had a leg splinted before. \u00a0He knew how to move without disturbing it.\u00a0 Trouble was, he didn\u2019t reckon on how weak he was and before he knew it he was lying on the floor, gasping like a fish out of water, waiting for that stern old Maggie to come in and scold him.<\/p>\n

Instead, he was visited by an angel.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilly boy,\u201d a soft voice said as gentle hands touched his flesh.\u00a0 He started as they did, though whether it was from surprise or something else, he wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you think you were doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hungry,\u201d he answered, wondering how come an angel didn\u2019t know that.<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t they know everything?<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me help you back into the bed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t resist.\u00a0 He let her lift him and did his best to help, sliding back under the covers and feeling like a naughty little boy as she \u2018tsked\u2019 and tucked him in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you real?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal as you want me to be,\u201d the brown-haired angel replied as she reached for the bowl. \u00a0Taking the spoon in hand, she filled it and then moved it toward him.<\/p>\n

Joe caught her arm.\u00a0 It seemed solid enough.\u00a0 He blinked back fatigue as she disengaged his fingers and held the spoon to his lips.\u00a0 After taking a bite, he stared at her, fixing every feature in his mind.\u00a0 Her hair was naturally curly, not made up in rolls like some of the girls he had courted.\u00a0 It was pulled up at the sides in combs and cascaded like a waterfall to the shoulders of a pale green dress.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t pretty like he\u2019d thought.\u00a0 She was beautiful as a Lake Tahoe sunrise, with big brown eyes and lightly tanned skin that seemed to glow.\u00a0 Her lips were pink and perfect and her nose, well, her nose was like his \u2013 tiny with a little turn up at the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d he breathed after she had finished helping him eat and sleep sought to claim him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one,\u201d she replied, her voice taking on an odd tone.\u00a0 \u201cNo one at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

He snatched hold of her hand as she started to rise.\u00a0 \u201cBut…I can feel you.\u00a0 You\u2019re here<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

She slipped her slender wrist easily from his grasp and then bent over to plant a kiss on his forehead.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 You\u2019re dreaming. \u201c\u00a0 It startled him when a tear struck his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe struck out for her again, but she was gone as if she had never been.\u00a0 He tried to lift his upper torso so he could scan the room, but the effort was too much and he fell back to the bed exhausted.<\/p>\n

And into a fitful sleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright\u2019s stentorian voice echoed off the walls of the bunk house, rousing the half-dozen tired men who slept there from a sound sleep.\u00a0 Valentine Latham ran a hand through his scrub of hair as he flung his blanket aside and planted his bare feet on the floor.\u00a0 He knew just which \u2018he\u2019 Mister Cartwright was looking for, but he wasn\u2019t about to answer.<\/p>\n

Ab would take it out in his hide if he did.<\/p>\n

Feigning sleep, Val looked out from under the bush of blond hair hanging in front of his eyes and watched as his brother stepped up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho you lookin\u2019 for, Boss?\u201d Ab asked, casual as could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know full well who!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab took a moment.\u00a0 \u201cOh,\u201d he said, like it had just dawned on him.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean Little Joe?\u00a0 Like we told Adam, we had some fun with him last night, but he went his own way about sundown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe would be the last one to admit that all three of them had been drunker than a fiddler\u2019s clerk and that he\u2019d been stupid enough to be left stranded on the road.\u00a0 What Ab had done \u2013 chasing away Joe\u2019s pinto \u2013 had been right mean, but there was nothing for it once it was done.\u00a0 He only hoped it didn\u2019t make Joe sore at them.<\/p>\n

Too much was riding on their friendship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen can you explain to me why my son\u2019s horse came in without him a few hours later?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe was sure havin\u2019 himself a high-heeled time.\u00a0 Probably fell off of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you suggesting my son was drunk?\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch it, Ab, Val thought.\u00a0 Watch it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t suggestin\u2019 nothing, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019m tellin\u2019 you.\u201d\u00a0 His brother paused and then added, \u00a0\u201cA man\u2019s got a right to get drunk if he wants to after the job\u2019s done.\u00a0 Don\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright looked from one of them to the other.\u00a0 \u201cYou two will pack your things and be gone by tomorrow morning.\u00a0 Come to the house later and I will give you what pay is owed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t how it was supposed to go.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAb, maybe you better apologize to Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man turned and looked directly at him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, son.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what part you have played in this, but I will not put up with such subordination from one of my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSub-ordination.\u201d\u00a0 Ab snorted.\u00a0 \u201cSeems you got enough of that in that fancy ranch house of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val had heard of Ben Cartwright\u2019s temper.\u00a0 Now he saw it in action.\u00a0 \u201cYou will be gone by sundown and you will never set foot on Ponderosa land again!\u00a0 If <\/em>I catch you on my land, you will <\/em>be subdued and delivered to the sheriff and charged with trespass.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher drew a breath and then bit off the next five words.\u00a0 \u201cDo I make myself clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab saluted.\u00a0 \u201cClear as mud, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

With nary a backwards glance, Ben Cartwright stormed out of the bunkhouse.<\/p>\n

Val grabbed his brother\u2019s arm and spun him around.\u00a0 \u201cHow are we gonna stay close to Joe Cartwright now?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou just got us thrown off the ranch!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see Joe around here?\u00a0 Think about it, Val.\u00a0 He\u2019s decided to sign up.\u201d\u00a0 Ab snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll just head to the meeting place.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.\u00a0 Joe will be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t cut out to be a cowpoke anyway. \u00a0Now, get your things together and let\u2019s get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few of the men bid them fare well.\u00a0 There were those they worked with who didn\u2019t like the Cartwrights and their high-falutin\u2019 ways, though they were more than happy to take their money.\u00a0 \u00a0Those were the ones who would be glad to see the patriarch of the Ponderosa taken down a peg or two.\u00a0 But there were others who watched their departure with a mixture of curiosity and relief, chief among them Ben Cartwright\u2019s oldest son.\u00a0 Ab jauntily tipped his hat to both Adam and Hoss, who stood beside him, as they rode out of the yard.\u00a0 A moment later they whooped, gave a rebel yell, and kicked their horses into high gear as they rode away to meet with the man who had hired them to steal old man Cartwright\u2019s greatest treasure and make him pay.<\/p>\n

Even though they had no idea for what.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was morning when Joe roused again.\u00a0 He shifted his aching body up onto the pillows until he was sitting up and then sat there listening to the sounds of the waking house.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a big one.\u00a0 Probably no more than four or five rooms.\u00a0 He knew that because there were windows on three sides of the one he occupied and the door was on the other wall with a staircase showing through it.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so out of it the night before that he hadn\u2019t paid much attention to his surroundings.\u00a0 Now, as he did, he decided the room must belong to a woman.\u00a0 There were those little touches here and there that he remembered from his mama.\u00a0 A fringed shawl cast over the back of a chair.\u00a0 One of those funny little doilies placed under a box on the dresser.\u00a0 Now that he thought about it, other than those few items, the room seemed kind of empty \u2013 like it had been recently abandoned.\u00a0 As he wondered what that might mean, Thom\u2019s gray head appeared in the open doorway, rising up on the stairs like a ship cresting a wave.\u00a0 The older man smiled when he saw he was awake.\u00a0 He had a tray in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how are you this morning, Joe?\u201d Thom asked as he sat the tray down on the bedside table.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

Thom smiled as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cEvan used to say that too.\u00a0 Whenever he did, I knew he wasn\u2019t \u2018fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvan?\u201d\u00a0 Joe thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWas that your son\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201c Don\u2019t use it in front of Maggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

That puzzled him.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t imagine his pa \u2013 if he died \u2013 not wanting to talk about him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you mind if I…\u201d\u00a0 Joe paused.\u00a0 \u201cI mean…how did he die?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t,\u201d Thom said, confusing him further.\u00a0 \u201cHe was murdered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 I\u2019m…I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I.\u00a0 But he died for what he believed in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a…cause, you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cIn a way.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Do you have a \u2018cause\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really, but I met a man who did.\u00a0 He was…willin\u2019 to do anythin\u2019 for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean die?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cThat…and other things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, a cause can be a noble thing, if it is taken up for the right reason.\u00a0 And it might even be worth dying for.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cBut it can also possess a man…make him blind.\u201d\u00a0 Thom was thoughtful for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThe man who killed Evan had such a cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut killing a man just because you believe somethin\u2019 and he doesn\u2019t, isn\u2019t right.\u00a0 Is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom picked up the bowl of soup.\u00a0 The look he gave him reminded him not of Pa, but of Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, how else could man fight wars?\u201d\u00a0 When he lowered his head, Thom asked him, \u201cI never got a chance to inquire what you were doing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night.\u00a0 Were you running away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Yes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He waited a moment and then added.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you angry at your father?\u201d<\/p>\n

His gaze shot to the older man\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0 This has nothing to do with Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, were you running toward<\/em> this man \u2013 the one with the cause?\u201d<\/p>\n

Having nothing to say, he shrugged.<\/p>\n

Thom handed him the bowl and spoon.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think you can feed yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the other is none of my business really.\u00a0 I did send word to the sheriff in Virginia City last night that you are here.\u00a0 I imagine he will get word to your father.\u00a0 I hope that was all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded again.<\/p>\n

Right now all<\/em> he wanted to do was go home.<\/p>\n

Thom rose and went to the door.\u00a0 He paused there to look back.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, may I say one thing more?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was staring at the soup.\u00a0 He really had no appetite.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m an old man and I have seen a lot of things.\u00a0 I will tell you what I\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 There is nothing so sacred as family, no tie as strong; no cause as great.\u00a0 If you feel you need a purpose in life, I pray you will look to that first.\u201d<\/p>\n

A single tear trailed down his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, eat your food.\u00a0 Maggie will have both our heads if she comes up here and finds that bowl full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe watched the older man go.\u00a0 He was grateful when Thom pushed the door partly closed on his way out.\u00a0 He\u2019d kind of felt on display before.\u00a0 He looked at the soup and even took a bite, but it turned his stomach and so he sat the bowl down and fell to studying his hands.\u00a0 What Thom had said was something he knew in his heart.\u00a0 It was what made him chase Adam down even after the hurtful things his brother had said to him.\u00a0 Even though they had different mothers \u2013 different blood flowing through their veins \u2013 they had the same blood too and it was that<\/em> tie \u2013 the one from their pa \u2013 that was the strongest. \u00a0The problem wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t feel like he belonged \u2013 like he was part and parcel of Pa and Adam and Hoss \u2013it was that a piece of him was missing and he kept searching for it, even knowing that he\u2019d never find it.<\/p>\n

Knowing that it was buried six feet down on the shore of Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n

Restless, Joe tossed his covers aside and carefully sat up.\u00a0 After several deep breaths, he swung his legs over the side of the bed.\u00a0 Sitting there, he tested putting weight on the good one.\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t pass out from the pain, he grinned and then used his arms to push himself up so he was standing.\u00a0 For a moment or two he wobbled and then he found his balance and hobbled the short distance to the window, drawn by the fresh air and the crisp smell of pine.\u00a0 As he leaned on the windowsill, trying to determine which direction home lay in, he saw a flash of something colorful.\u00a0 It drew his attention and he looked down just in time to see someone vanish into the trees.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t say for sure, but he thought it was a woman.\u00a0 A young woman.\u00a0 One with curly brown hair and lightly tanned skin.<\/p>\n

His angel come to earth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A knock on the door startled them all, including Hop Sing who threw a piece of bacon halfway across the table.\u00a0 They had returned home late in the day, passed a restless night, and then risen with the intent of heading out again.\u00a0 At this point Ben knew if they found Joseph he would have a hard time chastising the boy.<\/p>\n

All he wanted was his youngest safe and sound and home in his own bed.<\/p>\n

Adam tossed his napkin down.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get it, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He put out a hand to stop him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019ll get it.\u00a0 You boys finish your breakfast. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all stay put!\u201d their cook ordered.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s job when Little Joe not home.\u00a0 He get door!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss picked up the piece of bacon and popped it in his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cSeems like you\u00a0 got your marchin\u2019 orders, Pa,\u201d he said with a grin as he munched.<\/p>\n

They listened as the door opened and then saw Hop Sing step outside.\u00a0 Ben was just about to leave the table to investigate when the small man reappeared, followed by Sheriff Roy Coffee.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart went to his toes.<\/p>\n

Roy must have sensed it.\u00a0 \u201cNow you sit yourself right back down, Ben, and enjoy that breakfast.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t bad news I\u2019m bringin\u2019 you.\u00a0 \u2018Sides, I think you might need your strength for the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Adam who spoke first.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 Is Pa going somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy was just about \u2018bustin\u2019 a gut\u2019 as Hoss would put it.\u00a0 The lawman was rocking back and forth on his heels and grinning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear you got a Cartwright missin\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

All of them were on their feet.<\/p>\n

Amidst a chorus of \u2018Have you found him?\u00a0 Where is he?\u00a0 Is Joe all right?\u2019 Roy held up his hand for silence.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta give me room to speak for me to tell you!\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

Ben stared his two older boys into silence.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d he roared.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems Little Joe had a bit of an accident.\u00a0 Some nice folks found him and fixed him right up.\u00a0 Sent me word by a man passing by last night that he was at their place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn accident?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, thinking of how Cochise had come in alone.\u00a0 \u201cWe thought he might have been thrown from his horse.\u00a0 Was that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t rightly know, Ben.\u201d\u00a0 Roy fished in his pocket and came out with a note.\u00a0 He handed it over.\u00a0 \u201cFolks by the name of Maggie and Thomas Spencer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben scowled as he read the note that stated simply that Joe had been found, he was all right, though injured, and that they should come and get him.\u00a0 \u201cThomas Spencer.\u00a0 Why does that sound familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember, Pa,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cThe Spencers came here shortly after you brought Marie home.\u00a0 You helped them survive that first winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s dark brows popped as he looked at his son.\u00a0 \u201cHow is it you remember something so clearly that I seem to have all but forgotten?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s cheeks turned a deep shade of pink.\u00a0 \u201cMarie wasn\u2019t too happy about it.\u00a0 Apparently she and Maggie Spencer didn\u2019t hit it off.\u00a0 She made it clear…\u201d\u00a0 Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you know how she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he did.\u00a0 And he remembered it now.\u00a0 Margaret Spencer was a hard woman.\u00a0 She was one of those who had ostracized Marie because of her Creole blood.\u00a0 The Spencers were southerners.\u00a0 They\u2019d come from Virginia where such things mattered.\u00a0 New Orleans, though not immune to slavery \u2013 over eighty percent of the African population in the state were held as slaves \u2013 still had a more liberal view toward people of color.\u00a0 Many were free and even the slaves could marry \u2013 and <\/em>married couples could not be parted or their children sold away from them.<\/p>\n

Ben drew a breath.\u00a0 It had been years since he had seen Thom or his wife.\u00a0 It seemed fate had determined that they would meet again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe note only says Joseph was injured,\u201d he said as he turned back to Roy.\u00a0 \u201cNot how.\u00a0 Did the man who gave it to you know anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSaid Thom told him Little Joe was pretty banged up when they carried him into the house, but he thought it weren\u2019t too bad.\u201d\u00a0 Roy scowled.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Ben, that\u2019s all he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

He clapped his friend on the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, Roy.\u00a0 We know where Joseph is now and we know he\u2019s in good hands.\u201d \u00a0He turned to his sons.\u00a0 \u201cMount up, boys.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go bring your brother home.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah Spencer put a hand to the door of the upstairs room and pushed, quietly moving it in.\u00a0 She stared at the prone figure on the bed, watching the even fall of his chest to make sure he was sleeping before entering.\u00a0 Quietly, so as not to wake him, she sat in the chair beside Joseph Cartwright.\u00a0 For several minutes she simply stared at him, noting how his small-boned face matched his tight, slender form.\u00a0 She studied the way the waning light struck his hair, pulling bronze highlights out of the deep brown waves, with just a bit of a burnished silver tipping the ends of a few of the spiraling curls.\u00a0 His skin was lightly tanned.\u00a0 The color nearly matched her own.\u00a0 Of course, while hers was natural, she knew his came from long days spent under the sun.\u00a0 She\u2019d held his hand before and knew it was callused from hard work.\u00a0 This was no landed man; no lord of the manor who owned and ruled others with an iron fist.\u00a0 This was a man who toiled and labored like those she knew and loved.\u00a0 A man she<\/em> could love.<\/p>\n

If only she could.<\/p>\n

The man who took her in had told her, before she came up, that he had sent for Joe\u2019s family.\u00a0 That was why, in spite of the danger, she\u2019d come to the injured man\u2019s room one last time.\u00a0 She wanted to remember him and the best way to do that was to use the talent the good Lord had given her \u2013 the one she had been taken to Paris to refine.\u00a0 The talent that made her a valuable commodity.<\/p>\n

The talent she both loved and loathed.<\/p>\n

As a child, it had transported her.\u00a0 She would sit for hours using a pencil and paper, recording the world around her with all its wonders \u2013 trees, hills, streams, beasts of the field and the birds of the air.\u00a0 There was a man who came to visit her mother.\u00a0 He was a kind, gentle man who encouraged her.\u00a0 After the days chores were done, she would sit and sketch everything she saw and when he came, he would praise her and tell her that one day she would be a great artist.\u00a0 He told her too that one day he would come and take her and her mother away.<\/p>\n

He came.\u00a0 But he<\/em> was the one who went away.<\/p>\n

Sarah closed her eyes as a shudder ran through her, chilling the core of her being.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t picked up a pencil and put it to paper since that night.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

Until Joseph Cartwright.<\/p>\n

For some time, with the late afternoon sunlight streaming in the window and the dust twinkling as it danced along its beams she sat, sketching, making sure she recorded every nuance of the face she loved but knew she would never see again.\u00a0\u00a0 The one she knew she dare<\/em> never see again.\u00a0 Not if she wanted to be safe.<\/p>\n

Not if she wanted Joseph Cartwright to be safe.<\/p>\n

A familiar sound caught her attention, bringing Sarah to her feet.\u00a0 She crossed to the window and saw three men in the distance, riding hard.\u00a0 A sad smile lifted the corners of her lips.\u00a0 It had to be Joseph\u2019s family.\u00a0 They\u2019d gotten Thomas Spencer\u2019s message and lost no time in coming.\u00a0 That was what family did.\u00a0 They looked out for one another.<\/p>\n

Just as her father had tried to look out for her and her mother when the bad man came.<\/p>\n

Crossing softly over to the bed, Sarah stood beside it.\u00a0 After a moment, she leaned down and planted a kiss on the sleeping man\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 He stirred and reached out as if he knew she was there, even though he believed her nothing more than a dream.<\/p>\n

Nothing more than an angel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOUR<\/p>\n

Carter Burl gazed at his left hand a moment before employing the slender sterling silver tool he held to work a bit of stubborn dirt out from underneath the third and fourth fingernails.\u00a0 As he did his cold gray eyes flicked to the pair of ill-bred western louts who stood ill-at-ease before him.\u00a0 An unpleasant smile quirked his thin patrician lips as he considered how his very presence inspired fear in the men he employed.\u00a0 Fear was a valuable commodity.\u00a0 Almost as valuable as the commodity that had brought him to the Nevada Territory and required him to deal with such refuse to begin with.<\/p>\n

Almost.<\/p>\n

As he moved on to the mine the dirt from the next fingernail, Carter watched the shorter of the pair shuffle his feet.\u00a0 The dark-haired man\u2019s lips parted as if he intended to speak, but closed as a well-placed jab of his boney partner\u2019s elbow warned him to remain silent.<\/p>\n

Ah, the bouquet of the mastery of men.<\/p>\n

Finishing with the pinky, Carter withdrew a small velvet pouch from the inner pocket of his heather-gray rifle frock coat and placed the silver tool in it.\u00a0 Taking his time, he returned the pouch to his pocket and then turned his attention to the pair of ruffians.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand you were recently in the employ of a man named Frederick Kyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair exchanged glances before the shorter of the two replied.\u00a0 \u201cMister Kyle made use of our services briefly,\u201d he said, his tone cagey.\u00a0 \u201cDue to a disagreement as to how best to achieve the results he desired, we parted ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not so boorish as he looked, this shorter, darker one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018results\u2019 he desired…which were, if I might ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of your business,\u201d the tall boney fellow growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cGorman, mind your manners.\u00a0 Can\u2019t you see Mister Burl here is a southern man of quality, just like Mister Kyle.\u00a0 Why, I bet the two of you are good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat depends,\u201d Carter replied, \u201con what \u2018results\u2019 he achieved with or without your help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorman, a tall lanky drink of unwashed cowboy scrubbed his stubbled cheeks with his fingers and grunted, \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI presume Mister Kyle employed you to…shall we say…apprehend someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men looked decidedly uncomfortable.\u00a0 The shorter man, whose name was Regis, twisted his lips and scowled while his oafish partner blurted out, \u201cYou can\u2019t blame us for that man\u2019s death.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t go nowhere near that stage!\u201d<\/p>\n

Man\u2019s\u2019 \u2018death\u2019.<\/p>\n

Hmm.\u00a0 Not what he had expected.\u00a0 Fear gripped him for a moment.\u00a0 Kyle would not<\/em> have dared….<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd who precisely is it that died?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA northern Senator, name of Hennessey,\u201d Regis said, watching him.\u00a0 \u201cSomething went wrong with the stage wheel and he and the other passengers died when the coach went over a cliff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorman was nodding.\u00a0 \u201cWhat he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter breathed out the fear that had gripped him momentarily as he carefully considered what the man had said, wondering what Frederick had been up to, dealing with a senator from the North.\u00a0 Then again, he supposed, the other man might have been looking after his own interests while working for him.\u00a0\u00a0 Frederick had some notion that he would find support for the Confederate cause among the financially powerful men of the West.\u00a0 He believed the territory\u2019s self-made men would stand on the side of state\u2019s rights and lobby to have Nevada enter the union as a slave state.\u00a0 Frederick was a naive fool.\u00a0 The blood of businessmen ran cold.\u00a0 They could care less who fought and who died \u2013 or on whose side. Their only interest in the coming war would be the cold hard cash that rode the backs of the valiant men who \u2018gloriously\u2019 fought and died.<\/p>\n

Pinning the shorter and smarter of the pair with a look, he asked, \u201cWas there anyone with the senator?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorman snorted.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you read, mister?\u00a0 It was in the paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regis struck his oafish partner in the mid-section, evincing a satisfactory, \u2018Oof<\/em>\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cMister Burl just got here, you idiot!\u00a0 How could he have read the paper?\u201d\u00a0 The shorter man looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cThere was a woman, name of St. Clair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regis was shrewd.\u00a0 His eyes narrowed with understanding \u2013 and greed.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want <\/em>someone else dead, Mister Burl?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cDead?\u00a0 No, certainly not.\u201d\u00a0 A moment later his eyes narrowed as well, with both intent and<\/em> malice.\u00a0 \u201cDestroyed <\/em>would be a better word.\u00a0 Mister Kyle was to see to the means for his destruction while I pursued…another matter of importance.\u00a0 It appears he failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s gone, if that\u2019s what you mean,\u201d Gorman said stupidly.<\/p>\n

Regis was studying him.\u00a0 \u201cWait a minute.\u00a0 Cartwright?\u00a0 It\u2019s Ben Cartwright, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 He\u2019s the man you want destroyed,\u201d he said, evidencing more intellect than he had given him credit for.<\/p>\n

Carter Burl\u2019s jaw tightened at the hated name.\u00a0 Yes, he wanted Ben Cartwright totally and utterly destroyed and he had thought Frederick Kyle the man to do it.\u00a0 Kyle was a charismatic zealot, completely consumed by his passions, as easily manipulated as he was good at manipulating others.\u00a0 Though they differed in much, yet they had much in common, including a period of their lives spent in New Orleans.\u00a0 While in the Crescent City they had dined in the same restaurants and frequented the same establishments, appreciating all that elegant metropolis had to offer<\/p>\n

Including the beautiful Marie de Marigny.<\/p>\n

Burl made a fist and his hand began to shake.\u00a0 He knew it the moment he shared a bed with her.\u00a0 She was to have been his \u2013 would<\/em> \u00a0have been his if not for Benjamin Cartwright. \u00a0On top of the secret Cartwright discovered during his time in the city, Marie had another \u2013 and he had the papers to prove it.\u00a0 She would have had no choice but to come to him once she knew what he had the power to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Burl?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter snapped back to the present.\u00a0 \u201cSince Kyle has failed me and my professional attention is needed elsewhere, I wish to employ you to complete his task.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t want someone killed, what do you want us to do?\u201d Gorman asked.<\/p>\n

Fall into a cistern and drown in the muck, Burl thought, but resisted saying.<\/p>\n

Instead, reaching into his pocket again, Carter produced a leather wallet.\u00a0 He opened it and removed a \u00a0number of high dollar bills and handed them to Regis who proceeded to count them and then whistle in appreciation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s half,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll receive that much again when you delivery the young man to me.\u00a0 The time has come to take drastic measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung man?\u201d Regis asked with a lift of his salt and pepper eyebrows.\u00a0 A moment later, a greedy light dawned in the man\u2019s pale eyes \u2013 quickly followed by a flicker of fear.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 You mean \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

Carter\u2019s grin was as wicked as his selfish shriveled soul.\u00a0 \u201cThe means to his father\u2019s destruction.\u00a0 Joseph Francis Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regis removed his hat and swept it before him as he bowed.\u00a0 \u201cIt will be our pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the two men began to move away, Carter called the shorter darker Regis back to his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is between you and me.\u00a0 There is an additional thousand in it for you if you keep it from your..dubious<\/em> partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avarice danced in the small man\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cName it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are capable, I assume, of accomplishing more than one task at a time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can juggle with the best of them,\u201d he sneered.<\/p>\n

Carter drew a flier from his pocket and handed it to him.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n

The dark-haired man appeared perplexed.\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to find a runaway slave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA special<\/em> runaway slave.\u00a0 One I have invested a great deal of time, money, and…interest in. \u00a0Keep your eyes open.\u00a0 Let me know if you see or hear anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I keep this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The southerner nodded.\u00a0 He knew the flier\u2019s contents by heart.<\/p>\n

Missing, one dusky beauty who goes by the name of Sally or Sarah.\u00a0 Fine of form with dark hair and eyes as befits her origins.\u00a0 Bright skinned.\u00a0 Intelligent.\u00a0 Can read and write and is proficient in the art of rendering.\u00a0 A fine example of a quadroon female.<\/em><\/p>\n

After all, he had written them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright closed the door to his youngest son\u2019s bedroom and then made his way along the hall and down the staircase to the main floor of the ranch house.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss were waiting for him, as he knew they would be, with anxious looks on their young faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d the Doc say, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked, near bursting with worry for his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

It had been an arduous ride home, especially for his youngest.\u00a0 They\u2019d left the ranch so quickly after Roy told them Little Joe had been found, that they hadn\u2019t considered how they would bring him back.\u00a0 Thom Spencer had insisted that they take his rig, and they had.\u00a0 Still, the long ride back to the Ponderosa in the small cramped vehicle, which was meant for little more than an afternoon\u2019s jaunt, had taken its toll on his youngest. \u00a0Little Joe had been spiking a fever when they pulled into the yard, and by the time they had gotten him into the house and settled in his bed, he had developed a non-productive cough that wracked his weary frame.\u00a0 Joseph insisted he was \u2018fine\u2019, as usual, and that it was just a cold.\u00a0 Ben feared it might prove to be something far worse.\u00a0 He knew from experience that an ague brought on by a chill could well prove fatal, and so he had sent one of the hands to Virginia City to fetch Paul Martin even before he had Joseph settled.\u00a0 The older man had arrived a short time before and gone immediately up to see his patient.\u00a0 After making certain their mounts were cared for and giving Hop Sing a few instructions, he had followed his old friend up the stairs and waited to hear his verdict before joining his other sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul\u2019s not sure.\u00a0 Your brother could have a severe cold or, it could be influenza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned.\u00a0 \u201cInfluenza?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently it\u2019s in the area,\u201d he responded with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cPaul has treated a number of cases.\u00a0 Some of them quite close by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Doc\u2019s not sure?\u00a0 Right?\u201d Hoss asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Paul\u2019s not sure, though he says Joseph\u2019s symptoms are suspicious, especially with their sudden onset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s just worn out, Pa,\u201d Hoss replied. \u00a0\u201cThat\u2019d explain \u2018em, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son, that could explain it, and we\u2019ll trust to Providence that\u2019s all that it is.\u201d\u00a0 Ben moved to his chair and dropped into it.\u00a0 He supposed it would have been too much to have hoped that Joseph would come through a night spent in the drenching rain hale and hearty.\u00a0 \u201cKnowing your youngest brother, he\u2019ll be right as rain and complaining about being restricted to his bed in short order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I go up and see Little Joe, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Paul comes down, son.\u00a0 Not before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obedient, but unhappy, Hoss nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou s\u2019pose Joe\u2019s hungry at all?\u00a0 I could ask Hop Sing to fix somethin\u2019 for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHungry or not, your brother needs to eat to keep up his strength.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s a good idea, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

A grin spread over the big man\u2019s face as he realized there was something he could do.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go fetch him somethin\u2019 then.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hoss vanished into the kitchen, Adam turned to him with a smile. \u201cYou just made two men very happy \u2013 Hoss and<\/em> Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt Little Joe will agree.\u201d\u00a0 Ben looked up the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is Joe, really?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cOnly time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you get anything out of him, Pa?\u00a0 I mean, about what happened?\u00a0 Where he went after he left Ab and Val?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d sat in the back of the Spencer\u2019s rig with his son, propping him up as they traveled.\u00a0 They\u2019d talked a little, but when it came to particulars, Joseph had seemed not evasive, but simply confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think your brother remembers, Adam.\u00a0 Perhaps the accident.\u00a0 Maybe he hit his head…. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did.\u00a0 Little Joe has a good knot blossoming on the back of his skull as well as a good many other scrapes and contusions besides<\/em> a couple of cracked ribs and that injured leg,\u201d Paul Martin said as he descended the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cIf you ask me, I would say something struck him hard.\u201d\u00a0 The older man paused as he reached the bottom.\u00a0 \u201cI think your boy was very<\/em> lucky to come out whatever happened alive, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCracked ribs?\u00a0 Not broken?\u201d Ben asked as he began to rise.<\/p>\n

Paul Martin waved him back into his chair and then took a seat himself.\u00a0 \u201cRelax, Ben.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t say that to scare you.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that it\u2019s apparent Joseph was struck by some sort of vehicle.\u00a0 It\u2019s plain in the bruising.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like a brandy, Paul?\u201d Adam asked as he rose.<\/p>\n

The doctor nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Adam.\u00a0 These old bones of mine don\u2019t handle an autumn chill like they used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say Joseph was…run down?\u201d Ben asked, appalled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd whoever did it didn\u2019t bother to check and see if he was alive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are marks of a wheel on his flesh, Ben, so, yes.\u00a0 As to whomever did it stopping to help….\u00a0 It\u2019s fully possible, with the wild weather that night, that they didn\u2019t realize they had hit anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched the doctor\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cPossible, but not probable<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul took a sip and nodded again.\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cIt\u2019s not likely.\u00a0 Hitting a stone or a rut in the road is very <\/em>different from hitting a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr a boy,\u201d Adam added, his teeth gritted in anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine just…riding away and leaving someone,\u201d Ben growled as he thought of his boy lying there by the side of the road, alone and injured.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of a man could do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA scared one,\u201d Paul replied.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone who was afraid of the consequences, or maybe had something to hide.\u00a0 Anyhow,\u201d the physician finished his drink and placed the crystal stemware on the table before the settee, \u201cLittle Joe is here, safe, and he\u2019ll be fine in time.\u00a0 Now, I need to go finish my rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stirred himself from where his dark thoughts had taken him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do we need to do until you return?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep an eye on that boy of yours until I get back. \u00a0Don\u2019t leave him alone for too long.\u00a0 I want him in that bed and, knowing Little Joe, he will be out of it quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.\u00a0 Also, I want to know if his fever goes any higher or if he experiences any trouble breathing, or pain in the chest or belly.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping the only thing brewing is one heck of a cold and Hop Sing can take care of that.\u201d\u00a0 The physician met his troubled gaze.\u00a0 \u201cThose other symptoms, Ben, are a warning that it could be something more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll send one of the men to find you if something changes \u2013 and pray that it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the ticket,\u201d his old friend said and then added softly, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anyone as resilient as that youngest boy of yours, Ben.\u00a0 Even if it comes to the worst, that and God will see him through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

After seeing the doctor to the door, Ben turned back into the great room just in time to see Hoss emerging from the kitchen carrying a tray.\u00a0 Steam rose from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got Little Joe some broth, Pa, and some of that there herb tea Hop Sing says will cure anything this side of the Mississippi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, son.\u00a0 See that your brother takes some of both.\u201d A slight smile curled the older man\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if he won\u2019t, then you come and get me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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

The rancher turned to look at his eldest son.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s all right with you, I think I\u2019ll take the rig back to the Spencer\u2019s.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they can use it and I\u2019d like to take another look at the place where Little Joe was…struck…now that it\u2019s daylight.\u00a0 Maybe I can figure out what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThough I\u2019m not sure that it matters.\u00a0 Whatever happened, the people who so wickedly abandoned your brother will be long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019ll just….\u201d\u00a0 Adam gave him that little self-effacing smile that was only his.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll feel better if I try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go ahead, son.\u201d\u00a0 As his eldest started to move away, he called him back.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and son?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhile you\u2019re in town why don\u2019t you pick up the mail \u2013 and let Roy Coffee know what happened.\u00a0 I imagine running someone down counts as a crime.\u00a0 He should know about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave him a nod and then exited through the door.<\/p>\n

It troubled Ben, thinking someone could be so callous as to abandon a young man to his fate after striking him with their vehicle.\u00a0 With the weather being what it was, most likely it was an accident and not a deliberate act.\u00a0 No one would expect someone to be walking on the road in the rain, and from what he understood, the accident had happened at a bend where the driver\u2019s vision could have been occluded.\u00a0 So why run?\u00a0 As the doctor suggested, perhaps whoever had struck Joseph had something to hide.<\/p>\n

Ben ran a hand over his slightly stubbled cheek and sighed.\u00a0 Oh, well.\u00a0 He supposed they would never know.<\/p>\n

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

Hoss\u2019 troubled voice brought his reverie to an abrupt end.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s thrashin\u2019 from side to side, Pa, and I cain\u2019t wake him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher\u2019s eyes went to the door.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard Paul Martin\u2019s buggy pull away, but Adam should still be out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s outside getting ready to head to the Spencer\u2019s.\u00a0 Tell him to go after Paul.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see to your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was there standing just at the bend of the road, her slender form a watercolor wash of rain and moonlight.\u00a0 Joe fought against the strong wind and the pelting rain that held him back. \u00a0He was desperate to warn her.<\/p>\n

Someone \u2013 some thing<\/em> was coming around that bend any second now and she had to get out of the way!<\/p>\n

Into the wind he called, swallowing rain and choking on it, spitting it back out and trying again.\u00a0 He had <\/em>to make her understand that she was in danger \u2013 that just beyond that bend there was some great dark thing rolling their way that would hit her with the force of a sledgehammer hammering a steel spike.\u00a0 He began to scream,\u00a0 urging her to run, but she just stood there \u2013 lifting her hands, begging him come to her where she stood.<\/p>\n

Begging him to rescue her before it was too late.<\/p>\n

She begged him.<\/p>\n

His angel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben turned toward the door as his middle son reappeared.\u00a0 Hoss had returned just in time.\u00a0 Joseph was struggling against him, desperate to break free of his grip.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u00a0 Help me hold him down!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019s delirious, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he grabbed his brother\u2019s free hand that was flailing in the air.<\/p>\n

The heat rising from his son\u2019s skin seemed no greater than it had before, but Ben feared this might just be the beginning of a life-threatening fever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he answered.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou hold him down.\u00a0 Let me see if I can wake him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded as he put a knee on the bed and took Little Joe\u2019s other hand in his own.<\/p>\n

With both hands now free, Ben caught his youngest\u2019s sweat-soaked face in his fingers and spoke clearly.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph. \u00a0Joseph!\u00a0 It\u2019s Pa.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe.\u00a0 Do you hear me, boy?\u00a0 You\u2019re safe!\u00a0 Joseph, you need to wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Someone was calling him.\u00a0 He wanted to turn around to see who it was, but he was afraid if he took his eyes off of her, that something<\/em> coming around the bend would get her.\u00a0 Frantic, Joe continued to press forward, only to find that something else was holding him back \u2013 an immoveable force that pinned his arms to his sides and nailed his booted feet to the muddy trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d he shrieked as his tears mingled with the rain as it streamed down and fell from the tips of his sodden spiraling curls.<\/p>\n

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

Ben sat on the edge of the bed and leaned in closer.\u00a0 He was convinced now that Joseph was simply caught deep in the throes of a nightmare \u2013 perhaps reliving whatever had happened to him.\u00a0 The fever was not high enough for him to be delirious and so, taking a deep breath, he tried one more time to use words to rouse him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d he said in his woodshed voice, \u2018wake up, son!\u00a0 You need to wake up now!\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

When that failed to work, he struck him on the cheek.\u00a0 Once.\u00a0 Twice.<\/p>\n

The third time \u2013 hard.<\/p>\n

With a gasp, Little Joe\u2019s green eyes flew wide open.\u00a0 For a moment they were filled with the panicked fear of a wild animal facing a hunter\u2019s gun and then they focused on him and his son seemed to see him \u2013 really<\/em> see him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded at Hoss who relaxed his grip, though he kept his hands on his brother\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know where you are, son?\u201d he asked gently.<\/p>\n

Little Joe blinked several times.\u00a0 Then his lips curled with a weak imitation of his usual smile.\u00a0 \u201cIn trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man reached out and ran his fingers through his son\u2019s damps hair, moving the darkened curls away from his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot yet,\u201d he chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took Little Joe several seconds to answer.\u00a0 \u201cConfused?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before addressing his son\u2019s concern, he nodded to Hoss who let go and took a seat on the other side of the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou took quite a knock to the head.\u00a0 That\u2019s understandable.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe reached for his hair, Ben caught his fingers and directed them.\u00a0 \u201cGently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOoh!\u00a0 That smarts,\u201d Joe wailed.\u00a0 He blinked back tears and then added with a grunt and a shallow cough.\u00a0 \u201cEverything smarts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone done near run you over, little brother,\u201d Hoss said, anger sharpening his usually benign tone.\u00a0 \u201cI sure wish I knew who it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRan me over?\u201d\u00a0 Joe seemed genuinely surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t the Spencers tell you?\u201d Ben asked, surprised himself.<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if they did, I don\u2019t remember it.\u00a0 They just said they found me beside the road and took me home.\u201d\u00a0 As his son tried to sit up, he sucked in another breath as both his side and his injured leg protested.\u00a0 \u201cDid a horse kick me on the way through?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss beat him to helping Joe sit up.\u00a0 \u201cMore like a buggy wheel, little brother,\u201d the big man said as he plumped a pillow and positioned it behind Joseph\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cDoc says you can see it in them bruises you got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grunted as he pulled out his nightshirt and looked inside.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t see much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re there,\u201d Ben said, his tone dark.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the impression of the vehicle\u2019s wheel written in purple and black along his son\u2019s left side.\u00a0 \u201cAlong with a couple of cracked ribs.\u00a0 Paul says you were lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph was frowning.\u00a0 He seemed to concentrate for half-a-dozen heartbeats and then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do<\/em> you remember, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy laid his head back.\u00a0 It was obvious he was tiring.\u00a0 They would have to cut the interview short.\u00a0\u00a0 With a sigh, his son said, \u201cYou aren\u2019t going to like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already know you were with Ab and Val Latham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes popped open. \u201cOh.\u00a0 Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

His son nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I am, Pa.\u00a0 Really sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened after you left them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, a pause.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t.\u00a0 They left me.\u201d\u00a0 Joe glanced at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me sit up more, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, if you\u2019re too tired….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe grunted as Hoss finished and then coughed again.\u00a0 It was still non-productive, but didn\u2019t sound ominous.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t think I could be any more stupid than I was with Fred…with Mister Kyle…but I found a way to do it.\u00a0 I thought Val and Ab were my friends.\u201d\u00a0 He snorted.\u00a0 \u201cSome friends.\u00a0 They…\u201d\u00a0 Ben waited as his son\u2019s eyes met his and then looked away.\u00a0 \u201cWe were drunker than skunks.\u00a0 Ab and Val decided I needed some time to think, so they spooked Cochise so he\u2019d run away and left me on foot to make my way home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime to think about what?\u201d the rancher asked, though he was afraid he knew. \u00a0\u00a0Aberdeen and Valentine Latham made no bones about their undying support for the Confederacy and their intent to sign up and fight as soon as war was officially declared.\u00a0 He reached out to place a hand on his son\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you aren\u2019t still considering joining up with Frederick Kyle\u2019s cause, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son winced and his eyes teared up.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t Kyle, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe turned his face into the pillows, Ben looked at his middle boy.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think I hear Hop Sing callin\u2019.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just go see what he needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the door closed behind the big man, Ben drew a deep breath.\u00a0 Letting it out slowly, he said, \u201cJoseph, look at me.\u201d\u00a0 When his son failed to comply, he said it more sternly.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph.\u00a0 Now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe glanced at him and then his head returned to his chest.\u00a0 \u201cI am sorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I, Joseph, if you think your mother would have had any part in supporting a cause whose chief aim is the continuation of a practice that enslaves hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s head came up.\u00a0 There was a spark of life in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cFred said the fight wasn\u2019t about slavery.\u00a0\u00a0 That it was about \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe threat to a way of life centuries old.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sighed. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that argument.\u00a0 Do you know what that \u2018way of life\u2019 is and how it is supported?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded, and then slowly shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 I guess I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis country, son, was founded on high ideals.\u00a0 It was, and is, the most remarkable country on the face of the earth.\u00a0 But as with everything formed by the hands of man, it is flawed.\u00a0 It\u2019s greatest flaw is the institution of slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben paused.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen it firsthand.\u00a0 No one who sailed the seas could escape the trade, and while he had never served on a slave ship, he knew plenty of men who had \u2013 most of whom had taken full advantage of all that nefarious institution had to offer.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the decks of incoming ships filled past capacity with human cargo, their hands and feet chained; their dark eyes turned upward, pleading with the God who was their only hope of salvation.\u00a0 He had to remember that his son had no notion of such things.\u00a0 The few Africans Joseph had met in his lifetime were freemen.\u00a0 Slavery was little more than a word written on a page to this young man of eighteen.<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 He shifted to the chair where he was more comfortable and then asked, \u201cCan I tell you a story about your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son had been looking away.\u00a0 Now he looked at<\/em> him.\u00a0 \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was not an easy one to tell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIVE<\/p>\n

1841<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjamin Cartwright stepped off of the stage that had just rolled in and turned around to offer his young bride a hand out.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s broad smile was matched by the one of his own face.\u00a0 However, as she placed her delicate fingers in his and took in her new surroundings, it faded quickly.\u00a0 Marie was from New Orleans where she had been born and bred and married into one of the Crescent City\u2019s most influential families.\u00a0 She was used to the finer things life had to offer \u2013 millineries and haberdasheries, elegant eating establishments, and open air markets where one could obtain goods from all over the world.\u00a0 He was fearful at that moment that he had not prepared her well enough for what awaited her at the end of their honeymoon journey.\u00a0 What lay before her was nothing more than a gathering of crude domiciles, some of which were finished and most of which were not, that \u2013 along with a few businesses and a tavern that served as saloon, inn, courthouse and, at times, jail \u2013 made up the slowly but steadily growing settlement of Eagle Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not much to look at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The smile returned to her face as his new wife met his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not looking at \u2018it\u2019,\u201d she replied in her charming French accent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch where you step,\u201d he told her as she began to debark.\u00a0 \u201cThe road is mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s rose-petal lips quirked with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI have stepped in ruder things, Benjamin.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a laugh, he caught her in his arms.\u00a0 Easily swinging her petite form up, he carried her over the rain-soaked street and placed her feet on the boardwalk.<\/p>\n

Taking in what lay around them with a broad gesture, he apologized, \u201cIt\u2019s not exactly New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s lips held the smile.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019est bon, mon amour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Behind him, Ben heard a sharp intake of breath.\u00a0 He turned to find two women gawking at them.\u00a0 He knew one of them.\u00a0 She was the wife of the pastor currently filling the pulpit at the only church in Eagle Station.\u00a0 The other he thought he recognized as the spouse of a businessman who frequented the settlement.\u00a0 They \u00a0had a house on the outskirts, near one of the area\u2019s larger establishments.<\/p>\n

\u201cBenjamin Cartwright! I\u2019m surprised to see you,\u201c Mildred Masters said, chiding him as if he was a recalcitrant student who had neglected to complete his homework.\u00a0 \u201cThe reverend and I paid a visit to your house only two days ago.\u00a0 Your young son said you were not due back for another fortnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe caught a fast wind,\u201d he laughed, feeling no need to explain himself to the woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d Mildred\u2019s friend asked, her eyes on Marie.<\/p>\n

His diminutive wife fit nicely under his arm.\u00a0 She was huddled there now, one hand on his chest and the other wrapped around his waist.\u00a0 He grinned broadly as he introduced her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Marie de Marigny…\u201d\u00a0 Ben laughed.\u00a0 \u201cForgive me, darling.\u00a0 Marie Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pastor\u2019s wife\u2019s graying eyebrows aimed for her widow\u2019s peak.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u00a0 A relation, I presume?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might say so,\u201d he replied, giving Marie a little squeeze.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s my wife.\u00a0 Marie, this is Mildred Masters, our pastor\u2019s wife and , forgive me, I don\u2019t think I know your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecky Stableford,\u201d the other woman said, offering nothing else, not even her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand you\u2019ve just come from New Orleans?\u201d Mildred fished, addressing Marie.\u00a0 \u201cAre you from the city?\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie gave a little nod.\u00a0 \u201cOui.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A glance passed between the women.\u00a0 Mildred\u2019s forced smile curdled.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you\u2019re French?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could reply, Marie pushed away from him.\u00a0 Going toe to toe with the woman she replied \u2013 \u00a0\u201cOui.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>A heartbeat later she added, \u201cDo you find something wrong with that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mildred sputtered for a moment, then managed to say, \u201cI was just thinking about you attending services, my dear.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid we have no venue for Papists, which, I assume you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cWhat Marie is, is my wife!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mildred smiled sweetly.\u00a0 \u201cThen, she will be converting?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sucked in his exasperation and anger and was more than ready to spit them both out, when Marie stopped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no need of your \u2018services\u2019, Madame.<\/em>\u00a0 I have my own personal altar,\u201d his wife said sweetly.\u00a0 \u201cI brought it from the Bayou along with my voodoo dolls and needles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Needless to say, Marie\u2019s reply rendered him speechless.<\/p>\n

It had the same effect on Mildred and Becky.<\/p>\n

As the two women waddled away, whispers on their lips, she snarled, \u201cCr\u00e9tins!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know whether to scold her or laugh.\u00a0 \u201cMarie!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what would you have me do?\u00a0 Stand by and take their insults?\u201d she snapped, her temper rising.\u00a0 \u201cPaysans ignorants!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It was at that moment that Benjamin Cartwright, patriarch of the Ponderosa, realized he might have bit off more than he could chew when he made Marie de Marigny his wife.<\/p>\n

He knew it for certain a week later when he came home to find her packed and ready to return to New Orleans.<\/p>\n

When he asked her \u2018why\u2019, Marie threw her hands into the air and launched into a long list that began with Adam\u2019s surly behavior and ran through his hiring of the son of Hop Ling to be their cook.\u00a0 He\u2019d noticed how high-strung she\u2019d been the last few days and thought the addition of Hop Sing to their home would leave his young wife time for the more enjoyable aspects of her new role as the woman of the house.<\/p>\n

Instead, she took it as an insult to her cooking.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019est impossible!\u201d<\/em> Marie declared as she and the valise bumped down the last few stairs to the wooden floor.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI can do nothing right!\u00a0 Your son hates me and you<\/em> hate my cooking, and I hate the narrow-minded backbiting citizens of what your Nevada territory laughingly calls a settlement!\u00a0 I will never be accepted here.\u00a0 I shall go back to my own!\u201d\u00a0 Before he could gather his wits to comment, Marie came alongside him and pushed him out of the way as she headed for the door, doggedly dragging her over-sized and heavily burdened traveling case behind her.\u00a0 Near the front door she did battle with a chair that happened to be in her direct-line-of fire.<\/p>\n

The chair won.<\/p>\n

As the petite woman passed it, the latch of her valise caught on the openwork of the Chippendale chair\u2019s elaborately carved leg and it opened, spilling its contents out in a cascade of silk and lace.\u00a0 Marie took one look at the puddle of gowns, underpinnings, and petticoats surrounding her and then plunked down in the middle of them and began to cry.\u00a0 A moment later, drawn no doubt by the heartrending wails his new wife was emitting, his two sons appeared at the top of the stairs.\u00a0 Adam paled and remained rooted to the spot while Hoss \u2013 seeing his new mama in distress \u2013 burst into tears as well and gave Marie a run for her money.<\/p>\n

An hour later, after an apology from Adam and a rather prolonged session of reading, hugging and reassuring Hoss that his new mama wasn\u2019t going anywhere, Ben found himself both exhausted and seated with his wife in front of the fire.\u00a0 After her outburst Marie had become very subdued. \u00a0Something was troubling her, but she was unwilling or unable to tell him what, and so he talked about everything and anything he could think of \u2013 about their new life together, about the boys; about why he had hired Hop Sing, and how he had hoped she would feel welcomed and loved and was distressed that she did not.<\/p>\n

It was at that point that Marie lifted a finger to his lips and shushed him.\u00a0 She drew a shuddering breath and let it out slowly before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cI know I am loved, mon cher<\/em>,\u201d she said softly, \u201cand I love you all.\u00a0 That<\/em> is why I must leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned her in his arms so she was facing him.\u00a0 Marie looked down, but he lifted her chin with his finger.<\/p>\n

She was crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie, what is it?\u00a0 What happened today while I was gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

His beautiful wife opened her mouth to answer, but then shook her head.\u00a0 She caught his face with her hands and pulled his head down into a kiss and then bolted up the stairs, leaving him stunned.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben thought about following her, but decided in the end it would do no good.\u00a0 He was out of practice with women.<\/p>\n

He had no idea what to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben right to worry about Missy Marie,\u201d a soft voice said.\u00a0 \u201cShe very sad lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher shifted so he could look toward the kitchen.\u00a0 Hop Sing was standing by the table, dishes in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing,\u201d he said as he rose.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not drop eaves.\u00a0 Come in to set table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben held up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u201d\u00a0 His smile was chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cI imagine the good people of Eagle Station wouldn\u2019t have had to eavesdrop.\u00a0 Marie has no trouble making her opinions known.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy go back New Orleans?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the top of the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cI hope not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe happy this morning.\u00a0 Came to kitchen to help.\u00a0 Would have, if knock not come at door.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWe had company?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man from China nodded.\u00a0 \u201cChurch ladies.\u201d\u00a0 He scowled.\u00a0 \u201cOld women jealous of Mistah Ben\u2019s pretty young wife.\u00a0 Say many things.\u00a0 Make Missy cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCry?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMissy Marie invite them in.\u00a0 Tell Hop Sing bring tea.\u00a0 When he does, he overhear church ladies tell Mistah Ben\u2019s wife she not belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben faltered.\u00a0 \u201cThey…they did what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Missy to go.\u00a0 Pastor\u2019s wife say, before he die, Mister Jean tell husband all about woman he married to. \u201c\u00a0 Hop Sing hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cThere more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s temper was rising.\u00a0 \u201cMore?\u00a0 What more?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCall Missy Marie \u2018Papist\u2019 and tell her Creole of Color not wanted in Eagle Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God!\u00a0 How dare that woman come into my house and cast aspersions on my wife\u2019s character \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true, Benjamin,\u201d a soft voice remarked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the pastor\u2019s wife said is true.\u201d<\/p>\n

He and Hop Sing exchanged a look.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, go put kettle on now.\u00a0 Think Missy Marie need tea to calm nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Chinese man disappeared into the kitchen, Ben turned toward the stair and his wife.\u00a0 \u201cMarie, will you please come down here and tell me what this is all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Slowly, reluctantly, she descended the stairs.\u00a0 When she came to his side and he took her hand, he found she was trembling.\u00a0 Taking hold of Marie by the waist, he led her to the settle and sat down beside her.\u00a0 With a smile, he reached out and brushed an errant lock of honey-gold hair from her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me,\u201d he said simply.<\/p>\n

Marie drew a breath.\u00a0 She met his eyes and he saw real fear in hers.\u00a0 \u201cIt is said that my arri\u00e8re grand-m\u00e8re<\/em> came from France to New Orleans shortly after your American revolution ended and that she was a Creole of Color.\u201d\u00a0 His wife winced, awaiting his reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBenjamin, did you not hear me?\u00a0 She was a woman of color!\u00a0 <\/em>In New Orleans, this means nothing, but here?\u201d\u00a0 A tear escaped her eye to trail down her beautiful face.\u00a0 \u201cHere, it means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached out to drive it away.\u00a0 \u201cIt means nothing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNon!<\/em>\u00a0 It must!\u201d she declared.\u00a0 \u201cOur children \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

He caught her face in his hands.\u00a0 \u201cMarie, this is not the North or the South, it is the West.\u00a0 This is a land of new beginnings.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what we were, only what we are<\/em> and what we can become. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cBut those women….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled. \u00a0\u201cThose old biddies.\u00a0 They\u2019re jealous.\u00a0 No one will pay them any mind.\u00a0 Let them say what they will. \u00a0We know the truth, you and I, and that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s long black lashes fluttered.\u00a0 He saw the hint of a smile.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is this truth that we know?\u201d<\/p>\n

He squeezed her fingers.\u00a0 \u201cThat what God has put together, no man \u2013 or biddy \u2013 can put asunder.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI love you, Benjamin Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pulled her toward him, relishing the fit of her petite form against his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do. \u00a0And Marie, I love you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1861<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joseph was very<\/em> quiet.\u00a0 Those dark brows of his were knitted together in the middle and he was thinking hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a second for that curly head to turn his way.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t told Joseph everything that had transpired, but enough to know that somewhere in his veins ran the blood of a person of color.\u00a0 He had no idea if it was Jamaican or African or something else entirely.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t mattered to him then and it didn\u2019t matter to him now.<\/p>\n

He could only pray it didn\u2019t matter to Joseph either.<\/p>\n

Little Joe pursed his lips and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI was talkin\u2019 to Adam the other day.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at him and there was a flash of that sheepish smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, yellin\u2019<\/em> at him really \u2018cause he said somethin\u2019 like that.\u201d\u00a0 So intent was his son on what he had to see that he failed to see him startle at his words.\u00a0 \u201cI hit him for it.\u00a0 I guess I need to apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam mentioned your mother\u2019s background?\u00a0 And put it in a disparaging light?\u201d\u00a0 He was astonished.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were both yellin\u2019, Pa.\u00a0 Don\u2019t blame him.\u201d\u00a0 Joseph was looking at his hands .\u00a0 \u201cI said some pretty mean things about his ma too.\u201d\u00a0 His son sighed and leaned back on the pillows.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what happened.\u00a0 It was like we went crazy or somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNevertheless….\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe looked straight at him.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t make this about Adam, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew a deep breath and nodded.\u00a0 He would deal with Adam later.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have any questions?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cJust one.\u00a0 If I\u2019d been born in the south, would I have been a slave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was taken aback. \u00a0\u201cNo.\u00a0 Of course not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d\u00a0 Joseph straightened up against the pillows.\u00a0 \u201cAdam said that in the South if your mama was a slave, you were a slave no matter how much white you had in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut your mother wasn\u2019t a slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cOnly because she lived in Louisiana and came from New Orleans.\u00a0 If she\u2019d been born in…say…Virginia instead… she would have been.\u00a0 Right?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Ben\u2019s turn to be stunned.\u00a0 He had never thought of it that way.<\/p>\n

Joseph was right.<\/p>\n

Reluctantly, he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIf Marie\u2019s great-grandmother had come into the country as a slave and lived in one of the slave states, it certainly would have been possible.\u00a0 But she didn\u2019t and your mother wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny, Pa,\u201d his son said, his voice showing his obvious fatigue as he leaned back against the pillows.\u00a0 \u201cAll the times back at school when the kids used to call me names and say things about my mama, they were using the wrong ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward to take his son\u2019s hand in his own.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those great green eyes fastened on his.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, the idea of a purebred line is a myth.\u00a0 None of us know who the people were who came before us.\u00a0 That information might be contained in us somewhere, to be discovered someday, but even if it is, there is no way to access it now.\u00a0 The only thing you need to know is what our Heavenly Father told us in Psalm 139.\u00a0 \u2018For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.\u00a0 I 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>\u201d\u00a0 Ben drew a breath and released his son\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cGod knew who and what you were before you ever drew a breath, Joseph.\u00a0 Remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was silent a moment and then he said, \u201cI\u2019m all right, Pa.\u00a0 Really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben almost laughed .\u00a0 \u201cNot \u2018fine\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat too,\u201d his son breathed as his eyes closed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d…I\u2019d kind of like to be left alone, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated and then reached out and placed a hand on his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 When Joseph didn\u2019t shrug it away, he knew the boy was almost asleep.\u00a0 His temperature was down, thank the Lord, and right now rest would be the best thing for him.<\/p>\n

Rising he leaned over and planted a kiss on Little Joe\u2019s smooth brow.\u00a0 A gesture he had not done in quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Joseph.\u00a0 Get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…\u2019kay, Pa.\u00a0 …love you…too….\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The minute the door closed Joe\u2019s eyes popped open.\u00a0 There was so much turmoil within him there was no way he could sleep. \u00a0\u00a0He needed to get up \u2013 to move \u2013 anything<\/em> but lie in bed where he couldn\u2019t escape his thoughts, but his injured leg prevented it.\u00a0\u00a0 Doc Martin had said it would be a couple of days before he could put his weight on it, and maybe a week before he could ride.<\/p>\n

He thought he might go mad.<\/p>\n

Pa, of course, would say God\u2019s timing was perfect and that the Almighty had planned it for him to be laid up so he\u2019d have to lay here thinkin\u2019 over all his past sins, chief among them the last few weeks he\u2019d spent with Frederick Kyle and the fact that he\u2019d actually considered accepting Kyle\u2019s offer to go with him and fight for the South \u2013 for his mama\u2019s people.<\/p>\n

His mama\u2019s people.<\/p>\n

How could he possibly have known?\u00a0\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have guessed.<\/p>\n

Maybe he should have.\u00a0 New Orleans was, from what he understood, like a great big pot with a little of everything in it and every kind of person in-between thrown in.\u00a0 People lived as they wanted to there.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t care what the rest of the country thought.\u00a0 That was why the old holier-than-thou biddies at church didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0 Why they hadn\u2019t liked his mother.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t like him either.\u00a0 They never had.<\/p>\n

Now he knew why.<\/p>\n

A loud knock on the doorjamb made his head jerk up.\u00a0 He found Hoss standing in the open doorway, checkerboard in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, there, little brother.\u00a0 I just knew\u2019d you were foolin\u2019 Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss held out the board.\u00a0 \u201cI came up to see if you were awake and felt like a game of checkers.\u00a0 Pa said your fever was down and he\u2019s thinkin\u2019 old Doc Martin\u2019s full of beans about you maybe havin\u2019 that there influenza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Influenza?\u00a0 It was the first he had heard of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeck no,\u201d he said, forcing a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m dandy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDandy?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss snorted as he came into the room.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of a word is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hoss, can you help me sit up further?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI knew you\u2019d be feelin\u2019 up to checkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he settled in against the pillows, Joe said, \u201cSorry, I\u2019m really not.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty tired.\u00a0 I\u2019d just like to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss put the board on the nightstand and sat on the bed beside him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s somethin\u2019 I need you to do for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother held up one of his large hands.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Little Joe, I ain\u2019t sneakin\u2019 you out of here \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want you to sneak me out of here!\u201d he snapped.\u00a0 Then he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWell, actually I do<\/em>, but I wasn\u2019t gonna ask you to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pursed his lips and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSo what is<\/em> it you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright sat in the darkened great room thinking.\u00a0 He was a man of the world \u2013 or at least, he had been one before he chose to settle in Nevada.\u00a0 He had seen a good piece of it and found it lacking.\u00a0 The silver-haired man glanced at the book in his hand.\u00a0 He\u2019d retrieved it from his bookcase and tried to read, but found the exercise futile as his mind kept straying to his youngest son, wondering how Joseph was dealing with what he had told him.\u00a0 The book was titled \u2018The Ingenious Nobleman Mister Quixote of La Mancha by Cervantes\u2019<\/em>.\u00a0 He\u2019d remembered one passage in particular and had turned there, only to find the words offered less comfort that he had hoped.<\/p>\n

He opened it again and read.<\/p>\n

\u2018Life as it is. I’ve lived for over 40 years and I’ve seen life as it is. Pain. Misery. Cruelty beyond belief. I’ve heard all the voices of God’s noblest creature. Moans from bundles of filth in the street. I’ve been a soldier and a slave. I’ve seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I’ve held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with confusion, questioning “Why?” I do not think they were asking why they were dying, but why they had ever lived. When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. \u00a0To surrender dreams \u2013 this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. \u00a0Too much sanity may be madness! \u00a0And maddest of all \u2013 to see life as it is and not as it should be!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Life as it is and not as it should be. This house he had built, this haven<\/em> he created for his wife and children, he had thought it a place where life could be lived \u2018as it should be\u2019.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his best to rear his boys with both compassion and grace, instilled discipline in them, and been fair and, he hoped, kind in doing so.\u00a0 They were all men now facing men\u2019s choices and yet he longed to protect them.<\/p>\n

Ben shifted in his chair and glanced at the stairs.\u00a0 He had to admit, he longed to protect Joseph most of all.\u00a0 Joseph who \u2013\u00a0 so like his fiery mother \u2013 was at one and the same time the strongest and yet most fragile creature he had ever encountered.\u00a0 Adam was the rock his younger brother so often accused him of being, but not because he was unfeeling or didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 It was because Adam had been forced to be a man before he had time to be a boy.\u00a0 Adam had seen the \u2018life as it is\u2019 the same as him, only through a child\u2019s eyes, and he had erected barricades to protect himself from it.\u00a0 Hoss had fared better, being the child of his second wife and middle years.\u00a0 By his nature, his giant of a son saw life always as it \u2018should be\u2019.\u00a0 But Joseph….<\/p>\n

Ah, Joseph.<\/p>\n

Joseph, it seemed, had sprung from the womb certain that it was madness to accept life as it is.\u00a0 There was something in his youngest that railed against the unfairness of it all.\u00a0 Something that had deepened and grown darker and turned to an often silent rage with the premature death of his mother.\u00a0 He was no longer a boy.\u00a0 In fact, Joseph would turn nineteen soon and he was doing his best to think of \u2013 and treat him as a man.<\/p>\n

It had been hard letting him stay in that room when he spoke to Frederick Kyle.\u00a0 Harder yet to say \u2018You\u2019re a man now.\u00a0 After you hear what I have to say, you can do as you wish,\u2019 knowing full well his son might walk out that door with Kyle and go off to eventually die on some battlefield; his life\u2019s blood spilled for what?<\/p>\n

Life as it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d a soft voice inquired.<\/p>\n

Ben stirred.\u00a0 He smiled at his middle boy as he put the book down.\u00a0 \u201cI was reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI seen that.\u00a0 You know, Adam usually gets that same kind of look when he\u2019s got his nose in one of them there books he likes so much.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss scratched the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cFor the life of me, I cain\u2019t figure why a feller would want to read somethin\u2019 that makes him look like he ate somethin\u2019 sour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher laughed.\u00a0 Succinct as always.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re right.\u00a0 I think I would be better of doing instead of thinking.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cHow is your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t coughin\u2019 so much, Pa, and his fever\u2019s near gone.\u00a0 You think Doc Martin got it wrong this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

He clapped a hand on the big man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s hope so.\u00a0 Now, how about you come out to the barn with me and look at that mare that went lame?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hemmed and hawed a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Pa, it\u2019s this way.\u00a0 I done made a promise to baby brother and I need to keep that first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instantly suspicious, Ben asked, \u201cWhat promise?\u201d\u00a0 Visions of his son climbing out of his bedroom window and dropping to the ground to make an escape danced nerve-wrackingly before his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 bad.\u00a0 Joe just wants me to get him somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have to go to town?\u201d\u00a0 It was getting late in the day, and with town three hours or so away….<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, it\u2019 right here on the Ponderosa.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cJoe swore me to secrecy, Pa.\u00a0 I gave my word.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben studied his son and sensed no duplicity.\u00a0 \u201cSo long as it can\u2019t bring your brother any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I wouldn\u2019t do nothin\u2019 like that.\u00a0 He said it\u2019d help him sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout their lives his sons had kept secrets from him.\u00a0 Apparently this was going to be one of those times.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe back before supper \u2013 if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure will, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019ll only take an hour or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher watched his son exit the house and then looked up the stairs, toward his youngest\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

Whatever were they up to this time?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Four hours later, after supper had been brought up to him and he\u2019d forced himself to eat a few bites, Joe Cartwright lay in his bed, propped up on two plump pillows, and stared at the nightstand beside it.\u00a0 On the wooden surface was a lovely hand-painted china vase full to bursting with rich red columbine.<\/p>\n

The flowers came from his mama\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

Joe had asked Hoss to go and gather them for him.\u00a0 He needed to feel close to his mother and, since he couldn\u2019t travel to her grave, he thought that….\u00a0 Well, if he brought a little of her grave to his room it might be the same. \u00a0As he stared at them, he saw a flash of her \u2013 coming down the stairs, all gussied up and ready to go to town with his pa.\u00a0 She\u2019d loved red and was wearing it that night \u2013 a big, flowing mass of it with plenty of crisp white petticoats beneath so her skirts flounced as she descended the stair.\u00a0 Her hair was the color of honey.\u00a0 He remembered that in spite of the portrait Frederick Kyle had given him.\u00a0 Pa said people\u2019s hair changed as they got older \u2013 sometimes growin\u2019 lighter and sometimes, darker.\u00a0 He remembered because it always looked like the sun was setting on her golden hair and lightly tanned skin.<\/p>\n

Like his lightly tanned skin.<\/p>\n

Only now he knew, it wasn\u2019t a tan.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss were a lot paler than him.<\/p>\n

He knew why that was now too.<\/p>\n

Shifting, he pulled his bandaged leg up a bit, rolled over, and managed to reach out and pluck one of the blossoms from the vase.\u00a0 Joe studied it for a bit and then pressed it to his heart.\u00a0 He lay there, fighting back tears, trying to find just one<\/em> new memory of the woman who had given him life, but he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Everything that came to him was something he had been told \u2013 only now he knew there was so much more he hadn\u2019t <\/em>been told.<\/p>\n

It still called to him, the South, but not for the same reason.\u00a0 Taking up arms for the confederacy wouldn\u2019t be supporting his mama\u2019s people.\u00a0 In a way, it would be fighting against them.\u00a0 He still wanted to go to New Orleans.\u00a0 Not to fight or stay, but just to see the place his mama had come from.\u00a0 To understand and to know.<\/p>\n

To know <\/em>her better.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day,\u201d he promised himself as his fingers brushed the flower\u2019s delicate skin.\u00a0 \u201cOne day, mama.\u201d\u00a0 Joe blinked as fatigue and a longing so deep he didn\u2019t understand it overwhelmed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama, I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SIX<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna be real careful with little brother, Pa, I promise.\u00a0 I\u2019m just gonna sit Little Joe in that there wagon and let him help me with some of the light chores.\u201d\u00a0 At his look Hoss added quickly.\u00a0 \u201cIf he gets too tired, I\u2019ll be sure to park him under a tree where he can\u2019t get into no trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was dubious.\u00a0 It had been less than a week since the accident that had almost claimed his youngest son\u2019s life.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Joseph<\/em> we\u2019re talking about, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ran a hand through his thinning hair and then planted his ten gallon hat on it.\u00a0 \u201cAh shucks, Pa, the poor little feller\u2019s just about stir crazy from bein\u2019 cooped up in the house.\u00a0 Doc said his leg\u2019s all better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but your brother is still weak and you know Little Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Ben scowled as he envisioned all of the possible scenarios.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll be testing himself before you know it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want him to reinjure those ribs or<\/em> that leg.\u00a0 Paul suspected a fracture.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they talked, the object of their concern exited the ranch house and headed toward them. \u00a0Little Joe was dressed in his usual tan and green . He paused just beyond the porch to look up at the sky and smiled as he drank it in.\u00a0 Then he made his way toward them with slow, deliberate steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa, for lettin\u2019 me out of jail,\u201d he quipped as he arrived.<\/p>\n

Ben pretended to be put out.\u00a0 \u201cI would hope you don\u2019t think of your home as a prison, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe made a little huffing noise as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 I was pretty sure I saw some bars on my bedroom window.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now why hadn\u2019t he thought of that?<\/p>\n

The older man stepped forward to place a hand on his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

The usual answer was on his son\u2019s lips, but he thought better of it.\u00a0 \u201cI feel a little weak, but I think that\u2019s from laying in bed for so long.\u00a0 Thanks for letting me go with Hoss.\u00a0 Work will make me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery little<\/em> work, you remember that. \u00a0I don\u2019t want you overtaxing yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 I promise I\u2019ll hold the nails while Hoss does all the hammering,\u00a0 And I won\u2019t even hand them to him. \u00a0He can reach,\u201d he answered with a grin.<\/p>\n

Ben studied his son \u2013 for so long Little Joe began to squirm.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right…with everything?\u201d he asked at last.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t had a chance to talk at any length alone since the night he had spoken to him about his mother.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s green eyes flicked to his brother.\u00a0 Hoss was checking the harness on the horse that was pulling the wagon and paying them no mind. \u00a0After a moment the boy shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, on the way home \u2013 if it\u2019s okay \u2013 I\u2019d have Hoss take me up to mama\u2019s grave.\u00a0 I\u2019d…\u201d\u00a0 His son frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been there himself, the night after he told Joe about Marie.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt the same need.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, son.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t be too late.\u201d\u00a0 Ben tugged at the collar of his lightweight coat.\u00a0 It was proving to be an exceptionally cold September.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want you or your brother taking a chill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s take an ice storm to chill that big old bear,\u201d Joe snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just get your skinny little hiney up there and plunk it down in that there wagon seat, little brother, or you\u2019ll find out just how\u00a0 much of a big old bear I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe frowned and then coughed \u2013 melodramatically.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you wouldn\u2019t go hurtin\u2019 an invalid, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head as Joe began his slow ascent into the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cGet going you two.\u00a0 Those fences won\u2019t mend themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay, Pa,\u201d Hoss said as he took hold of the reins.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be over by the Spencer\u2019s place.\u00a0 You want us to see what\u2019s keepin\u2019 Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d talked about it at breakfast.\u00a0 After the excitement had died down, Adam had gone ahead with his plan to return the Spencer\u2019s rig to them and then go to town to pick up a few supplies.\u00a0 He should have been back, at the latest, the night before and he was growing worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, why don\u2019t you do that.\u00a0 I\u2019m wondering if something is wrong with Thom or Maggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they got that influenza the Doc was worried about Joe havin\u2019,\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope not.\u00a0 Neither of them are young anymore.\u201d\u00a0 Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI know Adam intended to look at the site where the accident occurred.\u00a0 Maybe he found something there that delayed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s be good news, wouldn\u2019t it, little brother?\u201d Hoss asked, and then repeated, \u201cLittle brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe started and looked guilty.\u00a0 He\u2019d been staring off into the distance. \u00a0When he replied, it wasn\u2019t to the question put to him.\u00a0 \u201cI hope nothing\u2019s wrong with the Spencers.\u00a0 They were good to me.\u201d\u00a0 After a second, he added, \u201cI\u2019m glad we\u2019re stopping by.\u00a0 It\u2019ll give me a chance to thank them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, either way, when you find your brother tell him I need him back here.\u00a0 Now that you\u2019re on your feet, Joseph, we have a lot of catching up to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry I haven\u2019t been pulling my weight, Pa,\u201d his youngest said.<\/p>\n

He placed a hand on the boy\u2019s knee.\u00a0 \u201cYou have no need to apologize.\u00a0 I\u2019m just thankful you weren\u2019t hurt any worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an angel lookin\u2019 out for me,\u201d Little Joe said and then seemed to regret it.<\/p>\n

Before he could comment, Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that angel tired of watchin\u2019 out for you yet, little brother?\u00a0 As much as you get into trouble, it\u2019s a surprise you ain\u2019t run the poor thing to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew a breath.\u00a0 There was some truth in that statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake care, you two, and Joseph….\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIf you do discover that the Spencers are ill, you keep your distance.\u00a0 In your weakened state you\u2019d be susceptible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll keep the fire going and let Hoss clean out the chamber pots,\u201d he replied deadpan and then broke into a grin. \u201cI promise I\u2019ll be careful, Pa,\u201d his youngest said as his brother made a kissing noise and got the team rolling.\u00a0 As they passed out of sight, Little Joe called back, \u201cAren\u2019t I always?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben let out a deep sigh.<\/p>\n

Heaven help them all!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The mornin\u2019 went pretty quickly.<\/p>\n

Hoss brushed his hands together to free them of debris, and then rubbed the remainder of the dust from the old rotten wood he\u2019d just finished loading into the back of the wagon off on his pants before looking up at the sky.\u00a0 They\u2019d been at it since six in the morning and it was getting to be midday.\u00a0 Time to move on to the Spencer\u2019s place and see what they could find.\u00a0 He\u2019d been kind of disappointed that they hadn\u2019t run into Adam along the way.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced.\u00a0 His gaze went to his little brother who was dutifully sitting under the tree where he\u2019d left him, gazing off into the distance.<\/p>\n

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

They weren\u2019t that far from where the accident happened.\u00a0 The bend in the road was back about a half mile as the crow flies.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d got real quiet when they came to it and hadn\u2019t said much of anythin\u2019 since.\u00a0 When he asked him about it, he said he was tired.<\/p>\n

Right there and then, he knew little brother was lying.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t never<\/em> admit he was tired!<\/p>\n

Still, a man had a right to his own thoughts and so he\u2019d finished this section of fence on his own and let Little Joe stew in his own juices.\u00a0 At least the boy wasn\u2019t complainin\u2019 and bitin\u2019 his head off , so there was somethin\u2019 to be thankful for.<\/p>\n

After pulling his leather vest back on, Hoss headed over to the tree.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t stir as he approached.\u00a0 In fact, he didn\u2019t think the little feller even knew he was there.\u00a0 He was sittin\u2019 with his back up against the tree and his eyes closed and looked, well, a mite puny.<\/p>\n

Leaning down, he placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Little Joe!\u00a0 You okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother didn\u2019t snap awake.\u00a0 He blinked several times and then looked up at him as if he didn\u2019t know him.\u00a0 A moment later, he gave him a little half-smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I took a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cPa was right.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t ought to have come today.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t mended yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean I ain\u2019t mended?\u201d Little Joe snarled, coming fully awake.\u00a0 \u201cFor gosh sakes, can\u2019t a man take a nap without everyone thinking he\u2019s got one foot in the grave!\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man rocked back on his heels and grinned.\u00a0 Now that was more like it!<\/p>\n

\u201cHand me that canteen, will you?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cSome of us been workin\u2019 and we\u2019re mighty thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, others <\/em>of us would have been working if someone hadn\u2019t told them to go sit under a tree,\u201d his brother groused as he reached for the required item and supplied it.<\/p>\n

Hoss took a drink and then eyed his brother.\u00a0 \u201cAnybody ever told you, you ain\u2019t pretty when you wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe started to snap back.\u00a0 Then he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure enough do pity whatever poor woman finally makes a husband out of you,\u201d Hoss said as he capped the canteen.<\/p>\n

The smile froze on Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 He blinked and then turned away.<\/p>\n

Hoss felt like a heel.\u00a0 He reached out and placed a hand on his little brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Joe.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could see his brother\u2019s lips trembling and felt him draw a deep breath.\u00a0 Joe started to say something, couldn\u2019t, and then leapt to his feet and headed for the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, you big galoot,\u201d his brother tossed back over his shoulder, doin\u2019 a fair job of keeping the sorrow out of his tone.\u00a0 \u201cTime\u2019s a wasting!\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe scrambled into the wagon, Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 Little brother done had a nap while he <\/em>was fair worn out.<\/p>\n

That boy sure enough did <\/em>have an angel watching out for him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright hesitated a moment and then ducked behind a clump of bushes.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think the men he was trailing were aware of his presence, but it never hurt to be cautious.\u00a0 He\u2019d picked up their trail about two miles back \u2013 near the spot where Little Joe had been struck \u2013 and had followed them for close to an hour now.\u00a0 They were on Ponderosa land.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t supposed<\/em> to be on Ponderosa land.<\/p>\n

He wanted to know why they were.<\/p>\n

He regretted the fact that his absence was no doubt adding fuel to the fire of his father\u2019s worry.\u00a0 Pa had enough to think about with Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone to town and on the way back delivered the rig to the Spencers.\u00a0 Mister Spencer hadn\u2019t been feeling well and so he had stayed to help him with the evening chores.\u00a0 By the time he left, the moon had been up and he was anticipating the lecture he would receive from both Pa and Hop Sing, when he\u2019d spotted the two men.\u00a0 Unsure to begin with of who they were, he\u2019d trailed behind.\u00a0 When they made camp, he had to make the choice to either greet them or turn back.\u00a0 Once he realized who <\/em>they were his curiosity got the better of him and so he had bedded down nearby and then, after awakening in the morning, followed them to see what they were up to. The odds were it had something to do with his little brother.<\/p>\n

The odds were, whatever Valentine and Aberdeen Latham were up to, it was no good.<\/p>\n

It still surprised him that Pa had agreed to take them on in spite of the fact that they were obvious Confederate sympathizers.\u00a0 Still, his pa was nothing if not impartial. \u00a0He liked to think he was the same, but at the time it had seemed \u2013 to him \u2013 unwise to allow the foreman to hire anyone who might fan the misguided flame of southern pride that burned in his little brother\u2019s chest.\u00a0 And, of course, the three of them had taken to each other like bees to honey.<\/p>\n

After Pa let them go, he\u2019d asked around and while there was nothing he could pin down, he\u2019d gotten the distinct impression that the brother\u2019s interest in Little Joe was far from altruistic.\u00a0 Apparently they had asked where Joe lived as soon as they arrived in town \u2013 as if they had some prior knowledge of his existence, though they later denied it.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips curled with a tight smile as he thought of what his little brother\u2019s reaction would be if he knew what he was doing.\u00a0 The stable probably wouldn\u2019t have a roof! \u00a0What Little Joe didn\u2019t understand was that he had been looking out for him since he\u2019d been born and, short of either one of their deaths, he would never stop looking out for him.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man chuckled.\u00a0 \u00a0More than likely that was why the kid needed <\/em>looking out for.<\/p>\n

Drawing a breath, Adam held it as he peered out from behind his leafy cover.\u00a0 The Latham brothers had moved on and so did he.\u00a0 They\u2019d tethered their horses about a hundred yards back and begun to move on foot and so he followed suit.\u00a0 He could hear them talking, but now there was a third voice.\u00a0 Another man.<\/p>\n

Another southerner.<\/p>\n

Drawing his pistol, Adam moved closer so he could listen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His brother held him back with a hand to his chest as he started to hop down out of the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 ain\u2019t right, Joe,\u201d Hoss warned.<\/p>\n

Joe looked around.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u00a0 I don\u2019t see anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man inclined his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe Spencer\u2019s front door\u2019s flappin\u2019 in the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d seen that.\u00a0 \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at him like he had a hole in his head he could see right through.\u00a0 \u201cUse your noggin\u2019, little brother.\u00a0 You think right and proper ol\u2019 Maggie Spencer would let her door bang like that if she could do anythin\u2019 about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

That would be like Abigail Jones letting you cross an \u2018i\u2019 and dot a \u2018t\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m hopin\u2019 it ain\u2019t that influenza that Doc was worried about.\u201d\u00a0 As his brother left the wagon behind, he issued an order.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCause Pa said so, that\u2019s why,\u201d Hoss growled.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you never listen to nothin\u2019 or nobody?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, I was here already.\u00a0 For days!<\/em>\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think I\u2019d already be sick if I\u00a0 was gonna catch something?\u00a0 It\u2019s probably safer for me to go in there than you!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother was thinking.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they wasn\u2019t sick then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe there are now and they need our help!\u201d\u00a0 Joe headed for the door that was slowly opening and closing with the breeze.\u00a0 \u201cI owe the Spencers,\u201d he threw back over his shoulder, \u201cand a Cartwright always pays his debts!\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither one of them was prepared for what they found when they entered Mister and Mrs. Spencer\u2019s home.\u00a0 The older woman was lying just inside the front door.\u00a0 From a back room, someone \u2013 probably Thomas Spencer \u2013 was feebly calling her name.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you go tell Thom we\u2019re here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll help Maggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another room upstairs, Hoss.\u00a0 That\u2019s where I was.\u00a0 Maybe….\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded as he placed his arms under Maggie Spencer\u2019s slender form and lifted her up.\u00a0 \u201cBest to keep them apart.\u00a0 Just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned with worry as the older woman moaned and then headed for the back room.\u00a0 Thomas Spencer was awake, but Joe wasn\u2019t sure if he was aware of what was going on.\u00a0 The older man\u2019s eyes were fever-bright and the room reeked of recent sickness.\u00a0 Rushing to the window, Joe opened it and took in several gulps of fresh air before turning back into the room and going to sit at the sick man\u2019s side. Even before he touched the older man\u2019s forehead, he knew what he would find.<\/p>\n

Thomas Spencer was burning up.<\/p>\n

Dropping his hand, Joe circled the older man\u2019s wrist with it, feeling his thready pulse, and then said, \u201cMister Spencer.\u00a0 It\u2019s Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sick man\u2019s head tossed from side to side.\u00a0 He lifted his free hand and grasped at thin air.\u00a0 \u201cSally…Sally\u2019s sick….have to go…have to help….Sarah….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe caught his flailing arm.\u00a0 \u201cWe found your wife.\u00a0 She\u2019s sick too.\u00a0 Hoss took her up to the spare room.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cMister Spencer, you hear me?\u00a0 Maggie\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued to thrash.\u00a0 \u201cNo…not Maggie….\u00a0 Sarah….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pivoted to find his brother\u2019s large frame filling the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cOut of his head.\u00a0 He keeps callin\u2019 for someone named Sally or Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that\u2019s Mrs. Spencer\u2019s middle name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u201d\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Leaning in, he asked, \u201cMister Spencer, who\u2019s Sally?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man winced.\u00a0 He groaned.\u00a0 \u201cNo…can\u2019t….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, one of us needs to go get the doctor.\u00a0 I think it oughta be you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI already told you.\u00a0 I was here for days.\u00a0 I been exposed.\u201d He looked directly at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou<\/em> need to get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cain\u2019t leave you here, boy.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d have my hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I can\u2019t leave!\u201d\u00a0 He regretted snapping, but it couldn\u2019t be helped.\u00a0 With a look at Mister Spencer laying there in the throes of misery, he added quietly, \u201cHoss, I haven\u2019t been entirely honest.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t felt too good.\u00a0 The…odds are I\u2019m carryin\u2019 this thing. \u00a0I can\u2019t…I don\u2019t want to take it to anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 voice was remarkably calm.\u00a0 \u201cPunkin, if you got it, then I probably got it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was grasping at straws.\u00a0 \u201cBut I was here, for days, in the same house as them.\u00a0 Maybe you and…Pa and Adam, well, maybe….\u201d\u00a0 He swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t live all cooped up.\u00a0 We\u2019re outside a lot.\u00a0 Maybe…the fresh air?\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother was staring at him \u2013 hard.\u00a0 \u201cI still think you oughta go and I oughta stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, please,\u201d he said as he stood up.\u00a0 \u201cLike I said, I wasn\u2019t tellin\u2019 the truth before.\u00a0 It\u2019s a long ride into Virginia City and who knows if the Doc\u2019s in his office or you\u2019ll have to go find him.\u00a0 I\u2019m…tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the more reason you shouldn\u2019t stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do you want me to do?\u00a0 Walk away and let these people to die?\u201d\u00a0 He knew he sounded desperate.\u00a0 He was.\u00a0 \u201cThey saved my life!\u201d<\/p>\n

And a Cartwright always paid his debts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later Joe Cartwright watched as his elder brother reluctantly drove away in the wagon, headed for town.\u00a0 They were closer to their house than to Virginia City, but they both knew it would take Doctor Martin to deal with this outbreak of influenza.\u00a0 The contagion needed to be stopped so it didn\u2019t turn into an epidemic. \u00a0He really had no idea if he was less likely to catch it than Hoss, though his reasoning made sense to him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been exposed a week before and was just fine.\u00a0 Still, he was happy to see middle brother drive away, knowing the distance Hoss put between himself and the Spencers would make him all that much safer.<\/p>\n

Turning around, Joe rolled his sleeves up and set to work.<\/p>\n

An hour and a half later Mister Spencer and his room were cleaned up and the older man was resting as comfortably as possible.\u00a0 Mrs. Spencer was sleeping.\u00a0 Once he was sure they were both settled, for the moment at least, Joe brought in a load of firewood and stoked the fire to take the chill from the air and then went to the kitchen to see if he could find something to fix that both of his patients could eat.\u00a0 It troubled him a little to go through their cupboards without permission, but he knew \u2013 once they began to recover \u2013 that the older couple would need something in their stomachs to give them strength.\u00a0 Broth would be best.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen some chickens wandering around outside and figured he\u2019d have to catch and kill one in order to make it, but for now he was just looking for some kind of tea.\u00a0 Hop Sing always made him tea when he was sick, so he figured it couldn\u2019t hurt. \u00a0He finally found what he was looking for in a cupboard mounted above the stove.\u00a0 It was kind of tall and he was, well, kind of short, and so he had to go up on tiptoe to reach into it.\u00a0 When his fingers landed on something that felt like a tea canister Joe pulled it forward and then yelped as a pile of cards, ribbons, bows and lace cascaded down like a waterfall nearly burying him.<\/p>\n

Well, not quite, but it sure felt like it.<\/p>\n

Joe stared uncomprehendingly at the pile of paper surrounding him for a moment and then crouched and picked up one of the cards.\u00a0 It was a frilly little thing made of cut paper with ribbons glued on and it was addressed in a childish hand to Mrs. Spencer from….<\/p>\n

Sarah.<\/p>\n

Joe knelt and began to pick up the items from the floor, examining each as he did.\u00a0 Most were from Sarah, though a few were signed \u2018Sally\u2019.\u00a0 Still, the handwriting was the same.\u00a0 The only change in it was that the letters grew bolder and straighter, as if the writer had grown older and more sure of herself as the years passed.\u00a0 Rising with one of the cards in his hand, Joe turned toward the room where Thomas Spencer lay.\u00a0 The older man had been worried about someone named Sarah or Sally.\u00a0 What was it he had said?\u00a0 Joe thunked his head with the card as he tried to remember.<\/p>\n

\u201cSally,\u201d he said out loud.\u00a0 \u201cSally\u2019s sick.\u00a0 Have to help Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe bolted into Mr. Spencer\u2019s room.\u00a0 He hated to wake the invalid, but a thought had seized him and he had to know.\u00a0 Sitting on the side of the bed, he reached out and touched the older man\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Spencer?\u00a0 It\u2019s Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment there was no response.\u00a0 Then the older man\u2019s watery eyes opened. \u00a0He looked confused at first and then gave him a little smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 What…are you doing here, boy?\u201d\u00a0 Mister Spencer drew in a shaky breath and coughed before going on.\u00a0 \u201c…dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, sir, but someone\u2019s got to look out for you and Mrs. Spencer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear entered the older man\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMaggie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s upstairs, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking after her too.\u201d\u00a0 Joe paused.\u00a0 He held up the card.\u00a0 \u201cI came to ask you if there is someone else<\/em> I should be looking after.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas Spencer reached out with palsied fingers to clasp the card.\u00a0 \u201cWhere?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I was looking without permission,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI was huntin\u2019 some tea to make.\u00a0 I reached up into the cupboard above the stove and a whole box of these came tumbling down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…kept them…all these…years,\u201d the older man sighed as his eyes closed.<\/p>\n

Joe felt like a heel.\u00a0 He shook him gently.\u00a0 \u201cMister Spencer.\u00a0 Who is Sarah?\u00a0 Where is she?\u00a0 Is she sick too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Slowly the older man\u2019s eyes opened again.\u00a0 \u201cSo tired….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 But if Sarah is here and she\u2019s sick, then I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChild,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cMy…child….house.\u201d\u00a0 The older man coughed again.\u00a0 As he did, he turned his face away and said in a whisper, \u201cIn…trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook him gently again, but he was unconscious.\u00a0 Gently he pried the card from Mister Spencer\u2019s feverish fingers and then went upstairs to see if Mrs. Spencer was awake.\u00a0 He found her bathed in sweat and pitching and moaning.\u00a0 Running back down the stairs, Joe located a basin and filled it with cold water and then went back up and sat with the older woman, placing cool cloths on her forehead until she calmed down.\u00a0 As he rose to place the basin on the nightstand, Joe stumbled, and it was then he realized just how tired he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta get some sleep,\u201d he muttered to himself as he staggered over to a chair placed in front of the window so its sitter would look out.\u00a0 Dropping into it, he hung his head for a moment and then peered out the window. \u00a0As he did, he realized this was the same view he\u2019d had out of the window in his room that last day \u2013 the day he thought he\u2019d seen his angel running into the woods.<\/p>\n

A minute later the chair was empty, the front door was banging in the wind, and Joe was gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam inched closer to the trio.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see them yet, but he was fairly certain he knew who the Latham\u2019s meeting was with and he was not<\/em> happy.<\/p>\n

It was Frederick Kyle.<\/p>\n

After Joe came to bring him home, as he and his kid brother rode back to the Ponderosa, neither one of them said much of anything.\u00a0 They rode in companionable silence \u2013 he supposed \u2013 afraid that if they spoke they might break the uneasy truce formed between them.\u00a0 He shuddered now to think of the things he had said to Little Joe in anger.\u00a0 He meant it when he told Pa that it had been a kind of madness that had seized him \u2013 a political madness.\u00a0 He\u2019d said things he didn\u2019t mean; didn\u2019t even believe.\u00a0 It was like every rumor he\u2019d ever heard about his step-mother found it\u2019s way onto his tongue and out of his mouth including the ones questioning both her morals and her parentage.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know why.\u00a0 Maybe he was trying to convince Joe that Marie\u2019s way of life had not been worth dying for.<\/p>\n

Instead, he ended up saying that Joe\u2019s mother had not been worth dying for.<\/p>\n

His<\/em> mother.<\/p>\n

Emotion was a foreign thing to him, but he had felt it that night as he struggled against his father\u2019s hand \u2013 the hand that tied him to the Ponderosa, to Pa and Hoss, to Little Joe.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t deserve it and he knew it.<\/p>\n

To this day, he didn\u2019t understand why his brother had forgiven him.<\/p>\n

Adam wiped away a telltale trail of moisture on his cheek with the back of his hand and concentrated on the matter at hand.<\/p>\n

It was what he was good at.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou assured me that upon my return you would have Little Joe with you,\u201d he heard Kyle remark.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s important I speak with that young man.\u00a0 I had no chance with his father in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s been laid up, Mister Kyle,\u201d Ab Latham said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab held his hands up.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa, there.\u00a0 We <\/em>didn\u2019t do nothin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone hit Little Joe with their carriage,\u201d Val interjected.<\/p>\n

Kyle seemed genuinely distressed.\u00a0 \u201cIs the boy all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t know.\u00a0 Old man Cartwright kicked us out,\u201d Ab said and then spat.\u00a0 \u201cHe don\u2019t cotton to no southerners hanging around his baby boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Cartwright is a fair man.\u00a0 You must have done something to distress him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSame thing you did,\u201d the elder replied.\u00a0 \u201cLeft his baby boy high and dry.\u201d\u00a0 Ab snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWell., not so dry<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle faced Valentine.\u00a0 \u201cWhat does he mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Val actually looked a bit abashed.\u00a0 \u201cWe were trying to get Little Joe to come with us, you know, to join the Cause.\u00a0 He got cold feet and Ab got him drunk.\u201d\u00a0 Val paused.\u00a0 \u201cThen he left him to make his way home on foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa had told him of Frederick Kyle\u2019s temper.\u00a0 In his short dealings with the man, he\u2019d never seen it.\u00a0 He saw it now.<\/p>\n

Kyle exploded.<\/p>\n

\u201cImbecile!\u201d the southerner shouted as he struck out with his walking stick, hitting Ab on the knee and dropping him to the ground.\u00a0 As the blond man went for his pistol, the cane whipped out again, taking the weapon from his hand.\u00a0 In a split second Aberdeen Latham was on the ground and Frederick Kyle was on top of him.\u00a0 \u201cIf any harm comes to that boy because of you, you are a dead man!\u00a0 Do you understand me?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab Latham spat out blood and nodded as Kyle backed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, where were we?\u201d the older man asked nonchalantly while straightening his coat with his remaining hand, almost as if the entire incident had not happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were talking about my kid brother as if he was a valuable commodity that could be bought and sold,\u201d Adam said as he stepped out of the trees, his tone just the other side of civil.\u00a0 He raised his weapon and pointed it at the Southern sympathizer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, you are going to tell me why<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe really had no idea where he was going.\u00a0 He thought he was probably crazy.\u00a0 There was nothing connecting the Spencer\u2019s mysterious Sarah to his angel, other than the vague notion that he had seen someone sprint off into the trees the last day he had stayed with the older couple.\u00a0 Other than that the only times he had seen the beautiful brown-haired woman was in his fever dreams.\u00a0 Still, there had been something about her touch \u2013 about her presence in his room.\u00a0 He was sure she was real.<\/p>\n

He thought she was real.<\/p>\n

Joe stopped short.\u00a0 Before him, glimpsed through the leaves, was a small cabin, barely bigger than one of their line shacks.\u00a0 The pale blue curtains in the windows were tattered and the door hung half-open on its hinges.\u00a0 A broken rocking chair lay abandoned in the yard.\u00a0 Anyone passing by would assume it was unoccupied and maybe even haunted.\u00a0 As Joe approached the porch, a chill wind struck him and he shivered.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s what he would have thought if he\u2019d seen it as a child.<\/p>\n

As he pulled the collar of his green jacket up about his throat, Joe heard a sound, something like the whimper a wounded animal would make.<\/p>\n

It came from inside the house.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s fingers fumbled at his left side.\u00a0 He\u2019d left the Spencer\u2019s home so quickly he hadn\u2019t thought to put on his gun.\u00a0 It was laying on a sideboard by the door.\u00a0 The curly-haired man snorted.\u00a0 Old habits died hard.\u00a0 He bent as he walked and picked up a branch, knowing he could run into anything inside the old cabin from an ditched cat to a rabid wolf.\u00a0 Joe tested the boards of the porch before putting his weight on them and, when he found them solid enough, crossed to the door and put his hand to it.\u00a0 As it creaked open he heard the sound again.\u00a0 Muffled.\u00a0 Frightened.<\/p>\n

Someone crying.<\/p>\n

The door went in about a foot and a half and then stopped when it struck something solid.\u00a0 As he hesitated, he heard a voice \u2013 soft, sad.<\/p>\n

Sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp…me….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned his body and squeezed through the opening.\u00a0 Once in the darkened cabin, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust and then he saw her, laying there on the floor, with her back up against an overturned chair.<\/p>\n

Sarah.<\/p>\n

His angel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEVEN<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright was at his desk when he heard a wagon roll into the yard.\u00a0 He rose and headed for the door, glancing at the tall case clock as he went.\u00a0 It must be Hoss and Little Joe.\u00a0 They were later than he would have liked, but at least they\u2019d have time for supper.<\/p>\n

The older man smiled.\u00a0 Hop Sing had been holding it \u2013 and his temper \u2013 for about an hour now.<\/p>\n

As he opened the door, the older man noted how crisp and cold the air was.\u00a0 They were approaching October and it looked like the winter was determined to set in early.\u00a0 September was one of those months you couldn\u2019t count on \u2013 hot as blazes one year and frigid the next.\u00a0 No wonder it was also a month that often brought illness and, sadly, at times contagion.<\/p>\n

The first thing he saw when he stepped out was a very weary-looking Hoss.<\/p>\n

The second was the empty seat beside him.<\/p>\n

His giant of a son held his hands up, stilling his question. \u201cFor you ask, Pa, I\u2019m gonna tell you.\u00a0 I left Joe at the Spencers.\u00a0 They\u2019re both down with the influenza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou…you did what?\u201d he stammered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re mad, Pa, and you got every right to be.\u00a0 I done went against your orders and I know what that means, sir.\u00a0 But Joe, well, he made sense and in the end I went with what he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was still dumbstruck.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph…made sense?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 He told me he\u2019d already been exposed and he wasn\u2019t sick, so there was a good chance he wasn\u2019t gonna be.\u00a0 Someone had to ride to town fast for the doctor, Pa, and it wasn\u2019t gonna be Little Joe.\u00a0 He was plumb wore out by the time we got to the Spencer\u2019s place and found them both laid low.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held up a hand of his own.\u00a0 \u201cLet me get this straight, both<\/em> Maggie and Thom are ill?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, they\u2019re both right sick.\u00a0 I rode to town to get Doctor Martin so\u2019s he could look at them and then came straight here to tell you,.\u201d\u00a0 The big man frowned.\u00a0 \u201cOnly trouble was, the Doc weren\u2019t in.\u00a0 I paid the livery boy to go out to the Jennings place and let him know and then I came right here to tell you.\u201d\u00a0 His son shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe Jennings got the influenza too, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God,\u201d he breathed as he thought of his weakened son taking on the gargantuan effort of caring for two desperately ill people.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe was all right when you left?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sure was, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how little brother is.\u00a0 He felt he owed the Spencers for taking such good care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That would be Joseph.<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment and then he said, \u201cYou wait here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get my hat and gun and we\u2019ll go to the Spencers.\u201d\u00a0 He was halfway to the house when he thought to ask, \u201cWhat about Adam?\u00a0 Did you find him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot hide nor hair, Pa.\u00a0 We figured something must have come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wonderful.\u00a0 Another son to worry about.<\/p>\n

It took no more than fifteen minutes to tell Hop Sing what was happening and then grab his belongings. As Ben headed out the door, the man from China shoved a sack in his hand with the words, \u2018You eat.\u00a0 No good anyone if you no eat.\u2019\u00a0 He added that he had included several small bags of herbs that should be brewed into a tea and fed to those who had the ague.\u00a0 The rancher thanked him and then headed out the door.<\/p>\n

After a short trip to the bunkhouse to instruct the foreman as to what to do in their absence, he and his son set out for their neighbor\u2019s spread.<\/p>\n

As they rode, Ben thought about the Spencers and how he had come to know them.\u00a0 They were from the deep south \u2013 Virginia, to be precise \u2013 and had very different ways.\u00a0 They were friendly enough, but had kept mostly to themselves.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even know if they had children.\u00a0 Thom was easier to know than his wife, the severe and almost painfully reserved Maggie.\u00a0 The woman hardly ever smiled and conducted herself as if every person she met was looking to disapprove of or condemn her.\u00a0 He and Marie had tried to befriend them, but Maggie made it all too clear that she wanted nothing to do with his \u2018French Quarter\u2019 wife.\u00a0 Thom had come to the funeral to express his condolences when Marie died.\u00a0 Maggie had not.<\/p>\n

After that, he had given up trying.<\/p>\n

And now, here he was, riding to their place because Marie\u2019s son was risking his life to care for both Thom and Maggie.<\/p>\n

Life was filled with ironies.<\/p>\n

Several hours later they pulled into the Spencer\u2019s yard.\u00a0 It was empty save for Joseph\u2019s horse, Cochise.\u00a0 Regrettably, Doctor Martin had not made it yet.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben had swung out of the saddle and headed for the door when his middle son\u2019s voice \u2013 tight, frightened \u2013 stopped him in his tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u00a0 Look!\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man turned and was startled to find two figures emerging from the woods.\u00a0 One was his son.\u00a0 Joseph was carrying someone else.\u00a0 A girl, he thought.<\/p>\n

As he watched his boy stumbled and fell to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Hoss could react, Ben was running.\u00a0 He crossed the yard and sprinted toward the trees like a young man of twenty, arriving at his son\u2019s side in less than a minute.\u00a0 Joseph was laying on the ground, shaking, his arms wrapped around the girl.\u00a0 He looked up at him and gave him a half-hearted smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Sarah.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t she…beautiful?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at the girl. \u00a0\u00a0She was pale; her skin fevered and covered in a sheen of sweat that plastered her brown curls to her cheeks and forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is she, son?\u201d he asked as he placed his hand on Joseph\u2019s cheek, checking for fever in his son as well and thankfully finding none.\u00a0 \u201cWho is Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

The grin widened into a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s my angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam let Kyle send the Latham boys away.\u00a0 He could deal with them later.\u00a0 They were nothing but muscle between the ears.<\/p>\n

While Frederick Kyle was the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want with my brother?\u201d he asked, firing the question point-blank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love your brother,\u201d Kyle answered, startling him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove?\u00a0 You barely know the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I knew his mother.\u201d\u00a0 The southern sympathizer paused.\u00a0 \u201cI loved <\/em>his mother.\u00a0 Little Joe is her son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that how you came to have Marie\u2019s portrait?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe portrait was mine to give,\u201d Kyle said, his answer evasive at best.<\/p>\n

Adam tried to pin him down.\u00a0 \u201cMeaning she gave<\/em> it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The southerner seemed to think that through. \u00a0Finally, he admitted, \u201cIt came to me through a third party. The man wanted Little Joe to have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is this man?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone you do not want to run afoul of,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

If someone could have seen into Adam\u2019s brain, they would have been astounded to find how fast the wheels were turning.\u00a0 \u201cSo it\u2019s this man \u2013 the one who had Marie\u2019s portrait \u2013 who is interested in my brother?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Using the barrel of his pistol to make his point, he demanded, \u201cIf so, I want a name!\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederick Kyle didn\u2019t flinch. He wasn\u2019t afraid in the slightest.\u00a0 At least not of him.\u00a0 Adam had the distinct impression he was<\/em> afraid of this other man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a gentleman, I can\u2019t reveal the name of a business partner,\u201d Kyle said smoothly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I will <\/em>do is tell you that everything I have done since I came to Virginia City has been in the name of protecting Marie\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m supposed to believe that?\u201d Adam scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cTalking Joe into supporting your scheme to channel money through foreign countries to build a war chest for the Confederacy?\u00a0 Talking him into leaving his home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle met his fierce stare.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t have to do that.\u00a0 You<\/em> did it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no right…\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s between my brother and me, is between my brother and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me, Joe did, some of the things you said to him,\u201d Kyle continued.\u00a0 \u201cHow you said his mother was nothing more than a trollop who had used her feminine wiles to entrap your father.\u00a0 How she wasn\u2019t fit to share his bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle threw his wild words back at him quietly, coldly \u2013 efficiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was angry,\u201d he said, knowing it was no excuse.\u00a0 \u201cI said things I would never have said had I had been in my right \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

The southerner\u2019s pale eyes pinned him.\u00a0 \u201cJoe told me, Adam, how you pride yourself on being in control \u2013 on being the master <\/em>of everything.\u00a0 Tell me, what caused you to lose control?\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 God, he wished he did, but he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m..I\u2019m not sure,\u201d he stuttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am.\u00a0 It\u2019s in your blood, son, just as it\u2019s in your brother\u2019s.\u00a0 We are not the captains of our own ships or the masters of our souls.\u00a0 Where we were born is deeply rooted in us.\u00a0 You know your Bible, son, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 It says in Leviticus \u2018For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement…it is the blood that makes atonement….\u2019<\/em> \u201c\u00a0 Kyle spoke with a manic passion.\u00a0 It shone out of his eyes like a holy fire.\u00a0 \u201cMarie\u2019s blood runs through your brother\u2019s veins.\u00a0 He belongs to the South.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty of madmen have used the Bible to justify their actions,\u201d Adam responded, tight-lipped.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not the first and you certainly won\u2019t be the last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle blinked and the madness left his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me, son, you\u2019d rather have your brother go off with me than stay here to be found by my associate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associate?\u00a0 Was Kyle admitting he was in someone else\u2019s employ \u2013 someone else<\/em> who had an interest in Joe?<\/p>\n

Why would he do that?<\/p>\n

The answer came a moment later when he felt the nose of a revolver shoved into his back.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss me, Cartwright?\u201d Ab Latham asked.<\/p>\n

A second later, everything went black.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa. Really.\u00a0 I just want to get back up there to Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d deposited the sick young woman in the room with Maggie Spencer and then he had forced his son to come back downstairs.\u00a0 Joe looked terrible.\u00a0 His wide expressive eyes were cradled in dark shadows and his coloring was off.\u00a0 He was very pale and his hands were trembling.\u00a0 Still, thank God, there was no fever!<\/p>\n

At least not yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have come, Pa.\u00a0 Now you and <\/em>Hoss have been exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry about me,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cI\u2019m healthy as an ox.\u00a0 It\u2019s you I\u2019m concerned about.\u00a0 How do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Those eyes met his.\u00a0 In them there was no spark of vitality, just fatigue.<\/p>\n

\u201cTired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Ben caught Joe by the arm and practically lifted him out of the chair and propelled his son into the Spencer\u2019s sitting room and onto the sofa that sat before the fire.\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t do that young lady any good if you come down sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

He turned to look at his middle boy.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got some of that tea of Hop Sing\u2019s brewed. I\u2019m gonna take it up to Mrs. Spencer.\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused. \u201cShe ain\u2019t doin\u2019 so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we shouldn\u2019t have put Sarah in with her,\u201d Joe said, rising.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will go nowhere, young man,\u201d Ben ordered in his sternest voice, \u201cother than to sleep!\u201d He waited until his son sat back down and then added softly, \u201cSarah is already sick.\u00a0 Being exposed to Maggie will make no difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if….\u201d\u00a0 Joe sucked in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if Mrs. Spencer dies, right there, next to her?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t the heart to tell his son that, at the moment, Sarah was unaware of anything other than her own pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor will be here soon, Joseph.\u00a0 He\u2019ll take care of them both.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hoped.<\/p>\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t resist when he took hold of his legs and swung them up and onto the floral sofa. \u00a0\u00a0Pulling a pillow out from under his son\u2019s back, the rancher placed it behind his head and then wagged a finger at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe caught his arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll wake me, if….\u201d<\/p>\n

He patted his son\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cI will, if I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ben turned his head, Joseph coughed.\u00a0 He wheeled back to look at the boy who was wearing a sheepish grin.<\/p>\n

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

Ben sighed.\u00a0 He only hoped they wouldn\u2019t all <\/em>be sorry for daring to step straight into the lion\u2019s den.<\/p>\n

As he approached the Spencer\u2019s kitchen, the older man heard a heavy tread on the stair.\u00a0 A moment later Hoss was at his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d his son asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsleep, I hope,\u201d he replied while inclining his head toward the sofa.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sure looked plumb tuckered out when we got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s the girl?\u201d Ben asked, knowing that was the first answer his youngest would demand upon waking.<\/p>\n

\u201cHolding her own.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I cain\u2019t say the same for Mrs. Spencer.\u00a0 She don\u2019t look right, Pa.\u00a0 Any sign of the Doc yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as he shook his head, Ben heard the sound of wagon wheels rolling into the yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope,\u201d he said as he hastened to the door and opened it.\u00a0 Thank the Lord, Paul Martin was just stepping out of his rig.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say I\u2019m happy to see either of you, Ben,\u201d the older man said as he glanced at both of them.\u00a0 \u201cI got Hoss\u2019 note.\u00a0 You think it\u2019s influenza?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLabored breathing, confusion, high fever, and everything being evacuated in both directions,\u201d he reported.\u00a0 \u201cAll the signs you said to watch for with Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is the boy?\u201d Paul asked as he hung his hat on the rack by the door.<\/p>\n

Again, he indicated the sofa by the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Paul said.\u00a0 \u201cBest place for him.\u00a0 Has he shown any signs?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe coughed a while back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cCould just be a relapse into that cold he was fighting.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see to the others and then check him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Spencer\u2019s awful sick, Doc.\u00a0 I think you should look at her first,\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThom seems to have passed the crisis,\u201d the rancher agreed.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and there\u2019s a young lady in with Maggie.\u00a0 Joe found her in a small cabin in the woods close by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea who she is.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think the Spencers had any children.\u201d\u00a0 He paused, seeking a way to say what he wanted to say and remain charitable.\u00a0 \u201cMaggie is not exactly the…mothering type.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul doffed his coat and rolled up his sleeves.\u00a0 He looked at Hoss. \u201cWell, young man, show me the way!\u201d\u00a0 At the top of the stairs the physician paused. \u201cOh, and Ben.\u201d\u00a0 When he looked up, Paul went on.\u00a0 \u201cI quarantined the Jennings\u2019 place.\u00a0 Most likely I will have to do the same here.\u00a0 We can\u2019t have this getting out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

He understood.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like it, but he understood.\u00a0 At least Paul was here.\u00a0 There had been times when other homes with contagion had been guarded so closely by the frightened citizenry that no doctor could get in.\u00a0 Mass casualties had been the result.<\/p>\n

Ben watched the physician climb the stair, followed closely by his middle son, and then he turned back into the room.\u00a0 After checking to make certain Joseph was truly asleep and not just pretending, he stepped outside and drew in a breath of fresh, clean air.\u00a0 It was at times like this that one\u2019s faith was tested.\u00a0 Disease was a killer against which no one could prevail.\u00a0 There was no hope of fighting back against an unseen assailant.\u00a0 Perhaps one day it would be discovered just how these things started and how they could be stopped, but for now, there was nothing to do but pray and trust to the Almighty<\/p>\n

\u201cBen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned at the sound of his friend\u2019s voice. \u201cPaul?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid we\u2019ve lost Mrs. Spencer,\u201d he said, sounding apologetic, as if it were somehow his fault.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill with us.\u00a0 In need of a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go to her,\u201d he said without hesitation.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s smile was weary but heartfelt.\u00a0 \u201cI knew you would.\u00a0 Hoss is going to take care of…what\u2019s necessary.\u00a0 I need to see to Thom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot yet.\u00a0 He\u2019s too weak.\u00a0 There\u2019s time.\u201d\u00a0 Paul paused.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s all the time in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben placed a hand on his friend\u2019s shoulder and then moved past him into the house.\u00a0 As he did, Hoss came down the stairs bearing his light burden in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cDoc suggested I take Mrs. Spencer to the cabin \u2018til we can do right by her.\u00a0 You goin\u2019 up to Sarah?\u201d\u00a0 At his nod, his son added, \u201cShe\u2019s pretty sick herself, Pa, and she\u2019s takin\u2019 it hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was only by God\u2019s providence that Joseph was still sleeping.\u00a0 \u201cWatch your brother when you get back.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let him come up until I tell you it\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019s gonna take it hard too, ain\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine so.\u201d\u00a0 Ben watched his son head out the door and then turned and slowly mounted the stairs.\u00a0 As he drew close, he heard the young girl weeping.\u00a0 After pushing the door partially to, he headed over to the bed and took a seat.\u00a0 His gaze strayed to the empty space beside her and then returned to the ailing girl.\u00a0 Reaching out, Ben brushed the sweat-soaked locks of brown hair off her forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Her eyes popped open.\u00a0 They were bright with fever, but she was lucid.\u00a0 \u201cWho…are you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Little Joe\u2019s father, Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t…be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 I\u2019ve weathered a lot of sickness in my time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 She coughed.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe…shouldn\u2019t be here.\u00a0 Why…is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and his brother came by to check up on the Spencers today and found them sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did he…find me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was something Thom said in his delirium.\u201d \u00a0Ben looked at the girl.\u00a0 He could see why his son had been so quickly taken with her.\u00a0 She was beautiful, with large dark eyes and soft wavy hair, and a complexion that seemed naturally tanned in spite of the sickness.\u00a0 Much like Marie\u2019s had been.\u00a0 \u201cThom told Joe where to look.\u201d<\/p>\n

She seemed surprised.\u00a0 \u201cNo one was to know.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah ran her tongue languidly around her chapped lips before continuing.\u00a0 \u201cNot…safe.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d been reaching for a glass to give her a drink of water when that last word came out. \u00a0Ben pivoted in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cNot safe?\u201d<\/p>\n

She swallowed painfully and then, just before her eyes closed, repeated, \u201cNot safe.\u201d A moment later she added, \u201chunted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does she mean, Pa?\u00a0 Hunted?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher turned back to find his youngest barely on his feet.\u00a0 Joseph was hanging onto the door jamb for support.\u00a0 Springing up, he went to him and ushered him over to the chair in front of the window and made him sit down.\u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t protest when he pressed his hand against his forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a fever, right?\u201d he asked, looking up sheepishly through a fall of curly locks.\u00a0 \u201cDo you s\u2019pose that means I got the influenza?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll know soon enough.\u00a0 Any other symptoms?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cTired, but then, I got a right to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou certainly do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was staring at the bed.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s she doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe seems to have a milder case than either Maggie or Thom. \u00a0Let\u2019s hope it stays that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s gaze was locked on the empty space in the bed. \u00a0\u201cMrs. Spencer?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Little Joe\u2019s eyes teared instantly. \u00a0His voice cracked as he asked, \u201cMister Spencer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll make it,\u201d a gruff voice announced.\u00a0 They both turned to find Paul Martin standing in the doorway.\u00a0\u00a0 The doctor\u2019s eyes were on his wayward boy.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what do you think you are doing up here, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cKeepin\u2019 the chair warm for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul pointed toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cOut.\u00a0 Both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben slipped his arm around his son even as the boy began to protest.\u00a0 At his look, Joseph clamped his mouth shut and let him lift him up and head toward the door.\u00a0 Just as they made it to it, Paul\u2019s hand shot out and caught hold of his son\u2019s wrist.\u00a0 Then he pressed his palm to his head.\u00a0 The look he gave him was sympathetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose it was too much to hope that my favorite patient would manage to avoid the need of my services this time,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cGet him downstairs, Ben, and onto that sofa.\u201d\u00a0 As they started to move, he added, \u201cOh, and be sure you bind his ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben halted. \u201cBind his ribs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey may not be fully healed yet.\u00a0 If Joe should happen to start coughing….\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s dire prediction hung in the air between them as he turned his son and headed for the stair.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou understand I don\u2019t want Mister Cartwright hurt,\u201d Frederick Kyle said, \u201cand that there will be consequences should he be.\u00a0 I just want him held until I have time to approach his brother again.\u00a0 I\u2019m certain if I can be alone with Little Joe that I can convince him to accompany me to Virginia. That boy has a good head on his shoulders for business.\u00a0 He will make an excellent partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was \u2018his\u2019 little brother Kyle was talking about.<\/p>\n

Adam opened his eyes and blinked several times in an attempt to clear the stars that were circling in the scope of his vision like wagons anticipating an Indian raid.\u00a0 He must have let out a groan since three sets of eyes fastened on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s wakin\u2019 up,\u201d Valentine Latham said, sounding somewhat relieved.<\/p>\n

He wished he <\/em>was.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe will never go with you,\u201d he said, or thought he said, though it sounded more like \u2018oh\u2019ll ne\u2019er go-ooh<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 Adam licked his lips and tried again.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother will never go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you have given him reason to stay?\u00a0 You loathe the very essence of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not.\u00a0 I love<\/em> my brother!\u201d he protested.<\/p>\n

Kyle sneered.\u00a0 \u201cAn odd kind of love, that dismisses the very heart and soul of a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve known my brother, what?\u00a0 Two or three weeks?\u00a0 I reared that boy!\u00a0 I was there when he was born. \u00a0Don\u2019t you dare tell me that you know Little Joe better than I do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle looked at Ab Latham.\u00a0 \u201cI think a gag would be in order before Mister Cartwright informs the entire Nevada territory of our position.\u201d<\/p>\n

He fought against it \u2013 furiously \u2013 but a man with his hands and feet bound has little hope of winning.<\/p>\n

Once Adam was subdued, Frederick Kyle came to\u00a0 stand before him.\u00a0 The man in the elegant gray suit bent down to his level and said.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know your brother hates being called \u2018Little\u2019 Joe?\u00a0 That he feels it belittles him?\u201d\u00a0 The southerner paused. \u00a0\u201cBut then, what else would he expect of you since you refuse to see him as a man?\u201d<\/p>\n

The words cut because they were true.\u00a0 Not entirely.\u00a0 But true enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake him up into the hills to that cave we scouted out,\u201d Kyle said as he pulled on his gloves and headed for his waiting carriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want us to take him to the rendezvous with Burl?\u201d Val asked as he headed for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy association with Mister Burl has come to an end,\u201d the southerner said as he took his seat and picked up the reins.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Mister Burl know that?\u201d Ab asked, his tone slightly derisive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is between Mister Burl and me,\u201d Kyle replied.\u00a0 \u201cAs to you two, I <\/em>pay you.\u00a0 You only allegiance is to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, boss,\u201d Valentine answered with a salute as the southerner drove away, leaving him alone with the Lathams.<\/p>\n

Adam watched Ab as he grunted and rubbed his jaw where it was black and blue.<\/p>\n

Dissension in the ranks.\u00a0 Maybe he could use that to his advantage.<\/p>\n

At some point.<\/p>\n

As Kyle pulled away, the older of the Latham twins took hold of his arm and pulled him to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cGet Cartwright\u2019s horse, Val.\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna tie him to the saddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think that\u2019s smart?\u00a0 What if someone sees us?\u00a0 We gotta use the main road to get to the cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ain\u2019t going to the cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val stopped what he was doing.\u00a0 \u201cWe ain\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab was still feeling his jaw.\u00a0 \u201cI got a feelin\u2019 Captain Burl\u2019s gratitude will be worth a whole lot more than Mister Kyle\u2019s money.\u00a0 After all, we got us Joe Cartwright\u2019s brother and here\u2019s bettin\u2019 that runt will come runnin\u2019 the moment he knows it.\u201d\u00a0 Ab came right up in front of him and looked into his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLessin\u2019, of course, he don\u2019t want him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright was sitting on Thom and Maggie\u2019s porch.\u00a0 He\u2019d just returned there after helping Hoss bury the poor woman\u2019s body.\u00a0 Paul was concerned about further contagion and with the condition Thom was in, there was little to no chance he would be well enough to attend any kind of funeral service, even should there be one.\u00a0 After they\u2019d finished, Hoss had opted to remain outside and do what he did best \u2013 tend to the Spencer\u2019s animals.\u00a0 Life went on no matter what.\u00a0 There were things that had to be done so the living could resume their life once an appropriate period of mourning had passed.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been through it enough times to know.<\/p>\n

Ben shifted and glanced over his shoulder into the house.\u00a0 Upon his return, he\u2019d gone in to check on Joseph only to find his son\u2019s fever had risen precipitously.\u00a0 He\u2019d wanted to stay to attend him but Paul had ordered him out, saying three patients was two too many for one doctor to handle.\u00a0 Five<\/em> would be impossible.\u00a0 So far neither he nor Hoss had shown any signs, but he knew it was too early to tell.\u00a0 It had been just under a week since Joseph was exposed.\u00a0 Paul said that, on average, it took five to seven days after exposure for infectivity to occur.\u00a0 And so they were stuck here, out of communication with the Ponderosa and the town.\u00a0 His only hope was that one of their men would come looking for them.\u00a0 Hop Sing knew where they were and when they didn\u2019t return after a reasonable time, he would most likely send someone out to check.\u00a0 It was important to get word to their workers.\u00a0 Life, as he said, had to\u00a0 go on.\u00a0 But more important than that, it was important for him to know if Adam had reached home.<\/p>\n

Looking out at the trees, the rancher sighed, \u201cWhere are you, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you feeling, Ben?\u201d a soft voice asked.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t look.\u00a0 He knew who it was.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician chuckled. \u201cTaking a page from your youngest\u2019s book?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to look at the physician. \u201cHow is Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the liberty, Ben, of helping him upstairs,\u201d Paul replied as he came abreast him.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s in the same bed as the young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIt\u2019s easier for me to attend the two of them together.\u00a0 The progression of the contagion is not that far apart.\u00a0 Thom is almost able to get out of bed.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to chance a new corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it doesn\u2019t last too long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree or four days.\u00a0 Maybe less, I\u2019m hoping, since my remaining patients are young.\u201d\u00a0 Paul looked out toward the newly dug grave.\u00a0 \u201cPoor Maggie, she didn\u2019t have a very happy life.\u00a0 It\u2019s a puzzle why some people put such constraints on themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shifted so he could see his friend better.\u00a0 \u201cConstraints?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince she\u2019s dead, I guess it won\u2019t hurt.\u00a0 And I know Thom won\u2019t object.\u00a0 He\u2019s wanted it out in the open since the beginning.\u201d\u00a0 Paul met his puzzled gaze.\u00a0 \u201cBen, did you know Maggie and Thom had a son?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHe died before they came here.\u201d\u00a0 The physician shifted away from the door and took a seat on the step.\u00a0 \u201cI only know because I treated Maggie for melancholia when they first arrived.\u00a0 Thom was worried she might harm herself because of what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was news to him.\u00a0 Margaret Spencer had always seemed to have everything together.\u00a0 \u201cCan you tell me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Paul nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAs you know the Spencers came from Virginia.\u00a0 Maggie was a Burwell before she married Thomas.\u00a0 They\u2019re FFV, you know?\u00a0 Come from a lot of money and more land.\u00a0 They had the one boy, Evan.\u00a0 His life was planned out for him.\u00a0 He was heir to all of it, but he didn\u2019t want it.\u00a0 What he wanted was a young woman named Betsy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas she poor?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben knew how that would have gone against the mold.<\/p>\n

Paul pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cYou might say that.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EIGHT<\/p>\n

Ben was still chewing over Paul Martin\u2019s words the next morning as he sat at the Spencer\u2019s kitchen table and sipped a cup of coffee.\u00a0 The house for the moment was quiet.\u00a0 Sarah seemed to have made it through the worst of the contagion and was sleeping normally.<\/p>\n

Joseph was still quite ill.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, neither he or Hoss had shown any signs of becoming sick.\u00a0 His youngest had been so weakened by the accident, it was not a surprise he had.\u00a0 Now, he just had to see Little Joe through and then life \u2013 hopefully \u2013 would have a chance of returning to normal. \u00a0Though it seemed otherwise to him, Paul had assured him before heading back to town for supplies that it was his belief that Joseph\u2019s case was moderate and he thought the boy would rally in another day or two.\u00a0 A day or so after that he would officially proclaim them all clean and they would be able to head for home.<\/p>\n

He and the physician had talked a bit before Paul left.\u00a0 His old friend didn\u2019t know much more about the Spencer\u2019s situation, just that Evan\u2019s desire to be with a woman who was branded a slave had, in the end, brought about his demise. \u00a0It was really none of his business, of course, though it did give him a bit more understanding of Maggie\u2019s negative reaction to Marie.\u00a0 His southern wife probably evoked unpleasant memories, and the fact that she was Creole would have made it worse.<\/p>\n

Though the united states were considered a melting pot \u2013 a gallimaufry, really, of people from every nation and of every color \u2013 New Orleans was unique in his experience.\u00a0 While most of the country was mired in the darkness of prejudice, in that city people of all colors had a chance to rise to the highest ranks.\u00a0 There were white Creoles, Creoles of Color \u2013 those who were a mix of Jamaican, African, and so on \u2013 and African freemen.\u00a0 The latter made up more than ten percent of the city\u2019s population.\u00a0 Marie came from the middle group.\u00a0 Jean and his family, the first.\u00a0 Unfortunately, though the city was enlightened, the de Marigny\u2019s had not been.<\/p>\n

Jean\u2019s mother had been one of the most bigoted women he had ever met.<\/p>\n

Ben finished his coffee and then rose and stretched.\u00a0 It was time to make his own \u2018rounds\u2019 again.\u00a0 Hoss was outside doing what needed to be done to keep Thom\u2019s ranch running until the older man was well enough to take over.\u00a0 Several Ponderosa ranch hands had come by earlier to check on them, as he knew they would.\u00a0 A couple had remained behind to help his son.\u00a0 He\u2019d shouted orders at them, the chief one being to keep their distance from the nest of contagion the Spencer\u2019s house had become.<\/p>\n

Thom\u2019s<\/em> house had become.<\/p>\n

The older man had asked about his wife the night before and it had been his reluctant duty to tell him Maggie had not survived . Though he had grieved, it was odd to see that, in a way, his old friend seemed relieved.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t spoken to him since then.<\/p>\n

It was time he did.<\/p>\n

After taking time to fill his cup with fresh coffee, Ben headed for the bedroom at the back of the stairs.\u00a0 When he pushed the door open and looked in, he found Thom was awake.\u00a0 He was sitting up and staring out the window toward the woods beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Thom,\u201d he said, forcing a note of cheerfulness.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you sitting up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHow is Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as can be expected,\u201d he replied as he approached the bed.\u00a0 Holding the cup out, he asked, \u201cCoffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom looked haggard.\u00a0 He\u2019d lost weight over the course of the nearly weeklong sickness, plus he was dealing with grief.<\/p>\n

A grief he knew all too well.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot right now, Ben.\u00a0 Put it on the table and I\u2019ll have some in a bit.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben did as instructed and then took a seat in the chair by the bed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry about Maggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

A rueful smile curled the older man\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cI am too.\u201d\u00a0 His pale eyes shifted so he was looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cNot that she died \u2013 she\u2019s with the Lord now \u2013 but that she never lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom drew a breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 \u201cFirst, how is Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had told Thom the night before how he had saved the young woman\u2019s life by alerting Little Joe to the fact that she existed and might be in need of aid.\u00a0 Thom didn\u2019t remember doing it, but he had been obviously relieved that he had.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s getting better.\u00a0 Sleeping soundly now, which is what she needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith your boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben winced.\u00a0 \u201cI apologize for that.\u00a0 Paul thought…\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom raised a shaking hand.\u00a0 \u201cNo need. \u00a0I know Little Joe is a gentleman.\u00a0 Besides, perhaps Sarah can help with him once she\u2019s on her feet.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cAs recompense for our sins, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSins?\u201d Ben asked, confused.<\/p>\n

Thom looked directly at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt was my rig that hit Little Joe and nearly killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher blinked.\u00a0 Several times.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were coming home.\u00a0 Maggie was in a hurry to get Sarah back here and she urged me to push the horses to go faster.\u00a0 I knew the bend was coming up and there was no way, with the light fading, that I could see what was up ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was still processing, but he said, \u201cThere was no way you could know Joe would be on foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t have mattered much if he\u2019d been mounted,\u201d Thom countered.\u00a0 \u201cThank the Lord he was to the side of the road and we didn\u2019t hit him full on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher remained silent for a moment as he thought of the young woman upstairs.\u00a0 He\u2019d found a stack of paper items on the table, cards and such.\u00a0 Most of them were signed by either Sarah or Sally.\u00a0 Sally, of course, was a common pet name for Sarah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is Sarah, Thom?\u201d he asked gently.<\/p>\n

The older man closed his eyes.\u00a0 When he spoke again, he sounded totally and utterly weary.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s my granddaughter, Ben.\u00a0 She\u2019s Evan\u2019s child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour…granddaughter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom opened his eyes and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cI know Paul told you something about our son.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 How he fell in love with a woman Maggie did not approve of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA slave, Ben.\u00a0 A \u2018woman\u2019 to you or me, yes, but a commodity to most people in the South \u2013 including my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was impossible to understand, how one human could consider another nothing more than an item to be bought and sold.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer name was Elizabeth, but Evan called her Betsy.\u00a0 She worked for the Burwells \u2013 Maggie\u2019s family.\u00a0 We were poor cousins, so to speak.\u201d\u00a0 Thom drew a breath and laid his head back against the pillow.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cStill, in Virginia family is family and so we were often invited to the plantation house for celebrations.\u00a0 Betsy was a house slave.\u00a0 I tell you, Ben, when I first saw her I thought she was white.\u00a0 She was a beautiful girl.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, you have seen her child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA beautiful girl in her own right,\u201d he said of Sarah.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe favors her mother.\u201d\u00a0 Thom shifted and tried to sit up.\u00a0 After he had helped him to do so, the older man continued.\u00a0 \u201cAfter that first time, Evan began to go the big house more often.\u00a0 He was good with his hands and offered to assist Carter with a project to remodel the great hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaggie\u2019s first cousin once removed and the current owner of Burwell Hall. Carter\u2019s name is Burl, which is a form of the family name.\u00a0 His mother was the Burwell.\u00a0 Carter\u2019s father was a sea captain and the boy grew up in Jamaica.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t in the direct line, but after all of Maggie\u2019s uncle\u2019s sons died, it passed to him.\u201d\u00a0 Thom\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0 \u201cCarter\u2019s blood may be pure, but he\u2019s a bastard nonetheless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Evan and this Betsy marry?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom\u2019s sad smile returned.\u00a0 \u201cYou might say they jumped the broom.\u00a0 It was a ceremony conducted among, and by the slaves.\u00a0 They managed to keep it hidden from everyone until Betsy became pregnant.\u00a0 She was young and hadn\u2019t yet been singled out by her master.\u201d\u00a0 The smile faded.\u00a0 \u201cCarter beat her when he found out, demanding she tell him who the father was.\u00a0 She never did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut someone else did….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEventually, yes.\u00a0 It was one of the other slaves.\u00a0 You see, Ben, Carter wanted Betsy for himself.\u00a0 That\u2019s why she\u2019d been moved to the big house, for ease of…access.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Evan helped her to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as Thom spoke, his hands gripped the coverlet as if to steady himself.\u00a0 \u201cIt took years, but he tried.\u00a0 My boy had no idea the night he came to the house for Betsy and Sarah, that they were being watched.\u00a0 Carter waited until they had stepped through the gate to make his move.\u00a0 Betsy and her child were recaptured and Evan was killed.\u201d\u00a0 Thom looked at his hands.\u00a0 \u201cCarter Burl claimed it was his right to execute a thief caught red-handed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben remained silent for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWas there a trial?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the fact.\u00a0 It was a mustang court, carried out in a hurry and conducted by his peers.\u00a0 Carter was exonerated completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s throat was dry.\u00a0 Words, hard to speak.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Betsy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cMy son\u2019s child was turned over to Betsy\u2019s mother to rear. \u00a0In time, Carter forgot about Sarah, and the child was allowed to grow up as best she could in her circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ask Carter to allow you to have her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom was silent a moment.\u00a0 Then he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cMaggie would have none of it.\u00a0 She never acknowledged the child as Evan\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the cards and letters from Sarah to Maggie,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph found them hidden above the stove.\u201d<\/p>\n

This seemed to come as a shock to Thomas.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDozens of them,\u201d he explained, \u201chidden in a box in the cupboard.\u00a0 Little Joe said he showed you one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t…remember that.\u201d\u00a0 Thom\u2019s head sank into his hands.\u00a0 \u201cI never knew.\u00a0 I thought she hated the child.\u00a0 I….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho were they sent through?\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd who taught Sarah to read and write?\u00a0 I thought that was illegal to teach a slave such things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thom looked up.\u00a0 \u201cThe sender was a man who favored Sarah\u2019s grandmother as much as he disliked Carter Burl.\u00a0 We would get a letter from her now and again, when the man could sneak one out.\u00a0 I thought Maggie had burned them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned back in his chair.\u00a0 So the Spencers had lived in Virginia and their son had had the audacity to fall in love with an enslaved\u00a0 woman of color who appeared to be white.\u00a0 Their child, with even more white blood in her veins, had been born into slavery and remained there since her father\u2019s mother would have nothing to do with her.<\/p>\n

And now she was here.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did Sarah come to be with you now, Thom?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received a letter from her, not long ago.\u00a0 About two years ago, on her deathbed, Sarah\u2019s grandmother told her everything.\u00a0\u00a0 She had seen the unhealthy interest Carter Burl was taking in her grandchild as she matured and feared for her. \u00a0Sarah was only fifteen, but Burl had begun to groom her to work in the plantation house just like her mother.\u00a0 He even went so far as to apprentice her to a painter and used her natural talent as an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did she get away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you know, there are channels for slaves to use to escape.\u00a0 A tradesman who worked in the house and guessed Carter\u2019s intentions approached her.\u00a0 He\u2019d known Sarah\u2019s father and had been instrumental in helping dozens of slaves to freedom and wanted to help her.\u00a0 It takes time.\u00a0 More than a year and a half passed before there was an opening.\u201d\u00a0 Thom looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then she had to have somewhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you thought Nevada would be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife was against the idea.\u00a0 I…I did what I should have done fifteen years before.\u00a0 I told Maggie that I was going to go get the girl and there was nothing she could do to stop me.\u00a0 In the end, she agreed, since this was only supposed to be a stopover on a longer road to freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSupposed to be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah\u2019s been with us about a month.\u00a0 She was to have joined one of the trains to Canada in about two weeks.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been keeping her hidden.\u201d\u00a0 Thom looked thoughtful.\u00a0 \u201cIf it hadn\u2019t been for the rig running into your boy, she\u2019d be hidden still.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providence\u2019s hand, it seemed, was everywhere \u2013 even in the darkness, if you only knew to look.<\/p>\n

\u201cThom,\u201d he began, \u201cwe\u2019ll do everything we can to help you make sure that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

His old friend looked relieved.\u00a0 Still, concern wrinkled the skin at the corner of his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Ben, but I am afraid I must ask you something more \u2013 something that could place you and your sons in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think Carter Burl has discovered where Sarah is.\u00a0 There was a man in Virginia City asking questions and he fit Burl\u2019s description.\u00a0 That\u2019s why we were running so fast to get home.\u00a0 Sarah has to go somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sensed what Thom was about to ask.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you\u2019re thinking the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour spread is huge, Ben.\u00a0 Certainly you have somewhere you could hide her out for a few weeks, until the agent from the resistance movement comes?\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cI know I am asking a lot, old friend.\u00a0 If you\u2019re discovered aiding and abetting a fugitive slave, you could be liable to punishment \u2013 would<\/em> be, if Carter has anything to do about it.\u00a0 He would pursue it to the full extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew about the fugitive slave law.\u00a0 An amended version of the 1793 bill had been passed nearly ten years back as a part of the Compromise of 1850, the result of which was a strengthening of the law.\u00a0 It stated that any person aiding a runaway slave by providing such meager aid as food or shelter was subject to the minimum sentence of six months’ imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.\u00a0 Under certain circumstances, it could be more.<\/p>\n

Ben remained silent for a long moment.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have to think about it, Thom.\u00a0 If it were just me….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0 You have your sons to think about.\u201d\u00a0 Thom smiled with chagrin.\u00a0 \u201cBut this is my granddaughter \u2013 my<\/em> only son\u2019s only child.\u00a0 You understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEntirely.\u201d\u00a0 Ben rose from the chair.\u00a0 He patted Thom on the arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou get some rest.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give you an answer by tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man slumped a bit beneath the covers.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019ll abide by your decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

His decision.<\/p>\n

Ben was still thinking about it that evening as he sat bathing his youngest son\u2019s fevered body with tepid water, trying to cool him and ease his discomfort, and the next morning when he employed fresh cloths to wipe away the drenching sweat that had accompanied the fever\u2019s breaking.\u00a0 Hoss had helped him to move Sarah to his grandfather\u2019s bed where she could get more rest and so he was alone with his boy.\u00a0 Hoss had wanted to stay, but he\u2019d told him to go back outside.\u00a0 So far his middle boy wasn\u2019t sick and he wanted to keep him that way.\u00a0 The period of incubation for influenza that Paul Martin had described would expire the next day, so it seemed the two of them had dodged that particular bullet.<\/p>\n

He wondered again about Adam.\u00a0 His eldest had come into contact with Thom when he dropped off the rig.\u00a0 It was his prayer that he wasn\u2019t out in the wilderness alone suffering from the same ailment that had carried Maggie Spencer away.<\/p>\n

Reminding himself that the Good Book said not to borrow trouble, Ben dismissed the thought and left his firstborn in the hands of Providence.<\/p>\n

A very good place indeed.<\/p>\n

Fingers brushing his elbow made him look down.\u00a0 Joseph was looking up at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome back, son,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa,\u201d Little Joe answered, and then added somewhat confused. \u201cWhere…I been?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA number of places, it seems,\u201d he replied with a slight chuckle.\u00a0 His son was prone to nightmares and during his delirium the night before they had visited a good many scenes that would not bear repeating.\u00a0 \u201cBut all of them in this bed.\u00a0 Your fever\u2019s just broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

One corner of Joseph\u2019s mouth quirked in a weak smile. \u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s good, isn\u2019t it?.\u201d<\/p>\n

He touched his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 Yes, it was cooling.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s very good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe thought a moment and then his tired eyes rolled to the other side of the bed.\u00a0 Ben saw him start and then the boy turned back to him with wild eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah!\u201d<\/p>\n

He placed a hand on his son\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s all right, Joseph.\u00a0 Hoss and I moved her last night when you became…agitated.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d almost said \u2018violent\u2019.<\/p>\n

His son seemed to relax.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s okay, then?\u00a0 She didn\u2019t die like Mrs. Spencer?\u201d<\/p>\n

So, he remembered that.\u00a0 \u201cNo, she didn\u2019t die.\u00a0 And I am thankful you didn\u2019t either.\u201d\u00a0 There had been times the night before at the height of the fever when he had doubted, much to his chagrin. \u00a0\u201cNow, you need to get some rest.\u00a0 Some real <\/em>rest,\u201d he said as he started to rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d Little Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHeck no, little brother, you know this ol\u2019 Hoss\u2019 carcass is too tough for a little old bug to bite,\u201d his middle son said, announcing his arrival.\u00a0 As Ben turned to look at him, the big man released more words in a sigh of relief.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure do look better than you did last night, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were here too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been there all right.\u00a0 Holding Joseph down as he thrashed.\u00a0 Ben shook the memory away.\u00a0 Looking from his middle to his youngest boy, he said, \u201cWell, since it seems sleep is out of the question for the moment, are you hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure am,\u201d Hoss replied and then grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d Joseph admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like I could eat that ol\u2019 hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was good news!\u00a0 Ben turned again to his giant of a son.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go get your brother some broth?\u00a0 There\u2019s a pot sitting on the stove.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2019d it, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cThat and the smell of flapjacks was what done brought me to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben scowled. \u00a0\u201cFlapjacks?\u201d\u00a0 Now that he thought about it, he could smell them too.\u00a0 \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat little gal, Pa, she\u2019s up and on her feet and makin\u2019 breakfast for everyone.\u201d\u00a0 The big man shrugged. \u201cWeren\u2019t no stoppin\u2019 her.\u00a0 I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was going to protest, but then he thought about it.\u00a0 Sarah lived as a slave.\u00a0 There were no days off, no matter how<\/em> sick you were.<\/p>\n

\u201cI…I don\u2019t know about flapjacks, Hoss,\u201d Joe said, downhearted.\u00a0 \u201cKind of makes my stomach turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust broth for you, young man,\u201d Ben ordered, \u201cand when you prove you can keep that down, we\u2019ll talk about flapjacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe hesitated and then he asked quietly, \u201cCould you have Sarah bring it up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ah, there<\/em> was the rub.\u00a0 Joseph was already attached to the girl and, knowing his youngest, already thinking about engagements and proposals.\u00a0 The boy hungered for a woman\u2019s presence in his life as much as a man lost in the desert hungered for water.<\/p>\n

If he brought the girl into their house, what else might she bring with her?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ll have your brother bring it up this time,\u201d he replied, trying to sound offhand about his dismissal of his son\u2019s request.\u00a0 \u201cSarah needs her rest too.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see if I can get her to eat something herself and then make sure she lies down.\u00a0 We wouldn\u2019t want her to have a relapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d his son replied, a little too eager.\u00a0 For a second Joseph frowned, aware that he might have given away too much.\u00a0 Then fatigue and the euphoria of recovery overtook him and he admitted, \u201cI really like her, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do, son.\u00a0 I like her too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true.\u00a0 Sarah seemed a lovely competent, young lady from what he could tell, but she came with chains attached, just as surely as if she were still enslaved.\u00a0 If Little Joe truly fell in love with her, he could lose his son to Canada, to prison.<\/p>\n

Or worse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben waited until Hoss had returned to leave.<\/p>\n

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he found Sarah, just as Hoss had said, on her feet and at the stove.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t notice him at first and then, when she did, she gave him a wary smile.\u00a0 It took him by surprise at first but then he realized that, in spite of the fact that he had taken care of her for the last few days, they were, after all, strangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Sarah,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you on your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded as she shifted the cast iron skillet back on the stove, away from the fire.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s hot coffee on the table if you\u2019re interested,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u00a0 I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he sat down she moved the flapjacks from the skillet to a plate and then brought them to the table.\u00a0 As she placed them before him, she said, \u201cI should go check on Mister Spencer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you eaten?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why don\u2019t you join me?\u00a0 You\u2019ve made plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be….\u00a0 I….\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Sarah scowled.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I\u2019m not hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI think you are.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand toward the other chair at the table.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, join me.\u00a0 I promise I don\u2019t bite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah hesitated and then sat down.\u00a0 She said nothing as he took two of the flapjacks and put them on an empty plate for her.\u00a0 After using the syrup himself, he moved it to her side of the table.\u00a0 Ben studied her as she shook her head and reached for the bowl of butter instead.\u00a0 Sarah was pekid, but otherwise seemed to have made a remarkable recovery.<\/p>\n

They ate in silence for a few minutes until she finally gathered the courage to say, \u201cThank you for looking out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Little Joe\u2019s father, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, he nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to get him out of here,\u201d she said, unexpectedly.\u00a0 \u201cYou all need to get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben dropped his napkin to the table and leaned back.\u00a0 \u201cWould you care to tell me why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you\u00a0 talking to Mr. Spencer….\u201d\u00a0 Sarah paused.\u00a0 \u201cTo my grandfather.\u00a0 You know<\/em> why.\u00a0 It\u2019s not safe here.\u201d She shuddered.\u00a0 \u201cNo one is safe where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, Nevada is a long way from Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot to Carter Burl.\u201d\u00a0 Her jaw tightened as she fought back tears.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a greedy selfish man.\u00a0 Once a thing is his, he won\u2019t ever let go.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a business deal, a piece of land, a woman or…a slave.\u00a0 It\u2019s a point of pride.\u201d\u00a0 The girl was bold.\u00a0 She looked him straight in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s killed before and he\u2019ll kill you or Little Joe if you get in his way, and then get the law to sanction it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben did not dismiss her words, but neither did he dismiss his duty.\u00a0 In spite of the fact that the Spencers had inadvertently caused Little Joe\u2019s accident, they had saved his son\u2019s life.\u00a0 He owed them.<\/p>\n

He owed this girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour grandfather has asked me to provide you with shelter until the agent from the resistance movement makes contact.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked stunned.\u00a0 \u201cHe had no right!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has ever right.\u00a0 He loves you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, no!\u00a0 I can\u2019t ask you to do this \u2013 to put yourself, your family <\/em>at risk because of me.\u00a0 You don\u2019t even know me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reached over and took her hand.\u00a0 \u201cI think I do, and your words just proved it.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated and then added, \u201cThere is just one thing I would ask of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAnything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink before you answer, Sarah.\u00a0 It\u2019s a hard thing I am going to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fall in love with my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah remained completely still for several heartbeats before she nodded, and then she abruptly rose and fled into her grandfather\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed and ran a hand over his stubbled cheek.<\/p>\n

Too late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It took another day before Little Joe was strong enough to travel.\u00a0 Ben spent the better portion of it fattening his youngest boy up and then, as night fell, reluctantly deposited him in the back of the wagon he now occupied.\u00a0 They would travel after dark in order to mask their movements, with Sarah lying down in the back seat of the\u00a0 rig her grandfather was driving, covered by a dark blanket. \u00a0They only awaited Hoss finishing his instructions to the two hands they were leaving behind at the Spencer place before they could set out.<\/p>\n

In the end he had decided the best thing to do was to take both<\/em> Sarah and her grandfather to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Thom had explained that it didn\u2019t matter where they were.\u00a0 The man who was to contact him was to place an ad in the Territorial Enterprise<\/em> in two weeks time that would contain code words to let them know when and where to make contact.\u00a0 While the main route for conductors moving \u2018passengers\u2019 or \u2018cargo\u2019, as the slaves were referred to, lay to the east, there were agents operating in the west as well.\u00a0 Though Nevada was neither a free or a slave state \u2013 in fact, it wasn\u2019t a state at all \u2013 that didn\u2019t stop Southerners from coming West and bringing their human chattel, as they thought of their slaves, with them. \u00a0Indeed, there were horror stories of slavers kidnapping free persons of color and taking them back to work on the plantations of the South.\u00a0 Once captured, these people were doomed to lives of hard labor and bare subsistence.\u00a0 Slaves had no right to a trial.<\/p>\n

There was nothing they could do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready, Pa,\u201d Hoss announced as he came alongside the wagon.\u00a0 Looking at the precious cargo in its bed, bundled in so many blankets he had nearly disappeared, he asked, \u201cHow\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

When no reply came from<\/em> the wagon bed, Ben said, \u201cYour brother is worn out.\u00a0 He\u2019s sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss inclined his head toward the rig.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure Mister Spencer is strong enough to drive that buggy?\u00a0 I can hitch up Chubb behind it and do it for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather you be free to run shotgun, so to speak,\u201d the rancher said with an eye to the impenetrable darkness surrounding them.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to suspect this man Burl knows where Sarah is, but just in case….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot ya.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss gave their surroundings one quick survey and then added, \u201cI\u2019ll just go mount up then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ben took the reins in hand, he heard a rustling sound behind him.\u00a0 Turning, he saw his youngest son\u2019s eyes shining in the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d he said, his voice a breath, \u201cfor helping Mister Spencer and Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t know the truth about Sarah yet.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure he ever should.\u00a0 He had taught his sons to care too deeply and too well.\u00a0 With Hoss it was stray animals \u2013 any beast that was hurt and in need of succor.\u00a0 With Little Joe, well, his young knight errant couldn\u2019t resist coming to the aid of a damsel in distress no matter what the odds.<\/p>\n

Picking up the reins, Ben made a kissing noise and urged the horses on.\u00a0 As the jingle of their harnesses sounded on the cold night air, he considered once again the choice he had made.<\/p>\n

And prayed to God that it was the right one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NINE<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright was just about as uncomfortable as he had ever been.\u00a0 He\u2019d spent two days trussed up in a cold damp cave, and then the next two or three \u00a0\u2013 he\u2019d lost count \u2013 either tied to his horse\u2019s saddle or, as he was now, lying prone under a tarp in the back of a wagon that had bumped and jogged along unknown roads, taking him to only God knew where.\u00a0 At times he felt like they were moving in circles, as if the distance covered was far less than the hours warranted.\u00a0 It made sense if someone was trying to keep him from knowing where they were going \u2013 or if they were in fear of being pursued.\u00a0 Sadly, he knew no rescue would come from the Ponderosa.\u00a0 His family had no way of knowing that he had been taken and was being held against his will.\u00a0 These men were not kidnappers.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t want his father\u2019s money.<\/p>\n

They were zealots and what they wanted was his little brother.<\/p>\n

Why, he had no idea.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that Joe wasn\u2019t worth wanting.\u00a0 In fact, his little brother was about as zealous as they came.\u00a0 Turn him loose and there would be no stopping him until whatever he felt needed doing was accomplished.\u00a0 But Joe was just one among many young men, any one of which would have done the same thing.\u00a0 So there had to be something special<\/em> about Little Joe.\u00a0 Frederick Kyle had gone on about the blood in Joe\u2019s veins that tied him to the South and so the\u00a0 only thing he could come up with was Joe\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n

Marie.<\/p>\n

He had the distinct impression Kyle had been in love with Marie and therefore took a special interest in her son.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d wanted to marry her.\u00a0 She was a stunningly beautiful woman.\u00a0 Perhaps Kyle wanted Joe to fill the hole left by the death of his own son \u2013 to be his heir, so to speak, and to fight at his side for the \u2018Cause\u2019 that was Frederick Kyle\u2019s very heartbeat.\u00a0 He\u2019d come to Virginia City looking specifically for Joe, so that said a lot, and done his best to drive a wedge between Little Joe and all of them \u2013 almost succeeded, in fact.\u00a0 It would have been a satisfactory explanation if it had not been for one thing.<\/p>\n

The fact that Kyle himself had said there was someone else behind it.<\/p>\n

Adam shifted to ease the pain in his back.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in several wagons and this was the most ramshackle of them all.\u00a0 He\u2019d been tossed in the back along with bags of flour and feed and even a few chicken cages and then covered with a tarp that was tied to the wagon\u2019s sides.\u00a0 Along their journey he\u2019d heard the sounds of a city, but of late those had faded into a silence broken only occasionally by the distant crow of a rooster.\u00a0 They were in the country…somewhere.\u00a0 It could have been California for all he knew, or maybe just outside his back door.<\/p>\n

God, let him still be on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

His biggest fear was that he had been transported to some distant place, days away from home, and he wouldn\u2019t get back in time.<\/p>\n

Little Joe could already be gone.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s jaw tightened with resolve.\u00a0 If that was the case he\u2019d follow the kid, even if it meant walking onto a battlefield, and bring him home.<\/p>\n

Unless he was really<\/em> gone….<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes and forced air through the gag between his teeth.<\/p>\n

\u2018Madness<\/em>,\u2019 he thought.\u00a0 \u2018Sheer madness.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the wagon driver call the team to a halt.\u00a0 The vehicle jolted, thrusting him up against the driver\u2019s seat so he banged his head.\u00a0 As he waited for it to clear, the tarp was removed and the bed flooded with light.<\/p>\n

So, it was daytime.\u00a0 He\u2019d had no idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out, Cartwright,\u201d Ab Latham ordered, pistol in hand.<\/p>\n

He struggled into an upright position and then, using the back of the driver\u2019s seat to brace himself, managed to climb to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlow and easy, off the bed and to the ground,\u201d the southerner told him.<\/p>\n

Since nothing could be accomplished by defying the elder Latham brother, Adam complied.\u00a0 His time would come and when it did, he would make them sorry they had ever heard the name of Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked and then he blinked several times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.\u00a0 In the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by tall pine trees and several rough piles of boulders, sat an officer\u2019s tent.\u00a0 It was well-made and of a decent size.\u00a0 In front of it rested a small Chippendale table with a silver tea service on it.\u00a0 Behind the table a man of African extraction stood at attention, his head up, his eyes looking at nothing, and his hands linked behind his back.<\/p>\n

It was absurd.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at his two abductors.\u00a0 Valentine Latham looked uneasy.<\/p>\n

His brother looked unimpressed.<\/p>\n

A moment later the colored man turned on his heel and peeked his head into the tent.\u00a0 \u201cCaptain Burl, sir, Privates Latham have returned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Privates?<\/em><\/p>\n

A moment later a tall lean man exited the tent.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t wearing a uniform, but was dressed in a suit such as a southern gentleman might wear, cut from gray windowpane wool with a wine vest and tie to match.\u00a0 He wore a similarly colored low derby anchored somewhat absurdly on the back of his graying head.\u00a0 He was neither young nor old, thick nor thin.\u00a0 He was not attractive or unattractive for that matter.\u00a0 In fact the most distinguishing thing about the man was his eyes.<\/p>\n

They were the same cool gray of his chosen ensemble.<\/p>\n

As Captain Burl approached him the Latham twins snapped to attention, though Ab maintained a bit of a slouch out of defiance.\u00a0 Burl hardly looked at them.\u00a0 His attention was solely and squarely on him.<\/em> \u00a0He circled him several times before he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t Marie de Marigny\u2019s son,\u201d he said, the statement both a question and a comment at one and the same time.<\/p>\n

Valentine answered.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 It\u2019s his brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burl\u2019s right eyebrow twitched.\u00a0 \u201cDid I ask you to bring me his brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir, you didn\u2019t,\u201d Ab replied, a bit cheekily.\u00a0 \u201cThis one fell into our hands, so to speak, and, well, we figured you could use him to get to the other one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burl\u2019s pale stare settled on Valentine.\u00a0 \u201cSo to speak?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle had him and he was gonna keep him,\u201d Ab drawled.\u00a0 \u201cI told you before that one ain\u2019t to be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faster than he could follow Burl moved and had Ab Latham by the throat.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I have told you<\/em> before that you will not address me as an equal.\u00a0 Is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d Ab squeaked.<\/p>\n

Releasing him, Burl turned back even as Ab hit the ground.\u00a0 He looked at Valentine.\u00a0 \u201cRemove his gag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val did as he was told.<\/p>\n

The southern captain turned to him.\u00a0 \u201cYour name, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

He licked his lips.\u00a0 His voice was rough from disuse.\u00a0 \u201cAdam.\u00a0 Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burl stared at him.\u00a0 Hard.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I can see it.\u00a0 There is something of your father about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know my father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnew him.\u00a0 Many years ago.\u201d\u00a0 Burl\u2019s lip curled back in a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure the feeling was mutual,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what reaction he expected.\u00a0 It certainly wasn\u2019t the one he got.<\/p>\n

Captain Burl threw his head back and roared.<\/p>\n

Valentine and Aberdeen looked as uneasy as he felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn Yankee arrogance!\u201d Burl snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou think you know it all, boy, don\u2019t you?\u00a0 Think there\u2019s nothing you can\u2019t handle?\u00a0 Your father was the same.\u00a0 That arrogance should have killed him.\u00a0 It would have at the Oaks had Marius Angerville not intervened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam knew the story of how his father had been maneuvered into a duel he could not win by a man named Darcy while in New Orleans.\u00a0 A man his father called a \u2018white-livered cowardly disgrace\u2019 to himself and his so-called code of honor.\u00a0 Darcy was the man who instrumented the smear campaign against his step-mother run by her own mother-in-law. \u00a0But how did this<\/em> man know of it?\u00a0 There was only one other person he could think of who could have been party to the information.<\/p>\n

The man Marie found in her bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa said Darcy told him the man who had accosted Marie that night was in Haiti.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t true, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it was.\u00a0 I went away until the heat died down and by the time I came back, Marie had married your father.\u00a0 She should have been mine<\/em>, Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 Would<\/em> have been if your father had not interfered.\u00a0 That boy of hers, he should have been mine too.\u00a0 And he will<\/em> be mine.\u00a0 I hired Frederick to ask nicely, but it seems that has failed.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think that leaves me without means.\u00a0 I have a new vocation.\u00a0 One sanctioned law.\u201d\u00a0 Carter Burl reached into his pocket and produced a paper.\u00a0 It was old, he could tell.\u00a0 The Southerner unrolled it and held it out for him to see.\u00a0 It was dated in the late 1700s and was a bill of sale for a woman of color named Francoise.<\/p>\n

Adam was almost afraid to guess.\u00a0 \u201cWho was she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Burl\u2019s thin lips curled in triumph.\u00a0 \u201cYour little brother\u2019s great-grandmother.\u00a0 She was a slave.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I say so, so is he.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben closed the door on his youngest son\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 Joseph was finally asleep and he had left Hoss to watch over him while he went downstairs to meet with Roy Coffee.\u00a0 They\u2019d found the sheriff knocking on their door as they drove into the yard.\u00a0 Ben had greeted him and explained in a few short words what had happened and then ushered his son up to his bed.\u00a0 When he came down he found Hop Sing had made his old friend comfortable.\u00a0 There was a tray of sandwiches on the table and a pot of steaming coffee.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the food looked far more comfortable than Roy did.<\/p>\n

Before he could say anything, Roy blurted out. \u201cBen, I gotta ask you, is Adam home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Out of nowhere, he was struck with a presentiment of danger.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Roy, he\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow longs it been since you seen him?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hated to admit it, but he had lost count.\u00a0 \u201cSeveral days.\u00a0 Near a week, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s bushy eyebrow reached for the sky.\u00a0 \u201cYou guess?\u00a0 You mean, you don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Roy, I don\u2019t know!\u201d he snapped.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you suppose that makes me feel?\u00a0 Doctor Martin quarantined us at the Spencers due to the influenza.\u00a0 Adam went missing a day or so before that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went to the Spencers to return their rig.\u00a0 We know he made it that far.\u201d\u00a0 Ben dropped wearily into his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAfter that, I have no idea.\u00a0 I was hoping he would be here when we got home, but….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouple of my deputies, Jim Lobaugh and Phil Carver, think they seen him \u2018bout three days back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord!\u00a0 Where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRiding with two other fellers.\u00a0 They said Adam looked tired.\u00a0 Like he was having trouble stayin\u2019 in the saddle.\u00a0 The two fellers with him was practically holdin\u2019 him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward in his eagerness.\u00a0 \u201cWhere was this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver near the Truckee Road.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would Adam have been doing over there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy tossed his hands in the air.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Ben. \u00a0That\u2019s what I come out here to ask you<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe boys came into town to tell me \u2018cause they thought Adam might be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he make any contact with them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t get that close, Ben.\u00a0 But they said they had a thought who the two with him might of been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t gonna like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like any <\/em>of this!\u00a0 Who were they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy blew out his disgust. \u201cThem two southern fellers you asked me to keep an eye on while they were in Virginia City.\u00a0 The Latham boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI fired them,\u201d he stated simply.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t mean they ain\u2019t allowed on the Truckee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s head was spinning.\u00a0 First Frederick Kyle had appeared and tried to woo his youngest son to support the Confederacy, and then Aberdeen and Valentine Latham had been caught doing the very same thing.\u00a0 Kyle had claimed to know Marie, but he had no memory of the man and had no idea how he had come to have her portrait.\u00a0 Of course, he didn\u2019t know every facet of her life, but he had spent a good deal of time in New Orleans with her before they came out West and met most of her acquaintances and friends.<\/p>\n

What was going on?<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that, Roy, it\u2019s just that…well…Valentine and Aberdeen spent little or not time with Adam.\u00a0 They only seemed interested in Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s the boy doin\u2019?\u00a0 Hoss says he had a right bad bout of that influenza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHealing, by God\u2019s grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSad thing about Mrs. Spencer, she was a God-fearin\u2019 woman.\u00a0 I hear tell you got Thom here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They had decided to admit that much.\u00a0 It was only logical Thom would have come back with them to recover.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy thought a moment.\u00a0 It looked like he had been about to say something else, when he said, \u201cWell, I best be gettin\u2019 me back to town.\u00a0 I just wanted to let you know what the boys thought they saw.\u00a0 Say, you want any help checkin\u2019 it out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, Roy.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send Hoss and a couple of the hands.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t find out anything, I\u2019ll get back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do that.\u00a0 That Adam, he\u2019s one of a kind. \u00a0Wouldn\u2019t want anythin\u2019 to happen to him \u2013 or to any of your boys.\u201d\u00a0 As they approached the door, Roy hesitated.<\/p>\n

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

Roy pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI had me a strange visitor yesterday, Ben.\u00a0 Another southerner.\u00a0 Older man, dressed somethin\u2019 like that Kyle feller.\u00a0 Came into the jail bold as you please and slapped an affidavit down on my desk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened slightly.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems he owns one of them plantations down there in Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is he doing in Nevada?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking for a runaway slave.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s his right.\u00a0 Federal law says it\u2019s so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA slave so important that he came all the way out here to find them?\u00a0 That seems absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThought so too until I read the flier. This here slave\u2019s a female, can read and write.\u00a0 Seems he spent a lot of money training her to paint portraits and such.\u201d \u00a0Roy hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cSeems she\u2019s right pretty too.\u00a0 Brown-haired and light-skinned as a white girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy isn\u2019t he looking in the east, or north toward Canada?\u00a0 I understand that\u2019s where the fugitive railroad operates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems the girl had family moved out here some while back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart was pounding in his chest.\u00a0 \u201cDid he know who they were?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so\u2019s he said.\u00a0 Older people, he thought.\u00a0 Maybe grandparents.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cBen, if you know anythin\u2019 it would be right smart to share it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u00a0 Why would I<\/em> know anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I got me to thinking, now just who in this area might have a conscience and be willin\u2019 to risk helpin\u2019 someone like that.\u201d\u00a0 Roy\u2019s brows danced again. \u201cYou and your boys are on the short list.\u201d<\/p>\n

It went against his nature \u2013 and his faith \u2013 to lie.\u00a0 But what else could he do?\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Roy.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know anything.\u00a0 If something comes up, you\u2019ll be the first to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 He opened the door and then looked back.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope for your sake, Ben, that I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben let out the breath he didn\u2019t know he had drawn as he closed and locked the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows, don\u2019t he, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Hoss, of course.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSleepin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss came to his side.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we gonna do, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have to do.\u00a0 What is right.\u00a0 We can\u2019t turn that girl over to a man who has no more regard for her than he would a cup or a china plate he could crush underfoot.\u00a0 And that\u2019s all Sarah is to the slaver \u2013\u00a0 his property. \u201c\u00a0 Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cStill, we can\u2019t blame Roy.\u00a0 He\u2019s only doing his duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come we got us a law like that, Pa?\u00a0 A law that lets another man own someone else?\u00a0 It ain\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not right, but, due to the large amount of slaves in the Southern states, they have greater populations and more votes in Congress and they have been able to protect their abhorrent way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what this whole thing is about, ain\u2019t it?\u00a0 What got Little Joe and Adam so hot they near killed one another.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused.\u00a0 When he spoke, there was tremendous hurt in his voice.\u00a0 \u201cYou think little brother understood what he was standin\u2019 up for?\u00a0 You think he really would have gone off to fight to keep all them people slaves?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had wondered that too.\u00a0 \u201cI have to believe….\u00a0 I have to believe that he didn\u2019t, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s either that or I don\u2019t know my youngest son at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright stood concealed by the shadows at the top of the steps, tears running down his cheeks.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d only pretended to fall asleep when Hoss was in the room.\u00a0 In spite of the fact that his father had ordered him to bed and told him to stay there, he was determined to see for himself that Sarah was all right.\u00a0 Hoss said she was in the room at the end of the hall, while her grandfather was downstairs.\u00a0 It had been too much for the older man to make it to the second floor.\u00a0 He had pulled on his pants, shirt, and slippers and was just going to go knock on her door and ask her how she was feeling.\u00a0 He\u2019d been headed there when he\u2019d heard his father speaking to Roy Coffee about a girl. \u00a0As he listened, it all fell into place.\u00a0 The Spencers had been hiding her.\u00a0 When they ran into him, they\u2019d been forced to take him to their home.\u00a0 Though they\u2019d done their best to conceal her presence \u2013 and probably forbid her to make an appearance \u2013 she\u2019d come to him and cared for him.<\/p>\n

She was his angel.<\/p>\n

And, she was a slave.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t face her now. \u00a0He couldn\u2019t face anyone.<\/em> \u00a0His Pa and his brothers had to be so <\/em>ashamed of him.\u00a0 To think he had even contemplated, ever thought<\/em> about going with Frederick Kyle. \u00a0That he had spent a week of his life working for the man, drumming up support and trying to raise money to support a way of life that fed off of the labor and lives of men and women who had no choice.\u00a0 Men and women like Sarah and her family.<\/p>\n

Like his own.<\/p>\n

A sob escaped him, loud enough to cause a door to click at the end of the hallway and a head with dark wavy hair to appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d Sarah asked as she stepped into the upstairs hall.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t look at her.\u00a0 He…couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away,\u201d he breathed between clenched teeth, more to himself than to her.\u00a0 \u201cGo<\/em> away.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t listening.\u00a0 There she was, heading down the hallway, concern for him etched into every line of her beautiful face and she didn\u2019t know that just a week before he had been ready to sell her and her people down the river \u2013 ready to die for the men who said she was of no more value than one of his father\u2019s cattle.<\/p>\n

Maybe less.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 He backed away.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d Sarah asked.<\/p>\n

What was wrong?<\/p>\n

He<\/em> was.<\/p>\n

Turning on his heel, without his boots and dressed in only a thin shirt and his pants, Joe turned and ran down the stairs \u2013 past his startled brother and father \u2013 and out the front door and into the night.\u00a0 He heard them calling him, urging him to stop, but he kept on running.\u00a0 Running until he entered the trees.\u00a0 Running until he left the ranch house behind.\u00a0 Running until he felt his heart would burst.\u00a0 Running for all he was worth to escape something he could never hope to escape.<\/p>\n

Himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back at the ranch house Ben and Hoss were scrambling.\u00a0 Hoss had taken off for the barn to saddle their horses and Ben was gathering up supplies in case they ended up searching all night.\u00a0 He knew from experience that if Joseph didn\u2019t want to be found, they would not have an easy task of doing it.\u00a0 Sarah had followed Joseph down the stairs and stood in the middle of the great room looking like a little girl lost.\u00a0 Her grandfather stood with her, his arm around her shoulders.\u00a0 Thom had been awakened by all the confusion.<\/p>\n

Before he headed out the door, Ben went over to her.\u00a0 \u201cSarah, do you know what happened?\u00a0 Did you speak to Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI tried to.\u00a0 He just kept backing away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas he in your room or were you in his?\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care about propriety right now.\u00a0 He just needed answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Little Joe was in the hall.\u00a0 At the top of the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord,\u201d he breathed.\u00a0 Joe must have heard him and Hoss talking.\u00a0 Maybe him and Roy.\u00a0 He cast his mind back, trying to remember what they had said, but it was gone, driven out by a very real fear for his son.<\/p>\n

Abruptly, he realized Sarah was crying.\u00a0 \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have come,\u201d she said in a strangled whisper.\u00a0 \u201cI bring trouble wherever I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at Thom.\u00a0 Sarah\u2019s grandfather nodded as he released her and then stepped back.\u00a0 The rancher came to her and took her in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cThis is not your fault, child.\u00a0 None<\/em> of this is your fault.\u00a0 It\u2019s the fault of greedy, self-centered men who care only for their own comfort and ease and nothing for the ones they must crush to have it.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled back and looked at her, and then brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph had a hard lesson to learn.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been a part of teaching him, and for that I am thankful.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s voice shook as he added, \u201cI have my boy back again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Little Joe\u2019s run away!\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn body, yes, but in spirit, he\u2019s just come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure she understood.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t certain he did entirely, but he knew what he said was true. The threat from Frederick Kyle and the Latham brothers was over.<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s son, Joseph, would never fight for the South.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam swallowed over the bile that had risen in his throat.\u00a0 It had two sources \u2013 Captain Carter Burl and his campaign to use his little brother to destroy his father, the man he blamed for taking Marie away from him. \u00a0In his anger he had used his step-mother\u2019s Creole heritage to taunt his little brother.\u00a0 He felt deep shame now for having done so.\u00a0 And yet, even in that anger he had never considered the consequences.\u00a0 Marie had not been a slave.\u00a0 Therefore, even if she had been a Creole of Color, there was no threat to her son.\u00a0 But now, with Burl holding a paper that proved that Marie\u2019s great-grandmother had in fact been purchased in an auction, that changed everything.\u00a0 It might not hold up in a northern court of law, but if Carter Burl managed to get his brother into one of the southern states, there was no telling what would happen.\u00a0 Burl could use that paper to justify his claim that his brother was enslaved and sell him.\u00a0 Joe might vanish into a land where every man they sought answers from belonged to a secret brotherhood that kept its secrets close; where white men held supremacy and anyone with a hint of color was regarded as nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold.<\/p>\n

He had to get away.<\/p>\n

Burl had ridden away a few hours before, headed he knew not where.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched as the southern officer had instructed the Latham brothers.\u00a0 As usual, Valentine had paid close attention while Ab had affected a pose of indifference.\u00a0 Ab was the weak link, though it appeared otherwise.\u00a0 Valentine was cautious where his slightly older brother was impatient.<\/p>\n

Which meant he would be easy to rile.<\/p>\n

Since they were in the middle of nowhere, his gag had been left off.\u00a0 Carter had actually told him to go ahead and yell his head off if he wanted to since no one would hear him.\u00a0 He thought he knew where he was.\u00a0 Even though one tree looked much like the other, there was a bend in the river close by that he thought belonged to the Truckee.\u00a0 Burl could have no idea that he and his brothers had explored every inch of that river when they were boys and he might recognize it.\u00a0 If he was right, in spite of the days they had traveled, he wasn\u2019t that far from home.<\/p>\n

For a minute or two he watched the Latham\u00a0 brothers as they went about their business.\u00a0 When Valentine entered the woods, leaving Ab behind, he saw his chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me, Ab,\u201d he began, \u201cwhat\u2019s in this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aberdeen Latham glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cA chance to see the mighty Cartwrights brought low,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not it.\u00a0 You were working for Burl before my father fired you.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Yankee, I don\u2019t need to tell you nothin\u2019.\u00a0 You just keep your mouth shut or I\u2019ll shut it.\u201d\u00a0 Ab sneered.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s not a Yankee.\u00a0 Why have you turned on one of your own?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not my own!\u201d the southerner sneered.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t no better than that woman Burl is huntin\u2019. But then you wouldn\u2019t care, would you, Yankee?\u00a0 That Northern pa of yours, he sure didn\u2019t care when he rode that Creole gal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam bit his tongue.\u00a0 Ab\u2019s bigotry infuriated him, but now was not the time.<\/p>\n

Later.\u00a0 Later,<\/em> he would pound him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you may not believe this, but I agree with you,\u201d Adam said, turning on the charm.\u00a0 \u201cAsk anyone.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t accept Marie as my step-mother.\u00a0 And I was ready to leave home just a few weeks ago because my father sided with her son instead of me.\u201d\u00a0 He was hoping Ab might have heard something of the recent fight he had with Joe.\u00a0 He knew the men were talking about it.\u00a0 He steeled himself and added, lacing his tone with disgust. \u00a0\u201cJoe deserves what he gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab had halted what he was doing and was staring at him. \u201cYou\u2019re just sayin\u2019 that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me a Bible and I\u2019ll swear on it.\u00a0 You know how us Yankees are about our Bibles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, all those Boston blue-bloods always bring them along on the slave ships they sail to Africa and back,\u201d the other man snorted. \u00a0\u201cThey think God will forgive them if they pray hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, what Ab said was true.\u00a0 If not for northern greed the South could not have sustained its hateful way of life.\u00a0 Adam shifted, partially with discomfort from his thoughts, but mostly to see if he had managed to work his hands free from the ropes that bound them.<\/p>\n

It was nowhere near close enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I didn\u2019t quite understand your Captain Burl.\u00a0 Apparently he was in love with my step-mother in spite of her…unusual attributes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShows what you know.\u00a0 Burl ain\u2019t got an ounce of human kindness in him.\u00a0 He don\u2019t know nothin\u2019 about love.\u00a0 When he sees somethin\u2019 and he wants it, he gets it.\u00a0 He don\u2019t ever lose.\u201d\u00a0 Ab turned and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Cept one time, to your Pa, and he\u2019s gonna make him pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy winning my brother over to the South\u2019s Cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the plan in the first place.\u00a0 May still be, dependin\u2019 on your brother.\u00a0 Either way that runt would be better off dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Latham\u2019s words chilled him.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would Joe be better off dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he enlists, Burl will see he\u2019s on the front lines and that\u2019ll be an end to him.\u00a0 If not….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gonna sell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere Missy think she go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah stopped.\u00a0 The front door was partway open and her hand was on the latch.\u00a0 She closed her eyes and sighed, and then turned back into the Cartwright\u2019s great room to face Hop Sing.\u00a0 Her grandfather had felt weak and returned to his bed.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen to him and then, when she came out of the downstairs guest room, had checked to make sure the first floor was empty before donning her coat and hat with the intention of heading out the door in search of Little Joe.\u00a0 Hop Sing must have been hiding, or maybe he\u2019d stepped out when she peeked into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Either way she\u2019d been caught.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was…just going out for a breath of fresh air,\u201d she said, adding a little too quickly, \u201cthe doctor recommended it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s queue danced as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDoctor not recommend night air.\u00a0 Night air not good for Missy Sarah.\u201d\u00a0 The Chinese man came over to where she was.\u00a0 With one hand he pushed the door shut.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay inside.\u00a0 No good girl go look for Little Joe.\u00a0 It too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah smiled at his misplaced concern.\u00a0 \u201cI can take care of myself, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been doing it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was staring at her so intently, it almost made her uncomfortable.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben tell Hop Sing missy special.\u00a0 Keep safe.\u00a0 Keep here.\u00a0 He say, bad man outside.\u00a0 Look for her.\u201d\u00a0 He jabbed the air with his finger.\u00a0 \u201cYou no go outside!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Little Joe….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe take care of himself.\u00a0 He do it for a long time too.\u201d\u00a0 The man from China paused.\u00a0 His voice grew soft as he said, \u201cNumber three son not want missy to put self in danger.\u00a0 He like her too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re wrong,\u201d she said, a tremble in her voice.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what it was, but he couldn\u2019t even…wouldn\u2019t<\/em> look at me and when I tried to talk to him.\u00a0 He ran away.\u00a0 If he liked me, why would be run?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing took hold of her elbow.\u00a0 \u201cMissy come sit on settee.\u00a0 Little Joe come home when he ready and not before.\u00a0 Very<\/em> stubborn boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She could be stubborn too.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I have to find him and talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man held her gaze.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe not want to talk to missy.\u00a0 That why he run.\u00a0 He too ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAshamed?\u201d<\/p>\n

The small man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMissy come sit.\u00a0 Have tea.\u00a0 Hop Sing tell her why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah glanced at the door.\u00a0 Little Joe already had a half hour lead and it was getting dark.\u00a0 She supposed it would be foolish for her to venture out.\u00a0 She just wished she could have ridden with his father and brother.\u00a0 She hated feeling useless.\u00a0 Doing nothing.<\/p>\n

With a nod, Sarah let herself be led over to the settee.\u00a0 She remained there while Hop Sing went to the kitchen to prepare some tea and then accepted the steaming cup he handed her with a little nod. \u00a0All the while he\u2019d been gone she\u2019d tried to puzzle out what Little Joe could possibly feel ashamed of.\u00a0 He\u2019d been a gentleman with her and had done or said nothing wrong so far as she could recall. Sarah waited until the Cartwright\u2019s Chinese man servant had taken a seat on the low table in front of her before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about Little Joe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe very special boy.\u00a0 Big smile.\u00a0 Big<\/em> heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cBut heart have hole in it.\u00a0 Almost fourteen year.\u00a0 Hole not mend.\u00a0 Maybe not ever mend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe mama fall from horse outside of house.\u00a0 He watch her fall.\u00a0 See her die.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cBoy should not see such thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She closed her eyes, seeking to stave off the image the Chinese man\u2019s words caused to flash before her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI saw my mother die as well,\u201d she said, her voice small and tight.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing reached out to touch her arm.\u00a0 \u201cVery sorry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sarah nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBut what does Little Joe losing his mother when he was small have to do with him being ashamed now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not remember his mama.\u00a0 He too little.\u00a0 Only remember one or two things.\u00a0 So he listen to father and brothers and make up rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 She knew all about that.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was nearly six when my mother…died.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t use the word \u2018murdered\u2019.\u00a0 A slave couldn\u2019t be murdered by the man who owned her.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe not yet five.\u00a0 He listen and dream about mama and where she come from.\u00a0 He want to be like her in every way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere was she from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome from South. \u00a0From Louisiana.\u00a0 Little Joe think he like to be from the South.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s dark eyes sought hers.\u00a0 \u201cHe think maybe his mama be happy if he go fight for it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 So that was it.\u00a0 Joe had found out…what <\/em>she was and he wanted nothing to do with her.\u201d She rose abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cI understand.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell Grandfather we should go.\u00a0 We \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy not listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I\u2019m listening!\u00a0 You just told me that Little Joe is going to go off and support the Confederacy.\u00a0 He\u2019s ashamed to be anywhere near me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 The word stopped her.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe ashamed.\u00a0 Number three son live on ranch whole life.\u00a0 Not know many things.\u00a0 Not realize his mama like missy in some ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Cartwright come from New Orleans.\u00a0 Much life, many different people there.\u00a0 She very pretty lady like Missy Sarah,\u201d he said, and then added softly, \u201cLike missy in other ways too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWas she Creole?\u201d she asked at last.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe not welcome here because of what she is.\u00a0 Come home crying when go to town alone.\u201d\u00a0 His chest puffed out a little bit.\u00a0 \u201cTell Hop Sing.\u00a0 Not tell Mistah Cartwright because he be mad.\u00a0 He have hot head just like Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

She understood now, the way Joe had looked when she\u2019d seen him in the hall.\u00a0 Why he\u2019d stuttered what he had and run from her.<\/p>\n

It made her want to find him even more.<\/p>\n

It made her love<\/em> him even more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy understand now?\u201d the Chinese man asked.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe need time alone.\u00a0 He sort things out and come back.\u00a0 You no need worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019re right.\u00a0 Thank you for telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was watching her.\u00a0 \u201cMissy stay in house now?\u00a0 Not go outside where cold?\u201d<\/p>\n

She surprised herself by yawning. \u00a0It made her laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I should go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy do that. \u00a0Little Joe back in morning.\u00a0 You see,\u201d Hop Sing proclaimed as he rose and bent to retrieve the tea tray.<\/p>\n

Sarah smiled again as the Chinese man headed into the kitchen wing of the Cartwright\u2019s home.\u00a0 She waited until he had disappeared and then counted to twenty for good measure.<\/p>\n

Then she opened the front door as quietly as she could and slipped outside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright was laying on his side, breathing as shallowly and as evenly as he could.\u00a0 Ab Latham had discovered his loosened bonds and let him know what he thought of his escape attempt.<\/p>\n

Which was not much.<\/p>\n

There was one easy weapon to use with a man who was bound hand and foot and sitting on the ground and Ab had used it with abandon, literally kicking him while he was down and enjoying every moment of it.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think he was seriously wounded, though he was <\/em>sure that he had at least one cracked rib since it hurt like hell to draw a deep breath.\u00a0 After unleashing his anger, the southerner had bound him more tightly than ever and left him to his pain while he went about readying his horse to ride.\u00a0 He supposed that meant the others must be returning sometime soon, or at least Valentine.\u00a0 Carter Burl troubled him.\u00a0 The man seemed slightly…unhinged.<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes and began, again, to work at the ropes that bound his wrists.\u00a0 Captain Burl was a clear and present threat to both his father and his younger brother and he had to \u2013 at all costs \u2013 get away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEN<\/p>\n

Joe was a fast runner \u2013 had<\/em> to be since he had been bully-bait since he went to school.\u00a0 He could outrun just about anyone if he wanted to, but he knew he couldn\u2019t outrun his father and brothers when they were mounted.\u00a0 So, as soon as he could, Joe made for the hills.\u00a0 He was a good climber too.\u00a0 Hoss said he must be part mountain goat, and so it was nothin\u2019 for him to scramble up and over boulders, taking a path that would be near impossible for his family to follow on anything other than foot.\u00a0 He needed time.\u00a0 He \u00a0just couldn\u2019t face them.\u00a0 Not yet.<\/p>\n

Maybe not ever.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced down at his lightweight tan shirt and pants and then at his bruised and bloodied feet.\u00a0 Of course, runnin\u2019 away on a cold September day when you took off in barely more than your birthday suit and a pair of slippers wasn\u2019t smart.\u00a0 In fact, it was downright dumb.\u00a0 He could just see older brother Adam, arms crossed, with that \u2018look\u2019 on his face, shaking his head and tellin\u2019 him to take time to consider his actions and their consequences.\u00a0 In other words, to look before he leaped.<\/p>\n

He was really good at leapin\u2019, just not so good at lookin\u2019.<\/p>\n

The curly-haired man anchored his hands on his hips and breathed in as he looked around.\u00a0 He had no idea where he was going.\u00a0 He\u2019d really wanted to visit his mama\u2019s grave so he could apologize to her.\u00a0 He knew she\u2019d forgive him even if no one else would.\u00a0 But he couldn\u2019t do it.\u00a0 He knew that was the first place Pa would think to look.\u00a0 So instead, he\u2019d taken off in the opposite direction, which put him on the side of the ranch closest to the Truckee Road.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much here.\u00a0 Tall pines.\u00a0 Fading grass.\u00a0 Rocks and boulders and more trees.\u00a0 There was a line shack fairly close by, but he figured his pa or brothers would think of that too.\u00a0 Scowling, Joe remained still as he considered what he should do.\u00a0 A shiver shook him and he wrapped his arms around his middle for some warmth.\u00a0 As he did, a wee small voice in the back of his head urged him to swallow his damn pride and go back home before he died of exposure.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the great big voice of his guilt quickly shouted it down.<\/p>\n

Shrugging off another shiver, Joe turned in all directions.\u00a0 He and Adam and Hoss used to play in this area when they were boys.\u00a0 He kind of remembered it.\u00a0 Adam, being older, had been in the lead most of the time.\u00a0 If he remembered right, there were caves along the river\u2019s bank that would offer him some shelter until he decided what to do.\u00a0 He doubted his family would think to check them as they weren\u2019t one of his usual haunts.\u00a0 Without warning, as a vision of his father and brothers riding slowly, looking for his tracks rose before his eyes, and Joe felt an immeasurable sadness.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to cause them pain and that\u2019s what he would do if he continued on his present course.\u00a0 He knew how his pa was when he went missing \u2013 he\u2019d come home before to the older man\u2019s bent back, gaunt cheeks, and red-rimmed eyes cradled in shadows. \u00a0Hoss was probably out of his mind.\u00a0\u00a0 And Adam?\u00a0 Well, Adam didn\u2019t know, but if he did, older brother probably would have said, \u2018Good riddance!\u2019<\/p>\n

He wondered if he would ever get a chance to talk to his older brother again to tell him how sorry he was.\u00a0 To tell Adam….<\/p>\n

He was right.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s jaw tightened and he sniffed in tears.\u00a0 He thought a moment and then, fists closing, came to a decision.<\/p>\n

He had to go back.<\/p>\n

He was doing the same thing Adam had done after they\u2019d had that fight \u2013 running away \u2013 and he\u2019d thought older brother a bit of a coward for doing it.\u00a0 It was him<\/em> who had gone to find Adam and bring him back.\u00a0 He knew Pa couldn\u2019t live without Adam and that their pa would blame himself somehow for one of his sons going away.<\/p>\n

Pa would blame himself for him going away too<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It was hard to admit, but he was behaving like the child everyone accused him of being.\u00a0 A man would face up to what he had done and, if he was wrong, admit it and make it right.\u00a0 If everyone hated him after he\u2019d done that, well, then<\/em> he would leave.\u00a0 Joe snorted as he shivered again.<\/p>\n

But this time, he\u2019d wear a coat!<\/p>\n

As he came to his decision, a sudden weariness overcame him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t all that long since he\u2019d had the influenza and running a couple of miles in the bitter cold was probably not on Doc Martin\u2019s list of things to do for a speedy recovery.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t been so<\/em> cold he would have laid down and taken a nap.\u00a0 As it was, he was cold enough that the only thing he could think of to do was start walking.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d run into someone who could give him a lift to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He could offer them hot coffee and a bite to eat when they got there. \u00a0Joe grinned. \u00a0Hop Sing was sure to have something ready in the kitchen for when he came to his senses and went home.<\/p>\n

He wanted to be home.<\/p>\n

Drawing a deep breath, Joe struck the remnants of tears from his cheeks and began to scramble back down the boulders.\u00a0 When he reached the road he took it, hoping he would run into his pa and brothers.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t gone too far when he heard the approach of horses.\u00a0 Halting, the curly-haired man waited to see who it was.\u00a0 When the riders appeared, he knew right away it wasn\u2019t his family.\u00a0 Still, the two men looked vaguely familiar.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen them before, but he couldn\u2019t remember where.<\/p>\n

When they saw him, the pair reined their horses in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d Joe said, giving them a little wave before placing his fingers back in the crook of his arms for warmth.<\/p>\n

The shorter and darker of the pair favored him with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re Ben Cartwright\u2019s boy, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 He knew<\/em> they looked familiar.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that\u2019s my pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men exchanged a look.\u00a0 Both smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, what are you doing out here without a coat \u2013 and boots?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n

How did he explain it without sounding like an idiot? \u00a0\u201cMy coat\u2019s on my horse.\u00a0 So are my boots.\u201d\u00a0 It was kind of the truth.\u00a0 Well, it was probably<\/em> the truth.\u00a0 Knowing his pa, he\u2019d brought both along as well as Cochise for him to ride when they found him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, I see.\u00a0 Spooked and ran off, eh?\u201d\u00a0 The man looked at his companion.\u00a0 \u201cGorman, you think the boy could ride with you?\u00a0 You\u2019ve got the stronger mount.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can walk,\u201d Joe protested, because he thought he should.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense.\u00a0 Gorman here would be happy to let you ride with him.\u201d\u00a0 As the tall thin man nodded, the short dark one said.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Regis.\u00a0 As it happens, we were headed to the Ponderosa anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Joe asked as he approached the pair.\u00a0 \u201cWhat for, if you don\u2019t mind my asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a message for your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was beside the tall man now.\u00a0 Gorman was leaning over, offering him a hand \u2013 or so he thought.<\/p>\n

A second later Joe was on the ground, reeling from a kick to the side of his head.\u00a0 He heard more than saw the two men dismount and come to stand over him.\u00a0 The shorter, darker one knelt beside him and took his shirt collar in hand and lifted him up. \u00a0Joe grew nauseous from the movement and his body started to shut down.<\/p>\n

Guess he knew what the message was.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah sighed.\u00a0 She\u2019d just added to her list of \u2018crimes.\u00a0 The first, of course, was stealing her head, hands, feet, and body from the man who \u2018owned\u2019 them.<\/p>\n

The second one?\u00a0 Stealing a horse!<\/p>\n

Due to the fact that most of her life had been spent on a plantation in the South as one of a part of a family of \u2018privileged\u2019 house slaves, she knew how to ride and how to do it well.\u00a0 After her father\u2019s death, her grandmother had feared she\u2019d be punished.\u00a0 Instead, she seemed to be favored.\u00a0 While Carter Burl seemed to pay little attention to her as she grew, he saw to it that she was taught to read and write and to behave in a civilized fashion, which included how to ride.\u00a0 Her grandmother warned her that this special treatment would have a price and that one day Burl would order her to the big house to serve and to provide service<\/em> to him.\u00a0 She had feared that was his intention when he took her to France with him the year before, but it turned out not to be the case.\u00a0 He had recognized her natural talent at portraiture and taken her along to apprentice to a painter he admired.\u00a0 Carter Burl had invested considerable money in her and he made it clear that, when they returned to the States, she was to use her talent to portray the members of his prestigious Virginia family.\u00a0 She\u2019d been fine with that \u2013 until he made it clear that once she entered Burl Hall she was also to become his concubine.<\/p>\n

That <\/em>she was not willing to do.<\/p>\n

When she told her grandmother that the day had come, the older woman instructed her as to what to write, and then persuaded one of the white plantation workers to post a letter to her grandparents.\u00a0 The first reply that came back was from a neighbor, telling them the older couple had moved to Virginia City, Nevada.\u00a0 Determined, her grandmother had written to the local sheriff there and he \u00a0had managed to track down the Spencers and deliver the post.\u00a0 Of course, the sheriff knew nothing of her situation.\u00a0 It would have been interesting to see her white grandmother\u2019s face when she read the letter.\u00a0 In all the years that she had written to her father\u2019s mother \u2013 sending her cards and notes when she could \u2013 she had never received an answer.\u00a0 She\u2019d assumed the older woman wanted nothing to do with her.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019d been right.<\/p>\n

Sarah shifted uneasily in the saddle.\u00a0 She\u2019d ridden a couple of miles before she realized she had no idea of where she was going.\u00a0 Little Joe could have run anywhere.\u00a0 She had headed in the direction of the lake because she\u2019d heard he often took solace at his mother\u2019s grave, but it felt wrong somehow.\u00a0 The handsome curly-haired man would know that would be the first place someone would look for him.\u00a0 And so she was at a standstill.<\/p>\n

Just like she\u2019d been at a standstill in her hope of escape.\u00a0 It took months for a reply to come from her white grandparents.\u00a0 When it did, her slave grandmother had cried and shouted \u2018Hallelujah!\u2019\u00a0 The letter, of course, was from Grandfather Thom.\u00a0 It contained only a few words, written cagily in case the note was intercepted.<\/p>\n

\u2018Of course.\u00a0 The door is always open.\u00a0 Tell her to come in.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

And so it began \u2013 the search for a way for her to \u2018come in\u2019.\u00a0 Finally, the same man who had carried the letters and posted them agreed to help.\u00a0 His name was James and he was sweet on her slave grandma.\u00a0 He was also a man who felt uncomfortable in the role he had to play and tried his best to ease the lot of the colored men, women, and children who bore the brunt of the hard labor that kept Burl Hall going.<\/p>\n

Sarah smiled sadly as she urged her mount forward.\u00a0 When the time had come, she had almost chickened out.\u00a0 The immensity of what she was doing \u2013 not only escaping, knowing the hunt for her would be intense, but traveling all the way out West alone by train and stage coach.\u00a0 When she\u2019d come about halfway, she\u2019d stopped in at the telegraph office to send a message to the Spencers to tell them she was on the way and give them an approximate time of arrival.\u00a0 She\u2019d been delighted and not a little bit surprised to find there was a post waiting for her.\u00a0 Grandfather Thom had reasoned she would take the stage line and left messages \u2013 again, with guarded wording \u2013 for her along the way.\u00a0 He talked about the farm, the neighbors, and about a package he was to pick up on a certain date.\u00a0 He said, if it didn\u2019t arrive, he\u2019d wait just outside of town at a local trading post along the route until it got there.<\/p>\n

And so, she had arrived \u2013 not as an unwanted stranger, but as family \u2013 to Grandfather Thom\u2019s open arms and a ready smile.<\/p>\n

He told her on the way to the house how he had wanted to rear her.\u00a0 That the blood in her veins was the same as his and it mattered not one whit who or what it was mingled with.\u00a0 The older man told her as well that his wife, Margaret, was a different story.\u00a0 That she still grieved for her son and blamed the woman he had fallen in love with for his death.\u00a0 Maggie, he said, was ashamed \u2013 and he used that word, blunt as it was \u2013 that her son had been involved with a slave woman and died as a criminal trying to help her escape.\u00a0 He told her she would have to be patient with her grandmother.\u00a0 That she was a good woman who would come around in time.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, now that Grandmother Margaret was in Heaven, she finally had.<\/p>\n

Tightening her grip, Sarah pulled back on the reins.\u00a0 She\u2019d heard the sound of horses\u2019 hooves coming from the direction of the bend in front of her.\u00a0 Panicked, she took a moment too long to come to a decision and before she could conceal herself, a man came into view riding a horse.\u00a0 Little Joe had been on foot, so she knew it wasn\u2019t him.\u00a0 The man slowed his mount\u2019s progress until he came to a stop alongside her.<\/p>\n

Tipping his elegant gray wool hat, that matched his equally elegant gray suit, he said, \u201cAfternoon Miss.\u00a0 Are you out here alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

His accent was southern.<\/p>\n

Sarah was apprehensive.\u00a0 She was pretty sure of herself.\u00a0 After all, growing up on a plantation with all that entailed had made her tough. \u00a0Still, even though the man was slender, he both outweighed her and was taller by a good five inches or more.<\/p>\n

Smiling prettily, she answered, \u201cYes.\u00a0 I\u2019m out for an afternoon\u2019s ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnescorted?\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s hardly proper for a young lady of your status.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather doesn\u2019t care,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 After all, it was the truth.<\/p>\n

The man was eying her, looking from her mount to her clothes, and then to her face and hair.\u00a0 \u201cYour grandfather.\u00a0 Now, that wouldn\u2019t happen to be Thomas Spencer, would it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah stiffened.\u00a0 A shiver ran down her spine.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I need to answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man reached into his inner coat pocket and produced a snub-nosed derringer.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, Miss, I think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam opened his eyes.\u00a0 A moment later he groaned as reality bled back in and all of the various bruises and cuts he had taken in the beating made themselves known.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t realized he had fallen asleep, but then one\u2019s body did that sometimes when it was pressed beyond what it could bear \u2013 issued<\/em> orders instead of carrying them out.\u00a0 The black-haired man blinked away both nausea and fatigue and then righted himself.\u00a0 Something had awakened him.\u00a0 Some…noise.\u00a0 Ignoring the pounding in his head, he concentrated.\u00a0 Yes, there it was again. \u00a0Someone was approaching the camp.\u00a0 At least two <\/em>someones.\u00a0 They were mounted and almost here.\u00a0 Was it Burl and Valentine Latham, he wondered?\u00a0 Neither man had returned yet.\u00a0 Val\u2019s brother was just stirring too.\u00a0 Ab had laid down by the fire and fallen asleep shortly after their encounter.\u00a0 As he watched, the southerner rose to his feet and took a few steps in the direction of the sound.\u00a0 Then he hauled up short and snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like you got company, Cartwright,\u201d he sneered.<\/p>\n

Before laying down Ab had bound him to a nearby tree, with his hands tied behind the trunk.\u00a0 Bound as he was he couldn\u2019t shift to look at whoever had just pulled into the camp.\u00a0 He heard two men talking, a chorus of cruel laughter, and then a dull thud<\/em> as something struck the ground.\u00a0 That was followed rather quickly by a rustling of leaves as that something or \u2013 as he was beginning to suspect \u2013 that someone <\/em>was dragged in his direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cGot a present for you,\u201d an unschooled voice said a moment before dropping his baby brother\u2019s badly battered form at his feet.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was pale; his breathing somewhat shallow.\u00a0 There was a large, odd-shaped bruise darkening from red to purple on the left side of his face.\u00a0 His tan shirt was stained with blood that had flowed downward from a split on his cheek.\u00a0 His hair, as well as his shirt and pants, were liberally dusted with dirt and covered in bracken.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty boy\u2019s sound asleep,\u201d the man\u2019s thin lips curled at the end.\u00a0 \u201cBeen that way since I put my boot to his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes flicked to his brother.\u00a0 Joe was pale \u2013 and this was so <\/em>unlike his younger brother \u2013 not moving. \u00a0At least he wasn\u2019t dead.\u00a0 A kick to the head that left a bruise like that could have easily snapped his neck.\u00a0 Steeling himself, Adam kept up his earlier pretense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you had more luck knocking some sense into it than I usually do,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n

The thin man watched him closely.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t mad?\u201d<\/p>\n

He made a face.\u00a0 \u201cHell, no.\u00a0 Like I told, Ab, I\u2019m with you.\u00a0 I\u2019m sick to death of my pa pampering the brat.\u00a0 It\u2019s no more than he deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall thin outlaw\u2019s lips twisted as he dropped into a crouch by Joe.\u00a0 A second later his dirty fingers laced through Little Joe\u2019s chestnut curls and he placed his gun barrel against Joe\u2019s temple.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want I should pull it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGorman, you idiot!\u00a0 Get up!\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s bit back a sigh of relief as his gaze went to the speaker.\u00a0 It was the man he\u2019d seen with Frederick Kyle in Virginia City.\u00a0 The one called Regis.\u00a0 He looked disgusted.\u00a0 \u201cBurl isn\u2019t going to pay as much for damaged goods,\u201d he said as he dismounted and headed for them.<\/p>\n

Gorman spit off to the side.\u00a0 The thin man ignored his partner and looked right at him as he said, \u201cMight be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held his breath as Regis reached out and knocked the gun from Gorman\u2019s grasp.\u00a0 It could so easily have gone off!<\/p>\n

Gorman shot to his feet . \u201cWhat\u2019d you do that for?\u201d he demanded. \u201cBesides, who made you God?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regis was shaking his head.\u00a0 He tapped his temple.\u00a0 \u201cThis<\/em> makes me God.\u00a0 I\u2019m the brains.\u00a0 You\u2019re the brawn, Gorman, and don\u2019t you ever forget it.\u201d\u00a0 The dark-haired man looked down at Joe as if his brother was a prize steer just roped.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is going to buy our way out of obscurity and into independent financial freedom.\u201d\u00a0 Regis\u2019 eyes shot to him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure Mister Cartwright here would be just as happy to see his spoiled younger brother sold into slavery as shot.\u201d\u00a0 Kyle\u2019s compatriot smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThis way his suffering will be never-ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0 He nodded, unable for a moment to find words.\u00a0 Then, after swallowing, he said, \u201cThe boy\u2019s never worked a day in his life.\u00a0 He\u2019ll work now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regis\u2019 eyes never left him as he replied.\u00a0 \u201cWith his looks, I doubt he\u2019s for the field.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty of plantation owners out there with…unusual…appetites.\u00a0 From what I understand, it should come naturally to him, considering who his mother was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rage fought to rein in his emotions.\u00a0 Giving \u00a0them their head at this moment would just get both<\/em> him and Joe killed.<\/p>\n

He forced a wicked little smile.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s pretty proud of the French Quarter mother of his.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he spoke, Little Joe moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cGorman, tie the kid to the other side of the tree!\u201d Regis ordered.\u00a0 \u201cCarter won\u2019t be back until nightfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe moaned again as the tall thin man complied.\u00a0 Gorman was unnecessarily rough with Little Joe, thrusting him so hard against the tree he could feel the reverberations as his brother\u2019s head hit the trunk.<\/p>\n

This time Joe cried out loud.<\/p>\n

The sound of a hard slap silenced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry he\u2019s upwind,\u201d Gorman said as he moved away.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll just have to put up with the stink of that Creole blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam counted…very slowly…as the lowlife walked away.\u00a0 He made it to thirty before he called out softly, \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Are you awake?\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u201d\u00a0 When he got no reply, he tried again. \u00a0This time his whisper was fierce.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

A moan.\u00a0 It was like a whole conversation!<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI…can hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep your voice down.\u201d\u00a0 He shot a look at the two men, but they were talking to Ab and ignoring them for the moment.\u00a0 \u201cHow bad is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeein\u2019 stars….\u201d\u00a0 He could tell his brother wet his lips.\u00a0 \u201cPain in my head.\u00a0 I can…take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Joe would say he could \u2018take it\u2019, even if he\u2019d been run over by a train and there was just enough left of him to scrape off the tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Joe, I have to tell you something.\u201d\u00a0 Adam wet his lips too.\u00a0 What did he say?\u00a0 He was so ashamed, but there was no time to explain or apologize.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d his brother growled. \u00a0\u201cLike you\u2019d…rather see me dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

Good Lord!\u00a0 He must have been awake….<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I didn\u2019t mean \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you two blabbin\u2019 about?\u201d Gorman\u2019s surly voice demanded.<\/p>\n

Adam stiffened and looked up.\u00a0 \u201cJust checkin\u2019 to see if the kid\u2019s awake.\u201d\u00a0 He tried to make his voice match his pretense, but worry and fear for his little brother were calling his bluff.<\/p>\n

Gorman swung around the tree.\u00a0 He gripped Joe\u2019s curls and pulled hard.\u00a0 When his brother yelped and then cursed, the thin man snorted, \u201cYep, he\u2019s awake.\u201d\u00a0 As he released Little Joe\u2019s hair, the outlaw bent down and struck his brother so hard on the cheek the sound reverberated through the clearing. \u00a0\u201cOr he was!\u201d he chortled.<\/p>\n

The list of men he needed to see dead <\/em>or in jail was growing longer by the minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up with these two?\u201d Ab Latham asked as he halted at Gorman\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t a man get a wink of sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe little one was trying to wriggle free,\u201d the thin man lied.\u00a0 \u201cHad to teach him to mind his manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich you\u2019re fine with, right, Cartwright?\u201d Ab asked him.<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged \u2013 as nonchalantly as he could.<\/p>\n

Aberdeen Latham was staring at him.\u00a0 \u201cGag them both!\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Adam said, a little too enthusiastically.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no need to gag me.\u00a0 I won\u2019t yell.\u00a0 I\u2019m on your side, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember.\u00a0 I remember all right,\u201d the elder Latham said as he dropped to the grass beside him.\u00a0 \u201cI remember watching you and that little brother of yours back at the ranch.\u00a0 You may not like him, but you don\u2019t want to see him dead \u2013 not matter what you say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I am, and maybe I\u2019m not,\u201d Ab replied as he took the bandana from his neck and began to fashion it into a gag.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s no nevermind anyhow.\u00a0 You<\/em> don\u2019t need to talk and I need to sleep!\u00a0 Open up or I\u2019ll let Gorman have his way with the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze flicked to Gorman who looked all too eager.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll regret this when Burl gets back,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n

Ab shrugged as he shoved the gag between his teeth and tied it in a tight knot at the back.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 Not likely though.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cAn \u2018overabundance of caution\u2019, boys.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s Carter Burl\u2019s byword.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the two men walked away, Adam heard his brother groan.\u00a0 Here he was, inches from Little Joe, and he couldn\u2019t tell him why he was acting the way he was.\u00a0 What must his brother think, he wondered?<\/p>\n

That he hated him. That\u2019s what.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah sat on a low boulder, her spine stiff and her hands folded neatly in her lap, listening to a man she was beginning to think was slightly mad \u2013 at least where Little Joe was concerned.\u00a0 Apparently this was Frederick Kyle, the southerner she had heard the Cartwrights speak of.\u00a0 He\u2019d spent the last so many weeks trying to woo Little Joe to the cause of the South, apparently succeeding enough that it had brought Joe and his brother Adam \u2013 whose mother had been from New England \u2013 to blows.\u00a0 As Kyle spoke, Little Joe\u2019s deep regret began to make sense to her.\u00a0 From what the southerner said, the handsome young man had all but enlisted in the man\u2019s campaign, ready and willing to leave his loving family behind for the memory of a mother he had never known and the place where she had been born.<\/p>\n

It was a thought that would never have occurred to her, but then, men were different, or so her grandmother had told her repeatedly.\u00a0 Still, to leave a haven of safety such as the Ponderosa for a far-off land and a people you knew nothing of \u2013 to fight for a cause that was not <\/em>your own \u2013 well, that made no sense to her.<\/p>\n

Maybe she didn\u2019t know Little Joe as well as she thought.<\/p>\n

Still, that didn\u2019t change how she felt about him or her growing anger with this man who thought he knew what was best for a young man whom he had only just met \u2013 again because of this woman, Marie.<\/p>\n

She must have been something, Little Joe\u2019s mama.<\/p>\n

It was obvious Frederick Kyle had been, if not in love with, then enamored of this mystery woman.\u00a0 He had been traveling west on other business when he met up with Carter Burl, but the two men had quickly discovered they had something in common \u2013 a fascination with Marie De Marigny.<\/p>\n

Only with Master Burl, it was an obsession.<\/p>\n

The man pacing in front of her had agreed to work for the plantation owner partly because of that commonality, but mostly to woo Marie\u2019s son to return to \u2018where he belonged\u2019 \u2013 and, maybe, to save Little Joe from Burl.\u00a0 After the Cartwrights figured out what Kyle was up to and Little Joe\u2019s father ordered him off his land, never to return, the southerner had been unable to leave.\u00a0 He was desperate to make Little Joe understand that he was not a liar and a schemer and that his \u2018Cause\u2019 was real.\u00a0 In order to do this, Frederick Kyle hired two men by the name of Latham to befriend Joe and bring him to them.\u00a0 When that failed, he decided to take a chance and come to the Ponderosa himself to speak to Little Joe and that was when he encountered her. With his gun pointed at her, Kyle had demanded she tell him what she knew.\u00a0 She\u2019d thought about it a moment and then told him, honestly, that Little Joe had run away and she was trying to find him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a betrayal.\u00a0 The southerner knew more about Joseph Cartwright than she did and she hoped he might be able to lead her to him.\u00a0 What she\u2019d do once they found Little Joe, she had no idea.\u00a0 Kyle knew who she was.\u00a0 And more than that, he knew what <\/em>she was.\u00a0 If Little Joe or any of the Cartwrights were caught trying to help her they would go to prison.\u00a0 After all, they would be violating federal law in aiding and abetting a fugitive slave.<\/p>\n

Or worse they could be killed like her father and there was nothing anyone could say or do about it.<\/p>\n

Sarah drew in a breath and held it as Frederick Kyle turned and pinned her with his pale eyes.\u00a0 They were lit with a fanatical fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know where he is,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptured,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptured?\u201d\u00a0 Sarah rose to her feet.\u00a0 \u201cI told you he ran away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The southerner watched for her reaction.\u00a0 \u201cCarter Burl has men looking for him.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of what brought me to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I was coming to warn him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say so before?\u201d she demanded as her heart sank to her toes.<\/p>\n

Kyle pinned her with a stare that said she was less than the dirt under his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would I tell a quadroon anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I can help you,\u201d she shot back knowing that, with his monumental ego, the southern man would believe her.\u00a0 \u201cJoe Cartwright meant nothing more to me than a way out of slavery.\u00a0 He can\u2019t give that to me now, but I think you could \u2013 if<\/em> you wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why would I want to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Little Joe will come to me and he won\u2019t<\/em> come to you.\u201d\u00a0 God help her, it was the truth.\u00a0 She could only hope that when the time came, she could come up with something that would help them both escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy should I trust you?\u201d Kyle demanded.<\/p>\n

Sarah bowed her head, assuming a stance she knew he was familiar with \u2013 one he would find compelling.\u00a0 \u201cBecause…master, you have the power,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n

Frederick Kyle remained where he was for several heartbeats and then crossed to stand before her.\u00a0 He reached out and caught her chin and lifted her head so she was forced to confront his fervent gaze.\u00a0 As his lips curled with pleasure, he laid a hand on the skin exposed above her neckline.\u00a0 Though he thought of her as less than human, she could tell he was attracted to her.<\/p>\n

She supposed, in a way, she was not so different from the mysterious Marie De Marigny.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Frederick Kyle said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

ELEVEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seemed his lot somehow, to end up bound hand and foot and tied to a tree.\u00a0 Of course, this time older brother Adam was in the same position, only on the other side.\u00a0 The tree divided them.\u00a0 Just like the love of their northern and southern mothers divided them. \u00a0Or at least it had until now.\u00a0 And there was no way he could tell Adam.\u00a0 No way to apologize.<\/p>\n

No way to let older brother know just how much he loved him.<\/p>\n

Oh, they\u2019d made up after he went to get his stubborn New England born brother and brought him home.\u00a0 They were polite and didn\u2019t argue anymore \u2013 at least in front of Pa \u2013 but the hurt had remained, and it seemed no matter how much either of them tried to ignore it, even deny it, it still stood between them.\u00a0 Joe knew the fault was mostly his.\u00a0 Adam thought things through, came to a conclusion, and then acted on it.\u00a0 Him?\u00a0 Well, everything was always a jumble.\u00a0 He thought sometimes that if he could<\/em> have thought somethin\u2019 through that clearly then he might<\/em> have been able to make a clear decision and stick to it, but it wasn\u2019t gonna happen.\u00a0 No matter how much he tried, his \u2018passions\u2019 \u2013 as his pa put it \u2013 overwhelmed him.\u00a0 He\u2019d think about something all clear-like and then things would start roiling like water in a kettle over a fire and suddenly and without warning, explode.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mercurial\u2019, that was a word older brother liked to use when talking to someone about him without Adam knowin\u2019 he was listening \u2013 as unpredictable and as changeable as the mercury in a thermometer or the weather.<\/p>\n

It shamed him to admit his brother was right.<\/p>\n

No wonder Adam didn\u2019t want anything to do with him.\u00a0 Joe glanced over his shoulder at his brother and then closed his eyes as he rested his battered head against the rough bark of the tree and tears welled up and overflowed.\u00a0 The world around him might be out of focus, but one thing was crystal clear.<\/p>\n

Older brother Adam hated him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been mostly out of it when he\u2019d Regis and Gorman had dropped him at his brother\u2019s side, but he\u2019d been awake enough to hear Adam tell the older man, \u2018I\u2019m with you\u2019, and then go on to make it sound like he was some spoiled little rich kid who deserved whatever he got.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked back tears and sniffed in snot.\u00a0 Maybe Adam was right. \u00a0Maybe he was<\/em> a brat like some of the hands liked to call him. \u00a0He wanted so much for his brothers and father to think of him as a man and here he was acting like some no-count kid who could care less about his family and who only wanted what he wanted because <\/em>he wanted it.<\/p>\n

No, that wasn\u2019t fair either.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really give one damn about the South or its high-and-mighty \u2018cause\u2019.<\/p>\n

He just missed his mama.<\/p>\n

A movement behind him made Joe swing a bit to the left.\u00a0 Adam had shifted.\u00a0 His older brother grunted softly as he wiggled against the tree, reaching for something.<\/p>\n

It startled Joe to realize it was his<\/em> hand.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked his eyes, freeing tears from his lashes to cascade down his mud and blood-stained face.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t really meant to pull away from Adam \u2013 he loved Adam just as fiercely as he did his pa and his middle brother \u2013 he\u2019d done so out of guilt and shame.\u00a0 Adam shouldn\u2019t be offering him<\/em> any comfort.\u00a0 Adam had a right to be mad.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been a fool.<\/p>\n

Joe let the tears fall freely.\u00a0 Crying was just something he did, and he knew for the length of his life he would be made fun of for it \u2013 but he didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 It was like the tide of emotions in him was so strong it just had to rush up and crash against the shore or he\u2019d go crazy.\u00a0 A little smile twitched the corner of his full lips.\u00a0 He hoped one day that he\u2019d find a girl that understood \u2013 really <\/em>understood him.\u00a0 Then he remembered.\u00a0 Amy had, but Amy was gone.<\/p>\n

Gone like his mama.<\/p>\n

Grief overwhelmed him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam was barely able to brush Little Joe\u2019s fingers with his own, but he had to do something!\u00a0 He could hear his baby brother\u2019s soft sobs, and the sound of Joe\u2019s sorrow was like a stake through his heart. \u00a0How many times had he held that little curly-headed boy close and heard just that sound as Joe cried his heart out over some real or imagined hurt?\u00a0 They were so different \u2013 as different as their mothers \u2013 and yet, in many ways, they were just the same.\u00a0 If the truth were known he felt things just as deeply as Joe did \u2013 sometimes he wondered if it was not even more <\/em>deeply \u2013 but the pain and loss and the constant drive to be strong for his father as they forged the life Pa envisioned for them had left scars \u2013 tough, rock-hard scars that were nearly impossible to penetrate.<\/p>\n

Even for him.<\/p>\n

It had been easier when Joe was a little boy, even though all the earmarks of the young man his brother would become were there.\u00a0 When Marie had died and Pa was left so bereaved he couldn\u2019t think of anything but his own pain, Little Joe had turned to him.\u00a0 Oh, Hoss was Joe\u2019s best friend and always would be, but to fill the hole \u2013 to bridge that huge chasm of unthinkable and unimaginable parental loss \u2013 that curly-headed little boy had turned to him and clung on as if life itself depended on it.\u00a0 Joe had a way when he was hurting or afraid of digging his fingers into your skin until it hurt.\u00a0 Baby brother needed that connection \u2013 that touch \u2013 to know he was okay.\u00a0 Adam snorted. \u00a0Touch<\/em>, the one thing he disdained.<\/p>\n

Well, didn\u2019t really disdain.<\/p>\n

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

It was all he could give Little Joe now and he hoped it was enough.\u00a0 There had been so many things \u2013 too<\/em> many things said between them.\u00a0 Words, as he\u2019d told his pa, that weren\u2019t even his own.\u00a0 Anger was its own kind of madness, but the anger that was building between the North and the South was something else entirely.\u00a0 It pit not only state against state, but house against house and brother against brother.<\/p>\n

Adam found Little Joe\u2019s fingers again and gripped them this time.\u00a0 Not this house, he tried to communicate through that grip.<\/p>\n

Not this <\/em>brother against his brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright nodded to his remaining son and then went to kneel beside the lonely grave on the hillside overlooking the lake.\u00a0 It had been too much to hope that they would find Joseph here.\u00a0 The boy would know this was the first place he would look.\u00a0 It was one of his youngest son\u2019s \u2018safe\u2019 places.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t count the times he\u2019d found the boy here after they\u2019d argued or he\u2019d been forced to administer a severe discipline, which usually included<\/em> the instruction not to leave the house.\u00a0 In some ways Joseph was as wild and untamed as the wilderness into which he had been born \u2013 the child of his latter years, the child of his prosperity.<\/p>\n

The child of Marie.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d loved all his wives.\u00a0 He\u2019d cherished competent and compassionate Elizabeth and soft spoken, no-nonsense Inger, no less than Marie.\u00a0 They had been his partners, equal in every way.\u00a0 Marie….<\/p>\n

Ben let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cAh, Marie….\u201d<\/p>\n

There had been something extraordinary <\/em>about his young New Orleans bride; a vulnerability that made him feel \u2013 rightly or wrongly \u2013 that she needed him in the way no other human being ever had; that she needed him to assure her of her worth, especially after her treatment at the hands of the De Marignys who counted her little better than a street trollop.\u00a0 Madame de Marigny couldn\u2019t see it.\u00a0 She believed Marie had married her son for his money and not for love.<\/p>\n

Marie was<\/em> love.<\/p>\n

Ben reached out to place a hand on her tombstone and brush aside the vines that had attached themselves to its already worn face.\u00a0 A little more than thirteen years ago \u2013 when their son had not yet turned five \u2013 he had laid her here and then gone away, leaving Elizabeth\u2019s equally compassionate and competent son in charge of his other two boys.\u00a0 Adam could handle it, he\u2019d told himself.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t be gone long \u2013 just long enough to come to grips with his loss, to find himself so there was something there to give to his sons.\u00a0 Ben released the tombstone and rose to his feet.\u00a0 He stood still a moment and then looked out over the lake.\u00a0 Hoss had fared the best.\u00a0 Inger\u2019s sweet boy was more concerned about his brothers than himself, and when he returned, he had run to him and hugged him as if he had never gone away.\u00a0 Adam had come out of the house carrying his youngest. \u00a0Joseph\u2019s tousled head was resting on his shoulders.\u00a0 His oldest son had offered him his hand and welcomed him home.<\/p>\n

\u2018Welcome back, sir,\u201d he\u2019d said.<\/p>\n

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

Ben shook his head, regretting again the choice he had made that had robbed his eldest of the last vestige of his childhood and, in a way, forced Joseph into an unending one.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s boy was the most damaged of all, left with a deep-seated fear of abandonment and an almost visceral need to know that he was loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you are,\u201d he said softly to no one but the wind.\u00a0 \u201cCome home, boy.\u00a0 You\u2019re needed and you\u2019re loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

It was true and constant Hoss, of course.\u00a0 Ben struck away a tear and turned to face Inger\u2019s son.\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe men are waitin\u2019 for orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d brought a half-dozen ranch hands with them.\u00a0 They were waiting at the bottom of the rise.\u00a0 He\u2019d sent them in the opposite direction in search of his other missing son.\u00a0 Adam was never far from his mind, though at the moment finding Joseph had to take precedence.\u00a0 Adam was a man and could take care of himself.\u00a0 Joseph was….\u00a0 Ben turned and looked at the stone again.<\/p>\n

Joseph was Marie\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll split up,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no sense in covering the direction Adam went.\u00a0 The men are already doing that.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher paused. \u201cYou know your brother, son.\u00a0 Where do you think Joseph would go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNowhere\u2019s he\u2019d think we\u2019d think of lookin\u2019 for him, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d the big man sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre there any favorite places you boys had?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAny I don\u2019t know of?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty,\u201d Hoss admitted with a shy smile.\u00a0 \u201cMostly old mines, river caves and the like.\u201d He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cAnd there\u2019s that old cave up in the hills near the line shack and others along the Truckee.\u201d\u00a0 His son scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2019d that little ornery cuss have to go and run away, Pa?\u00a0 What was he thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph wasn\u2019t \u2013 thinking<\/em>, that is.\u00a0 His mother used to do the same thing.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 smile was wistful.\u00a0 \u201cI sure do.\u00a0 I \u2018member searchin\u2019 the house for Ma and then, when we\u2019d find her out sittin\u2019 under a tree or in the stable.\u00a0 She\u2019d always apologize for scarin\u2019 me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie didn\u2019t mean to frighten you.\u00a0 It was more that \u2013 more that she had to get away from herself, if you understand what I mean.\u00a0 Or at least try.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s pretty hard to run away from yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Joe ain\u2019t learned that yet, has he, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked soberly.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph is very young.\u201d\u00a0 Ben walked to Hoss\u2019 side and placed his hand on the big man\u2019s shoulder before adding with a smile, \u201cAnd he has a lot of his mother in him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed deeply.\u00a0 \u201cI sure do miss her, Pa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, son,\u201d he said before moving off to deal with the hands.\u00a0 \u201cI do too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He was worried about Joe.\u00a0 For some time they sat there with their hands touching, unable to say anything except what that touch said \u2013 that they were brothers; that they were there for one another no matter what unkind words had passed between them and would always be.\u00a0 Then, without warning, Joe\u2019s fingers had gone slack.\u00a0 He supposed he must have fallen asleep or worse, passed out.\u00a0 His brother had a head wound that, as of yet, had not been attended to.\u00a0 From the bruising and amount of blood on Joe\u2019s face and neck, he had taken a pretty bad blow.\u00a0 There was no telling if he had a concussion or not, or how bad it was if he did.<\/p>\n

He had to get them out of here.<\/p>\n

But how?<\/p>\n

Adam blew out a sigh.\u00a0 Lack of both food and sleep occluded his thinking.\u00a0 He\u2019d been these men\u2019s prisoner for so long it was embarrassing.\u00a0 Still, he had to keep in mind that they were, for all intents and purposes, slavers.\u00a0 After all, that\u2019s what Carter Burl was and he had hired them.\u00a0 They were used to dealing with runaways slaves and knew all the tricks.\u00a0 That was the reason he had hoped to convince them he was on their side \u2013 at least so far as Little Joe was concerned.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought that, if he could make them think he wanted<\/em> them to succeed, they might let their guard down.\u00a0 Adam shifted, touching his brother\u2019s limp fingers again.\u00a0 But that had been before Joe entered the picture.\u00a0 He had to get the kid out of here and to a doctor.<\/p>\n

There had<\/em> to be way.<\/p>\n

As he sat there, gnawing his lip, Adam noticed Ab Latham tense and rise from his position by the fire.\u00a0 Ab signaled to his brother and they both took up their weapons and turned toward the east.\u00a0 He\u2019d expected Carter Burl to make an appearance.<\/p>\n

Instead, it was Frederick Kyle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Relief coursed through Sarah\u2019s slender form as they stepped into the clearing.\u00a0 She had feared Master Burl would be there and was relieved to find that he was not.\u00a0 Still, the two men with guns who faced them worked for him and she knew what that meant.<\/p>\n

Her days of freedom were over.<\/p>\n

Sarah cast her gaze over the camp, noting the elegant tent that most certainly belonged to the plantation owner, before they halted on the figure of a man tied up to a tree.\u00a0 His skin was slightly tanned like hers, but she didn\u2019t think he was a slave.\u00a0 It had to do with the way he held himself.\u00a0 The man boldly met her gaze, projecting his outrage and demanding something be done about the injustice he was suffering.\u00a0 A slave would have dropped their head, looked away \u2013 done anything <\/em>to keep from drawing attention and receiving punishment.<\/p>\n

She was disappointed it wasn\u2019t Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is he<\/em> doing here?\u201d Frederick Kyle demanded of the man closest to him.<\/p>\n

He was southern too, as was evidenced by his drawl.\u00a0 \u201cKept him as bait.\u00a0 Would have worked too, \u2018cept Regis and Gorman found the kid before he found us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah stiffened.<\/p>\n

Kid?<\/p>\n

Kyle\u2019s color was up.\u00a0 He drew his walking stick and wielded it like a weapon.\u00a0 \u201cThose two miscreants are here?\u00a0 Tell me where!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re under my protection, Kyle,\u201d a man said, his voice coming out of nowhere.<\/p>\n

The sound of it sent chills down Sarah\u2019s spine.\u00a0 Regardless of how much she detested Frederick Kyle, she felt herself pulling closer to him, seeking whatever protection the southern man could offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Sally,\u201d Carter Burl drawled.\u00a0 \u201cLong time, no see.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam watched the scene unfolding before him with keen interest.\u00a0 He had no idea who the young lady with Frederick Kyle was, but it was evident from her rigid form and the terror in her eyes that she was scared stiff of Carter Burl.\u00a0 He wondered if this was the mysterious \u2018Sarah\u2019 he had heard both Burl and the Lathams speak of during his time with them.\u00a0 If so, she was an escaped slave, though to look at her you would never have known it.\u00a0 While she had dark wavy hair and eyes, her skin was just a shade darker than his would have been in the early spring.\u00a0 She must have been a mulatto or quadroon; a slave who had only one grandparent who was colored.\u00a0 It was an unspeakable injustice that such a woman would be doomed to a life of servitude simply because of her lineage and the state into which she had been born.<\/p>\n

Such a woman or \u2013 Adam\u2019s fingers brushed his brother\u2019s gently \u2013 such a man.<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, Joe moaned.<\/p>\n

Adam gritted his teeth.\u00a0 No, Joe, no!\u00a0 Now<\/em> is not the time to come to!<\/p>\n

Aberdeen Latham chucked a finger in their direction.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like sleeping beauty is waking up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederick Kyle\u2019s attention returned to him.\u00a0 The southerner looked puzzled.\u00a0 Then he must have seen something \u2013 Joe\u2019s arm, a head of curls showing on the opposite side of the tree.\u00a0 The southerner paled even as Carter Burl began to laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t need you after all, Kyle.\u00a0 The boy walked right into my hands.\u201d\u00a0 Burl paused, and his tone darkened.\u00a0 \u201cOur deal is done.\u00a0 You will remove yourself from my presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you intend to do with Little Joe?\u201d Kyle demanded, and for a moment Adam felt sympathetic toward the man.\u00a0 He seemed genuinely distressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever I choose to do,\u201d Burl replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you holding him prisoner?\u00a0 You said you wanted him to join our Cause….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour<\/em> cause, Fred,\u201d the plantation owner growled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s always been your<\/em> damn cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what my<\/em> cause is, Frederick?\u201d Burl snarled as he came so close the other man had to take a step back.\u00a0 He made a fist and shook it in Kyle\u2019 face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat it\u2019s always been?\u00a0 Making Benjamin Cartwright pay for taking Marie from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe went of her own accord, Carter.\u00a0 You \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle was on the ground, wiping blood from his mouth before he could finish the sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay that again,\u201d Burl breathed fire, \u201cand you\u2019re dead.\u201d\u00a0 Adam tensed as the bully turned his attention to the girl who had cowered behind Kyle\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you,\u201d the plantation owner said, his tone deadly, \u201chow dare <\/em>you run away from me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sally seemed to shrivel into herself.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m..sorry,\u201d she stammered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as sorry as you will be!\u201d Carter shouted and then he lashed out, striking her and driving her to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as sorry as you will<\/em> be.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, look!\u00a0 I swear that\u2019s little brother\u2019s print!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was so excited, Ben hated to tell him that the foot print he was looking at might well have been<\/em> Little Joe\u2019s, but then again, it might just as easily have belonged to any other small, slender man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think it\u2019s your brother\u2019s?\u201d he asked as he knelt at his son\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trailed behind that skinny little kid my whole life, Pa.\u00a0 It’s him!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben blew out a breath and looked at the prints again.\u00a0 They\u2019d followed Joseph\u2019s trail up and into the hills, and then back to the road.\u00a0 It looked like Little Joe might have changed his mind and been heading home \u2013 at least that\u2019s the direction the prints were headed.<\/p>\n

But, like a shadow on the sun, the prints were overridden by others \u2013 a pair horses.<\/p>\n

And then they disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs one of the horses bearing an extra load?\u201d he asked, wanting and yet not wanting to hear his son confirm his fears that his youngest had been taken captive.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like it, sir.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss rose and dusted off his\u00a0 knees.\u00a0 He pointed.\u00a0 \u201cThey went that way.\u00a0 Toward the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d sent the others on and then decided to try the river caves.\u00a0 No real reason why, other than Hoss had a \u2018feeling\u2019.\u00a0 He\u2019d learned years ago never to dismiss one of his middle son\u2019s intuitions \u2013 they often proved true.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe could have been willin\u2019,\u201d Hoss suggested.\u00a0 Then, as he knelt again, his son asked, \u201cPa?\u00a0 What\u2019d you find?\u201d<\/p>\n

He stood up, rubbing it between his fingers.\u00a0 Then he tasted it.\u00a0 Blood.<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s blood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Consciousness returned to a slap in the face and a man breathing his name with hate.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head spun and he blinked to clear the stars before his eyes.\u00a0 He\u2019d figured he\u2019d wake up to find he was in Frederick Kyle\u2019s control, but Kyle was on the ground staring at him, those intense eyes of his filled with something…fear… maybe dread.\u00a0 Maybe regret.<\/p>\n

Maybe all three.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t honor Marie by bringing harm to her son!\u201d Fred shouted.\u00a0 \u201cLet the boy go!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were more than willing to use him to your<\/em> own ends,\u201d the man who had him gripped by the collar snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was….\u201d\u00a0 Fred swallowed as his eyes locked on him.\u00a0 \u201cI was wrong.\u00a0 I wanted to tell you, Little Joe, before I left.\u00a0 But your father…\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone had taken the gag out of his mouth and untied his feet.\u00a0 Joe wet his lips and spat, \u201cYou leave my Pa out of this!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 Behind him, Adam grunted a warning.\u00a0 Joe shot him a look. \u00a0For someone who said he deserved what he got, older brother sure seemed worried about what was happening.\u00a0 A second later, Joe\u2019s eyes returned to the man who held him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t you<\/em> dare mention my mama.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t fit to have her name on your lips!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had more than that on my lips,\u201d Carter Burl, his gaze never wavering.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the man the whore\u2019s first husband found in her bed.\u00a0 I had her!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lie!\u201d Joe shouted as he fought against his remaining bonds.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re lyin\u2019!\u00a0 You never knew my mama!\u201d<\/p>\n

Burl\u2019s upper lip curled in a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you think Frederick came by her portrait?\u201d he asked, his tone soft as a snake slithering through the grass.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze went to Fred, who was just rising.\u00a0 The southerner dusted himself off and then nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d Kyle admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t lie to you.\u00a0 I…knew your mother, but the portrait belonged to Carter.\u00a0 He gave it to me to use to lure you away from your father.\u00a0 I\u2019m…I\u2019m sorry, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wind went out of his sails.\u00a0 All of the sudden Joe\u2019s throat went dry and a wave of heat washed over him.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t just a fool kid \u2013 he was a complete<\/em> fool!<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, everything dark and angry and uncertain churned in his belly and worked its way up into his throat and out.<\/p>\n

Disgusted, Carter Burl released him as he vomited.\u00a0 Joe struck the ground hard and laid there, heaving.\u00a0 Behind him, he could hear Adam struggling to break free, crying something against his gag \u2013 probably trying to reassure him that what the man said was a lie. Or maybe, he was gonna tell him it was the truth.<\/p>\n

Maybe that<\/em> was why Adam had hated his mother.<\/p>\n

Why he hated him.<\/p>\n

Fouled by the contents of his own stomach that had betrayed him, lost, alone, and without hope, Little Joe Cartwright laid facedown in the grass not caring whether he lived or died.\u00a0 Vaguely, above him, he heard voices.\u00a0 Carter Burl\u2019s again, arguing with Kyle, then barkin\u2019 an order, and then, then…<\/p>\n

Cool, kind hands touched his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 Little Joe, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took everything that was in him to comply but he did, and he found himself looking up into the face of his angel.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her dark eyes shot to the side.\u00a0 \u201cMaster Burl told me \u2013 ordered<\/em> me to look after you.\u00a0 Can you sit up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ordered…you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know about…us.\u201d\u00a0 She looked again and then turned back.\u00a0 The beautiful brown-haired woman frowned as her hand touched his hair that was matted with blood and he winced.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 Does it hurt terribly?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned like an idiot.\u00a0 \u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah rose to her feet.\u00a0 She held onto his arm and pulled up as she stood.\u00a0 He came with her and managed on his own for a moment, and then wobbled and had to take hold of her shoulder for balance.\u00a0 He let Sarah lead him over to a wagon where she sat him down and propped him against the wheel and then went to get some water and a cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he mumbled as she came back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever for?\u201d she asked as she moved her fingers through his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stink.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah looked down at him.\u00a0 \u201cNot half as much as Master Burl does,\u201d she replied, her lips twisting up on one end.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

She pressed a finger to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cShh.\u00a0 He\u2019ll get suspicious if we talk too much.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah\u2019s dark eyes fastened on his as she bound his hands to the wheel. \u201cLittle Joe, I promise you this.\u00a0 I will get you out of this. \u00a0It\u2019s all my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it ain\u2019t!\u201d he protested quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBurl\u2019s out to hurt my Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t have come to Nevada if it wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d she countered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he\u2019ll go if I….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cIf you what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah glanced behind again and then, assured that no one was watching them, gave him a quick kiss.<\/p>\n

A second later she placed a gag between his teeth and quickly tied it behind his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrders,\u201d she apologized and then rose and headed for Carter Burl\u2019s tent.<\/p>\n

For the tent of the man who owned her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWELVE<\/p>\n

Night had fallen.<\/p>\n

After Sarah left him, Valentine Latham had come and untied his hands and then retied them higher up to the wagon itself.\u00a0 It forced him to sit at an odd angle and he hurt everywhere.\u00a0 It also turned him in such a way that he was facing older brother Adam.\u00a0 He\u2019d moved in and out of consciousness for while.\u00a0 His head was poundin\u2019 like a herd of startled beef and sleep seemed to be the only thing that stopped it.\u00a0 Every time he woke up it was to find his brother\u2019s steely hazel stare fixed on him.\u00a0 Just like\u00a0 it was now.\u00a0 With the light gone, it was hard to tell what Adam was thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 It had become a kind of game, guessing.<\/p>\n

Anything to keep his mind off of what was happening in Carter Burl\u2019s tent.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked back tears and forced his mind back to Adam.\u00a0 Was his brother mad?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Scared?\u00a0 Not Adam.\u00a0 Agitated and anxious?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Hurting?\u00a0 He thought so.\u00a0 Joe looked again.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s lean form was rigid.\u00a0 He was straining hard against his bonds.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam\u2019s teeth showed above and below the gag that silenced him as if he would consume it to be free of its restraint. \u00a0He had no idea if Adam was injured or not.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t any blood showing, just a pale gaunt face with fierce cold eyes locked directly on him.<\/p>\n

Where had they gone wrong, Joe wondered?\u00a0 His heart had near broken when Adam left for college and burst with joy when he came back, but all too soon the differences between them had surfaced and they\u2019d begun to drift apart.\u00a0 Adam treated him like a kid, like he was…well…his<\/em> kid.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want another pa. He had the best one around.\u00a0 He wanted his older brother back.\u00a0 He wanted his friend, his….<\/p>\n

Savior.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in air and fought back tears.\u00a0 The memory of those long days after his mother died \u2013 without his pa \u2013 was something he carried deep inside.\u00a0 Though he could only remember bits and snatches, the full impact of their devastation was imprinted on his soul.\u00a0 Pa had come back, but he was different, and for a time he\u2019d needed more love than Pa could give.\u00a0 Adam had been his rock.\u00a0 His anchor in the storm.\u00a0 And then…Adam had abandoned him too.<\/p>\n

Without him, he had been lost.<\/p>\n

He was still lost.<\/p>\n

Still…lost.<\/p>\n

And now, not only lost, but without a home.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze returned to his brother who was sitting with his head tipped back against the tree he was tied to.\u00a0 His eyes were closed.\u00a0 Adam hated him.\u00a0 Pa probably did too.\u00a0 Here he\u2019d thought that joining with Frederick Kyle would be somethin\u2019 he could do that would make his mama proud and instead…instead, it would have shamed her.<\/p>\n

Just as he had shamed his family.<\/p>\n

Just as he had shamed Sarah.<\/p>\n

God….<\/p>\n

Sarah.<\/p>\n

Burl….<\/p>\n

Unwillingly, Joe\u2019s eyes returned to the tent.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the shadows on the canvas walls.\u00a0 He knew what was happening inside, what she was…willing to give to save him.\u00a0 Just as surely as he knew it was in vain. \u00a0Burl would take her and use her for his own pleasure and then kill him anyhow \u2013 probably in front of her \u2013 to make her pay for daring to dream that she might love someone of her own choosing.<\/p>\n

That she might be free.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stiffened at the sound of a voice.\u00a0 It had come from close behind him.\u00a0 He knew it.\u00a0 It was Frederick Kyle.\u00a0 Joe glanced at the tent as he felt Kyle\u2019s fingers brush his wrist.\u00a0 The light inside had gone out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have you free in a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hope surged through him.\u00a0 Fred was freeing his hands!\u00a0 Then, with a glance in older brother Adam\u2019s direction, he remembered to think.\u00a0 Why<\/em> was Kyle freeing him?<\/p>\n

What was in it for the southerner?<\/p>\n

As he waited for Kyle to remove his gag, Joe felt a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe,\u201d Fred said.\u00a0 \u201cI truly regret what has happened.\u00a0 I was…angry with your mother, for not loving me.\u00a0 When Carter approached me I thought, if I had you<\/em> with me, it would be like having a part of her.\u00a0 I knew then that he meant your father harm, but not that he meant to harm you.<\/em> \u00a0I thought he wanted you with him like I did because that\u2019s where you \u2013 as Marie\u2019s son \u2013 belonged.\u00a0 I thought…\u201d\u00a0 Fred paused and when he spoke again, there was anger underlying the tone.\u00a0 \u201cI thought he believed in the Cause, but he\u2019s just another traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gritted his teeth, tasting the filthy rag.\u00a0 He reached up with his hands to remove it, but Fred caught them and held him back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m letting you go. \u00a0Run, boy.\u00a0 Get away from here!\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head violently and nodded toward Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith you gone, Carter won\u2019t care about your brother.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be on your trail like a hound, boy!\u00a0 You have to run hard and fast!\u201d\u00a0 When he shook his head again, Fred took hold of his chin and met his defiant stare.\u00a0 \u201cYou know when I give my word, it\u2019s good.\u00a0 I promise you, I\u2019ll see to Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed.\u00a0 There was more. \u00a0He had to know.\u00a0 \u2018Sarah\u2019, he spoke into the cloth.<\/p>\n

Kyle looked toward the tent.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s lost, son.\u00a0 As lost to you as Marie is to me.\u00a0 If I can, for you \u2013 for Marie \u2013 I\u2019ll help her, but I can\u2019t make any promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, he shook his head.\u00a0 Fred tightened the grip on his arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou get runnin\u2019, boy, or I\u2019ll shout out loud that you\u2019ve escaped and you and your brother and that mulatto girl will all <\/em>die!\u201d<\/p>\n

His body tense, his nostrils flared and blowing out his anger, Joe sucked in a breath and nodded.\u00a0 He\u2019d take Fred\u2019s offer of freedom and he\u2019d run.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t promised in what direction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another one with them, Pa.\u00a0 See here.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss pointed at the ground and then looked at his father.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d aged this past few weeks, what with Joe and Adam at each other\u2019s throats and all that had happened since.\u00a0 He looked old tonight.<\/p>\n

Old and scared.<\/p>\n

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

The older man startled.\u00a0 Then he smiled with chagrin.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, son, I was thinking about your brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be fine, Pa.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know it, of course, but it\u2019s what Cartwrights did \u2013 said what needed to be said to comfort and prop up one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill they?\u00a0 I have to wonder why your brother ran.\u00a0 Was it to escape himself or…us?\u201d\u00a0 His father hesitated.\u00a0 He drew in a breath, and then continued. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cI should have told him sooner.\u00a0 I…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTold him what, Pa?\u201d the big man asked as he rose.<\/p>\n

The older man thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what it means for someone to be Creole, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was just a word to him.\u00a0 He knew his mama had been one, but he didn\u2019t care what it meant, she was just his mama.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t right sure, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Orleans is unique, son.\u00a0 The lines that are drawn in other places \u2013 other states and territories \u2013 are blurred there. \u00a0\u00a0Oh, it might matter to some, but to most a man or woman\u2019s faith, their lifestyle, their…color, doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d never thought about it.\u00a0 Now, as he did, Hoss remembered some of the mean things the kids had said about their ma.\u00a0 He\u2019d asked someone once about one of the words, a funny one \u2013 \u2018quad\u2019 somethin\u2019.<\/p>\n

No one was willing to tell him what it meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean mama was, well, colored?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment, but his father nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIn the eyes of many white men, yes, though there was very little blood in her veins that was not the same as theirs.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s great-grandmother was a woman of color and in the eyes of the men whose cause your youngest brother was so determined to support, she would have been no better than a slave.\u201d\u00a0 Pa hesitated.\u00a0 He looked him square in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cIf your brother had been born in any of the slave states, son, that\u2019s what he would have been …a slave…because that\u2019s what Marie would have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

You could have picked his jaw up off\u00a0 of the dirt. \u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t that the thought of Little Joe havin\u2019 some kind of blood that was different in him that done it.<\/p>\n

It was the fact that it mattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think Little Joe might think,\u201d he swallowed hard over the lump in his throat, \u201cthat we\u2019d<\/em> think any less of him \u2018cause of that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, son.\u00a0 I\u2019m grasping at straws.\u00a0 I can\u2019t understand why he ran out the way he did.\u00a0 I know Joe\u2019s impulsive, but \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t it, Pa,\u201d he said, sounding as sure as he felt.<\/p>\n

Hope entered his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt isn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope.\u00a0 You know Little Joe, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m bettin\u2019 it had to do with that little filly.\u00a0 You know, Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d\u00a0 Pa smiled a little.\u00a0 \u201cAnd why do you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, sir, you saw her after Little Joe done run out.\u00a0 She looked like a kid caught with their fingers on the cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuilty, you mean?\u00a0 You think Sarah said something to make your brother run?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir, if you pardon me, that\u2019s not what I mean.\u00a0 I think Joe took one look at that little gal and well, just like mama used to do, ran \u2018cause he couldn\u2019t stand still.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father nodded.\u00a0 Hoss could see that, in his heart, the older man thought so too.<\/p>\n

The big man paused, and then he said, \u201cLet\u2019s go get baby brother and bring him home, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe crouched down in the tall grasses that ringed the clearing Carter Burl\u2019s tent lay at the heart of.\u00a0 Though it was still night, the morning light was dawning and he knew he had little time in which to make his move.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched the tent and for some time and there\u2019d been no movement within.\u00a0 Regis and Gorman had ridden away with cash in their pockets and the Latham brothers were curled up in their bedrolls.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s head was on his chest, so his brother was asleep too.\u00a0 Adam was the only thing that bothered him about his plan.\u00a0 Leaving his brother in Carter Burl\u2019s hands was like arguin\u2019 with the shadow of death, but there was nothin\u2019 for it.\u00a0 Adam could take care of himself.<\/p>\n

He had to take care of Sarah.<\/p>\n

Shifting, Joe parted the grasses and crept closer to the tent.\u00a0 He knew that \u2013 after what had passed \u2013 Carter Burl would be sleeping hard.\u00a0 He should be in his deepest sleep now, just before dawn.\u00a0 At least that\u2019s how it was for him.\u00a0 Often it was when his worst nightmares came.<\/p>\n

Like now.<\/p>\n

Joe drew a deep breath and then he stood up and walked into Carter Burl\u2019s tent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam fought for a word to describe what he was feeling.\u00a0 Terrified didn\u2019t cut it. \u00a0Petrified, panic-stricken didn\u2019t either. \u00a0Aghast?\u00a0 Yes, that was it.<\/p>\n

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

What the hell did Joe think he was doing?<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright\u2019s oldest son struggled against his expertly tied bonds as he watched his little brother \u2013 the baby<\/em> brother he had held a few minutes after he entered the world \u2013 walk into the lion\u2019s den bold as brass. \u00a0He\u2019d nearly fainted with relief when he\u2019d \u00a0realized what Frederick Kyle was doing.\u00a0 After he was freed, he\u2019d watched his fiery little brother argue with the man and then bolt off into the trees as if the devil himself was on his tail.<\/p>\n

Safe.\u00a0 Joe was safe.<\/em><\/p>\n

He should have known better, of course.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen how Joe looked at the girl with Kyle.\u00a0 If his baby brother had a core flaw \u2013 Adam fought an ill-timed smile, thinking of Joe\u2019s many unique<\/em> qualities \u2013 it was his need to connect with a woman.\u00a0 It had seemed for a time to be only older women and he had surmised it had something to do with Marie, but then there had been Amy.\u00a0 Such a sweet, lovely young thing.\u00a0 Adam drew a breath as he saw her in his mind\u2019s eye and held the image against what had happened.\u00a0 He could hardly stand to think of what his brother had witnessed.\u00a0 Joe, seeing her impaled.\u00a0 Seeing her….<\/p>\n

Die.<\/p>\n

It had changed him.\u00a0 In the months that followed Little Joe had become withdrawn, even sullen.\u00a0 It was part of what had come between them, though he bore as much, if not more of the blame.\u00a0 He was older.\u00a0 He should have been able to make allowances.\u00a0 He should have known how deeply both Marie and Amy\u2019s deaths had wounded his brother.<\/p>\n

He should have known how much he needed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, Joe,\u201d Adam sobbed into the cloth that silenced him, even as he strained to break free and be that savior his brother needed, \u201cdon\u2019t die…\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was there.\u00a0 Laying half-clothed, curled up and turned away from the man who had abused her.\u00a0 For a moment Joe wanted to fly into a rage, to take hold of Burl and ram his head into the ground until it was nothing but a bloody pulp, but Adam was close in his thoughts and he heard his older brother\u2019s voice in his head, as clearly as if he stood in the tent with him.<\/p>\n

Think, Joe.\u00a0 Don\u2019t act.\u00a0 Think!<\/em><\/p>\n

If he pounded Carter Burl into the dirt it would wake the Lathams and alert Frederick Kyle to the fact that he hadn\u2019t left.\u00a0 Most likely, they\u2019d both die. \u2013 and Sarah too.<\/p>\n

As quietly as he could, Joe crept to the far side of the bed where she lay and stood looking down at Sarah.\u00a0 She was asleep.\u00a0 Every once in a while she made a soft little sound and he realized that, even in her sleep, she was crying.<\/p>\n

It broke his heart.<\/p>\n

Dropping to his knees, he reached toward her.\u00a0 Words were dangerous, so Joe meant to use as few as he could.\u00a0 He covered her mouth with one hand while using the other to gently stroke her hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

Her eyes flew open.<\/p>\n

So she hadn\u2019t really<\/em> been asleep.<\/p>\n

It took a moment, but even in the darkness of the tent she recognized him.\u00a0 Her head shook from side to side as a tear slipped down her cheek.<\/p>\n

\u2018Go<\/em>,\u2019 she mouthed.<\/p>\n

He smiled and did the same.\u00a0 \u2018No way<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Little Joe…<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

Reaching out, he touched her face to brush away a tear.\u00a0 \u2018Come with me<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sarah glanced at Burl and then shook her head again.\u00a0 The man stirred a bit at the movement, but quickly slid back into the torpor that followed the unforgiveable thing he had done.<\/p>\n

\u2018Little Joe.\u00a0 Go!<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll wake him<\/em>,\u2019 he warned.<\/p>\n

Her brown eyes went wide.\u00a0 \u2018No!<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

He offered his hand again.\u00a0 \u2018Then come with me<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sarah drew a breath.\u00a0 \u2018Go<\/em>,\u2019 she repeated and then added as he frowned.\u00a0 \u2018I\u2019ll follow<\/em>.\u00a0 I promise<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s safer this way<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u2018Go!<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

Still unsure, Joe nodded and started for the tent\u2019s opening. With one last look, he stepped outside.\u00a0 As he did, he heard Sarah stir.\u00a0 She murmured something and then he heard Burl\u2019s surly reply.<\/p>\n

A moment later she appeared wearing a robe.<\/p>\n

Coming close, Sarah whispered in his ear. \u00a0\u201cI told him I had to relieve myself.\u00a0 Joe, you need to \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot without you,\u201d he declared.\u00a0 \u201cNever.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment for her to understand that he meant it \u2013 that he\u2019d give himself up if she wouldn\u2019t come \u2013 and then she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah frowned as he hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u2019 he replied as he looked toward the tree where his brother was tied.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll never know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt her hand on his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cHe knows,\u201d Sarah said close to his ear.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded and they were gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 Joe had done it.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone into Burl\u2019s tent and come out alive.\u00a0 A moment later the dark-haired girl had joined him and the pair of them had disappeared into the trees. \u00a0Adam let out the breath he\u2019d been holding against disaster and once again rested his head on the tree\u2019s rough bark.\u00a0 \u00a0It was only a matter of time now until the slaver awoke and realized what had happened, and there was no doubt there would be hell to pay.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Little Joe was free<\/em>.\u00a0 There was no doubt either that Pa and Hoss were out there somewhere \u2013 maybe somewhere close by.\u00a0 After all, the two of them were missing and there was no way their father and brother would have remained at the ranch.\u00a0 Joe would find them.\u00a0 He\u2019d find them and bring them back and this whole ordeal would be over.<\/p>\n

Or that was how it would have played out in an ideal world.<\/p>\n

It was hard to describe the sound that issued a second later from Carter Burl\u2019s tent.\u00a0 There was something in it of disbelief, but mostly it was a roar of pure primal rage.\u00a0 The slaver burst out of the tent, his trousers undone and his shirt tale flying, waking the Lathams with his curses.\u00a0 The brothers scrambled to their feet and hustled toward the plantation owner as he began to bark orders.<\/p>\n

It was at that moment Adam felt fingers brush his skin.\u00a0 He said nothing and formed his face to appear as if nothing unusual was happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have you free in a moment,\u201d a southern voice guaranteed.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t be sure, but he thought it was Frederick Kyle.\u00a0 True to Kyle\u2019s word, the ropes on his hands fell away and then the ones on his ankles a moment later.\u00a0 As he reached for his gag, the southerner caught his hand.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Worry about that later.\u00a0 Run, man.\u00a0 Run!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising quickly, with only a glance at the Lathams who were in an intense discussion with Burl, Adam stepped into the trees.\u00a0 Still, he couldn\u2019t help but stop and turn back before he disappeared into them.<\/p>\n

He was certain Kyle could read the question in his eye.<\/p>\n

\u2018Why?<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

Kyle held his gaze for a moment before speaking. \u201cFor Marie,\u201d he said at last.\u00a0 Then the southerner turned his back and walked into the camp as if that was where he belonged.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t where he<\/em> belonged.<\/p>\n

Adam pulled the gag from between his teeth and ran like hell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear that, Pa?\u00a0 Sounds as prody as a loco steer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s lips were drawn into a tight line; his look grim.\u00a0 Fear for his missing sons gripped his heart.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s no steer, son.\u00a0 It\u2019s a man.\u00a0 A man, angry enough to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 blue eyes crinkled with concern.\u00a0 Concern for him<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no reason to believe Adam or Joe\u2019s got anythin\u2019 to do with it,\u201d his giant of a son said.<\/p>\n

The older man acknowledged that truth with a nod.\u00a0 It was his prayer too.<\/p>\n

Neither of them believed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds like we\u2019re close.\u00a0 Better dismount and we\u2019ll go on from here on foot,\u201d he replied as he pulled his boot from the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle.<\/p>\n

Once Hoss was on the ground, his son removed the rifle from his holster and came his way.\u00a0 As he did the same, the big man said, \u201cI sure wish we\u2019d brought some of the hands with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d thought about it before sending the men on their way but, in the end, had chosen to travel alone with his son.\u00a0 He had no idea what shape Joseph would be in when they found him.\u00a0 It was his fear that the family might well need its privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the odds are overwhelming, one of us can stay and keep watch while the other goes for help,\u201d Ben said though he hoped it didn\u2019t come to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 I \u2013\u201d\u00a0 Hoss fell silent as the sharp report of a weapon split the air. \u00a0His fingers tightened on his weapon as he asked in a voice hushed by fear.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you figure that\u2019s about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head as he gripped his rifle. \u00a0He motioned to his son that they should move but halted almost as quickly as he had begun.\u00a0 Someone or something was coming toward them.\u00a0 From the sound of it, whoever it was, was running.\u00a0 Another bullet flew, this one striking a tree about twenty feet to their left.\u00a0 With a quick glance at his son to make certain he was doing the same, Ben melted into the shadows to his left and crouched in the tall grasses.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long for the running man to appear.<\/p>\n

It was Adam and he was being pursued.<\/p>\n

The rancher heard his middle son\u2019s grunt of dismay and saw the morning light reflect off of the barrel of Hoss\u2019 rifle as he lifted it to his shoulder and took aim.\u00a0 The lag between the time Adam ran past and his pursuer\u2019s arrival was brief \u2013 mere seconds really \u2013 but it seemed an eternity.\u00a0 He would have liked to have given the man a chance to surrender, but his pistol was out and aimed at Adam\u2019s retreating back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, shoot!\u201d Ben shouted, making the decision so his kind-hearted son wouldn\u2019t have to.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n

The rifle spit fire and the man fell.\u00a0 Silence reigned in the woods except for one blessed sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Adam called.<\/p>\n

Ben left the grasses and stepped out into a cleared space.\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t visible.\u00a0 He was probably holding back since he couldn\u2019t see to identify them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, yes!\u00a0 Adam, it\u2019s me and your brother.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe now, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later a weary, bedraggled form in wine and black appeared.\u00a0 The boy had lost weight and looked exhausted, but he was whole and, what was more important, he was here<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As Hoss shouted a greeting Ben began to move.\u00a0 Within seconds he had his oldest in his arms.\u00a0 As he expected, Adam\u2019s return hug was reserved and yet spoke volumes of what he had been through.\u00a0 His son took a moment to gather himself and then disengaged and limped over to the man lying on the forest floor.\u00a0 Ben followed and when his son flipped the body over nearly cursed.<\/p>\n

It was one of the Lathams.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Valentine,\u201d Adam said as he knelt by the man\u2019s side.\u00a0 He pressed a hand against his chest and then looked up and said, \u201cHe\u2019s alive.\u00a0 Barely.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hoss joined them, Ben too knelt by Valentine.\u00a0 He hated to be the cause of any man\u2019s death, especially such a young one.\u00a0 But there were consequences to a man\u2019s choices and actions.<\/p>\n

As Val had just learned.<\/p>\n

As he crouched there, the dying man opened his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMister…Cart…wright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He caught his shoulder in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Val?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cS…sorry.\u00a0 Liked…Joe.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t want…to…hurt him….\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher stiffened.\u00a0 \u2018Liked<\/em>\u2019?\u00a0 Was Joseph…?<\/p>\n

He felt a touch on his arm.\u00a0 Adam was shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s alive<\/em>,\u201d he mouthed.<\/p>\n

\u201c…did it for…the money.\u201d\u00a0 Val chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cGot me…a…girl.\u00a0 Meant to set…her up real…nice.\u00a0 Now…\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben began to move.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get you help.\u00a0 You….\u201d\u00a0 He stopped as the dying man\u2019s fingers bit into his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019m…done for.\u00a0 Ab….\u201d\u00a0 The younger Latham drew in a shuddering breath.\u00a0 \u201cAb, he…enjoys killin\u2019.\u00a0 He\u2019s with Burl…lookin\u2019 for Little Joe….\u00a0 You gotta…stop<\/em> him!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was going to ask more, but Adam moved in before he could, taking Val\u2019s collar in his hands and lifting him up.\u00a0 \u201cBurl\u2019s gone after Joe?\u00a0 By himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

A little sigh escaped Val\u2019s lips.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be long now.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaid he…wasn\u2019t gonna let…no Cartwright stand between…him and…what was his again.\u201d\u00a0 Val\u2019s pale fingers gripped the deep wine fabric of his son\u2019s ragged shirt.\u00a0 \u201cI should have…said…somethin\u2019…stood up to…him.\u00a0 Too late,\u201d he breathed as his fingers went slack.\u00a0 \u201cToo…late….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shifted and placed the back of his fingers against Val\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s dead, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he mean, Pa, about Little Joe standin\u2019 between him and somethin\u2019 that was his again<\/em>?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Adam stood up.\u00a0 \u201cI can answer that.\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s hazel eyes flicked to him and remained locked on his face.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to have to bring this up, Pa.\u00a0 Apparently Carter Burl was the man Jean De Marigny found in bed with Marie.\u00a0 It was more than just a job to him.\u00a0 It seems Burl wanted her for himself and he\u2019s never forgiven you for taking her away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose as well.\u00a0 \u201cI was told that man had been sent away so he couldn\u2019t implicate Jean\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was, but he expected Marie to be there when he came back.\u00a0 When she wasn\u2019t, black envy began to eat him alive.\u00a0 And now, well, whoever that young girl is that Little Joe seems so attached too, Burl claims ownership of her.\u00a0 He came to Nevada to get her, met up with Kyle and….\u201d\u00a0 Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cPa, Carter Burl forced that young woman to stay with him in his tent last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd your brother was aware of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cJoe rescued her this morning.\u00a0 The last I saw of them they were running into the trees in the opposite direction of the one I took.\u00a0 Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get a chance\u00a0 to talk to him.\u00a0 Joe….\u00a0 Well, I think he still thinks I hate him. \u00a0I got the feeling when he looked at me just before he took off that….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart pounded hard.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he thought it would be for the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THIRTEEN<\/p>\n

Joe stood in the shadows at the mouth of the cave looking out.\u00a0 He knew this land like the back of his hand.\u00a0 He and Hoss had spent endless hours here exploring, winding their way deep into the old mine shafts and through the networks of caves.\u00a0 Sometimes Adam came along but Adam was old enough to know better and while he\u2019d participate, he\u2019d keep them from dong anything that would turn Pa\u2019s hair a shade whiter.\u00a0 He knew they would be looking for him and that Hoss would think of looking here.<\/p>\n

Now he just had to decide if he wanted to be found.<\/p>\n

Turning slightly, Joe looked back into the cavern he occupied.\u00a0 Sarah was asleep in the back corner.\u00a0 He\u2019d built a small fire nearby, banking it well to make sure the smoke didn\u2019t escape the cave mouth and alert someone to their presence.\u00a0 It was about all he could think of to do to warm her.\u00a0 Neither of them was dressed for the weather.\u00a0 He had rags wrapped around his battered feet and she was dressed in a muslin shift and light robe.\u00a0 As the day moved toward night, the temperatures had plummeted.\u00a0 It had been a cold autumn and Pa\u2019d said just a week or so back that it looked like old man winter was impatient this year.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lips twitched at the thought.\u00a0 When he was little, the idea of old man winter had frightened him.\u00a0 All he could think of was this big old angry face with white hair and whiskers, hangin\u2019 in the air, blowin\u2019 and blustering strong enough to take down the pines.<\/p>\n

Kind of like Pa when he was mad.<\/p>\n

As he watched her, Sarah shifted and murmured something in her sleep.\u00a0 The sound of it was troubled and so he went to her side and knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder.\u00a0 He meant it to comfort her \u2013 instead it terrified her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d she cried out before he could stop her.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0 Get off of me!\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew he didn\u2019t dare let her cry out.\u00a0 Carter Burl could be close by.\u00a0 Taking hold of Sarah\u2019s arms, he shook her gently, saying her name, but it only infuriated her more and she began to fight, striking out with her hands.\u00a0 At as loss as to what to do, Joe did the only thing he could think of \u2013 what his Pa did with him when he couldn\u2019t get him to wake up from a nightmare.\u00a0 He held her as close as he could and wrapped his arms around her and began to speak, slowly and softly, talking of things that had nothing to do with the horror she had experienced or the trouble they were in.\u00a0 He spoke of the Ponderosa, of his family, and of the beauty of the pines and the mountain streams and, as he did, she quieted and began to listen.\u00a0 By the time he\u2019d finished, Sarah\u2019s eyes were open and she was leaning her head against his chest.<\/p>\n

Her wavy hair was soft as a goose-hair pillow; its color that of a rich deep soil after the rain.\u00a0 Her eyes were the same \u2013 so brown they were almost black \u2013 and her skin, well, it looked like his after the first month of summer sun.\u00a0 Sarah was just about the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.\u00a0 It broke his heart to think that so short a time before he had been thinking of joining up with a man who would have seen her as nothing more than a piece of property to be used and disposed of as he wished.<\/p>\n

Men like Carter Burl.<\/p>\n

His fingers must have tightened on hers.\u00a0 Sarah made a little sound and looked up at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He forced a smile and meant to make a joke of it, but in the end simply answered, \u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah shifted so she could look at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sucked it in, but the tear fell anyway.\u00a0 \u201cEverything.\u00a0 I\u2019m…stupid and impulsive and I never think things through, I just…do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you just did <\/em>when you rescued me from Master Burl?\u201d she asked gently.<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about.\u00a0 I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

A finger pressed to his lips silenced him.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you\u2019re talking about.\u00a0 It\u2019s in the past.\u00a0 We all make mistakes.\u201d\u00a0 Her brow furrowed with a little frown.\u00a0 \u201cLike when Grandfather Thom ran you down and Maggie said to drive away.\u201d<\/p>\n

So much had happened since they\u2019d met.\u00a0 Her family dead, the Lathams\u2019 betrayal; Carter Burl\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I couldn\u2019t rescue you…in time to prevent…\u201d he said, his voice choking.<\/p>\n

Sarah reached up and took his face in her fingers.\u00a0 \u201cLook at me, Little Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 You look at me.\u201d\u00a0 When he did as he was told, she went on, \u201cWhat happened was not your fault, it was my choice<\/em>.\u00a0 I ran away from Burl for just that reason \u2013 to have a choice,\u00a0 to be free<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 She was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cIf it meant your life, I\u2019d do it again, willingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, I need to talk….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I need you to listen<\/em>, though it won\u2019t be easy for you to hear. \u00a0This is not the first time.\u00a0 Do you hear me?\u00a0 I grew up on Burl\u2019s plantation.\u00a0 My mother, her mother, and her mother before her were slaves.\u00a0 I had no right to say \u2018no\u2019 to him or anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly it opened up before him, tens of thousands of people just like Sarah \u2013 beautiful, brilliant, creations of God, His<\/em> sons and daughters just as much as he was \u2013 treated as if they had no more worth… no, not even as much<\/em> worth as his father\u2019s steers and horses.\u00a0 Used, abused, beaten, broken….<\/p>\n

Taken.<\/p>\n

He began to sob.\u00a0 \u201cSarah, I\u2019m…sorry.\u00a0 I….\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, her fingers touched his lips\u00a0 \u201cShh,\u201d she cooed as if he were a little boy, just before giving him a kiss.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright hung his head.\u00a0 He hated moments like this when he had to fess up to his pa that as a little feller he\u2019d been just as disobedient as Little Joe, only he never got caught.\u00a0 Worse<\/em>, in fact, since he was six years older and had cheerfully led his little brother into a lot of places that could have turned deadly if somethin\u2019 had gone wrong.<\/p>\n

Surely it was God\u2019s angels who had kept that from happenin\u2019.<\/p>\n

His pa was lookin\u2019 at the range of stone before them, the one near the Truckee that was dotted with caves.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I had no idea what you boys were doing, leading your little brother astray.\u00a0 Neither of you would have been able to sit down until you came to maturity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt weren\u2019t Adam so much as me, Pa.\u00a0 Adam was always tellin\u2019 us we were takin\u2019 too many chances, but you know Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father glanced at him and then he smiled. \u00a0Yes, they both knew Little Joe, and they both knew how tightly the younger version of their impulsive, charismatic and incorrigible brother had had Adam wrapped around his little finger.\u00a0 It puzzled him, the fact that the two of them could do nothin\u2019 but butt heads like Billy goats lately.\u00a0 Adam said it was because Joe resented him being older, and Joe said it was because Adam resented him being younger.<\/p>\n

He<\/em> thought it was because the two of them added together were more stubborn than a whole pack of cussed mules.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour younger brother may be…trying…to this old man at times, son, but his heart\u2019s in the right place.\u00a0 Adam seems to think Joe may be trying to get this girl to safety.\u201d\u00a0 His father paused.\u00a0 \u201cProud as that would make me, I hope he\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy\u2019s that, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s black eyes narrowed with pain.\u00a0 \u201cThe only \u2018safe\u2019 place for Sarah is Canada, Hoss.\u00a0 If Joseph chooses to take her there….\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother might never come home.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019d do that, Pa?\u00a0 I mean…leave us?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father suddenly looked twenty years older.\u00a0 \u201cI would hope not, but you know your brother.\u00a0 Right now he thinks we\u2019re all ashamed of him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be bound and determined to do something to make that right and I imagine taking Sarah to Canada would present itself as a viable option.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d all wondered if there was another \u2018viable\u2019 option.\u00a0 If Little Joe might run off with Fred Kyle after all and in spite of everythin\u2019.\u00a0 They knew better when they got to Carter Burl\u2019s deserted camp and found Kyle drawing his last breath. He told them everythin\u2019 \u2013 how he\u2019d been workin\u2019 for Burl from the beginnin\u2019, how he\u2019d agreed to come to Nevada to take Joe from them, and how he\u2019d come to regret ever\u00a0 meetin\u2019 the slaver once he knew his real plans for Joe and turned on him in the end, lettin\u2019 little brother and Sarah escape.<\/p>\n

How he\u2019d paid for it with a bullet in his back.<\/p>\n

Just before he died, the southerner told Pa how sorry he was.\u00a0 He\u2019d never meant to hurt Marie\u2019s boy, he said.\u00a0 He\u2019d just wanted to get to know Joe \u2013 to have a piece of her with him.\u00a0 Fred\u2019s hand had pawed at Pa\u2019s shirt sleeve and he\u2019d looked up into Ben Cartwright\u2019s impassive face and begged forgiveness.<\/p>\n

Hoss glanced at his pa.\u00a0 Kyle died before he could give it.<\/p>\n

He wondered if Pa would have given it anyway.<\/p>\n

So, they\u2019d let Adam rest while they buried both Kyle and Valentine Latham and then set out and traveled as far as they could by night, makin\u2019 it to the bend in the Truckee below the cave.\u00a0 It was then his pa had touched his arm and nodded toward Adam.\u00a0 Older brother had a wound that had never been tended. It had healed, but left him pale and he was shaky from days without food.\u00a0 Much as they wanted to push on, Pa said he was tired and ordered them to make camp.<\/p>\n

Adam had fallen asleep before they could get any food into him.<\/p>\n

The night had passed since then and the sun was just risin\u2019.\u00a0 The day was provin\u2019 as cold as the night had been.\u00a0 The air and the land glistened like it had a sheen of sweat and shone like a copper pot sittin\u2019 near the fire. \u00a0They were eager to get on their way, but Adam was still sleepin\u2019 and Pa \u2013 torn between his worry for his oldest and youngest sons \u2013 had made the choice to wait until older brother woke on his own.<\/p>\n

It was near killin\u2019 him.<\/p>\n

Hoss crossed over to the older man and rested a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe ain\u2019t gonna leave, Pa.\u00a0 I know it in my heart.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s black eyes flicked to his face and then returned to the horizon.\u00a0 \u201cRight now, Hoss, to be honest, I would prefer that your brother be on his way to Canada with Sarah, rather than be anywhere close where that madman Burl can get his hands on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter Burl had Ab Latham with him too.\u00a0 Why in God\u2019s heaven, the Lord chose to take the younger of them two brothers, he didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 Valentine hadn\u2019t been all bad.\u00a0 It was just that Ab led him like a steer with a ring in its nose.<\/p>\n

Ab on the other hand….<\/p>\n

A soft grunt made them both turn.\u00a0 His Pa nudged him and pointed to Adam who was just stirring.\u00a0 \u201cTake your brother some coffee and food.\u00a0 I\u2019ll start breaking the camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hastened to the fire to do as he was told.\u00a0 By the time he approached Adam, his older brother was sitting up, looking around.\u00a0 His eyes were slightly dazed, and that sheen of sweat the land wore?\u00a0 Well, older brother was wearin\u2019 one too.<\/p>\n

Before he could stop him, the big man reached out and felt his forehead. \u201cYou got yourself a fever buildin\u2019 up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam scowled. \u201cDon\u2019t tell Pa. You know how he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean worried about a man travelin\u2019 when he ought not to be?\u201d he asked with one brow lifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing.\u00a0 Just my\u00a0 body fighting off infection.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s eyes went to the hills.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Joe we have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stifled a chuckle at older brother answerin\u2019 with younger brother\u2019s \u2018fine\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll tan you if he finds out,\u201d he said in all seriousness.<\/p>\n

Adam looked up, startled, then he laughed. \u201cYes.\u00a0 Yes, he will. So we just have to make sure he doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was what older brother liked to call a \u2018camaraderie\u2019 between the three of them.\u00a0 He liked the sound of that.\u00a0 There were four Cartwrights, but there was somethin\u2019 special about just them three.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny news of Little Joe?\u201d Adam asked suddenly.<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m figurin\u2019 he headed for one of those caves we used to explore.\u00a0 He\u2019s got Sarah with him.\u00a0 He\u2019d of been worried about her bein\u2019 cold and such.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine Sarah can take care of herself,\u201d his brother said, his tone odd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girl is a slave, Hoss. \u00a0She would have no protection other than what she could provide for herself.\u00a0 If she\u2019s survived this long in that world, she\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo maybe she went along to look out for little brother?\u201d he asked with a half-smile.<\/p>\n

Adam was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thought startled him.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched the two of them, Hoss.\u00a0 Joe was tied behind me at first.\u00a0 We were both tethered to the same tree.\u00a0 Then Sarah came for him and he was tied to a wagon wheel directly across from me.\u00a0 She….\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cShe loves him.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how exactly \u2013 like a sister or a lover \u2013 but I\u2019m willing to bet she\u2019d give her life for Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some comfort in that,\u201d a deep voice proclaimed.<\/p>\n

Adam looked a little guilty.\u00a0 \u201cPa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear you approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be because I didn\u2019t want<\/em> you to.\u201d\u00a0 Their pa knelt at older brother\u2019s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. \u00a0\u201cHow are you, son?\u00a0 You had us worried.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had told them about how he\u2019d been taken by the Lathams while he was out huntin\u2019 Joe and been held as bait, to bring little brother to Carter Burl.\u00a0 He\u2019d told them how he\u2019d been tied up to a tree, so close to Joe he could have hugged him, but hadn\u2019t been able to say a word.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t tell them how that made him feel, but he could tell it had just about killed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay, Pa,\u201d older brother replied as he shifted and started to rise.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me. We need to find Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their father pointed at the untouched plate at his side.\u00a0 \u201cYou eat first.\u00a0 Then we\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2018buts\u2019, young man.\u00a0 You need your strength, and your brother and I have to break camp.\u00a0 You\u2019ll do us no good if you fall out of your saddle the moment we get moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa was right, of course, but it wouldn\u2019t have sit with him any better than it did Adam.\u00a0 Little Joe, well, no one Cartwright was more important than the other but Little Joe, he was their heart. \u00a0If that boy didn\u2019t come home, it would just kill Pa. \u00a0And<\/em> him and Adam?\u00a0 Weren\u2019t no way they\u2019d ever be the same.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded and picked his plate up.\u00a0 He held his fork above it and watched as their father moved away, and then returned the fork to the plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s right, Adam.\u00a0 You need to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just keep seeing Joe,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cLooking at me like he thought I hated him.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t speak to him, Hoss.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t apologize for the hateful things I said. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t tell him how much,\u201d Adam drew a breath, \u201chow much I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he?\u201d\u00a0 His brother\u2019s tone was sharp.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u00a0 The last time we spoke \u2013 really spoke \u2013 all we did was argue and fight and I said things about him…about Marie…that I will regret until my dying day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all said things we regret.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but we\u2019ve always come together afterwards.\u00a0 Always had a chance to apologize. \u00a0This time, with Joe gone….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe ain\u2019t gone. Don\u2019t you go sayin\u2019 that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew in the end it would come down to one or the other of us.\u00a0 It\u2019s why I tried to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it was Joe <\/em>what brung you back!\u00a0 We\u2019re brothers, Adam.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 gonna change that.\u00a0 You hear me?\u00a0 You\u2019ll see Little Joe again and you can tell him to his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d Adam said as he picked up his fork and poked at the beans on his plate.<\/p>\n

Hoss laid a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t Adam.\u201d\u00a0 When his brother looked up he smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know<\/em> so.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah awoke in Little Joe\u2019s arms.\u00a0 She laid there for a while, looking at him.\u00a0 His hair was nearly as deep brown as her own, but where hers fell in waves, his consisted of spiraling curls large enough to wrap around two or three fingers.\u00a0 Deep within it there were strands of silver that glinted like ice on dark tree bark.\u00a0 His face was small and his features chiseled.\u00a0 His well-muscled body was much the same.\u00a0 Joe looked just like the marble statue in Master Burl\u2019s house, the one that had the name \u2018Adonis\u2019 attached on a brass plate at the front.<\/p>\n

He was so<\/em> beautiful.<\/p>\n

Still, that wasn\u2019t why she loved him.\u00a0 Oh, she had to admit, it was what had attracted her to him at first. But she loved him for who <\/em>he was \u2013 sweet, gentle, compassionate and caring; a man of deep feeling who, when confronted with a truth, was able to say he\u2019d been wrong.<\/p>\n

She knew how rare that was.<\/p>\n

Sarah shifted and pulled out of Little Joe\u2019s embrace.\u00a0 He murmured a bit, but didn\u2019t wake.\u00a0 Rising, she crossed the floor of the cave and went to stand in the opening and stared out at the new day, knowing what it would bring.\u00a0 Master Burl would find them.\u00a0 She had no doubt.\u00a0 He was the nephew of the man who had owned Burl Hall and as such had not been born to privilege and wealth.\u00a0 He\u2019d had several jobs as a young man and failed at every one of them, until he found his calling.<\/p>\n

Being a slaver.<\/p>\n

Carter Burl had taken to hunting down human beings like a cat to cream.\u00a0 It was not only his vocation, but his passion.\u00a0 Master Burl thrived on humiliating and subjugating everyone to his will.\u00a0 It was what had first brought him into contact with Madame de Marigny.\u00a0 He\u2019d been hired by the older woman to run down an escaped slave.\u00a0 New Orleans was an oddity so far as she could tell. A place where free people of color walked with, and worked hand in hand with, others just like them who were held in servitude.\u00a0 The de Marigny\u2019s had southern ties and so they kept slaves.\u00a0 It had never been stated, but Master Burl told her the tainted blood in Jean de Marigny\u2019s wife\u2019s veins was one of the main reasons his mother had hated her.\u00a0 Marie had been Creole.\u00a0 Sarah shifted and looked back at Little Joe where he lay sleeping.\u00a0 In another place, at another time, he too could have been enslaved.<\/p>\n

Thank God he was not!<\/p>\n

She believed, in spite of what he said, that it was what Master Burl had first intended when he recruited Frederick Kyle and sent him to make contact with Joe.\u00a0 In his blind rage Burl could not see that Joe was Marie\u2019s flesh and blood.\u00a0 All<\/em> he could see was that Joe wasn\u2019t<\/em> his and for that, he wanted to destroy him and the man who had given him life.\u00a0 Burl had told her himself after he\u2019d taken her, spelling out the plans he had for Ben Cartwright\u2019s son. \u00a0She\u2019d planned on freeing Little Joe herself that night and would have if Frederick Kyle had not beaten her to it.<\/p>\n

Even if it had cost her life.<\/p>\n

Sarah raised her head and looked out onto the angry, violent unjust world into which she had been born.\u00a0 It had already claimed her.<\/p>\n

It would not <\/em>claim him.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d considered running, but knew it was pointless.\u00a0 He would just follow her.\u00a0 She had to protect him \u2013 keep him alive \u2013 long enough for his family to find him.\u00a0 She knew they were out there now, searching, and that they would never give up.\u00a0 She had seen real love in the time she had been at the Ponderosa and desired to be a part of it, but she knew that was pointless too.\u00a0 Even if Master Burl died, there would be others \u2013 other slavers who, for the price of a few days wages, would hunt her down and drag her back to the plantation world she had left behind.<\/p>\n

Death was a more welcome thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah….\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice sent shivers through her.\u00a0 Crossing over to him quickly, she knelt by Little Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He yawned and blinked and then turned his wide innocent eyes on her \u2013 those eyes that were the color of the depths of the forest.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have let me sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shifted and sat up.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to get going.\u00a0 I have to get you somewhere safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wanted to tell him that there was<\/em> no where safe, but she nodded instead, because safety for her meant safety for him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 But where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the man your grandfather was supposed to meet?\u00a0 The one who would help you make it to Canada?\u201d<\/p>\n

She had no idea who he was and had no way to contact him.\u00a0 \u201cThe date has passed when Grandfather was to meet him.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI….\u201d\u00a0 Joe cleared his throat and squared his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cThen I\u2019ll take you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah allowed herself the vision.\u00a0 She and Little Joe, sitting on a porch somewhere in the wilds of Canada, surrounded by their children \u2013 free and safe from harm.\u00a0 But only for a moment, for that\u2019s all it was \u2013 a dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think…we should try to find your father and brothers.\u00a0 They have to be looking for you.\u00a0 Your father told me he would help me fight extradition from the Nevada territory.\u00a0 He said he had friends in the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe warmed to the idea immediately as she knew he would.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 Pa knows the governor.\u00a0 If he says Burl can\u2019t take you, then he won\u2019t be able to.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled. Such beauty.<\/p>\n

Such innocence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd maybe,\u201d Joe went on, \u201cmaybe Burl won\u2019t expect us to do that. \u00a0He\u2019ll think for sure we\u2019re headed for Canada, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she replied, regretting the catch in her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe reached out and cupped her face with his hand. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing.\u00a0 I\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those green eyes were piercing.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe rose to his feet then and walked to the cave mouth.\u00a0 \u201cWe still have a little while before the light is gone. \u00a0We should get going.\u201d\u00a0 He walked back to her and held out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t give you any food.\u00a0 If only I hadn\u2019t run out without my gun….\u201d<\/p>\n

She took his hand and stood.\u00a0 \u201cThose are the two saddest words in the world.\u00a0 \u2018If only.\u2019\u00a0 If only I hadn\u2019t been born a slave.\u00a0 If only you hadn\u2019t argued with your brother, or met Frederick Kyle.\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 If you hadn\u2019t done both, I wouldn\u2019t have met you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Sarah squeezed his hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt all happens for a reason, Little Joe.\u00a0 Never doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was staring at her, amazed.\u00a0 \u201cWith all you\u2019ve been through, after Burl….\u00a0 How can you believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She lifted his fingers to her lips and kissed them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brought me to you.\u00a0 How can I not?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben cast a glance at his oldest son as they mounted and then turned to his middle boy.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think Adam is fit for the ride?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt don\u2019t matter if he ain\u2019t, Pa.\u00a0 Short of tyin\u2019 him up again there ain\u2019t no way you\u2019re gonna stop older brother from comin\u2019 with us.\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s feeling powerful upset about that last argument he had with Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s look was sharp.\u00a0 \u201cI thought they had mended their bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve been avoidin\u2019 each other for the most part.\u00a0 I think they\u2019re both feelin\u2019 guilty.\u00a0 What they need is to talk and….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReady, Pa,\u201d Adam called down to him from Sport\u2019s back.\u00a0 They\u2019d brought Adam and Joe\u2019s horses along \u2018just in case\u2019.\u00a0 Ben cast a longing look at Cochise and his empty saddle.\u00a0 Tethered on it was a bag with Joseph\u2019s coat and boots since the boy had run out without either.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be long, he told himself, not long at all until he saw his youngest seated there, grinning his cheeky grin.<\/p>\n

God willing, not long at all.<\/p>\n

Hoss mounted Chubb and looked at his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 them caves along the river we used to explore.\u00a0 Seems to me that if Joe wanted to hide out, that\u2019d be where he\u2019d go.\u00a0 What do you think, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to start somewhere.\u00a0 It\u2019s as good as any guess.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cMy fear is….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fear is that Joe doesn\u2019t want<\/em> to be found. If that\u2019s the case, there are a thousand places he could hide that we\u2019d never find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed over to his oldest son and laid a hand on his leg.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, the Ponderosa is Little Joe\u2019s home, and it\u2019s his heart.\u00a0 It\u2019s my guess he\u2019s looking for us just like we\u2019re looking for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pursed his lips and nodded curtly.\u00a0 \u201cI hope you\u2019re right, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ben mounted his own horse, he looked toward the river and imagined the caves beyond.<\/p>\n

He hoped so too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stopped and drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 He was doing his best to keep up with Sarah, but was quickly falling behind.\u00a0 He tried to ignore it, but his head was pounding and he felt light-headed.\u00a0 The swelling on the back of it hadn\u2019t gone down, but gotten bigger and the wound throbbed in tune with the beating of his heart.\u00a0 From the way his vision blurred now and then he figured he was sportin\u2019 a good size concussion.\u00a0 Still, he didn\u2019t dare let Sarah know.\u00a0 He had to keep up.<\/p>\n

Had to keep moving.<\/p>\n

She was looking back at him, her hand poised to lift a branch over the path they had chosen through the woods.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, are you all right?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been a shoo-in at foolin\u2019 Abigail Jones into thinking he was sick. Surely he could convince this beautiful woman that he was well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI twisted my foot,\u201d he lied.\u00a0 \u201cTook a second to right it.\u00a0 Keep movin\u2019.\u00a0 I\u2019m right behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her frown told him she wasn\u2019t convinced.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re hurting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m find as frog\u2019s hair,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 Gathering what energy he had, and borrowin\u2019 a bit from later, Joe caught up with her and moved on past.\u00a0 As Sarah stared at him, he ducked under the branch and headed for the bend ahead of them that was marked by a pile of rock at its center.\u00a0 Turning back, he said, \u201cCome on, slowpoke.\u00a0 Do I gotta wait all day on you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah gave him a look that reminded Joe entirely too much of his missing father and made his heart ache for home.<\/p>\n

That was, until she paled and her eyes widened with horror.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u201d she screamed.<\/p>\n

Just before everything went black.<\/p>\n

FOURTEEN<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If he\u2019d thought his head hurt before, when he opened his eyes again, Joe found out what \u2018hurt\u2019 really meant.\u00a0 It felt like his head was a fence post and Hoss was wieldin\u2019 the hammer.\u00a0 Joe blinked, trying to clear his vision of a field of stars.\u00a0 It took a few seconds, and what he saw when it did <\/em>clear was something he\u2019d rather not have \u2013 Ab Latham, standing right in front of him, with a gun pointed at his head.<\/p>\n

Beside Ab was Carter Burl and behind Burl \u2013 bound and gagged and tied to a slender pine \u2013 was Sarah.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Burl had a riding crop with a heavy tip in his hands.\u00a0 He was flexing it and snapping it against his leg.<\/p>\n

The look in the southern man\u2019s eyes was the same one a stallion got when he was gonna kill you.<\/p>\n

As Burl headed for him, Sarah strained against her bonds.\u00a0 Tears streamed down her beautiful face as she cried into the gag.\u00a0 Joe tried to tell her with his eyes that it was okay.\u00a0 She was alive and it looked like she was going to stay that way.\u00a0 He\u2019d been afraid the target of Burl\u2019s crop was her.\u00a0 After all, the slaver had been made a fool of and someone had to pay.<\/p>\n

He was just glad it was him.<\/p>\n

The plantation owner stared at him a moment and then shoved past Ab Latham.\u00a0 As he came to rest before him, Carter Burl caught a handful of his curls in his fingers and jerked his head up sharply, causin\u2019 the stars to shoot again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see nothing<\/em> of her in you,\u201d Burl snarled.\u00a0 \u201cBenjamin Cartwright\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t gagged.\u00a0 Idly, he wondered why.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d he declared.\u00a0 \u201cI am<\/em> my father\u2019s son.\u00a0 But I\u2019m my mother\u2019s<\/em> too.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze flicked to Sarah and back.\u00a0 He had<\/em> to do this for her.\u00a0 \u201cThank God, I\u2019m not yours!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hold your life in my hands, boy.\u00a0 I can keep you alive and take you to the South and sell<\/em> you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Burl laid the crop against his battered left cheek.\u00a0 \u201cOr I can take my pleasure and kill you nice and slow<\/em> here.\u201d\u00a0 The slaver laughed as he released him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve done it plenty of times before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Sarah?\u201d Joe dared to ask.\u00a0 She was staring at him, pleading with her eyes for him to remain silent and not antagonize Burl.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s mine to do with as I please, and I please to keep her for now.\u201d\u00a0 The slaver leaned in.\u00a0 \u201cShe knows how to pleasure a man.\u00a0 I taught her right well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed over the bile that rose in his throat.\u00a0 \u201cHow could you?\u201d he snarled.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not a man.\u00a0 You\u2019re a beast.\u00a0 No, that\u2019s unfair to beasts.\u00a0 You\u2019re a monster!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna let him talk to you like that?\u201d Ab Latham drawled.<\/p>\n

Carter Burl\u2019s eyes flicked to the other man.\u00a0 A second later the slaver\u2019s lips curled with a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cA condemned man\u2019s always allowed to make a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in air and bit his lip as Burl unexpectedly brought the handle of the leather crop down with force, striking his collar bone sharply.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake off his shirt!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah was struggling against the ropes that held her, her rich brown eyes wide with terror.\u00a0 Joe tried to send her a message.\u00a0 \u2018It\u2019s okay,\u201d he attempted to project.\u00a0 \u2018Just so you\u2019re safe.\u2019<\/p>\n

Of course, she wouldn\u2019t be<\/em> safe.\u00a0 But he had to try to convince himself she would.<\/p>\n

His death had to count for something.<\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes as the last of his shirt was ripped away from his skin.\u00a0 The cold September air struck him immediately and set him to shivering.\u00a0 It was only then, as he tensed his body, awaiting the first blow, that he realized why he wasn\u2019t gagged.<\/p>\n

Carter Burl wanted to hear him scream.<\/p>\n

And he did a second later as the lash attached to the crop bit into the flesh of his back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear that, Pa?\u201d Adam asked, shaken.<\/p>\n

He had.\u00a0 It could have been an animal.<\/p>\n

Could<\/em> have been.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced as the sound came again.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s hurtin\u2019, Pa.\u00a0 They\u2019re hurtin\u2019 bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again and again it came \u2013 each cry louder, longer \u2013 the last making the horses shy and buck.\u00a0 It was a kind of shriek, filed with anguish and a bit of surprise \u2013 or maybe not.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was disbelief.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded toward the water.\u00a0 \u201cFrom over there, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHard to tell,\u201d Adam answered immediately.<\/p>\n

They waited, hoping to, and hoping not<\/em> to hear it again.<\/p>\n

It came.\u00a0 This time followed by words.<\/p>\n

God!\u00a0 Stop!<\/em><\/p>\n

God….<\/em><\/p>\n

It was as if an arrow had pierced all their hearts at one and the same moment.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked sick.\u00a0 \u201cPa, that\u2019s….\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He could feel the blood running down his back.\u00a0 Carter Burl was expert with the modified crop, knowing just how and where to wield it to bring the maximum pain.\u00a0 As he hung there, tied between two trees, Joe began to cry, not from the pain \u2013 though it was bad enough \u2013 but from the thought of the hundreds of men and women who had been at this man\u2019s mercy.\u00a0 Men and women no different from him other than the fact that their skin was a different color.\u00a0 Men and women like those in Sarah\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

Like those in his own.<\/p>\n

As the blows from Burl\u2019s crop moved higher, striking his neck and the back of his head, Joe began to lose consciousness.\u00a0 He fought it as hard as he could, afraid\u00a0 that if he passed out, he might never wake up.\u00a0 Then, suddenly, they stopped.\u00a0 The relief was almost as bad as the pain.\u00a0 A second later his hair was gripped and Burl pulled his head back.\u00a0 He held the crop up, turned it end for end, and showed him the raised silver work nailed onto the tip.<\/p>\n

Then he began to strike him again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s hand shot out, holding his middle son back.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa!\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 They had to stop what was happening quickly.\u00a0 Ben closed his eyes to shut out the sight of his youngest son being beaten to death \u2013 for just a moment, so he could think.<\/p>\n

\u201cAb\u2019s too close, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s whisper was tense.\u00a0 \u201cHe could kill Joe or the girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher shuddered as his baby boy screamed again.\u00a0 His fingers dug into the white fabric of Hoss\u2019 shirt as his middle son flinched.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d he said, his voice hushed with despair.\u00a0 \u201cI know.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go out there, Pa,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll distract them and you can come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the same kind of rash, foolish thing Joseph would have suggested.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I won\u2019t trade one son for the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa….\u201d\u00a0 His eldest drew in a breath as Joe screamed again.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t….\u00a0 I<\/em> can\u2019t….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 He had to think of something and he couldn\u2019t think straight, not with his youngest screaming and Sarah sobbing and the sick sound of Burl\u2019s crop striking bare flesh as the horses shied and screamed….<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horses,\u201d he said, his jaw tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Hoss asked, looking at them.\u00a0 \u201cYou think Burl heard?\u201d<\/p>\n

Over Joseph\u2019s screams?\u00a0 No, he didn\u2019t think that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend one out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t reply.\u00a0 He stood up and walked over to Buck and loosened his reins from the tree limb.\u00a0 Pausing for only a second, he said, \u201cBoy, if there was any other way….\u201d\u00a0 Then the rancher took the flat of his hand and struck his old friend\u2019s rump and sent him flying into the midst of danger.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah\u2019s eyes were riveted to the horror unfolding in front of her.\u00a0 She had seen Master Burl peel the skin from a man\u2019s back before with that crop and then walk away and let the man bleed to death or die of infection. \u00a0The worst thing about it was Burl\u2019s face.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t lit with a cruel joy or even a self-righteous anger.\u00a0 His face was completely devoid of expression.<\/p>\n

Just as the slaver was devoid of humanity.<\/p>\n

Sarah winced and tears ran down her cheeks as the plantation owner\u2019s crop struck Little Joe again.\u00a0 He was tied between two trees and with the last blow Joe\u2019s knees had given out and he was hanging, suspended by his wrists.\u00a0 Trails of crimson blood curled around his slender muscled torso in stark contrast to his pallid skin.\u00a0 She knew if something didn\u2019t happen to stop him, Master Burl would kill Joe just as he had killed her white father the same way for daring to love a woman of color the slaver had called his own.<\/p>\n

Closing her eyes, Sarah fought to still her heart \u2013 to shut out the horror of what was unfolding before her.\u00a0 \u201cGod,\u201d she breathed.\u00a0 \u201cDear Lord, this is Sarah, the child you love.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t let Little Joe die.\u00a0 Please.<\/em>\u00a0 Save him!\u201d<\/p>\n

As she spoke, Sarah heard a sound that brought her eyes open.\u00a0 Nearby a horse whinnied.\u00a0 A moment later it burst into the clearing they occupied.\u00a0 Master Burl stopped what he was doing and moved forward even as Ab Latham raised his rifle and took aim at the wild-eyed animal.\u00a0 Before he could pull the trigger, three men followed in the horse\u2019s wake with their weapons drawn.\u00a0 Sarah\u2019s breath caught.\u00a0 She thought she had recognized the horse as it went streaking past.<\/p>\n

It was Ben Cartwright\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrow that crop to the ground and step away from my son!\u201d the rancher demanded as he closed the distance between himself and the slaver.<\/p>\n

Burl remained where he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems to me what we have here, Benjamin, is a stand-off.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right.\u00a0 Ab had his weapon pointed at Little Joe\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s over, Burl.\u201d\u00a0 She watched as Ben\u2019s eyes took in the sight of his son dangling like a side of beef between the trees.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you have done is criminal.\u00a0 You\u2019ll pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, quite to the contrary, Benjamin, what you and your sons have done is criminal.\u201d\u00a0 Master Burl\u2019s lips curled in a sneer. \u00a0He indicated his pocket with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stepped forward as did Hoss.\u00a0 The older of the Cartwright sons aimed his weapon at Burl while Joe\u2019s middle brother covered Ab.\u00a0 Both men\u2019s color was up.\u00a0 Both looked fit to kill.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead,\u201d Joe\u2019s father said with a nod.<\/p>\n

She knew what was coming.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen this before.\u00a0 It was the same with her father.<\/p>\n

The law was on Master Burl\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

The slaver held out the piece of paper he had drawn from inside his coat.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a warrant for that young lady over there.\u00a0 You know the law<\/em>, Benjamin.\u00a0 It\u2019s my right to take her and my right to punish anyone who aids and abets in her escape.\u201d\u00a0 Master Burl\u2019s eyes flicked to Joe and\u00a0 back to his irate father.\u00a0 \u201cEverything I\u2019ve done is completely legal.\u00a0 You <\/em>are the ones who will go to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right.\u00a0 Since 1850 the United States government had been forced to actively assist slave owners in recapturing their fugitive slaves, even within the free states and territories.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if we make sure you never make it to town to tell anyone,\u201d Adam growled, startling him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fine batch of sons you\u2019ve reared, Benjamin,\u201d Master Burl remarked, his tone snide.\u00a0 \u201cOne aiding a slave\u2019s escape, and another considering the crime of murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019 ain\u2019t murder,\u201d Hoss said, his voice eerily calm.\u00a0 \u201cFor what you done to Little Joe, you deserve to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men\u2019s knuckles were white on the grips of their guns.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u201d\u00a0 Ben drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cAdam.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Violence only breeds violence.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes flicked to Ab Latham.\u00a0 \u201cAs you should well know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ab\u2019s eyes were on Joe, but they shifted to the older man.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben prayed he was doing the right thing.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother is dead.\u00a0 He died for this man,\u201d the rancher indicated Carter Burl.\u00a0 \u201cAnd for what?\u00a0 For a madman\u2019s cause that wasn\u2019t even his own?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVal…Val\u2019s dead?\u201d Ab moved away from Joe, heading for him.\u00a0 \u201cWho killed him?\u00a0 Who?\u00a0 Was it you, old man?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was me!\u201d Adam proclaimed.<\/p>\n

It was all they needed and all they were going to get.\u00a0 Ab turned his back on Joe and faced Adam, and the clearing broke into madness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes had been on Little Joe as he spoke.\u00a0 His brother looked…dead.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see his chest rising and falling, couldn\u2019t…\u00a0 He\u2019d stifled a sob before calling out to Ab.\u00a0 What if Joe was…gone?\u00a0 What if his brother had died without knowing how he truly felt?\u00a0 Without knowing how much he loved him?<\/p>\n

Calling Ab out was nothing. \u00a0So what if the southerner killed him?<\/p>\n

At that moment he felt like he deserved to die.<\/p>\n

Hoss was moving beside him, a blur of white and brown headed for Little Joe.\u00a0 Pa was heading for Burl.\u00a0 The slaver had whirled around and was running for his horse where, no doubt, he\u2019d left his gun since torturing his baby brother and killing him slowly seemed to be his goal.<\/p>\n

Burl deserved to die slowly.<\/p>\n

Burl <\/em>deserved to die.<\/p>\n

He<\/em> had to live.\u00a0 He had to make sure that madman never harmed anyone ever again.<\/p>\n

It was funny how it went, wanting to die one moment and then hell bent to preserve your life the next.\u00a0 Adam saw the flash of Ab\u2019s gun and leapt to the side as the projectile sped his way.\u00a0 He almost made it.\u00a0 As it was the bullet cut a channel through his jacket and burned the skin of his left arm.\u00a0 He ignored it.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

Nothing matter but making Carter Burl pay, and to do that he had to get Ab Latham out of the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss spun at the sound of the shot and looked.\u00a0 He saw Adam grimace and then come on like a mama grizzly protectin\u2019 its young, so he figured older brother was okay.\u00a0 Pa was strugglin\u2019 with Carter Burl.\u00a0 The older man had the slaver pushed back against his horse and had Burl\u2019s crop in his hand.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just see how he<\/em> liked bein\u2019 skinned!<\/p>\n

Hoss drew a breath and turned to face his little brother.\u00a0 He wrapped his arms around Little Joe\u2019s middle and lifted him up so he weren\u2019t danglin\u2019 no more.\u00a0 As he did Joe\u2019s head lolled to the side and he didn\u2019t make a sound.\u00a0 Not even a little whimper like he always did when he was hurtin\u2019. \u00a0Holding his brother tightly, the big man turned again to check on his older brother\u2019s progress.\u00a0 Adam gave him a grim but triumphant grin.\u00a0 Ab Latham\u2019s rifle was in his hands and the older of the twins was on the ground with the barrel of it pressed against his chest and one of Adam\u2019s black boots restin\u2019 beside it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa. you okay?\u201d Adam called.<\/p>\n

Hoss turned toward his father.\u00a0 Now, he\u2019d seen Pa mad afore.\u00a0 You might even say he\u2019d seen him rage a time or two, but he\u2019d never seen him lose control until now.\u00a0 Carter Burl was on the ground and Pa was striking him with that crop like there weren\u2019t no tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, go stop Pa!\u201d older brother shouted.\u00a0 \u201cBefore he does something he regrets!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Like kill the man you threatened to?<\/em>\u2019 he thought, but kept the thought to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s hurtin\u2019, Adam.\u00a0 I can\u2019t let him go!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you can.\u00a0 What\u2019s done is done.\u00a0 Stop Pa before he kills Burl!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss did as he was told \u2013 but it broke his heart.\u00a0 He let Joe go and watched him swing slowly from side to side for several heartbeats.<\/p>\n

Only another shout from Adam got him moving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah was forgotten.<\/p>\n

That was all right.<\/p>\n

She held her breath and watched, trying not to gloat, as justice found Carter Burl.\u00a0 She watched the slaver being beaten as he had beaten so many, saw him take the lash of that dreaded crop, heard him scream for mercy and for the pain to stop.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was rage unleashed.\u00a0 He seemed to have forgotten himself, or perhaps not \u2013<\/p>\n

Perhaps he was the hand<\/em> of God.<\/p>\n

As Hoss Cartwright reached his father and began to reason with him, Sarah glanced at Adam who had rolled Ab Latham over and was tying his hands behind his back. \u00a0Then her eyes and her heart went to Little Joe.\u00a0 As she had known she would the first time she saw him, she had brought him great harm.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t meant for it to happen, but by her very presence in his life, she had brought him pain.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright wouldn\u2019t kill Master Burl.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t\u2019 that kind of a man.\u00a0 Burl would live and he would recover and he return with a vengeance to destroy this good man and his sons.<\/p>\n

Unless she stopped it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam startled her, being so close.\u00a0 He glanced over his shoulder at his father and brother who were approaching and then turned back to her.\u00a0 First he removed her gag and then started on the ropes that bound her hands to the tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said the moment that she could.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your fault,\u201d Adam answered tersely.<\/p>\n

She blinked back tears as her jaw set.\u00a0 \u201cThen whose <\/em>is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBurl\u2019s,\u201d he said as he released her.\u00a0 \u201cAnd men like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She followed him then over to where Little Joe hung suspended between the trees.\u00a0 His father was holding Joe up.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was spattered with blood \u2013 Master Burl\u2019s blood.\u00a0 The sight of it caused a thrill to run through her \u2013 a thrill both of joy and fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurry, Hoss!\u201d the rancher said, his throat tight.\u00a0 \u201cGet him down!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hurryin\u2019, Pa.\u00a0 Them ropes is tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had stepped past them and was staring at Master Burl.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go tie him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Sarah said, taking a length of rope from his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Adam turned and looked into her eyes.\u00a0 He frowned at what he saw there.\u00a0 \u201cSarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour family needs you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take care of Master Burl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as Adam started to protest, Little Joe moaned.\u00a0 The sound of it was a knife to her heart.\u00a0 This was only the beginning. \u00a0Burl would see Joe imprisoned and most likely order his murder while incarcerated.\u00a0 He\u2019d ruin Ben Cartwright, taking not only his son from him, but his will to live and all he had created.\u00a0 He\u2019d see Hoss and Adam in prison too and they\u2019d emerge broken desperate men.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand landed on her arm.\u00a0 \u201cSarah, don\u2019t do anything you\u2019ll regret,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d she replied .<\/p>\n

And meant it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs Joe breathin\u2019, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 Yes, his baby was breathing, but it was shallow and every breath was an effort.\u00a0 A bloody sweat coated his young son\u2019s face and chest, brought about not only by the beating but by extreme stress.\u00a0 Such a thing rendered a man\u2019s skin extremely sensitive.\u00a0 When he touched him, it should have produced a moan.<\/p>\n

It produced nothing.<\/p>\n

Leaning in close to the boy\u2019s pale face, he spoke into his ear. \u201cJoseph, Pa\u2019s here.\u00a0 Open your eyes and look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hoped against hope for an answer.\u00a0 Ben knew there was more than the beating going on here.\u00a0 His fingers were entwined in his young son\u2019s hair and they rested on the knot on the back of his skull that was fiery.\u00a0 They were also bloody, for the monster who had taken his beloved boy had struck his head with that damned crop, inflaming the wound that was already there.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, come on,\u201d Hoss added, his voice breaking with tears.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, punkin.\u00a0 Look at ol\u2019 Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam dropped to a knee beside them.\u00a0 \u201cHow is he?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Ben eyed his older boy.\u00a0 Adam was pale too and shaking. \u00a0There was blood on his left sleeve.\u00a0 \u201cHow are you?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a scratch.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher watched as his oldest reached out a hand to touch his brother\u2019s bloody form.\u00a0 The older man drew a breath as he watched a single tear trail down his eldest\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, little buddy,\u201d he pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got to wake up, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a lot to say to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmmm….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked down.\u00a0 Joe was silent, but he was certain he had heard him speak.\u00a0 He looked at Hoss who nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was sure him, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe stirred slightly.\u00a0 His head turned a bit to the right and then he moaned again.\u00a0 \u201cHurts….\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> had to be an understatement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, go to the horses and get as many blankets as you can.\u00a0 He\u2019s starting to shiver. We need to \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

The crack!<\/em> of a single shot spun him around.\u00a0 Ben rose to his feet and took a step toward the sound.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toward Sarah, who stood over Carter Burl\u2019s body, holding the slaver\u2019s gun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIFTEEN<\/p>\n

Joe woke to birdsong and a cool touch on his face.\u00a0 For a moment it seemed that he was floating on a cloud, but he came to earth quickly as the dozens of bruises and cuts on his flesh made themselves known.<\/p>\n

He moaned.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help it.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, Little Joe.\u00a0 Don\u2019t try to move.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been a very sick boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment for the words and the voice that spoke them to penetrate the fog.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho else?\u201d Paul Martin asked, his tone light.\u00a0 \u201cSeems since I brought you into the world, I just can\u2019t stay away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The edge of his lips twitched.\u00a0 \u201c…forgot the…apple….\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s touch was surprisingly tender.\u00a0 Joe tried to smile and then began to drift away again.\u00a0 Just before he reached that blessed place where there was no pain, a familiar voice sought to call him back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too soon to tell, Ben.\u00a0 But he\u2019s young and strong.\u00a0 He has a fighting chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting.\u00a0 He should be…fighting.\u00a0 Should be winning.<\/p>\n

He was losing.<\/p>\n

Losing his way.<\/p>\n

Joe felt fingers on his forehead; felt them move through his hair in a familiar way.\u00a0 \u201cHis fever\u2019s so high.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was too weak, Ben, to be treated as he was.\u00a0 The body can only take so much punishment and with that bout of flu he\u2019d just come through….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe heard a familiar sigh.\u00a0 \u201cWhen Joseph does something, he does it all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt the bed shift as if a weight had been lifted.\u00a0 Idly Joe raised his hand like he had in school, wanting to ask what it was. Strong fingers gripped his and the weight returned along with that loving hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here, Joseph.\u00a0 Is there something you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was, but he didn\u2019t know what it was.\u00a0 Something was missing.\u00a0 Some one<\/em> was missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam…Hoss…?\u201d he murmured, or at least he thought he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brothers are fine, Joe.\u00a0 You rest now.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have much strength and you need it for the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was always fighting, wasn\u2019t he?\u00a0\u00a0 Always ready to attack life head on.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t feel like fighting now.\u00a0 He felt like….<\/p>\n

Giving up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s the kid doing?\u201d a familiar voice asked.<\/p>\n

Joe struggled to recall who it belonged to.\u00a0 A man. Tall.\u00a0 Black hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmm….\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone sat on the other side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cHey, buddy.\u201d\u00a0 Fingers touched his hair again, not the first ones, but so like them they might as well have been.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t try to talk.\u00a0 Save your strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the fight.\u00a0 He\u2019d fight all right.\u00a0 Fight to open his eyes.<\/p>\n

Something was wrong.\u00a0 Adam sounded…strange.\u00a0 Somehow he managed it.\u00a0 He opened his eyes only to find that Adam had tears in his.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m gonna die,<\/em> Joe thought, panicking.\u00a0 Why else would Adam be crying?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, no!\u00a0 Hold still.\u00a0 Don\u2019t use up your strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Pa.<\/p>\n

Where was Hoss?\u00a0 And where was….<\/p>\n

Sarah.<\/p>\n

Suddenly it all came flooding back \u2013 being struck by the carriage, ending up with the Spencers, meeting his angel, being captured by Carter Burl and listening while the slaver….<\/p>\n

Joe shot up out of the bed and screamed, \u201cSarah! No!\u00a0 Sarah!\u00a0 God!\u00a0 NO, he can\u2019t!\u00a0 Nooooo<\/em>…..\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong arms pinned him and held him down. \u201cAdam, go get Paul,\u201d he heard his father say, sounding just as alarmed.\u00a0 \u201cTell him your brother is delirious!\u201d<\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 There\u2019s a girl named Sarah, Pa. That man…that man he\u2019s….<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes flew open.\u00a0 His head rocked from side to side.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t in his room. He was in the forest.\u00a0 There was a man after him \u2013 a man with a whip and a set of shackles.\u00a0 He was hunting him and when he caught him he was gonna put those shackles on him and drag him to the South and put him on the auction block right next to his mama.\u00a0 Joe blinked and he was there, on the block, watching as Carter Burl murdered his father and raped his mother and then….<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMove aside, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give him a dose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it too soon for more laudanum?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but at the rate he\u2019s thrashing, he\u2019s liable to do more damage.\u00a0 I need your permission, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…do what you have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa!\u00a0 Pa, no!\u00a0 Don\u2019t let him drug me.\u00a0 No!\u00a0 Someone has to save Sarah!\u00a0 Someone….<\/p>\n

Someone….<\/p>\n

The hand returned.\u00a0 \u201cGo to sleep, Joseph.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s here.\u00a0 Pa will keep watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe groaned.<\/p>\n

How could he, when he was dead?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright dropped into his favorite chair and placed his head in his hands.\u00a0 He was completely exhausted.\u00a0 The journey home with Joseph in the condition he was in had been harrowing.\u00a0 There was no wagon, so he had to put his son on the saddle in front of him and the ride had been sheer agony for the boy due to the multiple cuts, abrasions, and contusions Carter Burl\u2019s brutal attack had left.\u00a0 Most of the trip had been made in silence.\u00a0 He and his older sons were stunned.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know what to say.<\/p>\n

Just as he didn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n

Sarah had come back to the Ponderosa with them.\u00a0 She rode Cochise, her head held high, as if she had not just murdered a man in cold blood.\u00a0 He was at a loss as to what action to take.\u00a0 He needed to talk to her to see if there was anything she could tell him that would justify her actions.\u00a0 When he had run to her side in time to hear the slaver breathe his last, the young woman had looked him in the eye and paraphrased Edmund Burke.<\/p>\n

\u2018All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that a good man \u2013 or woman \u2013 do nothing.\u2019<\/p>\n

How did you answer that?<\/p>\n

As he\u2019d watched that man flail his son to within an inch of dying, he\u2019d known he\u2019d seen Satan at his best.\u00a0 No man deserved death more, or so it had seemed at the moment he had taken that damned crop from Carter Burl\u2019s hand and given the slaver a dose of his own medicine.<\/p>\n

Could he blame Sarah for doing the same?<\/p>\n

After all, what had she seen in her short life?\u00a0 How many of her people, of her family<\/em>, had she seen that man whip and humiliate and even kill?\u00a0 If there had been a bounty on Burl\u2019s head, she would have been hailed as a hero.<\/p>\n

As it was, if he turned her in, she would be hung as a murderess.<\/p>\n

The door opened and a cold wind blew in.\u00a0 October had arrived and it had brought with it a presentiment of the winter to come.\u00a0 Adam followed in its wake.\u00a0 His eldest\u00a0 had gone to town to order supplies for the upcoming drive.\u00a0 He hung his hat on the rack and placed his gun belt on the credenza before walking over to him still wearing his coat.\u00a0 He noted how his son favored his one arm.\u00a0 It was healing, but not healed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the same,\u201d Ben replied, leaning back.\u00a0 \u201cSarah is with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still delirious?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u00a0 No.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m tired.\u00a0 His fever\u2019s down a bit, but Paul says it may spike again.\u00a0 Several of the cuts left by the metal on that crop are infected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted to see how he was before I took off again.\u00a0 I need to head back out to check with the men at the camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at his eldest.\u00a0 It was obvious he was worn out from work and worry and his own wound.\u00a0 He shook his head\u00a0 \u201cSon.\u00a0 Sit down.\u00a0 Rest a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t, Pa.\u00a0 There\u2019s too much to do and with us two men down….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Two\u2019 meaning his sick brother and him, who wouldn\u2019t leave his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Adam.\u00a0 I need someone to talk to and I think you\u2019re the one I need.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son stared at him.\u00a0 Then he removed his coat, laid it across the back of one of the wine-red chairs, and took a seat on the end of the settee near him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout <\/em>Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was the most perceptive of his boys.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still trying to decide whether or not to tell Roy what she did?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

Adam leaned back and let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHave you talked to her yet?\u00a0 Directly, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 She was pretty shaken up, and since we\u2019ve been home, she\u2019s spent almost as much time at Joseph\u2019s side as I have. \u00a0I\u2019ll get Hop Sing to sit with him later and \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me do it, Pa,\u201d Adam said as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go up and send her down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you had a thousand things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand along the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI do.\u00a0 I guess….\u00a0 Well, I just have to put them in the proper order.\u201d\u00a0 His smile was chagrined.\u00a0 \u201cI have to admit it\u2019s easier to deal with several hundred stubborn steers than it is to watch your brother suffer when you\u2019re the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to let go of the guilt you\u2019re carrying, son,\u201d Ben said softly. \u201cIt will eat you alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eldest\u2019s hazel eyes went to the staircase and traveled up to it to the unseen room just down the hall. \u201cI should have understood about Little Joe\u2019s attachment to the South.\u00a0 It had nothing to do with the Confederacy and everything to do with his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the irony is that Marie was thankful to see the back of it,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cShe suffered persecution here, but it was nothing like what she knew in New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m…sorry I said what I did about her, Pa,\u00a0 to Little Joe, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s graying eyebrow cocked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head. \u201cNothing that bears repeating.\u00a0 I was angry and exasperated with Joe and I said things I didn\u2019t mean.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 \u201cI think those words hurt him worse than anything that Carter Burl did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose and crossed to his oldest boy.\u00a0 He placed his hands on his shoulders and waited until Adam met his steady gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother will recover.\u00a0 There will be time to make things rights.\u00a0 You have to believe it.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher glanced up the stair as well.\u00a0 \u201cWe all <\/em>have to believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Adam, I\u2019m glad to see you,\u201d Sarah said as she came around the bend at the top of the stair.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe has been calling for you.\u00a0 He\u2019s quite agitated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Ben said and started to.<\/p>\n

Adam held him back. \u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 Joe wants me and I…want to talk to him.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at the beautiful woman standing at the bottom of the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, you were looking for an opportunity to talk to Sarah and well, here it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah looked startled for a moment, but then her expression quickly settled into one of resignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll wait over by the fire,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wear your brother out,\u201d Ben replied as he released his son.\u00a0 \u201cAnd, Adam….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d his son asked as he turned back.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome and get me immediately if there is any need.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

And with that, Adam disappeared up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Ben turned to Sarah. \u00a0You couldn\u2019t tell by looking at her that she had much of anything in her other than a white man\u2019s blood.\u00a0 She was a lovely girl with her deep brown hair and eyes and lightly tanned skin.\u00a0 \u2018Dusky\u2019 was a term for such a person and, in a way, it fit.\u00a0 Sarah was like a late winter evening when the stars were out and their light painted the fallen snow silver-blue.\u00a0 She was as quiet now as that fallen snow, but he knew a fire burned in her.<\/p>\n

One Carter Burl had felt.<\/p>\n

Ben sat on the table before the settee where she had taken a seat.\u00a0 He hesitated only a moment and then reached out and took her hand in his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you child?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question surprised her.\u00a0 She had, of course, expected something else.\u00a0 She thought a moment and then said simply \u201cTired.\u201d<\/p>\n

He understood.\u00a0 \u201cMay\u00a0 I ask you a personal question?\u201d\u00a0 When she nodded, he went on, \u201cAre you in love with my son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, it was not what she had expected.\u00a0 The lovely girl took a moment before replying.\u00a0 \u201cYes, and no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes and<\/em> no?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou son, Mister Cartwright \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBen.\u00a0 Your son is one of the most wonderful men I have ever met.\u00a0 They all are, but there is something special about Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Special\u2019 is a nice way to put it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> made her smile.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI love him with all my heart, but I don\u2019t think…I don\u2019t know if I am \u2018in love\u2019 with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how does Joseph feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

She let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI think he feels the same way.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah straightened and met his puzzled gaze. \u00a0\u201cThere is so much between us, not only where we were born but how we were reared.\u00a0 Ben, I\u2019m a slave.\u00a0 I have always been a slave.\u00a0 As a slave I am not even entitled to get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if you were free?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She blinked back tears.\u00a0 \u201cI will never be free.\u00a0 I…killed a man.\u00a0 And worse, I killed the man who was my master \u2013 who owned<\/em> me.\u00a0 There is no hope for me, Ben.\u00a0 You might as well put me in shackles now and take me to your sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is no hope, why did you kill Carter Burl?\u201d\u00a0 He had hoped she would tell him it had been in self-defense, but it seemed it was not so.\u00a0 \u201cDid he try to harm you?\u2019<\/p>\n

She set her jaw and turned to stare out the window.\u00a0 \u201cNot then, but before.\u00a0 So many<\/em> times before….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why?\u201d he asked again.<\/p>\n

Sarah looked at him as if she knew he would not like her answer.\u00a0 \u201cFor you.\u00a0 For Adam and Hoss, and most of all for Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head. \u00a0\u201cFor us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Burl had the law on his side.\u00a0 He could have \u2013 would<\/em> have \u2013 sent you all to prison and most likely seen to it that you never arrived.\u00a0 I could not conscience the deaths of your family \u2013 or even the death of your dream \u2013 happening on account of me.\u201d\u00a0 She drew a breath before finishing.\u00a0 \u201cMaster Burl\u2019s name is a little different, but his people are the Burwells.\u00a0 They are powerful enough to see anything done.\u00a0 If one of you had killed him, even in self-defense, they would have hunted you down like animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered Thom has said that about Maggie\u2019s kin.\u00a0 That they were the Burwells of Virginia.\u00a0 Their line went back before the beginning of the country.\u00a0 They were wealthy and landed people who believed they were entitled to all they owned \u2013 and much they did not. \u00a0President John Quincy Adams once called the family \u2018imperious\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo now they will hunt you<\/em> down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah\u2019s shoulders rose and fell in a little shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben squeezed her hand.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look she gave him was wary, as if she were trying to figure out his angle.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were<\/em> a slave.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see you get to Canada.\u00a0 It\u2019s the least we can do for everything you have done for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike almost get your son killed?\u201d she asked, her tone sharp.<\/p>\n

So Adam was not the only one suffering from guilt.<\/p>\n

Without knowing it, he had come to a decision.\u00a0 He was not one to lie \u2013 especially to the law \u2013 but there were times and circumstances that demanded it.<\/p>\n

This woman had suffered enough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam sat at his brother\u2019s side, watching Joe sleep as the late afternoon sun fell through the window curtains and struck his prone form, warming the color of his too pale skin.\u00a0 Pa was right.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fever had stabilized just short of too high.\u00a0 He was no longer delirious, but it was obvious he was in pain from the way he moved even in his sleep, tossing and turning as if in torment.<\/p>\n

He<\/em> knew the feeling.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed and leaned back in the chair and ran a hand over his stubbled cheeks.\u00a0 He forgot sometimes how young Joe was.\u00a0 Looking at him now, he noticed how his little brother was still all legs and arms that he hadn\u2019t quite grown into yet.\u00a0 Of course, that head of tousled curls didn\u2019t help. Even when Joe was on his best behavior, when he looked at you through that curtain of dark curls dangling on his forehead, you braced yourself. \u00a0You didn\u2019t know what was coming \u2013 the deepest laugh you had ever known or the deepest rage.<\/p>\n

God, how he<\/em> had raged.\u00a0 He had raged at this kid like he <\/em>was the spoiled brat, like he couldn\u2019t take a few insults about New England and Yankee blockheads.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s words had pierced him where it hurt \u2013 in that secret place where the dead mother he had never known lived \u2013 and he had struck out with everything he had.\u00a0 Joe had too, of course, but Joe was a kid.<\/p>\n

He, supposedly, was a man.<\/p>\n

Reaching out Adam took hold of his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 Joe was still very hot to the touch, but blessedly not on fire.\u00a0 He held his hand remembering the other times he had sat by his brother\u2019s bed \u2013 when Joe had the measles, that time when he was in his early teens and he took a spill from Cochise and nearly died; after Adah Menken\u2019s lover beat him within an inch of his life.\u00a0 The kid had a knack for landing in trouble, and each time they thought they might lose him it drove home to them just how much they loved the little scamp.<\/p>\n

How much he loved him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddmm…?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up to find Joe watching him with feverish eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHey, buddy,\u201d he said, falling back to the pet name he had used until Joe told him in no uncertain terms he was too old for it.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe bit his lips and then used his tongue to try and wet them.\u00a0 \u201cHot.\u00a0 Thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached for the pitcher and filled a glass, and then lifted his brother up so he could drink.\u00a0 After replacing the glass, he made to move off the bed but Joe\u2019s grip on his sleeve was so intense he stopped<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201c…sorry.\u00a0 For…what I said.\u201d\u00a0 His brother sucked in air. \u201cFor Fred….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam caught his brother\u2019s free hand in his own. \u201cForget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those green eyes, rich and deep as the pines, pinned him.\u00a0 \u201cCan…you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought about it a moment.\u00a0 Then with a smile, he replied, \u201cI think, if you can, then I can.\u00a0 Do you forgive me Joe for those hateful things I said, about you, about…Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s nod was feeble, but it was there.\u00a0 \u201cYou…too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 No hard feelings then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly…if I run into that…blockhead of…yours,\u201d Joe answered with a trace of his usual mischievous smile.<\/p>\n

Adam stared at his brother for a moment. \u201cJoe, I\u2019m only going to say this once, and if you tell Pa or Hoss, I swear I\u2019ll tie you to a fence post and let the crows have you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes went wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, kid.\u00a0 I just wanted you to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

His little brother\u2019s eyelids were getting heavy.\u00a0 Little Joe was close to sleep \u2013 real<\/em> sleep. \u00a0A trace of a smiled curled the corner of those lips the ladies longed to kiss.<\/p>\n

\u201c…love you…too, blockhead….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ornery to the end.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was a long week.\u00a0 A week of his youngest son\u2019s lingering illness.\u00a0 A week of Doctor Martin shaking his head and murmuring under his breath each time he visited and checked on Joseph.\u00a0 A week of worrying about whether or not his son would pull through, and seven days of watching Adam slowly let go of his guilt.\u00a0 Seven days, as well, of watching Sarah Spencer \u2013 the young woman who now had a last name \u2013 come to the realization that she was free.<\/p>\n

Free.<\/p>\n

Roy had come out and grilled him concerning Carter Burl\u2019s death.\u00a0 Ab Latham had told the story and blamed everyone but himself.\u00a0 Roy, of course, knew that Lathan was a criminal and he <\/em>was an upstanding citizen and so when it came to choosing which story to believe, the lawman had chosen to take his word for what had happened.<\/p>\n

To believe his lie.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t sit well with his conscience, but then neither did condemning a beautiful vibrant young woman to a life of servitude, grief, and pain \u2013 and maybe death.\u00a0 When asked about Sarah\u2019s part in what had happened, he told the story they had all agreed upon.\u00a0 Sarah had gone to tie up Burl and he had drawn a gun. There was nothing they could do but shoot to kill and they had no idea whose bullet had done the deed.\u00a0 Roy had listened, his keen blue eyes looking out from under the bushy roof of his salt and pepper brows, and said nothing.\u00a0 If it was as he said, it was self-defense.<\/p>\n

If not….<\/p>\n

Ab Latham was set to hang the day after next for the murder of Frederick Kyle, whom he was certain was only one among many that the southerner had killed.\u00a0 At that moment Ab\u2019s voice would be silenced forever. \u00a0Carter Burl\u2019s family had been wired.\u00a0 A representative was due the day after this. \u00a0He was coming to claim Burl\u2019s body.\u00a0 There was no way of knowing what repercussions they might face for the slaver\u2019s death, but face them they would if it came to it.\u00a0 There was really little anyone could do, and if Burl\u2019s people intended to reclaim what they had lost \u2013 Sarah \u2013 they would be sorely disappointed because she would be long gone.<\/p>\n

It had taken quite a bit, but Roy had located the man Thom Spencer had been set to meet with \u2013 the agent from the underground railroad.\u00a0 He had remained in the area hoping to make contact and had just purchased a ticket to return east after learning of Thom and Maggie\u2019s deaths. He was overjoyed to find that Sarah was alive and safe and offered to see that she made it to Canada and freedom.\u00a0 In fact, he was waiting just outside the door.<\/p>\n

Sarah was upstairs saying goodbye to Joseph.<\/p>\n

His son was mending, if not whole.\u00a0 The combination of the influenza and the beating he had taken at Carter Burl\u2019s hands had left him weak and not quite himself.\u00a0 After the fever broke, Joe fell into a languor, sleeping a great deal and not saying much.\u00a0 He knew, of course, that Sarah was to leave him and Ben wondered if that was the real <\/em>cause of his melancholy.\u00a0 Still, he wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 Joseph was a boy of deep passions and feelings and trying to get him to talk was like mining for silver \u2013 you never knew if you would strike it rich or merely search in vain.<\/p>\n

Sarah had gone up this afternoon as Paul Martin came down, announcing the crisis was over.<\/p>\n

He wondered what the pair were talking about.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe pulled himself up a little higher against the pillows so he could see Sarah better.\u00a0 She was beautiful, sitting as she was in the late afternoon sun that fell through his window.\u00a0 He\u2019d awakened that morning to the news that she was leaving.\u00a0 The agent from the railroad needed to return east and he was taking her with him.\u00a0 Once his business was done in New York, he and Sarah \u2013 and several other enslaved men and women \u2013 would head north to Canada and freedom.\u00a0 He wanted it for her so badly he could taste it.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t want her to go.<\/p>\n

A few moments before he\u2019d asked her to stay with him, to be his wife.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t felt this way about anyone since Amy.\u00a0 He was waiting for her answer.<\/p>\n

Even though he already knew what it was.<\/p>\n

Sarah took hold of his right hand and then leaned in to brush the curls from his forehead before planting a kiss on it.\u00a0 A single tear trailed down her cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess a fellow knows when he\u2019s not wanted,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Little Joe, it\u2019s not that,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 \u201cI love you….\u201d\u00a0 She held up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I don\u2019t know is how <\/em>I love you.\u00a0 As a friend, as a brother, as….\u00a0 Well, as something more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how I feel about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cDo you love me, or are you in love with the idea of who and what I am?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She squeezed his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cYou love deeply, Joe.\u00a0 Fiercely<\/em>, I might say.\u00a0 I think you see in me something, or someone you lost.\u00a0 Someone you couldn\u2019t save. \u00a0Except now, in saving me, you have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not your mother, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I want you to be like my mother?\u201d he asked, astonished.\u00a0 What he was thinking about was as far away from that as could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she laughed.\u00a0 \u201cBut I think when you look at me, you see her, and I am not sure you would ever see me as anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, I love you!\u201d<\/em> he protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do.\u00a0 I love you too, but I think we need…time.\u00a0 If we truly love one another as a man and woman ought to, then that love will grow and not diminish with either time or<\/em> distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in tears.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want you to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to. \u00a0Not only for me, but for you and your family.\u00a0 I need to know….\u201d\u00a0 Sarah paused and then her eyes met his, pleading.\u00a0 \u201cI need to know that you and your brothers and father are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t care \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

She pressed a finger to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cBut I<\/em> do.\u201d<\/p>\n

They fell silent then. So silent he could hear the clock ticking in the hall downstairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen will I see you again?\u201d he asked at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s safe for someone like me to live in the United States. When my people are free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe scowled. \u201cI\u2019m your \u2018people\u2019 too.\u00a0 If I\u2019d been born in the South \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you weren\u2019t, Little Joe!\u00a0 Thank God, you weren\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s voice floated through the open door.\u00a0 \u201cSarah!\u00a0 Mister Blevins is ready to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at him.\u00a0 \u201cI have to go.\u00a0 Freedom is waiting.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah rose to her feet.\u00a0 Before she left the bedside she leaned in, he thought to plant another kiss on his forehead.<\/p>\n

Instead she kissed him, long, and passionately on the lips.<\/p>\n

Sarah\u2019s fingers touched his hair.\u00a0 She smiled.<\/p>\n

And was gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EPILOGUE<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood in the open door of the ranch house and drew in a breath of air.\u00a0 He could smell spring in it.\u00a0 The front yard was a river of mud, there were still small patches of ice here and there, and the covering of pine needles was still brown, but spring was coming and long overdue!\u00a0 As he stretched and stepped onto the porch his eyes went to his youngest son, who was leaning against the corral fence.\u00a0 Little Joe was dressed in his gray pants and deep blue shirt \u2013 a color combination for the boy his mother had favored \u2013 with his head of tousled curls hanging down.\u00a0 For a moment he thought Joe was merely reflective or sad \u2013 he\u2019d been subdued and somewhat morose for most of the winter \u2013 but then he realized he had a letter in his hand.<\/p>\n

Someone must have made it to town to fetch the mail.<\/p>\n

At that moment Hoss came out of the barn with a bundle of leather strapping in his hands.\u00a0 His middle boy greeted him as he arrived and then turned to launch a quick glance in Joseph\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sure is in his own world today, Pa,\u201d Hoss said softly.<\/p>\n

Ben indicated his younger son with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s the letter from?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cRoy and a couple of deputies was heading out and they came by to drop off the mail that\u2019s been buildin\u2019 up the last few months. \u00a0Joe got to him first.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher looked again.\u00a0 Yes, there was a pile of letter and newspapers at Joseph\u2019s feet \u2013 in the mud.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled as he stifled a sigh.\u00a0 If he sighed every time his youngest\u2019s behavior warranted it, he\u2019d soon run out of air.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go rescue the rest of it before it drowns,\u201d he remarked tersely.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 lips twitched.\u00a0 \u201cYou do that, Pa.\u00a0 And while you\u2019re at it, find out who wrote that one little brother\u2019s so danged <\/em>interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded as he began to walk, though he was fairly certain he knew who the letter was from.\u00a0 His suspicions were reinforced if not confirmed when he saw the letter had been penned on colored paper.\u00a0 Ben halted a yard or so away from his boy and studied him, noting his muscular frame and that face that had come from his mother \u2013 just as hers had come from the angels.\u00a0 He would make a fine man some day.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the forgotten mail beside his son\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n

Some day. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph,\u201d he said as he bent to retrieve the bundle of letters and papers.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t quite the leap that he did onto Cochise\u2019s back, but Little Joe jumped a good foot.\u00a0 His son looked at him, then at the bundle, and swallowed hard. Twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d he apologized.<\/p>\n

Ben had been thumbing through the missives.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll accept that, but I am not so sure about your older brother.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s copy of the Boston Herald is on the bottom.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The rancher turned the bundle to look. \u201cWas<\/em> on the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe paled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s gonna kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps.\u201d\u00a0 Ben suppressed a grin as he nodded at the blue stationary in his son\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cSarah?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

That his son would forget everything for a girl?\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take much.<\/p>\n

\u201cI assumed she would write to tell us she had arrived in Canada, if not before.\u201d\u00a0 They\u2019d had a hard winter.\u00a0 The snow had come early as expected and fallen deep.\u00a0 They\u2019d been isolated for months.\u00a0 \u201cHow is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph ran his free hand through his tousled curls, shoving them back as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAmazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That was not the response he had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah didn\u2019t go to Canada, Pa.\u00a0 She joined Mister Blevins organization and is working to free other slaves.\u00a0 She said she can pass for white, so she\u2019s invaluable to them.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe paused.\u00a0 His face screwed up funny and then he looked at him, wearing the intense look he had when, as a child, he had been faced with a sum he couldn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that what I do, Pa?\u00a0 \u2018Pass\u2019 as white?\u201d<\/p>\n

It shamed him to think it, but thank the Almighty it seemed none of the ranch hands or townspeople had been privy to Ab Latham\u2019s vitriol.\u00a0 It mattered not one whit to him that Marie had had a great-grandparent who was a person of color.\u00a0 Most likely many of those who would have shunned his son for being Marie\u2019s were of mixed heritage too, but simply didn\u2019t know it.\u00a0 The United States was indeed a melting pot with peoples of all races and colors mingling and mating.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that would make no difference to those who would see his son as something \u2018less\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon,\u201d he said, touching Joe\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cCome inside and we\u2019ll talk.\u201d\u00a0 At Little Joe\u2019s hesitation he added, \u201cAdam won\u2019t be home until tomorrow at the earliest.\u201d<\/p>\n

His boy\u2019s hearty \u2018Whew!\u2019 had him smiling again until they reached the fireside and sat down.<\/p>\n

As Ben sat in his chair, his son took his usual \u2013 and oft-scolded \u2013 spot on the table before the hearth.\u00a0 He let it go this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, what does it mean to you that your mother had a great-grandmother who was a person of color?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cIt makes me kind of sad, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo think that people didn\u2019t see her for who she was.\u00a0 That they judged her for somethin\u2019 she had no control over.\u201d\u00a0 He paused. \u201cJust like I would have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you say that, Joseph?\u00a0 Haven\u2019t I taught you that all men are equal before the eyes of God?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 But, well, I guess, living out here….\u00a0 I mean, I never met no…\u201d\u00a0 At his scowl Joe corrected his grammar.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t met many \u2018persons of color\u2019.\u00a0 I knew there were people who were enslaved because they were different, but I don\u2019t think I knew exactly what \u2018enslaved\u2019 meant.\u00a0 No, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe hung his head and a single tear escaped his eye.\u00a0 \u201cMama would be so ashamed of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, look at me.\u201d\u00a0 When his son complied, he smiled. \u201cYour mother would be very proud of you.\u00a0 Life is about learning from our mistakes.\u00a0 A wise man once called it \u2018profiting by dearly bought experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA wise man?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Washington, who made more than his own share of mistakes as a young man if you recall.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son nodded.\u00a0 Joseph thought a moment and then he said, \u201cYou didn\u2019t answer me. \u00a0Don\u2019t you want to?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t answer you about what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cDo I just \u2018pass\u2019 as white?\u00a0 Am I…different from Adam and Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man rose and went to sit beside his son on the table.\u00a0 As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around him.\u00a0 \u201cAre you different from your brothers?\u00a0 Yes.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe\u2019s young form tensed, he added, \u201cEach man and woman is a unique blend of their parents, and their <\/em>parents before them.\u00a0 You three are even more unique as you had different mothers.\u00a0 Your mother….\u201d\u00a0 Ben drew a breath.\u00a0 He could almost see Marie sitting on the settee, looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cYour mother, Joseph, was a wonderful woman.\u00a0 She was spirited, intelligent, gifted, and loved.\u00a0 The Good Book says we are covered in our mother\u2019s wombs.\u00a0 That we are fearfully and wonderfully made for marvelous are the works of His hand.\u00a0 Our substance was not hid from him.\u201d\u00a0 His son was looking at him with those wide sincere and guileless eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 He wanted an answer.<\/p>\n

Sadly, there wasn\u2019t an easy one.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you lived in the South, perhaps even in the East where men are anchored to old beliefs, there might be those who would say you were a \u2018person of color\u2019, simply because of the blood that runs in your veins.\u201d\u00a0 When Joseph shifted nervously, he added, \u201cBut you don\u2019t<\/em> live in the East or the South.\u00a0 You live in the West where everything is new.\u00a0 What a man was before, what blood runs in his veins \u2013 even what color his skin is \u2013 doesn\u2019t count for anything.\u00a0 It\u2019s what he makes of himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there would still be people, even in Virginia City who would….\u00a0 Well, who wouldn\u2019t want to be around me because of it.\u00a0 Right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Some might prejudge you and shun you as they shunned your mother.\u00a0 Does that worry you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was puzzling it out.\u00a0 Finally he said, \u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just show them that they\u2019re wrong.\u00a0 That\u2019s what mama did, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He gripped his son\u2019s arm and shook it.\u00a0 \u201cShe sure <\/em>did.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment the front door opened and the wind blew in \u2013 along with Adam.<\/p>\n

Three days early.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa. The pass was blocked so I came back.\u201d\u00a0 His eldest hung his hat on the rack and turned to face them.\u00a0 His eyes lit when he saw the bundle of papers and mail.\u00a0 \u201cHey!\u00a0 I bet my copy of the Boston Herald is in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt Joe tense.\u00a0 In a second his son was on his feet and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Joe.\u00a0 Where are you going?\u201d his brother asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got chores to do!\u201d the boy called over his shoulder as he made good his escape.<\/p>\n

Adam winced as the front door slammed and asked, \u201cWhat was that all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben gave into the sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust life returning to normal, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Angst,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Civil War,\u00a0ESA,\u00a0ESJ,\u00a0Family,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0Marie Cartwright,\u00a0SJS,\u00a0slavery,\u00a0torture<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

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

Summary: An angel. A messenger. Sent to bring news, sometimes good, often bad. Which was this, the one who gazed at me? Had she come to reward or punish me? To return me to my family or cut me down as I deserved? Forgive me, Adam, Pa. Mama, forgive your little Joseph. If only, I had known\u2026.<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 for brutality and violence, minor torture, and some uncomfortable language.\u00a0 Story contains words in use by some people in the South during the 1860s such as ‘dusky’, ‘bright’, and so on when referring to African Americans.<\/p>\n

Word count: 71,074<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":30514,"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":[23,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-whn","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-13-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":5078,"today_views":2},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Side-over-shoulder-scaled.jpg?fit=2102%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41045,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=41045","url_meta":{"origin":15849,"position":0},"title":"A Shady Encounter (by JC)","author":"JC","date":"March 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Adam entertains an old flame. Could it be love the second time around? 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