Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe recounts the tale of his encounter at the lake with a not so proper lady.<\/p>\n
Rating: Teen for adult insinuations \u00a0\u00a0 Word count: 1598<\/p>\n
This story was written for the January Chaps and Spurs Challenge and was required to contain the following words: Health, Prosperity, Polka dots, Lead, Underwear<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Hot Day, a Cold Lake, and a Bare Brother<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam Cartwright sighed and shook his head. \u201cDon\u2019t! Don\u2019t say a word if you\u2019re not going to tell me the truth. If just once\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you promise not to holler or lecture or tell Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe simple truth?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother Joe nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI promise.\u201d Adam sat down, extended his legs, crossed them at the ankles, and fixed his eyes on the eighteen-year-old in front of him. \u201cThe truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, Joe, or so help me God only His intervention will save you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d Little Joe cleared his throat and then cleared it again. \u201cIt was awful hot. You know how really awful hot it\u2019s been, Adam. \u201c<\/p>\n I should have had him promise to be direct and concise. As if\u2026.<\/em> Adams eyes rolled. \u201cI\u2019ll give you it has been hot for May anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I was working in the sun, the blazing sun, and there weren\u2019t even a bit of shade, not a single bit.\u201d Little Joe paused for breath keeping his eyes on his elder brother.<\/p>\n \u201cHot day, no shade, go on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s not good for a body\u2019s health to get too hot; sun stroke can be deadly, you know. Pa always says to be careful of the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo he does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo when I got that piece of fence mended, I thought how maybe it would be wise to cool down some, and I thought as how a dip in the lake, just a quick one, mind you, would be just the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially as the lake was, what, only about ten miles away?\u201d The edge on Adam\u2019s words could be heard clearly.<\/p>\n Little Joe shrugged. \u201cAnyways, I went for a quick dip in the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPurely out of concern for your health seeing as continued hard work would have only benefited the prosperity of the ranch.\u201d The edge had grown sharper.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew you\u2019d understand, big brother. Health first is a Cartwright motto.\u201d Little Joe gave his brother what others considered a charming smile.<\/p>\n Adam was not charmed. \u201cGet on with it, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, when I got to the lake, I set my clothes on some rocks right out in the open on the shore.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam interrupted. \u201cIncluding your underwear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d A slight blush rose on Little Joe\u2019s cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there wasn\u2019t any underwear to be concerned with; is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s been awful hot!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe established that earlier. Still, a gentleman\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s temper rose slightly. \u201cIt ain\u2019t like you ain\u2019t never swum naked!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright chose that moment to enter the room sandwich in hand. \u201cNaked! Who was naked?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhom would you think?\u201d Adam\u2019s thumb indicted their younger brother. \u201cJoe was just telling me a true<\/em> little story about his day.\u201d Hoss caught Adam\u2019s emphasis on the word true<\/em> and settled on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did ya do now, Short Shanks?\u201d Hoss finished his question with a smile and a bite of his sandwich.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s mouth opened, but Adam\u2019s raised hand paused Joe\u2019s words. \u201cI\u2019ll catch you up. To keep it short and simple, we so far have a hot day, a cold lake, and a bare brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWent skinning dipping, did ya?\u201d Hoss smiled and then frowned. He had spent the whole day hard at work in the blazing sun.<\/p>\n Little Joe shifted from one foot to another. \u201cI was just about ready to get out and get some more work done when I heard something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that something was?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA buggy. It stopped and a female got out.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss grinned. \u201cA pretty gal, I\u2019ll bet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t really see her face very well. When I saw it was a female, I dropped down under the water like someone had put a load of lead in my drawers. I just shot straight down to the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut since there were no drawers nor any lead, you had to have bobbed right back up again.\u201d Adam leaned forward and placed his forearms on his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cDid she see ya?\u201d Hoss had lost interest in his sandwich and set it down.<\/p>\n \u201cNot right off. I went up and down a few times while her back was turned \u2018cause she was getting out a blanket. She spread it out, sat down, and settled in right there looking at the lake.\u201d The pink in\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s cheeks darkened two shades. \u201cIt was clear she planned to stay awhile, and there weren\u2019t no way I could sneak up to my clothes, and the water was getting colder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were getting colder not the water.\u201d Adam could not resist making the correction.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever! I was near turning blue and could feel things just, well, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShrinking?\u201d Adam glanced at Hoss and smirked.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s temper rose again. \u201cIf you two yahoos are gonna\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever we two yahoos do or don\u2019t do, you, little brother, are going to tell the whole truth to us or to Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe sputtered wordlessly, considered the probable reaction of his father, and decided to continue. \u201cWell, a body can get too cold too which ain\u2019t any healthier than being too hot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is why Pa never allowed us to go swimming in the lake before June.\u201d Hoss nodded agreement with Adam\u2019s declaration. Little Joe\u2019s eyes rolled.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyways, after a bit, I figured there was nothing for it but to call out and ask her to, well, turn her back and let me get my clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she?\u201d Hoss leaned forward as did Adam.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s cheeks turned bright red. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill you are here and clothed, even if not fully clothed.\u201d Adam\u2019s raised eyebrow requested the remainder of the story.<\/p>\n \u201cShe laughed. That\u2019s when I knew she weren\u2019t no lady. She laughed and said she preferred to see the show.\u201d Little Joe\u2019s voice had softened to a whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t!\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice held both shock and indignation.<\/p>\n \u201cShe did! Then she just sat there and waited.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s voice took on a pleading tone. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like she was a proper lady. A proper lady would have blushed and turned away. A proper lady would have left!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned back in his chair and sighed. \u201cSo when the not proper lady told the less than gentlemanly cowboy she intended to wait for the show, what did that bare cowboy do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I waited until I couldn\u2019t wait no more and then I just, well, I kind of dashed out of the water and grabbed my clothes and darted behind some bushes a ways down the shore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe watched.\u201d Despite his promise to tell the whole truth, Little Joe refused to mention the woman\u2019s continued laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cShe watched you reveal all your Adonis-like glory.\u201d Adam shook his head slowly. \u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got on Cochise and left. I don\u2019t know what she did then. But she sure enough didn\u2019t faint from the shock like a real lady would.\u201d Little Joe\u2019s righteous indignation rang in his words.<\/p>\n Adam chewed on the corner of his lip. \u201cYou have no idea who this not so proper lady was?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I didn\u2019t really see her face clear mostly I just saw her dress.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer dress?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was blue with little white, umm, circles all over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPolka dots, that\u2019s what their calling them now. It\u2019s after that dance, the polka.\u201d Adam felt compelled to supply the correct term.<\/p>\n \u201cThat the dance you and Maybelle was doing at the last shindig?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. It\u2019s become quite popular. I\u2019ll have to teach you and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes at his brothers\u2019 exchange.\u00a0 \u201cWell, she had on this polka dot dress and a big shade hat with blue flowers. I\u2019ve never seen a dress like it before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you would recognize the dress but not the woman in it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yea.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cYou\u2019d better hope you never have reason to recognize either one. If Pa\u2026”<\/p>\n \u201cYou promised, Adam; you promised if I told the truth you wouldn\u2019t tell Pa. I told the truth, and you promised!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI keep my promises.\u201d Adam glanced at Hoss who, of course, had promised nothing. Little Joe looked at Hoss too.<\/p>\n Hoss gave a sad shake of his head. \u201cI don\u2019t figure to go stirring in that stink hole.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s smile encompassed his whole face. He startled though when a voice rang out.<\/p>\n \u201cSons go get cleaned up. Get changed. Father send word he bring guests for dinner.\u201d Hop Sing accompanied his instructions with a myriad of gestures.<\/p>\n \u201cGuests?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMeet in town today. No warning. Always you think Hop Sing need no warning to feed all of Virginia City!\u201d Hop Sing punctuated his words by stabbing the air with his wooden spoon and then turned away muttering in his native Chinese.<\/p>\n Less than an hour later as he was buttoning his vest, Adam heard a buggy enter the yard. He looked down from his window to see his father on Buck and an unfamiliar buggy. He watched as a gentleman in a gray suit exited the buggy while his father went to assist the female passenger. As she took Ben\u2019s hand and stepped down, Adam\u2019s breath caught in his lungs. Then he turned from the window and began to laugh. He laughed until his knees bent, his stomach ached, and he had to lean against the wall with his arm curled around his waist. Finally, he straightened, rubbed his chin, and decided to at least give the boy some warning. Simple pity demanded that he tell Little Joe that one of their guests was wearing a blue and white polka dot dress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:<\/strong> Adam Cartwright, brothers, Family, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n