Summary:\u00a0 All sixteen-year-old Hoss wanted for Christmas was a kiss from Ellie Miller.\u00a0 He was so excited he set off for the Millers’ place before his brothers.\u00a0 Instead of a kiss, Hoss was soon hoping for a Christmas miracle….<\/p>\n
Rated: PG<\/p>\n
Word Count:\u00a0 8081<\/p>\n
A Christmas Kiss<\/strong><\/p>\n ONE<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, where\u2019s your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright watched as his ten-year-old son skidded to a halt.\u00a0 Little Joe was eating an apple and had to swallow before answering.\u00a0 With a grin and a nod, the boy indicated the gift-laden wagon in front of the barn that was up to its felloes in white.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s right over there, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019s kind of hard to miss.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, he could see his son \u2013 well, \u2018sons\u2019, if you counted Marie\u2019s boy \u2013 but there was another one that was missing.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Hoss?\u201d the rancher asked again as he stepped off the porch and into the gently falling snow.<\/p>\n When Little Joe reached the wagon, he looked up at Adam.\u00a0 Adam, who was in the driver\u2019s seat, looked down at his brother.\u00a0 Neither one of them gave him an answer.<\/p>\n It was apparent the two of them were hiding something.<\/p>\n Normally he would have pressed them to find out what it was, but it was the day before Christmas Eve and this was the one time of the year that he allowed his boys to keep their secrets.\u00a0 The three of them \u00a0were probably conspiring about what gift they were going to get for him.\u00a0 He\u2019d been peppered with enough questions lately about everything from whether or not his saddle blanket was worn out, to what kind of aftershave he preferred.\u00a0 He knew he wasn\u2019t an easy man to buy a present for.\u00a0 He had everything he could want or need.<\/p>\n Most of all, he had his sons.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d Ben asked with mock indignation.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not supposed to tell you, Pa,\u201d Little Joe began.\u00a0 A soft nudge on the shoulder from his brother\u2019s boot silenced him.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss went on ahead to the Millers, Pa,\u201d his eldest explained.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe and I are going to meet him there.\u00a0 Then we\u2019ll head into town.\u201d<\/p>\n Ah, the Millers.\u00a0 That explained everything.<\/p>\n Hoss had just turned sixteen a few days back.\u00a0 He was at that awkward stage between a boy and a man.\u00a0 Inger\u2019s boy was bashful.\u00a0 He had trouble expressing his feelings and was uncomfortable around girls.\u00a0 Except for Elspeth, the Miller\u2019s middle daughter.<\/p>\n Who, unfortunately, had no such problems.<\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss didn\u2019t want us to say anything on account of he knows you don\u2019t like Ellie,\u201d Little Joe blurted out \u2013 which earned him another nudge from Adam.<\/p>\n Ben sighed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t like the girl.\u00a0 She was lovely and had spirit.<\/p>\n Perhaps a little too much<\/em> spirit.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss wanted to give Ellie her Christmas present without\u2026interruption,\u201d Adam said, his eyes shifting to his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cSo he went on ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have seen him, Pa!\u201d Joe exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cHoss is wearin\u2019 his Sunday best.\u00a0 He spent an hour fixin\u2019 his hair and he smells like Mrs. Hanks when she comes to church on Sunday!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s brows shot up.\u00a0 \u201cMrs<\/em>. Hanks?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam let out a little sigh.\u00a0 \u201cEllie likes lavender.\u201d<\/p>\n He hid his smile.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou s\u2019pose Hoss is gonna marry her?\u201d his youngest asked.<\/p>\n Ben reached out and caught his small son under the arms and lifted Joe into the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose, young man, that it\u2019s a little early to start thinking about marriage.\u00a0 How about we think about you and your brothers getting to town and delivering these presents to their rightful owners sometime before midnight instead?\u201d\u00a0 The rancher looked up. \u00a0The snowflakes had increased in size and were coming down more heavily.\u00a0 \u201cAdam,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m beginning to have second thoughts.\u00a0 I\u2019m not so sure it\u2019s wise to venture out, considering the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, Pa!\u00a0 We gotta go!\u00a0 It\u2019s Christmas!\u201d<\/em> Joe whined.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe I was addressing you, young man.\u201d\u00a0 His little boy\u2019s eyes went wide and Joseph clamped his mouth shut.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be all right, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a storm, just a snowfall.\u00a0 Besides, Dan said it would be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDan?\u00a0 Dan Tollivar?\u201d\u00a0 Dan was the best wrangler on the ranch, but Ben was unaware that he was also a weather prognosticator.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s Dan got to do with this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDan says his knee\u2019s better at predictin\u2019 the weather than wooly bears,\u201d Little Joe interjected.\u00a0 And then added a quick, \u201cSir!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDan\u2019s knee,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be okay, Pa.\u00a0 If it gets too bad, we\u2019ll stay at the Millers or in town overnight.\u201d\u00a0 Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how it is.\u00a0 Mrs. Miller would give just about anything to get hold of younger brother here and fatten him up.\u00a0 The same goes for Beth Riley in town.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe crossed his arms.\u00a0 \u201cI keep tellin\u2019 them, I ain\u2019t gonna blow away in no wind!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t<\/em> going to blow away in any<\/em> wind,\u201d Ben corrected.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s mobile brows shot toward the curls on his forehead as he threw his hands up in the air.\u00a0 \u201cI know I ain\u2019t, Pa.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I said it!\u201d<\/p>\n He was surprised he had any nose left, he\u2019d pinched it so often.<\/p>\n \u201cLook Pa, we should be at the Millers by ten o\u2019clock this morning.\u00a0 That puts us in Virginia City around one.\u00a0\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t take more than a couple of hours to deliver the presents.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back before dark.\u201d<\/p>\n The older man looked at the sky again.\u00a0 It gave no sign of an impending storm, but then in this area of the country you could never be certain \u2013 of anything.<\/p>\n \u201cSee that you are.\u00a0 If, for some reason you do<\/em> have to stay over at the Millers or with Beth, send word home by one of the men.\u00a0 They\u2019re used to traveling in bad weather.\u201d\u00a0 He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cSince he\u2019s been laid up, Jim and Thom Barrett have been working for Hank Miller, and you should be able to find Cyrus or Billy in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think I should look in the usual<\/em> places?\u201d Adam asked with a grin.<\/p>\n He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope the two of them have enough sense between them to keep out of both the saloon and <\/em>the jail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll ask Sheriff Olin when we give him his present,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n Ben was staring at his youngest.\u00a0 Joseph was wiggling and shifting and making the wagon seat bounce on its springs.\u00a0 The boy was a bundle of nervous energy and excitement barely contained and, as such, prone to make impetuous and rather unwise<\/em> choices.<\/p>\n \u201cYoung man, I want you to \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cListen to Adam and do what he tells me.\u00a0 And don\u2019t take no\u2026any risks.\u00a0 Stay in the wagon and don\u2019t wander off.\u201d\u00a0 His youngest flashed a mischievous smile.\u00a0 \u201cDid I miss anything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t left me much!\u201d he laughed.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your hat on and your coat buttoned and your scarf around your neck \u2013 and one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n He leaned in so his lips were close to his son\u2019s curly head.\u00a0 \u201cKeep an eye on your older brother.\u00a0 He tends to get distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Adam said as Joe started to giggle.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd remember this,\u201d Ben said, daring to touch Adam\u2019s knee, \u201cI love you both, and I will be praying for you.\u00a0 May your journey be as safe as it is enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n With a nod of his head, his eldest boy slapped the team\u2019s rears with the reins and started the wagon moving.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you tonight, Pa!\u201d both boys called as they rolled out of the yard.<\/p>\n He was an old worry wart, he knew it.<\/p>\n Just like he knew he wouldn\u2019t relax until he saw them again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright cleared his throat.\u00a0 He glanced at his ten gallon hat to make sure he hadn\u2019t worked the rim right off by runnin\u2019 his fingers over it, before turnin\u2019 and facin\u2019 at the most beautiful girl in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cYour ma sure was nice to let us come out here on the porch and talk, Ellie,\u201d he said, because he didn\u2019t know what else to say.<\/p>\n Behind them, in the big white house, Ellie\u2019s ma and pa and her two sisters were decoratin\u2019 for the holiday.\u00a0 The Millers didn\u2019t do it until a couple of days before Christmas, and then they left the tree up clear until the New Year.\u00a0 Hop Sing would have their heads if they left a tree sheddin\u2019 its needles in the house that long!\u00a0 Of course, they put theirs up sooner.\u00a0 They\u2019d done it the week before.\u00a0 He and his pa and brothers had gone on an expedition to find it.\u00a0 Little Joe pert near busted a gut he was so excited since he got to pick it.\u00a0 Still, once the tree was in place and it came to puttin\u2019 on the ornaments, the tinsel and paper chains, they all got kind of\u2026well\u2026solemn.\u00a0 Mama had loved Christmas and, even though it had been five years since her passin\u2019, each and every year they felt her spirit there with them.\u00a0 Little Joe most of all.\u00a0 The poor kid ended up cryin\u2019 before they was done and spent the shank of the evenin\u2019 on Pa\u2019s lap.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone in to see him after Pa put Joe to bed and they\u2019d talked a bit.\u00a0 Truth was, he missed Little Joe\u2019s mama just about as much as his baby brother did.<\/p>\n \u201cA penny for your thoughts,\u201d Ellie said softly.<\/p>\n Hoss started.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Ellie.\u00a0 I got me to thinkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t sure he wanted to talk about it. \u00a0Thinkin\u2019 about Mama and Christmas without her made him all kind of misty and sad.\u00a0 The teenager turned and looked through the window behind him.\u00a0 The Millers was decoratin\u2019 their tree now.\u00a0 Mr. Miller was sittin\u2019 in a chair, since he\u2019d been real sick for a while, watchin\u2019 the others.\u00a0 Ellie\u2019s sisters were laughin\u2019 and singin\u2019.\u00a0 Mrs. Miller happened to look out at the same time he looked in.\u00a0 She waved and then went back to stringin\u2019 popcorn.<\/p>\n His fingers were ringin\u2019 his hat brim again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou miss your ma, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n The big teen drew in a breath and let it out in a little white cloud.\u00a0 \u201cI sure do.\u00a0 You know, Ellie, I\u2019m right happy for you that you got your ma, but when I see her, I cain\u2019t help\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Ellie reached over and took his hand.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why I like you so much, Hoss Cartwright.\u00a0 You\u2019re a sensitive man.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t know which word Ellie\u2019d used surprised him more \u2013 \u2018sensitive\u2019, or \u2018man\u2019.<\/p>\n Hoss winced.\u00a0 \u201cIs that a good thing?\u00a0 Bein\u2019 \u2018sensitive\u2019, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Ellie\u2019s laugh was like them bells jingling on a harness in the snow.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, it is, silly.\u201d\u00a0 She paused and her pert little nose scrunched up in that way he loved.\u00a0 \u201cAt least to a woman.\u00a0 Men can be such asses.\u201d<\/p>\n The big teen blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I know it isn\u2019t ladylike to say such a thing, but it\u2019s the truth.\u201d\u00a0 Ellie\u2019s rosebud lips pursed and she cocked her head, makin\u2019 her golden ringlets bob about her heart-shaped face.\u00a0 \u201cI think it\u2019s always best to speak the truth.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Elspeth Jeanette Miller was unlike any other girl he had known.\u00a0 She was beautiful as a May morning, with her sunshine-bright hair and crisp blue eyes, and real smart just like brother Adam.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t like her much \u2018cause she spoke her mind and didn\u2019t always mind her manners.\u00a0 Now, he didn\u2019t like to go against his pa much, but those were the very things that attracted him to Ellie.<\/p>\n She was everythin<\/em>\u2019 he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cI..ain\u2019t so good at speakin\u2019, Ellie.\u00a0 You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n She was still watching him.\u00a0 \u201cLike now?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think you have a question you want to ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI do?\u201d<\/p>\n Ellie leaned in, so close he could smell the peppermint on her skin.\u00a0 She and her ma had been making candy sticks when he arrived.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you want to ask me if it\u2019s all right to kiss me,\u201d she whispered into his ear.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo, ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n Everythin\u2019<\/em> on him blushed, right down to his toes.<\/p>\n Hoss indicated the window with a nod of his head.\u00a0 \u201cYour ma\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs otherwise occupied at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced into the house.\u00a0 The drawing room was empty except for Mr. Miller who had fallen asleep in his chair.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2019s your chance,\u201d Ellie said with a big smile.<\/p>\n He weren\u2019t usually one for takin\u2019 chances, but it were Christmas after all.<\/p>\n “Okay,” Hoss grinned, leaning in.\u00a0 He wanted to kiss Ellie, and he would have.<\/p>\n If her mother hadn’t opened the door at that moment and called them in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TWO<\/p>\n \u201cMistah Ben stop pacing now<\/em>.\u00a0 Dig hole in floor.\u00a0 Hop Sing have to fill it up!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stopped by the front door and turned back to look at his cook.\u00a0 \u201cThey should have been home by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClock strike five.\u00a0 Time left to be home before dark.\u00a0 Mistah Ben come sit down.\u00a0 Hop Sing bring brandy so old man can relax.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher snorted.\u00a0 Perhaps he was being a bit overanxious.\u00a0 It was just that the snow was coming down in earnest now and the drifts were building up.\u00a0 He wanted his three boys home and safe with him, not wandering about in a storm.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need a brandy, thank you.\u00a0 I \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey not home in two hours, you worry.\u00a0 No need worry now.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing was placing the plates on the supper table.\u00a0 The Asian man halted in what he was doing and looked straight at him.\u00a0 \u201cListen to own words.\u00a0 Mistah Ben find something useful to do.\u00a0 Make time hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n Those were<\/em> his words.<\/p>\n Ben held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 I have some paperwork I need to attend to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou take care of paper.\u00a0 Hop Sing take care of food.\u00a0 Boys come any minute now, you see.\u00a0 Be plenty hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes he didn\u2019t know what he\u2019d do without his housekeeper and friend.<\/p>\n Moving to his office, Ben took a seat behind the desk and began to rummage in the drawers, looking for a pen.\u00a0 As he did, he ran across a small leather-bound case tucked at the back of one.\u00a0 It shamed him that he\u2019d forgotten about it.\u00a0 Pulling it out, he opened the case and looked at the small painting it contained.\u00a0 It was one of his greatest regrets that he hadn\u2019t had a family portrait done before his wife passed.\u00a0 Life was so busy.\u00a0\u00a0 Needs, work, sickness, Sundays and Mondays, and mere survival crowded out\u00a0 the \u2018lesser\u2019 things.\u00a0 Each year around Christmas he\u2019d thought about it, but it never happened.<\/p>\n Until this.<\/p>\n Hoss and Adam gave it to him for Christmas the year after Marie died.\u00a0 They had an artist do it based on sight and individual images they\u2019d had taken over the years. \u00a0The trouble was the likeness of his beautiful wife holding their small son, with his two other boys behind her, had struck such grief in his heart that, after a short time of displaying it on his desk, he\u2019d hidden the painting away.\u00a0 Looking at it now, it brought a smile to his lips.\u00a0 Ben placed the opened case on the desk\u2019s surface in a prominent place.\u00a0 He\u2019d leave it there.\u00a0 The boys would be surprised to see it when they came home.\u00a0 It would make them proud.<\/p>\n The boys.<\/p>\n Why weren\u2019<\/em>t they home?<\/p>\n Ben sighed as the clock struck five-thirty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss, you can\u2019t go out into this snow alone,\u201d Mrs. Miller scolded.\u00a0 \u201cPlease wait until one of your father\u2019s men comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shifted in the saddle.\u00a0 His pa had leant Ellie\u2019s father two of their hands since he\u2019d been sick and couldn\u2019t keep up with things.\u00a0 It was five-thirty and they was off doin\u2019 chores.<\/p>\n It was five-thirty and his brothers hadn\u2019t showed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m right sorry to disobey you, ma\u2019am,\u201d the big teen said with a tip of his white hat, \u201cbut I know\u2019d somethin\u2019 is wrong.\u00a0 Adam was drivin\u2019 and he said he\u2019d be here mid-afternoon at the latest.\u00a0 Adam ain\u2019t never<\/em> late.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss frowned at the heavily falling snow.\u00a0 \u201cTruth is, I should\u2019ve left afore this.\u201d<\/p>\n And he would<\/em> have if Mrs. Miller hadn\u2019t put a midday meal on the table and Ellie begged him to eat with them.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, you\u2019re just a boy!\u201d<\/p>\n He drew in a breath and squared himself on his horse.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, ma\u2019am, I am at that.\u00a0 But Pa says sometimes a boy has to step up and fill a man\u2019s shoes.\u00a0 Seems to me this is one of those times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy pa\u2019s real upset he can\u2019t go with you,\u201d Ellie said, her voice as hushed as the fall of snow.<\/p>\n Mrs. Miller and Ellie\u2019d come out with him and were standin\u2019 on the porch.\u00a0 Their pa was in the house.\u00a0 Ellie\u2019s two sisters, Pearl and Mina, had their noses pressed up against the glass window and was watchin\u2019 them.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he is, and I thank him for it,\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 He sure did wish Mr. Miller was up to goin\u2019 with him or one of Pa\u2019s hands was around, but like Ma had always said, \u2018If wishes were horses\u2026.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d already waited an hour for one of the hands to show and Hoss just knew he couldn\u2019t wait no more. \u00a0He hadn\u2019t told no one, but he had a feelin\u2019 deep in his gut that somethin\u2019 was wrong and that the more time he wasted, the more \u2018wrong\u2019 it was gonna be.\u00a0 \u201cBut I gotta go.\u00a0 Adam and Little Joe\u2019s gotta be somewheres between here and the Ponderosa. \u00a0With this here weather, there ain\u2019t gonna be anyone else on the road.\u00a0 If they need\u2026help\u2026I\u2019m the only one gonna be able to give it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know that for certain,\u201d Mrs. Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right, ma\u2019am, but I do know one thing for sure.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t try and somethin\u2019 happens to one of my brothers, well, I\u2019d never be able to live with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n The older woman walked over to where he stood mounted on his horse.\u00a0 She handed him a canteen filled with hot liquid.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s coffee.\u00a0 It will help keep you warm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you kindly, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 He tipped his hat again. \u201cMiss Ellie.\u00a0 Now, I best be on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake care, Hoss,\u201d Ellie pleaded.<\/p>\n \u201cSend us word when you can that everything is all right,\u201d her ma added.<\/p>\n He would.\u00a0 Once he knew it was.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss sighed as he removed his hat and shook the snow off of the brim for the fifth time.\u00a0 He loved snow near as much as his little brother.\u00a0 Loved lookin\u2019 at it and smellin\u2019 it and watchin\u2019 the white shinin\u2019 snowflakes dance against a dark blue sky.\u00a0 Snow was one of those things that made him think about God, about how perfect everythin\u2019 was in Heaven; how beautiful and clean.\u00a0 He knew his mama was up there in Heaven watchin\u2019 the angels make it, along with Adam and Little Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 Pa told him, when he was a little pup, that he was silly for thinkin\u2019 such a thing.\u00a0 Pa might be right, but it made a right pretty picture in his mind, and who was to say whether or not God\u2019s angels had anythin\u2019 to do with it snowin\u2019?\u00a0 The Good Book said God \u2018hung the stars\u2019.<\/p>\n So why couldn\u2019t the angels pitch snow?<\/p>\n In spite of how cold he was, Hoss laughed.\u00a0 It was a picture all right.<\/p>\n Since he\u2019d paused to clear his hat, the big teen reached into his coat and drew out the canteen Mrs. Miller\u2019d given him and opened it and took a small swig.\u00a0 Closing his eyes, he relished the warmth coursin\u2019 through him. \u00a0Then he stopped it right back up.\u00a0 If somethin\u2019 had<\/em> happened to Adam and Little Joe \u2013 if he didn\u2019t find them sittin\u2019 at home sippin\u2019 hot chocolate and laughin\u2019 like puppies \u2018cause they\u2019d just plumb never set out \u2013 he was gonna need the coffee in that there canteen to warm them.<\/p>\n Hoss frowned as he pressed his heels into his horse\u2019s side and set her walkin\u2019 again.\u00a0 He weren\u2019t that far from home.\u00a0 Maybe, after all, he was<\/em> gonna find his brothers there.\u00a0 If that was the case, he\u2019d given up the chance to be snowed in at the Millers for nothin\u2019.\u00a0 Thinkin\u2019 about that made him a little mad and that was a good thing, \u2018cause it warmed him up.\u00a0 He was workin\u2019 up a right good head of steam when a break in the clouds caused a moonbeam to fall on the road before him.\u00a0 His horse reared up in fright and one of those words Pa didn\u2019t approve of escaped his lips as Hoss reined in his mount and shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, you!\u00a0 Up there!\u00a0 You could of got yourself killed!\u201d<\/p>\n It was a woman.\u00a0 She weren\u2019t no bigger than a minute, and was wrapped up tight in a winter coat, hat and scarf, so he couldn\u2019t see her face.\u00a0 Hoss looked around.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t see a wagon or horse, so he wondered how she got there.<\/p>\n When he looked back, she was gone.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in Sam Hill\u2026\u201d the big teen muttered as he slipped off his horse and headed for the spot where he had seen her.<\/p>\n Hoss knew where he was; a couple of miles outside of the ranch house, near the bend where there was foothills on one side and a big drop to the water on the other.\u00a0 The moon was still shinin\u2019, so he was able to see the road pretty well.\u00a0 Dropping to his knees, Hoss began to search for the woman\u2019s footprints.\u00a0 He was puzzled when he didn\u2019t find them, and even more puzzled when he noticed the tracks of a wagon\u2019s wheels.<\/p>\n Slidin\u2019 off the side of the road and headin\u2019 down toward the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stood on the edge of his porch.\u00a0 He was dressed in his traveling clothes and looking out toward the Virginia City road; his entire being poised to see or hear something.<\/p>\n But there was nothing.<\/p>\n Behind him, in the house, the tall case clock struck eight-thirty.\u00a0 Hop Sing was busy removing the dishes from the table.\u00a0 He and his housekeeper had eaten alone.\u00a0 They\u2019d talked over supper and decided that the boys had stayed at the Millers and that, due to the inclement weather, had been unable to get word to him.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what they decided.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n He\u2019d gotten up from the table, thanked his friend, and then returned to his office to occupy himself until the boys\u2019 return.\u00a0 He\u2019d done a little work, but mostly he\u2019d stared at the portrait sitting on his desk.\u00a0 The sight of it brought that final Christmas back to him \u2013 the last one he\u2019d shared with his beautiful wife.\u00a0 After the presents had been opened, songs sung and the Christmas story read, they\u2019d put the boys to bed.\u00a0 When they\u2019d finished cleaning up, they sat down together on the settee to enjoy a moment alone.\u00a0 Marie snuggled up against him.\u00a0 He could recall the scent of vanilla and spice on her skin.\u00a0 They\u2019d spoken of many things \u2013 the ranch, the boys; their future \u2013 before falling silent.\u00a0 As the last of the embers crashed to the hearth floor, throwing the room into darkness, Marie turned to him and asked if he was content.\u00a0 He\u2019d nodded and asked her the same thing.\u00a0 A second silence had fallen, so deep and profound he\u2019d thought, perhaps, she was unhappy and had never let him know.<\/p>\n Then she surprised him by quoting a poem.<\/p>\n \u2018Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear; too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>Marie turned, so she was looking straight at him.\u00a0 \u2018But for those who love, mon cher, time is eternity.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n It was at that moment that he\u2019d felt her hand on his shoulder \u2013 here in the present, sitting at his desk .\u00a0 So startling was the touch he\u2019d turned and looked, fully expecting to see her behind him.\u00a0 Instead, he\u2019d looked out the window.\u00a0 The night was white with falling snow, so thick the barn was obscured.<\/p>\n It was then he knew.<\/p>\n He knew something was wrong.<\/p>\n Ben raised his collar and stepped off of the porch.\u00a0 He heard a sound and turned back to find his cook and friend standing in the open door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou make hurry, Mistah Ben.\u00a0 No delay.\u00a0 Chop chop!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Perhaps Marie\u2019s spirit had visited Hop Sing as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first thing he heard was cryin\u2019.<\/p>\n Just as Hoss dropped off the side of the road, the moon done pulled its covers up and everythin\u2019 went \u00a0dark.\u00a0\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see his nose in front of his face.\u00a0 But he could hear, and what he heard plain as day was someone \u00a0sobbin\u2019 their heart out.<\/p>\n He was pretty sure it was Little Joe.<\/p>\n Drawing in a breath of the cold night air, the big teen called out, \u201cLittle Joe!\u00a0 Joe, is that you?\u201d\u00a0 When the cryin\u2019 didn\u2019t stop, Hoss slid further down the hill.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe!\u201d he yelled.\u00a0 \u201cPunkin, you answer me!\u201d<\/p>\n Abruptly, the night went silent. \u00a0Into that silence came a single word.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n The voice came from somewhere to his right.\u00a0 He\u2019d been followin\u2019 the rut of the wagon wheels, but when the light went out, he\u2019d kind of lost track of where he was and must have veered off.\u00a0 Hoss waited.\u00a0 When Little Joe said nothin\u2019 else, he called out again.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 You gotta keep talkin\u2019 so\u2019s I can find you.\u00a0 It\u2019s dark as midnight under a skillet out here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here, Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He was closer, but he still couldn\u2019t see his brother.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am, but\u2026Adam\u2019s\u2026.\u00a0 He\u2019s hurt, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Lord Almighty!<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m comin\u2019, Little Joe.\u00a0 You just keep talkin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It took a second, but he started movin\u2019 again.\u00a0 Soon, the teenager was slip-slidin\u2019 down the hill at an angle, makin\u2019 it about two feet for every three he tried.\u00a0 Suddenly, he realized that his little brother had gone quiet.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u00a0 You gotta keep talkin\u2019 so\u2019s I can find you.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you tell me what went wrong?\u00a0 Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n For a few heartbeats, his brother remained silent.\u00a0 Then, with a sob, Joe said, \u201cIt was\u2026me, Hoss.\u00a0 It was me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now, maybe it was and maybe it wasn\u2019t, little brother,\u201d the big teen said as his hands slipped on an icy branch and he nearly fell.\u00a0 \u201cThat don\u2019t make no never mind now.\u00a0 You just put that out of your head.\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong with Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s voice was closer now, but it weren\u2019t any stronger.\u00a0 \u201cI was horsin\u2019 around.\u00a0 One of the presents\u2026fell.\u00a0 It spooked the horse\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKeep talkin\u2019, Little Joe!\u201d he ordered.\u00a0 He was almost there.<\/p>\n \u201cThe horses spooked.\u00a0 They\u2026got all tangled up.\u00a0 The wagon\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss could hear the horror in the little boy\u2019s voice.\u00a0 \u201cWe went over the side.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The moon, well, it made up its mind to come back out at just that moment. \u00a0\u00a0His little brother was sittin\u2019 a few feet up from the shore.\u00a0 Behind Little Joe was an over-turned wagon.<\/p>\n Under the wagon, shoulder-deep in water, was brother Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THREE<\/p>\n A second later a bullet done struck him in the form of his little brother.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u201d Little Joe exclaimed as he gripped his wool coat with both hands and pulled.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta help Adam!\u00a0 You gotta get him out of the water!\u201d<\/p>\n The big teen pushed his little brother back and looked at him.\u00a0 Joe was soaked from head to toe.\u00a0 His teeth were chattering and, while all their skin looked blue in the moonlight, Joe\u2019s lips were a deeper, darker shade of blue.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you go in after Adam?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Little Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t\u2026pull him out, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s stuck!\u201d \u00a0Joe sucked in air as tears flooded down his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s gonna die and it\u2019s all my<\/em> fault!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, now, you listen to me,\u201d Hoss said as he shook the little boy gently.\u00a0 \u201cA horse spookin\u2019 ain\u2019t your fault.\u00a0 They do it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I dropped the present!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould have been that,\u201d Hoss said as he released him. \u201cCould\u2019ve been somethin\u2019 in the road, or just the dang horse decidin\u2019 somethin\u2019 was funny.\u00a0 You let that go.\u00a0 What matters now is Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d been moving toward his older brother the whole time he was talkin\u2019.\u00a0 Little Joe stayed where he was, which was fine with him.\u00a0 When Hoss reached the overturned wagon, he moved under it and into the water.\u00a0 As far as he could tell Adam\u2019s eyes were closed and older brother didn\u2019t answer when he shook and called him.<\/p>\n Turning back, he called out, \u201cLittle Joe?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn my saddle horn there\u2019s a canteen.\u00a0 It\u2019s hot, so watch yourself.\u00a0 You open it up and take a drink and then bring it here to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s in it?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2026it don\u2019t matter what\u2019s in it!\u00a0 You do as I say!\u201d \u00a0He was sorry he\u2019d yelled, but he heard Little Joe movin\u2019.\u00a0 Turning back to Adam, Hoss drew a breath and then slapped his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cAdam!\u00a0 You gotta wake up!\u00a0 You hear me?\u00a0 I cain\u2019t get you out of here alone.\u201d<\/p>\n At first there was nothin\u2019.\u00a0 Then older brother moaned and his eyes opened up.\u00a0 Adam stared at him for a second and then a little smile peeled back his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026a funny\u2026sort of angel,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m the only one you got.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss plunged his hands under the water and ran them over his brother, feeling for injuries.<\/p>\n The water was icy.<\/p>\n Adam turned his head toward the shore.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting\u2019 a canteen off of my horse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Joe\u2026okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s cold and wet and shiverin\u2019 to beat the band, but he don\u2019t seem to be hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes closed.\u00a0 \u201cThank God.\u00a0 My\u2026fault.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, didn\u2019t that <\/em>just take the cake!<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe thinks it\u2019s his.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes shot open.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0 I was\u2026joshin\u2019 him.\u00a0 Made him\u2026mad.\u00a0 He threw one of the\u2026presents.\u201d\u00a0 Older brother sucked in air and winced. \u00a0\u201cStupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you both was a little bit stupid,\u201d Hoss agreed wryly.<\/p>\n Adam looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2026weren\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026need you\u2026.\u00a0 Buffer\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss teared up.\u00a0 He sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it don\u2019t matter any which way. \u00a0We gotta concentrate on getting\u2019 you out from under this here wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s the canteen, Hoss,\u201d a small voice said.<\/p>\n He looked up at his ten-year-old brother.\u00a0 Joe was a bigger mess than the wagon.<\/p>\n \u201cYou take a sip like I told you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe made a face.\u00a0 \u201cYuck.\u201d<\/p>\n He guessed little brother hadn\u2019t learned the joys of a cup of hot coffee yet.<\/p>\n Hoss snorted and then he opened the canteen and held it to Adam\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you take a big swig, older brother.\u00a0 It\u2019ll warm your innards.\u201d<\/p>\n After Adam had, he said, \u201cThank\u2026you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou keep them thanks \u2018til the next time you see Mrs. Miller.\u00a0 It\u2019s her what insisted I bring it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow was\u2026Ellie?\u201d<\/p>\n Now if that didn\u2019t beat all!\u00a0 Here they was, out in the cold and under the stars, with Little Joe shakin\u2019 like a earthquake and brother Adam half-drowned, and he was askin\u2019 about Ellie!<\/p>\n \u201cA far sight prettier than you are, older brother,\u201d Hoss said softly.\u00a0 \u201cCan you tell how you\u2019re stuck?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRim of\u2026the wagon wheel\u2026I think,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cFeels like my\u2026belt\u2019s…caught.\u00a0 Hands are trapped too. \u00a0Can’t get to it.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can find it,\u201d Little Joe declared as he moved toward the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cI can work it free.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou stay out of this here water, Little brother. \u00a0You already look like a drown-ded rat!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I can\u2019t get any wetter then, can I?\u201d Joe snapped back.<\/p>\n Hoss didn\u2019t\u00a0 know what to say.<\/p>\n Adam did.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s\u2026got you\u2026there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBesides, I need you to brace the wagon so it don\u2019t come down on Adam\u2026or me,\u201d Little Joe added, his voice wavering. \u00a0The boy drew a breath and then looked right at older brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026sorry too.\u00a0 Forget\u2026it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s words were slurred; his eyelids heavy.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, Joe\u2026.\u00a0 Don\u2019t\u2026take any\u2026chances.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take any chances I want,\u201d the boy countered.\u00a0 Little Joe turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d do anything for you two.\u201d<\/p>\n Little brother didn\u2019t say it, of course, but they both heard Joe\u2019s other<\/em> words.<\/p>\n \u2018Even die.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was riding hard, though it was slow going with the snow so high.\u00a0 Fortunately, the moon was more out than in.\u00a0 He was able to see the road and <\/em>keep to it even though he had to push Buck hard to make him plow through the white banks lining it.\u00a0 The rancher knew he was foolish to set out alone, but he\u2019d lacked the patience to wait for his men to get ready.\u00a0 He\u2019d left instructions with Hop Sing to equip them, and then send as many of them on as soon as he could.<\/p>\n Heaven alone knew what he was going to find.<\/p>\n What he kept telling himself as he forded the snow banks was that he was a foolish old man; worse than a mother hen about his chicks.\u00a0 Adam was an adult at twenty-two.\u00a0 His eldest could well have a wife and children of his own by now if he so desired.\u00a0 Still, he wondered if Adam would ever marry.\u00a0 The boy had experienced such grief in his short life, losing not one, but three mothers.\u00a0 It was likely he would never take the chance.\u00a0 His middle boy was not quite a man, but Hoss was well on the way to being one.\u00a0 Since the age of twelve, when he\u2019d grown taller <\/em>than most of the ranch hands, Hoss had worked and lived among them.\u00a0 The boy was mature for his age. \u00a0Completely trustworthy and competent.<\/p>\n And then there was Joseph.\u00a0 His impulsive, impetuous, endearing and beloved child.<\/p>\n His baby.<\/p>\n Adam would take care of Little Joe, Ben reminded himself.\u00a0 Even if they had<\/em> run into trouble, Adam would handle it.<\/p>\n Unless, of course, Adam was unable to do so.<\/p>\n Glancing up, the rancher noted the position of the moon and let out a sigh.\u00a0 He\u2019d been traveling for over an hour and had gone less than two miles.\u00a0 He\u2019d decided to keep to the road as it was the most logical choice.\u00a0 With a wagon, the boys could hardly have left it.\u00a0 There were no tracks, of course.\u00a0 They\u2019d been obliterated by the snow.\u00a0 A very real fear gripped him as he noted the dark trees and the shadows they cast.\u00a0 Unless he spotted the actual wagon there was little hope that \u2013 if something had<\/em> happened \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t ride right past his boys, missing them entirely.<\/p>\n Leaving them to die a cold, slow death in the snow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FOUR<\/p>\n Hoss held his breath as he watched his little brother\u2019s curly head plunge beneath the water.\u00a0 The big teen had his back underneath the wagon, bracing it so that if it shifted, it wouldn\u2019t carry them all away.\u00a0 The moon shone down on the large body of water only feet away.\u00a0 The wagon had come to rest in a kind of channel, breaking the surface ice and plunging into frigidly cold water that was about a foot deep.<\/p>\n If it had been much deeper, Adam would have drowned.<\/p>\n As he counted the seconds, waiting for his little brother to reappear, Hoss whispered a prayer.\u00a0 He thought about those angels \u2013 and their mamas \u2013 up in Heaven and asked them to help.\u00a0 He talked to them on account of he was kind of shy when it came to talkin\u2019 directly to God, even though Pa and the preacher told him he ought to.\u00a0 It seemed kind of disrespectful somehow.<\/p>\n A moment later the big teen \u00a0grunted as the wagon\u2019s weight shifted and bore down on him, testing his strength.<\/p>\n Okay, maybe it was time to go to the Big Guy.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, you hear me?,\u201d Hoss huffed through gritted teeth.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep little brother safe \u2013 and older brother too.\u00a0 Don\u2019t matter about me.\u00a0 If\u2019n you gotta take somebody today, you can take me.\u201d<\/p>\n Plain as day, he heard God talk back.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, mon nounours<\/em>, but not today.\u00a0 You have much to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Or, maybe, it was Mama.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben could never explain what alerted him.\u00a0 The snow on the road remained unbroken, and there had been no sign of his sons, but he\u2019d felt the sudden urge to rein in his mount.\u00a0 Stopping dead in the center of what was a ripple in one vast unending wave of white, he sat there, considering his next move.\u00a0 Above him, the sky grew crystal clear.\u00a0 The moon and the stars shown brightly; so brightly that their combined light, reflecting off of the snow, nearly blinded him.\u00a0 He blinked to clear them and \u2013 for just a second \u2013 thought he saw a woman standing by the side of the road, beckoning him.\u00a0 As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared.\u00a0 A few seconds later the clouds returned, eclipsing the light.<\/p>\n Ben hesitated only a moment before he was off his horse and headed for the spot where he had seen her standing.<\/p>\n A fresh path through the trees led down to the water\u2019s edge.\u00a0 There was a sheen of ice on the water and it reflected what\u00a0 little light there was, casting an unearthly glow on the shore.\u00a0 At first he couldn\u2019t see anything, but then he spotted it.\u00a0 An upturned wagon.<\/p>\n Three huddled forms beside it.<\/p>\n His boots couldn\u2019t take him there fast enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His chatterin\u2019 teeth were still whisperin\u2019 prayers.<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright looked around him at all the torn paper and empty boxes layin\u2019 on the shore and sighed.\u00a0 If it had been any other time, he would have laughed at the sight, but right now he was too busy makin\u2019 sure neither one of his brothers passed before someone could find them.\u00a0 There\u2019d been presents for Miss Beth in the back of that wagon, along with Roy Coffee and Paul Martin\u2019s wives.\u00a0 Adam was wrapped up in the sweater Pa\u2019d had one of his lady friends pick out for the pie lady, and Little Joe was fairly swallowed up in long winter shawl meant for Missus Martin.\u00a0 There was a pair of gloves for Roy\u2019s wife too \u2013 Adam was wearin\u2019 them \u2013 and a new handbag for the Doctor\u2019s missus.<\/p>\n He\u2019d opened that right up and put it over Little Joe\u2019s feet!<\/p>\n Yeah, the good Lord had been watchin\u2019 out for them.\u00a0 Hop Sing had put a couple of food baskets in the bed as well.\u00a0 He\u2019d used that food to feed his brothers, along with warmin\u2019 them up with the last of the hot coffee from Mrs. Miller.<\/p>\n Now, all he could do was wait and hope\u2026.<\/p>\n And pray.<\/p>\n Hoss sniffed and wiped a tear from his eye.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard tell of other people havin\u2019 Christmas miracles.<\/p>\n He figured their family was about due one.<\/p>\n After fixin\u2019 up his brothers up as best he could, the big teen had plunked himself down beside them, linked his hands, and begun to pray in earnest, this time bypassin\u2019 their mas and the angels, and goin\u2019 right to the Big Man himself.\u00a0 Every once in a while, he\u2019d rub his hands together to keep his fingers from freezin\u2019.\u00a0 He hoped God didn\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n Maybe, he could say it was what the preacher called \u2018active\u2019 prayin\u2019.<\/p>\n Hoss looked at his brothers.\u00a0 Both of them were sleepin\u2019 \u2013 or somethin\u2019 worse.\u00a0 He wanted one of them to wake up and talk to him.\u00a0 All around him, the world had gone silent.\u00a0 Even the birds had stopped singin\u2019.\u00a0 It was like the night done took a breath and was waitin\u2019 on somethin\u2019 to happen.\u00a0 There was a slight haze rollin\u2019 off the water.\u00a0 It just about covered them.\u00a0 Hoss wondered how in the world anyone would ever find them where they was, way far down a hill, sittin\u2019 in the mist and mud.<\/p>\n Then he heard it.\u00a0 A voice in the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n If that was one of them angels\u2013 or his mama \u2013 they sounded like they done went and got a frog in their throat.<\/p>\n It was harder to move than he\u2019d expected, but he did it, lookin\u2019 left and right.<\/p>\n The call came again.\u00a0 Closer this time.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n Seconds later, the exhausted sixteen-year-old saw it.<\/p>\n His Christmas miracle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stood in his office looking at the leather case that contained the painted image of his late wife and their three sons.\u00a0 He\u2019d spoken to Hoss after coming home.\u00a0 The boy was certain he\u2019d been visited twice by Marie, first on the road when she led him to his brothers and, later, on the beach, when she offered him comfort.\u00a0 And while he wasn\u2019t exactly sure what he<\/em> had seen, he wanted to believe it was the boys\u2019 mother, sent from Heaven, to show him the way.<\/p>\n The way to save his sons.<\/p>\n Putting the case down, Ben moved into the great room.\u00a0 He breathed a sigh of relief and offered up a quick prayer of thanks at the sight of his three boys sound asleep.\u00a0 His sons had been half-frozen when he found them.\u00a0 Thank Heavens, none of them had been badly injured!\u00a0 Adam and Little Joe had sustained a few cuts and bruises, but that was all.<\/p>\n It could have been so <\/em>much worse.<\/p>\n His middle son had been the only one awake to talk to him as he knelt beside the three boys on the shore.\u00a0 Hoss explained how, only a few short miles from home, the wagon\u2019s horses had spooked and the terrified animals had taken his eldest and youngest sons down the hill toward what could easily have been their deaths.<\/p>\n It was nothing short of a miracle that the wagon had overturned where it did, which prevented them from plunging into the icy water of the lake.<\/p>\n Shortly after he found them, much to his relief, he\u2019d heard voices on the road above.\u00a0 Raising his gun, he\u2019d fired off three shots \u2013 the Ponderosa equivalent of a cry for help.\u00a0 Good old Hop Sing had thought of everything.\u00a0 His men arrived with containers of hot coffee and food, bandages and a medicine chest, and best of all, a hay-lined wagon with at least a dozen blankets to carry the boys home in.\u00a0 All three had slept through the short journey, Hoss and Adam, bedded down in the straw, and Joseph in his arms.\u00a0 His youngest awakened long enough to realize he was there and had latched onto him with the power of a grizzly.\u00a0 He\u2019d held the boy until they arrived at the house, carried him in, and placed him on the settee next to his oldest brother.\u00a0 Adam would not go to bed.\u00a0 He insisted he was all right and needed to be there when Joseph awoke.<\/p>\n \u2018All right\u2019 being a relative term.<\/p>\n As soon as they arrived, Ben sent one of the men to town to rouse Paul Martin and bring him out.\u00a0 All three of the boys came into the house soaked to the skin, with ice crystals hanging off of their chins and clothes.\u00a0 That was part of why he had left them where they were, near the fire in the great stone hearth.\u00a0 It was the warmest place in the house.<\/p>\n As the rancher stood there, watching his boys sleep, one of them stirred.\u00a0 Hoss lifted his head from where he lay in a nest of blankets on the floor and looked around as if confused.\u00a0 His son\u2019s crystal blue eyes fastened on him and he gave him a little half-hearted smile. \u00a0\u00a0Ben signaled to the boy that he should join him near the tree. \u00a0They\u2019d put it up the week before and placed a second settee on the opposite side, in preparation for their Christmas celebration and the neighbors who would stop by.<\/p>\n Ben sat down and indicated that Hoss should do the same.<\/p>\n The boy let out a sigh as he did.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta apologize, Pa,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot bein\u2019 with Adam and Little Joe in the first place,\u201d he confessed.\u00a0 \u201cI shouldn\u2019t ought to have gone off on my lonesome to see Ellie Miller.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess you\u2019re right,\u201d Ben responded. \u00a0\u00a0Hoss looked at him, startled.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, you do have that crystal ball that allows you to predict the weather,\u201d he added with a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I do at that,\u201d the teenager laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cSon, what happened was an accident.\u00a0 You\u2019re not to blame anymore than your brothers are.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss had told him about Little Joe and Adam\u2019s misgivings.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes things just happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor the best, right?\u201d the boy asked.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, that\u2019s what you\u2019re always tellin\u2019 us, that God means everythin\u2019 for our best\u2026even accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n His mind inevitably flew back to his wife\u2019s tragic fall.\u00a0 He wondered if Hoss\u2019 had as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s hard to believe at times, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused.\u00a0 \u201cTell me, what did you learn from the accident?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever to leave my brothers alone for one instant.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cBesides<\/em> that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was almost as deep a thinker as Adam, he was just less moody about it.\u00a0 His son pondered his words for a good minute before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess I learned a couple of things, Pa.\u00a0 I learned I was stronger than I think.\u00a0 I mean, about things happenin\u2019 and not losin\u2019 my head.\u00a0 I can tell you, I wanted to faint plumb away when I saw Adam lyin\u2019 in the water under that wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you didn\u2019t.\u00a0 You kept your head and you did what you had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike lettin\u2019 Little Joe go under the water to free Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss turned eyes filled with pain on him. \u00a0\u201cThat was one of the hardest things I ever done, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, why did <\/em>you do it?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n His son let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t have done it on my own.\u00a0 I felt\u2026\u00a0 Well, sir, I felt like God was with me and everythin\u2019 was gonna be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you learned to trust in God more.\u00a0 What else?\u201d<\/p>\n The silence this time was lengthy and profound.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice was hushed as he spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I learned that there\u2019s things worse than dyin\u2019.\u00a0 I mean, I knew I could die if I went in that water to help Adam, but it didn\u2019t matter.\u201d\u00a0 His son straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cI know you don\u2019t want to hear this, Pa, but if it came to it, I\u2019d gladly die for Little Joe or Adam\u2026or you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben placed a hand on his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 For a moment, he had no words.\u00a0 He wanted to say that he would do the same for him, but he wouldn\u2019t diminish his son\u2019s vow by doing that.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you would, son.\u00a0 Your brothers know it too.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss looked at his hands.\u00a0 Then he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI sure am sorry about losin\u2019 all them presents, Pa.\u00a0 Now all of our friends ain\u2019t gonna get any.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Ben said as he lifted his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI think when our friends hear why <\/em>they aren\u2019t getting any, they will think they got the best present of all.\u201d<\/p>\n His young son looked puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat present is that, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat they got to be a part of saving you and your brothers.\u00a0 That their presents, so trivial \u2013 given now, used up, and gone in a year or so \u2013 were part of an eternal chain.\u201d\u00a0 His voice grew hushed as well.\u00a0 \u201cThat God used them as he used you, to bring about a Christmas miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, shucks, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cIt weren\u2019t nothin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0 \u201cBut you are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally something!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next night the Millers came by to sing them carols and bring them some Christmas cheer.\u00a0 By that time all three of the boys were sneezing and coughing, though Paul assured him they had colds and nothing worse.\u00a0 That alone was a miracle big enough for the next several Christmases!\u00a0 Martha Miller headed straight for Little Joe and, though the boy protested, he soaked up her motherly concern and love.\u00a0 The second miracle of the night was that Hank Miller had come.\u00a0 Since his accident in the spring Hank had been in a melancholy state.\u00a0 Now he talked of the coming spring and of how he might handle the day-to-day chores of the homestead from a rolling chair, if it came to that.\u00a0 He and Adam were deeply engaged in solving the world\u2019s problems at the moment.<\/p>\n And Hoss?<\/p>\n Well, he\u2019d let his young \u2018man\u2019 go out onto the porch with Hank and Martha\u2019s headstrong daughter.<\/p>\n For a long-delayed and rightfully earned Christmas kiss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags: Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, brothers, ESH, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, SAS<\/p>\n