Summary:\u00a0 Fifteen-year-old Joe Cartwright dropped his gaze to the vast forest before him with its tall pines, low bushes, and tangled undergrowth \u2013 all of them buried in three to four foot high drifts. He was alone. All around him was silence and snow. Winter was a whole different kind of desert.<\/p>\n
Rated: PG-13 for mild language and Western violence and brutality<\/p>\n
Word count: 20,913<\/p>\n
A Different Kind of Desert<\/strong><\/p>\n ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n Fifteen-year-old Little Joe Cartwright halted where he was.\u00a0 The teenager drew a breath before looking up.\u00a0 The sky above his head was crisp with crystal stars that sparkled like diamonds in a sea of indigo blue.\u00a0 A steady snow was falling.\u00a0 As a little kid snowflakes had fascinated him with their infinite diversity.\u00a0 He\u2019d spent hours trying to look at them; letting them land on his finger and then being disappointed when they all too quickly melted.\u00a0 Pa told him once \u2013 when he complained \u2013 that nature was a reflection of God and God was using those snowflakes to tell him something.<\/p>\n He just had to listen and learn.<\/p>\n Joe dropped his gaze to the vast forest before him with its tall pines, low bushes, and tangled undergrowth \u2013 all of them buried in three to four foot high drifts.\u00a0 Now that he was nearly a man, he\u2019d come to understand what it was God was saying.\u00a0 Life was precious.\u00a0 You could hold it on the tip of your finger only so long before it vanished.\u00a0 The curly-haired youth turned to look behind him.\u00a0 His footprints were gone.\u00a0 There was nothing to show the way he had come \u2013 or to lead him back to the line shack where he\u2019d left his beloved pa, bleeding and maybe dying.<\/p>\n All around him was silence and snow.<\/p>\n His pa and his brothers had taught him survival skills.\u00a0 Adam was the best at it.\u00a0 Both Pa and Hoss would go only so far, afraid he\u2019d end up getting lost and die, whether in the desert or in the snow.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t have any qualms about taking him out and leaving him to make it on his own.\u00a0 Oh, he always knew older brother was there in case he got into any real trouble, but Adam wouldn\u2019t lift a finger unless he thought his life was in danger.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken him out into the forest one night when the snow was knee-high.\u00a0 Pa, of course, was away from the ranch.\u00a0 He and Adam sat around the fire talking about everything from surviving an avalanche to how to find food when everything was buried under snow or ice.\u00a0 Then, Adam walked away.\u00a0 He\u2019d never forget how quiet it was or how lonely he felt.<\/p>\n Kind of like he felt now.<\/p>\n Winter was a whole different kind of desert.<\/p>\n Joe raised the collar of his pa\u2019s coat up around his cheeks.\u00a0 It had a nice warm sheepskin lining.\u00a0 His own plaid coat was under it.\u00a0 Brother Adam had chided him when he picked it out.\u00a0 Adam said cutting a dashing figure when you were freezing to death was \u2018the height of stupidity\u2019.\u00a0 He hated to admit older brother had been right.\u00a0 If he\u2019d tried to do what he was trying to do with just his own coat, he would have been one more icicle by now.\u00a0 There\u2019d been plenty of blankets in the line shack, so Pa had insisted he wear his coat too.\u00a0 Pa was sure unhappy about him leavin\u2019 the shack, but there wasn\u2019t anything else he could do.<\/p>\n Sitting in the shack watching his Pa bleed out and die was not on his list of \u2018to dos\u2019.<\/p>\n Before he left he\u2019d eaten as much as his queasy stomach would allow.\u00a0 He had a couple of canteens filled with hot coffee on him and carried a leather satchel with jerky and such.\u00a0 There\u2019d been a pair of snowshoes in the shack and he had them on his feet., plus Pa\u2019s heavy leather, fleece-lined gloves on his hands.\u00a0 They were awful big, those gloves.\u00a0 His pa was a big man, just like Adam and Hoss were big men.<\/p>\n Big in size and in heart.<\/p>\n Pa\u2019d actually tried to raise himself up off of the cot in the shack, sayin\u2019 he\u2019d be the one to go and get help.\u00a0 If things hadn\u2019t been so desperate, he would\u2019ve laughed.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard someone sometime say that Ben Cartwright was \u2018a force of nature.\u2019\u00a0 He kind of tended to agree.\u00a0 His pa\u2019s anger was a storm movin\u2019 in.\u00a0\u00a0 When he was grieving, like he did after Mama died, his tears fell like rain.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s laughter was the balm of a breeze in the desert.\u00a0 And his fear?\u00a0 When Ben Cartwright was afraid, the world stopped.<\/p>\n Just like it had now.<\/p>\n Nothing was moving.\u00a0 There was no sound other than the beat of his heart and the inhalation and exhalation of each frozen breath.\u00a0 The moon cast deep shadows that reached out for him, as if old man winter was angry that he was still living.<\/p>\n Most likely he wouldn\u2019t be for long.<\/p>\n Joe sucked in his fear and started moving again.\u00a0 It was harder this time.\u00a0 The road was only a mile or so away from the shack, but it felt like he\u2019d been walking for hours.\u00a0 At times his snow-shoes would sink in a soft spot and he\u2019d have to work to get them up and onto the surface again.\u00a0 He\u2019d done it a few times now and he was getting tired.\u00a0 The road was their only hope, Pa said.\u00a0 They\u2019d have to pray someone was passing by. \u00a0What he didn\u2019t get \u2013 and he hadn\u2019t told his pa this \u2013 was that if God was watching and was going to send someone to save them, then why hadn\u2019t He stopped Pa getting\u2019 hurt in the first place?<\/p>\n They\u2019d been travelin\u2019 down a side road in a wagon, comin\u2019 back from one of the timber camps.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d wanted to take the men who were still there some Christmas cheer and he\u2019d begged to come along.\u00a0 They\u2019d had some trouble at this particular camp, and a couple of Pa\u2019s hands had volunteered to man it through the winter.\u00a0 Something spooked the horses along the way back and the team took off like the dickens, breaking their harnesses and disappearing into the night.\u00a0 The left rear wheel ran up over a boulder as they did and got bent.\u00a0 Pa was trying to fix it when the wagon shifted and came down on him.\u00a0 The jagged metal from the rim caught him in the shoulder and near sliced his arm off.\u00a0 It was a hard place to get a tourniquet on.\u00a0 They\u2019d stood there in the snow with him tryin\u2019 for the longest time, Pa\u2019s blood painting the snow crimson red, before Pa said they should make for the line shack where, at least, they would be dry and warm.<\/p>\n Joe frowned at the sucking sound his snowshoe made as he lifted his right foot again.\u00a0 It had snowed the night before, and then the morning sun had come out and melted it.\u00a0 Then, it snowed again. \u00a0There were patches where it was solid and others where it had icy pockets underneath.\u00a0 He had to choose carefully where he put his feet down.\u00a0 Sometimes a crust of ice would alert him, but other times there was no warning and he went in hip deep.\u00a0 His lower parts were soaked to the skin.\u00a0 He\u2019d had a thought and then put it off to bein\u2019 too tired.<\/p>\n Could a man\u2019s privates freeze and he still become a father?<\/p>\n Joe snorted.\u00a0 At the moment he was lookin\u2019 at dying and dead men couldn\u2019t have kids, so he guessed it didn\u2019t really matter in the end.<\/p>\n The exhausted young man looked forward.\u00a0 He wondered how far he had yet to go before he reached the road, just like he wondered what he was gonna do when he got there.\u00a0 Should he just wait in case anyone came by?\u00a0 Or should he start walking?\u00a0 He kept hoping and praying that Hoss and Adam were comin\u2019 to look for them, but he doubted they were.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d told his brothers they might stay overnight\u00a0 in the camp if the weather got worse.<\/p>\n Joe eyed the snow drifts again.\u00a0 It sure <\/em>did get worse.<\/p>\n Putting one foot in front of the other, he started out again.\u00a0 As he walked through the silent world, Joe felt the need of another human voice and since his was the only one to be had, he started to sing.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the best singing he\u2019d ever done, not like in the settlement at the Christmas service a few nights back.\u00a0 The song was the same, though, and it was one Pa loved.\u00a0 As he walked the words rang with fresh meaning.<\/p>\n \u201cO come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer<\/em><\/p>\n Our spirits by Thine advent here.<\/em><\/p>\n Disperse the gloomy clouds of night<\/em><\/p>\n And death’s dark shadows put to flight.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n The shadows were coming closer and death felt near.\u00a0 Joe clung to his pa\u2019s faith, \u2018cause his was kind of shaky, and tried to believe that Emmanuel was watching as he continued on.\u00a0 He kept singing too.\u00a0 It warmed him up and made him feel less alone.\u00a0 It made him feel more hopeful that he would make it to the road.<\/p>\n Right up until the moment when he hit one of those icy pockets and disappeared into it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright tossed and turned in his bed.\u00a0 He felt smothered \u2013 hot \u2013 and icy cold at the same time.\u00a0 He was in his room.\u00a0 The window was closed against the winter chill and the fire in the hearth was blazing.\u00a0 He should have been comfortable but he wasn\u2019t, and he couldn\u2019t understand why.\u00a0 Beyond the closed door, in the hall, he could hear people speaking in low tones.\u00a0 He wanted to call out to them \u2013 wanted them to come into his room and do something to alleviate his suffering \u2013 but he had no voice and no strength to do so.<\/p>\n So when the door opened on its own, he was relieved.\u00a0 He managed to turn his head and look to see who it was that had entered.\u00a0 It was a tall woman with graying hair.\u00a0 She was dressed in a dark blue gown and had tossed an ivory shawl about her shoulders.<\/p>\n It startled him to realize she was crying.<\/p>\n There were more words, but he still couldn\u2019t understand them.\u00a0 A cold hand touched his fevered brow even as he shivered.\u00a0 A tear fell on his cheek.<\/p>\n It was then he realized the woman was his mother and he was desperately ill.<\/p>\n They\u2019d journeyed to Losantiville to visit relatives.\u00a0 It was on the Ohio River and he loved to go down to the harbor to watch the ships arrive and depart.\u00a0 He and a cousin had sneaked out while their parents slept and spent the night doing just that \u2013 and returned in the morning nearly frozen to the bone.\u00a0 His secret had remained safe until he began to sneeze and then, to run a fever.\u00a0 He developed a cold and the cold turned into pneumonia. That was why he was in bed.<\/p>\n He was fourteen-years-old and he was dying.<\/p>\n As he pitched from side to side, Ben had time to regret his actions.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t afraid of death, but he knew what his death would do to his parents.\u00a0 No parent should outlive their children.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t a law in the Good Book, but it should have been \u2013 would <\/em>have been if it had been up to him.\u00a0 In his thrashing, Ben\u2019s gaze fell on the Bible in his room.<\/p>\n Suddenly he was on his feet and holding it, licking his finger and paging through looking for a particular scripture.\u00a0 The room was as hot as before, but he no longer felt a chill.\u00a0 It was the small figure in the bed that was sick and not him; a slender boy with a head of bushy brown curls.\u00a0 The boy moaned as his fingers grasped the rumpled sheets and he turned his feverish eyes toward him.\u00a0 His blistered lips parted and he asked \u2018why?\u2019<\/p>\n Just before he went silent.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright woke with a start to find himself lying on a somewhat unstable cot and buried under a mound of blankets, which explained why he was sweating.\u00a0 For a moment he was disoriented, and then he recognized the structure around him as one of his own line shacks.\u00a0 The room was dark and the air, growing chill.\u00a0 There was a fire burning in the stove near the foot of the bed, but it was low and close to going out.\u00a0 \u00a0The rancher roused himself and grabbed the covers, intending to throw them back and rise, only to halt and suck in air as pain shot through his arm and shoulder.<\/p>\n He was injured.<\/p>\n When had that happened?<\/p>\n Ben shifted up slightly on the pillows that backed him and examined his wound.\u00a0 The bandages that covered it were crimson with fresh blood so, whatever had happened, it must have been bad as the injury had not yet begun to heal.\u00a0 He cast his mind back but couldn\u2019t seem to remember what had occurred.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in a wagon, on the way back from one of the timber camps.\u00a0 The horses had shied and run, dragging one of the wheels over a snow-covered boulder tossing both him and Joseph out.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart leapt into his throat.\u00a0 Little Joe had been with him!<\/p>\n With one hand on his shoulder, Ben managed to turn and place his stockinged feet on the floor.\u00a0 He cast his eyes about the line shack.\u00a0 It was small.\u00a0 Only two rooms and one was for storage.\u00a0 The floor was empty, as were the chairs.\u00a0 His son must be outside gathering firewood.\u00a0\u00a0 The rancher\u2019s gaze shifted to the single window in the shack.\u00a0 The moon was high and bright so he had no trouble seeing the steady fall of snow without.\u00a0 He vaguely remembered leaning heavily on his son as they made their way through the storm.\u00a0 Joseph had worn his winter coat, but it was the light stylish one he had bought for him in San Francisco and not the sturdy thick one the boy used when he was facing the elements to work alongside his older brothers.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s gaze went to the accordion rack beside the door.\u00a0 The pegs were empty.\u00a0 Joseph must have worn his<\/em> heavier coat.<\/p>\n But if he had, then where was the\u2026boy\u2019s\u2026.?<\/p>\n With sickening force, the choice he had been constrained to make came back to him.\u00a0 Rising slowly, Ben found his feet first and then used them to limp over to the window.\u00a0 He gazed out, but felt the need to do more than look, and so he opened the door and stepped outside.\u00a0 There was a beauty in danger.\u00a0 Just like fire, a snowfall was strangely compelling.\u00a0 Something within him wanted to stagger out into it; to stand with his face lifted to Heaven and wonder at God\u2019s work.\u00a0 His youngest son loved snow.<\/p>\n His youngest son was out in it.<\/p>\n It had been over a day since the accident occurred.\u00a0 It had taken him and Little Joe several hours to reach the shack.\u00a0 Joe helped him to the cot, tended his wound, and then they\u2019d both set about ensuring their survival.\u00a0 Joseph had brought in wood and got the fire going while he limped to the back to check on supplies.\u00a0 Fortunately, the line shack had been used sparingly since the last run to stock it. They had plenty of food and blankets, and there had even been a rudimentary medical kit.<\/p>\n He\u2019d have to remember to thank Hop Sing for that when they got home!<\/p>\n His young son had been so brave.\u00a0 Joseph had paled as he cleaned out the wound, but he had persevered until the heinous task was done.\u00a0 The bandage he placed over it was quite professional.\u00a0 With a cock of his head and that smile he had, his boy reminded him of how many times Doc Martin had done the same thing for him.<\/p>\n \u2018I guess you didn\u2019t notice, Pa,\u2019 Little Joe said with a wink.\u00a0 \u2018I was <\/em>payin\u2019 attention.\u2019<\/p>\n Ben retreated a few steps and took hold of the door latch to steady himself.\u00a0 It had taken less than a half hour for the bandage his son had applied to soak through.\u00a0 The procedure was repeated two more times before the sun reached its zenith.\u00a0 Little Joe cooked lunch and brought it to him while he lay in the bed.<\/p>\n The boy watched him eat in silence and then said, \u2018Pa, I gotta go for help.\u00a0 You\u2019re losing too much blood.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t gonna last the day without it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018No,\u2019 he\u2019d replied, his tone adamant. \u201cIt\u2019s too dangerous.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018But Pa, Adam and Hoss taught me what to do.\u00a0 I can make it to the road.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Joseph, you\u2019ve just turned fifteen,\u201d he countered.\u00a0 \u201cYou are far too inexperienced to venture out in a winter storm alone.\u2019<\/p>\n His son\u2019s jaw had set in that way he had.\u00a0 Marie told him often enough that it was a mirror of his own stubborn, determined will.<\/p>\n The pair of them squared off like two rams ready for a fight.<\/p>\n \u2018I been on my own in the snow before, Pa.\u00a0 I know what to do.\u2019\u00a0 The boy\u2019d hesitated and then added, \u2018Adam took me out.\u00a0 He left me on my own when I was twelve.\u00a0 I got home all right.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Your brother did what?\u201d\u00a0 The mountain lions in the nearby hills couldn\u2019t have roared any louder.\u00a0 \u2018Without my permission?!\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Adam knew you\u2019d never give <\/em>permission, Pa,\u2019 his son stated flatly.\u00a0 \u2018He wanted me to be prepared in case I ever ended up on my own in the snow.\u2019<\/p>\n His eldest son had been right, of course.<\/p>\n He would be the first to admit that he coddled Marie\u2019s boy.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t pamper him or let him get by with things, but he did keep Little Joe close and feared for the boy\u2019s safety more than his brothers.\u00a0 One of the reasons was Joseph\u2019s nature.\u00a0 He tended to leap long before he looked.<\/p>\n The other was the loss of his mother.<\/p>\n \u2018It wasn\u2019t necessary and it was not your brother\u2019s decision to make,\u2019 he\u2019d said through teeth gritted against pain.\u00a0 \u2018I would never allow you to be put in such a position \u2013 \u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Like the position I\u2019m in now?\u2019 his son had asked him quietly.<\/p>\n \u2018You are not <\/em>going out into the snow on your own!\u2019 he\u2019d insisted.\u00a0 \u2018Now or ever!\u2019<\/p>\n The boy sat there, looking at him for several heartbeats, and then he\u2019d thrust a knife into his heart.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m not Mama.\u00a0 I\u2019m not gonna die.\u00a0 I\u2019ll come back, I promise, but I got to get you help.\u2019\u00a0 A tear had trailed down his son\u2019s cheek as he reached out and touched his face.\u00a0 \u2018You\u2019re the one who\u2019s gonna die , Pa, if I don\u2019t.\u00a0 I gotta try.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you see?\u2019<\/p>\n He\u2019d protested and delayed and denied and refused for several more hours until it became apparent that his wound was not going to close on its own.\u00a0 He sat on the edge of the cot and watched as Joseph put on his light plaid coat and topped it with his heavier one; as the boy wrapped one scarf around his neck and tied another over his head, topping it with his hat.\u00a0 Last of all his son pulled on his thick winter gloves and took hold of the snowshoes that rested under the window.\u00a0 They\u2019d said their goodbyes before, but Little Joe hesitated at the door and turned back.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ll be back as soon as I can,\u2019 he said.\u00a0 \u2018I love you, Pa.\u2019<\/p>\n He loved his son too.\u00a0 That was why he let Little Joe go, so the boy might have a chance to live and \u00a0so he wouldn\u2019t have to watch him die.<\/p>\n Like he had his mother.<\/p>\n His head had begun to reel and so Ben returned to the cot.\u00a0 He dropped heavily onto it and leaned back against the pillows, resting his aching shoulder.\u00a0 He\u2019d reared his boys well.\u00a0 He\u2019d brought them up to know right from wrong and to know what mattered.\u00a0 He\u2019d taught them everything he knew and brought in others who knew better than him to fill in the gaps.\u00a0 They were strong, capable, and competent men.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s gaze returned to the door, now closed fast against the winter storm raging outside.\u00a0 He let out a sigh.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam were men.\u00a0 Joseph was a boy, no matter how loud he protested.<\/p>\n \u201cGod,\u201d he whispered as he drifted off into a restive sleep, \u201cprotect my boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n Adam Cartwright was seated by the great stone fireplace.\u00a0 The logs were ablaze, radiating warmth on a cold and bitter night.\u00a0 He\u2019d indulged himself by finishing off a bottle of his father\u2019s French brandy and had just opened the first page of a fascinating new book on Roman architecture, when the door opened and Hoss blew in along with a tempest of snow and wind.<\/p>\n Adam waited a moment and then called out, \u201cClose the door, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Adam?\u00a0 The weather a little too brisk for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s cold as iron out there,\u201d he said as he rose and went to stoke the fire.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re letting the heat escape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you\u2019re hot enough to keep both of us warm, older brother,\u201d the big man replied as he closed the door and fastened the latch.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s got you riled?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cSorry\u2026.sorry.\u00a0 I guess I was in my own world.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at his brother and noted that he was covered in snow from the top of his ten gallon hat to the bottom of his size sixteen boot.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want me to get you a brandy?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was eyeing the empty bottle on the table in front of the fire.\u00a0 \u201cLooks to me like you done a right good job of polishin\u2019 it off, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThere was only a glass\u2026or three left in it.\u201d<\/p>\n The big man snorted as he worked his way out of his coat and hung it on the peg by the door.\u00a0 Hoss looked down at the puddle of melting snow at his feet, and then up at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing\u2019s gonna kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWipe it up.\u00a0 He\u2019ll never know.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss gave him a look of pure astonishment.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure have <\/em>been drinkin\u2019 that brandy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam said, resuming his seat.\u00a0 \u201cI just have inside knowledge.\u00a0 Hop Sing left before the storm hit.\u00a0 There was a knock on the door earlier and I opened it to find one of his countless cousins on the porch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe went out in this weather?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned forward in imitation of a bow.\u00a0 \u201cCousin number eleven work on railroad in Wisconsin.\u00a0 Long time, no see.\u00a0 Humbly beg Hop Sing to attend party in his honor in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss chuckled, but sobered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI sure hope they got to town afore this last squall hit.\u00a0 It\u2019s plain unpleasant out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, take off your wet boots and put your feet on the table and roast them.\u201d\u00a0 Adam lifted his glass.\u00a0 \u201cPa isn\u2019t here.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss had been in the field, checking on the stock, so he was unaware of Pa playing Father Christmas to the men.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, Pa ain\u2019t here?\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused.\u00a0 \u201cCome to think of it, it\u2019s too dang quiet.\u00a0 Did little brother go with him?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how the Hawthorne brothers volunteered to stay in the timber camp due to the trouble we\u2019ve had with trees being felled during the off-season? \u00a0Pa got a burr under his saddle to take them some Christmas cheer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn this weather?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t so bad here.\u00a0 There was a break and that\u2019s when he and Little Joe took off.\u00a0 Pa said they\u2019d stay overnight in the camp if it got too bad.\u201d\u00a0 He looked his brother up and down.\u00a0 The snow was just melting off of his eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the looks of it, I don\u2019t expect them back before tomorrow, or maybe even the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOld Charlie said the storm was gonna lay down another couple feet and then be over by morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still alive then.\u00a0 When did you see him?\u201d<\/p>\n Old Charlie was an ageless Paiute who lived on their land north of the house.\u00a0 They might go a year without seeing him but then, when they least expected it, he would show up.<\/p>\n \u201cI was checking in on the herd and saw him riding past on that paint pony of his.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stretched his hands out toward the fire.\u00a0 \u201cWe talked a minute before he rode up the ridge and into the trees.\u00a0 You know, Adam?\u00a0 Sometimes he seems like more of a ghost than a man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA substantial ghost.\u201d<\/p>\n Not all that long ago \u2013 a couple of years, maybe \u2013 Old Charlie had taken out an outlaw on the run with a single shot of his bow.\u00a0 He\u2019d been a formidable warrior at one time, before age and illness had leveled the playing field.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t known him then.\u00a0 He\u2019d shown up on their land about the time Marie died and kept mostly to himself.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d talked to him and decided to let him be even though he was trespassing.\u00a0 He said the white man had driven the red man off of this land and it was the least he could do to give a small piece of it back for as long as the aged warrior lived.<\/p>\n In the meantime, Old Charlie had become a bit of a legend.<\/p>\n Hoss had risen and turned his backside to the fire.\u00a0 That put him facing the door and his frown returned.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t suppose something happened \u2013 to Pa and Little Joe, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you think that?\u00a0 You know how it is.\u00a0 Delays happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, it\u2019s just\u2026well\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He knew what his brother was going to say.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe were joined at the hip.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2019s with him,\u201d he said, stifling a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Adam.\u00a0 Maybe it was meetin\u2019 up with Old Charlie.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss walked to the door and opened it and looked out.\u00a0 \u201cI hate to think of them out there in this storm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome back and get dried off.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing you can do about it tonight and catching a cold isn\u2019t going to help matters any.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t go tonight,\u201d the big man said as he closed the door.\u00a0 \u201cBut I sure enough can go at first light. \u00a0And that\u2019s what I\u2019m gonna do, big brother, and don\u2019t you try to stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t worried, not really. \u00a0Pa said they might not be back until tomorrow.\u00a0 Hopefully by the time the sun was up and Hoss was ready to go, he and Little Joe would have returned, safe and sound.<\/p>\n If not, well\u2026.<\/p>\n Hoss might be twenty-one, but he wasn\u2019t so old he still didn\u2019t need his big brother to look out for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben spent a few restless hours seeking sleep and finding precious little of it.\u00a0 Between his concern for his son and his throbbing wound, it was about all he could do to sit still.\u00a0 And yet, pacing was out of the question.\u00a0 He\u2019d lost too much blood and his fever was on the rise.\u00a0 At times he felt like he was drifting away on the air and, at other times, like he was made of lead.\u00a0 He\u2019d managed to get back on his feet and made it to the stove, where he tossed in another log to keep the fire going.\u00a0 Since he was up, he\u2019d ferreted out some oats and put them on the top of the wood stove to cook.\u00a0 The scent of food put his stomach off, but he knew he had to eat if he had any chance of surviving long enough for Joseph to return.<\/p>\n And his son would<\/em> return.<\/p>\n He kept telling himself that too little time had passed to be worried.\u00a0 That, with the snow as deep and as high as it was, it would take the boy several hours to make his way to the road \u2013 and then Joe would have to wait for some passerby.\u00a0 There was no way Little Joe could have made it back by now.<\/p>\n So he was doubly startled when he heard the nicker and answering blow of a pair of horses just outside the door.<\/p>\n He\u2019d taken to using a broom he\u2019d found in the storeroom as a cane.\u00a0 Hobbling, the wounded man made his way to the door.\u00a0 His sidearm was hanging on a chair-back by it and Ben caught it up as he passed, though he doubted he would have the strength to wield it.\u00a0 Still, the sight of a weapon might be enough to frighten whoever was out there should the need arise.<\/p>\n Ben drew a breath and called out, \u201cI know you\u2019re out there!\u00a0 Identify yourself!\u201d\u00a0 Then he quickly whispered a prayer that it would be his son who answered.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 It was a man; his voice rough as hemp.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name\u2019s Cato Becket.\u00a0 I\u2019d open the door if I was you.\u00a0 I got something belongs to you.\u00a0 I might just have to toss it back in the snow and let it freeze to death if\u2019n you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher\u2019s whole frame stiffened.\u00a0 Ben considered looking out the window, but imagined his reward would be a bullet in the brain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you have?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you don\u2019t want it back,\u201d the man drawled.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t look like much, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know this thing belongs to me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now, ain\u2019t you just full of questions?\u00a0 I know on account of it told me before it passed out.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cI could be wrong about that, though.\u00a0 It might have gone on to be with Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n The sick feeling in Ben\u2019s stomach had grown to the point where bile rose into his throat.\u00a0 The rancher drew several deep breaths to steady himself and opened the door.\u00a0 Without, were two ragged figures \u2013 a tall broad man and a small, slender woman.<\/p>\n His son was in the man\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n The stranger sneered.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna let us in now, or you want I should throw it back?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben exploded with anger.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not an \u2018it\u2019, he\u2019s my son!\u201d<\/p>\n A sly smile curled the man\u2019s upper lip toward the unruly mustache that topped it.\u00a0 \u201cI told you, Emmy.\u00a0 I knew I\u2019d see\u2019d the boy before.\u00a0 This here is Ben Cartwright, owner of the Ponderosa.\u201d His sneer widened into an avaricious grin.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one wealthy man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018If looks could kill<\/em>,\u2019 Ben thought as he glared at the man.\u00a0 \u201cPut the boy on the cot.\u00a0 I need to see to him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUsed to givin\u2019 orders, ain\u2019t you, Cartwright?\u201d the stranger growled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m the one in control here.\u00a0 You\u2019ll do what I say or I\u2019ll take this boy and toss him out into the drifts where you won\u2019t never find him.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman touched his arm.\u00a0 \u201cCato, no.\u00a0 He\u2019s just a child!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou keep quiet, woman!\u201d Cato snapped as he shook her off.\u00a0 Then his eyes returned to him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019ll it be, Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had been observing Joseph during their exchange.\u00a0 His son had not moved.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s skin, where he could see it, was covered with a light coating of frost.\u00a0 Joseph was still in his coat and wore his gloves, but his hat had been lost somewhere along the way.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s curls, long enough now to be a riverboat gambler\u2019s, looked like the tips were frosted.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see his son\u2019s face, but he feared what he would find when he did.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re in charge,\u201d Ben said, masking his rage as fear.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, let me see to my son.\u201d<\/p>\n Cato chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNow, that\u2019s a sight better.\u00a0 Emmy, you go see if you can rustle up some grub \u2013 and a pot of coffee.\u201d\u00a0 The woman was obviously intimidated.\u00a0 She scrambled to do the vile man\u2019s bidding.\u00a0 Cato watched until she\u2019d disappeared into the store room and then dropped Joseph on the spot.<\/p>\n His son made no sound as his limp body hit the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had no call to do that!\u201d Ben exclaimed as he dropped to his knees beside his boy.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you see he\u2019s ill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can see if the great Ben Cartwright kneelin\u2019 at Cato Becket\u2019s feet,\u201d he sneered.\u00a0 \u201cSides, this way, it\u2019s gonna take all your strength just to get him to the bed.\u00a0 The way I see it, that means you won\u2019t have any left for causin\u2019 trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the brigand was right about that!<\/p>\n Stifling a groan, Ben reached out to touch his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s skin was waxen; its color fish-belly white.\u00a0 His cheek felt tight beneath his fingers and he was cold \u2013 so <\/em>cold.\u00a0 Pulling the boy\u2019s gloves off, he discovered Joe\u2019s fingers were blue-white as well as swollen.\u00a0 Desperate, he looked up at the man and pleaded, \u201cPlease, help me get Joseph to the cot.\u00a0 I have to warm him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do it too fast, old man,\u201d Cato said as he accepted a bowl of the oatmeal that had been cooking and walked heartlessly to the table where he sat down to consume it.\u00a0 \u201cOr you may kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think I know that?\u201d Ben snarled, and then thought better of it.\u00a0 His late wife had told him his temper was every bit as volatile as hers.\u00a0 He had to appease this man, make him complacent \u2013 careless \u2013 and he wouldn\u2019t do that by showing strength.\u00a0 \u201cForgive me,\u201d he said, making his voice low and pitiful.\u00a0 \u201cI just want to save my son.\u00a0 Would you please help me?\u201d<\/p>\n Cato dug into his oats.\u00a0 \u201cDo it yourself, Cartwright.\u00a0 You been makin\u2019 others do your work far too long.\u00a0 It\u2019s time you did a little yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sensed something in the man\u2019s tone \u2013 a personal grudge, either his or someone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n That made him even more dangerous.<\/p>\n With a sigh Ben turned back to his son.\u00a0 He touched the boy\u2019s cheek again and then gave it a little pat.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, it\u2019s your pa.\u00a0 Can you hear me, boy?\u201d \u00a0When there was no response, he tried again, tapping a bit harder this time.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe.\u00a0 Please, give Pa a sign.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe naatse\u2019e<\/em> must be warmed.\u00a0 I will help you carry him to the bed,\u201d a soft voice spoke close to his ear.<\/p>\n \u201cEmmy, you get over here and bring me some more gruel.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman looked over her shoulder.\u00a0 Ben saw something spark in the obsidian depths of her near-black eyes.\u00a0 \u201cGet it for yourself,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou have two feet.\u201d<\/p>\n So, perhaps, she hadn\u2019t<\/em> been intimidated.<\/p>\n Becket glared at her for several heartbeats and then threw his head back and bellowed.\u00a0 As the man rose to his feet and headed for the stove, he added, \u201cThat\u2019s why I keep you around, woman.\u00a0 You\u2019re always good for a laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy ignored him.\u00a0 \u201cYou are hurt, Ben Cartwright,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cStand, and I will lift the boy up so you can take him.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben did as she asked.\u00a0 As he waited, the rancher took a good look at the woman who had defied Becket.\u00a0 Emmy was around five-foot-six and rather tall for a woman.\u00a0 As he had already noted, she had black hair and blacker eyes.\u00a0 Up close it quickly became apparent that she was also native.\u00a0 Paiute, most likely, considering where they were.\u00a0 Her face had once been beautiful, but life had beaten it like rain on stone, leaving pits and scars. \u00a0Her age was hard to guess.\u00a0 Thirty, or maybe forty.<\/p>\n He wondered if she was a mother.<\/p>\n The woman rose to her feet, supporting Joseph. \u00a0It was a struggle since the boy was dead weight.\u00a0 Ben moved to his son\u2019s other side and, together, they walked him to the cot.\u00a0 As Joseph\u2019s\u00a0 silent form neared the mattress, Ben\u2019s shoulder gave out and he lost his hold.\u00a0 Little Joe plummeted like a rock to the cot and lay there, just as still.<\/p>\n Emmy watched him pull the mountain of blankets up to his son\u2019s chin.\u00a0 \u201cI will gather some rocks and warm them,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou must place them at his feet and at his side.\u00a0 It will not do to warm him too quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u201d, Ben said softly as he brushed a tangle of curls off his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cHis name is Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n She knew what he was doing \u2013 making his son a real, living, breathing human being with a name.\u00a0 It was easier to be indifferent to someone who had no name.<\/p>\n Emmy nodded.\u00a0 She glanced at Cato as she said, \u201cI will make some broth.\u00a0 You must get heat into <\/em>him \u2013 into Joseph \u2013 as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d he said simply, and meant it.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve saved my son.\u201d<\/p>\n Again, Emmy looked at Becket who had his feet propped on the table and had tipped his hat over his face to block out the light. \u00a0A strange expression came over her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will see.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re up bright and early.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright let out a little sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI told you I was goin\u2019 after them.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019 ain\u2019t right, Adam.\u00a0 I feel it in my bones.\u201d<\/p>\n The oldest of the Cartwright sons remained in the open door of the stable.\u00a0 He watched his brother go about the routine check of equipment for a moment before speaking again.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just what <\/em>do you think has gone wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Adam.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t no soothsayer.\u00a0 All I know is, somethin\u2019 ain\u2019t right.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was tying on his bedroll.\u00a0 \u201cPa and Little Joe should have been home by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven though Pa said they might stay overnight in the camp.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped into the stable.\u00a0 \u201cThey could be on their way home right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, then, I\u2019ll wish them a Happy New Year when I see them!\u201d the big man all but shouted as he gave his cinch one last tug.\u00a0 A second later Hoss turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cDang it, Adam!\u00a0 I don\u2019t see why you\u2019re so goldarn set\u2026that\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He was wearing his winter coat and carrying his travel gear, of course.<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019re you doin\u2019 all wrapped up like a snowman on a blustery day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoing with you,\u201d Adam replied as he headed for Sport.\u00a0 The gelding nickered a welcome as he came alongside.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, let me get this right. You think Pa and Little Joe is just fine, but you\u2019re gonna go out in this here storm with me to look for them?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone has to be there to tell you \u2018I told you so\u2019 when we find them safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrother, I\u2019ll be right happy to suck up them sour grapes when we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had saddled his horse and was running through his own check.\u00a0 \u201cI left some supplies outside the door.\u00a0 A couple of extra saddle bags and a load of blankets.\u00a0 You might want to get them before they disappear under the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n And it was<\/em> still snowing \u2013 and blowing.\u00a0 The storm had relented the night before, but seemed to come back full force with the morning.\u00a0 They were fools for going out in it.<\/p>\n Fools with a mission.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get \u2018em,\u201d Hoss said as he moved toward the door.\u00a0 Once there, he turned back.\u00a0 \u201cDid you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re in one of the saddlebags.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and stepped out the door.<\/p>\n \u2018They\u2019, of course, were bandages, brandy, and other medical supplies.<\/p>\n Just in case it wasn\u2019t<\/em> a fool\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n His brother returned in an instant.\u00a0 The shoulders of his coat and the brim of his hat were covered in snow.<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t nice out there, Adam.\u00a0 You sure you want a come?\u201d<\/p>\n The black-haired man grinned as he finished his final check on saddle and supplies.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s got to look out for you, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t exactly \u2018little\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked up at his six-foot-four brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou always will be to me.\u00a0 For a while you were my \u2018Little Hoss\u2019.\u00a0 You never got in as much trouble as Joe, but you had your days.\u00a0 Do you remember that winter when you thought it would be a good idea to take one of the shutters Pa had placed aside for the dining room window and use it as a sled?\u201d<\/p>\n The big man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI sure do.\u00a0 Just like I remember Pa\u2019s face when he had to pull both the shutter and me out of the lake \u2018cause we\u2019d done gone through the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n It was funny now, but at the time the moment had been harrowing.<\/p>\n \u201cYou was right there too, fishin\u2019 me out,\u201d Hoss added quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for bein\u2019 such a good big brother, Adam.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou better not let Little Joe hear you say that,\u201d he replied as he gripped his horse\u2019s reins and started for the door.\u00a0 Their little brother had made it quite clear \u2013 on many occasions \u2013 that he was one of the \u2018worst\u2019 older brothers on the face of the Earth.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, Joe don\u2019t mean nothin\u2019 by it.\u00a0 That boy\u2019s mouth works independent of his brain.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cTruer words have never been spoken.\u201d\u00a0 He was at the door now.\u00a0 Hoss had caught up Chubb\u2019s reins and was standing beside him.\u00a0 \u201cUnto the breach?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n The big man had pushed the stable doors open.\u00a0 Outside them was a wild, woolly, dangerous world of white.<\/p>\n Hoss grinned.\u00a0 He knew the reference.\u00a0 After all, he\u2019d read King Henry the Fifth to him ever since he\u2019d been a little boy.<\/p>\n \u201cGod for Harry, England, St. George\u2026and Pa and Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THREE<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Cartwright sat on the edge of the cot next to his son, warily watching the man who held them captive.\u00a0 Cato Becket had found several bottles of whiskey in the storeroom and managed to down all but one over the course of the night.\u00a0 It was morning and the man was hung over and mean as a snake.\u00a0 Emmy was fixing him breakfast.\u00a0 Her shoulder-length hair hung in her eyes and he knew why.\u00a0 In a one room shack there was no way to miss anything.\u00a0 Cato had grown angry with the Paiute woman for some minor indiscretion and struck her hard across the face.\u00a0 The eye beneath that cascade of black hair was the same color.<\/p>\n He\u2019d been awake for some time.\u00a0 During the night, when Cato was unaware, Emmy had tended to his shoulder.\u00a0 She\u2019d used some sort of herbal poultice on it that had taken out the sting and stopped the bleeding.\u00a0 His shoulder was sore and he had only limited use of his arm, but Ben felt much better \u2013 and much more capable of looking out for his own.<\/p>\n The rancher turned his attention back to his young son who lay silent and unmoving on the cot.\u00a0 Joseph had fought for consciousness during the night, as the sting of life returning to his frozen limbs bit into the painless state he\u2019d remained in since Cato\u2019d carried him into the shack.\u00a0 Little Joe never came fully awake but his son moaned and tossed and groaned and, in truth, he\u2019d feared for his life.\u00a0 Becket had risen up in a rage, intent on silencing the boy\u2019s cries, but God had been merciful.\u00a0 The man had been so drunk he \u2018d fallen flat on his face before he could reach the cot.\u00a0 Gently, Ben brushed a few soft curls back from his son\u2019s damp forehead.\u00a0 The boy was running a slight fever, which concerned him, but all in all seemed to have survived his ordeal in the snow without much residual harm.\u00a0 They\u2019d spoken briefly.\u00a0 Joseph made little sense.\u00a0 He kept talking about snowflakes disappearing and God teaching him a lesson.\u00a0 It warmed his heart to know that his son had called on the Almighty in his need, but it frightened him just a little bit as well.<\/p>\n Little Joe could so easily have died.<\/p>\n A stirring beneath his hand brought Ben\u2019s attention back to the present.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes were open and he was looking at him.<\/p>\n \u2018Pa?\u2019 he mouthed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son, I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cSafe\u2026?\u201d he managed.<\/p>\n Ben glanced at Cato who was sitting at the table.\u00a0 Emmy was bringing his food.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you remember how you got here?\u201d<\/p>\n His son frowned.\u00a0 Joseph cast his eyes at the ceiling and the space around him.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s\u2026here?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s response troubled him a bit.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re in the line shack, son.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you remember?\u00a0 We came here after the horses spooked and ran.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe frowned.\u00a0 He thought a moment and then his eyes shot open wide.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 You\u2019re hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou two keep it down over there,\u201d a rough voice snarled.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s frown deepened.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n His son turned his head toward the table.\u00a0 Joseph stared at the stranger a moment and then looked back at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I do, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain later.\u00a0 Suffice it to say, you do not<\/em> want to rile that man.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was looking at Becket again.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2026seems familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHe saved you, boy.\u00a0 He and Emmy found you in the snow.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand returned to his son\u2019s brow.\u00a0 \u201cYou could have died.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Jose shrugged as best he could.\u00a0 \u201cI was afraid you\u2026were going to.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded.\u00a0 He indicated his shoulder with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cEmmy fixed me up.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 It\u2019s you<\/em> I\u2019m worried about.\u00a0 How do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The older man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou certainly are not!\u201d\u00a0 He sobered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cNow, be honest with me, boy.\u00a0 I need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n His son closed his eyes.\u00a0 For a moment, he thought he had fallen back asleep.\u00a0 Then Little Joe said, \u201cMy fingers feel kind of numb, and my\u2026toes too.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes shot open.\u00a0 There was fear in them.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t move them, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down.\u00a0 That\u2019s normal,\u201d he said, even though he too was frightened.\u00a0 \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2026hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n That too was normal, but both taken together meant the boy either had frostbite or had come close to it.\u00a0 There were blisters forming on his son\u2019s exposed skin.\u00a0 Another sure sign.<\/p>\n He covered his boy\u2019s hand with his own.\u00a0 \u201cYou were very lucky, Little Joe.\u00a0 God was watching out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes rolled over toward the table.\u00a0 \u201cDid God send him?\u201d<\/p>\n That <\/em>stopped him cold.\u00a0 Could \u2013 would<\/em> God use such a wicked man as an instrument of His mercy?<\/p>\n He was humbled by his Savior\u2019s love.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son, even a man such as Cato Becket is not outside of God\u2019s providence.\u201d<\/p>\n Unexpectedly, he found Becket standing at his side.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the kid?\u201d Cato asked as if he had not heard Ben\u2019s last statement.<\/p>\n Ben squeezed his son\u2019s fingers.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph will be fine with a little rest.\u201d<\/p>\n The wicked man was staring at his son.\u00a0 Little Joe was staring back, defiant as his weak state would allow him to be.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of spunk, headin\u2019 out into that storm by himself.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher wasn\u2019t sure where this was going.\u00a0 \u201cMy son is a strong young man of deep feeling and conviction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow old is he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026fifteen,\u201d Little Joe answered through chattering teeth, obviously annoyed at being talked about <\/em>and not to.<\/p>\n Cato reached out and placed a hand on his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 He snorted as Joe shook his head to make it go away.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a fever comin\u2019 on.\u00a0 That\u2019s too bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Was this compassion?\u00a0 Ben stiffened as a rising fear twisted his gut.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think I don\u2019t have any sympathy for your boy, eh?\u00a0 Well,\u201d the outlaw scoffed, \u201cyou\u2019re right.\u00a0 I need the kid well \u2018cause he\u2019s comin\u2019 with me when I leave this place.\u201d<\/p>\n It took a second for the threat to register.\u00a0 Ben shot to his feet and faced Cato down.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not taking my son anywhere.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed toward the window, outside of which the snow continued to fall.\u00a0 \u201cYou will kill <\/em>him if you take him out in the cold!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now, I wouldn\u2019t want to do that,\u201d Cato sneered.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t worth nothin\u2019 to me dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart was as cold as the out-of-doors.\u00a0 \u201cYou<\/em> will be dead before I let you take Joseph,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n Quicker than he could blink, Cato had a pistol in his hand.\u00a0 He deliberately pointed it at Joseph\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cYou boy can take his chances with me, or he can die now.\u00a0 Your choice, old man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 Why take him?\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a wealthy man.\u00a0 I will pay you anything you want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know you\u2019re a wealthy man, Cartwright.\u00a0 That\u2019s why <\/em>I\u2019m takin\u2019 him.\u00a0 Emmy here, she\u2019s gonna hold you until nightfall and then she\u2019s gonna let you go.\u00a0 She knows where I\u2019m goin\u2019.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna go back to that high and mighty Ponderosa of yours and get all of the money out of your safe and put it in a bag.\u00a0 You bring it back up here and leave it.\u00a0 Once I got it, I\u2019ll let the boy go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me go and get it now,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd set all them hands of yours on my tail along with those two older boys of yours?\u00a0 No way.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t that stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s jaw was tight.\u00a0 \u201cWhen do you mean to go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSoon as the snow lets up.\u00a0 And listen to me, Cartwright,\u201d Cato said as he swung the point of the gun toward his gut, \u201cI can get the money whether you\u2019re breathin\u2019 or not.\u00a0 Those sons of yours will pay up for their brother.\u00a0 So you just keep your head and don\u2019t do nothin\u2019 stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d almost forgotten that the object of his fear was awake and listening.\u00a0 When he turned to Joseph, he saw the boy was reaching for him.\u00a0 Turning back to Cato, Ben asked, \u201cMay I speak to my son alone?\u201d<\/p>\n The man\u2019s gaze went from Little Joe to him and back.\u00a0 \u201cJust so you don\u2019t make any plans to escape.\u00a0 I\u2019ll cut you down if you try.\u00a0 Both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded as Becket moved away, and then sat on the cot by his son\u2019s side.\u00a0 Both of them watched the outlaw head for the door.\u00a0 Cato donned his coat and hat and said a few words to Emmy, before he opened it and stepped out.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Joseph said, squeezing his hand, \u201cyou gotta let me go with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, no.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you won\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, Pa,\u201d he said, gritting his teeth.\u00a0 \u201cI will.\u00a0 You know Hoss and Adam are on their way.\u00a0 They\u2019ll get you free\u2026and then the three of you can come lookin\u2019 for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ever the optimist, Marie\u2019s boy.<\/p>\n \u201cSon,\u201d he said as he touched his boy\u2019s pale cheek, \u201cyour brothers most likely think we stayed in the timber camp overnight.\u00a0 There\u2019s no reason they should come looking for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know Hoss like I do, Pa,\u201d Little Joe asserted.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s gonna know<\/em> somethin\u2019 is wrong and he\u2019s coming.\u00a0 I<\/em> know it.\u201d<\/p>\n Two peas in a pod.\u00a0 That was Joseph and his middle brother.<\/p>\n Ben fell silent as he stared into his son\u2019s expressive green eyes.\u00a0 The boy would die, he knew it, if taken out of this warm place into the cold.\u00a0 There had to be some way to prevent it.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Pa,\u201d his son pleaded as tears streaked down his pale cheeks. \u201cI don\u2019t want to see you\u2026hurt.\u00a0 I\u2026couldn\u2019t live if you died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you could, boy,\u201d he replied with a sad smile.<\/p>\n At that moment, the door to the line shack opened.\u00a0 Ben rose and looked at Cato Becket, who was standing just inside it.\u00a0 Outside, the snow had fallen off to flurries.<\/p>\n It was time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A pit opened up in his stomach.\u00a0 His younger brother had been right all along.<\/p>\n Hoss was kneeling in the snow, using his hands to plow through it and unearth their family\u2019s wagon.\u00a0 As soon as they spied the disabled vehicle, the big man had taken off in search of their father and brother.\u00a0 He\u2019d returned empty-handed.<\/p>\n Tears glistened on his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI told you, Adam,\u201d Hoss declared.\u00a0 \u201cI done told you somethin\u2019 was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you did.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He choked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss tossed him a look.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Adam.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t have started out any sooner, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at the sky.\u00a0 It was true.\u00a0 It was approaching noon and they had been on the road for some six hours already.\u00a0 The snow laying on the land was nearly impassable, though they had been gifted with a reprieve as far as snowfall.\u00a0 For the moment it was no more than flurries.\u00a0 It was a good thing the timber camp their pa had chosen to visit was the closest one to the ranch.<\/p>\n Adam crossed over to the wagon and knelt beside his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhat have you found?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like the horses spooked, just like that time when we was little and you and Joe got tossed down that hill.\u00a0 They musta broke loose and run.\u00a0 See here?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss pointed to the metal rim of the right rear wheel.\u00a0 It was broken and bent out of shape.\u00a0 \u201cThey must of run up over that boulder back there.\u201d<\/p>\n He could see it in his head.\u00a0 The horses rearing.\u00a0 The wagon bumping.\u00a0 The harnesses breaking and the vehicle running up over a massive stone.<\/p>\n His father and brother flying through the air.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s somethin\u2019 else, Adam,\u201d the big man said, his voice shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLookee here.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at the broken rim.\u00a0 There was a dark substance frozen to it.\u00a0 In the white and the pale light it had little color.\u00a0 Mostly, it appeared brown.\u00a0 At his puzzled look, his brother said, \u201cAdam, it\u2019s blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood Lord!\u00a0 Pa or Little Joe, do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m guessin\u2019 Pa.\u00a0 Little brother wouldn\u2019t have the strength or size to lift the wagon up.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss considered it a minute.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like the metal cut him.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rose to his feet and turned in a circle.\u00a0 There was nothing to indicate the path their father and brother had taken.\u00a0 He closed his eyes, trying to get his bearings.\u00a0 It was hard when there was nothing but an endless desert of white surrounding you.\u00a0 As he opened his eyes, black-haired man thought back to the trips he had taken up to the timber camp.\u00a0 Yes, there<\/em> was the tree split by lightning.\u00a0 And, there<\/em>, the tower of rocks that looked like a castle.<\/p>\n And between them, somewhere north of where they were\u2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThe line shack,\u201d he said aloud.\u00a0 \u201cPa would\u2019ve headed for the line shack.\u201d\u00a0 It was about halfway between where they were and the timber camp if you headed north.<\/p>\n \u201cGoldarnit!\u00a0 You\u2019re right!\u201d Hoss was on his feet in an instant.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned and looked up the mountain.\u00a0 It was going to be a hard climb and might well take them until nightfall.<\/p>\n He could only pray that what they found at the end was what they hoped for.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n FOUR<\/strong><\/p>\n He had never felt so helpless in his life.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s angry gaze shot to Emmy where she stood holding a gun on him.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t have surprised him, but it did.\u00a0 After all, she\u2019d remained with Becket in spite of what he was.\u00a0 He found it hard to believe that her sympathy had been feigned, but now he had to wonder.\u00a0 Joseph was so weak.\u00a0 The boy could hardly stand on his own.\u00a0 Cato had taken his son by one arm and was dragging him over to the door, cursing and complaining all the way about the \u2018damned hard\u2019 things he had to do to make money.<\/p>\n If he could have killed Becket with his bare hands, at that instant, he would have.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa,\u201d Joseph huffed as the outlaw slammed him up against the front wall of the shack for support.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s coat and his own were hanging there.\u00a0 At least the man was going to dress the boy before he forced him out into the frigid cold.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll\u2026be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph\u2019s fever was higher.\u00a0 He shook from head to toe.\u00a0 Only a monster could consider doing what Cato Becket was doing.\u00a0 The man must have no love, no empathy, in his heart.\u00a0 Again, Ben wondered why a woman like Emmy stayed with him.\u00a0 There had to be a reason.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you mind yourself,\u201d Ben called out from his position near the cot.\u00a0 \u201cKeep yourself bundled up and don\u2019t do anything foolish.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s mobile brows climbed toward the curls dangling on his forehead as if to say, \u2018Who?\u00a0 Me?\u201d<\/p>\n He loved his youngest son with a love as deep as the oceans and as high as the stars.\u00a0 The boy, with his irrepressible spirit, dogged determination, and irritating but endearing cock-suredness was the joy of his old age.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t imagine going on without him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you listen to me,\u201d he started to say.<\/p>\n It was too late.<\/p>\n Little Joe had slipped to the floor.\u00a0 As Cato Becket turned with a growl and grabbed him under the arm, his son exploded into action.\u00a0 Joe caught hold of the outlaw\u2019s other arm with both hands and bore down with his full-weight, throwing Cato off-balance and causing him to topple to the floor.<\/p>\n As he fell, the outlaw shouted, \u201cShoot!\u00a0 You damn bitch!\u00a0 Shoot!\u201d<\/p>\n The gun in Emmy\u2019s hand moved between him and his son, seemingly unsure of which \u2018who\u2019 Becket meant.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d Joe screamed as he slammed his near frozen feet into the man\u2019s chest, hurling Cato into the wall.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 NO!\u201d<\/p>\n A second later Joseph was scrambling toward him.<\/p>\n And still Emmy hesitated.<\/p>\n Then, there was a \u2018click.\u2019<\/p>\n Apparently Cato Becket had another gun.<\/p>\n Little Joe made it to him.\u00a0 Ben moved to step between him and Cato \u2013 to protect his son \u2013 but was stopped when the gun went off and a bullet passed through the fleshy part of his left side.\u00a0 Stunned, the rancher looked at the smoking black hole in his shirt for a moment and then fell back onto the cot.<\/p>\n \u201cPA!\u201d<\/p>\n Cato Becket walked slowly across the floor.\u00a0 He turned to look at Emmy and then, without a word, back-handed her with the pistol.\u00a0 As she fell to the floor unconscious, the outlaw placed the nozzle of the weapon on the top of Joseph\u2019s head.<\/p>\n His son went white as the world outside.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t sure that money of yours is worth the trouble, Cartwright,\u201d Becket growled.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019ll just blow this here boy\u2019s brains out and leave you to bleed out lookin\u2019 at his corpse.\u201d<\/p>\n The world was fading, but he held on.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a\u2026boy.\u00a0 You can\u2019t\u2026blame him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can.\u201d\u00a0 Cato looked down at Joe.\u00a0 He pushed the pistol into the boy\u2019s curls a little farther.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I do.<\/em>\u00a0 How do I know if I take him on the trail that he won\u2019t try the same thing?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Little Joe was staring at him, tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the boy will promise me,\u201d Ben said, holding his son\u2019s pitiful gaze.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Little Joe always keeps his promises.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you, son?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy nodded under the weight of the pistol\u2019s barrel.<\/p>\n Cato didn\u2019t remove it.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMister,\u201d Joe began, his voice tremulous, \u201cplease don\u2019t hurt my\u2026pa anymore.\u00a0 I won\u2019t give you no trouble.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat<\/em> do you promise on, boy?\u201d the outlaw asked.<\/p>\n His son looked right at him as he said, \u201cMy mama\u2019s grave.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears entered Ben\u2019s eyes as he stared at this child of his love; this precious son who was all he had left in the world of his beautiful, vivacious wife.\u00a0 It took all that was in him, but he tore his eyes away from his innocent boy and looked up into the face of evil.<\/p>\n To his surprise, Cato Becket looked\u2026moved?<\/p>\n The outlaw remained as he was for a moment \u00a0before lifting the gun from Joseph\u2019s head.\u00a0 He hauled the boy up by one arm and then used the weapon to indicate Little Joe should return to the door.<\/p>\n \u201cGet your coat on, kid.\u00a0 We\u2019re taking off.\u201d<\/p>\n When he saw Joe hesitate, Ben gave his son a nod.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be all right, boy,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cYou just look after yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d Cato ordered as the gun shifted in his direction.<\/p>\n Becket missed it, but Ben didn\u2019t \u2013 the look of pure hatred in his young son\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy blinked back his tears.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be okay, Pa.\u00a0 You just come get me quick as you can.\u201d\u00a0 And with that, Little Joe headed for the door.<\/p>\n Fifteen years old and he was braver than most full grown men.<\/p>\n Ben sucked in a breath and held it as pain shuddered through him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want the boy to know how bad off he was.\u00a0 As he did, his eyes fell on the native woman who lay unmoving on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you going to take care of Emmy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Cato glanced at her before following Joseph.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 She always is,\u201d the outlaw said as he turned away.\u00a0 \u201cYou just worry about your own.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph was standing by the door, bundled up as best he could.\u00a0 Cato came alongside him and stared down at Joe as if daring him to defy him. \u00a0His son met the man\u2019s gaze and then dropped his head.\u00a0 Little Joe nodded and then the boy put his hand to the latch and opened the door.<\/p>\n A second later, they were gone.<\/p>\n The shack was near silent as the fall of snow outside.\u00a0 There was nothing to be heard but the rapid beating of his heart and the sound of his labored breathing.\u00a0 Up until now Ben had had precious little time to look after himself.\u00a0 He knew, if he was going to help his son, that he had to take care of his own wounds first.\u00a0 His bleeding out in the snow would do Joseph little good.\u00a0 And then there was Emmy.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t in all good conscience abandon the Paiute woman, at least until he knew she would recover.\u00a0 Carefully, Ben shifted so he could get a better look at his injury.\u00a0 The bullet had gone through clean, which meant he was bleeding in both the front and back.\u00a0 From the look of it, the projectile had missed any major arteries or veins.\u00a0 Becket knew what he was doing.\u00a0 It was just enough to terrorize Joseph and incapacitate him, but not enough to kill.<\/p>\n The man wanted that money.<\/p>\n The sheets on the shack\u2019s single cot were old and threadbare.\u00a0 Ripping them was easy enough.\u00a0 Ben did so and, with a great amount of effort, managed to plugs the holes on both sides and wrap a single strand around his waist to hold the linen in place.\u00a0 Just as he finished there was a noise.<\/p>\n Emmy was moaning.<\/p>\n The rancher was about done in, but he managed to turn and look.\u00a0 The Paiute woman had worked herself up onto one elbow.\u00a0 Her other hand was pressed against her cheek, which was bleeding.\u00a0 She closed her eyes, as if seeking to steady herself, and then looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did not kill you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cCato wants my money.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy looked around the small space.\u00a0 She winced with pain.\u00a0 He thought it was due to her injuries, but it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cHe took Joseph?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he took my son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben started to shift, as if he meant to rise.\u00a0 \u201cI have to go after them.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman was on her feet in a heartbeat \u2013 which was a good thing since he nearly toppled over.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou cannot,\u201d Emmy said as she steadied him.\u00a0 \u201cYou are hurt.\u00a0 I must see to this new wound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you care?!\u201d he snapped as he slapped her hand away.\u00a0 \u201cYou held a gun on me!\u00a0 Why save me now if you meant to kill me before?\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy stared at him for several heartbeats.\u00a0 \u201cYou do not know him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 And I am sorry I ever made his acquaintance!\u201d\u00a0 Ben sucked in air as the world began to reel.\u00a0 \u201cGood Lord!\u00a0 He took my boy out into the cold. \u00a0It will kill him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCato had a son once,\u201d she said, so softly he almost missed it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a wife and a son.\u00a0 Both are dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben blinked away the sweat in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2026?\u00a0 What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy wrapped her arms around her chest and walked over to the window, where she looked out.\u00a0 \u201cHe was not always as he is now.\u00a0 Cato left his wife and son in Ohio and followed the trail west to find gold.\u00a0 What he found was stolen by another and so, he turned to wrangling.\u00a0 One day, as he worked, he saw the man who had taken his gold and he pursued him and\u2026killed him.\u201d\u00a0 The woman turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cThe man whose ranch he worked on had him arrested.\u00a0 Cato went to prison.\u00a0 While he was in prison, great snows came in Ohio.\u00a0 His wife and son had no money, since he could not send any. \u00a0They both became sick and died.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had grown very still.\u00a0 His hardships had been no less and he had not become a criminal.\u00a0 Still, he knew that it was only by the grace of God that he overcame instead of being overcome.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSo you are his second wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Her smile was rueful.\u00a0 \u201cI am not Cato\u2019s wife.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head as she returned to his side.\u00a0 \u201cI am Paiute.\u00a0 Cato Becket bought me to cook and clean and care for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBought<\/em> you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Emmy met his astounded gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNow, will you let me care for you so you can go after your son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know where Joseph is?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n It took a second, but she nodded.<\/p>\n Thank God!<\/p>\n Emmy went into the storeroom and returned with a bottle of alcohol and a stack of bandages.\u00a0 She also brought the leather pouch that contained the herbs she\u2019d used to make the poultice for his shoulder.\u00a0 As she set to work, Ben fell to thinking.<\/p>\n When she\u2019d finished tying the last knot, he said, \u201cI have a question, if you don\u2019t mind my asking.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman sat back and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cAsk,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is the name of the rancher Cato worked for?\u00a0 The one who turned him into the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes were black as the Apache tears that dotted the desert; deep as a well without an end \u2013 and filled with sympathy.<\/p>\n \u201cBenjamin Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe collapsed on the floor of the ramshackle cabin, half in and half out of the door.\u00a0 Cato Becket was right behind him.\u00a0 The outlaw kicked his legs out of the way and then slammed and locked it behind them.\u00a0 It was snowing again, though not nearly as hard as before.\u00a0 Still, Joe knew it was already too late for anyone to follow the tracks they\u2019d left behind.<\/p>\n Cato knew it too.<\/p>\n Becket had taken off his coat and was just tossing it over the back of one of the rough-hewn chairs in the cabin.\u00a0 As his hat followed, the outlaw looked at him and said, \u201cYou can lay there all night if you want, kid, but it\u2019s gonna be warmer next to the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n With that, Cato turned and began to build one.<\/p>\n Joe had no idea where they were, but he knew it wasn\u2019t all that far from where they\u2019d been.\u00a0 They\u2019d traveled a couple of hours, but since they were sloggin\u2019 through snow, he guessed it might have been a mile or less.\u00a0 If he could get away, he could cover it easily. The trouble was, he didn\u2019t know which direction to run.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to note landmarks as they traveled, but every time he lifted his head to look around Cato would order him to keep his eyes down \u2013 and then watch him closely to make sure he did.\u00a0 He\u2019d put a lot of thought into whether freezin\u2019 to death or being shot was the best way to go, but couldn\u2019t make up his mind.\u00a0 One was quick and the other was slow.\u00a0 Joe lifted his head and looked at his captor.\u00a0 Becket had the fire going and was taking a seat at the table.\u00a0 Freezing to death was a certainty.\u00a0 If he played his cards right, he could keep from getting shot.<\/p>\n Maybe.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes.\u00a0 He knew he should get up and move closer to the fire, but he wasn\u2019t sure he could. \u00a0His double layer of coats weighed him down.\u00a0 They\u2019d kept him warm and dry on the forced march, but it had taken just about every ounce of strength he had to carry both garments that mile.\u00a0 They\u2019d had no snowshoes, so they\u2019d had to push through the white dunes.\u00a0 By the time they reached the cabin he\u2019d been trembling like a foal newly born.\u00a0 And then, there was the fever.\u00a0 His body was payin\u2019 him back for his foolish attempt to make it to the road.\u00a0 He should have stayed with his pa.\u00a0 Then he wouldn\u2019t have\u2026.<\/p>\n Joe sucked in air.\u00a0 Pa.<\/p>\n Pa had been shot<\/em>, and all on account of him.<\/p>\n He could hear Adam\u2019s voice in his ear telling him to think things through; to count to ten before he made a move.\u00a0 He\u2019d made it to about three when he thought Cato Becket was gonna take him outside and leave his pa behind.\u00a0 Pa was hurt.<\/p>\n Pa was hurt even more<\/em> now.<\/p>\n Joe moaned.<\/p>\n Cato was sitting, staring at his boots.\u00a0 The outlaw looked at him.\u00a0 He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, and then rose and came to his side.<\/p>\n \u201cYou better not die on me, kid,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI want that money.\u00a0 Your old man owes me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe blinked.\u00a0 For the first time it occurred to him that, when Becket had fished him out of that hole in the snow, the man had known he was a Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Joe coughed and sucked in air.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean Pa owes you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBehave and I might tell you,\u201d Cato snapped even as he reached down and caught him under the arm.\u00a0 It was almost more than he could do to get his legs to respond as the outlaw lifted him and half-dragged him across the floor.\u00a0 When they reached the other side of the cabin, Becket tossed him onto a low bed that was nestled up against a wall.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay put,\u201d he ordered.\u00a0 \u201cYou get up off that bed and I\u2019ll shoot you.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t got time or temper for your nonsense.\u00a0 You understand that, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe feebly nodded his head.\u00a0 At the moment, getting up was the last thing on his mind.<\/p>\n Cato continued to stare at him for a moment.\u00a0 Then he walked over to the fire.\u00a0 \u201cYou hungry?\u201d he asked as he swung a pot over it.<\/p>\n Joe swallowed as his mouth watered.\u00a0 Cato was going to feed him?<\/p>\n So, maybe the man wasn\u2019t<\/em> going to kill him after all?<\/p>\n It felt funny to say, but his pa had reared him right.\u00a0 \u201cNo, thank you.\u00a0 I\u2019m not hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n Cato turned back to him, a puzzled look on his face.\u00a0 He strode over and laid a hand on his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou got a right good fever goin\u2019 there, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Probably because you took me out in the cold!\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The outlaw snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI guess that old man of yours better get on his feet fast or he\u2019ll be payin\u2019 that ransom for nothin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you hate my pa?\u201d\u00a0 The words were out before he could stop them.\u00a0 Joe winced.<\/p>\n \u2018Sorry, Adam!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n The man\u2019s entire demeanor changed.\u00a0 Cato\u2019s body went rigid.\u00a0 His eyes narrowed and sparked like flint on steel.\u00a0 \u201cI got my reasons,\u201d he said, his jaw tight, and then turned and walked into the kitchen.\u00a0 Once there Becket opened a cupboard and drew something out.\u00a0 When Joe saw what it was, he knew he was in trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get some sleep, kid,\u201d the outlaw said as he lifted the nearly full whiskey bottle to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI got me all the company I need.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n FIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben woke in a fevered sweat, unsure of where he was.\u00a0 He opened his eyes and shifted up onto his elbow and looked around.\u00a0 Nothing was familiar.\u00a0 Dragging his body out from under the covers and placing his feet on the floor, the rancher was suddenly overcome by a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. \u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d been here before, hadn\u2019t he?\u00a0 Waking like this?\u00a0 Feeling ill?\u00a0 Closing his eyes, Ben counted to ten and then tried again.\u00a0 This time the room sat still.\u00a0 He could see it clearly now.\u00a0 He was in one of his line shacks.<\/p>\n With that memory came all the rest.<\/p>\n Pain shot through him, but not a physical pain.\u00a0 It was one soul deep.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s gaze went to the window.\u00a0 He could see the snow falling, heavily again.\u00a0 His youngest son was out in it.\u00a0 His child who hadn\u2019t had time yet to recover from nearly freezing to death.<\/p>\n His child who needed him.<\/p>\n Gritting his teeth, Ben rose and made his way to the table.\u00a0 He gripped the back of one of the chairs and stood there a moment, breathing deep and steeling himself for the next brief journey to the door.\u00a0 Joseph was wearing his coat, but there was a spare one by the door and he was determined to put it on and go outside and find his boy.<\/p>\n The snow be damned!<\/p>\n As he remained still, gathering strength, the door opened and Emmy stepped in carrying a load of wood.\u00a0 The woman\u2019s black hair was nearly white.\u00a0 She wore a deerskin coat, common to the Paiutes in winter, and a knitted hat, scarf, and gloves.\u00a0 Her look was as incongruent as the woman herself.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should not be out of bed,\u201d she said as she dropped the wood near the stove.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going after my son,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n Emmy looked him up and down.\u00a0 \u201cYou will die.\u00a0 How will that help your son?\u201d<\/p>\n She was probably right.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t simply sit here while Joseph\u2019s life is in danger.\u00a0 I have to try,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 Ben paused.\u00a0 He feared the answer, but he asked anyway.\u00a0 \u201cWill Cato\u2026kill my son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has killed before,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThere is much grief in him.\u00a0 When Cato grieves, he uses the white man\u2019s firewater to forget.\u00a0 It is then<\/em> he is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there liquor where he is taking Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy frowned.\u00a0 \u201cIt is the house of my father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs your father there?\u00a0 Does he conscience \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe lives there no longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you tell me why?\u201d<\/p>\n Her jaw tightened.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I shamed him.\u00a0 I loved a white man more than him and the white man betrayed me.\u00a0 He killed my father\u2019s people and my own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that why you were with the trader?\u00a0 The one who sold you to Cato?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ran.\u00a0 I did not come back for many years.\u00a0 When I did, my father was gone and our house was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shifted his grip on the chair.\u00a0 In truth, he wanted nothing more than to sit down on it, but he knew he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 He would use up his last breath looking for his son if that was what God demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to ask you to return there.\u00a0 Will you take me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have vowed never to return.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I<\/em> have vowed to save my child.\u201d\u00a0 His tone softened.\u00a0 \u201cI need your help to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmy stared at him the longest time.\u00a0 She was a strong capable woman who had made bad choices, the result of which had been a difficult life.<\/p>\n \u201cYour preachers speak of atonement,\u201d she said at last. \u00a0\u201cIf I help you, is that what I do?\u00a0 Make right my sin?\u201d<\/p>\n The God he believed in moved in mysterious ways \u2013 none more so than now.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n Emmy stared at him a moment longer before saying, \u201cI will get my coat and what supplies we need.\u00a0 Cato\u2019s other coat and spare hat are by the door.\u00a0 You must put them on.\u00a0 The way is not far, but it will be long in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you find?\u201d Adam asked his brother.\u00a0 Hoss was hip-deep in snow and puzzling over something.\u00a0 They were on their way to the line shack \u2013 nearly there, in fact.\u00a0 They\u2019d been forced to dismount and lead their horses as the drifts had grown so deep they nearly reached the animal\u2019s withers.\u00a0 Both of them were tired, cold, and<\/em> determined.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ain\u2019t gonna like it,\u201d the big man said as he stood up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 What\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n His question went unspoken.\u00a0 Hoss had Little Joe\u2019s black hat in his hands.<\/p>\n Adam swallowed over the fear rising in his throat. \u201cAny sign of\u2026Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no tracks neither.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a bird just dropped little brother\u2019s hat in that hole over there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe could have lost it as he and pa headed for the shed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould have.\u00a0 But if Pa\u2019s hurt, most like he lost it headed toward the road for help.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss cleared the brim of snow.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Little Joe.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t good at sittin\u2019 still.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked out across the expanse of snow, lit now by the rising sun.\u00a0 It put him in mind again of the desert, with its vast expanses of golden dunes, difficult, if not impossible to cross.<\/p>\n Was\u00a0 their fifteen-year-old brother buried under one of those dunes?\u00a0 Would they find Joe\u2019s\u2026body come spring?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s with pa in the shack.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss took hold of Chubb\u2019s reins.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s nothin\u2019 to do, but find out.\u201d<\/p>\n It took them another quarter hour or so of slogging through the snow to reach the shack.\u00a0 As they drew near, they were heartened by the fact that smoke was pouring out of the chimney.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone\u2019s there for sure!\u201d Hoss declared, brightening.<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n He forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust a little concerned that there\u2019s no light in the windows.\u201d<\/p>\n Every the optimist, his brother replied, \u201cIt\u2019s morning.\u00a0 They probably don\u2019t need no lamp no more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n A second later, they were both speeding toward the shack.\u00a0 Hoss reached it first and looked back at him before he opened the door and stepped in.\u00a0 Adam followed shortly, noting as he entered that the structure had recently been occupied.<\/p>\n Had been.<\/em>\u00a0 It was empty.<\/p>\n Hoss spun to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cGoldangit!\u00a0 Where do you think they went?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was walking around, examining everything.\u00a0 He noted the empty whiskey bottles as well as the dirty dishes in the dry sink.\u00a0 A woman\u2019s shawl lay on the floor near the supply room door.\u00a0 When he came to the cot, he stopped.<\/p>\n Hoss didn\u2019t miss it.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d you find?\u201d<\/p>\n The black-haired man bent over and fingered the stain on the cot\u2019s mattress.\u00a0 Adam stood up and showed his brother his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2019s, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI imagine so.\u00a0 Did you find any sign of Little Joe?\u201d he asked in return.<\/p>\n \u201cNot hide nor hair.\u00a0 But he had to be here if\u2019n Pa was.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll work on that theory.\u201d\u00a0 Adam returned to the door and opened it and looked out on the cold wintry day.\u00a0 \u201cWhere do you suppose they would have gone?\u00a0 Why not stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go see if I can find any tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n As Hoss pushed past him and headed out the door, Adam turned back into the cabin.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t said much, but if it was Pa who\u2019d been on that bed, he\u2019d lost a fair amount of blood.\u00a0 He had <\/em>to be weak.\u00a0 The thought of something dire enough to drive the older man and their little brother back out into the snow was chilling.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cYou find something?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss held up his glove. The fingertips were red.<\/p>\n \u201cMore blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan the horses make it?\u201d he asked as he headed for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to do it on foot.\u00a0 Looks like they was too.\u00a0 There\u2019s a pair of horses tethered out back.\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d he asked as he pulled the door closed behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cI been thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 There\u2019s a cabin up this way.\u00a0 It\u2019s about a mile from here.\u201d<\/p>\n He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cA cabin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you know.\u00a0 It\u2019s abandoned now.\u00a0 Used to be a family lived there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was over a decade ago.\u201d\u00a0 Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would Pa and Joe have headed there when they had everything they needed here?\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t expect to find any help.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shrugged his giant shoulders, knocking snow off in the action.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no good you and me speculatin\u2019.\u00a0 I say, let\u2019s go ask \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked up at the sky.\u00a0 The snow continued to fall.\u00a0 At times, it seemed it might never end.<\/p>\n Just like this nightmare they found themselves in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emmy rose to her feet.\u00a0 She had kindled a fire in the snow as her father taught her, and used it to turn snow into water.\u00a0 Balancing the tin cup, she made her way across the rough terrain to the white man\u2019s side.\u00a0 They were a little less than halfway to the cabin.\u00a0 She had not failed to notice his blood on the white waves as they made their way.\u00a0 The two colors made her think of the Paiute tale of beginning, when the Great Father separated his white children from his red ones.\u00a0 All they did was squabble and fight.\u00a0 Great Father grew tired of it and he sent his white children away to live in another place, while her people remained.\u00a0 She had been told as a child that the whites would return one day and they had.\u00a0 Her people met them with joy, considering them their long lost brothers and sisters.\u00a0 All too soon their joy turned to sorrow as the white men began to hunt the People down and kill them with their thundering fire sticks.\u00a0 She learned this at her father\u2019s knee.\u00a0 He told her the tale so she would be wary, but told her as well that not all white men were evil.<\/p>\n Many years after that, when the tribe was moving through the high country in winter, they came upon a man who was cold as ice.\u00a0 At first they thought he was dead, but his breath showed against the blade of a knife and so they bundled him up in furs and took him with them.\u00a0 His name as Cassidy but he went by Kay, since Cassidy \u00a0was his father\u2019s name too.\u00a0 Kay was a trapper and interpreter.\u00a0 He was known to her grandfather and believed to be a good man.\u00a0 In time they learned Kay was a liar and thief, but not before she jumped the broom with him and became his wife.\u00a0 The white man used her to betray their tribe \u2013 the old men, the women and their children.\u00a0 Kay did it for the price of five piles of fur, a dozen blankets, and the silver they wore about their throats and arms.\u00a0 She had been little more than a child, but she had learned her lesson well.<\/p>\n Her father had been wrong.<\/p>\n White men were<\/em> evil.<\/p>\n Her mother and brother and sisters died when the white men attacked.\u00a0 They were the fortunate ones.\u00a0 She was exiled from the tribe; her father driven out with her.\u00a0 They left the camp together and rode for many miles before her father told her to stop.\u00a0 He touched her face and stared into her eyes and then, without words, walked away.<\/p>\n She wanted to die and nearly did.\u00a0 She was \u00a0near death when the white trader found her lying beside a swollen stream.\u00a0 He took her in and gave her food and drink and a new name.\u00a0 She thought he cared for her, but she had forgotten what she\u2019d learned.\u00a0 When spring came, he sold her to Cato Becket for a few dollars and a brand new hunting knife.<\/p>\n Since that day, those things were her worth.<\/p>\n Emmy halted as she arrived at the tree underneath which Ben Cartwright sat.\u00a0 He was white as the snow that sought to bury them; pale with loss of blood.\u00a0 She\u2019d managed to stop the bleeding from his second wound, but he would have to rest and gather strength before he could go on.<\/p>\n \u201cI have brought you water,\u201d she said as she knelt at his side.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright opened his eyes slowly.\u00a0 Briefly, they were without a focus.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d he said as he reached for it.<\/p>\n The Paiute woman nodded.\u00a0 She rocked back on her heels, squatting in the snow.\u00a0 This white man confused her.\u00a0 He did not seem like the others.\u00a0 But then she had thought that of Kay as well.\u00a0 Rummaging in the pouch at her side, she produced a thick piece of jerky.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must eat.\u201d<\/p>\n He pushed it away.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 My stomach doesn\u2019t want food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat your stomach denies, your heart knows,\u201d she said as she offered it again.\u00a0 \u201cYou will not save your son if you do not have the strength to make it to the cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n The white man\u2019s eyes flicked to her face and then returned to the jerky.\u00a0 As he took it, he thanked her again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it you thank me for?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cIf it was not for me you would not be here, and your son would not be in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor your kindness.\u00a0 You could have refused to come with me,\u201d Ben Cartwright said.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have refused for you to go,\u201d she said with a frown.\u00a0 \u201cYou are not strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am plenty strong enough!\u201d the white man insisted as he fought to rise.\u00a0 \u201cMy son is in the hands of a madman who has a personal vendetta against me.\u00a0 I need to go now!\u201d<\/p>\n She placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cEat your jerky and then we will go, if you are able.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher struggled and then slumped against the tree\u2019s trunk.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m useless!\u201d Ben Cartwright growled in frustration.\u00a0 \u201cMy son needs me and I am as useless as a gun without a trigger!\u201d<\/p>\n The Paiute woman observed him a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI am sorry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat I am a part of this.\u00a0 I wish you and your son no harm.\u00a0 I only wish to live in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith Cato?\u201d \u00a0One silvery brow arched.\u00a0 \u201cThe man is in torment.\u00a0 You will find no peace with him.\u201d<\/p>\n It was true and she knew it, but she also knew they were of the same spirit \u2013 broken, angry\u2026lost.\u00a0 Each of them was but half a person.\u00a0 It had been her hope that together, they could become a whole.<\/p>\n \u201cCato does not hate without reason,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n Her words stung him.\u00a0 He jerked.\u00a0 \u201cIf the man had come to me and told me why he did what he did, I would have helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is proud, like a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes and, as the Good Book says, \u2018Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.\u201d<\/p>\n She did not understand this.\u00a0 She puzzled about it before she replied.\u00a0 \u201cIs that why my father rode away? \u00a0Was he\u2026proud?\u201d<\/p>\n The white man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 A warrior is one who does what has to be done no matter the cost to themselves.\u00a0 Your father feared what his tribe would say about and do to him.\u00a0 He ran.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnt Padooa<\/em> fears nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n The man thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cBlack bear,\u201d he said.\u00a0 It surprised her that he knew her language.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t heard of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur tribe came from over the mountains.\u00a0 Black Bear haunts their foothills now like a ghost.\u201d \u00a0The woman paused.\u00a0 \u201cEat your jerky.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright watched her a moment and then took a bite of jerky and swallowed it down with the water. \u00a0\u201cYour name isn\u2019t Emmy, is it?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat should I call you?\u201d<\/p>\n It had been many years. \u00a0So many perhaps she had forgotten.\u00a0 Both Kay and Cato forbid her to use her birth name.<\/p>\n \u201cAtsa,\u201d she said at last.\u00a0 \u201cI was born when the moon was red.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAtsa, that\u2019s lovely,\u201d the white man said as he shifted and began to work himself to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve eaten your jerky.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n It was not.\u00a0 He knew it as well as she.\u00a0 Atsa sighed as she placed an arm around Ben Cartwright\u2019s waist and helped him to his feet.\u00a0 It seemed there was one thing she and her white brother shared; their love of family.\u00a0 Ben Cartwrights\u2019 son was alive.\u00a0 All but her father were bones and buried beneath the ground.\u00a0 If it was in her power, she would spare him the ceremony of mourning.\u00a0 He would not have to cut his hair and slash his arms until his blood flowed red.<\/p>\n If it was within her power.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SIX<\/strong><\/p>\n Several hours had passed. Cato Becket had emptied one bottle of whiskey and was working on the second.\u00a0 As the outlaw drank, his agitation grew.\u00a0 Joe lay on the bed, keeping as still as possible, and watched him from under lidded eyes.\u00a0 He\u2019d decided to play \u2018dead\u2019 so to speak, hoping that in his inebriated state Becket would forget about him.<\/p>\n All the while he was drinking, Becket kept mumblin\u2019.\u00a0 Joe thought he heard \u2018Ohio\u2019 and the names \u2018Billy\u2019 and \u2018Grace\u2019.\u00a0 He heard his pa\u2019s name as well.\u00a0 \u2018Ben Cartwright\u2019 was always <\/em>followed by a curse and sometimes an action \u2013 like kickin\u2019 a chair over and shovin\u2019 it clear across the floor.\u00a0 The outlaw had been churnin\u2019 like a paddle wheeler for the last five minutes, building up a head of steam big enough to power that ship across the ocean.\u00a0 It was bound to blow.<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t know what he\u2019d do when it did.<\/p>\n Adam had taught him about kidnappers.\u00a0 He and Pa were always worried that someone would make off with him \u2018cause he was the most \u2018vulnerable\u2019.\u00a0 That word had made him learn to fight dirty at an early age.\u00a0 He knew how to take care of himself when he was<\/em> himself.\u00a0\u00a0 The trouble was, right now<\/em> he felt weak as a day old kitten.\u00a0 Big brother had taught him another thing \u2013 if<\/em> he was ever taken, he should try to escape at all costs.\u00a0 Even though kidnappers always promised to return whoever they took, they seldom did.\u00a0 Most often they put a bullet through their head just like Becket had threatened to do with him.\u00a0 At the moment, he wasn\u2019t tied up.\u00a0 He\u2019d pretended \u2013 well, partially pretended \u2013 that he was so weak there was nothin\u2019 to worry about.\u00a0 Of course, he\u2019d tried that trick with Cato before, but this time he knew he looked like he meant it.\u00a0 His fever was high.\u00a0 There were livid spots on his cheeks along with the growing blisters.\u00a0 He had a headache and couldn\u2019t stop shivering.\u00a0 The outlaw had checked him a short time ago, so Becket knew all of that.\u00a0 Joe was hoping it would make him drop his guard, just a little bit, so he could take him.\u00a0 When he made the attempt, he needed to hit Cato hard enough he didn\u2019t get back up.<\/p>\n If the outlaw found his feet too soon, it wasn\u2019t gonna be pretty.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes and turned his face to the wall as Becket placed the bottle on the table and then continued on to his side.\u00a0 He moaned slightly and curled into himself as the man leaned over him \u2013 and then exploded out of the bed.\u00a0 Joe managed to catch Cato off-guard and knocked him on his ass, but his advantage didn\u2019t last long.\u00a0 Within seconds the outlaw was climbing to his feet.\u00a0 The curly-headed youth glanced around.\u00a0 His action wasn\u2019t planned like older brother Adam would have wanted it to be, but he figured it would do.\u00a0 Joe caught the metal water pitcher off the stand by the bed and brought it down on Cato\u2019s skull with a resounding \u2018clunk\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n He went down like a punch-drunk prize fighter.<\/p>\n Joe wanted to go down too.\u00a0 Stars surrounded him, twinkling and falling fast and furious as the snow outside.\u00a0 He shook them away as he stumbled toward the door.\u00a0 He\u2019d made it into his blue coat and was reachin\u2019 for his pa\u2019s when Cato came up off of the floor and lunged at him.\u00a0 The outlaw missed and lay moaning where he fell \u2013 for about three heartbeats \u2013 and then was on his feet again.\u00a0 Joe eyed the coat on the rack, Cato, and then, the latched door behind him.\u00a0 He only had a few seconds.\u00a0 It was gonna take him that long to get the door open.<\/p>\n Pa was sure gonna be mad when he found out he didn\u2019t take his coat!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSomeone stopped here, Adam.\u00a0 By the look of what\u2019s left of the fire, they ain\u2019t too far ahead of us.\u201d\u00a0 His brother was bent over, searching the snow for fresh signs near the bottom of a tall pine tree.\u00a0 When he stood up and turned toward him, Hoss\u2019 beefy face was troubled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s funny though.\u00a0 Don\u2019t look little brother\u2019s boot prints at all.\u00a0 More like a woman\u2019s traveling with Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA woman!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall foot.\u00a0 Narrow.\u00a0\u00a0 Looks like she might be wearing swamp boots.\u00a0 Rabbit fur, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow far ahead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDepends on how fast they\u2019s walkin\u2019.\u00a0 Ten minutes, maybe twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Pa\u2019s wounded.\u00a0 That will slow them down.\u201d<\/p>\n They stood a moment, contemplating what chance their wounded father had of making it to shelter, before Hoss turned and started off again.\u00a0 The snow was coming down harder.\u00a0 They needed to find their father and their little brother.\u00a0 Now.\u00a0 Not in fifteen minutes.\u00a0 Not in an hour.\u00a0 Now.<\/em><\/p>\n Before it was too late.<\/p>\n Hoss was a gray shadow on a wall of white.\u00a0 There were times when he lost sight of him as they traveled, the snow had grown so heavy.\u00a0 They\u2019d been on the move, perhaps, ten minutes when his brother drew up so short he ran into him.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see something?\u201d Adam asked as he removed his hat, shook it, and then returned it to his head.\u00a0 The exercise was pointless.\u00a0 It was covered again almost instantly.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n They stood there in silence, listening.\u00a0 Then he heard it too.\u00a0 A woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think it\u2019s coming from the cabin?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n \u201cCould be.\u00a0 I can see a light up ahead \u2013 sort of.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss started to move, but he caught his arm and held him back.\u00a0 \u201cWait.\u00a0 Can you hear it? There\u2019s a man too.\u00a0 Sounds like they\u2019re arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n They moved quickly with little thought to concealment, knowing the snow would mask them right up until the time they reached the cabin.\u00a0 Since Pa was traveling with a woman, they assumed he was the one speaking, but there was no way they could be sure.\u00a0 Their father might have met up with someone else.\u00a0 Since he was injured, he could be sleeping or unconscious\u2026<\/p>\n Or worse.<\/p>\n \u201cI sure hope Pa and Little Joe is together,\u201d Hoss breathed, his soft words appearing as white vapor.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d hate to think of little brother out in this storm all on his lonesome\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t bear <\/em>thinking about.\u00a0 If Joe had headed out earlier and been caught in that sink hole, and then stumbled away into the driven snow, there was little hope they would find him alive \u2013 if they ever<\/em> found him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe taught him well,\u201d Adam said, since he had to say something.\u00a0 \u201cJoe knows what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, you\u2019re right.\u00a0 He\u2019s a tough kid.\u00a0 If anyone can make it, he will.\u201d<\/p>\n He caught his brother\u2019s elbow.\u00a0 \u201cHoss.\u00a0 Look.\u201d<\/p>\n The old cabin was right in front of them.\u00a0 A meager light shone through the windows, as if there was a fire within but it had been allowed to burn low.\u00a0 A man and woman stood on the porch.\u00a0 They were shouting.\u00a0 The man wanted out and the woman was trying to keep him in.<\/p>\n They exchanged a glance and then started shouting themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u00a0 Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, it\u2019s us!\u00a0 Hoss and Adam!\u00a0 Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n The shouting ceased as their father turned his head toward them.\u00a0 Pa lifted a hand and waved.\u00a0 When they reached the porch, he gave them each a weak smile.<\/p>\n Just before he collapsed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is not well.\u00a0 He will not rest,\u201d the woman said.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me get him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Even semiconscious, their father was fighting.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026\u201d he moaned.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026have to go\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me, little lady,\u201d Hoss said as he scooped their pa up and carried him into the cabin.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a bed in the corner,\u201d the woman said.\u00a0 \u201cI will get some blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n They were both covered in snow \u2013 the woman and their pa.\u00a0 Adam wondered once again what in the world could have compelled Pa to make such a choice; to come to this place when he was safe and warm back at the shack?\u00a0 The same answer kept coming to him and, even though he wanted to push it aside, he feared it was the right one.<\/p>\n The woman returned with the blankets and gave them to Hoss.\u00a0 Adam reached out and caught her arm as she turned to go.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s my brother?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cIs Little Joe here?\u201d<\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t missed it.\u00a0 Pa was moaning again, this time calling out Joe\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHe is no more.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam eyed her.\u00a0 She was attractive, dark, and obviously native \u2013 at least in part \u2013 with a kind but weary face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean Joe \u2018was\u2019, but \u2018isn\u2019t\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Her black eyes looked beyond him to the door, which remained open.\u00a0 She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe is out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to look.\u00a0 The storm was howling.\u00a0 Swinging back, he confronted her.\u00a0 \u201cJoe is out in that?\u00a0 Whatever possessed you to allow him to do that?\u00a0 He\u2019s just a kid!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Pa.\u00a0 He was sitting up against the pillows on the bed, looking at him.\u00a0 Without another word, the black-haired man left the woman behind and went to join his family.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, there was a man\u2026an evil man who kidnapped\u2026your brother and brought him here.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2026is gone.\u201d\u00a0 The older man sucked in air and paled.\u00a0 Pa dug his teeth into his lip, fighting back pain.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026what happened.\u00a0 Atsa\u2026thinks Joe got must have escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCato has gone after him,\u201d Atsa said as she joined them.<\/p>\n \u201cCato?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n \u201cCato Becket.\u00a0 He\u2019s an\u2026outlaw,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cCato found your brother\u2026in the snow and\u2026brought him to\u2026shack.\u00a0 Thought\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Pa closed his eyes, gathering strength.\u00a0 \u201cI thought he was going to help, but\u2026he turned.\u00a0 He left the shack.\u00a0 Took your\u2026brother for ransom and brought Joe here.\u201d\u00a0 A tear trailed down their father\u2019s cheek as he finished.\u00a0 \u201cGo after him.\u00a0 He\u2019s…just a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was staring at his pa.\u00a0 The older man\u2019s shoulder was clearly bandaged, but he seemed to be holding his side.<\/p>\n He turned to the woman and asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCato shot Ben Cartwright to control the boy,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n \u201cShot?\u201d Hoss asked, looking at their father.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boy was too weak to go into the snow.\u201d\u00a0 Atsa pointed to the table, the top of which held two empty whiskey bottles.\u00a0 \u201cCato has been drinking.\u00a0 He is angry.\u00a0 He will kill the boy when he finds him.\u00a0 Your father is right.\u00a0 You must go now!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had a thousand questions whirling in his brain, but not one of them mattered.\u00a0 What mattered was that their little brother was alone, in the middle of a winter storm, with a man in pursuit who was both drunk and very, very angry.<\/p>\n \u201cGo, both of you,\u201d Atsa said.\u00a0 \u201cI will look after your father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo,\u201d Pa whispered as more tears fell. \u201cFind your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n He and Hoss looked at each other.\u00a0 Dusk was approaching.\u00a0 The slanted light that filtered through the trees painted stripes of gold on the blue-white snow dunes.\u00a0 They had an hour, maybe two before it was too late.<\/p>\n Too late for Little Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can hear you breathin\u2019, boy.\u00a0 You\u2019re slowin\u2019 down.\u00a0 Maybe dyin\u2019.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you just show yourself?\u00a0 Old Cato will take away all the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Becket never stopped talking.\u00a0 All the time he\u2019d been pushin\u2019 his way through the snow, the outlaw kept taunting him.\u00a0 Joe knew Cato was trying to get him to lose his temper.\u00a0 If he lost his temper, he\u2019d do something stupid and wind up dead.\u00a0 So he ignored his own voice and listened to the other ones in his head; to his pa and to his brothers.\u00a0 \u2018Keep calm,\u2019<\/em> they kept tellin\u2019 him.\u00a0 \u2018Count to ten\u2019.\u00a0 \u2018Think.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Look before you leap\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n It was mighty hard, but he was doin\u2019 his best to do what they said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know you\u2019re pa\u2019s probably dead by now,\u201d Cato jeered, his voice closer than it was before.\u00a0 The outlaw was right on the other side of the trees he was hiding behind.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be dead too, kid, if you don\u2019t show yourself.\u00a0 I got hot coffee and that warm coat of yours.\u00a0 I want you alive.\u00a0 If you die, I don\u2019t get my money.\u00a0 Think about it, kid?\u00a0 Why would I want to hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Because you\u2019re mad as a rattler on a spit\u2019<\/em>, Joe thought even as he fought to keep his teeth from chattering.\u00a0 The sound was so loud, he was afraid Becket would hear it.<\/p>\n As he hugged his arms around his torso, Joe raised up to peer over the snow-covered brush that hid him from Becket.\u00a0 The forest was in front of him.\u00a0 Behind him there was a dangerous drop.\u00a0 He knew this land.\u00a0 He\u2019d traveled it since he was old enough to sit in a wagon beside his father or brothers.\u00a0 Since a lot of the timber had been cleared hereabouts, this was one of the few places along the road where a fellow could hide. \u00a0As Cato halted right in front of him, Joe scowled.\u00a0 The sight of his war, winter coat in the outlaws hand brought tears to his eyes.\u00a0 Of course, they froze before they could fall.\u00a0 So far runnin\u2019 had kept him pretty warm. \u00a0Well, except for his toes and his nose.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t really feel them anymore.\u00a0 He had his fingers inside his shirt and under his arm pits.\u00a0 He was awful scared of freezing his fingers again.\u00a0 He knew a man who had done that and the doctor had lopped the tips right off!<\/p>\n Still, living without fingers would be better than not living at all.<\/p>\n Joe ducked down.\u00a0 He held still for a moment, stifling a sneeze, and then began to crawl along the brush that lined the trees.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone straight up and then doubled back and was steadily working his way back to the cabin where his pa was.\u00a0 Becket had guessed what he was doing, but with the heavy snow falling the outlaw was just about as blind as him.\u00a0 He needed to keep moving and move as fast as he could, \u2018cause he had to be the first one to get to it.\u00a0 If Pa was still alive\u2026.\u00a0 Joe shivered from head to his toe.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Pa was <\/em>alive. He waiting for him.\u00a0 So he had<\/em> to be the first to get to the cabin.\u00a0 He had to slam that door in Cato Becket\u2019s face and secure it, otherwise the outlaw would use his father against him again.<\/p>\n This time he was sure <\/em>Becket would kill Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you\u2019re out there, boy, and I know where you\u2019re goin\u2019!\u201d Cato called from just to his left.\u00a0 \u201cYou set foot in that cabin, you better look behind you, \u2018cause I\u2019ll be right on your heels!\u201d<\/p>\n Becket sounded a whole lot more sober now.\u00a0 Joe supposed nearly freezin\u2019 to death would do that to a man.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d told him that men thought drinking liquor would keep \u2018em warm, but it actually made them colder.\u00a0 He was kind of hoping Cato would just up and turn into an icicle, kind of like Lot\u2019s wife turned into that pillar of salt.<\/p>\n Joe laughed at the image in his mind.<\/p>\n That was, until he heard the \u2018click\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI got you in my sights, kid.\u00a0 You stay right where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe froze.\u00a0 He sucked in a breath as he looked around, seeking a way out.\u00a0 There was nothing \u2013 nothing but snow and more snow and shadows on the snow lit by a snowy light.\u00a0 It was a weird and beautiful wasteland, but that\u2019s all it was \u2013 a waste.\u00a0 The curly headed youth turned his head toward the only sound he could hear: Cato Becket\u2019s boots crushing the icy skin of the white dunes.\u00a0 The outlaw\u2019s footsteps grew closer with each thudding heartbeat.<\/p>\n He had ten seconds, maybe less, to make a choice.<\/p>\n Joe stood up and turned, ready to run, but at that moment a rough hand caught his arm and hauled him back.\u00a0 The barrel of a pistol was pushed up under his chin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re more trouble than you\u2019re worth, Cartwright,\u201d Cato snarled.\u00a0 The outlaw dragged him over to the precipice.\u00a0 \u201cTake a look, kid,\u201d he sneered as he shoved him toward the sea of shadows that lay at the bottom of a twenty foot drop.\u00a0 \u201cGod even provided a grave.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SEVEN<\/strong><\/p>\n Adam and Hoss were halfway up the ridge when they heard it.\u00a0 The single shot rang out like a clarion bell, signaling disaster.\u00a0 There could be no reason for anyone other than Cato Becket and their brother to be in this place, and out in this storm.\u00a0 Adam felt sick.\u00a0 He had to stop \u2013 had to strike out with his hand against a tree to find balance.<\/p>\n How were they going to tell Pa?<\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Hoss said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cIt don\u2019t mean Little Joe\u2019s\u2026dead.\u00a0 You know Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s got spunk.\u00a0 Maybe he got the gun away from Cato.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a slim hope, but it was\u2026hope.<\/p>\n He drew in a breath and nodded.<\/p>\n And they continued on.<\/p>\n The landscape they traveled was tough to navigate even in the warmer months.\u00a0 Just behind the old cabin was a field and, beyond that field, there were foothills.\u00a0 There was a path that ran into them, buried now in snow, leading up to a ridge \u2013 a cliff really \u2013 that lay along one side.\u00a0 If you could have seen the land as a crow did, the trail would have looked roughly like a question mark.\u00a0 They were at the point where the path began to climb, which meant the bottom of the ridge was to their left.\u00a0\u00a0 It was eerie how silent the night had become.\u00a0 The shot had echoed for a good half-minute. \u00a0Since then, there had been nothing.\u00a0 No shout of triumph.\u00a0 No\u00a0 cry of terror.\u00a0 No little brother calling out for help.<\/p>\n A hand on his arm stopped him.\u00a0 Adam blinked snow from his eyes and looked at his brother. Hoss was looking at the top of the ridge.\u00a0 He did the same and noted the incongruity\u00a0 immediately.\u00a0 The edge of the cliff crested like a white-capped swell on the sea.\u00a0 Except where it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 There was one place \u00a0\u2013 big enough for a man to have passed through \u2013 where the snow was missing.<\/p>\n Hoss had lowered his gaze to sea of shadows at its bottom.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, you don\u2019t think\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Like two swimmers desperate to reach a drowning man, they plunged into that sea.<\/p>\n It was pitch-black under the ridge.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t see anything.\u00a0 All they could do was bend and crouch and crawl through the snow.\u00a0 It was frigid work and, in no time at all, they were both soaked to the skin.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything?\u201d Adam shouted as he reached out again and clawed more of the white stuff away.<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019,\u201d Hoss \u00a0called back, his voice hopeless but determined.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m goin\u2019 in deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe careful!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam watched Hoss plunge into the white stuff close to the cliff face before starting in again.\u00a0 He was moving out, winding back and forth, figuring if someone had toppled off of the ridge they would have fallen at least a dozen feet out from \u2013<\/p>\n He sucked in air.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u00a0 Hoss!\u00a0 I found him!\u201d<\/p>\n Or at least he hoped it was Little Joe.\u00a0 What he\u2019d found was a hand.<\/p>\n A very cold <\/em>hand.<\/p>\n Adam clawed with desperation, seeking a face, and was both elated and horrified when he found it.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it\u2026Joe?\u201d Hoss puffed as he came alongside him.<\/p>\n The black-haired man nodded, at a loss for words.\u00a0 He\u2019d unearthed Joe\u2019s silent form and was running his hands along his baby brother\u2019s body, trying to determine where he\u2019d been shot.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he\u2026okay?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n What Little Joe was, was alive <\/em>\u2013 thank God!\u00a0 Leaning over him as he was, Adam could feel his brother\u2019s breath on his cheek.\u00a0 He could also feel the heat radiating off of Joe\u2019s slender body.\u00a0 The kid had a fever.\u00a0 Not a surprise considering what he\u2019d been through in the last twenty-four hours or so.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t seem to find a wound,\u201d he replied as he straightened up with their little brother in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s cold, Hoss, really <\/em>cold.\u00a0 We need to get him back to the cabin as quickly as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shimmied out of his coat.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you suppose happened?\u00a0\u00a0 I mean, if Little Joe ain\u2019t shot \u2013 who is?\u201d the big man asked as he came toward him carrying it.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam replied as the big man draped the heavy garment over their brother\u2019s silent form. \u00a0\u201cAll I know is we have to get him some place warm.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was staring at Joe.\u00a0 He touched his forehead.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cGoldarnit, Adam!\u00a0 He\u2019s hot as a firecracker!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n The war wasn\u2019t over yet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the two brothers moved away, bearing their precious cargo like a hero from the battlefield, a tall, rangy figure appeared at the top of the rise, rifle in hand.\u00a0 It stood, watching them as they moved away, and then began its slow descent down the hill.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright was out of bed.\u00a0 Atsa chided him for rising, but the nervous energy he felt made it impossible to lie still.\u00a0 The Paiute woman was a good nurse.\u00a0 She\u2019d tended to his injuries and he felt much better.\u00a0 The poultices she\u2019d placed on his wounds had kept infection at bay and his pain was diminishing.<\/p>\n His physical pain, that was.<\/p>\n For the hundredth time Ben walked to the door and opened it.\u00a0 Every time he did, Atsa scolded him for letting the heat escape.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew she was right, but he couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 The snow-covered desert beyond the door haunted him.\u00a0 His sons were lost in it \u2013 all three <\/em>of them.\u00a0 Even if Cato Becket and the threat he presented hadn\u2019t<\/em> existed, the weather was just as dangerous.\u00a0 A man could get turned around so easily.<\/p>\n He\u2019d never forgotten the first time he\u2019d had to assist in burying a man who had frozen to death in the snow and not been found until the following spring thaw.<\/p>\n \u201cBen,\u201d Atsa said softly from behind him.\u00a0 \u201cYou sons will need warmth.\u00a0 You must close the door.\u201d<\/p>\n He lowered his head and then turned to look at her.\u00a0 Atsa was not a bad woman.\u00a0 She had just made bad choices.\u00a0 The sympathy that shone out of her eyes and the way she had tended to him, told him everything he needed to know about her.\u00a0 He wondered where her father was and if the pair would ever reconcile.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t imagine being estranged from one of his children. They were such a precious gift, to be treasured and never thrown away.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u2019 the rancher replied with a half-smile as he started to push the door to.\u00a0 Then, something stopped him.\u00a0 It was dark outside.\u00a0 The snow was a white wall.\u00a0 And yet, there had been\u2026something.\u00a0 Ben glanced Atsa before stepping out to peer into the night.<\/p>\n There it was.\u00a0 Something.\u00a0 Or rather, someone.\u00a0 Someone was coming.\u00a0 Two men.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart constricted with terror.<\/p>\n Two.\u00a0 Only <\/em>two.<\/p>\n Hoss was in front, plowing a path through the thigh-high white waves.\u00a0 Adam followed. His older boy was moving more slowly, bringing up the rear.\u00a0 Ben let out a little cry when he realized Adam was carrying something.\u00a0 The rancher held his breath as his sons drew closer, afraid to hope and to have those hopes crushed.<\/p>\n It would have been like finding a needle in a stack of silver hay.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d he asked as the big man made it to the door.<\/p>\n His son gave him a shy smile.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe got him, Pa.\u00a0 We got Little Joe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAlive?\u201d Ben asked as Adam drew near.\u00a0 There was precious little he could see of his youngest boy.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 coat engulfed him.\u00a0 Only Joseph\u2019s brown curls showed.<\/p>\n The big man placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s alive, Pa, but little brother\u2019s in a bad way.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher closed his eyes and whispered a quick, silent prayer.\u00a0 God had been good.\u00a0 He had brought his boy back to him.<\/p>\n Now, it was up to him to keep him alive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright looked over his shoulder at the scene on the other side of the cabin.\u00a0 Adam was sittin\u2019 in a chair propped up against the wall, sound asleep.\u00a0 Older brother had been keepin\u2019 vigil and just drifted off.\u00a0 Pa was there too by Little Joe\u2019s side leanin\u2019 over him and talkin\u2019, all the while holdin\u2019 baby brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d done been unconscious since they brought him in.\u00a0 His fever was high and for a while, he\u2019d been near to seizin\u2019 up.\u00a0 All the time Joe kept beggin\u2019 Cato Becket not to shoot him and kept yellin\u2019 out \u2018No!\u2019.\u00a0 From what Joe said it seemed Cato had pointed his gun right at little brother and fired.<\/p>\n But little brother didn\u2019t have no hole in him.<\/p>\n The big man shook his head.\u00a0 \u00a0Him and Adam, they\u2019d heard the shot.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t make no sense at all.<\/p>\n The big man grabbed his coat from the peg by the door and began to draw it on.\u00a0 He was going out to get more snow so they could melt it both for drinkin\u2019 and for tendin\u2019 little brother.\u00a0 The Paiute woman \u2013 Atsa \u2013 was doin\u2019 her best, but you could tell whatever was wrong with Little Joe was just about beyond her skill.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d been through a lot; the wagon crashin\u2019 and Pa getting\u2019 hurt, makin\u2019 it to the line shack and then bein\u2019 kidnapped by Cato, and then havin\u2019 Cato drag him out into the cold.\u00a0 And then there was fallin\u2019 off the edge of the ridge.\u00a0 Sometimes it seemed God had it out for his little brother.\u00a0 Pa kept sayin\u2019 these kind of things were what made a man, what honed him and made him stronger.\u00a0 Dang it if little brother wasn\u2019t gonna be just about the strongest man in the world by the time he turned sixteen!<\/p>\n Hoss glanced at the bed again and the sick boy tossin\u2019 and turnin\u2019 in it.<\/p>\n If <\/em>he made it to sixteen.<\/p>\n With a sigh, the big man placed his hand on the latch and opened the door \u2013 and then sucked in surprise at what he found on the other side.<\/p>\n It were an Indian.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d he heard Pa ask as he stumbled back into the cabin.\u00a0 The Indian followed him in.\u00a0 He was tall \u2013\u00a0 not quite as tall as him \u2013 but taller than brother Adam.\u00a0 The stranger was wrapped from head to toe in furs and carried a rifle.\u00a0 As his father joined him and Adam stirred, waking from sleep to realize something was happenin\u2019, the Indian rested his rifle against the wall and began to disrobe.<\/p>\n As the layers fell away, Hoss let out a low whistle.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, hey there, Charlie,\u201d he said in greeting.<\/p>\n Old Charlie as they called him didn\u2019t talk much, but that was the way with a lot of Indians.\u00a0 They was deeper thinkers than white men and didn\u2019t say nothin\u2019 unless they had somethin\u2019 to say.\u00a0 Charlie met his gaze and nodded.\u00a0 He did the same with Pa and Adam before \u00a0moving across the cabin and comin\u2019 to rest at Little Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 Atsa was sittin\u2019 with little brother, moppin\u2019 the sweat off his forehead.<\/p>\n She looked up and gasped.<\/p>\n The pair of them Indians eyeballed each other for about ten heartbeats before Atsa rose to her feet and exchanged places with the old warrior.\u00a0 Charlie placed his rough, dark hand on Little Joe\u2019s forehead and waited until baby brother\u2019s feverish eyes found him.\u00a0 Then he said somethin\u2019 in Paiute.\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t understand what he said, but you sure could understand what he meant.\u00a0 Joe gave him a weary smile before he drifted off again.<\/p>\n Old Charlie sat for several heartbeats with his hand on little brother\u2019s head before he stood up and went over to Atsa.\u00a0 She was kind of hunkerin\u2019 in the corner by the door.\u00a0 The old Indian went right up to her.\u00a0 He placed a hand on her shoulder and began to speak in that funny language of his. \u00a0When he stopped, he nodded toward the door.\u00a0 Atsa nodded too and then she opened it and stepped outside.<\/p>\n Charlie remained where he was for a moment and then went to talk to Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe spirit of the bad man still seeks to kill your son, Ben Cartwright,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cCato\u2019s spirit is strong.\u00a0 Your son\u2019s is weak.\u00a0 I do not know if he can win the battle.\u00a0 Still, if you choose, I will do what I can.\u201d<\/p>\n That was as much English as he\u2019d ever heard Charlie speak.<\/p>\n Pa glanced at Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is it you can <\/em>do?\u201d<\/p>\n Charlie nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI have medicine.\u00a0 It will strengthen his body, but he must choose to live.\u00a0 It will be easier to choose to die.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam came up beside Pa.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe is a fighter.\u00a0 He won\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither will we,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can we do to aid you?\u201d<\/p>\n Atsa had returned.\u00a0 She was carrying a hand painted leather satchel, most likely filled with Charlie\u2019s medicine.\u00a0\u00a0 She went to the table to the left of Little Joe\u2019s bed and began to empty it.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you believe in the Great Father, Benjamin Cartwright?\u201d Old Charlie asked.<\/p>\n Pa nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indian placed his hand on Pa\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI will fight for your son\u2019s life.\u00a0 You, Benjamin Cartwright, will fight for his soul.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam lifted his head and looked at his baby brother.\u00a0 Joe was sleeping quietly at last. \u00a0The black haired man rubbed his red-rimmed eyes before rising and heading over to the kitchen.\u00a0 He could smell fresh coffee and he wanted some.\u00a0 Pa was seated at the table.\u00a0 The older man had a mug in his hands and was turning it this way and that.\u00a0 Hoss had pitched a bunch of blankets in a far corner and was happily snoring away.<\/p>\n Atsa and Old Charlie were nowhere to be found.<\/p>\n Adam walked to the window and looked out.\u00a0 The light was dawning and, for once, there was no snow falling.\u00a0 The world was silent.\u00a0 Nothing stirred other than what few leaves clung to the bare branches of the trees.\u00a0 The sky was a brilliant blue and held the promise of better, warmer days.\u00a0\u00a0 As he blinked in the light, Adam suddenly yawned.<\/p>\n It had been a long night.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you manage to get any sleep?\u201d Pa asked quietly.<\/p>\n He grinned as he turned and headed back toward the stove where the coffee pot rested.\u00a0 \u201cSome.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes went to his baby brother.\u00a0 \u201cHow is Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Pa blew out a little breath.\u00a0 \u201cAlive.\u00a0 Thank God.\u201d<\/p>\n Charlie had been with Joe, casting smoke over him and feeding him sips of some homemade concoction most of the night.\u00a0 He spoke quiet words and every once in a while, little brother would answer him.\u00a0 They all knew Joe knew some Paiute.\u00a0 He had friends who were Indian, Sharp Tongue and Sarah Winnemucca among them.\u00a0 It was funny that he considered himself<\/em> the man of the world, but his little brother could already speak three languages \u2013 English, Cantonese, and Indian!\u00a0 Pa had been there every minute, watching while Charlie worked his magic.\u00a0 The crisis came about three in the morning.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fever rose dramatically.\u00a0 He stopped sweating and went deathly still.\u00a0 He\u2019d laid his hand on his brother\u2019s chest to check his heart and been amazed that it didn\u2019t leap out, it was beating so fast.\u00a0 Charlie quietly changed his position and held Joe down as he started to seize.\u00a0 There was no room for Pa, so he fell to his knees and started praying.\u00a0 And then, just as quickly as it began, it was over.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s fever broke, soaking the poor kid from head to toe.\u00a0 Pa went off to talk to Charlie, while he and Hoss cleaned their brother up and redressed him using spare clothes they\u2019d found in the back room.\u00a0 It was odd.\u00a0 The clothing had a native flare to it \u2013 bright colors, lively patterns and such.\u00a0 Little brother\u2019s hands and face looked very pale against all that color.<\/p>\n Adam picked up the pot and poured himself a cup of coffee.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Old Charlie?\u201d he asked as he sat down with his father.<\/p>\n \u201cGone,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cSo is Atsa.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam blinked.\u00a0 He was really hoping he could question the Indian about what had happened.\u00a0 They still had no idea where Cato Becket was.\u00a0 \u201cDid you talk to him before he left?\u00a0 Did Charlie tell you what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n His father put his cup down on the table top and pushed his chair back.\u00a0 He ran his hands over his face and let out a sigh before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 We talked.\u00a0 Apparently Cato Becket was about to kill your brother when Charlie found them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood Lord!\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n \u201cCato had backed Joseph up to the edge of the ridge.\u00a0 He had\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Pa paused.\u00a0 \u201cHe had the barrel of his pistol under your brother\u2019s chin.\u00a0 It\u2019s God\u2019s providence that the gun misfired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was nothing else Charlie could do.\u00a0 He shot Becket in the back.\u00a0 When Cato released your brother, Joseph\u2026fell off the edge.\u00a0 Charlie was headed down to find him when he heard you and Hoss.\u00a0 He held back, waiting to see if you found him.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose the sight of an Indian rising up out of the snow, with a rifle in hand, might have prompted me or Hoss to make a hasty decision.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrecisely.\u00a0 Charlie watched as you found and brought your brother to the cabin, and then gave us some time before making an appearance.\u00a0 He\u2026hesitated to do so because Atsa was here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 He was surprised.\u00a0 \u201cIs there bad blood between them?\u201d<\/p>\n His father looked at him for the longest time.\u00a0 \u201cYou might say that.\u00a0 There is<\/em> blood between them.\u00a0 Atsa is Charlie\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou ain\u2019t foolin\u2019, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he joined them.<\/p>\n Pa looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cSorry we woke you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u00a0 I wanted to check on shortshanks.\u00a0 I had this dream\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head as he pulled out a chair and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what\u2019s this about Old Charlie and Atsa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey used to live here, in this cabin.\u00a0 Charlie\u2019s wife died and he was left alone to rear a girl.\u201d\u00a0 Pa laughed.\u00a0 \u201cGod truly blessed me when he gave me only boys.\u00a0 A girl is whole different country.\u201d\u00a0 Sobering, the older man went on.\u00a0 \u201cAtsa made bad choices.\u00a0 She married a white man who, in time, betrayed her and their tribe.\u00a0 Lives were lost.\u00a0 Atsa told me her father disowned her.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t.\u00a0 She ran and he hunted her, but he couldn\u2019t find her.\u00a0 By then she had been found by a trader and taken far away.\u00a0\u00a0 It was only recently that he located her again.\u00a0 She was with Cato.\u201d\u00a0 Pa looked at each of them in turn.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if either of you remember Becket.\u00a0 He worked for me a short time and I had to let him go.\u00a0 It seems he came back here to make me pay for that \u2018sin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused as he considered again the hand of the Almighty.\u00a0 \u201cThere are those who would say that Cato Becket finding your brother, lost in the snow, was a sign that there is no God.\u00a0 I see it differently.\u00a0 If Becket hadn\u2019t found Joseph, your brother would have died, a father and daughter would have never had a chance to reconcile, and the world would not be rid of Cato\u2019s evil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2026what\u2019s a feller\u2026got to\u2026do\u2026to get some\u2026coffee around here?\u201d a weak voice asked, startling them all.<\/p>\n They were up and on their feet in a second.<\/p>\n Pa beat them there, of course, and sat down at Little Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you awake, boy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Joe looked confused.\u00a0 \u201cWhen did..you two\u2026get here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour brothers found you in the snow, Joseph.\u00a0 They saved your life,\u201d the older man said, his tone hushed.\u00a0 Pa ran his hand along Joe\u2019s forehead, brushing the curls away.\u00a0 \u201cYou need a haircut, young man,\u201d he said, his tone mock-stern.<\/p>\n Joe smiled lazily.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe it\u2026can\u2026wait \u2018til\u2026tomorrow\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I think I can take a few more days with you looking like a riverboat gambler.\u201d\u00a0 Their father cupped Little Joe\u2019s chin in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cThe only thing that matters is that you are alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lifted his hand.\u00a0 The gesture was feeble, but Pa saw it and reached out immediately.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026okay\u2026Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Baby brother looked puzzled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Joseph?\u201d their father asked.<\/p>\n Joe gave them all a bright smile.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t that my line?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags: Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, brothers, ESA, Family, Hoss Cartwright, hostage, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, kidnap, SJS<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n